JP7332457B2 - Filter element modules, filter elements, and how to position the filter elements - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a filter element module and the like, and more particularly to a replaceable filter element, a filter element module including the filter element, and a positioning method thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art An intake system of an internal combustion engine is provided with an air cleaner for removing dust in the air before external air is supplied to the internal combustion engine. The air cleaner has a structure in which the inner volume of the cleaner case is partitioned into a clean side air chamber and a dust side air chamber by a filter member. Air taken in from the outside flows into the dust side air chamber through the air cleaner inlet pipe, passes through the filter member, dust in the air is removed, flows into the clean side air chamber, and flows from the clean side air chamber to the air cleaner outlet pipe. and supplied to the internal combustion engine.

In order to make the air cleaner compact and facilitate maintenance, a filter element module is used in which a filter member and a clean-side air chamber are integrated into a filter element and mounted inside a box-shaped case. Patent Document 1 shows an example of a filter element. In the filter element module, the inside volume of the case outside the filter element serves as the dust side air chamber. Since the filter element module has a structure in which the filter member and the clean side air chamber are integrated, it can be made compact and maintenance is easy.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-527761

When attaching the filter element to the case of the filter element module, it is necessary to position and fix it. If the positioning and fixing are insufficient, the filter element will rattle inside the filter element module, causing noise and failure due to vibration. Therefore, when replacing the filter element, after the operator positions the filter element at an appropriate position in the case of the filter element module, fix the case and the filter element using fixing members such as screws. was common.

However, the accuracy of positioning and fixing depends on the skill of the operator, and positioning and fixing require a considerable amount of work time. Therefore, there has been a demand for a filter element module that can be positioned and fixed simply by storing the filter element in a case without fixing with a fixing member such as a screw, and that is easy to maintain.

The above problem is a case ( 6), a filter element (5) that can be inserted through the opening (32) and detachably mounted inside the case (6), and a hatch (5) that covers the filter element (5) and closes the opening (32). 4) and is solved by the filter element module (1).

Here, the filter element (5) has a filter member (55) arranged on a part of the side surface (51) and an outer side surface (54) different from the side surface (51) on which the filter member (55) is arranged. An element outlet pipe (56) extending in the direction (-X), a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped guide ribs (61, 62) arranged on the outer surface of the bottom surface (53), and a It comprises a top side elastic body (63) and a bottom side elastic body (64) arranged on the outer surface of the bottom side (53).

In addition, the case (6) has a plurality of guide grooves (70, 71) arranged on the inner surface of the bottom surface (24), into which the guide ribs (61, 62) of the filter element (5) are inserted, and a case outlet pipe (21). ), extending inwardly (+X) from the side surface (23) and having an inner diameter greater than the inner diameter of the case outlet pipe (21). .

The filter element (5) and the case (6) contact (81) between the outlet side pipe end surface (58) of the element outlet pipe (56) and the side surface (23') of the case in the element connecting portion (25). , and is positioned in the direction (X) of the axis (80) by abutment (82) between the rear surfaces (66) of the guide ribs (61, 62) and the rear walls (76) of the guide grooves (70, 71), Due to the abutment (85) between the outer peripheral surface of the element outlet pipe (56) and the inner peripheral surface of the element connecting portion (25), the vertical direction (X) of the axis (80) and the height direction (Z) Positioned in the direction (Y), the contact (84) between the bottom side elastic body (64) and the bottom side (24) of the case (6) and the contact (84) between the top side elastic body (63) and the hatch (4) It is positioned in the height direction (Z) by contact (83).

The components of the filter element module (1) are positioned and fixed in three axial directions by abutting them, so there is no need for operator positioning or fixing work such as screwing, which facilitates maintenance and positioning. It is possible to eliminate individual differences in accuracy and prevent noise and failures due to looseness and the like.

