Claims:We claim:

1. An arrangement (101) for cleaning air in an air intake system (100) of a vehicle, the arrangement (101) comprising:
an air duct (1) adapted to direct air towards an air filter (2) of the air intake system (100); and
a plurality of synthetic meshes (3) disposed in the air duct (1), wherein, each of the plurality of synthetic meshes (3) is configured to induce an electrostatic charge when the air flows through the air duct (1), and trap dust particles in the air due to the electrostatic charge.

2. The arrangement (101) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of synthetic meshes (3) are arranged in an array in the air duct (1), and wherein the array of the plurality of synthetic meshes (3) is supported by at least one support mesh (4) on either ends of stack of arrays.

3. The arrangement (101) as claimed in claim 1, wherein perforations in the support mesh (4) on either ends are larger than the perforations in each of the plurality of synthetic mesh (3).

4. The arrangement (101) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of synthetic meshes (3) is made of a polypropylene material.

5. An air intake system (100) of a vehicle, the system (100) comprising:
an air filter (2) for filtering an intake air;
an air duct (1) connectable to the air filter (2), the air duct (1) is adapted to direct the air towards the air filter (2);
an arrangement (101) for cleaning the air in an air intake system (100), the arrangement (101) comprising:
a plurality of synthetic meshes (3) disposed in the air duct wherein, each of the plurality of synthetic meshes (3) is configured to induce an electrostatic charge when the air flows through the air duct (1), and trap dust particles in the air due to the electrostatic charge;
a self-cleaning unit (102) provisioned downstream of the arrangement (101), the self-cleaning unit (102) comprising:
a tank (7) storing compressed air;
a valve (8) coupled to the tank (7); and
a control unit (A) communicatively coupled to the valve (8), wherein the control unit (A) is configured to: selectively actuate the valve (8) to discharge the compressed air to the air duct (1) in a direction opposite to direction of air intake in the air duct (1).

6. The system (100) as claimed in claim 5 comprising an ejector valve (10) provisioned upstream of the arrangement (101), wherein the ejector valve (10) is selectively operable by the control unit (A) for removal of dust particles from the air duct (1).

7. The system (100) as claimed in claim 5, comprising a plurality of pressure sensors (11) provisioned upstream and downstream (B and C) of the arrangement (101) wherein the plurality of pressure sensors (11) are communicatively coupled to the control unit (A) to record pressure difference across the arrangement (101).

8. The system (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control unit is further configured to generate an alert signal indicative of choking status of the arrangement (101) based on the pressure difference across the arrangement (101).

9. The system (100) as claimed in claim 8, comprising a plurality of indicators communicatively coupled to the control unit (A), wherein the control unit (A) actuates at least one of the plurality of indicators to indicate choking status of the arrangement (101).

10. The system (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of indicators is at least one of audio indicator, visual indicator and an audio-visual indicator.

11. The system (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control unit (A) actuates the self-cleaning unit (102) when an ignition of the vehicle is turned off.

12. The system (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the tank (7) is positioned downstream of the array of plurality of synthetic meshes (3).

13. A vehicle comprising air intake system (100) as claimed in claim 5.

Dated 08th day of February 2020


GOPINATH A S
IN/PA 1852
OF K&S PARTNERS
, Description:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
&
The Patents Rules, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10 and rule 13]

TITLE: “AN ARRANGEMENT FOR CLEANING AIR IN AN AIR INTAKE SYSTEM OF A VEHICLE”

Name and address of the Applicant:
TATA MOTORS LIMITED, an Indian company having its registered office at Bombay House, 24 Homi Mody Street, Hutatma Chowk, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra, INDIA.

Nationality: INDIAN

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
TECHNICAL FIELD

Present disclosure generally relates to the field of automobiles. Particularly but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to an air intake system of the vehicle. Further embodiments of the present disclosure disclose an arrangement for pre-cleaning air in the air intake system to enhance the life of the air filter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vehicles with internal combustion engines are all provided with an air intake system. The primary function of the air intake system is to direct air to the engine of the vehicle. Air is directed to the engine for enabling a combustion process to occur inside the engine of the vehicle. Oxygen in the air is one of the essential elements for the combustion of fuel inside the engine. The air intake system collects and directs air to individual cylinders of the engine so that the oxygen in the air facilitates the combustion of fuel inside the engine of the vehicle. Therefore, the air intake system is critical for the functioning of the engine.

