Vehicle oil strainer device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle oil strainer device that allows for proper setting of the phase of the vehicle oil strainer and facilitates the replacement of the vehicle oil strainer. [Solution] A vehicle oil strainer device 10 comprises a longitudinal oil strainer 16 inserted into the circulation path of oil E in a case 12 housing a vehicle power transmission device, a drain hole 18 sized to accommodate the oil strainer 16, and a drain plug 20 for closing the drain hole 18, and a side cover 22 covering the side of the case 12, wherein the oil strainer 16 has one end and the other end 28 that can be fitted into an insertion hole 24, and a semicircular cross-section filtration section 26 connecting them, and is fixed between the case 12 and the drain plug 20, and a first mark 34 indicating the position of the filtration section 26 around the central axis CL is formed on the other end 28, and a second mark 36 for indicating the mounting position of the first mark 34 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 24 or the drain hole 18.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle oil strainer device for purifying lubricating oil in a vehicle power transmission device.

Background Art

[0002] A longitudinal vehicle oil strainer provided in an oil passage of the vehicle power transmission device is well known, which is provided at the bottom of a case that houses a vehicle power transmission device for transmitting driving force from a driving force source to driving wheels, and filters the oil used in the vehicle transmission device. For example, the vehicle oil strainer described in Patent Document 1 is such an example. The vehicle oil strainer described in Patent Document 1 is inserted into the oil passage in the case and is hermetically confined in the case by a side cover.

[0003] Since the vehicle oil strainer described in Patent Document 1 is blocked by the side cover after being inserted into the oil passage, in order to replace the vehicle oil strainer, it is necessary to remove the side cover, and the replacement work takes time.

[0004] On the other hand, in the vehicle oil strainer described in Patent Document 2, since one end thereof is connected to a drain plug that closes a drain hole for discharging the oil, the replacement work of the vehicle oil strainer is facilitated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in the vehicle oil strainer described in Patent Document 2, one end is connected to the drain plug. Therefore, when replacing the vehicle oil strainer, after inserting the vehicle oil strainer into the drain hole and then blocking the drain hole with the drain plug, it is difficult to set the rotation angle of the vehicle oil strainer around the central axis of the drain plug to a predetermined constant phase so that the vehicle oil strainer can properly receive the oil. Furthermore, when draining the oil to the outside of the case, the vehicle oil strainer is removed from the case together with the drain plug, making the oil change procedure cumbersome.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its objective is to provide a vehicle oil strainer device that can set the vehicle oil strainer to a predetermined phase and that can easily replace the vehicle oil strainer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The gist of the first invention is a vehicle oil strainer device comprising: (a) an elongated oil strainer that is inserted from one end into an insertion hole formed in a case housing a vehicle power transmission device and opening in the side of the case, thereby interposing it to the oil circulation path within the case; and a side cover that covers the side of the case and has a drain hole of a size into which the oil strainer can be inserted and a drain plug to close the drain hole, wherein (b) the oil strainer has a cross section that can be fitted into the insertion hole The oil strainer has a pair of ends, one end and the other end, and a semicircular cross-section filter section connecting the one end and the other end, with a plurality of holes formed for filtering out foreign matter from the oil, and is fixed between the case and the drain plug, wherein (c) a first mark indicating the position around the central axis of the filter section is formed on the other end of the oil strainer, and (d) a second mark indicating the mounting position around the central axis of the first mark is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole or the drain hole.

[0009] The gist of the second invention is that, in the first invention, the other end on the drain plug side is provided with a projection having a cross-sectional shape smaller than the cross-sectional shape of the other end and contacting the drain plug. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the vehicle oil strainer device of the first invention, by aligning the first mark with the second mark and positioning the oil strainer accordingly, the oil strainer can be positioned at a predetermined constant phase. Furthermore, since the oil strainer is not connected to the drain plug and can be removed independently from the drain hole, it is possible to pull out the oil strainer from the insertion hole without rotating it around its central axis, thus preventing any foreign matter remaining in the filtered section from being mixed into the oil passage.

[0011] According to the vehicle oil strainer device of the second invention, by providing a projection at the other end that has a smaller cross-sectional shape than the cross-sectional shape of the other end and contacts the drain plug, an oil discharge path is provided in the space around the projection, so that it is not necessary to remove the oil strainer when changing the oil, making oil changes easier. In addition, when changing the oil strainer, the projection can be grasped, making the work easier and improving work efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a vehicle oil strainer device according to Example 1. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view illustrating the oil strainer according to Example 1. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a conventional vehicle oil strainer used to explain Example 1. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a vehicle oil strainer device according to Example 2. [Figure 5]This is a perspective view illustrating the oil strainer according to Example 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that in the following embodiments, the drawings have been simplified or modified as appropriate, and the dimensional ratios and shapes of each part are not necessarily depicted accurately. [Examples]

[0014] Figure 1 shows how the vehicle oil strainer device 10 according to Embodiment 1 is inserted into the oil passage 14 at the bottom of a case 12 that houses a vehicle power transmission device (not shown) that transmits driving force from a driving force source (not shown) to a drive wheel (not shown). The figure is a cross-sectional view including the central axis CL of the longitudinal oil strainer 16.

