阅读说明：本技术 过滤器 (Filter ) 是由 J·A·M·菲尔芬 S·R·W·范普拉特 于 2019-09-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种具有壳体(2)的过滤器,在壳体中可以安装滤筒(7),其特征在于过滤器(1)配备带有天线(11)的RFID读取器(10)。该天线(11)围绕安装在壳体中的滤筒(7)或者围绕沿滤筒(7)的轴线的几何延伸部或者主要围绕沿滤筒(7)的轴线的几何延伸部形成至少一圈环。(A filter having a housing (2) in which a filter cartridge (7) can be mounted, characterized in that the filter (1) is equipped with an RFID reader (10) with an antenna (11). The antenna (11) forms at least one loop around the filter cartridge (7) mounted in the housing or around a geometric extension along the axis of the filter cartridge (7) or mainly around the geometric extension along the axis of the filter cartridge (7).)

1. A filter with a housing (2) in which a filter cartridge (7) can be arranged, characterized in that the filter (1) is equipped with an RFID reader (10) with an antenna (11), wherein the antenna (11) forms at least one loop around a filter cartridge (7) mounted in the housing or around a geometric axial extension of the filter cartridge (7) or mainly around a geometric axial extension of the filter cartridge (7).

2. A filter according to claim 1, characterised in that the antenna (11) lies in a plane perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the axis of symmetry (12) of the installed filter cartridge (7).

3. A filter according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the antenna (11) is mounted coaxially with the mounted filter cartridge (7).

4. A filter according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the antenna (11) is arranged around the housing (2).

5. A filter according to any of the preceding claims 1-3, characterised in that the antenna (11) is mounted inside the housing (2).

6. A filter according to claim 5, characterised in that the housing (2) comprises a tank (3) with a lid (4) mountable on the tank (3), wherein the antenna (11) is attached to the lid (4).

7. A filter according to claim 5, characterised in that the housing (2) is made of cast plastic, wherein the antenna (11) is cast into the lid (4) or the tank (3).

8. A filter according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the filter (1) is equipped with a sensor (6) capable of determining or measuring one or more parameters of the fluid passing through the filter (1).

9. A filter according to claims 7 and 8, characterised in that the sensor (6) is cast inside the lid (4) or the tank (3).

10. A filter according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the sensor (6) is provided with one or more of the following elements: temperature sensors, pressure sensors, sensors for measuring pressure drop across the filter cartridge, humidity sensors, and the like.

11. A filter according to any of the preceding claims 8-10, characterised in that the RFID reader (10) is part of the sensor (6) or connected to it.

12. The filter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the filter (1) is an inlet filter for a compressor.

13. A filter according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the filter (1) is an air filter.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a filter.

More specifically, the invention is intended for use in, for example, air filters, but its application is not limited thereto.

Background

Filters, such as air filters and oil filters, are known for use in compressors and the like to remove any impurities from the air or oil.

Traditionally, such filters have included a housing with a replaceable filter cartridge.

The fluid to be cleaned passes through the filter cartridge. The filter cartridge prevents impurities and the cleaned liquid from flowing out.

Over time, the filter cartridge becomes saturated with contaminants and needs to be replaced.

This replacement process requires opening the filter housing and removing the filter cartridge, and then inserting a new filter cartridge.

A common problem with such procedures is that it is not possible to collect certain cartridge data. Such data include, for example: the type of filter cartridge used, the time of use or elapsed time since installation of the filter cartridge, and the total number of hours of operation of the filter cartridge.

This information is very useful for maintenance and performance optimization of the corresponding device.

This data may be collected by the machine operator, but errors and error margins may occur with this approach. Therefore, it is preferable to automatically collect this information.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to addressing at least one of the above-mentioned shortcomings and others in that it provides a filter that allows for the automatic collection of the above-mentioned data.

The invention therefore relates to a filter with a housing in which a filter cartridge can be arranged, characterized in that the filter is equipped with an RFID reader with an antenna, wherein the antenna forms at least one loop around a filter cartridge mounted in the housing or around a geometric axial extension along the filter cartridge or mainly around the geometric axial extension along the filter cartridge.

