Work machine with directional air intake assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12065994-B2
Application number	US-202117391879-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2021
Priority date	Aug 2, 2021
Publication date	Aug 20, 2024
Grant date	Aug 20, 2024

Abstract

A work machine, such as a skid steer loader or a compact track loader, includes a directional air intake assembly with a directional cap positioned on an intake pipe for selectively drawing ambient air into an internal combustion engine. A cooling vent ejects air heated by a rear-mounted engine upwardly into the atmosphere. Extending higher than and adjacent to the cooling vent, the directional cap has an elongated head that blocks ingress to the intake pipe other than through an opening at a face of the cap. Selectively positioning and angling the opening between a side of the loader and an edge of the cooling vent avoids taking in debris from near the wheels or tracks, avoids taking in heated air from the cooling vent, and takes advantage of negative pressure caused by the updraft from the cooling vent to remove particulates, resulting in cleaner air for the engine at close to ambient temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A machine, comprising:
a frame;
an engine compartment located in a rear section of the frame with respect to a direction of forward travel for the machine, the engine compartment comprising a top outer surface, a side outer surface, and a rear outer surface of the machine;
an internal combustion engine mounted within the engine compartment;
a cooling vent within the top outer surface, the cooling vent being configured to eject heated air upwardly from the engine compartment into atmosphere;
a boundary on the top outer surface of the engine compartment separating the cooling vent from a remainder of the top outer surface;
an intake pipe at least partially within the engine compartment configured to pass ambient air from a distal end of the intake pipe into the engine; and
a directional intake cap having sides enclosing an elongated cavity between an inlet opening and an outlet opening, the inlet opening being configured to take in the ambient air for the engine, the outlet opening being coupled to the distal end of the intake pipe, wherein the directional intake cap is rotationally oriented on the intake pipe in a position in the rear section of the frame such that:
with respect to a longitudinal axis of the machine, the inlet opening is vertically over at least a portion of the top outer surface of the engine compartment and laterally aside the cooling vent between a portion of the boundary and the side outer surface of the engine compartment, and
at least one of the sides of the directional intake cap is between the elongated cavity and the heated air ejected upwardly by the cooling vent.

2. The machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
an operator seat located in a central section of the machine with respect to the direction of forward travel for the machine; and
a protective cage covering the operator seat, the protective cage being hinged to the frame and having a port on a back side enabling rearward visibility from the operator seat, wherein
the intake pipe passes through the top outer surface of the engine compartment between the protective cage and the cooling vent, and
the distal end of the intake pipe is vertically above the top outer surface of the engine compartment.

3. The machine of claim 2 , further comprising an exhaust stack having an outlet exposed to the atmosphere, wherein:
the exhaust stack passes through the top outer surface of the engine compartment between the protective cage and the cooling vent, and
the exhaust extends vertically above the top outer surface of the engine compartment.

4. The machine of claim 1 , wherein, based at least in part on the position, the at least one of the sides of the directional intake cap blocks at least a portion of the heated air ejected upwardly by the cooling vent from entering the opening.

5. The machine of claim 1 , wherein, based at least in part on the position, the directional intake cap blocks the ambient air from entering into the directional intake cap other than through the opening.

6. The machine of claim 1 , wherein, based at least in part on the position, another of the sides of the directional intake cap is between the elongated cavity and the side outer surface of the machine.

7. The machine of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the directional intake cap is shaped around a central axis passing through the elongated cavity and the intake opening, and, in the position, the central axis is substantially parallel with the top outer surface of the machine.

8. The machine of claim 7 , further comprising at least one lift arm pivotally attached to a side of the frame, the at least one lift arm having an outermost surface, the outmost surface being within a side vertical plane extending from the machine substantially in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the machine, wherein the rear outer surface of the engine compartment is within a rear vertical plane extending from the machine substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, and wherein, in the position, the central axis of the directional intake cap intersects the rear vertical plane before intersecting the side vertical plane.

9. The machine of claim 1 , wherein the directional intake cap and the intake pipe are connected by a keyed coupling affixing the directional intake cap in the position with respect to the intake pipe.

10. The machine of claim 9 , wherein the keyed coupling comprises a slot formed in one of the distal end of the intake pipe and a neck of the directional intake cap and a mating flange formed in another of the distal end of the intake pipe and the neck of the directional intake cap.

11. A method for operating an internal combustion engine on a mobile machine, comprising:
drawing cooling air into an engine compartment in the mobile machine, the engine compartment mounted in a rear of the mobile machine with respect to a direction of forward travel of the mobile machine, the engine compartment comprising two sidewalls disposed horizontally apart from and on opposing sides of a longitudinal centerline of the mobile machine;
causing a transfer of heat from the internal combustion engine to form heated air;
exhausting the heated air from the mobile machine through a grating situated within an exterior surface of the engine compartment between the two sidewalls;
drawing ambient air for the internal combustion engine into an opening of a directional intake apparatus, the drawing into the opening occurring at a location on the rear of the mobile machine lateral to the longitudinal centerline between the grating and one of the sidewalls; and
passing the ambient air through a passage in the exterior surface of the engine compartment at a longitudinal location in the mobile machine between a rear port of a cab and the grating and at a transverse location proximate to a side edge of the rear port, the rear port enabling rearward visibility for an operator within the cab.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising blocking the ambient air, via the directional intake apparatus, from entering into the internal combustion engine other than into the opening of the directional intake apparatus.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising imparting a negative pressure to the ambient air at at least a portion of a region over the grating, the negative pressure being caused at least in part by the exhausting the heated air through the grating.

14. A compact loader, comprising:
a cab configured to seat an operator;
a rear port enabling rearward visibility for an operator within the cab;
an internal combustion engine mounted rearward from the cab with respect to a direction of forward travel for the compact loader;
a cooling package comprising a grating within an outer surface of the compact loader exposed to atmosphere, the cooling package being configured to eject a flow of air heated by the engine upwardly through the grating into the atmosphere;
an air intake assembly located adjacent the cooling package and proximate to a side edge of the rear port, the air intake assembly configured to pass ambient air into the engine and comprising:
an inlet tube coupled to the engine and having a longitudinal location on the compact loader between the rear port and the grating; and
a directional cap, coupled to the inlet tube, comprising a substantially tubular elongated body having a front edge defining an orifice, the orifice being at a position transversely beside the grating on the outer surface of the compact loader, the substantially tubular elongated body surrounding a central axis passing through the orifice from the directional cap in a direction rearward fro

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Shipman Cody C
• Manchikanti Nagaraju
• Martin William C
• Johnson Terril

Classifications

• F02M35/164

  Heavy duty vehicles, e.g. trucks, trains, agricultural or construction machines · CPC title

• F01N2590/08

  for heavy duty applications, e.g. trucks, buses, tractors, locomotives · CPC title

• F01N2340/04

  Arrangement of the exhaust system relative to a vehicle or parts thereof · CPC title

• F01N13/002

  Apparatus adapted for particular uses, e.g. for portable devices driven by machines or engines · CPC title

• E02F9/163

  Structures to protect drivers, e.g. cabins, doors for cabins; Falling object protection structure [FOPS]; Roll over protection structure [ROPS] (for handrails mounted on cabins E02F9/0833 takes precedence; for vehicles in general B60R21/11, B60R21/13, for fork-lift trucks B66F9/07545) · CPC title