Air intake for a motorized vehicle

• US 20020088655A1
• Filed: 10/18/2001
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvis Hagglunds AB (BAE Systems Plc)
• Original Assignee: Alvis Hagglunds AB (BAE Systems Plc)
• Inventors: Gustafsson, Tore, Falk, Alfons, Olsson, Orjan
• Granted Patent: US 6,662,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/68.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/08 Air inlets for cooling; Shutters or blinds therefor radiator or grille guards B60R19/52
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 13/02 concerning intake
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/24 Military vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to an air intake for a motorized vehicle, in particular for obtaining a low radar and IR signature of a ballistically protected air intake (10) of the vehicle. The air intake (10) has a perforated armor plate (12) lying level with an outer bodywork plate (14) of the vehicle, and a fresh-air duct (18) which adjoins the inside of the perforated armor plate (12) and which has a fan (20) for sucking the fresh air necessary for running the vehicle into the duct via air intake openings (16) in the armor plate. A wail section (22) of the fresh-air duct (18) situated between the air intake openings (16) and a heat-generating source (24) in the vehicle is air-cooled.

Claims

1. Air intake for a motorized vehicle, in particular for obtaining a low radar and IR signature of a ballistically protected air intake (10) of the vehicle, in which a heat-emitting source (24) in the vehicle is placed in immediate proximity to the air intake (10), comprising a perforated armour plate (12) lying level with an outer bodywork plate (14) of the vehicle, and a fresh-air duct (18) which adjoins the inside of the perforated armour plate (12) and which has a fan (20) for sucking the fresh air necessary for running the vehicle into the duct (18) via air intake openings (16) in the armour plate (12), characterized in that the fresh-air duct (18) has an airflow-deflecting wall section (22) situated between the air intake openings (16) in the armour plate (12) and the heat-emitting source (24), which wall section (22) is provided with at least one air bypass duct (26) for cooling the wall section (22).

2. Air intake according to claim 1, characterized in that the airflow-deflecting wall section (22) is configured as a double wall (28, 30) with an air bypass duct (26) lying in between.

3. Air intake according to claim 2, characterized in that one wall part (30) of the double wall is of anti-splinter design, preferably made of armour plate.

4. Air intake according to claim 3, characterized in that the wall part (30) of the double wall facing away from the fresh-air duct (18) is of anti-splinter design, preferably made of armour plate.

5. Air intake according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the air bypass duct (26) is connected upstream to a fresh-air intake (32) and downstream (34) to the fresh-air duct (18) upstream of the fan (20).

6. Air intake according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the perforated armour plate (12) has a thickness of about 5 to 10 mm and air intake openings (16) with a diameter substantially identical in size to the thickness.

7. Air intake according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a fine-mesh net (36) is placed over the air intake openings (16) in the armour plate (12).

8. Air intake according to claim 7, characterized in that the net (36) has a mesh width of about 2 to 5 mm.