Fuel filter

Abstract

The fuel filter comprises a shell and a filter element, the shell comprises a base with an opening and a screw cap used for sealing the opening, and the base and the screw cap define the internal volume; a cartridge disposed in the upper compartment of the interior volume, the cartridge comprising a second end cap; wherein the rotary cover defines a water accumulation chamber of the internal volume, the outer periphery of the second end cover is connected to the inner side wall of the rotary cover, and a through hole communicated with the upper compartment and the water accumulation chamber is formed so as to collect and contain water and impurities separated by the annular filtering medium. In the technical scheme, according to the device, water and impurities separated by the annular filter medium, particularly impurities intercepted and attached to the surface of the filter medium fall off due to vibration of vehicle running, and are deposited in the water accumulation chamber through the through holes under the action of gravity, correspondingly, the impurities accumulated on the filter medium of the filter element are less, and the filter element is more stable in running. And the risk that the flow resistance of the filter element is quickly increased due to blockage caused by impurity accumulation of the filter medium is delayed, so that the service life of the filter is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of filters, and particularly relates to a fuel filter. Background Art

[0002] The filter element in a fuel filter or oil filter has a water filtering function and needs to drain the filtered water within a certain period. To reduce the drainage period, a certain volume needs to be designed to store water.

[0003] EP2700437B1 discloses a water-separating fuel filter, which includes a housing with a bottom. The housing includes a closure (lid) removable relative to the rest of the housing. The closure includes a tubular side wall having an opening around its annular upper end, such that the closed portion forms a container extending between the bottom and the upper end. The container defines an internal volume and has a raw fuel inlet and a filtered fuel outlet spaced apart. The filter further includes a filter element disposed in an upper compartment of the internal volume. The filter element has an upper end, a bottom end remote from the bottom of the housing, an annular filter medium extending around the bottom end, and a central axis between the upper end and the bottom end. The filter medium has an inner surface defining an internal space for separating water in the internal space; a water accumulation chamber of the internal volume defined by the housing portion, in which water can be accumulated; the filter element defines an upstream region (non-clean side) communicating with the raw fuel inlet and a downstream region (clean side) communicating with the filtered fuel outlet.

[0004] Although the above patent can achieve water storage and discharge, the sealing method between the annular outer periphery of the bottom end of the filter element and the upper end of the closure, such as welding and bonding, is too complex, resulting in the non-removability of the filter element and the closure, requiring overall replacement, high maintenance cost, and a large amount of solid waste after use. Summary of the Utility Model

[0005] The main object of the utility model is to propose a fuel filter and a filter, aiming to solve the technical problems that the current filter element is difficult to disassemble due to its complex sealing method and the large amount of solid waste is likely to cause too high flow resistance.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the fuel filter proposed by the utility model includes:

[0007] A housing, including a base with an opening and a screw cap for closing the opening, the two defining an internal volume, the base being provided with a fuel inlet and a fuel outlet arranged away from the screw cap;

[0008] A filter element, disposed in an upper compartment of the internal volume, the filter element including an annular filter medium, and a first end cap and a second end cap connected to the annular filter medium;

[0009] Wherein, the screw cap defines a water accumulation chamber of the internal volume, an outer peripheral edge of the second end cap is connected to an inner side wall of the screw cap, and a through hole communicating the upper compartment and the water accumulation chamber is formed to collect and accommodate water and impurities separated by the annular filter medium.

[0010] Optionally, an annular groove is formed between the outer peripheral edge and a main body of the second end cap, and the through hole is opened in the annular groove.

[0011] Optionally, the annular filter medium includes a water blocking layer for blocking water in the oil liquid.

[0012] Optionally, a clamping portion is provided on an inner side wall of the screw cap, and the outer peripheral edge abuts against the clamping portion to fix the filter element to the screw cap, and the filter element is removed together with the screw cap during disassembly.

[0013] Optionally, the clamping portion is provided as a plurality of buckles that can be connected to and disassembled from the filter element.

[0014] Optionally, the annular filter medium has a central cavity defined around its central axis, and the base is provided with a central column extending into the central cavity from the fuel outlet.

[0015] Optionally, the first end cap is provided with a first opening leading into the central cavity, and the central column enters the central cavity from the first opening.

[0016] Optionally, the second end cap is provided with a second opening leading into the central cavity, and a tube wall of the central column is sealingly connected to the second opening, and an end portion thereof extends into the water accumulation chamber from the second opening.

