GB2186814A

GB2186814A - Air filter for vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2186814A
Application number: GB08703165A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alfredo Colivicchi
Original assignee: Gilardini SpA
Current assignee: Marelli Europe SpA
Priority date: 1986-02-19
Filing date: 1987-02-11
Publication date: 1987-08-26
Also published as: IT8653004V0; DE3705072A1; FR2594350A3; FR2594350B3; IT207931Z2; GB8703165D0

Abstract

An air filter comprises an outer container (2) for a filtering element (37), this container having a cap (11), removable for the insertion and extraction of the filtering element (37), and a handle (16) attached to a screwed rod (19, 20), which is screwed into an internal collar (21) in order to secure the cap (11) to the container and at the same time to clamp the filtering element (37) sealingly in place by compressing end seals (34) and (39) axially. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An air filter of improved type for vehicles The present invention relates to an air filter for vehicles, in particular, industrial vehicles, of the type comprising an outer container for an inner filtering element of the replaceable type, and in which this container has a closure end cap which is removable for insertion and extraction of this filtering element.

As is known, air filters of the said type have a rod fixed within the container body, and coaxial to this, on the end of which is screwed a wing nut for sealingly locking the filtering element into the container; subsequently the closure end cap is fitted, which is fixed in a hermetically sealing manner against the edge of the container by means of external catches. The operation for replacement of the inner filtering element therefore involves the necessity of acting on two different types of locking elements, which are the outer catches between the connector and the closure end cap, and the wing nut which locks the filtering element.

The object of the present invention is that of providing an improvement to air filters of the said type such as to allow a more rapid operation for exchange of the internal filtering element, with a simple construction and with the elimination of bulky elements outside the container.

Other objects and advantages obtained with the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

According to the present invention there is provided an air filter for vehicles, comprising an outer container for an internal filtering element, the said container having at least one removable closure body for the insertion and extraction of the said filtering element, characterised by the fact that it includes single actuating means for sealingly fixing both the said filtering element within the said container and the said closure body to the said container.

For a better understanding of the present invention a preferred embodiment is now described, by way of non-limitative example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partially sectioned side view of an air filter formed according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is an upper view of the filter of Fig. 1.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the filter of the present invention is generally indicated with the reference numeral 1, and it comprises a container 2 of cylindrical form, but with oval cross section as is better seen in Fig. 2, conveniently made of plastics material. In the upper region the container 2 has a closure wall 3 with an annular relieved portion 4 and radial reinforcing ribs 5, as well as a central aperture 6. At the lower end the container 2 has an annular portion 8 of reduced thickness with a free edge 7, within the interior region of which is housed a circumferential projection 9 of an upper portion 10 of a closure end cap 11 for the container 2; this end cap 11 is also of cylindrical form with oval section, like the container 2, and it is also conveniently made of plastics material. Moreover, a cavity in the projection 9 houses an annular seal 12 facing the portion 8.In its lower closed portion the closure end cap 11 has an annular portion 13 relieved towards the interior of the container 2, with radial reinforcing ribs 14 and with a central non-relieved portion 15 on which rests an end surface of a handle 16 which has an inner moulded annular element 17 in which is axially screwed an end section 18 of a metal rod 19 which passes through an axial hole of the central portion 15 of the closure end cap 11, and moreoever, has an upper threaded section 20 which can engage in a threaded axial hole of a body 21 of metal material, which is rigidly supported by a metal support body 22. This rod 19 is torsionally fixed to the handle 16 in that the outer surface of the end section 18 is clinched onto the element 17.The support body 22, the transverse section of which is represented in Fig. 1, is made of sheet metal and has a Ushaped with a lower part to which the body 21 is fixed, for example, by welding, whilst the two upper ends 24 are welded to an annular element 26 the upper portion of which is folded over and interposed so as to be locked between the inner annular portion of the closure wall 3 of the container 2 and a base portion 27 of a sleeve 28 coaxial with the central aperture 6 of the container 2; this sleeve 28, also conveniently made of plastics material, is fixed to the wall 3 of the container 2, for example, by means of hot blade welding in the perimetral portion 31 contacting the base portion 27 of the wall 3.

The central portion 1 5 of the closure end cap 11 has an annular portion 32 extending towards the interior of the container 2 and above which is disposed an annular metal disc 33 which is threaded onto the rod 19 and welded to this, and which, moreover, carries an annular sealing body 34 on which engages an inner annular region 35 of a lower metal end cap 36 of a filtering element 37, conveniently of known type formed, for example, of folded paper. This filtering element 37 further has an upper metal end cap 38, whilst an annular seal 39 is compressed between this end cap 38 and the relieved annular portion 4 of the container 2.The filtering element 37 is positioned in the container 2 by spaced radial ribs 40 which are formed near the inner upper region of the container 2 and near the lower inner region of the closure end cap 11, and have different dimensions along their perimeter such that this filtering element 37, the section of which is circular, is positioned coaxially with the central aperture 6 and with the rod 19 so that, the cross section of the container 2 being oval, there is a greater space between the outer surface of the filtering element 37 and the inner surface of the container 2 in a zone 42 which is located in correspondence with an inlet aperture 43 of the container 2, formed by means of a sleeve 44 facing outwardly and formed on the lateral surface of the container 2.

