Filter element for filtering fluids

Abstract

A filter element (10) for filtering fluids, in particular fuel, oil, gas, preferably air, or water, in particular of an internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle, comprising a filter medium (12) surrounding an interior space (20) and having at least one connecting end plate (14) having an opening (18) to the interior space (20), wherein the opening (18) is covered by a removable cover plate (28), characterized in that the cover plate (28) has, on its surface facing the opening (18), an adhesive layer (30) which extends flatly over an inner region (32) of the surface of the cover plate (28), which covers the opening (18), and a fastening region (34) of the surface of the cover plate (28) surrounding the inner region (32) on the outside, and with which the cover plate (28) adheres in the fastening region (34) to an adhesive surface (26) on the connecting end plate side,which surrounds the opening (18) and that the cover disc (28) is provided on the outer surface opposite the adhesive layer (30) with markings and / or information on the use, origin and / or quality of the filter element, so that the cover disc (28) forms a label.

Description

Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to a filter element for filtering fluids, in particular fuel, oil, gas, preferably air, or water, in particular of an internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle, with a filter medium surrounding an interior space, which has at least one end body which has an opening to the interior space and the opening is covered by a removable cover plate. State of the art

[0002] US Patent No. 4,321,139 A describes a filter unit for biological fluids. This filter unit consists of an open container, a lid for the container, a filter in contact with the lid and extending downward into the container, and an opening in the lid through which the filtered fluid is removed.

[0003] A sterile filter unit is known from GB 2 318 525 A1. This comprises a housing sealed by membranes to maintain its sterility before use. The housing consists of two components formed with discs between which a disc of the filter medium is held.

[0004] CN 1993171 A shows a filter device for storing and capturing data from RFID tags, the filter device comprising: a plurality of spiral-wound membrane filter assemblies connected in series, each of the filter assemblies having at least one membrane web wound around a central porous tube and an RFID tag connected to a component of the filter device, each of the RFID tags being configured to detect the location and at least one operating characteristic of one of the filter assemblies.

[0005] From EP 1 985 351 A1 a filter device is known with a filter unit, with a filter housing, a filter frame and a filter insert having a filter element, wherein it is provided that a transponder is arranged in the region of the filter unit, and that a reading device for reading the transponder is arranged in the filter unit or outside the filter unit and that the transponder has a memory with data, wherein the data of the memory is cryptographically encrypted.

[0006] An air filter element with a cylindrical filter bellows is known from WO 2008 / 015165 A1. The filter bellows is closed at each end with an end plate. At least one of the end plates is annular, so that a central inner flow channel is open. To prevent contamination and / or damage during transport to the installation site, the end plate and the central inner flow channel of the filter element are completely covered by a cover plate. The cover plate is connected to the end plate. The wall thickness of a connection point between the cover plate and the end plate is very thin to facilitate easy tearing off by hand. The cover plate is provided with a tear-off tab by which it can be easily grasped. Before the filter element can be inserted into an air filter housing, the cover plate must be removed.

[0007] The invention is based on the object of designing a filter element of the type mentioned at the outset, in which an inner side of the filter medium facing the interior is even better protected against contamination and / or damage after production until the installation of the filter element. Disclosure of the invention

[0008] This object is achieved according to the invention by a filter element having the features of claim 1. The cover plate has an adhesive layer on its surface facing the opening, which adhesive layer extends flatly over an inner region of the surface of the cover plate, which covers the opening, and a fastening region of the surface of the cover plate surrounding the inner region on the outside, and with which the cover plate adheres in the fastening region to an adhesive surface on the end body side, which surrounds the opening.

[0009] According to the invention, the surface of the cover panel facing the interior is provided with an adhesive layer. The adhesive layer has a permanent and removable adhesive effect. In the attachment area of the surface, the adhesive layer fulfills a holding function.

[0010] There, the cover plate is held to the adhesive surface on the end body side by the adhesive layer. The connection via the adhesive layer is easily removable, so that the cover plate can be separated from the adhesive surface quickly and easily. On the inside of the surface, the adhesive layer fulfills a cleaning function for the interior of the filter element. Dirt particles located in the interior stick to the adhesive layer. This prevents the particles from settling on the inside of the filter medium and contaminating it. In this way, a filter element is created with the adhesive layer, as the interior cleans itself after production. The cover plate completely covers the opening to the interior. This also prevents contamination from the environment and / or damage to the inside of the filter medium after production of the filter element until installation.The dimensions of the cover plate can be optimally adapted to the opening and the adhesive surface surrounding it, so that the material used in the cover plate can be minimized. Overall, the filter element can meet increased cleanliness requirements compared to the filter element known from the prior art, which is made possible in particular when manufactured under clean room conditions. The cover plate can also function as a seal. An undamaged cover plate indicates to a user that the filter element meets the corresponding cleanliness requirements. According to the invention, the cover plate additionally functions as a label. On the outer surface opposite the adhesive layer, the cover plate is provided with markings and / or instructions for using the filter element, in particular in the form of pictograms.Alternatively or additionally, designations of origin and / or quality may also be provided. Information indicating that the filter element was manufactured under cleanroom conditions may be affixed to the cover plate. The cover plate can be easily manufactured separately from the end body, even from a different material. The surface of the cover plate can simply be coated with the adhesive layer. The manufacturing tolerance requirements for the cover plate are significantly lower than for the prior art filter element, in which the cover plate is connected to the end plate and adapted to it.

