Filter Element, in Particular for Gas Filtration

Abstract

A filter element has a filter medium body with a first side and an oppositely positioned second side, wherein one of the first and second sides is the inflow side of the filter medium body and the other one is the outflow side of the filter medium body. A first sealing or supporting element is arranged at the first side. A second sealing or supporting element is arranged at the second side. At least one force-transmitting adhesive bead extends between the first side and the second side, wherein the at least one adhesive bead is a force transmitting element extending between the first and second sealing or supporting elements.

Claims

1. A filter element comprising: a filter medium body of a filter medium, the filter medium body comprising: an inflow face of the filter medium body; an oppositely positioned outflow face of the filter medium body; wherein an axial direction, as used herein, is a direction from the inflow face to the outflow face of the filter medium body; wherein the filter medium body has at least one lateral side which extends from the inflow face to the outflow face; and wherein the filter medium is folded into a plurality of folds forming pleats extending from the inflow face to the outflow face; wherein a first rim edge is formed by the filter medium body where the inflow side meets the at least one lateral side; wherein a second rim edge is formed by the filter medium body where the outflow side meets the at least one lateral side; a first sealing or supporting element cast, foamed or injection molded onto first rim edge the filter medium body at the inflow face; a second sealing or supporting element cast, foamed or injection molded onto the second rim edge the filter medium body at the outflow face; a plurality of force-transmitting adhesive beads applied and adhesively fixed directly onto the filter medium body, the plurality of force-transmitting adhesive beads extending continuously between and connecting the first sealing or supporting element to the second sealing or supporting element, wherein the sealing or supporting elements are contacting against respective axial ends of the plurality of force-transmitting adhesive beads, such that forces are passed through the plurality of force-transmitting adhesive beads from the first sealing or supporting element to second sealing or supporting element, thereby bypassing axial forces around filter medium of the filter medium body.

2. The filter element according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second sealing or supporting elements extends circumferentially around the inflow face or the outflow face, respectively.

3. The filter element according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second sealing or supporting elements project radially outward from and projects radially outwardly beyond the at least one lateral side of the filter medium body.

4. The filter element according to claim 1, wherein the filter medium body is a block filter without filter folds; wherein the a plurality of force-transmitting adhesive beads are fixed directly onto the at least one lateral side of the filter medium body, wherein the sealing or supporting elements are in immediate contact with respective axial ends of the plurality of force-transmitting adhesive beads,

5. The filter element according to claim 1, wherein the filter medium is folded into a plurality of folds forming pleats extending from the inflow face to the outflow face; wherein fold pleats have first fold tips on the inflow face and second fold tips on the outflow face.

6. The filter element according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of force-transmitting adhesive bead forms an end face edge adhesive connection extending across a plurality of end face edges of the folded filter medium.

7. The filter element according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of force-transmitting adhesive beads seals laterally at least one fold of the filter medium.

8. The filter element according to claim 1, wherein a first one of the flow faces is positioned in a plane and the second one of the flow faces comprises at least a first section and a second section, wherein the first section has a first spacing relative to the first one of the flow faces and the second section has a second spacing relative to the first one of the flow faces, wherein the first and second spacings are different.

9. The filter element according to claim 1, wherein at least one force-transmitting adhesive bead of the plurality of the force-transmitting adhesive beads and at least one of the first and second sealing or supporting elements are lying in axial alignment.

10. The filter element according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second sealing or supporting elements is cast, foamed or injection molded PUR (polyurethane) material formed directly onto filter medium.

11. The filter element according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second sealing or supporting elements engages across at least one edge of the first or second rim edge, from the flow face onto the lateral side.

12. A filter device comprising: a filter element according to claim 1; and a filter housing into which the filter element is received.

13. The filter device according to claim 11, further comprising a housing cover; wherein the first sealing or supporting element of the filter element is supported on the filter housing, and wherein the second sealing or supporting element of the filter element is supported on the housing cover.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Further advantages and expedient embodiments are found in the additional claims, the figure description, and the drawings.

[0024] FIG. 1 shows in perspective view a filter element with a filter medium body embodied as a folded filter which at the inflow side as well as at the outflow side comprises a sealing or supporting element, respectively, wherein at the outer side of the filter medium body adhesive beads are introduced into the filter folds which extend between the oppositely positioned sealing or supporting elements.

[0025] FIG. 2 shows a filter device with a filter housing and a housing cover, wherein in the filter housing a filter element according to FIG. 1 is received.

