Drying system for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11262126-B2
Application number	US-201916539301-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2019
Priority date	Aug 13, 2019
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A drying system for a vehicle includes an airflow intake duct structured to be mountable to the vehicle so as to reside exterior of the vehicle. The airflow intake duct includes an intake duct airflow passage structured to receive an airflow therein from outside the vehicle when the vehicle is moving. An airflow duct is structured to be coupled to the intake duct so as to reside in an interior of the vehicle and so as to receive therein the airflow from the intake duct when the intake duct is mounted exterior of the vehicle. The airflow duct includes a plurality of holes structured to enable discharge of a portion of the airflow from the airflow duct into the interior of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drying system for a vehicle, the drying system comprising:
an airflow intake duct structured to be mountable to the vehicle so as to reside exterior of the vehicle, the airflow intake duct including an intake duct airflow passage structured to receive an airflow therein from outside the vehicle when the vehicle is moving;
an airflow duct structured to be coupled to the intake duct so as to reside in an interior of the vehicle and so as to receive therein the airflow from the intake duct when the intake duct is mounted exterior of the vehicle, the airflow duct including a plurality of holes structured to enable discharge a portion of the airflow from the airflow duct into the interior of the vehicle; and
a first window adapter structured to be connectible to the airflow intake duct and the airflow duct, the first window adapter being structured to be mountable to a first vehicle window so as to extend between the first vehicle window and an uppermost portion of a first vehicle door containing the first vehicle window when the first vehicle window is partially open, the first window adapter including a first window adapter airflow passage extending from a first side of the first window adapter through the first window adapter to a second side of the first window adapter opposite the first side.

2. The drying system of claim 1 wherein the airflow intake duct defines an intake duct entrance structured to receive the airflow therein, and an intake duct exit spaced apart from the intake duct entrance, wherein the intake duct airflow passage extends between the intake duct entrance and the intake duct exit, wherein a cross-sectional area of the intake duct airflow passage decreases proceeding in a direction from the intake duct entrance toward the intake duct exit.

3. The drying system of claim 1 wherein the first window adapter includes an intake duct mounting sleeve extending from the first window adapter along the first side of the first window adapter and defining a portion of the first window adapter airflow passage, the intake duct mounting sleeve being structured to receive therein a portion of the airflow intake duct for mounting the airflow intake duct to the first window adapter.

4. The drying system of claim 1 wherein the first window adapter includes an airflow duct mounting sleeve extending from the first window adapter along the second side of the first window adapter and defining a portion of the first window adapter airflow passage, the airflow duct mounting sleeve being structured to receive therein a first portion of the airflow duct for mounting the airflow duct to the first window adapter.

5. The drying system of claim 1 further comprising a second window adapter structured to be mountable to a second vehicle window so as to extend between the second vehicle window and an uppermost portion of a second vehicle door containing the second vehicle window when the second vehicle window is partially open, the second window adapter including a second window adapter airflow passage extending from a first side of the second window adapter through the second window adapter to a second side of the second window adapter opposite the first side, wherein the second window adapter is structured to be coupled to the airflow duct so that a portion of the airflow from the airflow duct is received in the second window adapter airflow passage.

6. The drying system of claim 5 , further comprising an airflow discharge duct connected to the airflow duct, and wherein the airflow discharge duct is structured to be mountable to the second window adapter so that the portion of the airflow in the second window adapter airflow passage is received in the airflow discharge duct.

7. A drying system for a vehicle, the drying system comprising:
an airflow intake duct structured to be mountable to the vehicle so as to reside exterior of the vehicle, the airflow intake duct including an intake duct airflow passage structured to receive an airflow therein from outside the vehicle when the vehicle is moving;
an airflow discharge duct including an airflow passage extending therethrough and structured to be mountable to the vehicle so as to reside exterior of the vehicle; and
an airflow duct extending between the intake duct and the discharge duct so as to reside in an interior of the vehicle and so as to receive therein the airflow from the intake duct, the airflow duct including a plurality of holes structured to enable discharge a portion of the airflow from the airflow duct into the interior of the vehicle,
wherein the airflow discharge duct is connected to the airflow duct so as to receive a portion of the airflow from the airflow duct into the discharge duct airflow passage and to discharge the portion of the airflow from the discharge duct airflow passage to the exterior of the vehicle when the vehicle is moving.

8. The drying system of claim 7 further comprising an impeller positioned in the airflow discharge duct airflow passage and structured to urge the portion of the airflow in a direction from the airflow duct toward the discharge duct airflow passage.

9. The drying system of claim 7 wherein the airflow discharge duct is structured to discharge the portion of the airflow received in the airflow discharge duct in a direction toward a rear of the vehicle when the airflow discharge duct is mounted to the second window adapter.

10. A drying system for a vehicle, the drying system comprising:
an intake duct mounted along a first vehicle window exterior of the vehicle;
a discharge duct mounted along a second vehicle window exterior of the vehicle; and
an airflow duct connecting the intake duct and the discharge duct and residing in an interior of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Williams Paxton S
• Frederick Scott Louis

Classifications

• F26B21/50

  Ducting arrangements from the source of air or other gases to the materials or objects being dried · CPC title

• F26B21/001 Primary

  Air generating units, e.g. movable or independent of drying enclosure · CPC title

• F26B9/003

  Small self-contained devices, e.g. portable · CPC title

• F26B3/06

  the gas or vapour flowing through the materials or objects to be dried (F26B3/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F26B19/005 Primary

  Self-contained mobile devices, e.g. for agricultural produce (movable devices with radiation means F26B3/28; small self-contained devices for drying objects at rest F26B9/003) · CPC title