JP2582958Y2 - Air cleaner seal structure - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air cleaner used in an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to a sealing structure for sealing around a filter element in the air cleaner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An air cleaner often has an annular filter element housed in a vertically divided cylindrical case. In this case, air is contaminated in a space formed around the element in the case. Is introduced and passed through the element, and the purified air is discharged from the space on the inner peripheral side of the element to the outside of the case. In such an air cleaner, the upper case is attached to the internal combustion engine,
There is a type in which clean air is discharged and supplied into the internal combustion engine from the upper part of the upper case. And in this one,
A duct portion is formed around a discharge port provided in the upper center of the case and extends downward in a cylindrical shape to guide the discharge air, and the lower end of the duct portion projects into the inner peripheral space of the element. Often. Thus, clean air can be smoothly discharged from the inner peripheral space of the element to the outside of the upper part of the case (inside the internal combustion engine).

By the way, if there is a gap inside the air cleaner between the upper part of the element and the inner upper surface of the case, or between the inner peripheral surface of the element and the outer peripheral surface of the duct portion, the air gap passes through the clearance. The dirty air directly flows into the inner peripheral side space without passing through the inside of the element. For this reason, conventionally, an annular surface seal for closing the gap between the upper surface of the filter element and the inner upper surface of the case is attached, or the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the element and the outer peripheral surface of the duct portion is closed. Center seal (O-ring, etc.)
Was to be attached.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the present invention] However, only one of the face seal and the center seal requires
In many cases, it is not enough to close the above gaps, and there is a need for a seal structure with further improved sealability.

[0005] In such an air cleaner, when replacing the filter element, the lower case is removed from the upper case fixed to the internal combustion engine to open the lower part of the upper case. Often, old elements are taken from However, as soon as the lower case is removed, the old element naturally falls out of the upper case, which makes it difficult to replace the element.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems and the like, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an air cleaner sealing structure that improves both sealing performance and workability at the time of element replacement.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a seal structure according to the present invention is inserted between an upper part of an inner peripheral surface of a filter element and an outer peripheral surface of a duct part formed at a center of an upper part of a case. An elastic seal member having a center seal portion and a surface seal portion formed so as to extend annularly outward from the upper portion of the center seal portion in the radial direction of the center seal portion and having an upper surface in close contact with the inner upper surface of the case. Used. At the radially intermediate portion of the upper surface of the face seal portion of the elastic seal member, a non-contact portion that does not adhere to the inner upper surface of the case but forms a closed space with the inner upper surface of the case is provided. I have. Further, an annular convex portion is provided which is annularly connected radially outward from the non-contact portion on the upper surface of the face seal portion of the elastic seal member,
The closed space is formed by the annular convex portion linearly adhering to the inner upper surface of the case.

[0008]

An annular convex portion is provided on the inner upper surface of the case at a position on the upper surface of the face seal portion of the elastic seal member which faces a portion radially outward from the non-contact portion. The above-mentioned closed space may be formed by the portion being in linear contact with a radially outer portion of the upper surface of the face seal portion of the elastic seal member than the non-contact portion.

[0010]

With such a sealing structure, the elastic sealing member has both functions of a face seal and a center seal, so that the sealing performance can be improved as compared with the conventional case. Also, when the filter element is inserted into the upper case and the lower case is attached, the surface seal portion of the elastic seal member is pressed against and tightly adheres to the upper inside surface of the case, while the surface seal portion is formed by the non-contact portion of the surface seal portion. The closed space is compressed and air escapes from it. Then, when the upper case is removed from the lower case, the above-mentioned pressing force is eliminated and the surface seal portion tries to return to its original state due to its elasticity. , A negative pressure is generated in the closed space, and the elastic seal member remains adsorbed to the upper case. For this reason,
Natural dropping out of the case above the element can be prevented.

In particular, in the seal structure of the present invention, an annular convex portion is provided on the surface seal portion of the elastic seal member or the inner upper surface of the case, and the above-mentioned closed structure is formed by linear contact between the annular convex portion and the inner upper surface of the case. By simply pulling the element downward with a small force, the linear contact part is separated and air flows into the closed space under negative pressure, and the elastic seal member is adsorbed. Can be solved. Therefore, the element can be easily taken out from the upper case.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an air cleaner 10 having a seal structure according to the present invention. This air cleaner 10 has a cylindrical case 11 (upper case 11a and lower case 11b) that can be divided into upper and lower parts.
And an annular filter element 12 housed in the case 11. A dust-containing air chamber 13a is formed on the outer peripheral side of the filter element 12 in the case 11, and a clean air chamber 13b is formed on the inner peripheral side of the filter element 12. An inlet 11c connected to the dust-containing air chamber 13a is formed on the side surface of the upper case 11a, and an outlet 11d connected to the clean air chamber 13b is formed at the upper center of the upper case 11a.
Are formed.

