Liquid Filter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021283533-A1
Application number	US-202117334777-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 30, 2021
Priority date	Nov 30, 2018
Publication date	Sep 16, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A liquid filter has inflow and outflow faces connected by a throughflow path. A one-piece filter body of a folded filter medium bellows is provided. Each fold has first and second fold sheets joined at a fold edge and two fold end faces. The filter body is installed into a pre-defined installation space of a vehicle, the installation space defined and delimited by a base free-form surface, a cover free-form surface, and a side free-form surface. The fold edge heights of the folds are adapted to a contour of cover free-form surface; base free-form surface; or cover and base free-form surfaces. First folds with first fold edge height and second folds with second fold edge height that differ from each other are provided. Third folds have fold end faces adapted to a contour of the side free-form surface facing these fold end faces. An envelope around all fold end faces and rim folds deviates from a rectangle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A liquid filter for filtering a liquid, the liquid filter comprising:
a raw-side inflow face and a clean-side outflow face; a throughflow path connecting the raw-side inflow face and the clean-side outflow face to each other; a filter body comprising a filter medium folded to a folded bellows comprising folds including two rim folds, wherein the folded bellows is of a one-piece configuration; each fold comprising a first fold sheet and a second fold sheet, wherein the first and second fold sheets adjoin each other at a fold edge; each fold comprising two oppositely positioned fold end faces; wherein the filter body is configured to be installed in an pre-defined installation space vehicle which delimits and defines an installation space volume by a base free-form surface having a shape, a cover free-form surface having a shape, and a side free-form surface having a shape; wherein the folds comprises a fold edge height, respectively, and the fold edge heights are adapted to an uneven or slanted course of a contour of the cover free-form surface; of the base free-form surface; or of the cover free-form surface and of the base free-form surface; wherein the folds include one or more first folds with a first fold edge height and one or more second folds with a second fold edge height, wherein the first fold edge height and the second fold edge height differ from each other; wherein the folds include third folds whose fold end faces are adapted to a course of a contour of the side free-form surface facing the fold end faces of the third folds; wherein a shape of an envelope extending around all of the fold end faces and around the two rim folds deviates from a rectangle.

2 . The liquid filter according to claim 1 , wherein
the folded bellows ( 2 ) is arranged in and installed into a housing pot ( 101 ) having a sidewall and a bottom surface, wherein a shape of the sidewall corresponds to the shape of the side free-form surface ( 13 ), and wherein a shape of the bottom surface corresponds to the shape of the base free-form surface ( 12 ).

3 . The liquid filter according to claim 2 , further comprising a housing cover to be connect to the housing pot.

4 . The liquid filter according to claim 3 , wherein the housing cover is embodied as a grid or the housing cover is configured to close the housing pot and comprises a configuration adapted to the cover free-form surface.

5 . The liquid filter according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the folds arranged at the raw-side inflow face and/or at the clean-side outflow face is fastened to the sidewall, respectively, by clamping, compressing, gluing or welding.

6 . The liquid filter according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the fold end faces is fastened to the sidewall, respectively, by clamping, compressing, gluing or welding.

7 . The liquid filter according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the folds arranged at the raw-side inflow face and/or at the clean-side outflow face is fastened to the sidewall, respectively, by clamping, compressing, gluing or welding and wherein at least one of the fold end faces is fastened to the sidewall, respectively, by clamping, compressing, gluing or welding.

8 . The liquid filter according to claim 1 , wherein the folded bellows comprises at least two folded bellows sections, wherein the at least two folded bellows sections include a first folded bellows section provided with the first folds, wherein the at least two folded bellows sections include a second folded bellows section provided with the second folds, wherein the first fold edge height of the first folds and the second fold edge height of the second folds are configured to leave unoccupied a first predetermined distance in the first folded bellows section and a second predetermined distance in the second folded bellows section, respectively, in relation to the cover free-form surface and/or a housing cover of a housing pot of the liquid filter.

9 . The liquid filter according to claim 8 , wherein the at least two folded bellows sections include a folded bellows transition section arranged between the first folded bellows section and the second folded bellows section, wherein a distance between two neighboring fold edges of the folds of the folded bellows transition section is different from a distance between two neighboring fold edges of the first folds of the first folded bellows section or of the second folds of the second folded bellows section.

10 . The liquid filter according to claim 1 , wherein the folded bellows comprises at least two folded bellows sections, wherein the at least two folded bellows sections include a first folded bellows section provided with the first folds, wherein the at least two folded bellows sections include a second folded bellows section provided with the second folds, wherein the first fold edge height of the first folds and the second fold edge height of the second folds are configured to leave unoccupied a first predetermined distance in the first folded bellows section and a second predetermined distance in the second folded bellows section, respectively, in relation to the base free-form surface and/or a bottom surface of a housing pot of the liquid filter

11 . The liquid filter according to claim 10 , wherein the at least two folded bellows sections include a folded bellows transition section arranged between the first folded bellows section and the second folded bellows section, wherein a distance between two neighboring fold edges of the folds of the folded bellows transition section is different from a distance between two neighboring fold edges of the first folds of the first folded bellows section or of the second folds of the second folded bellows section.

12 . The liquid filter according to claim 1 , wherein the envelope comprises an envelope portion extending along all of the fold end faces, wherein the envelope portion comprises at least one curved section adapted to a curved side free-form surface section of the side free-form surface.

13 . The liquid filter according to claim 1 , wherein the folded bellows is formed continuously of a single material.

14 . The liquid filter according to claim 1 , wherein the fold edge heights lie in a range between 2 mm to 100 mm.

15 . The liquid filter according to claim 14 , wherein the fold edge heights lie in a range between 4 mm to 80 mm

16 . The liquid filter according to claim 15 , wherein the fold edge heights lie in a range between 8 mm and 50 mm.

17 . The liquid filter according to claim 1 , configured as a transmission oil filter.

18 . The liquid filter according to claim 1 , configured as a pressureless transmission oil filter.

19 . An E-axle for a vehicle, the E-axle comprising a transmission and a liquid filter according to claim 1 for filtering transmission oil of the transmission.

Assignees

• Mann & Hummel Gmbh

Inventors

• Traut Alexander
• Panzer Marius

Classifications

• B01D29/031 Primary

  with corrugated, folded filtering elements · CPC title

• B01D2201/122

  with pleats of different length · CPC title

• B01D29/07

  with corrugated, folded or wound filtering sheets · CPC title

• B01D35/30

  Filter housing constructions · CPC title

• B01D2201/60

  Shape of non-cylindrical filtering elements · CPC title