Level gauge guide

Abstract

To provide a level gauge guide which secures satisfactory workability of oil check work even in an engine in which a layout of structures around an oil pan is dense.SOLUTION: A level gauge guide comprises: an outer cylinder 12 mounted to a constitutive member of an engine; an inner cylinder 14 which can be stored in the outer cylinder 14, of which an inserting / puling-out operation can be performed while maintaining a sealed state with respect to the outer cylinder 12 and which forms an extended state where a full length of a level gauge guide 10 is extended in a pulled-out state regarding a shortened state where a full length of the level gauge guide 10 is shortened in an inserted state, the inner cylinder 14 being brought into a locked state with respect to the outer cylinder 12 in the extended state; a first string-shaped body 28 disposed in such a manner that one end is mounted to the inner cylinder 14 and the other end extends upward, the string-shaped body forming the extended state and the locked state by pulling the inner cylinder 14 out of the outer cylinder 12; and a second string-shaped body 30 disposed in such a manner that one end is mounted to the inner cylinder 14 and the other end extends upward, the string-shaped body forming the shortened state by inserting the inner cylinder 14 into the outer cylinder 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a level gauge guide, and more particularly to an extendable level gauge guide in which an engine level gauge is housed. [Background technology]

[0002] An engine level gauge is usually housed in a cylindrical level gauge guide, and when in use, it is pulled out of the gauge guide, the tip end is inserted into an oil pan, and then pulled out again to check the engine oil adhering to the tip end and to check the amount and dirt of the engine oil. Therefore, a level gauge generally needs to have a certain length and is long and slender like a saber.

[0003] The level gauge is inserted by grasping the grip, but for example, in a strong hybrid vehicle, the power control unit is installed in the engine compartment, so the layout around the location where the level gauge for checking the engine oil is installed is restricted, and the insertion operation needs to be performed from a relatively high position. Also, if the level gauge is made longer in the vehicle height direction, the level gauge guide also needs to be longer accordingly.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration for a relatively long level gauge that facilitates the operation of checking oil. This level gauge has a telescopic guide that covers the body between the grip of the level gauge and the gauge section for checking the amount and dirt of oil. The telescopic guide is composed of two cylinders of different thicknesses, and is formed in a stepped shape by fitting the thicker cylinder slidably into the thinner cylinder. The telescopic guide is attached to and detached from a guide tube attached to the oil pan of the engine.

[0005] With this configuration, when the grip of the level gauge is grasped and the level gauge is pulled out of the guide tube, the telescopic guide extends and the body of the level gauge is covered by the telescopic guide. When the telescopic guide is extended, the gauge part is positioned just above the oil level, allowing the amount of oil and dirt to be checked. After checking, when the level gauge is pushed back into the guide tube, the telescopic guide is compressed and the level gauge is stored in the guide tube. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 6-76827 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] When the level gauge and the gauge guide are elongated in the height direction to ensure ease of maintenance work using the level gauge, the level gauge guide is fixed to the engine components using a fixing member such as a stay, but extending the length of the level gauge and the gauge guide in the height direction increases the load on the fixing member, and the strength requirement for the fixing member becomes stricter. This causes the inconvenience of increasing the mass of the fixing member. Furthermore, there is also the problem that the long level gauge guide deteriorates the workability of the installation work of auxiliary parts during engine assembly.