The air cleaner 10 is mounted on an internal combustion engine (not shown). Then, external air is introduced into the dust-containing air chamber 13a in the case 11 through the introduction port 11c, and passes through the filter element 12 to remove dust and the like from the air. The air thus purified is discharged from the outlet 11d to the outside of the case 11 through the clean air chamber 13b (introduced into the internal combustion engine). Note that a duct portion 11e extending downward in a cylindrical shape is formed around the outlet 11d in the upper case 11a. As a result, the outlet 11
Air can flow smoothly to d.

The upper part of the filter element 12 and the upper case 11a
(Hereinafter, referred to as an upper gap) between the inner upper surface (hereinafter, referred to as a case ceiling surface 11f) and a gap (hereinafter, referred to as a center gap) between an inner peripheral surface of the element 12 and an outer peripheral surface of the duct portion 11e. )), A seal structure 20 according to the present invention is configured. Hereinafter, the seal structure 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The seal structure 20 uses an elastic seal member 21 integrally formed of an elastic material. The elastic seal member 21 is formed in a vertically extending cylindrical shape, and has a center seal portion 22 that is fitted into the central gap. The inner peripheral side of the center seal portion 22 is formed in a fin shape so that it fits smoothly into the central gap in accordance with the width thereof, and closely adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the duct portion 11e.

From above the center seal portion 22,
A face seal portion 23 extends annularly outward in the radial direction of the center seal portion 22. The surface seal portion 23 is formed on the case ceiling surface 11 at a radially inner portion 23a of the upper surface.
f. A mounting portion 26 having a trapezoidal cross section is formed in an annular shape below the surface sealing portion 23, and the mounting portion 26 is integrated with an upper portion of the filter element 12 to form an elastic sealing member. The whole of 21 is fixed to the upper part of the element 12.

With such an elastic seal member 21, both the central gap and the upper gap are completely closed, and the dust-containing air chamber 13 is formed.
a between the filter element 12 and the clean air chamber 13b.
Will be connected only through Therefore, the air from the dust-containing air chamber 13a is prevented from flowing directly into the clean air chamber 13b.

Further, a concave portion (non-contact portion) 23b is formed at a radially intermediate portion on the upper surface of the face seal portion 23. The concave portion 23b does not adhere to the case ceiling surface 11f even if the radially inner portion 23a of the surface seal portion 23 adheres to the case ceiling surface 11f. Also, the face seal portion 2
3 is a portion radially outward of the concave portion 23b (hereinafter referred to as
This portion is called an outer end portion 23c. On the upper surface of (), an annular convex portion 24 that is annularly connected over the entire circumference is formed.

For this reason, when the radially inner portion 23a of the face seal portion 23 comes into close contact with the case ceiling surface 11f, the annular convex portion 24 also comes into close contact with the case ceiling surface 11f in a linear manner. The upper surfaces of the concave portion 23b and the outer end portion 23c do not adhere to the case ceiling surface 11f.
b, a closed space 25 surrounded by the upper surface of the outer end portion 23c, the inner peripheral surface of the annular convex portion 24, and the case ceiling surface 11f is formed.

In the seal structure 20 constructed as described above, when the filter element 12 is pressed upward by the lower case 11b attached to the upper case 11a, the radially inner portion 23a of the face seal portion 23 is closed. It compresses and deforms while being in close contact with the ceiling surface 11f. Along with this, the closed space 25 is also compressed. At this time, the close contact between the annular convex portion 24 and the case ceiling surface 11f is partially separated, and the air is discharged from the closed space 25 to the outside.

Next, the filter element 12
To replace the lower case 11b with the upper case 11
a, the surface seal portion 23 of the elastic seal member 21 attempts to return to the original state with the disappearance of the pressing force. In order to prevent the inflow of air, a negative pressure is generated in the closed space 25, and the elastic seal member 21 is attracted to the case ceiling surface 11f and does not separate. For this reason, the filter element 12 integrally attached to the elastic seal member 21 does not naturally fall from the inside of the upper case 11a.

After this, the filter element 12
If a force is applied so as to pull out the filter element 12 downward while shaking the lower end of the case, the close contact between the annular convex portion 24 and the case ceiling surface 11f, for example, the entire upper surface of the outer end portion 23c comes into close contact with the case ceiling surface 11f. Can be easily detached with less force than in the case of This allows
Air can flow into the closed space 25 to release the adsorption state, and the filter element 12 is moved to the upper case 11.
a.

In the above, the case where the annular convex portion 24 is provided in the surface seal portion 23 of the elastic seal member 21 has been described.
An annular convex portion may be provided on the case ceiling surface 11f. FIG.
Is the outer end portion 3 of the surface seal portion 33 of the elastic seal member 31 on the case ceiling surface 11f.
The example formed in the part facing 3c is shown. In the seal structure 30 thus configured, similarly to the above-described seal structure 20, when the filter element 12 is housed in the case 11, the concave portion 33b, the upper surface of the outer end portion 33c, and the inner periphery of the annular convex portion 34 are formed. A closed space 35 surrounded by the surface and the case ceiling surface 11f is formed, and the closed space 35 is subjected to deformation and compression.

