ENGINE ENCLOSURE AND COOLING SYSTEM WITH ROTARY FILTER

• US 3,837,149 A
• Filed: 06/27/1973
• Issued: 09/24/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James Roger Nelson, Neil L. West
• Original Assignee: James Roger Nelson, Neil L. West
• Inventors: West, Neil L., Nelson, James Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Nozick, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US05/374,156
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 55/267-269,290,294,293,385,400 56/11.3 180/54A,68R
• US Class Current: 55/282.5
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/26 rotatable
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/12 Filtering, cooling, or silencing cooling-air

Abstract

A self-propelled combine has an elevated transversely oriented engine at the right front of the machine mounted in an engine enclosure having an air inlet on the right sidewall of the enclosure. a rotating, drum-type screen is mounted over the air inlet for filtering the cooling air moving through the inlet, and a radiator is disposed adjacent to the air inlet in the enclosure. An engine driven fan pulls air through the filtered air inlet, through the radiator, and discharges a substantial portion of the air downwardly along the right sidewall of the combine, another substantial portion of the air through outlets in the lower front wall of the enclosure, directing the air along the top of the feeder house, and a smaller portion of the air through an outlet at the top of the engine enclosure front wall. A partial vacuum chamber is disposed adjacent a section of the peripheral wall of the air filter and adjacent a section of the radial end wall of the air filter, the partial vacuum being created in the chamber by suction from the fan through a conduit connecting the chamber to the fan shroud. The normal inward flow of air through the air filter is reversed in those areas of the filter opposite the vacuum chamber, so that the material filtered out of the cooling air by the filter is sucked off of the exterior of the filter into the vacuum chamber, from where it is pulled through the conduit by the fan and discharged through the air outlets, bypassing the radiator. The right sidewall of the engine enclosure is swingable to an open position wherein it provides access to the radiator and other components in the enclosure, a latch being provided to lock the sidewall in its closed position. An interlock is provided in association with the latch for automatically disengaging the drive to the rotating screen when the sidewall is swung to its open position.

Claims

1. In a self-propelled agricultural machine having a body with opposite lateral sidewalls, a forwardly extending crop feeding housing, a forward elevated engine above the level of the housing and a forward elevated operator'"'"''"'"'s station adjacent the engine, the combination therewith of an improved engine enclosure and cooling system comprising:

an engine enclosure mounted on the body for enclosing the engine and having an approximately upright sidewall spaced outwardly of the body sidewall on the opposite side of the machine from the operator'"'"''"'"'s station, and an approximately upright front wall including upper and lower portions;

an air inlet means in said engine enclosure sidewall;

a rotatable air filter means including a foraminous filter element mounted on the enclosure sidewall over the air inlet means for filtering air moving through the air inlet means;

drive means operatively connecting the engine to the air filter means for rotating the filter means;

air outlet means in the enclosure and including a first air outlet in the lower portion of the front wall above the crop feeding housing and a second outlet open downwardly between the combine sidewall and the enclosure sidewall;

heat exhcanger means mounted with the enclosure and adapted to cool the engine;

blower means mounted in the enclosure and operatively connected to and driven by the engine for moving air through the filter element and at least a portion of the air through the heat exchanger means, aNd discharging the air through the air outlet means, at least a portion of the air moving thruogh the first and second outlet; and

cleaning means for cleaning the filter elements as the air filter means rotates.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the cleaning means comprises a partial vacuum chamber disposed adjacent the filter element and having an inlet opening opposite a limited area of the filter element, said area changing as the air filter means rotates so that substantially the entire filter element moves past the inlet opening during each revolution of the air filter element, the chamber blanking off the area of the filter element opposite the inlet to interrupt the air stream moving inwardly through said area, and the partial vacuum in the chamber causing a reverse air flow through the filter element area opposite the chamber inlet opening to clean said area of the filter element.

3. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein the chamber is connected to conduit means having an opening operatively associated with the blower means so that the blower means sucks air through the conduit means to create the partial vacuum in the chamber.

4. The invention defined in claim 3 wherein the filter element is drum-shaped and includes a radial end wall offset and parallel to the enclosure sidewall and a cylindrical peripheral wall, and the chamber includes a laterally extending portion adjacent the cylindrical wall and a radial portion adjacent the end wall of the filter element.