[0017] Optionally, a water level sensor is provided at an end portion of the central column.

[0018] Optionally, the filter element further includes a central skeleton, the central skeleton is disposed in the central cavity, and has a plurality of fins extending along a spiral path with respect to the central axis of the annular filter medium.

[0019] Optionally, a drain port, a vent hole, and a drain valve for simultaneously controlling the drain port and the vent hole are provided at the bottom of the screw cap to drain the accumulated water after balancing the internal and external air pressures.

[0020] In the technical solution of the present utility model, by connecting the outer peripheral edge of the second end cover to the inner side wall of the screw cap, a water accumulation cavity is formed. There is no need to connect and seal the filter element and the screw cap by means of secondary encapsulation injection molding, etc. The manufacturing process is simple, the production efficiency is improved, and the production cost is reduced. Moreover, the product processing steps are reduced, it is not easy to generate large product processing errors, and the product structure stability is improved. This device can process the filter element and the screw cap separately, and then perform subsequent assembly connection and sealing of the filter element and the screw cap. When necessary, the connected filter element and screw cap can be disassembled. When one of the filter element or the screw cap has processing defects, only the defective part needs to be processed. Therefore, unnecessary waste and quality losses can be reduced, and the production cost is lowered. This device can separate water and impurities through the annular filter medium. In particular, the impurities intercepted and attached to the surface of the filter medium fall off due to the vibration of the vehicle during driving, and are deposited into the water accumulation chamber through the through holes under the action of gravity. Correspondingly, less impurities accumulate on the filter medium of the filter element, delaying the risk of rapid increase in the flow resistance of the filter element caused by blockage due to impurity accumulation, thereby improving the service life of the filter. At the same time, when draining water, the impurities deposited in the water accumulation chamber can be discharged together with the water, further reducing the risk of increased concentration of impurities on the non-clean side of the filter during long-term operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present utility model or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present utility model. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional structure diagram of an embodiment of a fuel filter provided by the present utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 is Figure 1 the front view of;

[0024] Figure 3 is Figure 2 the cross-sectional view of the A-A section in;

[0025] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a fuel filter provided by the present utility model;

[0026] Figure 5 is Figure 1 the three-dimensional structure diagram of the base in;

[0027] Figure 6 is Figure 1 the three-dimensional structure diagram of the screw cap in;

[0028] Figure 7 is Figure 1 a cross-sectional view of the outer housing;

[0029] Figure 8 is Figure 3 a three-dimensional structure diagram of a perspective of the filter element;

[0030] Figure 9 is Figure 3 a three-dimensional structure diagram of another perspective of the filter element.

[0031] Reference numeral description: fuel filter - 100, outer housing - 1, internal volume - 1a, upper compartment - A1, water accumulation chamber - A2, base - 11, central column - 112, water level sensor - 113, opening - 11a, fuel inlet - 11b, fuel outlet - 11c, screw cap - 12, small opening - 12a, drain port - 12b, vent hole - 12c, snap connection part - 121, drain valve - 13, filter element - 2, annular filter medium - 21, central cavity - 21a, water blocking layer - 211, central skeleton - 22, flow channel - 22a, fin - 221, first end cap - 23, first opening - 23a, annular wall - 231, second end cap - 24, second opening - 24a, outer peripheral edge - 241, main body - 242, annular groove - 243, through hole - 243a.

[0032] The realization, functional features and advantages of the purpose of the present utility model will be further described with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Specific embodiments

[0033] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without making creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0034] For a better description and illustration of the embodiments of the present application, one or more accompanying drawings may be referred to, but the additional details or examples used to describe the drawings should not be considered as limiting the scope of any of the utility model creations, the currently described embodiments or the preferred modes of the present application.

[0035] In the description of the present utility model, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present utility model, rather than indicating that the device referred to must have a specific orientation or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation to the present utility model.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field to which this application belongs. The terms used in the description of this application herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit this application.

[0037] EP2700437B1 discloses a water-separating fuel filter. Although it can achieve water storage and discharge, the sealing method between the annular outer periphery at the bottom end of the filter element and the upper end of the closure, such as welding, bonding, etc., is too complex, which is not conducive to the replacement of the filter element; and it will cause sealing failure after long-term use.

