EP1669588A1

EP1669588A1 - Engine air filter structure

Info

Publication number: EP1669588A1
Application number: EP04029467A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hsien-Hui Chen
Original assignee: Kwang Yang Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Kwang Yang Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2004-12-13
Filing date: 2004-12-13
Publication date: 2006-06-14

Abstract

A structure for an air cleaner for engines is provided. The air cleaner contains a casing member, a cover member, and a filtering device. The filtering device is fixedly installed in a frame. The casing member's enclosing wall, a partition inside the casing member, and the frame jointly define an air duct. A draining hole is at the bottom of the casing member and on the path of the air duct. The frame is attached to the casing member.

The frame has a vent and an opening. The opening has an exact shape and dimension for the fixed installation of the filtering device. The cover member has compatible shape and dimension as the casing member and could be locked to the casing member. The cover member has a number supporting poles inside. When the cover member is bolted to the casing member, the supporting poles press the frame against the casing member.

The mist in the air is congealed along the air duct and drained via the draining hole. The air cleaner therefore effectively prevents the mist contained in the air from causing problems such as incomplete combustion, cutting out the engine, etc.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

(a) Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an air cleaner, and more particularly to a structure of an air cleaner for engines that can effectively drain the mist from the air.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

A conventional air cleaner 1, as shown in FIG 1, mainly contains a casing member 11, a cover member 12, and a filtering device 13. Among them, the casing member 11 has an inner space used as a cleaning chamber 111. On a top side of the casing member 11, there is an opening as an air inlet 112 to the cleaning chamber 111. The air inlet 112 connects to an external air intake pipe 113. On another side of the casing member 11, there is an air outlet 114 connecting to an external air outtake pipe 115. The outtake pipe 115 is then connected to the carburetor or throttle valve (both not shown). The filtering device 13 is installed at a position between the air inlet 112 and the air outlet 114. The cover member 12 could be fixedly mounted to a side of the casing member 11 by bolt devices S.
Outside air is drawn into the conventional air cleaner 1 through the intake pipe 113, and filtered by the filtering device 13. Due to the negative pressure resulted from the engine's running, the filtered air is drawn through the carburetor or the throttle valve into the engine for combustion. In this process, the dust and other debris in the air are filtered by the filtering device 13 and thereby prevented from entering and damaging the engine. However, the mist in the air could not be filtered effectively by the conventional air cleaner 1, especially during rainy days when the air is filled with mist. The mist, if it enters the engine, would cause the engine's incomplete combustion and the engine's exhaust would have a high concentration of hydrocarbon, which is a major factor to air pollution. Too much mist could also cut out the engine.
To overcome this problem, some conventional air cleaners have a draining hole 116 at the bottom of the casing member 11, as shown in FIG 1, so that the mist in the air is congealed into water drops and then drained out of the cleaning chamber 111 via the draining hole 116. In addition, as misty air is heavier than dry air, the misty air would naturally descend and leave the cleaning chamber 111 via the draining hole 116. However, in reality, the mist in the air does not have enough time for congealment or descent in conventional air cleaners. Most of the mist still enters the engine, causing incomplete combustion, too much hydrocarbon in the exhaust, and cutting out the engine. Accordingly, there is a need for an effective solution for draining mist out of the air cleaner 1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide an air cleaner structure for engines. The air cleaner contains a casing member and a cover member, and has its filtering device fixedly installed in a frame. The frame and the cover member close the casing member into an air tight assembly. The frame and a partition inside the casing member jointly form an air duct and an export chamber. The frame and the cover member, on the other hand, jointly form an import chamber. The air duct allows the heavier misty air to descend and the mist to congeal into water drops. The water drops is then drained from a draining hole at the bottom of the casing member. The present invention therefore effectively prevents the mist contained in the air from causing problems such as incomplete combustion, cutting out the engine, etc.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a baffling cover to work with the air cleaner. The baffling cover is fixedly locked to a vehicle's body and connects to the air cleaner's intake pipe. The baffling cover contains at least a baffle rib, a spilling hole, an air outlet, and a draining hole. The baffle rib disturbs the air flow so that the mist in the air is congealed and drained through the draining hole. The splitting hole, on the other hand, allows some portion of the misty air to leave the baffling cover directly In this way, the air entering the air cleaner is preliminarily dehydrated so as to further enhance the air cleaner's performance in preventing misty air to enter the engine.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide an air cleaner structure that utilizes airtight washers along the rims of its cover member, casing member, and along the frame's opening for holding the filtering device. In this way, the air cleaner's air duct, import chamber, and export chamber form three separate and closed spaces, and the air cleaner's performance in blocking the mist and filtering the dust in the air is further enhanced.
The foregoing objects and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG 1 is a perspective explosion view of a conventional air cleaner.
FIG 2 is a perspective explosion view of an air cleaner according to the present invention.
FIG 3 is a perspective view of a partial assembly of an air cleaner according to the present invention.
FIG 4 is a cross-sectional view of an air cleaner according to the present invention.
