Filter apparatus

Abstract

A filter apparatus with a filter housing (10) comprising at least two housing parts (12, 14), which can be connected re-releasably to one another by means of a connecting device (16), characterized in that the connecting device (16), designed in the form of a bayonet closure (22), has individual closure elements (24) on the one housing part (12), and these individual closure elements are spaced apart from one another such that further closure elements (28) of the other housing part (14) engage at least in part into the spacings (26), and in that relative movement of the two housing parts (12, 14) causes the closure elements (24, 28) of one housing part (12) and the other housing part (14) to be brought into engagement with one another, or separated from one another, at least in part.

Description

[0001] filter device

[0002] The invention relates to a filter device with a filter housing consisting of at least two housing parts which can be connected to one another in a releasable manner by means of a connecting device.

[0003] EP 1 088 581 BI discloses a filter device with at least two filter chambers, each containing a filter element received in an element holder, and a switching device for selectively connecting and disconnecting the filter chambers in a fluid-conducting manner, wherein the components of the filter chambers and the switching device are assembled by means of screw connections. In particular, a head-end housing cover is detachably connected to the associated filter chamber for receiving the filter element via a screw connection. The connecting device formed from individual screws requires a certain degree of care when screwing the screws in and out, and furthermore, the full number of individual screws is necessary for a secure, sealed connection between the housing cover and the filter chamber. Missing screws would in any case have to be replaced before the known filter device is put into operation.

[0004] WO 99 / 61 131 A1 discloses a device for detachably connecting a hollow cylindrical filter element to a filter device, which has a flange part serving as a filter holder, against the annular surface of which the edge of an end opening of the filter element can be pressed with mutual sealing by means of a clamping device, which has clamps provided on the flange part with flexible legs that can be locked with at least one locking element formed on the filter element, wherein the clamping device has a plurality of spring clamps designed as separate components that are arranged distributed around the circumference of the flange part.In this way, a filter head, as one housing part of a filter device, can be easily connected to a filter element in a detachable manner; however, a connection of the filter head to other housing parts of a filter device, such as a pot-shaped housing receptacle, for the exchangeable reception of a filter element is not provided.

[0005] EP 1 263 518 B1 discloses a filter device comprising at least one filter element that can be accommodated in a filter housing, having an inlet for a fluid to be cleaned and an outlet for the fluid cleaned by the filter element, wherein the filter element is held in at least one element receptacle of the filter housing using a bayonet lock. Furthermore, a housing cover can be detachably connected to the housing receptacle by means of a tensioning strap, which can be manually operated using a tensioning bracket. The corresponding quick-release fastener with tensioning bracket must also be stored and handled separately from the housing parts of the filter device, whereby tensioning the strap requires increased force.

[0006] Based on this prior art, the invention seeks to improve the known fastening solutions. This object is achieved by a filter device having the features of patent claim 1 in its entirety.Because, according to the characterizing part of patent claim 1, the connecting device is designed as a bayonet lock on one housing part and has individual locking elements that are spaced apart from one another in such a way that further locking elements of the other housing part engage at least partially in the spaces, and because the locking elements of one and the other housing part are at least partially engaged with one another or separated from one another by means of a relative movement of the two housing parts, the bayonet lock is an integral component of the housing parts and thus of the filter housing, so that no additional parts, such as screws or a tensioning band device, are required to create the desired connection between the housing parts of the filter housing in a detachable manner.

[0007] The bayonet lock is also reliable and intuitive to use, allowing even untrained assembly personnel to connect and disconnect the parts. The bayonet lock is low-maintenance and wear-free, allowing the housing components to be separated from each other even after extended periods of use. This is regularly necessary when a filter element stored in the filter housing becomes clogged with particulate contamination and needs to be replaced with a new one. Once the used filter element has been removed, a new element can be inserted, and the subsequent connection of the housing components can be carried out in the reverse order of the previous separation process, thus reducing assembly times and associated assembly costs.

[0008] When we talk about a relative movement of the two housing parts, this means that one housing part is generally considered stationary, and the other housing part moves relative to it for a release or locking process. However, if necessary, the other housing part can also be fixed, and one housing part moves relative to it. Furthermore, it is possible for both housing parts to move equally relative to each other for an opening or closing process, provided the use of the filter device allows this.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the filter device according to the invention, one of the closure elements is formed from closure hooks, into whose respective hook openings at least one associated engagement part, as the respective further closure element, enters or exits laterally for a connecting or releasing process during the relative movement. In this way, high connecting forces can be achieved between the two housing parts, so that the connecting device according to the invention is also suitable for high-pressure applications.

