JP6032114B2 - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air cleaner for an engine.

  The housing of the air cleaner includes a case fixed to the engine mount and a cap connected to the case through a hinge so as to be openable and closable, and a filter element is accommodated therein.

  As such an air cleaner, there exists a structure of patent document 1, for example. The cap of the document is provided with a pair of protrusions that are separated from each other in the circumferential direction of the cap. The case is provided with a frame having a pair of recesses into which the protrusions are inserted. And a hinge is comprised by each protruding part of a cap being inserted in a crevice of a case, and a cap is fixed to a case by a clamp via this hinge.

JP 2005-61382 A

  By the way, for example, an air cleaner for an in-vehicle engine is provided in an engine room under a hood. In addition, an air cleaner is often mounted with the hinges directed rearward so that an operator can easily perform maintenance work such as replacement of the filter element from the front side of the vehicle.

  However, in recent years, there has been a tendency for equipment in the engine room to increase and a cabin area to be enlarged, and due to this tendency, restrictions on the layout of equipment in the engine room have become strict. For this reason, the hinge of the housing of the air cleaner may be obscured by the cowl panel connected to the lower portion of the front window. In such a case, the connection work at the hinge between the case and the cap accompanying the maintenance work is frustrated.

  And, in such a case, the projection is accidentally stepped on the upper surface of the frame portion and tries to insert the projection into the concave portion of the frame portion in order to assemble the cap to the case, and the assembly is performed in that state. May occur.

  The objective of this invention is providing the air cleaner which can suppress a misassembly suitably.

An air cleaner for achieving the above object includes a housing including a first housing part and a second housing part connected to the first housing part through a hinge so as to be opened and closed. The hinge includes a protrusion provided on the outer peripheral wall of the second housing part, and a frame part provided on the outer peripheral wall of the first housing part and having a recess into which the protrusion is inserted. From any posture immediately after the posture of the housing portion provided with the other hinge constituting portion when the projection and the outer surface of the frame portion come into contact with any one of the hinge constituting portions of the frame portion. A biasing structure for biasing is provided, and the biasing structure moves the second housing portion connected to the first housing portion in the circumferential direction with respect to the opening of the first housing portion, or the first housing. The pair of frame portions are provided apart from each other in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral wall of the first housing portion, and the outer peripheral wall of the second housing portion is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the second housing portion. And the pair of protrusions on the pair of frame portions One of the pair of hinge constituent portions and the other of the pair of hinge components have an asymmetric shape with respect to a virtual plane orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the opening of the housing at an intermediate position therebetween. doing.

  According to this configuration, when the first housing portion and the second housing portion are assembled, if the protrusion and the outer surface of the frame portion come into contact with each other, the bias component is biased to either the protrusion or the frame portion. Since the structure is provided, the posture of the housing part including the other hinge constituent part is biased. This makes it possible for the operator to notice that each housing part is about to be assembled in an incorrect posture.

  Even if the operator does not notice at this time, the other hinge constituent part is biased, and the first housing part and the second housing part can be fixed by a fastening member such as a clamp, for example. Since it becomes difficult, it can suppress that each housing part is assembled | attached with the incorrect attitude | position.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suitably suppress erroneous assembly.

The perspective view of the air cleaner of a 1st embodiment. The enlarged view of the area | region 2 enclosed with the dashed-dotted line of FIG. The front view centering on the protrusion of the cap of the embodiment. The front view centering on the frame part of the case of the embodiment. Sectional drawing along line 5-5 in FIG. It is sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 5, and is a figure which shows the state by which the cap was rotated through the hinge and the case was open | released. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the embodiment, Comprising: The front view corresponding to FIG. The front view centering on the frame part of the case of 2nd Embodiment. The front view centering on the protrusion part of the cap of a modification.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which an air cleaner is embodied as an air cleaner for an in-vehicle engine will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following, the engine to which the air cleaner of the present embodiment is applied is provided at the front portion of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the air cleaner includes a housing 10 that houses a filter element. The housing 10 includes a case 20 having an opening on the upper surface and a cap 30 having an opening on the lower surface. An outlet pipe and an inlet pipe are connected to the case 20 and the cap 30, respectively.

  The case 20 is fixed to an engine mount (not shown) in the engine room of the vehicle. The cap 30 is attached to the case 20 so as to be detachable and the opening of the case 20 can be opened and closed via a hinge 12 provided at the rear portion of the housing 10. The case 20 and the cap 30 are fixed to each other in a closed state by a clamp 14 provided at the front portion of the housing 10.

