1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to an air cleaner system for an internal combustion engine which is located in a vehicle.
2. Description of Prior Art:
Cleaner systems which furnish combustion air to the carburetors of engines in self-propelled vehicles must necessarily be rather bulky in order to supply the amount of combustion air required without an excessive pressure drop. The air filters in such systems frequently are circular or cylindrical, and this geometrical configuration together with the bulk have contributed to many difficulties in the locating of air cleaner systems in the engine compartments of vehicles.
One approach to the resolution of difficulties with locating the air cleaner system in the engine compartment has been to locate part of the system in a closely adjacent compartment. Illustrations of this approach appear in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,897,847 and 4,126,199, each of which shows a system which includes an air filter device located in an auxiliary compartment immediately ahead of the radiator for the vehicle and separated by the radiator from the engine compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,641,744 shows a compact air filter device adapted for mounting in the engine compartment of a truck, on the truck engine, between the top of the engine and the bottom of the cab structure in a cab-over-engine vehicle; the filter in this patent is a rectangular and flat configuration with the incoming air flowing through the filter along one of the larger dimensions. U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,033 shows a flat rectangular filter which apparently is intended also for mounting directly above the engine of a vehicle; in this case the air flow through the filter is along the short dimension.
The air cleaner system according to the present invention features an air filter device which is space efficient, being generally cubic in shape, with theair filter device being installed near the side of the engine in a location which is generally better for both the vehicle designer and vehicle operator. The space in which the air filter device is located is one which is less likely to be occupied with other devices, thus making it easier for the vehicle designer, and in addition it is readily accessible to the operator or maintainer of the vehicle.