[0038] In view of this, the present utility model provides a fuel filter 100, Figures 1 to 9 This is an embodiment of the fuel filter 100 provided by the present utility model, which is mainly used for filtering fuel. Please refer to Figures 1 to 9 The fuel filter 100 includes a housing and a filter element.

[0039] Specifically, the housing 1 includes a base 11 having an opening 11a and a screw cap 12 for closing the opening 11a. After being closed with each other, an internal volume 1a is defined; wherein, the base 11 is provided with a fuel inlet 11b and a fuel outlet 11c arranged away from the screw cap 12. The filter element 2 is arranged in the upper compartment A1 of the internal volume 1a. In this embodiment, the fuel inlet 11b communicates with the upper compartment A1, and the fuel outlet 11c communicates with the clean side inside the filter element 2. The filter element 2 includes an annular filter medium 21, a central skeleton 22, and a first end cap 23 and a second end cap 24 connected to the first end of the annular filter medium 21. It should be noted that the first end cap 23 and the second end cap 24 are sealingly connected to both ends of the annular filter medium 21, and the connection method can be hot melt welding, glue bonding, etc.

[0040] Among them, the screw cap 12 defines a water accumulation chamber A2 of the internal volume 1a. The outer peripheral edge 241 of the second end cap 24 is connected to the inner side wall of the screw cap 12, and a through hole 243a communicating the upper compartment A1 and the water accumulation chamber A2 is formed on the second end cap 24 to collect and accommodate the water and impurities separated by the annular filter medium 21.

[0041] In the technical solution of the present utility model, by connecting the outer peripheral edge 241 of the second end cap 24 to the inner side wall of the screw cap 12, a water accumulation cavity is formed. There is no need to connect and seal the filter element 2 and the screw cap 12 by means of secondary encapsulation injection molding or the like. The manufacturing process is simple, the production efficiency is improved, and the production cost is reduced. Moreover, the product processing steps are reduced, it is not easy to generate large product processing errors, and the structural stability of the product is improved. This device can process the filter element 2 and the screw cap 12 respectively, and then perform subsequent assembly connection and sealing of the filter element 2 and the screw cap 12. When necessary, the connected filter element 2 and the screw cap 12 can be disassembled. When one of the filter element 2 or the screw cap 12 has processing defects, only the defective part needs to be processed. Therefore, unnecessary waste and quality losses can be reduced, and the production cost is lowered.

[0042] The water and impurities separated by the annular filter medium 21 of this device, especially the impurities intercepted and attached to the surface of the filter medium 21, fall off due to the vibration of the vehicle during driving, and are deposited into the water accumulation chamber A2 through the through holes 243a under the action of gravity. Correspondingly, there are fewer impurities accumulated on the filter medium 21 of the filter element 2, delaying the risk of the rapid increase in the flow resistance of the filter element 2 caused by the blockage of the filter medium 21 due to impurity accumulation, thereby increasing the service life of the filter 100. At the same time, when draining water, the impurities deposited in the water accumulation chamber A2 can be discharged together with the water, further reducing the risk of the increase in the concentration of impurities on the non-clean side of the filter 100 during long-term operation.

[0043] Furthermore, for the convenience of water and impurity deposition, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 9 , in an embodiment of the present utility model, a connection structure between the outer peripheral edge 241 and the main body 242 of the second end cap 24 forms an annular groove 243, which extends circumferentially, and the through hole 243a is opened on the wall of the annular groove 243. In this embodiment, the cross-section of the annular groove 243 is V-shaped. The water and impurities separated by the filter medium 21 slide down on its inclined wall and are deposited into the water accumulation chamber A2 through the through hole 243a under the action of gravity, which can increase the descending speed. Preferably, there are multiple through holes 243a, and they are evenly distributed circumferentially on the wall of the annular groove 243. The shape of the annular groove 243 can also be designed into others.

[0044] It should be noted that the outer edge 241 and the main body 242 of the second end cap 24 are integrally formed. Of course, a split connection method can also be adopted.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 3, in an embodiment of the present utility model, the annular filter medium 21 includes a water-blocking layer 211. Water in the fuel can be intercepted by the water-blocking layer 211 and, under the action of gravity (the specific gravity of water is greater than that of fuel), settle towards the water accumulation chamber A2 through the through holes 243a. In this embodiment, the water-blocking layer 211 is an oil-water separation filter membrane. The oil-water separation filter membrane is formed in a cylindrical shape in a surrounding manner and is connected to the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge 241 of the annular filter medium 21 to separate water from the oil liquid.

[0046] To increase the axial connection stability between the filter element 2 and the screw cap 12, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 6 , in an embodiment of the present utility model, the side wall of the screw cap 12 is provided with a clamping portion 121. The top end of the outer edge 241 abuts against the clamping portion 121 to prevent the filter element 2 from separating from the screw cap 12 axially, so that the filter element 2 is fixed to the screw cap 12 and the filter element 2 can be removed together with the screw cap 12 during disassembly. It should be noted that both the outer edge 241 and the clamping portion 121 have a certain elasticity, and when installing the filter element 2, the annular outer edge 241 can be pressed down into the screw cap 12 and then abuts against the clamping portion 121.

[0047] Furthermore, to provide the clamping portion 121 on the screw cap 12, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 6 , in an embodiment of the present utility model, a small opening 12a is formed on the side wall of the screw cap 12, and a protruding buckle is formed at the small opening 12a. The buckle can be elastically compressed radially outward and reset radially inward at the small opening 12a. Thus, after the outer edge 241 compresses the buckle outward, its top end can abut against the clamping portion 121. Preferably, there are two clamping portions 121, which are symmetrically arranged along the inner side wall of the screw cap 12; of course, it can also be set to other numbers as long as it can achieve the axial positioning effect of the filter element 2. The setting of the small opening 12a also plays an auxiliary role in the subsequent detachment of the filter element 2 from the screw cap 12. Just continue to compress the buckle outward at the small opening 12a to release the axial limit of the filter element 2, and then pull out the filter element 2 from the screw cap 12 with force.

[0048] It should be noted that the inner side wall of the screw cap 12 is formed with a contour or an abutting rib adapted to the outer peripheral edge 241 of the second end cap 24. When the top end of the outer peripheral edge 241 abuts against the clamping portion 121, the side surface of the outer peripheral edge 241 just fits the contour or the abutting rib, preventing it from moving downward further, thereby positioning the second end cap 24 and the filter element 2.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 4 , in other embodiments, the clamping portion 121 is an annular protrusion provided on the inner side wall of the screw cap 12, which can also position the filter element 2, but the disassembly is relatively difficult.

[0050] To suck the clean fuel in the filter element 2, please refer toFigure 3 , in an embodiment of the present utility model, the annular filter medium 21 has a central cavity 21a defined around its central axis, the base 11 is provided with a central column 112 extending axially, and the central column 112 extends into the central cavity 21a from the fuel outlet 11c. When sucking the clean fuel in the suction filter element 2, the liquid level of the oil in the central cavity 21a rises, and then flows to the fuel outlet 11c under the guidance of the central column 112.

[0051] Further, to enable the central column 112 to pass through the first end cap 23, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 8 , in an embodiment of the present utility model, the first end cap 23 is provided with a first opening 23a leading into the central cavity 21a, and the central column 112 enters the central cavity 21a from the first opening 23a. In this embodiment, the first end cap 23 radially protrudes outward along the outer periphery of the first opening 23a to form an annular wall 231, and the annular wall 231 is sealingly connected to the fuel outlet 11c of the base 11, so as to relatively and sealingly separate the clean side (central cavity 21a) and the non-clean side (upper compartment A1 outside the annular filter medium 21) of the filter element 2, so as to facilitate the formation of a negative pressure, so that the fuel can smoothly pass through the annular filter medium 21 and achieve filtration.

[0052] To detect the water level in the water accumulation chamber A2, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 7 and Figure 9 , in an embodiment of the present utility model, the second end cap 24 is provided with a second opening 24a communicating with the central cavity 21a, the end of the central column 112 passes through the second opening 24a and extends into the water accumulation chamber A2, and a water level sensor 113 is provided at the end of the central column 112. The water level sensor 113 includes two electrodes. When the water in the water accumulation chamber A2 deposits to a predetermined water level, the two electrodes conduct electricity and send out an alarm to remind the operator to open the water outlet channel for drainage. It should be noted that the outer side wall of the central column 112 is sealingly connected to the second opening 24a to prevent the clean fuel in the central cavity 21a from entering the water accumulation chamber A2.

[0053] Further, to facilitate drainage, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 6 and Figure 7, in an embodiment of the present utility model, the water outlet channel is a drain port 12b provided at the bottom of the rotary cap 12. A ventilation hole 12c is also provided at the bottom of the rotary cap 12 for balancing the air pressure between the water accumulation chamber A2 and the external environment. A drain valve 13 for simultaneously controlling the drain port 12b and the ventilation hole 12c is further provided at the bottom of the rotary cap 12. When the operator receives a drainage reminder, the drain valve 13 is opened to balance the air pressure between the water accumulation chamber A2 and the external environment, and finally the accumulated water is discharged from the drain port 12b. It should be noted that the drain valve 13 is a bolt with a sealing ring.

[0054] To improve the filtration efficiency of the oil fluid, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 8 , in an embodiment of the present utility model, the filter element 2 further includes a central skeleton 22. The central skeleton 22 is disposed in the central cavity 21a and is connected to the first end cap 23 and the second end cap 24 at both ends to provide support for the annular filter medium 21. Among them, the central skeleton 22 includes a plurality of fins 221, and each fin 221 extends along a spiral path with respect to the central axis of the annular filter medium 21 to form a plurality of flow channels 22a for the oil fluid. When the oil fluid is sucked by the pump, it climbs upward along the surface of the fin 221, and under the guidance of the central column 112, the filtering speed of the oil fluid is accelerated, thereby improving the filtration efficiency of the oil fluid.

[0055] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity of description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as the scope recorded in this specification.

[0056] The above embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present application, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the utility model patent. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several deformations and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present application shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A fuel filter, characterized in that: include: A housing (1) comprising a base (11) having an opening (11a) and a screw cap (12) for closing the opening (11a), the two defining an internal volume (1a), the base (11) being provided with a fuel inlet (11b) and a fuel outlet (11c) arranged away from the screw cap (12); A filter element (2) disposed in the upper compartment (A1) of the internal volume (1a), the filter element (2) comprising an annular filter medium (21), and a first end cap (23) and a second end cap (24) connected to the annular filter medium (21); The rotary cover (12) defines a water accumulation chamber (A2) of the internal volume (1a); the outer peripheral edge (241) of the second end cover (24) is connected to the inner side wall of the rotary cover (12), and a through hole (243a) is formed to connect the upper compartment (A1) and the water accumulation chamber (A2) so as to collect and contain water and impurities separated by the annular filter medium (21).

2. The fuel filter according to claim 1, characterized in that An annular groove (243) is formed between the outer peripheral edge (241) and the main body (242) of the second end cover (24), and the through hole (243a) is opened in the annular groove (243).

3. The fuel filter according to claim 1, characterized in that The annular filter medium (21) comprises a water blocking layer (211) for blocking water in the oil.

4. The fuel filter according to claim 1, characterized in that The inner side wall of the rotary cover (12) is provided with a clamping portion (121), and the outer peripheral edge (241) abuts against the clamping portion (121) to fix the filter element (2) to the rotary cover (12), and the filter element (2) is removed together with the rotary cover (12) during disassembly.

5. The fuel filter according to claim 4, characterized in that The clamping portion (121) is configured as a plurality of buckles that can be connected to and detached from the filter element (2).

6. The fuel filter according to claim 1, characterized in that The annular filter medium (21) has a central cavity (21a) set around its central axis, and the base (11) is provided with a central column (112) extending from the fuel outlet (11c) into the central cavity (21a).

7. The fuel filter according to claim 6, characterized in that The first end cover (23) is provided with a first opening (23a) for entering the central cavity (21a), and the central column (112) enters the central cavity (21a) from the first opening (23a).

8. The fuel filter according to claim 6, characterized in that The second end cover (24) is provided with a second opening (24a) entering the central cavity (21a); ​​the tube wall of the central column (112) is sealedly connected to the second opening (24a), and its end extends from the second opening (24a) into the water accumulation chamber (A2).

9. The fuel filter according to claim 6, characterized in that A water level sensor (113) is provided at the end of the central column (112).

10. The fuel filter according to claim 6, characterized in that The filter element (2) further comprises a central skeleton (22), the central skeleton (22) being arranged in the central cavity (21a) and having a plurality of fins (221) extending in a spiral path relative to the central axis of the annular filter medium (21).

11. The fuel filter according to claim 1, characterized in that The bottom of the rotary cover (12) is provided with a drainage port (12b), a vent hole (12c), and a drainage valve (13) that controls the drainage port (12b) and the vent hole (12c) simultaneously, so as to drain the accumulated water after balancing the internal and external air pressures.

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