JPH0996554A - Oil level gauge - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] Conventionally, an oil level gauge for measuring an oil level of an internal combustion engine or the like has been measured by the oil adhered to the surface of the level gauge portion. However, in order to eliminate the trouble of having to pull out and wipe off the oil in the level gauge section before the measurement, an oil level gauge with a more accurate and simple operation is provided. SOLUTION: The gauge body 1 is formed of an elastic member, and at least the level gauge portion 5 at the lower end portion of the gauge body 1 is formed.
Is a hollow cylindrical see-through member, and the level gauge section 5
A slit 7 is provided at the end. At the time of oil level measurement, a guide plug 11 having a diameter for removing oil adhering to the surface when the gauge body 1 is pulled out is provided at the upper end of the guide pipe 10, and after the gauge body 1 is pulled out, a hollow cylinder of the level gauge section 5 is provided. Oil level and scale 6 attached to the inner surface
To match.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an oil level gauge for measuring the oil level (oil amount) of lubricating oil for internal combustion engines, transmissions, etc. in automobiles, motorcycles, outboard motors and the like. In particular, it relates to an oil level gauge that can be used even when a guide pipe for inserting the oil level gauge is complicatedly bent.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of the structure of a conventional oil level gauge is shown in FIG. The oil level gauge is
It is composed of a long rod-shaped gauge body 41 and a seal rubber 42 attached to substantially the center of the gauge body 41. Gripping portion 4 formed by bending the upper end of the gauge body 41 into a circle
3, the lower end portion is pressed flat into a flat plate to form a level gauge portion 44. The seal rubber 42 elastically fits inside the guide pipe to position the oil level gauge inside the guide pipe. The level gauge section 44 at the lower end of the gauge body 41 is immersed in oil in an oil pan connected to the guide pipe. Level gauge part 4
4 is engraved with a scale 45 that clearly indicates the oil level. The amount of oil can be checked by pulling out the oil level gauge from the guide pipe and comparing the upper surface of the oil attached to the level gauge portion 44 with the scale 45.

The oil in the oil pan fluctuates due to normal running of the vehicle, and the oil adheres to the main body of the oil level gauge and the guide pipe. Therefore, when measuring the oil level, pull out the oil level gauge from the guide pipe once, wipe off the oil adhering to the level gauge portion 44 with a cloth, etc., and then insert the oil level gauge into the guide pipe to attach it to the level gauge portion 44. The oil was dipped, and the oil was pulled out again and the scale 45 was used for measurement.

Therefore, there is a problem that preparation is required before measuring the oil level, which is troublesome. Most of such oil level gauges are made of copper plate, and the direction of the oil level gauges with respect to the bending of the guide pipe is shown when inserting or taking out the guide pipe that is complicatedly bent due to the structure of the vehicle. It was very difficult to handle. Further, even when measuring the oil level, when the oil level gauge is pulled out from the guide pipe, the tip of the level gauge portion 44 comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the guide pipe. However, there is a drawback that the oil level cannot be accurately measured.

In order to solve such a problem, an oil level gauge disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 55-48412 has been devised. The structure of this oil level gauge is
Although it is almost the same as the oil level gauge described above, the difference is that, as shown in FIG. 8, the flat level gauge portion 46 provided at the lower end portion of the oil level gauge main body has a long hole 47 extending along the longitudinal axis direction. That is, the side wall surface 48 is provided with irregularities.

In the oil level gauge having such a structure, the oil level is measured by collating the upper surface of the oil adhering to the side wall surface 48 of the elongated hole 47 with the scale 49. Therefore, even in the oil level measurement when the guide pipe is bent in a complicated manner, when the oil level gauge is pulled out from the guide pipe, the level gauge portion 46 may contact the inner peripheral surface of the guide pipe to prevent a change in the amount of adhered oil. The resulting measurement performance was improved.

