Filter Device, in Particular Gas Filter

Abstract

A filter device has an annular filter element with a filter medium body for radial fluid flow relative to a longitudinal axis. A sealing element arranged at an end face of the filter medium body seals relative to a housing component of a filter housing receiving the filter element. The sealing element has support walls delimiting a slit between them. The housing component has a receiving groove engaging across the sealing element and provided with opposed side walls. The housing component has a support rib projecting into slit. The support walls each have a first support surface at a side facing the slit and a second support surface at a side facing away from the slit. The side walls of the receiving groove are radially supported at the second support surfaces of the support walls. The support rib is supported radially at the first support surfaces of the support walls.

Claims

1. A filter device comprising: an annular filter element comprising a filter medium body configured to be flowed through in a radial direction by a fluid to be cleaned relative to a longitudinal axis of the annular filter element; at least one sealing element arranged at an end face of the filter medium body and configured to seal relative to a housing component of a filter housing configured to receive the annular filter element; wherein the at least one sealing element comprises support walls delimiting at least one slit between the support walls; wherein the housing component comprises a receiving groove engaging across the at least sealing element, wherein the receiving groove comprises opposed side walls; wherein the housing component further comprises a support rib projecting into the at least one slit; wherein the support walls each have a first support surface at a first side facing the at least one slit and a second support surface at a second side facing away from the at least one slit; wherein the side walls of the receiving groove are supported at the second support surfaces of the support walls in the radial direction; wherein the support rib is supported in the radial direction at the first support surfaces of the support walls.

2. The filter device according to claim 1, wherein the opposed side walls of the receiving groove include a first side wall comprising an end face resting against the at least one sealing element for transmitting an axial supporting force.

3. The filter device according to claim 2, wherein the first side wall has a greater axial extension than the support rib.

4. The filter device according to claim 2, wherein the first side wall is a radially inwardly positioned side wall of the receiving groove and is supported with the end face axially at the at least one sealing element.

5. The filter device according to claim 2, wherein the filter element comprises a central tube arranged at an inner side of the filter medium body, wherein a support collar is connected to the central tube, wherein the support collar is connected to the at least one sealing element.

6. The filter device according to claim 5, wherein the support collar is embedded in a material of the at least one sealing element.

7. The filter device according to claim 5, wherein the support collar extends outwardly away from the central tube in the radial direction.

8. The filter device according to claim 5, wherein the support collar and the central tube are formed together as one piece.

9. The filter device according to claim 5, wherein the at least one sealing element envelopes the support collar at least partially.

10. The filter device according to claim 5, wherein the support collar comprises a grid structure with grid openings.

11. The filter device according to claim 5, wherein the opposed side walls of the receiving groove include a first side wall comprising an end face resting axially against the at least one sealing element for transmitting an axial supporting force, wherein the support collar extends in the radial direction at least up to the first side wall.

12. The filter device according to claim 4, wherein all of the support walls of the at least one sealing element are arranged outside of the central tube in the radial direction.

13. The filter device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sealing element is free of support elements in a region of the support walls.

14. The filter device according to claim 1, wherein the first sides of the support walls are seal-tightly resting against the support rib.

15. The filter device according to claim 1, wherein the second sides of the support walls are seal-tightly resting against the opposed side walls of the receiving groove.

16. The filter device according to claim 1, wherein the first sides of the support walls are seal-tightly resting against the support rib, and wherein the second sides of the support walls are seal-tightly resting against the opposed side walls of the receiving groove.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Further advantages and expedient embodiments can be taken from the additional claims, the figure description, and the drawings.

[0025] FIG. 1 shows in a perspective illustration an annular filter element that comprises at the inner side of the filter medium body a central tube with which an axially projecting support collar is formed as one piece.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a filter device with a filter housing and the filter element of FIG. 1 during assembly at an outlet socket.

[0027] FIG. 3 shows an illustration corresponding to FIG. 2, however in the mounted state.

[0028] In the Figures, same components are provided with same reference characters.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] In FIG. 1, a filter element 1 is illustrated that can be used for gas filtration, for example, for an air filter of an internal combustion engine. The filter element 1 is configured annularly and comprises in the embodiment a greatly elongate oval cross section with longitudinal sides that are formed straight or with only minimal curvature in outward direction. The filter element 1 comprises an annularly closed filter medium body 2 at which the filtration of the fluid to be cleaned takes place. The filter medium body 2 is flowed through in radial direction from the exterior to the interior by the fluid so that the interior in the filter medium body 2 forms the clean side from which the purified fluid is axially discharged, in the direction of the longitudinal axis 9 of the filter element 1. The interior 3 is lined by a central tube 4 which forms a support grid and which is resting against the inner side of the filter medium body 2 and is embodied preferably as an injection molded plastic component. The interior is delimited at the lower end face, not illustrated, by a closed end disk which covers the filter medium body at the end face.

[0030] A support collar 6 is formed together with the central tube 4 as one piece and extends in radial direction and is oriented at the end face of the central tube 4 in radial direction outwardly. The support collar 6 is connected at the radially inwardly positioned side, facing the interior 3, to the central tube 4 and is in particular formed as one piece together with the central tube 4.

[0031] The support collar 6 is provided with a grid structure that has a plurality of cutouts. These cutouts in the support collar 6 serve for receiving sealing material of a sealing element 11 that is arranged at the support collar 6. The sealing element 11 is injection molded or foamed onto the support collar 6; the sealing material is, for example, a PU foam. In that the sealing material penetrates into the cutouts of the grid structure of the support collar 6, a fixed, non-detachable connection between the sealing element 11 and the support collar 6 is ensured. The support collar 6 is advantageously enveloped outwardly completely by the sealing material of the sealing element 11.

[0032] In FIGS. 2 and 3, a filter device 14, in particular for gas filtration, is illustrated with the filter element 1 in a filter housing which comprises an outlet socket 13 for the purified gas and a filter base housing 12 for receiving the filter element 1, wherein the filter base housing 12 can be placed onto the outlet socket 13 and is connectable thereto. For clarity, in FIG. 2 the components of the filter device 14 are illustrated partially in exploded illustration while FIG. 3 shows the installed position.

[0033] The sealing element 11 at the support collar 6 is formed together with the end disk 5 as one piece, which covers an end region of the filter medium of the filter medium body 2 at the end face and engages across radially inwardly and radially outwardly.

[0034] At the bottom side of the outlet socket 13 a receiving groove 15 is provided which in radial direction is delimited by side walls 16 and 17 which extend radially at a spacing and concentric relative to each other. At the inwardly positioned bottom of the receiving groove 15, a support rib 20 is integrally formed which in radial direction is located at the center of the receiving groove 15. The axial extension of the support rib 20 is smaller than the axial extension of the side walls 16 and 17 delimiting the receiving groove 15.

[0035] At the sealing element 11, two support walls 21 and 22 are integrally formed between which a slit 23 is located (FIG. 2). The two support walls 21 and 22 extend concentric and at a spacing relative to each other. The slit 23 serves for receiving the support rib 20 provided in the receiving groove 15 at the outlet socket 13. In the mounted state according to FIG. 3, the side walls 16 and 17 of the receiving groove 15 are resting against the outer sides of the support walls 21 and 22. In this way, together with the support rib 20 projecting into the slit 23, a total of four support surfaces between the sealing element 11 and the housing component 13 are provided in radial direction, i.e., one respectively between the inner sides of the side walls 16 and 17 and the outer sides of the support walls 21 and 22 as well as one respectively between the side faces of the support rib 20 and the inner sides of the support walls 21 and 22. The radial spacing between the side walls 16 and 17 of the receiving groove 15 is designed such that together with the support rib 20 projecting into the slit 23, which forces the support walls 21 and 22 at least minimally radially in outward direction, a clearance-free reception and contact in radial direction between the support walls 21, 22 and the correlated surfaces in the receiving groove 15 is provided. At least two of the four support surfaces between the sealing element 11 and the housing component 13 form at the same time a sealing surface and ensure a flow-tight connection between the end face of the filter element 1 and the outlet socket 13. For forming a sealing surface, one side of the sealing element 11 is preferably resting full-faced at a side wall 16, 17 or at the support rib 20 of the housing component 13. A side wall 16, 17 of the receiving groove 15 or a side of the support rib 20 with supporting function but without sealing function can be provided, for example, with ribs.

[0036] In the mounted state according to FIG. 3, the radially inwardly positioned side wall 16 of the receiving groove 15 is contacting with its end face the radially or horizontally extending section of the sealing element 11. By means of side wall 16, the outlet socket 13 is axially supported at the sealing element 11 and thus at the filter element 1. The side wall 16 is positioned immediately at the outwardly positioned side of the support wall 21, wherein the end face of the side wall 16 does not load the support wall 21 but the horizontally or radially extending section of the sealing element 11. Since the support collar 6 is integrated in the radial section of the sealing element 11, the axial supporting force is transferred onto the support collar 6 which transfers the force into the central tube 4. In this way, it is ensured that the end face of the filter medium body 2 is relieved of the axial supporting forces. Also, the support walls 21 and 22 take on no axial support function but only a sealing function relative to the side walls 16 and 17 at the outlet socket 13.