[0008] In the level gauge disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the level gauge is not in use, the grip of the level gauge is located low in the vehicle height direction, so in a strong hybrid vehicle, the layout of other structures around the oil pan is dense, and the technology cannot be applied as is. In other words, when the grip of the level gauge is in a low position, the workability of the oil inspection work, in which the grip of the level gauge is grasped by hand to check the amount and dirt of the engine oil, is reduced.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a level gauge guide that can ensure good workability when performing oil inspection work to check the amount and dirt of engine oil, even in engines with a dense layout of structures around the oil pan. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the level gauge guide according to claim 1 comprises: A cylindrical level gauge guide in which a level gauge having a grip portion at an upper end is accommodated with the grip portion protruding from the upper end, an outer cylinder attached to an engine component; an inner cylinder that can be inserted and removed while maintaining a sealed state with respect to the outer cylinder, and that forms a contracted state in which the overall length of the level gauge guide is shortened when inserted and an extended state in which the overall length of the level gauge guide is extended when pulled out, and that is in a locked state with respect to the outer cylinder in the extended state; a first string-like body having one end attached to the inner tube and the other end extending upward, the first string-like body being pulled upward to draw the inner tube out of the outer tube and form the extended state and the locked state; a second string-like body having one end attached to the inner tube and the other end extending upward, the second string-like body being pulled upward to insert the inner tube into the outer tube and form the contracted state; The present invention is characterized by having the following.

[0011] With this configuration, when the level gauge is not in use, the overall length of the level gauge guide is in an inserted state where the inner tube is inserted into the outer tube, i.e., in a shortened state where the length of only the outer tube is short. When the level gauge is in use, the first string-like body is pulled up from an upper position, so that the inner tube is pulled out from the outer tube, and the overall length of the level gauge guide is in an extended state where the overall length of the inner tube is approximately the sum of the lengths of the outer tube and the inner tube. As a result, the grip part of the level gauge protruding from the upper end of the inner tube is also positioned upward.

[0012] Therefore, under normal circumstances, the overall length of the level gauge guide according to the present invention is kept short, and the portion fixed to the engine component by the fixing member is not subjected to a large load due to the extension of the length.

[0013] Furthermore, when the level gauge is in use, the inner tube extends upward in the pulled-out state, and the grip of the level gauge is also located at the top, so that the user can easily grip it to pull out the level gauge and use it. After use, the inner tube is inserted into the outer tube by pulling the second string-like body, and the overall length of the level gauge guide is shortened. The action of inserting the inner tube into the outer tube by pulling the second string-like body can be realized by a configuration using members that are usually imagined. That is, it can be easily configured by adding a configuration in which the second string-like body is inverted to apply the pulling force in the opposite direction. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the level gauge guide of the present invention, it is possible to select between a contracted and extended state of the level gauge guide by extending or retracting the inner tube, thereby ensuring ease of use when using the level gauge in the extended state, simplifying the fixing members by ensuring the contracted state, and improving ease of use when assembling the engine and its peripheral equipment. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a partial configuration diagram of a level gauge guide according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which an inner cylinder is inserted. FIG. [Diagram 2] 2 is an end view cut at the portion of the locking recess of the outer cylinder of the level gauge guide shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a conceptual diagram of a leaf spring and a recess in the level gauge guide shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a structure for locking a string-like body to a spring member in the level gauge guide shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 5]1 is a partial configuration diagram of a level gauge guide according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which an inner cylinder is in a pulled-out state. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a conceptual diagram of a leaf spring and a recess in the level gauge guide shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the positional relationship between the level gauge guide and the engine shown in FIG. [Figure 8] 6 is an explanatory diagram of the positional relationship between the level gauge guide and the engine shown in FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] An embodiment of a level gauge guide according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an engine for a strong hybrid vehicle, which has a large layout constraint around the level gauge, is shown as an example.

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a partial configuration of a level gauge guide 10 according to the present invention (in a shortened state as described below). As shown in the figure, the level gauge guide 10 has an outer cylinder 12 and an inner cylinder 14, and the outer cylinder 12 is attached to an engine component, for example a cover 22 of an oil pan 24, via an O-ring 20.

[0018] The inner cylinder 14 is formed in a size that allows it to be inserted into and removed from the outer cylinder 12. An O-ring 20 is interposed between the inner cylinder 14 and the outer cylinder 12 to ensure a tightly sealed state during insertion and removal. The level gauge 26 is inserted into the inner cylinder 14 via the O-ring 20, and a gripping portion 26a for pulling it up from the oil pan 24 protrudes from the tip of the inner cylinder 14.

