KR20220155086A - Fuel filter assembly and method of manufacturing thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fuel filter assembly and a method of manufacturing the fuel filter assembly, in which manufacturing costs may be reduced by improving performance of a fuel filter and improving a manufacturing process. The fuel filter assembly includes an inlet unit, a fuel filter, and a support unit. The method of manufacturing the fuel filter assembly includes the steps of: injecting the support unit from a first injection table; cutting a fuel filter into a predefined shape on a cutting table; injecting the inlet unit from a second injection table; placing one surface of the fuel filter to be in contact with the upper surface of the support unit; coupling a coupling unit of the support unit and a coupling unit of the inlet unit by pressing down the inlet unit of the other surface of the fuel filter; folding the fuel filter so that one surface of the fuel filter faces each other; and bonding at least part of the facing surface of the fuel filter to each other.

Description

Fuel filter and its manufacturing method {FUEL FILTER ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THEREOF}

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a fuel filter and a manufacturing method thereof. The performance of the fuel filter is improved by using the fuel filter, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced by improving the manufacturing process.

A vehicle includes a fuel tank equipped with fuel and a fuel pump supplying fuel from the fuel tank to an engine. On the other hand, the fuel supplied to the engine may contain impurities such as dust and iron powder, and if the fuel containing these impurities is supplied to the engine, it may cause a decrease in output or a failure of the injector that injects the fuel. It may adversely affect engine operation. Therefore, as a component for filtering impurities contained in the fuel, a fuel filter is essentially provided in the fuel pump.

The fuel filter according to the prior art has a three-layer structure, in which a fabric having a mesh structure, a needle punched nonwoven fabric provided at the bottom of the fabric, and a spunbond nonwoven fabric provided at the bottom of the needle punched nonwoven fabric are laminated and laminated. In this case, a fabric having a mesh structure located in the fuel inflow direction and provided as the outermost layer is provided to express a fabric protection function rather than a filtering function. Therefore, when the fabric of the mesh structure constitutes the outermost layer of the fuel filter, the collection of impurities is concentrated in the non-woven fabric layer provided in the middle of the filter, and the life of the filter is shortened due to clogging of pores.

Moreover, due to the structure of the vehicle, the fuel filter is modularized to the fuel pump and installed in the fuel tank, so that only the fuel filter cannot be replaced regularly, resulting in the replacement of the entire fuel pump module if the fuel filter is clogged and malfunctions. do. After all, the life of the fuel filter determines the life of the fuel pump. For this reason, efforts are being made to increase the size of the filter (area of the filter) by securing the maximum space allowed in the fuel pump module. Limitations arise due to limitations.

In order to solve these problems, it is necessary to develop a high-efficiency fuel filter that can prevent defects and failures of the fuel pump and engine by increasing the lifespan of the fuel filter and significantly improve the lifespan of the filter.

Accordingly, the present disclosure discloses a fuel filter capable of filtering foreign substances of 60 micrometers or more, simultaneously implementing fabric protection, significantly extending filter life, and uniformly collecting impurities to reduce filter load. do. In addition, the present disclosure discloses a manufacturing process for making the above fuel filter easily and inexpensively.

The fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure includes an inlet portion, a fuel filter, and a support portion, and a method for manufacturing the fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure includes the steps of injecting the support portion from a first ejection table, and placing the fuel filter on a cutting table in a predetermined shape. Cutting with;

Injecting the inlet part from the second ejection table, placing one side of the fuel filter in contact with the support part, pressurizing the inlet part of the other side of the fuel filter downward to couple the coupling part of the support part and the coupling part of the inlet part, fuel Folding the fuel filter so that one surface of the filter faces each other, and bonding at least a portion of the facing surface of the fuel filter to each other.

The fuel filter of the method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure is formed by sequentially stacking a first spunbond nonwoven fabric, a needle punched nonwoven fabric, and a second spunbond nonwoven fabric, and the first spunbond nonwoven fabric has a weight per unit area of 70 to 70%. 90 g/m2, the needle punched nonwoven fabric has a weight per unit area of 180 to 200 g/m2, and the second spunbond nonwoven fabric has a weight per unit area of 20 to 40 g/m2.

The support part of the method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure extends in a first direction, at least one support having a linear shape, extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and has continuous crests and valleys. It has, and is disposed to have a predetermined distance from each other, and includes a plurality of connection parts connecting at least one support, and a coupling part of the support unit coupled to the plurality of connection units and coupled to the coupling unit of the inlet unit.

The step of putting one surface of the fuel filter in contact with the support of the method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure includes placing the injected support on the frame on the work table, and when the support is fixed to the frame on the work table, the fuel filter and placing it on a frame on a workbench.

A method of manufacturing a fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure is performed by one robot arm, and the step of placing the injected support part on a frame on a work table is performed by a first hand formed on a first surface of the robot arm, and The step of placing the filter on the frame on the work table is performed by the second hand formed on the second surface of the robot arm, and the step of combining the joint part of the support and the inlet part is performed by the third hand formed on the third surface of the robot arm. performed by

In the method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure, the first ejection table, the cutting table, the second ejection table, and the work table are sequentially arranged clockwise or counterclockwise around the robot arm.

