KR102468478B1 - Filter for fluid having at least one heating apparatus and method for manufacturing same - Google Patents

Abstract

A filter 10 for fluids, in particular a filter for automobiles, in particular for internal combustion engines, in particular for fuel, oil, water or urea solutions, and a method for manufacturing the filter 10 are disclosed. The filter housing 12 has at least one inlet 44 for fluid to be purified and at least one outlet 30 for purified fluid. At least one filter element 28 is disposed in the filter housing 12 to separate the at least one inlet 44 from the at least one outlet 30 . The at least one fluid can be heated with at least one heating device 18 of the filter 10 . At least one heating device 18 has at least one heater housing body 16 . at least one heater housing body 16 for closing an installation opening 26 of the housing container 14 of the filter housing 12 into which at least one filter element 28 can be introduced into the housing container 14; is at least partially inserted into the insertion section 32 of the housing container 14 having the installation opening 26 . At least one heater housing body 16 is secured on/in housing vessel 14 by at least one securing device 38, 40.

Description

Filter for fluid having at least one heating device and manufacturing method thereof

The present invention relates to a filter for a fluid, in particular of a motor vehicle, in particular of an internal combustion engine, in particular for fuel, oil, water or a urea solution, comprising at least one inlet for a fluid to be purified and a filter for a fluid to be purified. A filter housing having at least one outlet and having at least one filter element disposed to separate the at least one inlet from the at least one outlet, and including at least one heating device capable of heating the at least one fluid.

The present invention also relates to a filter for fluids, in particular a filter for automobiles, in particular for internal combustion engines, in particular for fuel, oil, water or urea solutions, in particular a method for manufacturing a filter according to the invention, comprising at least one filter element and at least one One heating device is introduced through an installation opening in the filter housing, and the filter housing is closed.

A filter device is known from EP 2 239 034 A2 with a filter element arranged in a filter housing and a heating device arranged in a fluid flow path. The heating device includes a heating element fixed to the heater support. The heating device is located on the inside of a cover that closes the filter housing.

It is an object of the present invention to design a filter and a method for manufacturing a filter of the type described above in which the components of the filter can be constructed easily and in particular with the least possible installation effort and/or parts cost.

The object is that at least one heating device has at least one heater housing body on the housing container for closing an installation opening of the housing container of the filter housing into which at least one filter element can be introduced. This is achieved by the filter according to the invention in that it is at least partially inserted and secured to the insertion section of the housing container with the installation opening by means of at least one fastener in /.

The heater housing body is used according to the invention for closing the housing vessel. The heater housing body is part of the filter housing. It is inserted into the insertion section of the housing container. The heater housing body performs the function of the cover. Therefore, no additional cover is required. In this way, parts cost and assembly cost are reduced.

The housing vessel can advantageously have at least one fluid passage, in particular at least one outlet and/or at least one inlet.

The housing vessel can advantageously be embodied in the form of a cylinder, pipe or tube. The housing container may be open on one side and may have an insertion section and an installation opening therein. On the opposite side, the housing container can have at least one flow passage, in particular at least one inlet and/or at least one outlet.

The heater housing body can advantageously have at least one fluid passage, in particular at least one inlet and/or at least one outlet.

The at least one inlet, the at least one heating device, the at least one filter element and the at least one outlet can advantageously be arranged spatially one after the other, in particular substantially straight and/or in a line, in particular parallel to the filter axis. The filter can advantageously be designed as a so-called in-line filter. The in-line filter can be inserted directly into the fluid line, in particular the fuel line. The entire module can be easily replaced during maintenance.

The at least one heating device can advantageously be arranged in front of the at least one filter element and in the direction of fluid flow through the filter. In this way, the fluid can be heated before reaching the filter element. Therefore, the fluidity of the fluid can be improved. Any possible pressure loss between the unpurified fluid side and the purged fluid side of the filter element can be reduced. Alternatively or additionally, at least one heating device may be arranged downstream from the at least one filter element.

