JP2005069464A - Valve opened for atmosphere and breather plug structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a valve opened for atmosphere capable of preventing the occurrence of unevenness in assembly condition and providing its performance effectively. <P>SOLUTION: A breather plug 1 which is the valve opened for atmosphere is provided with a valve seat formed in an outdoor side end part of a communicating hole 21, a valve element 3 which advances and retracts in the direction of depth of the communicating hole and has a guide part 31 regulating inclination of an abutting part abutted on the valve seat and the valve element, and an energizing member 4 energizing the valve element toward an indoor side. Fluid on an indoor side escapes to the outdoor side having low pressure through the communicating hole, and intrusion of fluid onto the indoor side from the outdoor side is prevented. It is desirable that an air hole is formed by a channel 32 over the whole length of the guide part 31 in this plug member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air release valve such as a breather plug, and more particularly to an air release valve structure that releases pressure generated in a case to the atmosphere side and prevents intrusion of water or the like from the outside.

  Air release valves are used in a variety of applications. For example, in a transmission device mainly including a gear such as a transmission in a vehicle, sliding portions such as a gear tooth surface and a bearing portion are lubricated with oil. And while rotating members, such as these gears, are accommodated in the inside of a case, the sealing material is provided in the opening part and the liquid-tightness of a case is ensured.

  On the other hand, in such a case, the pressure may increase due to a temperature rise or pump action accompanying the rotation of the gear. If the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the case increases, oil may leak from the seal portion.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-117521 discloses a breather plug in which a breather chamber and a breather are provided in a case to suppress a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the case and prevent intrusion of water or the like from the outside.
JP-A-6-117521

  However, the conventional air release valve does not always have a sufficient effect of preventing intrusion of water or the like. The breather plug disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-117521 has a configuration in which, for example, a disc-shaped rubber packing is brought into contact with the breather passage from the outside of the case so that the rubber packing is pressed by a spring from the outside of the case. . In such a configuration, when the rubber packing is assembled while being inclined with respect to the breather passage, a gap is formed between the rubber packing and the breather passage, and the state cannot be confirmed from the appearance. For this reason, the original performance may not be sufficiently exhibited due to variations in the assembled state.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and to provide an air release valve that can hardly exhibit variations in assembled state and can effectively exhibit its performance.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the air release valve of the present invention allows indoor fluid to escape to a lower pressure outdoor through a communication hole that communicates the room and the outdoor side of the atmosphere, and prevents fluid from entering the room from the outside. To do. The air release valve includes a valve seat formed at an outdoor end of the communication hole, a valve body that advances and retreats in the depth direction of the communication hole, and a contact portion that contacts the valve seat and the valve body. And a urging member that urges the valve body toward the indoor side.

  In the air release valve, it is preferable that the guide portion is constituted by a shaft portion inserted from the outdoor side into the communication hole, or the guide portion is disposed along an outer peripheral surface of the valve seat.

  In the air release valve, it is desirable that an air hole is formed over the entire length of the guide portion. In this atmosphere release valve, it is preferable that the guide portion is intermittently disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the valve seat, and the air hole is formed by a gap between the guide portions.

  The breather plug according to the present invention is a breather plug that allows indoor fluid to escape to a lower pressure outdoor through a communication hole that communicates between the room and the outdoor, and prevents fluid from entering the room from the outside. A plug member provided with a shaft portion inserted from the outside and a head portion that contacts the wall surface around the outdoor end of the communication hole; and a biasing member that biases the plug member toward the indoor side. ing.

  In the breather plug, an air hole is preferably formed over the entire length of the shaft portion of the plug member.

  In the breather plug, the air hole is preferably formed by a groove on a side surface of the shaft portion of the plug member, and the air hole has a channel cross-section that increases toward the indoor side. It is desirable that it be formed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the air release valve which cannot produce the dispersion | variation in an assembly state and can exhibit the performance effectively can be provided.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIGS. 1A and 1B are internal perspective views showing the configuration of an atmosphere release valve or breather plug according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The breather plug 1 includes a base 2 constituting a valve seat, a plug member 3 as a valve body, an urging member 4, and a cap 5. The breather plug 1 is used for rotating members such as gears and for lubrication thereof. It is attached to the wall surface of the case 9 containing oil.

