JP2002239316A - Structure of oil tank with filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the structure of an oil tank with a filter which is capable of venting air upward from the lower space of a filter and avoiding the residing of the air in the lower space of the filter and further, preventing an inexpedience such as the spurt of an oil due to the expansion of the air caused by the residual air from occurring. SOLUTION: This oil tank with a filter is of such a functional structure that the filter for filtrating an oil introduced from an oil introduction aperture is arranged in an annular fashion inside the sidewall of a case and the oil is allowed to pass through the filter from its outside, flowing into the oil reservior part through a central passageway. In this oil tank, an air vent pipeline for venting the air from the lower space to the upper space is provided by making a lower space formed between the upper part of the oil reservoir part and the lower part of the filter communicate with the upper space of the filter.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is applied to a power steering oil tank or the like for storing oil for power steering of a vehicle, and applies oil introduced from an oil inlet provided in a side wall of a case from outside of a filter. The present invention relates to a structure of an oil tank with a filter configured to flow through an inside of a filter, to a oil reservoir at a lower portion of a case through a central passage inside the filter, and particularly to an air release structure thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 shows an example of a commonly used oil tank for power steering of a vehicle. In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a power steering oil tank, which is configured as follows. 11 is a case, 15 is an oil inlet opened on the side wall 11a of the case 11, 1
Reference numeral 7 denotes an oil reservoir formed at a lower portion of the case 11;
Reference numeral 6 denotes an oil outlet opened at the bottom of the case 11.

[0003] A filter 10 for filtering oil is formed in an annular shape, and upper and lower outer peripheries are supported by filter supports 21 and 22. 23 is a filter upper space formed above the filter 10. 24 is the oil level 1 of the oil in the oil reservoir 17
7a is a filter lower space formed between the oil surface 17a of the oil and the lower part of the filter 10 when the lower part 7a is lower than the lower part of the filter 10. 19 is the filter 1
An outer peripheral passage formed outside of the filter is a central passage formed inside the filter. Reference numerals 20a and 20b denote O-rings fitted to the outer peripheral portions of the filter supports 21 and 22, respectively. The O-rings extend between the outer peripheral passage 19 formed outside the filter 10 and the filter upper space 23 and the filter lower space 24. Sealed. Reference numeral 012 denotes an oil supply port into the tank, 12 denotes a cap of the oil supply port 012, and 13 denotes an air vent hole formed in the cap 12.
Reference numeral 4 denotes a strainer for filtering foreign substances in oil at the time of refueling.

In such a power steering oil tank, return oil from the power steering device enters the case 11 through an oil inlet 15 of the power steering oil tank 100 as shown by a solid line in FIG. The filter 10
And flows through the inside thereof, and foreign matter is filtered and flows out to the central passage 18. The purified oil that has flowed into the central passage 18 falls in the filter lower space 24 and accumulates in the oil sump 17. This purified oil is supplied to the oil outlet 16
Is sent to the power steering device to be used for operation and lubrication of the power steering device.

On the other hand, the air accumulated in the filter lower space 24 above the oil level 17a in the oil sump 17 flows as shown by the broken line in the figure, rises in the central passage 18 and accumulates in the filter upper space 23. After that, the air is extracted to the outside through the air vent hole 13 through the strainer 14 and the oil supply port.

[0006]

However, the conventional oil tank for power steering shown in FIG.
It has the following problems. That is, when oil is supplied to the power steering oil tank 100, the oil is not filled in the pipe between the power steering oil tank 100 and the power steering device, and the oil is supplied from the oil supply port 012 to the tank 100. Refueling.

For this reason, when the vehicle is started, the oil in the oil tank 100 is sucked into the pipe by the suction of the oil pump on the power steering device side, and the oil in the oil tank 100 decreases rapidly, and the oil in the oil tank 100 decreases. As shown in FIG. 5, the oil level falls below the filter 10, and an air layer (air layer) is formed in the central passage 18 inside the filter 10 and the filter lower space 24 below the filter 10. Of the air layer, the filter lower space 2
The air layer formed in 4 is blocked by the oil flowing into the central passage 18 through the filter 10 and cannot be extracted to the filter upper space 23 side. In particular, as shown in FIG. 5, the air in the portion near the outer periphery of the filter lower space 24 is separated from the lower inner peripheral portion of the filter 10 by the oil wall 24a formed in a cylindrical shape so as to hang downward. It becomes difficult for the air to escape, and a closed air reservoir is formed in the portion.