[0015] The vehicle oil strainer device 10 comprises an oil strainer 16 and a side cover 22 that covers the side of the case 12 and has a drain hole 18 for draining oil E to the outside of the case 12 during oil changes and a drain plug 20 for blocking the drain hole 18. The oil strainer 16 is located at the bottom of the case 12 and is inserted into the oil passage 14 of the vehicle transmission device to filter the oil E used in the vehicle transmission device, and is sealed in an oil-tight manner within the case 12 by the side cover 22 from the right side in Figure 1. The oil strainer 16 is inserted into an insertion hole 24 with a constant inner diameter that opens to the side of the case 12 from one end (not shown) on the left side in Figure 1, and is fixed by being sandwiched between the drain plug 20 and the bottom wall surface (not shown) of the case 12 of the insertion hole 24. The gap between the insertion hole 24 and the oil strainer 16 is set to allow the oil strainer 16 to be inserted and removed, and to be smaller than the outer size of foreign matter in the oil E that can be filtered by the filtration section 26.

[0016] The oil strainer 16 has a pair of ends 28, one end and the other end, having a cross-sectional shape that can be fitted into the insertion hole 24, and a semicircular filtration section 26 connecting the one end and the other end 28, with a plurality of filtration holes 30 formed therein for filtering out foreign matter from the oil E in the oil passage 14. The other end 28 is cylindrical, and although Figure 1 and Figure 2 (described later) show an example where the inside is hollow and pipe-shaped, in this embodiment 1, it will be described as a cylindrical shape that is not hollow. The case where it is pipe-shaped will be described later. In the filtration section 26, the filtration holes 30 are arranged in a certain shape from the other end 28. The oil E is sucked in by the pump 32 and supplied to the vehicle power transmission device located above, and circulated through the oil passage 14 in the oil E circulation path shown by the dashed arrow in Figure 1. The oil E is filtered by the filtration holes 30 in the oil passage 14, and the filtered foreign matter accumulates inside the filtration section 26. The filtration holes 30 correspond to the "multiple holes for filtering out foreign matter from the oil" in this invention.

[0017] To remove foreign matter accumulated in the filtration section 26, the oil strainer 16 needs to be replaced or cleaned. The procedure for removing the oil strainer 16 is as follows: First, the drain plug 20 is removed, then the other end 28 is pulled out from the drain hole 18 to the right in Figure 1, and the entire oil strainer 16 is removed. The drain hole 18 and the insertion hole 24 are coaxial so that the oil strainer 16 can be replaced through the drain hole 18, and the diameter of the drain hole 18 is set to be larger than the diameters of the one end and the other end 28 of the oil strainer 16, so that the oil strainer 16 can be inserted into the drain hole 18. Next, the one end of the oil strainer 16 from which the foreign matter has been removed is inserted through the drain hole 18 and the oil strainer 16 is inserted into the insertion hole 24 partway. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the oil strainer 16 according to Embodiment 1. A first marker 34 is formed on the other end 28 to indicate the position of the filtration section 26 around the central axis CL. A second marker 36 is formed near the drain hole 18 on the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 24 to indicate the mounting position of the first marker 34 around the central axis CL. The first marker 34 consists of two protrusions provided on the cylindrical surface of the other end 28. One protrusion is provided at the position of the cross-sectional section of the central axis CL, and the other protrusion is provided at a position symmetric to the first marker 34, for example, at a distance of approximately 12 degrees in the circumferential direction around the central axis CL. The second marker 36 consists of two grooves provided on the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 24 near the drain hole 18, and is provided at a position corresponding to the position of the first marker. Of the two grooves that make up the second marker 36, one groove is shown at the position of the cross-sectional section of the central axis CL in Figure 1, but the other groove is not shown because it is not within the cross-sectional section of the central axis CL. Since the two pairs of markers are not located in the same cross-section, the oil strainer is uniquely positioned at a predetermined phase, and the oil strainer 16 will not be installed incorrectly and face up or down in the wrong direction. Next, the position of the first marker 34 is aligned with the position of the second marker 36, and the oil strainer 16 is fully inserted into the insertion hole 24. One end is pressed against the bottom wall surface of the insertion hole 24 of the case 12 (not shown) inside the insertion hole 24, and the oil strainer 16 is fixed in place by blocking the drain hole 18 with the drain plug 20 and simultaneously pressing the drain plug 20 against the other end 28.