As another means for solving the problems of the oil level gauge described above, an oil level gauge disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-53136 will be described with reference to FIG. The gauge body 50 of the oil level gauge is formed of a hollow cylindrical pipe, and a seal rubber 51 is attached to the gauge body 50 substantially at the center thereof. An upper portion of the gauge body 50 is bent into an inverted U shape for easy grip, and an opening / closing valve device 54 having an opening / closing mechanism including a return spring 52, a spring seat 53 and the like is provided at an upper end of the gauge body 50. On the other hand, a level gauge portion 55 is formed in the lower part of the gauge body 50, and the level gauge portion 55 is formed of a transparent material so that at least a part of the inside of the pipe can be visually observed, and in order to clearly indicate the oil level. The scale (not shown) is engraved on the surface of the level gauge portion 55. Normally, an oil level gauge is inserted in a guide pipe, a seal rubber 51 is elastically fitted to a gauge guide, and a level gauge portion 55 formed at the bottom of the gauge body 50 is connected to the guide pipe. It is held so that it is immersed in the oil inside.

The oil level measurement in the oil level gauge having such a configuration will be described. Normally, the elasticity of the return spring 52 that constitutes the on-off valve device 54 causes the on-off valve device 54 to be in a closed state. By pushing up the spring seat 53 against the elasticity of the return spring 52 to measure the oil level,
The on-off valve device 54 changes from the closed state to the open state. Since the level gauge portion 55 at the lower end of the gauge body 50 is immersed in the oil in the oil pan, when the opening / closing valve device 54 is opened, the oil enters from the open end of the level gauge portion 55. Then, when the oil penetrates into the level gauge section 55 to a position that is in balance with the atmospheric pressure, that is, to a height equal to the oil in the oil pan, a stable state is achieved. The opening / closing valve device 54 is closed by removing the force applied to the spring seat 53, so that the oil that has penetrated into the level gauge portion 55 to a height equal to the oil level is retained inside the level gauge portion 55. .

In this state, the gauge body 50 together with the seal rubber 51 is pulled out from the guide pipe. Then, since the level gauge portion 55 is partially formed of a transparent material, the oil held inside the main body can be visually observed, and the oil level can be measured by collating the upper surface of the oil with the scale. To be done.

In the oil level gauge having such a structure, the oil level can be measured by only pulling out the oil level gauge from the gauge guide once. Therefore, the preparatory work before the measurement can be omitted and the trouble is eliminated. However, in this operation, in order to retain the oil inside the level gauge portion 55, it is necessary to surely seal the oil when the opening / closing valve device 54 is closed.
It was difficult to maximize the certainty of this operation.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when measuring the oil level,
The purpose is to eliminate the complicated preparation before measurement as much as possible and improve the certainty of the measured value. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an oil level gauge that can cope with a bent guide pipe due to the complicated structure of vehicles in recent years.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, in the invention of claim 1, in order to measure the oil level of an internal combustion engine or the like, a long member fixed to a guide pipe through a guide plug is used. In the oil level gauge of
The gauge body is formed of an elastic member, and the grip portion is formed on the upper end portion of the gauge body, and at least the level gauge portion formed on the lower end portion of the gauge is formed of a hollow cylindrical see-through member. The oil level gauge is characterized in that a slit is provided in the gauge portion or a breather hole is provided in an appropriate portion of the gauge body.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in the long oil level gauge fixed to the guide pipe through the guide plug to measure the oil level of the internal combustion engine or the like, the elastic hollow cylindrical member is used. The gauge body to be formed has a breather hole at an appropriate position, and at least the level gauge portion formed at the bottom of the gauge body is formed of a see-through member, and a grip portion provided at the upper end of the gauge body and a gauge. A push button located above the insertion opening of the gripping portion leading to the hollow portion of the main body, a return spring interposed between the insertion opening of the gripping portion and the push button, and the inside of the gauge main body cylindrical portion from the push button. The push shaft that passes through and extends to the lower end of the gauge body, and the diameter of the cross section circle of the gauge body at the lower end of the push shaft that is less than the diameter A shutoff cock having a diameter larger and,
Is an oil level gauge consisting of.

The invention according to claim 3 is the oil level gauge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner diameter of the guide plug and the outer diameter of the level gauge portion are equal.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An example of an embodiment according to claim 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. In FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a long gauge body, which is a hollow cylindrical pipe made of a transparent member having elasticity. The grip portion 2 provided at the upper end of the gauge body 1 is attached with a knob 3 having a rod-shaped central portion protruding upward, and the peripheral edge of the lower end of the knob 3 is
The flange 4 is formed. At the lower end of the gauge body 1,
A level gauge section 5 is formed. Level gauge section 5
The surface is engraved with a scale 6 that clearly indicates the oil level. As shown in more detail in FIG. 2, a slit 7 extending from the end of the level gauge portion 5 of the gauge body 1 to above the oil level is provided, and the end of the level gauge portion 5 has a substantially hemispherical gauge. The guide 8 is inserted in the cylinder.

