Modular unit

A modular unit has at least one filter (10), pump (12) and cooling unit (14) fluidically connected to each other by a connection module (16) and connected to a tank unit (18). The connection module (16) opens out inside (22) the tank unit with a suction opening (20), together with the cooling unit (14) when the tank unit is connected (18). The filter unit (10) and pump unit (12) are arranged outside the tank unit (18). The modular unit can then be placed on and connected to a tank unit. The cooling unit protrudes inside the tank unit.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a modular unit having at least one filter unit, one pump unit and one cooling unit connected to each other to carry fluid by a connecting module and connected to a tank unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

WO 98/42986 A1 discloses a fluid cooling device as a modular unit with a motor which drives a fan wheel and a fluid pump which takes fluid from an oil tank and delivers it to a hydraulic working circuit which heats the fluid. The fluid pump routes the fluid to a heat exchanger (cooling unit). From the heat exchanger the cooled fluid is returned to the oil tank. The oil tank is made trough-shaped and with raised trough edges partially encompassing at least the motor and the fluid pump in the shape of a half shell. With the known solution, the actual modular unit of a filter unit, a pump unit and a cooling unit can be connected in a space-saving manner to a relatively high-volume oil tank as the tank unit. From the installation space left free by the trough edges of the oil tank, good accessibility of the remaining modular unit is ensured for mounting and maintenance purposes. The known fluid cooling device for the most part avoids additional tubing. Avoiding additional tubing helps save costs and is energy-efficient, because losses in the fluid lines are avoided. Regardless, the known fluid cooling device can be sold only as an integral modular unit of the combination of filter unit, pump unit, cooling unit and tank unit. In particular, retrofitting onto existing oil tanks or tank units with the further modular unit is hardly possible. Since these tank units and oil tank units often originate from other manufacturers and are already on site, depending on the respective application it would be desirable to retrofit these units with a modular unit of a filter unit, a pump unit and a cooling unit as required, or if necessary to undertake modifications such that one fluid cooling device is replaced by a new one, for example, with greater capacity. In this connection, the respective tank unit remains on site.

Accordingly, the prior art (WO 01/18363 A1) discloses connecting fluid cooling devices as modular units to oil tanks or tank units provided separately from them. The known solution relates to a fluid cooling device with a cooling means, filter means, and pump means combined into a modular unit. The fluid conveyed in the fluid circuit by the pump means is filterable by the filter means and coolable by the cooling means. The filter means has at least one filter element which can be replaced when it is fouled. In that in the known solution for the replacement of the respective filter element in the fluid circuit, an actuatable blocking means is present with which the filter means can be separated from the pump means such that the cooling means is further supplied with the fluid to be cooled. It is possible in the known solution to enable the filter element replacement without additional effort even if the downstream lubricating oil supply is not shut off. The known fluid cooling device can be connected as a modular unit, depending on its capacity, to any oil tanks or tank units. For this purpose, the corresponding tubing or fluid-carrying lines, between the modular unit and the tank unit are necessary. As already explained, this tubing is associated with the corresponding complexity in terms of production and installation. This tubing also raises costs, and flow resistances arise due to the length of the fluid lines provided between the modular unit and the tank unit. This arrangement has adverse effects on the energy-efficient operation of the means as a whole. The additional fluid lines also result in increased installation space. In applications in automotive and mechanical engineering and apparatus engineering, this arrangement often leads to problems, where often there is only little installation space due to given boundary conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide improved modular units that are compact, can be retrofitted onto existing tank units and are interchangeable, and permit energy-efficient operation and economical implementation.

This object is basically achieved by a modular unit having a connecting module with a tank unit connected and with an intake opening together with a cooling unit discharging into the interior of the tank unit. A filter unit and pump unit are located outside the tank unit. The modular unit can be placed on the tank unit, for example, in the form of an oil tank, and can be connected to it. The cooling unit projects into the interior of the tank unit. Accordingly, the intake opening also projects into the interior of the tank and in this way enables continuing removal of the fluid stored in the tank unit by the pump unit. The other units (filter unit and pump unit) are located to be easily accessibly outside the tank unit. Piping in the form of fluid lines between the modular unit and the tank unit can be avoided by direct placement and engagement of the modular unit on or with the tank unit. The modular unit is preferably located on a side wall of the tank unit.

