Normally closed vent plug, transmission and vehicle

Abstract

The application discloses a normally closed breather plug, a gearbox and a vehicle. The gearbox is provided with a breather port. The normally closed breather plug comprises a breather pipeline and two blocking assemblies. The breather pipeline comprises two air passing channels and a common channel communicated with the air passing channels. The common channel is used for being communicated with the breather port. The air passing channel comprises an air passing control channel section used for being communicated with the outside. The two air passing control channel sections are both extended along the up-down direction. The opening of one air passing control channel section is upward, and the opening of the other air passing control channel section is downward. The two blocking assemblies are respectively arranged in the two air passing control channel sections. Each blocking assembly comprises a stop portion and a blocking portion. The stop portion is arranged on the inner wall surface of the air passing control channel section. The blocking portion is arranged above the stop portion. The blocking portion can be pneumatically separated from the stop portion upward and falls downward to abut against the stop portion, so as to correspondingly open and close the air passing control channel section. The problem that the conventional normally open gearbox breather plug is prone to water entering is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of transmission ventilation technology, and particularly to normally closed vent plugs, transmissions, and vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Breather plugs are an indispensable component of automotive transmission / electric drive systems. When the internal pressure of the system rises or falls due to temperature changes, the breather plug can be used to exhale or inhale to maintain the balance between the internal and external atmospheric pressure, thereby ensuring that seals such as oil seals and O-rings do not fail due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the system.

[0003] Traditional vent plugs are normally open venting structures. On the one hand, when a car drives through flooded roads, water can easily enter the transmission / electric drive system through the vent plug; on the other hand, internal fluids can also leak through the vent plug; both of these will have a negative impact on the use of the system. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to propose a normally closed vent plug, a transmission, and a vehicle, aiming to solve the problem of easy water ingress in traditional normally open transmission vent plugs.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes a normally closed vent plug for use in a transmission, the transmission having a vent located on a housing, the normally closed vent plug comprising:

[0006] A venting duct includes two venting passages and a common passage connecting both venting passages. The common passage also connects to a vent inlet of the gearbox. Each venting passage includes a venting control passage section connecting to the outside. Both venting control passage sections extend vertically, with one venting control passage section opening upwards and the other opening downwards.

[0007] Two blocking components are respectively disposed in the two gas passage control sections. Each blocking component includes a stop part and a blocking part. The stop part is disposed on the inner wall surface of the gas passage control section, and the blocking part is adapted to be disposed above the stop part.

[0008] The blocking part can be pneumatically disengaged from the stop part to open the air passage control section, and the blocking part can fall back to abut the stop part to close the air passage control section.

[0009] Optionally, the inner cavity of the gas control channel section includes an upper cavity section with a larger cross-section in the vertical direction and a lower cavity section with a smaller cross-section, and a stop step is formed between the upper cavity section and the lower cavity section;

[0010] The stop portion includes the stop step.

[0011] Optionally, the cross-section of the gas control channel section is circular, and correspondingly, the blocking part includes a blocking ball, and the blocking ball is spaced apart from the inner wall of the gas control channel section.

[0012] Optionally, the ventilation duct includes:

[0013] The main installation pipe is formed by a first pipe section laid horizontally and a second pipe section that connects to the first pipe section and extends vertically.

[0014] Two vent pipes are respectively located at both ends of the main installation pipe in the horizontal direction. Each vent pipe includes a third pipe section extending horizontally and a fourth pipe section connecting the third pipe section and extending vertically; and,

[0015] A connecting main pipe is provided, extending vertically, and the connecting main pipe is connected to the lower port of the second pipe segment;

[0016] The gas control channel section includes the inner cavity of the fourth pipe section;

[0017] The public passage includes the first pipe segment, the second pipe segment, and the inner cavity of the main connecting pipe.

[0018] Optionally, a mounting annular groove is formed on the lower peripheral sidewall of the connecting main pipe, and a sealing ring is provided in the mounting annular groove.

[0019] Optionally, the main installation pipe is welded to the vent branch pipe; and / or,

[0020] The installation main pipe is welded to the communication main pipe.

[0021] Optionally, the normally closed vent plug further includes two vent protection caps, which are respectively placed over the openings of the corresponding vent pipes.

[0022] Optionally, the venting duct includes a main connecting pipe connected to the vent of the gearbox, the inner wall of the main connecting pipe being provided with a receiving groove, and an oleophobic semi-permeable membrane being adapted to be disposed in the receiving groove.

[0023] The gearbox proposed in this invention includes the normally closed vent plug described above.

[0024] The vehicle proposed in this invention includes the aforementioned gearbox.

