JP2005249149A - Drain pipe - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drain pipe capable of quickly replacing a replacement member of a fluid filter. <P>SOLUTION: This drain pipe 80 can be inserted into and removed from a drain hole 50 formed on the fluid filter having a replaceable filtering member. The drain pipe 80 is brought into contact with a valve member 70 closing the drain hole 50 and displaces the valve member 70 in the closure releasing direction, in being inserted into the drain hole 50, whereby the fluid inside of the fluid filter 10 is discharged to the external. The drain pipe 80 has a slit 90 formed at a lower end part as a means for releasing the filter member from the fluid filter 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a drain pipe that is used for discharging a fluid inside an exchangeable fluid filter and is detachable with respect to the fluid filter.

  As is well known, the fluid filter is for filtering and purifying contaminated fluid, and includes a filter member for filtering the fluid, a seal member for preventing external leakage of the fluid, and the like. In the exchangeable fluid filter, it is necessary to exchange exchange members such as a filtration member and a seal member in accordance with dirt or deterioration. The replacement work of the replacement member is performed after the fluid inside the fluid filter is discharged. That is, after the fluid is discharged, the replacement member is removed by the operator, and then a new replacement member is mounted.

  It is desirable that this replacement work be performed quickly. In particular, the replacement operation of the oil filter for the engine oil of the vehicle is often performed by a specialized worker at a service station or the like, and the vehicle user must wait during the replacement operation. At present, where quick service is required, such waiting time is required to be shortened as much as possible, and shortening of replacement work is desired.

JP-A-11-333627 Registered Utility Model No. 3058641

  Here, when the replacement member is removed, most of the fluid inside the fluid filter is discharged to the outside, but a large amount of fluid remains attached to the replacement member. For this reason, when the replacement member is removed by the operator's hand, the operator's hand is contaminated by the fluid. This contamination by the fluid not only makes the operator uncomfortable, but also may adversely affect another operation after the replacement member is removed, which may reduce the efficiency of the entire replacement operation.

  By the way, conventionally, various tools have been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). Since these functions realize a large number of functions with a single tool, they can be used for various applications, and are convenient because it is not necessary to replace the tool in a series of operations. However, none of the tools that have been proposed so far are suitable for removing the replacement member of the fluid filter. For this reason, conventionally, it has been difficult to quickly replace the filtering member and the like.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a drain pipe that can quickly perform replacement work of replacement members.

  The drain pipe of the present invention is a drain pipe that can be inserted into and removed from a drain hole provided in a fluid filter provided with one or more exchangeable exchange members, and is inserted into the drain hole, In the drain pipe that contacts the valve member that closes the drain hole and displaces the valve member in the direction of releasing the closing, and discharges the fluid inside the fluid filter to the outside, the drain pipe is provided at the lower end. The detaching means for detaching the replacement member from the fluid filter is provided.

  In a preferred aspect, the replacement member includes a filtration member that is attached to the inside of the fluid filter and filters and purifies contaminated fluid, the drain pipe is made of an elastic material having elasticity, and the detaching means is the drain It is a slit formed in the lower end part of a pipe, Comprising: It is a slit which clamps a part of said filtration member by elastic deformation. More preferably, the filtering member is a chrysanthemum type filtering member having a plurality of folds arranged radially, and the slit sandwiches the folds. More preferably, the slit is connected to at least a wide part wider than the fold part and the wide part, narrow part narrower than the crease part, and connected to the narrow part, and the wide part. And a minimum width part that promotes elastic deformation in the narrow part.

  In another preferred aspect, the exchange member includes a seal member that seals the inside and the outside of the fluid filter, the seal member being attached in close contact with a housing member of the fluid filter, and the detachment The means is a rod-shaped member protruding from the distal end portion of the drain pipe on the fluid discharge side, the distal end of which is a rod-shaped member that can be inserted between the seal member and the housing member. Preferably, the rod-shaped member is made of a material having a lower hardness than the housing member. More preferably, the tip of the rod-like member has a shape that becomes gradually thinner. More preferably, the tip of the rod-shaped member has a shape that gradually decreases in width. More preferably, the tip of the rod-shaped member has an R at the edge.