FIG 5 is a schematic view showing the airflow inside an air cleaner according to the present invention.
FIG 6 is a perspective view of a baffling cover according to the present invention.
FIG 7 is a schematic view of a baffling cover and an air cleaner according to the present invention assembled on a vehicle's body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions are of exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
In the following, detailed description along with the accompanied drawings is given to better explain preferred embodiments of the present invention.
Please refer to FIG 2. As shown in FIG 2, the air cleaner 2 according to the present invention mainly contains a casing member 3, a filtering device 4, and a cover member 6.
The casing member 3 has a hollow body. On an end of the casing member 3, there is an air inlet 31, which is connected to an air intake pipe 32. Inside the casing member 3, a closed partition 33 is arranged along the enclosing wall 34 of the casing member 3, so that an air duct 35 is formed between the partition 33 and the enclosing wall 34. Starting from the air inlet 31, the air duct 35 provides a surrounding passageway along the casing member 3. There is also a draining hole 36 which is an opening on the enclosing wall 34 at the bottom of the casing member 3. At the center of the casing member 3, the partition 33 defines an export chamber 37. In an upper part of export chamber 37, there is an air outlet 38, which is connected to an air outtake pipe 39. Along and on a rim of the enclosing wall 34, a surrounding groove 341 is arranged for the installation of an airtight washer R1.
The filtering device 4 is fixedly installed in a frame 5. The frame 5 has a shape compatible with that of the casing member 3. At the center of the frame 5, there is a through opening 51 whose shape and dimension are such for an airtight installation of the filtering device 4. Between the opening 51 and the frame 5's border, an surrounding groove 511 whose shape matching that of the partition 33 is arranged for the installation of an airtight washer R2. On an upper part of the frame 5, there is a vent 52, which is an opening to an upper part of the air duct 35.
The cover member 6 is bulged outward and defines, along with the frame 5, an import chamber 61. On the inner and concaved side of the cover member 6, there are multiple supporting poles 62 for pressing the frame 5 tightly against the casing member 3. Along and on the rim of the cover member 6, a surrounding groove 63 is arranged for the installation of an airtight washer R3.
Please refer to FIGS. 3 and 4. Within the air cleaner 2 of the present invention, the frame 5 is attached to the casing member 3 so that the groove 511 is pressed tightly against to the rim of the partition 33, and the groove 341 is pressed tightly against the rim 53 of the frame 5. In this way, the export chamber 37 and the air duct 35 become separate airtight spaces respectively. The air therefore would be forced to pass through the filtering device 4 via the air duct 35 and the import chamber 61, and then enter the export chamber 37. On the other hand, the cover member 6 could be fixedly locked to the casing member 3 by the bolt device S. When that happens, the frame 5 is pressed tightly against the casing member 3 by the supporting poles 62 inside the cover member 6, and the groove 63 of the cover member 6 is pressed tightly against the rim 342 along and on the enclosing wall 34 of the casing member 3. In this way, the air cleaner 2 of the present invention becomes an airtight assembly.
The present invention functions as follows. The air does not enter the import chamber 61 directly. Instead, the air first enters the air duct 35 via the intake pipe 32 and the inlet 31. When the air flows through the air duct 35, the mist is heavier and descends to the lower part of the air duct 35, as shown in FIG 5. In addition, when the mist descends, it is naturally congealed into water drops and the water drops flow to the bottom of the air duct 35 along the surface of the partition 33. These water drops is then drained out of the air cleaner 2 via the draining hole 36. On the other hand, the portion of the air having almost no mist is lighter and is naturally on the upper part of the air duct 35. When the engine starts running, the negative pressure draws the almost-dry air into the import chamber 61 via the vent 52 of the frame 5. The almost-dry air is then filtered by the filtering device 4 and becomes a clean air. The clean air flows through the export chamber 37, the outlet 38, the outtake pipe 39, and finally into the carburetor or throttle valve for combustion. The present invention therefore effectively prevents mist from entering the engine to cause incomplete combustion and to generate exhaust having high hydrocarbon content. The present invention also therefore avoids the mist to cut out the engine.
Please refer to FIGS. 6 and 7. The air cleaner 2 of the present invention could be arranged to work with a baffling cover 7. The baffling cover 7 contains at least an air outlet 71, a baffle rib 72, a spilling hole 73, a draining hole 74, and an air inlet 75. The outlet 71 is connected to the intake pipe 32 of the air cleaner 2. The baffle rib 72 hinders the air flowing into the baffling cover 7 and forms a detention area in front of it. If the air contains a high portion of mist, the mist is thereby congealed into water drops and the water drops are drained from the draining hole 74. In this way, the mist in the air is preliminarily and significantly reduced even before the air enters the air cleaner 2. When the air is filled with mist (such as during rainy days), some portion of the highly humid air would leave the baffling cover 7 directly through the spilling hole 73. On a side of the baffling cover 7, there are a number of fixing ears 76 for locking the baffling cover 7 to an inner side of the wind holes C 1 and C2 of a vehicle's body. The baffling cover 7 therefore removes preliminarily a portion of the mist contained in the air so as to further enhance the air cleaner 2's dehumidification performance. To improve the baffling cover 7's rigidity, a reinforcing rib 77 could be arranged inside the baffling cover 7.
In summary, the air cleaner 2 according to the present invention, by having a baffling cover 7 and forming an air duct 35, effectively removes the mist in the air so as to avoid incomplete combustion, reduce the hydrocarbon content in the exhaust, and prevent the mist from cutting out the engine.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.
While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

