Side-by-side vehicle

• US 8,827,019 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polaris Industries Incorporated (Polaris Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polaris Industries Incorporated (Polaris Inc.)
• Inventors: Deckard, Aaron D., Nowacki, Phillip A., Gillingham, Brian R., Kofstad, Tracy S., Smith, Mark A., Kjaer, Curtis R., Nelson, Stephen L., Hollman, Keith A., Rubatt, Jerome J., Schlangen, Adam J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hau
• Assistant Examiner(s): EVANS, BRYAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/133,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20140102819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 265 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.1, 180/68.2, 180/68.3, 180/69.2, 180/69.24, 180/69.25, 180/89.17
• US Class Current: 180/68.1
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 6/00 Restoring or reconditioning objects straightening or restoring form of sheet metal, metal rods, metal tubes, metal profiles, or specific articles made therefrom B21D1/00, B21D3/00; repairing defective or damaged objects by casting techniques B22D19/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/06 with air cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 13/02 concerning intake
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 13/06 using structural parts of the vehicle as ducts, e.g. frame parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/06 of change-speed gearing B60K17/10 - B60K17/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/08 of mechanical type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/34 for driving both front and rear wheels, e.g. four wheel drive vehicles arrangement or mounting of control devices for changing number of driven wheels B60K23/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2005/003 the internal combustion or jet propulsion unit is arranged between the front and the rear axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/124 Buggies, Quads
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/20 Off-Road Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/72 Continous variable transmissions [CVT]
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/02 Platforms; Open load compartments flat wagons including posts or standards B61D3/08
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/027 characterised by means for venting gearboxes, e.g. air breathers
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0416 Air cooling or ventilation
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0489 with endless flexible members, e.g. belt CVTs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49718 Repairing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49721 with disassembling

Abstract

A vehicle may include a CVT unit or a power source which requires ambient air. An air net for an air intake system coupled to the CVT unit or the power source which requires ambient air may be provided in a side of a cargo carrying portion of the vehicle. The vehicle may include a rear radius arm suspension.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a frame;

a plurality of ground engaging members supporting the frame;

a power source supported by the frame and operatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of ground engaging members to propel the vehicle;

a CVT unit supported by the frame and operatively coupled between the power source and the at least one of the plurality of ground engaging members;

an operator area supported by the frame, the operator area including seating and operator controls;

a cargo carrying portion supported by the frame and located rearward of the operator area; and

an air intake system operatively coupled to the CVT unit to communicate ambient air to an interior of the CVT unit, the air intake system receiving ambient air through an inlet in an exterior body panel of the cargo carrying portion.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the cargo carrying portion is a cargo bed.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a cover coupled to the exterior body panel to cover the inlet in the exterior body panel, the cover permitting the ambient air to pass by the cover.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, further comprising a filter housing positioned behind the cover and a filter removably positioned within the filter housing, the ambient air passing through the filter.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, the filter being located between an exterior surface of the exterior body panel of the cargo carrying portion and a wall of a cargo carrying region of the cargo carrying portion.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the inlet in the exterior body panel of the cargo carrying portion is positioned on a first side of a vertical centerline plane of the vehicle and the air intake system transports the ambient air to a second side of the vertical centerline plane as the ambient air travels through a fluid conduit of the air intake system.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the CVT unit includes a drive member operatively coupled to the power source;

a driven member operatively coupled to the at least one ground engaging member;

a drive belt operatively coupling the driven member to the drive member; and

a CVT housing having an interior containing the drive member, the driven member, and the drive belt, the CVT housing including a plurality of air inlets to the interior of the CVT housing, a first air inlet being positioned proximate the drive member and a second air inlet being positioned proximate the driven member, both the first air inlet and the second air inlet being in fluid communication with the air intake system to receive ambient air from the air intake system.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the CVT housing includes an air outlet through which air exits the interior of the CVT housing, the air outlet being in fluid communication with a fluid conduit which directs the air at a portion of the power source.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the CVT unit includes a diverter which receives the ambient air from the air intake system and directs a first portion of the ambient air to the first air inlet and a second portion of the ambient air to the second air inlet.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the CVT housing includes a base portion and a cover, the cover being removably coupled to the base portion, the diverter being associated with the base portion.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the diverter is part of the base portion of the CVT housing.

12. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the first portion of the ambient air moves from the first air inlet towards an air outlet of the CVT housing in a generally counterclockwise movement and the second portion of the ambient air moves from the second air inlet towards the air outlet of the CVT housing in a generally counterclockwise movement.

13. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a second air intake system operatively coupled to the power source to communicate ambient air to the power source, the second air intake system receiving ambient air through a second inlet in a second exterior body panel of the cargo carrying portion.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the cargo carrying portion is a cargo bed.

15. The vehicle of claim 13, further comprising a cover coupled to the second exterior body panel to cover the second inlet in the exterior body panel, the cover permitting the ambient air to pass by the cover.

16. The vehicle of claim 13, further comprising

a rear drive unit supported by the frame rearward of the front plane of the seating and operatively coupled to at least one ground engaging member which is rearward of the front plane of the seating, the power source being operatively coupled to the rear drive unit;

and

a first suspension system coupling the at least one ground engaging member which is rearward of the front plane of the seating to the frame, the air inlet and the second air inlet being positioned completely above the first suspension system.

17. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the air inlet is positioned on a first side of vertical centerline plane and the second air inlet is positioned on a second side of vertical centerline plane.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein both the air inlet and the second air inlet are positioned laterally outside of a lateral extent (w1) of the power source and the CVT unit and within a lateral extent (w2) of the vehicle.

19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the cargo carrying portion is a cargo bed.

20. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the cargo carrying portion is a cargo bed.