JPH0445975Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] A. Purpose of the invention (1) Industrial application field The present invention relates to a reservoir attached to a master cylinder for supplying pressure oil to the brake equipment of vehicles such as automobiles, and in particular, The present invention relates to an improvement of a reservoir for a master cylinder, which is equipped with a filter that prevents foreign matter such as dust from entering the master cylinder, and an oil level sensor that detects when the oil level of hydraulic oil has fallen below a specified value.

(2) Prior Art Such a master cylinder reservoir is already known as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-24617.

As shown in FIG. 5, the reservoir 01 disclosed in this publication has a filter 0 inside the main body 02.
3, and an oil level sensor 05, which is integrally fixed to a cap 04, is disposed inside the filter 03. The oil level sensor 05 consists of a reed switch 07 housed in a cylindrical body 06, a float 09 that fits into the cylindrical body 06 so as to be movable up and down and has a magnet 08, and a lead wire 010 connected to the reed switch 07. . Therefore, the reservoir 01 is configured such that the oil level sensor 05 can detect that the oil level of the hydraulic oil has fallen below a specified value.

However, in such a reservoir 01,
When the cap 04 is removed to inject hydraulic oil into the main body 02, the cylindrical body 06 and the lead wire 0
10 will also be removed together with cap 04. For this reason, the reed switch 07 may be damaged due to the cylindrical body 06 hitting other members, or the lead wire 01 may be damaged.
0 may be disconnected.

Therefore, a reservoir that solves this problem by providing a reed switch on the reservoir body is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 141826/1983.

As shown in Figure 6, this reservoir 0
11, a cylindrical body 013 housing a reed switch 012 is provided in a main body 014.
A guide tube 015 is formed in this cylindrical body 013, and a float 017 having a magnet 016 is housed in this guide tube 015 so as to be guided in vertical movement.

According to such a reservoir 011, when the cap 018 is removed, the reed switch 012
Since the parts are not removed together, the above-mentioned problem does not occur.

(3) Problems to be solved by the invention By the way, in this reservoir 011, when the cap 018 is removed, the float 017
is not removed together with the main body 0
Stay on the 14th side. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 7, the float 017 is provided with a locking pawl 019, so that when the float 017 moves upward by a predetermined amount,
When this locking pawl 019 engages with the locking portion of the guide tube 015, further upward movement is restricted. As a result, float 01 is caused by ripples on the hydraulic oil surface when the vehicle is running,
7 prevents vertical vibration.

However, when the cap 018 is removed, the float 017 remains on the main body 013 side, and the float 017
If we limit the upward movement of the float,
Even if an attempt is made to remove the float 017 in order to inspect the float 017, it cannot be removed easily. Therefore, there is a problem that inspection work for the float 017 becomes troublesome.

Further, it is desirable that such a reservoir 011 also be provided with a filter. In that case, since it is necessary to move the float up and down by a predetermined amount, a space of a predetermined size must be secured within the main body. However, since the inside of the main body is not so wide, it is difficult to form such a space between the main body and the filter.

The present invention was developed in view of the above circumstances. During normal times, the float is kept immersed in the hydraulic oil inside the reservoir body, and during inspection, the float can be easily removed without worrying about damage to reed switches, etc. It is an object of the present invention to provide a reservoir for a master cylinder that can perform the following functions.

B. Structure of the device (1) Means for solving the problem In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a reservoir body that is integrally equipped with a switch tube that protrudes into the interior that stores hydraulic oil, and a reservoir body that a cap that is removably fastened to the fuel filler port, a filter that is inserted into the reservoir body from the fuel filler port and stored, and a peripheral portion of which is held between the cap and the upper end of the reservoir body. a diaphragm that isolates the interior from the inside of the reservoir body; an electric circuit that includes a reed switch that is housed in the switch cylinder; and a float that is housed in the filter and can actuate the reed switch when it approaches the reed switch. and a filter is provided in the filter to hold the float immersed in the hydraulic oil against buoyancy at a height position where the reed switch is not activated when a sufficient amount of hydraulic oil is stored in the reservoir body. A first feature is that the filter is provided with a stopper means such that when the cap is tightened and fixed to the reservoir body, the bottom portion of the filter is pressed and supported by the reservoir body by the tightening force.

In addition to the above-mentioned features, the present invention also provides a first aspect in which the diaphragm is interposed between the upper end of the filter and the cap, and the tightening force of the cap is transmitted to the filter via the diaphragm. 2.

(2) Effect According to the first feature of the present invention, the reed switch is installed in the reservoir body, so even if the cap is removed for replenishment of hydraulic oil, the reed switch and electrical circuits such as lead wires remain intact. remains in the reservoir body. Therefore, the reed switch will not be damaged by hitting other members, or the lead wire will not be cut.

In addition, the float is housed in the filter, and when sufficient hydraulic oil is stored in the reservoir body, the float is moved into the hydraulic oil by the stopper means at a height that does not activate the reed switch, against buoyancy. Since the float is kept immersed, it will not vibrate up and down due to ripples in the oil surface while the vehicle is running. Moreover, since the filter is pressed and fixed to the reservoir body by the tightening force of the cap, the filter is also securely held in its normal position without swinging due to ripples in the oil surface. Therefore, the float can accurately operate the reed switch when the hydraulic oil drops below the specified level.

Furthermore, when the cap is removed for cleaning the filter or inspecting the float, the tightening force of the cap applied to the filter is released. Since the filter is simply inserted through the oil supply port of the reservoir body, it can be easily removed by pulling out the filter together with the float from the reservoir body. Therefore, cleaning of the filter becomes extremely easy, and since the float can be removed from the removed filter, the work of removing the float is not troublesome. As a result, inspection work on the float becomes extremely easy.

According to the second feature, the tightening force of the cap acts on the filter via the diaphragm. In this case, since the diaphragm is an elastic body, the tightening error of the cap is absorbed by the deformation of the diaphragm. Therefore, the filter can be fixed in the correct position on the reservoir body without paying special attention to the tightening accuracy of the cap.

(3) Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, in FIG. 1, a tandem-type master cylinder M for automobile brakes has a cylinder body 1, and a cylinder hole 2 in the cylinder body 1 has a pair of front pistons 3 ₁ slidably fitted therein.
A front hydraulic chamber 4 ₁ and a rear hydraulic chamber 4 ₂ which are independent from each other are defined by the rear piston 3 ₂ , and these hydraulic chambers are respectively connected to two brake hydraulic circuits in the automobile. Front and rear pistons 3 ₁ ,
3 ₂ is biased to the retreat position by return springs 5 ₁ and 5 ₂ , respectively, and the rear piston 3 ₂ has its rear end connected to an output rod of a negative pressure booster (not shown).

A reservoir R is provided on the upper side of the cylinder body 1. This reservoir R is connected to a cylindrical auxiliary oil reservoir 6 integrally protruding from the upper side of the cylinder body 1 adjacent to the front hydraulic chamber ₄₁ , and a lower end thereof is fitted and connected to the outer periphery of this auxiliary oil reservoir 6. A main oil reservoir 7, which is a reservoir body made of synthetic resin, and a single cap 8 that is screwed onto the upper end of the main oil reservoir 7 to close the oil supply port are provided. A diaphragm 9 is interposed between the upper end of the main oil reservoir 7 and the cap 8 to isolate the interior of the cap 8 from the interior of the main oil reservoir 7.

The inside of the cap 8 is communicated with the atmosphere through an air vent (not shown), and a diaphragm 9 can be expanded and contracted up and down to allow the oil level in the main oil reservoir 7 to rise and fall. This prevents the atmosphere from coming into contact with the hydraulic oil in the main oil reservoir 7, thereby preventing moisture from entering the oil.

The diaphragm 9 has an end wall portion 9a and a peripheral edge portion 9b.
and a cylindrical flexible portion 9c that connects these. As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the peripheral edge 9b has a horizontal flange 9d and a flange 9d.
It consists of a vertical cylindrical portion 9e extending downward from the vertical cylindrical portion 9e, and a horizontal portion 9f extending horizontally from the vertical cylindrical portion 9e, and a flexible portion 9c is continuous with the horizontal portion 9f.

