Filter element for oil pans and filter element/oil pan combination
AssigneeDana Corporation
InventorEdward Allen Covington
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A filter/oil pan assembly for use in devices such as transmissions for vehicles and for use as oil pans in internal combustion engines includes a housing having an upper chamber and a sump, wherein a filter element is disposed between the upper chamber and the sump. The filter element includes a filter media having pleats which extend in the direction parallel to the direction of movement of the vehicle utilizing the filter element. In order to facilitate flow through the filter element, all interior surfaces of the housing slope toward a well in which the filter element is positioned and the filter element itself has laterally projecting flanges which slope downwardly toward the filter media.
Claims35
A panel shaped filter element adapted to seat on a sloped peripheral surface of a sump of an oil pan for filtering oil which flows in a selected horizontal direction in the oil pan toward the sump, comprising:
- a pleated filter media having first and second edges and first and second ends, the pleated filter media being folded to define only upstream and downstream peaks connected by substantially flat panels, the upstream peaks laying in a first plane to define a filter inlet face and the downstream peaks laying in a second plane to define a filter outlet face;
- the upstream and downstream peaks having parallel troughs therebetween, the troughs having the terminuses at the first and seconds ends of the filter media and extending in the direction of oil flow when mounted in the oil pan;
- a frame for supporting the filter media, the frame having first and second side plate portions for engaging and sealing the terminuses of the troughs;
- the frame further having laterally extending flanges disposed above the filter inlet face, each flange having an upper first planar surface sloping downwardly and inwardly toward a center of the filter inlet face forming a concavity around the filter inlet face for directing oil to be filtered toward the inlet face and each flange having a lower planar face that is substantially parallel to said upper first planar surface adapted for sealing with the sloped peripheral surface of the sump when the troughs are oriented to extend in the direction of oil flow.
A panel-shaped filter element for filtering transmission oil, the filter element being adapted to be mounted on a peripheral surface of a transmission oil pan spaced from the floor of the pan, the peripheral surface having a selected shape with respect to the direction in which a vehicle mounting the transmission oil pan normally moves, the filter element being used to filter transmission oil which flows in a selected horizontal direction in the oil pan toward the sump, the filter element comprising:
- a mounting frame corresponding in shape to the selected shape of the peripheral surface of the sump so as to be adapted to be oriented in a selected direction parallel to the direction in which the vehicle normally moves when the frame is mounted on the peripheral surface, the frame defining an area of a selected shape therewithin;
- a pleated filter media suitable for filtering transmission oil, the pleated filter media being mounted within the area defined by the mounting frame, the pleated filter media having pleats defined by peaks and valleys which join panels extending in a selected direction parallel to the selection direction of the frame, the valleys of the filter media all lying in the same plane being positioned below the mounting frame and the peaks rising to at least the bottom of the frame and all lying in the same plane with the panels having a dirty transmission oil side facing toward the mounting frame and a clean transmission oil side facing away from the mounting frame;
- wherein when the frame is mounted in the peripheral area of the sump, the peaks, valleys and panels of the filter media extend in a direction parallel to the direction in which the vehicle mounting the transmission oil pan moves.
A panel-shaped filter element for filtering lubricating oil, the filter element being adapted to be mounted on a peripheral surface of a lubricating oil spaced from the floor of the pan, the peripheral surface having a selected shape with respect to the direction in which a vehicle mounting the lubricating oil pan normally moves, the filter element being used to filter lubricating oil which flows in a selected horizontal direction in the oil pan toward the sump, the filter element comprising:
- a mounting frame corresponding in shape to the selected shape of the peripheral surface of the sump so as to be adapted to be oriented in a selected direction parallel to the direction in which the vehicle normally moves when the frame is mounted on the peripheral surface, the frame defining an area of a selected shape therewithin;
- a pleated filter media suitable for filtering lubricating oil, the pleated filter media being mounted within the area defined by the mounting frame, the pleated filter media having pleats defined by peaks and valleys which join panels extending in a selected direction parallel to the selection direction of the frame, the valleys of the filter media all lying in the same plane being positioned below the mounting frame and the peaks rising to at least the bottom of the frame and all lying in the same plane with the panels having a dirty lubricating oil side facing toward the mounting frame and a clean lubricating oil side facing away from the mounting frame;
- wherein when the frame is mounted in the peripheral area of the sump, the peaks, valleys and panels of the filter media extend in a direction parallel to the direction in which the vehicle mounting the lubricating oil pan moves.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.