JP2008267581A - Breather device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a breather device capable of generating strong centrifugal force by spiral swirling, and having enhanced separation efficiency by improving separation. <P>SOLUTION: This breather device 10 is provided with: a gas introducing pipe 15 provided with a conduit 12 having a spirally extending guide passage 14 formed on an inner wall surface, and communicating the inside of the conduit 12 with the outside thereof; and a gas exhaust pipe 16 having a first opening positioned inside of the conduit 12 and a second opening positioned outside of the conduit 12, and penetrating through the conduit 12. The conduit 12 is formed into a closed circuit shape including the setting position of the gas exhaust pipe 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a breather device, and more particularly to a breather device provided in a vehicle.

In general, air-fuel mixture, that is, blow-by gas, leaks from a gap between a piston and a cylinder during a compression process or an explosion process of an internal combustion engine and leaks into a crankcase or a cam chamber. Because this blow-by gas is mixed with mist-like lubricating oil,
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It was the cause. Therefore, a breather device is provided in the internal combustion engine, separating the lubricating oil from the blow-by gas, returning the separated lubricating oil to the oil pan of the internal combustion engine, and returning the separated gas to the intake system of the internal combustion engine and burning again It is supposed to let you.

  Conventionally, a gear case provided in a transmission or a differential device mounted on a vehicle is provided with a breather device through which air enters and exits the gear case. In this breather device, when the oil is agitated inside the gear case during operation of the transmission, the pressure inside the gear case becomes higher than the outside pressure, so that the air inside the gear case is discharged outside and the pressure difference is removed. ing. In order to prevent the oil from blowing to the outside as the air is discharged, it is required to reliably separate the oil and the air.

Conventionally, this kind of breather device is known in which a spiral plate that defines a spiral flow path is interposed in a breather case (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this conventional breather device, the unseparated gas, which is a gas containing oil, is passed through a spiral flow path in a cylindrical breather case, so that the unseparated gas is spirally swirled by its centrifugal force. Separated into oil and separated gas.
JP 2000-356260 A

  However, this conventional breather apparatus has a problem in that the separation is insufficient because the centrifugal force due to the spiral turning is weak.

In general, increasing the amount of oil (increasing the oil level) makes it easier for unseparated oil to blow from the outlet at high temperatures, and decreasing the amount of oil (decreasing the oil level) reduces the oil from the oil pump at low temperatures. Air is likely to be sucked from the suction port.
In recent years, in vehicles such as automobiles, the oil pan has become thinner due to the lowering of the center of gravity, so that the difference in height between the breather circuit and the oil suction port has been reduced, and the movement of oil due to improved vehicle performance has increased There was a problem that it was difficult to set the oil level to achieve both prevention of breather blowing at the time and prevention of air suction at low temperatures.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, and can generate a centrifugal force by spiral swirl, improve separation from oil gas and improve separation efficiency. An object is to provide an apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the breather device according to the present invention includes (1) a gas inlet having a pipe having a guide path extending spirally on the inner wall surface, and communicating the inside and the outside of the pipe; In a breather device comprising: a first opening located in the conduit and a second opening located outside the conduit, and a gas exhaust pipe provided through the conduit; The said pipe line has the structure formed in the closed circuit shape including the installation position of the said gas exhaust pipe.

  With this configuration, since the pipe has a guide path extending spirally, the thrust of the gas introduced from the gas inlet can be converted into centrifugal force by the inner wall surface, and the gas swirl in the pipe A flow can be generated. Furthermore, since the pipe line is formed in a closed circuit shape including the installation position of the gas discharge pipe, the gas that has not been discharged from the gas discharge pipe among the gas swirling flow generated by the guide path in the pipe line. Since it circulates in the pipeline, the gas circulation flow in the pipeline can be promoted, the gas swirl flow becomes stronger, and the separation of the oil from the gas is promoted. As a result, the separation from the oil gas can be improved and the separation efficiency can be increased.

  Further, the breather device having the configuration of (1) above is (2) the closed circuit-shaped pipeline is constituted by a first pipeline section and a second pipeline section divided on the basis of the gas inlet, The diameter of the first conduit portion is larger than the diameter of the second conduit portion.