An air cleaner for engines comprising:
a casing member;

a filtering device; and

a cover member,

wherein said air cleaner structure characterized in said casing member has a closed partition arranged along casing member's circumference, said filtering device fixedly installed in an opening of a frame, said frame having a vent, said frame and said cover member closing said casing member, said partition and said frame jointly forming an air duct and an export chamber, said frame and said cover member jointly forming an import chamber, and said casing member having a draining hole at said casing member's bottom and on the path of said air duct.
The air cleaner for engines according to claim 1, wherein said cover member has a plurality of supporting poles on a concaved side of said cover member for pressing said frame against said casing member.
The air cleaner for engines according to claim 1, wherein said frame has a enclosing groove around said opening, said groove accommodates a washer, said groove has a shape and dimension matching those of said partition, and said partition is pressed against said groove's washer so that air enters said export chamber only via said filtering device installed in said opening of said frame.
The air cleaner for engines according to claim 1, wherein said casing member's enclosing wall has a groove, said groove accommodates a washer, said groove has a shape and dimension matching those of said frame, and said frame's rim is pressed against said washer of said groove of said casing member.
The air cleaner for engines according to claim 1, wherein said cover member has a groove along said cover member's rim, said grooves accommodates a washer, said groove has a shape and dimension matching those of said casing member's enclosing wall, and said enclosing wall's rim is pressed against said washer of said groove of said cover member.
The air cleaner for engines according to claim 1, wherein said air inlet is connected to a baffling cover via an intake pipe.
The air cleaner for engines according to claim 1, wherein said baffling cover comprises an air outlet, a baffle rib, and a splitting hole.
The air cleaner for engines according to claim 1, wherein said baffling cover has a reinforcing rib.
The air cleaner for engines according to claim 6, wherein said baffling cover has a draining hole.
The air cleaner for engines according to claim 6, wherein said baffling cover is fixedly installed on a vehicle's body.