DE102013018166B4 - Filter system with water outlet - Google Patents

Abstract

Filter system (100) comprising - a filter housing (108) with base area (114) and cover (110) and a housing wall (112) extending between them, - an inlet (102) arranged on the filter housing (108) for supplying a fluid to be filtered, - an outlet (104) arranged on the filter housing (108) for discharging the filtered fluid, - at least one filter element (10) arranged between inlet (102) and outlet (104), and the one raw side (50) from a clean side (52) separates the filter system (100), - a water outlet opening (120) arranged on the filter housing (108), the base area (114) being at an angle (12) to the horizontal in the direction of the water outlet opening ( 120) is inclined, the water outlet opening (120) being arranged near the bottom area (114) on the housing wall (112), the water outlet opening (120) being provided with a water intake device (122), the water intake provision Sealing (122) is formed in one piece with the housing wall (112) and wherein a water outlet valve (124) is arranged at the lower end of the water receiving device (122), the water outlet valve (124) opening when a sufficient amount of water in the water receiving device (122) has accumulated, which generates a water column pressure that is greater than a negative pressure in the filter housing

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a filter system with a water outlet opening, in particular for use as an air filter in an internal combustion engine.

State of the art

A water outlet port is provided in an air filter system because, under certain circumstances, e.g. B. whirled up water can be sucked from the roadway into the air filter of a motor vehicle. Attempts are made to position the suction point in such a way that no water is sucked in, but this is not always possible due to the space requirements in the engine compartment of a motor vehicle. The amount of water sucked in is also determined by the size of the inlet opening of the air filter housing and the prevailing air speed due to the air being sucked in by the internal combustion engine of the motor vehicle. By enlarging the cross section of the air filter inlet opening, the air speed can be reduced in order to prevent water from the environment from being carried along with the flow. In most cases, however, oversizing the air filter inlet opening is not possible for reasons of space and also for reasons of noise reduction.

The sucked in water collects at the bottom of the air filter housing. If too much water collects there, it can be sucked through the air filter mat. On the one hand, this leads to damage to the filter mat and, on the other hand, can also lead to damage to the internal combustion engine. In addition, the air mass sensor can be damaged and / or incorrectly measured.

From the DE 102 00 673 B4 a motor vehicle air filter is known in which the water outlet opening, which is arranged at the bottom of the filter housing, is provided with a water receiving device, at the lower end of which a water outlet valve is arranged. The water sucked into the raw side of the air filter housing can collect in the water absorption device without being thrown into the filter mat by the air flow on the raw side. The water outlet valve is kept closed by the negative pressure in the filter housing, so that no air can be sucked in through the water outlet opening which could swirl the water that has collected in the water intake device. Only when a certain amount of water has accumulated and the resulting water column has built up a pressure on the valve that is greater than the negative pressure in the filter housing, the valve opens and the water can flow out. The water absorption device must be dimensioned in such a way that sufficient water column pressure can build up.

From the published patent application WO 2008/029022 A1 a filter system with a water outlet at the bottom and an air-guiding inlet tube is known, the tube having two arcuate sections for collecting water droplets, a widening guide section and an end section. The guide section represents a liquid barrier within the tube and is arranged downstream of a bore for the outlet of the collected water. The end section is essentially frustoconical downstream of a further opening towards the surroundings of the tube in order to distribute the inflowing air over a large area of the filter element.

One object of the invention is therefore to create a filter system with a water outlet opening in which the accumulated water can be disposed of from the filter system in a favorable manner in terms of installation space.

The aforementioned object is achieved according to one aspect of the invention with a filter system which comprises a water outlet opening arranged on the filter housing and in which in particular the bottom area is inclined at an angle to the horizontal in the direction of the water outlet opening when the filter system is operating as intended, the water outlet opening near the bottom area is arranged on the housing wall.

Favorable configurations and advantages of the invention emerge from the further claims, the description and the drawing.

Disclosure of the invention

A filter system is proposed which has a filter housing with a base area and cover and a housing wall extending between them, an inlet arranged on the filter housing for supplying a fluid to be filtered, in particular air, an outlet arranged on the filter housing for discharging the filtered fluid, and at least one filter element which is arranged between the inlet and outlet and which separates a raw side from a clean side of the filter system. The filter system further comprises a water outlet opening arranged on the filter housing. When the filter system is operated as intended, the bottom area is inclined at an angle to the horizontal in the direction of the water outlet opening, the water outlet opening being arranged near the bottom area on the housing wall.