  With this configuration, since the diameter of the first pipeline portion is larger than the diameter of the second pipeline portion, the gas introduced from the gas introduction port is placed in the first pipeline portion rather than the second pipeline portion. It is easy to introduce, and a gas circulation flow is reliably formed in the pipeline. As a result, the centrifugal force by the gas swirl flow can be generated strongly, the separation of the oil from the gas can be improved, and the separation efficiency can be increased.

  Moreover, the breather apparatus which has the structure of said (2) has a structure where the diameter of the said 3rd pipe line part becomes small gradually toward the said gas inlet.

  With this configuration, since the diameter of the second pipe portion gradually decreases toward the gas introduction port, the gas swirl generated by the guide path in the second pipe portion approaches the gas introduction port. It becomes stronger gradually. As a result, the separation from the oil gas can be improved and the separation efficiency can be increased.

  In the breather device having the configuration of (1), (4) the closed circuit-like pipe line includes a first pipe part from the gas inlet to the gas discharge pipe, and the gas discharge pipe from the gas discharge pipe. And a second pipeline section to the gas inlet, wherein the first pipeline section is inclined so as to gradually increase from the gas inlet to the gas exhaust pipe, and the second pipeline section It has the structure which inclines so that it may become low gradually toward the said gas inlet from the said gas exhaust pipe.

  With this configuration, the first conduit portion is inclined so as to gradually increase from the gas inlet toward the gas outlet, and the second conduit is inclined so as to gradually decrease from the gas outlet toward the gas inlet. Thus, the gas separated from the oil can be easily discharged, and the oil separated from the gas can be easily discharged from the gas inlet.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a breather device capable of generating a strong centrifugal force due to spiral rotation, improving the separation, and increasing the separation efficiency.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a breather device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing the inside of the conduit, FIG. 2 (a) is a partial cross-sectional view of the conduit showing a spiral guide protrusion, and FIG. 2 (b) is a view showing a part of the gas exhaust pipe. It is a partial cross section figure of the conduit | pipe which shows the state inserted in the conduit | pipe. FIG. 3A is a plan view of the breather device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a side view of the breather device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 (a), (b), FIG. 3 (a), (b), the breather device 10 includes a case 11 composed of an upper case portion 11a and a lower case portion 11b, and a lower side. A cylindrical conduit 12 is housed in the case portion 11b. The conduit 12 is formed in an annular shape and has an interior made up of an annular space. A spiral guide projection 13 is integrally formed on the inner wall 12a of the conduit 12 at a predetermined interval, and a spiral guide path 14 is formed along the inner wall 12a between the inner wall 12a and the guide projection 13 of the conduit 12. The gas formed and guided to the guide path 14 can be spirally swirled in the conduit 12 so that the oil contained in the gas can be separated by the centrifugal force of the gas.

  In the first embodiment, the guide protrusion 13 is formed integrally with the inner wall 12a of the conduit 12. However, in the present invention, a spiral guide member separate from the conduit 12 is provided in the conduit 12. It may be inserted to form a spiral guide path 14 along the inner wall 12a.

  The height and interval of the guide protrusion 13 and the guide member can be arbitrarily selected so that the gas swirl flow is smooth.

  The gas introduction pipe 15 is connected to the conduit 12 so as to communicate the inside and the outside of the conduit 12, and can introduce the gas containing oil into the inside of the conduit 12 and discharge the oil separated from the gas from the conduit 12 to the outside. I am doing so.

  In the first embodiment, the gas introduction pipe 15 not only introduces the gas containing oil into the inside of the conduit 12 but also allows the oil separated from the gas to be discharged from the conduit 12 to the outside. In the present invention, the oil discharge pipe for discharging the oil component separated from the gas to the outside from the conduit 12 may be attached to the conduit 12 in the vicinity of the gas introduction pipe 15 independently. Further, the gas introduction pipe 15 may be an opening formed in a part of the conduit 12 so that an external introduction pipe can be inserted. Thus, the above-described gas introduction pipe 15 constitutes a gas introduction port in the present invention.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the gas discharge pipe.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the gas discharge pipe 16 has a first opening 17 formed of a plurality of orifices 17a formed on the side wall and a second opening 18 formed of a vent hole 18a.

  The gas discharge pipe 16 configured as described above is attached to the conduit 12 and the lower case portion 11b as follows.

