Rear-Side Filtering and Intake Air Compressor Structure

The present invention relates to a rear-side filtering and intake air compressor structure, and more particularly to an air compressor of which a drive motor is connected, at a rear side thereof, to a filter assembly in order to prevent powdery dust, sand/gravel, and moisture from entering the interior of the air compressor to cause damage and corrosion to the drive motor and a cylinder block, so as to achieve effective increase of the service life and adaption to various severe environment for the air compressor.

An air compressor or an inflator machine is primarily used as a source for charging air to a pneumatic tool, a vehicle tire, or various inflatable objects. In the field of do-it-yourselves (DIY), the air compressor or inflator machine also plays a role and besides being a necessary tool for home improvements, they are also a must for emergency air charging for vehicle tires.

The basic operation principle of the air compressor or inflator machine is, primarily, an internally arranged electric machine directly driving a crankshaft to cause a rotation motion of the crankshaft in order to drive a link to make a piston reciprocally moving up and down to cause a change of the cylinder block volume to fulfill compression and exhaust of a compressible gas. As such, in the entire process of intake, compression, and exhaust, due to the change of the cylinder block volume, the compressed air moves through a one-way valve mechanism (check valve) to allow the compressible gas to conduct through a flexible tube to discharge through a nozzle, so as to charge the gas into an object.

However, known medium-sized or small-sized air compressors or inflator machines (such as a vehicle-carrying emergency backup inflator machine, a portable inflator machine, or a desktop inflator machine) are not equipped with a filter device for filtering off powdery dust, sand/gravel, and moisture. Further, air intake means adopted by the known medium-sized or small-sized air compressors or inflator machines are often to take in air through a gap in a periphery of an electric machine (drive motor) or an opening space pre-formed in a lower portion of a front-side cylinder block (which is the site where a rotation motion of a crankshaft takes place). As such, in case that the environment in which the device is operating contain powdery dust and sand, once getting into the air compressor or the inflator machine, the powdery dust and the sand may directly cause damage to the electric machine (drive motor), as well as wear and abrasion between the piston inside the cylinder block and the cylinder wall, severely affecting the charging performance. Further, in case that moisture of a highly humid environment gets into the air compressor or the inflator machine, it causes corrosion of the electric machine (drive motor) and the piston and the cylinder of the cylinder block, these all severely affecting the charging efficiency and service life of the air compressor or inflator machine.

Thus, the primary issue that the present invention aims to resolve is to provide an air compressor or inflator machine that is capable of filtering off powdery dust, sand/gravel, and moisture entraining external air in order to enhance the charging efficiency and service life of the entirety of the air compressor or inflator machine.

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a rear-side filtering and intake air compressor structure, which comprises an air compressor comprising at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet. The air compressor comprises at least one drive motor, and the drive motor is connected, at a rear side thereof, with a closure cover. The air inlet is correspondingly arranged on the closure cover, such that the air inlet is in communication with an interior of the drive motor. Further, the air compressor is connected, at the air inlet, with a first guide tube and is connected to and in communication with a filter assembly, such that the filter assembly is connected to the drive motor of the air compressor at a rearward position. The air compressor is connected, at the air outlet, with a second guide tube and is connected to and in communication with an exhaust valve.

When the air compressor is activated, external air is forcibly drawn in through the filter assembly to realize a function of forced intake, meaning moving sequentially through the filter assembly and the first guide tube to get into the drive motor of the air compressor, and a cylinder discharges air compressed therethrough in sequentially through the second guide tube and the exhaust valve to implement an air charging operation.

The primary technical feature of the present invention is that a filter assembly is connected to a bottom (rear side) end of the drive motor of the air compressor, so that the externally arranged filter assembly can filter off powdery dust, sand/gravel, and moisture entraining air to effectively prevent the powdery dust, sand/gravel, and moisture that entrains air from getting into the interior of the air compressor to cause damage and corrosion to the drive motor and the cylinder block to thereby realize effective increase of the service life of the air compressor, allowing the air compressor to be widely used in various environments (such as being used in severe environments of beaches, sea shores, and dusty fields).

Referring firstly to, the present invention provides a rear-side filtering and intake air compressor structure, which comprises an air compressor. The air compressorcan be medium-sized or small-sized air compressor (such as a portable vehicle-carrying air compressor, a household small-sized air compressor, or a desktop small-sized air compressor).

The air compressorcomprises at least one air inletand at least one air outlet. The air compressorcomprises a drive motor, a gear set, at least one or more than one cylinder block (which includes a link and a piston). Combining the drive motorof the air compressorwith the gear set, the cylinder, the link, and the piston is not a novel part of the present invention and no further description will be provided herein.

The air compressormay include multiple drive motors, each of which is connected, at a rear side thereof, with a closure cover. The air inletis arranged, in a corresponding manner, on the closure cover, in such a way that the air inletis in communication with an interior of the drive motor. Further, the air compressoris provided with a first guide tubeconnected to the air inletand is connected with and in communication with a filter assembly, wherein the filter assemblyis connected, in a corresponding manner, to the drive motorof the air compressorat an outside rearward position thereof. The air outletof the air compressoris arranged at a top end portion of the cylinder and the air outletis connected with a second guide tubeto be connected to and in communication with an exhaust valve. In the illustrated example of the present invention, the air compressoris provided with two drive motors, and the air compressorof the present invention includes two air inlets.