“Bottom area” is understood to mean the area of the bottom of the filter housing in which the water outlet opening is arranged. The base and the housing wall can have complex surfaces that are curved in space and consist of several partial walls which together form the filter housing.

The water separated in the filter system can collect in the bottom area of the filter system and, due to the inclination of the bottom area, flow in the direction of the water outlet opening during normal operation, where it can then leave the filter system. The angle at which the bottom area in the area of the water outlet opening is inclined to the horizontal in the direction of the water outlet opening can be any angle greater than 0 ° and less than 45 °, but preferably typically less than 20 °. In normal operation, one area of the floor area represents the lowest point of the filter housing, depending on the installation position Can leave filter system. Should small residual amounts of water remain in the filter system, it will not interfere with the proper operation of the filter system.

The advantage of arranging the water outlet opening on the housing wall is that any dirt that has been introduced and deposited can collect in the bottom area of the filter housing. The risk of the water outlet opening being clogged by dirt that is carried away by the draining water is reduced compared to an arrangement of the water outlet opening directly in the bottom area of the filter housing. In this way, it is also possible to dispense with a protective grille on the water outlet opening.

The water outlet opening is provided with a water intake device, at the lower end of which a water outlet valve is arranged, the water outlet valve opening when a sufficient amount of water has accumulated in the water intake device, which generates a water column pressure that is greater than a negative pressure in the filter housing. The water sucked into the raw side of the filter system can collect in the water absorption device without being thrown into the filter mat of the filter element by the air flow on the raw side. The water outlet valve is kept closed by the negative pressure in the filter housing, so that no air can be sucked in through the water outlet opening which could swirl the water that has collected in the water intake device. Only when a certain amount of water has accumulated and the resulting water column has built up a pressure at the water outlet valve that is greater than the negative pressure in the filter housing does the water outlet valve open and the water can flow out. The water absorption device must be dimensioned in such a way that sufficient water column pressure can build up.

For this purpose, the water outlet valve can expediently be designed as a check valve. In this way, it is possible to effectively and simply prevent air from being sucked in through the water outlet opening due to a negative pressure in the filter housing, which air could swirl the water that has accumulated in the water intake device.

In an alternative embodiment, the water outlet valve can also be designed as a diaphragm with an opening. With this very cost-effective solution, it can at least be prevented that larger dirt particles or other foreign parts can get into the filter housing via the water absorption device. The accumulated water, on the other hand, can exit without obstacles as soon as it exceeds the height from the bottom of the water intake device or from the bottom of the water outlet valve to the opening in the panel.

In another alternative embodiment, the water outlet opening can also be arranged higher than the lowest point of the floor area when the filter system is operating as intended. In the normal case, a small amount of water remains in the filter housing, but this does not interfere with the unimpeded operation of the filter system as long as the water present is not whirled up and thrown into the filter mat.

The water absorption device is formed in one piece with the housing wall. Filter housings are typically plastic injection molded parts, so that the water absorption device is advantageously molded on at the same time. In this way, the entire manufacturing process of the filter housing with the water intake device is very cost-effective, since the assembly technology is also very simplified and There are no sealing problems when connecting the two components.

Equally favorable, the water intake device can be designed in one piece with the water outlet valve. Here, too, the manufacture of the water intake device and the water outlet valve from one part can possibly be very favorable. In terms of manufacturing technology, the one-piece production of the two parts can be represented with reasonable effort, while the assembly of the filter system is simplified and sealing problems when connecting the two components are eliminated.

In an advantageous embodiment, the bottom area can be provided on its inside with at least one rib to reduce the turbulence of the inflowing fluid, the rib being provided with openings for the separated water to flow off to the water outlet opening. Ribs can represent a flow-calming area for the air-water mixture flowing through the inlet. This facilitates the separation of water from the air-water mixture. Openings in the ribs allow the water to flow off in the direction of the water outlet opening.

In an advantageous further development, the raw side can be provided with a flow guide element arranged at an angle to the inlet. Such a flow guide element can also calm the flow of the inflowing fluid. Due to the inclination to the inlet, part of the inflowing fluid can be diverted in the direction of the filter element, while a strongly calmed area is created behind the flow guide element, from which the water separation is also facilitated.

