IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0684767
(2010-01-08)
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등록번호 |
US-8191677
(2012-06-05)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Davis, Eric A.
- Davis, Brian P.
- Davis, Richard A.
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출원인 / 주소 |
- American Off-Road Technologies, LLC
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대리인 / 주소 |
Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C.
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
3 인용 특허 :
93 |
초록
▼
Various embodiments of reduced-size vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and utility vehicles (UVs) are disclosed herein. In at least some embodiments, the vehicles include frames that are wider near the front and rear sections of the vehicles than within the mid-sections of the vehicles. Th
Various embodiments of reduced-size vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and utility vehicles (UVs) are disclosed herein. In at least some embodiments, the vehicles include frames that are wider near the front and rear sections of the vehicles than within the mid-sections of the vehicles. This, in combination with the use of shock-absorbers that are substantially vertically oriented, allows for the opening-up of large interior cavities within the front and rear sections of the vehicles within which can be positioned large front and rear internal compartments that can provide storage/carrying capacity as well as added buoyancy for the vehicle, among other things. Also, in at least some embodiments, the vehicles can include special cooling and/or exhaust systems having components that are positioned substantially within the mid-sections of the vehicles, thus further increasing the amounts of space available for the cavities/compartments within the front and rear sections of the vehicles.
대표청구항
▼
1. An exhaust system for a reduced-size vehicle having a front axle and a rear axle, the exhaust system comprising: a muffler positioned within a mid-section of the vehicle such that the muffler is substantially forward of the rear axle of the reduced-size vehicle, wherein (a) the muffler includes a
1. An exhaust system for a reduced-size vehicle having a front axle and a rear axle, the exhaust system comprising: a muffler positioned within a mid-section of the vehicle such that the muffler is substantially forward of the rear axle of the reduced-size vehicle, wherein (a) the muffler includes an exhaust inlet and an exhaust outlet, (b) the muffler further includes a plurality of stacked internal chambers including a lower chamber and an upper chamber positioned vertically above the lower chamber, (c) the exhaust inlet and exhaust outlet are respectively in fluid communication at least indirectly with an interior region within the upper chamber at least partly by way of a first tubular passage and a second tubular passage, respectively, and (d) the first tubular passage extends vertically upward from a location beneath the upper chamber so that an opening of the first tubular passage by which an interior of the first tubular passage is in communication with the interior region is positioned above a middle of the upper chamber and proximate an uppermost portion of the upper chamber, whereby a backflow of a fluid from the exhaust outlet to the exhaust inlet is hindered,wherein the muffler includes an exterior housing having a central axis that is at least substantially vertically oriented with respect to a central longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the central longitudinal axis of the vehicle corresponding to a direction that is substantially horizontal when the reduced-size vehicle is ready for use or in use, and wherein the muffler further comprises an interior chamber that includes at least the plurality of internal chambers and an exterior chamber located between the housing and the interior chamber, and wherein cooling air, when provided to the muffler, proceeds into the exterior chamber and swirls around and within the exterior chamber in a generally downward manner until exiting the exterior chamber at a cooling air outlet located along a bottom of the muffler. 2. The exhaust system of claim 1, wherein the mid-section is further defined as a location corresponding to at least one of: between front surfaces of a pair of rear vehicle wheels and rear surfaces of a pair of front vehicle wheels; between at least a portion of a front edge of a rear storage compartment located in a vehicle rear section and at least a portion of a rear edge of a storage compartment located in a vehicle front section; proximate to and behind a set of operator handle bars and below an operator seat; substantially in front of the rear axle; and substantially in front of a rear edge of a vehicle foot rest. 3. The exhaust system of claim 1, wherein the muffler substantially encloses a liquid-sealing valve, and wherein at least a portion of the valve is buoyant in water. 4. The exhaust system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stacked internal chambers includes at least three internal chambers that include the lower and upper chambers, and wherein each chamber is positioned at a level higher than the previous chamber. 5. The exhaust system of claim 1, wherein exhaust from an engine of the reduced-size vehicle is communicated by way of the exhaust inlet into the interior chamber and wherein the exterior housing of the muffler is cooled. 6. The exhaust system of claim 5, wherein the reduced-size vehicle is one of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and a utility vehicle (UV). 7. An exhaust system for a reduced-size vehicle having a front axle and a rear axle, the exhaust system comprising: a muffler positioned within a mid-section of the vehicle such that the muffler is substantially forward of the rear axle of the reduced-size vehicle, wherein (a) the muffler includes an exhaust inlet and an exhaust outlet, (b) the muffler further includes a plurality of stacked internal chambers including a lower chamber and an upper chamber positioned vertically above the lower chamber, (c) the exhaust inlet and exhaust outlet are respectively in fluid communication at least indirectly with an interior region within the upper chamber at least partly by way of a first tubular passage and a second tubular passage, respectively, and (d) the first tubular passage extends vertically upward from a location beneath the upper chamber so that an opening of the first tubular passage by which an interior of the first tubular passage is in communication with the interior region is positioned above a middle of the upper chamber and proximate an uppermost portion of the upper chamber,wherein the muffler includes a top and a bottom, and the exhaust outlet and exhaust inlet are positioned proximate the bottom of the muffler to at least partly preclude a backflow of a liquid within the muffler into an engine of the reduced-size vehicle. 