Open Air Box With Integrated Filter Media
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Enclosed air boxes with paper filters restrict airflow, leading to decreased engine performance and increased fuel consumption, and result in large volumes of discarded filters that contribute to landfill waste, as they become clogged and lose effectiveness over time.
Innovation Solution
An open air box design with an integrated air filter that uses a durable, temperature-resistant housing and a wire support system to retain a circumferentially extending filter material, allowing for easy cleaning and reuse, reducing air resistance and improving airflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an enclosed air box with paper filter is used, then the filter provides initial protection from particulate matter, but air flow becomes restricted as the filter becomes clogged, leading to decreased engine performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the filter material from conventional paper to a synthetic material (such as polyester or polypropylene) with different properties including higher tensile strength, temperature resistance, and washability. This allows the filter to maintain structural integrity during cleaning and reuse, preventing airflow restriction that occurs with clogged paper filters
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables recovery and reuse of the air filter through periodic washing and cleaning, eliminating the need to discard the filter when it becomes clogged. The filter media can be cleaned by removing it from the air box and washing it with water or appropriate cleaning solutions, then air-drying and reinstalling it, thus maintaining continuous engine performance without filter replacement
2Ease of manufacture
If a paper filter is used in an enclosed air box, then the filter structure is simple and inexpensive, but the filter cannot be cleaned and must be discarded when clogged, contributing to landfill waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material composition from paper-based filters to synthetic polymer-based filters that possess washability and reusability characteristics. This parameter change in material composition enables the filter to be cleaned and reused multiple times, dramatically reducing the volume of discarded filters sent to landfills while maintaining manufacturing feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the filter to serve itself by being cleanable and reusable without requiring replacement. The filter media can be removed, washed, air-dried, and reinstalled, allowing the same filter component to continue providing filtration service indefinitely, thus eliminating the waste generation associated with disposable filters
3Reliability
If an enclosed air box with tortuous ductwork is used, then the air box provides enclosed protection, but the tortuous path of hoses or ductwork creates additional air restriction that decreases engine performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the tortuous ductwork and enclosed air box structure, replacing them with a simpler open air box design that allows air to enter the filter media directly without navigating through complex hoses or ductwork. This extraction of unnecessary components eliminates the additional air restriction caused by tortuous paths while maintaining adequate protection through the filter media itself
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 open air box design enhances engine performance by reducing air resistance and allows for periodic cleaning and reuse of the air filter, minimizing waste and maintaining filter effectiveness over time.
Implementation Method 1
an air filter designed to remove particulate is generally a device composed of fibrous materials. These fibrous materials may remove solid particulates such as dust, pollen, mold, and bacteria from the air
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An apparatus for an air box with an integrated air filter, the apparatus comprising the air filter, comprising a filter material circumferentially extending such that the filter material surrounds at least a portion of an interior cavity of the air filter, a distal end cap affixed to a distal end of the filter material, and a wire support extending along at least a portion of an exterior surface of the filter material; and a housing portion and a mount portion of the air box, where a front surface of the housing portion comprises a conduit with an opening and a transition that are configured to receive an air intake conduit, and a back surface of the housing portion comprises a ridge and a recess configured to fixedly receive a proximal end of the filter material, such that air drawn through the filter material into the interior cavity is drawn through the opening of the conduit, wherein the mount portion extends from the housing portion toward the distal end of the filter material; wherein the mount portion further comprises a plurality of ribbed structural supports configured to increase a rigidity of the mount portion, and wherein the housing portion is configured to support the air filter, and wherein a first subset of the ribbed structural supports extends in a first plane that intersects the air filter and in a first direction toward the air filter and a second subset of the ribbed structural supports extends in the first plane and in a second direction away from the air filter.