The flow guide element can advantageously comprise a perforated partition. This facilitates calming the flow of the inflowing fluid, since part of the fluid impinging on the perforated partition passes through the openings in the partition, while another part is deflected in the direction of the filter element. Typical angles of attack depend on the exact geometry of the filter system and can be in the range from 10 ° to 45 ° to the direction of the inflowing fluid.

The water absorption device can advantageously be tubular, for example in the form of a connecting piece or hose. It can be designed in one piece with the housing wall of the filter housing or also in one piece with the water outlet valve and attached to a short connection piece on the filter housing or fastened in a similar manner.

The filter system can expediently be used as an air filter, in particular as an air filter of an internal combustion engine. The safe operation of internal combustion engines is also based on safe and inexpensive filtering of the intake air for combustion operation. The filter system described is an economical option for this.

Brief description of the drawings

Further advantages emerge from the following description of the drawings. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. The drawings, the description and the claims contain numerous features in combination. The person skilled in the art will expediently also consider the features individually and combine them into meaningful further combinations.

Figure list

• 1 a schematic arrangement of a filter system with a water outlet opening according to an embodiment of the invention;
• 2 a schematic arrangement of a filter system with a higher water outlet opening according to a further embodiment of the invention;
• 3 a schematic arrangement of a filter system with a downwardly directed water receiving device according to another embodiment of the invention;
• 4th a schematic arrangement of a filter system with ribs on the inside of the bottom area for reducing turbulence of the inflowing fluid according to a further embodiment of the invention; and
• 5 a schematic arrangement of a filter system with a flow guide element in the form of a perforated partition on the raw side according to a further embodiment of the invention.

Embodiments of the invention

In the figures, the same or similar components are numbered with the same reference symbols. The figures show only examples and are not to be understood as restrictive.

The representations in the following figures represent schematic basic representations of a filter system according to the invention 100 They are intended to represent the essential features in schematic form of a filter system according to the invention.

1 shows a schematic arrangement of a filter system 100 with a water outlet 120 according to an embodiment of the invention. The filter system 100 includes a filter housing 108 with floor area 114 and lid 110 and a housing wall extending therebetween 112 , one on the filter housing 108 arranged inlet 102 for supplying a fluid to be filtered, in particular air, an am Filter housing 108 arranged outlet 104 for discharging the filtered fluid, as well as at least one filter element 10 that between inlet 102 and outlet 104 is arranged, and a raw side 50 from a clean side 52 of the filter system 100 separates. Next, the filter system 100 one on the filter housing 108 arranged water outlet opening 120 on. Here is the floor area 114 in the intended operation of the filter system 100 with an angle 12th to the horizontal in the direction of the water outlet opening 120 inclined, with the water outlet opening 120 near the bottom area 114 on the housing wall 112 is arranged. The angle can be 12th with which the floor area 114 to the horizontal in the direction of the water outlet opening 120 is inclined, each angle is greater than 0 ° and less than 45 °, but preferably typically less than 20 °. The water outlet opening 120 is with an essentially horizontally lying water intake device 122 provided, at the rear end of a water outlet valve 124 is arranged, wherein the water outlet valve 124 opens when there is a sufficient amount of water in the water intake device 122 and in the lower part of the floor area 114 has accumulated, which creates a water column pressure that is greater than a negative pressure in the filter housing. The water intake device 122 itself can be curved and / or have a changing cross section. The water outlet valve 124 is typically designed as a check valve. In this way, a negative pressure in the filter housing can be prevented effectively and easily 108 Air through the water outlet 120 can be sucked in, which is in the water intake device 122 accumulated water could swirl. Alternatively, the water outlet valve 124 can also be designed as a diaphragm with an opening.

It is possible to use the water intake device 122 , which can preferably be tubular, in one piece with the housing wall 112 to train. Filter housings are typically plastic injection molded parts, making the water holding device 122 is conveniently injected at the same time. The entire manufacturing process for the filter housing is designed in this way 108 with water intake device 122 very inexpensive, as the assembly technology is also very simplified and sealing problems when connecting the two components are eliminated. The water intake device can also 122 also in one piece with the water outlet valve 124 be trained. Here, too, the manufacture of the water absorption device may possibly be possible 122 and the water outlet valve 124 be very cheap from one part. The one-piece production of the two plastic parts can be injection-molded 122 , 124 can be represented with reasonable effort during the assembly of the filter system 100 is simplified, and sealing problems when connecting the two components 122 , 124 fall away.

