JP2008133925A - Structure for preventing liquid-leakage in vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a simple structure for preventing liquid-leakage in a vehicle by which liquid can be prevented from leaking to the outside of a reservoir, and further a low parts-count and a reduced man-hour for assembly can be achieved. <P>SOLUTION: When a vehicle provided with the reservoir having a chamber for liquid such as oil has turned over on its side, liquid in the reservoir is prevented from leaking to the outside. The structure for preventing liquid-leakage includes a breather-hose which is provided with a gas-passage in the inside. One end of the gas-passage is opened to the liquid chamber to provide a vent-opening. The other end thereof is opened to the outside of the reservoir to provide a discharge port. The breather-hose is positioned in the upper part of the liquid chamber, and has an extension extended laterally of the vehicle. Thus, in the case of turnover of the vehicle right or left on its side, the liquid is prevented from leaking through the breather hose to the outside. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle liquid leakage prevention structure that prevents liquid in a container from leaking to the outside when a vehicle including a container containing a liquid such as oil rolls over.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as containers of this type that contain liquids such as oil, those that contain liquids such as fuel and lubricating oil such as fuel tanks, transaxle cases, engine crankcases, and transmission cases are known. Such a conventional container is hermetically sealed with an oil seal or the like so that liquid such as fuel and lubricating oil stored therein does not leak to the outside. When the container is sealed in this way, when the temperature in the container rises, the internal air expands, the internal pressure increases, and the pressure difference with the outside may increase. When the pressure difference increases, a gap is generated between the oil seal and the container, and the liquid may leak from the gap. In order to prevent such leakage, the container is usually provided with a leakage prevention structure. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a breather 25 having a communication path that communicates the liquid chamber 24 of the container 23 with the outside air is provided above the container 23 that contains a lubricating oil 22 that lubricates a transaxle connected to the engine 21. Provided, the air in the container 23 is discharged from the breather 25 to reduce the pressure difference between the internal pressure and the atmospheric pressure, and the lubricating oil 22 leaks so that there is no gap between the oil seal (not shown) and the container 23. It is preventing. Since this breather 25 is provided in the upper part of the container 23, the lubricating oil 22 scattered in the liquid chamber 24 is prevented from leaking from the breather 25 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Further, as a conventional vehicle liquid leakage prevention structure, a fuel tank provided with a liquid cutoff valve device to prevent fuel leakage is known. This liquid shut-off valve device includes a float valve that moves up and down as the fuel level rises and lowers, and a relief valve that opens when the pressure in the fuel tank increases. The liquid level of the fuel in the fuel tank When the air pressure is low and the amount of air is large, the float valve is opened, and when the internal pressure exceeds the set pressure, the relief valve is further opened to reduce the pressure difference between the internal pressure and the atmospheric pressure to shut off the liquid. The valve device is prevented from being damaged, and when the vehicle rolls over, the float valve and the relief valve are closed so that fuel does not leak (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2005-61617 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-266918

  However, in the vehicle leakage prevention structure provided with the conventional breather as described above, there is a problem that the lubricating oil 22 leaks from the communication path of the breather 25 when the vehicle rolls over. Moreover, in the vehicle leakage prevention structure provided with the liquid shut-off valve device, the fuel is not leaked to the outside when the vehicle rolls over, but the structure is complicated because it is composed of a float valve and a relief valve. Therefore, there is a problem that the number of parts is large, the number of assembling steps is increased, and the cost is increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned unsolved problems of the prior art. Even when the vehicle rolls over, liquid can be reliably prevented from leaking outside from the container, and the structure is simple and the parts An object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost vehicle liquid leakage prevention structure that can reduce the number of points and the number of assembly steps.

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle liquid leakage prevention structure of the present invention (1) when a vehicle including a container having a liquid chamber containing a liquid such as oil rolls over, the liquid in the container leaks to the outside. In the vehicle liquid leakage preventing structure, the gas passage includes an air opening that opens to the liquid chamber at one end, and a discharge opening that opens to the outside of the container at the other end. A breather hose is provided, and the breather hose has an extending portion that is located above the liquid chamber and extends in a lateral direction of the vehicle.
With the above configuration, even if the pressure of the air in the liquid chamber increases, the air passes from the vent opening to the liquid chamber at one end of the breather hose, from the outlet opening to the outside of the container at the other end through the gas passage. Since it is discharged to the outside, the pressure of the air in the liquid chamber does not increase. When the vehicle is in a normal posture, the air vent is located above the liquid level, so that the liquid does not leak outside from the air vent. On the other hand, when the vehicle rolls over, for example, when it rolls 90 degrees to the right, even if a part of the breather hose is immersed in the liquid in the liquid chamber, the vent opening that opens into the liquid chamber at one end of the breather hose Since the extending part is arranged so that the liquid is located above the liquid level, the liquid does not leak to the outside from the vent, and the leakage of the liquid contained in the container chamber to the outside is prevented. Is done. When the vehicle rolls over 90 degrees to the left, the breather hose is positioned above the liquid level even if the vent is immersed in the liquid in the liquid chamber. There is no leakage from the vent through the hose.