The diaphragm 9 is attached to the cap 8 at its peripheral edge 9b by a substantially cylindrical attachment member 10. The mounting member 10 is a horizontal flange 9d
, a vertical guide portion 10b that guides the vertical cylindrical portion 9c and whose end abuts against the horizontal portion 9c, and a plurality of elastic locking claws 10c that stand up from the upper surface of the storage portion 10. There is. This elastic locking pawl 10c is a flange-like locking portion 8a of the cap 8.
is resiliently engaged. In that case, the elastic locking claw 1
A slight play is provided between the cap 8 and the flange-like locking portion 8a, and the cap 8 and the mounting member 10
When the cap 8 is screwed into the reservoir body 7, the mounting member 10 does not rotate and prevents the diaphragm 9 from twisting.

The inside of the auxiliary oil reservoir 6 is partitioned into a front oil reservoir chamber 6 ₁ and a rear oil reservoir chamber _{6 2} by a partition wall 11 that is integrated with the cylinder body ₁ . It communicates with oil sump 7. The front oil reservoir chamber 6 ₁ is arranged directly above the front piston 3 ₁ , and the front hydraulic chamber 4 ₁ is located on the bottom wall of the front oil reservoir chamber 6 1 .
relief port 12 ₁ and supply port 13 ₁
is drilled. On the other hand, the thick side wall 1a of the cylinder body 1 continues behind the auxiliary oil reservoir 6, and the side wall 1a
An oil passage 14 communicating the rear oil reservoir chamber 6 ₂ with the relief port 12 ₂ and supply port 13 ₂ of the rear hydraulic chamber 4 ₂ is bored in the rear oil reservoir chamber 6 2 .

A switch cylinder 15 is integrally formed on the lower inner wall of the main oil reservoir 7 so as to project into the main oil reservoir 7 in a horizontal position. A reed switch 16 is housed within this switch cylinder 15, and this reed switch 16
An alarm 18 installed in the automobile is connected via a lead wire 17 drawn out of the switch tube 15.
and connected to the power supply 19. That is, the reed switch 16, lead wire 17, alarm 18, and power source 19 constitute the electric circuit of the present invention.

Furthermore, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 20, 20... are protruded from the upper inner wall of the main oil reservoir 7 at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction, and the lower ends of these ribs 20, 20... It extends radially inward to reinforce the switch cylinder 15.

A filter 21 is housed in the main oil reservoir 7.
The upper part of the filter 21 has a larger diameter than the lower part. As shown in FIG. 3, a groove 22 is formed in this upper portion to engage the rib 20. As shown in FIG. Due to the engagement between the ribs 20 and the grooves 22, the filter 21 is housed in a predetermined position and its rotation is prevented.

Further, a float guide tube 24 is provided protruding from the upper surface of the bottom wall of the filter 21, and a float 25 is housed in the float guide tube 24 so as to be movable up and down. A stopper 26 is provided at the upper end of the float guide tube 24 to restrict the upper limit of the rise of the float 25.

As shown in FIG. 4, four vertical grooves 27 are formed in the float guide tube 24 so that hydraulic oil can freely enter and exit the float guide tube 24. The float guide tube 24 can be elastically deformed in the diametrical direction for attachment and detachment. The stopper 26 is the float guide tube 24
A pair are provided at points symmetrical positions with respect to the center.

An annular projection 28 is provided on the outer periphery of the lower end of the float 25, and when the float 25 rises, this projection 28 engages with the stopper 26 to stop the float 25.
5 is regulated, and as a result, the float 25
is usually kept immersed in hydraulic fluid. That is,
The stopper 26 constitutes the stopper means of the present invention. A magnet 29 is embedded in the lower end of the float 25 . This magnet 29 closes the reed switch 16 when the float 25 descends to its lower limit where it contacts the upper surface of the switch cylinder 15.

A relatively large opening 30 is formed in the lower side wall 21a of the filter 21, and a mesh member 31 is stretched over this opening 30. A dust collector 32 is formed below this mesh member 31 between the side wall 21a and the float guide cylinder 24.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

After the filter 21 is stored in the main oil reservoir 7 from the oil supply port, the diaphragm 9 is attached by the mounting member 10.
When the cap 8 with the attached cap 8 is screwed and tightened to the upper end of the main oil reservoir 7, the vertical guide portion 10 of the mounting member 10
The lower ends of b are opposed to each other across the horizontal portion 9f of the diaphragm 9, and the tightening force of the cap 8 is applied to the mounting member 10.
and is applied to the filter 21 via the horizontal portion 9f of the diaphragm 9. For this reason, the filter 21
The bottom of the main oil sump 7 is pressed against the switch cylinder 15 of the main oil sump 7 and is fixedly supported at a normal position in the main oil sump 7. Moreover, even if the buoyancy of the float 25 is applied to the filter 21, the filter 21 will not rise.
Further, even if a tightening error occurs in the cap 8, it is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the diaphragm 9. Therefore, the filter 21 can be reliably fixed in the correct position without paying special attention to the tightening accuracy of the cap 8.

When the brake hydraulic circuit is normal and the main oil reservoir 7 is filled with a specified amount of hydraulic oil, the float 25 is held immersed in the hydraulic oil at the upper limit position where it contacts the stopper 26. At this time, the buoyancy of the float 25 is applied to the filter 21;
1 is pressed against the bottom of the main oil reservoir 7 by the tightening force of the cap 8, so it does not rise. Furthermore, even if the surface of the hydraulic oil is rippled due to the running of the vehicle, the float 25 will not follow the ripples and vibrate up and down. Additionally, reed switch 16 is open and does not activate alarm 18.

When a negative pressure booster (not shown) is activated to move the front and rear pistons 3 ₁ , 3 ₂ forward (leftward in FIG. 1), these pistons 3 ₁ , 3 ₂ close the relief ports 10 ₁ , 10 _{2 .} front, rear hydraulic chamber 4
Hydraulic pressure is generated at ₁ and 4 ₂ , and these oil pressures are transmitted to the corresponding brake hydraulic circuits to operate each wheel brake.

When the front and rear pistons ₃₁ and ₃₂ are moved backward by the elastic force of the return springs ₅₁ and ₅₂ , the pressure in the front and rear hydraulic chambers ₄₁ and ₄₂ is reduced, so the operation of each wheel brake is released. can do. In this case, hydraulic oil is supplied to the front and rear hydraulic chambers 4 ₁ and 4 ₂ from the front and rear oil reservoir chambers 6 ₁ and 6 ₂ through the supply ports 13 ₁ and 13 ₂ as usual, When the relief ports 12 ₁ and 12 ₂ are opened, these excess supplies are returned to the front and rear oil sump chambers 6 ₁ and 6 ₂ through them.

Next, the brake hydraulic circuit of the rear hydraulic chamber ₄₂ system was damaged, and the hydraulic oil in the main oil sump 7 and the rear oil sump chamber ₆₂ leaked from the damaged part, and the hydraulic oil only entered the front oil sump chamber ₆₁ . Assume that there is a storage of

Even in such a case, if both pistons 3 ₁ and 3 ₂ are moved forward, hydraulic pressure will be generated in the front hydraulic chamber 4 ₁ .
Hydraulic pressure can be transmitted to the normal brake hydraulic circuit.

In this case, the float 25 descends following the drop in the hydraulic oil level. At that time, the float 25 descends smoothly as it is guided by the float guide tube 24. Then, the magnet 29 of the float 25 closes the reed switch 16 by its magnetic force, and the alarm 18 is activated to notify of damage to the brake hydraulic circuit. At that time, the filter 21 is pressed against the bottom of the main oil reservoir 7 by the tightening force of the cap 8, so it is held accurately in the correct position without swinging due to ripples in the hydraulic oil level, etc. Therefore, the float 25
This allows the reed switch 16 to operate correctly.

Similarly, the brake hydraulic circuit of the front hydraulic chamber 4 ₁ system was damaged, and the hydraulic oil in the main oil sump 7 and the front oil sump chamber 6 ₁ leaked from the damaged area, causing the rear oil sump chamber 6 ₂ to leak.
Even if hydraulic oil is stored only in the brake cylinder, if both pistons 3 ₁ and 3 ₂ are moved forward, hydraulic pressure will be generated in the rear hydraulic chamber 4 ₂ and transmitted to the normal brake hydraulic circuit. be able to.

