JP6763641B2 - Automotive air cleaner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air cleaner that is arranged in an engine room of an automobile to supply clean air to the engine.

The air cleaner is provided with an air inlet (inlet) and an air outlet (outlet), and in the air cleaner for automobiles, the air inlet is often arranged sideways. This is to prevent rainwater from entering the air to be taken in, but since the air in the engine room is heated by the heat of the engine, if the air inlet is opened sideways, the filling efficiency of the engine Is a problem of worsening.

Therefore, by opening the air inlet of the air cleaner forward (toward the front of the vehicle), a device was made to prevent rainwater (water droplets) from entering while taking in unheated air (running wind) into the air cleaner. ing.

As an example, in Patent Document 1, a tubular inlet passage extending the air inlet as it is is formed in the lower case constituting the air cleaner, and a lateral hole is opened in the inlet passage to direct the flow of the taken-in air sideways. it is disclosed that is redirecting to. In Patent Document 1, since raindrops collide with the bottom of the cylinder and atomize, it is possible to prevent raindrops (water droplets) from entering the filter element.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, when an air inlet is formed on the side surface of the lower case, a separation chamber is provided inside the lower case so that the flow direction of the inflowing air is changed to a right angle and directed toward the filter element. It is disclosed. That is, in Patent Document 2, the air is changed in direction by forming a separation chamber communicating with the air inlet inside the lower case and forming a slit in the separation chamber that opens toward the filter element side. The rainwater is formed so as to pass through the slit and toward the filter element, and the rainwater collides with the inner surface of the separation chamber and atomizes as in Patent Document 1.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-219482 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-089766

In Patent Documents 1 and 2, even if the air inlet is facing forward and arranged in the vicinity of the front grill, raindrops (water droplets) can be prevented from hitting the filter element, so that water droplets can be prevented from entering the intake system or the cylinder. However, there is an advantage that the filling efficiency can be improved.

However, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the air flows into the inlet passage or the separation chamber, changes its direction at a right angle, and is ejected into the lower case, so that the air flow is temporarily stopped. Inevitably, the air flow resistance becomes large, and there is a risk that the air intake efficiency is not good and the acceleration responsiveness is also not good.

In addition, since air is ejected from the inlet passage and the separation chamber with directionality (straightness), the air tends to hit a specific part of the filter element strongly, so that the entire filter element can be used. There is also a risk that the life will be shortened.

The present invention has been made to improve such a situation.

The air cleaner of the present invention is used for an engine arranged in an engine room of an automobile, and this air cleaner is used.
" A lower case having an air inlet on the side surface or a bottom , an upper case having an air outlet, a filter element interposed between the upper case and the lower case, and a filter element below the filter element and from the air inlet. Also equipped with a guide member placed on top ,
The guide member, said air inlet air flowing in from the once provided with the first direction changing unit which Ru is redirecting downwardly said lower case, said guide air diverted downwards by the first direction changing part of the member A guide wall is formed so that the air is inverted upward and directed toward the first direction conversion unit.
Further, an opening through which the air whose direction is changed upward by the guide wall passes is formed in the guide member so as to be adjacent to the first direction conversion portion, and the first direction conversion portion of the guide member is described. It has a function to diffuse the air that has passed through the opening. "
It is configured as.

As in the present invention, when used also a part of Russia Akesu the guide portion, there is an advantage that can be simplified correspondingly structure.

In the present invention, the air flowing into the lower case from the air inlet is changed in the downward direction, then upwardly changed by the bottom surface of the lower case, and then passes through the filter element and flows into the space of the upper case. First, since the air flowing in from the air inlet changes direction once, even if rainwater is mixed in the taken-in air, the rainwater first collides with the first direction conversion unit and atomizes. Furthermore, it is possible to collide with the bottom of the lower case to promote atomization.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent raindrops from entering the intake system and improve the filling efficiency while opening the duct for taking in air in the traveling direction of the automobile. Further, since the air reverses its direction upward due to the reflection action of the bottom of the lower case, the air flow from the inside of the lower case to the filter element is smooth, and the flow resistance is remarkably smaller than that of Patent Documents 1 and 2. Therefore, high acceleration response can be ensured.

