Filter Cartridge Rib Actuates Stop Valve for Coolant Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of filter cartridges for coolant in engines poses safety risks to operators due to high temperatures and pressures involved in filter maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A filter assembly with a housing that includes a stop valve and an anti-drain valve, both biased to closed positions, which are actuated by a filter cartridge's rib and center tube to control coolant flow and prevent accidental drainage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a filter cartridge is used to filter coolant in an engine, then the coolant can be filtered to prolong engine life, but the operator is exposed to high temperatures and pressures during maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The stop valve is pre-positioned in a closed state before filter cartridge installation. When the filter cartridge is inserted, its leading end automatically actuates the stop valve to open, allowing coolant flow to be established before the filter element is fully installed. This preliminary valve actuation ensures safe maintenance conditions are established prior to operator exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop valve acts as an intermediary safety mechanism between the high-pressure coolant system and the operator. It mediates the flow control by automatically opening only when the filter cartridge is properly installed, preventing operator exposure to harmful temperatures and pressures during the maintenance process.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the stop valve is positioned to control coolant flow, then operator safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stop valve is designed to be self-actuating through the filter cartridge installation process itself. The leading end of the filter cartridge mechanically engages with the stop valve mechanism, automatically opening the valve without requiring separate actuation mechanisms, controls, or additional power sources. This self-service approach maintains simplicity while ensuring operator safety.
3Ease of operation
If the filter cartridge is designed with a rib to actuate the stop valve, then coolant flow control is achieved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rib feature is localized to a specific region of the filter cartridge leading end, concentrating the actuation function in a small, easily manufacturable area. This localized design allows for precise engagement with the stop valve without requiring high precision across the entire filter cartridge assembly, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining effective flow control.
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 solution ensures safe operation by controlling coolant flow and preventing accidental drainage, thereby reducing the risk of exposure to high temperatures and pressures during filter maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
The stop valve body is biased toward the stop valve closed position by a stop valve biasing member
Implementation Method 2
The anti-drain valve body is biased toward the anti-drain valve closed position by an anti-drain valve biasing member
Implementation Method 3
a filter media configured to filter a fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A filter assembly includes a housing defining unfiltered and filtered cavities, a coolant inlet, and a coolant outlet. The filter assembly further includes a stop valve movable between a stop valve closed position and a stop valve open position and an anti-drain valve movable between an anti-drain valve closed position and an anti-drain valve open position. The coolant inlet is in fluid communication with the unfiltered cavity when the stop valve body is in the stop valve open position. The coolant outlet is in fluid communication with the filtered cavity when the anti-drain valve body is in the anti-drain valve open position. A filter cartridge includes a bottom endplate having a rib with a rib end face engaging with the stop valve to move the stop valve body from the stop valve closed position to the stop valve open position when the filter cartridge is positioned within the housing.