[0011] In an advantageous embodiment, the adhesive layer can be an adhesive layer. The adhesive can be simply applied flatly to the surface of the cover plate.

[0012] Advantageously, a permanently non-fully curing adhesive can be used.

[0013] Advantageously, the interior can be located on the clean side of the filter medium. This allows the clean side of the filter medium to be easily sealed and protected from contamination and damage by closing the interior with the cover plate. The fluid filtered through the filter medium flows out through the clean side. Therefore, the clean side must not be contaminated or damaged to ensure efficient filtration.

[0014] In a further advantageous embodiment, a connecting piece can be arranged on the outer side of the end body facing away from the interior, which surrounds the opening, and the adhesive surface can be at least partly formed by an end face of the connecting piece. In this way, the cover plate can also protect the end face of the connecting piece from contamination and damage. The thus protected end face can also be used as a sealing surface when the filter element is installed.

[0015] Advantageously, the cover plate can have a tear-off tab. The tear-off tab allows the cover plate to be easily grasped to separate it from the filter element.

[0016] Furthermore, the filter medium can advantageously be cylindrical in shape. A cylindrical-tubular filter medium can be easily manufactured. In particular, the filter medium can be coaxially zigzag-shaped, in particular folded from a filter fleece or filter paper, and closed in the circumferential direction. Cylindrical-tubular filter media are space-saving and have an optimal ratio of active filter surface to required installation space. Short description of the drawings

[0017] Further advantages, features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, in which an embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. They show schematically Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a fuel filter element in which an interior is closed by a removable cover plate; Fig. 2 the filter element from the Fig. 1, where the cover plate is separated from a filter bellows; Fig. 3 Remove the filter element and the cover plate from the Fig. 2 in a side view.

[0018] In the figures, identical components are provided with the same reference symbols. Embodiment(s) of the invention

[0019] In the Fig. 1 to 3, a filter element 10 for filtering fuel is shown. The filter element 10 is intended for installation in a Fig. 1 to 3 not shown fuel filter housing of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle.

[0020] The filter element 10 comprises a cylindrical tube-shaped filter bellows 12 made of a zigzag-folded, fuel-permeable filter medium, for example a filter fleece or a filter paper. Fig. 1 to 3 upper end face of the filter bellows 12, a connecting end plate 14 is placed as an end body and is connected to the filter bellows 12 in a liquid-tight manner. On the other end face, in the Fig. 1 to 3 below, a second end plate 16 is placed on top and is also connected to the filter bellows 12 in a liquid-tight manner.

[0021] The connecting end plate 14 is annular and has an opening 18 to an interior space 20 of the filter bellows 12, which opening is particularly Fig. 2. The interior space 20 borders the clean side of the filter medium of the filter bellows 12. During operation of the filter element 10, the fuel to be filtered flows through the filter bellows 12 from the raw side, radially from the outside to the inside, to the clean side.

[0022] On the axial outer side of the connection end plate 14 facing away from the interior 20, a connection piece 22 for the fuel filter housing is arranged coaxially with the opening 18. The connection piece 22 surrounds the opening 18. In its radially outer circumferential side, the connection piece 22 has a sealing groove 24 for a ring seal (not shown), which, when the filter element 10 is installed, lies tightly against a corresponding connection geometry of the fuel filter housing.

[0023] On its free end face facing away from the interior 20, the connecting piece 22 has a flat annular surface coaxial with the opening 18, which forms an adhesive surface 26 for a cover plate 28.

[0024] The cover plate 28 is made of a film material, for example plastic or metal. It has an adhesive layer 30 on its surface facing the opening 18, which in the side view Fig. 3 is indicated by dots. With the adhesive layer 30, the cover plate 14 is, as shown in Fig. 1, is easily removably attached to the adhesive surface 26 of the connecting piece 22. The cover plate 14 completely covers the opening 18.

[0025] The adhesive layer 30 extends flatly over an inner region 32 of the surface of the cover plate 14 and a fastening region 34 of the surface radially surrounding the inner region 32. In the fastening region 34, the adhesive layer 30 lies flat against the adhesive surface 26 of the connecting piece 22. The inner region 32 covers the opening 18 when the cover plate 28 is installed. In the inner region 32, the adhesive layer 30 directly borders the interior space 20. Any particles present in the interior space 20, such as dirt or material residues, can reach the adhesive layer 30 and adhere to it.

[0026] The cover plate 28 further has a tear-off tab 36 which can be gripped to remove the cover plate 28 from the connection piece 22.

[0027] On the surface of the cover plate 28 facing away from the connection piece 22, symbols 40 in the form of pictograms are applied, which provide instructions for the use of the filter element 10.

