JPH09155135A - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air cleaner which can be constituted without using other member and produced by few number of constitutional parts at low cost. SOLUTION: An air cleaner is provided with a first case 11, a second case 12 and a filter element 2 sandwiched between two sides. The second case 12 has a flange 121 in the peripheral edge of an opening part 129. On one side, the filter element 2 has a frame-shaped rib 21, a flange part 22 faced to the above-mentioned flange 121 and arranged and a plurality of lower engaging legs 23 which are arranged in the flange part 22 and engaged with the downside face of the flange 121. These rib 21, flange part 22 and lower engaging legs 23 are integrally molded by a synthetic resin. A gasket 24 is interposed between the flange part 22 and the flange 121 to airtightly seal the interval of both sides.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an air cleaner installed in an intake system of an internal combustion engine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an air cleaner 9 as shown in FIG. 5 is installed in an intake system of an internal combustion engine such as an automobile engine to remove dust and dirt from the introduced air. The air cleaner 9 includes a first case 91 as an upper case, a second case 92 as a lower case, and a filter element 2 sandwiched between the two cases.
And an inlet nozzle 110 for introducing air 81 into the first case 91, and a second case 92 into the first case 91.
Is provided with an outlet nozzle 120 for discharging the clean air 82.

The second case 92 has a flange 121 around the opening 129, and the first case 91 also has a flange 111 around the opening 119. On the other hand, the filtering element 2 has a frame-shaped rib 21 provided with the filter 20 inside, and a flange portion 22 facing the flange 121 of the second case 92 on the outer periphery of the rib 21.

The air cleaner 9 is constructed by sandwiching the flange portion 22 of the filter element 2 between the flange 111 and the flange 121, and fixing them with a plurality of clamps 99. The clamp 99 is made of a spring steel plate, and is composed of a member different from the first case 91 and the second case 92 made of synthetic resin. The clamp 99 is fixed to the side wall near the opening 129 of the second case 92 and the flange 121 with screws or the like.

The flange 121 and the collar portion 22 are
A rubber gasket 98 for airtightly sealing the two parts is arranged between and. Further, in FIG. 5, reference numeral 901 is a fixture for fixing the air cleaner 9 to a desired installation place, and reference numeral 902 is a fastening bolt for fixing.

[0006]

However, the air cleaner 9 uses a plurality of clamps 99, which are separate members, for fixing the first case 91 and the second case 92.
For this reason, the air cleaner 9 has a large number of constituent parts, resulting in high parts cost. Further, since the number of constituent parts is large, the air cleaner 9 requires time and effort for assembling, resulting in high manufacturing cost.

In view of such problems, the present invention can be constructed without using a separate member, and the number of constituent parts is small,
It is intended to provide an air cleaner that can be manufactured at a lower cost.

[0008]

The invention according to claim 1 includes a first case,
It comprises a second case and a filter element sandwiched between the two cases, and the first case has an inlet nozzle for introducing air, while the second case has an outlet for discharging clean air. In the air cleaner provided with nozzles, the second case has a flange at the periphery of the opening thereof, while the filtering element has a frame-shaped rib having a filter inside and a peripheral portion of the rib. It has a flange portion facing the flange and a plurality of lower engaging legs provided on the flange portion and engaging with the lower surface of the flange. These ribs, the flange portion and the lower engaging legs are made of synthetic resin. The air cleaner is characterized in that it is integrally molded by means of, and a gasket is provided between the flange and the flange to hermetically seal the two.

The operation of the present invention will be described below. The air cleaner of the present invention has, in the flange portion of the filter element, the lower engagement leg integrally formed with the flange portion.
Then, the lower engaging leg engages with the flange while sandwiching the gasket (see FIG. 2).

Therefore, the air cleaner can be assembled by first fixing the filter element to the second case using the lower engaging portion and then covering the first case with the filter element. Therefore, according to the present invention, the air cleaner can be assembled without using a separate member, and the number of constituent parts can be reduced. Further, since the air cleaner of the present invention has a small number of constituent parts, the parts cost and the assembly cost are low.

Further, in the air cleaner of the present invention, the space defined by the first case and the filter element is a dust-containing space into which air before filtration enters, while the space defined by the second case and the filter element is filtered. It is a clean space where collected air is collected. A gasket is provided between the flange and the flange, and the gasket and the lower engaging leg hermetically seal the air cleaner from the outside of the air cleaner. In other words, in the present invention, the gasket is provided at the portion where the most airtight sealing is required. Therefore, in the present invention, the parts cost, the assembly cost, etc. can be reduced without deteriorating the function of the air cleaner.

The cross-sectional shape of the gasket is
For example, it is preferably a rectangle, an ellipse, etc., and has a protrusion on its side surface. By providing the protrusion, the protrusion can be deformed to seal the gap between the flange and the flange or the like. As a result, the space between the second case and the filter element can be hermetically and reliably sealed.

