JP6197754B2 - Air cleaner hinge structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hinge structure of an air cleaner housing.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an air cleaner includes a housing that includes a case fixed to an engine mount and a cap that is detachably connected to the case via a hinge portion, and a filter that filters air in the housing. The element is accommodated.

  An example of such an air cleaner hinge structure is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the hinge structure described in Patent Document 1, a bridge having an engagement hole is formed at the peripheral edge of the opening of the case, and an engagement part inserted into the engagement hole is formed at the peripheral edge of the opening of the cap. . And a cap is fixed to a case using a clamp in the state where the engaging part was inserted in the engaging hole of the case.

JP 2005-61382 A

  Incidentally, in recent years, it has been spurred to reduce the volume of the engine room in order to expand the cabin volume. In such an automobile, since the installation position of the air cleaner in the engine room is restricted, the air cleaner may be covered by a cowl panel connected to the lower part of the front window. In an air cleaner placed under these conditions, the cowl panel may be in the way, making it difficult to see the hinge of the air cleaner. In such cases, maintenance such as replacement and cleaning of the filter element and other purposes When the cap was separated from the case for the purpose of maintenance (hereinafter referred to as maintenance, etc.), labor and labor were required for reassembly.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an air cleaner hinge structure capable of improving workability in maintenance and the like.

  A hinge structure of an air cleaner for achieving the above object includes a case and a cap connected to the case through a hinge portion so as to be openable and closable, and includes a housing for accommodating a filter element. And the said hinge part is provided with the engaging part and engagement protrusion which comprise the engagement relationship of an unevenness | corrugation, and the said engagement part and the said engagement protrusion are provided in at least one of the said case and the said cap. When the cap is opened while the engagement with the cap is maintained, a holding portion that holds the cap in an open state is formed.

  According to this configuration, when the cap is opened while the engagement between the engagement portion and the engagement protrusion is maintained, the cap can be held in the open state by the holding portion. For this reason, it can suppress that a cap falls by dead weight.

  According to the present invention, workability in maintenance or the like can be improved.

The schematic block diagram which shows schematic structure of the air cleaner to which 1st Embodiment of the hinge structure of the air cleaner of this invention is applied. The enlarged view of the dashed-dotted line 2 in FIG. The perspective view which shows the perspective structure of an engaging protrusion. The top view which shows the planar structure in the front-end | tip part of a 2nd protrusion. It is a figure which shows the hinge part at the time of the assembly | attachment of a cap, Comprising: The figure which shows the state which the 2nd protrusion has elastically deformed. The figure which shows the hinge part at the time of the assembly | attachment of a cap completion. The perspective view which shows the perspective structure in the holding | maintenance part vicinity. The top view which shows the planar structure in the holding | maintenance part vicinity with an engaging protrusion. The perspective view which shows the perspective structure of the air cleaner by which the cap was hold | maintained by the holding | maintenance part. Sectional drawing which shows an example of sectional structure of the hinge part vicinity in the air cleaner by which the cap was hold | maintained in the open state by the holding part. Sectional drawing which shows an example of sectional structure of the hinge part vicinity in the air cleaner with which the case and the cap were connected by the clamp. The figure which shows the shape of the 2nd protrusion in 2nd Embodiment. The top view which shows the planar structure in the front-end | tip part of the 2nd protrusion of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the 2nd protrusion and 2nd engaging part in 3rd Embodiment. The disassembled perspective view which shows the perspective structure centering on the engaging protrusion of the case of 4th Embodiment, and the engaging part of a cap. Sectional drawing which shows an example of sectional structure of the hinge part vicinity in the air cleaner by which the cap was hold | maintained in the open state by the holding part. Sectional drawing which shows an example of sectional structure of the hinge part vicinity in the air cleaner with which the case and the cap were connected by the clamp.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which a hinge structure of an air cleaner is embodied will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the air cleaner 10 includes a housing 11 that houses the filter element 50 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. The housing 11 includes a case 12 made of synthetic resin having a box shape having an opening on the upper surface, and a cap 13 made of synthetic resin having a box shape having an opening on the lower surface. The case 12 is fixed to an engine mount (not shown), and the cap 13 is assembled to the case 12 so as to be openable and closable around the hinge portion 15 and detachable. The case 12 and the cap 13 are fixed to each other in a closed state by a pair of clamps 14 provided on the opposite side of the hinge portion 15, and sandwich the seal portion 52 provided on the outer periphery of the filtration portion 51 at the periphery of each opening. (See FIG. 11).

