JP7315353B2 - reservoir tank and vehicle - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a reservoir tank used in a brake system and a vehicle provided with the reservoir tank.

Conventionally, reservoir tanks used in brake devices have been provided. For example, Patent Literature 1 below discloses a reservoir tank arranged below a cowl.

JP 2006-264429 A

Like the reservoir tank of Patent Document 1, the reservoir tank is connected to the booster through the master cylinder. Also, the reservoir tank and booster are located in the engine room.

As shown in the reference diagram of FIG. 7, the booster 130 is generally formed with a crimped portion 136 in which a front shell 132 and a rear shell 134 are connected with a crimped structure. Here, if water enters the engine room Ra', it is assumed that the booster 130 and the like will be splashed with water (water will break). In particular, when the reservoir tank 110 is arranged below the cowl 104, it is assumed that the upper surface of the reservoir tank 110 receives water dripping from the vicinity of the cowl 104, and the water travels along the rear surface of the reservoir tank 110 to reach the booster 130 (see flow path C in FIG. 7). In particular, the front shell 132 of the booster 130 has a slanted surface, which poses a problem that water tends to reach the caulked portion 136 .

Furthermore, in the caulking member of a booster or the like, when the caulking process is performed after the material is painted, the processed portion may not be sufficiently rust-proofed. In such a case, if the joint portion (for example, the caulked portion 136) is splashed with water, there is a concern that rust will occur and the appearance will deteriorate.

In addition, many parts are arranged in the engine room. Therefore, if a member (such as a waterproof cover) is provided to cover the booster, reservoir tank, etc. from above in order to suppress water exposure to the booster, there is also the problem that additional members must be added and accommodated in the engine room, which is subject to space restrictions due to the arrangement of many parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a reservoir tank capable of suppressing water exposure to the booster without requiring a separate part such as a part for covering the booster, and a vehicle equipped with the reservoir tank.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the inventors of the present invention have considered providing the reservoir tank with a structure that makes it difficult for water that has dripped into the reservoir tank to flow toward the booster. More specifically, it was found that the water that drips into the reservoir tank often flows in from the vicinity of the cowl, and that the water that flows in from the vicinity of the cowl travels through the reservoir tank and reaches the booster.

In addition, in a brake device including a booster, a master cylinder, and a reservoir tank, when the axes of the booster and the master cylinder are configured to be inclined with respect to the upper surface of the reservoir tank (see FIG. 5), it is conceivable to provide a convex portion having a pressing surface for pressing the reservoir tank straight into the fitting hole of the master cylinder. The inventors of the present invention have found that by forming a convex portion on the upper surface of the reservoir tank and forming grooves in the convex portion to guide the water that has dripped onto the upper surface of the reservoir tank in a predetermined direction, it is possible to prevent the dripped water from reaching the booster side.

The reservoir tank of the present invention provided based on the above knowledge is for use in a vehicle, and is characterized by having a tank body and a convex portion formed to protrude upward above the tank body when the reservoir tank is mounted on the vehicle, and the convex portion is formed with a drainage groove for guiding water in a predetermined direction.

According to the reservoir tank of the present invention, it is possible to prevent water that has flowed into the engine room from reaching the booster without requiring a separate member such as a member that covers the booster.

Here, in the engine room of the vehicle, various parts (adjacent parts) are arranged in the vicinity of the reservoir tank so as to be adjacent to the reservoir tank. For example, as shown in the reference diagram of FIG. 7, an adjacent component such as a harness may be arranged above the reservoir tank. Components such as harnesses may have positional variations due to vibration or the like. Further, if adjacent parts such as a harness repeatedly come into contact with the tank body of the reservoir tank, there is a problem that this may lead to a hole in the tank body.

Therefore, as shown in the reference diagram of FIG. 7, in conventional vehicles, adjacent parts such as the reservoir tank 110 and the harness 172 are arranged so as to secure a gap (space) between the reservoir tank 110 and the harness 172, etc., in consideration of the variation range 173 of the position of the harness 172, etc.