For this reason, in the prior art, the air collected as described above in the filter lower space 24 whose outer peripheral side is sealed by the O-ring 20b raises the temperature of the oil in the oil storage portion 17. Expanded by
The occurrence of a problem that the oil in the tank 100 is jetted into the outside air from the upper air vent hole 13 will be seen.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and enables the air in the lower space of the filter to be reliably extracted upward, thereby avoiding the stagnation of air in the lower space of the filter, and expanding the air caused by the stagnated air. It is an object of the present invention to provide a structure of an oil tank with a filter that can prevent the occurrence of problems such as oil squirting due to oil.

[0010]

According to the present invention, an oil inlet is provided on a side wall of a case, an oil outlet is provided near a bottom wall, and an air vent is provided on an upper portion. A filter for filtering the oil introduced from the oil introduction port is provided in an annular shape inside the side wall, and the oil introduced from the oil introduction port is passed through the inside of the filter from outside the filter. In a filter-equipped oil tank configured to flow to an oil reservoir at a lower portion of the case via an inner central passage, a lower space formed between an upper portion of the oil reservoir and a lower portion of the filter is provided in the central passage. An air vent pipe is provided which communicates with an upper space formed above the filter to extract air in the lower space to the upper space. To propose a structure of the filter with oil tank.

According to this invention, since the air vent pipe which connects the lower space of the filter and the upper space of the filter is provided in the central passage inside the filter, the return oil flowing out of the filter into the central passage is provided. It flows outside the air vent pipe and falls into the oil reservoir, and the pipe wall of the air vent pipe blocks the contact with the air flowing through the air vent pipe. Thereby, the air in the lower space of the filter is not blocked by the return oil flowing out from the filter into the central passage unlike the conventional one,
The air flows into the air vent pipe at the center, and can be smoothly delivered to the upper space above the filter through the air vent pipe. Therefore, according to the present invention, the stagnation of air in the lower space of the filter is eliminated, and the generation of oil in the tank due to expansion due to the rise in temperature of the stagnated air can be prevented.

[0012] The invention according to claim 2 provides, in addition to claim 1,
A horizontal oil passage extends laterally from the central passage to the outer peripheral side below the filter and communicates the central passage with an outer peripheral portion of the lower space.

According to this invention, the horizontal oil passage extending laterally from the central passage to the outer peripheral side and communicating the central passage with the outer peripheral portion of the lower space of the filter is provided below the filter. The oil that has passed through the central passage from the filter spreads laterally along the lateral oil passage, flows to the outer peripheral portion of the lower space of the filter, and pushes out the air in the outer peripheral portion toward the central portion, and It can be made to flow into the air vent pipe provided in the section. This ensures that the air accumulated in the outer peripheral portion of the lower space of the filter does not stay in this portion, and is reliably sent to the upper space of the filter via the air vent pipe by the oil flowing through the horizontal oil passage. Can be.

[0014] The invention according to claim 3 provides, in addition to claim 2,
Below the filter, there is provided a lateral air vent passage extending laterally from the air vent line to the outer peripheral side and communicating the outer peripheral portion of the lower space with the air vent line.

According to this invention, a horizontal air vent passage extending laterally from the air vent pipe at the center to the outer peripheral side and communicating with the outer peripheral portion of the lower space of the filter is provided below the filter. Therefore, in addition to the action of the oil flowing through the lateral oil passage in the invention of claim 2 to push the air in the outer peripheral portion of the lower space of the filter toward the central portion,
The air stored in the outer peripheral portion is allowed to flow into the air bleeding passage through the lateral air bleeding passage, so that the air in the outer peripheral portion of the lower space of the filter can be extracted into the air bleeding passage. . Thereby, the air accumulated in the outer peripheral portion of the lower space of the filter is introduced into the air vent pipe through the lateral air vent passage without staying in this portion, and the air is collected through the air vent pipe in the upper side. Can be reliably delivered to the filter upper space.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an oil inlet is provided on the side wall of the case, an oil outlet is provided near the bottom wall, and an air vent is provided on the upper portion. The oil inlet is provided inside the side wall from the oil inlet. A filter for filtering the filtered oil is disposed in an annular shape, so that the oil introduced from the oil introduction port flows from the outside of the filter through the inside of the filter to the oil reservoir at the lower part of the case through the central passage inside the filter. In an oil tank with a filter configured as described above, an O-ring is inserted into an outer peripheral portion of a filter support that supports an outer peripheral upper portion and an outer peripheral lower portion of the filter, and the O-ring is brought into contact with an inner peripheral surface of a side wall of the case to form the filter. The mounting space is sealed with an adjacent space, and the lower surface of the filter support on the filter mounting space side is inclined upward to incline for air release. And characterized by being configured to face.

