JP7260584B2 - Fluid filling device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fluid filling device.

A fluid filling device for filling a hydraulic brake circuit of a motorcycle with brake fluid is known. A hydraulic brake circuit includes a master cylinder and a fluid cup connected to the master cylinder.
Some fluid filling devices of this type fill the fluid through a bleeder valve (also simply called a bleeder) provided in the front and rear brake calipers with the fluid cup cap closed ( For example, Patent Document 1). With the technique described in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the work man-hours can be reduced by the amount that the cap attachment/detachment work is unnecessary.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 06-008155

Fluid cups generally have a diaphragm disposed between the cup body and the cap. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the diaphragm may be excessively deformed and the deformed state may be maintained when the bleeder valve is evacuated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to maintain a diaphragm in an appropriate state even when brake fluid is filled from a bleeder valve with a fluid cup cap attached. do.

a master cylinder, a fluid cup connected to the master cylinder, and a caliper, the fluid cup comprising a cup body containing brake fluid, a cap, a diaphragm disposed between the cap and the cup body, A vehicular brake device having a gap for making the space between the cap and the diaphragm atmospheric pressure, and a bleeder valve provided in the caliper. In a fluid filling device for filling fluid, a bleeder connection connected to the bleeder valve and a passage leading to the bleeder connection, the connection destination of the passage being either a vacuum source or a fluid supply source A switchable main passage, a jig attached to the cap, and a diaphragm that evacuates a space between the cap and the diaphragm when the main passage (12) is connected to at least the vacuum source. a deformation prevention part, wherein the jig is attached to the cap so as to isolate the space from the outside, and the space exposed to the atmosphere through the gap can be brought into a vacuum state. Characterized by .

When the connection destination of the main passage leading to the bleeder valve is at least a vacuum source, the diaphragm deformation prevention part is provided to evacuate the space between the cap of the master cylinder and the diaphragm. The suction force acting on the space can be offset by the suction force acting by evacuating the space, and deformation of the diaphragm can be suppressed.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a fluid filling device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the operation of the fluid filling device (filling processes 1 and 2); FIG. 3 shows a continuation of FIG. 2 (filling processes 3 and 4); FIG. 4 shows the continuation of FIG. 3 (filling process 5);

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a fluid filling device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
A fluid filling device 1 is a device for filling a vehicle brake device 2 of a vehicle such as a motorcycle with brake fluid (hereinafter referred to as fluid), and is installed, for example, in a motorcycle manufacturing line.
The vehicle brake device 2 is a hydraulic brake device including a master cylinder 3, a fluid cup 4 and a caliper 5 connected to the master cylinder 3, and a brake pipe 6 connecting them. The fluid cup 4 includes a cup body 4A for containing fluid, a cap 4B covering the top opening of the cup body 4A, and a diaphragm 7 arranged between the cap 4B and the cup body 4A. A diaphragm plate 8 is arranged on the diaphragm 7 . The diaphragm plate 8 is formed with a through hole 8A penetrating the diaphragm plate 8 vertically. Further, the cap 4B is formed with a gap 4G for communicating the space S between the cap 4B and the diaphragm 7 to the outside.

FIG. 1 shows a case where the master cylinder 3 and the fluid cup 4 are integrally constructed, and for example, the master cylinder 3 and the fluid cup 4 are attached to a handlebar of a motorcycle. The caliper 5 has a bleeder valve 9 connected to an internal oil passage. Note that the master cylinder 3 and the fluid cup 4 may not be integrated.
Further, the fluid filling device 1 of the present embodiment may be used to fill various vehicle brake devices used in saddle type vehicles including two-wheel, three-wheel and four-wheel types. The configuration of the vehicle brake device 2 is widely applicable to the configuration of known hydraulic brake devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fluid filling device 1 includes a bleeder connection portion 11 detachably connected to a bleeder valve 9 of a caliper 5, a main passage 12 connected to the bleeder connection portion 11, and a A connection switching unit 13 and an apparatus main body 14 connected to the connection switching unit 13 via a plurality of paths P1, P2, P3 are provided.
An injection passage for injecting fluid, a suction passage for sucking fluid, and a vacuum passage are connected to the device main body 14 as a plurality of passages P1, P2, and P3. The passages P1, P2, and P3 are hereinafter referred to as an injection passage P1, an aspiration passage P2, and a vacuum passage P3, respectively.

