Air filter having an air filter housing, use of an air filter, method for designing an air filter, and method for operating an air filter
View Patent ↗An air filter is provided that includes, but is not limited to an air filter housing, which encloses an air filter chamber having an ambient air volume and a filtered air volume separated from the ambient air volume by a filter device. At least one interior side of the air filter housing enclosing the ambient air volume has ribs. The ambient air volume has air flowing through it in a flow direction operation of the air filter and sections of the ribs are situated parallel to this flow direction of the air and curved.
1. An air filter, comprising:
an air filter housing comprising at least one interior side;
an air filter chamber enclosed by the air filter housing, the air filter chamber comprising an ambient air volume and a filtered air volume;
a filter device separating the filtered air volume from the ambient air volume; and
a plurality of ribs curved on the at least one interior side of the air filter housing, a predominant part of the plurality of ribs substantially parallel to an airflow path in the ambient air volume.
2. The air filter according to claim 1 , wherein sections of the plurality of ribs are curved circularly.
3. The air filter according to claim 1 , wherein sections of the plurality of ribs are curved in a spiral.
4. The air filter according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ribs are implemented as a plurality of reinforcement ribs which increase a rigidity of the air filter housing.
5. The air filter according to claim 1 , wherein the air filter housing enclosing the ambient air volume has a collection sink for particles entrained in the airflow path.
6. The air filter according to claim 5 , wherein the collection sink has an outlet.
7. The air filter according to claim 5 , further comprising a second plurality of ribs intersecting the plurality of ribs in an area of the collection sink.
8. The air filter according to claims 5 , wherein the plurality of ribs do not intersect one another outside an area of the collection sink.
9. A method for designing an air filter, comprising the steps of:
modeling an air filter housing for the air filter, the air filter housing enclosing an air filter chamber having an ambient air volume and a filtered air volume separated from the ambient air volume by a filter device, and at least one interior side of the air filter housing enclosing the ambient air volume having a plurality of ribs, sections of the plurality of ribs situated parallel to a flow direction and curved;
simulating an airflow occurring in operation at least inside the ambient air volume; and
optimizing a shape and a configuration of the plurality of ribs in such a way that the plurality of ribs both reinforce a rigidity of the air filter housing and also generate a flow field having an approximately circular flow, the largest possible proportion of the ambient air volume having flow through it.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the shape and the configuration of the plurality of ribs are optimized such that a deviation of a flow velocity from a mean velocity at an arbitrary location of the flow field is as small as possible.