JP2806229B2 - Air cleaner - 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 for filtering air taken into an engine such as an internal combustion engine, and more particularly, to a seal structure for a filter element of an air cleaner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a sealing structure of a filter element portion of an air cleaner, a system in which an element seal portion made of foamed rubber or synthetic rubber is pressed against a casing of the air cleaner has been mainly used. However, recently, in order to improve the sealing property of the filter element portion, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a double-sealed structure having a seal at two locations has begun to be adopted. The structure of the air cleaner will be described.

In both figures, a body 56 of an air cleaner 51 employing the above-mentioned double seal structure comprises a synthetic resin casing 54 and a cover 55 detachably attached to a lower portion of the casing 54 with a clamp 57. . The casing 54 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the casing 54 is provided with an intake opening 52 and an outlet opening 53 for air taken into an engine (not shown). A cylindrical filter element 60 that filters air passing through the casing 54 is accommodated in the casing 54.
At the lower part of the outlet opening 53 of the casing 54, a holding portion 58 to be inserted into the inside of the filter element 60 is integrally formed. A mounting portion (not shown) is formed in the casing 54, and the air cleaner 51 is attached to a predetermined portion of an engine room (not shown) of the vehicle by the mounting portion (not shown).
Is attached with the outlet opening 53 upward through a screw (not shown). Therefore, the attachment / detachment work of the filter element 60 to / from the air cleaner 51 is in a state close to a blind work in which the inner cylindrical portion of the filter element 60 is inserted into the holding portion 58 in the casing 54.

[0004] The filter element 60 has a well-known tubular configuration made of filter paper, and has an inner cylindrical portion provided with a porous inner wall plate 61 made of a plated steel plate. The upper end and the lower end of the filter element 60 are held in shape and sealed by an upper seal member 75 and a lower seal member 80 made of hard urethane resin, respectively.

[0005] Further, on the upper part of the upper seal member 80, there is provided a third seal for sealing between the peripheral surface of the inner wall plate 61 and the holding portion 58.
A seal member 70 including a first seal portion 71 having a step seal lip and a second seal portion 72 having a seal lip for sealing between the upper end surface 62 of the filter element 60 and the inner wall 54i of the casing 54 is provided. Is formed. The sealing member 70 is made of soft synthetic rubber,
The sealability between the holding portion 58 and the inner wall 54i can be held. Reference numeral 81 denotes a cushion seal integrally formed below the lower seal member 80, and reference numeral 8 denotes a cushion seal.
Reference numeral 2 denotes a drain valve.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned technique, the filter element 60 is mounted on the casing 5.
At the time of the extracting operation for removing from the inside downward, a negative pressure is generated in the sealed space S surrounded by the holding portion 58, the first seal portion 71, the inner wall 54i, and the second seal portion 72. At this time, if the contact area between the second seal portion 72 and the inner wall 54i is large, the seal lip of the second seal portion 72 is deformed, and its tip sticks to the inner wall 54i and does not separate, resulting in an excessive removal force. Workability is significantly reduced. Furthermore, if the filter element 60 is forcibly pulled out against the excessive pulling force, the seal lip of the second seal portion 72 is torn off and remains on the inner wall 54i, and when a new filter element 60 is mounted. Can also result in severe seal failure. However, the contact area between the second seal portion 72 and the inner wall 54i is smaller than that of the casing 54, the filter element 60, and the seal member 70.
There is a problem in that it is difficult to keep the size constant because it is determined by the dimensions of many parts such as.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an air cleaner which does not lower the workability and does not cause a defective seal at the time of removing the filter element in order to solve the above problems. I do.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a casing having an intake opening and an outlet opening for air taken into an engine, and an air passing through the casing. a filter element cylindrical filtration, the inlet opening portion and the holding portion to be inserted into the interior of the filter element, the fixed to an end of the filter element the filter element provided between the outlet opening the inner peripheral surface and a seal member made of a second seal portion for sealing between the end surface and the casing of the first seal portion and the filter element for sealing between the holding portion, of the casing said second seal The second seal portion is provided on the contact surface with the portion, and the second seal portion corresponds to the casing.
And a step for regulating the contact area within a predetermined range .