A modern air intake system in a vehicle mainly includes three parts - air filter, mass flow sensor and throttle body. The air intake system draws air through a long tube going into the air filter housing, where air is filtered or the dust particles from the air are suitably removed. The filtered air is further directed to a mass flow sensor. The mass flow sensor is used to find out the mass of air entering a fuel-injected internal combustion engine. The filtered air is further directed to the engine of the vehicle through a throttle body. The throttle body is part of the air intake system that controls the amount of air flowing into the engine's combustion chamber.

Air filter is an important part of an intake system, since the engine of the vehicle breathes through the air filter. The air filters may usually be housed in a plastic or metal box. The engine requires a certain pre-determined mixture of fuel and air in order to run and all of the air that enters the engine passes through the air filter. The primary function of the air filter is to filter out dirt and other foreign particles in the air and prevent them from entering the system and possibly damaging the engine. A clean, properly installed and functioning air filter increases both engine performance and fuel economy. By filtering incoming air, the air filter ensures that air burnt inside of the engine is as clean as possible. Clean, purified air ignites better inside the engine cylinder. Consequently, the combustion efficiency in the engine increases and the fuel economy also increases.
Commercial and passenger vehicle’s running conditions are diverse and a majority of the modern vehicles are built to operate in very challenging conditions. Few commercial vehicles operate at very high loads in rugged terrain. Accordingly, the air fuel mixture that is drawn into the engine also drastically increases so that the vehicle copes with the heavy loads and the rugged terrain. The quality of air in most of the vehicle operating conditions (rugged terrain, off-road conditions, urban conditions) is often very poor. Vehicle operating conditions with poor air quality or operating conditions with excessive suspended particles not only decreases the operating life of an air filter, but also degrades the engine’s life. Poor air quality causes the air filter to be clogged within a very short period of time and a damaged air filter subsequently causes the engine to underperform. Accordingly, the vehicle requirements in terms of engine’s performance degrades and the poor quality of air affects the life and durability of the engine.

Generally, the air quality at work sites of the commercial vehicles contain large amounts of suspended particles such as dust, fly ash, coal, silica, bauxite, asbestos etc. These dust particles are a hindrance in the best performance of the engine. Further, if the vehicle is constantly operated under adverse conditions, the life of the air filter element decreases drastically over a period of time. Hence the vehicle downtime for cleaning or replacing the filter increases, as the vehicle needs to be serviced frequently. The maintenance cost of the vehicle also increases since the air filter of the vehicle has to be replaced frequently.

With advancements in technology, pre-cleaners have been introduced for large commercial vehicles with the purpose of improving the life of the air-filter. Pre-cleaner is a device which is installed in the intake system of an engine before the air filter. Pre-cleaners remove the contamination and dirt from the incoming air and are effective at removing the larger dirt particles and water droplets. There are several types of pre-cleaners that are being used in large commercial vehicles. Most of the pre-cleaners use a form of inertial separation process to remove dirt. A typical pre-cleaner includes a housing which accommodates a stationary impeller within the housing. When air is drawn into the pre-cleaner housing, the stationary impeller causes the air to be swirled within the housing. Consequently, a centrifugal force acts on the larger suspended dust particles of the air, causing the suspended dust particles to be drawn or pushed outwards, whereas the air at the center of the pre-cleaner which is free from the suspended dust particles is directed towards the air filter. However, this type of pre-cleaners are bulky and are usually mounted outside the engine cabin. The above-mentioned conventional type of pre-cleaner is only suitable for separating very large and heavy dust particles from the air. Medium and small size suspended dust particles often escape the centrifugal force of the impeller and are directed towards the air filter.

Another type of pre-cleaner that has been widely used is based on the principle that dirt particles are heavier than air and will try to continue traveling in the same direction even if the air flow is made to change direction. This type of pre-cleaner comprises a configuration with two channels so that flow of dirt particles splits from the flow of air. The heavier the particle, the more effective this process is. These, type of pre-cleaners are also bulky in size, since elongated tubes which get separated into two separate channels is to be configured. Also, in the above mentioned pre-cleaner heavier and medium sized particles fail to travel in the same direction when the inlet air flow is slow and are often directed towards the air filter.

Hence, the above-mentioned conventional pre-cleaners are not particularly efficient in removing or filtering of the suspended dust particles and do not significantly contribute towards increasing the life of the air filter.

The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above, or any other limitation associated with the prior arts.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One or more shortcomings of the conventional system or device are overcome, and additional advantages are provided through the provision of the arrangement as claimed in the present disclosure.

Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the disclosure, an arrangement for cleaning air in an air intake system of a vehicle is disclosed. The arrangement comprises of an air duct adapted to direct air towards an air filter of the air intake system. A plurality of synthetic meshes are disposed in the air duct. Each of the plurality of synthetic meshes is configured to induce electrostatic charge when the air flows through the air duct, and trap dust particles in the air due to electrostatic charge.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the plurality of synthetic meshes are arranged in an array in the air duct, and the array of the plurality of synthetic meshes is supported by at least one support mesh on either ends of stack of arrays.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, perforations in the support mesh on either ends are larger than the perforations in each of the plurality of synthetic mesh.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, each of the plurality of synthetic meshes is made of a polypropylene material.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the disclosure, an air intake system of a vehicle is disclosed. The system comprises of an air filter for filtering an intake air. An air duct is connectable to the air filter and the air duct is adapted to direct the air towards the air filter. An arrangement for cleaning the air in an air intake system is provided. The arrangement comprises of a plurality of synthetic meshes disposed in the air duct. Further, each of the plurality of synthetic meshes are configured to induce electrostatic charge when the air flows through the air duct, and traps dust particles in the air due to electrostatic charge. A self-cleaning unit is provisioned downstream of the arrangement and the self-cleaning unit comprises a tank storing compressed air. Further, a valve is coupled to the tank. A control unit is communicatively coupled to the valve. The control unit is configured to selectively actuate the valve to discharge the compressed air to the air duct in a direction opposite to the direction of air intake in the air duct.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, an ejector valve is provisioned upstream of the arrangement, where the ejector valve is selectively operable by the control unit for removal of dust particles from the air duct.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a plurality of pressure sensors are provisioned upstream and downstream of the arrangement where the plurality of pressure sensors are communicatively coupled to the control unit to record pressure difference across the arrangement.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the control unit is configured to generate an alert signal indicative of choking status of the arrangement based on the pressure difference across the arrangement.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a plurality of indicators are communicatively coupled to the control unit, where the control unit actuates at least one of the plurality of indicators to indicate a choking status of the arrangement.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the plurality of indicators are at least one of audio indicator, visual indicator and an audio-visual indicator.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the control unit actuates the self-cleaning unit when an ignition of the vehicle is turned off.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the tank is positioned downstream of the array of plurality of synthetic mesh.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING FIGURES

The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an air intake system for pre-cleaning of the air, 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 perspective view an arrangement employed in the air intake system of Fig. 1 for cleaning the air, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is schematic representation of a self-cleaning unit used in the air intake system of Fig. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The figure depicts embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the arrangement that is provided in the air intake system of the vehicle without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other system for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, as to its organization, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.

In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a system that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such mechanism. In other words, one or more elements in the device or mechanism proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the mechanism.

Embodiments of the present disclosure discloses an arrangement for pre-cleaning of air in an air intake system of a vehicle. The arrangement of the present disclosure enhances the life of the air filter. Conventional pre-cleaners are bulky and are usually mounted outside the engine cabin. The pre-cleaners comprise of large moving parts such as the impeller which is often propelled by the engine of the vehicle due to which the overall operating efficiency of the vehicle’s engine reduces.

Accordingly, the present disclosure discloses an arrangement for cleaning air in an air intake system of a vehicle. The arrangement includes an air duct adapted to direct air towards an air filter of the air intake system and a plurality of synthetic meshes disposed in the air duct in an array. Each of the plurality of synthetic meshes is made of a triboelectric series material and is configured to induce electrostatic charge when the air flows through the air duct, and traps dust particles in the air due to electrostatic charge. The air intake system of the present disclosure further includes a self-cleaning unit provisioned downstream of the arrangement. The self-cleaning unit comprises of a tank, storing compressed air and a valve coupled to the tank for selectively discharging the compressed air into the air duct. Further, a control unit is communicatively coupled to the self-cleaning unit of the air filter system, wherein the control unit is configured to selectively actuate the valve to discharge the compressed to the air duct in a direction opposite to the direction of air intake to clean the plurality of synthetic meshes. The disclosure further discloses a provision for indicating choking status feedback. The configuration comprises of a plurality of pressure sensors positioned around the synthetic meshes. The pressure sensors are used to monitor the change in pressure of the air before and after the synthetic meshes. In an embodiment, the control unit is communicatively coupled to the pressure sensors and the control unit suitably highlights the user about the cleaning schedule of the synthetic meshes based on the pressure readings from the pressure sensors.

The following paragraphs describe the present disclosure with reference to Figs. 1 to 4, and in the figure neither the internal combustion engine nor the vehicle is shown for the purpose of simplicity.

Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view and a side view of an air intake system (100) respectively. The system (100) includes a snorkel (13) that is connected to an air duct (1) by means of a bellow (14). The air duct (1) is further connected to an air filter (2) and the air filter (2) is provided with an outlet pipe (16) which is connectable to an intake manifold of the internal combustion engine [not shown]. The snorkel (13) is provided with a plurality of brackets (15) for suitably mounting the snorkel (13) to the body of the vehicle. The snorkel (13) may be an elongated tube which serves the purpose of directing air towards the air duct (1). A top end of the snorkel (13) may be provided with an opening for drawing in air and the bottom end of the snorkel (13) may be connected to the bellow (14). The bellow (14) may be made of a suitable flexible element such as rubber. The air duct (1) may be an elongated hollow tube that allows the flow of air towards the air filter (2). A bracket (17) may be connectable between the air duct (1) and the body of the vehicle and the bracket (17) acts as a supporting member for the air duct (1). The air duct (1) may also be secured in its position and may be suitably supported by means of a plurality of clamps that connect the air duct (1) to the air filter (2). The outlet pipe (16) that is connected to the outlet of the air filter (2) may also be secured by means of a plurality of clamps. The air that is drawn in from the snorkel (13) is directed through the bellow (14) and the air duct (1) to the air filter (2). The air is filtered or cleaned inside the air filter (2) and is further directed to the internal combustion engine of the vehicle through the outlet pipe (16).

In an embodiment, an intermediate air cleaning means, hereinafter referred to as an arrangement (101) may be provided before the air filter (2). The arrangement (101) may be configured such that the air that is drawn in through the snorkel (13) may be pre cleaned before it is directed to the air filter (2). In an embodiment, the arrangement (101) may be housed at a substantially central location of the air duct (1). The arrangement (101) is housed inside the air duct (1) such that there may exist a pre-determined distance through which the air flows before it comes in contact with the arrangement (101). This distance may be herein be referred to as flow of air, upstream (B) of the arrangement (101). Further, the arrangement (101) is housed inside the air duct such that a pre-determined distance may exist for flow of air after the arrangement (101) towards the air filter (2). This distance or the passageway that exists for the flow of air below the arrangement (101) may be herein be referred to as downstream of the arrangement (101). Further, a plurality of pressure sensors (11) may be provisioned at either ends of the arrangement (101). The pressure sensors (11) are provided for measuring the pressure of the air, upstream and the downstream (B and C) of the arrangement (101).

The arrangement (101) that is provided in the air duct (1) is explained in detail with reference to Fig. 3. The arrangement (101) comprises of plurality of synthetic meshes (3) arranged in the form an array in the air duct (1). In an embodiment, the plurality of synthetic meshes (3) may be grouped into multiple units to form an array of plurality of synthetic meshes (3). Plurality of synthetic meshes (3) are supported structurally at both ends by a support mesh (4). In an embodiment, each of the synthetic mesh (3) and the support mesh (4) may be defined with multiple perforations. The perforations that are defined on the surface of the synthetic meshes (3) are herein referred to as second perforations (6) and the perforations that are defined on the support meshes (4) are herein referred to as the first perforations (5). In an embodiment, the perforations of the support meshes (4) are larger in size than the perforations defined on the synthetic meshes (3). These large perforations of the support mesh (4) allows the air to flow through the synthetic meshes (3) of the arrangement (101). Further, the synthetic and the support meshes (3 and 4) may be made of Polypropylene material. The material for the synthetic and the support meshes (3 and 4) may be chosen on the basis of Triboelectric series. Triboelectric series describes the tendency of a material to induce electrostatic charges over the surface of the material. As per the triboelectric series, air has the maximum tendency to gain positive charge whereas the polypropylene synthetic mesh (3) has the greatest tendency to gain negative charge.

In working, when the internal combustion engine of the vehicle is cranked up air (air containing dust and suspended particles) passes through the snorkel (13) and comes in contact with the arrangement (101) inside the air duct (1). The air initially passes through the supporting meshes (4) and further comes in contact with the synthetic meshes (3) of the arrangement (101). Due to the movement of the dirty air over the synthetic meshes (3), the synthetic meshes (3) gets electrostatically charged due to friction offered by the air. The movement of the air over the synthetic meshes (3) induces electrostatic charges throughout the synthetic meshes (3). This induced electrostatic charge over the synthetic meshes (3) further induces an electrostatic charge on the air crossing over the synthetic meshes (3). Since, the air flowing through the arrangement (101) has a high tendency to gain a positive charge and since the array of synthetic meshes (3) are made of a material (polypropylene) which lies in the triboelectric series, the synthetic meshes (3) have a tendency to gain negative charge. Thus, the friction offered by the air flowing through the synthetic meshes (3) induces a negative charge on the synthetic meshes (3), whereas a positive charge is induced to the dust particles in the air (air containing dust and suspended particles).

