Patent Application
20140090800
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling system for a motor vehicle, for example, a road vehicle or a rail vehicle. In the present case, it relates to a tractor having a diesel engine. The present invention also relates to stationary internal combustion engines.
2. Description of the Related Art
DE 43 05 237 A1 describes a cooling system for a water-cooled internal combustion engine having a water-air heat exchanger for cooling the coolant. A compressing fan is connected upstream of the heat exchanger. Further cooling systems are known from Patent Application Nos. DE 102 02 533 A1, DE 41 09 406 C1, and EP 1 541 855 B1.
Internal combustion engines and further assemblies of the drivetrain must be cooled. Air cooling or liquid cooling (water) come into consideration here. The cooling apparatus comprises one or more heat exchangers. An exchange of thermal energy occurs in the heat exchanger. The thermal energy contained in the coolant water is discharged to coolant air. The air can be supplied to the heat exchanger by way of a compressing or suctioning fan. One or the other principle comes into consideration, depending on the structural conditions.
Combustion air is supplied to the engine. The combustion air must be free of contaminants. Therefore, it is filtered by an air filter before it is supplied to the engine. The filtered particles of all types accumulate in the air filter. These particles must be removed continuously or from time to time, to ensure the function of the air filter. This removal of dirt particles is generally performed by suctioning them out. A partial vacuum is required for this purpose, which generates a suction flow.
In some cases, however, no partial vacuum is present, for example, for reasons of the design construction of the engine. Therefore, a suction pressure must be generated separately for cleaning the air filter, for example, by means of a suction pump. This is complex, occupies structural space, and increases the investment costs.
What is need in the art is a combination of a cooling system with an air filter in such a manner that construction effort and construction space and also the investment costs are kept within narrow limits.
The present invention provides, contrary to all rules, a compressing radiator fan is provided. A partial flow is branched off therefrom. The partial flow is guided through a Venturi nozzle. A suction line, which provides the partial vacuum necessary for cleaning the air filter, is connected to the constriction of the Venturi nozzle. A separate suction pump is therefore avoided.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the invention and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
A fan 2 generates the discharged coolant air flow, which is pressurized. A suction nozzle 2.1 is connected upstream of fan 2, and connection channel 3 is connected downstream. Connection channel 3 therefore produces a conductive connection between fan 2 and heat exchanger 1. The coolant air flow generated by fan 2 therefore reaches heat exchanger 1 via connection line 3. The connection line 3 widens in the present case. However, it can also have an arbitrary cross section, for example, a uniform cross section.
Instead of a single heat exchanger 1, a plurality of heat exchangers can also be provided, from which a plurality of fans 2 are connected upstream. It is also conceivable to connect one single fan 2 downstream from a plurality of heat exchangers.
A partial flow is branched off from the air flow flowing in the connection line 3. A branch line 4 is provided for this purpose. A Venturi nozzle 5 is connected downstream of branch line 4. It includes a constriction (throttle) 5.1 and a Venturi expansion 5.2.
A suction line 6 is connected at the constriction 5.1. Air filter 7 is provided at the inlet of the suction line. Combustion air is supplied to the air filter by supply line 8. The air passes through air filter 7 and reaches engine 9 in the purified state. The particles held back by the air filter are suctioned out. They reach the outside through suction line 6, through constriction 5.1, and through Venturi expansion 5.2. Different structures come into consideration as air filters. Thus, there are air filters having a filter screen. A special form is an air filter without filter medium; for example, it can operate according to the principle of centrifugal force.
Referring now to
The system according to
While this invention has been described with respect to at least one embodiment, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2012 018 571.5 | Sep 2012 | DE | national |
