Filter Quick Attachment Using Radial Pivots and Retaining Clips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid filter attachment methods require significant axial movement, which is disruptive to hoses and other components, and often necessitate access to the rear of the filter, making them impractical in space-constrained environments.
Innovation Solution
A filter attachment system that uses radially-projecting pivots and flexible retaining clips, allowing the filter to pivot away from the bracket for easy removal and installation, eliminating the need for full axial movement and reducing space requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the filter is attached to the bracket using a slot and spring clip requiring full axial movement, then the attachment is secure and robust, but significant axial space is required and hoses are disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from axial movement (sliding the filter up and down the entire axial length) to radial movement (pivoting the filter laterally away from the bracket). The pivots engage with slots in the bracket and allow lateral pivoting motion, changing the movement dimension from axial to radial, thereby eliminating the need for significant axial clearance while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment mechanism uses dynamic pivoting motion rather than static axial sliding. The pivots are designed to rotate or pivot within the bracket slots, allowing the filter to be securely held during operation but easily removed through a simple pivoting motion. This dynamic mechanism provides both security and ease of removal without requiring extensive axial space.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the filter requires full axial movement for attachment and detachment, then the connection is stable, but access to the rear of the filter is needed and space is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention moves the attachment mechanism from requiring axial movement and rear access to utilizing lateral pivoting motion. The pivots engage with slots in the bracket and allow the filter to be removed by pivoting it laterally away from the bracket, eliminating the need for rear access and significant axial clearance while maintaining connection stability during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment mechanism is segmented into distinct components: pivots on the filter, slots in the bracket, and retaining clips. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, with the pivots handling the pivoting motion and the clips providing additional retention, thereby achieving stable connection without requiring full axial movement or rear access.
3Reliability
If a spring clip mechanism is used for attachment, then the filter can be retained securely, but the mechanism is complex and requires access to the back of the filter
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism is divided into simple, distinct segments: pivots with heads that engage with slots in the bracket, and separate retaining clips that provide additional retention. This segmentation simplifies the overall mechanism compared to a single complex spring clip system, making it easier to manufacture and assemble while maintaining secure retention. The pivots and clips can be manufactured separately and assembled, reducing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a complex spring clip mechanism that requires access to the back of the filter, the invention inverts the approach by using simple pivots that engage with slots in the bracket from the front side. The retaining clips are positioned to work from the same accessible side, eliminating the need for rear access and simplifying the overall attachment mechanism while maintaining reliable retention.
Data Source
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AI summary
A quick attachment feature for a filter includes i) a pair of radially-outward projecting pivots on opposite sides of the filter canister toward a lower end thereof; and ii) a pair of flexible retaining clips also located on opposite side of the canister toward the upper end thereof, each clip in substantial axial alignment along the canister with a respective pivot. The filter can be supported in a bracket including a pair of side walls, each of the side walls including i) a hook-shaped opening dimensioned to receive a respective pivot on the filter, and allow the filter to pivot from an orientation at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the bracket, to an orientation where the filter is substantially axially-aligned with the bracket; and ii) a catch dimensioned to engage and retain a respective retaining clip, when the filter is substantially aligned with the bracket.