As per the Coulomb’s Law, material with like charges have an inherent tendency to repel each other and material with opposite charges have an inherent tendency to attract each other. Accordingly, the charged particles (dust particles) with a positive charge that flow with the air, get trapped in the synthetic meshes (3) with a negative charge under the influence of electrostatic force acting between the synthetic meshes (3) and the charged particles (dust).

The charged particles (dust) experience a force and get coagulated on the synthetic meshes (3) as the nature of the charge on the dust particles (positive) and the charge on synthetic meshes (3) are opposite in nature. The induced electrostatic force between the charged particles (dust) and the synthetic meshes (3) creates an adhesive force between them. Thus, the electrostatic force leads to the coagulation of the dust particles on the synthetic meshes (3). These natural tendencies of the air and the synthetic mesh (3) made of a material in the triboelectric series, helps in coagulation of the dust particles and leads to the entrapment of the dust particles in the array of synthetic meshes (3). Thus, the arrangement (101) will enhance the working life of the air filter (2) element as dust gets separated before it (dust) reaches the air filter (2). The arrangement (101) results in less impure air flowing to the air filter (2) resulting in a longer life of the air filter (2).

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a single array of synthetic meshes (3) may be provided in the air duct (1).

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the synthetic meshes (3) may be of any suitable shape so as to conform to the shape of the air duct (1). As an example, shape of the synthetic meshes (3) are such as but not limited to circular, square and the like.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the support meshes (4) may also be made of synthetic material such as polypropylene material or any other material in the triboelectric series. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the support meshes (4) may also be configured to absorb dust particles from the incoming air.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, only the array of plurality of synthetic meshes (3) includes support meshes (4).

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the perforations on the support and the synthetic meshes (4 and 3) may be of any suitable shape such as but not limited to circular shape that is shown in the figures.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the arrangement (101) may also be provided in the snorkel (13) of the air intake system (100).

The air intake system (100) further includes a self-cleaning unit (102) as shown in Fig. 4. The self-cleaning unit (102) may be provisioned downstream (C) of the arrangement (101). The self-cleaning unit (102) comprises of a tank (7) for storing pressurized or compressed air and a valve (8) is provided in connection with the tank (7) for suitably releasing the pressurized air from the tank (7). Further, an ejector valve (10) may be provided at the upstream (B) of the arrangement (101) and a plurality of pressure sensors (11) may be provided at the upstream and the downstream (B and C) of the arrangement (101). The valve (8), the ejector valve (10) and the pressure sensors (11) may all be communicatively coupled to and controlled through a control unit (A). Further, a manual relief ejector valve (without any communication with control unit) may be provided as an alternative option to the above mentioned ejector valve (10).

In an embodiment, the control unit (A) may be configured to activate the self-cleaning unit (102) once the ignition of the engine is turned off. When the vehicle is stopped and the engine of the vehicle is turned off after a journey, the control unit (A) activates the self-cleaning unit (102) by actuating or opening the valve (8) for a very small duration. When the valve (8) of the self-cleaning unit (102) is opened, the pressurized air from the tank (7) is allowed to flow through the arrangement (101) from the downstream (C) towards the upstream (B) of the arrangement (101). This flow of pressurized air from the tank (7) through the arrangement (101) is opposite in direction to the flow of dirty atmospheric air through the arrangement (101). Every time the ignition is turned off from the ON-condition, the valve (8) may be operated by the control unit (A) to a self-cleaning mode and a supply of pressurized air from the tank (7) to the synthetic meshes (3) is allowed. The control unit (A) allows the valve (8) to release the pressure for a small duration due to which the dust particles which are stuck to the synthetic meshes (3) of the arrangement (101) will be released or will be forced out towards to the upstream (B) of the arrangement (101).

