Cup-Shaped Suction Filter With Folded Side Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing suction filters for fuel supply apparatuses have a limited surface area, leading to decreased filter life and increased pressure loss due to clogging, which affects pump performance and requires longer manufacturing times, reducing productivity.
Innovation Solution
A suction filter with a cup-shaped filter element sheet covering a core member, where the bottom wall faces the fuel tank's inner surface, increasing the surface area and improving pump performance while allowing for faster manufacturing through a bending and folding process using a ring jig or ring member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the filter element is formed in a cylindrical shape with the bottom portion immersed into water solution of textile material, then the surface area is increased, but the manufacturing time is extended and productivity is decreased
Solution Approach 1:
The filter element is divided into a cylindrical portion and a bottom portion that can be formed separately. The bottom portion is formed by bending and folding the lower end of the filter element sheet, which can be done quickly without immersing into water solution. This segmentation allows the filter element to achieve sufficient surface area while significantly reducing manufacturing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing method changes from immersing the filter element into water solution to bending and folding the filter element sheet. This parameter change in the formation process eliminates the time-consuming immersion step while still achieving the required surface area configuration for effective fuel filtration.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the surface area of the filter element is increased, then the life duration is extended, but the pressure loss increases due to clogging
Solution Approach 1:
The filter element is designed with different functional zones: the cylindrical portion provides filtration surface area while the bottom portion, formed by bending and folding, creates a funnel-shaped structure that guides fuel flow. This local quality differentiation ensures efficient filtration without creating excessive flow resistance that would lead to high pressure loss.
3Ease of operation
If the bottom portion of the filter element faces the inner bottom surface of the fuel tank, then the fuel suction performance is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of forming a complex three-dimensional structure to make the bottom portion face the fuel tank bottom, the invention inverts the approach by forming a simple planar bottom portion that naturally positions itself at the bottom of the filter housing. The bending and folding of the lower end creates the necessary orientation without adding manufacturing complexity.
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
The cup-shaped design enhances filter life and pump performance by increasing the surface area and reducing manufacturing time, thereby improving productivity and preventing clogging-related issues.
Implementation Method 1
a filter element sheet for covering the core member and formed in a cup shape... wherein the filter element sheet filters out the extraneous material from the fuel flowing from the fuel tank into the fuel passage
Data Source
AI summary
A pump unit having a fuel pump and a suction filter is provided in a sub tank of a fuel tank. A filter element sheet for the suction filter is formed in a cup shape, a bottom wall portion of which faces to an inner bottom surface of the sub tank. A suction port of the fuel pump is opened to a fuel passage formed in the inside of the suction filter, so that filtered fuel is sucked into the fuel pump. Multiple mountain fold portions and multiple valley fold portions are formed on a side wall of the cup-shaped filter element sheet, to thereby increase surface area for filtering the fuel.