According to this invention, the air collected near the lower surface on the outer peripheral side of the filter support can be reliably extracted inside the filter by flowing upward along the inclined surface.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. However, unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto, but are merely illustrative examples. It's just

FIG. 1 shows a vehicular power steering oil tank according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (A) is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, and FIG. 1 (B) is an enlarged view of a Z portion of FIG. 1 (A). FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second embodiment of the tank, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a third embodiment of the tank. FIG. 4 is a system diagram of a power steering oil system equipped with a power steering oil tank according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a power steering oil system to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 31 denotes a power steering device including a hydrobrake 34, a power steering gear 35 and the like, and 100 denotes a case 11 in which an annular filter 10 is housed. It is a power steering oil tank for storing oil. A suction pipe 33 connects the oil outlet 16 at the bottom of the power steering oil tank 100 and the power steering device 31.
Reference numeral 0 denotes an oil pump provided in the suction pipe 33 to supply oil in the power steering oil tank 33 to the power steering device 31. 32
Is a return pipe connecting the power steering device 31 and the oil inlet 15 at the bottom of the power steering oil tank.

In such a power steering oil circulation system, the oil in the power steering oil tank 100 is passed through the suction pipe 33 by the oil pump 30 to the power steering device 3.
Sent to 1. The oil is supplied to the operation or lubrication of the hydrobrake 34, the power steering gear 35, etc., and then returned to the power steering oil tank 100 through the return pipe 32, and the filter 10 in the power steering oil tank 100 is removed. When passing through, foreign matter is filtered and accumulates in the lower part of the case 11.

In FIG. 1 showing a first embodiment of a power steering oil tank 100 according to the present invention, reference numeral 11 denotes a case of the power steering oil tank 100, 15 denotes an oil inlet opened on a side wall 11a of the case 11, 1
Reference numeral 7 denotes an oil reservoir formed at a lower portion of the case 11;
Reference numeral 6 denotes an oil outlet opened at the bottom of the oil reservoir 17 (the bottom of the case 11).

Reference numeral 10 denotes a filter for filtering oil, which is formed in a ring shape and has upper and lower outer peripheries supported by filter supports 21 and 22. 23 is a filter upper space formed above the filter 10. 24 is the oil level 1 of the oil in the oil reservoir 17
7a is a filter lower space formed between the oil surface 17a of the oil and the lower part of the filter 10 when the lower part 7a is lower than the lower part of the filter 10. Reference numeral 19 denotes an annular outer peripheral passage formed outside the filter 10, and reference numeral 18 denotes a central passage formed inside the filter. 20a and 2
Ob is an O-ring fitted to the outer peripheral portions of the filter supports 21 and 22, respectively. The O-ring has an outer peripheral surface in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 11a and includes an outer peripheral passage 19 formed outside the filter 10. The space between the mounting space and the filter upper space 23 and the filter lower space 24 is sealed. Reference numeral 012 denotes an oil supply port into the tank, 12 denotes a cap of the oil supply port 012, 13 denotes an air vent hole formed in the cap 12, and 14 denotes a strainer for filtering foreign substances in the oil at the time of refueling. .

The basic configuration shown above is the same as that of the prior art shown in FIG. In the present invention, the air bleeding means in the power steering oil tank 100 is improved. That is, in FIG. 1, 1 is an air release pipe,
The central passage 18 is provided at a central portion (not necessarily a central portion) in a vertical direction. An air passage 2 is formed inside the air vent pipe 1, and the filter lower space 24 formed between the oil surface 17 a of the oil reservoir 17 and the filter lower portion through the air passage 2 and the filter lower space 24. The filter upper space 23 is communicated. The air vent pipe 1 is supported at an appropriate position on its outer peripheral portion by the filter support 21 or 22.

In such a power steering oil tank, the return oil from the power steering device 31 shown in FIG.
Oil inlet 1 of power steering oil tank 100
5 enters the outer peripheral passage 19 in the case 11. The return oil passes through the outer peripheral passage 19 through the annular filter 10.
In the process of entering the filter 10 while flowing along the outer periphery of the filter 10 and flowing through the inside thereof, foreign matter is filtered,
0 flows into a central passage 18 between the inner periphery of the air vent pipe 0 and the outer periphery of the air vent pipe 1. The purified oil that has flowed out into the central passage 18 passes through the central passage 18 and passes through the filter lower space 2.
4 falls in the oil reservoir 17. This purified oil is supplied to the oil outlet 16 by the oil pump 30.
Then, the air is sucked from the suction pipe 33 and sent to the power steering device 31 through the suction pipe 33 to be used for the operation and lubrication of the power steering device 31.

On the other hand, the air accumulated in the filter lower space 24 above the oil level 17a in the oil reservoir 17 is
After flowing as indicated by the broken line in the drawing and rising in the air passage 2 inside the air bleeding pipe 1 and being stored in the filter upper space 23, the air flows out of the air bleed hole 13 through the strainer 14 and the oil supply port 012 to the outside. It is extracted.

According to this embodiment, since the air passage (air vent pipe) 2 that connects the filter lower space 24 and the filter upper space 23 is provided in the central passage 18 inside the filter 10, the filter 10 The return oil flowing out of the central passage 18 flows outside the air release pipe 1 and falls into the oil reservoir 17, so that the air release pipe 1 blocks the contact with the air flowing through the air passage 2. Thereby, the filter lower space 24 is formed.
The internal air flows into the central air passage 2 without being blocked by the return oil flowing out of the filter 10 into the central passage 18 as in the prior art, and passes through the air passage 2 to form the upper filter upper space. 23 can be transmitted smoothly. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the stagnation of air in the filter lower space 24 is eliminated, and the generation of oil in the tank due to expansion due to the rise in temperature of the stagnated air can be prevented.

Further, air is likely to accumulate near the outer peripheral lower surface of the upper filter support 21 sealed by the O-ring 20a, but in the embodiment shown in FIG. The support 21 is formed on an inclined surface 21 a in which the lower surface of the support 21 on the side of the filter 10, that is, on the side of the outer peripheral passage 19 is inclined upward. According to such an embodiment, the filter support 21
The air collected in the vicinity of the lower surface on the outer peripheral side of the filter 10 is caused to flow upward along the inclined surface 21a, so that the filter 10
Can be pulled out inside.

In the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a hole extending in the horizontal direction (lateral direction) is formed at the lower end of the air vent pipe 1. A disk-shaped oil guide 3 is fixedly attached to the oil guide 3.
Between the upper surface of the filter 10 and the lower part of the filter 10, a lateral oil passage 03 extending laterally from the central passage 18 to the outer peripheral side and communicating the central passage 18 with the outer peripheral part of the filter lower space 24. Has formed.

According to this embodiment, in the lower portion of the filter 10, the lateral oil extending laterally from the central passage 18 to the outer peripheral side and communicating the central passage 18 with the outer peripheral portion of the filter lower space 24. Since the passage 03 is provided, the oil that has passed through the central passage 18 from the filter 10 spreads laterally along the horizontal oil passage 03, flows to the outer peripheral portion of the filter lower space 24, and It is possible to push out certain air toward the center portion and to flow into the air passage 2 in the air vent pipe 1 provided at the center portion. Accordingly, the oil flowing in the lateral oil passage 03 is not caused to stay in the outer peripheral portion of the filter lower space 24 in the portion without being retained in the portion.
The air can be reliably sent to the upper filter space 23 on the upper side through the air passage 2.

In the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, in addition to the first embodiment shown in FIG. A disk-shaped oil guide 3 having a hole extending in the direction (lateral direction) is fixed, and extends between the upper surface of the oil guide 3 and the lower portion of the filter 10 from the central passage 18 to the outer peripheral side in the lateral direction. Forming a horizontal oil passage 03 communicating the central passage 18 with an outer peripheral portion of the filter lower space 24;
In addition to this, at the lower end of the air release pipe 1,
Air vent holes 05 are drilled at a plurality of locations (or one location) in the circumferential direction, and a part of the oil guide 3 is used as an air guide 6, and the air passage is provided between the air guide 6 and a lower portion of the filter 10. The air passage 2 is provided with a lateral air vent passage 5 extending laterally from the outer periphery 2 to the outer periphery of the filter lower space 24 and communicating with the air passage 2.