  According to the present invention, since the drain pipe has the detaching means for detaching the replacement member, the replacement member can be easily removed. Therefore, the replacement work of the replacement member can be performed quickly.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a drain pipe particularly suitable for an oil filter for engine oil of a vehicle is described. However, the drain pipe suitable for other fluid filters can be used by appropriately changing the size and material. be able to.

  First, an oil filter 10 using a drain pipe 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the entire oil filter 10, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a filtration member used in the oil filter 10. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG.

  The main body 12 of the oil filter 10 includes a case 16 and a cap 40. The case 16 and the cap 40 function as a housing member of the oil filter 10 and are configured to be detachable by screwing at the screwing portion 32. Below the threaded portion 32, an O-ring 34 is attached in close contact with the casing member that is the case 16 and the cap 40. The O-ring 34 functions as a seal member that prevents leakage of oil inside the main body 12. Therefore, in order to prevent oil leakage or the like, the O-ring 34 needs to be appropriately replaced according to the deterioration.

  The inside of the main body 12 is separated by a filtering member 14 or the like into a contaminated space 22 where contaminated oil exists and a purified space 24 where purified oil purified by filtration exists. The contaminated oil flows into the contaminated space from the inlet 18 provided at the upper part of the case 16, is filtered and purified by the filter member 14, moves to the purified space 24, and then flows out from the outlet 20 provided at the upper center of the case 16. To do.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the filter member 14 is a chrysanthemum filter member in which a sheet-like filter medium is folded into a bellows and formed into a substantially cylindrical shape, and a plurality of fold portions 14 a are arranged radially. The filter member 14 is contaminated and deteriorated in purification performance when used for a long period of time. Therefore, it is necessary to replace with a new filter member as appropriate.

  The replacement of the filter member 14 is performed by removing the oil inside the main body 12 to the outside and then removing the cap 40 from the case 16. Therefore, a drain hole 50 for discharging oil to the outside is provided in the lower center of the cap 40. The drain hole 50 is normally closed by a valve member 70.

  The valve member 70 is a substantially dish-shaped metal plate, and is normally urged downward by the elastic body 78, that is, in a direction to close the drain hole 50 (see FIG. 3). Further, a drain bolt 60 is attached to the drain hole 50 by screwing. Thereby, inflow of dust or the like into the drain hole 50 is prevented.

  An annular rib 42 is formed on the bottom surface of the cap 40, and an O-ring 44 is closely attached to the annular rib 42. The O-ring 44 functions as a seal member that prevents oil leakage by being in close contact with the cap 40 and the flange portion 62 of the drain bolt 60 or the flange portion 83 of the drain pipe 80 described later. Therefore, the O-ring 44 needs to be appropriately replaced according to deterioration.

  Next, a drain pipe 80 used when oil is discharged from the oil filter 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view when the drain pipe 80 is inserted into the drain hole 50.

  The drain pipe 80 is a pipe member that is inserted into the drain hole 50 in place of the drain bolt 60 when oil is discharged. This is made of an elastic material such as a resin. The drain pipe 80 is roughly divided into an insertion portion 82 inserted into the drain hole 50, a flange portion 83 that blocks the drain hole 50 from the outside, and a discharge portion 84 that guides the oil flowing from the insertion portion 82 to the outside. In addition, in this description, although divided into the insertion part 82 and the discharge part 84 for convenience, these are one continuous pipe members.

  The insertion portion 82 is a portion to be inserted into the drain hole 50, and a plurality of passage slits 86 (only one is shown in the figure) serving as a drain passage are provided between the tip of the insertion portion 82 and the flange portion 83. ing. The oil inside the oil filter 10 flows into the pipe from the passage slit 86 and is discharged to the outside through the discharge portion 84. The passage slit 86 facilitates elastic deformation of the insertion portion 82 and facilitates insertion of the drain pipe 80 into the drain hole 50.