The device body 14 has a fluid supply source 21 , a suction source 22 and a vacuum source 23 . The fluid supply source 21 has a structure for supplying fluid to the injection passage P1, and has, for example, a tank for storing fluid and a pump. The vacuum source 23 has a configuration for evacuating the vacuum passage P3, and has, for example, a vacuum pump. The suction source 22 has a structure for sucking the fluid through the suction passage P2, and has, for example, a suction pump and a recovery tank for storing the recovered fluid. The suction pump may be configured using a vacuum source, and the recovery tank for storing the recovered fluid may be shared with the fluid storage tank.

Note that the apparatus main body 14 does not need to include all of the fluid supply source 21, the suction source 22, and the vacuum source 23. A configuration in which all are arranged outside may be used.

The device main body 14 has a control section 25 that controls each section of the fluid filling device 1 . The control unit 25 has a switching control unit 25A that controls the connection switching unit 13 and a sub-passage unit 32, which will be described later. Note that the control unit 25 may have an operating device or the like operated by a worker.

The connection switching unit 13 has a configuration for switching the connection destination of the main passage 12 to any one of the injection passage P1, the suction passage P2, and the vacuum passage P3. More specifically, the connection switching section 13 includes a passage connection section 13A (for example, a four-way joint or a four-way valve) that connects the main passage 12 to three passages (the injection passage P1, the suction passage P2, and the vacuum passage P3). , and on-off valves 13B, 13C, and 13D for opening and closing the passages P1 to P3. By controlling the opening and closing of each on-off valve, the connection destination of the main passage 12 can be switched to any one of the injection passage P1, the suction passage P2, and the vacuum passage P3. Note that the configuration of the connection switching unit 13 may be changed as appropriate.

The fluid filling device 1 also includes a jig 31 attached to the cap 4B, and a sub passage portion 32 connecting the jig 31 and the device main body 14 .
The jig 31 is formed in a shape that covers the fluid cup 4 with the cap 4B attached from above the cap 4B, and is detachable from the fluid cup 4 . In the fluid cup 4, a gap 4G communicating with the cap 4B is formed in the fluid cup 4, and the space S between the cap 4B and the diaphragm 7 is maintained at the same pressure as the external space (that is, atmospheric pressure) via this gap 4G. to maintain.

The jig 31 covers the cap 4B so as to cut off the space S from the external space. Between the cap 4B and the jig 31, a gap communicating with the space S through the gap 4G is formed, and this gap is connected to the sub passage portion 32 through the through hole 31A.
The sub passage portion 32 includes a first passage 33 connected to the jig 31 and the vacuum passage P3, an on-off valve 34 provided in the first passage 33, and a portion of the first passage 33 closer to the jig 31 than the on-off valve 34. It has a second passage 35 branched and connected to the apparatus main body 14 and a vacuum check valve 36 provided in the second passage 35 .

By opening the on-off valve 34 of the sub passage portion 32, the space S between the cap 4B and the diaphragm 7 is connected to the vacuum passage P3 through the gap 4G or the like, and the space S can be evacuated. . The opening/closing of the opening/closing valve 34 is controlled by the switching control section 25A of the device main body 14 . In addition, the on-off valve 34 has a structure for opening the space S to the atmosphere.

The second passage 35 of the sub-passage 32 can have a negative pressure lower than the negative pressure in the vacuum passage P3. That is, the negative pressure in the vacuum passage P3<the negative pressure in the second passage 35 can be set. For example, a system (for example, a vacuum source different from the vacuum source 23) is provided in addition to the system that creates a negative pressure in the vacuum passage P3. Adjustable.
If the same vacuum source 23 can generate different negative pressures, the same vacuum source 23 may apply different negative pressures to the vacuum passage P3 and the second passage 35 .