In this embodiment, the air cleaner 10 is provided at the lower portion of the cowl panel 16 with the hinge portion 15 facing the rear of the vehicle.
Therefore, the configuration of the hinge portion 15 will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the case 12 is integrally formed with a gate-shaped engaging portion 20 via outer legs 21 on both sides thereof and inner legs 24 as receiving portions, and a pair of inserts is inserted therebetween. The mouth 25 is formed symmetrically. The cap 13 is integrally formed with a pair of engaging protrusions 30 that extend toward the outside of the cap 13 on the rear side of the vehicle. The engaging portion 20 and the engaging protrusion 30 establish an uneven engagement relationship.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the upper frame 22 of the engaging portion 20 has a thickened portion near the inner leg 24, and the first lower surface 22a on the outer leg 21 side and the first leg 22 on the inner leg 24 side. And a second lower surface 22b disposed below the lower surface 22a.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the engaging protrusions 30 are formed so as to be bilaterally symmetric, and have a pair of first portions 31 having a substantially inverted U-shaped outer cross section and a pair of first portions. An inner second portion 32 formed integrally with the first portion 31 at a position lower than the first portion 31. Each second portion 32 protrudes downward in FIG. 4, that is, outward from the first portion 31. The first portion 31 and the second portion 32 are formed in steps so as to follow the shapes of the first lower surface 22a and the second lower surface 22b of the upper frame 22 of the engaging portion 20.

  In addition, a projecting portion 35 as a snap engaging portion that can be engaged with the inner leg 24 is formed to protrude from the distal end portion of each second portion 32 on the inner leg 24 side. On the inner leg 24 side of each second portion 32, a wall portion 36 including a portion of the overhang portion 35 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the edge portion having the wall portion 36 of the overhang portion 35 includes a long and gentle inclined surface 35 a extending from the top portion to the distal end side of the second portion 32, and the proximal end side of the second portion 32 from the top portion. And an inclined surface 35b that is steeper than the inclined surface 35a. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the second portion 32 is retracted by the action of the inclined surface 35a due to the projecting portion 35 hitting the inner leg 24 by the downward movement of the engaging projection 30 in FIG. It will be elastically deformed. Next, as shown in FIG. 6, each second portion 32 is snap-engaged with the inner leg 24 as each projecting portion 35 that has passed through the inner leg 24 returns to its original shape by an elastic restoring force. . The second portion 32 sandwiches the inner leg 24 with play with respect to the inner leg 24 when the snap engagement is completed. Accordingly, in this state, play is generated between the engaging portion 20 and the engaging protrusion 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the holding portion 40 is integrally formed on the outer surface of the opening edge 121 of the case 12. The holding portion 40 is opposed to the outer leg 21 and the inner leg 24 with a space therebetween, and an upper surface is disposed at a position higher than the opening edge 121 of the case 12, that is, a position close to the upper frame 22. The three holding pieces 41 are provided. A notch 42 is formed between the central holding piece 41 and the holding pieces 41 on the left and right sides. The notch 42 has a width W2 wider than the width W1 of the first portion 31 and the second portion 32 so that the holding portion 40 does not get in the way when the engaging protrusion 30 is inserted into the engaging portion 20. Is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, when the cap 13 is opened and inclined, the opening edge 131 of the cap 13 is brought into contact with the holding piece 41, and the first portion 31 is formed on the first lower surface 22 a of the upper frame 22. It abuts on the inner corner 221. At this time, an interval L equal to or greater than the thickness t of the seal portion 52 of the filter element 50 is formed between the case 12 and the cap 13.

Next, the operation of the hinge portion 15 of the air cleaner 10 having the above-described configuration will be described.
In the air cleaner 10 of this embodiment, when the cap 13 is assembled to the case 12, the engaging protrusion 30 is inserted into the insertion port 25 of the engaging portion 20. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, in the second portion 32 of the engaging protrusion 30, the projecting portion 35 is elastically deformed by the inclined surface 35 a of the projecting portion 35 hitting the inner leg 24, and the projecting portion 35 passes therethrough. Permissible. Subsequently, the first portion 31 is inserted into the insertion port 25. Then, the overhang portion 35 passes through the inner leg 24. In this state, the second portion 32 sandwiching the inner leg 24 has a play with respect to the inner leg 24. When the cap 13 is closed and locked in the closed state by the clamp 14, the seal portion 52 of the filter element 50 is sandwiched between the case 12 and the outer peripheral edge portion of the cap 13 as shown in FIG. 11. In this state, the engagement protrusion 30 is pressed from the lower side against the upper frame 22 of the engagement portion 20 by the elastic repulsive force of the seal portion 52, and the seal state of the seal portion 52 is maintained.

