An automobile expansion tank

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of automobile expansion water tank, including upper tank body, lower tank body and multiple locking parts, locking part contains engagement assembly and the connecting plate being set along the circumferential interval of lower tank body top, engagement assembly includes baffle, slot, card slot, plugboard and opening and closing mechanism, baffle is formed slot in two groups, when connecting plate is inserted into slot, card slot is aligned with baffle side slot, plugboard can slide along side slot, opening and closing mechanism contains a pair of coaxial sleeve connection opposite moving parts, movable slot, driving part and elastic element, plugboard is fixedly arranged in movable slot opposite end, driving part drives opposite moving parts relative rotation to realize plugboard synchronous locking or unlocking, elastic element maintains plugboard carding tendency, still be provided with guide slope, avoidance slot and two groups of mounting plate, mounting plate has external installation and limiting function, the water tank does not need to punch, high structural strength, locking is reliable, dismounting is convenient, anti-vibration and anti-loose, long service life.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive parts technology, specifically to an automotive expansion tank. Background Technology

[0002] The expansion tank is a core component of the automotive cooling system. Its main function is to provide expansion and return space for the coolant, maintain a stable system liquid level, and simultaneously achieve gas-liquid separation to ensure proper engine cooling. Most existing expansion tanks are of an upper and lower tank assembly structure, and their locking method directly affects sealing performance, ease of disassembly and assembly, and service life, representing a key technical challenge in the industry.

[0003] The current mainstream locking methods have obvious defects: bolted connections require threaded holes to be made in the housing, which reduces the structural strength; repeated disassembly and assembly of plastic housings can easily cause thread stripping, and disassembly and assembly require tools; traditional snap-fit ​​structures may require multiple independent drive components, have uneven locking force, or lack guidance and avoidance design, making it difficult to align and splice, easy to loosen due to vibration, and easy to cause coolant leakage.

[0004] The closest prior art found by the applicant is the automotive expansion tank published in CN113958401B (application number: 202111584018.9), which uses a locking assembly to lock the upper and lower tanks. However, it still has shortcomings: the drive mechanism cannot control multiple locking units simultaneously, resulting in inconsistent locking forces; the engagement between the insert plate and the slot lacks stable pre-tightening force, making it prone to loosening under vibration; there is no dedicated avoidance structure, making the components prone to interference during unlocking; and there is a lack of a locking limit design, posing a risk of misoperation.

[0005] In summary, existing locking structures generally suffer from poor sealing stability, inconvenient disassembly and assembly, and low long-term reliability, making it difficult to meet the development needs of lightweight, convenient, and long-life automotive parts. Developing an automotive expansion tank with a simple structure, good locking synchronization, and reliable sealing has become an urgent technical problem to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0007] This application provides an automotive expansion tank, including an upper tank, a lower tank, and multiple locking components. The locking components include a locking assembly and several connecting plates. Each connecting plate is fixedly arranged at circumferential intervals along the top of the lower tank. The locking assembly is used to lock with each connecting plate one by one when the upper tank and the lower tank are closed and connected, so as to achieve a sealed lock between the upper tank and the lower tank.

[0008] The locking assembly includes several partitions with side grooves, several slots, several card slots, several insert plates, and an opening and closing mechanism. Each partition is arranged in pairs and fixedly installed at intervals along the circumferential outer wall of the upper housing. A slot is formed between each pair of partitions. Card slots are correspondingly opened on the outer wall of each connecting plate. When the connecting plate is inserted into the corresponding slot, the two ends of the card slot are aligned with the side groove of the partition group. Each insert plate is slidably inserted into its respective side groove. The opening and closing mechanism is used to drive each insert plate to slide along the side groove so that the insert plate is inserted into or removed from the card slot, thereby locking or unlocking the connecting plate and the slot.

[0009] Each connecting plate has guide bevels on both sides of its top, and each insert plate has a semi-circular end that extends into the slot to guide a pair of insert plates into the slot.

