Captive Axial Seal Filter Insert for Engine Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing filter systems in motor vehicles and industrial engines often lead to oil leaks and engine damage due to the neglect or incorrect replacement of seals during filter maintenance, and the use of improper or non-fitting filter inserts that compromise filtration efficiency and engine reliability.
Innovation Solution
A replaceable filter insert with a captive, axially displaceable seal that ensures proper positioning and secure mounting, preventing seal loss and misuse, and allowing for easy installation in various filter housings with differently positioned separating planes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the seal is detachably mounted on the filter insert, then the seal can be reused after filter replacement, but the seal may be lost or forgotten during maintenance leading to leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is merged with the filter insert by means of the support ring that surrounds the filter insert and is secured to it. This combining ensures that when the filter insert is removed, the seal is automatically removed and cannot be lost or forgotten. The support ring acts as a carrier that physically connects the seal to the filter insert, eliminating the risk of seal loss during maintenance operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is designed as a disposable component that is discarded with the filter insert after use. Rather than attempting to reuse seals, the system accepts that seals are single-use items that should be replaced with each filter change. This approach eliminates the complexity of seal retention mechanisms and ensures proper sealing without risk of loss.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the seal is fixed in one position on the filter insert, then the seal positioning is simple, but the filter insert cannot be used in different filter housings with differently positioned separating planes
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is made dynamically positionable on the filter insert through the support ring structure. The seal can be axially displaced along the filter insert to different positions, allowing adaptation to various filter housing configurations with differently positioned separating planes. This dynamic positioning capability enables a single seal design to work with multiple housing types without increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The support ring structure provides universal adaptability by allowing the seal to be positioned at different axial locations on the filter insert. This multi-position capability makes the same filter insert and seal combination suitable for different filter housings, eliminating the need for housing-specific seal variations and simplifying the overall system.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the seal is made axially displaceable on the filter insert, then the seal can be positioned correctly in different housing configurations, but the seal may move during installation causing misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The support ring pre-positions the seal in a correct axial location on the filter insert before installation into the housing. This preliminary positioning action ensures that the seal starts in the right place, reducing the risk of misalignment during installation. The support ring acts as a positioning fixture that guides the seal to its proper location prior to final assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The support ring serves as an intermediary element between the seal and the filter insert, providing both positioning and retention functions. It mediates the relationship between the movable seal and the fixed filter insert, allowing controlled displacement while preventing excessive movement that would cause misalignment. The support ring translates the need for seal mobility into a controlled, precision-maintaining system.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a filter insert (1) which is provided as an exchangeable insert in a filter, in particular in an oil filter, engine fuel filter or the like of an internal combustion engine. The filter comprises a filter housing (3) which can be divided along a separation surface (2), and the exchangeable filter insert (1) which extends in an axial direction (18). Two housing parts (4, 5) of the filter housing (3) are sealed off from one another along the separation surface (2) by means of a seal (6). The seal (6) is held on the filter insert (1) so as to be able to slide in the axial direction (18) and so as to be unloseable.