JP2019007370A - Oil level gauge - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an oil level gauge which can inhibit water and foreign objects from entering into an oil chamber due to negative pressure in the oil chamber.SOLUTION: An oil level gauge 17 has a gauge body 19 and a sealing material 20 integrated with the gauge body 19. The sealing material 20 includes: a first passage formation part 30 formed on an outer peripheral surface of the sealing material 20 by cutting; and a second passage formation part 31 which is connected with the first passage formation part 30 at one end and communicates with the oil chamber at the other end. The first passage formation part 30 is closed when external force F, generated by drawing the gauge body 19 from an insertion port 22, does not act and opens to cause the atmospheric air and the oil chamber to communicate with each other through the first passage formation part 30 and the second passage formation part 31 when the external force F acts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an oil level gauge for an industrial vehicle.

  In industrial vehicles such as forklifts, an oil level gauge is used to measure the amount of oil in an oil chamber of an engine or transmission. The oil level gauge is inserted into the insertion port of the guide tube communicating with the oil chamber, and the oil level gauge is pulled out from the insertion port when measuring the oil amount.

  In addition, the pressure in the oil chamber may be negative with respect to atmospheric pressure depending on the operating conditions of the industrial vehicle. When the oil chamber becomes negative pressure, not only is it difficult to pull out the oil level gauge due to the pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure, but when the atmosphere and the oil chamber communicate with each other by pulling out the oil level gauge, the guide tube is inserted due to the pressure difference. There is a risk that water and foreign matter accumulated around the mouth may enter the oil chamber.

Thus, for example, Patent Document 1 has been proposed as an oil level gauge for releasing the pressure of the oil chamber to the atmosphere.
As shown in FIG. 8, the oil level gauge of Patent Document 1 includes a gauge body 90 that measures oil level by attaching oil to the tip, and a handle 91 made of a rubber-like elastic material. The handle portion 91 is formed with a breather groove B for communicating an oil pan (oil chamber) with the atmosphere. Further, in the middle of the breather groove B, a film portion 92 integrated with the handle portion 91 is formed. The film part 92 is deformed by a predetermined pressure difference, thereby releasing the pressure in the oil pan to the atmosphere and eliminating the negative pressure. On the other hand, in a state where a predetermined pressure difference is not generated, the film portion 92 suppresses water and foreign matter that have entered the breather groove B from entering the oil pan.

JP 2012-031812 A

However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, if the oil pan has a negative pressure and a predetermined pressure difference occurs, the film portion 92 is deformed, and water and foreign matter enter the oil pan.
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an oil level gauge capable of suppressing the intrusion of water and foreign matter into the oil chamber due to the negative pressure in the oil chamber. .

  An oil level gauge for solving the above problems is a gauge body inserted into the oil chamber from an insertion port, and the gauge body is integrated with the gauge body, and the insertion port is inserted in the insertion port in a state of being inserted into the insertion port. In the oil level gauge of an industrial vehicle having a sealing material to be sealed, the sealing material includes a first passage forming portion cut into an outer peripheral surface of the sealing material, and the first passage forming portion. And a second passage forming portion that is connected at one end and communicated with the oil chamber at the other end, and the first passage forming portion does not receive an external force associated with the withdrawal of the gauge body from the insertion port. It is closed and opened when the external force is applied, and the gist is that the atmosphere communicates with the oil chamber through the opened first passage formation portion and the second passage formation portion.

  According to this configuration, since the first passage forming portion is closed when the oil level gauge is not pulled out, even if the oil chamber is at a negative pressure, the first passage forming portion and the second passage forming portion are used. Water and foreign matter are prevented from entering the oil chamber. On the other hand, when pulling out the oil level gauge, the external force accompanying the pulling acts on the oil level gauge, and the external force also acts on the sealing material. Then, the first passage forming portion opens and the first passage forming portion communicates with the second passage forming portion, whereby the atmosphere and the oil chamber communicate with each other. If the oil chamber has a negative pressure, the oil chamber is opened to the atmosphere due to a pressure difference from the atmosphere, and the negative pressure in the oil chamber can be eliminated.