A filter may have one or more heater devices. Alternatively or additionally, a filter may have one or more filter elements.

The at least one housing vessel and the at least one heater housing body may advantageously be of different materials. In this way, they can each be optimized according to their respective functions and/or configurations.

At least one heating device can advantageously be operated electrically. Alternatively or additionally, at least one heating device actuated by other means may be provided.

At least one heating element of the at least one heating device and/or at least one connection element, in particular an electrical connection, can advantageously be integrated into the at least one heater housing body. In this way, the heating device can be completely preassembled as a module and can be inserted into the insertion section of the housing container. Therefore, installation and parts costs can be further reduced.

A sealing device, in particular a ring seal, can advantageously be provided for sealing the at least one heater housing body to the housing container.

At least one sealing device, in particular a sealing groove and/or a ring seal, can advantageously be arranged at least partially on the heater housing body. Thus it can be installed together with the heater housing body.

The at least one filter element may advantageously be a so-called hollow filter element, in particular a round filter element, an elliptical round filter element, a conical oval round filter element, a conical round filter element or another type of round filter element. A filter element, in particular a hollow filter element, may also have a polygonal cross section. A hollow filter element, in particular a round filter element, can be placed simply and space-efficiently in a particularly cylindrical, tubular or tubular housing container. Alternatively or additionally, at least one other type of filter element may be provided, in particular a flat filter element.

The at least one filter element advantageously has at least one filter medium that is folded or bent, in particular in a zigzag shape. At least one filter element may advantageously be equipped with a non-folded or non-bent filter medium. In a filter element configured as a hollow filter element, the filter medium can extend at least partially circumferentially, in particular circumferentially closed, with respect to the element axis or filter axis.

The filter media may include at least filter paper, filter fleece, meltblown, filter foam and/or at least one other media suitable for filtration of corresponding fluids.

In addition to the at least one filter element, the filter may also have an additional device for treatment of the fluid, in particular a separation device for separation of substances, in particular water, from the fluid to be filtered.

A filter can advantageously be provided for purification and heating of fuel, in particular diesel fuel. It may alternatively be provided for other types of fluids, in particular oil, water or urea solutions.

The filter can advantageously be used to purify fluid in an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to internal combustion engines of automobiles. Conversely, it may also find use in other types of internal combustion engines, especially industrial engines. The present invention can also be used inside or outside a motor vehicle, separate from an internal combustion engine.

In an advantageous embodiment, the at least one fixing device may comprise at least one depression on the radially outer circumferential side of the heater housing body relative to the filter axis, the at least one fixing device being on the radially inner circumferential side of the circumferential wall of the housing container. may have at least one protrusion matching the at least one recess in the region of the insertion section of the upper portion, the at least one protrusion being implemented through the formation of a circumferential wall of the housing vessel after assembling the at least one heater housing body and the housing vessel. and can engage with at least one depression.

In this way, the heater housing body can be secured without the use of additional components in or on the housing container. Additional fixing devices, in particular clamps, screws, brackets, etc., can therefore be omitted. This further reduces installation and parts costs.

At least one form-fitting connection can be formed through interaction of the at least one depression and the at least one protrusion. The form-fit connection allows the at least one heater housing body to be simply, precisely and/or reliably fixed in/on the housing body.

Fixing can be implemented by forming at least one projection on the circumferential wall of the housing container after installation of the heater housing body. This can be done mechanically, in particular by means of pressing and/or impression, in particular with a roller or press and/or by heating. At least one protrusion may be compressed, bent or formed by the action of pressure and/or heat. The at least one protrusion can in particular be embodied by means of a flange type.

Advantageously, one protrusion can be provided which can be engaged with a corresponding depression. However, a plurality of protrusions and a plurality of corresponding depressions may also be provided.

At least one protrusion and/or at least one depression may advantageously extend in the circumferential direction. In this way, the securing device can act against an axial tensile force between the heater housing body and the housing vessel.

