Air dryer filter assembly

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air dryer filter assembly and, more specifically, to an air dryer filter assembly: in which an air flow path can be effectively secured between an inner housing and an outer housing through a holder mesh having a space securing rib formed on an outer surface thereof; in which an oil adsorption sheet can be easily installed and fixed through a combination of multiple holder units; and which, in addition, has a coupling structure capable of preventing separation due to impact between the inner housing and a base plate.

Description

Air dryer filter assembly

[0001] The present invention relates to an air dryer filter assembly, and more particularly, to an air dryer filter assembly having a joint structure that effectively secures an air flow path between an inner housing and an outer housing through a holder mesh having a space-securing rib formed on an outer surface, enables easy installation and fixation of an oil absorbent sheet through a combination of a plurality of holder units, and further prevents separation due to impact between the inner housing and a base plate.

[0002] The electronic APU (Air Processing Unit) system is basically a system that filters out oil, foreign substances, and moisture contained in compressed air generated by an air compressor and then protects pneumatic devices that use the compressed air. As shown in Figure 1, it is generally composed of an air compressor, EAPU VALVE assembly, ECU, air tank, brake chamber, suspension bellows, sepcooler, and 3-way valve.

[0003] The configuration of the above electronic APU system is briefly described below.

[0004] The above air compressor is configured to receive an operating signal from the EAPU and supply compressed air to the air tank through the EAPU VALVE.

[0005] The above EAPU VALVE assembly is configured to receive vehicle information, intelligently control the air compressor, supply filtered air to each air tank, and intelligently control regeneration of the filter.

[0006] In particular, an air dryer filter assembly is used in the EAPU VALVE assembly to filter oil, foreign substances, and moisture in the air flowing in from the air compressor.

[0007] The above ECU is a component that controls the vehicle's engine and electronic units.

[0008] The above air tank is configured to store filtered air for the operation of pneumatic functions such as suspension, braking, and parking brake of a commercial vehicle.

[0009] The above brake chamber is configured to operate the brake caliper using air pressure to generate braking force through friction between the disc and pad.

[0010] The above suspension bellows is configured to alleviate the up-and-down vibrations that occur when driving passengers and cargo located above the suspension system.

[0011] In the prior art, an 'intelligent EAPU module for commercial vehicles' was proposed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0075784 (published on June 8, 2022).

[0012] However, the cartridge (air dryer filter assembly) of the above-mentioned prior art has a problem in that the installation of an oil absorbent for oil absorption is cumbersome, and leakage occurs at a connection part requiring airtightness due to impact, etc., and oil / foreign substances / non-dehumidified air is supplied directly to the vehicle, which can have a serious impact on the vehicle.

[0013] The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air dryer filter assembly having a joint structure that can effectively secure an air flow path inside a housing, facilitates installation and fixation of an oil absorbent, and prevents separation due to impact.

[0014] In order to achieve the above object, the air dryer filter assembly according to the present invention comprises: an inner housing having an accommodation space formed therein, an air inlet formed on an upper side or upper surface, an air outlet formed in the center of a lower surface of a lower side, and a concave portion formed inwardly on the upper or lower side, such that an installation space is formed on the outside of the concave portion; an outer housing that surrounds the inner housing from the outside and forms an air flow path in a gap with the inner housing so that compressed air introduced from an air compressor flows toward the air inlet through the installation space; an oil filtering means installed in the installation space to filter oil and foreign substances in the air passing therethrough; And a moisture filtering means for filtering moisture of air received and passing through the receiving space; wherein the oil filtering means is characterized by including: a holder mesh formed in a shape capable of wrapping the concave portion of the inner housing from the outside in the installation space, and having a mesh structure that allows air to flow in and out, and having a plurality of space securing ribs that protrude at regular intervals along the circumferential direction on the outer surface so as to secure the air flow path and are supported by being in contact with the inner surface of the outer housing; and an oil absorbent paper supported on the inner surface of the holder mesh and capable of filtering oil and foreign substances of the passing air.

[0015] In addition, the air dryer filter assembly according to the present invention is characterized by further including a base plate that is sealed and joined to the lower portion of the inner housing and the outer housing, has an air outlet formed in the center that is connected to the air discharge port, and has a plurality of air inlets formed along a circumferential direction to the outside of the air outlet that are connected to the air flow path.

