JP2000130272A - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air cleaner capable of securing sealing performance by preventing a seal part of an element from being worn or deformed in attaching or detaching it. SOLUTION: When an element 22 is attached or detached, the element 22 is pressed toward a housing seal surface 58 by a lower spring 38, near the bottom apart 36 of a housing 12. At this time, since a rib 60a runs onto the housing seal surface 58, the element seal surface 68 of a gasket 56 attached to the element 22 can be prevented from being brought into contact with the housing seal surface 58. Therefore, since the gasket 56 can be prevented from being worn or deformed, sealing performance between the element seal surface 68 and the housing seal surface 58 is secured when the element 22 is mounted on the housing 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an air cleaner used for an internal combustion engine or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an air cleaner 100 used for an internal combustion engine or the like as shown in FIG. 11, an element 106 is detachable from an opening 104 of a housing 102.

Here, as shown in FIG.
6 is provided with a gasket 110 (seal part) on the periphery of the filter part 108, and a housing seal surface 11 for bringing the element seal surface 118 of the gasket 110 into close contact when the element 106 is mounted inside the housing 102.
2 are provided.

Further, an opening 104 of a housing 102 is provided.
Has a lid 1 provided with an element pressing spring 114.
An element pressing spring 116 is also provided inside the housing 102 and on the surface facing the opening 104.

[0005] Then, the element 1 is
06 is mounted, the element pressing spring 1
The element 106 is pressed by 14 and 116, and the element sealing surface 118 of the gasket 110 is brought into close contact with the housing sealing surface 112, so that the sealing property is ensured.

[0006]

However, in the air cleaner 100, when the element 106 is attached and detached, when the element 106 is pressed by the element pressing spring 116, friction is generated between the element seal surface 118 and the housing seal surface 112. May cause the gasket 110 to wear or deform.

Here, if the gasket 110 is worn or deformed, when the element 106 is mounted on the housing 102, the element seal surface 118 and the housing seal surface 112 do not adhere to each other, so that the sealing property cannot be ensured.

In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an air cleaner capable of preventing a seal portion of an element from being worn or deformed when the element is attached or detached, thereby ensuring a sealing property.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an element having a filter for filtering air, a seal provided on a peripheral edge of the filter, and an opening for attaching and detaching the element. A housing having a portion, a lid for opening and closing the opening, and an elastic member for pressing the element in a direction of a sealing surface where the sealing portion is in close contact with the element when the element is mounted. A rib protruding from an element sealing surface of the element is provided on at least a side of the outer periphery of the sealing portion facing the opening, and the element is mounted on the housing by being recessed from the housing sealing surface on the housing sealing surface of the housing. A recess for accommodating the rib when provided.

Here, in this type of air cleaner, when the element mounted in the housing is generally attached to and detached from the opening of the housing, the element is pressed in the direction of the housing seal surface by the elastic member. The element seal surface easily comes into direct contact with the housing seal surface. In particular, on the side facing the opening of the housing, the element seal surface is likely to directly contact the housing seal surface.

On the other hand, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the rib is provided on the outer periphery of the seal portion of the element at least on the side facing the opening, the rib is provided so as to protrude from the element seal surface. In this case, the rib rides on the housing seal surface, and the element seal surface does not contact the housing seal surface. When the element is mounted, the rib is accommodated in a recess provided on the housing seal surface, and the element seal surface is in close contact with the housing seal surface.

As described above, when the element is attached or detached, no friction is generated between the element sealing surface and the housing sealing surface, so that the seal portion of the element can be prevented from being worn or deformed. The sealing property between the housing seal surface and the element seal surface when the element is mounted can be ensured.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the air cleaner according to the first aspect, at least one of the rib or the concave portion has a wall surface on the opening side facing the side facing the opening and the element. It is characterized in that it is formed so as to be inclined from the sealing surface toward the housing sealing surface.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since at least one of the ribs or the recesses is formed so that the wall surface on the opening side is inclined, the rib is guided by the inclination of the wall surface when the element is attached or detached. Therefore, the accommodation of the rib in the concave portion or the removal of the rib from the concave portion can be made smooth, so that the attachment / detachment work of the element can be facilitated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the air cleaner according to the first or second aspect, the rib and the recess are provided on the side of the opening.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the rib and the concave portion are provided also on the side of the opening of the housing, it is not necessary to confirm the vertical direction of the element when mounting the element on the housing. Workability can be improved.