  The flange portion 83 is a disk-shaped member having a larger diameter than the annular rib 42 provided on the bottom surface of the cap 40. When the drain pipe 80 is inserted into the drain hole 50, the flange portion 83 is provided at a position where the upper surface thereof is close to the bottom surface of the cap. Therefore, the upper surface of the flange portion 83 comes into pressure contact with the O-ring 44 attached to the annular rib 42. By this pressure contact, the outside is sealed. Therefore, the oil leaked from the passage slit 86 into the drain hole 50 is prevented from flowing out.

  The discharge part 84 is a pipe member connected to the insertion part 82 and guides the oil flowing in from the insertion part 82 to the outside. Usually, a hose 72 or the like is connected to the lower end of the discharge portion 84. And the discharged | emitted oil is guide | induced to a desired place suitably. Therefore, a return portion 88 having a larger diameter than the periphery is provided on the outer periphery of the lower end of the discharge portion 84 in order to ensure the connection of the hose 72 and the like. By having the slightly large diameter return portion 88, the hose 72 and the like can be brought into close contact with the side wall of the discharge portion 84, and a reliable connection is possible.

  Further, one detachment slit 90 is provided at the lower end of the discharge portion 84. This is a slit extending from the lower end of the discharge portion 84. The detachment slit 90 has a substantially triangular shape that gradually becomes narrower from the lower end of the discharge portion 84, and further, a long and narrow cut continues from the apex of the substantially triangular shape. Hereinafter, the substantially triangular base is referred to as the wide portion 90a, the substantially triangular apex is referred to as the narrow portion 90b, and the elongated cut portion is referred to as the minimal width portion 90c. The detaching slit 90 functions as a detaching means for detaching the filtering member 14 from the oil filter 10. This will be described.

  After draining the oil in the oil filter 10 through the drain pipe 80, the drain pipe 80 is removed from the drain hole 50. Then, after the cap 40 of the oil filter 10 is removed, the filtration member 14 is removed. Conventionally, the filter member 14 has been removed by an operator's hand, but in the present embodiment, the filter member is removed by the separation slit 90.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower end of the drain pipe 80 removed from the drain hole 50 is brought near the filtration member 14, and the separation slit 90 is inserted into the fold portion 14 a of the filtration member 14. Here, the lowermost end portion of the separation slit 90, that is, the wide portion 90 a is wider than the fold portion 14 a of the filtering member 14. Further, the narrow portion 90 b (substantially triangular apex portion) is narrower than the fold portion 14 a of the filtering member 14. Further, as described above, the drain pipe 80 is formed of an elastic resin or the like. Therefore, the detachment slit 90 can be pushed into the fold portion 14a of the filter member 14, and the detachment slit 90 can sandwich the fold portion 14a while being slightly widened by elastic deformation. The spread due to the elastic deformation is further promoted by the minimum width portion 90c (elongated cut portion), and the fold portion 14a can be more securely sandwiched. The filter member 14 can be removed from the oil filter 10 by securely grasping the fold portion 14a of the filter member 14 with the separation slit 90 and lifting the drain pipe 80 as it is.

  Next, the flow of replacement of the filtration member 14 using the drain pipe 80 will be described. When replacing the filter member 14, the drain bolt 60 is removed from the drain hole 50 in advance. At this time, the valve member 70 is biased by the elastic body 78 in the direction of closing the drain hole. Therefore, the oil inside the oil filter 10 does not flow out from the drain hole 50.

