JPH0110485Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] This invention relates to the structure of an oil tank in a hydraulic system, and more specifically relates to the improvement of an oil tank used in a vehicle power steering system, for example. .

[Prior art]

Generally, the configuration of a power steering device includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, an oil pump 2 rotationally driven by an engine 1, and a steering unit 4 connected to the oil pump 2 via a hydraulic oil supply pipe 3a. and an oil tank 5 to which the hydraulic oil discharged from the steering unit 4 is connected via a discharge pipe 3b to purify the hydraulic oil.
When switching the handle operation,
By circulating and supplying hydraulic oil to the steering unit 4, the steering wheel can be operated smoothly.

By the way, the conventional oil tank 5 as mentioned above
For example, those shown in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 54-177618, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 54-53312, and those shown in FIG. 2 are known.

That is, the oil tank 5 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with a hydraulic oil inlet 7 and a hydraulic oil outlet 8 connected to the suction side of the oil pump 2 on the bottom wall surface of a main body 6 made of synthetic resin. , and on the upper wall of the main body 6,
A hydraulic oil inlet 10 with a strainer 9 is provided at a position corresponding to the outlet 8, and a hollow cylindrical filter 11 is inserted through a spring 12 into the opening 7a at a position corresponding to the outlet 7. A cap 13 for supporting the device is detachably provided.

The strainer 9 provided at the injection port 10 is supported by a support 14, and a removable cap 16 is attached to a flange portion 15a constituting the opening 15. Further, grommets 17 are interposed between the upper and lower ends of the filter 11, the protrusion of the inlet 7, and the spring holder 19, respectively.
Prevents leakage of hydraulic oil.

A spring holder 19 is slidably inserted into the flange portion 18 constituting the opening 7a.
The filter 11 is fixed by interposing the cap 2 and tightening and fixing the cap 13.

Note that 20 is a gasket provided on the inner surface of the caps 13 and 16.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, in the conventional structure for supporting the filter 11, the spring holder 19 is fitted onto the upper end of the filter 11, and the cap 13 is tightened with the spring 12 fitted into the recess of the spring holder 19. Since it had to be fixed, the filter 11 and cap 13
The installation workability was extremely poor, and the large number of parts led to problems with increased costs.

Such problems are discussed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 54-177618,
The technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-53312 is similar, and because of the configuration in which the filter is pressed and supported using a spring, assembly workability is poor and the number of parts is large. There was a problem that increased costs.

This invention was devised by focusing on these conventional problems, and has a simple structure, improves the workability of attaching the filter and cap, and supports the filter in a watertight and elastic manner. hand,
While effectively preventing leakage of hydraulic oil, if the oil pressure inside the filter becomes abnormal, this pressure is released to the outflow chamber to effectively prevent excessive load from being applied to the filter. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure of an oil tank in a hydraulic system in which the shape of the oil tank is made compact.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, this invention has an inflow chamber that communicates with a hydraulic oil inlet provided at the center of the bottom of the tank through a cylindrical filter in the oil tank body equipped with a cap, and It is divided into an outflow chamber and an outflow chamber that communicates with an outflow port provided nearby. One end of the filter is attached to the outer periphery of the inlet via a sealing material, and the other end is provided with a support that is detachable via the sealing material.

This support consists of a cap portion that closes the other end of the filter via a sealing member, a ring-shaped sliding contact portion that slides on the inner wall surface of the oil tank body, and a plurality of support members that connect these two members. Become,
The support members have a concave cross section that enters the outflow chamber, and strainers are attached to the plurality of support members.

Further, an elastic member is provided on the inner wall surface of the cap to be attached to the oil tank body so as to protrude from the inner wall surface of the cap to come into elastic contact with the upper surface of the cap when the cap is attached.

[Effect]

To assemble the cylindrical filter provided in the oil tank main body configured as described above, a sealing material such as a grommet is press-fitted into one end (lower end) of the filter in advance, and the other end (upper end) is press-fitted. ), the filter is inserted through the injection opening of the tank, and the one end is attached to the outer periphery of the inlet provided at the center bottom of the oil tank body.

Further, the other end of the filter is covered with the cap part of the support, and then the cap is screwed into the opening of the oil tank body, and at this time, the upper surface of the cap part of the support is is pressed by a predetermined elastic force. The assembly work is completed by such an operation, and the cylindrical filter whose upper and lower ends are sealed normally discharges the filtered hydraulic fluid from the inflow chamber to the outflow chamber.

