Sealing device

Abstract

The invention provides a sealing device capable of ensuring sealing performance between two eccentric and connected parts. The sealing device (4) seals the space between a first cylindrical part (21) and a second cylindrical part (31) inserted into the first cylindrical part (21). The sealing device (4) is provided with a cylindrical elastic body part (41) along the first cylindrical part (21) and the second cylindrical part (31). The elastic body (41) has at least two lips (413, 414) on an inner circumferential surface (412A) in contact with the second cylindrical part (31), the lips extending in the circumferential direction and being arranged at a predetermined interval in the direction in which the cylinder extends (Z direction).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealing device. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a gasket has been proposed for use in a piping connection structure for connecting a cooling pipe and an external hose of a cooler that cools automotive electronic devices with a refrigerant (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). The gasket described in Patent Document 1 suppresses the influence of eccentricity on the sealing surface pressure by not overlapping an inner sealing region provided with an inner peripheral lip portion and an outer sealing region provided with an outer peripheral lip portion.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-41634 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In the gasket described in Patent Document 1, in order to cope with eccentricity generated between two connected members due to vibration or the like, lip portions are arranged as described above. However, sometimes the cylindrical portions of the two members are originally connected in an eccentric state. In such a structure, as in the arrangement of the lip portions described in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that sufficient sealing performance cannot be ensured. That is, in the case where a small-diameter cylindrical portion is eccentric and inserted into a large-diameter cylindrical portion, and a non-eccentric sealing device is arranged in the gap therebetween, the compression amounts of the elastic members are different between the portion where the intervals between the cylindrical portions are small and the portion where the intervals are large, and there is a possibility of forming a side where foreign matters easily invade.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a sealing device capable of ensuring sealing performance between two eccentrically connected members.

[0009] Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the sealing device according to the present invention is a sealing device for sealing between a first cylindrical portion and a second cylindrical portion inserted into the first cylindrical portion, and includes a cylindrical elastic body portion along the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion. The elastic body portion has at least two lip portions that extend in the circumferential direction and are arranged at a predetermined interval in the extending direction of the cylinder on the inner peripheral surface in contact with the second cylindrical portion.

[0011] In the sealing device according to one aspect of the present invention, a reinforcing member is embedded in the elastic body portion.

[0012] Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the sealing device involved in the present invention, the sealing performance between two eccentrically connected components can be ensured. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a sectional view of the sealing structure involved in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2 It is a sectional view of the first component and the second component forming the sealing structure involved in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 3 It is a sectional view of the sealing device provided in the sealing structure involved in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 4 It is a schematic sectional view of the state where the elastomeric part is deformed in the sealing device provided in the sealing structure involved in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] REFERENCE SIGNS

[0019] 1 Sealing structure, 2 First component, 21 First cylindrical part, 21A Inner peripheral surface, 22 Flow path forming part, 221 One end, 2A, 3A Fluid flow path, 3 Second component, 31 Second cylindrical part, 31A Outer peripheral surface, 32 Flow path forming part, 4 Sealing device, 41 Elastomeric part, 411 Outer cylindrical part, 412 Inner cylindrical part, 413, 414 Lip parts, 413A Apex part, 414A Contact face part, 414B Upper end part, 42 Reinforcing member, 421 Cylindrical part, 422 Flange part, 5 Gap, 6, 7 Contact area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 It is a sectional view of the sealing structure 1 involved in the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 It is a sectional view of the first component 2 and the second component 3 forming the sealing structure 1, Figure 3 It is a sectional view of the sealing device 4 provided in the sealing structure 1, Figure 4 It is a schematic sectional view of the state where the elastomeric part 41 is deformed in the sealing device 4 provided in the sealing structure 1.

[0021] As Figure 1As shown, the sealing device 4 provided in the sealing structure 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a device for sealing between the first cylindrical portion 21 and the second cylindrical portion 31 inserted into the first cylindrical portion 21. The sealing device 4 includes a cylindrical elastic body portion 41 along the first cylindrical portion 21 and the second cylindrical portion 31. The elastic body portion 41 has at least two lips 413, 414 on the inner peripheral surface 412A in contact with the second cylindrical portion 31, which extend circumferentially and are arranged at a predetermined interval in the extending direction (Z direction) of the cylinder.

[0022] The first component 2 and the second component 3 constitute, for example, a cooling device mounted on a vehicle and used for cooling a heat generating portion such as an inverter. That is, the first component 2 and the second component 3 form fluid flow paths 2A, 3A through which cooling water as a fluid passes. In the present embodiment, by disposing the second component 3 inside the inverter and the first component 2 outside the inverter, a housing of the cooling device is constituted, but the configuration is not limited to this.

