JP7391477B2 - air cleaner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air cleaner connected to an intake passage of an internal combustion engine mounted on a vehicle or the like.

An air cleaner takes in air from an air inlet, filters it through a built-in filter to remove foreign matter, and then supplies the air by flowing it into the intake passage of an internal combustion engine from an air outlet.

In air cleaners for internal combustion engines installed in the engine room (or engine compartment) of a vehicle, the air inlet is often oriented in the lateral direction of the vehicle. This is intended to prevent rainwater and standing water from entering the air being taken in, but the temperature inside the engine room is rising due to the heat emitted by the internal combustion engine, so turning the air inlet sideways will help fill the intake air in the internal combustion engine. The trade-off is that efficiency is reduced.

Therefore, the air inlet of the air cleaner is opened toward the front of the vehicle, and while the running wind that has not risen in temperature is taken into the air cleaner, the intrusion of rainwater and accumulated water is suppressed (for example, the following patent document) reference).

JP2018-084200A

When the volume of the air cleaner is increased, the case forming the outer shell of the air cleaner tends to cause membrane vibration, leading to a decrease in NV (Noise and Vibration) performance. Therefore, it is conceivable to form a wall (or rib) that is connected to the inner surface of the air cleaner case and protrudes inward to reinforce the rigidity of the case.

However, there is a high possibility that the air flowing into the case from the air inlet will hit the wall and forcefully pass through the filter to the air outlet. Accordingly, there is a concern that rainwater or accumulated water may enter the throttle body of the intake passage of the internal combustion engine from the air outlet.

The present invention, which has been developed in view of the above problems, aims to prevent rainwater or accumulated water that has entered the air cleaner from reaching the intake passage of an internal combustion engine.

The present invention provides an air cleaner for supplying clean air to an intake passage of an internal combustion engine, which includes an air inlet for introducing air, and an air inlet located at a higher position than the air inlet to direct air toward the intake passage of the internal combustion engine. an air outlet to be discharged, a filter interposed between the air inlet and the air outlet to filter the air heading from the air inlet to the air outlet, and a filter located below the filter and hit by the flow of air introduced from the air inlet. a vertical wall, and an impermeable wall that is provided below the filter and directly above the vertical wall and blocks the flow of air that has hit the vertical wall from going directly to the filter , and the impermeable wall has a cross section of It has a parallel part that is substantially parallel to the filter when seen, and an inclined part that is provided integrally with the parallel part and is inclined in a direction approaching the air inlet, and the boundary between the parallel part and the inclined part is closer to the air inlet than the vertical wall. An air cleaner located on the side was configured.

According to the present invention, rainwater or accumulated water that has entered the air cleaner can be prevented from reaching the intake passage of the internal combustion engine.

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of an air cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The air cleaner of this embodiment is connected to the intake passage of an internal combustion engine mounted on a vehicle or the like, and after filtering air taken in from an air inlet 11 with a filter 3, the air cleaner flows into the intake passage of the internal combustion engine from an air outlet 12. supply.

FIG. 1 shows the internal structure of the air cleaner of this embodiment. Note that the upper side of FIG. 1 is the upper side (top) of the air cleaner, and the lower side of FIG. 1 is the lower side (ground) of the air cleaner. This air cleaner includes an air cleaner case 1 made of, for example, a resin molded product, which has an air inlet 11 and an air outlet 12, a filter element 3 interposed between the air inlet 11 and the air outlet 12 in the case 1, and the case 1. The case 1 includes a vertical wall 13 located below the filter 3 within the case 1, and a water-blocking wall 2 located below the filter 3 and directly above the vertical wall 13 within the case 1.

The air cleaner case 1 is in the form of a vertically elongated housing, which is longer in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction, that is, the front-rear direction and the left-right direction.

The air inlet 11 is provided at the lower end of the case 1. The air inlet 11 opens toward the front of the vehicle so as to take in air from the front of the vehicle, particularly the wind blowing into the engine room through the front grille, into the case 1.

The air outlet 12 is provided at the upper end of the case 1. Naturally, the air outlet 12 is located at a higher position than the air inlet 11. Air flowing into the case 1 from the air inlet 11 flows from the bottom to the top inside the case 1 and reaches the air outlet 12. The air outlet 12 is connected to the intake passage of the internal combustion engine.

