Housing for environmentally friendly filter cartridge
A filter system in which a housing and an environmentally friendly filter cartridge are coordinated to provide ease of change of the filter cartridge and reliable operation. The cartridge contains no metal parts and is readily incinerateable. The housing is provided with a number of “universality” features including a changeable bottom which allows the housing to operate as a fuel filter, a lubrication filter, or a hydraulic filter in different applications. The housing and cartridge are configured to provide support for the plastic elements of the cartridge to prevent crushing of the filter under normal and abnormal filter operating conditions. A key system associated with the cartridge and the housing provides assurance that the correct filter is installed for a particular application.
Latest Baldwin Filters, Inc. Patents:
- Filter Cartridge Including U-Shaped Canted Inlet Frame; Filter System Including Same
- Surface coated filter and method
- LIQUID FILTER ELEMENT AND ASSEMBLY
- EMBEDDING VARIABLE SLIT WIDTH EMBOSSED FILTER MEDIA PACKS
- Filter element having flow directing tube and standpipe and filter systems including the filter element
This patent application is a divisional of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/457,733, filed Jun. 9, 2003, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/387,235, filed Jun. 7, 2002, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention pertains to filters, and more particularly to a filter system using an environmentally friendly filter cartridge.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMost conventional filters and filter cartridges present a disposal problem. Driven by ease of installation, many applications have gone to self-contained spin-on cartridges. These have a metal outer case, a metal base plate, and other metal components within the filter. Replaceable cartridges also have significant metal components, often in the form of centertubes or support grids for supporting the filter element, and metal endcaps. Thus, significant elements of a filter will not burn thus preventing the use of incineration for relatively complete disposal of the spent filters or filter cartridges.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn view of the foregoing, it is a general aim of the present invention to provide a filter system capable of supporting and reliably using an environmentally friendly filter cartridge, such that when the cartridge is spent it can be incinerated. The cartridge is environmentally friendly in that it contains no metallic parts.
It is a feature of the invention that plastic endcaps are utilized in the filter cartridge, and the housing has structure which cooperates with the filter cartridge to compensate for the reduction in strength of plastic endcaps over conventional metal endcaps.
In a particular embodiment the invention provides a filter system based on a housing having a closed bottom and a removable cover. A filter cartridge is provided for insertion into the housing and for securing therein by locking the removable cover on the housing. The cartridge is in the form of an open center cylinder which has no metallic parts. The housing has, at its base, an upstanding annular flange which has a diameter about the same as the outer diameter of the cartridge. The cartridge carries a radial seal in the form of a depending skirt fixed to a lower endcap. The skirt has a diameter which causes the skirt to overlie the annular flange such that when the filter is in operation, internal pressure creates a radial seal between the skirt and the flange. The cartridge also has an upper endcap which carries an axial seal positioned to fit between the housing and the cover when the cover is in its locked position. The system provides cooperating supports and stops on the inside of the housing and the lower portion of the upper endcap to provide a positive seat and stop which prevents operating pressure from forcing the upper endcap into the filter beyond its seated position.
In another aspect, the invention provides a filter housing of universal characteristics for cooperating with a filter cartridge to filter fluid. A housing is provided for receiving a filter cartridge which separates an unfiltered region from a filtered region in the housing. The housing has a front in which is formed an inlet port and an outlet port connected to the unfiltered region and filtered region respectively, and also connected to at least one accessory port. A removable cover is threaded onto the top of the housing and removable for allowing access to and interchange of the cartridge. The housing has bolted on removable base selected from the group consisting of a sump for fuel filter applications, and a rigidified bottom for high pressure applications.
In another aspect, the invention provides a filter housing in an interconnected filter housing bank, wherein each filter housing is adapted to receive a filter cartridge which separates an unfiltered region from a filtered region in the housing. The housing has a back which includes mounting features for mounting a plurality of said housings side-by-side in a bank. The housing has a front in which is formed an inlet port and an outlet port connected to the unfiltered region and filtered region respectively. The inlet port and outlet port are vertically displaced from each on the front of said housing. Tee fittings are connected on the inlet and outlet ports. Each tee fitting has a trunk connected to the associated port and a T-arm in fluid communication with the trunk. At least some of the tee fittings having a valve for shutting off the trunk from the T-arm. The valve bank including tubing connecting the T-arms of adjacent filter housings to connect the filter housings and parallel.
In connection with the foregoing aspect of the invention, the filter bank also includes at least two filter housings, each requiring a filter of different characteristics. Two filter cartridges of the different characteristics, one for each of said housings, and each of the housings and filters including a keying mechanism for associating one of the filter cartridges with the associated housing and preventing installation of said one filter cartridge in the other housing.
