Removal System and Removal Aid for a Separating Element

Abstract

A removal system is provided with a separating element for separating contaminants contained in a fluid and with a removal aid for removing the separating element from a housing. The separating element has an end disk arranged at an end face of the separating element. The end disk has a central recess. The removal aid has a grip section and at least two locking fingers. The locking fingers extend along a center axis of the removal aid away from the grip section. Each locking finger has a hook element that serves for engaging behind the end disk of the separating element radially outside of an end disk area that delimits in radial outward direction immediately the central recess. A removal aid for such a removal system is provided.

Claims

1. A removal system comprising: a separating element configured to separate contaminants contained in a fluid from the fluid, wherein the separating element comprises a separating medium and further comprises an end disk arranged at an end face of the separating element, wherein the end disk comprises a central recess and an end disk region immediately delimiting the central recess in a radial outward direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the separating element; a removal aid configured to remove the separating element from a housing; the removal aid comprising a grip section and two or more locking fingers arranged on the grip section and spaced apart from each other; the locking fingers each extending along a center axis of the removal aid away from the grip section; the locking fingers each comprising a hook element configured to engage behind the end disk of the separating element radially outside of the end disk region, viewed in the radial outward direction.

2. The removal system according to claim 1, wherein the removal aid, when locked on the end disk, engages with the locking fingers across an outer circumference of the end disk, wherein the hook elements of the locking fingers are oriented in a radial inward direction relative to the center axis of the removal aid.

3. The removal system according to claim 2, wherein the separating medium is a star-shaped folded bellows, wherein the hook elements of the locking fingers extend in the radial inward direction into folds of the star-shaped folded bellows.

4. The removal system according to claim 1, wherein the end disk of the separating element comprises flow openings arranged on the end disk so as to be outwardly displaced, viewed in the radial outward direction, relative to the central recess of the end disk, wherein the hook elements of the locking fingers are configured to engage in the flow openings of the end disk of the separating element.

5. The removal system according to claim 4, wherein the end disk of the separating element comprises an annular slot and wherein the locking fingers of the removal aid, when the removal aid is locked on the separating element, extend into the annular slot.

6. The removal system according to claim 5, wherein the end disk comprises an outer shoulder delimiting the annular slot in the radial outward direction, and wherein the hook elements of the locking fingers engage behind the outer shoulder.

7. The removal system according to claim 1, wherein the end disk of the separating element comprises an annular slot and wherein the locking fingers of the removal aid, when the removal aid is locked on the separating element, extend into the annular slot.

8. The removal system according to claim 7, wherein the end disk comprises an outer shoulder delimiting the annular slot in the radial outward direction, and wherein the hook elements of the locking fingers engage behind the outer shoulder.

9. The removal system according to claim 1, wherein the locking fingers include a first locking finger, a second locking finger, and a third locking finger, wherein the first locking finger is correlated with a first end of the grip section of the removal aid and wherein the second and the third locking fingers are correlated with a second end of the grip section.

10. The removal system according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the hook elements of the locking fingers comprise an insertion ramp and a projection, wherein the projection is arranged so as to face away from the grip section of the removal aid and wherein the projection comprises a centering surface oriented parallel or at an acute angle relative to the center axis of the removal aid.

11. The removal system according to claim 1, wherein the hook elements of the locking fingers are oriented outwardly in a radial direction relative to the center axis.

12. The removal system according to claim 1, wherein the removal aid comprises a centering socket configured to be inserted into the central recess of the end disk of the separating element.

13. The removal system according to claim 12, wherein the centering socket is tubular.

14. A removal aid for removing a separating element from a housing, the removal aid comprising: a grip section; two or more locking fingers arranged on the grip section and spaced apart from each other; the locking fingers each extending along a center axis of the removal aid away from the grip section; the locking fingers each comprising a hook element configured to engage behind an end disk of the separating element radially outside of an end disk region that immediately delimits a central recess of the end disk in a radial outward direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the separating element.