[0023] The first component 2 integrally has a first cylindrical portion 21 and a flow path forming portion 22. The first cylindrical portion 21 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is continuous with one end 221 of the flow path forming portion 22. The flow path forming portion 22 is formed in a cylindrical shape and extends in a direction orthogonal to the first cylindrical portion 21. A fluid flow path 2A through which cooling water can pass is formed inside the first cylindrical portion 21 and the flow path forming portion 22.

[0024] Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the extending direction (the direction along the central axis) of the first cylindrical portion 21 is set as the Z direction ( Figure 1 the up and down direction in Figure 1 ), the extending direction of the flow path forming portion 22 is set as the X direction ( Figure 1 the left and right direction in Figure 1 ), and the direction orthogonal to both the Z direction and the X direction is set as the Y direction ( Figure 1 the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in

[0025] The second component 3 integrally has a second cylindrical portion 31 and a flow path forming portion 32. The second cylindrical portion 31 is formed as a cylindrical shape extending in the Z direction and is connected to the middle portion of the flow path forming portion 32. The flow path forming portion 32 is formed as a cylindrical shape and extends in the X direction in a manner orthogonal to the second cylindrical portion 31. That is, the second cylindrical portion 31 extends in a manner branched from the flow path forming portion 32, and a T-shaped connecting portion is formed. A fluid flow path 3A through which cooling water can pass is formed inside the second cylindrical portion 31 and the flow path forming portion 32.

[0026] The outer diameter of the second cylindrical portion 31 is smaller than the inner diameter of the first cylindrical portion 21, and the second cylindrical portion 31 is inserted into the first cylindrical portion 21. At this time, as Figure 2 shown, the central axis z2 of the second cylindrical portion 31 is located on the other side in the X direction with respect to the central axis z1 of the first cylindrical portion 21. That is, the first cylindrical portion 21 and the second cylindrical portion 31 are eccentric. In addition, in Figure 1 , for the sake of easy explanation, the illustration of such eccentricity is omitted. As the amount of eccentricity, for example, 2.5 mm TIR is sufficient.

[0027] By inserting the second cylindrical portion 31 into the first cylindrical portion 21, the fluid flow path 2A of the first component 2 communicates with the fluid flow path 3A of the second component 3. At this time, the first component 2 and the second component 3 are fixed so as not to be relatively movable (including linear motion and rotational motion).

[0028] The sealing device 4 is a gasket integrally formed in a cylindrical shape and has an elastomer portion 41 and a reinforcing member 42. The sealing device 4 is disposed in a cylindrical gap 5 formed between the first cylindrical portion 21 and the second cylindrical portion 31 to seal the gap 5.

[0029] The elastomer constituting the elastomer portion 41 may be a synthetic rubber such as nitrile rubber (NBR), hydrogenated nitrile rubber (H-NBR), acrylic rubber (ACM), fluororubber (FKM), etc. The elastomer portion 41 is deformed as described later because the sealing device 4 is disposed in the gap 5. First, based on Figure 3 the shape before deformation will be described.

[0030] The entire elastomer portion 41 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has an outer cylindrical portion 411 and an inner cylindrical portion 412. The outer cylindrical portion 411 is a fixed portion fixed to the inner peripheral surface 21A of the first cylindrical portion 21. The inner cylindrical portion 412 is continuous with the upper end portion of the outer cylindrical portion 411 in the Z direction and extends in a manner approaching the center of the cylinder more and more toward the lower side.

[0031] The inner cylindrical portion 412 has two lips 413 and 414 on the inner peripheral surface 412A. In this case, the inner peripheral surface 412A of the inner cylindrical portion 412 is also the inner peripheral surface of the entire elastomer portion 41. The lips 413 and 414 are formed into an annular shape by extending in the circumferential direction, where the circumferential direction is the circumferential direction around the axis along the Z direction. The upper lip 413 has an apex portion 413A in a manner that is in linear contact with the outer peripheral surface 31A. The lower lip 414 has a contact surface portion 414A in a manner that is in surface contact with the outer peripheral surface 31A, and the contact surface portion 414A has a predetermined Z-direction dimension. In the pre-deformation state before the sealing device 4 is installed in the gap 5, the apex portion 413A and the upper end portion 414B of the contact surface portion 414A are arranged with a spacing in the Z direction that is greater than the size of an imaginary foreign object. For example, when the length of the foreign matter is 1 mm, the distance between the apex 413A and the upper end 414B is preferably greater than 1 mm. When the length of the foreign matter is 2 mm, the distance between the apex 413A and the upper end 414B is preferably greater than 2 mm.

[0032] The reinforcing member 42 integrally comprises a cylindrical barrel portion 421 extending in the Z direction and an annular flange portion 422 extending along the XY plane, and is formed in an L-shaped cross-section. The barrel portion 421 is embedded within the outer cylindrical portion 411 of the elastic body portion 41. The flange portion 422 is connected to the upper end of the barrel portion 421 and extends toward the inner circumference. It is located at the connection between the outer cylindrical portion 411 and the inner cylindrical portion 412.

[0033] When the sealing device 4 is placed in the gap 5 between the eccentric first cylindrical portion 21 and the second cylindrical portion 31, the outer cylindrical portion 411 of the sealing device 4 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface 21A of the first cylindrical portion 21. At this time, the lips 413 and 414 are in contact with the outer peripheral surface 31A of the second cylindrical portion 31 over the entire circumference. Figure 4 As shown, the closer to the other side in the X direction, where the first and second cylindrical portions 21 and 31 are located, the more easily the elastic portion 41 of the sealing device 4 is compressed. As a result, the inner cylindrical portion 412, particularly the portion on the other side in the X direction, deforms to approach the outer cylindrical portion 411, while the lips 413 and 414, particularly the portion on the other side in the X direction, are easily compressed. The lips 413 and 414, respectively, have contact areas 6 and 7 with the outer peripheral surface 31A. In particular, the contact area 6 expands as it moves from one side in the X direction to the other side.

[0034] The contact width (Z-direction dimension) of the lip 413 on one side in the X direction is smallest, for example, 0.6 mm. The contact width (Z-direction dimension) of the lip 414 on one side in the X direction is smallest, for example, 1.6 mm.

[0035] The lip portions 413 and 414 receive a high contact pressure on the other side in the X direction, making it difficult for foreign objects to pass through. In contrast, although the contact pressure of the lip portions 413 and 414 is relatively small on one side in the X direction, the deformation amount of the lip portions 413 and 414 is small, so it is easy to form a gap between them. As described above, in the state before deformation, the interval between the vertex portion 413A and the upper end portion 414B is greater than the size of the imaginary foreign object. Since the deformation amount is small on one side in the X direction, it is beneficial to maintain such a gap. Therefore, even when a foreign object passes through one of the two lip portions 413 and 414 (especially the upper lip portion 413) on one side in the X direction, the situation where the foreign object is simultaneously bitten by the two lip portions 413 and 414 is suppressed. That is, the other of the two lip portions 413 and 414 maintains contact with the outer peripheral surface 31A over the entire circumference, which is beneficial to maintaining the sealing performance.

[0036] In this way, according to the sealing device 4 provided in the sealing structure 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the elastomeric portion 41 of the sealing device 4 has two lip portions 413 and 414 arranged at a predetermined interval in the Z direction, the sealing performance between the first member 2 and the second member 3, which are eccentric and connected members, can be ensured.

[0037] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes other structures and the like that can achieve the object of the present invention. The following deformations and the like are also included in the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the sealing device 4 has a reinforcing member 42, but depending on the material of the elastomeric portion, the dimensions of each part, etc., the reinforcing member may be omitted.

[0038] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the lip portions 413 are in line contact and the lip portions 414 are in surface contact with respect to the outer peripheral surface 31A, respectively. However, the contact manner of the lip portions is not particularly limited. For example, both of the two lip portions may be in line contact or both may be in surface contact.

[0039] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the elastomeric portion 41 has two lip portions 413 and 414, but the elastomeric portion may also have three or more lip portions. In this case, as long as the three or more lip portions include two lip portions adjacent to each other with a predetermined interval (for example, 1.3 mm or more in the above-described embodiment).

[0040] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to the sealing structure according to the above-described embodiments of the present invention, and includes all manners included in the concept of the present invention and the claims. In addition, the respective structures may be appropriately and selectively combined to achieve at least a part of the above-described problems and effects. For example, the shapes, materials, arrangements, dimensions, etc. of the respective constituent elements in the above-described embodiments may be appropriately changed according to the specific usage mode of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sealing device that seals between a first cylindrical portion and a second cylindrical portion inserted into the first cylindrical portion. It includes a cylindrical elastic body portion along the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion. The elastic body portion has at least two lips on its inner circumferential surface in contact with the second cylindrical portion, which extend circumferentially and are arranged at a predetermined interval in the axial direction of the cylinder.

2. The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein it includes a reinforcing member embedded in the elastic body portion.

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