Automatic cleaning apparatus for fluid filters
AssigneeUnited States Government as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorsMichael Allen Shackleton, Roy Earl Anderson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus to remove dust particles accumulating within the air cleaner of a ehicle engine, particularly an off-the-road vehicle of the military type. The apparatus includes a nozzle arranged to traverse the surface of the filter element within the cleaner, said nozzle being effective to blow or draw air through the pores of the filter element, thereby dislodging dust particles located on or in the filter element. The nozzle and filter element rotate relative to one another, whereby the nozzle traverses the entire peripheral dimension of the element; additionally the nozzle opening can be arranged to move in the direction of the filter element axis. By means of the combined axial and rotary movements the nozzle cleans the entire surface of the filter element.
Claims3
In a dust removal apparatus comprising an annular filter element having an axial length "1";
- a tubular air flow nozzle structure extending along and closely adjacent to a perimeter surface of the filter element for the full axial length 1;
- said nozzle structure comprising a port forming means facing the perimeter surface of the filter element, said port forming means having an axial dimension substantially less than the filter element length 1;
- means to move flushing air through the nozzle structure so that the port forming means removes dust build-ups from the filter element;
- first means to move the port forming means in a direction parallel to the filter element axis;
- and second means to move the port forming means circumferentially around the filter element surface:
- the improvement wherein the second moving means operates continuously to produce a relatively slow uninterrupted circumferential motion of the port forming means, and the first moving means operates only at the end of each complete revolution of the port forming means to produce a relatively quick step-like axial indexing of said port forming means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.