[0010] In a further preferred embodiment of the filter device according to the invention, a locking device is provided which, in the locked state, holds the bayonet closure in its closed position and, in the open state, releases it for an opening operation. Preferably, the locking device comprises at least one handle which, preferably released by a securing device, can be moved from a locking position to a release position and vice versa, and in the locking position, the respective handle engages between the spacing of two adjacent closure elements and thus blocks the relative movement of the two housing parts. This provides double security, particularly when separating the two housing parts from one another, so that incorrect operation can be ruled out in any case.After the handle is released by the safety device, the actuation of the handle activates a valve device, which, when moved toward its release position, creates a fluid path from the interior of the filter housing to the environment and then closes it again in the locking position. Thus, when the connecting device is unlocked, any excess pressure in the filter housing, particularly in the form of trapped air, automatically escapes to the environment, so that when the housing parts are released, one housing part is never thrown away from the other due to pressure, which could compromise work safety.

[0011] In a further preferred embodiment of the filter device according to the invention, it is provided that one housing part, which has the one closure element, serves as a housing receptacle for receiving a preferably replaceable filter element, and that the other housing part, which has the further closure elements, forms a housing cover for reopenably closing the housing receptacle. In this way, the housing receptacle remains stationary at an installation location, usually together with the associated piping, through which the unfiltered fluid flows into the filter device and filtrate cleaned by the filter element flows out, thus supplying a hydraulic supply circuit with cleaned fluid, to which the filter device is connected in the usual way.Accordingly, only one housing cover with the handles and some of the locking elements for the bayonet lock to be manufactured has to be handled, which results in a significant reduction in weight and simplification in the handling processes.

[0012] In a further particularly preferred embodiment of the filter device according to the invention, the locking hooks, preferably in pairs, are arranged diametrically opposite one another in the outer circumference of the filter housing in the edge region of the housing receptacle, with their hook openings projecting beyond the opening in the housing receptacle that can be opened by means of the housing cover. In this way, when the bayonet lock is produced, a uniform force introduction between the housing receptacle and the housing cover is achieved during operation of the filter device. The engagement parts are preferably formed from engagement webs on the housing cover, which protrude in a ring-like manner from the outer circumference of the housing cover and whose respective length, viewed in the relative direction of rotation, is smaller than the distance between two adjacent locking hooks. Due to this design, the production and release of the bayonet connection is almost self-explanatory.

[0013] In a further preferred embodiment of the filter device according to the invention, it is provided that the respective handle consists of a handle bar and that two of these handle bars, diametrically opposite one another to the longitudinal axis of the filter housing, are each pivotably mounted on the housing cover by means of a pivot bearing, and in their locked position engage over the free edge of the cover and the opening of the housing receptacle in the direction of their other free end by a predeterminable distance. In this way, the respective handles in the form of handle bars are arranged on the filter housing in a space-saving manner and it is ensured that the handles cannot be operated accidentally. In this way, a largely symmetrical structure for the filter device with its filter housing as a whole is achieved, so that it can be installed in any desired position on site.It is also possible to mount the filter device vertically on a frame of a transport trolley, so that the filter device as a whole can be moved freely over the transport trolley and can be moved in particular to locations on machinery whose operating fluid requires cleaning.

[0014] In a further preferred embodiment of the filter device according to the invention, at least one blocking element is provided on a handle bar, which prevents inadvertent opening of the bayonet lock in the locking position of the respective handle. Due to the blocking element, inadvertent rotation of the housing parts relative to each other for the purpose of releasing the bayonet lock is reliably prevented, provided the handle of the locking device is held in its locking position.

[0015] The filter device according to the invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment as shown in the drawing. The drawings show, in a schematic representation and not to scale, the

[0016] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the filter device as a whole;

[0017] Fig. 2 to 5 show in different views the lid closure with bayonet shown in Fig. 1;

[0018] Fig. 6 and 7 a locking device for the housing cover according to Fig. 1 to 5, once in the locked and once in the open state.

