Self-cleaning air filter

Abstract

The invention discloses a self-cleaning air filter, and belongs to the technical field of automobile parts. Comprising a housing having an air inlet channel and an air outlet channel; the filtering assembly is rotatably arranged in the machine shell, comprises a rotary filter element and can filter airflow penetrating through the rotary filter element; the telescopic scraping structure is arranged on the filtering assembly, rotates along with the filtering assembly and comprises a scraping part and a temperature control telescopic part, the scraping part is used for scraping impurities on the inner wall of the machine shell, and the temperature control telescopic part enables the scraping part to make contact with the inner wall of the machine shell when the temperature is low and enables the scraping part to be separated from the inner wall of the machine shell after the temperature rises; and the rotation driving part drives the filtering assembly to rotate by utilizing the air flow entering from the air inlet channel. The scraping structure is driven by air flow generated by air inlet of an engine to rotate, and automatic cleaning of the inner wall of the machine shell is achieved; through intelligent adjustment of the temperature control telescopic part, the engine is promoted to be started through friction heat generation during cold start, and automatic separation is achieved during normal operation to avoid excessive abrasion.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of automobile parts, in particular to an air filter, and more particularly to an air filter with self-cleaning function for engine. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, the commonly used air filter is mainly composed of a filter housing and a filter element, and the filter element is usually made of paper or non-woven fabric material. When air passes through the filter element, the dust and impurities in the air are intercepted by the filter element. However, in actual use, the existing air filter has the following problems: Firstly, after the air is filtered by the filter element, although most of the dust is intercepted by the filter element, part of the fine dust will enter the inside of the filter housing along with the airflow and adhere to the inner wall of the housing under the action of the airflow. With the extension of the use time, the dust accumulated on the inner wall of the housing becomes more and more, which not only re-spreads and pollutes the filtered air under the disturbance of the airflow, but also gradually blocks the airflow passage, resulting in increased intake resistance of the engine, reduced intake air quantity, and affected power performance and fuel economy of the engine.

[0003] Secondly, the cleaning and maintenance of the existing air filter mainly relies on regular disassembly and cleaning or replacement of the filter element by manual operation. However, it is difficult to completely clean the dust accumulated on the inner wall of the housing, and the entire filter needs to be disassembled and cleaned, which is tedious, time-consuming and laborious, and the cleaning frequency is difficult to grasp. If the cleaning is not timely, the use effect will be affected, and if the cleaning is too frequent, the maintenance cost will be increased.

[0004] In addition, in cold environment, the air temperature inhaled during cold start of the vehicle is low, which will affect the combustion efficiency and starting performance of the engine, increase fuel consumption and emission pollution. The existing air filter usually does not have air intake preheating function, and cannot improve the air intake condition during cold start.

[0005] Therefore, how to design an air filter which can realize automatic cleaning, reduce maintenance frequency, and provide appropriate preheating function during cold start, has become a technical problem to be solved by the technical personnel in the field. SUMMARY

[0006] The purpose of the present application is to provide a self-cleaning air filter to solve the problems of reduced air intake caused by dust accumulation on the inner wall of the existing air filter and frequent manual cleaning and maintenance, and to solve the problem of low air intake temperature during cold start of the vehicle.

[0007] To achieve the above purpose, the technical scheme adopted by the present application is as follows: The self-cleaning air filter comprises a casing with an air inlet channel and an air outlet channel; a filter assembly rotatably arranged in the casing, the filter assembly comprising a rotating filter core capable of filtering air flow passing therethrough; a telescopic scraping structure arranged on the filter assembly and rotating together with the filter assembly, the telescopic scraping structure comprising a scraping part for scraping impurities on the inner wall of the casing and a temperature-controlled telescopic part connected with the scraping part and capable of controlling the contact state between the scraping part and the inner wall of the casing according to temperature changes, so that the scraping part is in contact with the inner wall of the casing when the temperature is low and the scraping part is separated from the inner wall of the casing when the temperature rises; a rotating driving member connected with the filter assembly for driving the filter assembly to rotate by using air flow entering from the air inlet channel; and a dust storage box detachably connected with the casing for collecting scraped impurities.

[0008] Preferably, the scraping part is a scraping blade arranged in an arc shape, and the length direction of the scraping blade is consistent with the axial direction of the filter assembly.