[0017]

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an air cleaner 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the air cleaner 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 12 of the air cleaner 10 includes a hollow cap 16 and a case 18 and is integrated by a welding surface 14.

A substantially rectangular opening 20 is provided in the upper wall of the case 18 so that the element 22 can be attached and detached. The opening 20 is sized so that the element 22 can be attached and detached.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a lid 26 is rotatably connected to the upper wall of the cap 16 near the opening 20 via a hinge mechanism 24 so as to be rotatable. Open and close. The hinge mechanism 24 is provided at two places on the upper wall of the cap 16.

The cover 26 has a rectangular plate shape, and an engaging member 28 is provided on the side of the cover 26 opposite to the hinge mechanism 24, and a clamp 30 fixed to an upper portion of the case 18 is provided.
The bent portion of the cover 2 is engaged with the engagement member 28, so that the lid 2
6 is fixed.

On the surface of the lid 26 inside the housing 12,
A reinforcing plate 54 is provided, and the reinforcing plate 54 is configured to come into contact with the element 22 when the element 22 is mounted on the housing 12.

Thus, when the element 22 is inserted into the housing 12, even if the insertion state is incomplete,
By closing the lid 26, the reinforcing plate 54 pushes the element 22, and the mounting of the element 22 can be completed.

FIG. 8 shows a cross section taken along the line A in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, an element 22 as an elastic member is
A plurality of (three in the present embodiment) pressing upper springs 32 are attached, and the upper springs 32 press the element 22 toward the cap 16 when the lid 26 is closed.

The upper spring 32 is formed by a bent leaf spring, and one end of the upper spring 32 is fitted and fixed in a holding hole 34 formed in the lid 26 inside the housing 12. Also, at the bent portion at the other end of the upper spring 32 that is not fixed,
The element 22 is urged and pressed toward the cap 16.

On the bottom surface 36 of the case 18, the element 2
A plurality (three in this embodiment) of lower springs 38 for pressing are attached, and the lower springs 38 press the element 22 toward the cap 16.

The lower spring 38 is formed by a bent leaf spring, and one end of the lower spring 38 is fitted and fixed in a holding hole 40 formed in the bottom surface 36 of the case 18. In addition, the element 22 is urged and pressed in the direction toward the cap 16 at the bent portion at the other end of the lower spring 38 that is not fixed.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The upper spring 32 and the lower spring 38 for pressing the element 22 are provided at three positions at both ends and the center of the element 22.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the element 22 from the dusty side (the case 18 side), and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the element 22.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG.
Has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is a filter medium 42 folded in a fold shape.
And an end plate 44 for supporting the filter medium 42. The filter medium 42 is formed of a nonwoven fabric having a filtering function.

The end plate 44 is provided in a direction crossing the folds of the filter medium 42 and over the entire height of the folds.
2 is a reinforcing portion 44a for preventing deformation due to air pressure or the like, an outer frame portion 44b provided so as to surround the filter medium 42, and a top surface of the outer frame portion 44b on the clean side (cap 16 side). Outer frame surface 44c (see FIG. 5)
And a flange 44d extending circumferentially outward from the top of the outer frame portion 44b. The end plate 44 is made of resin.

As shown in FIG. 8, the reinforcing portion 44a and the outer frame portion 44b are connected to the upper spring 32 and the lower spring 38.
The housing 12 has an element 22
When the is mounted, the upper spring 32 and the lower spring 38 contact the reinforcing portion 44a and the outer frame portion 44b to press the element 22 toward the cap 16.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the housing 12 with the lid 26 removed, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the housing 12 with the element 22 removed.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, a part of the side walls 46 and 48 of the case 18 bulges toward the inside of the case 18 and extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting direction of the element 22. A guide 50 is formed.

