Work vehicle

• US 10,584,465 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2016
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakon, Yu, Seto, Yohei, Miyamoto, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, James A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coolman, Vaughn
• Application Number:
  US15/533,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20180266076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/00 Arrangement in connection with cooling of propulsion units heating the interior space B60H; cooling internal combustion engines per se F01P
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/02 with liquid cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/04 Arrangement or mounting of radiators, radiator shutters, or radiator blinds B60K11/085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/40 Special vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/41 Construction vehicles, e.g. graders, excavators
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/415 Wheel loaders
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/283 with a single arm pivoted directly on the chassis linkage mechanism for it E02F3/3405
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/0808 Improving mounting or assembling, e.g. frame elements, disposition of all the components on the superstructures for disposition of specific components, E02F9/0858
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/0833 Improving access, e.g. for maintenance, steps for improving driver's access, handrails
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/0866 Engine compartment, e.g. heat exchangers, exhaust filters, cooling devices, silencers, mufflers, position of hydraulic pumps in the engine compartment
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/0891 Lids or bonnets or doors or details thereof doors for cabins E02F9/163 takes precedence; for motor vehicles B62D25/10

Abstract

A work vehicle includes a vehicle body that includes a heat exchange room in which an opening portion facing a rear side is formed, and a rear passage extending in a width direction along a lower edge portion of the opening portion behind the opening portion, a cooling unit that is provided in the heat exchange room and includes a rear surface facing the rear side, and a blower unit that includes a fan rotationally driven and a movable shroud covering the fan from an outer peripheral side, and that is movable with respect to the vehicle body so that a movement region of the blower unit overlaps the rear passage between a closed position at which the blower unit faces the rear surface of the cooling unit from the rear side and an open position at which the blower unit exposes the rear surface of the cooling unit.

Claims

1. A work vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle body that includes a heat exchange room in which an opening portion facing a rear side of the vehicle body is formed, and a rear passage extending in a width direction along a lower edge portion of the opening portion behind the opening portion and on an upper surface of the rear passage a nonslip mat being provided over the width direction;

a cooling unit that is provided in the heat exchange room and includes a rear surface facing the rear side;

a blower unit that includes a fan rotationally driven and a movable shroud covering the fan from an outer peripheral side, and that is supported to be movable with respect to the vehicle body so that a movement region of the blower unit in a plan view overlaps the rear passage between a closed position at which the blower unit faces the rear surface of the cooling unit and an open position at which the blower unit exposes the rear surface of the cooling unit; and

a fixation shroud that has an annular shape, that is provided on the rear surface of the cooling unit in the heat exchange room, and that forms a flow path through which air is introduced from the rear surface of the cooling unit to the fan along with the movable shroud of the cooling unit positioned at the closed position,

wherein the fixation shroud includes a fixed-side step portion, and a taper portion,

wherein the fixed-side step portion has a flat-plate shape having a surface orthogonal to a forward-backward direction of the vehicle body,

wherein the taper portion is connected to the fixed-side step portion and has a shape in which a flow path cross-sectional area decreases from an end portion on an inside in a radial direction of the fixed-side step portion toward the rear side,

wherein the movable shroud has a connection tubular portion having a tubular shape which extends to have a uniform flow path cross-sectional area from a front end of the connection tubular portion toward the rear side, and the front end of the connection tubular portion comes into contact with the fixed-side step portion.

2. The work vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the movable shroud has an annular shape which covers the fan from the outer peripheral side, and is connected to the fixation shroud from the rear side when the blower unit is positioned at the closed position.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 2,

wherein an opening area of the fixation shroud when viewed from the rear side is larger than an opening area of the movable shroud when viewed from the rear side.

4. The work vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising:

a seal member which causes the movable shroud and the fixation shroud to be in close contact with each other when the blower unit is positioned at the closed position.

5. The work vehicle according to claim 3,

wherein a lower end of the cooling unit and a lower end of the fixation shroud are positioned below the lower edge portion of the opening portion, and a lower end of the blower unit is positioned above the lower edge portion of the opening portion.

6. The work vehicle according to claim 3,

wherein the vehicle body includes an upper structure above the blower unit positioned at the closed position in the heat exchange room, and wherein upper ends of the cooling unit and the fixation shroud are positioned above a lower end of the upper structure.

7. The work vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising:

a seal member which causes the movable shroud and the fixation shroud to be in close contact with each other when the blower unit is positioned at the closed position.

8. The work vehicle according to claim 2,

wherein a lower end of the cooling unit and a lower end of the fixation shroud are positioned below the lower edge portion of the opening portion, and a lower end of the blower unit is positioned above the lower edge portion of the opening portion.

9. The work vehicle according to claim 2,

wherein the vehicle body includes an upper structure above the blower unit positioned at the closed position in the heat exchange room, and wherein upper ends of the cooling unit and the fixation shroud are positioned above a lower end of the upper structure.

10. The work vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a seal member which causes the movable shroud and the fixation shroud to be in close contact with each other when the blower unit is positioned at the closed position.

11. The work vehicle according to claim 10,

wherein a lower end of the cooling unit and a lower end of the fixation shroud are positioned below the lower edge portion of the opening portion, and a lower end of the blower unit is positioned above the lower edge portion of the opening portion.

12. The work vehicle according to claim 10,

wherein the vehicle body includes an upper structure above the blower unit positioned at the closed position in the heat exchange room, and wherein upper ends of the cooling unit and the fixation shroud are positioned above a lower end of the upper structure.

13. The work vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein a lower end of the cooling unit and a lower end of the fixation shroud are positioned below the lower edge portion of the opening portion, and a lower end of the blower unit is positioned above the lower edge portion of the opening portion.

14. The work vehicle according to claim 13,

wherein the vehicle body includes an upper structure above the blower unit positioned at the closed position in the heat exchange room, and wherein upper ends of the cooling unit and the fixation shroud are positioned above a lower end of the upper structure.

15. The work vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the blower unit is supported to rotatably move with respect to the vehicle body around a rotation axis which extends in a vertical direction on one side of the vehicle body in the width direction.

16. The work vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the vehicle body includes an upper structure above the blower unit positioned at the closed position in the heat exchange room, and wherein upper ends of the cooling unit and the fixation shroud are positioned above a lower end of the upper structure.

17. The work vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the vehicle body includes:

a pair of rear frames which extends in the forward-backward direction at intervals therebetween in the width direction;

an exterior cover that is provided above the pair of the rear frames and in which the heat exchange room is formed inside the exterior cover; and

a bumper that is provided to extend in the width direction over the pair of rear frames on a rear sides of the rear frames includes an upper surface which becomes the rear passage, and partitions and forms the opening portion along with the exterior cover.