[0009] Preferably, the temperature-controlled telescopic part is a memory alloy thermal sensitive tension spring, one end of the memory alloy thermal sensitive tension spring is connected with the inner arc of the scraping blade, and the other end is fixed to the filter assembly; when the temperature in the casing is higher than 40℃, the memory alloy thermal sensitive tension spring contracts and drives the scraping blade to bend and deform to separate from the inner wall of the casing.

[0010] Preferably, the telescopic scraping structure further comprises a connecting ring coaxially sleeved outside the rotating filter core, and the memory alloy thermal sensitive tension spring is connected with the connecting ring through a pull ring mounting seat.

[0011] Preferably, the telescopic scraping structure comprises a plurality of scraping assemblies, and each scraping assembly is distributed along the circumferential direction of the filter assembly.

[0012] Preferably, the rotating driving member is a propeller blade arranged on one side close to the air inlet channel.

[0013] Preferably, the filter assembly further comprises two end plates, the rotating filter core is connected between the two end plates, each of the two end plates is provided with a connecting shaft, and the connecting shaft is rotatably connected with the casing through a bearing.

[0014] Preferably, the rotating filter core and the two end plates form a filter air chamber, the connecting shaft close to the air outlet channel is hollowly arranged and forms a conveying pipeline, and the conveying pipeline is in communication with the filter air chamber and is inserted into the air outlet channel.

[0015] Preferably, a backflow prevention channel is arranged between the casing and the ash storage box, and the cross-sectional area of the backflow prevention channel is smaller than the communication area between the ash storage box and the casing.

[0016] Preferably, a guide adhesion seat is arranged in the ash storage box, and the guide adhesion seat has two guide falling inclined surfaces inclined to two sides respectively.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects: The present application can realize automatic scraping and collecting of the dust adhered to the inner wall of the casing by setting the telescopic scraping structure, driving the filter assembly and the scraping structure to rotate by the airflow generated when the engine inhales, without manual disassembly and cleaning, thereby greatly reducing the maintenance cost and frequency and ensuring the continuous and efficient work of the air cleaner.

[0018] The temperature control telescopic part of the present application can automatically adjust the contact state between the scraping part and the inner wall of the casing according to the temperature, and when the temperature is low at the initial stage of starting the vehicle, the scraping part is in contact with the inner wall to scrape and clean and generate heat by friction to heat the intake air, thereby promoting the cold start of the engine; when the temperature rises to a set value, the scraping part is automatically separated from the inner wall to avoid continuous friction to generate too much heat to affect the normal use, and also reduce the wear of the parts and prolong the service life.

[0019] The ash storage box arranged in the present application is detachably connected to the casing, which facilitates regular cleaning of the collected dust and impurities, and through the design of the backflow prevention channel and the guide adhesion seat, the dust is effectively prevented from returning to the casing under the action of the airflow, thereby ensuring the cleaning effect.

[0020] The present application drives the rotation by using the airflow generated when the engine inhales, without an additional power source, and has the advantages of simple structure, low energy consumption and strong practicability.

[0021] The filter assembly of the present application can throw the dust adhered to the rotating filter core to the inner wall of the casing by centrifugal force during rotation, and realizes self-cleaning of the filter core in cooperation with the scraping structure, thereby further improving the overall cleaning effect and filtering efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 Fig. 1 is a structure schematic view of the casing in the present application with part of the casing being cut open; Figure 2 Fig. 2 is a disassembled structure schematic view of the present application; Figure 3 Fig. 3 is a structure schematic view of the filter assembly and the telescopic scraping structure being installed together in the present application; Figure 4 Fig. 4 is a structure schematic view of the inside of the ash storage box in the present application.

[0023] Reference signs: 10. Housing Filter assembly 20. Retractable scraping structure 30. Rotary drive component 40. Ash collection box 50. Main housing 11. Upper cover 12. Mounting cavity 13. Air inlet pipe 14. Air outlet pipe 15. Perforated plate 121. Insert sleeve 122. Air inlet 123. End plate 21. Rotary filter element 22. Connecting shaft 23. Bearing 24. Conveying pipe 231. Scraping assembly 31. Connecting ring 32. Scraping blade 311. Memory alloy thermosensitive tension spring 312. Pull ring mounting seat 313. Anti-backflow channel 51. Guide adhesion seat 52. Guide slope 521. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Example: This embodiment provides a self-cleaning air filter, which is installed before the engine intake. By adding a specific structure to an existing air filter, it can contact the inner wall of the air filter housing at the initial stage of engine start. The airflow generated by the engine intake at a certain speed drives the structure to rotate, scraping off and collecting the dust adhering to the inner wall, thereby achieving self-cleaning of the air filter. At the same time, during the contact and scraping process, the two will generate heat through friction, thus heating the air and promoting cold start of the vehicle. After the vehicle is driving steadily, the structure can be automatically controlled to separate from the inner wall, so that the air filter can only perform its function of filtering air impurities, avoiding excessive heat generated by continuous friction that affects its use and also avoiding increased wear and tear.

