Cooling system for an off-highway vehicle
First Claim
1. In a off-highway-vehicle cooling system including a heat exchanger;
- a fan mechanism for flowing air along a flow path through the heat exchanger; and
an air receiving structure vented to ambient air;
the improvement wherein;
the fan mechanism is a centrifugal fan mechanism and includes a housing and a fan in the housing;
the fan has forward curved blades, thereby to reduce system noise;
the system is mounted adjacent to an engine compartment containing an engine;
the housing includes a discharge mouth in air flow communication with the receiving structure;
the housing and the receiving structure define a first venturi aperture therebetween;
the first venturi aperture is in air flow communication with the engine compartment, thereby drawing cooling air through such compartment and across the engine;
the engine has a muffler pipe connected thereto for flowing exhaust gas from the engine;
the receiving structure has an exhaust stack connected thereto;
the exhaust stack and muffler pipe are spaced from one another and define a second venturi aperture therebetween; and
air from the discharge mouth flows through the second venturi aperture and along the exhaust stack, thereby drawing exhaust gas through the muffler pipe.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cooling system for an off-highway vehicle includes a heat exchanger (e.g., an engine coolant or hydraulic oil heat exchanger) and a fan mechanism for flowing air along a flow path through the heat exchanger. In the improvement, the fan mechanism is a centrifugal fan mechanism and is substantially the sole means for flowing air along the flow path. That is, there is substantially no ram-urged air. The mechanism includes a housing and a fan in the housing. The fan has forward curved blades, thereby to reduce system noise. A preferred fan has a depth-to-diameter ratio not in excess of about 0.4 and, most preferably, not in excess of about 0.25. An alternate embodiment includes what might be termed a split-discharge arrangement wherein air blown by the fan is discharged along two paths.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. In a off-highway-vehicle cooling system including a heat exchanger;
- a fan mechanism for flowing air along a flow path through the heat exchanger; and
an air receiving structure vented to ambient air;
the improvement wherein;the fan mechanism is a centrifugal fan mechanism and includes a housing and a fan in the housing;
the fan has forward curved blades, thereby to reduce system noise;
the system is mounted adjacent to an engine compartment containing an engine;
the housing includes a discharge mouth in air flow communication with the receiving structure;
the housing and the receiving structure define a first venturi aperture therebetween;
the first venturi aperture is in air flow communication with the engine compartment, thereby drawing cooling air through such compartment and across the engine;
the engine has a muffler pipe connected thereto for flowing exhaust gas from the engine;
the receiving structure has an exhaust stack connected thereto;
the exhaust stack and muffler pipe are spaced from one another and define a second venturi aperture therebetween; and
air from the discharge mouth flows through the second venturi aperture and along the exhaust stack, thereby drawing exhaust gas through the muffler pipe. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
the fan has an upstream portion toward the flow path and a downstream portion away from the flow path;
the housing includes a shroud covering the downstream portion; and
the fan mechanism is substantially the sole means for flowing air along the flow path.
- a fan mechanism for flowing air along a flow path through the heat exchanger; and
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3. The system of claim 2 wherein:
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the housing includes a single inlet port; and
the inlet port is adjacent to the upstream portion.
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4. The system of claim 3 wherein:
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the fan has a diameter and an axially-measured depth; and
the ratio of the depth to the diameter is not in excess of about 0.4.
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5. The system of claim 1 wherein:
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the heat exchanger has engine coolant flowing therethrough;
the fan is powered by a hydraulic motor having a thermostatic controller coupled in speed-controlling relationship thereto; and
the thermostatic controller controls the speed of the hydraulic motor as a function of the temperature of the engine coolant.
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6. The system of claim 1 wherein:
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the heat exchanger is a first heat exchanger for removing heat from engine coolant;
the cooling system includes a second heat exchanger for removing heat from hydraulic oil;
the fan is powered by a hydraulic motor having a thermostatic controller coupled in speed-controlling relationship thereto; and
the thermostatic controller controls the speed of the hydraulic motor as a function of the temperature of the hydraulic oil.
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7. The system of claim 1 in combination with an off-highway vehicle and wherein:
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the flow path has an entry opening at the rear of the vehicle;
the fan mechanism urges the air upwardly away from the vehicle; and
the flow path is substantially free of ram-urged air.
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8. In a cooling system for an off-highway vehicle and including a heat exchanger, a fan mechanism for flowing air along a flow path through the heat exchanger;
- and an air receiving structure vented to ambient air, the improvement wherein;
the fan mechanism includes a centrifugal fan, a single inlet port in upstream flow relationship to the fan and a first discharge portion in downstream flow relationship to the fan;
the fan has forward curved blades, thereby to reduce system noise;
the system is mounted adjacent to an engine compartment containing an engine;
the discharge portion is in air flow communication with the receiving structure;
the discharge portion and the receiving structure define a first venturi aperture therebetween;
the first venturi aperture is in air flow communication with the engine compartment, thereby cooling air through such compartment and across the engine;
the engine has a muffler pipe connected thereto for flowing exhaust gas from the engine;
the receiving structure has an exhaust stack connected thereto;
the exhaust stack and muffler pipe are spaced from one another and define a second venturi aperture therebetween; and
air from the discharge portion flows through the second venturi aperture and along the exhaust stack, thereby drawing exhaust gas through the muffler pipe. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
the fan has a diameter and an axially-measured depth; and
the ratio of the depth to the diameter is not in excess of about 0.4.
- and an air receiving structure vented to ambient air, the improvement wherein;
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11. The cooling system of claim 10 wherein the ratio of the depth to the diameter is not in excess of about 0.25.
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12. The cooling system of claim 8 wherein:
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the heat exchanger has engine coolant flowing therethrough;
the fan is powered by a hydraulic motor having a thermostatic controller coupled in speed-controlling relationship thereto; and
the thermostatic controller controls the speed of the hydraulic motor as a function of the temperature of the engine coolant.
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13. The cooling system of claim 8 wherein:
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the heat exchanger is a first heat exchanger for removing heat from engine coolant;
the cooling system includes a second heat exchanger for removing heat from hydraulic oil;
the fan is powered by a hydraulic motor having a thermostatic controller coupled in speed-controlling relationship thereto; and
the thermostatic controller controls the speed of the hydraulic motor as a function of the temperature of the hydraulic oil.
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14. The cooling system of claim 11 wherein:
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the heat exchanger is a first heat exchanger for removing heat from engine coolant;
the cooling system includes a second heat exchanger for removing heat from hydraulic oil;
the fan is powered by a hydraulic motor having a thermostatic controller coupled in speed-controlling relationship thereto; and
the thermostatic controller controls the speed of the hydraulic motor as a function of the temperature of the hydraulic oil.
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Specification