Abstract:
Provided are a strainer and a fuel pump module having the same, and more particularly, a strainer capable of preventing filter paper from stopping since the filter paper contacts each other at a portion at which the strainer is folded, in the strainer connected to an inlet of a fuel pump or a fuel pump module to filter fuel sucked thereinto, and a fuel pump module having the same.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0058095, filed on May 23, 2013, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
       TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a strainer and a fuel pump module having the same, and more particularly, to a strainer capable of preventing a filter paper from stopping since the filter paper contacts each other at a portion at which the strainer is folded, in the strainer connected to an inlet of a fuel pump or a fuel pump module to filter fuel sucked thereinto, and a fuel pump module having the same. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    An apparatus such as a vehicle which is driven by being supplied with liquid fuel such as a gasoline engine and a diesel engine is provided with a fuel tank and the fuel tank is provided with a fuel pump module, in which the fuel pump module is configured to be connected to the engine via a fuel supply line to supply fuel stored inside the fuel tank to the engine. In this case, a fuel inlet of the fuel pump module is provided with a strainer which primarily filters the fuel inside the fuel tank to be sucked into a fuel pump which is disposed inside the fuel pump module. 
         [0004]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a strainer  4  is disposed at a fuel inlet  3   a  of a fuel pump  3  which is disposed inside a fuel tank  1  and in the strainer  4 , to prevent a phenomenon that the filtering is not made since the filter paper  4   b  contacts each other at the time of the suction of fuel, a rib  4   c  which is provided with a plurality of protruding parts is inserted into or combined with the filter paper  4   b.    
         [0005]    However, the strainer is formed to be folded as occasion demands, and an upper filter paper and a lower filter paper contacts each other at the folded portion and thus the fuel may not be filtered or the filtered foreign materials are deposited at the folded portion of the filter paper and thus the filter paper may stop. Further, to design the strainer so that the strainer is folded at a desired portion, the rib needs to be added with the plurality of protrusions and thus the design of the strainer may be complicated. 
         [0006]    As the related art, there is Korean Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 20-1989-010861 entitled “in tank type fuel pump”. 
       RELATED ART DOCUMENT 
     Patent Document  
       [0007]    (Patent Document 1) KR 20-1989-010861 U (Jul. 11, 1989) 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is directed to providing a strainer capable of preventing an upper filter paper and a lower filter paper from contacting each other at a folded portion of the strainer to prevent a deposition of filtered materials and a stoppage of the filter paper at the folded portion and a fuel pump module having the same. 
         [0009]    In one general aspect, there is provided a strainer including: a filter paper  100  filtering fuel and having a space part  130  disposed therein; an upper rib  210  combined with an outer upper portion of the filter paper  100 ; a plurality of protruding parts  300  protruding down from the upper rib  210  to be disposed inside the filter paper  100 ; and a communicating pipe  400  combined with the filter paper  100  to communicate with the space part  130  of the filter paper  100 , wherein the filter paper  100  and the upper rib  210  are partially folded up longitudinally, and the upper and lower portions of the filter paper  100  are formed not to contact each other at the folded portion. 
         [0010]    The strainer may further include: a lower rib  220  combined with the outer lower portion of the filter paper  100 ; and the plurality of protruding parts  300  protruding up from the lower rib  220  to be disposed inside the filter paper  100 ; wherein the filter paper  100 , the upper rib  210 , and the lower rib  220  are partially folded longitudinally and thus the upper and lower portions of the filter paper  100  are formed not to contact each other at the folded portion. 
         [0011]    The upper rib  210  and the lower rib  220  may be disposed in parallel to be spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the filter paper  100  and the upper rib  210  and the lower rib  220  may be alternately disposed. 
         [0012]    Widths W of the protruding parts may be each formed differently and distances D between the protruding parts may be each formed differently, and the width W of the protruding part and the distance D between the protruding parts may be more narrowly formed at the portion at which the filter paper is folded than at the portion at which the filter paper is not folded. 
         [0013]    In another general aspect, there is provided a strainer  1000  including: a filter paper  100  filtering fuel and having a space part  130  disposed therein; an inner rib  230  disposed inside the filter paper  100 ; a plurality of protruding parts  300  protruding up and down from the inner rib  230  to be disposed inside the filter paper  100 ; and a communicating pipe  400  combined with the filter paper  100  to communicate with the space part  130  of the filter paper  100 , wherein the filter paper  100  and the inner rib  230  are partially folded up longitudinally, and the upper and lower portions of the filter paper  100  are formed not to contact each other at the folded portion. 
         [0014]    Widths W of the protruding parts may be each formed differently and distances D between the protruding parts may be each formed differently, and the width W of the protruding part and the distance D between the protruding parts may be more narrowly formed at the portion at which the filter paper is folded than at the portion at which the filter paper is not folded. 
         [0015]    In still another general aspect, there is provided a fuel pump module  2000  including: the strainer  1000  as described above, wherein the strainer  1000  is disposed inside a reservoir body  1200  in a partially folded state and a communicating pipe  400  of the strainer  1000  is connected to an inlet  1110  of the fuel pump  1100  which is disposed inside the reservoir body  1200 . 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are cross-sectional views illustrating a strainer and a fuel pump module according to the related art. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a strainer according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIGS. 4 and 5  are a cross-sectional view and a perspective view illustrating a state in which the strainer of  FIG. 3  is folded. 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a strainer according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIGS. 7 and 8  are a cross-sectional view and a perspective view illustrating a state in which the strainer of  FIG. 6  is folded. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a strainer according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view and a perspective view illustrating a state in which the strainer of  FIG. 9  is folded. 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view illustrating an example in which the strainer according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention is modified. 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a fuel pump module having the strainer according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0000]    
         