5. The invention defined in claim 4 wherein the heat exchanger means is disposed between the air filter means and the blower means, and the conduit means extends laterally alongside the heat exchanger means to the blower means.

6. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the enclosure sidewall includes a door swingable between a closed operating position and an open position wherein it exposes the heat exchanger means, and the air filter means is mounted on the door.

7. The invention defined in claim 6 wherein the door includes latch means shiftable between locked and open positions wherein it respectively maintains the door in its locked operating position or permits the door to swing to its open position, and the drive means to the air filter means includes a clutch means shiftable between engaged and disengaged positions wherein it respectively engages or disconnects the drive to the air filter means and operatively connected to the latch means for shifting to its disengaged condition when the latch means is shifted to its open position.

8. In an agricultural machine having a mobile body and an internal combustion engine mounted on the body, the combination therewith of an improved engine enclosure and a cooling system for the engine comprising:

an engine enclosure mounted on the body and including sidewalls and a top wall;

an air inlet means in one of said sidewalls;

a rotatable air filter means, including a foraminous filter element mounted on the enclosure sidewall over the air inlet means for filtering air moving therethrough;

drive means operatively connecting the engine to the air filter means for rotating the filter means;

an air outlet means in the enclosure;

heat exchanger means mounted within the enclosure and adapted to cool the engine;

blower means mounted in the enclosure and operatively connected to and driven by the engine for moving air through the filter element, through the air inlet means, through the heat exchanger means, and discharging the air through the air outlet means;

a partial vacuum chamber mounted on the enclosure adjacent the exterior side of the filter element and having an air inlet opening opposite a limited area of the filter element that changes as the air filter means rotates so that substantially the entire filter element moves past the inlet opening during each revolution of the filter element; and

conduit means connecting the chamber to the blower means so that the blower means sucks air from the chamber, a portion of the air flowing througH the filter means being sucked back through the filter means into the vacuum chamber to carry away foreign material accumulating on the exterior side of the filter means.

9. The invention defined in claim 8 wherein the heat exchanger means is disposed between the blower means and the air filter element, the conduit means extending around the heat exchanger means so that the air drawn into the vacuum chamber bypasses the heat exchanger means and is discharged through the blower means through the air outlet means.

10. The invention defined in claim 9 wherein the air filter element is drum-shaped and has a radial end wall and a vertical peripheral wall, the vacuum chamber being L-shaped and having one leg adjacent the end wall of the drum-shaped filter element and its opposite leg adjacent the peripheral wall.

11. The invention defined in claim 10 wherein at least a portion of the sidewall carrying the filter element is swingable about a vertical pivot means between a closed position wherein the engine is substantially enclosed, and an open condition wherein access is provided to the heat exchanger means.

12. The invention defined in claim 11 wherein the heat exchanger means includes a radiator operatively associated with the engine, and an oil cooler.

13. The invention defined in claim 9 wherein the enclosure includes a second sidewall and the outlet means is at least partially disposed in said second sidewall, and includes a first outlet opening at the top of said second wall and a second outlet opening in a lower portion of said sidewall.

14. In an agricultural machine having a mobile body and an internal combustion engine mounted on the body, the improvement comprising:

an engine enclosure mounted on the body and substantially enclosing the engine, said engine having a first generally upright sidewall portion and vertical pivot means swingably mounting said sidewall portion on the enclosure for swinging between a closed position and an open position wherein it exposes a portion of the enclosure interior;

heat exchanger means operatively associated with the engine and mounted in the enclosure adjacent and opposite the swingable sidewall portion;

an air inlet in the swingable sidewall portion;

a rotatable air filter means including a foraminous filter element mounted on the swingable sidewall portion over the air inlet means for filtering air moving through the air inlet means;

drive means operatively connecting the engine to the air filter means for rotating the filter means;

air outlet means in the engine enclosure; and

blower means mounted in the enclosure and operatively connected to and driven by the engine for moving air through the filter element, through the heat exchanger means, and discharging the air through the air outlet means.

15. The invention defined in claim 14 and including latch means operatively associated with the swingable sidewall portion and shiftable between locking and unlocking positions where it respectively locks and unlocks the swingable sidewall portion to the rest of the enclosure, and means connecting the latch means to the drive means between the engine and the air filter means for automatically disconnecting the drive means when the latch is shifted to its unlocking position.