[0025] Compared to the traditional normally open transmission vent plug, the technical solution provided by this invention uses a normally closed vent plug where gas only moves upwards to overcome the corresponding blocking component when there is a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the transmission. This achieves the effect of balancing the internal and external air pressure. After the air pressure is balanced, the corresponding blocking component will fall back downwards by its own weight, restoring the normally closed state of the normally closed vent plug. This ensures the service life of the internal seals of the transmission while effectively preventing external water from entering the transmission. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the normally closed vent plug provided by the present invention.

[0028] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0029] label name label name 100 Normally closed vent plug 121 Third Pipeline Section 1 Ventilation duct 122 Fourth pipeline section 11a air passage 13 Connecting the main manager 111a Over-gas control channel section 2 Blocking components 12a public passage 21 Stop section 11 Installation Supervisor 22 Blockage section 111 First Pipeline Section 3 Oleophobic semipermeable membrane 112 Second pipeline section 4 Ventilation protective cap 12 Ventilation branch 5 sealing ring

[0030] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indication, the directional indication is only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0033] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this invention involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. If the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0034] Breather plugs are indispensable components of automotive transmissions / electric drive systems. When the internal pressure of the system rises or falls due to temperature changes, the breather plug's opening and closing mechanism helps maintain pressure balance between the internal and external atmospheres, preventing seals such as oil seals and O-rings from failing due to pressure differences. Traditional breather plugs are normally open, which makes them vulnerable to water ingress into the transmission / electric drive system when driving through flooded areas. Additionally, internal fluids can leak through the breather plug, both negatively impacting system performance.

[0035] In view of this, the present invention proposes a normally closed vent plug, a transmission, and a vehicle, aiming to solve the problem of easy water ingress in traditional normally open transmission vent plugs. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the normally closed vent plug provided by the present invention.

[0036] Please see Figure 1The normally closed vent plug 100 is used in a gearbox, which has a vent on the housing. The normally closed vent plug 100 includes a vent pipe 1 and two blocking components 2. The vent pipe 1 includes two vent passages 11a and a common passage 12a that communicates with both vent passages 11a. The common passage 12a is also used to connect to the vent of the gearbox. The vent passage 11a includes a vent control passage section 111a that communicates with the outside. Both vent control passage sections 111a extend vertically, with one vent control passage section 111a having its opening facing upwards, and the other... The opening of each of the gas control channel sections 111a is arranged downwards. The two blocking components 2 are respectively disposed in the two gas control channel sections 111a. Each blocking component 2 includes a stop part 21 and a blocking part 22. The stop part 21 is disposed on the inner wall surface of the gas control channel section 111a, and the blocking part 22 is adapted to be disposed above the stop part 21. The blocking part 22 can be pneumatically disengaged from the stop part 21 to open the gas control channel section 111a, and the blocking part 22 can fall back down to abut against the stop part 21 to close the gas control channel section 111a.

[0037] In the technical solution provided by this invention, the two blocking components 2 are respectively disposed within the two gas passage control sections 111a, and each blocking part 22 is disposed above the stop part 21. Thus, the blocking part 22 can adapt downwards to the stop part 21 under its own gravity, thereby ensuring the normally closed state of the gas passage control channel. When the internal pressure of the gearbox increases due to temperature changes, the blocking part 22 located in the upward-opening gas passage control section 111a is pushed upwards from the stop part 21 by the internal pressure, thereby opening the corresponding gas passage control section 111a, allowing the high-pressure gas inside to pass through the gas passage control section 111a. After the internal and external air pressures are balanced, the blocking part 22 falls back down to fit the stop part 21 due to its own weight, and finally restores the normally closed state of the air passage control channel. When the air pressure inside the gearbox decreases due to temperature changes, the blocking part 22 located in the downward-opening air passage control channel section 111a is pushed upward by the external air pressure and disengages from the stop part 21, thereby opening the corresponding air passage control channel section 111a, so that the relatively high-pressure gas from the outside is squeezed upward into the control channel section. After the internal and external air pressures are balanced, the blocking part 22 falls back down to fit the stop part 21 due to its own weight, and finally restores the normally closed state of the air passage control channel.

[0038] Compared to the traditional normally open transmission vent plug, the normally closed vent plug 100 in this solution only moves upwards due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the transmission. This achieves the effect of balancing the internal and external air pressure. After the air pressure is balanced, the corresponding blocking component will fall back downwards by its own weight, restoring the normally closed state of the normally closed vent plug 100. This ensures the service life of the internal seals of the transmission while effectively preventing external water from entering the transmission.

[0039] It should be noted that the stop part 21 is used to support the blocking part 22 and is adapted to the blocking part 22 to close the corresponding gas control channel section 111a. There are various specific structural forms, and this embodiment does not limit them.

