Atmosphere control arrangement for an operator enclosure

• US 4,531,453 A
• Filed: 05/16/1983
• Issued: 07/30/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Warman, Bruce L., Dailey, Carl W., Johnson, Floyd D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Joyce, Harold
• Application Number:
  US06/495,320
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 55/308, 55/330, 55/332, 55/338, 55/436, 55/443, 98/2, 98/2.11, 98/38 E, 98/38 F
• US Class Current: 454/139
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00378 for tractor or load vehicle cabins
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 3/0608 Filter arrangements in the air stream

Abstract

An atmosphere control system for the cab of a self-propelled combine has its principal components arranged for series flow and mounted compactly on a rear portion of the floor of the cab. A pressurizing blower injects fresh air into an upstream filter chamber through a translational inertial precleaner which discharges any removed dust along with bleed air vertically downwards through the floor of the cab. A filter further cleans fresh air as it continues into the system, to pass through a heat exchanger and into circulation by a circulation blower and suitable ducting. Both precleaner and fresh air filter are accessible through a door in an outside wall of the cab.

Claims

1. An atmosphere control system for an operator enclosure of a self propelled vehicle comprising:

a housing inside the enclosure having walls and an inlet and an outlet in the walls both communicating externally of the enclosure;

a pressurizing blower for drawing air through the inlet from outside of the enclosure;

a precleaner within the housing for receiving and dividing the outside air from the pressurizing blower and passing a first portion of that air through the outlet substantially directly to the atmosphere and a second precleaned portion downstream in the housing, the precleaner functioning to concentrate any dust in the incoming air in the first air portion;

a first air filter in the housing downstream of the precleaner for receiving and filtering the precleaned air portion;

a second air filter screening second inlet in the housing walls, said second inlet being downstream of the first air filter and communicating with the enclosure and said second air filter being operable to filter air entering the housing from the enclosure;

conditioning means, operable to treat a flow of air, disposed within the housing downstream of the first and second filters; and

circulating blower means connected to the housing for drawing air through said first and second filters and through said conditioning means and distributing it in the enclosure.

2. The atmosphere control system of claim 1, wherein the circulating blower means includes a variable speed blower and a distribution duct extending within the enclosure.

3. An atmosphere control system for the operator enclosure of a self-propelled off-the-road vehicle carried within said enclosure, said enclosure having walls and a floor, comprising:

a plurality of components including;

fresh air inlet means associated with a wall of the enclosure;

a pressurizing blower for drawing air through the inlet means;

a precleaner for receiving air delivered by the pressurizing blower and passing a first portion of that air for delivery inside the enclosure and directing a second portion of the air substantially directly from the precleaner externally of the enclosure;

a fresh air filter for receiving and filtering the first portion of air and passing it downstream;

a heat exchanger for receiving the filtered first portion of air and passing it downstream; and

a circulating blower for receiving and circulating within the enclosure air passed downstream by the fresh air filter;

wherein said components, with respect to the flow of the first portion of air and the circulating air, are arranged in series so that all air entering the system passes downstream and through all components downstream of its point of entry.

4. The atmosphere control system of claim 3 wherein the precleaner is of the inertial type and the second portion of air is bleed air and said bleed air discharges generally downwards.

5. The atmopshere control system of claim 3 wherein the fresh air inlet means includes an inlet duct having an elevated inlet and further including distributing means, including a distributing duct downstream of the circulating blower.

6. The atmosphere control system of claim 3 wherein the pressurizing blower delivers air directly to the precleaner for charging the precleaner.

7. An atmosphere control system for an operator enclosure of a self-propelled off-the-road vehicle, the system including a set of principal components and the enclosure including walls and a floor, comprising:

a generally horizontally extending casing for mounting on the floor of the enclosure and housing and supporting the principal components of the system and having an upstream fresh air inlet and a downstream conditioned air outlet and including an internal transverse fresh air filter wall having an aperture and defining a filter chamber of the casing upstream of the filter wall;

a pressurizing blower in an air delivery relationship with the fresh air inlet for delivering fresh air from outside the enclosure to the filter chamber;

a self-cleaning inertial precleaner for removing dust from the fresh air, extending in the filter chamber and having an inlet in a receiving relationship with fresh air from the fresh air inlet, a plurality of clean air outlets communicating with the filter chamber and a dust discharging outlet discharging externally of the filter chamber;

a fresh air filter screening the aperture in the filter wall for filtering air passing downwstream from the filter chamber and through the aperture;

a heat exchanger within the casing downstream of the filter aperture and upstream of the conditioned air outlet, the heat exchanger being spaced from the filter aperture so as to define a mixing chamber within the casing;

a recirculating air filter inlet in the casing communicating with the mixing chamber; and

a circulating blower associated with the conditioned air outlet for delivering conditioned air through said outlet and into the enclosure.

8. The atmosphere control system of claim 7 wherein the casing comprises an upper half and a lower half, the lower half being carried by the floor and the upper half being removable to provide access to the principal components of the system.

9. The atmosphere control system of claim 7 wherein the precleaner traverses the filter chamber from top to bottom and the dust discharging outlet is directed vertically downwards.

10. A fresh air filtering arrangement for the atmosphere control system of an operator enclosure of an off-the-road vehicle, said enclosure having walls and a floor, comprising:

a filter chamber within the enclosure and adjacent a wall of the enclosure, said chamber having opposite first and second walls and an inlet and first and second outlets in said walls;

an inertial precleaner extending within the filter chamber, between the opposite first and second walls of the chamber and having a charging air inlet ajdacent the first wall in communication with the filter chamber inlet, clean air outlets in communication with the filter chamber and a discharge end, including a bleed air outlet, adjacent the second wall in communication with the first outlet of the filter chamber, the filter chamber second wall including a recess and an axially compressible element carried in the recess, the recess and the compressible element engaging the discharge end of the precleaner, the recess positioning said end and the compressible element and forming a seal between the precleaner bleed air outlet and second wall and exerting a compressive axial force for retaining the precleaner between the opposite walls, the compressibility of the element facilitating the installation and removal of the precleaner;

a clean air filter screening the second outlet of the filter chamber; and

power means for delivering air under pressure to the inlet of the filter chamber.

11. A fresh air filtering arrangement for the atmosphere control system of an operator enclosure of an off-the-road vehicle, said enclosure having walls and a floor, comprising:

a filter chamber within the enclosure and adjacent the floor of the enclosure, said chamber having first and second walls and an inlet and first and second outlets in said walls, the second wall of the filter chamber extending generally horizontally adjacent the floor of the enclosure and including the first outlet and said floor including an aperture registering with the first outlet;

an inertial precleaner of the translational inertial type extending generally vertically within the filter chamber and having a charging air inlet in communication with the filter chamber inlet, clean air outlets in communication with the filter chamber and a discharge end, including a bleed air outlet, in communication with the first outlet of the filter chamber so that the bleed air discharge of the precleaner is generally vertically downwards through the aperture in the floor of the enclosure;

a clean air filter screening the second outlet of the filter chamber; and

power means for delivering air under pressure to the inlet of the filter chamber, comprising a pressurizing blower having a delivery nozzle communicating directly with the charging air inlet of the precleaner.