Tank device, in particular a brake fluid reservoir for a vehicle hydraulic brake system

Abstract

The invention relates to a tank arrangement, in particular for a brake fluid reservoir of a hydraulic brake system of a vehicle. The tank arrangement comprises a tank having a tank wall, the tank wall comprising a connection port for mechanically and fluidically connecting the tank to the hydraulic brake system, whereby the connection port comprises at least one actuatable valve, the valve being closed in its unactuated state and being open in its actuated state, the valve further comprising an actuator element, the actuator element protruding outwardly from the tank at least in the unactuated state of the valve, the actuator element being slidably mounted on the tank for actuating the valve. At least one safety wall is intended to protrude from the tank wall in the vicinity of the actuator element at least as far as the actuator element in the unactuated state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tank device, in particular a brake fluid reservoir for a hydraulic brake system of a vehicle, the tank device comprising a tank having a tank wall, the tank wall comprising a connection port for mechanically and fluidically connecting the tank to the hydraulic brake system, whereby the connection port comprises an actuatable valve which is closed in its unactuated state and opens in its actuated state, the valve further comprising an actuator element which projects outwards from the tank at least in the unactuated state of the valve, the actuator element being slidably mounted on the tank wall for actuating the valve. Background Art

[0002] Tank arrangements of the type described above are known from the prior art. A typical brake fluid reservoir comprises a tank with a connection port designed to connect the tank to a master brake cylinder of a vehicle's hydraulic brake system. The connection port includes one or more valves, particularly check valves. When the fluid reservoir is removed from the master brake cylinder, the one or more check valves ensure that no brake fluid inadvertently leaves the tank. Because the valve typically includes an actuator element protruding from the tank, the valve can be actuated by the master brake cylinder at the appropriate time by applying a force (e.g., hydraulic or mechanical pressure) to the actuator element. This pushes the actuator element into the tank, opening the valve and allowing brake fluid to flow into the tank. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention has the advantage of preventing unintentional opening of the valve and intentional loss of brake fluid through a cost-effective and reliable design of the canister. According to the present invention, at least one safety wall is provided, projecting from the canister wall near the actuator element, at least as far as the actuator element in the unactuated state. This arrangement makes the actuator element more difficult to reach, and the safety wall reliably prevents actuation of the actuator element by placing the canister on a table or the floor, where the wall would stand upright and thus prevent the floor from pushing the actuator element into the canister.

[0004] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, two safety walls protrude from the tank wall, such that the connection port (in particular, at least one actuator element) is arranged between these safety walls. This makes it more difficult to reach the actuator element between the safety walls, further reducing the likelihood of unintentional valve actuation. Preferably, the two safety walls are arranged parallel to each other and protrude equally from the tank wall.

[0005] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the respective side wall preferably protrudes further from the tank wall than the actuator element in its unactuated state, so that the respective side wall protrudes beyond the actuator element. This ensures a safety distance defined by the one or more safety walls and makes it increasingly difficult to actuate the valve by using the actuator element, in particular unintentionally.

[0006] Particularly preferably, the actuator element is slidably mounted on or in the tank wall so that it can be pushed into the tank for actuating the valve. Thus, when the tank arrangement is correctly assembled, for example, on a master brake cylinder, the valve can be easily actuated.

[0007] Preferably, provision is made for the corresponding safety wall to be designed integrally with the tank wall.This integral design allows for cost-effective production of the tank arrangement and provides reliable and robust safety against unintentional opening of the valve.

[0008] According to an alternative embodiment, the safety wall is preferably attached to the tank wall as a separate element (in particular in a detachable manner). Therefore, the respective safety wall is designed as a separate element attached to the tank wall (in particular detachably attached). This design as a separate element allows for cost-effective production of the safety wall itself and for easy adaptation of the tank arrangement to different tasks and / or space requirements within the vehicle.

[0009] According to a further preferred development, the respective side wall comprises a bent end portion, so that it at least partially surrounds the connection port. The bent end portion ensures that the connection port is fixed from almost all sides.