[0019] The level gauge 26 also has a gauge section 26c for checking the amount and dirt of engine oil, and a saber-shaped body section 26b between the grip section 26a and the gauge section 26c. The lengths of the body section 26b and the gauge section 26c are set so that the gauge section 26c does not interfere with the bottom of the oil pan 24 when the level gauge guide 10 is in a contracted state, which will be described later.

[0020] 2 shows the configuration of the outer tube 12 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in the figure, a first locking recess 18-1 is provided on the inner surface of the outer tube 12, which is a recess extending in the length direction and having a predetermined width. Below this first locking recess 18-1, a second locking recess 18-2 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 12, which extends in the length direction and has a predetermined width, similar to the first locking recess 18-1. Below the second locking recess 18-2, a direction reversing member 32, which is a reversing mechanism that reverses the pulling direction of the string-like body described later, is attached. The direction reversing member 32 is configured as, for example, a cylindrical protrusion.

[0021] 3 shows the configuration of the outer surface of the inner tube 14, and as shown in the figure, a leaf spring 16, which is a spring member, is fixed to the outer surface of the inner tube 14. The leaf spring 16 is curved in a mountain shape, and the apex portion at approximately the center of the mountain shape is fixed to the outer surface of the inner tube 14. The leaf spring 16 also extends in the direction of movement of the inner tube 14, and both ends are separated from the outer surface of the inner tube 14. The distance between the upper and lower ends is set to a size that fits into the first and second locking recesses 18-1, 18-2 in the normal state. In the figure, the fixing point of the leaf spring 16 to the inner tube 14 is indicated by A.

[0022] The position of the first locking recess 18-1 determines the extended state in which the overall length of the level gauge guide 10 is extended when the inner tube 14 is pulled out. The position of the second locking recess 18-2 determines the shortened state in which the overall length of the level gauge guide 10 is shortened when the inner tube 14 is inserted.

[0023] 4 shows an enlarged view of the configuration of the leaf spring 16, and as shown in the figure, protrusions 17-1 and 17-2 are formed on the inner surface of the curved leaf spring 16 at positions a predetermined length from the upper end 16a and the lower end 16b of the leaf spring 16 toward the center, respectively, protruding in the moving direction of the inner cylinder 14. A first string-like body 28 is engaged with the protrusion 17-1. A ring-shaped engaging portion 28a is formed at the tip of the first string-like body 28, and this engaging portion 28a is engaged with the protrusion 17-1 of the leaf spring 16. A second string-like body 30 is engaged with the protrusion 17-2. A locking portion 30a, which is also formed in a ring shape, is formed at the tip of the second string-like body 30, and this locking portion 30a is engaged with the protrusion 17-2 of the leaf spring 16.

[0024] Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1, 3, and 5 to 8. First, the operation for setting the level gauge guide 10 shown in Figure 1 from the contracted state, i.e., the unused state of the level gauge 26, to the extended state for use will be described.

[0025] When the level gauge guide 10 is in the contracted state, the leaf spring 16 is entirely inserted into the second locking recess 18-2 located at the lower position of the inner surface of the outer cylinder 12, that is, is in a state of being housed within the second locking recess 18-2. In this state, the first string-like body 28 is pulled up from the upper position. For example, the first string-like body 28 is pulled up using a winding device 36-1 shown in FIG. 7. The winding device 36-1 is disposed at a position above the engine 38.

[0026] 3, when the first string-like body 28 is wound up in the upward direction indicated by the arrow 100, the upper end 16a of the leaf spring 16 is bent by the pulling force and comes out of the second locking recess 18-2. The state of the leaf spring 16 is shown by the dashed line. When the first string-like body 28 is wound up further, the inner tube 14 rises in the upward direction indicated by the arrow 101, and the lower end 16b of the leaf spring 16 also comes out of the second locking recess 18-2.

[0027] FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of the level gauge guide 10 with the inner cylinder 14 pulled out, and FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the first locking recess 18-1 and the leaf spring 16 in that state.