[0019] The filter device according to Fig. 1 as a whole comprises a filter housing designated 10, which essentially consists of two housing parts 12, 14, which are detachably connected to one another as a whole by means of a connecting device 16. The first housing part 12 consists of a cylindrical housing receptacle 13 for a replaceable filter element (not shown in detail). The second housing part 14, in turn, is designed as a housing cover 18, which closes an upper, essentially circular opening 20 of the first housing part 12 or the housing receptacle 13 (Fig. 5). As is particularly clear from Figs. 1 to 5, the connecting device 16 is designed as a bayonet lock 22. The bayonet lock 22 has individual closure elements 24 on one housing part 12; in the present embodiment, a total of eight (Fig. 2).The individual closure elements 24 are spaced apart from one another along a fictitious circular ring such that additional closure elements 28 of the other housing part, or second housing part 14, in the form of the housing cover 18, can engage in an intermediate step in the individual spacings 26, which is particularly evident from the illustration in Fig. 4, which shows a partial decoupling of the housing cover 18 from the housing receptacle 13. Likewise, eight spacings 26' and eight additional closure elements 28 are also present on the housing cover 18.

[0020] The first housing part 12, in the form of the housing receptacle 13 for the filter element, is accommodated at the base or bottom in a closure pot 30 or opens into it, with the first housing part 12 being connected to the closure pot 30 via a welded joint. Furthermore, a flange connection 32 is provided, which projects beyond the outer circumference of the casing of the housing part 12 and, with the screws shown, serves to fasten the entire filter housing to a retaining plate (not shown). The closure pot 30 has, within a flange connection 34, an inlet 36 for unfiltered material and an outlet 38 for filtrate. The unfiltered material flow traverses the filter element (not shown) from the outside to the inside in the interior 68 of the filter housing 10, and the filtrate located on the inside of the filter element, which has been cleaned of particle contamination, leaves the filter device via the outlet 38.To this end, both the inlet 36 and the outlet 38 can be connected to a conventional piping of a hydraulic supply circuit or the like using a further flange connection with the flange connection 34.

[0021] At its lowest point, the end cap 30 has a manually operable drain valve 40, which, when the filter device is shut down, allows fluid to drain from the interior 68 of the filter housing 10 to the outside in its open state. Emptying the filter housing 10 is necessary to carry out the element change described in more detail below, during which the housing cover 18 is removed and reattached, using the bayonet lock 22 as a guide.

[0022] As can further be seen from Fig. 5, the closure elements 24 are formed from closure hooks 42, into whose respective hook opening 44 at least one assignable engagement part 46, as the respective further closure element 28, enters or exits laterally for a connecting or releasing process. The respective hook opening 44 is introduced as a slot-shaped groove in the closure hook 42 and all hook openings 44 open in the direction of the opening 20 of the housing receptacle 13 and laterally at the opposing boundary walls of the closure hooks 42. Furthermore, all hook openings 44 lie in a closure plane parallel to the plane that spans the opening 20 at the free edge of the housing receptacle 13. All closure hooks 42 with their hook openings 44 are geometrically identical, as are the engagement parts 46, which are designed in the form of cam-like engagement webs 48.Each engagement part 46 or each engagement web 48 is in any case designed such that, in an interlocking underhand grip, they can engage in the hook openings 44 of each locking hook 42 in a locking manner, as is shown in more detail by way of example in Fig. 2. The engagement parts 46 extend in a ring-like manner from the center of the housing cover 18 outwards and protrude beyond the cover edge 50 by a predeterminable projection. The engagement parts 46 have an equal distance 26' from one another in the radial circumferential direction of the housing cover 18, which distance is dimensioned such that the locking hooks 42 can engage with their free end faces in the spaces 26' formed for this purpose between the engagement parts 46. Likewise, the spaces 26 between the locking hooks 42 are provided with a free width such that the engagement parts 46 can be inserted into these spaces 26 from above.Accordingly, the individual locking hooks 42, preferably in pairs, are arranged diametrically opposite one another to the longitudinal axis of the filter housing 10 on the outer circumference in the edge region of the housing receptacle 13 with the free opening 20. Furthermore, the locking hooks 42 with their hook openings 44 protrude beyond the opening 20 of the housing receptacle 13, which can be opened by means of the housing cover 18, at a predeterminable axial distance. A comparable arrangement, in pairs diametrically opposite one another to the longitudinal axis of the housing cover 18, is also realized for the engagement webs 48. A high-strength connection between the housing cover 18 and the housing receptacle 13 is achieved when, as in the illustrated embodiment, eight locking hooks 42 interact with eight engagement webs 48 within the closed bayonet lock 22.However, a larger or smaller number of locking hooks 42 and engagement webs 48 can also be provided, for example, only four each. However, for a more uniform force introduction, these are preferably arranged in pairs diametrically opposite one another on the housing receptacle 13 or on the housing cover 18. Thus, in principle, the locking hooks 42 could also be attached to the housing cover 18 and the engagement webs 48 to the housing receptacle 13. Otherwise, the number of individual locking elements 24, 28 depends on the size of the container opening 20. In principle, the larger the diameter of the filter device with its housing 10, the greater the number of locking elements 24, 28 used.