In particular, among the adjacent parts, the amount of movement (behavior amount) of the harness due to vibration or the like in the engine room is relatively large compared to other parts, so it is necessary to provide a large gap. In addition, there is a problem that it is difficult to increase the clearance between the harness and the reservoir tank when arranging the parts of a vehicle such as a light vehicle with a narrow engine room. Furthermore, since the capacity of the liquid to be stored in the reservoir tank is fixed, there is a limit to downsizing the tank body. It is desirable to improve the degree of freedom in arranging parts in the engine room while making it possible to suppress the formation of holes due to contact with such adjacent parts.

A vehicle according to the present invention provided to solve the above-described problems is characterized by having the above-described reservoir tank of the present invention and an adjacent component housed in an engine room and arranged near the reservoir tank, wherein the convex portion is positioned so as to separate the tank body and the adjacent component.

According to the vehicle of the present invention, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom in arranging parts in the engine room while making it possible to suppress the formation of holes in the reservoir tank due to contact with adjacent parts.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a reservoir tank capable of suppressing water exposure to the booster without requiring a separate part such as a part for covering the booster, and a vehicle having the reservoir tank.

It is a figure which shows the brake equipment provided with the reservoir tank and reservoir tank of this invention. FIG. 2 shows the reservoir tank of FIG. 1; (a) is a left side view, (b) is a plan view, and (c) is a side view viewed from the rear side. 2 is a perspective view showing ribs (projections) of the reservoir tank of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of ribs of the reservoir tank of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a case where the reservoir tank of FIG. 1 is press-fitted into a master cylinder; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle equipped with the brake device of FIG. 1; FIG. 10 is a reference diagram showing a conventional reservoir tank and vehicle;

Hereinafter, the outline of the reservoir tank 10 of the present invention and the brake device 50 including the reservoir tank 10 will be described. A brake device 50 having a reservoir tank 10 is arranged in the engine room Ra of the vehicle 1 (see FIG. 6).

In the following description, the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1 may be simply referred to as "the front-rear direction X". Further, in the front-rear direction X of the vehicle 1, the front is sometimes simply described as "front Fr" and the rear is simply described as "rear Rr". Furthermore, the vertical direction of the vehicle 1 may be described simply as "vertical direction H". Further, in the vertical direction of the vehicle 1, the upward direction may be simply described as “upper Up” and the downward direction as simply “downward Lw”. Furthermore, the left-right direction of the vehicle 1 may be described simply as "left-right direction W".

As shown in FIG. 1, the brake device 50 includes a reservoir tank 10, a booster 30, and a master cylinder 40. The brake device 50 is connected to the booster 30 and the reservoir tank 10 via the master cylinder 40 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the brake device 50 has the reservoir tank 10 arranged on the front Fr side of the booster 30 . In other words, in the braking device 50 , the booster 30 is arranged on the rear Rr side of the reservoir tank 10 .

The reservoir tank 10 is inclined such that the axis L1 of the booster 30 (the axis of the master cylinder 40) slopes downward toward the rear Rr side with respect to the plane formed by the upper surface 11a of the reservoir tank 10. As shown in FIG. Further, the reservoir tank 10 is arranged at a position on the Up side of the booster 30 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the reservoir tank 10 includes a tank body 12, a supply port 14, a lid 16, insertion portions 18 and 19, and ribs 20 (projections). The reservoir tank 10 is formed by integrally molding a tank body 12, a supply port 14, insertion portions 18 and 19, and ribs 20 from a material such as resin. Also, the lid 16 is separate from the tank body 12 . The supply port 14 is an opening for supplying fluid and the tank body 12 and can be opened and closed by a lid 16 .

The reservoir tank 10 is press-fitted into the master cylinder 40 with the insertion portions 18 and 19 fitted into fitting holes 42 and 43 of the master cylinder 40 which will be described later. When the reservoir tank 10 is press-fitted into the master cylinder 40, the upper surface 11a of the reservoir tank 10 is substantially horizontal.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rib 20 (protruding portion) is provided at a position Up above the reservoir tank 10 in a state of being arranged in the vehicle 1 (inside the engine room Ra). As shown in FIG. 2(b), the rib 20 has a plurality of substantially rectangular muscle plate portions 22 arranged substantially in parallel, and the plurality of muscle plate portions 22 are connected via bone portions 23, so that the rib 20 has a bone-like shape in plan view.