In the oil level gauge, the sealing material includes a contact surface that contacts the periphery of the insertion port, and the first passage forming portion is positioned higher than the contact surface of the sealing material. is there.
According to this configuration, the gauge main body is disposed at a predetermined position where the amount of oil in the oil chamber can be measured by the contact surface of the sealing material contacting the periphery of the insertion port. In this configuration, the periphery of the insertion port is a deposition surface on which water and foreign matter are likely to accumulate. However, since the first passage forming portion is at a position higher than the contact surface of the sealing material, the first passage forming portion can be disposed at a position away from the deposition surface. It is easy to suppress entry of foreign matter into the part, and foreign matter can be further prevented from entering the oil chamber via the first passage forming portion and the second passage forming portion.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an oil level gauge capable of suppressing entry of water and foreign matter into the oil chamber due to the negative pressure in the oil chamber.

The side view of a forklift. The schematic diagram which shows the installation state of the oil level gauge in an engine. FIG. 3A is a front view of the oil level gauge according to the first embodiment when the first passage forming portion is closed, and FIG. 3B is a view of 3B-3B of FIG. 3A when the first passage forming portion is closed. Line end view. FIG. 4A is a front view of the oil level gauge according to the first embodiment in a state where the first passage forming portion is opened, and FIG. 4B is a view of 4B-4B in FIG. Line end view. The end elevation which shows the oil level gauge of 2nd Embodiment. (A) is a front view which shows the 1st channel | path formation part of another example, (b) is the end view on the 6B-6B line of FIG. 6 (a) which shows the 1st channel | path formation part of another example. (A) is a front view which shows the 1st channel | path formation part of another example, (b) is the 7B-7B line end view of Fig.7 (a) which shows the 1st channel | path formation part of another example. Sectional drawing of the principal part of the oil level gauge in a prior art.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which an oil level gauge of an industrial vehicle is embodied will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a forklift 1 as an industrial vehicle includes a driver's seat 3 substantially in the center with respect to the traveling direction of a vehicle body 2. The fork 4 exists in the direction in which the vehicle body moves forward as viewed from the driver's seat 3.

The forklift 1 includes an engine 6, a torque converter 7, a PTO (power take-off) unit 8, and a transmission 9 under the engine hood 5.
As shown in FIG. 2, the engine 6 includes an oil chamber 16 that stores oil necessary for the operation of the engine 6. Although not shown, the transmission 9 also includes an oil chamber 16.

  The operation of the forklift 1 causes a temperature change in the oil chamber 16 and a pressure difference is generated between the pressure in the oil chamber 16 and the atmospheric pressure. When the oil chamber 16 has a positive pressure, a breather (not shown) provided in the oil chamber 16 is controlled so that the oil chamber 16 does not exceed a certain pressure. On the other hand, when the oil chamber 16 has a negative pressure, the breather does not control the negative pressure. For this reason, the oil chamber 16 may become a negative pressure.

The forklift 1 includes an oil level gauge 17 that measures the oil level of the oil in the oil chamber 16.
The oil level gauge 17 is inserted into a guide tube 18 provided in a cylinder block of the engine 6 and a guide tube 18 provided in a case of the transmission 9. The guide tube 18 includes an insertion port 22 that opens at the upper end. A portion of the guide tube 18 below the insertion port 22 extends to the oil chamber 16. The guide tube 18 is cylindrical. The oil level gauge 17 is inserted into the guide tube 18 so that a gauge body 19 described later is inserted in a direction from the oil surface toward the oil. Further, the guide tube 18 includes a locking surface 18 a around the insertion port 22. The locking surface 18 a is in a position recessed from the upper end surface 18 b of the guide tube 18.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the oil level gauge 17 includes a gauge body 19 and a sealing material 20.
The gauge main body 19 has a long plate shape made of metal or resin. The gauge body 19 is inserted into the tube of the guide tube 18 from the insertion port 22 of the guide tube 18. The gauge body 19 includes a handle 21 at one end in the extending direction. When the gauge body 19 is inserted into the guide tube 18, the handle 21 protrudes from the guide tube 18. The handle 21 has a hanging portion 21a on which a finger can be hung. The handle 21 may be formed by bending a metal plate constituting the gauge body 19 or may be provided in combination with another part made of resin or the like. Moreover, the gauge main body 19 is equipped with the measurement part (not shown) for measuring an oil level in the other end part of the extension direction.