When the filter element 12 is replaced, a negative pressure is generated in the closed space 35, and the filter element 12 is prevented from dropping out of the upper case 11a. Further, on the other hand, by pulling the filter element 12 downward, the case ceiling 11
f and the annular convex portion 34 can be easily separated, and the filter element 12 can be taken out from the upper case 11a.

[0025]

As described above, in the seal structure of the present invention, since the elastic sealing member has both the function of the face seal and the function of the center seal, either the face seal or the center seal is used as in the prior art. It is possible to improve the sealing property as compared with the case. Further, even when the lower portion of the case in which the filter element is accommodated is removed, the elastic seal member is attracted to the inner upper surface of the case by generating a negative pressure in the closed space formed on the upper surface of the surface seal portion. I won't leave. Therefore, by using the present seal structure, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the element naturally falls off at the time when the lower case is removed from the upper case, and it is easy to replace the element. Can be.

In particular, in the present invention, an annular convex portion is provided on the face seal portion of the elastic seal member or the upper surface inside the case,
A closed space is formed by linear contact between this annular convex part and the inner upper surface or face seal part of the case, and after removing the lower case, only apply a not so strong downward pulling force to the filter element. Then, the linear contact portion can be detached, the above-mentioned suction state can be easily released, and the element can be taken out from the upper case. Thus, the replacement work of the element can be made smoother.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an air cleaner having a seal structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the seal structure.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a second embodiment of the seal structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 11 Case 11c Inlet 11d Outlet 11e Duct 11f Ceiling surface (upper surface inside of case) 12 Filter element 13a Dust-containing air chamber (outer space of filter element) 13b Clean air chamber (inner space of filter element) 20 , 30 Seal structure 21, 31 Elastic seal member 22, 32 Center seal portion 23, 33 Surface seal portion 24, 34 Annular convex portion 25, 35 Closed space

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) F02M 35/024 501

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] An upper and lower split cylindrical case and an annular filter element housed in the case,
In the inner peripheral space of the filter element accommodated in the case, a lower end of a duct portion which extends downwardly from an outlet formed in the center of the upper portion of the case and extends downward to guide air discharge projects. In the air cleaner, closing the gap formed between the upper part of the filter element and the inner upper surface of the case in the case,
An air cleaner seal structure for shutting off a space between an outer peripheral space and an inner peripheral space of the filter element in the case, wherein the air cleaner is fitted between an inner peripheral surface of the filter element and an outer peripheral surface of the duct portion. An elastic seal member having a center seal portion and a surface seal portion formed so as to extend annularly outward from the upper portion of the center seal portion in the radial direction of the center seal portion and having an upper surface in close contact with the inner upper surface of the case, It is attached to the upper part of the filter element, and forms a closed space between the inner surface of the case and the inner surface of the case at a radially intermediate part of the upper surface of the surface seal part of the elastic seal member without being in close contact with the upper surface of the case. A non-adhesive portion which is provided on the upper surface of the face seal portion of the elastic seal member, and is formed in a ring shape radially outward from the non-adhesive portion. It wants to form an annular convex portion, the sealing structure of the air cleaner, characterized in that this annular protrusion and an inner upper surface of the case is as said closed space is formed by close contact linear. 2. An upper and lower split cylindrical case and an annular filter element housed in the case,
In the inner peripheral space of the filter element accommodated in the case, a lower end of a duct portion which extends downwardly from an outlet formed in the center of the upper portion of the case and extends downward to guide air discharge projects. In the air cleaner, closing the gap formed between the upper part of the filter element and the inner upper surface of the case in the case,
An air cleaner seal structure for shutting off a space between an outer peripheral space and an inner peripheral space of the filter element in the case, wherein the air cleaner is fitted between an inner peripheral surface of the filter element and an outer peripheral surface of the duct portion. An elastic seal member having a center seal portion and a surface seal portion formed so as to extend annularly outward from the upper portion of the center seal portion in the radial direction of the center seal portion and having an upper surface in close contact with the inner upper surface of the case, It is attached to the upper part of the filter element, and forms a closed space between the inner surface of the case and the inner surface of the case at a radially intermediate part of the upper surface of the surface seal part of the elastic seal member without being in close contact with the upper surface of the case. A non-adhesive portion to be provided, and a radially outward portion of the non-adhesive portion above the elastic seal member on the inner upper surface of the case. An annular convex portion is formed at a position facing each other, and the annular convex portion linearly adheres to a portion of the upper part of the elastic seal member, which is radially outward from the non-contact portion, so that the closed portion is closed. A seal structure for an air cleaner, wherein a space is formed.