Moreover, a drainage groove 24 is formed in the rib 20 as a gap between the reinforcing plate portions 22 and the reinforcing plate portions 22 . In other words, in the ribs 20, the drain grooves 24 are formed so that the spaces between the reinforcing plate portions 22 become valleys in the ribs 20 (recesses of the ribs 20). The drainage groove 24 is formed so as to face in a predetermined direction. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the drainage groove 24 is formed in the horizontal direction W. As shown in FIG.

More specifically, the drain groove 24 is shaped to guide water outward in the left-right direction W of the reservoir tank 10 and to guide water downward from above. As shown in FIG. 3A, the water that has dripped onto the rib 20 is guided downward along the shape of the drain groove 24, going outward in the horizontal direction W, and via the side surface 11c of the reservoir tank 10. As shown in FIG. In other words, the water dripping toward the rib 20 flows outward in the left-right direction W so as to be restricted from flowing down to the rear surface 11b of the reservoir tank 10, and flows down along the side surface 11c of the reservoir tank 10 (flow-down route K).

The shape of the drainage groove 24 may be a shape that guides water obliquely from the rear Rr side to the front Fr side. For example, like the rib 20 ′ shown in FIG. 4( a ), the muscle plate portion 22 ′ of the rib 20 ′ may be arranged obliquely with respect to the left-right direction W to form a drainage groove 24 ′ that faces from the rear Rr to the front Fr. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, both sides (both sides in the left-right direction W) of the upper surface 11a' of the tank body 12' of the reservoir tank 10 may have a downward slope shape, and both sides of the muscle plate portion 22' (both sides in the left-right direction W) may have a downward slope shape.

When the rib 20 has the shape shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to guide water toward the front Fr. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4( a ), the dropped water can be guided further away from the booster 30 (flow path K′). As a result, it is possible to more effectively prevent the booster 30 from being exposed to water.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the rib 20 has two surfaces that are inclined in the front-rear direction X as the outline of the entire muscle plate portions 22 (as the outline of the rib 20). More specifically, the rib 20 is formed with a first inclined surface 21a that slopes downward toward the rear Rr side and a second inclined surface 21b that slopes downward toward the front Fr side, with the middle of the rib 20 in the longitudinal direction X serving as a boundary. In other words, the rib 20 is formed with an inclined surface 21 that slopes downward toward both sides in the front-rear direction X. As shown in FIG.

Next, the overall outline of the brake device 50 including the reservoir tank 10 and the operation when the reservoir tank 10 is press-fitted will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the booster 30 is configured such that a front shell 32 on the front Fr side and a rear shell 34 on the rear Rr side are joined by a caulking structure. In other words, a crimped portion 36 is formed around the periphery of the booster 30, where the front shell 32 and the rear shell 34 are joined by a crimping structure.

The master cylinder 40 is arranged on the vehicle front Fr side of the booster 30 . As shown in FIG. 5, the master cylinder 40 is provided with fitting holes 42 and 43 into which the insertion portions 18 and 19 of the reservoir tank 10 are inserted. As shown in FIG. 5 , the master cylinder 40 is arranged so that the axis L1 slopes downward to the rear Rr side with respect to the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle. Therefore, the fitting holes 42 and 43 of the master cylinder 40 are oriented such that the center line L2 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction H. As shown in FIG.