Alternatively or additionally, the at least one protrusion and/or the at least one depression may have a transverse or inclined component with respect to the circumferential direction. Thus, the at least one heater housing body can be secured circumferentially in/on the housing container. The at least one protrusion and/or the at least one depression may also have an axial component. The at least one protrusion and the at least one depression are also at least in part or in sections with varying and/or changing directional components, in particular wavy or zigzag-shaped circumferences. direction can be extended.

The at least one protrusion can advantageously be closed and circumferentially abutting with respect to the filter axis. At least one depression can correspondingly be closed adjacently in the circumferential direction. The at least one protrusion and/or the at least one depression may also be intermittent and/or open in the circumferential direction. The at least one depression may be larger than the at least one protrusion, in particular with respect to the circumference and/or with respect to radial depth.

In another advantageous embodiment, the housing container can be made of a formable material, in particular metal, preferably aluminum, at least in the insertion section. At least one protrusion can be readily introduced into the formable material. Sufficient ductility, particularly extensibility and/or deformability, can be achieved with metals, particularly aluminum. Aluminum also has a relatively low specific gravity.

The corresponding material of the housing container may be formable in any way, in particular by means of mechanical force and/or heat.

The entire housing container can advantageously be made of the same material or mixture of materials. In this way it can be manufactured more easily. The housing vessel may advantageously be integral.

Alternatively, another material may be used for the insertion section of the housing container as for the rest of the housing container.

The housing container can advantageously be produced by impact extrusion, in particular from aluminium. Parts from aluminum, especially impact extruded parts, can be realized with high ductility. The housing container can also be made from aluminum or other materials by other means.

In another advantageous embodiment, the at least one heater housing body can at least comprise plastic and/or at least one other material.

The heater housing body can advantageously consist wholly or partly of plastic and/or can at least contain plastic. By using plastic, the at least one heater housing body can be implemented with a relatively low weight. Also, complex shapes can be realized from plastics. Plastic parts can have considerable flexibility. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one heater housing body may consist of or comprise at least one other material, in particular metal.

The connection of at least one heater housing body made of plastic to a housing container, in particular made of impact extruded aluminum, means that the flexibility of plastic and in particular of impact extruded aluminum can be easily combined, in particular with little effort and at low cost. There is an advantage.

In another advantageous embodiment, the at least one protrusion can be realized through an impression of the circumferential wall of the housing container over at least part of its circumference. The at least one protrusion can thus be easily impressed from the outside after installation of the at least one heater housing body. The at least one protrusion can be readily implemented to match the at least one recessed portion of the at least one heater housing body.

At least one protrusion can advantageously be realized by means of a roller impression of the circumferential wall. Thus, the circumferential projection can be easily realized. For this purpose, a corresponding roll or rollers can advantageously be rolled circumferentially along the circumferential wall.

In another advantageous embodiment, the at least one depression can be implemented on the radially outer circumferential side of the at least one heater housing body before and/or during assembly of the at least one heater housing body and the housing container.

The at least one depression can advantageously be implemented during manufacture of the at least one heater housing body. The at least one heater housing body can advantageously be formed from plastic by injection moulding, cast moulding, blow moulding or in another way. At least one depression may thereby already be provided in the mould.

Alternatively or additionally, the at least one depression may be at least partially implemented during assembly of the filter components. This can in particular occur through or during the formation of the at least one protrusion.

In another advantageous embodiment, the at least one heater housing body and the housing container can have similar cross-sections at least in the insertion section. In this way, the at least one heater housing body can be easily and particularly tightly fitted into the insertion section of the housing container.

Advantageously, the housing container and at least one heater housing body in at least the insertion section may have a circular, oval, angular or other type of cross section. A circular or regular polygonal, in particular square cross-section has the advantage that the rotational orientation of the at least one heater housing body relative to the housing container can be freely selected. A cross section having a lower degree of symmetry, in particular an elliptical or asymmetrical cross section, has the advantage that the rotational orientation of the at least one heater housing body in the housing vessel can be determined more easily.

