Mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for air cleaners

Abstract

This eliminates the need for specialized parts and processes to fix the sound-absorbing material to the case. [Solution] The air cleaner comprises a case 10 having an inlet 11 and a first opening 12, a cap 40 having an outlet 41 and a second opening 42, and a filter element 50 provided between the first opening 12 and the second opening 42. The case 10 has a first segment 20 and a second segment 30 having a first opening 12, which is assembled to the first segment 20 and together with the first segment 20 forms the internal space of the case 10. The sound-absorbing material 60 is arranged along the inner surface 28 of the first segment 20. The first segment 20 has a positioning portion 27 configured to position the sound-absorbing material 60 relative to the first segment 20 by engaging with the sound-absorbing material 60. The second segment 30 has a restricting portion 37 configured to restrict the sound-absorbing material 60 from floating up from the inner surface 28 by contacting the sound-absorbing material 60.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an attachment structure for a sound-absorbing material for an air cleaner.

Background Art

[0002] An attachment structure for a sound-absorbing material for this type of air cleaner is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. An air cleaner is provided in an intake system of an internal combustion engine to filter intake air. The air cleaner disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a bottomed box-shaped case having an inlet and an upper opening, a lid box-shaped cap having an outlet and a lower opening, and a filter element provided between the upper opening of the case and the lower opening of the cap. Further, a sound-absorbing material is disposed inside the case. The sound-absorbing material is fixed to the inner surface of the case by pressing the sound-absorbing material against the inner surface of the case with a restraining rod and fixing the restraining rod to the case with a rivet.

[0003] Conventionally, in an air cleaner, the volume of the case has been increased for the purpose of reducing intake noise. In this case, in order to cope with an undercut shape, there is a case in which the case is constituted by a plurality of divided bodies.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, in the attachment structure of the sound-absorbing material disclosed in Patent Document 1, the sound-absorbing material is fixed to the case by a restraining rod and a rivet. Therefore, dedicated parts and processes for fixing the sound-absorbing material to the case are required.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for an air cleaner to solve the above problems is applied to an air cleaner comprising a case having an inlet and a first opening, a cap having an outlet and a second opening, a filter element provided between the first opening and the second opening, and sound-absorbing material disposed inside the case, and is a structure for mounting the sound-absorbing material to the case, wherein the case comprises a first divided body and a second divided body having the first opening and being assembled to the first divided body and forming the internal space of the case together with the first divided body, the sound-absorbing material is arranged along the inner surface of the first divided body, the first divided body has a positioning portion configured to position the sound-absorbing material relative to the first divided body by engaging with the sound-absorbing material, and the second divided body has a restricting portion configured to restrict the sound-absorbing material from floating up from the inner surface by contacting the sound-absorbing material.

[0007] According to this configuration, when the sound-absorbing material is placed along the inner surface of the first segment, the positioning portion of the first segment engages with the sound-absorbing material, thereby positioning the sound-absorbing material relative to the first segment. Furthermore, when the second segment is assembled to the first segment, the restricting portion of the second segment contacts the sound-absorbing material, preventing the sound-absorbing material from lifting up from the inner surface. In other words, by assembling the second segment to the first segment, the sound-absorbing material is fixed to the case. Therefore, dedicated parts and processes for fixing the sound-absorbing material to the case can be omitted. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an air cleaner in one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along line 2-2 in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the process of temporarily assembling sound-absorbing material to the first divided body in one embodiment, and Figure 3(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the process of temporarily assembling the second divided body to the same first divided body. [Figure 4]Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the air cleaner in the first modified example. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the air cleaner in the second modification example. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view along line 6-6 in Figure 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes one embodiment of the mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for an air cleaner with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The air cleaner in this embodiment is installed in the intake passage of an internal combustion engine. As shown in Figure 1, the air cleaner comprises a case 10, a cap 40, a filter element 50, and sound-absorbing material 60.

[0010] <Case 10 and sound-absorbing material 60> As shown in Figure 1, the case 10 has an inlet 11 and a first opening 12. The case 10 is a box-shaped enclosure with a bottom. The sound-absorbing material 60 is placed inside the case 10.

[0011] The case 10 comprises a first segment 20 and a second segment 30 having a first opening 12, which is assembled to the first segment 20 and together with the first segment 20 forms the internal space of the case 10.

[0012] The first segmented body 20 has a bottom wall 21, a peripheral wall 22, an extended portion 23, a vertical wall 24, and a first peripheral edge portion 25. The bottom wall 21 faces the first opening 12. The peripheral wall 22 protrudes from the periphery of the bottom wall 21 toward the second divided body 30. The inlet 11 is connected to the peripheral wall 22.