15. The removal aid according to claim 14, wherein the hook elements of the locking fingers are oriented in a radial inward direction relative to the center axis of the removal aid.

16. The removal aid according to claim 14, wherein the hook elements of the locking fingers are oriented in a radial outward direction relative to the center axis of the removal aid.

17. The removal aid according to claim 14, wherein the locking fingers include a first locking finger, a second locking finger, and a third locking finger, wherein the first locking finger is correlated with a first end of the grip section of the removal aid and wherein the second and the third locking fingers are correlated with a second end of the grip section.

18. The removal aid according to claim 14, wherein at least some of the hook elements of the locking fingers comprise an insertion ramp and a projection, wherein the projection is arranged so as to face away from the grip section of the removal aid and wherein the projection comprises a centering surface oriented parallel or at an acute angle relative to the center axis of the removal aid.

19. The removal aid according to claim 14, further comprising a centering socket configured to be inserted into the central recess of the end disk of the separating element.

20. The removal aid according to claim 19, wherein the centering socket is tubular.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] FIG. 1a shows a schematic, perspective view of a separating element in a housing and a first embodiment of a removal aid according to the invention.

[0030] FIG. 1b shows a schematic, perspective view of the removal aid of FIG. 1a, locked on an end disk of the separating element, during a removal process.

[0031] FIG. 1c shows a schematic section illustration of the removal aid and of the separating element of FIGS. 1a, 1b.

[0032] FIG. 2a shows a schematic, perspective illustration of a second embodiment of a removal aid according to the invention, locked on an end disk of a separating element.

[0033] FIG. 2b shows a schematic, perspective view of the removal aid of FIG. 2a.

[0034] FIG. 2c shows a schematic plan view of the removal aid of FIGS. 2a, 2b.

[0035] FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-section of a third embodiment of a removal aid according to the invention, wherein a hook element and a projection are formed on locking fingers of the removal aid, respectively.

[0036] FIG. 4a shows a removal aid according to the invention in a fourth embodiment, locked on a separating element, in a schematic, perspective view.

[0037] FIG. 4b shows a schematic view of the removal aid and of the separating element of FIG. 4a.

[0038] FIG. 4c shows a schematic longitudinal section of the removal aid and of the separating element of FIGS. 4a, 4b.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] FIG. 1a shows a schematic, perspective view of a removal system 10 according to the invention comprising a separating element 12 for separating contaminants contained in a fluid, here oil, and a removal aid 14 by means of which the separating element 12 can be removed comfortably from a housing 16. The separating element 12 is embodied, for example, as an oil filter and comprises a filter medium 18 as well as an end disk 20 arranged at the end face and provided with a central recess 22 through which the fluid can be guided out of the separating element 12. In radial direction, the central recess is immediately delimited outwardly by an end disk region 20a, or rim area, of the end disk 20. The filter medium 18 is arranged in an annular shape relative to the longitudinal axis 24 of the separating element 12 and, with one end, is held embedded in the illustrated upper end disk 20 or is glued to the end disk 20. The filter medium 18 can be flowed through by the fluid in a radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis 24 from the exterior to the interior.

[0040] The removal aid 14 comprises a grip section 26 which is provided for ergonomic reasons with two grip depressions 28. The grip section 26 can be gripped by several fingers (not illustrated) of a hand of a user of the removal aid 14. The grip section 26 comprises as a whole a U-shaped form with two arms or legs 30 which are arranged to be spaced apart from each other. The legs 30 are attached at one end to an intermediate plate 32, respectively. On the intermediate plate 32, five locking fingers 34 are integrally formed here at both ends, respectively, and are extending along a center axis 36 of the removal aid 14 away from the intermediate plate 32 or the grip section 26. It is understood that also more or fewer than five locking fingers can be provided. The locking fingers 34 each comprise a terminally arranged hook element 38 that is projecting away from the respective locking finger 34 in radial inward direction.

[0041] The removal aid 14 comprises an axial stop 40 for the end disk of the separating element 12 to be removed from the housing 16. The axial stop 40 is facing in the direction of the hook elements 38 and is formed in an exemplary fashion by the locking fingers 34.