  The sealing material 20 has a cylindrical shape and is formed of rubber as an elastic body. The sealing material 20 is integrated on one end side in the extending direction of the gauge body 19. The handle 21 protrudes from the sealing material 20. The sealing material 20 includes a main body portion 20a on one end side (handle 21 side) along the extending direction of the gauge main body 19 and a sealing portion 20b on the other end side along the extending direction. The extending direction of the central axis of the sealing material 20 is the same as the extending direction of the gauge body 19, and the extending direction of the central axis L1 of the sealing material 20 is the axial direction.

The peripheral length of the main body portion 20a of the sealing material 20 is longer than the peripheral length of the sealing portion 20b. The sealing material 20 has a contact surface 20d at the boundary between the main body portion 20a and the sealing portion 20b in the axial direction.
The sealing part 20b is uneven along the axial direction. The sealing part 20b is alternately provided with convex parts 20bA extending in the circumferential direction of the sealing part 20b and concave parts 20bB having a smaller diameter than the convex part 20bA. The outer diameter of the convex portion 20bA is slightly longer than the inner diameter of the insertion port 22, and the outer peripheral surface of the convex portion 20bA is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the insertion port 22.

  When the oil level gauge 17 is inserted into the insertion port 22, the contact surface 20 d comes into contact with the locking surface 18 a and can no longer be inserted further. The oil level gauge 17 is designed as a position where the oil level can be measured at a position where the oil level gauge 17 cannot be inserted.

  In the state where the gauge body 19 is inserted into the insertion port 22 of the guide tube 18, the outer peripheral surface of the convex portion 20 b A of the sealing portion 20 b is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 23 of the insertion port 22, and the insertion port 22 is sealed. Stop.

  Further, the sealing material 20 includes a first passage forming portion 30 and a second passage forming portion 31. The 1st channel | path formation part 30 is cut and formed in the outer peripheral surface of the main-body part 20a. The first passage forming portion 30 has a role of a valve that opens and closes by a force acting on the gauge body 19. The first passage forming portion 30 has a shape that is deformed by an external force accompanying the extraction of the oil level gauge 17 that acts on the sealing material 20. Since the 1st channel | path formation part 30 is formed with a linear cut | notch, when the external force accompanying extraction is not working, it is closed with the elastic force of an elastic body.

  The cut of the first passage forming portion 30 extends linearly in the circumferential direction of the main body portion 20a. The cutting direction of the first passage forming portion 30 is the radial direction of the main body portion 20a. The radial direction of the main body 20a is a direction in which a straight line connecting the outer peripheral surface of the main body 20a and the central axis L1 of the sealing material 20 extends. In the first passage forming portion 30, one end in the cutting direction is located on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 20 a, and the other end in the cutting direction is located closer to the outer peripheral surface than the central axis L <b> 1 of the sealing material 20.

  The first passage forming portion 30 is closer to one end than the contact surface 20 d in the axial direction of the sealing material 20. Therefore, in a state where the sealing material 20 is inserted into the insertion port 22 and the contact surface 20d is in contact with the locking surface 18a, the first passage forming portion 30 is located higher than the locking surface 18a. In addition, it is preferable that the 1st channel | path formation part 30 is 60 mm or more in height from the latching surface 18a. The locking surface 18a is also a deposition surface on which water and foreign matter are likely to accumulate. By installing the first passage forming portion 30 at a height of 60 mm or more from the locking surface 18a, it becomes easy to suppress the suction of water and foreign matter accumulated on the locking surface 18a.

  The 2nd channel | path formation part 31 is provided over the main-body part 20a and the sealing part 20b, and is provided along the axial direction of the sealing material 20. As shown in FIG. The second passage forming part 31 is formed by drilling the sealing material 20 with a drill or the like. One end of the second passage forming portion 31 is connected to the other end of the first passage forming portion 30 in the cutting direction. The other end of the second passage forming portion 31 opens at the tip of the sealing portion 20b. The diameter of the 2nd channel | path formation part 31 is a magnitude | size which can ventilate even if the sealing material 20 deform | transforms with the effect | action of external force. The diameter of the second passage forming portion 31 is preferably about 5 mm. In a state where the first passage forming portion 30 is open and in communication with the second passage forming portion 31, the first passage forming portion 30 and the second passage forming portion 31 that are opened are connected to the ventilation path 33 (see FIG. 4B). ) Is formed.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, the case where the oil level gauge 17 is not pulled out will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the first passage forming portion 30 is closed, so that the atmosphere and the oil chamber 16 do not communicate with each other. Therefore, even if the oil chamber 16 has a negative pressure, water and foreign matter are blocked by the closed first passage forming unit 30. Further, when the oil chamber 16 has a negative pressure, the force generated by the pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure and the oil chamber 16 in the direction of closing the first passage forming portion 30 acts to block the notch of the first passage forming portion 30. To do. Therefore, the 1st channel | path formation part 30 is closed.

