Site News  |   Monitor Keywords  |   Monitor Archive  |   Organizer  |   Account Info  |

Watertight vehicle airduct system

Watertight vehicle airduct system description/claims

The present invention relates to a venting system for a vehicle and, more particularly, to a submergible venting system for a vehicle.

Conventional vehicles typically include at least one body exhauster to permit airflow from within a passenger compartment of a vehicle to an area generally outside of the vehicle. Such body exhausters allow a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit to draw in, condition, and circulate air within a vehicle while permitting air disposed within the passenger compartment of the vehicle to be exhausted through the body exhauster to maintain the passenger compartment at a predetermined pressure. Such body exhausters allow one-way communication between the passenger compartment and an area outside of the vehicle such that air is permitted to exit the vehicle white debris and outside air is restricted from entering the vehicle. While conventional body exhausters adequately vent a passenger compartment of a vehicle while concurrently preventing debris and outside air from entering the passenger compartment of the vehicle, conventional body exhausters cannot typically be located near or on a lower surface of a vehicle, as conventional body exhausters cannot prevent entry of water into the vehicle should a lower portion of the vehicle become submerged in water.

A duct for a vehicle includes an inlet fluidly coupled to an interior of the vehicle and an outlet fluidly coupled to the inlet. A buoyant closure member is disposed between the inlet and the outlet and is movable between an open position permitting flow between the inlet and the outlet and a closed position preventing flow between the inlet and the outlet. The buoyant closure member is normally in the open position and is movable from the open position to the closed position in response to a predetermined volume of water entering the outlet.

A vehicle includes a floor pan defining at least one cavity with a heat exchanger being disposed within the at least one cavity. A passageway directs air through the heat exchanger and toward a wall of the at least one cavity. A duct is fixedly attached to the wall of the at least one cavity and includes a closure member movable between an open position permitting air received from the heat exchanger to exit the at least one cavity and a closed position preventing fluid from entering the at least one cavity.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a vehicle incorporating a thermal-management system, an energy system, and a submergible duct in accordance with the present teachings;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the submergible duct in accordance with the principles of the present teachings incorporating a floating door;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a submergible duct in accordance with the principles of the present teachings incorporating a ball float;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a submergible duct in accordance with the principles of the present teachings incorporating a floating door;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a submergible duct in accordance with the principles of the present teachings incorporating a floating door disposed on a bottom surface thereof;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a submergible duct in accordance with the principles of the present teachings incorporating a floating door; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a submergible duct in accordance with the principles of the present teachings incorporating a buoyant closure member.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

• What Is a Patent?
• What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
• What Is a Copyright?
• Patent Laws