JP2009274002A - Desiccant inspection structure of air dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide desiccant inspection structure of an air dryer which enables a deteriorated state of a desiccant to be easily confirmed without disassembling the air dryer. <P>SOLUTION: The desiccant inspection structure includes a containing pipe 18 of aeration structure erected with a thin and long cylindrical shape at the center of a drying cylinder 6 of the air dryer 1; a transparent inspection vessel 19 of aeration structure of a bottomed cylinder insertable into the containing pipe 18; an insertion port 20 provided at the top of a cover 9 surrounding the drying cylinder 6 so as to allow the inspection vessel 19 to be inserted and drawn out therethrough; and a mounting bolt 21 screwed to an inner periphery of the insertion port 20 and connected to the upper part of the inspection vessel 19 so as to air-tightly close the insertion port 20, when inserting the inspection vessel 19 into the containing pipe 18 through the insertion port 20. The same desiccant 5 as the desiccant 5 around the containing pipe 18 is contained in the inspection vessel 19, and dehumidifying object air is allowed to pass in the same environment as around the containing pipe 18. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a desiccant check structure for an air dryer applicable to an air storage device provided for the purpose of securing a brake pressure source or the like in a vehicle or the like.

  Generally, in a vehicle such as a truck, a compressor that compresses air, an air dryer that dehumidifies compressed air supplied from the compressor, and an air tank that stores the compressed air dehumidified from the air dryer via a check valve. An air storage device provided is mounted mainly for securing a brake pressure source and the like.

  In this type of air dryer, the compressed air introduced from the compressor is passed through a drying cylinder filled with a desiccant, and the desiccant in the drying cylinder deteriorates with time. In accordance with the progress of the deterioration of the desiccant, it is necessary to replace it with a new one before the dehumidifying performance is largely lost.

  Conventionally, in order to confirm the deterioration state of the desiccant in the air dryer, after removing the outer cover surrounding the drying cylinder, further removing the drying cylinder and transferring the internal desiccant to another tray, etc. Is checked visually to check the deterioration state of the desiccant.

  That is, since the desiccant of the air dryer changes color as the deterioration state progresses, whether or not the desiccant should be replaced by checking visually the extent of the discoloration and whether or not the discoloration area extends over the entire area. Can be judged.

  In addition, in the type in which the drying cylinder and the cover are integrally configured as a cartridge, since the cartridge portion cannot be disassembled, the desiccant cannot be taken out and checked visually, and it is constant. The cartridge is replaced with a new cartridge at the end of the service period.

In addition, as prior art document information related to the technique for checking the desiccant of this type of air dryer, there is the following Patent Document 1 by the same applicant as the present invention.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-128422

  However, the method of removing the outer cover and the drying cylinder, transferring the desiccant inside the drying cylinder to another tray, etc., and confirming it visually is very troublesome in its work. There is a problem, and in the method of replacing the cartridge as a whole, those that can still be used (those that have not yet deteriorated even after a certain period of use due to the use condition of the air dryer) are disposed of There is a problem in terms of cost.

  In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, transparent windows are provided on both the outer cover and the drying cylinder, and without removing these covers and drying cylinders, the inside of the transparent window is looked into to confirm the deterioration state of the desiccant. However, since the transparent window is made of glass or the like, there is a problem that the transparent window is easily damaged by a stepping stone from the road surface during traveling.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air dryer desiccant inspection structure in which the deterioration state of the desiccant can be easily confirmed without disassembling the air dryer.

  The present invention provides a storage tube having a ventilation structure standing in an elongated cylindrical shape at the center of a drying cylinder of an air dryer, and a transparent ventilation structure having a bottomed cylindrical shape that can be inserted into the storage tube. The inspection container, an insertion port provided so that the inspection container can be inserted into and removed from the top of the cover surrounding the drying cylinder, and the inspection container is screwed into the inner peripheral surface of the insertion port when the inspection container is inserted into the receiving tube through the insertion port. Mounting bolts connected to the upper part of the inspection container so that the insertion port can be airtightly closed, and the same desiccant as the desiccant around the accommodation tube is accommodated in the inspection container and the same environment as the circumference of the accommodation tube Thus, the air to be dehumidified can be ventilated.

  In this way, since the desiccant in the inspection container is exposed to an environment that is not different from the desiccant around the containing tube, the deterioration proceeds in the same way. When the inspection container is pulled out from the insertion port together with the mounting bolt, the deterioration state of the desiccant can be confirmed by visually observing the internal desiccant seen through the inspection container.

  At this time, if the deterioration state of the desiccant is not particularly advanced, the inspection container is inserted as it is from the insertion port at the top of the cover and accommodated in the accommodation tube, and the mounting bolt is tightened into the insertion port and screwed together. The insertion port may be hermetically closed and the inspection container may be stably housed in the housing tube.