The average pore size of the fuel filter of the method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure is in the order of the second spunbond nonwoven fabric ≥ the first spunbond nonwoven fabric ≥ needle punching nonwoven fabric, and the average pore size of the second spunbond nonwoven fabric is 100 micrometers. In the above, the average pore size of the first spunbonded nonwoven fabric is 100 micrometers or less, and the average pore size of the needle punched nonwoven fabric is 50 micrometers or less.

The thickness of the fuel filter of the method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure is in the range of 300 to 600 micrometers, and the fuel filter has an impurity removal efficiency of 25 according to ISO 19438 for impurities having an average particle size of 10 micrometers. more than %

In addition, a program for implementing the method of manufacturing the fuel filter assembly as described above may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

1 is a diagram illustrating a control unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
2 is a flowchart illustrating an operating method of a control unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
3 is a view showing the configuration of a fuel filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
4 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of a fuel filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
5 shows a robot arm according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
6 is a perspective view illustrating a frame according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
7 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of a fuel filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
8 is a diagram for explaining the structure of a fuel filter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
9 is a graph for explaining characteristics of a fuel filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
10 is a graph for explaining characteristics of a fuel filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Advantages and features of the disclosed embodiments, and methods of achieving them, will become apparent with reference to the following embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various different forms, only the present embodiments make the present disclosure complete, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs It is provided only to fully inform the person of the scope of the invention.

Terms used in this specification will be briefly described, and the disclosed embodiments will be described in detail.

The terms used in this specification have been selected from general terms that are currently widely used as much as possible while considering the functions in the present disclosure, but they may vary according to the intention of a person skilled in the related field, a precedent, or the emergence of new technology. In addition, in a specific case, there is also a term arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning will be described in detail in the description of the invention. Therefore, terms used in the present disclosure should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the general content of the present disclosure, not simply the name of the term.

Expressions in the singular number in this specification include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates that they are singular. Also, plural expressions include singular expressions unless the context clearly specifies that they are plural.

When it is said that a certain part "includes" a certain component throughout the specification, it means that it may further include other components without excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

Also, the term “unit” used in the specification means a software or hardware component, and “unit” performs certain roles. However, "unit" is not meant to be limited to software or hardware. A “unit” may be configured to reside in an addressable storage medium and may be configured to reproduce on one or more processors. Thus, as an example, “unit” can refer to components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, properties, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays and variables. Functionality provided within components and "parts" may be combined into fewer components and "parts" or further separated into additional components and "parts".

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, “unit” may be implemented as a processor and a memory. The term “processor” should be interpreted broadly to include general-purpose processors, central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), controllers, microcontrollers, state machines, and the like. In some circumstances, “processor” may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable logic device (PLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like. The term "processor" refers to a combination of processing devices, such as, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a combination of a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. may also refer to

The term “memory” should be interpreted broadly to include any electronic component capable of storing electronic information. The term memory includes random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable-programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrical may refer to various types of processor-readable media, such as erasable PROM (EEPROM), flash memory, magnetic or optical data storage, registers, and the like. A memory is said to be in electronic communication with the processor if the processor can read information from and/or write information to the memory. Memory integrated with the processor is in electronic communication with the processor.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the embodiments. And in order to clearly describe the present disclosure in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted.

1 is a diagram illustrating a control unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

A method of manufacturing the fuel filter assembly may be performed by a conveyor belt or a robot arm. The controller 100 may manufacture the fuel filter assembly by controlling equipment related to each step of manufacturing the fuel filter assembly.

The controller 100 may include a processor 110 or a memory 120. The processor 110 may perform an operation based on instructions stored in the memory 120 . However, it is not limited thereto, and the controller 100 may include only the processor 110 without including a memory. The processor 110 may be set to output a preset signal to an output line for a preset time based on an input signal. Each device for manufacturing the fuel filter assembly may perform a preset operation according to a signal from the control unit 100 .

Hereinafter, the operation of the controller 100 will be described in more detail.

2 is a flowchart illustrating an operating method of a control unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 3 is a view showing the configuration of a fuel filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 4 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of a fuel filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The fuel filter assembly 300 may include an inlet 310 , a fuel filter 330 and a support 320 . The controller 100 may manufacture the fuel filter assembly 300 by controlling the robot arm 410 or the conveyor belt. The inlet 310 may be a passage through which fuel is introduced. Foreign substances or impurities may be filtered from the introduced fuel through the fuel filter assembly 300 including the fuel filter 330 . The fuel filter is a component for filtering fuel, and may have a configuration in which at least two layers are bonded. The support part 320 may be a component for maintaining the shape of the fuel filter assembly 300 . Also, the support part 320 may be configured to form a space inside the fuel filter 330 . The support part 320 may be positioned between two surfaces of the fuel filter 330 facing each other. The inlet 310 and the support 320 may be made of a material such as polyamide (PA), polyoxymethylene (POM), polypropylene (PP), or polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). The inlet part 310 and the support part 320 may be injected by an injection molding machine.