[0028] As shown in the figure, the inner tube 14 is pulled out from the outer tube 12, and both ends 16a, 16b of the leaf spring 16 fall into the first locking recess 18-1 located at the upper position. In this state, the inner tube 14 is locked to the outer tube 12, and the extended state of the level gauge guide 10 is maintained.

[0029] With the inner cylinder 14 pulled out, the grip portion 26a of the level gauge 26 is located at the top of the engine 38 because the level gauge guide 10 is extended. Also, in this state, the gauge portion 26c of the level gauge 26 is located at a position where the amount of oil and dirt in the oil pan 24 can be checked. That is, when the level gauge guide 10 is in the extended state, the grip portion 26a of the level gauge 26 is located at the top of the engine, so that it is possible to grip the grip portion 26a, pull the level gauge 26 out of the inner cylinder 14, wipe off the oil, and reinsert it from the inner cylinder 14 to check the amount of engine oil and dirt.

[0030] That is, the winding device 36-1 is located above the upper end of the inner cylinder 14 when the inner cylinder 14 is pulled out and the level gauge guide 10 is in the extended state, and does not interfere with other components around the engine, making the winding operation easy. In this state, the gripping portion 26a of the level gauge 26 is also located at an upper position, so the gripping portion 26a can be easily pulled out by hand and inserted.

[0031] For example, the first string 28 is pulled upward, and the resulting excess length is wound up by the winding device 36-1. This winding is performed manually. At the same time, the second string 30 is pulled downward, but this pulling is automatically unwound from the winding device 36-2. This prevents the excess lengths of the strings 28, 30 from interfering with other components of the engine 38.

[0032] After checking the engine oil level and dirt, the second string-like body 30 is wound up by the winding device 36-2, causing the second string-like body 30 to move in the upward direction of the arrow 102. At this time, one end of the second string-like body 30 is wound around the direction reversal member 32, changing direction and being engaged with the leaf spring 16, so the second string-like body 30 moves in the opposite direction, downward, as shown by the arrow 103. As a result, the lower end 16b of the leaf spring 16 is released from the first engaging recess 18-1. The state of the leaf spring 16 in this state is shown by the dashed line.

[0033] Furthermore, by pulling up the second string-like body 30, the upper end 16a of the leaf spring 16 is also released from the first locking recess 18-1. Then, by further pulling up the second string-like body 30, the inner tube 14 is moved downward as shown by the arrow 104. That is, this movement inserts the inner tube 14 into the outer tube 12, and continues until the leaf spring 16 fixed to the inner tube 14 falls into the second locking recess 18-2. This state is shown in FIG. 1.

[0034] 7 and 8 respectively show the contracted state in which the inner tube 14 of the level gauge guide 10 is inserted, and the extended state in which the inner tube 14 of the level gauge guide 10 is pulled out. The position and shape of the oil pan 24 are shown in outline. As shown in FIG. 7, when the level gauge guide 10 is in the contracted state, that is, when the vehicle is not being driven or oil inspection work is not being performed, the level gauge guide 10 attached to a part of the engine 38 by the fixing member 34 is short, and the load on the fixing member 34 during driving, etc. is reduced. Furthermore, in the contracted state, the level gauge guide 10 does not deteriorate the ease of assembling auxiliary parts when assembling the engine 38.

[0035] When the first string 28 is wound by the winding device 36-1, the second string 30 is pulled downward, but this is automatically unwound from the winding device 36-2. Therefore, the excess lengths of the first and second strings 28, 30 are prevented from interfering with other components of the engine 38.

[0036] As described above, when checking the amount of oil and dirt in the engine 38 with the level gauge 26, the first string-like body 28 is pulled upward, the inner cylinder 14 is pulled out to bring the level gauge guide 10 into an extended state, and in this state, the gripping portion 26a of the level gauge 26 is grasped and the level gauge 26 is removed from the inner cylinder 14 to check the amount of oil and dirt. After the work is completed, the level gauge 26 is returned to the inner cylinder 14, the second string-like body 30 is pulled upward by a winding operation or the like, the inner cylinder 14 is inserted into the outer cylinder 12, and the level gauge guide 10 is brought into a contracted state.

