FR2708312A1 - Protective screen for a vehicle cooling unit and cooling unit provided with such a screen. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a protective screen for a cooling unit of a vehicle. It comprises a flexible sheet (24) with a mesh structure placed near the cooling unit (10) in the path of the cooling air; a winding device (26) to which is fixed a first end (28) of the flexible web to move this web between a rolled-up position and an unwound position; an attachment device (34) suitable for maintaining a second end (36) of the flexible sheet in the unwound position; and possibly cleaning means (42) located close to the winding device and suitable for automatically cleaning the flexible web when it is unwound or wound up. Application in particular to heavy goods vehicles and industrial vehicles.

Description

Protective screen for a vehicle cooling unit and

  The invention relates to a protective screen for a cooling unit of a vehicle, in particular of a weight

heavy vehicle or industrial vehicle.

  It also concerns a cooling unit equipped with a

such protection screen.

  In vehicles of the aforementioned type, the cooling unit

  essentially comprises a first heat exchanger, such as an engine cooling radiator, to which is attached, if appropriate, a second heat exchanger.

  heat, for example a supercharger air cooler

  when the vehicle engine is equipped with a turbocharger

  presser. When two exchangers are thus contiguous, the same flow

  of air sweeps successively to ensure cooling

  is lying. In the case of a vehicle, such as a heavy vehicle, intended to travel on the road, the cooling unit is placed behind the shell so that outside air passes through the shell and then sweeps the heat exchanger body, usually a beam of finned tubes, of

each exchanger.

  Behind the cooling unit, there is also provided a fan unit with at least one suction propeller to increase the air flow and thus the cooling capacity when the vehicle engine is subjected to severe operating conditions and / or when the

  vehicle speed is too low.

  When the vehicle is on the road, it is known that

  soils tend to seep through the calender and to be deposited on the exchanger body of the or each heat exchanger

  heat, which decreases the heat exchange performance.

  This dirt may be due to projections of mud, dust, sand, insects, etc. To avoid this drawback, it has already been proposed to interpose, between the shell and the cooling unit, and on the

  cooling air path, a fixed screen is similar to

  both to a grid to retain dirt.

  This fixed screen is usually fixed in four corners on the

  cooling unit or on the chassis of the vehicle.

  One of the disadvantages of such a screen is that it must be cleaned periodically. But as this screen is placed in a difficult access region, it is most often necessary to tilt the cab of the vehicle, disassemble some parts and then the screen itself, which increases the time

immobilization of the vehicle.

  In the case of industrial vehicles, for example construction vehicles such as excavators or other earth-moving machines, cooling is frequently carried out

  by the air set in motion by a blower propeller

permanently.

  The cooling unit is also exposed to soiling that can either be moved by the fan to deposit on one side of the cooling unit or on the other side. Fixed protection screens have also been proposed for these construction vehicles, but these screens

  same disadvantages as those mentioned above.

  The object of the invention is in particular to overcome the disadvantages

mentioned above.

  It is particularly an object of the invention to provide a protective screen for a cooling unit of

  vehicle whose cleaning can be done easily.

  It is another object of the invention to provide such a protective screen that can be used for different types of vehicles, including vehicles of the heavy truck type or

more construction vehicles.

  The protective screen of the invention comprises for the essential

  tiel: - a flexible sheet with a mesh structure, suitable for being placed close to the cooling unit in the path of the cooling air; - A winding device which is fixed to a first end of the flexible web and adapted to move the flexible web between a wound position and an unwound position; and a fastening device placed at a distance from the winding device and able to maintain a second end of the

  flexible sheet in uncoiled position.

  Thus, the flexible sheet can be easily unrolled and

  wrapped in the manner of a blind.

  Advantageously, the cleaning screen comprises cleaning means located near the winding device and able to automatically clean the flexible sheet when it is inversely. With this arrangement, the flexible sheet can be automatically cleaned during each manno-nvre die herniitzmtnhnt nu When the flexible sheet is soiled and must be cleaned, simply detach the second end to cause its winding around the winder device and the unwind and reattach its second end, allowing two cleaning operations, one during winding and

the other during the course.