[0018] In oil change, the drain plug 20 is removed, and with the oil strainer 16 pulled out from the drain hole 18, the oil E is discharged to the outside of the case 12 through the drain hole 18 as shown by the solid-line arrow in FIG. 1.

[0019] Here, the effects of the first embodiment will be described in comparison with FIG. 3 showing a conventional example. Parts common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. FIG. 3 is a view showing a state where a conventional vehicle oil strainer 116 is inserted into an oil passage 114 at the bottom of a case 112 that houses a vehicle power transmission device (not shown), and is a cross-sectional view including the central axis CL of the longitudinally-shaped vehicle oil strainer 116. The vehicle oil strainer 116 is provided at the bottom of the case 112 and is provided in the oil passage 114 of the vehicle transmission device in order to filter the oil E used in the vehicle transmission device. In a state of being inserted into the oil passage 114, it is hermetically confined in the case 112 by a side cover 122 from the right side in FIG. 3. The vehicle oil strainer 116 has a filtering portion 26. The vehicle oil strainer 116 is provided inside the case 112 and is inserted into an insertion hole 124 that extends to the left side in FIG. 3 and has a constant inner diameter, and is sandwiched and fixed by the side cover 122 and the case 112 and a bottom wall surface (not shown) of the insertion hole 124. Since the vehicle oil strainer 116 is confined in the case 112 by the side cover 122, in order to replace the vehicle oil strainer 116, it is necessary to remove the side cover 122, and the replacement work has taken a long time.

[0020] However, according to the vehicle oil strainer device 10 according to the first embodiment, since the oil strainer 16 can be removed from the drain hole 18 without removing the side cover 22, the oil strainer 16 can be easily replaced.

[0021] Furthermore, according to the vehicle oil strainer device 10 of Embodiment 1, by aligning the first mark 34 with the second mark 36 and positioning the oil strainer 16, the oil receiving side of the oil strainer 16 can be set to the appropriate phase. Also, since the oil strainer 16 is not connected to the drain plug 20 and can be positioned independently, it is possible to withdraw the oil strainer 16 without rotating it around the central axis CL, so as not to introduce any foreign matter remaining in the filtered section 26 into the oil passage 14. [Examples]

[0022] Next, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. Parts common to Embodiment 1 described above will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0023] Figure 4 shows the vehicle oil strainer device 210 according to Embodiment 2 inserted into the oil passage 214 at the bottom of the case 12, and is a cross-sectional view including the central axis CL of the longitudinal oil strainer 216.

[0024] The vehicle oil strainer device 210 comprises an oil strainer 216 and a side cover 222 that covers the side of the case 12 and has a drain hole 18 and a drain plug 20. The side cover 222 is provided with a drain oil passage 238, as will be described later. The oil strainer 216 is located at the bottom of the case 12 and is provided in the oil passage 214 to filter the oil E. With the oil strainer 216 interposed in the oil passage 214, it is sealed in an oil-tight manner within the case 12 by the side cover 222 and the drain plug 20 from the right side in Figure 4. The oil strainer 216 is inserted into an insertion hole 224 with a constant inner diameter, which is provided spanning the case 12 and the side cover 222, and is fixed by being sandwiched between the drain plug 20 and the bottom wall surface of the insertion hole 224 (not shown). The setting of the gap between the insertion hole 224 and the oil strainer 216 is the same as in the first embodiment. The oil passage 214 differs from the oil passage 14 in Embodiment 1 in that a portion of it is connected to a drain oil passage 238 located inside the side cover 222.

[0025] The oil strainer 216 differs from the oil strainer 16 of Example 1 in the shape of its other end 228. The other end 228 has a cylindrical portion 240 and a cylindrical projection 242 on its end face on the drain plug 20 side, which has a smaller diameter than the cylindrical portion 240. The end of this projection 242 abuts against the end of the drain plug 20, fixing the oil strainer 216 in place. The circulation path of the oil E and the function of the oil strainer 216 are the same as in Example 1, so a description is omitted.

[0026] The procedure for replacing the oil strainer 216 to remove foreign matter accumulated in the filtration section 26 is as follows: First, the drain plug 20 is removed, then the projection 242 is grasped from the drain hole 18 and moved to the right in Figure 4 to remove the oil strainer 216 from the drain hole 18. Next, one end (not shown) of the oil strainer 216 from which the foreign matter has been removed is inserted into the drain hole 18, and the oil strainer 216 is inserted into the insertion hole 224 partway. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the oil strainer 216 according to Embodiment 2. Similar to Embodiment 1, two projections, the first markers 34, are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 240, and two grooves, the second markers 236, are formed in the insertion hole 224. Next, the oil strainer 216 is fully inserted into the insertion hole 224 by aligning the position of the first mark 34 with the position of the second mark 236, and one end of the oil strainer 216 is pressed against the bottom wall surface of the insertion hole 224 (not shown) inside the insertion hole 224. The oil strainer 216 is then fixed in place by blocking the drain hole 18 with the drain plug 20 and simultaneously pressing the end of the drain plug 20 against the projection 242.