According to this embodiment, in the lower part of the filter 10, the lateral air vent passage 5 extending laterally from the central air passage 2 to the outer peripheral side and communicating with the outer peripheral side portion of the filter lower space 24 is provided. As a result, in addition to the action of the oil flowing through the horizontal oil passage 03 in the second embodiment to push out the air in the outer peripheral portion of the filter lower space 24 toward the central portion side, the oil accumulated in the outer peripheral portion is provided. The function of extracting the air inside the outer peripheral portion of the filter lower space 24 into the air passage 2 that allows air to flow into the air passage 2 through the lateral air vent passage 5 can be performed. Thereby, the air accumulated in the outer peripheral side portion of the filter lower space 24 is introduced into the air passage 2 through the lateral air vent passage 5 without staying in the portion, and the upper portion is passed through the air passage 2. Filter head space 2 on the side
3 can be reliably transmitted. The present invention is not limited to the power steering oil tank according to the embodiment, but can be widely applied to an oil tank having a filter for filtering oil inside.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the air vent pipe communicating the lower space of the filter and the upper space of the filter is provided in the central passage inside the filter, the air passage in the lower space of the filter is provided. Flows into the air vent pipe at the center without being blocked by return oil flowing out of the filter into the central passage unlike the conventional one, and flows into the upper filter upper space through the air vent pipe. It can be sent out smoothly. Therefore, the stagnation of air in the lower space of the filter is eliminated, and the generation of oil in the tank due to expansion due to the temperature rise of the stagnated air can be prevented.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a lateral oil extends under the filter in the lateral direction from the central passage to the outer peripheral side and communicates the central passage with the outer peripheral portion of the lower space of the filter. Since the passage is provided, the air remaining in the outer peripheral portion of the lower space of the filter does not stay in this portion, and the oil flowing through the horizontal oil passage ensures that the air passes through the air vent pipe to the upper space of the filter. Can be sent.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a lateral air vent extending under the filter in the lateral direction from the central air vent line to the outer peripheral side and communicating with the outer peripheral portion of the lower space of the filter. Since the passage is provided, the air accumulated in the outer peripheral portion of the lower space of the filter is introduced into the air bleeding passage through the lateral air bleeding passage without remaining in the portion, and the air bleeding passage is provided. , And can be reliably sent to the filter upper space on the upper side.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the air collected near the lower surface on the outer peripheral side of the filter support flows upward along the inclined surface, so that the air can be reliably extracted to the inside of the filter. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a power steering oil tank for a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention, where (A) is a longitudinal sectional view thereof,
(B) is an enlarged view of a Z portion of (A).

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second embodiment of the tank.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a third embodiment of the tank.

FIG. 4 is a system diagram of a power steering oil system equipped with a power steering oil tank according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air release pipe 2 Air passage 3 Oil guide 03 Lateral oil passage 5 Lateral air release passage 6 Air guide 10 Filter 11 Case 11a Side wall 13 Air release hole 15 Oil inlet 16 Oil outlet 17 Oil reservoir 17a Oil level 18 Central passage 19 Outer peripheral passage 20a, 20b O-ring 21, 22 Filter support 21a Inclined surface 23 Filter upper space 24 Filter lower space 31 Power steering 100 Power steering oil tank

Claims (4)

[Claims] An oil inlet is provided in a side wall of a case, an oil outlet is provided near a bottom wall, and an air vent is provided in an upper portion. A filter for filtering oil introduced from the oil inlet into the inside of the side wall. Is disposed in an annular shape, with a filter configured to flow the oil introduced from the oil inlet through the inside of the filter from the outside of the filter to the oil reservoir at the bottom of the case through the central passage inside the filter. In the oil tank, in the central passage,
An air vent pipe that communicates a lower space formed between an upper part of the oil reservoir and a lower part of the filter and an upper space formed at an upper part of the filter to extract air in the lower space to the upper space; The structure of an oil tank with a filter, characterized by comprising: 2. A horizontal oil passage extending laterally from the central passage to an outer peripheral side below the filter and communicating the central passage with an outer peripheral portion of the lower space. The structure of the oil tank with a filter according to claim 1. 3. A horizontal air vent passage is provided below the filter and extends laterally from the air vent line to the outer peripheral side and communicates the outer peripheral portion of the lower space with the air vent line. 3. The structure of the oil tank with a filter according to claim 2, wherein: 4. A filter for providing an oil inlet on the side wall of the case, an oil outlet in the vicinity of the bottom wall, an air vent on the top, and filtering the oil introduced from the oil inlet inside the side wall. Is disposed in an annular shape, with a filter configured to flow the oil introduced from the oil inlet through the inside of the filter from the outside of the filter to the oil reservoir at the bottom of the case through the central passage inside the filter. In the oil tank, an O-ring is inserted into an outer peripheral portion of a filter support for supporting an outer peripheral upper portion and an outer peripheral lower portion of the filter, and the O-ring is brought into contact with an inner peripheral surface of a side wall of the case to form a space adjacent to the filter mounting space. And a lower surface of the filter support on the filter mounting space side is formed as an inclined surface for air bleeding inclined upward. The structure of the oil tank with filter.