Next, according to the invention of claim 2, the first
The opening of the case is provided outside the rib of the filter element and is capped on the upper surface of the collar, and between the opening of the first case and the rib of the filter element is swayed. It is preferable that an anti-moving material is provided. By providing the rocking preventive member, it is possible to prevent rattling between the first case and the filter element, and thus prevent the first case from being displaced. Further, it is possible to maintain an appropriate airtightness between the two.

Since the space formed between the first case and the filter element is a dust-containing space containing air before being filtered, it is not necessary to provide strict airtightness between the two. .

Next, the gasket has elasticity,
It is preferably made of rubber or plastic. Thereby, the space between the second case and the filter element can be hermetically and reliably sealed. Since the gasket is required to have elasticity to some extent, when plastic is used, it is preferable to use a material having high elasticity, such as soft PVC or olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer.

Next, as in the third aspect of the invention, it is preferable that a plastic foam is used as the rocking preventive material. As a result, rattling can be prevented from occurring between the first case and the filter element, and the first case can be fixed while maintaining proper airtightness. As the plastic foam, sponge such as urethane foam and EPDM foam can be used.

Next, according to the invention of claim 4, the first
The case has a flange on the periphery of the opening, the flange facing the flange of the rib, and the flange has a plurality of upper engaging legs that engage with the upper surface of the flange. It is preferable that the rib, the collar portion, the lower engaging leg and the upper engaging leg are integrally formed of synthetic resin.

In this case, the first case, the second case and the filter element can be fixed from two directions. Therefore, the airtightness of the air cleaner is enhanced and the effect of preventing the three members from swinging can be obtained. Also,
The air cleaner can be easily assembled by engaging the upper engaging leg and the lower engaging leg with the first case and the second case, respectively.

Next, according to the invention of claim 5, the second
An elastic gasket is preferably provided between the flange of the case and the flange portion. The elastic gasket can prevent rattling and rocking between the first case and the filter element, and thus prevent misalignment between the two. In addition, high airtightness can be maintained between the two.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1 An air cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the air cleaner 1 of this example includes a first case 11 as an upper case, a second case 12 as a lower case, and a filter element 2 sandwiched between the two. The first case 11 is provided with an inlet nozzle 110 for introducing air 81, while the second case 12 is provided with an outlet nozzle 820 for introducing clean air 82.

The second case 12 has a flange 121 at the periphery of the opening 129. On the other hand, the filtering element 2 has a frame-shaped rib 21 provided with the filter 20 inside and the flange 121 on the outer circumference of the rib 21.
And a plurality of lower engaging legs 23 provided on the flange portion 22 and engaged with the lower side surface 128 of the flange 121.

The rib 21, the collar portion 22 and the lower engaging leg 23 are integrally formed of synthetic resin, and
As shown in FIG. 2, the flange 22 and the flange 121 are provided.
Gasket 2 for airtight sealing between the two
4 is installed. Further, the gasket 24 has an oval cross section, and a protrusion 240 is provided on the outer periphery thereof. At the protrusion 240, the gasket 24 contacts the rib 21, the flange 22, and the lower engaging leg 23.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower engaging leg 23 is a member extending downward from the peripheral edge of the collar portion 22.
The tip 230 of the lower engaging leg 23 is hook-shaped and is bent inward. When fixing the second case 12 and the filter element 2, the tip portion 230 is fixed.
Of the flange 121 contacts the lower surface of the peripheral edge of the flange 121.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the opening 119 of the first case 11 is provided outside the rib 21 of the filter element 2 and on the upper surface of the flange 22. The opening 119 of the first case 11 is then
The lower end 118 of the above is in contact with the upper surface of the collar portion 22. Further, a rocking preventive member 29 is interposed between the opening 119 of the first case 11 and the rib 21 of the filtering element 2.

The first case 11 and the second case 12 are injection molded from polypropylene containing a reinforcing material. The filter element 2 is formed by setting a strip-shaped filter paper in a mold for forming the ribs 21, the flange portion 22 and the like, and injection-molding polypropylene for forming the ribs and the flange portion. The gasket 24 is made of rubber. The rocking preventive material 29 is made of polyurethane foam.

In the air cleaner 1 of the present embodiment, the air 81 to be filtered is the first air from the inlet nozzle 110.
It enters the case 11 and is filtered by the filter 20.
The filtered clean air 82 enters the second case 12 and is sucked into the engine as the clean air 82 from the outlet nozzle 120.

Next, the function and effect of this example will be described. The air cleaner 1 of this example has a lower engaging leg 23 integrally formed with the flange portion 22 of the flange portion 22 of the filter element 2. The lower engaging leg 23 engages with the flange 121 while sandwiching the gasket 24 (see FIG. 2).

