JPH048070Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a reserve tank for a power steering device for an automobile.

Conventional technology In order to reduce the steering force in automobiles,
Hydraulic power steering in which a hydraulic pump driven by the engine supplies oil from a reserve tank through a control valve to a power cylinder device, and the operation of the power cylinder device provides power assist in the steering direction. Devices equipped with this device have been developed in the past (see, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publications No. 161860/1986 and No. 20355/1988).

In a hydraulic power steering system, the suction pipe through which the hydraulic pump sucks oil from the reserve tank penetrates the bottom of the reserve tank and protrudes so that its upper end is located at a predetermined height within the reserve tank. It's normal (Jitsukai 59-
31565) or return oil flows into the reserve tank from an inflow pipe provided at the upper part of the reserve tank.

Problems to be solved by the invention It goes without saying that in the hydraulic power steering system as described above, the reserve tank, hydraulic pump, etc. are arranged in the engine room. Since it takes up a relatively large amount of space, it is desirable to make it as small as possible.

However, when downsizing, the oil level in the tank body B of the reserve tank A fluctuates when the vehicle turns, as shown in Figure 2, and the oil level between the opening in the tank body of the suction pipe C and the oil level above it changes. When the height becomes lower, the oil vortex E generated by the flow of return oil flowing into the tank body B from the inflow pipe D causes the air on the oil surface to be drawn in, causing the oil to flow from the suction pipe C to the hydraulic pump. This causes problems such as air getting mixed into the oil being sucked in, causing abnormal noises and cloudy oil.

The purpose of the present invention is to reduce the size of the reserve tank by eliminating the above-mentioned problems.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a reserve tank for a hydraulic power steering system with an opening inside the tank body of a suction pipe for sucking oil in the tank body with a hydraulic pump, and an opening in the tank body for sucking oil in the tank body using a hydraulic pump. The inflow pipe for inflowing into the main body is connected to the opening in the tank body using a flow regulating member made of pipe material, and the flow regulating member has a slit or a plurality of holes for oil flow on the side facing the bottom of the tank body. It is characterized by the fact that it has been provided.

Effect In the above, even if the oil level in the tank body is shallow, most of the return oil that has flowed into the tank body from the inflow pipe passes through the rectifying member and flows directly into the suction pipe, and the return oil flows directly into the tank body. The vortices that occur when the oil flows into the oil are completely prevented, and the slits or oil distribution holes through which a small amount of oil, such as the thermal expansion of the oil, flows are directed toward the bottom of the tank body in the opposite direction from the oil surface. This eliminates the risk of air getting mixed into the oil sucked into the hydraulic pump from the suction pipe, making it possible to make the reserve tank smaller, especially thinner.
This makes it possible to reduce the amount of oil used in the power steering device.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a reserve tank, and the reserve tank 1 includes a tank body 2, a suction pipe 3 that passes through the bottom of the tank body 2 and communicates with an inlet of a hydraulic pump (not shown), and a return oil tank. It consists of an inflow pipe 4 that allows the flow to flow into the tank body.

In the present invention, a rectifying member 5 is provided which connects the inlet of the inflow pipe 4 into the tank body and the opening of the suction pipe 3 into the tank body.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the flow regulating member 5 is made of a pipe material that is integrated with the inflow pipe 4 and the suction pipe 3. At least two opening holes 5a and 5b are provided.

In the above, when the driver is not performing a steering operation, the oil sucked from the suction pipe 3 by the hydraulic pump is supplied to the control valve section provided in the steering device section, and then passes through the return passage. The oil circulates into the tank body 2 through the inflow pipe 4, and when the steering operation is performed, the control valve is activated and the oil is fed by the hydraulic pump into the oil chamber of one side of the power cylinder installed in the gear box part of the steering device. At the same time, the oil in the other oil chamber of the power cylinder flows into the tank body 2 from the inlet pipe 4 through the control valve and the return passage.

The return oil that has flowed into the tank body 2 from the inflow pipe 4 as described above passes through the rectifying member 5,
A part of the oil flows out from the hole 5a towards the bottom of the tank body 2, and the other return oil flows out from the rectifying member 5.
The air is drawn directly into the suction pipe 3 through the inside. In this case, oil in the tank body 2 is sucked into the suction pipe 3 through the hole 5b closer to the suction pipe 3 to make up for the lack of oil sucked into the hydraulic pump.

Even if the oil level in the tank body 2 is tilted significantly due to the steering operation as shown in the first diagram, and the oil level on the suction pipe 3 side becomes shallow, the rectifying member 5 allows the oil to flow from the inflow pipe 4 to the suction pipe 3. Since the oil surface side between the pipes is completely covered, vortices near the oil surface caused by the flow rate of return oil are completely prevented, and return oil is prevented from flowing into the tank body and into the suction pipe. Intake into the tank body is on the opposite side from the oil level, that is, tank body 2.
Since this is done through holes 5a and 5b provided toward the bottom of the power cylinder, there is no chance of air getting mixed into the oil supplied to the power cylinder, and noises caused by air getting into the oil are eliminated. Problems such as oil cloudiness can be completely eliminated.

The above embodiment shows an example in which a pipe material integrated with the inflow pipe 4 and suction pipe 3 is used as the flow regulating member 5, and in this case, two holes are simply punched at appropriate positions in one pipe material. It has an extremely simple structure, and has the advantage of being very easy to manufacture.
It may be configured integrally with either one or both of them, or both ends of the rectifying member 5 configured separately may be connected to the inflow pipe 4 and the suction pipe 3 by welding or the like.

Also, instead of the plurality of oil circulation holes 5a, 5b,
A slit extending over the entire length may be formed on the lower side (bottom side of the tank body) of the flow regulating member 5 made of a pipe material.

Effects of the invention As described above, according to the invention, in the reserve tank of a hydraulic power steering device, the inlet pipe, through which return oil flows into the tank body, communicates with the opening in the tank body and the suction port of the hydraulic pump. By connecting the pipe and the opening in the tank body with a flow regulating member made of pipe material, the generation of vortices due to the return oil flow is completely prevented, and there are no slits or oil circulation holes. Since it faces in the opposite direction to the oil level, even if the oil level in the tank body is shallow, air will not get mixed into the oil sucked into the hydraulic pump from the suction pipe, and noises caused by air getting mixed into the oil will not occur. Problems such as oil generation and oil cloudiness can be completely prevented, and as a result, the reserve tank can be made smaller (particularly thinner), and the smaller the reserve tank, the smaller the amount of oil for the power steering system. It is possible to significantly reduce the space occupied by the power steering device in the engine room, and the amount of oil flowing through the slit or oil distribution hole is extremely small due to thermal expansion. Since most of the return oil is directly sucked into the suction pipe, it can bring about many valuable effects, such as less energy loss and the ability to minimize the deterioration of fuel efficiency caused by the power steering device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a conventional reserve tank. 1... Reserve tank, 2... Tank body, 3
... Suction pipe, 4 ... Inflow pipe, 5 ... Rectification member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The oil sucked from the reserve tank through the suction pipe by the hydraulic pump is sent to the steering device section, and the hydraulic pressure of the supplied oil provides power assist in the steering direction, and the return oil is passed through the inlet pipe to the reserve tank. In a hydraulic power steering device in which the intake pipe of the reserve tank is connected to an opening in the tank body and an opening in the tank body of the inflow pipe, both ends thereof are connected to the intake pipe and the inflow pipe. A reserve for a power steering device, which is connected by a flow regulating member made of communicating pipe material, and a slit or a plurality of oil circulation holes are provided on the side of the flow regulating member made of the pipe material opposite to the bottom surface of the tank body. tank.