JP6950387B2 - Breather - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a breather, and more particularly to a breather having a structure that prevents oil mist from being discharged to the outside.

Conventionally, a breather (also referred to as an air breather) is mounted on a device such as a speed reducer or a transmission. A breather is a device (ventilator) that communicates the inside and outside of the case of these devices. By providing a breather, the internal pressure that increases when the temperature inside the case rises is released to the outside, and when the temperature drops, it becomes possible to suck in the outside air from the outside as the internal pressure drops, and thus the inside and outside of the case of the equipment. It becomes possible to eliminate the pressure difference of.

An example of a breather is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, in a breather arranged in the upper part of the case of the transmission, a breather chamber communicating through the first communication hole is provided in the upper part of the above-mentioned case, and the breather chamber is externally provided through the second communication hole. Disclose that it communicates with. Further, a lattice piece is arranged at a position facing the first communication hole in the breather chamber. According to the description of Patent Document 1, by providing this breather, the lubricating oil easily foams in the case as the transmission operates, and when the internal pressure rises as the temperature inside the case rises, it lubricates with the gas. Oil bubbles enter the breather chamber through the first communication hole, and as a result, the bubbles are physically sheared by the lattice pieces and ruptured.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-144846

By the way, the breather of Patent Document 1 is configured for the purpose of breaking bubbles of lubricating oil, and only the gas that has entered the breather chamber through the first communication hole can receive the above effect due to the lattice pieces in the breather chamber. .. On the other hand, the lubricating oil accumulated in the breather chamber is also discharged through the first communication hole. However, the opening of the first communication hole has only a small opening area with respect to the area of the lower wall of the breather chamber. Therefore, the breather described in Patent Document 1 causes gas (which may contain bubbles and oil mist) to enter the breather chamber and discharges lubricating oil accumulated in the breather chamber to the case side due to bubble rupture or the like. There is a further problem in that the above is smoothly generated.

An object of the present disclosure technique is to suitably cause gas flow through a breather in equipment such as a speed reducer or a transmission, and discharge of lubricating oil accumulated in the breather into a case.

According to the technique of the present disclosure, it is a breather that communicates the inside and the outside of a sealed case, and includes a passage that opens in the case and an oil separation portion provided in the passage, and the oil separation. The portion is provided at the open end of the passage inside the case so as to be in direct contact with the gas in the case.
Breather is provided.

Preferably, the oil separating portion is provided so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

Preferably, the oil separator comprises a fibrous body. Alternatively or additionally, the oil separator can include a porous body. Further, optionally or additionally, the oil separator can have at least one block. It is preferable that each of the at least one block body has a plurality of through holes, and each of the plurality of through holes is formed so that gas can flow in the passage. When the oil separating portion includes a plurality of the block bodies, it is more preferable that the plurality of block bodies are arranged apart from each other in the gas flow direction of the passage by the spacer member.

According to the technique of the present disclosure, since the above-mentioned configuration is provided, gas flow through the breather in equipment such as a speed reducer or a transmission and discharge of lubricating oil accumulated in the breather into a case are suitably generated. It becomes possible to make it.

It is sectional drawing of the transmission to which the breather which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is sectional drawing of a part of the case member to which the breather of 1st Embodiment was applied. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the case member to which the breather of the first embodiment is applied, in a cross section different from that of FIG. It is sectional drawing of a part of the case member to which the breather which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention was applied.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the first embodiment according to the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a transmission 1 provided with a case member 10 to which the breather B1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. The case member 10 is configured to be removable from the case (mission case) 3 of the transmission 1. The case member 10 is provided at a portion (upper part of the case) on the upper side of the case 3 in the vertical direction and constitutes a part of the case 3.