In the oil leakage prevention structure having the above configuration (1), (2) the extending portion may extend in the horizontal direction.
With the above configuration, since the extending portion is arranged to extend in the horizontal direction, for example, when the vehicle rolls over to the right by 90 degrees, the vent opening opened to the liquid chamber at one end of the breather hose When the extended part is not horizontally extended, for example, compared with the case where the extended part is extended in the liquid chamber direction, The distance from the liquid level becomes larger. As a result, the liquid does not leak to the outside from the vent, and the leakage of the liquid stored in the chamber of the container to the outside is more reliably prevented. Further, since the extending portion does not extend in the liquid chamber direction, the degree of freedom in design such as the gear arrangement in the transaxle case is not reduced.

Further, in the oil leakage prevention structure having the configuration of (1) or (2) above, (3) a protruding portion that protrudes outside the container is provided, and an outer end portion of the protruding portion is bent downward. The discharge port may be opened downward.
With the above configuration, the breather hose has a protruding portion that protrudes to the outside of the container, the outer end of the protruding portion is bent downward, and the discharge port is open downward. Even if dust or dust scatters, rainwater or dust can be prevented from entering the liquid chamber from the discharge port.

In the oil leakage prevention structure having the configuration of (1), (4) the container may be a transaxle case that houses the transmission and the differential.
With the above configuration, when the vehicle is in a normal posture, even if the air pressure in the transaxle case increases, air is discharged from the breather hose vent through the gas passage to the outside. The air pressure in the transaxle case will not increase. For example, when the vehicle rolls over 90 degrees to the right, even if a part of the breather hose is immersed in the lubricating oil in the transaxle case, the vent of the breather hose is closer to the oil level of the lubricating oil. Since the extending portion is disposed so as to be positioned above, the lubricating oil does not leak to the outside from the vent hole, and leakage of the lubricating oil accommodated in the transaxle case is prevented. When the vehicle rolls over 90 degrees to the left, the breather hose is positioned above the liquid level even if the vent is immersed in the liquid in the liquid chamber. There is no leakage from the vent through the hose.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a low-cost vehicle liquid leakage prevention structure that can reliably prevent liquid from leaking to the outside from a container, has a simple structure, and can reduce the number of parts and assembly steps. it can.

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

(First embodiment)
FIGS. 1-7 is a figure which shows the liquid leakage prevention structure of 1st Embodiment which applied the liquid leakage prevention structure of the vehicle based on this invention to the case of a transaxle.

First, the structure will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle liquid leakage prevention structure of the first embodiment includes a breather hose 1 and a case 2 of a liquid chamber 3 transaxle. The case 2 has a liquid chamber 3 that contains oil or the like.
As shown in FIG. 2, the breather hose 1 includes an extending portion 1a, a fixing portion 1b, and a protruding portion 1c. The extending portion 1a and the fixed portion 1b are formed in an L shape as a whole. The breather hose 1 has a gas passage 1d formed therein, and has a vent 1e that opens to the liquid chamber 3 at one end of the gas passage 1d, and a discharge port 1f that opens to the outside of the case 2 at the other end of the gas passage 1d. .