[0013] The extended portion 23 extends from the peripheral edge of the peripheral wall 22 on the side opposite to the bottom wall 21 (upper side in Figure 1) toward the outer periphery. The vertical wall 24 protrudes from the outer peripheral edge of the extended portion 23 toward the second divided body 30.

[0014] The first peripheral portion 25 extends from the standing wall 24 toward the outer peripheral side. The first peripheral portion 25 includes the first joint portion 26. The second divided body 30 has a top wall 31, a peripheral wall 32, and a second peripheral portion 35.

[0015] The top wall 31 has the first opening 12 and faces the bottom wall 21. The peripheral wall 32 protrudes from the periphery of the top wall 31 toward the first divided body 20. The second peripheral portion 35 extends from the periphery on the side opposite to the top wall 31 in the peripheral wall 32 toward the outer peripheral side. The second peripheral portion 35 includes a second joint portion 36 that faces the first joint portion 26 of the first divided body 20. Hereinafter, the facing direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 1) between the first joint portion 26 and the second joint portion 36 will be simply referred to as the facing direction.

[0016] The second divided body 30 is assembled to the first divided body 20 by joining the first joint portion 26 of the first divided body 20 and the second joint portion 36 of the second divided body 30. The joining mode of the present embodiment is welding.

[0017] Both the first divided body 20 and the second divided body 30 are made of a hard resin. The sound-absorbing material 60 is arranged along the inner surface 28 of the first divided body 20. The sound-absorbing material 60 has a shape along at least the inner surfaces 28 of the peripheral wall 22 and the extending portion 23. The sound-absorbing material 60 of the present embodiment has a first portion 61 arranged along the inner surface 28 of the bottom wall 21, a second portion 62 arranged along the inner surface 28 of the peripheral wall 22, and a third portion 63 arranged along the inner surface 28 of the extending portion 23. The sound-absorbing material 60 is formed of, for example, a non-woven fabric.

[0018] The first divided body 20 has a positioning portion 27 configured to position the sound-absorbing material 60 with respect to the first divided body 20 by engaging with the sound-absorbing material 60. The second divided body 30 has a regulating portion 37 configured to regulate the lifting of the sound-absorbing material 60 from the inner surface 28 by abutting against the sound-absorbing material 60.

[0019] The positioning portion 27 protrudes from the inner surface 28 of the first divided body 20. In this embodiment, the positioning portion 27 protrudes from the inner surface 28 of the extending portion 23 along the opposite direction. Multiple positioning portions 27 are provided spaced apart from each other in the extending direction of the first peripheral edge portion 25 (the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 1). Figure 1 shows two positioning portions 27, each provided on the inner surface 28 of the extending portions 23 located on the left and right sides.

[0020] The sound-absorbing material 60 has an insertion hole 64 through which the positioning portion 27 is inserted. The restricting portion 37 is configured to restrict the lifting of the sound-absorbing material 60 from the inner surface 28 of the extending portion 23 by contacting the third portion 63 of the sound-absorbing material 60 which is positioned along the extending portion 23.

[0021] The restricting portion 37 has a first rib 37a, a second rib 37b, and a connecting portion 37c. The connecting portion 37c extends from the peripheral edge of the peripheral wall 32 opposite to the top wall 31 toward the inner peripheral side.

[0022] The first rib 37a and the second rib 37b are connected to the connecting portion 37c and protrude toward the third portion 63. The first rib 37a is located on the inner circumference side of the first divided body 20, relative to the positioning portion 27.

[0023] The second rib 37b is located on the outer circumference side of the first divided body 20, relative to the positioning portion 27. The first rib 37a and the second rib 37b sandwich the positioning portion 27. Both the first rib 37a and the second rib 37b protrude in opposing directions.

[0024] As shown on the right side of Figure 1, some of the positioning parts 27 may not be sandwiched between the first rib 37a and the second rib 37b. As shown in Figure 2, the cross-sectional shape of the positioning portion 27 perpendicular to the protruding direction is rectangular. The longer side of this rectangle extends along the extending direction of the first peripheral edge portion 25 (the vertical direction in Figure 2). In addition, the inner peripheral edge of the insertion hole 64 is a rectangle that is slightly larger than the cross-section of the positioning portion 27.

[0025] In this embodiment, the lengths of the ribs 37a and 37b in the extending direction of the first peripheral edge 25 are longer than the length of the positioning portion 27 in the same extending direction. Furthermore, both ends of the ribs 37a and 37b in the extending direction of the first peripheral edge 25 are located further out than both ends of the positioning portion 27.

