JP2012228989A - Hydraulic fluid reservoir for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an inner end opening of a supply port from being exposed to the atmosphere even when one fluid system fails and fluid surface is inclined at the maximum allowable inclination angle in a fluid chamber of a normal fluid system.SOLUTION: In the hydraulic fluid reservoir for a vehicle, the inside of a reservoir body 11 is partitioned by a pair of partition walls 11a, 11b extending in vehicle lateral direction to form first and second chambers R1, R2 across a float chamber Rf. Supply ports 11e, 11f are arranged on the bottom walls 11c, 11d of the first and second chambers R1, R2, respectively. The supply port 11f is displaced by a predetermined amount to the left from the vehicle lateral center of the reservoir body 11. A surrounding wall 11i is formed at vertical and lateral distances from the supply port 11f to store hydraulic fluid inside. At a front left corner of the surrounding wall 11i (a portion located farther in the front-rear direction from the partition wall 11b than the supply port 11f and far from the supply port 11f toward a displacement side), a communication path P is formed to connect the inside and outside of the bottom part of the surrounding wall 11i.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir, and more particularly to a vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir employed in a hydraulically operated device such as a brake master cylinder.

  As one of the vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoirs of this type, the interior of the reservoir body is divided into a first chamber and a second chamber before and after the float chamber with a pair of partition walls extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle. In addition, there are those provided with a supply port (connected to a hydraulic operation device such as a brake master cylinder so that hydraulic fluid can be supplied) in each bottom wall of the first chamber and the second chamber, for example, Is shown in Patent Document 1 below.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-78853

  In the liquid system employing the vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir described in Patent Document 1 described above, the liquid system to which the supply port provided on the bottom wall of the first chamber is connected, and the bottom wall of the second chamber are provided. The liquid system to which the supply port is connected is configured separately. For this reason, even when one of the liquid systems fails, the other liquid system functions normally, and in the normally functioning liquid system, the liquid chamber (first chamber or The hydraulic fluid at the lowest level (liquid level) in the appropriate storage range is stored in the second chamber. At this time, the liquid amount in the float chamber also becomes the lowest level (liquid level) of the appropriate storage range, and the liquid level (liquid level) detection device provided in the float chamber detects an abnormality in the liquid system. .

  By the way, in the vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the enclosure wall surrounding each supply port is provided in each fluid chamber, but one of the fluid systems has failed. In addition, in a liquid chamber of a normally functioning liquid system, the maximum liquid level inside the liquid chamber is allowed in the front-rear direction (due to sudden acceleration / braking of the vehicle) or the left / right direction (due to sudden turning of the vehicle). It is unclear whether or not the above-described enclosure wall has a function of preventing the inner end opening of the supply port from being exposed to the atmosphere when inclined at a degree. For this reason, there exists a possibility that air may be suck | inhaled toward a hydraulic pump by the action | operation of the hydraulic pump attached to hydraulic operation apparatuses, such as a brake master cylinder. Such a problem can be solved by increasing the partition wall that partitions the first chamber and the second chamber before and after the float chamber (increasing the necessary minimum level). In this case, the reservoir itself is increased in size (bulky), and the mountability on the vehicle may be deteriorated, resulting in a new problem.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems without causing new problems. The vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir according to the present invention has an interior of the reservoir body in the left-right direction of the vehicle (the vehicle width direction). The first chamber and the second chamber are partitioned in the front and rear sides of the float chamber by a pair of partition walls extending in a), and a supply port is provided on each bottom wall of the first chamber and the second chamber, respectively. A hydraulic fluid reservoir for a vehicle, wherein at least one of the supply ports is displaced by a predetermined amount from the center of the reservoir body in the vehicle width direction to either the left or right direction, and the supply port is separated from front to back or left and right. An enclosure wall for storing the working fluid is provided inside the enclosure, and the enclosure wall is located at a position away from the supply port in the front-rear direction from the partition wall and away from the supply port toward the displacement side. In Communicating passage communicating at least the bottom inner and bottom outer the surrounding wall is provided to the site.

  In the liquid system employing the vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir of the present invention, the liquid system connected to the supply port provided on the bottom wall of the first chamber and the supply port provided on the bottom wall of the second chamber are connected. The liquid system is configured separately, and when one of the liquid systems fails, the other liquid system is configured to function normally.

  For this reason, when the enclosure wall and the communication path are provided in only one of the first chamber and the second chamber, the liquid system not provided with the enclosure wall and the communication path is lost. Or, in the case where the enclosure wall and the communication path are provided in both the first chamber and the second chamber, if any one of the liquid systems fails, in the liquid system that functions normally, The hydraulic fluid at the lowest level (liquid level) in the appropriate storage range is stored in the liquid chamber (first chamber or second chamber) that is partitioned by the partition wall. At this time, the liquid amount in the float chamber also becomes the lowest level (liquid level) of the appropriate storage range, and the liquid level (liquid level) detection device provided in the float chamber detects an abnormality in the liquid system (in the reservoir). Liquid level abnormality) is detected.

  By the way, in the vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir of the present invention, in the fluid chamber of a normally functioning liquid system, the liquid level in the fluid chamber is in the front-rear direction (due to sudden acceleration, sudden braking, etc.) or in the left-right direction (vehicle sudden The liquid level prevents the inner end opening of the supply port from being exposed to the atmosphere (air) by the surrounding wall that is separated by the front and rear, left and right even if it is tilted at the maximum allowable inclination by turning etc.) Is secured. For this reason, in such a state, even if a required amount of hydraulic fluid is sucked into the hydraulic pump from the liquid chamber, air is not sucked toward the hydraulic pump. In the liquid chamber of a normally functioning liquid system, when the liquid level inside is not inclined at all in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, the liquid chamber of the normally functioning liquid system is secured by a partition wall. Since the hydraulic fluid can flow into the inside of the enclosure wall through the communication path, the entire amount of the hydraulic fluid in the fluid chamber can be supplied to a hydraulically operated device such as a brake master cylinder.

  In carrying out the above-described present invention, the enclosure wall is formed in a rectangular shape in the front-rear and left-right directions, and is located farthest from the partition wall in the front-rear direction and farthest from the supply port to the displacement side. It is also possible that the communication path is provided at a site at a different position. In this case, compared with the case where the surrounding wall is formed in a circular shape, for example, the amount of hydraulic fluid stored in the inside of the surrounding wall at the maximum allowable inclination may be increased. It is possible to increase the above required amount (the amount of hydraulic fluid sucked into the hydraulic pump without air being sucked into the hydraulic pump in the state of the maximum allowable gradient). It is. In this case, it is possible that one surface of the surrounding wall also serves as a part of the partition wall. In this case, the enclosure wall can be configured simply and inexpensively.

It is a vertical side view along the AA line of FIG. 2 which shows one Embodiment of the hydraulic fluid reservoir for vehicles (state in which the hydraulic fluid is not accommodated) by this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along line BB of the vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which hydraulic fluid is stored in a front fluid chamber and a float chamber of the vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which hydraulic fluid is stored in a front fluid chamber and a float chamber of the vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory diagram in a state in which the vehicle suddenly accelerates from the state shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory diagram in a state in which the vehicle suddenly decelerates from the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the internal liquid level is inclined forward with a maximum allowable inclination θb. FIG. 5 is a main part operation explanatory diagram in a state in which the vehicle suddenly turns leftward from the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the internal liquid level is inclined rightward at a maximum allowable inclination θc. FIG. 5 is a main part operation explanatory diagram in a state in which the vehicle suddenly turns rightward from the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the internal liquid level is inclined leftward with a maximum allowable inclination θd.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir (a state in which hydraulic fluid is not accommodated) according to the present invention. In the vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir of this embodiment, the interior of the reservoir body 11 is shown. However, a first chamber R1 (a rear liquid chamber) and a second chamber R2 (a front liquid chamber) are partitioned forward and backward with a float chamber Rf sandwiched between a pair of partition walls 11a and 11b extending in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle. The supply ports 11e and 11f are provided in the bottom walls 11c and 11d of the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R1, respectively. Each partition wall 11a, 11b is formed in the same height so that the liquid level of the hydraulic fluid accommodated inside may become the same.

  The rear port 11e is connected to the rear port of a tandem brake master cylinder (not shown), and the front port 11f is connected to the front port of a tandem brake master cylinder (not shown). ing. The tandem brake master cylinder (not shown) is provided with a hydraulic pump (not shown), and the operation accommodated in the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R1 by the operation of the hydraulic pump. The liquid is configured to be sucked toward the hydraulic pump.

  A liquid level (liquid level) detection device S is provided in the float chamber Rf of the reservoir body 11. The liquid level detection device S detects that the liquid volume in the float chamber Rf has reached the lowest level (liquid level) in the appropriate storage range (abnormal liquid volume in the reservoir), and is stored in the float chamber Rf. The float 12, a magnet 13 fixed to the bottom of the float 12, and a reed switch 14 embedded in a column portion 11 g of the reservoir body 11. The position (liquid level) indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 indicates the highest level of the appropriate storage range, and the reservoir body 11 is a single liquid chamber above the pair of partition walls 11a and 11b. ing.

  The float 12 has a through hole 12a at its axis and is formed in a columnar shape, and a cylindrical guide portion 11h provided in the reservoir body 11 (a slit is formed on the first chamber R1 side). It is assembled so that it can move up and down along. The reed switch 14 is configured to be actuated by the magnet 13 when the liquid amount in the float chamber Rf reaches the lowest level of the appropriate storage range and the float 12 moves to the lower position. An abnormality in the amount of liquid in the reservoir is detected. The reservoir body 11 is configured such that the working fluid is injected through a liquid injection port 11k (usually a reservoir cap (not shown) is attached) provided in the upper portion of the reservoir body 11.

  By the way, in this embodiment, both supply ports 11e and 11f are displaced by a predetermined amount W1 to the left (downward in FIG. 2) from the center of the reservoir body 11 in the vehicle width direction (axial center of the through hole 12a shown in FIG. 2). Is provided. Further, the reservoir body 11 is provided with an enclosure wall 11i that surrounds the front supply port 11f by separating the front supply port 11f in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction (left-right and lower-upper direction in FIG. 2). When the liquid system to which the rear supply port 11e is connected fails, the enclosure wall 11i has a liquid level in the front-rear direction (due to sudden acceleration / braking) or the left-right direction (steep vehicle For storing a required amount of hydraulic fluid in the interior even when the vehicle is tilted at the maximum allowable inclination by turning, etc., the front wall portion 11i1, the rear wall portion 11i2, the left wall portion 11i3, the right side The wall 11i4 is formed in a rectangular shape in the front / rear / left / right direction.

  The surrounding wall 11i is formed at the same height as the front partition wall 11b (the liquid level inside is the same as the liquid level in the second chamber R2), and the rear wall portion 11i2 (of the surrounding wall) One side) also serves as a part of the front partition wall 11b. Further, the enclosure wall 11i has a communication path P to a portion (front left corner) that is farthest forward from the front partition wall 11b and farthest from the supply port 11f to the displacement side (left side). Is provided. The communication path P is formed in a slit shape extending in the vertical direction, and communicates the inside and the outside of the surrounding wall 11i.

  In the liquid system employing the vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir of this embodiment configured as described above, the rear liquid system to which the supply port 11e provided on the bottom wall 11c of the first chamber R1 is connected, and the second chamber The front liquid system to which the supply port 11f provided on the bottom wall 11d of R2 is connected is configured separately, and even when one of the liquid systems fails, the other liquid system functions normally. It is configured as follows.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, when the rear liquid system in which the enclosure wall 11 i and the communication path P are not provided fails, the partition wall 11 b The hydraulic fluid at the lowest level (liquid level) in the appropriate storage range is stored in the second chamber R2 where the compartment is formed. At this time, the liquid amount in the float chamber Rf is also the lowest level (liquid level) of the appropriate storage range, and the liquid level (liquid level) detection device S provided in the float chamber Rf causes an abnormality ( Abnormal liquid amount in the reservoir) is detected.

  By the way, in this embodiment, in the liquid chamber (second chamber R2) of the normally functioning liquid system, the liquid level in the liquid chamber is the front-rear direction (due to sudden acceleration / braking) or the left-right direction (vehicle Even if it is tilted at the maximum allowable inclination (θa in FIG. 5, θb in FIG. 6, θc in FIG. 7, θd in FIG. 8) due to a sudden turn or the like, the supply port 11 f is separated from front to back and left and right. The enclosure wall 11i secures a liquid level (see phantom lines in FIGS. 5 to 7) that prevents the inner end opening of the supply port 11f from being exposed to the atmosphere (air).

  For this reason, in such a state, even if a predetermined amount of hydraulic fluid is sucked into the hydraulic pump from the liquid chamber (second chamber R2), air is not sucked toward the hydraulic pump. In the liquid chamber (second chamber R2) of the normally functioning liquid system, the liquid chamber (second chamber R2) of the normally functioning liquid system does not tilt at all in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. In the two chambers R2), since the hydraulic fluid secured by the partition wall 11b can flow into the enclosure wall 11i through the communication path P, the hydraulic fluid in the liquid chamber (second chamber R2) brakes substantially the entire amount. It can be supplied to a hydraulically operated device such as a master cylinder.