In another advantageous embodiment, the housing container and/or the at least one heater housing body has at least one positioning device, in particular at least one stop, for defining the installation position of the at least one heater housing body in the housing container. In this way, installation can be made easier. By designating the installation position, the at least one depression can be positioned more precisely on the housing container. Therefore, the reproducibility of the position of the at least one projection to be formed later can also be easily improved.

The at least one positioning device can advantageously have at least one stop. The stop can advantageously be present on the side of the housing container.

The at least one stop can advantageously be a circumferential or partially circumferential collar. At least one stop extends radially inwardly on the housing container. The at least one stop may be located on an insertion section of the housing container at an axially opposite end of the insertion opening relative to the filter axis. In this way, the at least one heater housing body can be prevented from being inserted too far into the housing container.

An object of the present invention is a method in which at least one heater housing body of a heating device for closing a housing container is inserted at least partially into an insertion section of a housing container having an installation opening and secured by means of at least one fixing device on/in the housing container. It is further achieved according to the present invention by

The features and advantages described above in relation to the filter according to the invention and advantageous embodiments thereof can be correspondingly applied to the method according to the invention and advantageous embodiments thereof and vice versa.

In an advantageous embodiment of the method, after insertion of the at least one heater housing body in the housing container in the area of the insertion section on the radially inner circumferential side of the insertion section relative to the filter axis, the at least one protrusion matching the at least one recess The at least one protrusion formed on the radially outer circumferential side of the at least one heater housing body is engageable with the at least one recessed portion.

According to the invention, the components of the filter can be constructed easily and in particular with the smallest possible installation effort and/or parts cost.

Other advantages, features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, in which embodiments of the invention are described in more detail with reference to the schematic drawings. A person skilled in the art will also consider the features individually disclosed in the drawings, description and claims as appropriate, and combine them in other suitable combinations.
1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a fuel filter with a heating device for fuel and a filter element along section line I-I in FIG. 2;
Fig. 2 shows a transverse side view of the fuel filter of Fig. 1 with the direction of view onto the heater;
Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the housing vessel of the fuel filter of Figs. 1 and 2 along section line III-III in Fig. 4, before assembling the filter element and the heating device;
Fig. 4 shows a transverse side view of the housing container of Fig. 3 with the direction of view onto the mounting opening for the filter element;
In the drawings, like elements are provided with like reference numerals.

1 shows a fuel filter 10 in a longitudinal sectional view. The fuel filter 10 is a so-called in-line filter. It is located directly in the fuel supply line of an automobile internal combustion engine, not shown here. The fuel filter 10 is used to purify and heat the fuel, especially diesel fuel, conducted through the fuel line.

The fuel filter 10 includes a filter housing 12 with a tube-like housing container 14 and a heater housing body 16 of an electric heating device 18 . Housing vessel 14 is impact extruded from aluminum. The heater housing body 16 is made of plastic.

In a way that is no longer of interest here, the heating device 18 serves to heat the fuel supplied to the fuel filter 10 .

The housing container 14 is shown in FIG. 3 in a longitudinal section and in FIG. 4 in a transverse view in a state prior to assembly of the fuel filter 10 . The housing vessel 14 has a circular cylindrical circumferential wall 20 axially about the filter axis 22 .

Unless otherwise stated, when referring to "axial", "radial", "circumferential" or "coaxial" below, this means that the filter axis 22 related to

1 and 3 to the right, on one end face, the housing container 14 has an end wall 24 . End wall 24 is integrally connected to circumferential wall 20 . The end face of the housing container 14 axially opposite to the end wall 24 has an installation opening 26 for a filter element 28 . When the fuel filter 10 is installed, the installation opening 26 is closed with the heater housing body 16 acting as a housing cover.

An outlet 30 for purified fuel is guided coaxially through the end wall 24 . Outlet 30 includes a coaxial outlet port on the outside of filter housing 12 . A coaxial connecting cylinder for the filter element 28 is integrally connected to the end wall 24 on the inner side of the filter housing 12 .