[0026] Furthermore, the lengths of the ribs 37a and 37b in the extending direction of the first peripheral edge 25 may be the same as or shorter than the length of the positioning portion 27 in the same extending direction. <Cap 40> As shown in Figure 1, the cap 40 has an outlet 41 and a second opening 42. The cap 40 is box-shaped with a lid. The cap 40 is made of hard resin.

[0027] <Filter Element 50> As shown in Figure 1, the filter element 50 is provided between the first opening 12 and the second opening 42. The filter element 50 is of a panel type and has an element body 51 and a sealing portion 52.

[0028] The element body 51 is formed in a panel shape by folding a filter material sheet such as nonwoven fabric into pleats. The sealing portion 52 is formed in an annular shape along the periphery of the element body 51. The sealing portion 52 is made of closed-cell foamed resin.

[0029] The sealing portion 52 is sandwiched between the sealing surface formed on the periphery of the first opening 12 of the case 10 and the sealing surface formed on the periphery of the second opening 42 of the cap 40, and the case 10 and the cap 40 are fastened together by a clamp (not shown). This seals the space between the two peripheries.

[0030] <Operation of this embodiment> As shown in Figure 3(a), when the sound-absorbing material 60 is positioned along the inner surface 28 of the first divided body 20, the positioning portion 27 of the first divided body 20 engages with the sound-absorbing material 60, thereby positioning the sound-absorbing material 60 relative to the first divided body 20.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3(b), when the second divided body 30 is assembled to the first divided body 20, the restricting portion 37 of the second divided body 30 comes into contact with the sound-absorbing material 60, thereby restricting the sound-absorbing material 60 from lifting up from the inner surface 28. In other words, by assembling the second divided body 30 to the first divided body 20, the sound-absorbing material 60 is fixed to the case 10.

[0032] <Effects of this embodiment> (1) The first divided body 20 has a positioning portion 27 configured to position the sound-absorbing material 60 relative to the first divided body 20 by engaging with the sound-absorbing material 60. The second divided body 30 has a restricting portion 37 configured to restrict the lifting of the sound-absorbing material 60 from the inner surface 28 by contacting the sound-absorbing material 60.

[0033] With this configuration, the above-mentioned effects can be achieved, thus eliminating the need for dedicated parts and processes for fixing the sound-absorbing material 60 to the case 10. (2) The positioning portion 27 protrudes from the inner surface 28 of the first divided body 20. The sound-absorbing material 60 has an insertion hole 64 through which the positioning portion 27 is inserted.

[0034] With this configuration, the sound-absorbing material 60 is positioned relative to the first divided body 20 by inserting the positioning portion 27, which protrudes from the inner surface 28 of the first divided body 20, into the insertion hole 64 provided in the sound-absorbing material 60. Therefore, the configuration of the positioning portion 27 can be simplified, and the sound-absorbing material 60 can be easily engaged with the positioning portion 27.

[0035] (3) The second part 30 is assembled to the first part 20 by joining the first joint 26 and the second joint 36. With this configuration, parts for assembling the first divided body 20 and the second divided body 30 are unnecessary, thus suppressing an increase in the number of parts in the air cleaner.

[0036] (4) Since the sound-absorbing material 60 has a shape that conforms to the inner surface 28 of the bottom wall 21, the peripheral wall 22, and the extended portion 23, the degree of freedom in arranging the sound-absorbing material 60 can be increased. In addition, since the sound-absorbing material 60 can be provided along a wide area of ​​the inner surface 28 of the first divided body 20, the sound-absorbing effect of the sound-absorbing material 60 can be enhanced.

[0037] (5) The restricting portion 37 is configured to restrict the lifting of the sound-absorbing material 60 from the inner surface 28 of the extending portion 23 by contacting the third portion 63 of the sound-absorbing material 60 which is arranged along the extending portion 23.

[0038] With this configuration, the third portion 63 of the sound-absorbing material 60 that the restricting portion 37 contacts is located close to the second divided body 30, so the dimensions of the restricting portion 37 of the second divided body 30, especially in the opposing direction, can be reduced. Therefore, the increase in the amount of material required to manufacture the second divided body 30 due to the provision of the restricting portion 37 can be suppressed.

[0039] <Variation> This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically.