  Further, in the present invention, it is preferable to dispose a spring seat with a ventilation structure on the top surface of the desiccant in the housing tube, and to insert a compression spring between the spring seat and the mounting bolt. Even when vibration or impact is applied, the desiccant in the inspection container can be stably compressed and held.

  According to the air dryer desiccant check structure of the present invention described above, the following various excellent effects can be obtained.

  (I) According to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, the desiccant is deteriorated without disassembling the air dryer by loosening the mounting bolt at the time of inspection and extracting the inspection container from the insertion port together with the mounting bolt. The state can be easily confirmed, the labor for inspection can be greatly reduced, and the cost can be reduced by exchanging only those whose deterioration has surely progressed without waste.

  (II) According to the invention described in claim 2 of the present invention, since the desiccant in the inspection container can be stably compressed and held even if vibration or impact is applied, the deterioration proceeds quickly in the inspection container. The lower region desiccant that mixes with the upper region desiccant that progresses with delay, making it difficult to confirm the deterioration state, or the desiccant is biased and does not have sufficient contact frequency with the desiccant. It is possible to prevent the possibility that the air to be dehumidified will escape.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of an embodiment of the present invention. In an air dryer 1 illustrated here, an intake port 2 into which compressed air from a compressor is introduced, and dehumidified compressed air is sent to an air tank. A drying cylinder 6 filled with a desiccant 5 for dehumidifying compressed air is mounted on a base 4 provided with an exhaust port 3 that is connected to a base plate 7 so that the inside of the drying cylinder 6 communicates with the intake port 2. The cover 9 is attached to the upper side of the base 4 so as to surround the drying cylinder 6 and to communicate the internal space 8 with the exhaust port 3.

  Here, the drying cylinder 6 is a bottomed cylinder with an open upper end, and the lower end of the drying cylinder 6 is bolted to the base plate 7, and the base plate 7 is fixed to the base 4 at the lower end of the cover 9. The bolt is fastened together with the part.

  The bottom plate 10 of the drying cylinder 6 is formed with a through hole 11 for guiding the compressed air introduced into the intake port 2 of the base 4 to the inside of the drying cylinder 6. The desiccant 5 is filled on the bottom plate 10 through the porous plate 12 and the filter plate 13.

  Further, a filter plate 14 and a porous spring sheet 15 are sequentially stacked on the upper surface of the layer of the desiccant 5, and are interposed between a lid body 16 attached to the upper end of the drying cylinder 6 and the spring sheet 15. The layer of the desiccant 5 is compressed and held in the drying cylinder 6 by the compression spring 17.

  The lid 16 attached to the upper end of the drying cylinder 6 is provided with a check valve (not shown) so that the compressed air flows from the inside of the drying cylinder 6 toward the internal space 8 of the cover 9. It is supposed to be made.

  As a result, the compressed air supplied from the compressor is introduced from the intake port 2 of the base 4 and dried from the through hole 11 of the bottom plate 10 of the drying cylinder 6 through the introduction path (not shown) in the base 4. It flows into the cylinder 6, enters the layer of the desiccant 5 through the porous plate 12 and the filter plate 13, and is dehumidified while rising in the layer of the desiccant 5, and passes through the filter plate 14 and the porous spring sheet 15. The base plate 4 flows out from the check valve (not shown) of the lid 16 into the internal space 8 of the cover 9 and passes through the lower end of the base plate 7 and the discharge path (not shown) drilled in the base 4. From the exhaust port 3 to the air tank.

  The above is substantially the same outline as the existing air dryer 1, but in this embodiment, a storage tube 18 of a ventilation structure having an elongated cylindrical shape is erected in the center of the drying cylinder 6 of the air dryer 1, The upper end portion of the housing tube 18 extends through the filter plate 14 and the porous spring seat 15 to near the lower surface of the lid body 16.

  A transparent inspection container 19 having a ventilation structure in the shape of a test tube (bottomed cylindrical shape) is accommodated in the accommodation tube 18. The same desiccant 5 as the surrounding desiccant 5 is accommodated, and the compressed air flows from the through-hole 11 of the bottom plate 10 of the drying cylinder 6 in the same environment as the circumference of the accommodating tube 18 so as to vent upward. It is.

  The upper end portion of the inspection container 19 slidably penetrates the lid body 16 of the drying cylinder 6 and protrudes upward from the lid body 16, and the lower end of the mounting bolt 21 threaded through the top portion of the cover 9. The O-ring 22 is externally fitted to the portion so that the inspection container 19 does not fall off.