The filter 3 is located at a higher position than the air inlet 11 and lower than the air outlet 12, and expands in the horizontal direction, and filters air flowing from the air inlet 11 toward the air outlet 12, and prevents air from being mixed in the air. To prevent foreign matter from entering the intake passage of an internal combustion engine by removing foreign matter from the engine.

The vertical wall 13 is connected to or very close to both of the pair of outer walls 10 of the case 1 that face each other along the left-right direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1), and expands in the vertical direction. A space below the filter 3 in the case 1 is divided. The vertical wall 13 faces the air inlet 11. As indicated by arrows in FIG. 1, air flowing into the case 1 from the air inlet 11 hits the vertical wall 13 and flows upward along the vertical wall 13.

The water-blocking wall 2 is located below the filter 3 and directly above the vertical wall 13, and extends horizontally, that is, in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The water-shielding wall 2 has a parallel part 21 that is substantially parallel to the filter 3 in a cross-sectional view, and an inclined part 22 that is provided integrally with the parallel part 21 and is inclined in a direction approaching the air inlet 11. A boundary portion 23 between the vertical wall 13 and the air inlet 11 is located closer to the air inlet 11 than the vertical wall 13 is. This water-shielding wall 2 is connected to or very close to both of the pair of outer walls 10 of the case 1 facing each other along the left-right direction, but the case 1 facing each other along the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1) It is spaced apart from the pair of outer walls 14 of. As indicated by arrows in FIG. 1, the air flow that heads upward along the vertical wall 13 hits the lower surface of the water-blocking wall 2 and branches in the front-rear direction, and then flows upward again to pass through the filter 3. pass.

When rainwater or standing water enters forcefully from the air inlet 11, the impermeable wall 2 functions just like a mousetrap and bounces the water back, allowing the water to pass through the filter 3 and flow into the intake air of the internal combustion engine from the air outlet 12. Prevent people from entering the aisle.

The air inlet 11, air outlet 12, and vertical wall 13 are integrally molded into the case 1. The vertical wall 13 extends inward from the inward surface of the outer wall 10 of the case 1, that is, in the left-right direction. On the other hand, the filter 3 and the water-shielding wall 2 are each separate from the case 1 and are installed inside the case 1 afterward.

Incidentally, a plurality of ribs 15 extending in the vertical direction are provided on the inward surface of the outer wall 10 of the case 1. The ribs 15 play the role of reinforcing the rigidity of the case 1 together with the vertical walls 13 and the water-shielding walls 2.

This embodiment is an air cleaner for supplying clean air to the intake passage of an internal combustion engine, and includes an air inlet 11 for introducing air, and an air inlet 11 located at a higher position than the air inlet 11 and directed toward the intake passage of the internal combustion engine. an air outlet 12 through which air flows out; a filter 3 which is interposed between the air inlet 11 and the air outlet 12 and filters air flowing from the air inlet 11 toward the air outlet 12; and a filter 3 located below the filter 3. There is a vertical wall 13 that the air introduced from the air inlet 11 hits, and a vertical wall 13 that is located below the filter 3 and directly above the vertical wall 13 to ensure that the air that hits the vertical wall 13 goes directly to the filter 3. The air cleaner is equipped with a water-shielding wall 2.

According to this embodiment, rainwater or accumulated water that has entered the air cleaner can be appropriately prevented from reaching the intake passage of the internal combustion engine.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments detailed above. The specific configuration of each part can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

11... Air inlet 12... Air outlet 13... Vertical wall 2... Water shielding wall 3... Filter

Claims (1)

An air cleaner for supplying clean air to an intake passage of an internal combustion engine,
an air inlet for introducing air;
an air outlet that is located higher than the air inlet and allows air to flow out toward the intake passage of the internal combustion engine;
a filter that is interposed between the air inlet and the air outlet and filters air flowing from the air inlet to the air outlet;
a vertical wall located below the filter and against which the air flow introduced from the air inlet hits;
a water-blocking wall provided below the filter and directly above the vertical wall to block the flow of air that hits the vertical wall from going directly to the filter ;
The water-shielding wall has a parallel part that is substantially parallel to the filter in a cross-sectional view, and an inclined part that is provided integrally with the parallel part and is inclined in a direction approaching the air inlet, and the boundary between the parallel part and the inclined part is An air cleaner located closer to the air inlet than the vertical wall .

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