[0023] The housing cover 18 is designed as a flat disc and has a conventional pressure gauge display 52 on its upper side, by means of which the operating pressure in the interior 68 of the filter housing 10 can be indicated to an observer. Towards its opposite underside, the housing cover 18 has a circumferential annular seal 54, which provides an effective seal as soon as the bayonet lock 22 is established, in order to thus seal the interior 68 of the housing receptacle 13 from the environment. For this sealing, the annular seal 54 can preferably be pre-tensioned as soon as the engagement webs 48 engage below the hook openings 44 of the individual locking hooks 42. For this advancing movement of the annular seal 54 onto an oppositely arranged sealing surface, it can also be provided that the engagement webs 48 are provided with a slight incline or gradient.Additionally or alternatively, the housing cover 18 can also be manually adjusted to exert such a contact force on the ring seal 54 against the sealing surface that it comes into contact with the sealing surface in a pre-tensioned manner. Furthermore, on the inside of the housing receptacle 13, there is a circumferential, axially recessed shoulder 56 that projects inward.

[0024] To create such a seal, a locking device 58 is provided as a whole, which in the locked state according to the illustration in Figs. 1 and 2 holds the bayonet closure 22 in its closed position and in the open state according to the illustration in Figs. 3 to 5 releases it for an opening process. The locking device 58 in the present case has two handles 60, one of which can be moved or pivoted from a locking position to a release position and vice versa by means of a securing device 62, wherein in the locking position according to Figs. 1 and 2 the respective handle 60 engages between the distance 26, 26' between two adjacent closure elements 24, 28 and thus blocks any possible relative movement of the two housing parts 12, 14.

[0025] The right-hand handle 60, as viewed in the direction of Figs. 1 to 5, which interacts exclusively directly with the safety device 62, controls a valve device 64 which, from this handle 60 in the direction of its release position according to Fig. 7, starting from the blocking position according to Fig. 6, creates a fluid path 66 from the interior 68 of the filter housing 10 into the environment and blocks it in the locking position shown in Fig. 6.For this purpose, the housing cover 18 has, on its upper side, two semi-annular receptacles 70 which are integrally connected to it and project beyond the upper side as part of a bearing housing 71. A pivot axis 72 passes through this pivot axis, which is firmly connected at one free end of the handle 60, which is adjacent to the housing cover 18, via a screw connection 74 and an annular driver element 76. The other free end of the pivot axis 72 opens via a pin connection 78 into a valve ball 80 of a ball valve or ball cock as the valve device 64, wherein the valve ball 80 in question is also referred to in technical terms as a "plug." In Fig. 7, the valve ball 80 is shown in an actuated position which opens the fluid path 66 from the interior 68 to the environment via a vent opening 82 in the bearing housing 71 for the pivot axis 72.The vent opening 82 opens adjacent to a recess 84 of the bearing housing 71 located below, from which a warning or caution symbol 85 is provided on the top side to alert a technician or operator that a potential hazard exists. Furthermore, a flow symbol with a valve illustration 86 can be provided on the top side of the cover, which at least indicates to the expert that an actuatable valve device 64 must be present in this area with the bearing housing 71. When actuated accordingly, this valve device 64 can lead to the outflow of fluid from the vent opening 82, usually in the form of a housing bore, and can fundamentally create a hazardous situation, which is what the warning or caution symbol 85 is intended to indicate. However, actuating the valve device 64 usually results in a slow pressure reduction, so that no real hazard can be assumed in practical use.6 and 7, the previously mentioned securing device 62 comprises a spring-loaded securing pin 88 which is guided for longitudinal movement in the bearing housing 71. The securing pin 88 has a finger loop 90 at its free end, with which it can be moved from its locking position shown in Fig. 6 into its release position shown in Fig. 7, counter to the action of the compression spring 92. As soon as the manually retracted securing pin 88 releases the engagement space 94 between the two receptacles 70, the handle 60, shown on the right in Figs. 1 to 5, in the form of a handle bar 96, can be pivoted upwards counterclockwise about the pivot axis 72 from its locking position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the position shown in Fig. 7 is assumed. The retracted end of the locking pin 88 comes into contact with a side wall surface of the handle bar 96.

[0026] On the side opposite the movable locking pin 88, a pin-shaped stop 98 is provided in the associated receptacle 70, which prevents the adjacent handle 96 from being inadvertently pivoted further beyond its pivoted position according to Figs. 3 to 5. The handle 96, which is hinged at one free end to the pivot axis 72 and encompasses the axis 72, entrains the valve ball 80 via the axis 72 and the aforementioned pin connection 78, so that the valve ball 80 gradually moves from its position blocking the fluid path 66 in the eager housing 71 according to Fig. 6 into the open position according to Fig. 7, and the fluid path 66 is released. In this way, any excess pressure in the filter housing 10, particularly in the form of trapped air, can be automatically released into the environment upon unlocking. In reverse order, by pivoting the handle bar 96 into its position shown in Fig.1 and 2, the valve device 64 can also be closed again. The opposite left handle 96 has a comparable pivoting mechanism, as described, but without the securing device 62 and without the valve device 64. In any case, the left handle 96 is to be pivoted in the opposite direction to the first handle 96, i.e., clockwise for an opening process as shown in the figures, and counterclockwise for a closing process.

[0027] In the following, an opening process for the bayonet closure 22 which has been closed so far will be described in more detail, starting from Fig. 1.

[0028] In a first step, the filter device is shut down as a whole, and any fluid located in the filter housing 10 is drained from the device via the drain cock 40. When the drain cock 40 is opened, only a portion of the fluid drains from the housing; however, the excess pressure is completely released. Subsequently, the locking pin 88 of the locking device 62 is pulled and the right-hand handle 60 or handle bar 98 is pivoted upward, whereby the remaining fluid drains out via the opening of the valve device 64 and air enters the filter housing. If the drain cock 40 is not opened, the pressure is reduced by actuating the valve device 64. The current pressure situation in the filter housing 10 can be monitored accordingly via the pressure gauge display 52 in the housing cover 18.

[0029] The two handles 96 have cam-shaped blocking elements 100 which, in the locked position, prevent the relative movement of the housing cover 18 in a clockwise direction relative to the housing receptacle 13, so that the housing cover 18 cannot be accidentally removed, for example, if the filter housing 10 is still subject to a correspondingly high fluid pressure in its interior 68. As soon as the venting is initiated by means of the valve device 64 using the right handle 96, the left handle 96 can be pivoted into its release position by actuating it accordingly. In this respect, a pivot bearing with an axis 72 pivotably mounted in a bearing housing 71 serves for the left handle 96, similar to the first handle solution.

[0030] If both handle bars 96 are raised as shown in Fig. 3, the housing cover 18 is rotated clockwise while the filter housing 10 remains stationary and the housing cover 18 then assumes its position as shown in Fig. 4. During this relative movement, the housing cover 18 takes with it its engagement webs 48 which are fixedly arranged on it, which then reach the individual distances 26 between the locking hooks 42 and the hooks 42 then lie within the distances 26' between the engagement webs 48. On two pairs of diametrically opposed engagement webs 48 there are projecting stops 102 which, in the starting position according to Fig. 3, in which the engagement webs 48 are still engaged with the hook openings 44, strike laterally on the adjacent locking hook 42 which receives the respectively assignable engagement web 48 and, after turning the housing cover 18 clockwise from its release position according to Fig.3 into the position shown in Fig. 4, the respective stop 102, together with the associated engagement web 48, pivots clockwise and then strikes the opposite locking hook 42. In the corresponding stop position shown in Fig. 4, which can be monitored from the outside by an optical marking 104, the housing cover 18 can be removed, as shown in Fig. 5, regularly in order to be able to replace the filter element. Thus, according to the illustration in Fig. 3, the optical marking 104 is still covered by parts of a locking hook 42 in the area of ​​its hook opening 44 when closed, whereas in the release position shown in Fig. 4, the semicircular marking 104 is visible in its entirety and indicates that the bayonet lock 22 is now open. After replacing the filter element, the filter device can then be closed again in the reverse sequence, i.e., first the housing cover 18 is brought into its fixing position according to Fig. 5 and then placed onto the housing receptacle 13 as shown in Fig. 4. Since the individual distances 26 are distributed along the 360° circumference of the housing receptacle 13, a circumferential angle of 45° results between adjacent engagement webs 48 and an adjacent locking hook 42, so that when the housing cover 18 is placed and rotated by means of the two handles 60 by 22.5° counterclockwise, the two stops 102 return from the further starting position according to Fig. 4 to their original stop position according to Fig. 3. In this respect, the stops 102, of which only one may be sufficient, indicate that the individual engagement webs 48 have come into locking engagement with the adjacent hook openings 44 of the associated locking hooks 42, so that the bayonet lock 22 is closed again.

[0031] Subsequently, the two handles 96 are now pivoted downwards from their upper stop position according to Fig. 3 into their locking position according to Figs. 1 and 2, so that the securing device 62, starting from the position according to Fig. 7, again assumes its locked position according to Fig. 6 and in this respect blocks the free movement of the associated handle 60 or the handle 96 again, and furthermore the valve ball 80 of the valve device 64 is again in its position blocking the fluid path 66. Preferably, the corresponding closing process for the right handle 96 is only carried out when, when the filter device is put back into operation, fluid escapes from the filter housing 10 via the valve device 64 and the vent opening 82 during venting; only then is the left handle preferably moved into its position according to Fig.1 and 2 and the locking of the bayonet lock 22 is completed. The associated blocking elements 100 on the respective handle 96 then slide laterally along the adjacent side of a locking hook 42 and thus secure the locking by means of the bayonet lock 22. In any case, the filter housing 10 is then appropriately secured against unintentional opening. Both opening and closing of the filter housing 10 via the handles 60 can be carried out with little actuating force if necessary. The filter device shown in Fig. 1 as a whole is designed to be extremely space-saving and is also lightweight, so that the filter device can also be used on mobile or transport trolleys in order to be able to implement mobile filtration on-site at various machine installation locations if necessary.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Filter device with a filter housing (10), consisting of at least two housing parts (12, 14) which can be detachably connected to one another by means of a connecting device (16), characterized in that the connecting device (16) is designed as a bayonet closure (22) on one housing part (12) and has individual closure elements (24) which are spaced apart from one another in such a way that further closure elements (28) of the other housing part (14) engage at least partially in the spaces (26), and in that the closure elements (24, 28) of one (12) and the other housing part (14) are at least partially engaged with one another or separated from one another by means of a relative movement of the two housing parts (12, 14).

2. Filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that the one closure element (24) is formed from closure hooks (42), into the respective hook opening (44) of which at least one assignable engagement part (46) as the respective further closure element (28) enters or exits laterally for a connecting or releasing process.

3. Filter device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a locking device (58) is provided which, in the locked state, holds the bayonet closure (22) in its closed position and, in the open state, releases it for an opening operation.

4. Filter device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking device (58) has at least one handle (60) which, preferably by means of a Safety device (62) is released, can be moved from a locking position into a release position and vice versa, and that in the locking position the respective handle (60) engages between the distance (26, 26') of two adjacent closure elements (24, 28) and thus blocks the relative movement of the two housing parts (12, 14).

5. Filter device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one handle (60) controls a valve device (64) which, actuated by this handle (60) in the direction of its release position, creates a fluid path (66) from the interior (68) of the filter housing (10) into the environment and blocks it in the locking position.

6. Filter device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the one housing part (12), which has the one closure element (24), is designed as a housing receptacle (13) for receiving a preferably replaceable filter element, and that the other housing part (14), which has the further closure elements (28), forms a housing cover (18) for reopenably closing the housing receptacle (13).

7. Filter device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking hooks (42), preferably in pairs, diametrically opposite one another to the longitudinal axis of the filter housing (10), arranged on the outer circumference in the edge region of the housing receptacle (13), with their hook openings (44) projecting beyond the opening (20) of the housing receptacle (13) which can be opened by means of the housing cover (18).

8. Filter device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the engagement parts (46) are formed from engagement webs (48) on the housing cover (18), which project in a ring-like manner on the outer circumference (50) of the housing cover (18) and whose respective length, seen in the direction of rotation, is smaller than the distance (26) between two adjacent locking hooks (42).

9. Filter device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the respective handle (60) consists of a handle bar (96), and that two of these handle bars (96) are diametrically opposite one another to the longitudinal axis of the filter housing (10), are each pivotably mounted on the housing cover (18) by means of a pivot bearing (71, 72), and in their locking position overlap the free cover edge (50) and the opening (20) of the housing receptacle (13) in the direction of their other free end by a predeterminable distance.

10. Filter device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one blocking element (100) is provided on a handle (96) in such a way that an unintentional opening of the bayonet closure (22) in the locking position of the respective handle (60) is prevented.

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