JPH034890Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Purpose of the Invention The present invention relates to an oil level gauge suitable for insertion into a bent guide tube.

In recent years, as engine control mechanisms have become more complex,
As various devices are placed in the engine room of automobiles, the space has become narrower, so the guide tube for inserting the gauge, which protrudes from the oil pan, is often bent to prevent interference with surrounding devices. In order to insert it into such a bent guide tube, an oil level gauge with a bendable insertion rod was developed, but when it is inserted or removed, the gauge piece attached to the tip of the insertion rod may break. There was a problem in which the product rubbed strongly against the inner peripheral surface of the guide tube, requiring a large amount of force. In order to avoid this problem, a widened part is formed at the rear end of the gauge piece to serve as the center of swing, and a cap with an inward flange at the tip is widened between the tip surface of the insertion rod and the flange. One idea was to support the gauge piece freely by fitting it onto the tip of the insertion rod and fixing it by caulking, but it was difficult to insert the gauge piece into the cap. The problem was that the cap had to be caulked, making it time-consuming to assemble.

The present invention has been developed in view of the above points, and provides an oil level gauge in which the gauge piece can be easily attached to an insertion rod, and the gauge piece can be supported freely. The purpose is to provide

Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a hollow insertion rod having moderate flexibility and elastic restoring force, which is made by closely winding a flat steel wire in a spiral shape, and a guide tube (not shown) is attached to the rear end of the rod. A rubber plug 2, which is integrally formed with a seal part 3 that fits tightly and a stopper 4 that contacts the edge of the guide tube, and a handle 5 made of a curved round steel wire are fixed, and the tip of the insertion rod 1 is fixed. The part has a cylindrical shape with a bottom plate 8 at one end, and an insertion opening 9 in the bottom plate 8.
A metal cap 7 having a shape formed therein is externally fitted with a space 10 provided between the bottom plate 8 and the tip end surface of the insertion rod 1, and is fixed by caulking the outer periphery thereof.

As shown in FIG. 4, the gauge piece 11 is made of a long and thin elastic steel plate, and is formed to be wider than the inner diameter of the insertion rod 1, and has a protruding end at its rear end on the tip side of the gauge piece 11. A locking pawl 12 is formed by punching out and projects diagonally to one side, and the rear end of this gauge piece 11 inserts the locking pawl 12 through the insertion opening 9 of the bottom plate 8 of the cap 7 described above. The gauge piece 11 is pushed into the space 10 while pushing down against the elasticity, and its rear end surface hits the tip surface of the insertion rod 1, thereby restricting the push-in.
The protruding end of the restored locking pawl 12 comes into contact with the bottom plate 8, making it impossible to separate from the cap 7, and as shown by the arrow in FIG. It is supported so that it can swing freely within a certain angle range in the plane direction.

The oil level gauge of this embodiment has the above-described structure, and the gauge piece 11 can be easily inserted into the insertion rod 1 by simply pushing its rear end into the cap 7 through the insertion opening 9.
Furthermore, since a space 10 is provided between the tip end surface of the insertion rod 1 and the bottom plate 8 of the cap 7, the gauge piece 11 can swing freely.
When inserted into the bent guide tube, the insertion rod 1 bends along the guide tube and the gauge piece 11
enters the guide tube while swinging in the bending direction, and
Similarly, oscillation occurs when pulling out, and as a result,
The bending of the gauge piece 11 is minimized so that only the tip contacts the inner circumferential surface of the guide tube, and the central portion, which indicates the height of the oil level, is separated from the inner circumferential surface so that the attached oil can be wiped away. The height of the oil level can be clearly displayed without being distorted, and the sliding resistance with the guide tube is small.
The gauge piece 11 can be put in and taken out smoothly, and no excessive force is applied to the connecting portion of the gauge piece 11 with the insertion rod 1, so that it does not easily break even if it is repeatedly put in and taken out.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show modified examples of the gauge piece 11, and the gauge piece 11a in FIG. The grooves 13a and 14a are formed in the direction, and when oil adhering to the gauge piece 11a flows down, it collects in the grooves 13a and 14a,
By visually observing this, there is an advantage that it is possible to reliably determine that the oil level is higher than the grooves 13a and 14a where the oil has accumulated. This gauge has recesses 13b and 14b instead of the grooves 13a and 14a, and has the same advantages as the gauge piece 11a.

In the above embodiments, the insertion rod 1 can be a flexible solid or hollow rod made of metal or synthetic resin, and its cross-sectional shape can also be selected as appropriate. It is something.

Structure and effects of the device As specifically explained in the above embodiments,
In the oil level gauge of the present invention, a cylindrical fitting having a bottom plate is fitted to the tip of a flexible elongated insertion rod with a space provided between the bottom plate and the tip surface of the insertion rod. , a locking pawl is formed at the rear end of a long and thin plate-shaped gauge piece made of an elastic material that is immersed in oil, and the protruding end faces the tip of the gauge piece and projects to one side; Pushing the rear end portion into the space through an insertion opening formed in the bottom plate of the cylindrical fixture against the elasticity of the locking claw,
The gist is such that the protruding end of the locking pawl restored by elasticity comes into contact with the bottom plate, thereby supporting the gauge piece in an irremovable and freely swinging manner, and the gauge piece is attached to the insertion rod. When attaching the gauge piece to the holder, all you have to do is push the rear end of the gauge piece through the insertion slot, making the installation process quick and easy.Moreover, since the gauge piece is supported so that it can swing freely, When inserted into or removed from a bent guide tube, the gauge piece swings to suppress the bending, which prevents adhering oil from being rubbed off on the inner circumferential surface of the guide tube and reduces the oil level. In addition to being able to display clearly, the sliding resistance with the guide tube is low, allowing for smooth insertion and removal, and there is no excessive bending force applied to the connection part of the gauge piece with the insertion rod, increasing durability. It has excellent effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an enlarged partially cutaway front view of the tip;
The drawings are a sectional view taken along the line A--A in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a gauge piece, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are partially cutaway perspective views of modified examples of the gauge piece. 1: Insertion rod, 7: Cap, 8: Bottom plate, 9: Insertion port, 10: Space, 11, 11a, 11b: Gauge piece, 12: Locking claw.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A cylindrical fitting having a bottom plate is fitted to the tip of a flexible elongated insertion rod with a space provided between the bottom plate and the tip surface of the insertion rod, and an elastic tube that is immersed in oil is attached. A locking claw whose projecting end faces the tip of the gauge piece and projects to one side is formed on the rear end of an elongated plate-shaped gauge piece made of material, and the rear end of the gauge piece is connected to the cylinder. The locking claw is pushed into the space through the insertion opening formed in the bottom plate of the shaped fixture against the elasticity of the locking claw, and the protruding end of the locking claw restored by the elasticity comes into contact with the bottom plate. An oil level gauge characterized in that a gauge piece is supported in a non-removable manner and can swing freely.