  During maintenance of the filter element 50, first, the lock by the clamp 14 is released and the cap 13 is opened. At this time, since the second portion 32 has a play with respect to the inner leg 24, the cap 13 can be smoothly opened without being twisted.

  The opening edge 131 of the opened cap 13 is brought into contact with the holding piece 41 of the case 12. As a result, the cap 13 is exposed at the position where the opening of the case 12 is exposed and a gap having a distance L greater than the thickness t of the seal portion 52 of the filter element 50 is formed between the case 12 and the cap 13. Is done. Therefore, the operator can hold the cap 13 in an open state, and can perform operations in the case 12 such as removal and installation of the filter element 50 without damaging the seal portion 52. When the maintenance or the like is completed, the cap 13 is closed and the case 12 and the cap 13 are connected by the clamp 14.

  Even if the cap 13 is opened and closed unless the cap 13 is pulled with a strong force and the overhanging portion 35 of the second portion 32 is forcibly removed from the inner leg 24 in such a maintenance operation or the like. The hinge part 15 is maintained in a connected state. Accordingly, separation of the case 12 and the cap 13 during maintenance or the like is suppressed, so that workability in maintenance or the like is improved.

  As described above, the cap 13 can be opened and closed while the connected state of the hinge portion 15 is maintained. Therefore, in comparison with the configuration in which the hinge part is detached when the cap 13 is opened and closed, the troublesome work of assembling the hinge part after maintenance or the like is avoided. Therefore, there is no problem even if the hinge portion 15 is located on the rear side of the vehicle and is not visible under the cowl.

  Moreover, in the engaging protrusion 30, the 1st part 31 and the 2nd part 32 are integrally formed in step shape. Therefore, the mechanical strength of the engagement protrusion 30 increases. In addition, the engaging protrusion 30 is integrally formed with the cap 13, and the engaging portion 20 is integrally formed with the case 12. Therefore, the component parts of the housing 11 do not increase.

According to the hinge structure of the air cleaner according to the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The case 12 is formed with a holding portion 40 that holds the cap 13 in an open state when the cap 13 is opened while the engagement between the engagement portion 20 and the engagement protrusion 30 is maintained. Yes. For this reason, the cap 13 can be held in the open state by the holding portion 40, and the cap 13 can be appropriately prevented from dropping due to its own weight. Therefore, the maintenance work of the filter element 50 can be easily performed.

(2) The engaging protrusion 30 is integrally formed with the cap 13, and the engaging portion 20 is integrally formed with the case 12. For this reason, the component of the housing 11 does not increase.
(3) The holding portion 40 is formed integrally with the case 12, is positioned between the outer legs 21 and the inner legs 24 and the opening edge 121 of the case 12, and is closer to the upper frame 22 than the opening edge 121. The holding piece 41 is formed. When the cap 13 is opened while the engagement between the engagement portion 20 and the engagement protrusion 30 is maintained, the opening edge 131 of the cap 13 is brought into contact with the holding piece 41, and the engagement protrusion 30 is The cap 13 is held in an open state by contacting the inner corner portion 221 of the cap 22.

  According to such a configuration, when the cap 13 is opened, it is possible to restrict the opening edge 131 of the cap 13 from falling into the gap between the outer leg 21 and the inner leg 24 and the opening edge 121 of the case 12. . For this reason, the cap 13 is held at a position where it is difficult to damage the seal portion 52 during work in the case 12 such as removal or installation of the filter element 50. Therefore, the above operation can be easily performed without damaging the seal portion 52.

  (4) Due to the snap engagement between the overhang portion 35 and the inner leg 24, the case 12 and the cap 13 are not easily separated when the cap 13 is opened and closed. As a result, the cap 13 can be opened and closed while the engagement protrusion 30 is inserted into the insertion port 25 of the engagement portion 20. Therefore, even if the hinge portion 15 is provided in the lower portion of the cowl panel 16, the work of assembling the cap 13 to the case 12 by groping at the time of maintenance of the filter element 50 or the like becomes unnecessary. Will improve.

  (5) In the state where the second portion 32 is snap-engaged, play occurs between the engaging portion 20 and the engaging protrusion 30. As a result, the mechanical load acting on the engaging portion 20 and the engaging protrusion 30 is suppressed, and the cap 13 can be opened and closed smoothly with a light force.

  (6) In the engaging protrusion 30, the first portion 31 and the second portion 32 are integrally formed in a stepped shape. Moreover, the first portion 31 has an inverted U-shaped cross section, and a wall portion 36 is formed on the second portion 32. Therefore, the mechanical strength of the engagement protrusion 30 with respect to the external force is increased.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment based on FIG. 12 and FIG.