[0010] The opening and closing mechanism includes a pair of opposing moving parts, several movable slots, a driving part, and an elastic part. The pair of opposing moving parts are coaxially and rotatably sleeved on the outer peripheral wall of the upper box from the inside to the outside. Each movable slot is in pairs, and the two movable slots in each group are respectively opened on the two opposing moving parts. Each group of movable slots has a reserved movable gap between the two sides of the corresponding partition group. One end of each insert plate is fixedly set at the opposite end of the two movable slots in each group of movable slots. The driving part is used to drive the two opposing moving parts to rotate relative to each other in the circumference of the upper box. The elastic part is used to apply an elastic force to the two opposing moving parts so that each insert plate always maintains the tendency to be inserted into the corresponding slot.

[0011] The opening and closing mechanism also includes several clearance grooves, which are respectively set at the ends of the movable grooves of the outer opposing moving parts without insert plates, and are used to accommodate the insert plates fixed at the ends of the movable grooves of the inner opposing moving parts when each insert plate is away from the slot.

[0012] The opposing moving part is a circular shell.

[0013] The driving component includes a pair of pressing plates and an arc groove. The arc groove is formed on the outer opposing moving part. Each pressing plate is fixed on the respective opposing moving part. The pressing plate on the inner opposing moving part slides with the arc groove and is positioned at one end of the arc groove under the action of the elastic element. The pressing plate on the outer opposing moving part is positioned opposite to the other end of the arc groove. The elastic element is positioned between the pair of pressing plates.

[0014] The elastic element includes a spring and a pair of insert rods, each insert rod being fixed on the opposite sidewall of a pair of pressing plates, and the two ends of the spring being inserted into each insert rod.

[0015] There are several driving components, which are distributed at circumferential intervals along the upper housing.

[0016] It also includes several mounting plates, each of which is divided into two groups and is fixed on the lower housing and the outer opposite moving parts respectively. The two groups of mounting plates are aligned and fitted when each insert plate is inserted into the slot.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0018] 1. Through the locking structure consisting of a locking assembly, a connecting plate, a pair of opposing moving parts and a driving component, the driving component drives the two opposing moving parts to rotate relative to each other along the circumference of the upper housing, thereby driving each insert plate to slide synchronously along the side groove of the partition and insert into the slot of the connecting plate, realizing the quick locking and unlocking of the upper and lower housings. There is no need to drill holes in the housing, which not only improves the structural strength of the housing, but also simplifies the disassembly and assembly operation and facilitates later maintenance and cleaning.

[0019] 2. Through the guide slopes on both sides of the top of the connecting plate and the semi-circular structure of the insertion plate extending into the slot, the connecting plate is guided to be accurately inserted into the corresponding slot during splicing, while the insertion plate is smoothly inserted into the slot, which reduces the difficulty of aligning the upper and lower boxes and effectively improves the assembly efficiency.

[0020] 3. By using an elastic element set between a pair of opposing moving parts, the elastic element continuously applies an elastic force to the opposing moving parts, so that each insert plate always tends to be inserted into the slot. Even if the vehicle is bumpy and vibrating during driving, the insert plate can be prevented from coming loose, thus ensuring the sealing and long-term reliability of the connection between the upper and lower boxes.

[0021] 4. By using the clearance groove at the end of the outer opposing moving part's movable groove that does not have an insert plate, the insert plate at the end of the inner opposing moving part's movable groove can be accommodated during unlocking, avoiding movement interference between parts, making the unlocking action smooth and further improving ease of use.

[0022] 5. Several driving components distributed at intervals along the circumference of the upper housing can be used to drive opposing moving components synchronously or individually, ensuring that the locking force of each insert plate is uniform and consistent, avoiding local sealing failure, and improving the flexibility of locking operation.

[0023] 6. By fixing two sets of mounting plates to the lower tank and the outer opposing moving parts respectively, it can serve as an external installation structure for the water tank as a whole, realizing the stable assembly of the water tank with the external installation surface; on the other hand, after the water tank is fixed to the external installation, the two sets of mounting plates limit each other, locking the relative position of the outer opposing moving parts and the lower tank, preventing the opposing moving parts from rotating accidentally and causing the insert plate to disengage from the slot, further ensuring the stability and sealing of the locking structure;

[0024] 7. By using the insert rods fixed to the opposite side walls of a pair of pressing plates and the springs sleeved on the insert rods, the springs are stably installed, so that the springs are evenly stressed and continuously provide a stable preload, ensuring the consistency and stability of the movement of the opposing moving parts, and extending the service life of the elastic parts and the overall locking structure. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the automotive expansion tank in the embodiments of this application;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the automotive expansion tank in an embodiment of this application (cut longitudinally along the central axis).