16. The invention defined in claim 14 and including a partial vacuum chamber disposed adjacent the filter element and having an inlet opening opposite a limited area of the filter element, substantially the entire filter element moving past the inlet opening of the partial vacuum chamber during each revolution of the filter element, a portion of the air moving through the filter element being drawn into the partial vacuum chamber in a reverse direction through the filter element to carry foreign material from the exterior side of the filter element into the vacuum chamber.

17. The invention defined in claim 14 wherein the heat exchanger means includes a radiator operatively associated with the engine for cooling the engine and at least one Other heat exchanger for cooling a different component of the machine.

18. The invention defined in claim 14 wherein the engine enclosure includes a second sidewall and the air outlet means includes a first outlet opening at the top of said second sidewall and a second outlet opening in a lower portion of said second sidewall.

19. In an agricultural machine having a mobile body and an internal combustion engine, the combination therewith of an improved engine enclosure and cooling system for said engine and comprising:

an engine enclosure mounted on the body and substantially enclosing the engine and having a first generally upright sidewall;

a vertical pivot means swingably mounting the sidewall on the enclosure for swinging between a closed position and an open position wherein it exposes a substantial portion of the enclosure interior;

an air inlet in the swingable sidewall;

a rotatable air filter means including a foraminous filter element mounted on the swingable enclosure sidewall over the air inlet means for filtering air moving therethrough;

drive means operatively connecting the engine to the air filter means for rotating the filter means;

a latch means operative between the swingable sidewall and the remainder of the enclosure and shiftable between a locked position, wherein it maintains the swingable sidewall in its closed position, and an open position, wherein it permits the swinging of the sidewall to its open position; and

means connecting the latch means to the drive means for automatically disconnecting the drive means when the latch means is shifted to its open position.

20. The invention defined in claim 19 wherein the drive means to the air filter means includes a drive shaft having a pulley means thereon and a drive belt engageable with the pulley to rotate the air filter means, and the latch means includes a rotatable element coaxially rotatable relative to the shaft between open and closed positions wherein it establishes the open and locked positions of the latch means, said rotatable element having a belt-engaging member offset from the axis of the shaft and engageable with the belt to lift the belt off the pulley means as the element is swung from its locked to its open position.

21. In a self-propelled agricultural machine having a body with opposite lateral sidewalls, a forwardly extnding crop feeding housing, a forward elevated engine above the level of the housing, and a forward elevated operator'"'"''"'"'s station adjacent the engine, the combination therewith of an improved engine enclosure and cooling system for the engine comprising:

an engine enclosure mounted on the body and substantially enclosing the engine and having an upright sidewall spaced outwardly of the body sidewall on the opposite side of the machine from the operator'"'"''"'"'s station;

a generally upright front wall including upper and lower portions;

an air inlet means in said engine enclosure sidewall;

a rotatable air filter means including a foraminous filter element mounted on the enclosure sidewall over the air inlet means for filtering air moving through the air inlet means;

a drive means operatively connecting the engine to the air filter means for rotating the filter means;

air outlet means in the enclosure and including a first air outlet in the lower portion of the front wall above the crop feeding housing and a second outlet open downwardly between the combine sidewall and the enclosure sidewall;

heat exchanger means mounted within the enclosure and adapted to cool the engine;

blower means mounted in the enclosure and operatively connected to and driven by the engine for moving air through the filter element, and at least a portion of the air through the heat exchanger means, and discharging the air through the air outlet means;

a partial vacuum chamber disposed adjacent the exterior side of the filter element and having an inlet opening opposite a limited area of the filter element, substantially the entire filter element moving past the inlet opening of the vacuum chamber during each revolution of the filter element;

conduit means bypassing the heat exchanger means and operatively connecting the blower means to the vacuum chamber to create a partial vacuum in said chamber, a portion of the air drawn through the filter element moving in the reverse direction through the filter element and into the vacuum chamber to carry away foreign material accumulated on the exterior side of the filter element, the foreign material entrained in the air in the vacuum chamber moving through the conduit and being discharged through the outlet means by the blower means.

22. The invention defined in claim 21 wherein the filter element is drum-shaped and has a radial end wall and a cylindrical sidewall, and the vacuum chamber is generally L-shaped and has a first leg opposite and adjacent the end wall of the filter element and a second leg adjacent and opposite the cylindrical sidewall of the filter element.