  In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the distal end portion of each second portion 32 of the engaging protrusion 30 is formed into a forked shape by a notch 33, and the snap portion 34 is formed on the inner side facing each other. Is formed. A protruding portion 35 corresponding to the inner leg 24 so as to be engageable with the inner leg 24 is formed at the tip end portion of each snap portion 34 on the inner leg 24 side. In the second embodiment, the snap engagement portion is constituted by a snap portion 34 and an overhang portion 35.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the projecting portion 35 of the second embodiment has a substantially trapezoidal shape in plan view, and the wall portion 36 includes an inclined surface 35 c extending from the top portion to the distal end side of the second portion 32 and the top portion. And an inclined surface 35d extending to the proximal end side of the second portion 32.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, the end portion of the second portion 32 is formed in a bifurcated shape by the notch 33. When the engaging protrusion 30 is assembled to the engaging portion 20, the snap portion 34 is also elastically deformed when the inclined surface 35 c of the protruding portion 35 hits the inner leg 24. Therefore, the engagement protrusion 30 can be easily assembled to the engagement portion 20 as compared with the first embodiment. And the elastic force of the 2nd part 32 can be adjusted suitably by changing the shape of the notch | incision 33. FIG.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. 14 with a focus on differences from the first embodiment.

  In the hinge part 15 of 1st Embodiment mentioned above, it was set as the structure by which the inner leg 24 is pinched | interposed by a pair of 2nd part 32. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, in 2nd Embodiment, a hinge part is the structure by which one 2nd protrusion part is pinched | interposed by a pair of inner legs. That is, as shown in FIG. 14, the engagement portion 20 is formed with a pair of inner legs 24 a and 24 b spaced from each other. For this reason, the engaging portion 20 is divided into three insertion openings 25a, 25b, and 25c. On the other hand, with respect to the engaging protrusion 30, the first portions 31a and 31b inserted into the insertion ports 25a and 25b on both sides and the insertion port 25c at the center are inserted, and the overhanging portions 37a and 37b are provided on the outer surface. The formed second portion 39 is formed. In such a configuration, the same operation as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 15 to 17 with a focus on differences from the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, a pair of gate-shaped engaging portions 70 are integrally formed on the case 62 at intervals. Each engaging portion 70 has a pair of legs 71 extending outward from the opening edge 621 on the outer side of the opening edge 621 of the case 62, and an upper frame 72 connecting the upper ends of the legs 71. An insertion port 75 is formed by the legs 71 and the upper frame 72.

  The cap 63 is integrally formed with a pair of engaging protrusions 80 that extend toward the outside of the cap 63 on the rear side of the vehicle. The engaging portion 70 and the engaging protrusion 80 constitute a hinge portion 65 having an uneven engagement relationship.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, a holding portion 90 is integrally formed with the cap 63. The holding portion 90 includes a first holding projection 91 protruding above the one engaging projection 80 and spaced from the engaging projection 80, and the same engaging above the other engaging projection 80. It has the protrusion 80 and the 2nd holding protrusion 92 protrudingly provided by the space | interval. As shown in FIG. 17, in a state where the case 62 and the cap 63 are connected by a clamp (not shown), the first holding protrusion 91 is located above the upper frame 72, and the first holding protrusion 91 is outside. It is inclined so that the distance from the engaging protrusion 80 becomes larger, that is, it is positioned upward. In addition, a gap exists between the lower surface of the first holding projection 91 and the upper frame 72. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the shape of the lower surface of the second holding projection 92 is the same as the shape of the lower surface of the first holding projection 91. A concave portion 921 that can support the hose 100 of a PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) device for an internal combustion engine is formed on the second holding projection 92.

  As shown in FIG. 16, when the cap 63 is opened and tilted while the engagement between the engagement portion 70 and the engagement protrusion 80 is maintained, the first holding projection 91 is brought into contact with the upper frame 72. The cap 63 is held in an open state by the engagement protrusion 80 coming into contact with the inner corner 721 of the upper frame 72.

According to the hinge structure of the air cleaner according to the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(7) The holding portion 90 is formed on the cap 63 and has holding protrusions 91 and 92 located above the upper frame 72. When the cap 63 is opened while the engagement between the engagement portion 70 and the engagement protrusion 80 is maintained, the holding protrusions 91 and 92 are brought into contact with the upper frame 72, and the engagement protrusion 80 is moved to the upper frame 72. The cap 63 is held in an open state by being in contact with the inner corner portion 721. For this reason, the cap 63 can be held in an open state, and the cap 63 can be appropriately prevented from dropping due to its own weight. Therefore, the maintenance work of the filter element 50 can be easily performed.