The support part 320 may include at least one support 322 extending in the first direction 341 and having a linear shape. The support 322 may serve as a skeleton of the support 320 . At least one support 322 may extend in the first direction 341 , but is not limited thereto, and may extend at an angle within 15 degrees from the first direction 341 .

The support part 320 may include a plurality of connection parts 323 . The plurality of connection parts 323 may extend in the second direction 342 . The second direction 342 may be substantially perpendicular to the first direction 341 . The plurality of connection parts 323 may have a form in which crests and valleys are continuous. In addition, the plurality of connection parts 323 may be arranged to have a predetermined interval from each other, and may connect at least one support. As the plurality of connection parts 323 extend in the second direction 342 , they may have a form in which crests and valleys are continuous.

The crests of the plurality of connection parts 323 may be convex in the third direction. The valleys of the plurality of connection parts 323 may be concave in the third direction. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction may be substantially perpendicular to each other.

The support part 320 may include a coupling part 321 of the support part. The coupling part 321 of the support part 320 may be coupled to the plurality of connection parts 323 . The coupling part 321 of the support part 320 may be configured to be coupled with the coupling part 311 of the inlet part 310 .

The support part 320 may be injected by an injection machine, and at least one support 322 included in the support part 320, a plurality of connection parts 323, and a coupling part 321 may be simultaneously formed by an injection machine.

Hereinafter, a manufacturing process of the fuel filter assembly will be described in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the control unit 100 may perform step 210 of injecting the support part 320 from the first injection table 420 . The controller 100 may control the injection machine so that the support unit 320 is injected into the first injection platform. The first injection stage 420 may be located at a position accessible to the robot arm 410 . The robot arm 410 may grip and move the support 320 on the first ejection stage 420 . The robot arm 410 may move to the cutting board 430 while holding the support 320 on the first injection table 420 . Briefly refer to FIG. 5 to describe the robot arm 410 .

5 shows a robot arm according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the robot arm 410 may be used to manufacture the fuel filter assembly 300 . One robot arm 410 may be required to manufacture the fuel filter assembly 300 .

The robot arm 410 may have a hand for gripping an object. The robot arm 410 may have at least two hands. For example, the robot arm 410 may include a first hand 512 formed on the first surface 511 . Also, the robot arm 410 may include a second hand 522 formed on the second surface 521 . Also, the robot arm 410 may include a third hand 532 formed on the third surface 531 .

The first to third hands are configured to hold the support part 320, the fuel filter 330, and the inlet part 310, respectively, and may have different shapes. However, it is not limited thereto. The first hand 512 to the third hand 532 may have different shapes or may have the same shape. Also, the first hand 512 to the third hand 532 are not limited to the shapes of the hands shown in FIG. 5 .

Referring back to FIGS. 2 to 4 , the control unit 100 may perform step 220 of cutting the fuel filter 330 into a predetermined shape on the cutting board 430 . Cutting of the fuel filter 330 may be performed on the cutting table 430, but is not limited thereto. The controller 100 may cut the fuel filter 330 into a predetermined shape. The predetermined shape of the cut fuel filter 330 may be as shown in FIG. 8 . The controller 100 may control the fuel filter 330 cut elsewhere to be moved to the cutting table 430 using a conveyor belt.

In the past, there was a case where the support part 320 was directly injected onto the fuel filter 330, but in this case, the fuel filter 330 had to be cut wider than the part actually used, and then unnecessary parts had to be cut, resulting in severe consumption of raw materials. . In addition, there is a problem in that the production efficiency of the fuel filter assembly 300 is lowered because an additional work of cutting unnecessary parts is required. However, when the fuel filter 330 and the support 320 are separately produced as in the present disclosure, the fuel filter 330 may not be wasted and production efficiency may be increased.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the first injection platform 420, the cutting table 430, the second injection platform 440, and the work table 450 are sequentially rotated clockwise or counterclockwise around the robot arm 410. can be placed. Accordingly, the robot arm 410 may sequentially pass through the first ejection table 420, the cutting table 430, the second ejection table 440, and the work table 450 while rotating in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Since the robot arm 410 does not move in various directions, control of the robot arm 410 is simplified, and productivity of the fuel filter assembly 300 can be improved.