  Again, in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 (a), (b), FIG. 3 (a), (b), the 1st opening part 17 of the gas exhaust pipe 16 is located in the center part in the conduit | pipe 12, and 2nd With the opening 18 positioned outside the conduit 12, that is, outside the case 11, the gas exhaust pipe 16 penetrates the conduit 12 and is not shown in the conduit 12 and the lower case portion 11b. And fixed with bolts or adhesives. Thus, since the first opening 17 of the gas discharge pipe 16 is located in the center of the conduit 12, the oil separated from the gas adheres to the inner wall 12 a of the conduit 12 and lowers the guide path 14. Therefore, only the gas separated from the oil without being sucked into the orifice 17a is surely discharged from the second opening 18 to the outside of the gas discharge pipe 16.

  The conduit 12 is composed of a first conduit portion 12b and a second conduit portion 12c that are divided with reference to the gas introduction pipe 15, and as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the first conduit portion 12b and the second conduit portion 12c. The conduit portion 12 c is connected by a connecting portion 12 d close to the gas introduction tube 15 and a connecting portion 12 e close to the gas discharge tube 16, whereby the conduit in the conduit 12 is formed in a closed circuit shape, and the gas passing through the conduit 12. A circulating flow is formed. The center 15a of the gas introduction pipe 15 and the connecting portion 12d are shown in FIG. 3 (a) as being slightly separated from each other. However, in the present invention, the criterion "based on the gas introduction port" It also includes a connecting portion 12d that is slightly separated from the center 15a of the gas introduction pipe 15.

  The diameter of the first conduit portion 12b is larger than the diameter of the second conduit portion 12c to form the conduit 12, and the gas introduced from the gas introduction pipe 15 easily enters the first conduit portion 12b. 12c is difficult to enter. As shown in the figure, the diameter of the second conduit portion 12c gradually decreases toward the gas introduction pipe 15, that is, toward the connecting portion 12d. In the present embodiment, the diameter of the second conduit portion 12c is gradually reduced toward the gas introduction pipe 15. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the diameter of the conduit 12 is reduced from the gas introduction pipe 15. You may make it small in steps or gradually in the pipe line which returns to the gas introduction pipe 15 again.

  The first conduit portion 12b is inclined so as to gradually increase from the gas introduction tube 15 toward the gas discharge tube 16, and the second conduit portion 12c is inclined so as to gradually decrease from the gas discharge tube 16 toward the gas introduction tube 15. Thus, the gas separated from the oil can be easily discharged and the oil separated from the gas can be easily discharged. The inclined first conduit portion 12b and the second conduit portion 12c are installed on the support base 20 where the upper surface provided in the lower case portion 11b of the case 11 is inclined.

  The conduit 12 described above constitutes a conduit in the present invention, and the first conduit portion 12b and the second conduit portion 12c constitute a first conduit portion and a second conduit portion in the present invention, respectively.

  In the first embodiment, the case 11 is configured by a substantially rectangular housing and the conduit 12 is accommodated in a substantially rectangular shape. However, in the present invention, the case 11 is formed in a circular shape, You may make it accommodate the conduit | pipe 12 circularly in a case.

  FIG. 5A is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 and shows the conduit 12 and the guide path 14 in an enlarged manner.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (a), a notch hole 13a is formed in the lower part of the guide projection 13, and oil accumulated in the lower part of the guide path 14 passes through the notch hole 13a to the outside from the gas introduction pipe 15. Easily discharged. In the present invention, instead of the notch hole 13 a formed in the lower part of the guide protrusion 13, the notch hole 13 b may be formed in the upper part of the guide protrusion 13 as shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the breather device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

First, a gas containing oil is introduced from the gas introduction pipe 15 into the first conduit portion 12b of the conduit 12 in a high pressure state. The gas is guided by the spiral guide path 14 in the first conduit portion 12b and advances toward the gas discharge pipe 16 while turning spirally. At this time, if the flow velocity of the gas is v, the mass of the gas is m, and the centrifugal force acting on the gas is F, the centrifugal force is expressed by F = mv ² / r. At this time, the oil contained in the gas is attached to the inner wall 12a of the first conduit portion 12b by the centrifugal force F and moves below the guide path. The oil accumulated under the guide path 14 is discharged from the gas introduction pipe 15 through the cutout hole 13a. The gas separated from the oil component passes through the orifice 17a of the first opening 17 and is discharged to the outside of the gas discharge pipe 16 from the vent hole 18a of the second opening 18. The gas separated from the oil and not discharged to the outside of the gas discharge pipe 16 returns to the first conduit portion 12b again through the second conduit portion 12c and the connecting portion 12d to form a circulation flow.

