JP3715296B2 - Drain mechanism and fluid filter having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drain mechanism for discharging an internal fluid in advance when replacing a filter member of a fluid filter, and a fluid filter including the drain mechanism.

  Conventionally, it is possible to replace the filtration member, and at the time of replacement, a number of drain mechanisms for discharging the fluid remaining inside the main body and a fluid filter including the drain mechanism have been proposed. In particular, in oil filters for filtering and purifying lubricating oil for internal combustion engines and machine tools, the oil inside the main body is often hot. Many drain mechanisms that have been devised so as not to cause dirt have been proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid filter including a drain mechanism having a pipe member (14) provided inside a main body and a cylindrical drain plug (15) screwed to the pipe member (14). . In this drain mechanism, the drain plug (15) extends to the outside of the main body. Further, the drain plug (15) has a window hole (15f) located in the pipe member inside (14) when the screwing is closed and under the pipe member (14) when the screwing is loosened. Is provided. Therefore, when the screw is loosened, the residual liquid inside the liquid filter flows into the window hole (15f) from the gap between the pipe member (14) and the main body, and is discharged outside through the drain plug (15). According to the liquid filter provided with this drain mechanism, the residual liquid can be discharged to a desired place. Therefore, when the residual liquid is discharged, the discharged liquid is not applied to the worker, and problems such as burns of the worker and dirt on the clothes can be prevented.

  However, in this liquid filter, since most of the drain plug (15) is accommodated in the pipe member (14), the window hole (15f) that is the discharge port cannot be made large. When the window hole (15f) is small, the residual liquid discharge efficiency is lowered, and there is a problem that the discharge time of the residual liquid and thus the replacement time of the filter member become long.

  However, it is desirable that the replacement of the filter member be performed quickly. In particular, an oil filter for vehicle engine oil is usually performed by a specialized worker at a service station or the like. The vehicle user must wait during the filter member exchange. At present, when prompt service is required, such waiting time is required to be shortened as much as possible, and shortening of discharge time is desired.

  Therefore, for example, it is conceivable to increase the outlet of the residual fluid. However, for example, simply increasing the window hole (15f) in the liquid filter of Patent Document 1 is not desirable because the entire liquid filter becomes large.

  In view of this, some drain mechanisms have been proposed that have a drain pipe that can be inserted into and removed from a drain hole provided in the cap of the fluid filter. For example, there is a drain mechanism described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-328803. In this drain mechanism, a drain passage is provided on the side surface of the inserted drain pipe, and the valve member that closes the drain hole can be released by inserting the drain pipe.

  According to this drain mechanism, since most of the side surface of the inserted drain pipe is used as a discharge port, the discharge port can be enlarged without increasing the size of the device, and the discharge efficiency can be improved. it can.

JP-A-11-104408

  However, such a fluid filter has a problem that the holding force of the drain pipe is weak. This is because a support body cannot be provided on this side surface because the side surface of the drain pipe serves as a discharge port. If the holding force is weak, problems such as detachment or inclination of the pipe occur during fluid discharge.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a drain mechanism and a fluid filter including the drain mechanism that improve the holding force of the drain pipe without reducing the discharge capacity.

  The drain mechanism of the present invention includes a cap that is detachable from the main body of the fluid filter, a drain hole that is provided in the cap and communicates with the inside of the main body and into which a drain pipe can be inserted, and a valve member that normally closes the drain hole. In addition, when the drain pipe is inserted, the upper end surface of the drain pipe comes into contact with the valve member, which is displaced in the direction of releasing the drain hole closing, and the pipe side seal portion provided at a predetermined position of the drain pipe. A cap-side seal portion that seals between the two, and by inserting the drain pipe, the fluid inside the main body flows out from the drain passage provided between the upper end of the drain pipe and the pipe-side seal portion. The drain mechanism is characterized by having a holding wall that is provided on the valve member and supports the upper end of the inserted drain pipe.

  In a preferred aspect, the holding wall has an outer holding wall that supports the outer peripheral side wall of the upper end of the drain pipe. In another preferred aspect, the holding wall has an inner holding wall that supports the inner peripheral side wall of the upper end of the drain pipe. In another preferred aspect, the holding wall is a side wall of a holding groove that can accommodate an upper end of a drain pipe provided in the valve member. At this time, desirably, the vertical cross section of the holding groove is a concave arc shape corresponding to the vertical cross sectional shape of the drain pipe tip having a convex arc shape.

  The fluid filter of the present invention includes a cap that is detachable from the main body of the fluid filter, a drain hole that is provided in the cap and communicates with the inside of the main body and into which a drain pipe can be inserted, and a valve member that normally closes the drain hole. In addition, when the drain pipe is inserted, the upper end surface of the drain pipe comes into contact with the valve member, which is displaced in the direction of releasing the drain hole closing, and the pipe side seal portion provided at a predetermined position of the drain pipe. A cap-side seal portion that seals between the two, and by inserting the drain pipe, the fluid inside the main body flows out from the drain passage provided between the upper end of the drain pipe and the pipe-side seal portion. The drain mechanism has a drain mechanism that is provided on the valve member and has a holding wall that supports the upper end of the inserted drain pipe. And butterflies.

  According to the present invention, the tip of the drain pipe is supported by the holding wall. Therefore, the holding power of the drain pipe can be improved without reducing the discharge capacity.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following, an oil filter suitable for filtering and purifying oil for a vehicle engine is exemplified as an embodiment, but the oil filter can be used for other purposes by appropriately replacing the size and members.

  1 to 4 show an oil filter 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the entire oil filter, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part thereof. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the main part when the drain pipe is inserted, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the main part.

  The oil filter 10 is attached to a part of the engine block, and filters and purifies the lubricating oil of the internal combustion engine (engine). The contaminated oil to be filtered flows from the inlet 18 provided at the upper end of the main body 12, is filtered by the filtering member 14 to become purified oil, and is returned from the outlet 20 to the internal combustion engine.

  A detachable cap 40 is attached to the lower portion of the main body 12. The filter member 14 is exchanged by removing the cap 40. The cap 40 is provided with a drain hole 50 for discharging internal residual oil prior to replacement. The drain hole 50 is normally closed by the valve member 70 and the drain bolt 60. When the residual oil is discharged, the residual oil can be discharged to the outside by inserting a drain pipe 80 instead of the drain bolt 60.

  Hereinafter, each component of the oil filter 10 will be described in detail.

  The main body 12 includes a case 16 that forms an internal space in cooperation with the cap 40, a filtration member 14 that is disposed in the internal space, and the like.

  The case 16 is formed with a female screw at the screwing portion 32 that is a part of the inner side wall, and can be screwed into the cap. The case 16 and the cap 40 are screwed together to form an internal space in which the filtering member 14 and the like are disposed. An O-ring 34 is disposed as a seal member below the screwing portion 32, thereby sealing between the cap 40 and the case 16.

  An upper part of the case 16 is formed with an inlet 18 serving as a contaminated oil inlet and an outlet 20 serving as a purified oil outlet. Here, the internal space is separated into a contaminated space 22 and a purification space 24 by a filter member 14 that filters contaminated oil. The inlet 18 is provided in the contaminated space 22 and the outlet 20 is provided at a position communicating with the purification space 24.

  The filter member 14 is supported by a support protrusion 26 and a support 28 provided inside the upper end of the case. A gap is formed between the filtering member 14 and the inner wall of the case 16, and this gap becomes a contaminated space 22. Further, the inside of the filtering member 14 into which the filtered oil flows becomes a purification space 24.

  A seal member 30 is disposed between the support protrusion 26 and the support 28 and the filter member 14, and the inflow of contaminated oil into the purification space 24 is prevented. Further, the lower end portion of the support body 28 is biased in a sealing direction by an elastic body such as a spring disposed on the cap 40, thereby preventing the contaminated oil from flowing into the purification space 24. Therefore, the contaminated space 22 and the purification space 24 are completely separated, and the contaminated oil cannot move to the purification space 24 unless it passes through the filter member 14 and becomes purified oil.

  With this configuration, the contaminated oil flows from the inlet 18, then passes through the filter member 14, and becomes purified oil and flows into the purified space 24. Then, by flowing into the outlet 20 from the purification space 24, the contaminated oil becomes purified oil and is returned to the internal combustion engine.

  The cap 40 can be screwed into the case 16 as described above, and forms an internal space in cooperation with the case 16. In the lower center of the cap 40, a drain hole 50 is provided for discharging residual oil when the filter member 14 is replaced. A female screw is formed on the inner periphery of the drain hole 50 and can be screwed to a drain bolt 60 described later. In addition, a projection 56 is formed at the upper end of the drain hole 50 to close the space between a valve member 70 described later and to lock a drain pipe 80 described later. Due to the protrusion of the projection 56, the drain hole 50 is formed with a small diameter portion 52 having a small diameter.