"geometric axial extension of the filter cartridge" refers to the imaginary extension of the filter cartridge in its axial direction.

The phrase "around, or mainly around" means that it is not impossible for a portion of the circumference of the ring for the antenna to overlap the geometric extension of the filter cartridge. For example, for a limited section of the circumference, the ring will be indented in such a way that it will intersect the geometric extension of the filter cartridge.

One advantage is that the use of an RFID reader with an antenna allows reading of so-called RFID tags, which can be attached on or in the filter cartridge.

As is well known, such RFID tags may contain various data, such as the type of filter cartridge. This may be, for example, a unique identification code containing this information.

An RFID reader may read this information using an antenna. In this way, it is possible to determine which cartridge is installed in the filter.

By having the RFID reader periodically read the RFID tag of the filter cartridge, the duration of use of the corresponding filter cartridge in the filter can be determined. By matching this information to the run time of the machine and the corresponding situation during that run time, the actual number of hours of operation of the filter cartridge in these particular situations can also be determined.

It is not impossible to use RFID tags on which information can be written with an RFID reader and antenna. This will have the following advantages: after the filter cartridge is removed after use, the RFID tag of the filter cartridge contains various useful information that can be analyzed.

Another significant benefit is that, given the above-described antenna orientation, wherein the antenna loops around the filter cartridge or geometric extension thereof at least once, it is always possible for the antenna to read the RFID tag regardless of the location and orientation of the RFID tag on the filter cartridge.

In addition, this also ensures that the maximum range of the antenna (i.e. the maximum distance at which an RFID tag can be placed in order to be read) is as large as possible.

This is important because there are many types of filter cartridges with various designs and sizes.

This is also independent of the design of the filter itself, if the antenna is looped at least once around the filter cartridge or its geometrical extension. In other words, it is applicable to many types of filters, the various types relating to their type, design and size.

The antenna is ideally placed on a plane perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the installed filter cartridge.

The expression "substantially perpendicular" means a maximum deviation from the perpendicular direction referred to of 15 °, preferably a maximum deviation from the perpendicular direction of 10 °, or more precisely 5 °.

This will optimize the reception of the antenna.

Drawings

In order to better illustrate the characteristics of the invention, some preferred versions of the filter according to the invention will be described hereinafter, as an example without any limiting characteristics, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a filter according to the present invention;

fig. 2 shows a cross-section of fig. 1 taken in the plane II-II;

FIG. 3 shows the portion of FIG. 2 denoted F3 in greater detail;

figure 4 shows a cross-section of figure 1 taken in the plane IV-IV;

fig. 5 shows an alternative version of fig. 1.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a filter 1 according to the invention, schematically and in a perspective view, the filter 1 being an air filter. However, the invention is not limited to this application. For example, it can also be applied to an oil filter.

The depicted filter 1 is typically used as an inlet filter for a compressor. Again, this is not the only application of the present invention. It may also be used for outlet filters or filters for expanders, vacuum pumps, etc.

As shown in fig. 1, the filter 1 is mainly composed of a housing 2.

In this example, but not necessarily, the housing 2 contains a can 3, which can 3 be closed with a lid 4.

The cover 4 is equipped with an air outlet 5, said air outlet 5 being connected to the inlet of the compressor.

In this example, but this is not necessary for the invention, the sensor 6 is attached to the housing 2, in particular to the cover 4.

The sensor 6 may determine or measure one or more parameters of the fluid (air in this example) passing through the filter 1.

To this end, the sensor 6 is equipped with one or more of the following elements:

-a temperature sensor;

-a pressure sensor;

-a sensor for measuring the pressure drop across the filter cartridge;

-a humidity sensor.

Of course, the sensor 6 may comprise other elements to measure the physical parameter.

Sensors such as sensor 6 are also referred to as "inlet condition sensors".

