An internal combustion engine of a vehicle requires an adequate supply of filtered, fresh air to function properly. Accordingly, air from the atmosphere may be drawn through a particle filter to remove dust and other particulates before the air enters the air intake of the engine. For vehicles operating in temperate climates, a single particle filter may provide many months of adequate air filtration before the filter becomes clogged and a replacement is needed. During severe weather conditions, however, the filter may clog prematurely with ice and snow, thereby restricting air flow into the engine and degrading engine performance. Such severe weather conditions may include, for example, very snowy conditions.
One solution to this problem is to install a specialized grille cover on the vehicle to prevent entry of snow and/or dust into an air filtration system of the vehicle. However, such grille covers are matched specifically to the front-end configuration of the vehicle on which it is installed and may, therefore, be expensive to produce. Furthermore, the vehicle operator may have to install and remove the grille cover repeatedly in response to changing weather conditions, causing dissatisfaction.
It is known to provide air filtration systems adapted to supply sufficient clean air to the intake of the engine when the air filtration system becomes clogged or blocked. Such air filtration systems may comprise a housing that is configured to partition a filter into a main portion and an auxiliary portion, wherein an auxiliary air inlet may be configured to direct air to the auxiliary portion of the filter upon the main portion of the filter becoming blocked.
However, air filtration systems adapted for operation in severe weather conditions may be more expensive and more difficult to service than a standard air filtration system configured for use in cold temperate climates. The present invention seeks to address these issues.