[0010] The actuator element is preferably slidably mounted in a guide dome that also protrudes from the tank wall. In this configuration, the actuator element is slidably arranged within and protrudes from the guide dome, whereby the guide dome is protected by at least one side wall as described above. The guide dome has the advantage of providing a stable and reliable movably arranged valve on / in the tank wall.

[0011] Preferably, the connection port comprises at least two valves and / or at least two actuator elements protruding from the tank wall. This is particularly advantageous if the tank arrangement (in particular, the brake fluid reservoir) is designed to be attached to a tandem master cylinder comprising two hydraulic chambers. In this case, each valve is designed to be connected to one of the hydraulic chambers.

[0012] Furthermore, it is particularly preferred that a respective safety wall is assigned to both actuator elements or at least one safety wall is assigned to each actuator element. Thus, each actuator element is provided with at least one safety wall of its own, or the available actuator elements are provided with a common safety wall or two common safety walls, as described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In the following, the present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 An advantageous tank arrangement is shown in a perspective view,

[0015] Figure 2 A detailed drawing showing the tank device in another perspective view, and

[0016] Figure 3 Side view of the tank device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Figure 1 A perspective view of an advantageous tank arrangement 1 is shown, comprising a tank 2 for storing, supplying, and receiving fluid. According to the exemplary embodiment described herein, the tank 2 is designed as a brake fluid reservoir for brake fluid in a hydraulic brake system of a vehicle. The tank arrangement 1 also comprises a removable cover 3 on the upper side, which can be removed so that the tank 2 can be filled with brake fluid manually. The tank arrangement 1 also comprises a connection port 4, which is arranged on the tank 2 and is designed to mechanically and fluidically attach / connect the tank 2 to a brake system (in particular a master brake cylinder, for example a tandem master brake cylinder of a brake system). The connection port 4 is arranged on the lower side of the tank 2, so that the cover 3 and the connection port 4 are arranged on the tank 2 at opposite ends.

[0018] Figure 2 Detailed view of the connection port 4 on the tank 2 is shown. The connection port comprises two valves 5, 6, which are arranged inside the tank 2 on the lower tank wall 7. Each valve 5, 6 comprises an actuator element 8, 9, which protrudes from the tank wall 7 to the outside of the tank 2. The actuator elements 8, 9 are designed as actuator rods, which are arranged essentially perpendicular to the extension of the tank wall 7.

[0019] The actuator elements 8, 9 are slidably arranged in conical guide domes 10, 11 which likewise protrude from the tank wall 7. According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the valves 5, 6 are arranged in the guide domes 10, 11. The actuator elements 8, 9 protrude from the free ends of the guide domes 10, 11 at least in their unactuated state. Figure 2 In the unactuated state, the valves 5, 6 are closed, so that the fluid connection into the tank 2 is sealed, so that no fluid from the tank 2 can leave the tank 2 through the connection port 4. By pushing the actuator elements 8, 9 inwards, that is to say into the tank 2 or into the guide domes 10, 11, the respective valve 5, 6 is opened and the brake fluid can leave the tank 2 or flow into the tank 2.

[0020] To protect the connection port 4 from unintentional actuation of the valves 5, 6, safety walls 12, 13 are provided. Each of the safety walls 12, 13 protrudes from the tank wall 7 substantially parallel to the extension of the actuator elements 8, 9, and extends at least as far as the actuator elements 8, 9 in their unactuated state. The safety walls 12, 13 are arranged such that the two actuator elements 8, 9 are arranged between them. According to the present example, both safety walls 12, 13 include a curved shape in their longitudinal extent, so that the connection port 4 is almost completely surrounded by the safety walls 12, 13.

[0021] Because the safety walls 12, 13 protrude from the tank wall 7 at least as far as the actuator elements 8, 9 in their unactuated state, it is ensured that the actuator elements 8, 9 cannot be pushed into the tank 2 by mistake when the tank device 1 is placed on the floor, a table, etc. Likewise, when the tank device 1 is handled, the safety walls 12, 13 ensure that, for example, the fingers of a person handling the tank device are less likely to push the actuator elements 8, 9 and thereby actuate the valves 5, 6.