[0042] The removal aid 14 may comprise a centering socket 42 which is preferably tubular and which is insertable into the central recess 22 of the end disk 20 of the separating element 12. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1a, the centering socket 42 is arranged on the intermediate plate 32 in an exemplary fashion and extends away from the intermediate plate 32 in axial direction coaxially to the center axis 36 of the removal aid 14. The centering socket 42 can project with its free end 44 in axial direction past the locking fingers 34 in order to enable a reliable guiding action of the removal aid 14 upon coupling on the end disk 20 of the separating element 12. According to an embodiment that is not illustrated in detail in the Figures, the aforementioned axial stop 40 can also be formed by a collar or the like which is projecting in radial direction away from the centering socket 42.

[0043] FIG. 1b shows the removal system 10 according to the invention of FIG. 1a during the removal process of the separating element 12 from the housing 16. The removal aid 14 is locked with the end disk 20 of the separating element 12. The locking fingers 34 engage across the end disk 20 at the outer circumference and engage behind the end disk 20 with their hook elements 38. In this context, the hook elements 38 can engage in particular from the exterior in radial direction in folds 46 of the separating medium 18. In this case, the removal aid 14 is secured against rotation, or substantially secured against rotation, on the separating element 12 by the separating medium 18 so that the separating element 12 can be loosened in a simplified way from its seat in the housing 16. Due to the locking fingers 34, a multi-point locking action of the removal aid 14 on both sides of the end disk 20 of the separating element 12 is moreover ensured. Additionally, the centering socket 42 extends through the central recess 22 of the end disk 20 into the separating element 12. Therefore, the removal aid 14 cannot tilt relative to the end disk 20 so that an accidental detachment of the locking fingers 34 from engagement with the end disk 20 is prevented. When removing the separating element 12 from the housing 16, an injury-prone sliding off of the removal aid 14, locked with the end disk 20, from the separating element 12 is therefore reliably counteracted.

[0044] FIG. 1c shows the removal system 10 of FIG. 1b in a longitudinal section with the removal aid 14 coupled on the separating element 12 during the removal process. The axial stop 40 and the hook elements 38 of the locking fingers 34 are spaced apart from each other in axial direction such that the removal aid 14 is arranged so as to be lockingly secured with axial clearance on the end disk 20. It is understood that the axial stop 40 and the hook elements 38 can also be spaced apart from each other such that the removal aid 14 is lockable without such axial clearance with the end disk 20.

[0045] When locking the removal aid 14 with the end disk 20 of the separating element 12, the removal aid 14 is first pushed in axial direction onto the separating element 12 arranged in the housing 16 until the end disk 20 of the separating element 12 contacts the axial stop 40 of the removal aid 14. The locking fingers 34 of the removal aid 14 are guided in this context against the end disk 20 and in this way elastically deflected relative to the center axis 36 of the removal aid 14 in radial outward direction. As soon as the hook elements 38 have passed the end disk 20 in axial direction, the locking fingers 34 snap automatically back into their locking position in which the hook elements 38 engage from behind the end disk 20. The separating element 12 is subsequently pulled out from the housing 16 by means of the removal aid 14, held in locked engagement on the separating element 12, in the direction of arrow 48 along the center axis 36 of the removal aid 14 or the longitudinal axis 24 of the separating element 12. In its locked state on the end disk 20 of the separating element 12, the removal aid 14 engages the end disk 20 outside of an end disk region 20a that immediately delimits outwardly the central recess 22 of the end disk in radial direction. In other words, the locking fingers 34 do not engage the central recess 22 of the end disk 20.