In addition, the robot arm 410 is stationary, and the first injection table 420, the cutting table 430, the second injection table 440, and the work table 450 rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction while the robot arm 410 are located in front of each, and the robot arm 410 can perform an operation corresponding to one of the first ejection table 420, the cutting table 430, the second ejection table 440, and the worktable 450 in front of the robot arm 410. have. The actuators for rotating the first injection platform 420, the cutting table 430, the second injection platform 440, and the work table 450 may transmit current angular positions to the controller. The controller 100 receives the current angular position from the actuator and selects one of the first ejection table 420, the cutting table 430, the second ejection table 440, and the work table 450 in front of the robot arm 410. A first identifier for can be determined. The first identifier may have different values depending on the first ejection table 420, the cutting table 430, the second injection table 440, and the work table 450. The robot arm 410 may further include an image acquisition unit, and may obtain an image of an object located in front of it. Here, the image acquisition unit may be a camera. In addition, the image acquired by the image acquisition unit may be a QR code or barcode attached to each of the first ejection table 420, the cutting table 430, the second ejection table 440, and the work table 450. In order for the image acquisition unit to recognize the QR code or barcode, the first ejection table 420, the cutting table 430, the second ejection table 440, and the work table 450 may need to be positioned at precise positions. The controller 100 can check whether the first ejection table 420, the cutting table 430, the second ejection table 440, and the work table 450 are in the correct positions based on the current angular position from the actuator. Based on whether the image acquisition unit recognizes the QR code or barcode, it can be confirmed whether the first ejection platform 420, the cutting table 430, the second ejection platform 440, and the work table 450 are in the correct positions. As such, the production accuracy of the fuel filter assembly 300 is achieved by locating the first injection table 420, the cutting table 430, the second injection table 440, and the work table 450 at precise positions with respect to the robot arm 410. can be increased, and the quality of the fuel filter assembly 300 can be increased.

The image acquisition unit of the robot arm 410 may transmit the acquired image to the control unit 100 . The controller 100 may determine a second identifier for an object in front of the robot arm 410 from the acquired image. The second identifier may have different values depending on the first ejection table 420, the cutting table 430, the second injection table 440, and the work table 450. When the first identifier and the second identifier are the same, the control unit 100 may transmit a signal indicating to perform a task corresponding to the first identifier to the robot arm 410 . That is, the robot arm 410 may perform a task corresponding to one of the first ejection table 420, the cutting table 430, the second ejection table 440, and the work table 450 in front of the robot arm 410. When the first identifier and the second identifier are different from each other, the controller 100 may output a message requesting confirmation of an object in front of the robot arm 410 . The operator can perform the necessary work based on the message. In this way, the robot arm 410 can accurately work by identifying an object in front of itself with the first identifier and the second identifier. Accordingly, the quality of the fuel filter assembly 300 may be improved.

When arranged as shown in FIG. 4 , the robot arm 410 may be positioned in front of the first ejection table 420 , the cutting table 430 , the second ejection table 440 , and the work table 450 while moving. However, it is not limited thereto, and the robot arm is stationary, and the first ejection table 420, the cutting table 430, the second ejection table 440, and the work table 450 may be positioned in front of the robot arm while rotating.

The robot arm 410 may grip and move the cut fuel filter 330 on the cutting table 430 under the control of the control unit 100 . The robot arm 410 may grip the fuel filter 330 on the cutting board 430 while holding the support 320 . The robot arm 410 may move to the second injection platform 440 while holding the support 320 and the fuel filter 330 .

The controller 100 may perform step 230 of injecting the inlet 310 from the second ejection stand 440 . The inlet 310 may be a passage through which fuel is introduced. Foreign substances or impurities may be filtered from the introduced fuel through the fuel filter assembly 300 including the fuel filter 330 .

The controller 100 may control the injection molding machine so that the inlet 310 is injected into the second injection table. The second injection table 440 may be located at a position accessible to the robot arm 410 . The robot arm 410 may grip and move the inlet 310 of the second ejection table 440 . The robot arm 410 may move to the worktable 450 while holding the inlet 310 of the second injection table 440 . That is, the robot arm 410 may move to the work table 450 while holding the support 320 , the fuel filter 330 , and the inlet 310 .

The control unit 100 may control the robot arm 410 to perform step 240 of putting one surface of the fuel filter 330 in contact with the support 320 of the work table 450 . More specifically, the control unit 100 may perform a step of placing the injected support unit 320 on the frame 610 on the work table 450 . Placing the injected support part 320 on the frame 610 on the work table 450 may be performed by the first hand 512 formed on the first surface 511 of the robot arm 410 .

In addition, the controller 100 may perform a step of placing the fuel filter 330 on the frame 610 on the work table 450 when the support 320 is fixed to the frame on the work table 450. The step of placing the fuel filter 330 on the frame 610 on the work table 450 may be performed by the second hand 522 formed on the second surface 521 of the robot arm 410 . The work surface 450 includes a frame 610, the walls 630 of the frame 610 may prevent the fuel filter 330 from moving. The support part 320 may face one surface of the fuel filter 330 . Reference is made to FIG. 6 to describe the frame 610 on the work table 450 .

6 is a perspective view illustrating a frame according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The frame 610 may be included in the work table 450 . The frame 610 may be located at a predetermined location of the work table 450 . In addition, the controller 100 may control the robot arm 410 to place the support 320, the fuel filter 330, and the inlet 310 at predetermined locations on the frame 610.

The frame 610 may be a component for fixing the support 320 or the fuel filter 330 while assembling the fuel filter assembly 300 . Frame 610 may include walls 630 . The shape of the inside of the wall 630 may correspond to the shape of the fuel filter 330 . A plan view of the wall 630 may be the same as the shape of the fuel filter 330 . Therefore, when the fuel filter 330 is placed on the frame 610, the support 320 may not move.

The frame 610 of FIG. 6 is surrounded by walls 630 on all sides. However, it is not limited thereto. Some of the walls 630 of the frame 610 may be open.

In addition, the inside of the frame 610 may include a bottom surface 620 . A shape of a part of the bottom surface 620 may correspond to the shape of the support part 320 . The shape of the place where the support part 320 is placed among the bottom surface 620 may correspond to the shape of the support part 320 . A crest 621 and a valley 622 may be formed in a place where the support part 320 is placed among the bottom surface 620 . That is, the valley 622 of the bottom surface 620 may be formed at the location of the valley included in the plurality of connection parts 323 of the support part 320 . In addition, a floor 621 of the bottom surface 620 may be formed at a location of a floor included in the plurality of connection parts 323 of the support part 320 . Accordingly, when the support 320 is placed on the frame 610, the support 320 may not move inside the frame.

Referring back to FIGS. 2 to 4 , the robot arm 410 may place the support 320 held by the first hand 512 inside the frame 610 on the work table 450 . In addition, the robot arm 410 may place the fuel filter 330 held by the second hand 522 inside the frame 610 on the work table 450 . Therefore, the fuel filter 330 may be placed on the support part 320 . Also, the support part 320 may face one surface of the fuel filter 330 . As such, by placing the support part 320 and the fuel filter 330 at a predetermined position inside the frame 610, the coupling part 321 of the support part 320 matches the hole 810 of the fuel filter 330. can be made That is, the coupling portion 321 of the support portion 320 can be exposed through the hole 810 of the fuel filter 330, and the coupling portion 321 of the support portion 320 is the coupling portion 311 of the inlet portion 310. ) can be combined with

A bottom surface 620 of the frame 610 on the work table 450 may include a plurality of sensors for determining whether the support 320 or the fuel filter 330 exists. The plurality of sensors may be illuminance sensors or proximity sensors. The proximity sensor may include an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor. The plurality of sensors may include a first sensor 641 and a second sensor 642 . The first sensor 641 may be located on the bottom surface 620 where the support part 320 is placed. Also, the second sensor 642 may be located on the bottom surface 620 where the support 320 is not placed but the fuel filter 330 is placed.

Initially, there may be nothing inside the frame 610 included in the work table 450 . Accordingly, the first sensor 641 and the second sensor 642 may transmit signals indicating that the first sensor 641 and the second sensor 642 are not covered, respectively, to the controller 100 . The controller 100 may determine that there is nothing inside the frame 610 based on the signals of the first sensor 641 and the second sensor 642 . In addition, the controller 100 may control the robot arm 410 to place the support 320 held by the first hand 512 inside the frame 610 on the work table 450 .

When it indicates that at least one of the first sensor 641 and the second sensor 642 is covered, the controller 100 may output a first alarm indicating that the frame 610 is to be emptied. The controller 100 may output the first alarm with sound or light using a speaker, LED, or monitor. The operator may empty the frame 610 based on the output message. The method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure has an effect of greatly reducing a defect rate while requiring a minimum number of workers.

When the robot arm 410 places the support 320 held by the first hand 512 inside the frame 610 on the work table 450, the first sensor 641 is moved by the support 320. can be covered Also, the second sensor 642 may not be covered by the support 320 . The first sensor 641 may transmit a signal indicating that the first sensor 641 is covered to the controller 100 . The second sensor 642 may transmit a signal indicating that the second sensor 642 is not covered to the controller 100 . The controller 100 may determine that the robot arm 410 has placed the support 320 inside the frame 610 based on signals from the first sensor 641 and the second sensor 642 . Thereafter, the controller 100 may control the robot arm 410 to place the fuel filter 330 held by the second hand 522 inside the frame 610 on the work table 450 .

When the first sensor 641 indicates that it is not covered or the second sensor 642 indicates that it is covered, the controller 100 indicates that the support part 320 is not properly inserted into the frame 610. A second alarm may be output. The operator can check whether the support part 320 is properly inserted based on the output message. The method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure has an effect of greatly reducing a defect rate while requiring a minimum number of workers.

When the robot arm 410 places the fuel filter 330 held by the second hand 522 inside the frame 610 on the work table 450, the second sensor 642 is attached to the support 320. can be covered by Also, the first sensor 641 may already be covered by the support 320 . The first sensor 641 may transmit a signal indicating that the first sensor 641 is covered to the controller 100 . The second sensor 642 may transmit a signal indicating that the second sensor 642 is covered to the controller 100 . The controller 100 may determine that the robot arm 410 has placed the fuel filter 330 inside the frame 610 based on signals from the first sensor 641 and the second sensor 642 . Thereafter, the control unit 100 may control the coupling portion 321 of the support portion 320 and the coupling portion 311 of the inlet portion 310 to be coupled.

When the first sensor 641 indicates that it is not covered or the second sensor 642 indicates that it is not covered, the controller 100 determines that the fuel filter 330 is not properly inserted into the frame 610. A third alarm indicating that it is not detected may be output. An operator may check whether the fuel filter 330 is properly inserted based on the output message. The method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure has an effect of greatly reducing a defect rate while requiring a minimum number of workers.