Next, the operation of this fluid filling device 1 will be described.
The operation of the fluid filling device 1 can be divided into a filling process 1, a filling process 2, a filling process 3, a filling process 4 and a filling process 5.
2-4 are diagrams illustrating filling processes 1-5. As shown in FIG. 2, in the filling process 1, the control unit 25 opens the on-off valve 13D of the vacuum passage P3 and the on-off valve 34 of the sub-passage 32 by the switching control unit 25A. In addition, the control unit 25 keeps the other on-off valves 13B and 13C closed. In the following description, it is assumed that the on-off valves 13B to 13D and 34 are closed unless otherwise specified.

By opening the on-off valve 13D of the vacuum passage P3, vacuum is drawn from the bleeder valve 9, and the air in the vehicle brake device 2 is sucked out. As a result, a suction force acts on the diaphragm 7 in the fluid cup 4 to draw the fluid toward the bleeder valve 9 side.
Further, the space S between the cap 4B and the diaphragm 7 is evacuated by opening the on-off valve 34 of the sub passage portion 32 . As a result, the diaphragm 7 in the fluid cup 4 is evacuated from both sides (the bleeder valve 9 side and the cap 4B side), thereby canceling the suction forces from each side and preventing deformation of the diaphragm 7. .

As shown in FIG. 2, in the next filling process 2, the control unit 25 closes the on-off valve 13D of the vacuum passage P3 and opens the on-off valve 13B of the injection passage P1 by the switching control unit 25A. As a result, the vehicle brake device 2 is filled with fluid from the bleeder valve 9 .
Also, in the filling process 2, the control unit 25 keeps the on-off valve 34 of the sub-passage 32 open by the switching control unit 25A, and evacuates the space S between the cap 4B and the diaphragm 7 . As a result, fluid is filled from the bleeder valve 9 while the diaphragm 7 in the fluid cup 4 is pulled upward (toward the cap 4B, in other words, to the opposite side of the bleeder valve 9). Therefore, the vehicle brake device 2 can be filled with fluid without deformation of the diaphragm 7 .
Since the diaphragm plate 8 is positioned above the diaphragm 7, the diaphragm 7 sticks to the diaphragm plate 8, thereby restricting deformation of the diaphragm 7 toward the cap 4B.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the next filling process 3, the control unit 25 switches the opening/closing valve 34 of the sub-passage unit 32 to the atmosphere open side by the switching control unit 25A, and the switching control unit 25A switches the suction passage P2. The on-off valve 13C is opened for a certain period of time.
By switching the on-off valve 34 of the sub-passage 32 to the atmosphere open side, the space S between the cap 4B and the diaphragm 7 becomes atmospheric pressure, and the diaphragm 7 stuck to the diaphragm plate 8 returns to its original state, that is, , returning to the undeformed reference state. By opening the on-off valve 13C of the suction passage P2 in this standard state, the diaphragm 7 sticks upward, so that excess fluid can be removed.

In the subsequent filling process 4, the control unit 25 causes the switching control unit 25A to close the on-off valve 34 of the sub-passage unit 32 and set the second passage 35 of the sub-passage unit 32 to a negative pressure lower than vacuum. As a result, the negative pressure from the second passage 35 and the atmospheric pressure in the space S pull the fluid in the vehicle brake device 2 toward the master cylinder 3 , and when the bleeder connection portion 11 is removed from the bleeder valve 9 , , liquid leakage from the bleeder valve 9 is prevented.
That is, the negative pressure of the second passage 35 of the sub-passage 32 is set to a negative pressure that pulls the fluid to the extent that it is possible to prevent fluid leakage from the bleeder valve 9 when the bleeder connection portion 11 is removed from the bleeder valve 9. ing.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the filling process 5, the control unit 25 causes the switching control unit 25A to close the on-off valve 34 of the sub-passage 32 and close the sub-passage 32 so as to close all the passages on the master cylinder 3 side. , the negative pressure state of the second passage 35 is released. The jig 31 is removed from the master cylinder 3 in this state.
Further, in the filling process 5, the control unit 25 causes the switching control unit 25A to open the on-off valve 13C of the suction passage P2 for a certain period of time, thereby sucking the fluid remaining in the main passage 12. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fluid remaining in the main passage 12 from leaking.