In the case 3 of the transmission 1, an input shaft 5, an output shaft 7, and a counter shaft 9 are rotatably supported via bearings (not shown) or the like. The input shaft 5 and the output shaft 7 are provided with a plurality of main gears G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5, and the counter shaft 9 is provided with a plurality of counter gears G6, G7, G8, G9, and G10 that mesh with the main gears. It is provided. Further, a lubricating oil (hereinafter, oil) L for lubricating each of these gears and a synchromesh mechanism (not shown) is stored in the case 3. The case member 10 may be a so-called control unit that can be provided on the upper part of the case, or a change lever or the like (not shown) may be attached. The breather B1 may be incorporated in a member other than the control unit, but may be provided in a member or device located at the upper part in the vertical direction of the transmission 1 in the used state. Further, the breather according to the present invention is not limited to being applied to a transmission, and can be applied to various devices such as a speed reducer.

A schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the case member 10 is shown in each of FIGS. 2 and 3. 2 and 3 show only a part of the case member 10 on the inner side of the case 3. The inner wall surface of the case member 10 partially forms the internal space IS of the transmission.

The breather B1 is configured to communicate the internal space (internal) IS of the sealed case 3 and the external space (external) OS. In the case member 10, a passage (hereinafter, breather passage) 12 that opens inside the case 3 of the breather B1 is formed as a section. Then, an oil separating portion 14 is provided in the breather passage 12. First, the breather passage 12 will be described.

The breather passage 12 is formed in the case member 10 (that is, the case 3) and extends so as to connect the internal IS of the case 3 and the external OS. The breather passage 12 may be opened to the external OS by itself, but a hose or another passage may be connected to the outside of the breather passage 12. Further, a valve that opens and closes according to the pressure in the case 3 may be provided on the outer side of the breather passage 12. That is, the breather according to the present invention may be an open-air type that constantly communicates between the inside and the outside of the case, and the valve setting that communicates between the inside and the outside of the case only when such a valve is opened. It may be of a mold.

The end portion (hereinafter referred to as the open end portion) 12a that opens in the case 3 of the breather passage 12 (that is, inside the speed reducer) is defined here in the case 3 at a location where oil is relatively difficult to be applied due to the rotation of the gear. Has been done. Specifically, the oil scooped up by the above-mentioned counter gear reaches the upper side such as the case member 10 along the inner wall of the case 3, but the opening end portion 12a is located at a place where the oil does not directly flow or is not applied. It is formed.

When the gears operate in the case 3 while meshing with each other, the internal pressure in the case 3 rises due to frictional heat or the like. Along with this, gas flows from the inside to the outside of the case 3 via the breather B1 provided on the case member 10. At this time, along with the gas, the oil (oil mist) that has become gaseous due to the scraping of the oil by the gear also reaches the open end portion 12a of the breather B1. It is an environmental aspect that such oil mist is discharged to the outside of the case 3 as it is through the breather passage 12, or adheres to the vicinity of the end portion of the inner wall surface of the passage 12 near the outside and drips to the external OS. And it is not preferable from the viewpoint of oil circulation. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, an oil separating portion 14 is provided at the open end portion 12a of the breather passage 12 in order to liquefy and separate the oil from the gas containing oil mist and the like.

The oil separation section 14 in the breather B1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Here, the oil separating portion 14 is configured as an independent member and is composed of two plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18. The plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 are block bodies and are the same members. These plate-shaped bodies have a disk shape, and a plurality of opening holes 16a and 18a are formed in each of these plate-shaped bodies. The opening hole 16a is a hole (through hole) that extends in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped body 16 and opens on both sides thereof, and the opening hole 18a is also a hole that extends in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped body 18 and opens on both sides thereof. be. Since the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 are made from the same mold by the same device here, they have the same number and the same size of holes 16a and 18a. However, the number, shape, size, etc. of the holes may differ from plate to plate. However, the size range of the hole (eg, diameter) is such that it causes the separation of oil from the gas containing the oil mist, eg, the adhesion of oil droplets to the wall of the hole, and the oil through the hole. It is preferably set in a predetermined range based on an experiment so as to enable the flow of. Further, although the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 are made of stainless steel here, if the material is not easily deteriorated by contact with oil or air, other materials such as metal materials such as Al alloy and ceramics are used. It may be made of a material or the like.

As is clear from FIG. 2, the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 are arranged in the breather passage 12 in a state of being separated from each other. Here, the plate-shaped body 16 is arranged on the inner side of the case 3, and the plate-shaped body 18 is positioned on the inner side thereof (that is, the outer side of the case 3). Here, the cage 20 is used to determine the positions of the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 in the breather passage 12, the distance between the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18, and the like. The cage 20 is a member that holds the two plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 apart from each other, and is also a spacer member. Here, in particular, the two plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 are arranged apart from each other in the gas flow direction of the breather passage 12 by using the cage 20.

In the present embodiment, the cage 20 has grooves 20a and 20b into which the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 are fitted. By fitting the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 into the grooves 20a and 20b, respectively, the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 are firmly held by the cage 20. An attachment member such as a screw member may be used for attaching and holding the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 to the cage 20. The grooves 20a and 20b of the cage 20 have a relatively shallow depth (depth) and are formed so as to extend along substantially half of the outer circumference of the plate-like body. Therefore, by being held by the cage 20, the opening holes 16a and 18a of the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 are not substantially closed.

A positioning portion 20c is formed on the cage 20. The positioning portion 20c is a protruding portion protruding to the outside. The positioning portion 20c is a direction orthogonal to the radial direction of the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 attached to the cage 20 (the direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the plate-shaped body 16 and is from the center of the disk-shaped plate-shaped body to the outer peripheral surface side. It is formed in the direction in which it is directed.

The open end 12a of the breather passage 12 is shaped so that the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 held by the cage 20 can be fitted. As is clear from FIG. 3, the open end portion 12a is configured as a diameter-expanded portion that is wider than the other portion of the breather passage 12. Further, the opening end portion 12a is formed with a positioning recess 12b formed so that the positioning portion 20c is fitted. Therefore, by aligning the positioning portion 20c of the cage 20 with the positioning recess 12b of the breather passage 12 and fitting the cage 20 holding the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 into the open end portion 12a, the oil separating portion 14 is formed. Plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 are arranged at the open end portion 12a. As shown in FIG. 3, a tapered portion 12c that tapers from the internal IS side of the case 3 toward the external OS side is formed in the breather passage 12 following the opening end portion 12a, so that the cage 20 And the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 are firmly positioned at the open end 12a.

A fixing member 22 is used to fix the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 held by the cage 20 to the opening end portion 12a in a state of being fitted into the opening end portion 12a. The fixing member 22 includes a plate-shaped member 22a and a screw member 22b. The plate-shaped member 22a has a hole through which the screw member 22b penetrates. By screwing the screw member 22b into the screw hole provided in the case member 10, the plate member 22a is attached to the case member 10, and the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 held by the cage 20 are provided with the open end portion 12a. Is fixed to. In this way, the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 constituting the oil separation portion 14 are firmly provided at the open end portion 12a inside the case 3 of the breather passage 12. Here, when the plate member 22a is attached, the plate member 22a is substantially in contact with the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 via only the cage 20, and substantially faces a portion directly opposed to the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18. It is designed not to have a target.

In this way, the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 are provided at the open end 12a of the breather passage 12, and the open end 12a is the state in which the transmission is installed as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 (particularly FIG. 3). Is configured to be tilted with respect to the horizontal plane H (horizontal direction). Along with this, as shown in FIG. 3, the oil separating portion 14 including the two plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 is tilted by an angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane H. At this time, as is clear from FIG. 3, the positioning portion 20c of the cage 20 is positioned so as to be located on the upper side of the oil separating portion 14 in the vertical direction. Therefore, of the oil separating portion 14, the portion 14a of the oil separating portion 14 located on the lower side in the vertical direction is not substantially covered by the cage 20 or the plate member 22a. Further, in the present embodiment, the holding regions of the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 by the cage 20 and the plate member 22a are also limited to the above-mentioned locations, so that the oil separation portion 14, that is, the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18, particularly the plate-shaped bodies 16 Is in a state of being attached to the transmission 1 and in direct contact with the gas in the case 3 without passing through a special narrow hole or the like.