[0022] The safety walls 12 , 13 therefore ensure that unintentional opening of the tank 2 at the connection port 4 is inhibited.

[0023] Figure 3 The tank device 1 is displaced in an enlarged side view of the connection port 4. The guide domes 10, 11 and the actuator elements 8, 9 located behind the safety wall 12 are drawn in dashed lines to illustrate their arrangement behind the side wall. The side walls 12, 13 preferably extend or protrude further from the tank wall 7 than the actuator elements in their unactuated state, so that a safety distance is ensured between the side walls 12, 13 and the ends of the actuator elements 8, 9, which makes unintentional actuation of the valves 5, 6 increasingly difficult or impossible.

[0024] The safety walls 12, 13 are preferably designed as separate elements that are attached to the tank wall 7, in particular to the connection port 4. Optionally, the safety walls 12, 13 are detachably arranged on the tank 2, so that they can be interchanged for different sets of safety walls 12, 13 that, for example, protrude even further from the tank wall 7. In this way, the tank device 1 can be easily adapted to different requirements or environments. Alternatively, the safety walls 12, 13 are designed integrally with the tank 2 or the connection port 4.

Claims

1. A tank device (1), comprising a tank (2) with a tank wall (7), the tank wall (7) comprising a connection port (4), the connection port (4) being used to mechanically and fluidically connect the tank (2) to a master brake cylinder of a hydraulic brake system, whereby the connection port (4) comprises at least one actuatable valve (5, 6), the actuatable valve (5, 6) being closed in its unactuated state and opening in its actuated state, the actuatable valve (5, 6) further comprising an actuator element (8, 9), the actuator element (8, 9) protruding outwards from the tank (2) at least in the unactuated state of the actuatable valve (5, 6), the actuator element (8, 9) being slidably mounted on the tank (2) for actuating the actuatable valve (5, 6), characterized in that The connection port (4) is arranged on the lower side of the tank (2), and at least one safety wall (12, 13) is attached to the connection port (4) or is designed to be integral with the connection port (4) and protrudes from the tank wall (7) near the actuator element (8, 9) at least as far as the actuator element (8, 9) in the non-actuated state, so that when the tank device (1) is assembled on the master brake cylinder, the actuatable valve (5, 6) can be actuated by the master brake cylinder by applying a force to the actuator element (8, 9), and when the tank device (1) is removed from the master brake cylinder, the at least one safety wall (12, 13) prevents the actuatable valve (5, 6) from being actuated unintentionally.

2. The tank device according to claim 1, characterized in that Two safety walls (12, 13) protrude from the tank wall (7), such that the connection port (4) is arranged between the safety walls (12, 13).

3. The tank device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The respective safety wall (12, 13) protrudes further from the tank wall (7) than the respective actuator element (8, 9) in its unactuated state.

4. The tank device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The respective actuator element (8, 9) is slidably mounted so that it can be pushed into the tank (2) for actuating the actuatable valve (5, 6).

5. The tank device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The respective safety wall (12, 13) comprises a bent end portion so that it completely or almost completely surrounds the connection port (4).

6. The tank device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The actuator elements (8, 9) are slidably mounted in guide domes (10, 11) protruding from the tank wall (7).

7. The tank device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The connection port (4) comprises at least two actuatable valves (5, 6) and / or at least two actuator elements (8, 9) protruding from the tank wall (7).

8. The tank device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that A respective safety wall (12, 13) is assigned to the actuator elements (8, 9) or at least one safety wall (12, 13) is assigned to each actuator element (8, 9).

9. The tank device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The tank device (1) is a brake fluid reservoir for a hydraulic brake system of a vehicle.

10. The tank device according to claim 2, characterized in that The actuator elements (8, 9) are arranged between the safety walls (12, 13).

11. The tank device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The master brake cylinder is a tandem master brake cylinder.

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