As shown in FIG. 2, the extending portion 1 a is represented by a length L ₁ from the axial center of the through-hole 2 a formed in the case 2 to the end portion where the vent 1 e of the breather hose 1 is opened. It constitutes part of the breather hose 1. The extending portion 1a is located above the liquid chamber 3, a lateral axial center vehicle through opening 2a, and extend a predetermined length L ₁ in the horizontal direction.
Extending portion 1a is disposed proximate the upper wall 2d of the liquid chamber 3 of the case 2 at an interval L _2, and are preferably formed in parallel to the wall surface 2d.
Extending portion 1a is close to the wall surface 2d of the upper liquid chamber 3 by a distance L _2, and when it is formed in parallel with the wall surface 2d, the liquid chamber 3 narrowed by extending portions 1a smaller the distance L ₂ As a result, the free space is minimized, and the degree of freedom of arrangement of the transmission gears in the case 2 is ensured. Therefore, it is preferred spacing L ₂ is as small as possible.
The length L ₁ of the extension portion 1a is preferably as long as possible. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the vehicle rolls over to the right by 90 degrees, it is preferable that the vent 1 e is formed from L ₃ that is sufficiently separated from the oil level 5. More L ₃ is large, when the vehicle rollover 90 degrees to the right, the lubricating oil 4 is less likely to leak to the outside from the vent 1e, the leakage of the lubricating oil 4 is prevented.
The length L ₁ of the extended portion 1a shown in FIG. 2, considering the arrangement of the vehicle when the roll 90 degrees to the right, such as transmission gears in the interval L ₃ and the case 2 from the oil level 5 to vent 1e However, the length is determined to be a length sufficient to prevent the lubricating oil 4 from leaking.

It is preferable that the inclination of the extending portion 1a in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is as small as possible as shown in FIG. For example, the inclination angle θ is preferably 0 to 45 degrees, and more preferably 0 to 20 degrees. If the inclination angle θ exceeds 45 degrees, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, an interval L ₃ from the oil level 5 to the vent 1 e when the vehicle rolls over to the right by 90 degrees becomes small. Since the vent 1e approaches the oil surface 5, there is a risk of leakage of the lubricating oil 4.
Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the extending portion 1 a is formed with a protruding portion 2 b that increases the thickness of a part of the upper side surface portion of the case 2 and protrudes in the direction of the liquid chamber 3. You may make it form the channel | path 1d. The gas passage 1d may be formed at the same time when the case 2 is formed by die casting or the like, or may be formed by post-processing.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, the extending part 1a may be formed integrally with the fixed part 1b, and the protruding part 1c may be formed separately from the extending part 1a and the fixed part 1b. For example, an L-shaped structure in which the extending portion 1a and the fixing portion 1b are formed of an aluminum pipe and bent in the middle may be used, or an integrated structure may be integrally formed of plastic by injection molding or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fixing portion 1 b is located between the extending portion 1 a and the projecting portion 1 c, and is inserted into the through-hole 2 a that is opened above the case 2. It is fixed to the case 2 and constitutes a part of the breather hose 1. When the fixing portion 1b is formed of an aluminum pipe or the like, the aluminum pipe may be welded to the through hole 2a of the case 2 by welding means such as argon welding so that the lubricating oil 4 does not leak and may be sealed. On the other hand, when the fixing portion 1b is formed of plastic, a plastic pipe may be bonded to the through-hole 2a of the case 2 using an adhesive so that the lubricating oil 4 does not leak and sealed.

The protruding portion 1c protrudes to the outside of the case 2, and the outer end portion is bent downward to open the discharge port 1f downward and constitutes a part of the breather hose 1. If the discharge port 1f is opened downward, even if rainwater, dust, or the like scatters from above the case 2, rainwater, dust, or the like is prevented from entering the liquid chamber 3 from the discharge port 1f.
The protruding portion 1c may be formed of the same material as the extending portion 1a and the fixing portion 1b, for example, an aluminum pipe, a plastic pipe, etc., and a material that is flexible and can maintain the protruding shape of the protruding portion, for example Alternatively, a rubber tube or a silicon tube may be used.
Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the protruding portion 1 c is formed separately from the extending portion 1 a and the fixing portion 1 b, and the end portion of the fixing portion 1 b in which one end portion of the protruding portion 1 c protrudes from the surface of the case 2. It may be formed by inserting into

  The gas passage 1d is formed inside the breather hose 1, and discharges air whose pressure has been increased in the liquid chamber 3 to the outside through the vent 1e and the discharge port 1f. In the gas passage 1d, the cross-sectional shape may be circular or other shapes. The inner diameter of the gas passage 1d is preferably 1 mm to 20 mm, although it depends on the size of the transaxle case 2 and the room temperature of the liquid chamber 3 and other conditions. If the inner diameter of the gas passage 1d is less than 1 mm, the air permeability may be reduced, and if it exceeds 20 mm, the space of the liquid chamber 3 is narrowed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transaxle case 2 is a transaxle case that is connected to the engine 6 of the vehicle 10 and accommodates a differential that drives the transmission and the front wheels 11. Arranged in place. The case 2 has a liquid chamber 3 that contains oil or the like.
When the vehicle 10 rolls over 90 degrees to the right, the engine 6 is on the lower side, and the transaxle case 2 is positioned on the upper side of the engine 6.
When the vehicle 10 rolls over 90 degrees to the left, the engine 6 is on the upper side, and the transaxle case 2 is positioned on the lower side of the engine 6.