In the present embodiment, two element mounting guides 50 are formed on the side wall 46 and one element mounting guide is formed on the side wall 48. I just want to be done.

The element mounting guide 50 is brought into contact with the outer frame 44b of the element 22 when inserting the element 22 into the housing 12. Thus, the element mounting guide 50 defines a path for mounting the element 22 inside the case 18.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a plurality of triangular reinforcing ribs 52 are provided on the side walls 46 and 48 of the case 18 in the direction of the cap 16 from the case 18 side. 46 and 48). Due to the reinforcing ribs 52, the width of the space on which the element 22 is mounted on the case 18 side is smaller than that of the cap 16 side.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the lateral width of the element 22 is smaller at the dusty side (case 18 side) than at the clean side (cap 16 side).

Therefore, even if it is attempted to insert the element 22 into the housing 12 with the dusty side and the clean side reversed, the flange 44d of the element 22 interferes with the reinforcing rib 52 and cannot be inserted. For this reason, the reinforcing rib 52 regulates the sectional shape of the space for mounting the element 22 to be trapezoidal, and prevents the element 22 from being inserted with the dusty side and the clean side reversed. Has a role.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the element 22 from the clean side.

As shown in FIG. 6, a convex gasket 56 as a seal portion is mounted on the annular outer frame surface 44c of the element 22 over the entire circumference. Gasket 56
When the element 22 is mounted on the housing 12, the element seal surface 68 is tightly sealed with a housing seal surface 58 (see FIG. 7) provided on a cap 16 of the housing 12, which will be described later.

The gasket 56 is made of a non-woven fabric having a sealing function and has elasticity.

The outer periphery of the gasket 56 and the outer frame surface 44
A resin rib 60 a protruding higher than the element seal surface 68 is provided on the entire surface of the housing 12 on the side of the bottom portion 36 of the housing 12. Housing 12 opening 2 of rib 60a
The wall surface on the 0 side is formed so as to be inclined from the opening 20 toward the bottom 36 and from the case 18 toward the cap 16, and the tip of the rib 60 a is thin.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rib 60a rides on a housing sealing surface 58 of the housing 12, which will be described later, when the element 22 is attached or detached, thereby preventing the gasket 56 from being worn or deformed.

When the element 22 is mounted on the housing 12, the rib 60a is accommodated in a concave portion 62a provided in a cap 16 of the housing 12, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 6, the same ribs 60a are provided on the entire outer periphery of the gasket 56 on the housing 12 opening 20 side of the outer frame surface 44c as on the entire housing 12 bottom 36 side. A rib 60b having a shape is provided.

FIG. 7 is a view in which the housing 12 is divided by the welding surface 14 of the cap 16 and the case 18, and the cap 16 is viewed from the direction of the case 18.

As shown in FIG. 7, the welding surface 1 of the housing 12
The cross section of the cap 16 at 4 is substantially rectangular.

On the inner periphery of the welding surface 14 on the housing 12 opening 20 side, there is provided a concave portion 62b for accommodating a rib 60b provided on the element 22 when the element 22 is mounted on the housing 12. On the other hand, a concave portion 62 a for accommodating a rib 60 a provided on the element 22 when the element 22 is mounted on the housing 12 is provided on the inner periphery of the welding surface 14 on the housing 12 bottom portion 36 side.

As shown in FIG.
The wall surface on the opening 20 side of the concave portion 62a provided on the side is formed so as to be inclined from the opening 20 toward the bottom portion 36 and from the case 18 side toward the cap 16 side, and the opening of the concave portion 62a is widened. .

The wall of the concave portion 62b provided on the side of the opening 20 of the housing 12 on the bottom 36 side faces the opening 20 from the bottom 36 and the cap 16 from the case 18 side.
It is formed so as to be inclined in the direction toward the side, and the opening of the concave portion 62b is widened.

