JP2004305906A - Air filter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make reusable a filter medium of an air filter by washing and to increase the capacity of the filter medium for capturing foreign matter. <P>SOLUTION: The filter medium 3 of the air filter for filtering air is formed from a nonwoven fabric in which metal-made fibers 10 are entangled irregularly with one another. As a result, the medium 3 can be cleaned by a washing liquid such as water and filtration can be performed not only on the surface of the medium 3 but also on the inside (in the depth) of the medium 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air filter for filtering air with a filter medium.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as an air filter that filters air with a filter medium, for example, an air filter that is connected to an internal combustion engine and filters air that is sucked into the internal combustion engine, or air that is discharged to the outside of a store through communication with a ventilation fan of a restaurant There is an air filter for filtering.
[0003]
Paper and the like are widely used as a material for such an air filter.
[0004]
The filter medium is formed so that foreign substances such as dust, dust, and oil contained in the air passing through the filter medium are entangled with the fibers to remove the foreign substances from the air. Is clogged and becomes unusable. Filter media formed of paper or the like is difficult to wash and is disposable.
[0005]
BACKGROUND ART In recent years, from the viewpoint of environmental protection, an air filter has been proposed in which a filter medium is formed of a stainless mesh so that the filter medium can be reused (for example, Patent Document 1). It is said that such a filter medium can be washed with a washing liquid.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-106426
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the stainless steel mesh forming the filter medium of the air filter proposed in Patent Literature 1 is formed by weaving vertical and horizontal lines in a plane, so that foreign substances in the air can be removed on the surface. However, there is a problem that the amount of foreign matter trapped is small because only the particles can be removed (surface filtration).
[0008]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to increase the amount of foreign matter trapped on a filter medium of an air filter that can be reused by washing.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the air filter for filtering air with a filter medium, the filter medium is formed of a nonwoven fabric formed by entangled with metal fibers irregularly.
[0010]
Therefore, it is possible to wash the filter medium with the washing liquid. Further, the filter medium can be filtered not only on its surface but also inside thereof (depth filtration).
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an air filter of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view thereof, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view showing a part of the inner peripheral side of the filter medium, and FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view showing an enlarged part of the filter medium. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a region indicated by A in FIG.
[0012]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the air filter 1 includes a main body casing 2 and a cylindrical filter medium 3 held by the main body casing 2.
[0013]
The main casing 2 includes a cylindrical core member 5 fitted into the center hole 4 of the filter medium 3, a mesh member 6 formed concentrically with the core member 5 and covering the outer peripheral surface 3 a side of the filter medium 3, And a pair of caps 7 and 8 fixed to both end surfaces in the axial direction.
[0014]
A large number of ventilation holes for passing air are formed in the side surface of the core member 5. A large number of holes 13 are formed in the side surface of the mesh member 6. The core member 5 and the mesh member 6 are preferably made of metal in consideration of drainage. Here, the diameter of the holes 13 of the mesh member 6 is formed to be larger than the diameter of the holes 13 described later of the filter medium 3.
[0015]
The caps 7 and 8 are formed in a disk shape. A vent 9 communicating with one end of the core member 5 is provided at a substantially central portion of one of the caps 7. The vent 9 is for taking out the air that has flowed into the core member 5 through the filter medium 3, and is connected to an internal combustion engine (not shown) that is an air suction unit. These caps 7 and 8 have a function of maintaining the airtightness of both end surfaces of the filter medium 3 so that the air flowing from the mesh member 6 passes through the filter medium 3 and goes to the inside of the core member 5.
[0016]
The filter medium 3 is a sheet-like nonwoven fabric (so-called random fiber) formed by entangled with metal fibers 10 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) irregularly. It is formed in a bellows shape, and both ends are joined to form a cylindrical shape. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the filter medium 3 is formed such that the fibers 10 are entangled irregularly in the plane direction and the thickness direction, whereby the fibers 10 form a layer. Thereby, the holes 13 formed by the entanglement of the fibers 10 exist in a layered manner. The fibers 10 are connected by sintering. Here, the hole diameter of the pores 13 of the filter medium 3 is set so as to decrease from the outer periphery 3a side (see FIG. 4) of the filter medium 3 toward the inner periphery 3b side (see FIG. 5). In addition, the material of the filter medium 3 may be a metal, and examples thereof include stainless steel, nickel, and titanium.
