DIESEL FUEL FILTER WITH INTERCHANGEABLE CARTRIDGE

Abstract: A Diesel fuel filter (1) with interchangeable cartridge (2) which comprises a container which has a side wall (3) and a bottom (4) and a detachably fixed lid (6) and is suitable to contain a filtering mass or cartridge (2) which is suitable to be crossed by the fuel along its path inside the filter (1) between an intake connector (7) and a discharge connector (8). The particularity of the invention consists in that the fuel intake and discharge connectors (7, 8) are comprise within the container.

Description: DIESEL FUEL FILTER WITH INTERCHANGEABLE CARTRIDGE Technical field The present invention relates to a Diesel fuel filter with interchangeable cartridge. Background art It is known that filters inserted in the circuit that supplies the fuel of Diesel engines, commonly known as Diesel fuel, comprise, inside a container, a filtering mass, known as cartridge, which is designed to be crossed by the fuel which flows inside the filter between an intake connector and a discharge connector. Several kinds of filters are available, and in one of them the container is provided with a lid which is fixed detachably so as to allow easy access to the inside of the filter; in this manner, when a cartridge has exhausted its operating capability, it is replaced easily, leaving in place the rest of the filter, with clear advantages in terms of operation, cost and environmental protection. Disclosure of the Invention These filters however are not entirely satisfactory; accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to provide a filter with interchangeable cartridge having improved characteristics. This aim is achieved by a Diesel fuel filter with interchangeable cartridge, according to the invention, which comprises a container with a side wall and a bottom, is provided with a lid which is fixed detachably, and is suitable to contain a filtering mass or cartridge which is suitable to be crossed by the fuel along its path inside the filter between an intake connector and a discharge connector, characterized in that said fuel intake and discharge connectors are comprised within said container. Brief description of the Drawings Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent from the description of some preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of the filter according to the invention; Figures 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views of other embodiments of the invention. Ways of carrying out the Invention With reference to Figure 1, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a filter which comprises a filtering mass or cartridge 2 being contained within a container, which has a side wall 3 and a bottom 4 with a corresponding water collection chamber 5, as described in greater detail hereinafter; a lid, designated by the reference numeral 6, is detachably associated with said container. One of the main features of the invention consists in that the fuel intake and discharge connectors are both comprised within the container, so that the lid 6 is completely free of any connection and is therefore available for handling in maximum comfort during maneuvers for replacing the cartridge or filtering mass 2. More specifically, it is noted that an intake connector 7 is provided at the side wall 3 of the container, while a discharge connector 8 is provided at the bottom 4 of said container, thus producing a circulation of the fuel inside the filter which is indicated by the arrows in the figure and in which the fuel crosses the filtering mass 2 from the outside inward, encounters a micromesh 9 that retains water droplets that are present in the fuel, sending them by gravity to the collection chamber 5, and enters a duct 10, which extends inside the filter the connector 8 for the discharge of the fuel from said filter. Attention is drawn to the synergistic relationship that arises between the inverted truncated-cone shape of the micromesh 9 and the extension of the duct 10 so as to reach the wider region of said micromesh, with particularly facilitated insertion of the fuel in said duct. The embodiment generally designated by the reference numeral 11, being shown in Figure 2, has two additional elements with respect to the embodiment of Figure 1, which is otherwise unchanged. The first element is constituted by a coupling, generally designated by the reference numeral 12, which is detachably associated by means of a threaded coupling with a fuel intake connector 13, which is again provided at the side wall 3 of the container. Such coupling 12 comprises a duct 14, which is provided with a connection 15 to a fuel supply line and with appropriate passages such as 16 which lead into the intake connector 13; there is also an annular heater 17 of the electrical resistor type, with a connection 18 for connection to a line, which is supported by the structure of the coupling 12 and is arranged at the passages such as 16, so that it is struck by the fuel that exits from said passages. It is noted first of all that the coupling 12 might, according to other embodiments, be connected monolithically to the fuel intake connector or be formed within the wall of the container. The second element that is added to the embodiment of Figure 1 is constituted by a valve 19, known as overflow valve. Such per se known valve is designed to separate the fuel that exits from the filter into two streams which are directed respectively so as to supply the engine and to a recirculation system in the tank; in the prior art, such valve is located in the ducts that connect the filter to the engine, whereas in the present invention it is associated directly with the filter in various manners. Such valve can be associated monolithically with the fuel discharge connector 20, as in the case of Figure 2, but could be detachably associated with the connector, for example by means of a threaded coupling, or could be formed within the bottom 4 of the container. The description of the embodiment shown in Figure 2 is concluded by noting that in this embodiment, too, the lid 6 is completely free of any kind of connection and thus can be easily maneuvered. There is only a small number of differences between the embodiment of Figure 2 described above and the embodiment shown in Figure 3 and generally designated by the reference numeral 21, which again comprises a container with a side wall 3 provided with a fuel intake connector 13 with a coupling 12 and a bottom 4 with a water collection chamber 5 and a discharge duct 20 with an overflow valve 19; the lid 6 is again provided and is again free of any connection. A first difference consists of the presence of a screen 22, which might however be present also in the previously described embodiments