Air intake filter with cyclone separator stage

Claim 1

A filter assembly designed to serve as an air intake filter for a combustion engine, compressor, or other air-aspirating machine, the filter assembly comprising in combination: an enclosed round filter housing defining a longitudinal axis for the filter assembly, one axial side of the housing being accessible through a removable cover; a hollow-cylindrical filter element extending axially inside the filter housing and thereby subdividing the enclosed housing space into a clean air space inside the filter element and an annular raw air space between the filter element and the housing; an air inlet communicating with the raw air space of the housing, and an air outlet communicating with the clean air space of the housing; a dust-collecting sash arranged in the raw air space, near an axial extremity thereof; first air deflecting means arranged inside the raw air space of the housing for imparting to the incoming flow of raw air a helical swirl which is directed towards the dust collecting sash, the raw air space thereby serving as a separation chamber, while a cyclone-type air precleaning action takes place in said chamber, heavier particulate matter entrained by the air being projected against the dust-collecting sash in the separation chamber; a dust discharge port arranged near the dust-collecting sash of the separation chamber; a perforated baffle collar concentrically surrounding the filter element with a flow gap therebetween and extending axially from the dust-collecting sash of the separation chamber a distance into said chamber, the perforation of said baffle collar thereby serving as a second air deflecting means for guiding a portion of the helically swirling raw air inwardly from the separation chamber, through the baffle collar, towards the filter element, in a flow direction which has a circumferential motion component opposed to the circumferential motion component of said helically swirling raw air, said deflection in the circumferential sense preventing the air flow from entraining the heavier particulate matter through the perforation of the baffle collar.