  In this way, the thrust of the gas introduced from the gas introduction pipe 15 can be converted into centrifugal force by the inner wall surface of the conduit 12, and a gas swirl flow (arrow X shown in FIG. 1) is generated in the conduit of the conduit 12. Can be made. Furthermore, since the pipe line of the conduit 12 is formed in a closed circuit shape including the installation position of the gas discharge pipe 16, the gas discharge is included in the gas swirl flow generated by the guide path 14 in the pipe 12. Since the gas that has not been discharged from the pipe 16 circulates in the conduit 12, the gas circulation flow in the conduit 12 (arrow Y shown in FIG. 1) can be promoted, and the gas swirl flow becomes stronger, so Separation is promoted. As a result, compared with the conventional breather apparatus, the separation from the oil gas can be improved and the separation efficiency can be increased.

  Moreover, since the diameter of the first conduit portion 12b is larger than the diameter of the second conduit portion 12c to form the conduit 12, the gas introduced from the gas introduction pipe 15 easily enters the first conduit portion 12b. It is difficult to enter the second conduit portion 12c. For this reason, as a result of reliably forming the gas circulation flow in the conduit 12, a centrifugal force due to the gas swirl flow can be generated strongly, and the separation from the oil gas can be further improved to further increase the separation efficiency. it can.

  Further, since the diameter of the second conduit portion 12c is gradually reduced toward the gas introduction pipe 15, that is, toward the connecting portion 12d, the gas swirl flow generated by the second conduit portion 12c is reduced. It gradually becomes stronger as it approaches the gas introduction pipe 15. As a result, the separation from the oil gas can be further improved to further increase the separation efficiency.

  Further, the first conduit portion 12b is inclined so as to gradually increase from the gas introduction tube 15 toward the gas discharge tube 16, and the second conduit portion 12c gradually decreases from the gas discharge tube 16 toward the gas introduction tube 15. Thus, the gas separated from the oil can be easily discharged, and the oil separated from the gas can be easily discharged from the gas introduction pipe 15.

  As described above, the breather apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment can increase the separation efficiency as compared with the conventional breather apparatus. Therefore, in recent years, it is possible to prevent unseparated gas from blowing from the gas discharge pipe 16 at a high temperature due to a low center of gravity of a vehicle such as an automobile, and to prevent air from being sucked from the oil suction port at a low temperature. Can do.

  In the first embodiment, the case where the first conduit portion 12b and the second conduit portion 12c are inclined has been described. However, in the present invention, the first conduit portion 12b and the second conduit portion 12c are arranged on the same plane. Thus, it does not have to be inclined as described above.

  In the first embodiment, the diameter of the first conduit portion 12b is larger than the diameter of the second conduit portion 12c and the conduit 12 is formed, and the diameter of the second conduit portion 12c is In the present invention, the diameters of the first conduit portion 12b and the second conduit portion 12c may be made equal to each other.

  In the present invention, all the components of the breather device 10 of the first embodiment described above may be made of synthetic resin.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the breather device 10 has a cylindrical conduit 12 housed in a case 11 composed of an upper case portion 11a and a lower case portion 11b, and the case 11 and the conduit 12 are separate. In other words, in the present invention, the conduit 12 is formed integrally with the case 11 as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b). You may make it like this form.

  FIG. 6A is a plan view of a breather device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6B is a side view of the breather device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. is there.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, all of the case 11 and the conduit 12 are made of a material such as synthetic resin except for the gas exhaust pipe 16, and then the gas exhaust pipe 16 is attached to the conduit 12. Also good. In particular, when the case 11 is made of a photocurable resin that is cured by light, for example, a three-dimensional molded product having a complicated shape that changes three-dimensionally can be easily manufactured, which is advantageous. Further, for example, it is also possible to manufacture the thermoplastic resin such as plastic by dividing it into two parts in the vertical direction and then joining these two parts with an adhesive or the like.

  In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, when the conduit 12 is formed integrally with the case 11, the conduit 12 has a guide path 14 extending spirally on the inner wall in the case 11. In the first embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B, an inner wall surface of the conduit 12 is formed. Since the guide path 14 extending in a spiral shape is formed, the conduit 12 has a pipe line therein.