Moreover, in the present invention, the air whose flow direction is reversed upward passes through the opening of the guide member while being guided by the first direction conversion unit, and then diffuses in the horizontal direction and spreads over the entire lower surface of the filter element. The entire filter element can be used evenly for filtration. As a result, the air flow resistance can be reduced, which can contribute to further improvement of the acceleration response, and the life of the filter element can be extended.

As in the embodiment, when an arc-shaped (curved) first direction conversion portion ( first guide portion ) is formed and air hits the first guide portion to guide the air downward, air is adopted. The downward direction change becomes smoother, and the first direction changer also has the function of diffusing the upwardly flowing air in the horizontal direction, so that the air can be spread throughout the filter element with a simple structure. Can be realized with.

(A) is a perspective view of the air cleaner, and (B) is a schematic plan view of the air cleaner mounted on the embodiment. It is a separation perspective view of an air cleaner. (A) is a perspective view of the intermediate member viewed from above, and (B) is a perspective view of the intermediate member viewed from below. (A) is a vertical sectional front view of the air cleaner cut at the position of the air inlet, (B) is a sectional view taken along the line AA, and (B) is a plan view of the intermediate member and the lower case set. FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4B.

(1). Outline Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an outline will be described. In the following, the wording of front, back, left and right is used to specify the direction, but this direction is based on the state seen from the driver. The front view is a state viewed from the direction facing the driver.

FIG. 1 (B) roughly shows the engine room 1. In the engine room 1, the engine body 2 is arranged vertically, for example, with the crankshaft facing the front-rear direction, and the air cleaner 3 is arranged next to the crankshaft. The air cleaner 3 has a lower case 5 in which the air inlet 4 is opened in a part of the outer circumference, an upper case 7 in which the air outlet 6 is opened in a part of the outer circumference, and an intermediate member 8 interposed between the two. As shown in FIG. 2, the filter element 9 is inserted into the intermediate member 8. The upper case 7, the intermediate member 8, and the lower case 5 are resin molded products.

Although omitted in the figure, the upper case 7 is connected to the lower case 5 so as to rotate around one of the left and right short side edges, and is connected to the lower case 5 by an elastically deformable clip. The connected state is maintained. The filter element 9 can be replaced by opening the upper case 7. The upper case 7 may be removable.

Each member has a rectangular shape in a plan view having a long side and a short side, and the air inlet 4 is provided below the one short side surface 5a of the lower case 5. To be precise, the air inlet 4 is provided at a portion closer to the lower end of one short side surface 5a of the lower case 5 and closer to one longitudinal side surface 5b of the lower case 5, and opens diagonally downward. are doing. Therefore, air is towards the lower case 5 in the obliquely upward as shown in Figure 4 in the front view (A).

The air cleaner 3 is arranged in the engine room 1 in a horizontally long posture. Therefore, although the air inlet 4 is open to the left sideways, it is slightly inclined toward the front side as shown in FIG. 1 (B). Therefore, as is clearly shown in FIG. 4B, the air inlet 4 is slightly inclined toward the central portion of the lower case 5 in a plan view.

An inlet duct 10 is connected to the air inlet 4, and the front end of the inlet duct 10 opens forward near the front grill of the automobile. Therefore, the air that has not been heated by the engine body 2 is taken into the air cleaner 3. An outlet duct 11 is connected to the air outlet 6 of the air cleaner 3, and the end of the outlet duct 11 is connected to the throttle body 12.

(2). Details of the air cleaner Next, the details of the air cleaner 3 will be described. The lower case 5 has a box-like shape that opens upward, but the portion opposite to the air inlet 4 is hollowed out in a curved state. Therefore, the left-right width of the bottom portion 14 is only a fraction of the left-right width of the upper side, and the other side surface of the bottom portion 14 is a curved rear wall (guide wall) 15. Further, one of the short side surfaces 5a of the lower case 5 enters inside below the air inlet 4. Therefore, the left-right width of the bottom portion 14 is further reduced.