[0027] During an oil change, with the drain plug 20 removed, the oil E is discharged to the outside of the case 12 through the drain hole 18 in the flow shown by the solid arrow in Figure 4. The space provided around the projection 242 and the provision of a drain oil passage 238 inside the side cover 222 and on the upper part of the cylindrical portion 240 create a drain path, allowing the oil E to be discharged without removing the oil strainer 216 from the case 12.

[0028] According to the vehicle oil strainer device 210 of Embodiment 2, by aligning the first mark 34 with the second mark 236 and positioning the oil strainer 216, the oil receiving side of the oil strainer 216 can be set to the appropriate phase. Furthermore, since the oil strainer 216 is not connected to the drain plug 20 and can be removed independently from the drain hole 18, it is possible to withdraw the oil strainer 216 without rotating it around the central axis CL, so as not to introduce any foreign matter remaining in the filtered section 26 into the oil passage 214.

[0029] According to the vehicle oil strainer device 210, by providing a projection 242 at the other end 228 of the oil strainer 216, a space is provided around the projection 242 that communicates with the drain oil passage 238. Therefore, it is not necessary to remove the oil strainer 216 when changing the oil, making oil changes easier. In addition, when replacing the oil strainer 216, the projection 242 can be grasped, making the work easier and improving work efficiency.

[0030] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is also applicable to other embodiments.

[0031] For example, in Examples 1 and 2, the filtration section 26 of the oil strainers 16 and 216 has a semicircular cross-section surrounded by a semicircular outer and inner circumferential surface and two planes. However, the cross-sectional shape may also be such that only the outer and inner circumferential surfaces on both sides are arc-shaped and have a flat bottom connecting these two sides.

[0032] Furthermore, although the other end 28 of the oil strainer 16 was described as a non-hollow cylindrical shape in Example 1, it may also be pipe-shaped as shown in Figures 1 and 2. By making the other end 28 pipe-shaped, the oil E can be discharged through the inside of the other end 28 and out of the drain hole 18 during oil changes, eliminating the need to remove the oil strainer 16 from the case 12 and making oil changes easier.

[0033] For example, in Embodiment 2, a drain oil passage 238 is provided at the top of the cylindrical portion 240, but it is not necessary to provide the drain oil passage 238. In this case, as described in Embodiment 1, the oil change is performed with the oil strainer 216 removed from the case 12, and the oil E is discharged to the outside of the case 12 through the drain hole 18.

[0034] For example, in Examples 1 and 2, the number of marker pairs is two, but it may be one or three or more. Also, in Examples 1 and 2, the second markers 36 and 236 are provided in a part of the insertion holes 24 and 224, but they may also be provided in a part of the drain hole 18.

[0035] For example, in Embodiment 2, the projection 242 provided on the other end 228 is cylindrical, but the cross-section of the projection 242 may be a polygon such as a triangle or a square, or an ellipse, and the projection 242 may have multiple types of cross-sections.

[0036] It should be noted that the above-described embodiment is merely one example, and the present invention can be implemented in various modified and improved forms based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 10: Vehicle oil strainer device, 12: Case, 16: Oil strainer, 18: Drain hole, 20: Drain plug, 22: Side cover, 24: Insertion hole, 26: Filtration section, 28: Other end, 34: First marker, 36: Second marker

Claims

1. An oil strainer device for a vehicle, comprising: an elongated oil strainer that is inserted from one end into an insertion hole formed within a case housing a vehicle power transmission device and opening in the side of the case, thereby interposing it to the oil circulation path within the case; and a side cover that covers the side of the case and has a drain hole of a size that allows the oil strainer to be inserted and a drain plug to close the drain hole, wherein The oil strainer has a pair of one end and the other end having a cross-sectional shape that can be fitted into the insertion hole, and a semicircular filtration section having a plurality of holes for filtering out foreign matter from the oil and connecting the one end and the other end, and the oil strainer is fixed between the case and the drain plug. A first marker indicating the position around the central axis of the filtration section is formed on the other end of the oil strainer. A second mark is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole or the drain hole to indicate the mounting position around the central axis of the first mark. A vehicle oil strainer device characterized by the following features.

2. The other end of the drain plug side is provided with a projection having a cross-sectional shape smaller than the cross-sectional shape of the other end and which contacts the drain plug. The vehicle oil strainer device according to claim 1.

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