Flexible Bellows Oil Filter Tool for Spill-Free Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tools fail to facilitate the easy removal of oil filters from engines without spilling oil, especially when the filters are difficult to rotate due to corrosion or residue, and do not effectively catch leaking oil during the removal process.
Innovation Solution
A flexible, cup-shaped tool with angled guides and channels is designed to fit around oil filters, providing a secure grip and directing any leaking oil into a chamber for containment, allowing for easy removal and spill prevention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a rigid gripping tool is used to rotate the filter, then the grip strength is improved, but the tool cannot accommodate filters of different sizes and the user cannot feel the rotation progress
Solution Approach 1:
The tool employs a flexible bellows structure with collapsible sidewalls that can expand and contract. This flexible shell design allows the tool to adapt to different filter diameters while maintaining a secure gripping force. The bellows structure compresses to fit smaller filters and expands for larger ones, resolving the contradiction between grip strength and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool incorporates a dynamic bellows mechanism that transitions between expanded and compressed states. This dynamic structure allows the tool to adjust its internal volume and shape according to the filter size, providing both strong grip and versatility across different filter dimensions.
2Ease of operation
If the filter is rotated while tilted to access the opening, then the removal is easier, but oil spills from the filter opening
Solution Approach 1:
The bellows tool acts as an intermediary between the filter and the environment. It captures oil dripping from the filter opening and contains it within the bellows structure, preventing spillage while allowing the filter to be rotated in the convenient tilted position for easy removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The bellows structure is positioned beforehand to catch and contain oil that may spill during filter removal. This preparatory containment structure prevents oil from reaching the ground or surrounding areas, addressing the spillage issue before it occurs.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the filter is held vertically to prevent oil spillage, then oil containment is improved, but the filter is difficult to rotate for removal
Solution Approach 1:
The bellows tool serves as a mediator that enables the filter to be held in a convenient tilted position while still preventing oil spillage. The flexible structure adapts to the filter's orientation and captures oil regardless of the tilt angle, making rotation easier than vertical holding while maintaining containment.
4Force
If a tight grip is applied to rotate the filter, then the rotation force is improved, but the user's hand may be burned from hot oil filters
Solution Approach 1:
The bellows tool acts as a thermal intermediary between the user's hand and the hot filter surface. The material of the bellows provides thermal insulation, allowing the user to apply strong gripping force for rotation while the bellows structure protects the hand from heat and potential burns.
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 tool enables efficient removal of oil filters with minimal spillage by providing a secure grip and containment of leaking oil, accommodating various filter sizes and temperatures, and offering a thermal barrier to protect the user's hands.
Implementation Method 1
The material of which the tool is made is flexible and high-friction, and the channels permit flexure of the tool. Therefore, the tool aids in removal of many different sizes of filters, even ones that are slightly larger than the tool. This results from, as the tool is placed over the filter, the tool stretching to fit over the filter
Implementation Method 2
The material of which the tool is made is flexible and high-friction
Implementation Method 3
Furthermore, some materials contemplated provide a thermal barrier for the user so a user's fingers are not burned on a hot oil filter
Data Source
AI summary
An oil filter tool used to remove filters and mitigate spillage of oil during and after removal. Sidewalls with grooves between form a substantial cylinder. Curved walls form the grooves, extend outwardly from the sidewalls, and provide some flexibility in the tool's diameter, thereby permitting use with filters other than those for which the tool was designed. A floor is joined by the sidewalls and curved walls to define a chamber in which the filter is mounted. A finger limits insertion of the filter to define a gap into which oil can flow. A funneling guide is angled at the end of the sidewalls opposite the floor to guide oil into the chamber. At least one of the grooves is closed at the guide end and there is an aperture to permit air flow out of the chamber.