The oil level gauge having such a structure is inserted into a guide pipe 10 leading to an oil pan 9 provided in an internal combustion engine, a transmission or the like. At this time, the outer surface of the hollow guide plug 11 made of rubber or resin having elasticity is attached to the upper end of the guide pipe 1.
It is inserted so as to be in close contact with the inner peripheral surface. Regarding the relationship between the diameter of the hollow portion of the guide plug 11 and the outer diameter of the level gauge portion 5, the level gauge portion 5 is
The size is approximately equal to the extent that it can pass through the hollow part.

In a normal oil level gauge, as shown in FIG. 1, a flange 4 which constitutes a grip portion 2 has a guide plug 1.
The gauge body 1 is positioned inside the guide pipe 10 by engaging the upper end of the gauge body 1, and the level gauge portion 5 at the lower end portion of the gauge body 1 is immersed in the oil 12 in the oil pan 9. At this time, naturally, the oil has also infiltrated into the hollow portion of the level gauge portion 5 due to the slit 7 formed in the level gauge portion 5.

Here, a method of measuring the oil level (oil amount) will be described. As described above, since the oil level gauge is normally inserted in the guide pipe 10, the knob 3 is held and pulled out in this state. Since the gauge body 1 is formed of an elastic member, even if the guide pipe 10 is bent due to the structure of the vehicle, it can be bent according to the shape of the guide pipe 10 and can be easily pulled out. .

Due to the relationship between the diameters of the level gauge portion 5 and the guide plug 11 described above, the gauge body 1 is used during the pulling operation.
The oil attached to the surface of the level gauge portion 5 formed at the lower end of the is removed by the guide plug 11. Therefore, after the oil level gauge is completely pulled out from the guide pipe 10, the oil dripping on the surface of the gauge body 1 does not drip. Then, the oil level is measured by visualizing the oil adhering to the hollow portion of the level gauge portion 5 made of a transparent member and comparing the upper surface of the oil with the scale 6. After the measurement, when the gauge body 1 is inserted into the guide pipe 10 to return to the normal state, the tip end portion of the gauge body 1 to be inserted is reinforced by the gauge guide 8 at the lower end of the level gauge portion 5. Insertion into the bent guide pipe 10 becomes easy.

When the gauge guide 8 fitted at the end of the level gauge 5 is not provided and the end is open, the oil level gauge is inserted into and withdrawn from the guide pipe 10 so that the level gauge 5 can be removed. The slit 7 can reduce the diameter of the tip portion, which facilitates handling.

Another specific example of the embodiment according to claim 1 is shown in FIG. The constituent members and the structure are almost the same as those of the oil level gauge described above, but there is a difference in the structure of the level gauge portion 5 '. In this specific example, the cylindrical end of the level gauge portion 5 ′ is open, and the surface of the level gauge portion 5 ′ is engraved with a scale 13 that clearly indicates the oil level. A breather hole 14 is provided further above.

With such a structure, the level gauge portion 5'is immersed in the oil in the oil pan in a normal state where the gauge body is inserted into the guide pipe. At this time, since the breather hole 14 is provided on the side surface of the level gauge portion 5'to allow the air to pass therethrough, the oil also enters the inside of the cylinder from the open end of the level gauge portion 5 '.

Therefore, when measuring the oil level, the procedure described in detail in the first example may be performed in the same manner.
In addition, although the breather hole 14 is provided in the level gauge portion 5 ′ in the present embodiment, due to the function of the breather hole 14, a place where oil is not immersed in a normal state,
In other words, it may be provided at an appropriate position on the gauge body located above the oil level.

Next, an example of an embodiment according to claim 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. In FIGS. 4 and 5, reference numeral 21 denotes a long gauge main body, which is a hollow cylindrical pipe made of an elastic transparent member. A grip portion 22 is formed at the upper end of the gauge body 21, and a level gauge portion 23 is formed at the lower end. The oil level gauge according to the second aspect of the invention includes the opening / closing mechanism 24.