The operation and effect of the breather device 10 having the above configuration will be described below mainly with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, an example of the gas flow from the inside to the outside of the case 3 in the breather B1 is schematically shown by arrows, and the oil collected in the oil separation section 14 is dropped into the case 3 by drops D1 and D2. Is schematically shown in.

When the internal pressure of the internal IS of the case 3 increases (than the atmospheric pressure), the external OS is the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, from the inside of the case 3 to the outside, as shown by the arrow in FIG. Gas flows. On the contrary, when the internal pressure of the internal IS of the case 3 drops (than the atmospheric pressure), gas flows through the breather passage 12 from the outside to the inside of the case 3.

As shown by the arrow in FIG. 3, when the gas flows from the internal IS of the case 3 toward the external OS, the gas flows directly through the breather passage 12 instead of passing through the narrow passage as in the breather of Patent Document 1. It reaches the oil separation portions 14 (plate-shaped bodies 16, 18) and flows toward the outside of the case 3 through the holes 16a, 18a and the like. Therefore, the gas can flow through a wide range of the oil separation section 14. Further, the oil separated by the oil separating portion 14 due to adhering to the inner wall surfaces of the holes 16a and 18a due to the flow of gas or the like is also the oil separated portion 14 is the open end portion 12a of the breather passage 12 inside the case 3. Since it is provided in an open state, it can be reliably returned to the case 3 by its own weight through a wide range of the oil separating portion 14. Therefore, according to the breather B1, the distribution of gas through the breather B1, particularly the distribution of gas from the inside of the case 3 to the outside through the breather B1, and the discharge of the oil accumulated in the breather B1 into the case 3. , Can be preferably compatible.

Further, when the gas flows from the inside of the case 3 to the outside, the gas passes through the opening holes 16a and 18a having the sizes described above. Therefore, the oil mist (oil) contained in the gas can be suitably separated from the gas by adhering to the inner wall surfaces of the opening holes 16a and 18a. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the plate-shaped body 16 on the inner side of the case 3 and the plate-shaped body 18 located on the outer side of the plate-shaped body 16 are separated from each other and are attached to the cage 20. Since the positions of the opening holes 16a and 18a of the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 are not particularly aligned in the held state, the gas passing through the holes 16a of the plate-shaped body 16 is the space between the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18. It passes through the hole 18a of the plate-shaped body 18 while changing the direction at 14b. Therefore, in the breather B1 of the present embodiment, the oil separation from the gas at the oil separation portion 14 can be more preferably caused as compared with the case where only one plate-shaped body is provided at the open end portion 12a.

Further, as described above, the oil separating portion 14 is provided at an inclined portion in addition to being provided at the open end portion 12a of the breather passage 12 inside the case 3. Therefore, the separated oil flows or moves downward on the surfaces of the plate-shaped bodies 16 and 18 in the vertical direction due to its own weight. As a result, the oil can be more reliably returned to the inside of the case 3 from the portion 14a of the oil separating portion 14 located on the lower side in the vertical direction. Further, since the oil separated from the gas at the oil separation portion flows in a predetermined direction by its own weight and returns to the inside of the case 3, all or many of the opening holes 16a and 18a can be closed by the separated oil. The sex is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce the obstruction of the gas flow through the opening holes 16a and 18a due to the oil accumulating in the opening end portion 12a or flowing into the case 3.

Although the breather B1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications can be made. For example, the inclination θ of the opening end portion 12a of the breather passage 12 can be arbitrarily set, for example, can be set to an angle of 10 ° to 30 °, and even if it is zero (flat in the horizontal direction). good. Further, the structure of the cage is not limited to the above structure, and various holding mechanisms or spacer mechanisms may be adopted. In particular, if only one plate is used, the cage may not be used. Further, the number of plate-shaped bodies of the oil separating portion 14 is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more as described above. Further, the thickness of the plate-shaped body may be thick or thin, and is not limited to a disk shape. For example, the block body may be a rectangular parallelepiped shape or a cube shape. Further, the oil separation unit 14 is not limited to the plate-like body configured as described above, and is additionally or in place of the block body, either a fibrous body or a porous body. Or both may be provided one or more. The porous body may be a sponge-like member and may or may not be oil-absorbent. However, it is necessary that the porous body has through holes to some extent or more to allow a certain amount of gas flow. Further, the fibrous body may include a member in which an elongated material, that is, a fibrous material (for example, a metal material) is randomly bundled, a member in which fibrous materials are randomly entwined, and the like. Hereinafter, an example in which the oil separating portion is made of a fibrous body will be described as a second embodiment according to the present invention.