The upper case 7 has a substantially box shape that opens downward, and a flange 16 is provided at the lower end. The upper surface (top surface) is inclined so that the corner on the side of the air inlet 4 is low and the corner on the side opposite to the air inlet 4 is high, and air is on the other side of the short side opposite to the air inlet 4. An exit 6 is provided. As shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4, it is also possible to provide the air outlet 6 on one of the longitudinal side surfaces. Alternatively, the air outlet 6 can be provided on the top surface.

As shown in FIG. 2, a flange 17 is provided at the upper end of the filter element 9, and the flange 17 is sandwiched between the intermediate member 8 and the upper case 7. Needless to say, the main body of the filter element 9 is made of, for example, a filter paper folded in a zigzag shape.

The intermediate member 8 includes a frame portion 18 having a rectangular shape in a plan view in which the filter element 9 is inserted. The lower end of the frame portion 18 is located slightly below the lower end of the filter element 9. Therefore, there is a space through which air flows between the lower end of the frame portion 18 and the filter element 9.

A guide member 19 is provided at the lower end of the frame portion 18 to temporarily change the direction of the air flowing into the air inlet 4 downward and then invert it upward to diffuse it over the entire lower surface of the filter element 9. First, the guide member 19 is provided with an opening (communication hole) 20 for flowing the air flowing into the lower case 5 toward the filter element 9. The opening 20 is formed so as to be closer to the side of the air inlet 4, is long in the front-rear direction (the lateral direction of the lower case 5), and is curved in a convex state toward the lateral side 5a of the lower case 5 in a plan view. ing. Therefore, the opening 20 has a semi-cylindrical shape in a plan view.

On the side of the air inlet 4 with the opening 20 in between, the first direction conversion unit 21 located in the extension direction of the air inlet 4 and the second direction conversion unit 22 displaced in the front-rear direction from the air inlet 4 are adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction. It is formed together. The first direction changing part 21 is curved in state I concave toward the side of the air inlet 4 in a front view, on the contrary, the second direction changing part 22, the side of the first direction converting unit 21 (the short It is curved toward the upper end of the convex toward the side surface 5a) of the hand, and the first direction conversion unit 21 and the second direction conversion unit 22 are integrally connected via the front partition wall 23. The surface of the opening 20 on the side of the air inlet 4 is composed of the tips of the first direction conversion unit 21 and the second direction conversion unit 22.

Further, the lower end of the first direction conversion unit 21 is located above the midpoint of the depth of the lower case 5. Therefore, there is a large gap between the first direction conversion unit 21 and the bottom portion 14. Therefore, the air quickly passes below the first direction conversion unit 21. On the other hand, the lower end of the second direction conversion unit 22 is located closer to the bottom portion 14 than the midpoint of the depth of the lower case 5. Therefore, the air directed to the first direction conversion unit 21 rarely escapes below the second direction conversion unit 22.

A third direction conversion unit 24 is formed on the side opposite to the first direction conversion unit 21 across the opening 20, and a fourth direction conversion unit 24 is formed on the side opposite to the second direction conversion unit 22 across the opening 20. 25 is formed. The third direction conversion unit 24 and the fourth direction conversion unit 25 are in a substantially horizontal posture, and both of them project from the curved rear wall 15 toward the side of one side surface 5a. In this case, the third direction conversion unit 24 is located near the lower end of the frame portion 18 of the lower case 5, and the fourth direction conversion unit 25 is located at a position lower than the third direction conversion unit 24 (at the depth of the lower case 5). It is located in a part slightly higher than the intermediate position). The fourth direction conversion unit 25 is slightly inclined so that the height increases toward the tip end.

The third direction conversion unit 24 and the fourth direction conversion unit 25 are integrally connected via an inclined rear partition wall 26. Therefore, the surface of the opening 20 opposite to the air inlet 4 is formed by the tips of the third direction conversion unit 24 and the fourth direction conversion unit 25. The third direction conversion unit 24 and the fourth direction conversion unit 25 are continuous with the frame portion 18 via the curved portion 27 which is in close contact with the curved rear wall 15 of the lower case 5. Further, the frame portion 18 of the intermediate member 8 is fitted in the bank portion 28 formed in the lower case 5.

(3). Air flow The air flowing into the air inlet 4 is directed downward by the first direction conversion unit 21 and heads toward the bottom portion 14. Then, it reverses on the bottom 14 and changes its direction upward toward the opening 20. At this time, if raindrops (water droplets) 28 are mixed in the air, as shown by dots in FIG. 4A, the raindrops 29 first collide with the first direction conversion unit 21 to atomize, and further, the bottom portion 14 Atomization is also promoted by the collision with.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1B, even if raindrops are taken in by opening the front end of the inlet duct 10 forward, the raindrops do not enter the filter element 9 as they are. Therefore, while preventing trouble due to the raindrops from entering the intake system and cylinders, it can be improved charging efficiency. Further, since wetting of the filter element 9 can be suppressed, deterioration of filtration performance can be prevented.

The first direction conversion unit 21 may have a linear posture in a normal cross-sectional view, but as in the embodiment, if the first direction conversion unit 21 is curved in a concave shape toward the first direction conversion unit 21, the air can be smoothly changed downward. , Excellent rectification function. Further, as described above, since the second direction conversion unit 22 extends close to the bottom portion 14, air hardly flows below the second direction conversion unit 22, and the air flow direction conversion function is excellent. ing.

A part of the air whose direction has been changed by the first direction changing unit 21 is inverted toward the third direction changing unit 24, and heads toward the filter element 9 from the front side portion of the opening 20. In this case, since the first direction conversion unit 21 is curved, the air flowing into the opening 20 is guided by the first direction conversion unit 21 so as to flow to the side of the one side surface 5a of the lower case 5. While spreading. Therefore, the first direction conversion unit 21 has both a role of guiding the air downward and a role of diffusing the air toward the lower surface of the filter element 9.

The space between the third direction conversion unit 24 and the curved rear wall 15 is a bag-shaped buffer space 30. Therefore, the air that has been inverted upward along the curved rear wall 15 loses its momentum in the buffer space 30, and then is guided by the first direction conversion unit 21 and smoothly flows upward. More precisely, the lower case 5 is provided with a curved rear wall 15, and the tip of the second direction conversion unit 22 is located above the lower end of the first direction conversion unit 21. Is affected by the flow velocity reducing action and the guiding action of the buffer space 30, and smoothly flows toward the space above the first direction conversion unit 21, and then diffuses so as to spread on the lower surface of the filter element 9. I will go. Therefore, the curved rear wall 15 of the lower case 5 also forms a part of the guide portion.

A part of the air whose direction is changed downward by the first direction conversion unit 21 flows downward along the bottom portion 14 toward the lower side of the second direction conversion unit 22, and at the position of the second direction conversion unit 22, the curved rear wall. The direction is changed upward while being guided by 15. That is, since the air flows to a place where the pressure is low in an attempt to reach a uniform pressure inside the lower case 5, a part of the air whose direction is changed by the first direction conversion unit 21 (roughly about half or more). Flows downward of the second direction conversion unit 22 in a state of laterally moving along the bottom portion 14, and is inverted upward at the position of the second direction conversion unit 22.

Then, since the fourth direction conversion unit 25 exists, the air flows upward while facing the side of the second direction conversion unit 22, but the second direction conversion unit 22 and the curved portion 27 form a funnel-like shape. Therefore, the air diffuses so as to spread over the entire lower surface of the filter element 9 (thus, the third direction conversion unit 24 and the fourth direction conversion unit 25 have a role of guiding the air upward and a filter. It also has a role of diffusing toward the element 9).

