Swing-out Cooling Panels for Off-Highway Vehicle Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stacked cooling units in off-highway vehicles pose challenges in cleaning and maintenance due to compact configurations, making it difficult to access both sides and requiring cumbersome tools for rotation or removal.
Innovation Solution
A swing-out cooling system design where cooling panels and fans are pivotable, allowing for easy access and maintenance without tools, with a method of positioning heat exchangers adjacent to the engine and coupling fans using hand-operable couplers for efficient cleaning and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If cooling units are stacked in a compact configuration, then the vehicle size and weight are minimized, but access to both sides of the cooling units and the engine becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling units are designed with a pivotable connection to the vehicle frame, allowing them to rotate between a horizontal operating position and a vertical maintenance position. This dynamic reconfiguration enables operators to access both sides of the cooling units and the engine easily when in vertical position, while maintaining compact horizontal footprint during operation.
2Ease of operation
If cooling units rotate or fold out horizontally, then access to both sides of the cooling unit is provided, but the operator must reach across the cooling unit or support it above, and tools may be required
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling units pivot vertically rather than horizontally, and are equipped with gravity-assisted positioning features that allow them to be supported in either horizontal or vertical orientation without requiring external tools or equipment. This eliminates the need for operators to reach across the units or use tools to support them during maintenance.
3Volume of moving object
If cooling units are in a stacked configuration, then compact space is utilized, but periodic cleaning and maintenance become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The stackable cooling units are designed with pivotable connections that allow the entire stack or individual units to be rotated from a horizontal operating configuration to a vertical maintenance configuration. This enables easy access to all surfaces for cleaning and maintenance while maintaining a compact stacked arrangement during normal vehicle operation.
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
Facilitates easier access and maintenance of cooling systems by allowing panels to pivot outward, reducing the need for tools and improving maintenance efficiency, thus enhancing the operational reliability of off-highway vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
at least one fan that is configured to direct air across the cooling panel to cool the fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle is provided having at least one swing-out cooling assembly. A method of assembling the at least one swing-out cooling assembly on the vehicle is further provided.