The breather B2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. However, in the following, only the differences from the breather B1 of the first embodiment will be described. In FIG. 4 and the following, the components corresponding to the components already described will be designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

In the breather B2 according to the second embodiment, the fibrous body 30 is used as the oil separating portion 14 provided at the open end portion 12a of the breather passage 12. The fibrous body 30 is formed by entwining a fibrous metal, and has an appropriate gap space inside the fibrous body 30. This space is provided so that the gas passes through it to promote the separation of oil. The fibrous body 30 can be made of any elastic material (eg metal), but here it is made of stainless steel.

The fibrous body 30 is arranged at the open end 12a by pushing it into the open end 12a. A tapered portion 12c that tapers from the internal IS side of the case 3 toward the external OS side is formed in the breather passage 12 following the opening end portion 12a, and the fibrous body 30 passes through the tapered portion 12c and further. It is designed not to move outward. However, when the fibrous body 30 may move through the tapered portion 12c, it is preferable to use a cage or a holding member that positions the fibrous body 30 at the open end portion 12a. For example, as such a cage, a case body or the like made of a wire rod so as to have a very coarse grain can be used.

After the fibrous body 30 is pushed into the open end 12a, a fixing member 32 is used to fix the fibrous 30 to the open end 12a. The fixing member 32 includes a mesh-like member 32a and a screw member 32b for fixing the mesh member 32a to the case member 10. The mesh-like member 32a has a frame member, and has a structure in which a thin wire rod is stretched so as to have a very coarse mesh in the opening corresponding to the opening end portion 12a inside the frame member. Therefore, by fixing the mesh member 32a with the screw member 32b, the fibrous body 30 is firmly held by the open end portion 12a, but the fibrous body 30 is in direct contact with the gas in the case 3. Be maintained.

In the breather B2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention described above, the opening end portion 12a is not substantially closed by a fixing member or the like, and the fibrous body 30 becomes the gas in the case 3 at the opening end portion 12a. It is in direct contact. Therefore, according to the breather B2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the gas flow through the breather B2 is appropriately maintained, and the oil accumulated in the breather B2 is preferably discharged into the case 3. be able to.

Then, the breather B2 according to the second embodiment also brings about the other effects described above in the same manner as the breather B1 according to the first embodiment. In particular, in the breather B2, since the fibrous body is provided at the open end portion, the gas flows through the space between the fibrous bodies, so that the oil or the oil mist can be more preferably separated from the gas.

The breather B2 of the second embodiment of the present invention can also be changed in various ways as described with respect to the breather B1 of the first embodiment. For example, the open end portion and the oil separation portion may be provided in the horizontal direction without being tilted.

Although the typical embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be modified in various ways. Various substitutions and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims of the present application.

1 Transmission 3 Case 10 Case member 12 Passage (breather passage)
14 Oil Separation B1, B2 Breather IS Internal OS External

Claims (5)

A breather that communicates the inside and outside of a sealed case,
The passage that opens in the case and
It is provided with an oil separation section provided in the passage.
The oil separation portion is provided at the open end of the passage inside the case so as to be in direct contact with the gas in the case, has at least one block body, and has at least one block. Each of the bodies has a plurality of through holes, and each of the plurality of through holes is formed so that gas flows in the passage .
Breather. The breather according to claim 1, wherein the oil separating portion is provided so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. The breather according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the oil separating portion contains a fibrous body. The breather according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the oil separating portion contains a porous body. The oil separation unit includes a plurality of the block bodies, and the oil separation unit includes a plurality of the block bodies.
The breather according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of block bodies are arranged apart from each other in the gas flow direction of the passage by a spacer member.

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