  Next, the drain pipe 80 is inserted into the drain hole 50. By this insertion, the end of the drain pipe 80 comes into contact with the valve member 70. Then, by inserting the drain pipe 80 against the elastic force of the elastic body 78, the valve member 70 is displaced in the closing release direction (upward direction). Thereby, a gap is formed between the bottom surface of the valve member 70 and the inner bottom surface of the cap 40. This gap becomes the discharge channel 100. Oil flows into the discharge channel 100 from a discharge hole 76 or the like provided in the valve member 70. The oil that has flowed further flows into the inside of the insertion portion 82 and the inside of the discharge portion 84 from the passage slit 86 of the drain pipe 80, and is finally discharged to the outside.

  When the drain pipe 80 is inserted, the upper surface of the flange portion 83 of the drain pipe 80 comes into pressure contact with the O-ring 44 attached to the annular rib 42 on the bottom surface of the cap 40. Sealing with the outside is performed by this pressure contact, and external leakage of oil leaking from the passage slit 86 and the like is prevented.

  When almost all of the oil inside the oil filter 10 is discharged, the drain pipe 80 is removed from the drain hole 50. Further, the hose 72 connected to the lower end of the drain pipe 80 is also removed. Then, the cap 40 connected to the case 16 is removed, and the filtering member 14 is exposed.

  The operator brings the drain pipe 80 removed from the drain hole 50 to the vicinity of the filtering member 14 by hand. At this time, it is desirable that the worker has a side surface of the discharge portion 84 of the drain pipe 80. The side surface of the discharge portion 84 is not inserted into the drain hole 50, and the oil attached to the insertion portion 82 is blocked by the flange portion 83. Therefore, the side surface of the discharge portion 84 is not contaminated with oil, and the oil does not adhere to the hand by having this side.

  If the lower end of the drain pipe 80 is brought in the vicinity of the filtration member 14, the separation slit 90 is pushed into the fold portion 14a of the filtration member 14 (see FIG. 5). The separation slit 90 grips the fold portion 14a while expanding due to elastic deformation. This elastic deformation is promoted by the minimum width portion 90c, and the fold portion 14a can be gripped more reliably. Then, by pulling the drain pipe 80 in a state where the fold portion 14 a is grasped, the filtration member 14 grasped by the separation slit 90 can be detached from the oil filter 10.

  As can be seen from the above description, by providing the drain pipe 80 with the detaching slit 90 and using the detaching slit 90, the filtering member 14 can be removed without making the operator's hand dirty. Further, since the filter member 14 is not directly touched by hand, the removal work can be performed even if the oil adhering to the filter member 14 is at a high temperature. In other words, the removal operation can be performed without waiting for the oil adhering to the filtering member 14 to become low temperature. Therefore, a quicker detaching operation is possible.

  Then, after removing the filter member 14 and other replacement members, the new filter member 14 and other replacement members are attached to the oil filter 10, and the cap 40 and the drain bolt 60 are mounted again, thereby completing the replacement operation. At this time, if the operator's hand is dirty with oil, these operations may be adversely affected. However, according to the present embodiment, since the operator's hand is not soiled, a new replacement member can be attached or the cap 40 or the like can be quickly attached. As a result, the whole replacement | exchange operation | work of a replacement member can be made quick.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by providing the drain pipe with the detaching slit and using the detaching slit, the filtering member can be removed without contaminating the operator's hand. Thereby, not only the operator's discomfort can be reduced, but also the entire replacement operation can be performed quickly. Further, since the filter member is not directly touched by hand, the removal work can be performed without waiting for the oil attached to the filter member to become low temperature. Therefore, a quicker detaching operation is possible.

  Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the discharge portion 84 of the drain pipe 80 according to another embodiment, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG.

  The drain pipe 80 is a particularly useful drain pipe 80 when exchanging the O-rings 34 and 44 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) attached in close contact with the casing member such as the case 16 and the cap 40. is there. That is, seal members such as an O-ring 34 provided between the case 16 and the cap 40 and an O-ring 44 provided between the cap 40 and the drain bolt 60 are important for preventing oil leakage. Play a role. Therefore, when the O-rings 34 and 44 deteriorate, they must be replaced with new ones as appropriate. When exchanging the O-ring, a drain pipe 80 described below is particularly useful.

  Since the configuration of the 80 insertion portion (tip portion) and the flange portion of the drain pipe according to the present embodiment is the same as that described above, the description thereof is omitted. On the other hand, a rod-like member 92 is formed at the discharge portion 84 of the drain pipe 80 in place of the separation slit.

  The rod-shaped member 92 is projected from the lower end of the drain pipe 80. Usually, the casing member that is the case 16 and the cap 40 of the oil filter 10 is formed of a metal such as aluminum or steel. However, the rod-shaped member 92 is formed of a material having a hardness lower than that of the casing member. The In the present embodiment, the rod-shaped member 92 is formed of a material such as a resin like the drain pipe 80.

  Further, the tip of the rod-shaped member 92 is gradually narrowed and thin. This is for facilitating insertion between the O-rings 34 and 44 and a casing member such as the cap 40 that is in close contact as will be described later. Moreover, R is attached to the edge part of the front-end | tip part of a rod-shaped member (refer FIG.6 (B)).

  Next, a flow when the O-rings 34 and 44 are replaced with the drain pipe 80 will be described. When replacing the O-rings 34 and 44, the oil inside the oil filter 10 is discharged in advance. Since this discharging procedure is the same as described above, the description thereof is omitted here.

  And if oil is discharged, drain bolt 60 and cap 40 will be removed suitably, and O rings 34 and 44 will be exposed. Then, the O-rings 34 and 44 attached in close contact with the casing member such as the cap 40 are removed.

  The removal of the O-rings 34 and 44 has been conventionally performed with a worker's hand or a tool having a thin flat portion such as a flat-blade screwdriver. That is, when removing by hand, a part of the O-ring is hooked with an operator's claw or the like and removed. Further, when a tool is used, a thin part of the tool is inserted between the O-ring and the casing member, and the O-ring is squeezed.

  However, when the removal operation is performed by the operator's hand, the oil adheres to the operator's hand, causing discomfort to the operator, and adversely affecting the entire replacement operation. When a tool such as a flat-blade screwdriver is used, the operator's hand is not soiled. However, since it is not a tool for removing the O-ring in the first place, there are the following problems. Usually, a tool such as a flat-blade screwdriver is formed of a relatively hard material such as steel. When the casing member is rubbed with such a high hardness material, the casing member or the like is damaged. This damage lowers the sealing performance of preventing oil leakage, and consequently reduces the performance of the oil filter 10. Moreover, using another tool (such as a flat-blade screwdriver) for the O-ring removal work complicates the entire work.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a rod-like member 92 is provided at the lower end of the drain pipe 80 as a detaching means for detaching the O-rings 34 and 44 from the oil filter. That is, when the O-rings 34 and 44 provided in close contact with the casing member such as the cap 40 are removed, the rod-shaped member 92 is inserted between the O-rings 34 and 44 and the casing member. Then, by tilting the drain pipe 80 in that state, that is, by tilting the rod-shaped member 92, the O-rings 34 and 44 are picked up.

  Here, the rod-shaped member 92 is formed of a material having a hardness lower than that of the housing member. Therefore, even if the casing member is rubbed with the rod-shaped member 92, it will not be damaged. In addition, since the edge portion of the rod-shaped member 92 is provided with R, scratches can be prevented more reliably.

  Further, since the tip end portion of the rod-shaped member 92 is formed to be gradually thin and narrow, it can be easily inserted between the O-rings 34 and 44 and the casing member. Therefore, the O-rings 34 and 44 can be removed more quickly. Moreover, since it can be removed without directly touching the O-rings 34 and 44 by hand, the operator's hand is not soiled. Therefore, quick replacement work can be performed without causing discomfort to the worker or adversely affecting the replacement work. Further, it is not necessary to prepare a new tool for removal, and the work can be simplified.

  Then, after the O-rings 34 and 44 are removed, a new O-ring is mounted, and the cap 40 and the drain bolt 60 are mounted again to complete the replacement work.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the O-rings 34 and 44 can be easily removed without damaging the casing members themselves such as the cap 40 and the case 16. In addition, the operator's hand is not soiled with oil, and quick replacement work is possible.

  In the present embodiment, the end of the rod-shaped member 92 is gradually narrowed and thinned. However, other shapes may be used as long as the rod-shaped member 92 can be inserted between the O-rings 34 and 44 and the housing member. . Further, the rod-shaped member 92 is provided with R. However, as long as the rod-like member 92 is formed of a material having a low hardness so as not to damage the casing member, the R may not be provided.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the separation slit 90 is not provided, but both the rod-shaped member 92 and the separation slit 90 may be provided at the same time. By providing both of these, replacement work of a replacement member (such as a filtration member or an O-ring) can be performed more efficiently. That is, normally, when the filter member 14 is replaced, the O-rings 34 and 44 are also replaced. Therefore, the separation slit 90 and the rod-shaped member 92 that are particularly useful for the replacement of the filter member 14 and the replacement of the O-rings 34 and 44 are provided. , More efficient replacement work becomes possible.

It is sectional drawing of the whole oil filter suitable for the drain pipe which is embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of a filtration member. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 1. It is a partially expanded view in the state which inserted the drain pipe into the drain hole. It is a perspective view when removing a filtration member with a drain pipe. (A) is a perspective view of the drain pipe which is other embodiment, (B) is XX sectional drawing in (A).

Explanation of symbols

  10 Oil filter, 12 Body part, 14a Folding part, 14 Filtration member, 16 Case, 34, 44 O-ring, 40 Cap, 50 Drain hole, 60 Drain bolt, 70 Valve member, 78 Elastic body, 80 Drain pipe, 82 Insertion Part, 83 flange part, 84 discharge part, 86 slit for passage, 90 slit for separation, 92 bar-shaped member.

Claims (9)

A drain pipe that can be inserted into and removed from a drain hole provided in a fluid filter including one or more exchangeable exchange members, and is closed by being inserted into the drain hole. In the drain pipe that contacts the valve member and displaces the valve member in the direction of releasing the closure, and discharges the fluid inside the fluid filter to the outside.
The drain pipe is provided at a lower end portion and has a detaching means for detaching the exchange member from the fluid filter. The drain pipe according to claim 1, wherein
The replacement member includes a filtering member that is attached to the inside of the fluid filter and filters and purifies contaminated fluid.
The drain pipe is made of an elastic material having elasticity,
The drain pipe is a slit formed in a lower end portion of the drain pipe, and is a slit that sandwiches a part of the filtering member by elastic deformation. The drain pipe according to claim 2, wherein
The filter member is a chrysanthemum type filter member having a plurality of folds arranged radially,
The drain pipe is characterized in that the slit sandwiches the fold portion. The drain pipe according to claim 3, wherein
The slit is at least
A wide part wider than the fold part,
A narrow portion connected to the wide portion and narrower than the fold portion; and
A minimal width portion connected to the narrow portion, which facilitates elastic deformation in the wide portion and the narrow portion;
A drain pipe characterized by comprising: A drain pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The replacement member is a seal member that seals the inside and the outside of the fluid filter, and includes a seal member that is attached in close contact with a housing member of the fluid filter,
The detaching means is a rod-like member projecting from the fluid discharge side tip of the drain pipe, and the tip is a rod-like member that can be inserted between the seal member and the housing member. Drain pipe. A drain pipe according to claim 5,
The drain pipe is characterized in that the rod-shaped member is made of a material having a hardness lower than that of the casing member. A drain pipe according to claim 5 or 6,
A drain pipe having a shape in which a tip of the rod-shaped member is gradually thinned. The drain pipe according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
The drain pipe according to claim 1, wherein the end of the rod-like member has a shape that gradually decreases in width. A drain pipe according to any one of claims 5 to 8,
A drain pipe characterized in that an R is attached to the edge of the tip of the rod-shaped member.

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