[0016] Here, the inner housing is provided with a cylindrical absorbent paper winding portion in which the absorbent paper can be wound in a roll shape and supported in the installation space, and the holder mesh is formed in a cylindrical shape larger than the diameter of the absorbent paper winding portion, and the absorbent paper is wound in a roll shape in the absorbent paper winding portion, and the inner surface is in surface contact with the absorbent paper and supports the absorbent paper.

[0017] Here, the holder mesh is characterized by including a flange ring in the shape of a circular band made of a flexible material; and a plurality of holder units whose lower ends are continuously connected radially along the circumference of the flange ring so that the upper ends can be mutually separated, and whose upper ends are mutually gathered by an external force and form a cylindrical shape by combination.

[0018] Here, the inner housing is characterized in that the concave portion is formed at the lower end, the lower end of the suction cup winding portion is in contact with the base plate while maintaining an airtight seal at an outer position of the air inlet, and the holder mesh further includes a plurality of rotating protrusions having curved tip ends that protrude downward at positions corresponding to each of the plurality of holder units along the circumferential direction of the flange ring, and when the inner housing moves downward and is coupled to the base plate, the tip ends of the rotating protrusions are in contact with the upper surface of the base plate so that the plurality of holder units rotate in a direction in which the upper ends converge with each other based on the rotating protrusions, thereby forming a cylindrical shape by combination.

[0019] Here, the inner housing is characterized in that it has a plate joint part that is coupled to the base plate at the bottom, and the plate joint part has a structure that is coupled to the air inlet of the base plate.

[0020] Here, the plate joint is characterized in that it is formed of an elastic fixing hook that protrudes from the lower portion of the inner housing at a position corresponding to the air inlet of the base plate, is press-fitted into the air inlet, and is formed with a hook that can be caught and fixed on the inner lower surface of the air inlet when the press-fitting is complete.

[0021] By the above configuration, the air dryer filter assembly according to the present invention has the advantage of being able to effectively secure an air flow path between the inner housing and the outer housing by providing a plurality of space-securing ribs that are supported by the holder mesh on which the oil absorbent is supported and are in contact with the inner surface of the outer housing.

[0022] In addition, the air dryer filter assembly according to the present invention has the advantage of being able to easily install and fix the oil absorbent sheet through a structure in which a plurality of holder units rotate in a direction in which the oil absorbent sheet can be fixed in conjunction with the movement of the inner housing moving downward and being coupled to the base plate.

[0023] In addition, the air dryer filter assembly according to the present invention has an advantage in that it can prevent leakage at a connection part requiring airtightness by having a connection structure that can prevent separation due to impact between the inner housing and the base plate through an elastic hook, without requiring separate processing by using the air inlet formed on the base plate as it is for connection to the inner housing.

[0024] Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a typical electronic APU system.

[0025] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of an air dryer filter assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 is a partially cut-away perspective view of an air dryer filter assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 is a partially cut-away exploded perspective view of an inner housing according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the rotation state of the holder mesh according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the combined state of an air dryer filter assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of an air dryer filter assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] <Brief explanation of major drawing symbols>

[0032] 10 Inner housing

[0033] 20 External Housing

[0034] 30 elastic springs

[0035] 40 Oil filtering means

[0036] 50 Moisture filtering means

[0037] 60 baseplate

[0038] An air dryer filter assembly according to the present invention comprises: an inner housing having an accommodation space formed therein, an air inlet formed on an upper side or upper surface, an air outlet formed in the center of a lower surface of a lower side, and a concave portion formed inwardly on an upper or lower side surface, such that an installation space is formed on the outside of the concave portion; an outer housing that surrounds the inner housing from the outside and forms an air flow path in a gap with the inner housing so that compressed air introduced from an air compressor flows toward the air inlet through the installation space; an oil filtering means installed in the installation space to filter oil and foreign substances in the air passing therethrough; And a moisture filtering means for filtering moisture of air received and passing through the receiving space; wherein the oil filtering means is characterized by including: a holder mesh formed in a shape capable of wrapping the concave portion of the inner housing from the outside in the installation space, and having a mesh structure that allows air to flow in and out, and having a plurality of space securing ribs that protrude at regular intervals along the circumferential direction on the outer surface so as to secure the air flow path and are supported by being in contact with the inner surface of the outer housing; and an oil absorbent paper supported on the inner surface of the holder mesh and capable of filtering oil and foreign substances of the passing air.

[0039] Hereinafter, the air dryer filter assembly according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings.