In addition, if the filter becomes clogged and the oil pressure inside the filter becomes abnormal, that pressure acts on the cap of the support, and the elastic force of the elastic member acts on the support via the cap. Push up against it. As a result, a gap is created between the sealing member attached to the other end of the filter and the cap part of the support, and the abnormally pressurized hydraulic oil escapes from this gap into the outflow chamber.
This prevents excessive load from acting on the filter.

[Example of idea]

An embodiment of this invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 based on the accompanying drawings.

In the following explanation, the same components as those of the conventional example explained in FIGS. 1 and 2 are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation will be omitted.

Figure 3 shows an example in which this invention is applied to a power steering device.
6 is the main body of the oil tank 5; 7 is an inlet connected to the steering unit 4 via the discharge pipe 3b;
Reference numeral 11 denotes a hollow cylindrical filter with one end fitted into the inlet 7 side, and the inside of the oil tank main body 6 has an inlet chamber 41 which communicates with the inlet 7 for the hydraulic oil through the filter 11. An outflow chamber 42 having an outflow port 8 for hydraulic oil is defined. The bottom wall of the main body 6 of the oil tank 5 is provided with the inflow port 7 which communicates with the inflow chamber 41 at one end of the filter 11, and the inflow port 7 which communicates with the outflow chamber 42 at the other end of the filter 11. Hydraulic oil injection opening 1
0 is formed. A cylindrical guide portion 44 that guides the one end 11a side of the filter 11 is provided on the peripheral edge of the inlet 7 that protrudes into the main body of the oil tank 5, with a predetermined gap 43 in between. Grommet 17 (sealing material) press-fitted into the lower end 11a of the filter 11 on the inner peripheral surface of the filter 11.
The filter 11 is slidably and watertightly fitted therebetween.

The outer periphery of the tip of the flange 17a of the grommet 17 (generally a sealing material) is in close contact with the inner periphery of the guide portion 44 for sealing.

On the other hand, on the other end side 11b of the filter,
A grommet 17 (sealing material) equipped with a flange 17a is press-fitted, and a support 14 is removably attached to the grommet 17, as shown in FIG. A cap portion 14 that closes the opening on the other end side of the filter 11 via a grommet 17 (sealing member 17).
a, a ring-shaped sliding contact portion 14b that slides in contact with the inner wall surface of the oil tank 5, and a plurality of support members 14c having a generally concave cross section that connect these two members, and is configured to enter into the outflow chamber 42. A mesh strainer 9 is attached to each support member 14c having a concave cross section.
is installed.

Further, the strainer 9 supported by the plurality of support members 14c is arranged at a position facing the hydraulic oil injection opening 10.

The outer periphery of the collar 17a of the grommet 17 and the inner periphery of the support 14 are sealed under pressure.

Accordingly, it can be said that the upper end 11b of the filter 11 is generally closed in a sealed state by the closing means. This support 14 is connected to the cylindrical portion 4 of the oil tank body 6 that constitutes the injection opening 10.
It is slidably fitted into the inner wall surface of 5. Further, a removable cap 13 of the oil tank 5 is attached to the injection opening 10, and a support 1 is attached to the inner wall surface of the cap 13 of the oil tank 5.
An elastic member 46 is provided to protrude from the upper surface of 4 so as to come into elastic contact with each other in the attached state.

In this embodiment, the elastic member 46 is
6a is formed to provide elasticity by providing an appropriate number of slits on the circumference of an annular portion having a bifurcated or doglegged cross section, and the cap portion 14a of the support 14 is
When the oil pressure in the filter 11 increases rapidly due to clogging, etc., the support 14 is moved in the axial direction by the pressure, and the grommet 17 is inserted into the grommet 17. By creating a gap between the support 14 and the cap portion 14a and releasing pressure through this gap, it has the function of effectively preventing excessive pressure from acting on the filter 11.

Next, the assembly work of the filter 11 will be explained.

The filter 11 is assembled in advance as follows before being assembled to the tank 5.

First, the lower end 11a of the hollow cylindrical filter 11
The hollow cylindrical grommet 17 is press-fitted into the upper end 11b of the filter 11.
7, the filter 11 is inserted through the injection opening 10 of the tank 5, and the lower end 11a of the filter 11 is fitted into the inner peripheral surface of the guide portion 44 via the grommet 17 press-fitted therein. . In this case, the filter 11 is pushed in until the lower end of the grommet 17 touches the bottom of the tank. Next, the support 14 is inserted through the opening 10, its central cap portion is placed over the upper end 11b of the filter 11, and the support 14 is pushed to a predetermined position where sufficient sealing pressure is obtained between the collar 17a of the grommet 17 and the outer periphery. Next, the cap 13 is screwed into the opening 10 and attached, completing the assembly work.

