Air filter

Details Air filter Air filter

2000-01-12

2001-05-15

Simmons, David A. (Department: 1724)

Gas separation

Combined or convertible

In motor vehicle

C055S481000, C055S493000, C055S502000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06231630

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an air filter, especially an air intake filter for internal combustion engines.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,000 discloses an air filter for filtering intake air, with a substantially cylindrical housing which has a raw air inlet that is arranged tangentially on the housing, and in this housing is a filter insert through which air flows radially.
The housing itself can be attached with a bayonet lock to a cylindrical air intake collector. In this intake air collector is a safety cartridge which is intended to prevent the entry of dust and dirt into the air intake connection when the filter insert is changed.
A seal is created between the safety cartridge and the filter insert because, after the bayonet lock is engaged, the filter insert is axially displaced toward the safety cartridge, through which the end face of the filter insert comes in contact with the end face of the safety cartridge.
This axial displacement is performed with an adjusting screw disposed on the end wall of the housing, which exerts an axial movement on the end plate of the filter insert.
A disadvantage of this known device is that a very large free space must be present around the housing for the insertion and removal of the filter insert.
Initially, in order to release the bayonet lock, a certain axial movement must be possible. On the other hand, the necessary rotation of the adjusting screw for the axial displacement of the filter insert is possible only if sufficient space is provided in the vicinity of this adjusting screw for manual access to it. This type of construction of an air intake filter is therefore unsuitable where space is restricted.
German Patent 39 18 347, (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,999) discloses an air intake filter for an internal combustion engine, in which only a short axial movement of the housing is necessary for installation and removal. For this purpose a filter pot is provided which is inserted into a sliding shoe and can be fastened by means of a tilting movement to a part that receives it.
Although exchanging the filter element is possible here within very limited space, there exists the danger that, in case of shaking or vibration the housing may undergo resonance vibrations, and sealing problems may occur.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is therefore based on the object of avoiding the aforementioned disadvantages and providing a compact filter arrangement which with little surrounding free space and a small space requirement will assure reliable particle separation.
This object is achieved by the invention as described hereinafter.
The substantial advantage of the invention is to be seen in the fact that the filter element, which is usually a rectangular element and requires a relatively large space for insertion and removal, can be inserted into the housing with a rocking motion and only a minimum of space is needed for insertion and removal.
It is advantageous to construct the filter insert of a supporting element and a filter element. In this way it is possible to dispose of the filter element, which essentially is comprised of a zig-zag folded filter paper and a gasket, without any difficulty, while the supporting element can be used repeatedly.
According to one embodiment of the invention, an abutment element on the housing is equipped with a glide track. This glide track simultaneously is the corner point for the filter insert and is a kind of hollow throat which accommodates an axis of rotation of the filter insert.
Another advantageous embodiment of the invention envisions providing the housing with a hinged cover. This cover closes off the raw air chamber of the housing and prevents the penetration of dirt or unwanted air.
In an alternative embodiment the cover can be directly connected to the filter insert. Thus the number of components is reduced even further and the insertion and removal of the filter insert or filter element is made even simpler.
According to a further embodiment the cover or filter insert is provided with a catch or snap fastener in order to produce a reliable and easy-to-operate attachment to the housing.
As already mentioned, the filter element is comprised of a zig-zag folded filter material, a paper filter material or a nonwoven material, in which case an elaborate construction is unnecessary, and all that needs to be provided is a circumferential gasket on the filter element.
These and other features of preferred embodiments of the invention are found not only in the claims but also in the description and the drawings, it being possible for the individual features to be realized individually or together in the form of subcombinations in embodiments of the invention and in other fields, and may represent advantageous as well as independently patentable embodiments, for which protection is hereby claimed.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4925469 (1990-05-01), Clement et al.
patent: 5569311 (1996-10-01), Oda et al.
patent: 5640937 (1997-06-01), Slopsema
patent: 5649986 (1997-07-01), Mueller
patent: 5730768 (1998-03-01), Kaminaga et al.
patent: 839280 (1952-05-01), None
patent: 3118413 (1982-11-01), None

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