           
                 
               
                 
                 
                 
               
             
                 
                     
                 
                 
                   [Detailed Description of Main Elements] 
                 
                 
                     
                 
               
               
                 
                     
                 
               
            
             
                 
                     
                   1000: Strainer 
                     
                 
                 
                     
                    100: Filter paper 
                 
                 
                     
                    110: Upper filter paper 
                    120: Lower filter paper 
                 
                 
                     
                    130: Space part 
                 
                 
                     
                    210: Upper rib 
                    220: Lower rib 
                 
                 
                     
                    230: Inner rib 
                    240: Connection rib 
                 
                 
                     
                    300: Protruding part 
                 
                 
                     
                    400: Communicating pipe 
                 
                 
                     
                   1100: Fuel pump 
                   1110: Inlet 
                 
                 
                     
                   1200: Reservoir body 
                 
                 
                     
                   2000: Fuel pump module 
                 
                 
                     
                   W: Width of protruding part 
                 
                 
                     
                   D: Distance between protruding parts 
                 
                 
                     
                     
                 
               
            
           
         
       
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    Hereinafter, a strainer and a fuel pump module having the same according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0026]      FIGS. 3 to 11  are cross-sectional views of a strainer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and are a cross-sectional view and a perspective view illustrating a state in which the strainer is folded. 
         [0027]    First, as illustrated in  FIGS. 3 to 5 , a strainer  1000  according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a filter paper  100  filtering fuel and having a space part  130  disposed therein; an upper rib  210  combined with an outer upper portion of the filter paper  100 ; a plurality of protruding parts  300  protruding down from the upper rib  210  to be disposed inside the filter paper  100 ; and a communicating pipe  400  combined with the filter paper  100  to communicate with the space part  130  of the filter paper  100 , in which the filter paper  100  and the upper rib  210  are partially folded longitudinally and thus an upper portion and a lower portion of the filter paper  100  are formed not to contact each other at the folded portion. 
         [0028]    The filter paper  100  is a portion at which fuel is filtered and may be formed in a thin mesh form. Further, the filter paper  100  is configured of an upper filter paper  110  and a lower filter paper  120  spaced apart from each other so as to have the space part  130  formed therein and edges of the upper filter paper  110  and the lower filter paper  120  are combined with each other by a welding method, and the like and thus edge portions are sealed. 
         [0029]    The upper rib  210  is combined with an upper surface of the upper filter paper  110  which is the outer upper portion of the filter paper  100 . In this configuration, the upper rib  210  is formed in a long bar shape and thus may adhere to the upper surface of the upper filter paper  110 . Meanwhile, the upper rib  210  is formed in plural, in which the plurality of upper ribs  210  may be formed in parallel to be spaced apart from each other in a width direction. Further, when the upper rib  210  is formed in plural, a connection rib  240  which connects between the upper ribs  210  may also be formed. Therefore, the upper rib  210  is combined with the outer upper portion of the filter paper  100  and serves to maintain the form of the filter paper  100 . 
         [0030]    The protruding part  300  protrudes down from the upper rib  210  and is disposed in the space part  130  which is the inside of the filter paper  100 . In this case, the protruding part  300  is formed in plural, in which the plurality of protruding parts  300  are formed along the upper rib  210 , being spaced apart from each other. Further, a lower end of the protruding part  300  is formed up to the upper surface of the lower filter paper  120  to maintain a distance between the upper filter paper  110  and the lower filter paper  120 . 
         [0031]    In this case, the upper filter paper  110 , the upper rib  210 , and the protruding part  300  are made of a plastic resin material and the upper rib  210  and the protruding part  300  are injection molded together, having the upper filter paper  110  disposed therebetween, such that the protruding parts  300  down from the upper rib  210  may be formed to be combined with each other by penetrating through the upper filter paper  110 . Therefore, the upper filter paper  110 , the upper rib  210 , and the protruding part  300  are integrally formed and then the edges of the upper filter paper  110  and the lower filter paper  120  are welded to each other to be sealed, such that the upper rib  210  and the protruding part  300  are combined with the filter paper  100 . 