As described above, when the cap 13 is completely tightened, the bifurcated lower end 46a of the elastic member 46 comes into elastic contact with the upper surface of the support 14, and the flange 17a of the grommet 17 and the center of the support 14 are in contact with each other. The inside of the top portion of the cap portion 14a is in substantially close contact with the inside.

The grommet 17 at the lower end 11a of the filter 11 and the bottom of the tank body 6 are also in substantially close contact with each other.

The tip portion 46a of the elastic member 46 is configured to be elastically deformed when the oil pressure rises above a specified pressure due to clogging of the filter 11, etc., as the cap portion 14a of the support 14 is pushed upward by this pressure. When the cap portion 14a of the support 14 is moved upward, the volume inside the filter 11 is expanded, and excessive pressure is prevented from being applied to the filter 11.

Further, if the oil pressure inside the filter 11 becomes abnormal, the cap portion 14a of the support 14 will move further upwards, and the grommet 17 attached to the upper end of the filter 11 and the cap portion of the support 14 will move upward. 14a, and the pressure is released into the outflow chamber 42 through this gap.

As a result, at the upper end 11b of the filter 11, the inner circumferential surface of the filter 11 and the outer circumferential surface of the grommet 17 and the inner circumferential surface of the support 14 and the outer circumferential surface of the collar 17a of the grommet 17 are brought into pressure contact. On the other hand, at the lower end 11a of the filter 11, the inner peripheral surface of the filter 11 and the grommet 17
and between the inner circumferential surface of the guide portion 44 and the outer circumferential surface of the collar 17a of the grommet 17, and the filter 1 in the oil tank 5 is sealed.
1. The inside and outside are reliably sealed.

The effects of this invention can be obtained even if some gaps exist between each grommet 17, the support 14, and the bottom of the oil tank during assembly. Even if only support 14 moves upward, grommet 1
7 seals are secured.

A tapered surface is formed on the inner diameter portion of the upper end of the guide portion 44 to facilitate insertion of the filter 11. This makes the assembly work easier and improves work efficiency.

Although this invention has been explained using an example of supporting an oil tank used in a power steering device of a vehicle, it is not limited to this and can be applied to general oil tanks (including a wide variety of fluid tanks).

[Effect of idea]

This invention consists of an elastic member protruding from the injection opening of the oil tank body that comes into contact with the top surface of the support when the cap is installed, as described above, so that the filter can be installed without using a spring as in the conventional case. It can be supported and held securely while ensuring sufficient sealing performance, and since no spring is used, it has the effect of making it easier to tighten the cap when installing the filter. .

In addition, since there are fewer parts, it is possible to reduce costs, and since the hydraulic oil injection opening is formed at the other end of the filter and facing the hydraulic oil outflow chamber, the overall shape of the oil tank can be made more compact. There is an effect that can be done. Also,
In this invention, a removable support is provided on the other end of the filter, and this support consists of a cap portion that closes the other end of the filter via a sealing member, and a ring-shaped support that slides against the inner wall surface of the oil tank body. It consists of a sliding part and a plurality of support members with strainers that connect these two parts, so even if the filter becomes clogged and the oil pressure inside the filter becomes abnormal, the Pressure acts on the cap portion of the support and pushes the support upwardly through the cap portion against the elastic force of the elastic member, thereby sealing the sealing member attached to the other end of the filter and the cap portion of the support. By creating a gap between the two and allowing the abnormally pressurized hydraulic oil to escape into the outflow chamber, it is possible to prevent an excessive load from acting on the filter.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an oil tank implemented in a conventional power steering device, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the conventional oil tank, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of essential parts of the oil tank according to this invention. 5... Oil tank, 6... Main body, 7... Inlet, 8... Outlet, 9... Strainer, 10...
Inlet, 11...filter, 13...cap,
14... Support, 17... Grommet (sealing material), 41... Inflow chamber, 42... Outflow chamber, 44...
...Guide portion, 46...Elastic member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The inside of the oil tank body is divided into an inflow chamber that communicates with the inflow port of hydraulic oil through a cylindrical filter, and an outflow chamber that communicates with the outflow port, and one end of the filter is connected to the outer periphery of the inflow port. It is attached via a sealing material, and a removable support is provided on the other end, and this support slides into contact with the cap part that closes the other end of the filter via the sealing material and the inner wall surface of the oil tank body. It consists of a sliding contact part and a concave support member that connects these two members and supports the strainer, and when the cap is attached to the oil tank body, the upper surface of the support and the elastic The structure of an oil tank in a hydraulic system that is provided with an elastic member that comes into contact with the surface of the oil tank.