WO2011135445A1

WO2011135445A1 - An improved filter group for internal combustion engines

Info

Publication number: WO2011135445A1
Application number: PCT/IB2011/000920
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giorgio Girondi
Original assignee: Ufi Filters S.P.A.
Priority date: 2010-04-30
Filing date: 2011-04-26
Publication date: 2011-11-03
Also published as: IT1399790B1; ITRE20100038A1

Abstract

It is provided an improved filter group for internal combustion engines, comprising an external casing an internal volume of which is separated into two distinct chambers by a filter wall, into which chambers respectively an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit of the fuel open. The filter wall is supported on a support element separated from the casing provided with a plurality of rest feet in contact with the bottom wall of the casing in proximity of a side wall of the casing itself, at least one of said rest feet comprises at least a hole suitable for housing at least a portion of an accessory device suitable to match a corresponding hole of the casing.

Description

AN IMPROVED FILTER GROUP FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a filter group destined to be associated to internal combustion engines, and in particular a filter group to which accessory devices are to be associated.

The fuel filter group comprises an external casing, usually comprising a beaker-shaped body provided with a cover, containing a filter wall separating the casing into two areas connected to the fuel inlet and to the fuel outlet respectively.

BACKGROUND ART

As is known, fuel filter groups, in particular for diesel cycle engines, comprise a plurality of accessory devices such as, for example, fuel temperature sensors, or devices for discharge of the water which separates from the fuel and relative sensors of the level of the water collected in proximity of the bottom of the casing of the filter group, or heating devices for melting the paraffins which tend to form in the diesel at low temperatures.

Said devices are usually fixed to the casing, which in known filters, comprises a series of special predispositions for attaching and inserting the accessory devices.

These predispositions make the production of the filter groups and the assembly thereof expensive as the casing needs to be customised according to the engine layout the group is to be associated to. This necessarily requires the production of batches of dedicated filter groups, which causes an increase in the costs of the filter group both due to the small batches manufactured, which gives no true economy of scale, and for the mounting complications of the group itself.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The aim of the present invention is to make available a filter group having structural and functional characteristics such as to obviate the drawbacks mentioned with reference to the prior art.

The aim is attained by means of the filter group described in claim 1.

The dependent claims delineate preferred and/or especially advantageous aspects of the filter according to the invention.

In particular, the invention makes available an improved filter group for internal combustion engines which comprises an external casing the internal volume of which is separated into two distinct chambers by a filter wall into which an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit for the fuel open, in which the filter wall is supported on a separate support element provided with a plurality of rest feet placed in contact with the bottom wall of the casing, in the proximity of a side wall, and said support element, preferably in at least one of said rest feet, comprises at least one housing suitable to receive at least a portion of an accessory device to be associated to said filter group.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the rest feet of the support element are angularly distanced from one another with respect to the main axis of symmetry of the filter wall.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the rest feet are connected to one another by respective flat or curved walls.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the walls support said accessory device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from a reading of the following description, provided by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a partially-sectioned view of a filter group according to the present invention;

figure 2 is a perspective view of a component of the filter group;

figure 3 is a view from above of the component of figure 2;

figure 4 is section IV-IV of figure 3. Figure 5 shows a partial view in section of an alternative embodiment of the filter group according to the invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In the figures, reference is made to an embodiment of the invention relating to a filter group 1 for diesel; however, other embodiments of the invention might relate to filter groups destined to be used for filtering other types of fuel.

Figure 1 illustrates the filter group 1 , which comprises an external casing 2, beaker-shaped and superiorly closed by a cover 3 on which an inlet conduit 4 and an outlet conduit 5 for the fuel are located.

A toroidal filter wall 6, having a main axis of symmetry A, is housed in the casing 1 , which filter wall 6 is provided with a lower plate 60 and an upper plate 61. The plate 61 is provided with a hollow central spur 62, destined to be inserted in a further spur 8 which derives from the cover 3; the lower plate 60 is rested on a support element 7 housed on the bottom of the casing.

The filter wall 6 substantially divides the internal volume of the casing 2 into two distinct chambers 9 and 10, of which the first chamber 9 is set in communication with the inlet conduit 4 of the fuel to be filtered, and the second chamber 10 is set in communication with the outlet conduit 5 of the filtered fuel.

The support element 7 exhibits three rest feet, respectively 11 , 12 and 13, which are angularly equidistanced from one another with respect to the main axis of symmetry A. The rest feet 11 , 12 and 13, rest on the bottom wall 20 of the casing 2 in proximity of the cylindrical wall 21 of the casing 2.

In particular, in the illustrated embodiment, the rest feet are set in contact with the cylindrical wall 21 of the casing 2.

Support means are associated to the rest foot 11 , for supporting an accessory device such as for example a device 14, represented with a broken line in figure 4, for detecting the water level collected on the bottom of the casing 2. The means comprise a threaded hole 15 in which a corresponding threaded portion of the device 14 is screwed. Obviously the cylindrical wall 21 of the casing 2 exhibits a corresponding hole 150 which enables the device 14 to be sealedly screwed into the threaded hole 15 from the outside of the casing.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 and 4, the longitudinal axis of hole 15 is set so that, in use, or when the rest feet 12, 13, and 14 are resting on the bottom wall 20, is placed substantially orthogonal to main axis of symmetry A of the filter wall 6.

Alternatively, as shown in figure 5, the longitudinal axis of the hole 15 can be differently tilted with respect to main the axis of symmetry A of the filter wall, it could even be substantially parallel to the main axis of symmetry. In this alternative embodiment shown in Figure 5, the back wall and cylindrical side wall 21 of the casing 2 are connected together so as to define a substantially rounded bottom of the casing itself.

The three rest feet 11 , 12, 13 are joined to one another by vertical walls 16 which define a substantially triangular area. In the illustrated embodiment the walls 16 centrally support a cylindrical body 17, which is connected to the walls by mean of a series of ribs 18. The cylindrical body 17 is provided with a central through-hole 19 the axis of which coincides with the main axis of symmetry A of the filter wall 6.

The central hole 19 is internally threaded for sealed fastening of a further accessory device, such as for example a discharge tap 22 (figure 1 and 5), of known type, for the water which separates from the diesel and is collected on the bottom of the casing 2. In this case too naturally the bottom wall 20 of the casing is provided with a hole at the central through-hole 19 such that the operator can sealedly screw the tap 22 into the central through-hole 10 from outside the casing 2.

From the description of the invention is it clear how the use and predisposing in the support element 7 of means for connecting accessory devices (such as, a level and/or temperature sensor and/or a heating device or similar) is particularly advantageous as it enables using the support element for various filter groups, having different casing, lowering production costs.

A further advantage lies in the fact that the connecting means of accessory devices can be used all or partly according to the use destination of the filter group.

For installation of the accessory devices it is sufficient to predispose, in the casing, an adequate number of holes corresponding to the means for connecting in the support element 7.

The invention is not limited to the above-cited examples, and any variants and improvements can be brought thereto without its forsaking the ambit of the claims that follow.

Claims

1 ) . An improved filter group (1 ) for internal combustion engines, comprising an external casing (2) an internal volume of which is separated into two distinct chambers (9, 10) by a filter wall (6), into which chambers (9, 10) respectively an inlet conduit (4) and an outlet conduit (5) of the fuel open, characterised in that the filter wall (6) is supported on a support element (7) separated from the casing provided with a plurality of rest feet (11 , 12,13) in contact with the bottom wall (20) of the casing (2) in proximity of a side wall (21 ) of the casing itself, at least one of said rest feet (1 1 ,12,13) comprising at least a hole (15) suitable for housing at least a portion of an accessory device (14) suitable to match a corresponding hole 150 of the casing (2).

2) . The device of claim 1 , characterised in that the support element (7) comprises three rest feet (1 1 , 12, 13).

3) . The device of claim 1 , characterised in that the rest feet (11 , 12, 13) are reciprocally angularly distanced with respect to a main axis of symmetry (A) of the filter wall (6).

4) . The device of claim 1 , characterised in that the longitudinal axis of said hole (15) is substantially tilted with respect to the main axis of symmetry (A) of said filter wall (6). 5). The device of claim 1 , characterised in that said hole (15) is a threaded hole (15) into which a corresponding portion of the accessory device (14) is screwed.

6). The device of claim 1 , characterised in that the rest feet (11 , 12, 13) are connected to one another by respective walls (16). 7). The device of claim 6, characterised in that the walls (16) support a body (17), a main axis of which body (17) coincides with the main axis of symmetry (A) of the filter wall (6). 8). The device of claim 7, characterised in that the body (17) is connected to the walls (16) by means of ribs (18).

9). The device of claim 8, characterised in that the body (17) exhibits an axial hole (19) for supporting an accessory device (22).