         [0032]    The communicating pipe  400  is combined with the filter paper  100  to communicate with the space part  130  which is the inside of the filter paper  100 , such that the communicating pipe  400  may be combined with the upper filter paper  110 . Further, the communicating pipe  400  is also made of a plastic resin material and may be combined by the welding method, and the like to penetrate through the filter paper  110 . In this case, the lower end of the communicating pipe  400  disposed in the space part  130  of the filter paper  100  is provided with a plurality of plates which radially protrude, are spaced apart from each other along a circumferential direction, and protrude down from the lower end of the communicating pipe  400  and thus the lower end of the communicating pipe  400  does not contact the lower filter paper  120 , thereby smoothing the filtering and injection of fuel. 
         [0033]    Therefore, the strainer  1000  according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is configured to filter the fuel outside the filter paper  100 , suck the fuel into the space part  130  inside the filter paper  100 , and then make the fuel flow along the communicating pipe  400 . 
         [0034]    In this case, the filter paper  100  and the upper rib  210  are partially folded longitudinally and thus the upper and lower portions of the filter paper  100  are formed not to contact each other at the folded portion. That is, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , in the state in which the filter paper  100  and the upper rib  210  are partially folded up, the protruding parts  300  support between the upper filter paper  110  and the lower filter paper  120  of the folded and rounded formed portion to maintain the distance between the upper filter paper  110  and the lower filter paper  120 . 
         [0035]    As described above, the strainer according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is formed not to contact the upper and lower filter papers at the folded portion even though the strainer is folded and therefore it is possible to prevent the deposition of filtered materials and the stoppage of the filter paper at the folded portion. Further, the upper rib  210  is combined with the upper portion of the upper filter paper  110  which is the outside of the filter paper  100  and thus the protruding parts  300  protrude down from the upper rib  210 , such that the upper rib  210  and the filter paper  100  may be easily folded regardless of the distance between the protruding parts  300  and the upper rib  210  is disposed at the outside of the filter paper  100  and thus the upper filter paper  100  and the upper rib  210  are fixed, being combined with each other, such that it is possible to prevent the upper filter paper  110  from being folded inwardly (toward the space part) at the time of the folding, thereby preventing the upper filter paper  110  and the lower filter paper  120  from contacting each other. Further, the upper rib  210  is provided outside the filter paper  100  and therefore a volume of the space part  130  which is the space inside the filter paper  100  may be increased, thereby reducing a flowing resistance due to the filtering of fuel. 
         [0036]    Further, the strainer  1000  according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention further includes: a lower rib  220  combined with the outer lower portion of the filter paper  100 ; and the plurality of protruding parts  300  protruding up from the lower rib  220  to be disposed inside the filter paper  100 , in which the filter paper  100 , the upper rib  210 , and the lower rib  220  may be partially folded longitudinally and thus the upper and lower portions of the filter paper  100  may be formed not to contact each other at the folded portion. 
         [0037]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 6 to 8 , in the strainer according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the lower rib  220  is additionally combined with the lower surface of the lower filter paper  120  and the protruding part  300  protrudes up from the lower rib  220  and thus the protruding part  300  is configured to be disposed in the space part  130  which is the inside of the filter paper  100 . 
         [0038]    Therefore, even though the strainer is folded, the form of the filter paper is easily maintained by the upper rib and the lower rib which are each provided with the plurality of protruding parts and the upper and lower filter papers are formed not to contact each other at the portion folded by the protruding parts, such that it is possible to prevent the deposition of the filtered materials and the stoppage of the filter paper at the folded portion. 
         [0039]    In this case, the upper rib  210  and the lower rib  220  may be in parallel to be spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the filter paper  100  and the upper rib  210  and the lower rib  220  may be alternately disposed. That is, the upper rib  210  is disposed at a center in the width direction of the upper filter paper  110  and the lower rib  220  is disposed at both sides in the width direction of the lower filter paper  120 , such that the upper rib  210  and the lower rib  220  may be formed to be alternately disposed in parallel so as to be spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the filter paper  100 . 
         [0040]    Therefore, the distance between the upper and lower filter papers at the portion at which the strainer is folded is easily maintained, such that it is possible to prevent the deposition of the filtered materials and the stoppage of the filter paper at the folded portion. 
