JP3156443B2 - Liquid level detector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the amount of liquid such as engine oil stored in an oil pan or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an engine 31 is provided with a cylinder block 32, and a cylinder head 33 is fixed to an upper portion of the cylinder block 32. An oil pan 34 is connected to a lower portion of the cylinder block 32. Engine oil 35 is stored inside the oil pan 34.

An oil level gauge guide 3 for guiding an oil level gauge 36 for measuring the amount of engine oil 35 into an oil pan 34 is provided on a side surface of the cylinder block 32.
7 is mounted. This oil level gauge guide 3
7 is curved due to design restrictions and the like.

[0004] The oil level gauge 36 is formed of a bendable thin plate or rod-shaped member. The oil level gauge 36 is inserted into an oil level gauge guide 37, and the engine oil 3 adhered to the oil level gauge 36.
From the position 5, the amount of the engine oil 35 in the oil pan 34 is measured.

However, since the oil level gauge guide 37 is curved, the oil level gauge 3
6 has a problem that the insertability is poor. Further, in order not to deteriorate the insertability of the oil level gauge 36, the oil level gauge guide 37 must be provided as linearly as possible, and there is a problem that the degree of freedom in design is reduced.

Therefore, an oil level gauge for measuring the amount of engine oil 35 in an oil pan 34 without using an oil level gauge 36 formed of a thin plate or a bar is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-84025. ing.

The oil level gauge comprises a flexible first hollow bar, a transparent second hollow bar into which one end of the first hollow bar is fitted and fixed to one end, and a second hollow bar. And a bellows (negative pressure generating section) attached to the other end of the main body. A scale is formed on the second hollow bar. Further, a small hole is formed at the upper end of the bellows.
At this time, the engine oil in the oil pan is inserted into the oil level gauge by a negative pressure generated by inserting the oil level gauge into the oil pan to a predetermined position and contracting the bellows with the small hole closed. Is sucked. If the engine oil sucked into the oil level gauge is equal to or higher than the scale of the second hollow rod, it is determined that the engine oil in the oil pan is satisfied with the specified amount. It is determined that the engine oil is not satisfied with the specified amount.

Further, the engine oil sucked into the oil level gauge releases the negative pressure of the bellows by opening the small hole of the bellows and is discharged out of the oil level gauge, for example, into the oil pan. Will be returned.

[0009]

However, in order to normally generate a negative pressure with the bellows, the operator closes the small hole with a finger and contracts the bellows to generate the negative pressure. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to always generate a constant negative pressure.

Also, the engine oil sucked into the oil level gauge by the negative pressure releases the finger from the small hole to release the negative pressure, and is returned to the oil pan. At this time, part of the engine oil adhered to the inner walls of the oil level gauge, such as the bellows and the second hollow rod, and could not be reliably removed. As a result, when the engine oil adheres to the inner wall of the second hollow rod, the engine oil becomes an oil residue and adheres to the vicinity of the scale, causing a problem that reading of the scale becomes difficult. In addition, when continuously measuring the amount of engine oil, there is a problem that accurate measurement cannot be performed if part of the engine oil near the scale is still attached.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a liquid amount detecting device which can always generate a constant negative pressure and can perform accurate measurement. To provide. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a liquid detecting device capable of reliably removing the liquid sucked by the liquid amount detecting device and performing accurate measurement.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first invention is to connect a base end of an introduction pipe to a cylinder, dispose a piston in the cylinder, and attach the piston to the piston. Is slid to bring the inside of the cylinder into a negative pressure state, and an operating member for introducing the liquid into the cylinder in which the piston slides through the opening of the leading end of the introduction pipe is connected, and the sliding range of the piston is restricted to the cylinder. The gist is that a regulating member is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a base end of an introduction pipe is connected to a cylinder, a piston is disposed in the cylinder, and the piston is slid on the piston to introduce the cylinder into a negative pressure state. An operation member for introducing a liquid into a cylinder in which a piston slides is connected from an opening at a distal end of the pipe, and a cylinder portion in a sliding range of the piston is used as a liquid amount display portion, and the liquid amount display portion is made of at least a transparent material. The gist is that formed by.

[0014]

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the piston moves in the sliding range regulated by the regulating member provided in the cylinder, thereby always generating a constant negative pressure in the cylinder and introducing the piston. The liquid is introduced from the opening at the tip of. Then, the liquid amount is detected from the liquid introduced at the constant negative pressure.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the liquid attached to the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder is removed by the piston as the piston moves while sliding on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder. For this reason, the liquid is prevented from adhering to the liquid amount display portion and being contaminated, and the inside of the cylinder is maintained in a state where the inside of the cylinder is easily visible from outside.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a cylinder block 2 is provided in an engine 1, and a cylinder head 3 is fixed to an upper portion of the cylinder block 2. An oil pan 4 is connected to a lower portion of the cylinder block 2. At this time, engine oil 5 as a liquid is stored in the oil pan 4.

An oil level gauge 6 is mounted on the side of the cylinder block 2 as a liquid level detector for measuring the amount of engine oil 5. The oil level gauge 6 is provided with a pipe 7 as a hollow introduction pipe made of a metal extending vertically. The pipe 7 is attached to the side surface of the cylinder block 2 in a curved state in order to avoid various pipes and the like attached to the side surface of the cylinder block 2. Further, the lower side of the pipe 7 is inserted into the oil pan 4, and the lower end as the tip is located near the bottom surface of the oil pan 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a cylinder 8 is provided at an upper end of the pipe 7 as a base end.
That is, a negative pressure is generated by the cylinder 8, and the engine oil 5 is sucked into the cylinder 8.

The cylinder 8 is provided with a bottomed cylindrical case 9 made of a transparent synthetic resin or the like. A through hole 10 is provided in the bottom surface 9a of the case 9, and the pipe 7 is fitted into the through hole 10.
That is, the oil pan 4 and the case 9 are in communication with each other via the pipe 7. That is, the engine oil 5 stored in the oil pan 4 can flow into the case 9 through the pipe 7, and the engine oil 5 flowing into the case 9 can flow through the oil pan 4 through the pipe 7.
Can be discharged to

A lower stopper 11 as an annular regulating member is formed below the inside of the case 9 over the entire lower periphery of the inner peripheral surface 9b. Further, a circular cap 12 is detachably attached to the upper outer periphery of the case 9 by being screwed with a screw or the like. The upper part of the case 9 is closed by the cap 12. An upper stopper 13 as a cylindrical restricting member is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 12 over the entire periphery of the inner peripheral surface. When the cap 12 is attached to the case 9, the distance between the lower stopper 11 and the upper stopper 13 is always kept at a predetermined distance. A circular through hole 14 is formed at the center of the upper surface of the cap 12.

In the case 9, a disk-shaped piston 15 is disposed above the lower stopper 11 so as to be slidable on the inner peripheral surface 9b. That is, the piston 15 can reciprocate while sliding between the lower stopper 11 and the upper stopper 13. At the center of the piston 15, a screw hole 15a made of a female screw is formed so as to pass therethrough. A lower end of a support shaft 16 as an operation member having external threads formed at both ends is screwed into the screw hole 15a. The upper end of the support shaft 16 projects outside the cap 12 through the through hole 14. The upper end of the support shaft 16 is screwed to a disc-shaped holding plate 17. A through hole 16a is formed at a substantially central portion of the support shaft 16, and the through hole 16a is configured to communicate outside air with the inside of the case 9.

On the outer peripheral surface of the case 9, a liquid amount display 18 for confirming the amount of the engine oil 5 sucked into the cylinder 8 is formed. A linear scale S (five in this embodiment) is formed. These scales S are formed at predetermined positions between the lower stopper 11 and the upper stopper 13 at predetermined intervals. The scale S located at the center of the scale S is formed slightly longer, and forms a reference scale (hereinafter referred to as a reference scale) S0.

Next, the operation and effects of the oil level gauge configured as described above will be described. Figures 2 and 3
As shown in FIG. 5, in order to measure the amount of engine oil 5 stored in the oil pan 4, the operator presses the pressing plate 17 with the through-hole 16a open, thereby causing the piston 1 to move.
5 is lowered until it comes into contact with the lower stopper 11. At this time, the oil level of the engine oil 5 in the pipe 7 and the oil level of the engine oil 5 in the oil pan 4 are kept flush.

From this state, the through hole 16a is closed with a finger or the like, and the pressing plate 17 is pulled to raise the piston 15 until the piston 15 contacts the upper stopper 13. Then
The space formed by the lower surface of the piston 15 and the bottom surface portion 9a and the inside of the pipe 8 have negative pressure. And according to this negative pressure,
The engine oil 5 in the oil pan 4 is sucked into the case 9 of the cylinder 8 via the pipe 7. At this time, if the oil level of the engine oil 5 sucked into the case 9 is higher than the reference scale S0, it is determined that the engine oil 5 is filled in the oil pan 4 to a specified amount. On the other hand, if the oil level of the engine oil 5 is lower than the reference scale S0, it is determined that the engine oil 5 in the oil pan 4 is not satisfied (shortage). Further, the reference scale S
Based on each scale S formed above or below 0, the degree of filling or lack of the engine oil 5 is determined.

Then, the engine oil sucked into the case 9 separates a finger from the through hole 16a,
Is released, the negative pressure is released, and the oil flows out of the case 9 into the oil pan 4 via the pipe 7. From this state, by further pressing the holding plate 17 downward,
The outer peripheral surface of the piston 15 descends while sliding on the inner peripheral surface 9 b of the case 9. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the piston 15 descends while reliably removing the engine oil 5 attached to the inner peripheral surface 9b.

According to the oil level gauge 6 configured as described above, by moving the piston 15 over a predetermined distance between the lower stopper 11 and the upper stopper 13, the cylinder 8 always has a constant negative pressure. Can be generated. Therefore, since the engine oil 5 is always sucked into the case 9 at a constant negative pressure, it is possible to prevent the suction amount of the engine oil 5 from being changed due to the variation of the negative pressure. At this time, since the case 9 is formed transparent, the amount of the engine oil 5 sucked into the case 9 can be easily visually recognized from the outside. Then, it is possible to determine whether or not the engine oil 5 in the oil pan 4 is satisfied with a specified amount based on the reference scale S0.
Can be determined.

When the measurement is performed, the piston 15 is slid between the inner peripheral surfaces 9b of the case 9, so that the engine oil 5 adhering to the inner peripheral surface 9b can be reliably removed. Further, after the engine oil 5 is sucked into the cylinder 8, if the cap 12 and the like are removed, the engine oil 5 attached to the lower surface of the piston 15 can be directly confirmed, and the properties of the engine oil 5 can be known. .

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be implemented as follows, with a part of the configuration being appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the invention. (1) In the above embodiment, the operator pulls the holding plate 17 upward while closing the through hole 16a with a finger or the like to generate a negative pressure in the case 9 of the cylinder 8 or the like.
As shown in FIG. 4, the holding plate 17 may be configured to automatically rise in a state where the through hole 16a is closed.

As shown in FIG. 4, a plate 19 for closing the through hole 16a is rotatably provided on the support shaft 16. At this time, the plate 19 rotates upward to open the through hole 16a, and rotates downward to close the through hole 16a. The plate 19 is always rotated downward due to gravity or the like, and is held with the through hole 16a closed. Further, a spring 20 is interposed between the holding plate 17 and the cap 12, and the spring 20 always urges the holding plate 17 upward to hold the piston 15 in contact with the upper stopper 13. I have. At this time, when the operator pushes down the holding plate 17 against the urging force of the spring 20, the air in the case 9 escapes through the through hole 16a, and the plate 19 moves upward by the positive pressure. It rotates to open the through hole 16a. Then, when the piston 15 comes into contact with the lower stopper 11, the worker stops pressing the holding plate 17. Then, since the positive pressure due to the air that escapes from the through hole 16a disappears, the plate 19 rotates downward and closes the through hole 16a. Further, the holding plate 17
Rises due to the urging force of the spring 20, the piston 15
Rises automatically until it comes into contact with the upper stopper 13. At this time, the plate 19 is in a state of being sucked by the negative pressure generated in the case 9 and surely closes the through hole 16a.

Therefore, for example, the operator manually presses the holding plate 17.
Until the piston 15 contacts the lower stopper 11. Then, after the piston 15 comes into contact with the lower stopper 11, the operator releases his / her hand from the holding plate 17,
With the through hole 16 a closed by the plate 19, the piston 15 can be automatically raised by the urging force of the spring 20 until it comes into contact with the upper stopper 13. Therefore, the operator can easily generate a predetermined negative pressure in the case 9 of the cylinder 8, the pipe 7, and the like only by pressing the holding plate 17 until the piston 15 contacts the lower stopper 11.

(2) In the above embodiment, the piston 15
An O-ring or the like may be fitted to the outer periphery of the piston 9 to more reliably seal the inner peripheral surface 9b in the case 9 and the outer periphery of the piston 15. At this time, the piston 15 is
When sliding along the line b, the O-ring can reliably remove the engine oil attached to the inner peripheral surface 9b.

(3) In the above embodiment, only the reference scale S0 may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the case 9. Further, the scale S may be configured so as to indicate how many liters of the engine oil 5 is stored in the oil pan 4.

(4) In the above embodiment, the entire case 9 is formed transparent, but only the liquid amount display section 18 may be formed transparent. (5) In the above embodiment, the metal pipe 7 is used as the hollow body. However, the hollow body may be formed of a flexible tube or the like.

(6) In the above embodiment, the piston 15
And the support shaft 16 may be integrally formed. (7) In the above embodiment, the lower stopper 11 and the upper stopper 13 are formed annularly on the entire inner circumference of the cap 12 and the inner circumference 9 b of the case 9. This may be formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 12 and a part of the inner peripheral surface 9 b of the case 9.

(8) In the above embodiment, the lower stopper as a regulating member for regulating the sliding range of the piston 15 is formed on the inner peripheral surface 9b of the case 9, but the position of the lower stopper is determined based on the amount of oil introduced. It may be changed appropriately. Of course, the lower stopper 11 may be the bottom surface 9a of the case 9. Similarly, the upper stopper 13 may use the bottom of the cap 12 as the upper stopper 13.

(9) In the above embodiment, the piston 15
It is not necessary to provide a restricting member for restricting the sliding range in the cylinder 8, and for example, an annular lower stopper 11 may be formed on the upper surface of the cap 12 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. In this case, the upper stopper 13 is
2a.

(10) In the above embodiment, the invention of claim 1 for always generating a constant negative pressure is not limited to the embodiment in which the liquid such as oil is introduced into the cylinder 8. . For example, the present invention can be applied to a type in which the pipe 7 serving as the introduction pipe is made transparent, the magnitude of the negative pressure is adjusted, and the liquid volume is measured on the transparent pipe 7. Further, the present invention is also applied to a type in which a liquid detection sensor is provided in the cylinder 8 or the pipe 7 without using a liquid amount display portion as a transparent material, and the liquid introduced by a negative pressure is detected by the liquid detection sensor. be able to. (11) In the above embodiment, other liquids other than the engine oil 5 may be measured.

[0038]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, as described in detail above, a constant negative pressure can always be generated, and there is an excellent effect that accurate measurement can be performed. Further, the second object has an excellent effect that the liquid sucked by the liquid detecting device can be reliably removed and accurate measurement can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an engine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the inside of an oil pan in one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cylinder according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a cylinder in another example.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an engine in a conventional example.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an oil pan in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

5 ... engine oil as liquid, 7 ... pipe as introduction pipe, 8 ... cylinder, 11 ... lower stopper as regulating member, 13 ... upper stopper as regulating member, 15 ...
Piston, 16 ... Spindle as operation member, 18 ... Liquid amount display.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A base end of an introduction pipe is connected to a cylinder, a piston is disposed in the cylinder, and the piston is slid on the piston to make the inside of the cylinder a negative pressure state, thereby opening a distal end of the introduction pipe. A liquid amount detecting device comprising: an operating member for introducing a liquid into a cylinder in which a piston slides from a portion; and a restricting member for restricting a sliding range of the piston in the cylinder. 2. A base end of an introduction pipe is connected to a cylinder, a piston is disposed in the cylinder, and the piston is slid on the piston to make the inside of the cylinder a negative pressure state, thereby opening a distal end of the introduction pipe. A liquid member in which a cylinder portion in a sliding range of the piston is used as a liquid amount display portion, and the liquid amount display portion is made of at least a transparent material. Quantity detection device.