  A cap-side rib 42 that is an annular rib is formed on the bottom surface of the cap 40. An O-ring 44 that is an elastic seal member is attached to the inner periphery of the cap-side rib 42. The outer diameter of the O-ring 44 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the cap-side rib 42. Accordingly, an elastic restoring force acts outward on the O-ring 44 attached to the cap-side rib 42. The O-ring 44 is mounted without being detached from the cap-side rib 42 by this elastic restoring force.

  The drain hole 50 is normally closed by a valve member 70 and a drain bolt 60. The valve member 70 is a plate on a substantially dish provided in the internal space. The valve member 70 is normally biased in a direction to close the drain hole 50 by an elastic body 78 such as a spring. When the drain pipe 80 is inserted, it comes into contact with the tip of the drain pipe 80. When the drain pipe 80 is inserted against the elastic force of the elastic body 78, the valve member 70 is displaced in a direction for releasing the closing of the drain hole 50.

  Further, the central portion of the valve member 70 has a circular recess 72 that is recessed in a circular shape on the inner side. Further, the circular recess 72 is formed with an annular recess 74 for receiving a distal end portion of a drain pipe 80 described later. The side surface of the circular recess 72 is inclined so that it can be brought into close contact with the protrusion 56 provided on the cap at normal times. This close contact prevents the internal oil from flowing out. A discharge hole 76 communicating with the internal space is provided on the outer periphery of the circular recess 72. When discharging the residual oil, the oil in the internal space is guided to the drain pipe 80 from the discharge hole 76.

  The annular recess 74 serves as a holding groove that can accommodate the upper end of the drain pipe. Therefore, the annular recess 74 has an annular shape that is substantially the same diameter as the upper end portion 84 of the drain pipe 80, and can accommodate a part of the upper end portion 84 of the drain pipe 80. Further, the cross section has a substantially concave arc shape corresponding to the cross sectional shape of the end of the drain pipe 80.

  A female screw 64 is formed on the inner periphery of the drain hole 50, and a drain bolt 60 is screwed in a normal state. The drain bolt 60 has a size capable of closing the drain hole 50 and has a flange 62 corresponding to the bottom surface of the cap 40. The flange 62 has a larger diameter than the cap-side rib 42 provided on the bottom surface of the cap 40, and the top surface thereof is provided at a position where the flange 62 can contact the O-ring 44 attached to the cap-side rib 42. . The space between the outside and the outside is sealed by contact with the O-ring 44. Thereby, it is possible to prevent dust and the like from flowing into the drain hole 50 at the normal time.

  Next, the drain pipe 80 used when discharging the residual oil will be described. The drain pipe 80 is a pipe member that is inserted into the drain hole 50 instead of the drain bolt 60 when residual oil is discharged. This is made of an elastic material such as a synthetic resin. The drain pipe 80 includes a cylindrical pipe portion 82 and a flange portion 83 provided in the middle thereof.

  The pipe portion 82 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and its upper end and lower end are opened. Further, a plurality of slits 88 (only one is shown in the figure) serving as a drain passage are provided between the tip and the flange portion 83. Residual oil inside flows from the slit 88 to the inside 90 of the pipe portion. In addition, the slit 88 facilitates elastic deformation and facilitates insertion into the drain hole 50. The upper end portion 84 of the pipe portion 82 is narrowed to a small diameter so as not to interfere with the side surface of the circular recess 72 of the valve member 70 when inserted into the drain hole 50. When the drain pipe tip 85 abuts on the valve member 70, a part of the upper end portion 84 is accommodated in the annular recess 74 of the valve member 70. The tip of the pipe portion has a substantially convex arc-shaped cross section so as to correspond to the annular recess 74.

  Further, a locking portion 86 that can be locked to the protrusion 56 provided on the cap 40 is provided in the middle of the flange portion 83 from the tip. This is an outer peripheral side wall that partially bulges outward, and the drain pipe 80 can be stopped at a predetermined position by the projection 56 of the cap 40 being caught by the step formed by the bulge. The locking portion 86 is provided at a position where the upper surface of the flange portion 83 is near the tip of the cap-side rib 42 when locked.

  The flange portion 83 is a disk-shaped portion having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the annular cap-side rib 42. An annular pipe-side rib 92 that serves as a pipe-side seal portion is provided on the upper surface of the flange portion 83. The outer diameter of the pipe-side rib 92 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the O-ring 44 attached to the cap-side rib 42. That is, when the drain pipe 80 is inserted, the outer peripheral side wall of the pipe-side rib 92 presses the inner peripheral side wall of the O-ring 44. Due to the pressure contact between the pipe-side rib 92 and the O-ring 44, the outside is sealed. Accordingly, the residual oil leaked from the slit 88 into the drain hole 50 is prevented from flowing out.

  The pipe-side seal portion is not limited to the pipe-side rib 92, and is provided on the drain pipe 80 and provides a sealing function between the outside in cooperation with a seal member provided on the cap. Others may be used as long as they are present. For example, if the upper surface of the flange portion 83 is in pressure contact with the O-ring 44 to provide a sealing function, the upper surface of the flange portion 83 is also a pipe-side seal portion.

  Next, discharge of residual oil by this oil filter will be described.

  When discharging the residual oil, the drain bolt 60 is removed from the drain hole in advance. At this time, the valve member 70 is urged in the closing direction by the elastic body 78. Therefore, the drain hole 50 is closed by the valve member 70, and the residual oil inside does not flow out.

  Next, the drain pipe 80 is inserted into the drain hole 50. Since the drain pipe 80 has a smaller diameter than the drain hole 50, it can be easily inserted. On the other hand, the drain pipe 80 can be inserted into the small diameter portion 52 having substantially the same diameter as the drain pipe 80 is elastically deformed. By this insertion, the tip 85 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).

  As a result, 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. Residual oil flows into the discharge channel 100 from a discharge hole 76 or the like provided in the valve member 70. The residual oil that has flowed further flows into the pipe portion inside 90 from the slit 88 of the drain pipe 80 and is finally discharged to the outside.

  At this time, the drain pipe 80 is stopped at a predetermined position by the engaging portion 86 being caught by the protrusion 56 of the cap 40. Further, the pipe-side rib 92 provided in the flange portion 83 is pressed against the O-ring 44 attached to the cap 40, so that a seal is made between the outside. This prevents leakage of residual oil to the outside.

  As can be seen from the above description, the plurality of slits 88 become residual oil discharge ports. Therefore, in order not to reduce the discharge efficiency, it is not desirable to provide a member for closing the slit 88 provided on the side surface of the pipe portion 82. For this reason, in the present embodiment, a member that covers the side surface of the drain pipe 80 is not provided except for the protrusion 56 of the cap 40. Thereby, the discharge efficiency can be improved.

  However, the holding force of the drain pipe 80 is extremely small with only the protrusion 56, and the drain pipe 80 is inclined or detached only by receiving a slight lateral force. In particular, when the residual oil is at a high temperature, the drain pipe 80 is easily deformed, and is more easily detached and inclined. When the drain pipe 80 is inclined or detached, the residual oil leaks from other than the lower end (final discharge port) of the drain pipe 80, causing problems such as operator burns and dirt on clothes. Further, every time the drain pipe 80 is inclined or detached, the correction of the drain pipe 80 impedes quick residual oil discharge and thus quick replacement of the filter member.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the upper end portion 84 of the drain pipe 80 can be stored in the annular recess 74 provided in the valve member 70. The side walls 74 a and 74 b of the annular recess 74 serve as holding walls that support the drain pipe upper end portion 84. That is, the side walls 74 b and 74 a of the annular recess 74 support the inner side wall 84 b and the outer side wall 84 a of the drain pipe upper end portion 84. Thereby, even if a lateral force is applied to the drain pipe 80, it is possible to make it difficult to cause inclination or separation.

  For example, when the annular recess 74 having a depth e that is about 7% of the indentation amount d that is the distance from the flange portion 83 to the tip 85 is provided, the separation load of the drain pipe 80 is provided with the annular recess 74. Compared to the case where there is not, it is about 2 to 2.5 times. That is, by providing a concave portion that becomes a holding wall of about 7% of the indentation amount d, a separation strength of about 2 to 2.5 times can be obtained.

  Since the annular recess 74 serving as the holding wall is a wall that supports the drain pipe upper end portion 84, the slit 88 that is the discharge port is hardly closed. Therefore, the discharge efficiency is not reduced. Moreover, since it is a recessed part which protruded inside the fluid filter (internal space side), the indentation amount d of the drain pipe 80 can be increased. This increase in the pushing amount d widens the discharge flow path 100 (the gap between the bottom surface of the valve member and the inner bottom surface of the cap), and can increase the oil discharge efficiency as a whole.

  Furthermore, positioning of the drain pipe 80 is facilitated by making the cross-sectional shape of the annular recess 74 a concave arc shape corresponding to the cross-section of the drain pipe tip 85. That is, the drain pipe may be inserted with an inclination. In that case, the drain pipe tip 85 abuts at a position displaced from the recess 74 as shown in FIG. However, even if it is inserted at a shifted position, the tip 85 slides along the inclined side wall 74a of the recess 74 and is corrected to the correct position by further pressing. That is, the drain pipe 80 is easily positioned by making the cross-sectional shapes of the drain pipe tip 85 and the recess 74 arc. In addition, it may not have an arc shape but may have an inclined surface.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the holding force of the drain pipe without reducing the residual oil discharge capability.

  In the present embodiment, the annular recess 74 protruding inside the oil filter 10 is provided. However, as long as it has a holding wall that supports the tip 85 of the drain pipe 80, other shapes may be used. .

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), a recess having only an outer holding wall that holds the outer side wall 84a of the upper end 84 of the drain pipe 80 may be used. This can be realized by a circular recess 102 provided in the valve member 70. The diameter of the circular recess 102 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the drain pipe upper end portion 84. The side wall 102 a of the circular recess 102 serves as an outer holding wall that holds the outer side wall 84 a of the upper end portion 84. Even with this outer holding wall alone, the holding force of the drain pipe can be sufficiently improved.

  Moreover, as shown to FIG. 6 (B), the recessed part which has only the inner side holding wall which hold | maintains the inner side wall 84b of the upper end part 84 of the drain pipe 80 may be sufficient. This can also be realized by the circular recess 104 provided in the valve member 70. However, the diameter of the circular recess 104 is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the drain pipe upper end portion 84. The side wall 104 b of the circular recess 104 serves as an inner holding wall that holds the inner side wall 84 b of the upper end portion 84. Even with this inner holding wall alone, the holding force of the drain pipe 80 can be sufficiently improved.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6C, there may be a rib protruding outward instead of a recess protruding inside the oil filter. This can be realized by providing the valve member 70 with a double annular rib 106 substantially equal to the outer diameter and inner diameter of the drain pipe upper end portion 84. The double annular ribs 106 serve as an inner holding wall 106b and an outer holding wall 106a that support the inner side wall 84b and the outer side wall 84a of the drain pipe upper end portion 84, respectively. Thereby, the retention strength of the drain pipe 80 can be improved.

  Moreover, even if it is a thing other than the above-mentioned example, another shape may be sufficient if it has a holding wall which supports the upper end of a drain pipe. In the above example, a round pipe is used as the drain pipe. However, for example, a square pipe may be used. In the present embodiment, an oil filter is exemplified as a fluid filter, but a filter for filtering and purifying other fluid may be used.

It is sectional drawing of the whole oil filter which is embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view at the time of inserting a drain pipe. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is a state diagram when a drain pipe is inserted in an inclined state. It is a figure which shows an example of the other form of a holding wall.

Explanation of symbols

  10 oil filter, 14 filtration member, 18 inlet, 20 outlet, 40 cap, 42 cap side rib, 44 O-ring, 50 drain hole, 60 drain bolt, 70 valve member, 72 circular recess, 74 annular recess, 76 discharge hole , 78 Elastic body, 80 Drain pipe, 84 Upper end portion, 86 Locking portion, 88 Slit, 92 Pipe side rib, 100 Discharge flow path.

Claims (6)

A cap detachably attached to the body of the fluid filter;
A drain hole provided in the cap, communicating with the inside of the main body and into which a drain pipe can be inserted
A valve member that normally closes the drain hole, and when the drain pipe is inserted, the upper end surface of the drain pipe comes into contact with the valve member and is displaced in a direction to release the drain hole;
In cooperation with a pipe side seal portion provided at a predetermined position of the drain pipe, a cap side seal portion that seals between the outside,
In the drain mechanism of the fluid filter in which the fluid inside the main body flows out from the drain passage provided between the upper end of the drain pipe and the pipe-side seal portion by inserting the drain pipe,
A drain mechanism for a fluid filter, comprising a holding wall provided on a valve member and supporting an upper end of an inserted drain pipe. A drain mechanism for a fluid filter according to claim 1,
The drainage mechanism of a fluid filter, wherein the holding wall has an outer holding wall that supports an outer peripheral side wall at an upper end of the drain pipe. A drain mechanism for a fluid filter according to claim 1 or 2,
The drainage mechanism of a fluid filter, wherein the holding wall has an inner holding wall that supports an inner peripheral side wall at an upper end of the drain pipe. A drain mechanism for a fluid filter according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A drainage mechanism for a fluid filter, wherein the holding wall is a side wall of a holding groove that can accommodate an upper end of a drain pipe provided in the valve member. A drain mechanism for a fluid filter according to claim 4,
A drain mechanism for a fluid filter, wherein the holding groove has a concave arc shape corresponding to a vertical cross-sectional shape of a drain pipe tip having a convex arc shape. A fluid filter comprising the fluid filter drain mechanism according to claim 1.

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