JP3524485B2 - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air cleaner using a case made of a resin molded product, and in particular, can improve intake noise while enhancing the function as a dust pan. It relates to air cleaners. 2. Description of the Related Art In a vertical type air cleaner used as a means for filtering air supplied to a vehicle engine, it is necessary to provide a dust pan at the bottom of the air cleaner case to separate dust and water. Therefore, normally, an outer cover that covers the inner cover that forms the bottom wall of the air cleaner case is provided, so that a box-shaped dust pan is formed by both covers. In order to reduce the weight and manufacturing cost of such a vertical air cleaner, it is effective to make the air cleaner case and both covers resin. However, when both the inner cover and the outer cover are formed of a resin molded product, the rigidity of these covers is reduced and the membrane vibration accompanying the intake pulsation is increased, so that the intake sound is deteriorated. Therefore, conventionally, the inner cover is made of an iron plate and is fixed to the bottom of the air cleaner case at the expense of some weight and manufacturing cost, and then a rib is provided on the surface of the outer cover to improve the rigidity. . In addition, because the height of the ribs is restricted due to the mounting space of the air cleaner, providing a large rib to improve the reinforcing effect reduces the volume of the dust pan, which greatly affects the dust separation function. End up. Accordingly, when an air cleaner is configured by combining a resin air cleaner case and outer cover with an iron plate inner cover as in the prior art, the weight and manufacture of the air cleaner satisfying both the dust separating function and the intake sound. It was considered extremely difficult to improve the cost. Further, in the box-shaped dust pan as described above, it is necessary to ensure the dust discharge performance by providing the discharge hole for connecting the bottom of the air cleaner case to the dust pan as low as possible. However, in such a box-shaped dust pan, the top space located above the discharge hole inevitably becomes a bag-shaped air reservoir, and therefore the volume of the dust pan becomes an invalid volume by the amount of the air reservoir. As a result, the dust and water discharge performance deteriorated. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is lightweight and inexpensive that can improve the intake sound without affecting dust and water discharge performance. To provide a clean air cleaner. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to an air cleaner case that houses an air cleaner element, an inner cover that constitutes the bottom wall of the case, and an inner cover. Each of the outer covers constituting the dust pan is made of a resin molded product. Then, both covers are welded and joined together on the circumference, and are detachably attached to the bottom of the air cleaner case, and the intermediate parts of both covers are joined together via a support column, and the top of the dust pan is connected to the air cleaner case. An air vent hole is formed in the inner cover. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of an air cleaner according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inner cover shown in FIG. In these drawings, an air cleaner case 2 for housing an air cleaner element 1 having a ring shape.
An air outlet 3 is provided on the top wall of the air cleaner, and an air inlet (not shown) is provided at an appropriate position on the peripheral wall of the air cleaner case 2. A plurality of protrusions 5 that contact the air cleaner element 1 from below and position and fix the element 1 are provided at the center and the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the inner cover 4 detachably attached to the bottom of the air cleaner case 2. Provided. An outer cover 6 is disposed below the inner cover 4 and the covers 4 and 6 are joined and fixed on the circumference to form a box-shaped dust pan 7. A cylindrical column 8 is erected at the center of the lower surface (outer surface) of the inner cover 4. And
The lower end of the support column 8 is joined and fixed to the upper surface of the outer cover 6 so as to connect and fix the intermediate portions of the covers 4 and 6, and the dust pan 7 is separated into the outer peripheral chamber 7a and the inner peripheral chamber 7b. The air cleaner case 2, the inner cover 4, and the outer cover 6 are each formed of a resin molded product, and the support column 8 is formed integrally with the inner cover 4. Then, the inner cover 4 and the outer cover 6 are vibration welded on the circumference, and the lower end of the column 8 is connected to the outer cover 6.
These bonding means may be any conventionally known ones. The inner cover 4 is recessed and formed so as to be immersed in the air cleaner case 2. The air cleaner is provided with discharge holes 9 at a plurality of locations (four locations equally spaced in the embodiment) corresponding to the peripheral wall. The outer periphery of the bottom of the case 2 communicates with the outer peripheral chamber 7a. Also, the outer peripheral chamber 7a and the inner peripheral chamber 7b
By providing the discharge holes 10 communicating with each other at two equally spaced positions on the lower end of the column 8, dust introduced from the bottom of the air cleaner case 1 into the outer peripheral chamber 7a is guided to the inner peripheral chamber 7b. Reference numeral 11 denotes a normally closed dust unloader valve provided at the center of the outer cover 6, which is opened by the pulsation of intake air to automatically discharge dust and water in the inner peripheral chamber 7b.