[0026] FIG. 3 shows a filter element in an alternative embodiment in which the outflow side is comprised of two planes parallel to the inflow side, but at different spacing, and an intermediately positioned part-circular curved section.

[0027] FIG. 4 shows a filter device with the filter element according to FIG. 3 in section view.

[0028] FIG. 5 shows a filter device with the different components in exploded illustration.

[0029] FIG. 6 shows a filter device with a filter element in a further embodiment variant in which the inflow side and outflow side each are embodied flat-surfaced but are oriented at an angle relative to each other.

[0030] FIG. 7 shows a section through the lateral area of a filter element of a further embodiment.

[0031] In the Figures, same components use the same reference characters.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] In FIG. 1, a filter element 1 is illustrated that, for example, can be used for air filtration of combustion air to be supplied to an internal combustion engine in a vehicle such as, for example, a truck. The filter element 1 comprises a filter medium body 2 of a filter material at which the filtration takes place. The flow through the filter element 1 is realized via the inflow side 3 at the top, in accordance with the illustration of FIG. 1, in direction of the outflow side 4 at the bottom.

[0033] The filter medium body 2 is designed as a folded filter and comprises a plurality of filter folds whose fold tips 5 are lying at the inflow side 3 and at the oppositely positioned outflow side 4 and whose end face edges are facing the lateral outer sides 6 and 7 of the filter medium body. Adjacent to the lateral outer sides 6, 7, adhesive beads 8 are arranged at the filter medium body 2 which fill the filter folds that are open toward the inflow side 3. The lateral adhesive beads 8 close off the filter folds at the outer sides 6 and 7 and ensure an axial flow through the filter medium body 2 from the inflow side 3 to the outflow side 4. Moreover, the adhesive beads 8 stabilize the folds of the filter medium body.

[0034] At the inflow side 3, there is a first sealing or supporting element 9 that is embodied to extend circumferentially and is arranged in the rim area so that the entire inflow side 3 positioned in a plane is framed by the sealing or supporting element 9. At the oppositely positioned outflow side 4 there is also a sealing or supporting element 10 that also is arranged in the rim area and is embodied to extend circumferentially. The two sealing or supporting elements 9, 10 extend each in the rim area at the inflow side 3 or outflow side 4 and cover the respective end face edge of each adhesive bead 8. In this way, an axial force transmission between inflow side and outflow side 3, 4 between the sealing or supporting elements 9, 10 through the laterally extending adhesive beads 8 is ensured. In particular in the installed position in the receiving filter housing and with attached housing cover which loads the filter element 1 with pressure, absorption of the holding forces through the oppositely positioned sealing or supporting elements 9, 10 and the intermediately positioned adhesive beads 8 is ensured so that the filter material of the filter medium body 2 is relieved of these holding forces.

[0035] Advantageously, the sealing or supporting elements 9, 10 are applied immediately to the filter medium body 2, for example, by casting or injection molding. The sealing or supporting elements 9, 10 are comprised, for example, of PUR material. Both sealing or supporting elements 9, 10 are positioned in immediate contact with the respective end face edges of the adhesive beads 8 and extend also to the outer sides 6 and 7 against which the adhesive beads 8 are resting as well as the forwardly and rearwardly positioned outer sides of the filter medium body 2 which, as a whole, is of a parallelepipedal shape. The inflow side 3 as well as the outflow side 4 are each embodied planar or areal; inflow side and outflow side are lying parallel to each other.

[0036] In the sealing or supporting element 9 positioned at the inflow side 3 a circumferentially extending receiving groove 11 for a seal is provided. The receiving groove 11 is located in a section of the sealing or supporting element 9 which is projecting laterally past the outer sides of the filter medium body 2. The receiving groove 11 is embodied open in the direction of the oppositely positioned outflow side 4.

[0037] Between the outwardly positioned adhesive beads 8 additional adhesive beads 12 are provided at the filter medium body 2 which extend parallel to the outwardly positioned adhesive beads 8 forming an end face edge adhesive connection and which divide the filter folds of the filter medium body 2 into chambers. The adhesive beads 12 can be embodied continuous or optionally can be embodied interrupted.

[0038] Instead of a seal, a projection of the receiving filter housing can also project into the receiving groove 11 at the sealing or supporting element 10.