[0025] The self-cleaning air filter includes: The housing 10 is detachably assembled from the main housing 11 and the upper cover 12, and forms an installation cavity 13. The upper cover 12 has an intake pipe 14 communicating with the installation cavity 13 at its end, and the main housing 11 has an exhaust pipe 15 communicating with the installation cavity 13 at its end. The exhaust pipe 15 is connected to the engine. The filter assembly 20 is cylindrical and includes two end plates 21 and a rotating filter element 22 connected between the two end plates 21. Each end plate 21 is coaxially provided with a connecting shaft 23, and both connecting shafts 23 are connected to the housing 10 for relative rotation via bearings 24. The retractable scraping structure 30 is installed on the filter assembly 20 and is used to scrape off dust and other impurities adhering to the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13. The heat generated during scraping friction is used to heat the air to promote engine cold start. At the same time, as the temperature inside the mounting cavity 13 rises, it can gradually detach from the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13 to avoid continuous friction. The rotation drive 40 is used to drive the filter assembly 20 and its retractable scraping structure 30 to rotate. In this embodiment, the rotation drive 40 is a propeller blade, which is mounted on the connecting shaft 23 near the side of the air intake pipe 14 and is driven to rotate by the airflow with a certain speed coming from the air intake pipe 14. The dust collection box 50 is detachably snapped onto the lower end of the housing 10 and communicates with the mounting cavity 13. It is used to collect dust and other impurities scraped off from the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13.

[0026] To ensure that the air entering from the intake pipe 14 can both drive the propeller blades to rotate and pass through the rotating filter element 22 before being discharged from the outlet pipe 15, the present invention makes the following detailed settings for the installation structure of the filter assembly and the gas flow path.

[0027] The upper cover 12 is provided with a perforated plate 121. A plug sleeve 122 is coaxially provided in the middle of the perforated plate 121. A connecting shaft 23 near the side of the intake pipe 14 is inserted into the plug sleeve 122. The perforated plate 121 also has multiple air inlets 123 evenly distributed around the outside of the plug sleeve 122. Air can enter from the intake pipe 14 and pass through the air inlets 123 to the mounting cavity 13. The rotating filter element 22 and the two end plates 21 form a filter air chamber (the filter air chamber is not shown in the figure). Air entering the mounting cavity 13 can pass through the rotating filter element 22 to the filter air chamber. The connecting shaft 23 near the side of the exhaust pipe 15 is hollow and forms a conveying pipe 231. The conveying pipe 231 is connected to the filter air chamber and inserted into the exhaust pipe 15. Therefore, it is ensured that the air in the mounting cavity 13 must pass through the rotating filter element 22 to the filter air chamber before it can continue to flow out along the conveying pipe 231 and the exhaust pipe 15 to the engine.

[0028] The basic principle behind the air filtration and self-cleaning achieved by the above structure is as follows: When the engine starts, air is drawn into the mounting cavity 13 through the intake pipe 14. This air, with a certain flow rate, drives the propeller blades to rotate, thereby causing the filter assembly 20 and its retractable scraping structure 30 to rotate together. The retractable scraping structure 30 rotates along the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13, scraping off dust and other impurities adhering to the inner wall, which fall into the dust collection box 50 at the bottom of the mounting cavity 13, thus achieving self-cleaning of the air filter. After a period of regular use, the dust collection box 50 is removed and the dust and impurities inside are cleaned. After cleaning, it is reinstalled on the housing 10. While scraping off dust, the retractable scraping structure 30 and the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13 generate heat due to friction, which can heat the air and promote cold starting of the vehicle. On the other hand, as air continues to enter, it passes through the rotating filter element 22 into the filter air cavity, thereby filtering air impurities. The filtered air then flows sequentially from the delivery pipe 231 and the exhaust pipe 15 into the engine to provide air for engine starting.

