Rotatable Top Air Intake for Cooling System Debris Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural vehicles face issues with cooling system efficiency and plugging of intake screens due to high volumes of air intake from the sides, which reduces cooling capacity and increases debris accumulation, necessitating a solution that improves airflow management and debris removal.
Innovation Solution
A method for managing a plurality of cooling systems in agricultural vehicles by using an air mover to push clean air from the top across heat exchangers in a single pass configuration, with the ability to reverse airflow for debris removal, controlled by a system that determines airflow requirements based on temperature data from engine coolant, hydraulic oil, and charge air temperatures.
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 cooling capacity is increased, but intake screens become plugged with debris
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of drawing air in from the sides where debris is present, the patent inverts the approach by drawing air from the top of the vehicle where the air is cleaner. The rotatable screen assembly is positioned at the top to capture cleaner air and direct it downward across the heat exchangers, reversing the conventional intake location to avoid debris plugging while maintaining cooling capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from horizontal side-intake to vertical top-intake, changing the dimension of air intake. The rotatable screen assembly rotates to different orientations (0, 45, 90, 135 degrees) to capture air from different angular positions at the top, utilizing vertical and angular dimensions to access cleaner air sources away from ground-level debris.
2Quantity of substance
If stacked or multiple pass heat exchangers are used, then cooling capacity is increased, but the possibility of plugging intake screens increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the air intake location from side-level (near debris sources) to top-level (cleaner air). By positioning the rotatable screen assembly at the top and directing airflow downward across stacked heat exchangers, the system maintains high cooling capacity while avoiding the plugging issue that would result from side-intake configurations.
3Reliability
If a rotatable screen assembly is used to capture cleaner air from the top, then air quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable screen assembly is designed to be self-rotating, utilizing the airflow itself to rotate the assembly to optimal orientations. The assembly rotates automatically to 0, 45, 90, or 135 degree positions based on wind direction and airflow patterns, eliminating the need for external motors or complex control mechanisms while maintaining the ability to capture cleaner air from different angular positions.
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 approach enhances cooling efficiency, reduces plugging, and effectively manages debris accumulation by optimizing airflow and reversing direction to maintain optimal cooling performance and power consumption.
Implementation Method 1
an air mover to push ambient air from the top, where the air is cleaner compared to the sides of the vehicle, into the cooling package across the heat exchangers arranged in a configuration to permit single pass of fresh airflow across each heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
Agricultural vehicles typically utilize stacked or multiple pass heat exchangers or cores such as A/C, engine radiators, charge air coolers, hydraulic coolers, condensers, etc.
Implementation Method 3
The temperature data is reconciled by using the largest required fan speed as the set point speed for cooling the heat exchangers with airflow
Data Source
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AI summary
A controller and method for operating an air mover for a cooling system of a work vehicle. In one embodiment, engine coolant, hydraulic oil and charge air temperature data is measured. The temperature data is reconciled by using the largest required fan speed as the set point speed for cooling the heat exchangers with airflow. An air mover is operated at the set point speed to generate airflow across each of the heat exchangers.