Modular Hood Plenum for Serviceable Snow Door Air Intake
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medium and heavy-duty vehicles face issues with snow and ice plugging the vehicle engine air intake, leading to restricted airflow and potential no-start conditions, and existing snow doors integrated with the air cleaner assembly increase complexity and durability risks.
Innovation Solution
A modular hood plenum with mounting interfaces for interchangeable components, such as an engine pre-cleaner, cover plate, and snow door, mounted within the hood instead of the airbox assembly, facilitating easy access and replacement without compromising the air intake system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the snow door and motor are integrated into the air cleaner assembly, then the air intake system can provide backup air source, but the complexity of the air cleaner assembly increases and durability risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the air intake system into separate functional modules: the air cleaner assembly remains independent, while the snow door assembly is mounted separately on the plenum. This segmentation prevents the complexity and potential failure points from being concentrated in one assembly, thereby improving reliability without excessive complexity in any single component.
Solution Approach 2:
The plenum serves as an intermediary mounting platform between the air cleaner assembly and the snow door assembly. By placing the snow door on the plenum rather than integrating it into the air cleaner, the system uses the plenum as a mediator to reduce direct complexity in the air cleaner assembly while maintaining system functionality.
2Ease of operation
If components are mounted within the airbox assembly, then the air intake system is compact, but service and replacement of components becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the snow door assembly from the air cleaner assembly and mounts it separately on the plenum. This extraction makes the snow door independently accessible for service and replacement without requiring disassembly of the air cleaner assembly, significantly improving ease of operation while maintaining a relatively simple overall system configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of mounting components only within the horizontal plane of the airbox, the patent utilizes the vertical dimension by mounting the snow door assembly on the upper surface of the plenum. This dimensional change provides easy access for service while maintaining compact packaging.
3Productivity
If the air intake opening is made large and vertically oriented, then airflow is maximized, but snow and ice accumulation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by providing the snow door as a preventive measure against snow and ice plugging. The snow door can be closed to block the air intake opening before snow accumulation occurs, preventing the harmful effect rather than dealing with it after the fact. This allows the intake to be designed for maximum airflow while having protective capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The snow door assembly introduces dynamic control to the air intake system. The door can be opened or closed based on environmental conditions (snow vs. clear weather), allowing the system to adapt its configuration. This dynamic capability enables the intake opening to be large for maximum airflow when needed, but protectable when snow is present.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an embodiment of an improved air intake system of a vehicle incorporating a modular hood plenum configured for receiving various interchangeable components including an engine air pre-cleaner, a cover plate and/or a snow door for mounting separate from the airbox assembly of the vehicle. The modular hood plenum includes a mounting interface that enables mounting of components within the hood rather than the air intake system, allowing easy access for service and/or replacement of components without compromising the air intake system of the vehicle.