  The case 9 is provided with an attachment hole 91 communicating with the inside and outside of the case for attaching the breather plug 1, and the base 2 of the breather plug is inserted into the attachment hole 91 and is airtightly fixed.

  The base 2 is formed with a communication hole 21 for communicating from the inside of the case 9 to the outside of the case 9. A protrusion 22 for fixing the cap 5 is formed at the outer end of the case of the communication hole 21.

  The plug member 3 includes a shaft portion 31 that is a substantially cylindrical guide portion that is inserted into the communication hole 21 from the outside of the case, and a substantially disk-shaped head portion 33 that is formed at one end of the shaft portion and abuts against the protruding portion 22. And. A groove 32 is formed on the side surface of the shaft portion 31 over the entire length of the shaft portion, and the groove 32 forms an air passage in the shaft portion 31. An annular rubber packing 34 is attached to the surface of the head 33 on the shaft side. The rubber packing 34 provides airtightness when the head 33 is brought into contact with the protrusion 22 of the base 2.

  The cap 5 covers the protruding portion 22 of the base 2 and accommodates the biasing member 4. The open end of the cap 5 in the lower part of the figure has a clearance with the protrusion 22, but a part of the cap 5 is hooked so that the cap 5 does not come off in the upper part of the figure. The cap 5 prevents the protrusion 22 and the plug member 3 from getting wet with water from the outside.

  The urging member 4 is held in a compressed state between the head 33 of the plug member 3 and the uppermost innermost surface of the cap 5 in the drawing, and urges the head 33 from the outside of the case. The biasing member 4 is preferably formed of a spring such as a helical spring.

  FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1A and shows the shape of the groove 32 formed in the shaft portion 31 of the plug member 3. In this example, grooves 32 having a uniform width and depth are formed over the entire length of the shaft portion.

  Next, the operation of the breather plug 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. When the pressure inside the case 9 increases, the plug member 3 in the communication hole is pressed toward the outside of the case. When the plug member 3 is pushed up against the urging force of the urging member 4, a gap is formed between the protrusion 22 of the base 2 and the rubber packing 34 of the head 33 of the plug member 3. . The state is shown in FIG. 1 (B), in the path of communication hole 21 → air path by groove 32 → gap between head 22 and rubber packing 34 → clearance between cap 5 and projection 22 Then, a fluid such as air inside the case is discharged out of the case.

  On the contrary, when the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the case 9 is small, the protrusion 22 of the base 2 abuts against the head 33 of the plug member 3 as shown in FIG. .

  According to the present embodiment, since the shaft portion 31 is inserted into the communication hole 21, it is difficult to cause an inclination during assembly, and sufficient airtightness can be secured. Further, in this embodiment, since the air passage in the shaft portion is secured by the groove 32, the diameter of the shaft portion 31 and the diameter of the communication hole 21 can be made substantially the same in order to prevent inclination during assembly. .

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 2A is a front view of a plug member 3 ′ used for an air release valve or breather plug according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2B shows a part of the plug member 3 ′. FIG. 2C is a right side view seen through, and FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. Parts similar to those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C are denoted by common reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The base 2, the urging member 4, the cap 5 and the like are the same as in the first embodiment.

  In the plug member 3 ′, the width of the groove 32 ′ formed in the shaft portion 31 ′ is wider in the insertion direction (downward in the drawing) of the shaft portion into the communication hole, and the depth of the groove 32 ′ is also communicated. This is different from the first embodiment in that it is deeper in the insertion direction (downward in the figure) of the shaft portion into the hole. In the breather plug according to the second embodiment, since the plug member 3 ′ is configured in this way, the larger the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the case, the wider the bottleneck of the air passage formed by the groove 32 ′. There is an effect of further promoting the relief of pressure when the pressure difference is large.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 3A is a front view partially showing a plug member 3 ″ used for an air release valve or breather plug according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3C is a right side view partially showing the plug member 3 ″, and FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. Parts similar to those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C are denoted by common reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The base 2, the urging member 4, the cap 5 and the like are the same as in the first embodiment.