As described above, in the fluid filling device 1 of the present embodiment, when the connection destination of the main passage 12 is the vacuum source 23 (in the case of filling process 1), the sub passage portion 32 is connected between the cap 4B and the diaphragm 7. It functions as a diaphragm deformation preventing portion that evacuates the space S between them. That is, when the bleeder valve 9 is evacuated by the vacuum source 23, the suction force acting on the diaphragm 7 by the vacuum source 23 can be canceled by evacuating the space S, and the diaphragm 7 is deformed. can be suppressed.
Therefore, even if the fluid is filled from the bleeder valve 9 with the cap 4B of the fluid cup 4 attached, the diaphragm 7 can be prevented from being excessively deformed or maintained in a deformed state. easier to keep in good condition.

Further, the sub-passage portion 32 has a space S between the cap 4B and the diaphragm 7, a first passage 33 that connects the vacuum source 23, and an on-off valve 34 that opens and closes the first passage 33. By opening 34 the space S between the cap 4B and the diaphragm 7 is evacuated. As a result, the space S can be evacuated with a simple configuration, and deformation of the diaphragm 7 can be prevented with high accuracy by using the common vacuum source 23 .

In addition, since the on-off valve 34 has a structure that opens the space S to the atmosphere, the space S can be adjusted to the atmospheric pressure by the on-off valve 34 even when the cap 4B is attached. In this configuration, the on-off valve 34 opens the space S to the atmosphere in the process (filling process 3) after the space S is evacuated and filled with fluid. This makes it possible to fill the correct amount of fluid.

Further, since the connection destination of the main passage 12 can be switched to the suction source 22, the connection destination of the main passage 12 can be switched to the suction source 22 after the fluid is filled and the space S is opened to the atmosphere by the on-off valve 34. Excess fluid can be sucked in by switching.

The sub-passage section 32 also has a second passage 35 that causes the space S to have a negative pressure that is less than the negative pressure obtained by the vacuum source 23 . According to this configuration, the fluid can be sucked and held in the brake passage by the amount corresponding to the deformation of the diaphragm 7 in a state where the space S is adjusted to the negative pressure of the second passage 35, and the bleeder connection portion 11 is connected to the bleeder valve. Excess fluid can be easily sucked so as not to leak from the bleeder valve 9 when removed from the bleeder valve 9.

The above embodiment is merely an example of one aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, the configuration of each part of the fluid filling device 1 shown in FIG. 1 may be changed as appropriate. Also, the filling processes 1 to 5 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 may be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Configuration supported by the above embodiment]
The above embodiment supports the following configurations.

(Configuration 1) A master cylinder, a fluid cup connected to the master cylinder, and a caliper are provided, and the fluid cup is disposed between a cup body containing brake fluid, a cap, and the cap and the cup body. and a gap for making the space between the cap and the diaphragm atmospheric pressure, and the caliper is provided with a bleeder valve. In a fluid filling device for filling brake fluid from a bleeder valve, a bleeder connection part connected to the bleeder valve and a passage leading to the bleeder connection part, the connection destinations of the passage being a vacuum source and a fluid supply source and a diaphragm deformation prevention unit that evacuates the space between the cap and the diaphragm when the connection destination of the main passage is at least the vacuum source. A fluid filling device characterized by:
According to this configuration, when the bleeder valve is evacuated, the suction force acting on the diaphragm can be offset by the suction force acting when the diaphragm deformation preventing section evacuates the space, thereby preventing deformation of the diaphragm. can be suppressed.