The grip portion 22 has an elliptical plate-shaped base 25.
And an approximately U-shaped handle 26 having an open lower surface, which is provided upward from both ends of the minor axis of the elliptical base 25. A protruding insertion opening 27 is formed at the center of the base 25. The level gauge portion 23 is a gauge body 2
It is a hollow cylindrical pipe made of an elastic transparent member having a diameter larger than that of the first cylindrical portion. A scale 28 for marking the oil level is marked on the surface of the level gauge portion 23, and a breather hole 29 is provided on the side surface located above the oil level.

Next, the structure of the opening / closing mechanism 24 will be described. In the space below the handle 26 of the grip portion 22, the insertion port 2
Return spring 31 between 7 and push button 30
Is intervening. An upper end of a flexible rod-shaped push shaft 32 is attached downward from the center of the push button 30. The push shaft 32 is
Insert into the insertion port 27, extend into the cylinder of the gauge body 21,
The level gauge portion 23 has such a length that the tip portion is located at the end. At the lower end of the push shaft 32,
A spherical opening / closing plug 33 having a diameter larger than the inner circumference cross-section circle of the level gauge portion 23 is attached to the end of the level gauge portion 23 so as to come into contact with the end from the outside. The float 34, which is a member having a large buoyancy, is slidably provided on the push shaft 32.

The oil level gauge having such a structure is inserted into a guide pipe 36 leading to an oil pan 35 provided in an internal combustion engine, a transmission and the like shown in FIG. At this time, the outer surface of the elastic rubber or resin hollow guide plug 37 is fitted to the upper end of the guide pipe 36 so as to be in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the guide pipe 36. The relationship between the diameter of the hollow portion of the guide plug 37 and the outer diameter of the level gauge portion 23 is as follows.
2 is substantially equal in size so that it can pass through the hollow portion of the guide plug 37.

In the normal oil level gauge, when the base 25 of the grip portion 22 is engaged with the upper end of the guide plug 37, the gauge main body 21 is located inside the guide pipe, and the level gauge portion 23 at the lower end portion of the gauge main body 21. Is the oil pan 3
It is in a state of being dipped in the oil 38 in 5.

In the oil level gauge opening / closing mechanism 24, as shown in FIG. 5, the elasticity of the return spring 31 normally causes a force to be lifted upward to the opening / closing plug 33 via the push shaft 32, so that the end of the level gauge portion 23 is closed. The open / close plug 33 abuts and is in a closed state. Therefore, in the normal state of the oil level gauge described above, since the opening / closing plug 33 at the end of the level gauge section 23 is closed, oil does not enter the level gauge section 23.

An oil level measuring method using the oil level gauge having such a configuration will be described. As mentioned above,
Normally, the oil level gauge is inserted into the guide pipe 36, and the opening / closing mechanism 24 is closed. In this state, the push button 30 is pressed down for a few seconds against the elasticity of the return spring 31. As a result, a gap is formed between the opening / closing plug 33 provided at the lower end of the push shaft 32 and the end of the level gauge portion 23, and the open state is established (state in FIG. 4). When the oil 38 enters the cylindrical inside of the level gauge portion 23 through this gap and becomes the same height as the oil 38 in the oil pan 35, the infiltration of the oil 38 ends. At this time, since the float 34 provided slidably on the push shaft 32 has a large buoyancy, it is in a state of being floated on the oil that has entered the level gauge portion 23.

After that, when the push button 30 is released, the elasticity of the return spring 31 causes the push button to move upward, so that the opening / closing plug 33 provided at the lower end of the push shaft 32 also moves upward, and the level gauge portion. Since it comes into contact with the end of 23, it is in a closed state. Therefore, the oil that has entered the level gauge 23 is
It is held inside the level gauge 23 at the above-mentioned oil level (height of the oil 38).

In this state, holding the grip 26 of the grip portion 22, the gauge main body 21 is pulled out. Since the gauge main body 21 is formed of an elastic member and the push shaft 32 is also formed of a flexible member, even if the guide pipe 36 is bent due to the structure of the vehicle, the guide pipe 3
It can be bent according to the shape of 6 and can be easily pulled out.

