GB2529905A - Vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle comprises an internal combustion engine having an air supply system comprising a conduit leading from an engine air filter to a remainder of the engine, the engine air filter being located to draw air from an intake inlet 25, within the enclosed compartment 21, the enclosed compartment having an openable door 5, at least one opening 15, preferably in the door 5, through which air can pass into the enclosed compartment, and a second filter 35 covering the or each opening 15. In this way, the second filter can provide a preliminary screen for particulates before the air reaches the engine air filter. This will protect the engine air filter and prolong its life, and reduce the prospects for contamination of the fuel system. Meanwhile, the second filter will be more accessible for cleaning or replacement, either via opening the door to gain access or by locating the second filter on the exterior of the vehicle.

Description

Vehicle

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to vehicles.

BACKGROUND ART

A modern internal combustion engine is essentially a precision instrument requiring a clean environment in which to operate. Fuel and air are metered together in precise ratios and are combusted in a clean chamber. The valves and pistons operate to tight tolerances, and the fuel is delivered via fine nozzles. If either the fuel or the air is contaminated with particulates, especially abrasive particulates such as sand or grit, then the engine parts can become worn and the fuel and air systems can become clogged. Thus, the engine requires a supply of clean filtered air in which to combust fuel delivered by a closed and clean system. In view of the importance of avoiding ingress of contaminants that may cause damage to the engine, it is therefore usual to fit an engine with air and fuel filters through which air and fuel (respectively) for the engine are drawn. Both filters aim to catch particulates above a certain size within the material of the filter; air filters are commonly of cloth, open-cell foam, or paper and fuel filters typically comprise a filter paper enclosed within a suitable cartridge. In addition, the fuel tank is usually filled via a fuel filler neck that contains a restriction matching the size of the expected fuel nozzle, thus allowing the tank to be filled via a closed system that reduces the risk of contaminants entering. However, the act of opening the fuel filler creates an opportunity for contaminants which may be more or less serious depending on the environment in question.

Particulate contaminants drawn from the air surrounding the vehicle or which have been allowed to enter the fuel tank are caught and retained in the respective filter. Over time, the filter will eventually become clogged, resulting in a restriction on the air or fuel flow into the engine and a consequential degradation of the engine performance. The filters must therefore be cleaned or replaced from time to time. This is usually done as part of the routine service schedule for the vehicle. However, in harsh environments, the time required for a filter to clog (especially the air filter) may be much shorter, meaning that replacement in this way is too infrequent. This can result in a need to stop regularly, access the engine compartment, and clean the filter, which is inconvenient. Given that this will require removal of the filter while in the harsh environment, there is also an evident risk of contamination of the engine during this process.

In addition, vehicles used off-road may need to wade through water, which must not be allowed to enter the air or fuel intakes else immediate and catastrophic damage to the engine may result. Therefore, to address both concerns, vehicles intended for off-road use are often fitted with a "snorkel", i.e. an extended conduit leading from the air intake/filter housing to an elevated location on the vehicle. The intention is that this elevated location will be above the water level when wading and above the level of dust (etc) disturbed by the passage of the vehicle. However, this complicates the nature of the access to the air filter when this is required for servicing, etc. W02010/049357 and W02010/049358 show a design of tractor cab of this type. An engine is located beneath the cab area and is fed with air drawn from intakes located above the cab. A sealed airbox is provided adjacent the engine, fed via conduits leading from the intakes, and containing a filter. To allow access to the filter, a door needs to be provided in the airbox.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention therefore provides a vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine having an air supply system comprising a conduit leading from an engine air filter to a remainder of the engine, the engine air filter being located to draw air from an enclosed compartment, the enclosed compartment having an openable door, at least one opening through which air can pass into the enclosed compartment, and a second filter covering the or each opening. The fuel fill system, which then supply the engine with fuel is also located in this compartment. In this way, the second filter can provide a preliminary screen for particulates before the air and fuel reaches the engine. This will protect the engine air and fuel filter and prolong its life, and provide a cleaner compartment for some or all of the engine and (optionally) the fuel filler to hinder the ingress of dirt, dust etc into the fuel system, air intakes, and the like. Meanwhile, the second filter will be more accessible for cleaning or replacement, either via opening the door to gain access or by locating the second filter on the exterior of the vehicle.

The engine air filter can be located within the enclosed compartment, meaning that access is straightforward when service or replacement is required, but the engine air filter is nevertheless protected during use.

The door is preferably hinged, ideally along a vertical edge. It can form part of the exterior of the vehicle, such as adjacent to a personnel door. In this case, it is convenient if the personnel door at least partially overlaps the door, ideally along the opening edge of both doors -that is, an overlapping edge of the personnel door at least partially overlaps an overlapped edge of the door, and the door is hinged along an edge other than the overlapped edge and the personnel door is hinged along an edge other than the overlapping edge, the hinges all ideally being in a substantially vertical orientation. This means that the door will be secured in a closed position through the act of closing the personnel door. A lock of some sort will usually be provided for the personnel door, which an operator of the vehicle will be accustomed to locking. Thus, the door can be secured easily without the need for additional locking elements.

The door preferably has a water seal with the remainder of the enclosed compartment. This will largely prevent water from entering the compartment and reaching either the engine air filter or the fuel fill system, allowing a greater wading depth for the vehicle. If, other than at the openable door, the enclosed compartment is substantially sealed to ingress of air, the water seal in the door also acts when the door is closed to prevent air and entrained dust from entering the enclosed compartment other than via the opening(s) and the second filter. The at least one opening is preferably in an uppermost half of the enclosed compartment, to assist further in this regard.

The at least one opening can be in the door itself, thereby making the second filter more accessible to an operator of the vehicle and making its current condition more obvious.

Where the door forms part of the exterior of the vehicle adjacent a personnel door, the second filter will usually be within an operator's field of view as the operator enters the vehicle, and within reach to be brushed down or the like.

The second filter is ideally coarser than the engine air filter, to balance the rate at which the two filters clog and maximise the combined life of both, and to encourage an adequate flow of air into the enclosed compartment. A fine mesh or a coarse open-cell foam is ideal for the second filter.

A particularly suitable arrangement for the vehicle is to locate the enclosed compartment above at least part of the engine other than the air supply system. Further, the personnel cabin can be located above least part of the engine, and the enclosed compartment located behind the personnel cabin. The engine air filter and fuel filler system is preferably located in the upper part of the enclosed compartment (or at least distanced from the bottom of the compartment), so that any dust or other particulate matter which does enter the compartment via the second filter will tend to settle on the bottom of the compartment, and not be drawn into the engine air filter or fuel filler.

Therefore, the present invention secures a reduction in dust and particulate levels within the enclosed compartment, and thus creates an area in which sensitive components can be located. Dust and the like is a prime source of contamination of fuel systems, and its reduction by the present invention correspondingly reduces the prospects for fuel system contamination. Together with the greater life of the engine air filter, and the easier maintenance of the second filter, this therefore improves the reliability of the vehicle. This is particularly the case in harsh environments, such as in remote areas and/or away from tarmac roads.

BRTEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying figures in which; Figure 1 is a schematic view of part of the personnel compartment of a vehicle in accordance with the invention in a first state, and Figure 2 is a schematic view of part of the personnel compartment of the vehicle of Figure 1 in a second state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1 shows part of a vehicle personnel compartment (or "cab", as it will be S described below) 1, oriented so that the front of the vehicle is to the left of the drawings and the rear of the vehicle is to the right. There is a personnel door 3 and a second door 5, both shown as closed in Figure 1. Second door 5 is hinged at 7, so as to open towards the right of the drawings (as shown in Figure 2), and personnel door 3 has one or more hinges (not shown) to the left of the drawing, so that it opens towards the left of the drawings.

Personnel door 3 has a window 9 and a door handle 11, as is common in the art, and also brackets 13 which, in the state shown in Figure 1, overlap the forward edge of the second door 3. The overlap of brackets 13 with the forward edge of the second door S prevents the second door 5 from being opened or closed unless the personnel door 3 is also open, and is a useful safety/security feature. Second door 5 also has a number of openings 15 (three openings are shown, however there could be more or fewer than three), and it has a releasable fastener 17 so as selectively to hold the door 5 closed.

Figure 2 shows the cab 1 with the second door 5 partly open and personnel door 3 closed. It can be seen that behind second door 5 is a compartment 21; within this compartment is an engine assembly 23, which comprises an air filter (not shown, but of a type known in the art, such as a paper filter), an air intake inlet 25, and other engine parts such as the fuel system, engine electronics, and the like. As shown, air inlet 25 is located such that it is in the vicinity of the openings 15 in second door S when the second door S is closed. Air inlet 25 is also located towards the top of the compartment 21. When the vehicle engine is running, air is drawn into the engine from compartment 21; the air is drawn in through inlet 25, through the engine air filter (not shown) and thence to the engine, with replacement air being drawn into compartment 21 via openings 15. Compartment 21 is enclosed on all sides -Figure 2 shows a ledge 27 which closes off the top of the compartment 21, and when closed door 5 closes off one side of the compartment 21 -the compartment is also closed on the bottom, the other side and to the front (closing off the compartment 21 from the interior of the personnel compartment of the cabl) and the to the rear by bulkheads. These bulkheads and the ledge are all joined so as to provide a water and/or air seal; around the inner edge of second door 5 is a seal 29 which, when second door 5 is closed, seats against the door frame (only the upper and lower edges 31, 33 of the door frame are visible in Figure 2) and prevents the ingress of water and/or air between the edge of the second door S and into the compartment 21 or into the interior of the personnel compartment or of a storage compartment (the ledge 27 can either form a shelf which is directly accessible from the personnel compartment, or there can be a bulkhead which continues from the front of the compartment 21 to the roof of the vehicle cab 1 so forming an enclosed storage compartment above compartment 21 and behind the personnel compartment). Preferably the seal 29 is compressible, so that pressure needs to be applied before the second door 5 can be fixed in the closed position by fastener 17, or before the fastener 17 can be released to allow the second door to be opened; this arrangement exerts pressure on the fastener 17 when the second door 5 is closed, and helps to keep the second door 5 closed even when the vehicle is traversing rough ground.

On the inside of the second door 5 and behind openings 15 is a second filter 35 (which is not visible in Figure 2, but indicated generally in Figure 1). This filter 35 is a mesh or a coarse open cell foam or the like which completely covers openings 15 and (when second door 5 is closed) acts as a preliminary air filter, screening out at least the coarser air-entrained particles from air entering the compartment 21, so that the engine air filter has fewer, and mainly finer, air-entrained particles to remove from the air entering the engine.

It will of course be understood by those skilled in the art that many variations may be made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, there may be multiple second filters, the position of inlet 25 relative to the openings may be varied, the seal may extend around just the lower compartment, and/or a flange may be provided on the personnel door instead of brackets.

Claims (16)

1. CLAIMS1. A vehicle, comprising an internal combustion engine having an air supply system comprising a conduit leading from an engine air filter to a remainder of the engine, the engine air filter being located to draw air from an enclosed compartment, the enclosed compartment having an openable door, at least one opening through which air can pass into the enclosed compartment, and a second filter covering the or each opening.
2. 2. A vehicle according to claim 1 in which the engine air filter is located within the enclosed compartment.
3. 3. A vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the door is hinged.
4. 4. A vehicle according to claim 3 in which the door is hinged along a vertical edge.
5. 5. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims in which the door forms part of the exterior of the vehicle.
6. 6. A vehicle according to claim 5 in which the door is adjacent a personnel door.
7. 7. A vehicle according to claim 6 in which the personnel door at least partially overlaps the door.
8. 8. A vehicle according to claim 6 or claim 7 in which an overlapping edge of the personnel door at least partially overlaps an overlapped edge of the door, and wherein the door is hinged along an edge other than the overlapped edge and the personnel door is hinged along an edge other than the overlapping edge.
9. 9. A vehicle according to claim 8 in which the hinged edge of the door and the hinged edge of the personnel door, and at least part of the overlapping edge and at least part of the overlapped edge are all substantially vertical.
10. 10. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims in which the door has a water seal with the remainder of the enclosed compartment.
11. 11. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims in which the at least one opening is in the door.
12. 12. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims in which the at least one opening is in an uppermost half of the enclosed compartment.
13. 13. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims in which the second filter is coarser than the engine air filter.
14. 14. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims in which the enclosed compartment is located above at least part of the remainder of the engine.
15. 15. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a personnel cabin located above least part of the engine and in which the enclosed compartment is located behind the personnel cabin.
16. 16. A vehicle substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying figures.