Housing-Free Filter Element for Compact Engine Air Intake
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Solution Overview
Problem
Filter devices for internal combustion engines face challenges in maintenance due to the need for a filter housing, which requires cumbersome removal and reinsertion of the filter element, and often necessitates specialized tools, leading to increased effort and space requirements.
Innovation Solution
Designing a filter element without a housing, where the clean air area is formed exclusively by the filter element, with a protruding end plate and outer wall that encloses the raw air area, allowing for a compact and detachable design that reduces maintenance effort and installation space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a filter housing is used to enclose the filter element, then the clean air area is sealed off from the raw air area, but the device complexity and maintenance effort increase due to the need for housing removal and reinsertion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the filter housing from the system. The filter element itself is designed to directly enclose the clean air area using its end plates and outer wall, removing the separate housing component entirely. This reduces device complexity while maintaining the sealing function through the integrated filter element design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the housing function with the filter element. The end plates and outer wall of the filter element are designed to simultaneously perform both filtration and enclosure functions, combining what were previously separate components into a single integrated unit that maintains reliable sealing without requiring a separate housing.
2Strength
If a filter housing is used, then the filter element is protected, but the installation space and volume requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective housing function is merged into the filter element structure itself. The end plates and outer wall form an integrated protective enclosure, eliminating the need for additional housing volume while maintaining protection of the filter material and structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The separate housing is extracted from the system, reducing the overall device volume. The filter element's own structural components are sufficient to provide protection without requiring an additional housing layer, thereby minimizing installation space requirements.
3Ease of operation
If the filter element is detachably attached to the mounting, then maintenance is simplified, but the seal reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The filter element's end plates are designed with integrated sealing surfaces that automatically ensure reliable sealing when attached to the mounting. The detachable connection maintains seal reliability through self-aligning features and integrated gasket designs, allowing easy maintenance without compromising sealing performance.
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
This solution ensures a reliable seal between the clean and raw air areas, simplifies maintenance by eliminating the need for a filter housing, and reduces the overall volume and installation space of the filter device, while maintaining effective air filtration.
Implementation Method 1
a filter material (16) arranged between the end discs (12, 14), which separates a clean air area (18) from a raw air area (20)
Implementation Method 2
the filter material and the end plates are bonded together. For example, the filter material and the end plates can be bonded by gluing or plasticizing
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
The invention relates to a filtering system (34), in particular for an internal combustion engine or a fuel cell for a motor vehicle, having a holder (44) on the vehicle and an exchangeable filter element (10), in particular an air filter element, wherein the filter element (10) comprises a first end plate (12), a second end plate (14) and a filtering material (16) that is arranged between the end plates (12, 14) and separates a filtered air zone (18) from an unfiltered air zone (20). The essential aspect of the invention is that at least the second end plate (14) protrudes beyond the filtering material (16), the filtering system (34) comprises at least one filtered air opening (26) and at least one unfiltered air opening (30), at least one such filtered air opening (26) is formed in the filter element (10), the filter element (10) lies detachably on the holder (44), and the holder (44), the protruding end plate (12, 14), the filtering material (16) and an outer wall (22) enclose the unfiltered air zone (20). The invention further relates to a filter element for this filtering system, and to a method for producing a filter element of this filtering system.