Further, the rear portion of the housing 10 is positioned below the cowl panel 60.
Next, the structure of the hinge 12 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, a pair of protrusions 32 that extend rearward and have an inverted U-shaped cross section are integrally formed on the outer peripheral wall on the rear side of the cap 30. The protrusions 32 are provided apart from each other in the circumferential direction R of the cap 30, more specifically in the vehicle width direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, a pair of frame portions 22 that extend rearward and bend at the rear end and extend upward are integrally formed on the rear outer peripheral wall of the case 20. Is formed. Both of the pair of frame portions 22 have the same shape. The frame portion 22 has a recess 24 into which the protrusion 32 is inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an inclined surface 28 that is inclined with respect to the circumferential direction R of the case 20 is formed on the upper surface of the frame portion 22. The apex of the inclined surface 28 is located at one end (the left end in the figure) of the frame portion 22 in the circumferential direction R. As described above, since the pair of frame portions 22 have the same shape, the inclined surfaces 28 are parallel to each other. Accordingly, one and the other of the frame portions 22 have asymmetric shapes with respect to the virtual plane V located between them.

In the present embodiment, the pair of inclined surfaces 28 constitute a biasing structure that biases the posture of the cap 30 when the protrusion 32 and the upper surface of the frame portion 22 come into contact with each other.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a seal surface 20 a is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the case 20, and a seal surface 30 a is provided on a portion of the outer periphery of the cap 30 that faces the seal surface 20 a. When the case 20 and the cap 30 are in the closed state, the protrusions 32 are respectively inserted into the recesses 24 of the frame portion 22, and the filter element 40 is interposed between the seal surface 20 a of the case 20 and the seal surface 30 a of the cap 30. The seal part 41 provided on the outer periphery of the is sandwiched. At this time, the upper surface 32 a of the protrusion 32 is pressed against the upper inner wall 24 a of the recess 24 by the elastic repulsive force of the seal portion 41 of the filter element 40. As a result, the space between the case 20 and the cap 30 is sealed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cap 30 is rotatable about the engaging portion between the protrusion 32 and the frame portion 22 of the case 20. Therefore, the opening of the upper surface of the case 20 is opened by rotating the cap 30 from the posture shown in FIG. 5 to the posture shown in FIG. In this way, the hinge 12 constituted by the protrusion 32 and the frame portion 22 exhibits a hinge function.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 7, when the case 20 and the cap 30 are assembled, the protrusion 32 may accidentally ride on the upper surface of the frame portion 22 when the protrusion 32 is inserted into the recess 24 of the frame portion 22. . At this time, since the inclined surface 28 is formed on the upper surface of the frame portion 22, the protrusion 32 moves along the inclined surface 28, and the cap 30 is biased to the right in FIG. .

  This makes it possible for the operator to notice that the case 20 and the cap 30 are about to be assembled in an incorrect posture. Even if the operator does not notice at this time, the case 20 and the cap 30 are displaced from the fixed positions in the circumferential direction R, and it is difficult to fix the case 20 and the cap 30 with the clamp 14. As a result, the case 20 and the cap 30 can be prevented from being assembled in an incorrect posture.

According to the air cleaner according to the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) An inclined surface 28 that is inclined with respect to the circumferential direction R of the case 20 is formed on the upper surface in the vertical direction of each frame portion 22. The vertices of the inclined surfaces 28 are deviated from the center position of the frame portion 22 in the circumferential direction R, and the inclined surfaces 28 are parallel to each other. According to such a configuration, it is possible to increase the possibility that the operator will notice that the case 20 and the cap 30 are about to be assembled in an incorrect posture. Moreover, even if it is a case where an operator does not notice, it can suppress physically that the case 20 and the cap 30 are assembled | attached with the incorrect attitude | position. Therefore, it is possible to suitably suppress erroneous assembly of the case 20 and the cap 30.

Second Embodiment
Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same structure as previous 1st Embodiment, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the code | symbol which added "100" about the corresponding structure.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that one frame portion 122a of the case 120 is higher than the height of the other frame portion 122b. Further, the upper surfaces of the frame portions 122 a and 122 b both extend along the circumferential direction R of the case 120.

  In the present embodiment, the upper surface of the pair of frame portions 122a and 122b constitutes a biasing structure that biases the posture of the cap 30 when the protrusion 32 and the upper surfaces of the frame portions 122a and 122b abut.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8, the projection 32 accidentally rides on the upper surfaces of the frame portions 122 a and 122 b while trying to insert the projection 32 into the recesses 124 of the frame portions 122 a and 122 b in order to assemble the case 120 and the cap 30. May end up. At this time, since the height of one frame portion 122a is higher than the height of the other frame portion 122b, the posture of the pair of protrusions 32 is inclined according to the difference in height between the frame portions 122a and 122b. The posture of the cap 30 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

  This can increase the possibility that the operator will notice that the case 120 and the cap 30 are about to be assembled in the wrong posture. Even if the operator does not notice at this time, the cap 30 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and it is difficult to fix the case 120 and the cap 30 by the clamp 14. And the cap 30 can be prevented from being assembled in an incorrect posture.

According to the air cleaner according to the present embodiment described above, it is possible to achieve an effect according to the effect (1) of the first embodiment.
<Third Embodiment>
The third embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same structure as previous 1st Embodiment, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the code | symbol which added "200" about the corresponding structure.
As shown in FIG. 9, the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a protruding piece 238 that protrudes toward the case 220 is provided on the lower surface of one protruding portion 232 a of the cap 230. Yes. Further, the height of each frame portion 222 is the same as the height of the frame portion 122b of the second embodiment, and the upper surfaces thereof extend along the circumferential direction R of the case 220.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 9, when the protrusions 232 a and 232 b are inserted into the recesses 224 of the frame part 222 in order to assemble the case 220 and the cap 230, the protrusions 232 b erroneously get on the upper surface of the frame part 222. There is. At this time, since the projecting piece 238 is provided on the lower surface of the one projecting portion 232a, the lower surface of the projecting piece 238 and the lower surface of the other projecting portion 232b ride on the upper surface of the frame portion 222. As a result, the posture of the pair of protrusions 232a and 232b is inclined, and the posture of the cap 230 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

  This can increase the possibility that the operator will notice that the case 220 and the cap 230 are about to be assembled in an incorrect posture. Even if the operator does not notice at this time, the cap 230 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and it is difficult to fix the case 220 and the cap 230 by the clamp 14. And the cap 230 can be prevented from being assembled in an incorrect posture.

According to the air cleaner according to the present embodiment described above, it is possible to achieve an effect according to the effect (1) of the first embodiment.
<Modification>
In addition, the air cleaner which concerns on this invention is not limited to the structure illustrated in the said embodiment, For example, it can also implement as the following forms which changed this suitably.

-The mounting position of the clamp can be changed to a side portion extending in the front-rear direction instead of the front portion of the housing.
-It can replace with 1st Embodiment and can also make it form an inclined surface only in one frame part of a case. In this case, the other frame portion has a lower height than the one frame portion as in the frame portion 122b of the second embodiment and the frame portion 222 of the third embodiment, and the upper surface of the frame portion in the circumferential direction R. It is sufficient to make the shape along.

The lower surface of the projecting piece 238 of the third embodiment may be an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the circumferential direction R of the cap 30.
-A frame part can be provided on the cap and a protrusion can be provided on the case.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Housing, 12 ... Hinge, 14 ... Clamp, 20, 120, 220 ... Case (1st housing part), 20a ... Sealing surface, 22, 122a, 122b, 222 ... Frame part (hinge component), 24, 124 , 224... Recessed portion, 24 a .. inner wall, 28... Inclined surface, 30, 230... Cap (second housing part), 30 a... Sealing surface, 32 232 a, 232 b. ... Filter element, 41 ... Sealing part, 60 ... Cowl panel, 238 ... Projection piece.

Claims (5)

In an air cleaner comprising a housing including a first housing part and a second housing part connected to the first housing part through a hinge so as to be opened and closed,
The hinge includes a protrusion provided on the outer peripheral wall of the second housing portion and a frame portion provided on the outer peripheral wall of the first housing portion and having a recess into which the protrusion is inserted.
A bias that biases the posture of the housing portion that includes the other hinge component when the protrusion and the outer surface of the frame are in contact with the hinge component of one of the protrusion and the frame. Structure is provided ,
The biasing structure moves the second housing part connected to the first housing part in the circumferential direction with respect to the opening of the first housing part, or tilts with respect to the circumferential direction of the opening of the first housing part. It is what
The outer peripheral wall of the first housing part is provided with a pair of the frame parts spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction,
On the outer peripheral wall of the second housing part, a pair of the protrusions are provided corresponding to the pair of frame parts,
One and the other of the pair of the one hinge components have an asymmetric shape with respect to a virtual plane perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the opening of the housing at an intermediate position between them.
Air cleaner. The one hinge component is formed with an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the opening of the housing part having the same hinge component,
The biasing structure is constituted by the inclined surface;
The air cleaner according to claim 1. One height of the pair of frame portions is higher than the other height,
The biasing structure is constituted by both of the pair of frame portions.
The air cleaner according to claim 1 or 2 . The first housing part and the second housing part are a case fixed to a vehicle and a cap that is connected to the case through a hinge so as to be able to open and close the upper opening in the vertical direction of the case,
The one hinge constituent part is the frame part,
The biasing structure is provided on the upper surface in the vertical direction of the frame portion,
The air cleaner as described in any one of Claims 1-3 . At least one of the pair of protrusions is provided with a protrusion that protrudes toward the housing part including the frame part,
The biasing structure is constituted by the protruding piece,
The air cleaner according to claim 1 .