Slanted Air Cleaner Positioning for Wheel Loader Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
The spatial arrangement of air cleaners, diesel particulate filtering devices, and nitrogen oxide reduction catalysts on wheel loaders can reduce rear visibility and complicate maintenance, as they are typically mounted in a row above the engine, and existing solutions that relocate the engine room may not be suitable for wheel loaders.
Innovation Solution
The air cleaner is positioned beside the rear of the cab and outside the engine room, slanted to facilitate easy filter exchange, allowing the exhaust gas post-processing devices to be installed without increasing the engine room height, and is designed to not obstruct the cab door, with a supporting mechanism to manage engine vibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the air cleaner, diesel particulate filtering device, and nitrogen oxide reduction catalyst device are disposed in a row above the engine, then the exhaust gas post-processing function is improved, but the top plate of the engine room becomes higher and visibility to the rear is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The air cleaner is extracted from the engine room and disposed outside it, separating the air cleaning function from the engine compartment. This allows the exhaust gas post-processing devices to be installed in the engine room without increasing the top plate height, thereby maintaining rear visibility while preserving the exhaust treatment function.
2Reliability
If the air cleaner is disposed on the upper portion of the engine room, then the exhaust gas post-processing device can be installed, but maintenance work on the air cleaner becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The air cleaner is extracted from the engine room and positioned outside it, making it easily accessible for maintenance operations. The filter can be exchanged by pulling it out horizontally without needing to access the engine room, significantly improving ease of maintenance while the exhaust gas post-processing devices remain installed in the engine room.
3Ease of repair
If the filter in the air cleaner is designed to be pulled out horizontally, then maintenance work is simplified, but the air cleaner structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The air cleaner body is designed to be slanted rather than horizontal, creating a dynamic angle that facilitates filter removal. The slanted configuration allows the filter to be pulled out horizontally along the slant direction, making maintenance easier while the overall structure remains relatively simple compared to complex mechanical extraction mechanisms.
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 configuration maintains rear visibility, simplifies maintenance by allowing easy access to the air cleaner, and reduces engine vibration by supporting the exhaust gas post-processing devices independently of the engine.
Implementation Method 1
a diesel particulate filtering device that collects and removes particulate matter of soot and the like included in the diesel engine exhaust gas
Implementation Method 2
a nitrogen oxide reduction catalyst device may also be provided to remove NOx from the exhaust gas
Implementation Method 3
The air cleaner includes a filter that can be exchanged by being pulled out horizontally
Data Source
AI summary
A wheel loader includes a cab, steps provided beside the cab, an engine disposed to the rear of the cab, a vehicle body cover covering the engine, and an air cleaner. The air cleaner has a filter exchangeable by being pulled out horizontally. The air cleaner is connected to the engine via an intake pipe. The air cleaner is disposed to an outside of the vehicle body cover and to the rear of the cab, and is disposed in a slanted manner so that a side from which the filter is pulled out is further away from the cab than an opposite side.