         [0041]    Further, widths W of the protruding parts are each formed differently and distances D between the protruding parts are each formed differently, in which the width W of the protruding part and the distance D between the protruding parts may be narrowly formed at the portion at which the filter paper  100  is folded. 
         [0042]    That is, in connection with the plurality of protruding parts  300  protruding down from the upper rib  210 , the width W of the protruding part and the distance D between the protruding parts are formed to be narrower at the folded portion than any other portion and thus when the strainer is folded, the lower filter paper  120  is supported by the protruding parts  300  to easily maintain the distance between the upper and lower filter papers. Similar, in connection with the protruding parts  300  protruding up from the lower rib  220 , the width W of the protruding part and the distance D between the protruding parts are formed to be narrower at the portion at which the strainer is folded than any other portion and thus when the strainer is folded, the protruding parts  300  are easily support the upper filtering paper  120 . 
         [0043]    Further, the strainer  1000  according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: the filter paper  100  filtering fuel and having the space part  130  disposed therein; an inner rib  230  disposed inside the filter paper  100 ; the plurality of protruding parts  300  protruding up and down from the inner rib  230  to be disposed inside the filter paper  100 ; and the communicating pipe  400  combined with the filter paper  100  to communicate with the space part  130  of the filter paper  100 , in which the filter paper  100  and the inner rib  230  are partially folded longitudinally and thus the upper and lower portions of the filter paper  100  are formed not to contact each other at the folded portion. 
         [0044]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 9 to 11 , the inner rib  230  is disposed in the space part  130  which is the inside of the filter paper  100 , and the upper and lower portions of the inner rib  230  are provided with the plurality of protruding parts  300  and thus the upper filter paper  110  and the lower filter paper  120  are formed at the portion at which the strainer is folded so as not to contact each other. In this case, in the state in which the upper and lower portions of the inner rib  230  are integrally provided with the protruding parts  300 , the inner rib  230  is inserted into the space part  130  of the filter paper  100  and then the edge portions of the upper filter paper  110  and the lower filter paper  120  may be sealed by the welding method, and the like. 
         [0045]    Therefore, in the strainer according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the protruding parts  300  disposed on the upper and lower portions of the inner rib  230  support the upper filter paper  110  and the lower filter paper  120 , such that the upper filter paper  110  and the lower filter paper  120  may not contact each other. 
         [0046]    Further, as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , in the strainer according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the filter paper  100  is formed in an asymmetrical form and thus may also be formed to be partially folded up. 
         [0047]    Further, even in the strainer according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the widths W of the protruding parts are each formed differently and the distances D between the protruding parts are each formed differently, in which the width W of the protruding part and the distance D between the protruding parts may be narrowly formed at the portion at which the filter paper  100  is folded. 
         [0048]    Further, a fuel pump module  2000  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is configured to include the strainer  1000 , in which the strainer  1000  is disposed inside a reservoir body  1200  in the partially folded state and the communicating pipe  400  of the strainer  1000  is configured to be connected to an inlet  1110  of the fuel pump  1100  which is disposed inside the reservoir body  1200 . 
         [0049]    That is, as illustrated in  FIG. 12 , the fuel pump module  2000  according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is disposed inside the fuel tank and thus the fuel inside the fuel tank is partially filled inside the reservoir body  1200 , and the communicating pipe  400  of the strainer  1000  is connected to the inlet  1110  of the fuel pump  1100  so that the fuel in the reservoir body  1200  may be sucked into the fuel pump  1100  through the strainer  1000 . Therefore, the fuel pump module  2000  may be configured so that the filtered fuel is sucked into the fuel pump  1100  through the lower portion of the strainer  1000  and both sides of the strainer  1000  which is vertically folded. 
         [0050]    As described above, the fuel pump module  2000  according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is configured so that the upper and lower filter papers are formed not to contact each other at the portion at which the strainer is folded, and thus it is possible to prevent the deposition of the filtered materials and the stoppage of the filter paper at the folded portion. 
         [0051]    According to the strainer and the fuel pump module having the same in accordance with the present invention, even though the strainer is folded, the upper and lower filter papers are formed not to contact each other at the folded portion, thereby preventing the deposition of the filtered materials and the stoppage of the filter paper at the folded portion. 
         [0052]    The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments but may be variously applied, and may be variously modified by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims.