JPH0321458Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

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

Problems that the invention aims to solve In recent years, as engine control mechanisms have become more complex,
As various types of equipment are placed inside the engine compartment 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 equipment. In order to insert it into such a bent guide tube, a flat steel wire is tightly wound spirally to form an insertion rod that has flexibility and elastic restoring force, and a gauge piece made of a steel plate is attached to the tip of the insertion rod. An oil level gauge was developed, but the insertion rod made of spirally wound flat steel wire had poor tensile strength, and when pulled out from the guide tube, the flat steel wires that were in close contact with each other stretched apart from each other. There was still room for improvement as there was a risk of plastic deformation and repeated insertion and removal of the gauge piece would cause the mounting part of the gauge piece to wear out and cause the gauge piece to wobble, making it impossible to accurately measure the oil level. .

The present invention has been developed in view of the above points, and the insertion rod has flexibility and elastic restoring force, and
An oil level gauge that has no risk of plastic deformation due to tensile force, and the gauge part is formed integrally with the insertion rod to eliminate rattling of the gauge part caused by wear of the connecting part. The purpose is to provide the following.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1 showing the first embodiment, 1 is an elongated hollow insert formed by tightly winding a thin wire 3 made of steel wire around the outer periphery of a metal or synthetic resin pipe 2 serving as a mandrel. It is a rod with appropriate flexibility and elastic restoring force, and a certain length of the thin wire 3 at the tip of the insertion rod 1 is cut off to expose the tip of the pipe 2. A gauge part 5 is formed which is immersed in oil by a thin wire 3.
A cap 6 having an inward facing flange 7 which is hooked onto the cut end surface is fitted onto the tip of the cap 6 and fixed by caulking to prevent the thin wire 3 from becoming unraveled. At the rear end of the insertion rod 1, there is a rubber plug 10 integrally molded with a sealing part 11 that fits tightly into a guide tube (not shown) and a stopper 12 that comes into contact with the edge of the guide tube, and a holder made of bent round steel wire. Hand 13 is fixed.

In the oil level gauge of this embodiment having the above configuration, since the insertion rod 1 has flexibility, the insertion rod 1 will bend along the guide tube when it is inserted into or removed from the bent guide tube. Therefore, insertion and removal can be performed smoothly, and since the insertion rod 1 has an elastic restoring force, the insertion rod 1 can be restored to its original straight position after the gauge is removed, and can be easily inserted again. In particular, the insertion rod 1 has a structure in which a thin wire 3 is spirally wound around a pipe 2, and when a tensile load is applied, the thin wire 3 presses against the pipe 2 to prevent deformation in the elongation direction. Even if the insertion rod 1 is subjected to tensile force due to friction with the inner circumferential surface of the guide tube as the game is being pulled out, the insertion rod 1 will not be stretched and plastically deformed, but will also be able to maintain its contact with the mandrel. The pipe 2 has excellent compressive strength, and there is little risk of buckling within the guide tube when the gauge is inserted.Also, since the gauge part 5 is integrally formed with the insertion rod 1, it is easy to insert and remove it. Gauge part 5 which becomes the connection part with insertion rod 1 even if repeated
There is no risk of wear on the base end of the gauge part 5.
This prevents rattling from occurring.

2 and 3 show a modification of the gauge part 5 in the oil level gauge of the first embodiment, and the gauge part 5a in FIG. Grooves 15a and 16a are provided around the gauge section 5a to serve as oil reservoirs indicating the lower limit position and upper limit position.When oil adhering to the gauge part 5a flows downward, it collects in the grooves 15a and 16a, and this can be visually observed. This has the advantage that it is possible to reliably determine that the position of the oil level is above the grooves 15a and 16a where the oil has accumulated, and the gauge part 5b in FIG. 15a and 16a
Instead, recesses 15b and 16b are formed, and it has the same advantages as above.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a large number of thin wires 23 are spirally wound around the outer periphery of a pipe 22 made of a flat steel wire tightly wound in a spiral shape to form a long and narrow hollow pipe having flexibility and elastic restoring force. An insertion rod 21 is formed, the thin wire 23 at the tip thereof is cut off, and the exposed portion of the tip of the pipe 22 is used as a gauge portion 25, and other structures and effects are the same as in the first embodiment. This is similar to the example, and as shown in FIG.
a and 36a, or by forming recesses 35b and 36b in the gauge portion 25b as shown in FIG. 6, as explained in the modification of FIGS. , the position of the oil level can be reliably determined.

Structure and Effects of the Invention The oil level gauge of the invention consists of a hollow, elongated insertion rod that has flexibility and elastic restoring force by tightly winding a large number of thin wires in a spiral around the outer periphery of a pipe that serves as a core. At the same time, the thin wire at the tip of the insertion rod is cut off, and the exposed part of the tip of the pipe is made into a gauge part that is immersed in oil. Because the rod is flexible, it can be inserted and removed smoothly into a bent guide tube, and because it has elastic restoring force, it can be returned to its original straight position after being pulled out, making it easy to insert it again. has a structure in which a thin wire is spirally wound around a pipe, so when the insertion rod is subjected to tensile force due to friction with the guide tube when removing the gauge, the thin wire is crimped onto the pipe.
The insertion rod is prevented from elongating and plastically deforming, and since the insertion rod has a pipe that serves as a core, it has excellent compressive strength, and there is little risk of buckling within the guide tube when inserting the gauge. Since the gauge part is formed integrally with the insertion rod, there is no risk that the base end of the gauge part, which is the connection part with the insertion rod, will wear out even if it is repeatedly inserted and removed, so the gauge part will not wobble even after time. The oil level can be measured accurately, the durability is improved, and since the insertion rod is hollow, the weight of the entire gauge can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of the first embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial front views showing a modified example of the gauge part according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway front view of the first embodiment of the present invention. A partially cutaway front view of the example, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are partial front views of a modified example of the gauge part according to the second embodiment. 1, 21: Insert rod, 2, 22: Pipe, 3, 2
3: Thin wire, 5, 5a, 5b, 25, 25a, 25
b: Gauge part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A large number of thin wires are tightly wound spirally around the outer periphery of a pipe serving as a core to form a hollow, elongated insertion rod that has flexibility and elastic restoring force, and the thin wires at the tip of the insertion rod are An oil level gauge characterized in that the exposed portion of the tip of the pipe is cut out and used as a gauge portion that is immersed in oil.