The case 2 is made of a metal such as aluminum, and is formed by, for example, aluminum die casting. The case 2 accommodates therein a transmission gear that constitutes a transmission (not shown), a shaft that transmits the power of the engine 6, a gear group that constitutes a differential, an axle, and the like, and a lubricating oil 4 that lubricates these gears and bearings. Is housed.
The lubricating oil 4 is supplied to gears and bearings accommodated in the case 2 by a lubricating means such as a pump (not shown) or an oil-up lubrication method using a differential gear, and returns to the lower part of the case 2 after the supply. It is supposed to stay.
As shown in FIG. 2, the through-hole 2a for fixing the fixing part 1b of the breather hose 1 is formed above the case 2 and on the engine 6 side as described above. As described above, when the fixing portion 1b of the breather hose 1 is fixed to the through hole 2a, the lubricating oil 4 is sealed so as not to leak from the through hole 2a.

The operation of the first embodiment will be described below.
Since the breather hose 1 is provided in the case 2, even if the temperature of the lubricating oil 4 in the case 2 is increased and the pressure of the air in the liquid chamber 3 is increased, the increased pressure of air is liquid at one end of the breather hose. From the vent 1e opened to the chamber 3, it passes through the gas passage 1d and is discharged to the outside from the discharge port 1f opened to the outside of the case 2 at the other end. As a result, the pressure difference between the air pressure in the liquid chamber 3 and the external pressure decreases, and the lubricating oil 4 does not leak to the outside due to the increase in internal pressure.

When the vehicle 10 is in a normal posture, as shown in FIG. 2, the lubricating oil 4 in the case 2 stays in the lower portion, so that the lubricating oil 4 leaks to the outside from the through-hole 1 e of the breather hose 1. There is nothing. On the other hand, when the vehicle 10 rolls over 90 degrees to the right due to an accident, as shown in FIG. 4, the engine 6 becomes the lower side of the case 2 and the lubricating oil 4 stays above the engine 6 and below the case 2. To do. This retention was the oil level 5 and vent 1e of the lubricant 4 is spaced by a distance L _3, the lubricating oil 4 is not leaking to the outside from the vent 1e. Further, when the vehicle 10 rolls over 90 degrees to the left due to an accident, the engine 6 is on the upper side of the case 2 and the lubricating oil 4 stays below the engine 6 and below the case 2 as shown in FIG. . Although the vent 1e is immersed in the retained lubricating oil 4, the breather hose 1 discharge port 1f is located above the oil level 5, so that the lubricating oil 4 leaks from the vent 1e to the outside. There is no.

  As described above, in the vehicle liquid leakage prevention structure according to the present invention, the lubricating oil 4 leaks to the outside from the vent 1e even when the vehicle 10 is in a normal posture and rolls over to the left and right by 90 degrees. Is prevented.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a view showing a liquid leakage prevention structure of a second embodiment in which the vehicle liquid leakage prevention structure according to the present invention is applied to a transaxle case.

  In addition, this embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment in the configuration of the liquid leakage prevention structure, and the position for fixing the breather hose 1 to the case 2 is different from that in the first embodiment. It is. Therefore, each component will be described using the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, and particularly different from the first embodiment shown in FIGS. Will be described in detail.

First, the configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the vehicle liquid leakage prevention structure of the second embodiment is constituted by a breather hose 7 and a transaxle case 2 as in the first embodiment. The
As shown in FIG. 8, the breather hose 7 includes an extending portion 1a, a fixing portion 1b, a protruding portion 1c, a gas passage 1d formed inside, and a gas passage 1d as in the first embodiment. The vent 1e opened to the liquid chamber 3 at one end thereof, and the discharge port 1f opened to the outside of the case 2 at the other end of the gas passage 1d.

  In 2nd Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the through-hole 2c provided in case 2 differs in the arrangement | positioning from the through-hole 2a provided in case 2 in 1st Embodiment. Further, the extending direction of the extending portion 1a is opposite to the engine 6 in the first embodiment, but in the second embodiment, the extending direction of the extending portion 1a is The difference is the direction of the engine 6. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment except for the above two locations.

  The operation of the second embodiment is also substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. That is, since the breather hose 7 is provided in the case 2, even if the temperature of the lubricating oil 4 in the case 2 is increased and the pressure of the air in the liquid chamber 3 is increased, the increased pressure of the air is one end of the breather hose. Then, from the vent 1e opened to the liquid chamber 3, it passes through the gas passage 1d and is discharged to the outside from the discharge port 1f opened to the outside of the case 2 at the other end. As a result, the pressure difference between the air pressure in the liquid chamber 3 and the external pressure decreases, and the lubricating oil 4 does not leak to the outside due to the increase in internal pressure.

  When the vehicle 10 is in a normal posture, as shown in FIG. 8, the lubricating oil 4 in the case 2 stays in the lower portion, so that the lubricating oil 4 leaks to the outside from the through-hole 1 e of the breather hose 7. There is nothing. On the other hand, when the vehicle 10 rolls over 90 degrees to the right due to an accident, the engine 6 becomes the lower side of the case 2, and the lubricating oil 4 stays above the engine 6 and below the case 2. Although the vent 1e is immersed in the retained lubricating oil 4, the discharge port 1f of the breather hose 7 is located above the oil level 5 of the retained lubricating oil 4, so that the lubricating oil 4 is in the vent 1e. Will not leak to the outside. When the vehicle 10 rolls over to the left by 90 degrees due to an accident, the engine 6 is on the upper side of the case 2, and the lubricating oil 4 stays below the engine 6 and below the case 2. Since the oil level 5 of the retained lubricating oil 4 and the vent 1e are separated from each other, the lubricating oil 4 does not leak to the outside from the vent 1e.

  Thus, in the second embodiment, the vehicle leakage preventing structure of the present invention allows the lubricating oil 4 to be ventilated not only when the vehicle 10 is in a normal posture but also when the vehicle 10 rolls over to the left and right. Leakage from the mouth 1e is prevented.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, a container having a liquid chamber containing a liquid such as oil is a transaxle case. However, other cases such as a fuel tank, an engine crankcase, It may be a transmission case. Furthermore, the breather hose referred to in the present invention does not need to be composed of a single material or part, and may be composed by joining or assembling a plurality of different materials or a plurality of different parts.

  As described above, the present invention can reliably prevent liquid from leaking from the container to the outside even when the vehicle rolls over, has a simple structure, and can reduce the number of parts and assembly man-hours. It has the effect of providing a vehicle leakage prevention structure, and is useful for all leakage prevention structures such as fuel injection tanks, transaxle cases, engine crankcases, and transmission cases mounted on vehicles. is there.

It is the top view which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship between the case of the transaxle which has the liquid leakage prevention structure of the vehicle which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a vehicle. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a transaxle case having a vehicle leakage preventing structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the top view which showed a part of part seen from the A direction of the transaxle which has the liquid leakage prevention structure of the vehicle which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the case of a transaxle when the vehicle which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention rolls over 90 degree | times to the right. It is sectional drawing of the case of a transaxle when the vehicle which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention rolls over 90 degree | times to the left. It is sectional drawing of the case of the transaxle which formed the extension part in the liquid leakage prevention structure of the vehicle which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention in a part of case. It is an expanded sectional view of the fixed part of the breather hose in the liquid leakage prevention structure for vehicles concerning the 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the case of the transaxle which has the liquid leakage prevention structure of the vehicle which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the case of the transaxle which has the conventional liquid leakage prevention structure of a vehicle.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Breather hose 1a Extension part 1b Fixed part 1c Projection part 1d Gas passage 1e Vent 1f Exhaust 2 Case (container)
2a Through port 2b Projection 2c Through port 2d Wall surface 3 Liquid chamber 4 Lubricating oil (liquid)
5 Oil Level 6 Engine 7 Breather Hose 10 Vehicle 11 Front Wheel 21 Engine 22 Lubricating Oil 23 Container 24 Liquid Chamber 25 Breather

Claims (4)

In the vehicle liquid leakage prevention structure that prevents the liquid in the container from leaking to the outside when the vehicle including a container having a liquid chamber containing a liquid such as oil rolls over,
A breather hose having a gas passage inside, the gas passage having a vent opening at one end thereof to the liquid chamber, and a discharge opening opening to the outside of the container at the other end;
The vehicle leak preventing structure according to claim 1, wherein the breather hose has an extending portion that is located above the liquid chamber and extends in a lateral direction of the vehicle.   2. The vehicle oil leakage preventing structure according to claim 1, wherein the extending portion extends in a horizontal direction.   3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a projecting portion projecting outside the container, wherein an outer end portion of the projecting portion is bent downward to open the discharge port downward. The vehicle oil leakage prevention structure as described.   2. The vehicle oil leakage prevention structure according to claim 1, wherein the container includes a transaxle case that houses a transmission and a differential. 3.

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