[0040] The restricting portion 37 is not limited to having both the first rib 37a and the second rib 37b, but may be formed by either the first rib 37a or the second rib 37b. As shown in the first modified example in Figure 4, the positioning portion 27 may have a return portion 272 that engages with the edge of the insertion hole 64 in the sound-absorbing material 60 to restrict the sound-absorbing material 60 from coming out. In this case, the positioning portion 27 has a main body portion 271 that protrudes from the inner surface 28 of the extended portion 23 in the opposite direction (up and down direction in Figure 4), and a return portion 272 that protrudes from the main body portion 271 toward the inner circumference side of the case 10 (right side in Figure 4). Preferably, the tip of the return portion 272 in the protruding direction of the main body portion 271 (upper end in Figure 4) is provided with an inclined surface 273 that guides the positioning portion 27 into the insertion hole 64. In addition, the extended portion 23 is provided with a die-cutting hole 231. The configuration of the mold device can be simplified by providing a protrusion that forms the recess formed between the die-cutting hole 231 and the return portion 272 and the extended portion 23 in a part of the mold that forms the outer surface of the first divided body 20.

[0041] In the first modified example shown in Figure 4, redundant explanations are omitted for components that are the same as or corresponding to the above embodiment, by denoting them with the same reference numerals as the above embodiment. With this configuration, when the second divided body 30 is not assembled to the first divided body 20, that is, when the restricting portion 37 is not in contact with the sound-absorbing material 60, the return portion 272 can prevent the sound-absorbing material 60 from coming out of the positioning portion 27.

[0042] The restricting portion 37 is not limited to contacting the third portion 63 of the sound-absorbing material 60 that is positioned along the extended portion 23. For example, the restricting portion 37 may be configured to restrict the lifting of the sound-absorbing material 60 from the inner surface 28 of the bottom wall 21 by contacting the first portion 61 of the sound-absorbing material 60 that is positioned along the bottom wall 21.

[0043] The first divided body 20 may not have an extended portion 23 and a vertical wall 24. In this case, the first peripheral portion 25 may extend outward from the peripheral edge of the peripheral wall 22 opposite to the bottom wall 21.

[0044] The method of joining the first divided body 20 and the second divided body 30 is not limited to welding; it may also be adhesive or fitted together. Furthermore, the method of assembling the first divided body 20 and the second divided body 30 is not limited to joining; it may also be fastened using fastening members such as clamps.

[0045] The cross-sectional shape of the positioning section 27 can be changed to any shape. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the positioning section may be circular. In this case, the inner circumference of the insertion hole 64 can be made into a circular shape that is slightly larger than the cross-section of the positioning section 27.

[0046] The positioning portion 27 is not limited to a shape that protrudes from the inner surface 28 of the first divided body 20. For example, as shown in the second modified example in Figures 5 and 6, a U-shaped slit hole 232 can be provided in the extended portion 23 of the first divided body 20, and the portion of the extended portion 23 surrounded on three sides by the slit hole 232 can be designated as the positioning portion 27. In this case, the positioning portion 27 can be engaged with the sound-absorbing material 60 by positioning a part of the edge 631 of the third portion 63 of the sound-absorbing material 60 outside the positioning portion 27 through the slit hole 232.

[0047] In the first modified example shown in Figures 5 and 6, redundant explanations are omitted for components that are the same as or corresponding to the above embodiment, by using the same reference numerals as the above embodiment.

[0048] • In the above embodiment, a case 10 divided into two by a first division 20 and a second division 30 was illustrated, but the case 10 is not limited thereto. The case 10 may have at least a first division 20 and a second division 30, and may, for example, have a third division in addition to the first division 20 and the second division 30.

[0049] • In the above embodiment, a sound-absorbing material 60 made of nonwoven fabric was used as an example, but the sound-absorbing material 60 is not limited to this. For example, the sound-absorbing material 60 may also comprise a sound-absorbing material body made of nonwoven fabric and a reinforcing member that reinforces the sound-absorbing material body. Furthermore, the sound-absorbing material 60 only needs to have sound-absorbing properties and can be made of materials other than nonwoven fabric, such as a foamed molded body.

[0050] <Note> The above embodiment includes the configuration described in the following appendix. [Note 1] The present invention relates to an air cleaner comprising a case having an inlet and a first opening, a cap having an outlet and a second opening, a filter element provided between the first and second openings, and a sound-absorbing material disposed inside the case, and provides a structure for attaching the sound-absorbing material to the case, The aforementioned case is, The first division and, The case comprises a second segment having the first opening, which is assembled to the first segment and together with the first segment to form the internal space of the case, The sound-absorbing material is arranged along the inner surface of the first divided body, The first segment has a positioning portion configured to engage with the sound-absorbing material to position the sound-absorbing material relative to the first segment, The second divided body has a restricting portion configured to restrict the lifting of the sound-absorbing material from its inner surface by contacting the sound-absorbing material. Mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for air cleaners.

[0051] [Note 2] The positioning portion protrudes from the inner surface of the first divided body, The sound-absorbing material has an insertion hole through which the positioning portion is inserted. Mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for air cleaner as described in Appendix 1.

[0052] [Note 3] The positioning portion has a return portion that engages with the edge of the insertion hole in the sound-absorbing material to prevent the sound-absorbing material from coming out. Mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for air cleaner as described in Appendix 2.

[0053] [Note 4] The first divided body has a first peripheral portion including a first joint portion, The second divided body has a second peripheral edge portion that includes a second joint portion facing the first joint portion, The second divided body is assembled to the first divided body by joining the first joint and the second joint. The mounting structure for the sound-absorbing material for the air cleaner, as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 3.

[0054] [Note 5] The first segment is The bottom wall and, A peripheral wall protruding from the periphery of the bottom wall toward the second divided body, An extended portion extending outward from the peripheral edge of the peripheral wall opposite to the bottom wall, A vertical wall protruding from the outer peripheral edge of the extended portion toward the second divided body, It has a first peripheral edge portion that extends outward from the vertical wall, The sound-absorbing material has a shape that conforms to the inner surface of at least the peripheral wall and the extended portion. The mounting structure for the sound-absorbing material for the air cleaner, as described in any one of the appendices 1 through 4.

[0055] [Note 6] The restricting portion is configured to restrict the lifting of the sound-absorbing material from the inner surface of the extended portion by contacting the portion of the sound-absorbing material that is arranged along the extended portion. Mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for air cleaner as described in Appendix 5. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0056] 10... Cases 11...Inlet 12…First opening 20...first division body 21...Bottom wall 22...Peripheral wall 23...Extension part 24…Vertical wall 25…First peripheral area 26...1st joint 27…Positioning section 28…Inner self 30…Second division body 31... Summit Wall 32...peripheral wall 35...Second peripheral area 36…Second joint part 37…Regulatory Department 37a...First rib 37b...Second Rib 37c...Connection part 40... Cap 41…Outlet 42...Second opening 50…Filter element 51... Element body 52...Seal part 60…Sound-absorbing material 61…Part 1 62…Second part 63…3rd part 64…Through hole 231... Die-cut holes 232... Slit hole 271...Main body 272... Return section 273…Slope surface 631... Edge

Claims

1. The present invention relates to an air cleaner comprising a case having an inlet and a first opening, a cap having an outlet and a second opening, a filter element provided between the first and second openings, and a sound-absorbing material disposed inside the case, and provides a structure for attaching the sound-absorbing material to the case, The aforementioned case is, The first division and, The case has a second segment having the first opening, which is assembled to the first segment and together with the first segment to form the internal space of the case. The sound-absorbing material is arranged along the inner surface of the first divided body, The first divided body has a positioning portion configured to position the sound-absorbing material relative to the first divided body by engaging with the sound-absorbing material. The second divided body has a restricting portion configured to restrict the lifting of the sound-absorbing material from its inner surface by contacting the sound-absorbing material. Mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for air cleaners.

2. The positioning portion protrudes from the inner surface of the first divided body, The sound-absorbing material has an insertion hole through which the positioning portion is inserted. Mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for air cleaner according to claim 1.

3. The positioning portion has a return portion that engages with the edge of the insertion hole in the sound-absorbing material to prevent the sound-absorbing material from coming out. Mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for air cleaner according to claim 2.

4. The first divided body has a first peripheral portion including a first joint portion, The second divided body has a second peripheral portion including a second joint portion facing the first joint portion, The second divided body is assembled to the first divided body by joining the first joint and the second joint. Mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for air cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The first division is The bottom wall and, A peripheral wall protruding from the periphery of the bottom wall toward the second divided body, An extended portion extending outward from the peripheral edge of the peripheral wall opposite to the bottom wall, A vertical wall projecting from the outer peripheral edge of the extended portion toward the second divided body, It has a first peripheral edge portion that extends outward from the vertical wall, The sound-absorbing material has a shape that conforms to the inner surface of at least the peripheral wall and the extended portion. Mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for air cleaner according to claim 1.

6. The restricting portion is configured to restrict the lifting of the sound-absorbing material from the inner surface of the extended portion by contacting the portion of the sound-absorbing material that is arranged along the extended portion. Mounting structure for sound-absorbing material for air cleaner according to claim 5.

Images