Claims:We Claim

1. A fuel filter (10), said fuel filter (10) comprising:
a fuel filter housing (12);
a fuel filter element (14), a top portion of said fuel filter element (14) secured to said fuel filter housing (12) by inserting said fuel filter element (14) within said fuel filter housing (12); characterized in that
a filter bowl (16) secured to a bottom cap (33) of said fuel filter element (14) by screwing an inner circumference of said filter bowl (16) to an outer circumference of the bottom cap (33) of said fuel filter element (14); and
a water level sensor (18) secured to said filter bowl (16), said water level sensor (18) adapted to facilitate sensing a level of water that is collected in said filter bowl (16).

2. The fuel filter (10) in accordance with Claim 1 wherein said filter bowl (16) comprises a plurality of screw threads (22) that are defined on an inner circumference of said filter bowl (16).

3. The fuel filter (10) in accordance with Claim 2 wherein a bottom cap (33) of said fuel filter element (14) comprises a plurality of screw threads (30) that are defined on an outer circumference of said fuel filter element (14), the plurality of screw threads (30) that are defined on the outer circumference of said fuel filter element (14) adapted to mesh against the plurality of screw threads (22) that are defined on the inner circumference of said filter bowl (16) to secure said filter bowl (16) to the bottom cap (33) of said fuel filter element (14).

, Description:Complete Specification:

The following specification describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
Field of the invention
[0001] This invention relates to a fuel filter, and more specifically to a filter bowl that is screwed on to a filter element of the fuel filter.

Background of the invention
[0002] IN Patent Application Number 201841019048 describes a fuel filter, the fuel filter comprising a fuel filter housing, a fuel filter element, a top portion of the fuel filter element secured on to the fuel filter housing. A bottom cap is secured to a bottom portion of the fuel filter element. A drain plug is secured to the filter bowl, the drain plug adapted to facilitate retaining water that is collected in the fuel filter.

Brief description of the accompanying drawing
[0003] Figure 1 illustrates a sectional view of a fuel filter in one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of the embodiments
[0004] Figure 1 illustrates a fuel filter 10. The fuel filter 10 comprises a fuel filter housing 12 and a fuel filter element 14, a top portion of the fuel filter element 14 secured to the fuel filter housing 12 by inserting the fuel filter element 14 within the fuel filter housing 12. A filter bowl 16 is secured to a bottom cap 33 of the fuel filter element 14 by screwing an inner circumference of the filter bowl 16 to an outer circumference of the bottom cap 33 of the fuel filter element 14. A water level sensor 18 is secured to the filter bowl 16, the water level sensor 18 adapted to facilitate sensing a level of water that is collected in the filter bowl 16.

[0005] The fuel filter 10 comprises a fuel filter housing 12. A fuel filter element 14 is secured to the fuel filter housing 12. More specifically, a top portion of the fuel filter element 14 is secured to the fuel filter housing 12 by inserting the top portion of the fuel filter element 14 within a groove that is defined within the fuel filter housing 12. Therefore, the top portion of the fuel filter element 14 is secured in place, and cannot be shifted angularly within the fuel filter housing 12. A filter bowl 16 is secured to the fuel filter element 14. More specifically, in an exemplary embodiment, the filter bowl 16 is secured to a bottom cap 33 of the fuel filter element 14 by any fastening means that is known in the art. The filter bowl 16 comprises a portion 19 that is circumscribed to enclose a spherical chamber within that comprises a plurality of screw threads and meshes with the top cap 33, and a bore that is defined within the spherical chamber. The bore that is defined within the spherical chamber comprises a plurality of screw threads that are defined therethrough. The portion 19 of the filter bowl 16 comprises a plurality of screw threads 22 that are defined along an inner circumference of the filter bowl 16. The bottom cap 33 of the fuel filter element 14 comprises a plurality of screw threads 30 that are defined therein. Therefore, when the filter bowl 16 is screwed on to the bottom cap 33 of the fuel filter element 14, the plurality of screw threads 22 that are defined along an inner circumference of the filter bowl 16 meshes with the plurality of screw threads 30 that are defined at the bottom cap 33 of the fuel filter element 14, thereby securing the filter bowl 16 to the fuel filter element 14. In an alternate exemplary embodiment, any other fastening means may be used to secure the filter bowl 16 to the fuel filter element 14. Therefore, when the fuel filter element 14 is removed from within the fuel filter housing 12, the filter bowl 16 cannot be secured to the fuel filter housing 12 because of the absence of the screw threads 30 that is also withdrawn from the fuel filter 10 with the removal of the fuel filter element 14. As a consequence, the fuel that flows into the top cap 12 via a fuel inlet passage 23 cannot flow out of the fuel outlet passage 25 of the fuel filter 10 to the high pressure fuel pump for further pressurization. Rather, the fuel that flows into the top cap 12 via the fuel inlet passage 23 flows back to the fuel tank due to the force of gravity. The fuel filter element 14 comprises a filter paper element 15 that filters the fuel that flows there through. The bottom cap 33 that is secured to the filter paper element 15.

