Air Filter Cartridge Assembly for Guided Sealing and Positioning

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing air filtration assemblies suffer from incorrect positioning of filtering cartridges, leading to ineffective seals and potential damage, resulting in inefficient filtration and high maintenance errors.

Innovation Solution

An air filtration assembly with a box and filtering cartridge design that allows for intuitive and guided insertion, utilizing a plate group with sealing and abutment profiles that engage with the box to ensure a secure and effective seal, using a single insertion direction and elastically yielding material for volume compression.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the filtering cartridge is inserted without guided positioning, then the insertion operation is simple, but the positioning precision deteriorates leading to incorrect positioning and ineffective seals

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinsertion operation simplicityVSAvoidpositioning precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by providing guiding elements (guides on the cartridge, recesses in the box) that pre-position the cartridge during insertion. This ensures correct positioning is established before the sealing operation occurs, preventing incorrect positioning while maintaining simple insertion through the guided path.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses guiding elements as intermediaries between the cartridge and box. The guides and recesses act as mediating structures that facilitate correct positioning during insertion, ensuring the cartridge aligns properly with the box without requiring complex positioning operations by the user.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If multiple components are used for sealing and positioning, then the sealing reliability improves, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing reliabilityVSAvoidcomponent count
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple functions into integrated components. The sealing profile is integrated directly into the cartridge structure, and the guiding elements are combined with the positioning mechanism. This reduces the number of separate components while maintaining reliable sealing through the integrated design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies multi-functionality by designing components that perform multiple functions simultaneously. The sealing profile serves both sealing and positioning functions, while the guiding elements provide both guidance and alignment. This reduces component count while maintaining sealing reliability through multi-functional integration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Strength

If the sealing profile is rigid, then the seal strength improves, but the adaptability to positioning variations deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveseal strengthVSAvoidadaptability to positioning variations
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the physical parameter of the sealing profile from rigid to elastic. This allows the sealing profile to deform and adapt to positioning variations while maintaining effective sealing contact. The elastic property enables the seal to accommodate minor positioning tolerances without compromising seal strength.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses a flexible sealing profile that can deform to accommodate positioning variations. The elastic sealing profile acts as a flexible element that adapts to the mating surface while maintaining sealing effectiveness, combining adaptability with sufficient seal strength.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Ensures simple and reliable assembly, minimizes damage, maintains a stable seal against vibrations, and optimizes space usage, providing efficient filtration with reduced component count and production costs.

Implementation Method 1

The plate body (50) is a single component made of an elastomeric material and, in a configuration of a plate group (5) housed in the housing region (25), the plate body (50) is subjected to a volume compression.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP4380714B1Air filtration assembly
Publication Date: 2025.12.24 UFI INNOVATION CENTER SRL
  • EP4380714B1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1b
  • EP4380714B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4380714B1 patent drawingFigure 3a~3b

AI summary

The invention is an air filtration assembly (1) comprising : i) a box (2) comprising a wall (21) extending along a first axis (V-V) and a second axis (Y-Y) comprising at least one outflow mouth (29) through which the air flows and comprising a longitudinal axis (X-X); ii) a filtering cartridge (3) comprising at least two tubular filtering partitions (4) radially crossable during filtration and a plate group (5) comprising a flat body (50) to which said tubular filtering partitions (4) are operatively connected. The flat body (50) extends with respect to an imaginary development plane (S) and, on the opposite sides of said imaginary development plane (S), comprises a first face (51) comprising at least one sealing profile (510) and a second face (52) comprising at least two abutment profiles (520). The flat body (50) comprises at least one outflow opening (59) suitable for putting the tubular filtering partitions (4) in fluid communication with the at least one outflow mouth (29). The filtering cartridge (3) is insertable into the box (2) along an insertion direction (Z) substantially parallel to the first axis (V-V) or the second axis (Y- Y). The box (2) comprises an housing region (25) between the wall (21) and at least two abutment elements (22) and the plate group (5) is housed in said housing region (25) with the first face (51) sealingly engaged with the wall (21) and the second face (52) engaged by the abutment elements ( 22 ). The at least one sealing profile (510) and/ or the abutment profiles (520) are shaped or mutually positioned with respect to the imaginary development plane (S) having vertical variable distances (dz1, dz1 ', dz2) therefrom, and the at least one sealing profile (510) and/or the abutment profiles (520) are shaped or mutually positioned with respect to the imaginary development plane (S) having longitudinal variable distances (dx1, dx1', dx1' ', dx1' ' ', dx2) therefrom. The flat body (50) is a single component made of an elastically yielding material, and in a configuration of the plate group (5) housed in the housing region (25), the flat body (50) is subjected to a volume compression.