8. An exhaust system for a reduced-size vehicle having a front axle and a rear axle, the exhaust system comprising: a muffler positioned within a mid-section of the vehicle such that the muffler is substantially forward of the rear axle of the reduced-size vehicle, wherein (a) the muffler includes an exhaust inlet and an exhaust outlet, (b) the muffler further includes a plurality of stacked internal chambers including a lower chamber and an upper chamber positioned vertically above the lower chamber, (c) the exhaust inlet and exhaust outlet are respectively in fluid communication at least indirectly with an interior region within the upper chamber at least partly by way of a first tubular passage and a second tubular passage, respectively, and (d) the first tubular passage extends vertically upward from a location beneath the upper chamber so that an opening of the first tubular passage by which an interior of the first tubular passage is in communication with the interior region is positioned above a middle of the upper chamber and proximate an uppermost portion of the upper chamber, whereby a backflow of a fluid from the exhaust outlet to the exhaust inlet is hindered,wherein the muffler includes a top and bottom, a cooling air inlet proximate the top of the muffler, a cooling air outlet proximate the bottom of the muffler, and wherein the exhaust inlet and the exhaust outlet are proximate the bottom of the muffler. 9. The exhaust system of claim 8, wherein an attenuation of noise passed through the exhaust system from an engine of the reduced-size vehicle is capable of being increased as a result of the muffler being positioned within the mid-section of the vehicle. 10. The exhaust system of claim 3, wherein the liquid-sealing valve is at least one of a hinged valve and a check ball valve that is configured to close if water backflows from the exhaust outlet into the lower chamber. 11. An exhaust system for a reduced-size vehicle having a front axle and a rear axle, the exhaust system comprising: a muffler having an exhaust outlet and an exhaust inlet, the muffler positioned within a mid-section of the vehicle such that the muffler is substantially forward of the rear axle of the reduced-size vehicle, wherein the muffler includes 1) a plurality of internal chambers that serve to reduce a backflow of a liquid entering the exhaust outlet into the exhaust inlet, and 2) a plurality of vertical offset channels positioned in a side-by-side configuration for passing exhaust gases between the chambers, wherein the chambers are stacked substantially vertically in relation to one another, and wherein an interconnection between at least two of the chambers is substantially sealed in response to a level of the liquid accumulated in at least one of the chambers. 12. The exhaust system of claim 11, wherein the interconnection is substantially sealed by a valve within a first of the at least one chamber, and wherein the valve is actuated by the level of the liquid in the first chamber that substantially houses the valve. 13. The exhaust system of claim 12, wherein the muffler includes a housing having a central axis that is at least substantially vertically oriented with respect to a central longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the central longitudinal axis of the vehicle corresponding to a direction that is substantially horizontal when the reduced-size vehicle is ready for use or in use. 14. The exhaust system of claim 13, wherein the muffler further comprises an interior chamber that includes at least the plurality of internal chambers and an exterior chamber located between the housing and the interior chamber, and wherein cooling air, when provided to the muffler, proceeds into the exterior chamber and swirls around and within the exterior chamber in a generally downward manner until exiting the exterior chamber at a cooling air outlet located along a bottom of the muffler. 15. The exhaust system of claim 14, wherein the exhaust outlet and exhaust inlet are both received at the bottom of the muffler and wherein the cooling air is received adjacent a top of the muffler. 16. An exhaust system for a reduced-size vehicle having a front axle and a rear axle, the exhaust system comprising: a muffler that extends longitudinally in a vertical direction, positioned within a mid-section of the vehicle such that the muffler is substantially forward of the rear axle of the reduced-size vehicle, wherein the muffler includes a bottom for receiving an exhaust outlet and an exhaust inlet, wherein the muffler includes 1) a plurality of stacked internal chambers that serve to reduce a backflow of a liquid entering the exhaust outlet into the exhaust inlet, and 2) a plurality of vertical offset channels positioned in a side-by-side configuration for passing exhaust gases between the chambers, and wherein the exhaust inlet extends vertically from the bottom to an uppermost chamber of the internal chambers and the exhaust outlet extends from the bottom to a lowermost chamber of the internal chambers. 17. The exhaust system of claim 16, wherein the mid-section is further defined as a location corresponding to at least one of: between front surfaces of a pair of rear vehicle wheels and rear surfaces of a pair of front vehicle wheels; between at least a portion of a front edge of a rear storage compartment located in a vehicle rear section and at least a portion of a rear edge of a storage compartment located in a vehicle front section; proximate to and behind a set of operator handle bars and below an operator seat; substantially in front of the rear axle; and substantially in front of a rear edge of a vehicle foot rest.
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