  The configuration of the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2 (a), (b), 3 (a) and 3 (b). Since it is substantially the same as the configuration of the embodiment, the same reference numerals as those of the breather device according to the first embodiment are attached, and other explanations are omitted.

  The breather device according to the second embodiment configured as described above can obtain the same operations and effects as the breather device according to the first embodiment described above.

  FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the automatic transmission showing a state in which the breather device according to each embodiment of the present invention is attached to the upper part of the automatic transmission.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the breather device 10 is attached to the upper part of the automatic transmission 24, and connects the breather circuit 21 and the gas introduction pipe 15 so that the conduit communicates with the inside of the gear case 22. An oil pan 25 is provided below the gear case 22, and oil in the oil pan 25 is sucked from an oil strainer 26 by an oil pump (not shown) to lubricate gears in the gear case 22. .

  With such a configuration, a gas containing high-temperature and high-pressure oil is generated in the gear case 22 while the automatic transmission 24 is operating. At this time, as described above, the gas containing the oil in the gear case 22 is introduced into the conduit through the breather circuit 21, and the gas and the oil are separated while passing through the conduit. The gas that is returned into the gear case 22 and separated from the oil is discharged to the outside. As a result, the pressure of the gas in the gear case 22 is reduced to the external pressure. Reference numerals 27 and 28 denote an engine and a torque converter, respectively.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the breather device according to the present invention is applied to the automatic transmission. However, the present invention may be applied to other transmissions such as a manual. Furthermore, the breather device according to the present invention may be applied to a differential device, a transfer, an engine, a transaxle, and the like.

  As described above, the present invention has the effect of being able to generate a strong centrifugal force due to a spiral swirl, improving the separation from oil gas, and increasing the separation efficiency. It is useful for a breather device provided in a vehicle.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a breather device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing the inside of the conduit, FIG. 2 (a) is a partial cross-sectional view of the conduit showing a spiral guide protrusion, and FIG. 2 (b) is a view showing a part of the gas exhaust pipe. It is a partial cross section figure of the conduit | pipe which shows the state inserted in the conduit | pipe. FIG. 3A is a plan view of the breather device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a side view of the breather device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. is there. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the gas discharge pipe. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 (a) shows a guide protrusion having a notch hole formed in the lower part, and FIG. 5 (b) shows a notch hole in the upper part. The formed guide protrusion is shown. FIG. 6A is a plan view of a breather device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6B is a side view of the breather device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. is there. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the automatic transmission showing a state in which the breather device according to each embodiment of the present invention is attached to the upper part of the automatic transmission.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Breather apparatus 11 Case 11a Upper case part 11b Lower case part 12 Conduit 12a Inner wall 12b 1st conduit part 12c 2nd conduit part 12d Connection part 12e Connection part 13 Guide protrusion 13a Notch hole 13b Notch hole 14 Guide path 15 Gas introduction pipe Reference Signs List 16 Gas exhaust pipe 17 First opening 17a Orifice 18 Second opening 18a Vent 20 Support base 21 Breather circuit 22 Gear case 24 Automatic transmission 25 Oil pan 26 Oil strainer

Claims (4)

  A pipe having a guide path extending spirally on the inner wall surface; a gas introduction port communicating the inside and the outside of the pipe; a first opening located in the pipe; and the outside of the pipe A breather device having a second opening located and having a gas discharge pipe provided through the pipe, the pipe having a closed circuit shape including an installation position of the gas discharge pipe A breather device characterized by being formed.   The closed circuit-shaped pipeline is configured by a first pipeline section and a second pipeline section that are divided with respect to the gas inlet, and the diameter of the first pipeline section is the diameter of the second pipeline section. The breather device according to claim 1, wherein the breather device is larger than the breather device.   The breather apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the diameter of the second pipe portion gradually decreases toward the gas inlet.   The closed circuit-shaped pipeline is constituted by a first pipeline section from the gas inlet to the gas outlet, and a second pipeline from the gas outlet to the gas inlet, The first pipe section is inclined so as to gradually increase from the gas inlet toward the gas outlet, and the second pipe section is gradually lowered from the gas outlet toward the gas inlet. 2. The breather device according to claim 1, wherein the breather device is inclined.