KR20170117683A - Opening/closing apparatus for a filter and filter assembly including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The filter opening / closing mechanism may include a shutter, a spring, and a push rod. The shutter is movably disposed inside the filter housing to selectively open and close the passage of the filter housing through which the fluid flows. The spring can elastically support the shutter to the closed position. The push rod is connected to the shutter and can move the shutter to the open position while elastically deforming the spring by an external force provided from a filter incorporated in the filter housing. Therefore, the opening and closing mechanism can be operated only by assembling and disassembling the filter without manually operating the opening and closing mechanism.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an opening / closing mechanism for a filter and a filter assembly including the filter opening /

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an opening and closing mechanism for a filter and a filter assembly including the same, and more particularly, to an opening and closing mechanism for interrupting a flow of a fluid supplied to a filter, and a filter assembly including such opening and closing mechanism.

In general, filter assemblies can be used to remove impurities in fluids such as fuel or oil from the engine. The filter assembly may include a filter, a filter housing, and an opening and closing mechanism. The filter can be assembled to the filter housing. The filter housing may have an inflow passageway through which fluid flows, and an outflow passageway through which the filtered fluid exits. The opening and closing mechanism can close the inlet passage for the replacement of the filter.

According to the related art, the opening and closing mechanism may be a manual type in which an operator is turned by hand. Due to this, the filter replacement operation can be very complicated. In particular, the manual opening / closing method of the operator may have a high possibility of leakage of the fluid during the filter replacement.

The present invention provides an opening / closing mechanism for a filter which can simply replace a filter while preventing fluid leakage.

The present invention also provides a filter assembly comprising the above-described opening and closing mechanism.

An opening / closing mechanism for a filter according to one aspect of the present invention may include a shutter, a spring, and a push rod. The shutter is movably disposed inside the filter housing to selectively open and close the passage of the filter housing through which the fluid flows. The spring can elastically support the shutter to the closed position. The push rod is connected to the shutter and can move the shutter to the open position while elastically deforming the spring by an external force provided from a filter incorporated in the filter housing.

In exemplary embodiments, the opening and closing mechanism may further include a guide fixed to an inner wall of the filter housing to movably support the shutter.

In exemplary embodiments, the spring may be disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the guide.

In the exemplary embodiments, the guide and the push rod may be arranged in a straight line along the assembly direction of the filter.

In the exemplary embodiments, the opening and closing mechanism may further include a pressure plate installed on the push rod and contacting the filter.

In exemplary embodiments, the shutter may comprise a rubber.

In exemplary embodiments, the fluid may comprise fuel or oil.

A filter assembly according to another aspect of the present invention may include a filter housing, a filter, a shutter, a spring, and a push rod. The filter housing may have a passage through which the fluid flows. The filter may be assembled to the filter housing. The shutter is movably disposed inside the filter housing to selectively open and close the passage of the filter housing. The spring can elastically support the shutter to the closed position. The push rod is connected to the shutter and is capable of moving the shutter to the open position while elastically deforming the spring by an external force provided from the filter incorporated in the filter housing.

In exemplary embodiments, the passageway includes a first passageway through which the fluid is introduced, a second passageway extending in a direction perpendicular to the first passageway, and a second passageway extending in a direction orthogonal to the second passageway, And a third passageway connected thereto.

In exemplary embodiments, the shutter and the push rod may be disposed in the third passageway.

In exemplary embodiments, the filter housing may further include a receiving groove extending from the third passage to receive the spring and the shutter.

In exemplary embodiments, the fluid may comprise fuel or oil.

According to the present invention described above, in the state that the filter is assembled to the filter housing, the shutter raised by the external force applied by the filter to the filter housing can open the passage of the filter housing. On the other hand, if the filter is detached from the filter housing for replacement of the filter, the lowered shutter can close the passage of the filter housing. Therefore, the opening and closing mechanism can be operated only by assembling and disassembling the filter without manually operating the opening and closing mechanism. Therefore, the filter replacement operation becomes easier, in particular, the leakage of the fluid can be reliably prevented, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced because the configuration is simple.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the filter housing of the filter assembly shown in Fig.
3 is an exploded perspective view showing an opening and closing mechanism of the filter assembly shown in Fig.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the opening and closing mechanism of the filter assembly shown in FIG. 1 is not operated.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the state in which the opening / closing mechanism of the filter assembly shown in FIG. 1 is operated.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention is capable of various modifications and various forms, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprises", "having", and the like are used to specify that a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a part or a combination thereof is described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a filter housing of the filter assembly shown in FIG. 1, Fig.

1 to 3, the filter assembly according to the present embodiment may include a filter housing 110, a filter 120, and an opening / closing mechanism 130. The filter assembly can remove impurities in the fluid such as fuel or oil in the engine. Thus, the filter assembly may be connected to a fuel tank or an oil tank.