[0037] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in this embodiment, in order to maintain the contracted state of the level gauge guide 10, the second locking recess 18-2 is provided and the leaf spring 16 is dropped into this recess, but since the contracted state is maintained by gravity, unlike the extended state, it is not necessarily required to provide such a second locking recess 18-2.

[0038] Furthermore, the first string-like body 28 and the second string-like body 30 may be configured as a single connected string-like body. Also, while the protrusions 17-1, 17-2 are used to lock the first string-like body 28 and the second string-like body 30 to the upper end 16a and the lower end 26b of the leaf spring 16, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the string-like body may be fixed directly to the leaf spring 16 by welding or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 10 Level Gauge Guide 12 Outer cylinder 14 Inner cylinder 16 Leaf spring 16a top end 16b Bottom edge 17-1, 17-2 protrusion 18-1 First locking recess 18-2 Second locking recess 20 O-ring 22 Oil pan cover 24 Oil pan 26 Level Gauge 26a Gripping part 26b Torso 26c Gauge section 28 First string 28a Locking part 30 Second string 30a Locking part 32 Direction reversal member 34 Fixing member 36-1, 36-2 Winding device 38 Engine

Claims

1. A cylindrical level gauge guide in which a level gauge having a grip portion at an upper end is accommodated with the grip portion protruding from the upper end, an outer cylinder attached to an engine component; an inner cylinder that can be housed within the outer cylinder, can be inserted and removed while maintaining a sealed state relative to the outer cylinder, and forms a contracted state in which the overall length of the level gauge guide is shortened when inserted, and an extended state in which the overall length of the level gauge guide is extended when removed, and is in an engaged state with respect to the outer cylinder in the extended state; a first string-like body having one end attached to the inner tube and the other end extending upward, the first string-like body being pulled upward to be drawn out of the outer tube of the inner tube and to form the extended state and the locked state; a second string-like body having one end attached to the inner tube and the other end extending upward, the second string-like body being pulled upward to insert the inner tube into the outer tube and form the contracted state; A level gauge guide comprising:

2. The first string-like body is One end of the device is engaged with the inner cylinder, and the other end of the device is pulled upward and disposed in an upper position so that a user can pull the other end upward; The second string-like body is The level gauge guide as described in claim 1, characterized in that one end is engaged with an inner tube, extended downward from the engaging point, and pulled around via an inversion mechanism that reverses the extension direction, so that a user can pull the other end upward.

3. a first locking recess formed on an inner surface of the outer cylinder, the first locking recess extending in a length direction of the outer cylinder and having a predetermined width; a spring member having a substantially central portion fixed to an outer surface of the inner tube, extending in a direction in which the inner tube moves, with both ends curved so as to move away from the outer surface of the inner tube, and a distance between both upper and lower ends set to a size that allows the spring member to fit into the first locking recess in a normal state; The one end of the first string-like body is engaged with the inner cylinder by One end of the first string-like body is engaged at a position shifted toward the center by a predetermined length from the upper end of the spring member, and the inner tube is pulled up by the pulling action of the first string-like body via the spring member, The position of the first locking recess is when the inner tube is pulled out from the outer tube by the pulling-up operation of the first string-like body and is in the extended state, both ends of the spring member are set to a position where they drop into the first locking recess, 3. The level gauge guide according to claim 2, wherein the engagement of the inner cylinder with the outer cylinder in the extended state is achieved by the spring member dropping into the first engagement recess.

4. The locking structure of the first string-like body to the spring member includes: a protrusion provided on an inner surface of the central portion of the spring member; 4. The level gauge guide according to claim 3, further comprising: a locking portion provided at a tip end of the first string-like body and capable of being locked onto the protrusion.

5. The level gauge guide described in claim 1, characterized in that the other end of the first string-like body and the other end of the second string-like body are arranged so that they can be wound up by winding devices respectively provided at a position above the upper end of the inner tube when the inner tube is pulled out and the level gauge guide is in an extended state.

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