  Next, a case where the oil level gauge 17 is pulled out will be described. When the external force F is applied by pulling out the oil level gauge 17, the sealing material 20 is deformed in the axial direction by the external force F as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). As shown to Fig.4 (a), the 1st channel | path formation part 30 deform | transforms into a horizontally long ellipse shape, and opens. As shown in FIG. 4B, since the opened first passage forming portion 30 communicates with the second passage forming portion 31, a ventilation path 33 is formed in which the atmosphere communicates with the oil chamber 16. Since the oil chamber 16 is opened to the atmosphere by the ventilation path 33, the negative pressure in the oil chamber 16 is eliminated.

  Moreover, when the external force F accompanying extraction of the oil level gauge 17 stops working, the sealing material 20 returns to the original shape by the elastic force, and the first passage forming portion 30 is closed. Therefore, the atmosphere and the oil chamber are not communicated again. Therefore, in the state where the sealing material 20 is not pulled out and the insertion port 22 is sealed, even if the oil chamber 16 becomes negative pressure again, intrusion of water and foreign matter can be suppressed.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The oil level gauge 17 includes a first passage formation portion 30 and a second passage formation portion 31 connected to one end of the first passage formation portion 30 in the sealing material 20. When the external force F due to the extraction of the oil level gauge 17 is not applied to the sealing material 20, the first passage forming portion 30 is closed, and even when the oil chamber 16 has a negative pressure, water and foreign matter into the oil chamber 16 Can be suppressed. On the other hand, when the external force F associated with the extraction of the oil level gauge 17 is applied, the first passage forming portion 30 is deformed by the external force F and communicates with the second passage forming portion 31 to form the ventilation passage 33, and the oil The negative pressure in the chamber 16 can be eliminated. As a result, the oil level gauge 17 is easily pulled out. Further, even if the entire sealing material 20 of the oil level gauge 17 is not pulled out from the insertion port 22, if an external force F that only deforms the sealing material 20 is applied, the ventilation path 33 is formed. The negative pressure in the chamber 16 can be released.

  (2) In a state where the oil level gauge 17 is installed on the guide tube 18, the first passage forming portion 30 is formed on the sealing material 20 so as to be installed at a position higher than the locking surface 18 a of the guide tube 18. ing. Thereby, when the 1st channel | path formation part 30 opens, it can suppress that the water and foreign material which accumulated on the locking surface 18a are sucked into the oil chamber 16. FIG.

  (3) The first passage forming portion 30 is formed to extend linearly in the circumferential direction of the sealing material 20. Thereby, when the oil level gauge 17 is pulled out, the first passage forming portion 30 is easily opened against the external force F acting in the axial direction of the sealing material 20.

(4) The 1st channel | path formation part 30 is a linear cut. Thereby, in the state where the external force F does not act on the sealing material 20, the 1st channel | path formation part 30 is easy to close without a clearance gap.
(5) The 2nd channel | path formation part 31 is extended linearly without meandering. Thereby, not only can the second passage forming portion 31 be easily formed at the time of manufacturing the sealing material 20, but also the deformation of the second passage forming portion 31 due to the external force F accompanying pulling can be minimized.

  (6) The sealing material 20 is made of an elastic body such as rubber. Thereby, it is possible to manufacture with a simple structure a deformation characteristic that is a function of the first passage forming part 30 and is opened by the external force F accompanying pulling and closed when the external force F is not acting.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment in which an oil level gauge of an industrial vehicle is embodied will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, since 2nd Embodiment is a structure which only changed the 2nd channel | path formation part of 1st Embodiment, the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted about the same part.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the second passage forming portion 40 includes a ventilation groove 41 recessed in the outer peripheral surface of the sealing portion 20 b along the axial direction of the sealing material 20, and one end in the extending direction of the ventilation groove 41. And a communication passage 42 that connects the other end of the first passage formation portion 30 in the cutting direction. The communication passage 42 extends from the central axis L1 side toward the outer peripheral surface along the axial direction of the sealing material 20 so as to connect the other end in the cutting direction of the first passage forming portion 30 and one end of the ventilation groove 41. ing. The diameter of the communication path 42 is a size that allows ventilation even if the sealing material 20 is deformed due to the action of an external force caused by pulling out the oil level gauge 17.

