Overhead Pushed Airflow Cooling System for Work Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural vehicles face issues with cooling system efficiency and debris plugging due to high-volume air intake from the sides, which reduces cooling capacity and increases the likelihood of plugging, necessitating a solution that utilizes cleaner air from above to improve airflow and reduce debris accumulation.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system design featuring an air mover that pushes ambient air downward from overhead, creating a single pass of airflow across heat exchangers arranged in a v-shape configuration, with a debris passage to facilitate debris removal, and reversible operation to clear debris, enhancing airflow efficiency and reducing plugging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If high volumes of air are drawn into the cooling package from the sides of the vehicle, then the cooling capacity is increased, but the intake screens become plugged with debris from harvesting operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from lateral air intake (side screens) to overhead air intake (top screen), changing the spatial dimension of air entry. This dimensional shift allows access to cleaner air from above while maintaining high cooling capacity, resolving the contradiction between air volume and screen plugging.
2Quantity of substance
If stacked or multiple pass heat exchangers are used to increase cooling capacity, then the cooling efficiency is improved, but the possibility of plugging intake screens is significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the heat exchanger stack vertically and introduces air from the overhead dimension, allowing multiple passes through stacked exchangers while maintaining access to clean overhead air. This resolves the contradiction by separating the cooling capacity enhancement (vertical stacking) from the air intake quality (overhead dimension).
3Ease of repair
If a rotatable air inlet screen is used to remove debris, then the screen cleaning capability is improved, but the air mover does not push air into the air inlet housing or across the radiator
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a rotatable screen to generate airflow, the patent inverts the approach by using a fixed screen with an overhead air mover to push air through the system. The air mover is positioned to directly force air across the screen and through the heat exchanger, separating the airflow generation function from the screen rotation function.
4Reliability
If the air mover is positioned to push air from overhead, then the air intake quality is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The overhead air mover serves multiple functions: it pushes air across the fixed screen, forces air through the vertically stacked heat exchangers, and can be reversed for debris removal. This multi-functionality justifies the positioning complexity by consolidating several functions into a single component arrangement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design improves cooling efficiency by ensuring a single pass of fresh airflow across each heat exchanger, reduces debris accumulation, and effectively removes debris, maintaining system performance and extending the lifespan of components.
Implementation Method 1
an air mover operative to push ambient air downward through said cooling box from overhead of the work vehicle
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of heat exchangers, wherein a face of each of said plurality of heat exchangers defines a respective portion of said interior of said cooling box
Data Source
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AI summary
Overhead pushed airflow for a cooling system of a work vehicle. In one embodiment, a cooling includes an interior defined by upstream faces of heat exchangers. An air mover pushes ambient air downward through said cooling box from overhead of the work and across the heat exchangers.