and faces the intake connector 13 in order to prevent the fuel stream from directly impinging on the filtering mass. A second difference relates to the filtering mass 23, which does not have a micromesh for capturing water droplets, since it is made of water-repellent material; in this case, of course, a base 23a of said filtering mass is shaped so as to have a sealing gasket 23b on a duct 24 which extends the discharge connector 20 inside the filter, and leaves open, toward the water collection chamber 5, a portion of space 25 that faces the outer surface of the filtering mass on which the water droplets that cannot enter said mass collect. Also in the embodiment shown in Figure 4 and generally designated by the reference numeral 26, which again has a container with a side wall 3 and a discharge connector 27 provided with an overflow valve 19 and a bottom 4 with a water collection chamber 4 and a fuel intake connector 28 which is provided with a coupling 12, the lid 6 has no connections. In this embodiment, in which the fuel circulates inside the filter as shown by the arrows in the figure, the filtering mass 29 is provided with a micromesh 30 in order to trap water droplets in the portion of space lying between said micromesh and the filtering mass, which is located where the fuel exits from the filtering mass. The disclosed invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept: thus, for example, in addition to the embodiment of Figure 1, only the coupling 12 or only the overflow valve 19 might be provided. The filter could also be provided with a connection to a line for discharging electrostatic charges accumulated on the bases of the filtering mass, and conveniently the filter is further provided with manually- or automatically-actuated means for evacuating the water that has accumulated in the collection chamber 5. The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2000A001616 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A Diesel fuel filter with interchangeable cartridge, comprising a container which has a side wall and a bottom and a detachably fixed lid and is suitable to contain a filtering mass or cartridge which is suitable to be crossed by the fuel along its path inside the filter between an intake connector and a discharge connector, characterized in that said fuel intake and discharge connectors are comprised within said container. 2. The filter according to claim 1, characterized in that the fuel intake connector is provided at the side wall of the container, while the discharge connector is provided at the bottom of said container. 3. The filter according to claim 1, characterized in that the fuel intake connector is provided at the bottom of the container and the discharge connector is provided at the side wall of said container. 4. The filter according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the presence of a heating element of the electrical resistor type which is associated with the fuel intake connector. 5. The filter according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the presence of a coupling at the fuel intake connector, comprising a duct provided with a connection to a line for supplying said fuel and with passages which lead into said intake connector, an electric- resistor heating element being provided which is supported by the structure of the connector and is located at said passages so that it is struck by the fuel that exits from said passages. 6. The filter according to claim 5, characterized in that the coupling is detachably associated with the fuel intake connector. 7. The filter according to claim 5, characterized in that the coupling is associated with the fuel intake connector in a detachable manner by means of a threaded connection. 8. The filter according to claim 5, characterized in that the coupling is monolithically associated with the fuel intake connector. 9. The filter according to claim 5, characterized in that the coupling is formed within the container. 10. The filter according to claim 1, characterized by the presence of an overflow valve at the fuel discharge connector. 11. The filter according to claim 10, characterized in that the overflow valve is associated detachably with the fuel discharge connector. 12. The filter according to claim 10, characterized in that the overflow valve is monolithically associated with the fuel discharge connector. 13. The filter according to claim 10, characterized in that the overflow valve is formed within the container. 14. The filter according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the presence of a connection to a line for discharging electrostatic charges. 15. The filter according to one or more of the preceding claims, with a fuel intake connector provided at the side wall of the container, characterized by the presence of a screen which is interposed between said connector and the filtering mass, in order to prevent the incoming flow of fuel from directly impinging on said mass. 16. The filter according to one or more of the preceding claims, with a fuel intake connector provided at the side wall of the container, characterized by the presence of a micromesh which is suitable to capture water droplets which are present in the stream of fuel that exits from the filtering mass in order to send them into a collection chamber which is provided at the bottom of the container and is shaped like a truncated cone which is open toward the lid of the filter, the fuel discharge connector being provided at the bottom of the container and being extended inside said filter into a duct which runs along the longitudinal axis of the container and arrives proximate to the lid. 17. The filter according to one or more of the preceding claims, with a fuel intake connector provided at the bottom of the container, characterized by the presence of a micromesh which is suitable to capture water droplets that are present in the fuel stream and is located at the outer surface of the filtering mass, so as to be crossed by the fuel that exits from said mass. 18. The filter according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the filtering mass is made of water-repellent material, the portion of space that lies where the fuel enters said filtering mass being open toward the water collection chamber that is present at the bottom of the container.

Inventors: BARACCHI PAOLO, BECCARI BRUNO, CROVETTI CLAUDIO, TALLANO SERGIO, BARACCHI, PAOLO, BECCARI, BRUNO, CROVETTI, CLAUDIO, TALLANO, SERGIO
Applicants: BARACCHI PAOLO, BECCARI BRUNO, CROVETTI CLAUDIO, SOGEFI FILTRATION S P A, TALLANO SERGIO, BARACCHI, PAOLO, BECCARI, BRUNO, CROVETTI, CLAUDIO, SOGEFI FILTRATION S.P.A., TALLANO, SERGIO
Application year: 2001
Main classification: B01D
IPC codes: B01D29, B01D35, B01D36