[0027] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the upper box in an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the inner opposing moving parts in the embodiments of this application;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the outer opposing moving part in the embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the lower box in an embodiment of this application.

[0031] Figure Labels

[0032] 1-Upper housing, 2-Lower housing, 3-Clamping assembly, 31-Side groove, 32-Baffle, 33-Slot, 34-Card slot, 35-Insertion plate, 4-Connecting plate, 5-Opening and closing mechanism, 51-Opposite moving part, 52-Modible groove, 53-Drive part, 531-Pressing plate, 532-Circular arc groove, 541-Insertion rod, 55-Allowing groove, 6-Guide slope, 7-Mounting plate. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0034] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0035] The automotive expansion tank provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, through specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0036] Example 1:

[0037] This application provides an automotive expansion tank, including an upper tank 1, a lower tank 2, and multiple locking components. The locking components include a locking assembly 3 and several connecting plates 4. Each connecting plate 4 is fixedly arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the top of the lower tank 2. The locking assembly 3 is used to lock with each connecting plate 4 one by one when the upper tank 1 and the lower tank 2 are closed and connected, so as to achieve a sealed lock between the upper tank 1 and the lower tank 2.

[0038] In this embodiment of the application, the locking assembly 3 includes a plurality of partitions 32 with side grooves 31, a plurality of slots 33, a plurality of slots 34, a plurality of insert plates 35, and an opening and closing mechanism 5. Each partition 32 is arranged in pairs and fixedly spaced along the circumferential direction of the outer wall of the upper housing 1. A slot 33 is formed between each pair of partitions 32. A slot 34 is correspondingly opened on the outer wall of each connecting plate 4. When the connecting plate 4 is inserted into the corresponding slot 33, the two ends of the slot 34 are aligned with the side grooves 31 of the partition 32 of that pair. Each insert plate 35 is slidably inserted into each side groove 31. The opening and closing mechanism 5 is used to drive each insert plate 35 to slide along the side groove 31 so that the insert plate 35 is inserted into the slot 34 or withdrawn from the slot 34, thereby locking or unlocking the connecting plate 4 and the slot 33.

[0039] like Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 6 As shown, due to the aforementioned structure, when the upper housing 1 and lower housing 2 are closed and connected, the connecting plate 4 on the lower housing 2 can be precisely inserted into the slot 33 formed by the partition 32 of the upper housing 1. At this time, the slot 34 of the connecting plate 4 is aligned with the side groove 31 of the partition 32. The opening and closing mechanism 5 drives the insert plate 35 to slide along the side groove 31 and insert into the slot 34, thus completing the locking and sealing of the upper and lower housings 2. This structure eliminates the need for drilling holes in the housing, avoiding the structural strength reduction and sealing failure problems caused by traditional bolt connections. At the same time, the one-to-one matching of the locking components 3 ensures the reliability of the locking, and the disassembly and assembly process requires no tools, making it convenient to operate.

[0040] Example 2:

[0041] In this embodiment, in addition to the structural features of the aforementioned embodiments, each connecting plate 4 has a guide slope 6 on both sides of its top end, and each insert plate 35 has a semi-circular end extending into the slot 33 to guide a pair of insert plates 35 into the card slot 34.

[0042] like Figure 3 , Figure 6As shown, due to the above structure, during the splicing of the upper and lower boxes 2, the guide slope 6 at the top of the connecting plate 4 can form a sliding fit with the semi-circular end of the insert plate 35, automatically guiding the connecting plate 4 to align with the slot 33 and insert it smoothly. At the same time, the semi-circular end of the insert plate 35 can reduce the contact friction with the slot 34, so that the insert plate 35 can be smoothly inserted into the slot 34 under the drive of the opening and closing mechanism 5, effectively reducing the alignment difficulty during assembly, improving assembly efficiency, and avoiding component wear caused by hard contact.

[0043] Example 3:

[0044] In this embodiment, in addition to the structural features of the aforementioned embodiments, the opening and closing mechanism 5 includes a pair of opposing moving parts 51, several movable slots 52, a driving member 53, and an elastic member. The pair of opposing moving parts 51 are coaxially and rotatably sleeved on the outer peripheral wall of the upper housing 1 from the inside to the outside. Each movable slot 52 is in pairs, and the two movable slots 52 in each group are respectively opened on the two opposing moving parts 51. An movable gap is reserved between each group of movable slots 52 and the two sides of the corresponding partition 32 group. One end of each insert plate 35 is respectively fixedly set at the opposite ends of the two movable slots 52 in each group of movable slots 52. The driving member 53 is used to drive the two opposing moving parts 51 to rotate relative to each other in the circumference of the upper housing 1. The elastic member is used to apply an elastic force to the two opposing moving parts 51 so that each insert plate 35 always maintains the tendency to be inserted into the corresponding slot 34.

[0045] In this embodiment of the application, the opening and closing mechanism 5 further includes a plurality of clearance grooves 55, which are respectively provided at the ends of the movable grooves 52 of the outer opposing moving member 51 where no insert plate 35 is provided, for accommodating the insert plate 35 fixed at the end of the movable groove 52 of the inner opposing moving member when each insert plate 35 is away from the slot 34.

[0046] In this embodiment of the application, the opposing moving member 51 is an annular shell.

[0047] like Figure 2 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, due to the aforementioned structure, the annular opposing moving parts 51 can be stably fitted onto the outer periphery of the upper housing 1. When the two opposing moving parts 51 are rotated relative to each other by the driving part 53, the movable groove 52 will synchronously drive the insert plate 35 to slide along the side groove 31 of the partition 32, realizing the synchronous locking or unlocking of multiple sets of insert plates 35, ensuring that the locking force of each locking unit is uniform. The elastic element continuously applies a preload force to the opposing moving parts 51, so that the insert plate 35 always fits against the inner wall of the slot 34. Even if the vehicle is bumpy and vibrating, the insert plate 35 can be prevented from loosening, ensuring sealing stability. The clearance groove 55 can accommodate the insert plate 35 on the inner opposing moving parts 51 when unlocking, avoiding movement interference between the insert plate 35 and other components, making the unlocking action smooth and further improving ease of use.

[0048] Example 4:

[0049] In this embodiment, in addition to the structural features of the aforementioned embodiments, the driving member 53 includes a pair of pressing plates 531 and an arc groove 532. The arc groove 532 is formed on the outer opposing moving member 51. Each pressing plate is fixed on each opposing moving member 51. The pressing plate 531 located on the inner opposing moving member 51 is slidably engaged with the arc groove 532 and is positioned at one end of the arc groove 532 under the action of the elastic member. The pressing plate 531 located on the outer opposing moving member 51 is opposite to the other end of the arc groove 532. The elastic member is disposed between the pair of pressing plates 531.

[0050] In this embodiment of the application, the elastic element includes a spring and a pair of insert rods 541, each insert rod 541 being fixed on the opposite sidewall of a pair of pressing plates 531, and the two ends of the spring being inserted into each insert rod 541.

[0051] In this embodiment of the application, the drive member 53 is a plurality of such members and is distributed at circumferential intervals along the upper housing 1.

[0052] like Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, due to the aforementioned structure, the cooperation between the pressing plate 531 and the arc groove 532 limits the relative rotational stroke of the opposing moving parts 51. When the pressing plate 531 of the outer opposing moving part 51 is pressed, the compressible spring (not shown in the figure) drives the two opposing moving parts 51 to rotate relative to each other, thereby unlocking the insert plate 35. After release, the spring pushes the pressing plate 531 back to its original position under the action of elastic restoring force, so that the insert plate 35 is re-engaged into the slot 34. The operation is simple and effortless. The cooperation between the insert rod 541 and the spring ensures that the spring is installed stably and the force is evenly distributed, avoiding spring deviation or falling off, and extending the service life of the elastic element. Multiple circumferentially distributed driving parts 53 can be operated synchronously or individually, which not only improves the flexibility of the locking operation, but also ensures the smooth rotation of the opposing moving parts 51 through multi-point driving, further ensuring the consistency of the insert plate 35's movement.

[0053] Example 5:

[0054] In this embodiment, in addition to the structural features of the aforementioned embodiments, it also includes several mounting plates 7. Each mounting plate 7 is divided into two groups and is fixedly mounted on the lower housing 2 and the outer opposing moving member 51, respectively. The two groups of mounting plates 7 are aligned and fitted when each insert plate 35 is inserted into the slot 34.

[0055] like Figure 1 , Figure 5 , Figure 6As shown, due to the aforementioned structure, a set of mounting plates 7 can cooperate with the mounting structure on the vehicle frame to achieve external fixed installation of the entire automotive expansion tank, ensuring the overall stability of the tank installation. When the insert plate 35 is fully inserted into the slot 34 to lock, the two sets of mounting plates 7 are precisely aligned and fitted, which not only provides intuitive feedback on the locking status, avoiding poor sealing caused by misoperation, but also locks the relative position of the outer opposing moving part 51 and the lower tank 2 through the mutual limiting of the two sets of mounting plates 7, preventing the opposing moving part 51 from rotating accidentally during vehicle operation, thereby preventing the insert plate 35 from disengaging from the slot 34. Structurally, this further ensures the stability of the locking structure and the sealing reliability of the upper and lower tanks 2.

[0056] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0057] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An automotive expansion tank, comprising an upper tank, a lower tank, and a plurality of locking components, characterized in that, The locking component includes a locking assembly and several connecting plates. Each of the connecting plates is fixedly arranged at circumferential intervals along the top of the lower housing. The locking assembly is used to lock with each of the connecting plates one by one when the upper housing and the lower housing are closed and connected, so as to achieve sealing and locking of the upper housing and the lower housing. The locking assembly includes several partitions with side grooves, several slots, several card slots, several insert plates, and an opening and closing mechanism. Each partition is arranged in pairs and fixedly spaced along the circumferential outer wall of the upper housing. The slots are formed between each pair of partitions. The card slots are correspondingly opened on the outer wall of each connecting plate. When the connecting plate is inserted into the corresponding slot, the two ends of the card slot are aligned with the side grooves of the partition in that pair. Each insert plate is slidably inserted into its respective side groove. The opening and closing mechanism is used to drive each insert plate to slide along the side groove so that the insert plate is inserted into or removed from the card slot, thereby locking or unlocking the connecting plate and the slot. The opening and closing mechanism includes a pair of opposing moving parts, several movable slots, a driving part, and an elastic part. The pair of opposing moving parts are coaxially and rotatably sleeved on the outer peripheral wall of the upper housing from the inside to the outside. Each movable slot is in pairs, and the two movable slots in each group are respectively opened on the two opposing moving parts. An movable gap is reserved between each group of movable slots and the two sides of the corresponding partition group. One end of each insert plate is fixedly set at the opposite end of the two movable slots in each group of movable slots. The driving part is used to drive the two opposing moving parts to rotate relative to each other along the circumference of the upper housing. The elastic part is used to apply an elastic force to the two opposing moving parts so that each insert plate always maintains the tendency to be inserted into the corresponding slot.

2. The automotive expansion tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the connecting plates has guide bevels on both sides of its top end, and each of the insert plates has a semi-circular end that extends into the slot to guide a pair of insert plates into the slot.

3. The automotive expansion tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The opening and closing mechanism also includes several clearance grooves, which are respectively provided at the ends of the movable grooves of the outer opposing moving parts that are not provided with insert plates, for accommodating the insert plates fixed at the ends of the movable grooves of the inner opposing moving parts when each insert plate is away from the slot.

4. The automotive expansion tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The opposing moving part is an annular shell.

5. The automotive expansion tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The driving component includes a pair of pressing plates and an arc groove. The arc groove is formed on the outer opposing moving member. Each pressing plate is fixed on the respective opposing moving member. The pressing plate on the inner opposing moving member slides with the arc groove and is positioned at one end of the arc groove under the action of the elastic member. The pressing plate on the outer opposing moving member is positioned opposite to the other end of the arc groove. The elastic member is disposed between the pair of pressing plates.

6. The automotive expansion tank according to claim 5, characterized in that, The elastic element includes a spring and a pair of insert rods, each of the insert rods being fixed on the opposite sidewalls of a pair of pressing plates, and the two ends of the spring being inserted into each insert rod.

7. The automotive expansion tank according to claim 5, characterized in that, The drive components are of several kinds and are distributed at intervals along the circumference of the upper housing.

8. The automotive expansion tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes several mounting plates, each of which is divided into two groups and is fixedly mounted on the lower housing and the outer opposite moving part, respectively. The two groups of mounting plates are aligned and fitted together when each of the insert plates is inserted into the slot.

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