By fluid removal via the intake opening within the tank unit the free fluid paths are clearly reduced compared to known solutions to benefit energy-efficient operation of the overall modular unit. Furthermore, the design of the present invention is compact and can be easily replaced by a new modular unit, for example, one with greater performance capacity, if this should be necessary. Energy-efficient operation of the overall modular unit is also benefited by the cooling unit discharging into the interior of the medium of the tank unit to be cooled, so that the medium cooled directly via the cooling unit can be further routed on to the tank unit. In this way, a uniform temperature is present within the tank unit to enable defined fluid removal by the pump unit.

In one preferred embodiment of the modular unit of the present invention, at least two, preferably three units extending at a right angle to one another are connected to the connecting module. Preferably, the connecting module has an angular housing with two connecting arms extending at a right angle to one another and has at least one additionally arranged flange part. In this way, the individual units of the modular unit can be arranged relative to one another in the form of a T-module or in the manner of a Cartesian coordinate system. This arrangement in turn helps shorten the free fluid paths within the connecting module and helps save installation space on the tank unit. Based on the configuration of the connecting module with connecting arms and a flange part, in special cases other connection possibilities for other components can be devised, for example, in the form of a second filter element or the like.

Other objects, advantages and salient features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The modular unit shown as a whole inFIG. 1has a filter unit10, a pump unit12and a cooling unit14(shown only partially). These units can be connected to one another to carry fluid by a connecting module16and can be connected to a tank unit18. The tank unit18preferably constitutes an oil tank with hydraulic oil as the fluid medium. The modular unit of the present invention can also be used for other fluid media, such as water, special alcohols, gasoline, etc. The tank unit18shown inFIG. 1is made as a rectangular container, the face-side wall toward the viewer having been omitted to illustrate the engagement of the cooling unit14with the tank unit18.

The connecting module16with the tank unit18connected projects with an intake opening20(compareFIGS. 4 and 6) together with the cooling unit14into the interior22of the tank unit18. The pump unit12is located outside of the tank unit18. In the embodiment as shown inFIG. 1, the three units10,12,14running or extending at a right angle to one another are connected to the connecting module16to span a type of imaginary Cartesian coordinate system. In another embodiment of the modular unit (not shown), the filter unit10can be attached in the longitudinal axis to the pump unit12on the opposite side of the connecting module16so that in this respect all three units10,12,14would form a type of T-shape. Furthermore, the possibility exists of attaching other functional units to the walls24of the connecting module housing26remaining free, for example, in the form of other filter units, heat exchangers, or the like.

The housing26of the connecting module16is made angular and has two connecting arms28,30extending at a right angle to one another. The filter unit10is connected to the arm28, while the other second connecting arm30forms a connection for the cooling unit14. The connecting module16facing the pump unit12has a pump flange32, and facing the cooling unit14between the tank unit18and the connecting aim30has a tank flange34. The tank flange34can detachably connect the modular unit to the tank unit. The pump unit12on its side facing away from the pump flange32has a drive motor36for the pump unit12, preferably in the form of an electric motor. As shown inFIG. 1, the drive motor36can be connected to the top of the tank unit18by a base element38, in the same manner as the tank flange34. The connecting module16on its side opposite the cooling unit14has connection sites40for a cooling medium. In order to have a possibility for display of the degree of fouling of the filter element of the filter unit10, on the upper side of the connecting module16seen inFIG. 1there is a fouling display42.