Fig. 2 shows a cross section of the filter 1.

The figure shows a filter cartridge 7 arranged inside the housing 2.

The filter cartridge 7 comprises a filter medium 8 and is provided with an RFID tag 9. The RFID tag 9 contains information about the filter cartridge 7, such as its identification code.

According to the invention, the filter 1 is equipped with an RFID reader 10 and an antenna 11.

The antenna is clearly shown in fig. 3.

The antenna 11 forms a loop extending at least one turn around the filter cartridge 7.

The antenna 11 comprises one or more circular loops of a conductor, such as an etched conductor path on a cable or circuit board.

The exact location of the antenna 11 is not limiting to the invention as long as the antenna 11 extends around the filter cartridge 7 or the geometric axial extension of the filter cartridge 7.

In this example, but not necessarily for the invention, the antenna 11 is positioned on a plane perpendicular or almost perpendicular to the axis of symmetry 12 of the filter cartridge 7.

In this case, the antenna 11 extends within the housing 2, wherein the antenna 11 is attached to the cover 4. The antenna 11 is attached to the cover 4 using a cover ring 13.

Fig. 4 shows the underside of the cover 4 and shows the position of the antenna 11.

It is also possible to mount the antenna 11 between the lid 4 and the tank 3, for example on a flange of the tank 3 on which the lid 4 is mounted.

The antenna 11 may also be integrated into the housing 2. If the housing 2 is made of cast plastic, the antenna 11 may be cast in the lid 4 or the tank 3.

The sensor 6 may also be cast into the lid 4 or the tank 3.

In these examples, the electronic components are not mounted on a conventional circuit board, but are glued to a plastic film with printed conductor paths, which plastic film is then also cast in a mould for the lid 4 and/or the can 3.

The advantage of this integration is that the total cost is lower than the total cost of the individual components, i.e. the cover 4 and/or the tank 3 of the filter housing 2, the antenna 11 and the sensor 6.

In this case, but not necessarily for the invention, the antenna 11 is mounted coaxially with the filter cartridge 7.

The RFID reader 10 includes an antenna 11 and a matching circuit 14.

Suitable connectors are used to connect the RFID reader 10 to a computer or similar device to read the collected data from the RFID reader 10.

Here, the RFID reader 10 will be connected to the sensor 6 described above, but the RFID reader 10 may also be part of the sensor 6.

The operation of the filter 1 is very simple and as follows.

When the filter cartridge 7 is inserted into the housing 2 of the filter 1, the RFID reader 10 may read the RFID tag 9 of the filter cartridge 7 and identify the filter cartridge 7.

By periodically reading the RFID tag 9, it is possible to determine when the filter cartridge 7 should be replaced.

When the RFID reader 10 is connected to the sensor 6 or forms part of the sensor 6, this information from the RFID reader 10 can be read and processed together with the data from the sensor 6.

In this way, information about the operating time and the environment in which the filter cartridge 7 is used can also be deduced.

All this information can be collected and analyzed to improve the performance of the filter 1 and the compressor.

It is also possible to use an RFID tag 9 and an RFID reader 10, which allow data to be recorded on the RFID tag 9. In this way, all the required information can be stored on the RFID tag 9 of the filter cartridge 7. When the filter cartridge 7 is replaced, the filter cartridge may be returned to the supplier, who may analyze the RFID tag 9.

Fig. 5 shows a variant according to fig. 1, in which the antenna 11 is placed around the housing 2.

In the case where the antenna 11 in fig. 1 is placed inside the housing 2, the antenna 11 in fig. 5 is placed outside the filter 1.

The antenna 11 is simply placed in the form of a ring around the housing 2, more specifically around the air outlet 5 on the cover 4, where the above-mentioned sensor 6 is also placed.

The other elements of the filter 1 are the same as the previously described versions as shown in figures 1 to 4. The function is also the same.

The invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described by way of example and shown in the drawings; filters according to the invention may be realized in various shapes and sizes without departing from the scope of the invention.