The case outlet pipe (21) and the case inlet pipe (22) may be arranged at the same height, and the filter member (55) may be configured to extend in a U shape on the side surface (51) of the filter element (5). desirable. As a result, the height of the case can be reduced to achieve a compact structure, and the area of the filter member can be increased by extending the filter member in a U-shape. Filtration can be stably performed even in

In addition, the plurality of guide ribs (61, 62) are arranged at positions symmetrical with respect to a plane perpendicular to the bottom surface (53) of the filter element (5) and including the axis (80). The bottom side elastic body (64) is desirably arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis (80). The force acting on the positioning member due to an external force such as vibration can be evenly distributed over the plurality of guide ribs (61, 62), enabling stable positioning and fixing.

Moreover, it is desirable that the top side elastic body (63) and the bottom side elastic body (64) are made of urethane resin. By configuring the elastic body with urethane resin, it is possible to provide the top side elastic body (63) and the bottom side elastic body (64) with excellent impact resistance and abrasion resistance, enabling stable positioning and fixing. becomes.

Moreover, it is desirable that the guide grooves (70, 71) have an extended portion (72) whose groove width expands in the direction (+X) in which the element connecting portion (25) extends. When inserting the filter element into the case, smooth insertion becomes possible by guiding the guide ribs into the guide grooves by the expanded portions.

Furthermore, the above problem can be solved by the filter element (5) that can be detachably attached to the inside of the case (6) of the filter element module (1) and the positioning method between the filter element (5) and the case (6). , can be resolved.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the entire filter element module; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the filter element module disassembled into its major components; Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a hatch; 1 is a schematic perspective view of a case; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the filter element as seen from above; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the filter element as seen from below; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the filter element module taken along the XZ plane; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the filter element module cut along the YZ plane; Fig. 3 is a flow chart of a method for positioning the case of the filter element module and the filter element;

A schematic configuration of a filter element module 1, which is one embodiment of the present invention, is shown in FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the entire filter element module 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view in which the filter element module 1 is disassembled for each major component.

The filter element module 1 includes a box-shaped case 6 having an opening 32 in at least a portion of an upper surface 31, a filter element 5 inserted into the case 6 through the opening 32 and detachably attached to the inside of the case 6, and a filter. and a hatch 4 covering the element 5 and closing the opening 32 . The case 6 has a box-shaped main body 2 whose upper part is entirely open, and a cover 3 that partially covers the upper part of the main body 2 . A case outlet pipe 21 and a case inlet pipe 22 extend outward from a side surface 23 of the body 2 . The filter element module 1 takes in air from the outside through a case inlet pipe 22 , removes dust with the filter element 5 attached inside the case 6 , and discharges the dust through a case outlet pipe 21 . The discharged filtered air is supplied to the internal combustion engine.

3-6 show perspective views of the main components of the filter element module 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the hatch 4 as seen from below. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the case 6 viewed from above. 5 and 6 are schematic perspective views of the filter element 5 viewed from above and below.

For convenience of explanation, the axis 80 (the axis 80 of the case outlet tube 21) extending outward from the case 6 is the X axis, and the direction perpendicular to the X axis from the bottom surface 24 of the case 6 toward the hatch 4. The extending axis is called the Z-axis, and the direction perpendicular to the X-axis and the Z-axis is called the Y-axis. The direction of the X axis is called the front-rear direction, the direction in which air is discharged from the case outlet pipe 21 is called the -X direction or forward, and the direction opposite to the -X direction is called the +X direction or rearward. Further, the direction of the Z axis is called the height direction, the direction from the bottom surface 24 toward the hatch 4 is called the +Z direction or upward, and the direction opposite to the +Z direction is called the -Z direction or downward. Furthermore, the direction of the Y-axis is called the horizontal direction.