[0040] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an air dryer filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a partially cut-away perspective view of an air dryer filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a partially cut-away perspective view of an inner housing according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a rotational state of a holder mesh according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a combined state of an air dryer filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of major parts of an air dryer filter assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Looking at FIGS. 2 and 3, an air dryer filter assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an inner housing (10), an outer housing (20), an elastic spring (30), an oil filtering means (40), a moisture filtering means (50), and a base plate (60).

[0042] The above inner housing (10) includes, in one embodiment of the present invention, a receiving space (11), an air inlet (12), an air outlet (13), a concave portion (14), an installation space (15), a top cap (16), an adsorption paper winding portion (17), and a plate joint portion (18).

[0043] The above-mentioned receiving space (11) is formed inside the inner housing (10), and a desiccant (51) as a moisture filtering means (50) is filled in the receiving space (11).

[0044] It is preferable that the bottom surface of the above-mentioned receiving space (11) be provided with a fabric sheet (not shown) made of a fiber material that filters the pulverized material of the filled desiccant (51) so that it does not enter the air outlet (13) formed on the bottom surface of the inner housing (10).

[0045] The above air inlet (12) is formed on the upper side or upper surface of the inner housing (10) to allow compressed air to flow into the receiving space (11).

[0046] In one embodiment of the present invention, the air inlet (12) is formed in the upper surface cap (16) described later so that compressed air can flow from the upper surface of the inner housing (10) to the receiving space (11).

[0047] The above air inlet (12) is connected to the air inlet (62) of the base plate (60) through the air flow path (21).

[0048] The above air outlet (13) is formed in the center of the bottom surface of the inner housing (10) so that air passing through the receiving space (11) can be discharged to the outside.

[0049] The above air outlet (13) is connected to the air outlet (61) of the base plate (60).

[0050] The above concave portion (14) is formed to be inserted inwardly into the upper or lower side of the inner housing (10), so that an installation space (15) is formed on the outside thereof in which an oil filtering means (40) can be installed.

[0051] In one embodiment of the present invention, the concave portion (14) is configured to be formed at the lower end of the inner housing (10) so that the air inlet (62) of the base plate (60) can be directly connected to the installation space (15).

[0052] That is, in one embodiment of the present invention, compressed air provided from an air compressor is configured to first pass through an oil filtering means (40) installed in the installation space (15) after being introduced into the air inlet (62) of the base plate (60).

[0053] The above upper surface cap (16) is supported so as to be able to move up and down on the upper part of the receiving space (11), the air inlet (12) is formed, and is configured to be elastically pressed downward by an elastic spring (30).

[0054] That is, the upper surface cap (16) is configured to support the desiccant (51) filled in the receiving space (11) elastically downward by combining with an elastic spring (30) to be described later, thereby effectively fixing the desiccant (51) even when the desiccant (51) decreases.

[0055] The above-mentioned adsorption paper winding part (17) is formed in a cylindrical shape so that the oil adsorption paper (42) as an oil filtering means (40) can be wound and supported in a roll shape in the above-mentioned installation space (15).

[0056] In one embodiment of the present invention, the lower part of the suction cup winding part (17) is configured to contact the base plate (60) at an outer position of the air inlet (62) formed on the base plate (60) while maintaining a seal using an O-ring (63), as shown in FIG. 7.

[0057] By the above configuration, the compressed air flowing into the air inlet (62) of the base plate (60) from the air compressor does not leak from the installation space (15) and passes through the oil absorbent paper (42) wound around the absorbent paper winding part (17), so that oil and foreign substances can be reliably filtered.

[0058] The above plate joint (18) is provided at the lower part of the inner housing (10) and is configured to be joined to the base plate (60). It is configured to have a structure that is joined to the air inlet (62) of the base plate (60) so that it can be joined without performing separate processing on the base plate (60).

[0059] In one embodiment of the present invention, the plate joint (18) is formed of an elastic fixing hook (181) that protrudes from the lower portion of the inner housing (10) at a position corresponding to the air inlet (62) of the base plate (60) as shown in FIG. 7, and is capable of being press-fitted into the air inlet (62), and is formed with a hook that can be caught and fixed on the inner lower surface of the air inlet (62) when the press-fitting is complete.

[0060] The above elastic fixing hook (181) has a structure that does not come off after being pressed into each other when the inner housing (10) and the base plate (60) are combined, thereby facilitating the combination and preventing a gap from occurring, thereby preventing leakage at the part where the O-ring (63), which is a connection part requiring airtightness, is mounted between the inner housing (10) and the base plate, thereby enabling the performance of the air dryer filter assembly according to the present invention to be continuously maintained.