[0006] A water level sensor 18 is secured to the filter bowl 16. More specifically, the water level sensor 18 is inserted within the bore that is defined between the portion 19 and the second portion 21 such that the external threads that are defined on the outer diameter of the water level sensor 18 are screwed onto the internal screw threads that are defined on the bore that is defined between the portion 19 and the second portion 21. Once the water level sensor 18 is screwed onto the bore that is defined between the portion 19 and the portion 21, the water level sensor 18 and the filter bowl 16 are sealed and constitute a unitary assembly. Due to the integral nature of the filter bowl 16 with the fuel filter element 14, it is not possible to separate the fuel filter element 14 from the filter bowl 16. In the event that the fuel filter element 14 is separated from the fuel filter 10, the filter bowl 16 is also separated from the fuel filter element 14. Therefore, the filter bowl 16 cannot be inserted and screwed on to the fuel filter element 14. As a consequence, any fuel that enters the fuel filter 10 will be drained out of the fuel filter 10 and returned back to the fuel tank. Therefore, no fuel is supplied from the fuel outlet passage 25 of the fuel filter 10 to the high pressure fuel pump for further pressurization.

[0007] A working of the fuel filter 10 is described as an example. The fuel filter housing 12, the fuel filter element 14, and the filter bowl 16 are assembled together within the fuel filter 10. More specifically, the filter bowl 16 is screwed on to the bottom cap 33 of the fuel filter element 14 by screwing the plurality of screw threads 22 that are defined along the inner circumference of the filter bowl 16 on to the plurality of screw threads 30 that are defined on the bottom cap 33 of the fuel filter element 14. Therefore, the filter bowl 16 is securely fastened on to the fuel filter element 14, thereby constituting a unitary assembly. The water level sensor 18 is inserted within the bore that is defined between the portion 19 and the portion 21 such that the external threads that are defined on the outer diameter of the water level sensor 18 are screwed onto the internal screw threads that are defined on the bore that is defined between the portion 19 and the portion 21. Fuel is now allowed to flow through the fuel filter 10 from the fuel tank. The fuel filter element 14 filters the fuel that flows from the fuel tank and delivers pure fuel to the high pressure fuel pump via the fuel outlet passage 25 for further pressurization. When the fuel filter element 14 is removed from the fuel filter 10, the filter bowl 16 that constitutes a unitary assembly with the fuel filter element 14 is also disengaged from the fuel filter 10. Therefore, the filter bowl 16 cannot be inserted and screwed on to the fuel filter housing 12 of the fuel filter 10 because of the absence of the fuel filter element 14 and more specifically due to the absence of the screw threads 30 that are defined at the bottom portion of the fuel filter element 14. If fuel flows into the fuel filter 10 via the inlet passage 23 of the fuel filter 10, the fuel would drain out from the fuel filter 10 due to gravity and not get delivered for pressurization from the fuel filter 10 to the high pressure fuel pump via the fuel outlet passage 25. As a consequence, it is not possible to operate the fuel filter 10 when the fuel filter element 14 has been removed from the fuel filter 10.

[0008] It must be understood that the embodiments explained above are only illustrative and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. Many modifications in the embodiments with regard to dimensions of various components are envisaged and form a part of this invention. The scope of the invention is only limited by the scope of the claims.