YINGLING, Kerry (4415 Indiana Ave, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, 46807, US)
JUAN, Tim (6905 Pointe Inverness Way, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 46804, US)
YINGLING, Kerry (4415 Indiana Ave, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, 46807, US)
| What is claimed is CLAIMS 1 An air intake plenum disposed in an air induction channel m a hood defined by a bottom channel wall, a rear hood reinforcement wall, a cab wall, and an exterior skin, the air induction channel extending between an air inlet laying in a plane generally parallel with the direction of travel of the vehicle to an air outlet, the plenum compπsing a plenum inlet generally co-planar with the air inlet of the air induction channel, at least one side wall extending from the plenum inlet to a plenum outlet and angled downwards towards the bottom channel wall, wherein air through the plenum mlet impinges against the at least one side wall, exits the plenum outlet and is directed to impinge against the bottom channel wall of the air induction channel where contaminants drop out of the air 2 The air intake plenum of claim 1 wherein the plenum inlet has a generally oval-shape 3 The air intake plenum of claim 1 wherein the plenum is formed of plastic 4 The air intake plenum of claim 1 further compπsing at least one fastener receiver that is disposed generally in the plane of the plenum inlet 5 The air intake plenum of claim 4 wherein the at least one fastener receiver is integrally formed into the air intake plenum and has a front face that is generally coplanar with the plenum inlet 6 The air intake plenum of claim 1 further comprising an upper wall, a lower wall, a first side wall and a second side wall, wherein the first side wall has a smaller radius of curvature than the second side wall 7 The air intake plenum of claim 6 further compπsing a front surface that defines the plenum inlet, and opposite the front surface is a rear surface that defines the plenum outlet, wherein the upper wall, the lower wall, the first side wall and the second side wall extend from the front surface to the rear surface 8 The air intake plenum of claim 7 wherein the first side wall extends at an acute angle from the plenum inlet to the plenum outlet 9 The air intake plenum of claim 8 wherein the acute angle is in the range of about 45-90 degrees 10 The air intake plenum of claim 7 wherein the second side wall extends at an acute angle from the plenum inlet to the plenum outlet 11 The air intake plenum of claim 10 wherein the acute angle is m the range of about 0 to 45-degrees 12 An air intake plenum disposed in an air induction channel in a hood defined by a bottom channel wall, a rear hood reinforcement wall, a cab wall, and an exterior skin, the air induction channel extending between an air inlet laying in a plane generally parallel with the direction of travel of the vehicle to an air outlet, the plenum comprising a front surface defining a plenum mlet that is generally co-planar with the air mlet of the air induction channel, a rear surface defining a plenum outlet, an upper wall extending from the front surface to the rear surface and sloping downwards towards the bottom channel wall, a lower wall extending from the front surface to the rear surface and sloping downwards towards the bottom channel wall, wherein air through the plenum inlet impinges against at least one of the upper wall and the lower wall, exits the plenum outlet and is directed to impinge against the bottom channel wall of the air induction channel where contaminants drop out of the air 13 The air intake plenum of claim 12 wherein the plenum is formed of plastic 14 The air intake plenum of claim 12 wherein the slope of the upper wall is greater than the slope of the lower wall 15 The air intake plenum of claim 12 further comprising a plurality of fastener receivers that are disposed generally in the plane of the plenum inlet 16 The air intake plenum of claim 15 wherein the fastener receivers are integrally formed into the air intake plenum and have a front face that is generally coplanar with the plenum inlet 17 The air intake plenum of claim 12 wherein the plane of the plenum mlet and the plane of the plenum outlet are generally parallel 18 The air intake plenum of claim 12 wherein the plenum inlet is generally oval-shaped 19 The air intake plenum of claim 18 wherein one end of the oval- shaped plenum inlet has a smaller radius of curvature than a second end of the plenum inlet 20 An air intake plenum disposed in an air induction channel in a hood defined by a bottom channel wall, a rear hood reinforcement wall, a cab wall, and an exteπor skin, the air induction channel extending between an air mlet laying in a plane generally parallel with the direction of travel of the vehicle to an air outlet, the plenum comprising a front surface defining a plenum mlet that is generally co-planar with the air inlet of the air induction channel the front surface having a plurality of fastener receivers that are disposed generally in the plane of the plenum inlet, a rear surface defining a plenum outlet, an upper wall extending from the front surface to the rear surface and sloping downwards towards the bottom channel wall; a lower wall extending from the front surface to the rear surface and sloping downwards towards the bottom channel wall; a first side wall having a first radius of curvature extending from the front surface to the rear surface; a second side wall having a second radius of curvature extending from the front surface to the rear surface, wherein the second radius of curvature is larger than the first radius of curvature; wherein air through the plenum inlet impinges against at least one of the upper wall and second side wall, exits the plenum outlet and is directed to impinge against the bottom channel wall of the air induction channel where contaminants drop out of the air. |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to air induction channels for an internal combustion engine, and more particularly, to an air mlet assembly to block contaminant mateπals from the outlet of the air induction channel
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] It is previously known to provide ducts within a truck hood to deliver air from the vehicle extenor to the engine U S Patent No 3,232,368 to Sullivan teaches a molded fiberglass hood having a rear reinforcement beam bonded to the skin which defines a duct opening through the skin at the rear portion of the hood sides Within the engine compartment, the duct interfaces with the engine air cleaner to draw induction air into the engine
[0003] Although there are commercial vehicles which utilize a hood ducting system similar to that of Sullivan, the external air inlets are typically located on the top or sides of the hood adjacent the rear portion thereof, to achieve the shortest passage and, accordingly, the minimum air restπction at the engine However, these short passages also result in road splash, water, dirt, and other contaminants to be drawn into the hood ducts to be dealt with by the engine air cleaner
[0004] The problem of contaminant mateπals has been addressed by providing a baffle structure mto the air duct However, providing a baffle structure into the air duct reduced the air flow in the duct, causing an increase in the pressure drop in the duct In turn, the increase in pressure drop increases the amount of work the engine performs to obtain air for combustion
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] An air intake plenum disposed in an air induction channel in a hood defined by a bottom channel wall, a rear hood reinforcement wall, a cab wall, and an exterior skin, where the air induction channel extends between an air inlet laying in a plane generally parallel with the direction of travel of the vehicle to an air outlet, includes a plenum mlet The plenum inlet is generally co-planar with the air inlet of the air induction channel At least one side wall extends from the plenum inlet to a plenum outlet and is angled downwards towards the bottom channel wall Air through the plenum mlet impinges against the side wall, exits the plenum outlet, and is directed to impinge against the bottom channel wall of the air induction channel where contaminants drop out of the air
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG 1 is a side perspective view of a prior art baffle located in the hood portion of an air induction channel
[0007] FIG 2 is a top perspective view of a portion of the body of a vehicle having the pπor art baffle in the air induction channel
[0008] FIG 3 is a perspective view of a plenum located in the hood portion of the air induction channel in accordance with the invention [0009] FIG 4 is an elevation view of a portion of the body of the vehicle having the plenum in the air induction channel in accordance with the invention
[0010] FTG 5 is a top perspective view of a portion of the body of the vehicle having the plenum in the air induction channel in accordance with the invention
[0011] FIG 6 is a top perspective view of the plenum in accordance with the invention
[0012] FIG 7 is a front plan view of the plenum m accordance with the invention
[0013] FIG 8 is a nght side view of the plenum in accordance with the invention
[0014] FIG 9 is a front, left side perspective view of the plenum in accordance with the invention
[0015] FIG 10 is a front perspective view of a hole in a bottom wall of a rear reinforcement of the vehicle in accordance with the invention
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] Referring to FIG 1 and FIG 2, a pπor art baffle 1 is located in a hood portion 10 of an air induction channel, indicated generally as 12, where the induction channel has external air mlets 14 located at a side surface of the hood 16 An air outlet 18 is also located in the hood portion 10 The air travels into the air inlet 14 down and under the baffle 1, across the hood portion 10, and out the air outlet 18 The hood portion 10 is a channel defined by a bottom channel wall 20, a rear hood reinforcement wall 22, a cab wall 24 and an exterior skm 26
[0017] To prevent contaminants such as road splash, water, dirt, and the like from enteπng the air outlet 18, the baffle 1 is disposed near the air inlet 14 However, the result of placing a baffle 1 at the air inlet 14 is that the pressure drop at the inlet is greatly increased, which increases the amount of work the engine performs to obtain air for combustion
[0018] Referring now to FIG 3 through FIG 5, an air intake plenum 100 is a generally locally narrowed channel that is disposed in a hood portion 110 of an air induction channel, indicated generally as 112, at an air mlet 114 The air inlet 114 is located at a side surface of the hood 116, and an air outlet 118 is located in the hood portion 110 The hood portion 110 is advantageously a channel defined by a bottom channel wall 120, a rear hood reinforcement wall 122, a cab wall 124, and an exteπor skin 126 The air inlet 114 to the induction channel 112 is generally parallel to the direction of travel "T" of the vehicle (seen m FIG 4), however it is contemplated that the inlet is angled slightly with respect to the direction of travel
[0019] As seen in FIG 4, the air intake plenum 100 includes a plenum inlet 128 that is generally planar with or inset slightly from the air mlet 114 at the side surface of the hood 116 The plenum mlet 128 is generally oval-shaped and corresponds to the shape of the air mlet 114 While the air inlet 114 has a generally oval-shape, it is contemplated that the air inlet can have other shapes, and in turn, the plenum inlet 128 can have other shapes, however it is preferable that the air mlet have a rounded shape
[0020] The air intake plenum 100 is advantageously made of plastic, however other mateπals are contemplated The plenum 100 is easily slipped into place into the air induction channel 112 by placing the plenum inlet 128 at the air inlet 114
[0021] A plurality of fastener receivers 130 are disposed generally in the plane of the plenum mlet 128 The fastener receivers 130 are advantageously integrally formed into the air intake plenum 100 and have a front face 131 that is generally coplanar with the plenum mlet 128 The front face 131 has a receiving hole 133 As is known in the art, an air inlet grill (not shown) is disposed at the air inlet 118 of the vehicle to prevent larger contaminants from enteπng the air induction channel 112 The air intake plenum 100 is configured to be fastened to the air inlet grill by receiving fasteners (not shown) at the receiving hole 133 of the fastener receivers 130
[0022] Referring now to FTG 4 through FIG 9, the air intake plenum 100 has an upper wall 132, a lower wall 134, a first side wall 136 and a second side wall 138 A front surface 140 defines the plenum mlet 128, and opposite the front surface is a rear surface 142 that defines a plenum outlet 144 The term "upper" is defined to be upwards away from the ground when the air intake plenum 100 is attached to the air inlet 114, which is located in the side surface of the hood 116 of the vehicle Similarly, "lower" is defined to be downwards towards the ground when the air intake plenum 100 is attached to the air mlet 114 in the side surface of the hood 116 of the vehicle As seen in FIGs 4 and 7, the first side wall 136 has a smaller radius of curvature than the second side wall 138
[0023] The plane of the plenum inlet 128 and the plane of the plenum outlet 144 are generally parallel, however it is contemplated that the planes can be skewed The first side wall 136 extends at an acute angle α (FIG 6) from the plenum mlet 128 to the plenum outlet 140 Angle α is advantageously in the range of about 45-90 degrees, and is about 70-degrees
[0024] At the second side wall 138, there are two fastener receivers 130 that are disposed at the radial corners of the front surface 140 As seen in FIG 6, the second side wall 138 extends at an acute angle β from the plenum inlet 128 to the plenum outlet 140 Angle β is advantageously in the range of about 0 to 45-degrees, and is about 30-degrees As seen in FIG 5, the second side wall 138 is configured to be disposed adjacent to the cab wall 124
[0025] As seen m FIG 7, the lower wall 134 extends from the front surface 140 to the rear surface 142 in a first downward sloping direction "dl" The downward direction is defined to be down towards the ground when the plenum 100 is installed in the air inlet 14 in a side surface of the hood 116
[0026] The upper wall 132 extends from the front surface 140 to the rear surface 142 in a second downward sloping direction "d2" Advantageously, the slope "d2" is greater than the slope "dl" of the lower wall 134
[0027] When the vehicle is moving in the forward direction of travel "T" (seen in
FIG 4), a first mside surface 146 of the second side wall 138 and a second inside surface 148 of the upper wall 132 are configured to receive the air through the air inlet
1 14 The air that flows through the plenum inlet 128 impinges on the first inside surface and the second mside surface where it then flows downward through the plenum 100 and towards the plenum outlet 144 After leaving the plenum outlet 144, the air is directed towards the bottom channel wall 120 When the air impinges on the bottom channel wall 120, the air contaminants drop out of the air flow Gravity feeds the air contaminants downward towards at least one hole 150 at the bottom channel wall 120
[0028] The pressure drop in the air induction channel 112 is greatly reduced with respect to the pπor art baffle 1 The prior art baffle 1 had a pressure drop of about 1200 Pa, and the plenum 100 has a pressure drop of about 600 Pa The pressure drop of the plenum 100 is minimally increased with respect to an an- induction channel 112 with no baffle at all, which has a pressure drop of about 350 Pa When the pressure drop of the air flow from outside air inlet 114 to the air outlet 118 is reduced, the amount of work the engine performs to obtain air for combustion is reduced
[0029] The present air intake plenum 100 for an air induction channel 112 may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics The descnbed embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing descπption All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope
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