The support part 320 may include a coupling part 321 . The fuel filter 330 may include a hole 810 through which the coupling portion 321 is exposed. Later, the coupling part 321 of the support part 320 may be coupled with the coupling part 311 of the inlet part 310 through the hole 810 of the fuel filter 330 . However, it is not limited thereto, and the fuel filter 330 may not include the hole 810. In the fuel filter 330, a hole 810 is formed by the coupling portion 321 of the support portion 320 or the coupling portion 311 of the inlet portion 310 during the coupling process between the support portion 320 and the inlet portion 310. It can be. Based on the hole 810 formed, the coupling portion 321 of the support portion 320 and the coupling portion 311 of the inlet portion 310 may be coupled to each other.

The control unit 100 places the inlet 310 on the other side of the fuel filter 330 and presses the inlet 310 downward, so that the coupling part 321 of the support 320 and the inlet 310 are connected. The step 250 of combining the coupler 311 may be performed. It can be performed by a third hand 532 formed on the third surface 531 of the robot arm 410 that couples the coupling part of the support part and the coupling part of the inlet part.

More specifically, the controller 100 may control the robot arm 410 to position the inlet 310 on the fuel filter 330 . The robot arm 410 may move the inlet 310 to a predetermined position. For example, the robot arm 410 may position the inlet 310 such that the coupling portion 311 of the inlet portion 310 faces the coupling portion 321 of the support portion 320 .

The robot arm 410 may press the inlet portion 310 downward to couple the coupling portion 311 of the inlet portion 310 to the coupling portion 321 of the support portion 320 . Since the inlet 310 and the support 320 are coupled, the robot arm 410 can move all of the inlet 310, the support 320 and the fuel filter 330 just by gripping the inlet 310. can

The diameter of the coupling part 321 of the support part 320 may be greater than the diameter of the coupling part 311 of the inlet part 310 . The diameter of the coupling portion 321 of the support portion 320 is appropriate so that the coupling portion 311 of the inlet portion 310 is press-fitted and fitted, but the coupling portion 311 of the inlet portion 310 is press-fitted and fitted without difficulty. It can maintain a certain diameter. However, it is not limited thereto, and the diameter of the coupling part 321 of the support part 320 may be smaller than the diameter of the coupling part 311 of the inlet part 310 .

The controller 100 may perform step 260 of folding the fuel filter 330 so that one surface of the fuel filter 330 faces each other. Refer to FIG. 7 to explain the folding of the fuel filter 330.

7 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of a fuel filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

After step 250 , one surface 712 of fuel filter 330 may come into contact with support 320 . Also, the other surface 711 of the fuel filter 330 may come into contact with the inlet 310 . The controller 100 may control the fuel filter 330 to be folded. For example, the controller 100 may fold the fuel filter 330 in half. The fuel filter 330 may be folded to cover the support part 320 . That is, some of the fuel filters 330 may be located above the support 320 and some may be located below the support 320 .

More specifically, the folding step 260 may be performed by a robot hand. The robot hand for the folding process may or may not be included in the robot arm 410 described above. The robot hand may include two rods. Both rods may be cylindrical in shape. The diameter of the cylinder of the two rods may be less than 1 cm. This is because it was confirmed that defects were reduced when the thickness was less than 1 cm. The controller 100 may position the two rods of the robot hand above and below the fold line 750 of the fuel filter 330, respectively. That is, the first rod of the robot hand may contact one surface 712 of the fuel filter 330, and the second rod may contact the other surface 711 of the fuel filter 330. In this case, the first rod may be located below the second rod, and the fuel filter 330 may be positioned between the first rod and the second rod. The controller 100 may move the fuel filter 330 so that the fuel filter 330 does not touch the bottom surface 620 of the frame 610 . The movement of the fuel filter 330 may be performed by a robot hand or a robot arm 410 . The controller 100 may move the second bar that is in contact with the other surface 711 of the fuel filter 330 below the first bar along the surface of the first bar. Accordingly, the fuel filter 330 may be folded. The controller 100 may control the folded fuel filter 330 to come into contact with the bottom surface 620 of the frame 610 . Accordingly, the fuel filter 330 may be maintained in a folded state. The controller 100 may control the plurality of rods to come out of the fuel filter 330 . The frame 610 of FIG. 6 is surrounded by walls 630 on all sides. However, it is not limited thereto. Some of the walls 630 of the frame 610 may be removed to secure a space for moving a plurality of rods.

Referring back to FIG. 2 , the controller 100 may perform step 270 of bonding at least a portion of the facing surfaces of the fuel filter 330 to each other. The control unit 100 may bond the fuel filter 330 along the outline of the support unit 320 . As a result of bonding, the fuel filter assembly 300 may be completed. The controller 100 may clean the finish of the fuel filter assembly 300 by trimming the edges of the fuel filter assembly 300 . The controller 100 may bond at least a portion of the facing surfaces of the fuel filter 330 to each other using far-end ultrasonic bonding, injection molding, or high-frequency fusion. As the fuel filter 330 is bonded, the support 320 may be included inside the fuel filter 330 . The support part 320 can create a space between the fuel filters 330 inside the fuel filter 330 and can maintain the shape of the fuel filter assembly 300 .