[0046] FIG. 2a shows a further embodiment of the removal system 10 according to the invention. For reasons of simplifying the illustration, the separating element 12 is illustrated only partially and comprises a grid-like base member 50 (=support tube) which is provided for internal support of the separating medium, for example, a filter medium or a coalescing medium, not illustrated in detail in FIG. 2a. An end disk 20 with a central recess 22 is integrally formed on the base member 15 at the end face. On the end disk 20, an annular slot 52 is formed in radial direction outside of the central recess 22. The annular slot 52 in radial outward direction is circumferentially bounded by an outer shoulder 54 of the end disk 20. The outer shoulder 54 can be inserted fluid tightly into a housing (not illustrated). The outer shoulder 54 can support for this purpose a sealing element which is not illustrated in detail in FIG. 2a. Flow openings 56 are formed in the end disk 20. In circumferential direction of the separating element 12, the flow openings 56 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other. Via the flow openings 56, flow paths for the fluid out of the annular slot 52 into a radial outwardly positioned environment (=raw side) of the separating element 12 or of the separating medium are opened up. In this way, the fluid can flow in operation of the separating element 12 first into the annular slot 52 and from there, via the flow openings 56, radially externally along the separating element 12 in order to then flow through the separating medium (not illustrated) as well as the grid-like base member 50 in radial direction from the exterior to the interior and to finally exit from the separating element 12 via the central recess 22 of the end disk 20.

[0047] The removal aid 14 comprises in this context a grip section 26 with a total of three locking fingers 34. One of the locking fingers 34 is arranged at a first end 58 of the grip section 26. At the second end 60 of the grip section 26 which is opposite the first end 58, two locking fingers 34 are arranged (see also FIGS. 2b-2c). Each one of the locking fingers 34 engages a respective flow opening 56. In this context, hook elements 38 (hidden in FIG. 2a; see FIGS. 2b-2c) formed on the locking fingers 34 engage from behind the outer shoulder 54 of the end disk 20 in radial outward direction. The removal aid 14 engages thus from behind the end disk 20 in its state locked on the end disk 20 radially outside of the end disk region 20a that is immediately adjoining the central recess 20. The locking arms 34 thus do not extend into the central recess 22 of the end disk 20.

[0048] FIG. 2b shows a schematic, perspective illustration of the removal aid 14 of FIG. 2a. The locking finger 34 at the first end 58 of the grip section 26 is embodied symmetric to the center plane 62 of the removal aid 14. The two other locking fingers 34 are arranged spaced apart from the center plane 62, respectively.

[0049] For locking the removal aid 14 on the end disk 20 of the separating element 12 (compare FIG. 2a), the removal aid 14 is pushed with the locking fingers 34 leading against the end disk 20. In doing so, the locking fingers 34, upon contact on the end disk 20, are bent in radial direction inwardly so that the hook elements 38 can slide across the outer shoulder 54 of the end disk. As soon as the removal aid 14 has been pushed far enough onto the end disk 20, the locking fingers 34 spring in radial direction outwardly so that the hook elements 38 engage behind the outer shoulder 54. The separating element 12 can then be pulled from the housing by means of the removal aid 14 locked on the end disk 20 (compare FIG. 1a).

[0050] FIG. 2c shows a schematic plan view of the removal aid 14 according to the FIGS. 2a, 2b. At the first end 58 of the grip section 26, the locking finger 34 with its hook element 38 is arranged symmetric to the center plane 62.

[0051] At the second end 60, the locking fingers 34 and the respective hook elements 38 are arranged to be spaced apart from the center plane 62. The locking fingers 34 and the hook elements 38 are arranged on a circular arc 64. A diameter 66 of the circular arc 64 is matched in this context to a shoulder diameter of the outer shoulder (compare FIG. 2a). The locking fingers 34 and the respective hook elements 38 have the same width 68. A spacing 70 is provided between the locking fingers 34 and the respective hook elements 38. The spacing 70 is greater than the width 68 by approximately 20%. Between the locking fingers 34, a web (not illustrated) can be received between flow openings 56 (compare FIG. 2a) of the end disk 20 of the separating element.