[0061] The above outer housing (20) is configured to form the outer shape of the air dryer filter assembly according to the present invention and is installed to surround the inner housing (10) from the outside, and is configured to form an air flow path (21) in the gap with the inner housing (10) so that compressed air flowing in from the air compressor flows toward the air inlet (12) through the installation space (15).

[0062] The above outer housing (20) is preferably designed to have an internal pressure structure that can withstand a pressure of 17 bar, and is connected to the base plate (60) while maintaining a lower seal by the plate seaming cap (64) of the base plate (60).

[0063] As described above, the elastic spring (30) is configured to be installed between the upper surface cap (16) of the outer housing (20) and the inner housing (10) so as to elastically pressurize the desiccant (51) filled in the receiving space (11) using the upper surface cap (16).

[0064] The above oil filtering means (40) is installed in the installation space (15) and is configured to filter oil and foreign substances in the air passing through, and in one embodiment of the present invention, includes a holder mesh (41) and an oil absorbent (42).

[0065] The above holder mesh (41) is formed in a shape that can wrap around the concave portion (14) of the inner housing (10) from the outside in the installation space (15) and is configured to fix and support the absorbent material (42).

[0066] The holder mesh (41) is formed as a mesh structure that allows air to flow inward and outward as shown in FIG. 5, and is provided with a plurality of space securing ribs (411) that protrude at regular intervals along the circumferential direction on the outer surface and are supported by contacting the inner surface of the outer housing (20), thereby preventing the holder mesh (41) from coming off and at the same time securing the air flow path (21) to ensure smooth air flow.

[0067] In one embodiment of the present invention, the holder mesh (41) is formed in a cylindrical shape larger than the diameter of the absorbent paper winding portion (17) provided in the inner housing (10), and the absorbent paper (42) is wound in a roll shape around the absorbent paper winding portion (17), and the inner surface is configured to be in surface contact with the absorbent paper (42) and to fix and support the absorbent paper (42).

[0068] In addition, the holder mesh (41) according to one embodiment of the present invention is composed of a flange ring (412), a plurality of holder units (413), and a rotating projection (414).

[0069] The above flange ring (412) is configured to support the lower portions of a plurality of holder units (413) in a rotatably up and down direction in a circular band shape made of a flexible material.

[0070] The holder unit (413) is configured such that the lower portions are connected radially and continuously along the circumference of the flange ring (412) in multiple pieces, so that the upper portions can be mutually separated as shown in FIG. 5, and the upper portions are mutually gathered by an external force to form a cylindrical shape by combination.

[0071] The above holder mesh (41) is important for stably fixing the absorbent paper (42) in order to repeatedly operate filtering and regeneration for the purpose of the product. Since the plurality of holder units (413) are arranged radially, it can have structural rigidity and stably fix the absorbent paper (42) by evenly pressing it from all sides.

[0072] The above-mentioned rotating protrusions (414) are configured to protrude downward at positions corresponding to each of the plurality of holder units (413) along the circumferential direction of the flange ring (412) and have a curved tip.

[0073] As shown in Fig. 6, when the inner housing (10) moves downward and is coupled to the base plate (60) by the configuration of the holder mesh (41) as described above, the tip of the rotational projection (414) comes into contact with the upper surface of the base plate (60), and the plurality of holder units (413) rotate in a direction in which the upper ends meet each other based on the rotational projection (414), thereby forming a cylindrical shape through combination.

[0074] That is, the present invention has a structure in which the plurality of holder units (413) rotate in a direction in which the absorbent pad (42) can be fixed in conjunction with the movement of the inner housing (10) moving downward and being coupled to the base plate (60), thereby enabling the absorbent pad (42) to be easily installed and fixed.

[0075] The above-mentioned oil absorbent (42) is supported on the inner surface of the holder mesh (41) and is configured to filter oil and foreign substances in the passing air. In one embodiment of the present invention, it is configured to be wound in a roll shape on the absorbent paper winding part (17) of the inner housing (10), so that the installation of the oil absorbent (42) is easy.

[0076] The above moisture filtering means (50) is configured to filter moisture in the air that passes through the receiving space (11).

[0077] The above moisture filtering means (50) may be composed of a desiccant (51) such as zeolite filled in the receiving space (11).

[0078] The above base plate (60) is configured to be sealed by an O-ring (63) and a plate seaming cap (64) respectively being joined to the lower portions of the inner housing (10) and the outer housing (20), an air outlet (61) connected to the air discharge port (13) is formed in the center, a plurality of air inlets (62) connected to the air flow path (21) are formed along the circumferential direction on the outside of the air outlet (61), and a gasket (65) is provided on the lower surface of the plate seaming cap (64).

