Snorkel System Angle Adapters Engine Compartment Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Off-road vehicles face challenges in maintaining air supply to the engine when encountering deep water or fluids, as traditional snorkel systems often interfere with engine components and require additional adapters to elevate the air intake effectively within limited engine compartment space.
Innovation Solution
A snorkel system featuring contoured air tubes and angle adapters that extend within the engine compartment, connecting the snorkel system to the air intake without interfering with engine components, utilizing vehicle adapters and transfer connectors to ensure uninterrupted airflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the height of the intake is increased to raise air flow above fluid level, then the vehicle can operate in deeper water, but the available space within the engine compartment becomes limited
Solution Approach 1:
The air tubes are routed vertically through the engine compartment along the sides of the engine, utilizing the vertical dimension rather than horizontal space. This allows the intake to reach high above the vehicle while maintaining a compact footprint within the engine bay, effectively resolving the contradiction between intake height and available space.
2Reliability
If traditional snorkel systems are installed to elevate air intake, then air supply is improved, but the system interferes with engine components and requires additional adapters
Solution Approach 1:
The snorkel system is divided into separate modular components: vehicle adapter, angle adapters, air tubes, and transfer connector. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function and facilitates easy installation and maintenance without requiring complex integrated adapters, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliable air supply.
Solution Approach 2:
Angle adapters serve as intermediary components that connect the vertically oriented air tubes to the horizontally oriented air intake system. These intermediaries enable the transition between different orientations without interfering with engine components, as they are specifically designed to route air flow around the engine bay obstacles.
3Reliability
If adapters extend within the engine compartment to connect snorkel to air intake, then air flow is maintained, but accessibility for maintenance of engine components is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The air tubes are designed as flexible, removable components that can be easily detached and reinstalled. This flexibility allows maintenance personnel to remove the air tubes and angle adapters when engine maintenance is required, providing full access to engine components while maintaining air flow continuity during normal operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A snorkel system comprising: (a) a vehicle adapter configured to connect to a vehicle; (b) one or more air tubes configured to extend along an interior of an engine compartment of the vehicle; and (c) one or more angle adapters adapted to be located within the engine compartment of the vehicle, the one or more angle adapters fluidly connecting the vehicle adapter and the one or more air tubes together; wherein the one or more angle adapters include: an inlet opening located within a first plane, the inlet opening being located proximate to and in fluid communication with the vehicle adapter, and an outlet opening being in communication with a first end of the one or more air tubes, the outlet opening being located within a second plane that is spaced apart from and extends substantially parallel to the first angle adapter.