[0017]
In such a configuration, the air is sucked by the internal combustion engine or the like, which is the air suction means connected to the ventilation port 9, so that the air flows through the mesh member 6 of the air filter 1 as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. The air sucked into the inside from the outside and into the mesh member 6 passes through the holes 13 of the filter medium 3 and the vent of the core member 5, reaches the inside of the core member 5, and reaches the vent 9 of the cap 7. From the air intake means such as an internal combustion engine. At this time, foreign substances such as dust, dust, and oil contained in the air are entangled by the mesh member 6 and the filter medium 3 in the process of moving together with the air, and are removed from the air. Here, the size of the foreign matter that can be entangled is smaller in the three sides of the filter medium than in the mesh member 6, and in the filter medium 3, the size becomes smaller from the outer periphery 3 a toward the inner periphery 3 b.
[0018]
When the filter medium 3 and the mesh member 6 that have entangled a large amount of foreign matter are clogged by repeatedly performing such air filtration, the filter medium 3 and the mesh member 6 are washed. As a cleaning method, a cleaning liquid such as water is sprayed from the inside of the core member 5 of the air filter 1 toward the mesh member 6 as shown by an arrow C in FIG.
As a result, the foreign substances entangled in the filter medium 3 and the mesh member 6 move toward the outside of the mesh member 6 together with the cleaning liquid, and are removed from the filter medium 3 and the mesh member 6. At this time, the pore diameter of the pores 13 in the filter medium 3 increases from the inner circumference 3b side to the outer circumference 3a side, and the pores of the mesh member 6 become larger than the pores 13 of the filter medium 3. Therefore, the foreign matter can move toward the outside of the mesh member 6 together with the cleaning liquid. The air filter 1 thus cleaned can be reused.
[0019]
Here, in the above-described cleaning, there is a possibility that some foreign matter may be caught on the mesh member 6 and remain on the mesh member 6, but at this time, as shown by an arrow C in FIG. After the cleaning liquid was sprayed from inside the mesh member 6 toward the mesh member 6, the cleaning liquid was sprayed from the outside to the inside of the mesh member 6 of the air filter 1 as shown by an arrow B in FIG. Repeat the injection several times. As a result, the foreign matter caught on the mesh member 6 is shaken and released, and becomes movable and removed. The method for cleaning the filter medium 3 and the mesh member 6 is not limited to the above-described cleaning method, and may be, for example, a known ultrasonic cleaning or air blow cleaning.
[0020]
Here, in the present embodiment, since the filter medium 3 is formed of a metal such as stainless steel, nickel, or titanium, the filter medium 3 is prevented from being deteriorated even if the filter medium 3 is washed with a cleaning liquid.
[0021]
Further, in the present embodiment, since the filter medium 3 is formed of a nonwoven fabric formed by entangled with the metal fibers 10 irregularly, foreign matters such as dust and dirt in the air are removed only by the outer periphery 3a which is the surface. In addition, the filter can be filtered (depth-layer filtration) in the inside 3c (see FIG. 6), and foreign substances can be filtered out from the air as compared with the conventional stainless mesh filter medium described in Patent Document 1 which removes foreign substances only by the surface. Can be removed in large quantities.
[0022]
In the present embodiment, an example in which the filter material 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape as the filter material 3 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the filter material 3 may have a flat shape. The filter medium 3 may or may not be formed in a bellows shape.
[0023]
Further, in the present embodiment, an internal combustion engine has been described as an example of the air suction means communicating with the air filter 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a ventilation fan or the like may be used as the air suction means communicating with the air filter 1. It may be.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the air filter for filtering air with a filter medium, the filter medium is formed of a nonwoven fabric formed by entangled with metal fibers irregularly, so that the filter medium is cleaned with a cleaning liquid. The filter medium can be filtered not only on its surface but also inside it (depth layer filtration). Therefore, compared to a stainless steel mesh that removes foreign substances from the air by conventional surface filtration, the amount of foreign substance trapped by the filter medium can be reduced. Can be increased.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an air filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional front view thereof.
FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view thereof.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view showing a part of an outer peripheral side of a filter medium.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view showing a part of an inner peripheral side of the filter medium.
FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view showing a part of the filter medium in an enlarged manner.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 air filter 3 filter material

Claims (1)

In an air filter that filters air with a filter medium,
An air filter, wherein the filter medium is formed of a nonwoven fabric formed by entanglement of metal fibers irregularly.

Images