The filter 120 may be removably assembled to the lower surface of the filter housing 110. Therefore, the assembling direction of the filter 120 may be vertically upward. On the other hand, the decomposition direction of the filter 120 may be vertically downward. The filter housing 110 may have a passage through which the fluid flows. The opening and closing mechanism 130 can selectively open and close the passage.

The filter housing 110 may have an inlet passageway and an outlet passageway. The inlet passage may be connected to a fuel tank or an oil tank. The fluid filtered by the filter 120 may be discharged through the outflow passage. At least two filters 120 may be assembled to the filter housing 110 so that the filter 120 can be replaced even during engine operation. Accordingly, the inflow passage, the opening / closing mechanism, and the like, which will be described later, can be disposed on both sides with respect to the center of the filter housing 110. For reference, FIG. 1 shows a state where only one filter 120 of two filters 120 is mounted.

The inflow passageway may include a first inflow passageway 112a, a second inflow passageway 114a and a third inflow passageway 116a. The first inflow passage 112a may be connected to a fuel tank or an oil tank. The first inlet passage 112a may be formed along the vertical direction from the upper surface of the filter housing 110. [ The second inflow passage 114a may extend in the horizontal direction from the first inflow passage 112a. The third inflow passage 116a may extend from the second inflow passage 114a to the lower surface of the filter housing 110 along the vertical direction. The third inlet passage 116a may lead to the filter 120. [ Thus, the first inlet passage 112a and the third inlet passage 116a can be arranged substantially parallel. On the other hand, the first inlet passage 112a and the third inlet passage 116a may be substantially orthogonal to the second inlet passage 114a. In particular, the receiving groove 118 partially accommodating the opening / closing mechanism 130 may extend upward from the upper end of the third inflow passage 116a. The receiving groove 118 and the third inlet passage 116a may be sequentially arranged along the direction in which the filter 120 is assembled, that is, parallel to the axial direction of the filter 120. [

The inflow passage may include a first outflow passage 112b, a second outflow passage 114b, and a third outflow passage 116b. The first outflow passage 112b may be connected to the filter 120. [ The first outflow passage 112b may be formed along the vertical direction from the lower surface of the filter housing 110. [ And the second outflow passage 114b may extend in the horizontal direction from the first outflow passage 112b. The third outflow passage 116b may extend from the second outflow passage 114b in the vertical direction to the upper surface of the filter housing 110. [ The third outflow passage 116b may lead to a fuel tank or an oil tank. Accordingly, the first outflow passage 112b and the third outflow passage 116b can be arranged substantially parallel. On the other hand, the first outflow passage 112b and the third outflow passage 116b may be substantially perpendicular to the second outflow passage 114b.

The opening and closing mechanism 130 is disposed in the third inflow passage 116a and can selectively open and close the second inflow passage 114a. The opening and closing mechanism 130 may include a shutter 132, a guide 134, a spring 136, a push rod 138, and a pressure plate 140.

The shutter 132 can be disposed movably in the up-and-down direction in the third inflow passage 116a and the receiving groove 118. [ The shutter 132 may be sized to block the second inflow passage 114a. Therefore, the shutter 132 may have the same or a large area as the area of the second inflow passage 114a. For smooth movement of the shutter 132 in the third inflow passage 116a, the shutter 132 may comprise a rubber material. The rubber-made shutter 132 is brought into close contact with the second inflow passage 114a smoothly, thereby suppressing the leakage of the fluid.

The guide 134 can support the upward and downward movement of the shutter 132. The guide 134 may have an upper end fixed to the upper surface of the receiving groove 118 and a lower end vertically extending from the upper end and the shutter 132 being vertically connected. Accordingly, the shutter 132 may have a guide groove 132a that allows the lower end of the guide 134 to be lifted and lowered. The guide 134 may have a different structure from the present embodiment. For example, when the lower end of the guide 134 is fixed to the upper surface of the shutter 132 and the shutter 132 is lifted by the mounting of the filter 120, the guide 134 contacts the receiving groove 118 And to support the shutter 132.

The spring 136 elastically supports the shutter 132 downward and elastically deforms when the filter 120 is mounted and moves the shutter 132 to the position for closing the second inflow passage 114a when the filter 120 is removed Can be moved. The spring 136 may be disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the guide 134. The spring 136 may have an upper end opposed to the upper surface of the receiving groove 118 and a lower end extending from the upper end to elastically support the upper surface of the shutter 132. [ The spring 136 may have a different structure from that of the present embodiment. For example, the spring 136 may be disposed between the lower surface of the shutter 132 and the third inflow passage 116a. In this case, when the filter 120 is mounted, the spring 136 is elongated and the spring 136 is contracted upon detachment of the filter 120, so that the shutter 132 can close the second inflow passage 114a.