[0052] FIG. 3 shows schematically a cross-section of a removal aid 14 according to the invention for removal of a separating element from a housing (compare FIGS. 1a, 1b) that is of a particularly simple configuration. The removal aid 14 comprises a grip section 26 with two locking fingers 34 with a hook element 38 each. The hook elements 38 each comprise a locking surface 72 which is facing the grip section 26. Facing away from the grip section 26, an insertion ramp 74 is formed on the hook elements 38, respectively. Beyond the hook element 38, each one of the locking fingers 34 ends in a projection 76. The hook elements 38 face outwardly in radial direction. A centering surface 78 is formed on the projections 76 on the side of the hook elements 38, i.e., externally.

[0053] The centering surface 78 begins directly at the insertion ramp 74. The removal aid 14 illustrated in FIG. 3 is locked with the end disk of the separating element radially outside of an end disk region (20a) which is adjoining the central recess (22), as has been shown, for example, in FIGS. 2a, 2b. According to an embodiment which is not illustrated in detail in the drawing, the hook elements 38 in radial direction can project inwardly away from the locking fingers so that the removal aid can be locked with the end disk of the separating element in a way corresponding to that of FIGS. 1a to 1c.

[0054] FIG. 4a shows a further embodiment of a removal system 10 according to the invention. Here, the removal aid 14 is already locked on the separating element 12 for removal of the separating element 12 from a housing 16. The separating element 12 comprises at the end face an end disk 20 with a single central recess 22. The central recess 22 in radial outward direction is delimited immediately by a rim area of the end disk 20, i.e., the end disk region 20a. The removal aid 14 engages with locking fingers 34 an annular slot 52 of the end disk 20.

[0055] The end disk 20 comprises an axial collar 80 with slots 82. The slots 82 can be arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other, in particular regularly, in circumferential direction of the end disk 20 on the axial collar 80. The removal aid 14 comprises projections 84 which each extend away in radial outward direction from the locking fingers 34 relative to the center axis 36 of the removal aid 14. The projections 84 engage the slots 82 of the collar 80 in the locked state of the removal aid 14 on the separating element 12. The removal aid is therefore coupled to the end disk 20 of the separating element 12 and secured against rotation. The separating element 12 can thus be rotated by means of the removal aid 14 relative to the housing 16 in order to loosen it from its (sealing) seat and in this way remove it more easily from the housing 16.

[0056] FIG. 4b shows a schematic view of the removal aid 14 and of the separating element 12 according to FIG. 4a. The locking fingers 34 of the removal aid 14 engage from above the annular slot 52 of the end disk 20. The central recess 22 is formed concentric to the annular slot 52 in the end disk 20. The end disk region 20a delimits the central recess 22 in radial direction outwardly. The end disk region 20a is intermediately arranged in radial direction between the central recess 22 and the annular slot 52.

[0057] FIG. 4c shows a schematic longitudinal section along the plane A-A (compare FIG. 4b) through the removal aid 14 and the separating element 12 of the removal system 10 of FIGS. 4a, 4b after completed removal of the separating element 12 from the housing (compare FIG. 4a). The separating element 12 comprises a separating medium 18 that is secured with the end face on the end disk 20. The separating medium 18 is glued to the end disk 12 in this case. The central opening or recess 22 of the end disk 20 provides a fluidic passage into an interior 86 of the separating element 12. A fluid can flow in operation of the separating element through the central opening or recess 22 into the interior 86 or flow out from the interior 86. The central opening or recess 22 provides therefore a flow opening for the fluid.

[0058] Radially outside of the end disk region 20a delimiting the central opening or recess 22, the removal aid 14 projects with its locking fingers 34 into the annular slot 52 of the end disk 20. Hook elements 38 which are integrally formed on the locking fingers 34 so as to face in radial outward direction engage behind the end disk 20.

[0059] The afore described removal aids are distinguished by an improved tilting stability due to a point of attack at the end disk that, in radial direction, is spaced apart from the central recess of the end disk or from an end disk region that is immediately adjoining it. Moreover, the separating element to be removed from the housing can be more simply wiggled free or loosened by rotation from its seat within the housing and subsequently pulled out.