JP2022123726A - Reserve tank attachment structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a reserve tank attachment structure which allows a worker to fix an invisible position, and can facilitate attachment to a correct position by work from a visible range.SOLUTION: A reserve tank attachment structure for attaching a reserve tank for holding a cooling liquid circulating in a radiator to a prescribed attachment position in a vehicle body comprises a guide part, a guided part, a positioned part, and a positioning part. The guide part guides the reserve tank up to the attachment position. The guided part is arranged in the reserve tank, and movable in a direction guided by the guide part. The positioned part is arranged in the reserve tank, and convexed or concaved along a moving direction of the reserve tank which is guided by the guide part. The positioning part is arranged in the vicinity of the attachment position, and has a shape which is fit to the positioned part when the reserve tank guided by the guide part arrives at the attachment position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a reserve tank mounting structure.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, parts around an engine of an automobile are often arranged in close contact with each other. Such a tendency regarding the arrangement of the reserve tank is conspicuous, for example, in the case of a bus-type vehicle. That is, in a bus-type vehicle, the opening through which the area around the engine is visible is located on the floor of the vehicle interior, and is considerably smaller than when the bonnet cover is opened in a passenger car. Limited internal exposure. The reserve tank is provided so that it can be accessed from the opening because it requires periodic replenishment of liquid and attachment and detachment of the tank for maintenance. However, since it is difficult to arrange the entire reserve tank so that it can be seen from the opening, it is often partially exposed to the extent that the above work is possible.

The reserve tank is attached to the radiator or a member in the vicinity thereof, but because of the restrictions as described above, a mounting structure for the attachment target (the radiator or a member in the vicinity thereof) is a problem. In other words, in order to firmly fix the whole to the mounting object, it is not enough to screw only the part visible from the opening, for example, the part not visible from the opening must also be fixed to the mounting object. not. In addition, it is difficult to accurately position the portion that is not visible through the opening at a predetermined position. Various proposals have been made for the mounting structure of the reserve tank, such as the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. Further improvement in workability is desired.

JP 2014-070539 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention provides a reserve tank mounting structure that enables a worker to fix the tank at a position that is not visible to the operator, and that can facilitate installation at the correct position by performing work from within the visible range. With the goal.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the reserve tank mounting structure of the present invention is for mounting a reserve tank holding coolant to be circulated to a radiator at a predetermined mounting position inside a vehicle body. A portion, a guided portion, a positioned portion, and a positioning portion. The guide portion guides the reserve tank to the mounting position. The guided portion is provided in the reserve tank and is movable in a direction guided by the guide portion. The positioned portion is provided in the reserve tank and protrudes or sinks along the movement direction of the reserve tank guided by the guide portion. The positioning portion is provided in the vicinity of the mounting position, and has a shape that fits into the positioned portion when the reserve tank guided by the guide portion reaches the mounting position.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a reserve tank mounting structure is provided that enables a worker to fix a position that cannot be visually recognized, and that can facilitate installation at a correct position by working from a visible range. be able to.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of a vehicle body provided with a reserve tank mounting structure according to an embodiment. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle body shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the service opening provided in the floor of the room and the fan shroud and the reserve tank seen from the service opening. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the schematic shape of the fan shroud. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the reserve tank mounted on the fan shroud, taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the reserve tank mounted on the fan shroud, taken along line BB in FIG.

An embodiment of a reserve tank mounting structure according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of a vehicle body 100 provided with the reserve tank mounting structure of the embodiment. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle body 100 shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

For the convenience of the following description, an orthogonal coordinate system composed of X, Y and Z axes is attached to the drawing. In the figure, the direction indicated by the arrow is the positive direction, and the opposite direction is the negative direction. The X-axis direction is the width direction of the vehicle body 100, and the positive direction is rightward and the negative direction is leftward. The Y-axis direction is the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 100, with the positive direction being forward and the negative direction being rearward. The Z-axis direction is the height direction of the vehicle body 100 .

In this embodiment, a reserve tank mounting structure will be described by taking a bus-type vehicle body 100 as an example. The vehicle body 100 includes an interior floor 101, a windshield 102, a steering wheel 103, wheels 104, a driver's seat 105, a two-person passenger seat 106, a one-person passenger seat 107, a front passenger seat 108, and the like.

Driver's seat 105 is provided at a position facing steering wheel 103 . A front passenger's seat 108 is provided adjacent to the driver's seat 105 across an aisle. The passenger seat 108 is also used as a passenger seat. A two-person seat 106 for passengers is provided behind the driver's seat 105 . A single passenger seat 107 is provided behind the front passenger seat 108 . The two-person seat 106 for passengers and the one-person seat 107 for guests are arranged side by side with an aisle interposed therebetween. Furthermore, a plurality of pairs of the two-person customer seats 106 and the one-person customer seats 107 arranged side by side are arranged and arranged in the front-rear direction.

The indoor floor 101 is provided with a service opening 109 . The service opening 109 is located between the driver's seat 105 and the front passenger's seat 108 and is normally closed by a lid forming part of the interior floor 101 . Service opening 109 provides a top-down view of the engine and a portion of its surroundings.