On the side of the installation opening 26 the circumferential wall 20 forms an insertion section 32 for the heater housing body 16 . The insertion section 32 is coupled to the axially opposite side of the installation opening 26 by means of a circumferentially closed adjacent stop collar 34 . The stop collar 34 is embodied as an indentation in the circumferential wall 20 and extends radially inward. The stop collar 34 serves as a stop for placing the heater housing body 16 in the final position shown in FIG. 1 .

The heater housing body 16 has a circular outer cross section. Its outer diameter is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the insertion section 32 . The heater housing body 16 has a coaxial circular cylindrical heater circumferential wall 36 . The radially outer circumferential side of the heater circumferential wall 36 is mounted against the radially inner circumferential side of the insert section 32 during installation of the fuel filter 10, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .

A circumferentially closed adjacent depression 38 is formed on the radially outer circumferential side of the heater circumferential wall 36. The recess 38 may already have been implemented during manufacture of the heater housing body 16, for example by means of a plastic molding method.

When the fuel filter 10 is installed, a circumferentially closed protrusion 40 located on the insertion section 32 forms a form-fitting engagement with the recess 34 as shown in FIG. 1 . The protrusion 40 is pressed radially inward from the outside into the depression 38 by means of a rolling impression by a suitable roller only after installation of the heater housing body 16 in the housing container 14 .

The heater circumferential wall 36 is integrally connected to the heater end wall 42 on the end face 24 facing axially away from the end face of the filter housing 12 . The inlet 44 for the fuel to be purified is led eccentrically through the heater end wall 42 into the heating chamber of the heater housing body 16 . In the heating chamber are located the electric heating elements of the heating device 18, which are no longer of interest here. The fuel may flow around or against the heating element. The inlet 44 includes an inlet port on the outside of the filter housing 12 that connects to a corresponding portion of the fuel line.

An electrical connection 46 in the form of a plug is further arranged on the heater end wall 42 , which is connected to a corresponding electrical wire not shown in the drawing for operation of the heating device 18 .

A sealing groove 48 is further disposed on the radially outer circumferential side of the heater circumferential wall 36, axially between the depression 38 and the end edge facing axially away from the heater end wall 42. . An O-ring seal (50) is disposed in the sealing groove (48). An O-ring seal (50) seals the area between the heater circumferential wall (36) and the insertion section (32).

A filter element 28 is disposed axially inside the housing vessel 14 between the end wall 24 and the heater housing body 16, separating the inlet 44 from the outlet 30.

The filter element 28 is a so-called round filter element, generally coaxial to the filter axis 22 . The filter element 28 comprises a zigzag folded circumferentially closed filter medium 52 . Filter medium 52 has end disks on either side of each of its end faces. The filter section 54 of the filter element 28 is sealed on its end side towards the heater housing body by an end disk located there. On the opposite end side a filter section 54 is connected to the outlet 30 .

The end disk of the filter element 28 facing the end wall 24 has a connecting piece inserted into the connecting cylinder on the inner side of the end wall 24 .

For the manufacture of the fuel filter 10, the housing container 14, the heating device with the heater housing body 16 and the filter element 28 are each prefabricated as separate components. Here, the housing vessel 14 is impact extruded from aluminum. During the impact extrusion of the housing container 14, protrusions are not yet realized. The heater housing body 16 is molded from plastic. Some of the electrical contacts 46 are also cast in this process. All other parts of the heating device 18 are integrated into the heater housing body 16 following the casting method.

The filter element 28 is inserted through the connection piece axially into the housing container 14 .

The seal 50 is inserted into the sealing groove 48 of the heater housing body 16 . The heater housing body 16 containing the heating element therein extends its corresponding end axially forward into the insertion section 32 of the housing container 14 until the free end edge abuts the stop collar 34. inserted through the side.

The protrusion 40 is then impressed by rolling in the insertion section by means of a roller to the height of the depression 38 . The protrusion 40 engages the depression 38 and thereby forms a holding device with a form-fit connection. The holding device secures the heater housing body 16 axially in the housing container 14 and protects it from detachment. The heater housing body 16 also seals the housing receptacle 14 and thus the filter housing 12 .

During operation of the fuel filter 10 , the fuel to be purified flows through the inlet 44 into the heating chamber of the heating device 18 . It flows there around the heating element and is heated by the heating device 18 . The heated fuel flows to the unpurified fluid side of the filter element 28 which radially surrounds the filter medium 52 on the outside. The heated fuel flows radially outward to radially inward through the filter media 52 to be purified. The heated and purified fuel enters the urea compartment (54). From there, fuel flows into outlet 30 and exits fuel filter 10 .

Claims (10)

A filter (10) for fluid, having at least one inlet (44) for fluid to be purified and at least one outlet (30) for purified fluid, including at least one inlet (44) and at least one outlet (30). A filter comprising a filter housing (12) in which at least one filter element (28) is arranged so as to separate it from, and comprising at least one heating device (18) capable of heating at least one fluid,
At least one heating device 18 is provided in the housing for closing an installation opening 26 of the housing container 14 of the filter housing 12 through which at least one filter element 28 can be introduced into the housing container 14. On the container 14, or in the housing container 14, or both on the housing container 14 and in the housing container 14, by means of at least one fixing device 38, 40, the installation opening 26 at least one heater housing body (16) at least partially inserted into and secured to the insertion section (32) of the housing vessel (14) having a
The at least one fixing device (38, 40) comprises at least one recess (38) on the radially outer circumferential side of the heater housing body (16) with respect to the filter axis (22), and the at least one fixing device (38, 40 has at least one protrusion 40 matching at least one depression 38 in the region of the insertion section 32 on the radially inner circumferential side of the circumferential wall 20 of the housing container 14, at least one The protrusion 40 of is implemented through the formation of the circumferential wall 20 of the housing container 14 after assembly of the at least one heater housing body 16 and the housing container 14 and includes at least one depression 38 and A filter (10) for fluid, characterized in that interlocking. According to claim 1,
A filter for fluids, characterized in that the housing container (14) is made of a formable material at least in the insertion section (32). According to claim 1,
A filter for fluids, characterized in that at least one heater housing body (16) comprises at least plastic and/or at least one other material. According to claim 1,
A filter for fluids, characterized in that the at least one projection (40) is realized through an impression of the circumferential wall (20) of the housing container (14) over at least part of its circumference. According to claim 1,
characterized in that the at least one recess (38) is implemented on the radially outer circumferential side of the at least one heater housing body (16) before and/or during assembly of the at least one heater housing body (16) and the housing container (14). A filter for fluids made of. According to claim 1,
A filter for fluids, characterized in that the at least one heater housing body (16) and the housing vessel (14) have similar cross-sections at least in the insertion section (32). According to claim 1,
Characterized in that the housing container (14) and/or at least one heater housing body (16) has at least one positioning device for defining the installation position of the at least one heater housing body (16) in the housing container (14). A filter for fluids made of. Method for manufacturing a filter (10) for fluid according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least one filter element (28) and at least one heating device (18) are provided in a filter housing (12) through an installation opening. In the method for manufacturing a filter for fluid, which can be introduced through (26) and the filter housing (12) is closed,
at least one heater housing body (16) of the heating device (18) for closing the housing container (14) is at least partially inserted into the insertion section (32) of the housing container (14) having an installation opening (26); secured by at least one fixing device (38, 40) on the housing container (14), within the housing container (14), or both on the housing container (14) and within the housing container (14). A method of manufacturing a filter for fluid (10) to be. According to claim 8,
After insertion of the at least one heater housing body 16 in the housing container 14 in the region of the insertion section 32 on the radially inner circumferential side of the insertion section 32 relative to the filter axis 22, at least one depression ( 38), at least one protrusion 40 is formed on the radially outer circumferential side of the at least one heater housing body 16 so that the at least one protrusion 40 can engage with the at least one recessed portion 38. A method of manufacturing a filter for fluid (10), characterized in that there is. delete

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