Construction machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11499512-B2
Application number	US-202117194915-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2021
Priority date	Mar 17, 2020
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a construction machine capable of collecting foreign matter into a dust collection pocket and preventing the foreign matter from being scattered. The construction machine includes a cooler, an air passage forming member including a curved section, a dust-proof filter, a cooling fan generating a normal wind for cooling and a reverse wind opposite thereto, a dust collection pocket, and a turning member. The dust collection pocket has an opening and collects foreign matter at a position downstream of the inner wall surface of the outer corner of the curved section. The turning member is turned about a turning axis by the normal wind and the reverse wind, thereby being moved between a close position to close the opening and an open position to open the opening.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A construction machine comprising:
a machine room that houses an engine;
a cooler disposed inside the machine room to cool the engine;
an air passage forming member forming an air passage extending from an intake port to the machine room and including a curved section having a curved shape in the middle of the air passage;
a cooling fan capable of generating both a normal wind that flows from the intake port toward the cooler through the air passage and a reverse wind that flows from the cooler toward the intake port through the air passage, the cooling fan being located downstream of the cooler with respect to a normal wind direction in which the normal wind flows;
a dust-proof filter provided between the air passage and the cooler to capture foreign matter contained in the normal wind;
a dust collection pocket provided at a position shifted from an inner wall surface of an outer corner part of the curved section to a downstream side in the normal wind direction along the normal wind direction, the dust collection pocket including an opening that opens to an upstream side in the normal wind direction and a bottom closing at a downstream side in the normal wind direction and configured to take in the foreign matter that has been separated from the normal wind by an inertia of the foreign matter in the curved section through the opening to collect the foreign matter; and
a turning member including a lid section capable of closing the opening, the turning member provided in the air passage forming member so as to be turnable about a turning axis intersecting the normal wind direction to be thereby moved between a close position and an open position, wherein:
the lid section opens the opening in the open position and closes the opening in the close position; and
the turning member is configured to be turned to the open position by the normal wind and to be turned to the close position by the reverse wind.

2. The construction machine according to claim 1 , wherein:
the dust collection pocket is defined by an inner wall surface of the air passage forming member and a partition wall located on an inner side of the inner wall surface; and
the turning member is tumably supported by an upper part of the partition wall.

3. The construction machine according to claim 2 , wherein:
the turning member further includes a wind receiving section that receives the normal wind and the reverse wind at a position apart from the lid section in the turning direction of the turning member; and
the turning member is configured to allow the wind receiving section to be turned downstream in the normal wind direction by the normal wind to thereby move the turning member to the open position and to allow the wind receiving section to be turned upstream in the normal wind direction by the reverse wind to thereby move the turning member to the close position.

4. The construction machine according to claim 3 , wherein
the lid section and the wind receiving section form a turning direction angle therebetween with respect to the rotational direction, the turning direction angle being set so as to render each of a resistance of the lid section against the normal wind and a resistance of the wind receiving section against the reverse wind smaller in comparison with a case where the turning direction angle is 180°.

5. The construction machine according to claim 3 , wherein
the wind receiving section includes a flexure located on an inner side of a distal end of the wind receiving section with respect to a turning radius direction of the turning member, the wind receiving section having a shape bent at the flexure, the flexure having a shape to direct a distal side part of the wind receiving section to an upstream side in the normal wind direction, in the close position, relatively to the other part of the wind receiving section than the distal side part, the distal side part being a part closer to the distal end than the flexure.

6. The construction machine according to claim 3 , wherein:
the turning member further includes a close-position stopper and an open-position stopper;
the close-position stopper protrudes from the turning axis with a smaller dimension than that of the lid section, configured to be turned about the turning axis integrally with the lid section and the wind receiving section to come into contact with an inner surface of the partition wall prior to the lid section, accompanying a turn of the turning member from the open position to the close position, to thereby position the turning member at the close position; and
the open-position stopper protrudes from the turning axis with a smaller dimension than that of the lid section and the wind receiving section, configured to be turned around the turning axis integrally with the lid section and the wind receiving section to come into contact with an outer surface of the partition wall earlier prior to the wind receiving section, accompanying a turn of the turning member from the close position to the open position, to thereby position the turning member at the open position.

7. The construction machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the dust collection pocket is provided with a ventilation hole that provides communication between the air passage and an outside of the air passage forming member and the machine room to allow an inside of the dust collection pocket to be depressurized.

Assignees

• Kobelco Constr Mach Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kumitani Kenjiro
• Nakahara Ryota

Classifications

• F01P5/02

  Pumping cooling-air; Arrangements of cooling-air pumps, e.g. fans or blowers · CPC title

• E02F9/0866 Primary

  Engine compartment, e.g. heat exchangers, exhaust filters, cooling devices, silencers, mufflers, position of hydraulic pumps in the engine compartment · CPC title

• B60Y2200/412

  Excavators · CPC title

• B60K11/04

  Arrangement or mounting of radiators, radiator shutters, or radiator blinds · CPC title

• B60K11/06

  with air cooling · CPC title