The cross section of the recess 62 is shaped so that the rib 60 can be accommodated without any gap.

As shown in FIG. 7, on the inner peripheral side of the welding surface 14 and on the further inner periphery of the concave portion 62a and the concave portion 62b, corresponding to the element sealing surface 68 of the gasket 56 attached to the element 22. A housing seal surface 58 is provided. When the element 22 is mounted on the housing 12, the
The element seal surface 68 of the gasket 56 attached to the first seal is tightly sealed.

Hereinafter, the element 2 in the present embodiment will be described.
The mounting operation of the second 2 on the housing 12 will be described.

With the lid 26 opened, the element 22 is inserted into the housing 12 through the opening 20.

At this time, the clean side of the element 22 is directed toward the cap 16 and the dusty side is
Insert it toward the 8 side.

When the clean side of the element 22 is directed toward the case 18 and the dusty side is directed toward the cap 16, the reinforcing rib 52 interferes with the flange 44 d of the element 22 and cannot be inserted.

The ribs 60a and 60b provided on the outer frame surface 44c of the element 22 have the same shape, and the housing seal surface 58 in the housing 12 has a similar shape.
The concave portion 62a and the concave portion 62b provided on the outer periphery of the
It is not necessary to check the top and bottom directions of the element 22 when inserting the element 22, so that workability can be improved.

When inserting the element 22 into the housing 12, the element 22 is inserted into the element insertion guide 50.
The element 22 is in contact with the case 18 while the end plate 44 of the
In the direction of the bottom 36.

The element 22 is connected to the housing 12
Immediately before being mounted on the bottom of the case 18, the element 22 is pressed toward the cap 16 by the lower spring 38 near the bottom 36 of the case 18, and a rib 60 a provided on the bottom 36 side of the outer frame surface 44 c of the element 22 is provided. Riding on the housing seal surface 58 inside the housing 12 prevents the element seal surface 68 of the gasket 56 attached to the element 22 from contacting the housing seal surface 58 inside the housing 12.

Thereafter, the element 22 is pressed in the direction of the cap 16 by the lower spring 38, and the rib 60 a provided on the bottom 36 side of the outer frame surface 44 c of the element 22 is provided with a recess provided on the bottom 36 side of the housing 12. 62a.

Here, the tip of the rib 60a provided on the bottom 36 side of the housing 12 is thin, and the opening of the concave portion 62a provided on the bottom 36 side of the housing 12 is wide. Can be smoothly accommodated in the recess 62a, and the mounting work of the element 22 can be facilitated.

The rib 60b provided on the opening 20 side of the outer frame surface 44c of the element 22 is
It is housed in a recess 62b provided on the side of the opening 20 inside.

Thereafter, the cover 26 of the housing 12 is closed, the clamp 30 is engaged with the engaging member 28, and the cover 2 is closed.
6 is fixed.

At this time, the element 22 is attached to the cap 16 by the upper spring 32 and the lower spring 38.
Side, the element seal surface 68 of the gasket 56 provided on the outer frame surface 44 c of the element 22 comes into close contact with the housing seal surface 58 inside the housing 12.

Even if the insertion of the element 22 into the housing 12 is incomplete, the lid 26 of the housing 12
Is closed, the reinforcing plate 5 provided on the lid 26 is closed.
4 pushes in the element 22 and the rib 60 is received in the concave portion 62, so that the attachment of the element 22 to the housing 12 is completed.

As described above, when the element 22 is inserted into the housing 12, no friction occurs between the housing seal surface 58 and the element seal surface 68, so that the gasket 56 can be prevented from being worn or deformed.

For this reason, the element 2 is
2 can be prevented from forming a gap between the element seal surface 68 and the housing seal surface 58, and the sealing property between the element seal surface 68 and the housing seal surface 58 can be ensured.