In the case of manufacturing the fuel filter assembly 300 as described above, less labor is required and production time per quantity may be reduced. Accordingly, the production cost per quantity of the fuel filter assembly 300 may be reduced.

The control unit 100 may perform a step of moving the completed fuel filter assembly 300 to a place for testing. The fuel filter assembly 300 may be moved by a conveyor belt or a robot arm 410 .

For example, the controller 100 may grip the completed fuel filter assembly 300 with the robot arm 410 . The robot arm 410 may grip the inlet 310 of the fuel filter assembly 300 . The controller 100 may hold the inlet 310 and move it to a place for testing.

When the robot arm 410 grips the inlet 310 and moves the fuel filter assembly 300 to a place for testing, the first sensor 641 may not be covered. Also, the second sensor 642 may not be covered. The first sensor 641 may transmit a signal indicating that the first sensor 641 is not covered to the controller 100 . The second sensor 642 may transmit a signal indicating that the second sensor 642 is not covered to the controller 100 . The controller 100 may determine that the fuel filter assembly 300 is separated from the frame 610 by the robot arm 410 based on signals from the first sensor 641 and the second sensor 642 .

When the first sensor 641 indicates that it is covered or the second sensor 642 indicates that it is covered, the control unit 100 determines that the fuel filter assembly 300 is not separated from the frame 610. 4 Alarms can be output. The operator may check whether the fuel filter assembly 300 is properly separated from the frame 610 based on the output message. The method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly according to the present disclosure has an effect of greatly reducing a defect rate while requiring a minimum number of workers.

Alternatively, the controller 100 may grip the completed fuel filter assembly 300 with the robot arm 410 . The robot arm 410 may grip the inlet 310 of the fuel filter assembly 300 . The controller 100 may grip the inlet 310 and place it on the conveyor belt. A conveyor belt may move the fuel filter assembly 300 to a place for testing.

In addition, the controller 100 may perform a step of blowing high-pressure air toward the inlet 310 of the fuel filter assembly 300 to test the fuel filter assembly 300 . For example, the control unit 100 may control a nozzle for injecting high-pressure air to contact the first surface of the fuel filter assembly 300 . The controller 100 may control a pressure gauge for measuring pressure to be placed on the second surface of the fuel filter assembly 300 . The first surface and the second surface may be opposite to each other. The controller 100 may control the nozzle to spray high-pressure air. The controller 100 may control high-pressure air to be supplied to the nozzle using a compressor. At this time, the pressure gauge may measure air coming out through the fuel filter assembly 300 . The control unit 100 may determine that the fuel filter assembly 300 is defective when the measured value of the pressure gauge is equal to or less than a predetermined first critical pressure. In addition, the control unit 100 may determine the fuel filter assembly 300 as defective when the measured value of the pressure gauge exceeds the second predetermined threshold pressure. The second threshold pressure may be greater than the first threshold pressure. In addition, when the measured value of the pressure gauge exceeds the first threshold pressure and is below the second threshold pressure, the fuel filter assembly 300 may be determined to be normal.

8 is a diagram for explaining the structure of a fuel filter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the fuel filter 330 may have a predetermined shape. The predetermined shape of the fuel filter 330 is not limited to FIG. 8 . The fuel filter 330 may include a hole 810 . Hole 810 may be formed in step 220 . The hole 810 may be configured to allow the coupling portion 321 of the support portion 320 to be exposed and coupled with the coupling portion 311 of the inlet portion 310 . The coupling part 321 of the support part 320 may be coupled to the coupling part 311 of the inlet part 310 through the hole 810 of the fuel filter 330 . However, it is not limited thereto, and the fuel filter 330 may not include the hole 810. The fuel filter 330 is connected to the fuel filter 330 by the coupling portion 321 of the support portion 320 or the coupling portion 311 of the inlet portion 310 during the coupling process between the support portion 320 and the inlet portion 310. A part may be cut to form a hole. Based on the formed hole, the coupling portion 321 of the support portion 320 and the coupling portion 311 of the inlet portion 310 may be coupled to each other.

The fuel filter 330 may include a plurality of layers. The fuel filter 330 may be formed by stacking a plurality of nonwoven fabrics. For example, the fuel filter 330 may be formed by sequentially stacking a first spunbond nonwoven fabric 821 , a needle punched nonwoven fabric 822 , and a second spunbond nonwoven fabric 823 . The weight per unit area of the first spunbond nonwoven fabric 821 may be 70 to 90 g/m 2 . The needle punched nonwoven fabric 822 may have a weight per unit area of 180 to 200 g/m 2 . The second spunbond nonwoven fabric 823 may have a weight per unit area of 20 to 40 g/m 2 .

The average pore size of the fuel filter 330 of the second spunbond nonwoven fabric 823 may be greater than that of the first spunbond nonwoven fabric 821 . Also, the average pore size of the fuel filter 330 in the first spunbond nonwoven fabric 821 may be larger than that in the needle punched nonwoven fabric 822 . The average pore size of the second spunbonded nonwoven fabric 823 is 100 micrometers or more, the average pore size of the first spunbonded nonwoven fabric 821 is 100 micrometers or less, and the average pore size of the needle punched nonwoven fabric 822 is 50 micrometers or less. It may be less than a micrometer.