With the modular unit of the present invention shown inFIG. 1, the fluid medium stored in the tank unit18can be removed by the intake opening20and routed separately to the cooling unit14by the pump unit12, then to filter the medium removed by the filter unit10and to return the medium which has been filtered to the tank unit18by the cooling unit14. The cooling unit is preferably a tube bundle cooler. The structure of this cooler is conventional and will not be described in detail. The cooled medium is discharged via a discharge opening44on the underside of the tube bundle cooler in the form of a cylindrical cooling unit14. Each respective unit10,12,14, except for the tank unit18, is made with cylindrical connecting parts for the connecting module16. If the modular unit is to be removed from the tank unit18, this removal is easily possible after releasing the screw connection on the tank flange34and the base element38of the drive motor36. The modular unit can be left on the tank unit18, and, for example, to replace a fouled filter element of the filter unit10for maintenance purposes by removing or decoupling the housing and/or parts of the housing, such as, for example, the cover of the filter unit10, accordingly from the connecting module16.

To illustrate fluid routing between the units10,1214and within the connecting module16, the connecting module16shown inFIG. 2is shown in sections and in different views inFIGS. 3-7. The connecting module16is shown inFIG. 2with the housing26having the two connecting arms28,30. Facing the viewer ofFIG. 2, on the side wall of the connecting module16is the pump flange32. As the lower termination of the arm30, the tank flange34is connected to the connecting module16. The pump flange32has two fluid passage openings. As viewed inFIG. 2, the intake connection46is located underneath, and, overhead in a vertical plane, the pressure connection48lies. By the pertinent connections46,48, fluid circulation is possible by the motor pump unit36,12. Viewed inFIG. 2at the top in the housing26, connecting opening50is for the connection sites40of the cooling medium, and a screw-in opening52is for the fouling display42. On the forward or front face of the housing26, the mounting opening54is provided for the housing of the filter unit10.

As shown especially byFIG. 3, in the area of the mounting opening54for the filter unit10within the housing26, the pressure connection48of the pump unit12discharges into the housing26. The pressure connection48is divided into three distributor openings56(see alsoFIG. 6). This distribution yields an improved, uniform distribution of the fluid flow into the pertinent filter unit10. By these distributor openings56, fouled fluid travels to the filter element of the filter unit10, and the cleaned fluid travels via the filter element back into a collecting opening58(compareFIG. 3) to which the cooling unit14is connected to carry fluid. The medium cleaned in this way via the filter unit10then travels via the collecting opening58into the cooling unit14. From the cooling unit14, the cooled fluid is conveyed via the discharge opening44back into the interior22of the tank unit18. In the bottom view of the tank flange34ofFIG. 4, a through opening60accommodates the cooling unit14. As viewed inFIG. 4, the lower receiving circuit of through opening60is widened by the intake opening20. In this respect on the bottom of the tank flange34the intake opening20discharges into the through opening60(compareFIG. 6). AsFIG. 4furthermore shows, the pressure connection48conversely ends on the inside wall of the housing26of the connecting module16. In this way, via the distributor openings56, the fluid flow originating from the pressure connection48is delivered directly into the filter unit10for a cleaning process.

In the present invention, the intake opening20is located in a plane-parallel termination to the bottom of the tank flange34. If the modular unit as shown inFIG. 1is placed on the tank unit18from the top, care should be taken that the tank unit18is also filled to the full extent with the fluid medium, so that fluid can be removed via the pump unit12by the tank flange34directly on the underside of the container wall of the tank unit18. The possibility also exists in an embodiment (not shown) to lengthen this intake opening20to the bottom in the direction of the free end of the cooling unit14. This lengthening may mean that an additional component in the form of an intake pipe or the like would have to be used. Preferably, the modular unit is attached laterally to the tank unit18, this typical installation situation being implemented when the subject matter as shown inFIG. 1is pivoted counterclockwise by 90° in the direction of viewing, so that the side designation ⅓ then points to the top. In this case, filling of the tank unit18only up to the intake opening20of the tank flange34would be necessary. Other installation possibilities can be implemented. With the modular unit of the present invention, it is possible to provide a connection to almost any tank unit18without further piping in the form of fluid lines to perform pumping, filtering and cooling of the stored medium. Furthermore it is possible, in terms of a hydraulic circuit to move the medium by the motor pump unit out of the tank unit18to elsewhere, for example, for operation of a machine (not shown) and to discharge the fluid which may be fouled and which has then been heated in this way from the modular unit to be cooled and cleaned and then conveyed to the tank unit19for recirculation.