US 7,481,287 B2
Vehicle cooling package
Ricky Dean Madson, Waterloo, Iowa (US); Andy Blaine Appleton, Cedar Falls, Iowa (US); Clinton Lane Lafferty, Waterloo, Iowa (US); Ronnie Franklin Burk, Cedar Falls, Iowa (US); Dennis Aaron Bowman, Cedar Falls, Iowa (US); Thomas Frederick Tock, Denver, Iowa (US); Paul Thomas Bruss, Cedar Falls, Iowa (US); Charles Nicholas Warren, Cedar Falls, Iowa (US); Scott Keith Farlow, Cedar Falls, Iowa (US); and Matthew Robert Oliver, Waterloo, Iowa (US)
Assigned to Deere & Company, Moline, Ill. (US)
Filed on Apr. 02, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/816,750.
Prior Publication US 2005/0217907 A1, Oct. 06, 2005
Int. Cl. B60K 11/04 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 180—68.1  [180/68.6] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle cooling package comprising:
a heat exchanger assembly;
a fan shroud mounted to the heat exchanger assembly, the fan shroud having a diverting surface;
a diverter plate mounted adjacent to the fan shroud and spaced therefrom;
a fan interposed between the fan shroud and the diverter plate the fan having blades having a natural radial discharge component wherein air being discharged by blades is expelled generally radially; and,
a vehicle hood enclosing the heat exchanger assembly, the fan shroud, the diverter plate, and the fan, the hood having at least one surface having air discharge apertures corresponding with the space between the diverting surface and the diverter plate when the hood is closed;
the diverting surface of the fan shroud and the diverter plate each being angled from the axis of the fan when the fan shroud and diverter plate are assembled to the vehicle, so as to closely match the natural generally radial discharge angle of the fan blades, and the diverting surface and the diverter plate both extend toward the hood assembly when the hood is closed so that air is discharged from the fan at a high velocity from under the hood through the air discharge apertures and wherein a gap is provided between the hood and the diverter plate so that air is drawn from an engine compartment of the vehicle by a venturi effect of air exiting the hood enclosure at the air discharge apertures.