  In the second embodiment, the first passage forming portion 30 is opened by an external force that pulls out the oil level gauge 17 as in the first embodiment. The opened first passage forming portion 30 is connected to the communication passage 42, and a ventilation path is formed by the ventilation groove 41 connected to the communication passage 42. Since the oil chamber 16 is opened to the atmosphere through the ventilation path, the negative pressure in the oil chamber 16 can be eliminated as in the first embodiment.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the embodiment, the oil level gauge 17 is inserted into the guide tube 18 attached to the cylinder block of the engine 6 and the case of the transmission 9, but is not limited thereto. For example, the oil level gauge 17 may be directly inserted into the insertion port 22 formed in the cylinder block of the engine 6 and the case of the transmission 9 instead of the guide tube 18.

  The oil level gauge 17 is not limited to the oil level measurement of the engine 6 and the transmission 9 mentioned in the embodiment, but may be used for oil level measurement in a reservoir tank such as power steering oil and brake oil.

  ○ As shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the first passage forming portion 30 has one end in the cutting direction opened at the outer peripheral surface of the sealing portion 20b when the external force accompanying the drawing is not acting. Or a shape in which the other end in the cutting direction is closed.

  As shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, the first passage forming unit 30 may have an oval shape on the outer peripheral surface of the sealing material 20. As a result, stress concentration on one end side in the cutting direction of the first passage forming portion 30 can be alleviated, so that the progress of cracks at the cutting end portion can be suppressed and the life of the oil level gauge 17 can be extended.

  The shape of the sealing material 20 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be, for example, a triangular cylindrical shape or a rectangular cylindrical shape. Thereby, the direction around the axis | shaft which inserts the oil level gauge 17 in the insertion port 22 can be arrange | equalized, and the direction of the 1st channel | path formation part 30 can be made into the direction desired at the time of design.

  3 (a), 3 (b), 4 (a), and 4 (b), the second passage forming part 31 extends linearly along the axial direction of the sealing material 20, If the ventilation path 33 can be formed when the first passage forming portion 30 is opened, the shape of the second passage forming portion 31 may be changed. For example, the second passage forming portion 31 is arranged in the axial direction of the sealing material 20. You may bend along.

  In the first embodiment, the first passage forming portion 30 has a shape that opens with an external force F that acts when the oil level gauge 17 is pulled out. However, the first passage forming portion 30 has a shearing force or It is good also as a shape opened by the force by torsion.

The industrial vehicle using the present invention is not limited to a forklift, and may be used for a special vehicle such as an automatic guided vehicle or a fork loader.
The following technical idea (invention) can be understood from the embodiment.

(1) A liquid level measuring instrument having the configuration of the oil level gauge according to claim 1 or 2.
(2) The first passage forming portion is an oil level gauge extending linearly.

  (3) The second passage forming portion is an oil level gauge extending linearly.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Forklift as an industrial vehicle, 16 ... Oil chamber, 17 ... Oil level gauge, 19 ... Gauge body, 20 ... Sealing material, 20d ... Contact surface, 22 ... Insertion port, 30 ... 1st channel | path formation part, 31, 40 ... 2nd channel | path formation part.

Claims (2)

A gauge body inserted into the oil chamber from the outlet,
In an oil level gauge of an industrial vehicle having a sealing material that is integral with the gauge body and seals the insertion port when inserted into the insertion port,
In the sealing material, a first passage forming portion cut into an outer peripheral surface of the sealing material, a second passage forming in which one end is connected to the first passage forming portion and the other end is connected to the oil chamber. Are provided,
The first passage forming portion is closed when an external force associated with the withdrawal of the gauge body from the insertion port does not act, and is opened when the external force is actuated, and the first passage forming portion is opened. The oil level gauge is characterized in that the atmosphere and the oil chamber communicate with each other through the part and the second passage forming part.   The said sealing material is provided with the contact surface contact | abutted to the circumference | surroundings of the said insertion port, The said 1st channel | path formation part is in a position higher than the said contact surface of the said sealing material. Oil level gauge.