Other aspects, objectives and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The disclosed housing in the present application will be described primarily in connection with fuel filters. The housing is designed for multiple parallel plumbing of fuel filters, as will be described in connection with
Turning then to the drawings, and particularly to
The housing 21 has a removable cover 26. Complementary threads (not shown in
As noted above, the unit illustrated in
The cartridge 50 includes a filter element 53 having an upper endcap 54 and a lower endcap 55. The lower endcap 55 has a radial seal gasket 56 associated therewith which interacts with an annular flange 57 on the housing base to provide a highly effective but simple radial seal 56 at the lower end of the filter separating the unfiltered region 51 from the filtered region 52. An axial seal 102 is carried by the upper endcap 54 and is pinched between an inside shoulder 58 of the cover 26 and a mating shoulder 59 of the filter housing.
An inlet port 40 penetrates the wall of the housing 21 and is in fluid communication with the unfiltered region 51, as best shown in
Other peripheral elements are also illustrated in connection with
A further port in the housing 21 allows connection of a plugged filter indicator 48 which will be described in greater detail below. It suffices to say for the moment, the plugged filter element 48 has a port which is connected to both the filtered and unfiltered regions 51, 52 (in
While all of the elements associated with the system 20 will not be described in detail, they do emphasize an inventive aspect of the invention, namely the extreme flexibility which is provided by the multiple ported housing with adaptable baseplate and changeable (and keyed) filter cartridge arrangement.
It is feature of the invention that individual filters in the housings 21 can be changed without shutting the engine down. To that end, each of the tee connectors 73 can be provided with a valving arrangement indicated generally at 86. The valve is arranged to allow shut-off of the connection between the trunk 74 and the T-arm 76, but without interfering with flow through the T-arm. Thus, if one of the filters is to be shut-down for changing a filter, the associated valves 86 can be moved to the closed position, at which point there is no flow into or out of the associated filter, whereas the flow continues from the supply to the engine through the other filter or filters in the bank. With the valve 86 shut-down, the cover can be removed, the filter changed, the cover replaced, then the valve reopened so that normal operation can continue. A filter can be changed without shutting down the engine.
In contrast to relatively expensive ball valves used in the past, the present invention utilizes a simple plug valve as best illustrated in
The ability to change filters without shutting down the engine is a desirable situation in many applications, such as on an electric generating system or a marine application, or other types of applications where the engine runs continuously. By their nature, fuel filters are changed more frequently than other filters, and being able to change them without interrupting the flow of fuel is desirable. It is also noted that plugs are inserted in most of the feature ports in the system of
The cartridge 50 is an integral part of the system. It is environmentally friendly in that it contains no metallic parts. As such, a centertube, when one is needed, is provided by the housing. For example,
The cartridge includes endcaps 54, 55, which are normally made of metal. In the present case, however, they are made of plastic. In practicing this aspect of the invention, provision is made for accommodating for the reduced strength of these materials. For example, the upper endcap 54 would tend to bow with pressures inside the filter. To alleviate that a pressure equalization aperture 122 is provided in the rim of the upper endcap 54 to allow the high pressure from the unfiltered zone 51 to appear at the top of the upper endcap 54. Having thus relieved that problem, however, in a plugged filter condition, the high pressure on the top of the filter would tend to force the upper endcap 54 downwardly, attempting to crush the filter element of the otherwise unsupported filter. To prevent that, the upper endcap 54 is securely supported in the housing structure itself. Thus it will be seen that the upper endcap is provided with angled projections such as ribs 124 which serve to center the filter by riding over projection 125 in the housing. Projections 124 have lower shoulders 126 which seat on a ridge 127 on the interior of the housing 21. Thus, when the filter is properly positioned, the shoulders 126 will seat upon and travel no farther than the ridge 127. Even in a plugged filter condition, the pressures will not be capable of driving the endcap 54 down further than this position, preventing crushing of the filter in this situation.
With respect to gasketing, it will be seen that the upper axial seal gasket 102 is a simple disc-like structure which is carried in a groove 102a in the upper endcap. Preferably the rubber gasket is sized so that it is snapped in place in the groove 102a for reliable retention.
The lower gasket 56 is similarly fit within a groove 56a in the lower endcap, and snapped in place for reliable retention as shown in
A significant feature of the invention is the fact that the upper and lower seals 102, 56 on the cartridge are attached to the cartridge itself. Thus they are placed in their proper location by the manufacturer. Because of the positive snap fit of the gaskets, they are very difficult to remove, and thus the gaskets are in their proper place when the cartridge is dropped into the housing. This feature makes the changing of cartridges for the filtering system almost full proof. The mechanic does not require any knowledge as to where to place loose gaskets in the system, because there are no loose gaskets. This makes changing of the cartridges fast, easy, avoids errors, and is almost as simple as changing a spin-on canister.
Since the main seal between the housing and the lid is an axial seal 102, the lid 26 is easy to spin on and off. In addition, it is only necessary to tighten the lid hand tight. If the main seal were a radial seal, the lid tightening would require a wrench and additional effort. With respect to user convenience, this is a significant positive feature.