  If necessary, several successive winding and unwinding operations can be performed to improve the

cleaning.

  In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the

  supple tablecloth has mesh openings generally included-

between 1 and 2 mm.

  The flexible sheet is advantageously made in the form of a plastic mesh, or in the form of

wire mesh.

  The winding device of the protection screen of the invention

  This is similar to the one used on certain apartment blinds. Advantageously, this device comprises a cylinder on which is fixed the first end of the flexible sheet and resilient return means, for example a spiral spring, tending to rotate the cylinder in a direction of

determined rotation.

  The fastening device for holding the blind in

  unrolled position can be realized in different ways.

  Advantageously, it comprises at least one tab adapted to engage in a corresponding hole formed through

the second end of the web.

  The cleaning means advantageously comprise two opposite brushes disposed on either side of the flexible sheet. These two brushes can be urged towards each other by springs or other similar means, which makes it possible to ensure effective friction of the two brushes on the

  two opposite sides of the flexible sheet.

  According to another aspect, the invention relates to a cooling unit for a vehicle, this group being provided with a

  screen as defined previously.

  When the cooling unit is intended for a vehicle, especially a heavy vehicle, and is suitable for

  placed behind the radiator grille, a screen is

  placed between the shell and the cooling unit.

  In the case where the cooling unit is intended for an industrial vehicle, for example a construction site vehicle, and that it comprises a motor-fan unit with suction propeller,

  there is a screen placed between the cooling unit

ment and the fan motor unit.

  In the description that follows, made only as a

  for example, reference is made to the appended drawing, in which:

  FIG. 1 is a side view of a cooling unit;

  vehicle, including heavy weight, equipped with a protective screen according to the invention; - Figure 2 is a detail of Figure 1 showing the structure of the winder device; FIG. 3 is another detail of FIG. 1 showing the structure of the attachment device; and FIG. 4 is a variant showing a side view of a cooling unit for an industrial vehicle equipped with

  a protective screen according to the invention.

  Referring first to Figure 1 which shows a heavy-duty cooling unit 10 comprising a cooling radiator 12 for cooling the

  vehicle engine and a supercharger air cooler

  The cooler 14 is intended to cool the charge air for the turbocharger of the vehicle engine. The cooling unit 10 is placed behind a

  radiator grille 16 of the vehicle, the overflow air cooler

  tation 14 being placed towards the front of the vehicle relative to the radiator 12, that is to say between the radiator 12 and the

grille 16.

  On the other side of the cooling unit 10, with respect to the shell 16, there is provided a motor-fan unit 18 provided with a suction propeller 20. The cooling unit can be swept by a stream of air passing through the shell

  16 and possibly set in motion by the motorcycle group

  fan 18, as represented by the arrows F. This air thus passes successively cooler 14 and the

radiator 12.

  The cooling unit 10 is equipped with a protective screen 22 comprising a flexible sheet 24 having a structure

  mesh, formed for example by a plastic mesh

  or wire mesh, the openings of which

  mesh are generally between 1 and 2 mm.

  The sheet 24 has a generally rectangular shape

  adapted to the dimensions of the radiators 12 and 14.

  The screen 22 further comprises a winding device 26 to which is fixed a first end 28 of the tablecloth

flexible 24.

  The retractor device 26 comprises (FIG. 2) a cylinder 30 rotatably mounted around an axis XX and on which is fixed the first end 28 of the flexible sheet, as well as an elastic return spring 32 of the spiral type tending to rotate the cylinder 30 in a rotational direction

  determined S, here in the clockwise direction.

  The protective screen further comprises an attachment device 34 (FIGS. 1 and 3) placed at a distance from the retractor device 26 and capable of holding a second end 36 of the flexible sheet when it is in the unwound position (FIG. ). The attachment device 34 comprises at least one tab 38 adapted to engage in a corresponding hole 40

  formed in the second end 36 of the ply 24.