The thickness of the fuel filter 330 may be within a range of 300 to 600 micrometers. In addition, the fuel filter 330 may have an impurity removal efficiency of 25% or more according to ISO 19438 with respect to impurities having an average particle size of 10 micrometers.

9 is a graph for explaining characteristics of a fuel filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 10 is a graph for explaining characteristics of a fuel filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

9 is a graph showing the filtration efficiency trend. It can be seen that the fuel filter assembly 300 according to the present disclosure shows a higher filtration rate than conventional products in the range of 10 to 35 micrometers. 10 is a graph in which life pressure loss is evaluated. That is, FIG. 10 is a graph showing the applied pressure versus time when a foreign material (dust) passes through the test specification of ISO19438:2003. In the fuel filter assembly 300 according to the present disclosure, the more foreign substances are filtered out, the more differential pressure is applied, so the fuel filter assembly 300 can be considered to have better filtering than conventional products.

So far, we have looked at various embodiments. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to understand that the present invention can be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered from an illustrative rather than a limiting point of view. The scope of the present invention is shown in the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the equivalent range should be construed as being included in the present invention.

On the other hand, the above-described embodiments of the present invention can be written as a program that can be executed on a computer, and can be implemented in a general-purpose digital computer that operates the program using a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes storage media such as magnetic storage media (eg, ROM, floppy disk, hard disk, etc.) and optical reading media (eg, CD-ROM, DVD, etc.).

100 control unit 110 processor
120 memory
300 fuel filter assembly 310 inlet
311 joint 320 support
322 joint 322 support
323 connection 330 fuel filter
410 robot arm 420 first injection platform
430 cutting table 440 2nd injection table
450 workbench
610 Frame 620 Bottom
621 floor 622 goal
630 wall 641 first sensor
642 second sensor
750 lines 810 holes
821 spunbond nonwoven fabric 822 needle punched nonwoven fabric
823 second spunbond nonwoven fabric

Claims (8)

A method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly comprising an inlet, a fuel filter and a support,
injecting the support part from a first injection stand;
Cutting the fuel filter into a predetermined shape on a cutting table;
injecting the inlet from a second ejection table;
putting one surface of the fuel filter in contact with the support;
coupling the coupling portion of the support portion and the coupling portion of the inlet portion by pressing the inlet portion of the other surface of the fuel filter downward;
folding the fuel filter so that one surface of the fuel filter faces each other; and
A method of manufacturing a fuel filter assembly comprising the step of bonding at least a portion of the facing surfaces of the fuel filter to each other. According to claim 1,
The fuel filter,
A first spunbond nonwoven fabric, a needle punched nonwoven fabric, and a second spunbond nonwoven fabric are sequentially formed and formed,
The first spunbond nonwoven fabric has a weight per unit area of 70 to 90 g / m 2,
The needle punched nonwoven fabric has a weight per unit area of 180 to 200 g / m 2,
The second spunbond nonwoven fabric is a method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly having a weight per unit area of 20 to 40 g / m 2. According to claim 2,
the support,
at least one support extending in a first direction and having a linear shape;
a plurality of connection parts extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, having a shape in which crests and valleys are continuous, and arranged to have a predetermined distance from each other, and connecting the at least one support rod; and
A method for manufacturing a fuel filter assembly comprising a coupling portion of the support portion coupled to the plurality of connection portions and coupled to the coupling portion of the inlet portion. According to claim 3,
The step of placing one surface of the fuel filter in contact with the support part,
placing the injected support on a frame on a workbench; and
and placing the fuel filter on the frame on the work table when the support is fixed to the frame on the work table. According to claim 4,
The method of manufacturing the assembly is performed by one robot arm,
The step of placing the injected support part on the frame on the workbench is performed by a first hand formed on a first surface of the robot arm,
The step of placing the fuel filter on the frame on the workbench is performed by a second hand formed on a second surface of the robot arm,
The step of coupling the coupling part of the support part and the coupling part of the inlet part is performed by a third hand formed on a third surface of the robot arm. According to claim 5,
The first ejection table, the cutting table, the second ejection table, and the work table are sequentially disposed in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction around the robot arm. According to claim 6,
The average pore size of the fuel filter is in the order of second spunbond nonwoven fabric ≥ first spunbond nonwoven fabric ≥ needle punched nonwoven fabric,
The average pore size of the second spunbond nonwoven fabric is 100 micrometers or more, the average pore size of the first spunbond nonwoven fabric is 100 micrometers or less, and the average pore size of the needle punched nonwoven fabric is 50 micrometers or less. Way. According to claim 1,
The thickness of the fuel filter is in the range of 300 to 600 micrometers,
The method of manufacturing a fuel filter assembly, wherein the fuel filter has an impurity removal efficiency of 25% or more according to ISO 19438 for impurities having an average particle size of 10 micrometers.

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