[0009]

According to the present invention, at the time of removing the filter element, the removal force to be exerted against the negative pressure generated in the sealed space surrounded by the holding portion, the first seal portion, the casing and the second seal portion is reduced. The contact area with respect to the casing is regulated to a predetermined range by a step provided on a contact surface of the casing with the second seal portion, so that the casing is controlled to a certain size.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, in FIGS. 1 to 3 to be referred to,
Components having the same configurations and functions as those in FIGS. 4 and 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 1, an air cleaner 1 according to this embodiment is different from the casing 54 of the air cleaner 51 shown in FIGS.
The only difference is that i has a casing 4 integrally formed with a step portion formed of a convex portion 5 having a triangular cross section.

Next, the operation of removing the filter element 60 from the inside of the casing 4 of the air cleaner 1 will be described.

At the time of removing the filter element 60, a removing force to be exerted against a negative pressure generated in a sealed space S surrounded by the holding portion 58, the first seal portion 71, the inner wall 4i and the second seal portion 72. Is the second seal part 72
Is bent elastically along the oblique side of the convex portion 5 so that an extra seal portion at the distal end of the second seal portion 72 is removed, and the contact area of the sticking is made constant. As a result, the extraction force does not become excessive.
In other words, the extraction force is applied to the tip of the second seal portion 72.
By the hypotenuse of the convex part 5 provided on the contact surface with the end,
The contact area with the inner wall 4i of the casing is within a predetermined range.
It is controlled to a certain size by being regulated by the enclosure
Therefore, the extraction force does not become excessive.

Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, there is an advantage that the workability of extracting the filter element 60 is not reduced, and that the sealing failure does not occur.

The step portion is not limited to the step portion formed of the convex portion 5 integrally formed on the inner wall 4i with the second seal portion 72 of the casing 4 as in the above-described embodiment, and as shown in FIG. It may be a step portion formed of a convex portion 5A having a trapezoidal cross section and integrally formed on the inner wall 4Ai that comes into contact with the second seal portion 72 of the casing 4A.

The step is not limited to the step 5 of the above-described embodiment or the step 5A as a modified example thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, the second seal of the casing 4B is provided. The stepped portion 5B having a stepped cross section may be formed integrally with the inner wall 4Bi that comes into contact with 72.

The steps are not limited to the protruding portions 5, 5A or the steps 5B integrally formed on the inner wall of each casing, and these protruding portions or the steps are formed by the second seal of each casing. It may be provided separately on each inner wall that comes into contact with the portion 72.

That is, an air cleaner embodying the present invention comprises a casing having an intake opening and an exit opening for air taken into an engine, a cylindrical filter element for filtering air passing through the casing, and a filter. A holding portion provided between the inlet opening and the outlet opening to be inserted into the filter element, and a first portion fixed to an end of the filter element for sealing between the inner peripheral surface of the filter element and the holding portion. A sealing member formed of a second sealing portion for sealing between the sealing portion and the end face of the filter element and the casing; and a contact area of the second sealing portion with the casing provided on a contact surface of the casing with the second sealing portion.
Any configuration having a step portion that regulates to a range may be used.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, at the time of removing the filter element, the holding portion and the first
The withdrawal force to be worked against the negative pressure generated in the sealed space surrounded by the seal portion, the casing and the second seal portion,
Range that the contact area with respect to case pacing by the stepped portion <br/> provided on the contact surface between the second sealing portion of the casing of a given
Is regulated to a certain size by being regulated
Removal force may be excessive, or the seal may break during removal.
Suppress failures such as damage and poor sealing
And reduce its workability.
Nor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view showing a main part of an air cleaner to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing a main part of an air cleaner according to a modification of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing a main part of an air cleaner according to a modified example of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a conventional air cleaner.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing a main part of the air cleaner of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air cleaner 4, 4A, 4B Casing 4i, 4Ai, 4Bi Inner wall of casing 5 Convex part as a step part 5A Convex part as a step part 5B Step part as a step part 52 Intake opening part 53 Exit opening part 58 Holding part 60 Filter element 70 Seal member 71 First seal part 72 Second seal part S Sealed space

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An intake opening for air taken into an engine and
And a casing with an outlet opening,  A cylindrical filter that filters air passing through the casing
Element and the above-mentioned intake openingthe aboveProvided between the outlet opening and the above
A holding portion inserted into the filter element; and the filter fixed to an end of the filter element.
A first seal for sealing between the inner peripheral surface of the element and the holding portion;
The seal part, the end face of the filter element and the cable
A seal portion comprising a second seal portion for sealing between the shing and the shing
Material and the above casingthe aboveOn the contact surface with the second seal
ReContact area of the second seal portion with the casing
Is restricted to a predetermined rangeAn air cleaner comprising: a step portion;