  In addition, the mounting bolt 21 is hermetically sealed by screwing an insertion port 20 opened so that the inspection container 19 can be inserted into and removed from the top of the cover 9 into a female screw portion on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion port 20. In the example shown here, an O-ring 24 is interposed between the lower surface of the outer periphery of the bolt head 23 of the mounting bolt 21 and the upper surface of the inner periphery of the insertion port 20. , To prevent the leakage of compressed air and the entry of foreign matter and water from the outside.

  Further, a porous spring seat 25 is disposed on the upper surface of the desiccant 5 in the housing tube 18, and a compression spring 26 is interposed between the spring seat 25 and the mounting bolt 21. The compression spring 26 compresses and holds the layer of the desiccant 5 in the inspection container 19.

  Thus, in this way, the desiccant 5 in the inspection container 19 is also exposed to an environment that is not different from the desiccant 5 around the containing tube 18, and the deterioration proceeds in the same manner. When the inspection bolt 19 is loosened at the time of inspection and the inspection container 19 is pulled out from the insertion port 20 together with the attachment bolt 21, the deterioration of the desiccant 5 is observed by visually observing the internal desiccant 5 seen through the inspection container 19. The state can be confirmed.

  At this time, if the deterioration state of the desiccant 5 is not particularly advanced, the inspection container 19 is inserted as it is from the insertion port 20 at the top of the cover 9 and accommodated in the accommodation tube 18, and the mounting bolt 21 is tightened to the insertion port 20. The insertion port 20 may be hermetically closed by inserting and screwing, and the inspection container 19 may be stably accommodated in the accommodation tube 18.

  Therefore, according to the above-mentioned embodiment, the deterioration of the desiccant 5 can be achieved without disassembling the air dryer 1 by loosening the mounting bolt 21 during inspection and pulling out the inspection container 19 from the insertion port 20 together with the mounting bolt 21. It is possible to check easily, and it is possible to greatly reduce the labor for inspection and to reduce costs by exchanging only those whose deterioration has surely progressed without waste.

  In this embodiment, a porous spring seat 25 is disposed on the upper surface of the desiccant 5 in the housing tube 18, and a compression spring 26 is interposed between the spring seat 25 and the mounting bolt 21. Even when vibration or impact is applied, the desiccant 5 in the inspection container 19 can be stably compressed and held, and the desiccant 5 in the lower region where deterioration progresses quickly in the inspection container 19, and the deterioration proceeds with a delay. It is difficult to confirm the deterioration state due to mixing with the desiccant 5 in the upper region, or the desiccant 5 is biased and the compressed air may escape without having sufficient contact frequency with the desiccant 5 This can be prevented beforehand.

  FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the drying cylinder 6 and the cover 9 are applied to an air dryer 1 configured as an integral cartridge. In the air dryer 1, the cover 9 and the base plate 7 are integrally configured with the drying cylinder 6 accommodated therein, and the entire upper structure composed of the cover 9, the base plate 7 and the drying cylinder 6 is formed at the center of the upper portion of the base 4. Since the screw shaft 27 is screwed and fixed, when the desiccant 5 is replaced, the entire upper structure is removed from the screw shaft 27 of the base 4 and replaced.

  Thus, in the case of the type of air dryer 1 in which the drying cylinder 6 and the cover 9 are configured as an integral cartridge, the cartridge portion cannot be disassembled. However, it could only be replaced with a new cartridge after a certain period of use had passed, but if the configuration of the present invention was adopted as in FIG. The deterioration state of the desiccant 5 can be easily confirmed by loosening the bolt 21 and pulling out the inspection container 19 from the insertion port 20 together with the mounting bolt 21, so that only the deterioration has surely progressed. It is possible to reduce costs by exchanging them without waste.

  In addition, the desiccant inspection structure of the air dryer of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the form which implements this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows another example of a form of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air dryer 5 Desiccant 6 Drying cylinder 9 Cover 18 Storage pipe 19 Inspection container 20 Insertion port 21 Mounting bolt 25 Spring seat 26 Compression spring

Claims (2)

  A vent structure containing pipe standing upright in the middle of the drying cylinder of the air dryer, and a transparent inspection container having a bottomed cylindrical shape that can be inserted into the pipe; An insertion port provided so that the inspection container can be inserted into and removed from the top of the cover surrounding the drying cylinder, and when the inspection container is inserted into the receiving tube through the insertion port, the insertion hole is screwed into the inner peripheral surface of the insertion port. A mounting bolt connected to the upper part of the inspection container so that the mouth can be airtightly closed. The same desiccant as the desiccant around the accommodation pipe is contained in the inspection container, and the air to be dehumidified in the same environment as the circumference of the accommodation pipe A structure for checking the desiccant of an air dryer, characterized in that the air can be ventilated.   2. The desiccant inspection structure for an air dryer according to claim 1, wherein a spring seat having a ventilation structure is disposed on the upper surface of the desiccant in the housing tube, and a compression spring is interposed between the spring seat and the mounting bolt. .

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