The self-cleaning unit (102) may also incorporate a diffuser valve (8) due to which the pressurized air moves across the arrangement (101) which enhances the efficiency of the arrangement (101). Once the dust particles are removed from the arrangement (101) through pressurized air, the dust may be further removed from the air duct (1) by an ejector valve (10). The ejector valve may be provisioned at the upstream (B) of the arrangement (101). When the dust particles are pushed out of the arrangement (101) towards the upstream (B) of the arrangement (101), the control unit (A) may suitably actuate the ejector valve (10) to remove the dust particles from the upstream (B) end of the arrangement (101). Regular cleaning of the arrangement (101) by the self-cleaning unit (102), facilitates the preventive maintenance of the arrangement (101).

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the control unit (A) may be connected to the odometer and the control unit (A) may be configured to actuate the self-cleaning unit (102) only after the vehicle has run for a pre-determined amount of distance and not after every time the ignition of the vehicle is turned off.

The air intake system (100) may also include a provision for suitably indicating a choking status feedback of the arrangement (101). The pressure sensors (11) that are placed before and after i.e. upstream and downstream (B and C) of the arrangement (101) may be used to monitor the change in pressure of the air at the upstream and downstream (B and C) arrangement (101). The readings from the pressure sensors (11) are received by the control unit (A) at predefined intervals of time. The control unit (A) compares the pressure readings from the pressure sensors (11) with a pre-determined threshold pressure reading. Based on this comparison, the control unit (A) indicates the user about the cleaning schedule of the arrangement (101). If the detected air pressure difference between the pressure sensors (11) is higher than a threshold pressure limit, the control unit (A) detects the drop in air pressure due to excessive accumulation of dust particles in the arrangement (101) and accordingly indicates the user about the cleaning of the synthetic meshes (3) in the arrangement (101). The pressure sensors (11) may be calibrated as per the engine requirements incorporating the arrangement (101). The control unit (A) may further be communicatively coupled to an indication unit on the dashboard of the vehicle.

In an embodiment, the choking status of the arrangement (101) may be suitably indicated by indication unit on the dashboard in green or yellow or red categories. The green category may suitably indicate a healthy running of the vehicle. The yellow category may indicate the cleaning schedule of the arrangement (101). The user of the vehicle may remove one of the array of synthetic meshes (3) and wash it while the vehicle is still kept in a running condition for the duration during which, the washed array of synthetic mesh (3) dries up. The air intake system (100) will work with the remaining array of synthetic meshes (3) while the washed array of synthetic mesh (3) is drying up in the vehicle. After the washed array of synthetic meshes (3) dries up, the user may place it back in the same location in the air duct (1). The user may further wash the next array of synthetic mesh (3). This process may be followed until the indicators show the status back to green. Thus, apart from the self-cleaning unit, a choking status feedback unit may also be configured for better monitoring and better usability of the arrangement (101). Thus, by removing the dust from the air intake system (100) before the air actually reaches air filter (2), it increases working life of the air filter (2). Since, the arrangement (101) is configured to be functional in the absence of an array of synthetic meshes (3), the existence of any downtime in the vehicle may be reduced.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the indication unit may not only be limited to red, yellow and green indication but any other suitable type of indications such as in the form of numerical values, in the form of indication by a needle etc. or any other form of indication know to the person skilled in the art may be used. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the control unit (A) may be communicatively coupled to at least one of an audio indicator, a visual indicator and an audio-visual indicator.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air intake system (100) increase the working life of the air filter (2) by absorbing the suspended dust particles from the dirt incoming air before it reaches the air filter (2).

In an embodiment of the disclosure, providing an array of synthetic meshes (3), enables the user to clean each array of synthetic mesh (3) individually while all the other remaining array of synthetic mesh (3) remain functional. Consequently, the downtime of the vehicle during servicing is reduced.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the maintenance of the arrangement (101) is simple as the arrangement (101) can be cleaned by washing with water.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the working life of the arrangement (101) is improved since there are no moving parts in the arrangement (101) and hence there exists no mechanical wear of the parts.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the precleaning of air is carried out by the properties of the material (synthetic meshes) hence there is no effect on the fuel consumption and fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

Equivalents

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding the description may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated in the description.

Referral Numerals:

Referral numeral Description
1 Air duct
2 Air filter
3 Synthetic mesh
4 Support mesh
5 First perforations
6 Second perforations
7 Tank
8 Valve
10 Ejector valve
11 Pressure sensors
13 Snorkel
14 Bellow
15 Supporting brackets
16 Outlet pipe of the air filter
17 Bracket for the air duct
A Control unit
B Upstream of the arrangement
C Downstream of the arrangement
D Direction of flow of air from the atmosphere
E Direction of flow of air from the self-cleaning unit
100 Air intake system
101 Arrangement
102 Self-cleaning unit