  The plug member 3 ″ includes a horizontal hole 35 formed on the head side of the shaft portion 31 ″ and a vertical hole 36 formed from the case side (lower side in the drawing) end portion of the shaft portion 31 ″ to the horizontal hole 35. The third embodiment differs in that the grooves 32 and 32 'are not provided as in the first and second embodiments. Accordingly, in the third embodiment, the vertical hole 36, the horizontal hole 35, and the head of the communication hole 21 → the shaft portion 31 ″. Fluid such as air inside the case is discharged out of the case through a path of clearance between the portion 22 and the rubber packing 34 and clearance between the cap 5 and the protruding portion 22. Even with such a configuration, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

<Fourth Embodiment>
FIG. 4A is a front view showing a plug member 3 ′ ″ used for an atmosphere release valve or a breather plug according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 4A. Parts similar to those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C are denoted by common reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The base 2, the urging member 4, the cap 5 and the like are the same as in the first embodiment.

  The plug member 3 ′ ″ is different from the first embodiment in that a slit 32 ′ ″ is formed in the shaft portion 31 ′ ″ and the shaft portion 31 ′ ″ is bifurcated. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the air passage by the communication hole 21 → the tear 32 ′ ″ → the gap between the head portion 22 and the rubber packing 34 → the clearance between the cap 5 and the protrusion 22 and the clearance inside the case. A fluid such as air is discharged out of the case. Even with such a configuration, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

<Fifth Embodiment>
FIG. 5A is a front view showing a plug member 3 ″ ″ used for an air release valve or breather plug according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is an AA line sectional view of A). Parts similar to those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C are denoted by common reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The base 2, the urging member 4, the cap 5 and the like are the same as in the first embodiment.

  The plug member 3 '' '' according to the fifth embodiment is entirely composed of an elastic member such as rubber, and is not provided with a portion corresponding to the rubber packing 34 in the first embodiment. It is different from the form. Further, the plug member 3 ″ ″ of the fifth embodiment has no air hole such as a groove formed in the shaft portion 31 ″ ″. Therefore, in the fifth embodiment, the case has a path of the gap between the communication hole 21 and the shaft portion 31 ″ ″ → the gap between the projection 22 and the head 33 → the clearance between the cap 5 and the projection 22; Fluid such as internal air is discharged out of the case. As described above, if the fluid can be discharged and the inclination of the plug member is restricted to prevent the assembly variation, it is not necessary to form an air hole by a groove or the like. In addition, not only this but 5th Embodiment comprised entirely with elastic members, such as rubber | gum, You may form an air hole like a groove | channel in 1st Embodiment in a shaft part.

<Sixth Embodiment>
6 (A) and 6 (B) are internal perspective views showing the configuration of the atmosphere release valve or breather plug according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 (C) is an A view of FIG. 6 (A). FIG. The breather plug 1 of the present embodiment differs from the plug member 3 of the first embodiment in the configuration of the valve body 3a, and is entirely configured of an elastic member such as rubber. Further, the valve body 3 a includes a guide portion 31 a that is intermittently disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the valve seat portion formed by the protruding portion 22 of the base 2. In addition, a gap is formed between the base 2 and the cap 5 so that the guide portion 31a can be interposed. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part similar to 1st Embodiment shown to FIG. 1 (A)-(C), and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the sixth embodiment, since the guide portion 31a is disposed so as to fit on the outer periphery of the valve seat portion, the valve body 3a is less likely to be tilted during assembly, and sufficient airtightness can be ensured. Further, in this embodiment, the guide portion 31a is provided intermittently, and an air passage is secured between the valve seat portion, the cap 5 and each guide portion 31a over the entire length of the guide portion. In order to prevent this, the outer periphery of the valve seat portion and the guide portion 31a can be approximately the same size. Further, since the opening area between the valve body 3a and the valve seat portion increases in proportion to the distance between the valve body 3a and the valve seat portion, the groove does not have to be inclined as in the second embodiment. The effect of further promoting the relief of pressure when the pressure difference inside and outside the case is large can be achieved.