When considering the universality of the housing and filter arrangement, a keying system which associates the particular type of filter with a particular housing can also be an important feature. For example, in the ganged situation of
Referring primarily to
This feature is particularly significant when using a universal housing as illustrated in this application. For example, two housings might be used side-by-side to provide a primary and a secondary fuel filter system. Both housings would be of the same diameter and height, but would require different filter cartridges. The keys will prevent the cartridges for one of the housings from being installed incorrectly in the other housing. It would be a simple matter to have several different key configurations to suit various applications and indeed various customers.
A further significant feature of the invention is the plugged filter indicator 48 (see
The plugged filter indicator is thus easily ported into the universal housing, is highly reliable and does not introduce complications to the overall structure. In addition, it is relatively economical and has very little possibility of creating leaks in the system or otherwise deleteriously affecting the system operation. The calibration spring 190 can also be changed for different applications. For example, a relatively light spring would be used in fuel applications where the differential does not get much higher than say five to seven inches of mercury. When the housing is set up for a lubrication application or hydraulic application, heavier springs are used which would change the set point to somewhere in the range between 15 to 50 psi. This ready ability to alter the uncomplicated plugged filter indicator is believed to be a significant advance over the prior art.
It is emphasized that the filter cartridge to be used with this system is an environmentally friendly filter made up of elements which can all be incinerated.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
Claims
1-16. (canceled)
17. A filter housing bank comprising a plurality of filter housing, wherein each filter housing comprises in combination:
- a housing for receiving a filter cartridge which separates an unfiltered region from a filtered region in the housing,
- a removable cover on the housing,
- the housing having a back which includes mounting features for mounting a plurality of said housings side-by-side in a bank,
- the housing having a front in which is formed an inlet port and an outlet port connected to the unfiltered region and filtered region respectively,
- the inlet port and the outlet port being vertically displaced from each other on the front of said housing,
- tee fittings on the inlet and the outlet ports, each tee fitting being a unitary device having a short trunk and a T-arm in fluid communication with the trunk and having oppositely directed connection ports the trunk being connected to the associated port,
- at least some of the tee fittings having a valve movable inside the associated trunk and forming a seal with a cooperating seat in the trunk for shutting off the trunk from the associated T-arm,
- the valve bank including tubing connecting the connection ports of the T-arms of adjacent filter housings to connect said filter housings in parallel.
18. The filter housing bank of claim 17 including at least two filter housings each requiring a filter of different characteristics,
- two filter cartridges of said different characteristics, one for each of said housings, and each of the housings and filters including a keying mechanism for associating one of said filter cartridges with the associated housing and preventing installation of said one filter cartridge in the other housing.
19. The filter housing bank of claim 18 in which each housing has a threaded upper section for receiving the cover, the cover having a two section rim of approximately the same internal diameter and capable of fitting over the threads on the housing, a first lower portion of the rim being sized to slip over the threads to lead the cover to the upper portion of the rim which is threaded, whereby the lower portion tends to align the cover before the threads engage to prevent cross threading.
20. The filter housing bank of claim 18 wherein at least one of the housings includes a plugged filter indicator, the indicator being connected to the housing and having connections for sensing upstream and downstream pressure in the unfiltered and filtered regions respectively.
21. The filter housing bank of claim 20 in which the plugged filter indicator further includes:
- a piston supported by a spring calibrated to a desired pressure differential, the spring driving the piston to a rest position in the normal operating condition, the upstream and downstream pressures being ported to opposite sides of the piston to move the piston from the normal to the plugged filter position upon indication of a pressure condition indicative of a plugged filter,
- an indicator button which is spring loaded to an extended position but which has an armature attracted to the magnet of the piston when the piston is in the rest position to prevent exposure of the indicator,
- whereby displacement of the piston in response to a plugged filter condition releases the indicator for display.
22. The filter housing of claim 21 further including a manual reset for the plugged filter indicator to cause the armature to be reattracted to the magnet in the piston after the plugged filter condition has passed.
23. The filter housing of claim 17 wherein the valve in the tee includes a threaded port having a rotateable plug therein, the rotateable plug having a plug member having a first position for closing off the trunk and a second position for connecting the trunk to the T-arm.
24. The filter housing of claim 18 wherein the valve in the tee includes a threaded port having a rotateable plug therein, the rotateable plug having a plug member having a first position for closing off the trunk and a second position for connecting the trunk to the T-arm.
25. The filter housing of claim 21 wherein the valve in the tee includes a threaded port having a rotateable plug therein, the rotateable plug having a plug member having a first position for closing off the trunk and a second position for connecting the trunk to the T-arm.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 29, 2007
Publication Date: Aug 23, 2007
Applicant: Baldwin Filters, Inc. (Kearney, NE)
Inventors: Gene Brown (kearney, NE), Steven Merritt (Kearney, NE)
Application Number: 11/699,125
International Classification: B01D 35/00 (20060101);