[0028] During the manufacture of the filter element 10, the connecting end plate 14 is provided with the connecting piece 22. The filter bellows 12 is folded from the filter medium and tightly connected to the connecting end plate 14 and the end plate 16.

[0029] The cover plate 28 is provided with the adhesive layer 30. It is applied with the adhesive layer 30 first, in the Fig. 2 in the direction of an arrow 38, onto the adhesive surface 26. In this way, the interior 20 is closed to the outside and the adhesive surface 26 of the connecting piece 22 is protected.

[0030] To ensure that the filter element 10 meets stringent cleanliness requirements, its manufacture, including the attachment of the cover plate 28, can take place under clean room conditions. This ensures that the contamination of the interior 20 with dirt particles is kept correspondingly low. After the cover plate 28 is covered, the clean side of the filter element 10 and the end face of the connection piece 22 are protected from the outside against contamination or damage, particularly during storage and transport. Any particles contained in the interior 20, such as dirt or material residues, pass through the opening 18 to the adhesive layer 30 in the interior region 32 of the cover plate 28, adhere to it, and are thus kept away from the clean side of the filter bellows 12.

[0031] Before installing the filter element 10 into the fuel filter housing, the cover plate 28 must be removed from the connection piece 22 by pulling on the tear-off tab 36. The filter element 10 is then inserted into the fuel filter housing.

[0032] In all the above-described embodiments of a filter element 10, the following modifications are possible, among others: The invention is not limited to filter elements 10 for fuel in internal combustion engines of motor vehicles. Rather, it can also be used with other types of filter elements for filtering fluids, such as oil, gas, in particular air, or water. In addition to automotive engineering, it can also be used in other types of internal combustion engines, such as industrial engines. It can also be used outside of internal combustion engines, for example, in water systems.

[0033] Instead of being folded in a zigzag pattern, the filter medium can also be designed differently to form the filter bellows 12. Instead of being folded, the filter medium can also be flat, preferably with a correspondingly large radial expansion. Instead of being cylindrical, the filter bellows can also have a different shape surrounding an interior space, for example, a conical shape.

[0034] Instead of a filter fleece or filter paper, a different type of filter medium, such as a filter mat, a membrane filter or an activated carbon filter, can also be provided.

[0035] In addition to the connection end plate 14, the other end plate 16 can also have a corresponding opening to the interior 20, which can be covered with a corresponding cover plate similar to the cover plate 28.

[0036] The cover plate 28 can also be dimensionally stable instead of a film. The cover plate 28 can, for example, be a sturdy plastic plate or metal plate.

[0037] The cover plate 28 can also be designed so that it is irreparably damaged upon removal. For example, the cover plate 28 can be provided with predetermined breaking points. In this way, the cover plate 28 can also fulfill a sealing function. This allows a user to easily determine whether the cover plate 28 has continuously protected the interior 20 of the filter bellows 12 since the filter element 10 was manufactured. This is particularly beneficial with regard to quality assurance.

[0038] Instead of adhesive, the adhesive layer 30 may also be made of a different type of adhesive material which is capable of reliably holding the cover plate 28 to the adhesive surface 26 and capturing particles in the interior space 20.

[0039] In addition to or as an alternative to the usage instructions, information about origin or quality, for example, information indicating that the filter element 10 was manufactured under clean room conditions, may also be provided. The symbols 40 on the outer surface of the cover plate 28 may also be omitted.

[0040] The clean side of the filter bellows 12 can also be located radially outward, and the dirty side can be adjacent to the interior space 20. In this case, the flow through the filter bellows 12 is from radially inside to outside.

Claims

[1] Filter element (10) for filtering fluids, in particular fuel, oil, gas, preferably air, or water, in particular of an internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle, with a filter medium (12) surrounding an interior space (20) which has at least one connection end plate (14) which has an opening (18) to the interior space (20), wherein the opening (18) is covered by a removable cover plate (28), characterized bythat the cover plate (28) has an adhesive layer (30) on its surface facing the opening (18), which adhesive layer extends flatly over an inner region (32) of the surface of the cover plate (28), which covers the opening (18), and a fastening region (34) of the surface of the cover plate (28) surrounding the inner region (32) on the outside, and with which the cover plate (28) adheres in the fastening region (34) to an adhesive surface (26) on the connection end plate side, which adhesive surface surrounds the opening (18), and that the cover plate (28) is provided on the outer surface opposite the adhesive layer (30) with markings and / or information on the use, origin and / or quality of the filter element, so that the cover plate (28) forms a label. [2] Filter element according to claim 1, characterized by that the adhesive layer is an adhesive layer (30). [3] Filter element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat the interior (20) is located on a clean side of the filter medium (12). [4] Filter element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a connecting piece (22) is arranged on the outer side of the connecting end plate (14) facing away from the interior (20), which connecting piece surrounds the opening (18), and the adhesive surface (26) is at least partly formed by an end face of the connecting piece (22). [5] Filter element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the cover plate (28) has a tear-off tab (36). [6] Filter element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the filter medium (12) is cylindrical in shape.

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