[0029] The retractable scraping structure 30 is the core structural design of this invention. It consists of multiple scraping components 31 and a connecting ring 32 that connects the multiple scraping components 31 into one unit. The connecting ring 32 is coaxially sleeved on the outside of the rotating filter element 22. The scraping components 31 are connected between the two end plates 21 and include: The scraping blade 311 is arc-shaped and its length direction is consistent with the axial direction of the filter assembly 20. Both ends of the scraping blade 311 are connected to the end plates 21. When the vehicle is stopped or just started, the scraping blade 311 abuts against the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13. Multiple shape memory alloy thermal tension springs 312 are provided. One end of each spring is connected to one end of the inner arc of the scraping blade 311, and the other end is connected to a pull ring mounting seat 313, which is fixed on the connecting ring 32.

[0030] With the scraping component 31 configured as described above, the air filter can be self-cleaned every time the vehicle is started. Therefore, there will not be much dust adhering to the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13. Usually, the dust adhering to the inner wall can be scraped off by rotating the scraping component 31 a few times. At the same time, when the engine temperature stabilizes, there is no need to heat the engine. At this time, it is no longer necessary to scrape the inner wall with the scraping blade 311. The scraping blade 311 should be separated from the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13.

[0031] Therefore, the shape memory alloy thermosensitive tension spring 312 selected in this invention can gradually contract as the temperature inside the mounting cavity 13 increases. In this embodiment, when the temperature inside the mounting cavity 13 is higher than 40°C, the shape memory alloy thermosensitive tension spring 312 can contract and drive the scraping blade 311 to bend and deform until it separates from the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13.

[0032] The working principle of the above-mentioned retractable scraping structure 30 is as follows: The airflow from the intake pipe 14 drives the propeller blades to rotate. The propeller blades drive the filter assembly 20 to rotate through the connecting shaft 23 connected to it. The filter assembly 20 drives multiple scraping assemblies 31 to rotate together through the two end plates 21 connected to it. As a result, the scraping blades 311 that abut against the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13 scrape off the dust and other impurities adhering to the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13 and collect them in the dust collection box 50, achieving self-cleaning. At the same time, the frictional heat generated by scraping promotes the cold start of the vehicle. When frictional heat and the heat generated after the engine starts promote the temperature rise in the mounting cavity 13, the shape memory alloy thermal spring 312 gradually contracts and drives the scraper blade 311 to bend and deform towards the pull ring mounting seat 313. When the temperature is higher than 40°C, it drives the scraper blade to completely deform and detach from the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13. Therefore, at this time, the scraper blade 311 will no longer rub against the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13 and generate heat, so that after the vehicle is driving stably, this air filter can only perform the function of filtering air impurities. During stable driving, the rotating filter element 22 uses centrifugal force generated by rotation to throw the dust adsorbed on it toward the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13, causing the dust to re-adhere to the inner wall. When the vehicle is stopped, the temperature inside the mounting cavity 13 gradually decreases, causing the shape memory alloy thermal spring 312 to gradually return to its original length and the scraping blade 311 to abut against the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13 again. When the vehicle is started again, the retractable scraping structure 30 continues to self-clean the dust and impurities on the inner wall of the mounting cavity 13. Then, the above process is repeated to always maintain the cleanliness of the air filter and prevent clogging from affecting the engine intake air volume.

[0033] When the dust and impurities that are scraped off fall into the dust collection box 50, the rotating filter element 22, which rotates continuously and gradually increases in speed, will generate a large airflow. In order to prevent the airflow from blowing up the dust and other impurities that have fallen into the dust collection box 50 and returning them to the installation cavity 13, a narrow anti-backflow channel 51 is provided between the installation cavity 13 and the dust collection box 50 to reduce the airflow entering the dust collection box 50. The dust collection box 50 and the shell wall of the anti-backflow channel 51 are detachably snapped together.

[0034] Furthermore, the ash storage box 50 is provided with a guide adhesion seat 52, which is symmetrically arranged and has two guide slopes 521. The two guide slopes 521 are inclined from the middle to the sides respectively, so that the dust falling into the ash storage box 50 can fall to the sides along the guide slopes 521. The anti-backflow channel 51 is located in the middle of the ash storage box 50. Therefore, when the airflow enters from the anti-backflow channel 51 and then goes to the sides, the airflow velocity can be weakened, so that it can no longer carry the dust up.