  Further, in this embodiment, the enclosure wall 11i is formed in a rectangular shape in the front-rear, left-right direction, is located farthest from the partition wall 11b of the enclosure wall 11i in the front-rear direction, and is most distant from the supply port 11f on the displacement side. A communication path P is provided in a part (front left corner) at a distant position. For this reason, compared with the case where the above-mentioned enclosure wall (11i) is formed circularly, for example, the amount of hydraulic fluid stored in the inside of the enclosure wall (11i) at the above-mentioned maximum allowable inclination The above-mentioned required amount (the amount of hydraulic fluid sucked into the hydraulic pump without sucking air toward the hydraulic pump in the state of the maximum allowable inclination) It is possible to do more. In this embodiment, since one surface (rear wall portion 11i2) of the surrounding wall 11i also serves as a part of the partition wall 11b, the surrounding wall 11i can be configured simply and inexpensively.

  In the embodiment described above, the one surface (rear wall portion 11i2) of the enclosure wall 11i is configured to be used as a part of the partition wall 11b. However, the enclosure wall 11i is configured separately from the partition wall 11b. It is also possible to implement in this way. In the above embodiment, the enclosure wall 11i and the communication path P are provided only in the second chamber R2, but the enclosure wall (11i) and the communication path (P) are provided only in the first chamber R1. Alternatively, the first chamber R1 may be provided with an enclosure wall (11i) and a communication path (P).

  In the above-described embodiment, the supply port 11f is provided by being displaced by a predetermined amount W1 to the left of the center of the reservoir body 11 in the vehicle width direction (the axial center of the through hole 12a shown in FIG. 2). The communication port P is provided at the front left corner of the surrounding wall 11i provided, but the supply port (11f) is located in the center of the reservoir body (11) in the vehicle width direction (the axis of the through hole 12a shown in FIG. 2). It is also possible to carry out by providing a communication path (P) at the front right corner of the enclosure wall (11i) provided correspondingly to the right and displaced by a predetermined amount.

  In the above-described embodiment, the enclosure wall 11i is formed in a rectangular shape in the front / rear and left / right directions. However, the shape of the enclosure wall (11i) can be appropriately set, and is not limited to the rectangle. Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the communication path P is formed in a slit shape. However, the communication path (P) may be any one that communicates at least the bottom inner side and the bottom outer side of the enclosure wall. A communication hole may be used and can be set as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Reservoir main body, 11a, 11b ... Partition wall, 11c, 11d ... Bottom wall, 11e, 11f ... Supply port, 11g ... Column part, 11h ... Guide part, 11i ... Enclosure wall, 11i1 ... Front wall part, 11i2 ... Rear Wall part, 11i3 ... Left wall part, 11i4 ... Right wall part, P ... Communication path, 12 ... Float, 12a ... Through hole, 13 ... Magnet, 14 ... Reed switch, S ... Liquid level (liquid level) detection device, R1 ... 1st room, R2 ... 2nd room, Rf ... Float room

Claims (3)

The interior of the reservoir body is partitioned into a first chamber and a second chamber before and after the float chamber by a pair of partition walls extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and each bottom of the first chamber and the second chamber A hydraulic fluid reservoir for a vehicle provided with a supply port on each wall,
At least one of the supply ports is displaced by a predetermined amount from the center in the vehicle width direction of the reservoir body to either the left or right direction, and the supply port is separated in the front / rear / left / right direction to store the hydraulic fluid inside the enclosure. At least a bottom portion of the enclosure wall at a position located away from the supply port in the front-rear direction from the partition wall and at a position away from the supply port toward the displacement side. A hydraulic fluid reservoir for a vehicle provided with a communication passage that allows communication between the inside and the outside of the bottom. The vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir according to claim 1,
The enclosure wall is formed in a rectangular shape in the front / rear / left / right direction, and is connected to a portion of the enclosure wall that is farthest from the partition wall in the front-rear direction and farthest from the supply port to the displacement side. A hydraulic fluid reservoir for a vehicle provided with a passage. The vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir according to claim 2,
A vehicle hydraulic fluid reservoir in which one surface of the enclosure wall also serves as a part of the partition wall.

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