Replacement of the filtering element 37 therefore takes place by unscrewing the handle 16 so that there is progressive removal of the upper threaded section 20 of the rod 19 from the body 21 and progressive removal of the closure end cap 11 from the container 2 until complete separation of the rod 19 with the associated handle 16 and the closure end cap 11 supported thereon. The filtering element 37 can therefore be withdrawn from the container 2 and replaced with a new one.The subsequent closure operation takes place by operating on the handle 16 by completely screwing the threaded upper section 20 of the rod 19 into the body 21, and in this stage both compression of the annular seal 34 against the annular inner zone 35 of the lower end cap 36 and compression of the annular seal 39 between the end cap 38 and the upper wall 4 of the container 2 takes place, and contemporaneously complete sealed insertion of the upper portion 10 with the projection 9 and the annular seal 12 of the end cap 11 into the lower portion 8 of the container 2 takes place.The advantage obtained with the air filter of the present invention is therefore evident from what has been described; in fact, with a single action on the handle 16 there is obtained both the sealed positioning of the filtering element 37 within the container 2 and the sealed locking of the closure end cap 11 to the container 2 itself. Moreover, additional bulky external elements for the closure of the end cap 11 no longer have to be used.

Another advantage obtained lies in the fact that since during a replacement of the filtering element 37 the rod 19 is completely removed, this filtering element 37 has only to be withdrawn coaxially of the container 2 as far as the lower edge of the body 21, with a reduction in the axial free space outside the container 2 necessary for maintenance of the filter The container 2 with the end cap 11 is conveniently made of plastics material, but the robustness against forces caused by closure of the handle 16 is guaranteed by metal elements which support the associated reactions, such elements are in fact the rod 19, the body 21, the support body 22, the annular element 26, the upper and lower metal end caps 38 and 36 with the inner annular metal walls 45 of the filtering element 37, and the annular metal disc 33.The reaction to the forces between the annular element 26 and the upper metal cap 38 also act for a short section on the annular. portion 4 of the upper wall 3 of the container 2, but this does not weaken the characteristics of strength of the filter because of the adequate robustness of this reduced zone. Finally, since the air which arrives at the inlet aperture 43 is located in correspondence with the initial zone 42 of greater radial width pressure losses through the filter 1 itself are reduced.

Finally, it is clear that the described and illustrated embodiment of the air filter of the present invention can have various modifications and variations introduced thereto which do not depart from the scope of the invention itself.

Conveniently, the section 20 of the rod 19 can be made with a rolled threading in such a way as to have a greater diameter than that of the principle central part of the rod 19 so as to prevent a withdrawal of the annular seal 34 during the operations of dismantling and assembly of the rod 19 itself.

Claims

1. An air filter for vehicles, comprising an outer container for an internal filtering element, the said container having at least one closure body removable for the insertion and extraction of the said filtering element, characterised by the fact that it includes single actuating means for sealingly fixing both the said filtering element into the said container and the closure body to the said container.

2. A filter according to Claim 1, characterised by the fact that the said actuating means comprise a single manually operable element which can act on the said closure body to press it sealingly against the said container and on the said filtering element to position it sealingly within the said container.

3. A filter according to Claim 2, characterised by the fact that the manual actuation of the said single element causes the insertion or removal thereof to or from the said container.

4. A filter according to Claim 3, characterised by the fact that the said single element has the form of a handle and is torsionally fixed to a rod having a threaded portion engageable in a hole in a body fixed in the said container.

5. A filter according to Claim 3 or Claim 4, characterised by the fact that the said single element acts directly on the said closure body and further acts on a first sealing element which forms a first sealing zone on the said filtering element and presses it towards a second sealing element which forms a second sealing zone on the said filtering element.

6. A filter according to Claim 4 or Claim 5 when dependent on Claim 4, characterised by the fact that the said fixed body is disposed in an internal central region of the said container and is supported by a support fixed to the said container, the said rod being disposed vertically within the container.

7. A filter according to Claim 6, characterised by the fact that the said rod, the said fixed body, the said support and the terminal elements of the said filtering element on which the said first and second sealing elements engage are made of metal material, whilst the said container and the said closure body are made of plastics material.

8. A filter according to Claim 4 or any of Claims from 5 to 7 when dependent on Claim 4, characterised by the fact that the said rod is completely removable from the said container.

9. A filter according to any preceding Claim, characterised by the fact that the cross section of the said container is oval, whilst the cross section of the said filtering element is annular, and by the fact that the said container has therein filtering element positioning elements in positions such that a greater space between the outer surface of the said filtering element and the inner surface of the said container is present in the intake region of air from the outside.

10. A filter according to Claim 9, characterised by the fact that the said container body has on its lateral surface an aperture for the ingress of air to be filtered, and on an end surface an aperture for the outlet of filtered air.

11. A filter according to Claim 5, when dependent on Claim 4, or one of Claims from 6 to 10 when dependent on Claim 4, characterised by the fact that the said rod has an end portion of radially greater dimensions for preventing accidental removal of the first sealing element.

12. An air filter for vehicles as described with reference to the attached drawings.