Since the element 22 is pressed toward the cap 16 by the upper spring 32 and the lower spring 38, the element 22 does not shift toward the case 18. Further, since the ribs 60 are accommodated in the recesses 62 without any gap, the element 22 does not shift in the direction of the opening 20 or the bottom 36.

Thus, even if the air cleaner 10 vibrates, the element 22 can be prevented from being displaced from the housing 12.

Hereinafter, the operation of detaching the element 22 from the housing 12 will be described.

The clamp 30 is removed from the engaging member 28, and the lid 26 of the housing 12 is opened.

Next, by inclining the element 22 toward the case 18, the rib 60 b on the opening 20 side of the housing 12 is pulled out from the concave portion 62 b on the opening 20 side, and then the element 22 is pulled out from the opening 20.

At this time, the rib 60a on the bottom 36 of the housing 12 and the wall surface on the opening 20 side of the concave portion 62a are formed to be inclined. The element 22 can be smoothly extracted from the housing 62a, and the work of detaching the element 22 from the housing 12 becomes easy.

Immediately after the rib 60a is pulled out of the concave portion 62a, near the bottom 36 of the case 18,
Element 22 is cap 1 by lower spring 38
While being pressed in six directions, the rib 60a provided on the bottom portion 36 side of the outer frame surface 44c of the element 22 rides on the housing seal surface 58 inside the housing 12.

For this reason, the element 22 is connected to the housing 1
2, the element sealing surface 6 of the gasket 56 attached to the outer frame surface 44c of the element 22.
8 comes into contact with the housing sealing surface 58 inside the housing 12 so that the housing sealing surface 58 and the element sealing surface 6
Since the occurrence of friction between the gaskets 8 is prevented, the gasket 56 can be prevented from being worn or deformed.

In the present embodiment, the ribs 60 and the recesses 62 have inclined wall surfaces.
If any one of the wall surfaces 2 is inclined, the element 22 can be smoothly attached and detached.

[0079]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the element is attached or detached, no friction occurs between the element sealing surface and the housing sealing surface, and the sealing portion of the element is worn or deformed. Therefore, the sealing property between the housing sealing surface and the element sealing surface when the element is mounted on the housing can be secured.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the wall surface of at least one of the ribs and the concave portion on the opening side is formed to be inclined, the rib is guided by the inclination of the wall surface when the element is attached or detached. Therefore, the accommodation of the rib in the concave portion or the removal of the rib from the concave portion can be made smooth, so that the attachment / detachment work of the element can be facilitated.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the rib and the concave portion are also provided on the side of the opening of the housing, it is not necessary to confirm the vertical direction of the element when mounting the element on the housing. Workability can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view when an element is mounted on a housing of an air cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an air cleaner.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the air cleaner.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view from the dusty side of the element of the air cleaner.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the element.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view from the clean side of the element.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a cap of the housing.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line A in FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state where a lid is removed from a housing.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the housing in a state where the element is detached.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional air cleaner.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of an element of a conventional air cleaner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Air cleaner 12 Housing 20 Opening 22 Element 26 Lid 32 Upper spring (elastic member) 38 Lower spring (elastic member) 42 Filter medium (filtration part) 56 Gasket (seal part) 58 Housing seal surface 60 Rib 62 Depression 68 Element seal surface

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An element having a filtration part for filtering air, a seal part provided on the periphery of the filtration part, an opening for attaching and detaching the element, a lid for opening and closing the opening, and the element. A housing having an elastic member that presses the element in the direction of the seal surface where the seal portion is in close contact when the seal portion is mounted, wherein the air cleaner includes: a side facing at least the opening on the outer periphery of the seal portion. And a rib protruding from an element sealing surface of the element is provided, and a recess is provided in the housing sealing surface of the housing to receive the rib when the element is mounted on the housing and is recessed from the housing sealing surface. An air cleaner characterized by the above. 2. A wall of at least one of the rib or the concave portion on the opening side is formed so as to be inclined toward a side facing the opening and in a direction from the element sealing surface to the housing sealing surface. The air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the rib and the recess are provided also on the side of the opening.
The described air cleaner.