[0040] Specifically, in this embodiment, the inner cavity of the air passage control channel section 111a includes an upper cavity section with a larger cross-section in the vertical direction and a lower cavity section with a smaller cross-section, and a stop step is formed between the upper cavity section and the lower cavity section; the stop part 21 includes the stop step, which can conveniently and effectively support the blocking part 22, and the process of processing the stop step is relatively simple, which is beneficial to the machining and manufacturing of the air passage 1.

[0041] In a more specific embodiment, a guide conical ring is formed on the upper end face of the stop step. The cross-section of the guide conical ring gradually decreases from bottom to top. Correspondingly, a matching groove is formed on the lower end face of the blocking part 22 corresponding to the guide conical ring, and the height of the guide conical ring is greater than the depth of the matching groove. With this configuration, during the falling process of the blocking part 22, the blocking part 22 can be guided and positioned by the cooperation between the matching groove and the guide conical ring.

[0042] Furthermore, in another embodiment, the cross-section of the gas control channel segment 111a is circular. Correspondingly, the blocking part 22 includes a blocking ball, and the blocking ball is spaced apart from the inner wall of the gas control channel segment 111a. It can be understood that the blocking ball is spaced apart from the inner wall of the circular cross-section gas control channel. When the blocking ball is pneumatically lifted upward, the gas below passes through the gap between the blocking ball and the gas control channel, thereby achieving the effect of balancing the air pressure. At the same time, compared with other cross-section shapes, the gap between the circular cross-section gas control channel and the blocking ball can be controlled to be smaller, which can effectively control the amount of air entering and leaving the channel, and can also accurately guide the blocking ball to the stop part 21.

[0043] It is understood that, since the blocking part 22 includes a blocking ball, in order to ensure that the stop part 21 and the blocking ball can be fully adapted and sealed, the stop part 21 is also provided with a vent hole, and the blocking ball can be adapted to block the vent hole.

[0044] The ventilation duct 1 has various structural forms. Specifically, in this embodiment, the ventilation duct 1 includes a main installation pipe 11, two ventilation branch pipes 12, and a connecting main pipe 13. The main installation pipe 11 has a first pipe section 111 arranged horizontally and a second pipe section 112 connected to the first pipe section 111 and extending vertically. The two ventilation branch pipes 12 are respectively located at both ends of the main installation pipe 11 in the horizontal direction. Each ventilation branch pipe 12 includes a third pipe section 121 extending horizontally and a fourth pipe section 122 connected to the third pipe section 121 and extending vertically. The connecting main pipe 13 extends vertically and is connected to the lower port of the second pipe section 112. The air passage control channel section 111a includes the inner cavity of the fourth pipe section 122, and the common channel 12a includes the inner cavities of the first pipe section 111, the second pipe section 112, and the connecting main pipe 13. In this technical solution, by welding the two ventilation manifolds 12 to both sides of the main mounting pipe 11, the intake pipe and the exhaust pipe can be accurately separated, which is beneficial for the replacement of individual ventilation manifolds 12 after wear. At the same time, since the connecting main pipe 13 is located below the second pipe section 112, it can be understood that the connecting main pipe is connected downward to the vent, which can also effectively prevent the leakage of oil inside the gearbox.

[0045] The pressure difference between the inside and outside of the gearbox needs to overcome the gravity of the blocking part 22 in order to achieve stable pressure ventilation. Based on this, in another embodiment, the two ventilation branches 12 are rotatably connected to both sides of the mounting main pipe 11. By adjusting the tilt angle of the fourth pipe section of the two ventilation branches 12, the blocking pressure of the ventilation holes of the blocking part 22 and the stop part 21 can be changed, thereby adapting to the ventilation requirements of different specifications of gearboxes.

[0046] Specifically, in this embodiment, an mounting annular groove is formed on the lower peripheral sidewall of the connecting main pipe 13, and a sealing ring 5 is provided in the mounting annular groove. The sealing ring 5 ensures a tight connection between the vent pipe 1 and the gearbox housing, preventing external moisture from seeping into the gearbox through the gap between the connecting main pipe 13 and the gearbox housing.

[0047] Since the ventilation duct 1 is formed by connecting multiple pipes, in order to avoid gaps between pipes, in this embodiment, the main installation pipe 11 is welded to the ventilation branch pipe 12 to ensure the airtightness of the connection between the main installation pipe 11 and the ventilation branch pipe 12; the main installation pipe 11 is welded to the connecting main pipe 13 to ensure the airtightness of the connection between the main installation pipe 11 and the connecting main pipe 13.

[0048] It should be noted that the two parallel technical features mentioned above, "the installation main pipe 11 is welded to the ventilation branch pipe 12" and "the installation main pipe 11 is welded to the connecting main pipe 13", can be set individually or simultaneously. Obviously, setting them simultaneously is better, as it can ensure the airtightness of the ventilation pipe 1 and the overall strength of the ventilation pipe 1.

[0049] Since the vent control channel section 111a is open to the external atmosphere, to prevent external water from entering the vent control channel section 111a, in this embodiment, the normally closed vent plug 100 further includes two vent protection caps 4, which are respectively placed over the openings of the corresponding vent pipes 12. It should be explained that the vent protection cap 4 has a cap top and an annular brim. The cap top is spaced apart from the upper or lower end face of the corresponding vent pipe 12, and the brim is spaced apart from the peripheral wall of the vent pipe 12. This arrangement allows the vent protection caps 4 to block external water, preventing it from entering and accumulating in the vent control channel section 111a. In other words, it prevents water from entering the gearbox through the vent gap when the corresponding blocking element disengages from the stop element under air pressure.

[0050] Normally, the inside of the gearbox is filled with oil. In order to prevent the oil from being discharged to the outside of the vent plug during the venting process, in this embodiment, the vent pipe 1 includes a connecting main pipe 13 connected to the vent of the gearbox. The inner wall of the connecting main pipe 13 is provided with a receiving groove, and an oil-repellent semi-permeable membrane 3 is adapted to be provided in the receiving groove, thereby preventing the internal oil of the gearbox from leaking to the external environment.

[0051] The present invention also includes a gearbox, the gearbox including the normally closed vent plug 100 described above. The specific structure of the normally closed vent plug 100 is as described in the above embodiments. Since the normally closed vent plug 100 adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought about by all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0052] The present invention also includes a vehicle comprising the above-described gearbox. The specific structure of the gearbox is as described in the above embodiments. Since the gearbox adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought about by all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0053] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made under the concept of the present invention using the description and drawings of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A normally closed vent plug for a gearbox, the gearbox having a vent located on a housing, characterized in that, The normally closed vent plug includes: A venting duct includes two venting passages and a common passage connecting both venting passages. The common passage also connects to a vent inlet of the gearbox. Each venting passage includes a venting control passage section connecting to the outside. Both venting control passage sections extend vertically, with one venting control passage section opening upwards and the other opening downwards. Two blocking components are respectively disposed in the two gas passage control sections. Each blocking component includes a stop part and a blocking part. The stop part is disposed on the inner wall surface of the gas passage control section, and the blocking part is adapted to be disposed above the stop part. The blocking part can be pneumatically disengaged from the stop part to open the air passage control section, and the blocking part can fall back to abut the stop part to close the air passage control section. The ventilation duct includes: The main installation pipe is formed by a first pipe section laid horizontally and a second pipe section that connects to the first pipe section and extends vertically. Two vent pipes are respectively located at both ends of the main installation pipe in the horizontal direction. Each vent pipe includes a third pipe section extending horizontally and a fourth pipe section connecting the third pipe section and extending vertically; and, A connecting main pipe is provided, extending vertically, and the connecting main pipe is connected to the lower port of the second pipe segment; The gas control channel section includes the inner cavity of the fourth pipe section; The public passage includes the inner cavity of the first pipe segment, the second pipe segment, and the main connecting pipe; The two ventilation manifolds are rotatably connected to both sides of the main installation pipe. By adjusting the tilt angle of the fourth section of the two ventilation manifolds, the blocking pressure of the ventilation holes of the blocking part and the stop part can be changed.

2. The normally closed vent plug as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inner cavity of the air passage section includes an upper cavity section with a larger cross-section in the vertical direction and a lower cavity section with a smaller cross-section, and a stop step is formed between the upper cavity section and the lower cavity section; The stop portion includes the stop step.

3. The normally closed vent plug as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cross-section of the gas control channel section is circular. Correspondingly, the blocking part includes a blocking ball, and the blocking ball is spaced apart from the inner wall of the gas control channel section.

4. The normally closed vent plug as described in claim 1, characterized in that, An installation annular groove is formed on the lower peripheral sidewall of the connecting main pipe, and a sealing ring is provided in the installation annular groove.

5. The normally closed vent plug as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The main installation pipe is welded to the ventilation branch pipe; and / or The installation main pipe is welded to the communication main pipe.

6. The normally closed vent plug as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The normally closed vent plug also includes two vent protection caps, which are respectively placed over the openings of the corresponding vent pipes.

7. The normally closed vent plug as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ventilation duct includes a main connecting pipe connected to the ventilation port of the gearbox, the inner wall of the main connecting pipe is provided with a receiving groove, and an oleophobic semi-permeable membrane is adapted to be disposed in the receiving groove.

8. A gearbox, characterized in that, Includes the normally closed vent plug as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A vehicle, characterized in that, Including the gearbox as described in claim 8.

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