The filter element 5 has a U-shaped side surface 51 with pleats extending in the U-shaped direction, a flat side surface 54 extending in the YZ direction between the ends of the U-shape, and extending from the side surfaces 51 and 54 to cover the top. It has a top surface 52 and a bottom surface 53 extending from the side surfaces 51, 54 and covering the bottom. An internal volume defined by side surfaces 51, 54, top surface 52 and bottom surface 53 constitutes a clean side air chamber. The U-shaped side surface 51 is wholly or partly composed of a filter member 55 . The flat side surface 54 is provided with an element outlet pipe 56 extending outwardly (-X direction) from the side surface 54 . The element outlet pipe 56 is a tubular member having an inner diameter approximately the same as the inner diameter of the case outlet pipe 21, and when attached to the case 6, the axis of the element outlet pipe 56 is on the same axis 80 as that of the case outlet pipe 21. connected so as to be located at The air that has flowed in from the case inlet pipe 22 passes through the filter member 55 on the U-shaped side surface 51, is filtered to remove dust, and flows into the clean-side air chamber inside the filter element 5, whereupon it flows through the element outlet. It is discharged outside the filter element module 1 through the pipe 56 and the case outlet pipe 21 . By extending the filter member 55 in a U-shape along the side surface of the filter element 5, the area of the filter member can be increased, and stable filtration is possible even when the air flow rate passing through the filter element 5 is high. becomes.

In this embodiment, in order to facilitate replacement of the element outlet pipe 56, the side surface 54 is configured by arranging two flat plates stacked in the front-rear direction, and the front flat plate integrally formed with the element outlet pipe 56 is replaced with the rear plate. By removing the element outlet pipe 56 from the flat plate of the filter element 5, the element outlet pipe 56 can be removed from the filter element 5. By forming the side face 54 with a member in which one flat plate and the element outlet pipe 56 are integrally formed, the structure can be further reduced. A simple configuration is also possible.

The outer peripheral surface of the element outlet pipe 56 and the outlet-side pipe end face 58 are configured with a sealing member 57 . That is, the element outlet pipe 56 is made of the same resin as the resin forming the side surface 54 and is formed integrally with the side surface 54 . The peripheral surface of the tubular member is covered with an elastic seal member 57 . The sealing member 57 is a member that seals between the element outlet pipe 56 and the element connection portion 25 when the element outlet pipe 56 is inserted into the element connection portion 25 of the case 6 and attached, and is made of urethane foam or elastomer. It can be configured by an annular seal member made of resin, a lip packing, an O-ring, or the like. Due to the sealing action of the sealing member 57, the air discharged from the element outlet pipe 56 passes through the case outlet pipe 21 without leaking from the connecting portion between the element outlet pipe 56 and the element connecting portion 25 to the outside of the filter element 5. It becomes possible to discharge to the outside of the filter element module 1 .

A hatch attachment guide 65 is provided in the central portion of the upper surface 52 of the filter element 5 , and an upper surface side elastic body 63 is provided behind the hatch attachment guide 65 . The hatch attachment guide 65 has an elliptical cylindrical shape extending from the central portion of the upper surface 52 of the filter element 5 and is formed integrally with the upper surface 52 of the filter element 5 . When the opening 32 of the case 6 is closed by the hatch 4, the hatch mounting guide 65 engages with the hatch mounting guide 43 on the hatch side, which has an elliptical cylinder shape that is slightly larger than the hatch 4, and is arranged on the rear surface of the hatch 4. 4 and the filter element 5 are aligned.

The bottom surface 53 of the filter element 5 is provided with two guide ribs 61 and 62 and a bottom-side elastic body 64 . The guide ribs 61 and 62 are members for positioning the filter element 5 and the case 6 in the X-axis direction. The guide ribs 61 and 62 are rectangular parallelepiped ribs extending from the bottom surface 53 of the filter element 5 and integrally formed with the bottom surface 53 of the filter element 5 . Each guide rib 61, 62 has a front surface 67 and a rear surface 66 parallel to the Y-axis and two side surfaces 68 parallel to the X-axis. The guide ribs 61 and 62 are arranged at symmetrical positions with respect to a plane that is perpendicular to the element bottom surface 53 and includes the axis 80 of the element outlet pipe 56 . By arranging them in plane symmetry, the force acting on the guide ribs 61 and 62 due to an external force such as vibration can be evenly distributed among the plurality of ribs, and stable positioning and fixing are possible.

The bottom side elastic body 64 is arranged behind the guide ribs 61 and 62 . The upper surface side elastic body 63 and the bottom surface side elastic body 64 are members for positioning the filter element 5 and the case 6 in the Z-axis direction. The thickness of the upper surface side elastic body 63 is greater than the height of the hatch mounting guide 65, and the elastic member has a flat upper surface. The bottom-side elastic body 64 has a thickness greater than the height of the guide ribs 61 and 62, and is composed of an elastic member having a flat lower surface. The upper elastic body 63 and the bottom elastic body 64 of this embodiment are made of urethane resin and are excellent in impact resistance and abrasion resistance. The top side elastic body 63 and the bottom side elastic body 64 have the same thickness and shape, and are arranged at symmetrical positions with respect to the axis 80 of the element outlet pipe 56 . Therefore, when the filter element 5 is mounted in the case 6 and the hatch 4 is closed, the top side elastic body 63 and the bottom side elastic body 64 are pressed by the back side of the hatch 4 and the bottom side 24 of the case 6 and are evenly compressed. , stable positioning and fixation are possible.

The case 6 is a member in which a box-shaped main body 2 whose upper part is entirely open and a cover 3 which covers the upper part of the main body 2 and has an opening 32 in part are combined. That is, the case 6 is a hollow box-shaped member with an opening 32 at least a portion of the upper surface 31 . The opening 32 has a size that allows the filter element 5 to be inserted therein, and allows the filter element 5 to be detachably attached inside the case 6 . With opening 32 closed by hatch 4 , body 2 , cover 3 and hatch 4 define the internal volume of case 6 . Of the internal volume of the case 6, the volume outside the area occupied by the filter element 5 constitutes the dust-side air chamber. From the side surface 23 of the main body 2 of the case 6, a case outlet pipe 21 and a case inlet pipe 22 extend outward of the case 6 (-X direction). Air taken in from the case inlet pipe 22 is filtered by the filter element 5 attached inside the case 6 , flows into the dust side air chamber in the filter element 5 , and is discharged from the case outlet pipe 21 . Since the case outlet pipe 21 and the case inlet pipe 22 are arranged so that their axes are at the same height, it is possible to provide the filter element module 1 with a compact configuration in which the height of the case is suppressed.

A fastener mounting portion 33 for mounting the hatch 4 is provided on one end side of the opening 32 in the Y-axis direction, and a plurality of hatch protrusion insertion holes 34 are provided on the other end side of the opening 32 (two each in this embodiment). is provided. The hatch protrusion insertion hole 34 is a hole into which the hatch protrusion 41 provided on the hatch 4 side is inserted. When the hatch 4 is attached to the case 6, the hatch projection 41 and the hatch projection insertion hole 34 are engaged, and the case-side fastener mounting portion 33 and the hatch-side fastener mounting portion 42 are engaged with each other. Furthermore, the fastener mounting portions 33 and 42 are pressed by a fastener (clip) 7 to fasten. The opening 32 of the case 6 can be sealed by the hatch 4 due to the sealing action of the seal member attached to the seal groove 45 formed in the peripheral portion of the rear surface of the hatch 4 .

Inside the case 6 , a tubular element connecting portion 25 extending inward (+X direction) from the side surface 23 of the case 6 is provided. The element connecting portion 25 is a member into which the element outlet pipe 56 of the filter element 5 is inserted and attached. The element connecting portion 25 is connected to the case outlet pipe 21 on the side surface 23 of the case 6 . The axis of the element connecting portion 25 and the axis of the case outlet pipe 21 are arranged on the same axis 80 . The inner diameter of the element connection portion 25 is larger than the inner diameter of the case outlet pipe 21 by approximately twice the thickness of the seal member 57 . That is, the element connection portion 25 extends from the rear pipe end portion of the case outlet pipe 21 along the side surface 23' in the Y and Z directions by the thickness of the seal member 57, and then extends in the +X direction. It has a tubular shape. With such a configuration, the element outlet pipe 56 is seamlessly connected to the case outlet pipe 21, and almost all of the air flow discharged from the element outlet pipe 56 is allowed to flow to the case outlet pipe 21 without leaking to the outside, and the filter element It becomes possible to discharge to the outside of the module 1 .

A plurality of guide grooves 70 , 71 that engage with the guide ribs 61 , 62 of the filter element 5 are formed integrally with the main body 2 of the case 6 on the inner surface of the bottom surface 24 of the case 6 . The plurality of guide grooves 70 and 71 are arranged at positions corresponding to the guide ribs 61 and 62 when the filter element 5 is attached to the case 6 . Therefore, the guide grooves 70 and 71 are arranged at symmetrical positions with respect to a plane that is perpendicular to the case bottom surface 24 and includes the axis 80 of the case outlet pipe 21 . Each guide groove 70 , 71 is defined by a front wall 77 , two side walls 78 and a rear wall 76 extending inward (+Z direction) from the inner surface of the bottom surface 24 . The front wall 77 extends in the lateral direction (Y direction), and two side walls 78 extend rearward (+X direction) from both ends of the front wall 77 . A rear wall 76 extends behind the front wall 77 between two side walls 78 (in the Y direction).

The distance between the front wall 77 and the rear wall 76 is longer than the length of the guide ribs 61 and 62 in the X direction (distance between the front surface 67 and the rear surface 66). Also, the distance between the two side walls 78 is longer than the length of the guide ribs 61 and 62 in the Y direction (the distance between the two side walls 68). Furthermore, near the rear end portions of the two side walls 78, there is an extended portion 72 in which the distance (groove width) between the side walls 78 gradually widens rearward. The extension 72 widens the distance between the side walls 78 such that the two side walls 78 laterally widen from each other with the same Y-direction slope. A guide rib insertion guide portion 73 whose height increases rearward from the rear wall 76 is arranged just behind the rear wall 76 . The guide rib insertion guide portion 73 extends inward (+Z direction) from the inner surface of the bottom surface 24 and is formed integrally with the main body 2 of the case 6 . The expanded portion 72 and the guide rib insertion guide portion 73 can guide the guide ribs 61 and 62 to be smoothly inserted into the guide grooves 70 and 71 when the filter element 5 is attached to the case 6 .

The hatch 4 is a substantially flat member having a surface slightly larger than the opening 32 of the case 6 . A hatch mounting guide 43 having an elliptical ring columnar shape extending from the rear surface of the hatch 4 is formed integrally with the hatch 4 at the central portion of the rear surface of the hatch 4 . When closing the opening 32 of the case 6 with the hatch 4 , the hatch mounting guide 43 engages with the hatch mounting guide 65 on the filter element side to align the hatch 4 and the filter element 5 . A seal groove 45 for attaching a seal member such as a packing is formed in the peripheral portion of the hatch 4 . The opening 32 can be sealed with the hatch 4 by the sealing action of the seal member attached to the seal groove 45 . A plurality of hatch projecting portions 41 extend outward from one of the peripheral edge portions of the hatch 4 in the Y-axis direction, and a plurality of fastener attachment portions 42 extend outward from the other peripheral edge portion. When attaching the hatch 4 to the case 6, the hatch protrusion 41 is inserted into the hatch protrusion insertion hole 34 of the case 6, the fastener mounting section 42 is engaged with the fastener mounting section 33 on the case side, and the fastener is further tightened. The opening 32 of the case 6 is closed by pressing and fastening the tool mounting portions 33 and 42 with a fastener (clip) 7 .

Next, positioning of the filter element 5 and the case 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. FIG. 7(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the filter element module 1 taken along the XZ plane including the axis 80. FIG. FIG. 7(b) is a schematic cross section of the vicinity of the guide rib 61 and the guide groove 70 of the case 6 taken along the XZ plane including the center line passing through the midpoints of the front wall 77 and the rear wall 76 of the guide groove 70. It is a diagram. Therefore, the XZ plane of FIG. 7A and the XZ plane of FIG. 7B differ in position in the Y direction. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. 7(a) along the YZ plane.

The positioning of the filter element 5 and the case 6 in the X direction is achieved by the abutment 81 between the outlet-side (front) tube end surface 58 of the element outlet tube 56 and the inner surface of the side surface 23' of the case in the element connecting portion 25- It is positioned in the X direction and is positioned in the +X direction by contact 82 between the rear surface 66 of the guide ribs 61 and 62 and the rear wall 76 of the guide grooves 70 and 71 . Since the tube end surface 58 of the element outlet tube 56, which is a positioning member in the -X direction, is made of an elastic sealing member, even if the rear surface 66 of the guide ribs 61 and 62 is made of rigid resin, the filter element 5 is Insertion into the case 6 is not difficult. Since the distance between the front wall 77 and the rear wall 76 of the guide groove 70 is longer than the length of the guide rib 61 in the X direction, there is a gap between the front wall 77 of the guide groove 70 and the front surface 67 of the guide rib 61 after positioning. can be done.

Positioning of the filter element 5 and the case 6 in the Y direction is performed by contact 85 between the outer peripheral surface of the element outlet pipe 56 and the inner peripheral surface of the element connecting portion 25 . Since the outer peripheral surface of the element outlet pipe 56 is composed of the elastic sealing member 57, even if the dimensional difference between the outer diameter of the element outlet pipe 56 and the inner diameter of the element connecting portion 25 is reduced in order to improve the positioning accuracy, , the insertion of the filter element 5 into the case 6 is not difficult.

The filter element 5 and the case 6 are positioned in the -Z direction by the contact 84 between the bottom side elastic body 64 and the bottom surface 24 of the case 6, and the top side elastic body 63 and the rear surface of the hatch 4 are positioned. It is positioned in the +Z direction by the abutment 83 . In order to improve the positioning accuracy, even if the dimensional difference between the distance from the upper surface of the upper surface side elastic body 63 to the lower surface of the bottom surface side elastic body 64 and the distance from the rear surface of the hatch 4 to the bottom surface 24 of the case 6 is reduced. Furthermore, even if the distance from the upper surface of the upper surface side elastic body 63 to the lower surface of the bottom surface side elastic body 64 is increased, the elastic bodies 63 and 64 of the filter element 5 have elasticity, so closing with the hatch 4 is difficult. never become. Since the elastic bodies 63 and 64 are attached to the rear of the filter element 5 , an auxiliary Z-direction positioning member may be provided in front of the filter element 5 . For example, the contact between the outer peripheral surface of the element outlet pipe 56 arranged in front of the filter element 5 and the inner peripheral surface of the element connecting portion 25 may position the element not only in the Y direction but also in the Z direction.

Next, a positioning method for attaching and fixing the filter element 5 to the case 6 will be described with reference to a flow chart 90 in FIG. First, the filter element 5 is inserted into the case 6 through the opening 32 (step 91). At this time, the guide ribs 61 and 62 of the filter element 5 can be smoothly inserted by contacting the guide rib insertion guide portion 73 of the case 6 and sliding the filter element 5 in the -X direction. At this time, the element outlet pipe 56 of the filter element 5 is inserted into the element connection portion 25 of the case 6, and the contact 81 between the outlet-side pipe end surface 58 of the element outlet pipe 56 and the side surface 23' of the case in the element connection portion 25 is detected. Positioning in the -X direction is achieved by the contact 85 between the outer peripheral surface of the element outlet pipe 56 and the inner peripheral surface of the element connecting portion 25, thereby positioning and fixing in the Y direction. At the same time, the guide ribs 61 and 62 of the filter element 5 are inserted into the guide grooves 70 and 71 of the case 6, and the rear surface 66 of the guide ribs 61 and 62 and the rear wall 76 of the guide grooves 70 and 71 abut 82 to position the filter element 5 in the +X direction. is made and fixed. The bottom side elastic body 64 of the filter element 5 is in contact with the bottom side 24 of the case 6, but the top side elastic body 63 is not in contact with the hatch 4, so it is not positioned in the Z direction.

Next, the opening 32 of the case 6 is closed with the hatch 4 (step 92). More specifically, the protruding portion 41 of the hatch 4 is inserted into the insertion hole 34 of the case 6, the fastener mounting portion 42 on the hatch side and the fastener mounting portion 33 on the case side are engaged, and the fastener mounting portion 33 and 42 are fastened while being pressed by a fastener (clip) 7 . As a result, the upper surface side elastic body 63 of the case 6 is pressed by the rear surface of the hatch 4 and comes into contact 83 . The pressing force of the hatch 4 also acts on the bottom side elastic body 64 that abuts 84 on the bottom surface 24 of the case 6 . Since the top-side elastic body 63 and the bottom-side elastic body 64 have the same thickness and shape, the pressing force from the hatch 4 acts equally on the top-side elastic body 63 and the bottom-side elastic body 64 . Positioned in the -Z direction by the contact 84 between the bottom side elastic body 64 of the filter element 5 and the bottom side 24 of the case 6, and +Z direction by the contact 83 between the top side elastic body 63 of the filter element 5 and the back side of the hatch 4 positioned and fixed.

In this manner, the filter element 5 and the case 6 are positioned and fixed in three axial directions by the abutment of the constituent elements of the filter element module 1. Therefore, special positioning work by the operator, screwing, etc., is required. This eliminates the need for fixing work, simplifies maintenance, eliminates individual differences in positioning accuracy, and prevents noise and failures caused by rattling.

Although the filter element module, the filter element, and the positioning method according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but is included within the concept of the present invention and the scope of the claims. Including all aspects. For example, in the filter element 5 of the embodiment described above, the outer peripheral surface of the element outlet pipe 56 is configured with the sealing member 57. You may comprise an internal peripheral surface with a sealing member. In this case, the element connection portion 25 may be composed of a tubular member extending inward from the inner surface 23' of the case 6 and a seal member arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular member. By setting the inner diameter of the element connecting portion 25 (the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the seal member) to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the element outlet pipe 56, dust can be removed from the connecting portion between the element outlet pipe 56 and the element connecting portion 25. The included air is prevented from leaking to the outside of the filter element 5, and stable and highly accurate positioning becomes possible.

Moreover, although the filter element module 1 of the embodiment has two guide ribs 61, 62 and two guide grooves 70, 71, three or more guide ribs and guide grooves may be arranged plane-symmetrically. Similarly, the upper surface side elastic body 63 and the bottom side elastic body 64 of the filter element 5 are not required to be one, and a plurality of elastic bodies may be arranged on the upper surface 52 and the bottom surface 53 of the filter element 5 . In addition, in the filter element module 1 of the embodiment described above, members that can be made of the same material are formed by integral molding in order to simplify the manufacturing process. It may be fixed by welding or the like.

1 filter element module 2 body 3 cover 4 hatch 5 filter element 6 case 7 fastener (clip)
21 Case outlet pipe 22 Case inlet pipe 23 Case side surface 23' case side surface (case side surface inside the element connecting portion)
24 Case bottom surface 25 Element connecting portion 31 Case top surface 32 Openings 33, 42 Fastener attachment portion 34 Hatch protrusion insertion hole 41 Hatch protrusion portions 43, 65 Hatch attachment guide 44 Hatch back surface 45 Seal grooves 51, 54 Filter element Side surface 52 Filter element upper surface 53 Filter element bottom surface 55 Filter member 56 Element outlet pipe 57 Seal member 58 Element outlet pipe outlet side pipe end faces 61, 62 Guide rib 63 Upper surface side elastic body 64 Bottom side elastic body 66 Rear surface of guide rib 67 Guide rib front surface 68 of guide rib side surfaces 70, 71 guide groove 72 expanded portion 73 guide rib insertion guide portion 76 guide groove rear wall 77 guide groove front wall 78 guide groove side wall 80 axis lines 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 contact surface

Claims (7)

a case having a case outlet pipe and a case inlet pipe extending outward from a side surface, and having an upper surface at least partially open;
a filter element that can be detachably attached to the inside of the case by being inserted through the opening;
a hatch covering the filter element and closing the opening;
with
The filter element is
a filter member disposed on a portion of the side surface;
an element outlet pipe extending outward from a side surface different from the side surface on which the filter member is arranged;
a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped guide ribs arranged on the outer surface of the bottom;
a top-side elastic body arranged on the outer surface of the top surface;
a bottom-side elastic body arranged on the outer surface of the bottom;
with
Said case is
a plurality of guide grooves arranged on the inner surface of the bottom surface and into which the guide ribs of the filter element are inserted;
a tubular element connection portion having the same axis as the case outlet pipe, extending inwardly from a side surface, and having an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the case outlet pipe;
with
The filter element and the case are
Abutment between the outlet-side pipe end surface of the element outlet pipe and the side surface of the case in the element connecting portion, and the surface of the guide rib facing in the direction opposite to the element outlet pipe and facing in the direction of the case outlet pipe Positioned in the direction of the axis by contact with the wall of the guide groove,
Positioned in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the height direction by contact between the outer peripheral surface of the element outlet pipe and the inner peripheral surface of the element connecting portion,
Positioning in the height direction is achieved by the contact between the bottom side elastic body and the bottom surface of the case and the contact between the top side elastic body and the hatch.
Filter element module. The case outlet pipe and the case inlet pipe are arranged at the same height,
The filter member extends in a U shape on the side surface of the filter element,
The filter element module of Claim 1. The plurality of guide ribs are arranged at symmetrical positions with respect to a plane that is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the filter element and includes the axis,
The top-side elastic body and the bottom-side elastic body are arranged at symmetrical positions with respect to the axis.
3. A filter element module according to claim 1 or 2. The filter element module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said top side elastic body and said bottom side elastic body are made of urethane resin. 5. The filter element module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said guide groove has an expanded portion whose groove width widens in the direction in which said element connecting portion extends. A filter element that can be detachably mounted inside a case of a filter element module,
a filter member disposed on a portion of the side surface;
an element outlet pipe extending outward from a side surface different from the side surface on which the filter member is arranged, the element outlet pipe being insertable into a tubular element connecting portion extending inward from the side surface of the case;
a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped guide ribs arranged on the outer surface of the bottom surface, the guide ribs being insertable into guide grooves arranged on the inner surface of the bottom surface of the case;
a top-side elastic body arranged on the outer surface of the top surface;
a bottom-side elastic body arranged on the outer surface of the bottom;
A filter element comprising: a case having a case outlet pipe and a case inlet pipe extending outward from a side surface, and having an upper surface at least partially open;
A method for positioning a filter element detachably attachable to the inside of the case,
The filter element is
a filter member disposed on a portion of the side surface;
an element outlet pipe extending outward from a side surface different from the side surface on which the filter member is arranged;
a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped guide ribs arranged on the outer surface of the bottom;
a top-side elastic body arranged on the outer surface of the top surface;
a bottom-side elastic body arranged on the outer surface of the bottom;
with
Said case is
a plurality of guide grooves arranged on the inner surface of the bottom surface and into which the guide ribs of the filter element are inserted;
a tubular element connection portion having the same axis as the case outlet pipe, extending inwardly from a side surface, and having an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the case outlet pipe;
with
The positioning method is
A step of inserting the filter element into the case through the opening,
Abutment between the outlet-side pipe end surface of the element outlet pipe and the side surface of the case in the element connecting portion, and the surface of the guide rib facing in the direction opposite to the element outlet pipe and facing in the direction of the case outlet pipe Positioning in the direction of the axis by contact with the wall of the guide groove,
positioning in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the height direction by contact between the outer peripheral surface of the element outlet pipe and the inner peripheral surface of the element connecting portion;
inserting;
closing the opening of the case with a hatch,
positioning in the height direction by contact between the bottom-side elastic body and the bottom surface of the case and contact between the top-side elastic body and the hatch;
closing;
Positioning methods, including

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