  It will be understood that the web 24 can be held in an unwound position, as shown in FIG. 1, in which the second end 36 of the web is attached to

fastening device 34.

  When this second end is detached, the ply 24 can wrap around the cylinder 30 of the winder device

  26, under the action of the return spring 32.

  The protective shield of the invention further comprises cleaning means 42 located near the winding device 26 and able to automatically clean the flexible sheet 24 when it is moved from the unwound position to the

wound position and vice versa.

  In the example, the cleaning means 42 comprise two opposite brushes 44 arranged on either side of the tablecloth

  flexible 24 and extending over the entire width thereof.

  The flexible sheet 24 is thus cleaned automatically, on both sides, when it is moved from its position

  unwound at its wound position, and vice versa.

  As can be seen in FIG. 1, the winding device

  their 26 is carried by a support 46 fixed, in the example, to

cooling radiator 12.

  Similarly, the fastening device 34 is fixed to a support 48,

  itself attached to the cooling radiator 12.

  In the unrolled position, the ply 24 extends substantially parallel to the plane of the two exchangers 12 and 14, that is to say perpendicular to the direction of flow of the flow

cooling air.

  It will be understood that the attachment device can take

  different embodiments.

  In a variant, not shown, the unfolding and the winding of the sheet 24 can be caused by a

electric motor.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the cooling unit 10 is part of an industrial vehicle, for example a construction vehicle, and the circulation of the cooling air in the direction of the arrows F is provided by a motor-fan unit 18 causing a

fan propeller 50.

  It is expected then a protective screen 122 between the propeller

and the cooling group 10.

  Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described by way of example and extends to other variants.

Claims (11)

claims   1.- protective screen for a cooling unit of a vehicle, characterized in that it comprises: - a flexible sheet (24) mesh structure, adapted to be placed near the cooling unit (10) on the cooling air path; - A winding device (26) which is fixed to a first end (28) of the flexible web (24) and adapted to move the flexible web between a wound position and an unwound position; and - an attachment device (34) spaced apart from the retractor device (26) and adapted to maintain a second end   (36) of the flexible web in the unwound position.   2. Protective screen according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises cleaning means (42) located near the winding device (26) and adapted to automatically clean the flexible sheet (24) when moved from the unwound position to the wound position, and vice versa.   3. Screen protector according to one of claims 1 and   2, characterized in that the flexible sheet has openings of   mesh size between 1 and 2 mm.   4. Protection screen according to one of claims 1 to 3,   characterized in that the flexible ply is a mesh in plastic material.   5.-Screen protector according to one of claims 1 to 3,   characterized in that the flexible ply is a wire mesh.   6. Screen protector according to one of claims 1 to 5,   characterized in that the winding device (26) comprises a cylinder (30) on which is fixed the first end (28) of the ply (24) and elastic return means (32) tending to rotate the cylinder in a direction rotation determined (S).   7. Protection screen according to one of claims 1 to 6,   characterized in that the fastening device (34) comprises at least one tab (38) adapted to engage in a hole   corresponding (40) through the second end tee (36) of the web (24).   8. Protection screen according to one of claims 2 to 7,   characterized in that the cleaning means (42) comprises   two opposing brushes (44) arranged on either side flexible web (24).   9.- Cooling unit for a vehicle, characterized in   it is provided with a screen according to one of the claims 1 to 8.   10.- Cooling unit according to claim 9, for a vehicle, including a truck, and adapted to be placed behind the calender (16) of the vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a protective screen (22) interposed   between the shell (16) and the cooling unit (10).   11.- Cooling unit according to claim 9, intended for an industrial vehicle, for example a construction vehicle, and comprising a blower fan motor unit (18) (50), characterized in that it comprises a   protection screen (122) placed between the cooling unit   (10) and the motor-fan unit (18).