The ribs 20 function as bearing surfaces when the reservoir tank 10 is press-fitted into the master cylinder 40 . More specifically, as described above, the brake device 50 has a shape in which the upper surface 11a of the reservoir tank 10 is inclined with respect to the direction in which the axis L1 of the master cylinder 40 extends (see FIG. 5). Therefore, if the upper surface 11a (part other than the rib 20) of the reservoir tank 10 is directly pressed, the insertion portions 18 and 19 cannot be pressed straight against the center line L2 of the fitting holes 42 and 43.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first inclined surface 21a of the rib 20 of the reservoir tank 10 forms a surface (a press-fitting surface F indicated by a phantom line in FIG. 5) substantially perpendicular to the press-fitting direction A in which the center line L2 of the fitting holes 42 and 43 extends. Therefore, when the reservoir tank 10 is press-fitted into the master cylinder 40, the reservoir tank 10 can be pressed along the press-fitting direction A by pressing the first inclined surface 21a (press-fitting surface). As a result, the insertion portions 18 and 19 can be press-fitted substantially straight into the fitting holes 42 and 43 along the center line L2. In this manner, the rib 20 functions as a jig (pressing surface) for press-fitting the reservoir tank 10 into the master cylinder 40 .

Next, the vehicle 1 in which the reservoir tank 10 and the booster 30 are arranged in the engine room Ra will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the engine room Ra when the vehicle 1 is viewed from the side.

As shown in FIG. 6, an adjacent component 70 such as a harness 72 is arranged in the engine room Ra of the vehicle 1 and near the reservoir tank 10 . Adjacent parts 70 such as air conditioner wiring (not shown) are also arranged around the reservoir tank 10 in the engine room Ra.

As shown in FIG. 6, the engine room Ra and the vehicle compartment Rb are separated by the dash panel 2 . A booster 30 is attached to the dash panel 2. - 特許庁A reservoir tank 10 connected to a booster 30 via a master cylinder 40 is arranged in the engine room Ra. The reservoir tank 10 is arranged at a position forward Fr and upward Up from the booster 30 .

As shown in FIG. 6 , a cowl 4 is attached to the upper portion Up of the dash panel 2 . The vicinity of the upper end of the cowl 4 communicates with the outside, and water such as rainwater that has entered from the outside may drip from the vicinity of the upper end of the cowl 4 . A reservoir tank 10 is arranged at a position Lw below the cowl 4 . Therefore, the water that has entered the engine room Ra from the upper end of the cowl 4 drips toward the reservoir tank 10 (flow path K in FIG. 6).

As described above, the upper surface 11a of the reservoir tank 10 is provided with the ribs 20 having the drainage grooves 24 thereon. Therefore, the water dripping onto the upper surface 11a of the reservoir tank 10 is guided downward Lw so as to be restricted from flowing backward toward the Rr side.

More specifically, the water that has dripped onto the portion where the rib 20 is provided is regulated by the reinforcing plate portion 22 from flowing toward the rear Rr side, and is guided along the drainage groove 24 formed between the reinforcing plate portion 22 and the adjacent reinforcing plate portion 22, and guided to the outside of the rib 20 (in the left-right direction of the vehicle 1). Therefore, it is possible to prevent water from flowing down along the rear surface 11b of the reservoir tank 10 . That is, the reservoir tank 10 guides the water dripping on the upper surface 11a of the tank body 12 toward the side surface 11c so as not to flow down to the booster 30 side.

As a result, the reservoir tank 10 can suppress water reaching the booster 30 . In addition, by suppressing the water reaching the booster 30, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of rust on the caulked portion 36 of the booster 30. In this way, the reservoir tank 10 has a drainage function of guiding at least part of the water that has dripped into the reservoir tank 10 in a predetermined direction, and can reduce the amount of water reaching peripherally arranged components.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, various parts such as a harness 72 are arranged in the engine room Ra. Here, there are parts, such as the harness 72, whose position varies due to vibration or the like. In the case of arranging a part whose position varies in the vicinity of the reservoir tank 10, it is necessary to provide a gap (space) between the reservoir tank 10 and the member in consideration of the part variation range B in order to suppress the occurrence of holes in the tank body 12 due to repeated contact of the part (adjacent part 70) with the tank body 12 of the reservoir tank 10.

