Cooling system of an amphibious vehicle
AssigneeGibbs Technologies Limited
InventorJeremy Malcolm Burgoyne
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Amphibious vehicle 3 has one or more ducts 9 running from a first to a second end of the vehicle; from vent 5 to vent 7, or vice versa. The vehicle prime mover 19, transmission, brakes, and/or electronic controls, may be cooled in the duct. Fan 19 draws or blows air through the duct. The hull may comprise one wall of the or each duct; hull surface coolers may be provided for cooling liquid. The duct(s) may pass through one or more bulkhead(s) 11, 13 of the vehicle. A separate engine cooling system may comprise a radiator 23 and fans 29. The marine drive may be a jet drive; the vehicle road wheels (6, FIGS. 4 and 6) may be retractable above the vehicle water line when the vehicle is in marine mode.
Claims31
A cooling system of an amphibious vehicle having a prime mover cooled by liquid coolant that circulates through a radiator and at least one retractable wheel assembly, the cooling system comprising:
- at least one duct running from a first proximal end of the vehicle to a second distal end of the vehicle wherein the radiator is not located within the duct, the at least one duct having:
- at the first proximal end at least one air inlet to induct cooling air into the at least one duct, wherein the at least one air inlet is oriented such that forward movement of the vehicle forces air through the inlet;
- at the second distal end at least one air outlet to exhaust the cooling air from the at least one duct;
- the at least one duct having, between an air inlet and an air outlet, at least one component of the vehicle requiring cooling;
- and
- the at least one duct having, between said air inlet and said air outlet, means to positively draw air through the at least one duct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.