  (8) Since the pair of holding projections 91 and 92 are provided corresponding to the pair of engaging portions 70, it is appropriately avoided that the posture of the cap 63 becomes unstable when the cap 63 is opened. be able to.

  (9) The second holding projection 92 is formed with a recess 921 that can support the hose 100 of the PCV device. According to such a configuration, since the hose 100 of the PCV device is supported by the concave portion 921 of the second holding projection 92, the configuration of the cap 63 is different from the configuration in which the dedicated support member for supporting the hose 100 is provided in the cap. Can be simplified.

(Modification)
In addition, the said embodiment can also be changed as follows, for example.
In the first and second embodiments, the first portion 31 and the second portion 32 of the engagement protrusion 30 may be formed separately.

If the holding portion 40 does not get in the way when the engaging protrusion 30 is inserted into the engaging portion 20, the notch 42 can be omitted.
The upper surface of the holding piece 41 can be formed on the same plane as the opening edge 121 of the case 12.

If the cap 13 can be opened and closed with respect to the case 12, the engagement protrusion 30 may be fitted to the engagement portion 20 without play after the snap engagement is completed.
A plurality of notches 33 may be formed in the second portion 32.

-The overhang part which comprises the snap engagement relationship of the inner leg 24 and the engagement protrusion 30 may be provided in the inner leg 24 side, and the recessed part where the overhang | projection part is engaged may be provided in the engagement protrusion 30 side. .
-An overhang | projection part can also be abbreviate | omitted in both an engagement protrusion and an inner leg. That is, the inner leg and the engaging protrusion may not be snap-engaged.

-In 4th Embodiment, you may make it support another hose, a wire harness, etc. by the recessed part 921 of the 2nd holding protrusion 92. FIG.
In the fourth embodiment, the second holding projection 92 can be changed to the same shape as the first holding projection 91. In addition, the shape of the first holding projection 91 can be changed to the same shape as the second holding projection 92.

  In the fourth embodiment, either one of the first holding protrusion 91 and the second holding protrusion 92 can be omitted.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Air cleaner, 11 ... Housing, 12 ... Case, 121 ... Opening edge, 13 ... Cap, 131 ... Opening edge, 14 ... Clamp, 15 ... Hinge part, 16 ... Cowl panel, 20 ... Engagement part, 21,21a, 21b ... Outer leg, 22 ... Upper frame, 221 ... Inner corner, 22a ... First lower surface, 22b ... Second lower surface, 24, 24a, 24b ... Inner leg, 25, 25a, 25b, 25c ... Insertion port, 30 ... Engaging protrusions 31, 31a, 31b ... first part, 32 ... second part, 33 ... cut, 34 ... snap part, 35 ... overhang part, 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d ... inclined surface, 36 ... wall part 37a, 37b ... overhang, 38a, 38b ... snap part, 39 ... second part, 40 ... holding part, 41 ... holding piece, 42 ... notch, 50 ... filter element, 51 ... filtration part, 52 ... seal part , DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 0 ... Air cleaner, 61 ... Housing, 62 ... Case, 621 ... Opening edge, 63 ... Cap, 65 ... Hinge part, 70 ... Engagement part, 71 ... Leg, 72 ... Upper frame, 721 ... Inner corner, 75 ... Insertion Mouth, 80 ... engaging protrusion, 90 ... holding part, 91 ... first holding protrusion, 92 ... second holding protrusion, 921 ... concave part, 100 ... PCV hose (tubular member).

Claims (2)

In a hinge structure of an air cleaner comprising a case and a cap connected to the case via a hinge part so as to be openable and closable, and having a housing for accommodating a filter element,
The hinge portion includes an engagement portion and an engagement protrusion that form an uneven engagement relationship,
The engaging portion has a pair of legs formed on the outer side of the opening edge of the case, and a frame connecting the legs.
The engaging protrusion is formed on the cap, and is inserted into an insertion port formed by the leg and the frame,
The front Symbol cap, when the cap remains engaged with the engagement projection and the engagement portion is maintained is opened, and the holding portion is formed to hold the cap in the open state,
The holding part has a holding projection located above the frame,
When the cap is opened while the engagement between the engagement portion and the engagement protrusion is maintained, the holding protrusion is brought into contact with the frame, and the engagement protrusion is an inner corner of the frame. The cap is held open by being in contact with
Air cleaner hinge structure. A recess is formed on the upper surface of the holding projection,
The hinge structure of the air cleaner according to claim 1 .