Here, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the service opening 109 provided in the indoor floor 101 and the fan shroud 200 and the reserve tank 300 seen from the service opening 109 . The fan shroud 200 accommodates a fan for sending air around the radiator to the rear of the vehicle body 100 .

The reserve tank 300 is a container for holding cooling liquid (cooling liquid) to be circulated in the radiator, and includes a lid 301 that closes an opening for replenishing the liquid, and a portion that cannot be seen from the service opening 109 . A positioning pin 302 is provided for accurate positioning. The positioning pin 302 of this embodiment protrudes in the positive direction of the Y-axis.

4 is a perspective view showing an example of the schematic shape of the fan shroud 200. As shown in FIG. It should be noted that the fan shroud 200 shown in FIG. 4 is an appearance seen from the rear side. The fan shroud 200 is a member that surrounds the outer circumference of the fan that is arranged behind the radiator, and the radiator is attached to the front side of the fan shroud 200 (the back side in FIG. 4).

The fan shroud 200 has a positioning hole 202 on the front side of the top surface 201 (the back side in FIG. 4) and a tank mounting seat 203 on the back side of the top surface 201 (the front side in FIG. 4). The tank mounting seat 203 supports the reserve tank 300, and the bottom surface of the reserve tank 300 is fixed by screwing.

The positioning hole 202 is a member having a through hole extending in the Y-axis direction, and has a shape to fit the positioning pin 302 of the reserve tank 300 . Here, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the reserve tank 300 mounted on the fan shroud 200, showing a state cut along the line AA in FIG. A positioning pin 302 of a reserve tank 300 that moves in the Y-axis direction is inserted into the positioning hole 202 . The positioning hole 202 may be formed integrally with the fan shroud 200 or separately.

Returning to FIG. 4, the fan shroud 200 has a rib member 210 on at least a portion of the upper surface 201 and at and around a position where the reserve tank 300 is attached. Rib member 210 faces the bottom surface of reserve tank 300 and supports reserve tank 300 with its top portion.

In addition, the rib member 210 of this embodiment is formed in a lattice shape. The rib member 210 functions as a reinforcement for the fan shroud 200 and as a catcher when part of the coolant replenishing the reserve tank 300 is spilled.

Two of the rib members 210 are formed higher than the others and function as a pair of rail-shaped guide portions 211 and 212 . Guide portions 211 and 212 guide reserve tank 300 to a predetermined mounting position. Here, the predetermined mounting position is provided inside the vehicle body 100, and in this embodiment, it is provided on the fan shroud 200, which is a member near the radiator. The guide portions 211 and 212 are substantially parallel to the YZ plane, for example, guide the bottom surface of the reserve tank 300 in the Y-axis direction, and restrict movement in the X-axis direction.

The fan shroud 200 is provided with a plurality of mounting tabs 204 formed with holes for receiving screws for fixing to the radiator on the back side in FIG. 4 (the front side of the vehicle body 100). ), has an exhaust hole 205 .

Here, the positioning pin 302 of this embodiment is an example of a portion to be positioned. That is, it has a shape protruding along the moving direction of the reserve tank 300 provided in the reserve tank 300 and guided by the guide portions 211 and 212 . In practice, the shape of the positioned portion is not limited to that of the present embodiment. It may have a curved shape (for example, a depression).

On the other hand, the positioning hole 202 of this embodiment is an example of a positioning portion. That is, when the reserve tank 300, which is provided near the mounting position of the reserve tank 300 in the fan shroud 200 and is guided by the guide portions 211 and 212, reaches the mounting position, the positioning pin 302 (positioned portion) is fitted. have a shape. In practice, the shape of the positioning portion is not limited to that of the present embodiment. For example, if the portion to be positioned is a recess, the positioning portion may be a protrusion that fits into the recess.

Next, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the reserve tank 300 mounted on the fan shroud 200, showing a state cut along the line BB in FIG. The reserve tank 300 has guided portions 311 and 312 on the bottom surface thereof which are movable in the directions guided by the guide portions 211 and 212 .

The guided portions 311 and 312 of the present embodiment are depressions formed by at least portions of a pair of opposing side surfaces of the reserve tank 300, respectively. The distance between the guided portions 311 and 312 matches the distance between the guiding portions 211 and 212 . As a result, the guide portions 211 and 212 sandwich the guided portions 311 and 312 from both sides, and the portion between the guided portions 311 and 312 is fitted between the guide portions 211 and 212 . Due to this shape correspondence, the movement of reserve tank 300 in the X-axis direction with respect to fan shroud 200 is restricted, and the movement in the Y-axis direction is permitted.

In such a mounting structure of the reserve tank 300, when attaching and detaching the reserve tank 300 to and from the predetermined mounting position on the fan shroud 200, the operator moves the reserve tank 300 in the direction guided by the guides 211 and 212. That is, it is moved substantially in the Y-axis direction.

When installing the reserve tank 300 , the worker inserts the reserve tank 300 into the service opening 109 from the side where the positioning pin 302 is located first. When the guided portions 311 and 312 ride on the guide portions 211 and 212 and the bottom of the reserve tank 300 is sandwiched between the guide portions 211 and 212, the reserve tank 300 does not shake in the X-axis direction and moves in the Y-axis direction. movement is permitted. In this state, the operator pushes the reserve tank 300 in the Y-axis direction. Then, the positioning pin 302 fits into the positioning hole 202 at the end of the movement. In this state, the operator screws the tank mounting seat 203 . The reserve tank 300 can be removed by reversing the above procedure.

As described above, according to the configuration of this embodiment, when attaching the reserve tank 300 to a predetermined mounting position, it is possible to accurately position even a portion that is not visible from the service opening 109 at a predetermined position. becomes. In other words, according to the present embodiment, the reserve tank mounting structure can be fixed in a position that is invisible to the operator, and can be easily installed in the correct position by working from a visible range. can be provided.

Also, if there is a gap around the fan shroud 200 , especially in the upper part, hot air that has flowed behind the fan (in the negative Y-axis direction) may wind around the front of the vehicle body 100 . This results in hot gas re-entering around the radiator, which is disadvantageous. However, if the reserve tank 300 is provided on the fan shroud 200 as in the present embodiment, it is possible to block the path in which the hot air tends to flow, so that the occurrence of the above inconvenience can be suppressed.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, when part of the coolant replenishing the reserve tank 300 spills, the rib member 210 functions as a receiving pan, thereby preventing contamination of other surrounding parts (engine, etc.). can do. The spilled coolant received by the rib member 210 evaporates naturally, so no treatment is required.

Although the embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are. Also, various inventions can be formed by appropriate combinations of the plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all components shown in the embodiments.

For example, the correspondence relationship between the shapes of the guiding portions 211 and 212 and the guided portions 311 and 312 is not limited to that of the above embodiments. As another specific example, the guided portion may have a groove-like shape into which the guide portion is slidably fitted. Alternatively, the guided portion may have a projecting shape, and the guiding portion may have a groove-like shape into which the guided portion is slidably fitted.

Further, although the guide portions 211 and 212 in the above embodiment are provided on the upper portion of the fan shroud 200, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be provided on the side portions of the fan shroud 200, for example. An example of the shape of the guide provided on the side of the fan shroud 200 is, for example, a slide.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, part of the rib member 210 is used as the guide portions 211 and 212 , but in practice, the guide portions 211 and 212 may be independent of the rib member 210 . Further, in the above-described embodiment, the rib members 210 are provided in a grid pattern, but in practice, they may not be in a grid pattern.

In this embodiment, the rib member 210 is formed in a grid pattern. It is possible to expect the effect of not spreading to the surroundings. Further, in the present embodiment, a part of the rib member 210 is formed high to form the guide portions 211 and 212. However, in practice, even if only the guide portions 211 and 212 are used, a portion of the coolant supplied to the reserve tank 300 can be increased. It is possible to expect the effect of preventing the spilled liquid from spreading around.

Also, although not mentioned in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. If the height of each rib member 210 is set so that the top of the rib member 210 is in contact with the bottom surface of the tank when positioned, the reserve tank 300 can be easily positioned in the Y-axis direction.

Although the bus-type vehicle body 100 has been described as an example in the above embodiment, the reserve tank mounting structure of the present invention may be applied to a vehicle body other than a bus-type vehicle. Even if the vehicle body is not a bus type, if the reserve tank is installed in a state where it cannot be seen except for a part as in the above embodiment, the workability can be improved by applying the present invention. It becomes possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... Vehicle body 101... Indoor floor 102... Windshield 103... Driving handle 104... Wheel 105... Driver's seat 106... Two-seat passenger seat 107... One-seat seat for guest 108... Passenger seat 109... Service opening 200... fan shroud, 201... upper surface 202... positioning hole (positioning part)
203 Tank mounting seat 204 Mounting tab 205 Exhaust hole 210 Rib member 211, 212 Guide part 300 Reserve tank 301 Lid 302 Positioning pin (part to be positioned)
311, 312...Guided parts

Claims (4)

A reserve tank mounting structure for mounting a reserve tank holding coolant to be circulated to a radiator at a predetermined mounting position inside a vehicle body,
a guide portion that guides the reserve tank to the mounting position;
a guided portion provided in the reserve tank and movable in a guiding direction of the guide portion;
a positioned portion that is provided in the reserve tank and protrudes or sinks along the movement direction of the reserve tank guided by the guide portion;
a positioning portion provided near the mounting position and having a shape that fits into the positioned portion when the reserve tank guided by the guide portion reaches the mounting position;
Reserve tank mounting structure. The guided portion is constituted by at least a part of each of a pair of opposing side surfaces of the reserve tank,
The reserve tank mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion sandwiches the guided portion from both sides and restricts movement in a direction substantially orthogonal to the both sides. The reserve tank mounting structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide portion is provided on an upper portion of a fan shroud in which a fan for sending air to the radiator is housed. 4. The reserve tank mounting structure according to claim 3, wherein the guide portion is configured by a rib member that faces the bottom surface of the reserve tank and supports the reserve tank with a top portion.

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