[0039] In FIG. 2, a filter device 13 with a filter housing 14 and the filter element 1 received in the filter housing 14 is illustrated. The filter housing 14 is closed by a housing cover 15 wherein a sealing element is arranged for sealing between filter housing 14 and housing cover 15. The filter element 1 is supported with its lower sealing or supporting element 10 at the bottom of the receiving filter housing 14 while the oppositely positioned upper sealing or supporting element 9 is force-loaded by the housing cover 15. The holding force which is exerted thereby is transmitted through the upper sealing or supporting element 9 and the adhesive beads 8 into the lower sealing or supporting element 10 and farther into the receiving filter housing 14.

[0040] FIG. 3 shows the filter element 1 in an embodiment variant in which the outflow side 4 of the filter medium body 2 is different in comparison to the embodiment according to FIG. 1. In FIG. 3, the filter medium body 2 is also embodied as a folded filter and adhesive beads that form an end face edge adhesive connection extend at the outer sides between the sealing or supporting element 9 at the inflow side 3 and the sealing or supporting element 10a, 10b at the outflow side 4. The inflow side 3 is embodied planar, the outflow side 4, on the other hand, comprises two outwardly positioned planar sections 4a and 4b and an intermediately positioned, inwardly curved section 4c. The two outwardly positioned sections 4a, 4b are positioned at different levels and thus have a different spacing to the inflow side 3 relative to which the outwardly positioned outflow side sections 4a, 4b extend parallel. The central curved section 4c is in particular of a part-circular shape and serves to receive a housing-associated outflow tube 16, as shown in particular in FIG. 4. This makes it possible, as illustrated in FIG. 4, to fill the receiving space in the filter housing 14 in an optimal way so that no housing-associated unused empty spaces are generated. Due to the curvature, the spacing relative to the oppositely positioned inflow side 3 changes within the central section 4c of the outflow side 4 as a function of the actual position between the outwardly positioned planar sections 4a and 4b.

[0041] At the outflow side, the sealing or supporting element is of a two-part configuration with a first part 10a at the outflow side section 4a and a second part 10b at the outflow side section 4b. Each part 10a, 10b is embodied U-shaped and frames the sections 4a, 4b at the three outwardly positioned sides. There is however no sealing or supporting element at the transition between the outwardly positioned sections 4a and 4b along the central section 4c that is embodied curved.

[0042] The adhesive beads at the outer side extend between the upper sealing or supporting element 9 and the two lower outflow side sealing or supporting elements 10a and 10b. In this way, despite the multi-part configuration of the outflow side sealing or supporting element, a force transmission between inflow side and outflow side through the adhesive beads positioned at the outer sides is ensured.

[0043] In FIG. 5, a filter device 1 with its components is shown in exploded illustration. The filter device 13 corresponds to that of FIG. 4 and comprises a filter element 1 according to FIG. 3 with a planar inflow side 3 and an outflow side 4 with planar but height-displaced sections 4a and 4b and an intermediately positioned curved section 4c. The housing cover 15 is screwed by screws 17 to the filter housing 14 which for this purpose comprises housing eyes 18 into which the screws 17 are screwed.

[0044] In FIG. 6, a further embodiment with a filter element 1 inserted into a filter housing 14 is illustrated that comprises two flat-surface inflow and outflow sides 3, 4, planar as such, which however are positioned angularly relative to each other. The inflow side 3 is positioned, relative to the insertion direction into the filter housing 14, orthogonally to the filter housing while the outflow side 4 is extending at an angle deviating from 90° relative to the insertion direction. The filter medium body 2 of the filter element 1 is embodied as a folded filter which, in the upper and lower rim areas, is framed respectively by a sealing or supporting element 9 or 10 wherein holding forces between the housing cover 15 and the filter housing 14 are transmitted by lateral adhesive beads. FIG. 6 also shows an inflow tube for supply of raw air in the housing cover 15 and an outflow tube for discharging purified air at the bottom of the filter housing 14.

[0045] In the embodiment according to FIG. 7, the sealing or supporting element 9 at the inflow side 3 of the filter medium body 2 is not in direct contact with the end face edge of the adhesive bead 8. Instead, a seal 21 is provided between the end face edge of the adhesive bead 8 and the sealing or supporting element 9 and extends across the rim area of the filter medium body 2 and is in immediate contact with the adhesive bead 8. The sealing or supporting element 9 engages across the seal 21 so that holding forces acting on the sealing or supporting element 9 are transmitted through the seal 21 to the adhesive bead 8.

[0046] FIG. 7 also shows that the part of the sealing or supporting element 9 projecting past the outer side of the filter medium body 2 comprises the receiving groove 11 into which a further seal 22 is inserted. In the mounted state, the seal 22 is resting against a shoulder in the filter housing.