In 2 Fig. 3 is a schematic arrangement of a filter system 100 with a higher water outlet opening 120 shown according to a further embodiment of the invention. Here is the water outlet opening 120 higher than the lowest point of the floor area 114 in the intended operation of the filter system 100 arranged. Since the draining water is only the paragraph 130 must exceed in order to get to the water outlet opening, a small amount of water remains in the filter housing under normal circumstances 108 , this disrupts the unimpeded operation of the filter system 100 no further, as long as the existing water is not whirled up and into the filter mat of the filter element 10 is thrown.

3 shows a schematic arrangement of a filter system 100 with a downward-facing water intake device 122 according to another embodiment of the invention. The draining water can be located in the downward-facing water intake device 122 collect and then by the resulting hydrostatic pressure when a defined limit pressure of the water outlet valve is exceeded 124 and that in the filter system 100 possibly prevailing negative pressure the water outlet valve 124 open so that it can drain into the environment.

In 4th Fig. 3 is a schematic arrangement of a filter system 100 with ribs 126 on the inside 116 of the floor area 114 for reducing the turbulence of the inflowing fluid according to a further embodiment of the invention. The floor area 114 is on its inside 116 with the ribs 126 provided to reduce the turbulence of the inflowing fluid, the ribs 126 Breakthroughs (not visible), for example openings, bores or recesses in the ribs 126 to drain the separated water to the water outlet port 120 exhibit.

5 shows a schematic arrangement of a filter system 100 with a flow guide element 128 in the form of a perforated partition on the raw side 50 of the filter system 100 according to a further embodiment of the invention. The raw side 50 is at an angle to the inlet 102 arranged flow guide element 128 Mistake. By such a flow guide element 128 the flow of the inflowing fluid can also be calmed. Due to the inclination to the inlet, part of the inflowing fluid can move in the direction of the filter element 10 are diverted, while on the side of the flow guiding element facing away from the flow 128 a very calm area is created from which water separation is also facilitated. The flow guide element can advantageously 128 comprise a perforated partition. This facilitates calming the flow of the inflowing fluid, since part of the fluid impinging on the perforated partition passes through the openings in the partition, while another part passes in the direction of the filter element 10 is distracted. Typical angles of attack depend on the exact geometry of the filter system 100 and can be in the range 10 ° to 45 ° to the direction of the inflowing fluid. The flow guide element 128 can be curved for improved flow guidance.

Claims (9)

A filter system (100) comprising - A filter housing (108) with a base area (114) and cover (110) and a housing wall (112) extending between them, - An inlet (102) arranged on the filter housing (108) for supplying a fluid to be filtered, - An outlet (104) arranged on the filter housing (108) for discharging the filtered fluid, - At least one filter element (10) which is arranged between inlet (102) and outlet (104) and which separates a raw side (50) from a clean side (52) of the filter system (100), - A water outlet opening (120) arranged on the filter housing (108), the bottom area (114) being inclined at an angle (12) to the horizontal in the direction of the water outlet opening (120) when the filter system (100) is operated as intended, the water outlet opening (120) ) is arranged near the bottom area (114) on the housing wall (112), the water outlet opening (120) being provided with a water intake device (122), the water intake device (122) being formed in one piece with the housing wall (112) and on which A water outlet valve (124) is arranged at the lower end of the water intake device (122), the water outlet valve (124) opening when a sufficient amount of water has accumulated in the water intake device (122) to generate a water column pressure that is greater than a negative pressure in the Filter housing is Filter system according to Claim 1 , wherein the water outlet valve (124) is designed as a check valve. Filter system according to Claim 1 , wherein the water outlet valve (124) is designed as a diaphragm with an opening. Filter system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the water outlet opening (120) is arranged higher than the lowest point of the floor area (114) when the filter system (100) is operating as intended. Filter system according to one of the Claims 1 until 4th , wherein the water receiving device (122) is formed integrally with the water outlet valve (124). Filter system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the bottom area (114) is provided on its inside (116) with at least one rib (126) for reducing turbulence in the inflowing fluid, the rib (126) having openings for the separated water to flow off to the water outlet opening (120) is provided. Filter system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the raw side (50) is provided with a flow guide element (128) arranged at an angle to the inlet (102). Filter system according to Claim 7 wherein the flow guide element (128) comprises a perforated partition. The filter system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the water absorption device (122) is tubular.

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