Reference numeral 12 denotes a reinforcing plate provided on the inner surface of the outer cover 6, and reference numeral 13 denotes a reinforcing rib provided on the outer surface of the outer cover. On the other hand, air vent holes 1 are formed at three equally spaced locations of the inner cover 4 constituting the top walls of the outer peripheral chamber 7a and the inner peripheral chamber 7b.
By forming 4 and 15 respectively, dust pan 7
The tops of (the outer peripheral chamber 7a and the inner peripheral chamber 7b) are connected to the air cleaner case 2 respectively. In the air cleaner constructed as described above, not only the air cleaner case 2 but also the dust pan 7
The inner cover 4 and the outer cover 6 that constitute the above are both formed of a resin molded product. Therefore, the weight and manufacturing cost of the air cleaner can be reduced as compared with the conventional product in which the inner cover is made of an iron plate. Further, since the intermediate portion between the inner cover 4 and the outer cover 6 made of a resin molded product is coupled via the support column 8 to increase the rigidity of the dust pan 7, the inner cover is accompanied by the pulsation of the intake air. 4 and the outer cover 6 will not vibrate and emit noise. Further, since the support 8 is provided to increase the rigidity of the dust pan 7 as described above, there is no need to reinforce the outer cover 6 by providing a rib large enough to sacrifice the dust separation function. On the other hand, an air vent hole 14 is formed in the inner cover 4.
15 and the dust pan 7 (the outer peripheral chamber 7a and the inner peripheral chamber 7
The top of b) is connected in the air cleaner case 2.
Therefore, the dust pan 7 above the discharge holes 9 and 10 does not become a bag-like air reservoir. For this reason, even when a large amount of water has entered the air cleaner case 2, the water accumulated at the bottom of the air cleaner case 2 does not depend on the positions of the discharge holes 9, 10.
b) Separation of water in order to smoothly flow into and discharge
Emission performance is improved. When the cylindrical support column 8 is provided and the dust pan 7 is divided into the outer peripheral chamber 7a and the inner peripheral chamber 7b as in the embodiment, the air swirling performance has a great influence on the dust separation performance. Since the resonance frequency of the dust pan 7 can be easily separated greatly from the pulsation frequency of the intake air without being lowered, vibration due to resonance can be effectively suppressed, but the shape of the support column 8 is not limited to the embodiment. That is, when the volume of the dust pan 7 is large, the dust pan 7 is separated into three or more chambers, or only a normal column having no separation function is provided so that the dust pan 7 functions as a single separation chamber. You can also. In the embodiment, a normally closed dust unloader valve 11 that is opened by intake pulsation is provided at the center of the outer cover 6 so that dust and water flowing into the dust pan 7 can be automatically discharged. However, it is not always necessary to provide a dust unloader valve that automatically opens, and a normally closed discharge valve that is manually opened may be provided. As is apparent from the above description, the present invention is such that the air cleaner case and the inner cover and outer cover constituting the dust pan are made of resin molded products. Cost can be reduced. In addition, the middle part of the inner cover and the outer cover is connected with a support column to ensure the rigidity of the dust pan.Therefore, there is no need to reinforce the outer cover by providing a large rib, which greatly affects dust separation performance There is no sacrifice in the volume of the dust pan. Further, since an air vent hole for connecting the top of the dust pan into the air cleaner case is provided in the inner cover so as to prevent the top space of the dust pan above the discharge hole from becoming an air reservoir, the dust pan Can be effectively used for separation / discharge of water, and the separation / discharge performance of dust and water can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of an air cleaner according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inner cover shown in FIG. [Explanation of Symbols] 1 Air cleaner element 2 Air cleaner case 3 Air outlet 4 Inner cover 6 Outer cover 7 Dust pan 8 Post 9, 10 Discharge hole 14, 15 Air vent hole

Continued front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F02M 35/08 F02M 35/024 B01D 46/42

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] [Claim 1] A vertical-type air cleaner in which a dust pan is provided at the bottom of an air cleaner case that houses an air cleaner element, and the air cleaner case and the bottom wall of the case are configured The inner cover and the outer cover that constitutes the box-shaped dust pan in combination with the inner cover are each formed of a resin molded product, and both the covers are welded and joined on the circumference to be detachably attached to the bottom of the air cleaner case. An air cleaner in which an intermediate hole is connected to each other through a support and an air vent hole for connecting the top of the dust pan to the air cleaner case is formed in the inner cover.