[0079] The above base plate (60) is a configuration generally used in an air dryer filter assembly, but in the present invention, as described above, the plate joint portion (60) of the inner housing (10) is configured to be coupled to the air inlet (62), so that the inner housing (10) can be coupled without being separated even by impact without performing separate processing on the base plate (60), thereby preventing leakage at the portion where the O-ring (63), which is a connection portion requiring airtightness, is mounted between the inner housing (10) and the base plate, thereby enabling the performance of the air dryer filter assembly according to the present invention to be continuously maintained.

[0080] The air dryer filter assembly described above and illustrated in the drawings is merely one embodiment for implementing the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the technical spirit of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined solely by the matters set forth in the following claims, and embodiments that are improved and modified without departing from the gist of the present invention shall be deemed to fall within the scope of protection of the present invention, provided that such modifications would be obvious to a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Claims

1. An inner housing in which an accommodation space is formed inside, an air inlet is formed on the upper side or upper surface, an air outlet is formed in the center of the lower surface, and a concave portion is formed inwardly on the upper or lower side, and an installation space is formed outside the concave portion; An outer housing that surrounds the inner housing from the outside and forms an air flow path through a gap with the inner housing so that compressed air flowing in from an air compressor flows toward the air inlet through the installation space; An oil filtering means installed in the above installation space to filter oil and foreign substances in the air passing through; and A moisture filtering means for filtering moisture in air that is received and passes through the above-mentioned receiving space; including: The above oil filtering means, A holder mesh formed in a shape that can wrap around the concave portion of the inner housing from the outside in the above installation space, and formed in a mesh structure that allows air to flow inside and outside, and provided with a plurality of space-securing ribs that protrude at regular intervals along the circumferential direction on the outer surface so that the air flow path is secured and are supported by contacting the inner surface of the outer housing; and An air dryer filter assembly characterized by including an oil absorbent paper supported on the inner surface of the holder mesh and capable of filtering oil and foreign substances in passing air.

2. In paragraph 1, The above air dryer filter assembly, An air dryer filter assembly characterized by further comprising a base plate that is sealed and joined to the lower portion of the inner housing and the outer housing, has an air outlet formed in the center that is connected to the air discharge port, and has a plurality of air inlets formed along the circumferential direction on the outside of the air outlet that are connected to the air flow path.

3. In paragraph 2, The above inner housing is provided with a cylindrical absorbent paper winding portion in which the absorbent paper can be wound and supported in a roll shape in the above installation space, An air dryer filter assembly characterized in that the holder mesh is formed in a cylindrical shape larger than the diameter of the absorbent paper winding portion, and the inner surface thereof is in surface contact with the absorbent paper while the absorbent paper is wound in a roll shape around the absorbent paper winding portion, thereby fixing and supporting the absorbent paper.

4. In paragraph 3, The above holder mesh is, A flange ring in the form of a circular band made of a flexible material; and An air dryer filter assembly characterized by comprising a plurality of holder units, the lower portions of which are radially connected continuously along the circumference of the flange ring so that the upper portions can be mutually separated, and the upper portions are mutually brought together by an external force and formed into a cylindrical shape by combination.

5. In paragraph 4, The inner housing has the concave portion formed at the lower end, and the lower end of the suction cup winding portion is in contact with the base plate while maintaining a seal at an outer position of the air inlet. The holder mesh further includes a plurality of rotating projections having curved tip portions that protrude downward at positions corresponding to each of the plurality of holder units along the circumferential direction of the flange ring; An air dryer filter assembly characterized in that when the inner housing moves downward and is coupled to the base plate, the tip of the rotating protrusion comes into contact with the upper surface of the base plate, and the plurality of holder units rotate in a direction in which the upper ends meet each other based on the rotating protrusion, thereby forming a cylindrical shape through combination.

6. In paragraph 2, An air dryer filter assembly characterized in that the inner housing has a plate joint portion that is coupled to the base plate at the bottom, and the plate joint portion has a structure that is coupled to the air inlet of the base plate.

7. In paragraph 6, An air dryer filter assembly characterized in that the plate joint portion is formed of an elastic fixing hook that protrudes from the lower portion of the inner housing at a position corresponding to the air inlet of the base plate, is press-fitted into the air inlet, and has a hook that can be caught and fixed on the inner lower surface of the air inlet when the press-fitting is complete.

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