The filter assemblycomprises a housing, a filter material, and a top cap. The housingdefines, in an interior thereof, a filtering spacein which the filter materialis disposed. The housingis formed, in a periphery of the filter material, with a plurality of ingress openingsand at least one egress opening. Further, the housingis combined, at a top portion thereof, with the top cap, so that the top caphermetically closes and seals the filtering space. The first guide tubeof the air compressoris connected to the egress openingof the filter assembly(as shown in), so that the air inletof the air compressorand the filter assemblyare connected by the first guide tube.

The air compressoris further provided with at least one fanoutside of the air inlet. The fanblows external cold air toward the air compressorto cool down the air compressor.

An air accumulation tankcan be further arranged between the second guide tubeof the air compressorand the exhaust valve. In other words, the second guide tubeis connected to a pre-set ingress terminal of the air accumulation tank, while the exhaust valveis connected to a pre-set egress terminal of the air accumulation tank, so that compressed air discharged through the second guide tubeof the air compressoris first accumulated in the air accumulation tankto allow the exhaust valveto subsequently exhaust the compressed air.

In summary, when the air compressoris activated (as shown in), external air is forcibly sucked in through the ingress openingsof the filter assemblyto realize a function of forced intake. In other words, the external air enters through the ingress openingsof the filter assembly, and is filtered by the filter material, so that the air flows through the egress openingof the filter assemblytoward the first guide tubeand the air inletto get into the interior of the drive motorof the air compressor, and the cylinder block supplies the air compressed thereby through the second guide tubeinto the air accumulation tank, and finally, the compressed air is exhausted from the exhaust valve. In this way, the filter materialof the filter assemblycan filter off powdery dust, sand/gravel, and moisture entraining the air to prevent powdery dust, sand/gravel, and moisture entraining the air from getting into the drive motorand the cylinder block of the air compressorto cause wearing damage and corrosion of the drive motorand the cylinder block.

Referring to, the present invention also provides another rear-side filtering and intake air compressor structure, which similarly comprises an air compressor, and the air compressoris generally similar, in structure, to the air compressordepicted in, while each drive motorof the air compressoris connected, at a rear side thereof, with a closure cover, and the air inletis arranged, in a corresponding manner, on the closure cover, in such a way that the air inletis in communication with an interior of the drive motor. Further, the air compressoris directly connected, at the air inlet, to the filter assembly, so that the filter assemblyis directly connected to the drive motorof the air compressorat an outside rearward position thereof. The air outletof the air compressoris arranged at a top end portion of the cylinder. As shown in, in the illustrated example of the present invention, the air compressoris provided with one drive motor, and the air compressorof the present invention comprises one air inlet.

The filter assemblyis generally similar, in structure, to the filter assemblydepicted in, and only the outside appearances are different, wherein the filter assemblycomprises a housing, a filter material, and a top cap. The housingdefines, in an interior thereof, a filtering spacein which the filter materialis disposed. The housingis formed, in a periphery of the filter material, with a plurality of ingress openingsin the form of a thin slit and at least one egress opening. Further, the housingis combined, at a top portion thereof, with the top cap, so that the top caphermetically closes and seals the filtering space. A connecting portionis arranged, in a projecting manner, as being extended from the egress openingof the housing, and the connecting portionis connected to and combined with the air inletof the air compressor, so that the air inletof the air compressorand the filter assemblyare connected.

The air compressoris further provided with at least one fanoutside of the drive motor. The fanblows external cold air toward the air compressorto cool down the air compressor.

As shown in, when the air compressoris activated, external air is forcibly sucked in through the ingress openingsof the filter assemblyto realize a function of forced intake. In other words, the external air enters through the ingress openingsof the filter assembly, and is filtered by the filter material, so that the air flows through the egress openingof the filter assemblytoward the connecting portionand the air inletto get into the interior of the drive motorof the air compressor, and the cylinder block supplies the air compressed hereby through the air outletfor exhaust. In this way, the filter assemblycan filter off powdery dust, sand/gravel, and moisture entraining the air to prevent powdery dust, sand/gravel, and moisture entraining the air from getting into the drive motorand the cylinder block of the air compressorto cause wearing damage and corrosion of the drive motorand the cylinder block.

As such, the primary technical feature of the present invention is mainly that the air compressoris arranged to connect with the filter assemblythat is externally located, so that the externally located filter assemblycan filter off powdery dust, sand/gravel, and moisture entraining air, in order to effectively prevent the powdery dust, sand/gravel, and moisture entraining the air from getting into the interior of the air compressorto cause damage and corrosion to the drive motorand the cylinder block to thereby realize effective increase of the service life of the air compressor,allowing the air compressorto be widely used in various environments (such as being used in severe environments of beaches, sea shores, and dusty fields).