Patent ID: 12188402

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will be described with respect to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. Each drawing may not include all of the features of the invention and therefore should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other sequences than described or illustrated herein. Likewise, method steps described or claimed in a particular sequence may be understood to operate in a different sequence.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

It is to be noticed that the term “comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.

Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term “connected”, used in the description, should not be interpreted as being restricted to direct connections only. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device A connected to a device B” should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. “Connected” may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. For instance, wireless connectivity is contemplated.

Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment” or “an aspect” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment or aspect of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or “in an aspect” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or aspect, but may refer to different embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics of any one embodiment or aspect of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner with any other particular feature, structure or characteristic of another embodiment or aspect of the invention, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments or aspects.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Moreover, the description of any individual drawing or aspect should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form yet further embodiments, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

In the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, the disclosure of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of the permitted range of a parameter, coupled with an indication that one of said values is more highly preferred than the other, is to be construed as an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter, lying between the more preferred and the less preferred of said alternatives, is itself preferred to said less preferred value and also to each value lying between said less preferred value and said intermediate value.

The use of the term “at least one” may mean only one in certain circumstances. The use of the term “any” may mean “all” and/or “each” in certain circumstances.

The principles of the invention will now be described by a detailed description of at least one drawing relating to exemplary features. It is clear that other arrangements can be configured according to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art without departing from the underlying concept or technical teaching, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

FIG.1is schematic representation of a forced induction system in which air is provided 1 to a first compressor2and compressed into a first (compressed air) gas stream3. Vortex tube11is arranged to supply the first stream of gas3to an air multiplier4. The air multiplier4is arranged to receive the first stream of gas3and eject the first stream of gas3over a Coandă surface, the air multiplier configured to entrain ambient air5with the ejected first stream of gas3to produce a second stream of gas8.

The ambient air5may be provided through a filter6from an external source7(for instance outside a vehicle).

A second compressor9is arranged to receive the second stream of gas8, and is configured to compress the second stream of gas8for supply at10to an internal combustion engine (not shown).

FIG.2is a perspective view of a possible air multiplier for use in the system ofFIG.1. The air multiplier comprises a closed loop11. In particular the closed loop11is substantially prismatic in form, having an axial cross section that is substantially lozenge-shape; that is, having two opposing ends that are semi-circular connected by substantially flat and parallel upper and lower walls.

On an interior surface of the closed loop11is provided a Coandă surface13that extends around an entire internal periphery of the interior surface. At one axial end of the interior surface, adjacent to the Coandă surface13is a compressed air outlet15. The compressed air outlet15is arranged in the form of a ring that extends around an entire internal periphery of the interior surface, and is configured to eject air over the Coandă surface13.

FIG.3(a)shows a front axial plan view of the air multiplier ofFIG.2.FIG.3(b)shows a bottom-up plan view of the air multiplier ofFIG.2. A compressed air inlet17is shown on the right-hand side thereof, for supplying a compressed air stream into an interior of the closed loop11. Typical measurements are shown in millimetres, but any or all of these could vary by up to an order of magnitude from those shown and still be effective.

FIG.4shows a cross-sectional view of the air multiplier ofFIGS.2and3, taken along the line A-A inFIG.2. The interior volume19is shown hollow, as this can be supplied by the compressed air inlet17with compressed air; however, other internal arrangements are also possible, in which compressed air is fed directly to the compressed air outlet15.

Inside the compressed air outlet15is a guiding vane for ensuring directional flow of compressed air out of the compressed air outlet15, such that it flows over the surface13.