In this case, as the float 25 descends, the reed switch 16 closes and the alarm 18 is activated.

By the way, when the cap 8 is removed for work such as replenishing hydraulic oil, the cap 8 and the diaphragm 9 are only removed, and the lead wire 17 and the switch tube 15 remain in the main oil reservoir 7. Therefore, even if the cap 8 is removed, the lead wires 17 and the switch tube 15 will not be damaged.

Also, for cleaning the filter 21 and for cleaning the float 2.
When the cap 8 is removed to inspect the filter 21, the tightening force of the cap 8 applied to the filter 21 is released. In that case, since the filter 21 is simply inserted into the main oil reservoir 7, the filter 21 can be easily removed. Therefore, the filter 21 can be easily cleaned, and since the float 25 can be easily removed from the filter 21 removed from the main oil reservoir 7, the float 25 can also be easily inspected.

C. Effects of the invention As described above, according to the first feature of the invention, the reed switch is provided on the reservoir body side, so even if the cap is removed for replenishment of hydraulic oil, etc., the electric circuit such as the reed switch can be removed. remains on the reservoir body side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the reed switch from being damaged by hitting other members or the lead wire from being cut.

In addition, while the float is housed in the filter, when the cap is tightened and fixed to the reservoir body, the bottom of the filter is pressed and supported by the reservoir body due to the tightening force when the cap is tightened and fixed to the reservoir body. Not only will it not rise, but it will also no longer oscillate due to ripples in the hydraulic oil. Therefore, the filter can be reliably held in the correct position, and the float can accurately operate the reed switch when the hydraulic oil drops below the specified level. Furthermore, a space for installing the float can be freely secured within the filter.

Moreover, since the filter is simply inserted into the reservoir body through the fuel filler port, the filter can be easily removed by simply removing the cap and releasing its tightening force. Therefore, the filter can be cleaned extremely easily. Furthermore, since the float can be removed from the removed filter, the work of removing the float is not troublesome. As a result, inspection work on the float becomes extremely easy.

According to the second feature of the present invention, the tightening force of the cap is transmitted to the filter via the diaphragm, so that the diaphragm is elastically deformed by the tightening force and can absorb errors in tightening the cap. As a result, the filter can be easily and reliably held in the correct position in the reservoir body without paying special attention to the tightening accuracy of the cap.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of the master cylinder reservoir according to the present invention together with the master cylinder, FIG. 2 is an enlarged detailed view of a portion of FIG. 1,
Figure 3 is a - line sectional view of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1.
5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional reservoir, FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of another conventional reservoir, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line - of FIG. 6. M...Master cylinder, R...Reservoir, 7...
...Main oil reservoir as the reservoir body, 8...Cap, 9...Diaphragm, 15...Switch tube,
16...Reed switch, 17...Lead wire, 1
8...Alarm device, 19...Power supply, 21...Filter, 25...Float, 26...Stopper as a stopper means, 29...Magnet.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) A reservoir body that is integrally equipped with a switch tube protruding into the interior for storing hydraulic oil, a cap that is removably tightened and fixed to the oil filler port at the upper end of the reservoir body, and a filter inserted into the reservoir body through the fuel filler port and housed; a diaphragm having a peripheral edge sandwiched between the cap and the upper end of the reservoir body to isolate the inside of the cap from the inside of the reservoir body; an electric circuit including a reed switch housed in a switch cylinder, and a reed switch housed in the filter;
a float that can actuate the reed switch when it approaches the reed switch; and a float that can actuate the reed switch when a sufficient amount of hydraulic fluid is stored in the reservoir body;
a stopper means provided on the filter to hold the reed switch immersed in the hydraulic oil against buoyancy at a height position where the reed switch is not activated, and the filter fastens and fixes the cap to the reservoir body. A reservoir for a master cylinder, characterized in that the bottom portion is pressed and supported by the reservoir body due to the tightening force. (2) In the product described in paragraph (1), the diaphragm is interposed between the upper end of the filter and the cap, and the tightening force of the cap is transmitted to the filter via the diaphragm. A reservoir for master cylinders featuring: