DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of mechanical engineering.
DEFINITIONS
As used in the present disclosure, the following terms are generally intended to have the meaning as set forth below, except to the extent that the context in which they are used indicate otherwise.
The expression ‘Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH)’, used hereinafter in the specification refers to the study and optimization of the noise and vibration characteristics of vehicles, particularly cars and trucks, for improving the performance and comfort of the vehicle.
The expression ‘Forced Induction Turbocharger’, used hereinafter in the specification refers to a turbine-driven forced induction device that increases the amount of air that an engine can aspirate (inhale) by force-feeding extra air into a combustion chamber, thereby increasing the efficiency and power output of the engine.
BACKGROUND
An air intake system of a vehicle is meant to provide fresh air to an engine which is devoid of dust and water particles. At the same time, the air intake system should have minimal air inlet noise, to alleviate a detrimental effect on the Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) characteristics of the vehicle. To this end, conventional air intake systems have been developed, but a problem with such systems is that these systems are in connection with acabin of the vehicle. The tilting of the cabin of the vehicle, for maintenance purposes, causes the connections of the air intake system to disengage, which is not desired. Moreover, the conventional air intake systems generally involve the use of lengthy ducting, which results in a significant pressure drop across inlet and outlet ports of a duct. The pressure drop in the air intake system is especially undesirable in case of forced induction turbocharged vehicles.
There is, therefore, felt a need for a system for a vehicle that addresses the above mentioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
It is an object of the present disclosure to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for a vehicle that facilitates air intake into an engine of the vehicle.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for a vehicle that has minimal pressure drop across inlet and outlet ports of an air intake duct.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for a vehicle that is has minimal air inlet noise.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages an air intake system for a vehicle. The air intake system comprises a snorkel, an intermediate duct, an inlet duct, and an air filter. The snorkel is disposed behind a front grill of the vehicle and is adapted to receive rammed air. The intermediate duct, having an operative front end and an operative rear end, is connected to the snorkel at the operative front end such that the snorkel and the intermediate duct are in fluid communication to provide a passage for the rammed air there through. The inlet duct, having an operative front end and an operative rear end, is connected to the intermediate duct at the operative front end such that the inlet duct and the intermediate duct are in fluid communication to provide a passage for the rammed air there through. The air filter is connected to the operative rear end of the inlet duct and is in fluid communication with the inlet duct. The air filter is configured to filter the rammed air received from the inlet duct and feed the filtered rammed air into a turbocharger of the vehicle.
In an embodiment, a pre-filter is disposed inside the intermediate duct and near the operative rear end of the intermediate duct. The pre-filter is adapted to filter the rammed air entering the intermediate duct.
In another embodiment, the pre-filter can be a static blade fan, having a distinctive configuration of the blades.
In yet another embodiment, an evacuator valve is disposed downstream of the pre-filter. The evacuator valve is adapted to evacuate impurities collected after filtration of the rammed air by the pre-filter.
In still another embodiment, a mounting arrangement is attached to the snorkel to facilitate mounting of the snorkel.
In yet another embodiment, a snorkel mesh is disposed on an operative front of the snorkel to facilitate preliminary filtration of the rammed air.
In still another embodiment, a slot is configured below the snorkel mesh. The slot is adapted to facilitate the removal of impurities collected after preliminary filtration of the rammed air by the snorkel mesh.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
An air intake system of a vehicle of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Fig. 1 illustrates an isometric view of an air intake system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Fig. 2 illustrates a side view of the air intake system of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 illustrates a top view of the air intake system of Fig. 1; and
Fig. 4 illustrates a front view of the air intake system of Fig. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
An air intake system of a vehicle is meant to provide fresh air to an engine which is devoid of dust and water particles. At the same time, the air intake system should have minimal air inlet noise, to alleviate a detrimental effect on the Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) characteristics of the vehicle. To this end, conventional air intake systems have been developed, but a problem with such systems is that these systems are in connection with a cabin of the vehicle. The tilting of the cabin of the vehicle, for maintenance purposes, causes the connections of the air intake system to disengage, which is not desired. Moreover, the conventional air intake systems generally involve the use of lengthy ducting, which results in a significant pressure drop across inlet and outlet ports of a duct. The pressure drop in the air intake system is especially undesirable in case of forced induction turbocharged vehicles. This is not desirable.
The present disclosure envisages an air intake system for a vehicle that has a simple and compact configuration.
Fig. 1 describes an isometric view of an air intake system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure and Fig. 2 illustrates a side view of the air intake system 100 of Fig. 1. The air intake system 100 comprises a snorkel 101, an intermediate duct 102, an inlet duct 105, and an air filter 106. The snorkel 101 is disposed behind a front grill of the vehicle. The intermediate duct 102, having an operative front end 102A and an operative rear end 102B, is connected to the snorkel 101 at the operative front end 102A such that the snorkel 101 and the intermediate duct 102 are in fluid communication to provide a passage for the rammed air there through. The inlet duct 105, having an operative front end 105A and an operative rear end 105B, is connected to the intermediate duct 102 at the operative front end 105A such that the inlet duct 105 and the intermediate duct 102 are in fluid communication to provide a passage for the rammed air there through. The air filter 106 is connected to the operative rear end 105B of the inlet duct 105 and is in fluid communication with the inlet duct 105. The air filter 106 filters the rammed air received from the inlet duct 105, and feeds the filtered rammed air into a turbocharger of the vehicle.
In one embodiment, the air intake system 100 comprises a pre-filter 103. The pre-filter 103 is disposed inside the intermediate duct 102 and near the operative rear end 102B of the intermediate duct 102. The pre-filter 103 is adapted to filter the rammed air entering the intermediate duct 102.
In another embodiment, the pre-filter 103 can be a static blade fan, having a distinctive configuration of the blades. However, the pre-filter 103 is not limited to being a static blade fan, and other types of pre-filters are within the ambit of the present disclosure.
In yet another embodiment, the air intake system 100 comprises an evacuator valve 104. The evacuator valve 104 is provided on an operative bottom surface of the intermediate duct 102 and disposed downstream of the pre-filter 103. The evacuator valve 104 is adapted to evacuate impurities collected after filtration of the rammed air by the pre-filter 103.
Fig. 3 illustrates a top view of an air intake system 100 for a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The air intake system 100 comprises a mounting arrangement 301 attached to either operative side of the snorkel 101 to facilitate mounting of the snorkel 101. Fig. 3 also illustrates the flow pattern of the air inside the air intake system 100 indicated by an arrow extending along the length of the air intake system 100.
Fig. 4 illustrates a front view of an air intake system 100 for a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The air intake system 100 comprises a snorkel mesh 401, disposed on an operative front of the snorkel 101, to facilitate preliminary filtration of the rammed air. The air intake system 100 further comprises a slot 402, provided in an operative bottom of the snorkel 101 and disposed below the snorkel mesh 401. The slot 402 is adapted to facilitate removal of impurities collected after preliminary filtration of the rammed air by the snorkel mesh 401.
In an operative configuration, as the vehicle is moving air rams onto the front portion of the vehicle. The snorkel 101, provided with the snorkel mesh 401, is disposed behind the front grill of the vehicle to facilitate the use of this rammed air into the turbocharger of the vehicle. The rammed air enters the air intake system 101 via the snorkel mesh 401 that is disposed on an operative front of the snorkel 101. The snorkel mesh 401 provides a preliminary or first stage of filtration of the rammed air. The impurities collected at the snorkel mesh 401 are evacuated therefrom by the provision of the slot 402. The rammed air, after the first stage of filtration, enters the intermediate duct 102 that is disposed downstream of the snorkel 101 and the snorkel mesh 401. The pre-filter 103 disposed near the operative rear end 102B of the intermediate duct 102 performs a second stage filtration of the rammed air. The impurities, inter alia including dust and water, collected at the pre-filter 103 are evacuated therefrom by means of the evacuator valve 104 disposed downstream of the pre-filter 103. The rammed air, after passing through two stages of filtration, then enters the air filter 106 via the inlet duct 105. The air is further filtered in the air filter 106 and then fed to the turbocharger.
The air intake system 100 of the present embodiment has no interface with the cabin of the vehicle. Hence, the connections of the air intake system do not disengage while the tilting of the cabin. As there is no cabin interface, the air intake system 100 of the present disclosure has better vibration isolation as the cabin related vibrations are not transferred to the air intake system 100, thereby optimizing the NVH characteristics of the air intake system 100.
The air intake system 100 of the present disclosure has a very simple and compact configuration and involves the use of short ducts. Thus, the resulting air intake system 100 has a shorter air flow path with a reduced number of bends, resulting in minimal pressure drop across the inlet and outlet of the air intake system 100 which is an advantage in case of a forced-induction turbocharged vehicles. Furthermore, the suction of the air in the air intake system 100 is assisted by the ramming effect of air onto the front of the vehicle. The compact configuration of the air intake system 100 also facilitates an optimal space management. The compact configuration and the reduced number of components also make the air intake system 100 economical as compared to the conventional air intake systems.
The static blade fan used as the pre-filter 103 has a distinctive configuration of the blades and provides up to 80% of dust and water separation efficiency. Moreover, the pre-filter 103 is integrated into the intermediate duct 102 of the air intake system 100, resulting in a reduced number of components.
TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of an air intake system that:
• is simple and compact;
• provides minimal pressure drop across inlet and outlet ports of an air intake duct; and
• is economical.
The disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying embodiments which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
The embodiments hereinabove and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation ,CLAIMS:1. An air intake system for a vehicle, said air intake system comprising:
i a snorkel disposed behind a front grill of the vehicle and adapted to receive rammed air;
ii an intermediate duct, having an operative front end and an operative rear end, connected to said snorkel at said operative front end such that said snorkel and said intermediate duct are in fluid communication to provide a passage for the rammed air there through;
iii an inlet duct, having an operative front end and an operative rear end, connected to said intermediate duct at said operative front end such that said inlet duct and said intermediate duct are in fluid communication to provide a passage for the rammed air there through;
iv an air filter connected to said operative rear end of said inlet duct and in fluid communication with said inlet duct, said air filter configured to filter the rammed air received from said inlet duct and feed the filtered rammed air into a turbocharger of the vehicle.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pre-filter is disposed inside said intermediate duct and near said operative rear end of said intermediate duct, said pre-filter is adapted to filter the rammed air entering said intermediate duct.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said pre-filter is a static blade fan, having a distinctive configuration of the blades.
4. The system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein an evacuator valve is disposed downstream of said pre-filter, said evacuator valve is adapted to evacuate impurities collected after filtration of the rammed air by said pre-filter.
5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a mounting arrangement is attached to said snorkel to facilitate mounting of said snorkel.
6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a snorkel mesh is disposed on an operative front of said snorkel to facilitate preliminary filtration of the rammed air.
7. The system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 6, wherein, a slot is configured below said snorkel mesh, said slot is adapted to facilitate removal of impurities collected after preliminary filtration of the rammed air by said snorkel mesh.