More specifically, when the adjacent component 70 such as the harness 72 is arranged on the upper Up side of the reservoir tank 10, it is assumed that the adjacent component 70 and the reservoir tank 10 interfere with each other. If the harness 72 repeatedly contacts the reservoir tank 10, it is assumed that the reservoir tank 10 will have holes or the like. Therefore, conventionally, in order to suppress the contact between the adjacent part 70 and the reservoir tank 10, a gap (space) corresponding to the variation range B of the adjacent part 70 is provided between the reservoir tank 10 and the adjacent part 70.

On the other hand, in recent years, it has become more and more difficult to secure a space in the engine room Ra due to the miniaturization of the vehicle 1 and the increase in the number of parts arranged in the engine room Ra. Therefore, if a large gap (a space is set within the range of variation) between the reservoir tank 10 and the harness 72, there is a problem that space saving and a low hood cannot be achieved.

Here, in the reservoir tank 10 of this embodiment, ribs 20 are provided on the upper surface 11a. Therefore, contact of the harness 72 with the upper surface 11 a of the tank body 12 can be suppressed. In other words, in the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, direct interference of the adjacent parts 70 with the upper surface 11a of the tank body 12 is suppressed, so that a large separation distance (space) between the reservoir tank 10 and the harness 72 is not ensured, and damage such as a hole caused by interference of the harness 72 with the tank body 12 of the reservoir tank 10 can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to provide a vehicle 1 that does not require a separate part such as a part that covers the reservoir tank 10 and suppresses an increase in cost and mass, improves the degree of freedom in arranging peripheral parts in the engine room Ra, and realizes space saving and a low hood.

As described above, the rib 20 of the reservoir tank 10 has (1) a drainage function, (2) a function as a jig during assembly, and (3) a function of suppressing interference of the harness 72 and the like with the tank body 12 .

Although the reservoir tank 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention and the vehicle 1 including the reservoir tank 10 have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto.

Specifically, in the vehicle 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the harness 72 is shown as an example of the adjacent component 70 arranged near the reservoir tank 10, but the adjacent component 70 may be another component. For example, in the vehicle of the present invention, a rib (projection) may be arranged between the reservoir tank and the air conditioner wiring.

Further, in the reservoir tank 10 according to the above-described embodiment, an example in which the axis L1 of the booster 30 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. Specifically, the reservoir tank of the present invention may be used in a vehicle in which the axis of the booster is substantially horizontal with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

Furthermore, in the reservoir tank 10 according to the above-described embodiment, the rib 20 is used as a specific example of the convex portion, but the reservoir tank of the present invention is not limited to this. Specifically, in the reservoir tank of the present invention, a thick portion that is thicker than the thickness of the tank body may be provided as the convex portion, and a streaky groove may be provided in the thick portion to serve as a drainage groove. Also, the shape of the convex portion and the shape of the drain can be set as appropriate.

Moreover, the drainage groove of the reservoir tank of the present invention may be formed on the side surface of the tank main body instead of being provided on the convex portion (rib).

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be suitably employ|adopted as a vehicle provided with the reservoir tank used for a brake system, and a reservoir tank.

1 vehicle 10 reservoir tank 11a upper surface 11a' upper surface 12 tank main body 12' tank main body 20 rib (convex portion)
20' rib (convex part)
24 Drain 24' Drain 70 Adjacent component 72 Harness (adjacent component)

Claims (2)

A reservoir tank used in a vehicle equipped with a reservoir tank and a booster,
It is arranged in the engine room of the vehicle and arranged above the booster in the vertical direction,
tank body and
a convex portion formed to protrude upward at a position above the tank body when the reservoir tank is mounted on a vehicle;
A drainage groove for guiding water in a predetermined direction is formed in the convex portion,
The convex portion is formed by arranging a plurality of plate-shaped reinforcing plate portions erected at a position above the tank body with a gap therebetween,
The reservoir tank, wherein the drainage groove is formed by the gap formed between the reinforcing plate portions and is formed so as to guide water in a direction away from the booster. a reservoir tank according to claim 1;
and an adjacent part housed in the engine room and arranged near the reservoir tank,
A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is positioned so as to separate the tank body and the adjacent component.

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