(Configuration 2) The diaphragm deformation prevention part has a space between the cap and the diaphragm, a first passage that connects the vacuum source, and an on-off valve that opens and closes the first passage. The fluid filling device according to configuration 1.
According to this configuration, the space can be evacuated with a simple configuration, and deformation of the diaphragm can be prevented with high accuracy by using a common vacuum source.

(Arrangement 3) The fluid filling device according to Arrangement 2, wherein the on-off valve is configured to open the space to the atmosphere.
According to this configuration, even when the cap is attached, the space can be adjusted to the atmospheric pressure by the open/close valve.

(Arrangement 4) The fluid filling apparatus according to Arrangement 3, wherein the on-off valve opens the space to the atmosphere after the brake fluid is filled in the space in a vacuum state.
According to this configuration, it becomes easier to fill an appropriate amount of fluid.

(Structure 5) The fluid filling device according to any one of structures 1 to 4, wherein the connection destination of the main passage can be switched to a suction source.
According to this configuration, excess fluid can be sucked by switching the connection destination of the main passage to the suction source after the fluid is filled and the space is opened to the atmosphere by the open/close valve.

(Arrangement 6) The fluid filling device according to Arrangement 5, wherein the diaphragm deformation prevention section has a second passage for applying a negative pressure to the space that is smaller than the negative pressure obtained by the vacuum source.
According to this configuration, the fluid can be sucked and held in the brake passage by the amount corresponding to the deformation of the diaphragm while the space is adjusted to the negative pressure of the second passage. Excess fluid can be easily sucked to prevent leakage from the bleeder valve.

Reference Signs List 1 fluid filling device 2 vehicle brake device 3 master cylinder 4 fluid cup 4A cup body 4B cap 5 caliper 6 brake pipe 7 diaphragm 8 diaphragm plate 9 bleeder valve 11 bleeder connecting portion 12 main passage 13 connection switching portion 13A passage connecting portion 13B, 13C, 13D, 34 on-off valve 14 device main body 21 fluid supply source 22 suction source 23 vacuum source 25 control section 25A switching control section 31 jig 32 sub passage section 33 first passage 35 second passage

Claims (6)

A master cylinder (3), a fluid cup (4) connected to the master cylinder (3), and a caliper (5), the fluid cup (4) comprising a cup body (4A) containing brake fluid and a cap (4B), a diaphragm (7) disposed between the cap (4B) and the cup body (4A), and a space (S) between the cap (4B) and the diaphragm (7) With the cap (4B) attached to the vehicle brake device (2) in which the caliper (5) is provided with the bleeder valve (9), the In a fluid filling device for filling brake fluid from a bleeder valve (9),
a bleeder connection portion (11) connected to the bleeder valve (9);
a main passage (12) which is connected to the bleeder connection portion (11) and whose connection destination can be switched between a vacuum source (23) and a fluid supply source (21);
a jig (31) attached to the cap (4B);
A diaphragm deformation prevention part (32) that evacuates a space (S) between the cap (4B) and the diaphragm (7) when the connection destination of the main passage (12) is at least the vacuum source (23). ) and
The jig (31) is attached to the cap (4B) so as to isolate the space (S) from the outside, and evacuates the space (S) open to the atmosphere through the gap (4G). A fluid filling device characterized by enabling The diaphragm deformation prevention part (32) includes a first passage (33) connecting the space (S) between the cap (4B) and the diaphragm (7) and the vacuum source (23 ) ; The fluid filling device according to claim 1, further comprising an on-off valve (34) for opening and closing one passage (33) . 3. The fluid filling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the on-off valve (34) is configured to open the space (S) to the atmosphere. The fluid filling device according to claim 3, wherein the on-off valve (34) opens the space (S) to the atmosphere after the brake fluid is filled in the space (S) in a vacuum state. . The fluid filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the connection destination of the main passage (12) can be switched to a suction source (22). The diaphragm deformation prevention part (32) has a second passageway (35) which makes the space (S) under a negative pressure smaller than the negative pressure obtained by the vacuum source (23). 5. The fluid filling device according to 5.

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