<Seventh Embodiment>
FIG. 7A is a front view partially showing a valve body 3a ′ used in an atmosphere release valve or breather plug according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 7C is a perspective view showing a part of the valve body 3a ′ with a see-through view, and FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. Parts similar to those in the sixth embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C are denoted by common reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The base 2, the urging member 4, the cap 5, and the like are the same as in the sixth embodiment.

  The valve body 3a 'is different from the sixth embodiment in that the guide part 31a' is not formed with a cut and is configured to cover the entire circumference of the valve seat. Therefore, in the seventh embodiment, fluid or the like inside the case is discharged out of the case through a path of the communication hole 21 → the gap between the protrusion 22 and the valve body 3a ′ → the clearance between the head 22 and the cap 5. As described above, if the fluid can be discharged and the inclination of the valve body can be regulated to prevent the assembly variation, it is not necessary to form an air hole due to a break in the guide portion or the like.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are internal perspective views showing the configuration of an atmosphere release valve or breather plug according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 2 (A) is a front view of a plug member 3 ′ used for an air release valve or breather plug according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 (B) shows a part of the plug member 3 ′. FIG. 2C is a right side view seen through, and FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 3A is a front view partially showing a plug member 3 ″ used for an air release valve or breather plug according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3C is a right side view partially showing the plug member 3 ″, and FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 4A is a front view showing a plug member 3 ′ ″ used for an atmosphere release valve or a breather plug according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 4A. FIG. 5A is a front view showing a plug member 3 ″ ″ used for an air release valve or breather plug according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is AA sectional view taken on the line of A). 6 (A) and 6 (B) are internal perspective views showing the configuration of the atmosphere release valve or breather plug according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 (C) is an A view of FIG. 6 (A). FIG. FIG. 7A is a front view partially showing a valve body 3a ′ used in an atmosphere release valve or breather plug according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 7C is a perspective view showing a part of the valve body 3a ′ with a see-through view, and FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Breather plug 2 Base 21 Communication hole 3 Plug member (valve)
31 Shaft (guide)
33 Head portion 32 Groove 4 Energizing member 5 Cap 3a Valve body 31a Guide portion

Claims (9)

An air release valve that allows indoor fluid to escape to a lower pressure outdoor space through a communication hole that communicates the indoor space with the outdoor side of the atmosphere side, and prevents fluid from entering the indoor space from the outside,
A valve seat formed at the outdoor end of the communication hole;
A valve body that advances and retreats in the depth direction of the communication hole, and has a contact portion that contacts the valve seat and a guide portion that regulates the inclination of the valve body;
And an urging member that urges the valve body toward the indoor side. In claim 1,
The guide portion is an air release valve configured by a shaft portion inserted into the communication hole from the outdoor side. In claim 1,
The said guide part is an air release valve | bulb arrange | positioned along the outer peripheral surface of the said valve seat. In claim 3,
An air release valve in which an air hole is formed over the entire length of the guide portion. In claim 4,
The air release valve, wherein the guide portion is intermittently disposed along an outer peripheral surface of the valve seat, and the air hole is formed by a gap between the guide portions. A breather plug that allows the fluid in the room to escape to the outside of the lower pressure room through the communication hole that communicates between the room and the outside, and prevents the fluid from entering the room from the outside,
A plug member provided with a shaft part inserted into the communication hole from the outdoor side and a head part that comes into contact with the wall surface around the outdoor side end of the communication hole;
A breather plug comprising: a biasing member that biases the plug member toward the indoor side. In claim 6,
A breather plug in which an air hole is formed over the entire length of the shaft portion of the plug member. In claim 7,
The air hole is a breather plug formed by a groove on a side surface of the shaft portion of the plug member. In claim 7,
The air hole is a breather plug formed so that a cross-section of the flow path becomes larger toward the indoor side.

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