The push rod 138 can be liftably received in the third inflow passage 116a. The push rod 138 may transmit external force from the filter 120 assembled to the filter housing 110 to the shutter 132. The push rod 138 may have an upper end fixed to the lower surface of the shutter 132 and a lower end extended from the upper end and exposed through the lower surface of the filter housing 110. [

The pressure plate 140 may be installed at the lower end of the push rod 138. The pressure plate 140 may be in direct contact with the filter 120. The filter 120 assembled to the filter housing 110 vertically upward pushes the pressure plate 140 and the push rod 138 upward so that the shutter 132 moves upward while compressing the spring 136 , The second inflow passage 114a can be opened. This pressure plate 140 may be integrally formed at the lower end of the push rod 138 or may be configured to be coupled to the push rod 138 in the form of a separate member.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the opening and closing mechanism of the filter assembly shown in FIG. 1 is not operated.

Referring to FIG. 4, for filter replacement, the existing filter may be separate from the filter housing 110. Since no external force acts on the pressure plate 140, the shutter 132 can be lowered by the spring 136. Therefore, the second inflow passage 114a can be closed by the shutter 132. [ As a result, the fluid introduced into the filter housing 110 can reach only the closed second inflow passage 114a. The lower end of the push rod 138 and the pressure plate 140 may protrude downward from the third inflow passage 116a. At this time, only the lower end portion of the guide 134 can be accommodated in the upper end of the guide groove 132a, and most of the guide groove 132a can be empty.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the state in which the opening / closing mechanism of the filter assembly shown in FIG. 1 is operated.

Referring to FIG. 5, a new filter 120 may be assembled to the lower surface of the filter housing 110 along the vertical upper direction. The filter 120 can push the pressure plate 140 upward. The push rod 138 is lifted in the third inflow passage 116a so that the shutter 132 can also ascend into the receiving groove 118 while compressing the spring 136. [ A large part of the guide 134 can be accommodated in the guide groove 132a by the rise of the shutter 132. [ As a result, by opening the second inflow passage 114a, the fluid can be supplied into the filter 120 through the first to third inflow passages 112a, 114a, and 116a. The fluid from which the impurities have been removed by the filter 120 may flow out of the filter housing 110 through the first to third outflow passages 112b, 114b, and 116b.

As described above, according to the embodiments, in the state that the filter is assembled to the filter housing, the shutter that is raised by the external force applied by the filter to the filter housing can open the passage of the filter housing. On the other hand, if the filter is detached from the filter housing for replacement of the filter, the lowered shutter can close the passage of the filter housing. Therefore, the opening and closing mechanism can be operated only by assembling and disassembling the filter without manually operating the opening and closing mechanism. Therefore, the filter replacement operation becomes easier, and the leakage of the fluid can be surely prevented.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. And changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

110; Filter housing 112a; The first inlet passage
114a; A second inlet passage 116a; The third inlet passage
112b; A first outflow passage 114b; The second outflow passage
116b; A third outlet passage 120; filter
130; An opening / closing mechanism 132; shutter
132a; A guide groove 134; guide
136; Spring 138; Push rod
140; Pressure plate

Claims (9)

A shutter movably disposed inside the filter housing to selectively open and close the passage of the filter housing through which the fluid flows;
A spring for elastically supporting the shutter to a closed position; And
And a push rod connected to the shutter and configured to elastically deform the spring by an external force provided from a filter incorporated in the filter housing, while moving the shutter to the open position. The method according to claim 1,
A guide fixed to an inner wall of the filter housing; And
Further comprising a guide groove formed inside the shutter so that the upper surface of the shutter facing the lower end of the guide is opened and a guide groove movably receiving the lower end of the guide when the shutter is moved. 3. The filter opening / closing mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the spring is arranged to surround the outer circumferential surface of the guide, and the shutter is compressed when moved to the open position. The filter opening and closing mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the guide and the push rod are arranged in a straight line along the assembly direction of the filter. The filter opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure plate installed on the push rod and contacting the filter. A filter housing having a passage through which fluid flows;
A filter assembled to the filter housing;
A shutter movably disposed inside the filter housing, the shutter selectively opening and closing the passage of the filter housing;
A spring for elastically supporting the shutter to a closed position; And
And a push rod coupled to the shutter to move the shutter to an open position while resiliently deforming the spring by an external force provided by the filter assembled in the filter housing. 7. The apparatus of claim 6,
A first passage through which the fluid flows;
A second passage extending in a direction orthogonal to the first passage; And
And a third passage extending in a direction orthogonal to the second passage and leading to the filter. 8. The filter assembly of claim 7, wherein the filter housing further comprises a receiving groove extending from the third passage to receive the spring, the push rod being disposed within the third passage. 9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
A guide fixed to an inner wall of the filter housing; And
Further comprising a guide groove movably receiving a lower end of the guide when the shutter is moved so that an upper surface side of the shutter facing the lower end of the guide is opened,
Wherein the spring is disposed to surround an outer circumferential surface of the guide such that the shutter is compressed upon movement to the open position.

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