Therefore, in the air cleaner 1, first, the filter element 2 is fixed to the second case 12 by using the lower engaging portion 23, and then the first case 11 is brought into contact with the lower end 118 of the opening 119. It can be assembled by covering the filter element 2 so as to be in contact therewith.
Therefore, according to this example, the air cleaner 1 can be assembled without using a separate member, and the number of constituent parts can be reduced. Furthermore, since the number of constituent parts is small, parts cost and assembly cost are low.

In the air cleaner 1, the space defined by the first case 11 and the filter element 2 is a dust-containing space into which air before filtration enters, while the second case 12
The space defined by the filter element 2 is a clean space in which filtered air is collected. A gasket 24 is provided between the collar portion 22 and the flange 121,
The gasket 24 and the lower engaging leg 23 hermetically seal between the two.

In other words, in this example, the gasket 24 is provided at the portion where the most airtight sealing is required. According to this example, without deteriorating the function of purifying air,
It is possible to obtain an air cleaner with reduced parts cost and assembly cost. Although the first case is arranged on the lower side and the second case is arranged on the upper side in this embodiment,
You may reverse upside down. Alternatively, they may be arranged laterally.

Embodiment 2 In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper engaging leg 2 together with the lower engaging leg 23 on the collar portion 22 of the filter element 2.
The air cleaner 1 is provided with 5. As shown in FIG. 3, the air cleaner 1 of this example includes a first case 11, a second case 12, and a filter element 2 sandwiched between the first case 11 and the second case 12.

The first case 11 has a flange 111 on the periphery of the opening 119, which faces the flange 22 of the rib 21. Further, the collar portion 22 has a plurality of upper engaging legs 25 that engage with the upper surface 117 of the flange 111, and the ribs 21, the collar portion 22, the lower engaging legs 23 and the upper engaging legs 25 are integrally molded. There is.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lower engaging leg 25 is
Is a member that has the same shape as the lower engaging leg 23 and extends upward from the peripheral edge of the collar portion 22. The tip 250 of the upper engaging leg 25 is hook-shaped and is bent inward. When fixing the first case 11 and the filter element 2, the lower surface of the tip portion 250 abuts the upper surface 117 of the peripheral edge portion of the flange 111.

An elastic gasket 249 having the same shape as the gasket 24 of the first embodiment is interposed between the flange 111 and the upper engaging leg 25. Others are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In the air cleaner 1 of this example, the first
The case 11, the second case 12, and the filtration element 2 are
The upper engagement leg 25 and the lower engagement leg 23 provided on the collar portion 22 can fix the upper and lower legs in two directions. Therefore, the airtightness of the air cleaner 1 is increased, and
The three members can be firmly fixed, and the effect of preventing rocking can be obtained.

Further, the air cleaner can be easily assembled only by engaging the engaging leg and the lower engaging leg with the first case and the second case, respectively. Others have the same operation and effects as the first embodiment.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an air cleaner which can be constructed without using a separate member, has a small number of constituent parts, and can be manufactured at a low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective development view of an air cleaner according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of the air cleaner according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective development view of an air cleaner having upper engagement legs according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an essential part of an air cleaner according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective development view of an air cleaner according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1. . . Air cleaner, 11. . . First case, 110. . . Inlet nozzle, 111, 121. . . Flange, 119, 129. . . Opening, 12. . . Second case, 120. . . Outlet nozzle, 2. . . Filter element, 20. . . Filter, 21. . . Ribs, 22. . . Tsubabe, 23. . . Lower engaging legs, 24. . . Gasket, 25. . . Elastic gasket, 29. . . Rocking prevention member, 81. . . Air, 82. . . Clean air,

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A first case, a second case, and a filter element sandwiched between the first case and the second case. The first case is provided with an inlet nozzle for introducing air, while the second case is provided. An air cleaner having an outlet nozzle for discharging clean air in the second case, wherein the second case has a flange at the periphery of the opening, while the filtering element has a frame provided with an inner filter. Ribs,
The rib has a flange portion facing the flange on the outer periphery of the rib, and a plurality of lower engaging legs provided on the flange portion and engaged with the lower surface of the flange. The rib, the flange portion, and the lower engaging portion are provided. An air cleaner characterized in that the compound leg is integrally formed of synthetic resin, and a gasket is provided between the flange and the flange to hermetically seal the two. 2. The opening of the first case according to claim 1, wherein the opening of the first case is provided outside the rib of the filter element and is capped on the upper surface of the flange. Between the rib of the filtration element and
An air cleaner characterized in that a rocking prevention material is interposed. 3. The air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the rocking preventive material is a plastic foam. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein
The first case has a flange, which faces the flange of the rib, facing the periphery of the opening, and the flange has a plurality of upper engaging legs that engage with the upper surface of the flange. An air cleaner characterized in that the rib, the collar portion, the lower engaging leg and the upper engaging leg are integrally formed of synthetic resin. 5. The air cleaner according to claim 4, wherein an elastic gasket is provided between the flange of the second case and the flange portion.