Motor vehicles – Power – With means to guide and/or control air for power plant cooling
Reexamination Certificate
1996-09-04
2001-05-15
DePumpo, Daniel G. (Department: 3611)
Motor vehicles
Power
With means to guide and/or control air for power plant cooling
C296S208000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230832
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to air flow systems for conducting air through an engine compartment of a vehicle, such as a truck.
In a typical truck, air flows through a grille of the truck and passes through a radiator for purposes of cooling fluid flowing through the radiator which is used in turn to cool an engine in an engine compartment.
In one conventional approach, the engine compartment is totally closed at the top by a hood and has side fenders enclosing at least portions of the sides of the engine compartment. Air entering through the radiator typically passes downwardly beneath the engine as the engine compartment is normally not closed from below and also escapes through the wheel wells of the vehicle. In these known approaches, insignificant quantities of the air which passes through the radiator flows along the side surfaces of the engine as it moves towards its escape route.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,984,077 to Morrison discloses a vehicle having a hood with side panels. The side panels are provided with openings covered by doors which may be manually opened or closed to adjust air flow through the doors. A similar opening is provided at each side of a cowl of the vehicle. The wheels of the vehicle illustrated in this patent have a fender but are otherwise exposed. The side panels of the hood extend downwardly between the fender and top rear quadrant of the wheel. With the arrangement disclosed in Morrison, one must depend upon the operator of the vehicle or another person opening the doors in order to provide additional engine compartment ventilation. Also, if the forward-most door or doors in this patent is opened, air may exit beneath the vehicle and through such openings rather than passing along the engine. Also, the doors in Morrison project outwardly and into the air stream passing along the hood when open, thereby increasing the air resistance of the vehicle when traveling in a forward direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,762 to Burk et al. discloses a ventilation arrangement for discharging hot air from the engine compartment of a car. In this arrangement, an enclosed cavity is formed in the wheel well of the vehicle. This cavity is accessible through circular openings communicating with the engine compartment. Cavity exit openings are provided along the lower side portions of the outer fender panel overlying the cavity and also through circular openings in a rear panel bounding the cavity. These latter rear panel openings communicate with the exterior of the vehicle through a crack between the door and fender. In the Burk et al. patent, air flows in a tortuous path from the engine compartment to an exit, thereby decreasing the efficiency of the air flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,064,747 to Barenyi discloses portions of a car with air flow guides, some of which communicate with an engine compartment. The figures of this patent disclose air flow pathways through which air is supplied or discharged from the engine compartment. Apparently the car of the Barenyi patent is air-cooled, as air flows directly into the engine compartment through a gap between the hood and front panel without passing through a radiator. A complex arrangement of gaps and air flow paths is provided in the Barenyi patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,249 to Nelson discloses a vehicle with a hood having raisable hood plates to provide rear facing engine compartment ventilation.
Although a number of prior art approaches are known for providing increased ventilation to an engine compartment, a need exists for an improved underhood air flow system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the vehicle or truck, has a frame with a longitudinal axis. A hood and first and second depending sections or fenders are coupled to the frame and together define an engine compartment. An engine is positioned within the engine compartment and a windshield extends upwardly from a location rearwardly of the hood. The hood defines a grille receiving opening within which a grille is positioned. A radiator is positioned rearwardly of the grille receiving opening so that at least some of the air passing through the grille flows through the radiator. First and second side cowl sections or portions are included in the vehicle with each side cowl section being adjacent a respective first and second rear edge of a respective depending hood section. The cowl sections each include a respective cowl extension portion which extends inwardly adjacent to the respective rear edge of the associated depending hood section. Each of the cowl extension portions has a forward air deflector surface extending forwardly toward the front of the vehicle and inwardly toward the center of the vehicle. With this construction, elongated cowl openings are defined at each side of the truck by the respective rear edges of the depending hood sections and cowl extension portions. As a result, at least some of the air entering the radiator flows past the engine, assists in cooling the engine, and exits through the cowl openings. The air deflection surfaces assist in directing the air outwardly through the cowl openings, thereby enhancing air flow through the engine compartment for cooling purposes.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the cowl openings extend preferably at least about the full height of the respective rear edges of the depending hood sections. Although other shapes are possible, the cowl openings are preferably generally rectangular.
As yet another aspect of the present invention, the cowl openings are preferably door-free so that there is no need for a vehicle operator to worry about controlling the extent to which the cowl openings are open. In addition, no doors are required to extend into the air stream flowing along the outside of the fenders or depending hood sections, which could decrease the aerodynamic efficiency of the vehicle.
Most preferably, as a further aspect of the invention, the fenders or depending hood sections have sidewalls which are opening-free. Consequently, air passing through the radiator is channeled more efficiently toward the cowl openings, along with air escaping through the bottom of the truck should the vehicle bottom be opened.
Air baffles or seals are positioned to impede the flow of air that by-passes the radiator and into the engine compartment other than through the radiator. Thus, air entering the front of the vehicle is directed through the radiator to increase cooling efficiency.
As yet another more specific aspect of the present invention, the depending hood sections or side fenders of the truck define respective wheel wells. In addition, the truck has a bumper positioned below the grille and which extends from side to side of the vehicle. The bumper has a lower bumper flap extension which projects outwardly from the center of the bumper and is located along the lower forward portion of the engine compartment. The truck has wheel well roofs or splash shields positioned in the respective wheel wells. Each wheel well roof or splash shield has front and rear edges and a downwardly extending wheel sidewall portion which at least partially separates the wheel well from the engine compartment at the side of the wheel well. A front wheel well section extends from the wheel well roof front edge to the lower bumper flap extension and a mud flap section extends downwardly from the wheel well roof rear edge. Consequently, the wheel well is substantially sealed at the front and is partially sealed along the side to direct air passing through the radiator away from the wheel well at such locations.
The truck preferably includes a charge air cooler positioned between the grille and the radiator. An air deflector or seal is placed between the charge air cooler and radiator to direct air passing through the charge air cooler through the radiator. In addition, an engine cooling fan may be positioned between the engine and the radiator to assist in drawing air through the radiator, particularly when a truck is traveling up a grade or otherwis
Holter Dean Lee
Mayenburg Michael von
Salch Michael C.
DePumpo Daniel G.
Dunn David R.
Freightliner LLC
Klarquist Sparkman Campbell & Leigh & Whinston, LLP
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