US-12623323-B2 - Filter removal tool and method

Abstract

A tool for draining and removing a vehicle filter (e.g. an oil filter, an air filter, a coolant filter, a fuel filter, or the like) from a vehicle, and a method for removing a vehicle filter from a vehicle. The tool includes a perforator for providing a perforation in a vehicle filter; a housing comprising a cavity and an opening therein for receiving a fluid from a perforation in a vehicle filter into the cavity, the perforator at least partially located in the cavity, and the opening being configured such that least one of the perforator and a vehicle filter are positionable therethrough; and a gripper connected to the housing and comprising a gripping surface for engaging and gripping a vehicle filter to restrict relative rotation between the gripper and the vehicle filter to permit rotation of a vehicle filter by rotation of the tool.

Inventors

• Abhishek Narayana SHETTY

Assignees

• VOLVO TRUCK CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20230308

Priority Date

20220407

Claims (11)

1. 1 . A tool for draining and removing a vehicle filter from a vehicle, comprising: a perforator for providing a perforation in the vehicle filter; a housing comprising a cavity and an opening therein for receiving a fluid from a perforation in the vehicle filter into the cavity, the perforator at least partially located in the cavity, and the opening being configured such that at least one of the perforator and the vehicle filter are positionable therethrough; and a gripper connected to the housing and comprising a gripping surface for engaging and gripping the vehicle filter to restrict relative rotation between the gripper and the vehicle filter to permit rotation of the vehicle filter by rotation of the tool, wherein the perforator is rotatably connected to the housing via an annular bearing to permit rotational movement therebetween; and wherein the perforator is moveable from a retracted configuration in which the perforator is disengaged with the engaged vehicle filter in a direction towards the opening of the housing so as to perforate the engaged vehicle filter; wherein the housing comprises a locking member and the perforator comprises a corresponding locking profile for engagement with the locking member, thereby restricting or preventing rotational movement between the perforator and the housing.
2. 2 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the perforator comprises a spindle.
3. 3 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the perforator is moveable to a locked configuration in which rotational movement of the perforator relative to the housing is restricted.
4. 4 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the perforator comprises a connection profile for connection of a robotic control device thereto.
5. 5 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the opening is configured to permit the vehicle filter to be positioned therethrough and the housing comprises a stopper configured to abut against the engaged vehicle filter to limit movement of the engaged vehicle filter through the opening.
6. 6 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the gripper is located in the cavity of the housing.
7. 7 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the gripper comprises a rubber gripping surface.
8. 8 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the gripper comprises a clamp mechanism.
9. 9 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the gripper is directly connected to the housing.
10. 10 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the opening in the housing is configured to permit the vehicle filter to be partially inserted into the cavity through the opening.
11. 11 . The tool according to claim 1 , comprising an outer receptacle, the housing being located at least partially within and rotatably connected to the outer receptacle to permit rotation between the housing and outer receptacle.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims foreign priority to European Application No. 22167123.3 filed on Apr. 7, 2022, the disclosure and content of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a tool for draining and removing a vehicle filter from a vehicle and a method for removing a vehicle filter from a vehicle. BACKGROUND ART The changing of filters in a vehicle, for example oil filters, coolant filters, fuel filters and air filters, is a process that may need to be carried out regularly. In some cases, filters may be required to be changed every year, or perhaps even more often in the case of heavy use of a vehicle. Many vehicle undercarriage operations of today may involve tasks and operations in uncomfortable positions for technicians. In particular, the filter changing process may be labour-intensive and physically demanding for a technician in the workshop. For example, during the oil filter changing operation in many vehicles, the technician may be required to adopt a difficult position to access an oil filter and may result in oil spills from the filter or technicians developing their own methods of filter removal. Similarly, other vehicle filters may be located in difficult-to-reach locations and may require a complex process for their removal. Such processes, whether complex or ad-hoc, may entail risks to personnel, particularly in processes requiring a large number of steps. These processes may also require a high degree of skill from a technician, and may require a large work time to complete, thereby also increasing the likelihood that a technician may be injured during the processes. There is therefore a need for a tool that reduces the complexity of these processes as well as increases the safety of a technician during the completion of such processes. SUMMARY It is an object of the present disclosure to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies and disadvantages in the prior art and solve at least the above mentioned problem. According to a first aspect there is provided a tool for removing and optionally draining a vehicle filter (e.g. an oil filter, air filter, fuel filter, coolant filter, or the like) from a vehicle, comprising: a perforator for providing a perforation in a vehicle filter; characterized in that the tool comprises; a housing comprising a cavity and an opening therein for receiving a fluid from a perforation in a vehicle filter into the cavity, the perforator at least partially located in the cavity, and the opening being configured such that least one of the perforator and a vehicle filter are positionable therethrough; and a gripper connected to the housing and comprising a gripping surface for engaging and gripping a vehicle filter to restrict relative rotation between the gripper and the vehicle filter to permit rotation of a vehicle filter by rotation of the tool. According to some examples, the perforator may comprise a spindle. The perforator may be rotatably connected to the housing via an annular bearing to permit rotational movement therebetween. As such, the perforator may be operated to cleanly and easily provide a perforation in a surface of a filter, for example a base or bottom surface, side surface, or the like. The perforator may be moveable relative to the housing in the direction of a central axis of the opening. The perforator may be moveable from a retracted configuration in which the perforator is disengaged with an engaged filter in a direction towards the opening of the housing so as to perforate an engaged filter, and may be moveable to a locked configuration in which rotational movement of the perforator relative to the housing is restricted. The perforator may therefore be selectively actuated to provide a perforation in a filter, and to remove a filter, thereby improving the safety and usability of the device. The perforator may comprise a biasing member for biasing the perforator to the retracted configuration. The biasing member may comprise at least one of a spring and a pneumatic piston. The biasing member may improve the safety of the device, by providing a default position in which the perforator is located in the housing. The housing may comprise a locking member comprising a corresponding locking profile for engagement with the locking member, thereby restricting or preventing rotational movement between the perforator and the housing. The perforator may comprise a connection profile for connection of a robotic control device thereto. The opening may be configured to permit a vehicle filter to be positioned therethrough and the housing may comprise a stopper configured to abut against an engaged filter to limit movement of an engaged filter through the opening. As such, a filter may be able to be easily positioned so as to permit perforation and drainage thereof. The gripper may be located in the cavity of the