Due to the above-mentioned relationship between the diameters of the level gauge portion 23 and the guide plug 37, the oil attached to the surface of the level gauge portion 5 formed at the lower end of the gauge body 1 during the pulling operation is the guide plug. Strained by 37. Therefore, after the oil level gauge is completely pulled out from the guide pipe 36, dripping of the oil attached to the surface of the gauge body 21 does not occur. The oil level is measured by visualizing the oil held in the hollow portion of the level gauge portion 23 made of a transparent member and comparing the oil upper surface with the scale 28. Further, in this embodiment, since the float 34 is provided, the oil level can be measured even by collating the lower surface of the float 34 with the scale 28, so that the measurement can be made easier to see and ensure the measurement. The float 34 also has a function of preventing the push shaft 32 from swinging by having a large diameter that allows the float 34 to slide on the inner surface of the level gauge portion 23. After the measurement, the gauge body 21 may be inserted into the guide pipe 36 in order to bring it into a normal state.

In the present embodiment, the base 25 constituting the grip portion 22 has an elliptical shape in consideration of ease of handling, but the shape is not particularly limited and may be a circle, a square or the like.

[0035]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the oil attached to the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder of the level gauge is measured instead of the oil attached to the outer surface of the level gauge as in the conventional case. It is possible to measure the oil level without making preparations such as wiping work for the level gauge before performing the measurement, and it is possible to omit complicated work. To form the gauge body with elastic material, insert the gauge body into the bent guide pipe,
Easy to handle when pulling out.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the oil is held in the cylindrical portion of the level gauge portion only by installing the opening / closing mechanism and pushing the push button, the oil level can be easily measured and the preparatory work before the measurement is performed. Can be omitted. Also in the present invention, as in the case of the first aspect of the invention, handling is easy even in the case of a bent guide pipe.

According to the third aspect of the invention, when the work of pulling out the gauge body is performed for measuring the oil level, the oil attached to the surface of the gauge body is wiped off by the guide plug provided at the upper end of the guide pipe. No dripping, no more worrying about dirt.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a state in which an oil level gauge, which is an example of an embodiment of the invention according to claim 1, is attached to a guide pipe.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a structure of a level gauge portion located at a lower end portion of the same oil level gauge as in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an oil level gauge portion of an oil level gauge which is another example of the embodiment of the invention according to claim 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an oil level gauge, which is an example of an embodiment of the invention according to claim 2, is attached to a guide pipe.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the oil level gauge in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the oil level gauge in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a structure of an oil level gauge of a first conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a structure of only a lower portion of an oil level gauge of a second conventional example.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of an oil level gauge of a third conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Gauge Main Body 2 Gripping Part 5 Level Gauge Part 7 Slit 11 Guide Plug 14 Breather Hole 21 Gauge Main Body 22 Gripping Part 23 Level Gauge Part 24 Opening / Closing Mechanism 29 Breather Hole

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A long oil level gauge fixed to a guide pipe through a guide plug for measuring an oil level of an internal combustion engine, wherein the gauge main body is formed of an elastic member, and the gauge main body is formed. The level gauge part, which has a grip part on the upper end and is formed on at least the lower end of the gauge, is formed of a hollow cylindrical see-through member, and a slit is provided on the level gauge part, or an appropriate part of the gauge body is formed. An oil level gauge with a breather hole on the bottom. 2. A long oil level gauge fixed to a guide pipe through a guide plug for measuring an oil level of an internal combustion engine or the like, and a gauge main body formed of a hollow cylindrical member having elasticity. Has a breather hole at an appropriate position, and at least the level gauge portion formed at the bottom of the gauge body is formed of a see-through member, and the grip portion provided at the upper end of the gauge body and the hollow portion of the gauge body are provided. A push button located above the insertion opening of the gripping portion that communicates with it, a return spring interposed between the insertion opening of the gripping portion and the push button, and a lower end of the gauge main body that passes through the inside of the gauge main body cylindrical portion from the push button. Has a diameter that is at least larger than the diameter of the cross-section circle of the gauge body at the lower end of the push shaft. And the opening and closing plug that,
Oil level gauge consisting of. 3. The oil level gauge according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the guide plug is equal to an outer diameter of the level gauge portion.