[0035] Preferably, the surface of the guide adhesive seat 52 is also coated with an oily substance so that dust can adhere to the two guide inclined surfaces 521, further preventing dust from returning to the mounting cavity 13.

[0036] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the scope of the patent. All equivalent structural modifications made based on the inventive concept of the present invention and the contents of this specification and drawings, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the scope of patent protection of the present invention.

[0037] This invention utilizes a retractable scraping structure on the air filter, employing airflow generated by the engine intake to drive the filter assembly's rotation, thus automatically scraping and cleaning the inner wall of the filter housing. Through intelligent adjustment of the temperature-controlled retractable section, scraping and cleaning are performed during the initial vehicle startup phase, and frictional heat is used to promote cold starts. The system automatically separates as the temperature rises to avoid continuous friction. The entire device has a simple structure, requires no additional power source, and is easy to maintain. It effectively solves the problems of dust accumulation on the inner wall of existing air filters leading to reduced airflow and the need for frequent manual cleaning and maintenance, demonstrating good practical value and promising prospects for widespread application.

Claims

1. A self-cleaning air filter, characterized in that, include: The housing (10) has an air intake passage (14) and an air outlet passage (15); A filter assembly (20) is rotatably disposed within the housing (10), the filter assembly (20) including a rotating filter element (22) capable of filtering the airflow passing through it; A retractable scraping structure (30) is disposed on the filter assembly (20) and rotates together with the filter assembly (20). The retractable scraping structure (30) includes: The scraping part is used to scrape off impurities on the inner wall of the housing (10); and the temperature control telescopic part is connected to the scraping part and can control the contact state between the scraping part and the inner wall of the housing (10) according to the temperature change, so that the scraping part contacts the inner wall of the housing (10) when the temperature is low, and the scraping part separates from the inner wall of the housing (10) after the temperature rises. A rotation drive (40) is connected to the filter assembly (20) and is used to drive the filter assembly (20) to rotate using the airflow entering from the air intake channel (14); A dust collection box (50), detachably connected to the housing (10), is used to collect scraped impurities.

2. The self-cleaning air filter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scraping part is an arc-shaped scraping blade (311), and the length direction of the scraping blade (311) is consistent with the axial direction of the filter assembly (20).

3. The self-cleaning air filter according to claim 2, characterized in that, The temperature control telescopic part is a shape memory alloy thermosensitive tension spring (312). One end of the shape memory alloy thermosensitive tension spring (312) is connected to the inner arc of the scraping blade (311), and the other end is fixed to the filter assembly (20). When the temperature inside the housing (10) is higher than 40°C, the shape memory alloy thermosensitive tension spring (312) contracts and causes the scraping blade (311) to bend and deform until it separates from the inner wall of the housing (10).

4. The self-cleaning air filter according to claim 3, characterized in that, The retractable scraping structure (30) also includes a connecting ring (32), which is coaxially sleeved on the outside of the rotating filter element (22), and the memory alloy thermal tension spring (312) is connected to the connecting ring (32) through a pull ring mounting seat (313).

5. The self-cleaning air filter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The retractable scraping structure (30) includes multiple sets of scraping components (31), each of which is distributed circumferentially along the filter component (20).

6. The self-cleaning air filter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotation drive (40) is a propeller blade, which is located on the side close to the air intake channel (14).

7. The self-cleaning air filter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The filter assembly (20) also includes two end plates (21), the rotating filter element (22) is connected between the two end plates (21), and each end plate (21) is provided with a connecting shaft (23), the connecting shaft (23) is rotatably connected to the housing (10) through a bearing (24).

8. The self-cleaning air filter according to claim 7, characterized in that, The rotating filter element (22) and the two end plates (21) form a filter air cavity. The connecting shaft (23) near the air outlet channel (15) is hollow and forms a conveying pipe (231). The conveying pipe (231) is connected to the filter air cavity and inserted into the air outlet channel (15).

9. The self-cleaning air filter according to claim 1, characterized in that, An anti-backflow channel (51) is provided between the housing (10) and the ash storage box (50), and the cross-sectional area of ​​the anti-backflow channel (51) is smaller than the communication area between the ash storage box (50) and the housing (10).

10. The self-cleaning air filter according to claim 9, characterized in that, The ash storage box (50) is provided with a guide adhesive seat (52), which has two guide slopes (521) that are inclined from the middle to the sides respectively, and the anti-backflow channel (51) is located in the middle of the ash storage box (50).

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