Further, a part of the air flowing above the second direction conversion unit 22 goes toward the upper side of the fourth direction conversion unit 25, but the rear partition wall 26 connecting the fourth direction conversion unit 25 and the third direction conversion unit 24 Since it is inclined, a part of the air that has flowed above the fourth direction conversion unit 25 is guided by the rear partition wall 26 and smoothly flows above the third direction conversion unit 24. In this way, the air diffuses widely in the horizontal direction.

After all, the first direction conversion unit 21, the second direction conversion unit 22, the third direction conversion unit 24, the fourth direction conversion unit 25, and the curved portion 27 (and the rear wall 15, the rear partition wall 26) are like a funnel as a whole. The air that has flowed upward from the opening 20 is diffused so as to spread evenly on the lower surface of the filter element 9. Therefore, the filtration efficiency of the filter element 9 can be improved and the life of the filter element 9 can be extended.

Further, in the present embodiment, the air whose flow direction is reversed upward at the bottom is reduced in momentum by the third direction conversion unit 24 and the fourth direction conversion unit 25, and the first direction conversion unit 21 and The air flows in the direction of the second direction conversion unit 22, but since the straightness of the air is significantly reduced due to the direction change at this time, the space above the partition composed of each conversion unit, the curved portion 27 (and the curved rear wall 15), and the like. It spreads evenly, which allows air to be evenly diffused over the entire lower surface of the filter element 9. Since the intermediate member 8 can be manufactured in a state where it can be easily die-cut, it is possible to suppress an increase in cost.

The invention of the present application can be variously embodied in addition to the above embodiments. For example, it is possible to form only the first direction conversion unit 21 on the side of the air inlet 4 with the opening 20 in between, and form only the fourth direction conversion unit 25 on the side of the curved rear wall 15 with the opening 20 in between. is there. In this case, the first direction conversion unit 21 may be provided in the front-rear intermediate portion of the short side surface 5a of the lower case 5.

Further, although the intermediate member 8 of the embodiment includes the frame portion 18, it is also possible to form the frame portion 18 in the lower case 5 or the upper case 7 and independently form only the guide member 19. Further, if there is no problem in manufacturing , all or a part of the guide member can be integrally formed with the lower case 5, or the guide member can be welded to the lower case 5. The shape of the air cleaner 3 is not limited to a quadrangle in a plan view, and a circular shape or the like can also be adopted.

The air inlet can also be provided on the bottom surface of the lower case. In this case, the air makes a U-turn by the guide portion toward the bottom, then changes its direction upward and spreads to the lower surface of the filter element while diffusing.

The invention of the present application can be embodied in an air cleaner for automobiles. Therefore, it can be used industrially.

1 Engine room 2 Engine body 3 Air cleaner 4 Air inlet 5 Lower case 6 Air outlet 7 Upper case 8 Intermediate member 9 Filter element 10 Inlet duct 11 Outlet duct 14 Bottom 15 Curved back wall (guide wall)
19 Guide member 20 Aperture
21 First direction converter
22 to 24 Other direction changing units that make up the guide unit

Claims (1)

An air cleaner used for engines installed in the engine room of automobiles.
A lower case having an air inlet on the side surface or a bottom, an upper case having an air outlet, a filter element interposed between the upper case and the lower case, and a filter element below the filter element and above the air inlet. Equipped with a guide member placed on top ,
The guide member, said air inlet air flowing in from the once provided with the first direction changing unit which Ru is redirecting downwardly said lower case, said guide air diverted downwards by the first direction changing part of the member A guide wall is formed so that the air is inverted upward and directed toward the first direction conversion unit.
Further, an opening through which the air whose direction is changed upward by the guide wall passes is formed in the guide member so as to be adjacent to the first direction conversion portion, and the first direction conversion portion of the guide member is described. It has a function of diffusing air that has passed through the opening.
Air cleaner for automobiles.

Images