Fuel filter assembly with in-line valve

• US 5,858,227 A
• Filed: 09/18/1997
• Issued: 01/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Parker Intangibles LLC (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Parker-Hannifin Corporation
• Inventors: Clausen, Michael D., Stone, Walter H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Savage, Matthew O.
• Application Number:
  US08/933,523
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 210/234, 210/235, 210/454, 210/450, 210/418, 251/321, 96/399, 96/405
• US Class Current: 210/234
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/291 End caps
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/306 Closures, lids, caps or filter heads forming one element with the filtering element
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/114 arranged for inward flow filtration B01D29/15, B01D29/33 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/96 in which the filtering elements are moved between filtering operations; Particular measures for removing or replacing the filtering elements; Transport systems for filters B01D29/09, B01D29/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 35/153 Anti-leakage or anti-return valves
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 35/30 Filter housing constructions
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 35/31 including arrangements for environmental protection, e.g. pressure resisting features

Abstract

A fuel filter assembly (10) includes a housing (12) with an internal chamber (14) and inlet and outlet (18, 22). The chamber is bounded by an annular wall (16) and has an opening (30) at an upper end thereof. An element (26) is accepted in the chamber. The element includes a manually engagable cap portion (28) for closing the opening, and a disk-shaped member (46). The disk-shaped member has a deformable lip portion (50) for engaging the annular wall, and for fluidly separating an aperture (24) in connection with the outlet fitting, from aperture (24) in connection with the outlet fitting, from an aperture (20) in fluid communication with the inlet fitting. A check valve (200) is also engaged by the lip portion to open a fluid path to the chamber when the filter element is located in the housing. A media body (54) of filter media (56) removes impurities from liquid flowing therethrough. Fuel flows from the inlet to the chamber and then through the media. From an interior area (60) of the media body, the fuel passes through a passage (62) into an intermediate area (52) and out the outlet. An element change may be accomplished without spilling or contacting the fuel, and without contaminants in the chamber reaching the aperture in fluid communication with outlet.

Claims

1. A filter comprising:

a housing including a filter chamber, the housing including an opening to said filter chamber, said filter chamber bounded by a generally longitudinally-extending, imperforate annular wall adjacent said opening;

first fluid port and a second fluid port into said filter chamber;

one of said fluid ports including a valve member normally spring-biased into a closed position to block fluid flow through said one port;

a removable filter element in said filter chamber, said filter element having a ring of filter media, said ring defming an interior area and an exterior area in said filter chamber;

said filter element further including a disk-shaped member attached to a first end of said filter media ring, said disk-shaped member having unitary therewith an annular lip portion extending axially from said disk-shaped member toward a second end of said filter element and circumferentially surrounding an axial extent of the filter media ring, said lip portion also projecting radially outward from the media ring and sealingly engaged circumferentially around said annular wall to fluidly separate said interior area from said exterior area of said filter chamber such that said first port is fluidly connected to said interior area and said second port is fluidly connected to said exterior area, said lip portion also engaging said valve member and positioning said valve member in an open position to allow fluid flow through said one port.

2. The filter as in claim 1, wherein said lip portion includes a generally radially-outward projecting annular rib extending circumferentially around the lip portion, said rib engaging circumferentially about an inner surface of said annular wall.

3. The filter as in claim 2, wherein said lip portion further includes a resilient O-ring seal disposed in an annular groove formed in a radially outer end of said rib and extending along the circumferential extent of said rib.

4. The filter as in claim 1, wherein said valve member is movable between a first position whereby the valve member forms a fluid-tight seal within said one port, and a second position wherein the valve member provides a flow path through said one port, and biasing means for biasing said valve member into said first position.

5. The filter as in claim 4, wherein said valve member is disposed within said one port, and has a portion which extends inwardly from said port into said chamber of said housing when said valve member is in said first position.

6. The filter as in claim 5, wherein said one fluid port confines said valve member to movement in a radial direction with respect to a geometric axis that is coaxial with respect to the annular wall of said housing.

7. The filter as in claim 6, wherein said valve member comprises a cylindrical body having an outwardly-projecting shoulder at one end for forming the fluid-tight seal with said one port when said valve member is in said closed position.

8. The filter as in claim 7, wherein said valve member further includes longitudinally-extending ribs along the cylindrical body from the shoulder to another end of the cylindrical body for aligning the valve member within the port when the valve member moves from said open to said closed position.

9. The filter as in claim 1, wherein said disk-shaped member is imperforate and includes an opening into the interior area of the filter media ring, a flow path defined from the one port into the exterior area, radially inward through the media ring and into the interior area, through the opening in the disk-shaped member and through the other port.

10. The filter as in claim 1, wherein said lip portion includes a resilient annular sealing device bounding the periphery of said lip portion and projecting radially-outward therefrom.

11. The filter as in claim 10, wherein said sealing device includes an annular rib extending circumferentially around the lip portion, said rib engaging circumferentially about an inner surface of said annular wall, the lip portion having an annular portion extending further axially from the annular rib toward the second end of the filter media ring for engaging the valve member.

12. The filter as in claim 10, wherein said sealing device includes a resilient O-ring seal disposed in an annular groove surrounding the lip portion, the lip portion having an annular portion extending further axially from the O-ring seal toward the second end of the filter media ring for engaging the valve member.

13. A filter, comprising:

a housing including a chamber, the housing including an opening to said chamber, the chamber bounded by a generally longitudinally-extending, imperforate annular wall adjacent said opening;

a first fluid port and a second fluid port into said chamber, said first fluid port and second fluid port being disposed in a cylindrical sidewall of said housing and extending radially outward therefrom; and

one of said ports including a valve member normally biased into a closed position to block fluid flow through said one port via a biasig means, said valve member extending into said chamber for engagement by a filter element and for movement to an open position by the filter element when the filter element is located within the chamber of said housing to allow fluid flow through said one port,

said filter element including a ring of filter media, and a disk-shaped member attached to an end of said filter media ring, said disk-shaped member having unitary therewith an annular lip portion extending axially from said disk-shaped member along an axial extent of the filter media ring toward another end of the filter media ring and circumferentially surrounding the filter media ring, said lip portion projecting radially outward from the filter media ring and sealingly engaged circumferentially about said annular wall of the chamber, said lip portion also engaging said valve member and positioning said valve member in the open position to allow fluid flow through the one port.

14. The filter as in claim 13, wherein said valve member is movable between a first position whereby the valve member forms a fluid-tight seal within said one port, and a second position wherein the valve member provides a flow path through said one port, and biasing means for biasing said valve member into said first position comprising a spring.

15. The filter as in claim 14, wherein said one port confines said valve member to movement in a radial direction with respect to a geometric axis that is coaxial with respect to the annular wall of said housing.

16. The filter as in claim 13, wherein said lip portion includes a resilient annular sealing device bounding the periphery of said lip portion and projecting radially-outward therefrom.

17. The filter as in claim 16, wherein said sealing device comprises an annular rib extending circumferentially around the lip portion, said rib engaging circumferentially about an inner surface of said annular wall, the lip portion having an annular portion extending further axially from the annular rib toward the other end of the filter media ring for engaging the valve member.

18. The filter as in claim 16, wherein said sealing device includes a resilient O-ring seal disposed in an annular groove surrounding the lip portion, the lip portion having an annular portion extending further axially from the O-ring seal toward the second end of the filter media ring for engaging the valve member.

19. The filter as in claim 13, wherein said disk-shaped member is imperforate and includes an opening, a flow path defined from the one port into the exterior area, radially inward through the media ring and into an interior area of the filter media ring, through the opening in the disk-shaped member and through the other port.

20. A filter comprising:

a housing including a filter chamber, the housing including an opening to said filter chamber, said filter chamber bounded by a generally longitudinally-extending, imperforate annular wall adjacent said opening;

a first fluid port and a second fluid port into said filter chamber;

said second fluid port including a valve member normally spring-biased into a closed position to block fluid flow through said second port;

a removable filter element in said filter chamber, said filter element having a ring of filter media and a disk-shaped imperforate end member bonded by a mass of adhesive to each end of the media ring, said ring defining an interior area and an exterior area in said filter chamber;

one of said disk-shaped members having unitary therewith an annular lip portion extending axially from said one disk-shaped member toward the other disk-shaped member, said lip portion having a resilient annular sealing device projecting radially outward from the filter media ring and engaged circumferentially around said annular wall to fluidly separate said interior area from said exterior area of said filter chamber such that said first port is fluidly connected to said interior area and said second port is fluidly connected to said exterior area, said lip portion also engaging said valve member and positioning said valve member in an open position to allow fluid flow through said second port.

21. The filter as in claim 20, wherein the annular lip portion circumferentially surrounds an axial extent of the filter media ring, the remainder of the filter media ring being unobstructed by the lip portion to allow fluid flow therethrough.

22. The filter as in claim 21, wherein the lip portion surrounding the axial extent of the filter media ring is radially outwardly-spaced apart from the filter media ring, whereby said lip portion is free to deform radially inward.

23. The filter as in claim 20, wherein said sealing device includes an annular rib extending circumferentially around the lip portion, said rib engaging circumferentially about an inner surface of said annular wall, the lip portion having an annular portion extending further axially from the annular rib toward the other disk-shaped member for engaging the valve member.

24. The filter as in claim 23, wherein the annular portion extending further axially from the annular rib is continuous and free of any fluid passage opening.

25. The filter as in claim 20, wherein said sealing device includes a resilient O-ring seal disposed in an annular groove surrounding the lip portion, the lip portion having an annular portion extending further axially from the O-ring seal toward the other disk-shaped member for engaging the valve member.

26. The filter as in claim 25, wherein the annular portion extending further axially from the O-ring seal is continuous and free of any fluid passage opening.

27. The filter as in claim 20, wherein said one disk-shaped member includes an opening into the interior area bounded by the filter media ring.

28. The filter as in claim 27, further including a circular end cap portion enclosing the opening to the housing, the one disk-shaped member being connected to said end cap portion, and the other disk-shaped member being spaced from said end cap portion, an intermediate flow area provided between the one disk-shaped member and the end cap portion to fluidly interconnect the opening in the one disk-shaped member and the first fluid port.

29. The filter as in claim 28, wherein an annular recess is provided between said one disk-shaped member and said end cap portion, and said first fluid port opens into said annular recess.