阅读说明：本技术 灰尘过滤器 (Dust filter ) 是由 土屋拓己 近藤记裕 蔵田恒之 于 2021-07-02 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种灰尘过滤器,确保在壳体设有排水口的灰尘过滤器的排水性能,并且抑制水自排水口进入。灰尘过滤器对被吸入于车辆的吸附罐的空气进行过滤,该灰尘过滤器具有独立的第一部分和第二部分,第一部分具有第一卡合部,第二部分具有第二卡合部,第二部分的第二卡合部与第一部分的第一卡合部卡合,由此第二部分安装于第一部分,第一部分包含：过滤构件；以及壳体,其具有收纳过滤构件的收纳室,壳体具有用于排出进入到收纳室内的液体的排水口,第二部分安装于第一部分从而与第一部分一同来形成覆盖排水口的罩,罩在比所述排水口靠下方的位置具有向外部开口的出口。(The invention provides a dust filter, which ensures the drainage performance of the dust filter with a drainage port arranged on a shell and inhibits water from entering from the drainage port. A dust filter for filtering air sucked into a canister of a vehicle, the dust filter including a first portion and a second portion that are independent of each other, the first portion having a first engaging portion, the second portion having a second engaging portion, the second engaging portion of the second portion being engaged with the first engaging portion of the first portion, the second portion being attached to the first portion, the first portion including: a filter member; and a housing having a housing chamber for housing the filter member, the housing having a drain port for discharging liquid introduced into the housing chamber, the second portion being attached to the first portion to form a cover for covering the drain port together with the first portion, the cover having an outlet opening to the outside at a position below the drain port.)

1. A dust filter for filtering air sucked into an adsorption tank of a vehicle,

the dust filter has separate first and second portions,

the first part is provided with a first clamping part, the second part is provided with a second clamping part,

the second engaging portion of the second part engages with the first engaging portion of the first part, whereby the second part is attached to the first part,

the first portion includes: a filter member; and a housing having a housing chamber housing the filter member,

the housing has a drain port for discharging the liquid that enters the receiving chamber,

the second part is mounted to the first part so as to form with the first part a cover covering the drain opening,

the cover has an outlet opening to the outside at a position below the drain opening.

2. The dust filter of claim 1,

the first portion includes a cover upper member integrally having the first engaging portion, the cover upper member being integrally formed with at least a part of the housing and surrounding the drain opening,

the second portion is configured as a cover lower member integrally having the second engaging portion, and the cover is formed by attaching the second portion to the cover upper member.

3. The dust filter according to claim 1 or 2,

the hood upper side member and the hood lower side member each have a wall portion,

the hood lower side member is fitted inside the hood upper side member in such a manner that the wall portions thereof overlap each other,

the wall portion of the hood upper member extends to the vicinity of a lower end edge of the wall portion of the hood lower member.

4. The dust filter of claim 3,

the wall portion of the cover lower member is formed with a linear protrusion portion protruding toward the wall portion of the cover upper member.

5. The dust filter of claim 4,

the first engaging portion has a hole, the second engaging portion has a claw engageable with the hole,

the linear protrusion passes on the upper side of the hole when the second part is mounted to the first part.

6. The dust filter according to any one of claims 3 to 5,

a flange that covers a projection of a gap between the overlapped wall portions in a direction in which the cover upper member and the cover lower member are fitted is formed on the wall portion of the cover lower member.

7. The dust filter of claim 6,

the flange has an upper surface inclined downwardly toward an end edge thereof.

8. The dust filter according to any one of claims 3 to 7,

the cover upper member has a baffle or a protrusion extending downward between the drain opening and the wall portion of the cover upper member or between the drain opening and the outlet.

9. The dust filter of claim 1,

the second portion includes: a cover first member integrally having the second engaging portion; and a cover second member attached to the cover first member by a snap-fit mechanism, the cover being formed by attaching the cover second member to the cover first member.

10. The dust filter of claim 1,

either one of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion has a pair of grooves extending in parallel with each other and opening in opposite directions,

the other of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion has a protruding piece corresponding to the groove,

the cover is attached to the housing by relatively moving the protruding piece in a state of being fitted in the groove.

11. The dust filter of claim 10,

each slot has a protrusion at the bottom which is squashed by the tab when the shroud is mounted to the housing.

12. The dust filter of claim 10 or 11,

each groove has a notch in a side wall, each projecting piece is divided into a front side part and a rear side part,

the dust filter is formed so that the front portion of the projecting piece can be inserted from the notch into the groove.

13. The dust filter according to any one of claims 1 to 12,

one of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion is elastically deformable, and is engageable with the other of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion by the elastic deformation.

14. The dust filter according to any one of claims 1 to 13,

the second part is mounted to the first part by relative movement with respect to the first part, and a guide mechanism is provided between the first part and the second part to guide the relative movement.

15. The dust filter according to any one of claims 1 to 14,

the drain opening is at least one hole formed at the bottom of the receiving chamber,

the hood has at least one baffle on the inside,

the at least one baffle is utilized to form a drainage path that avoids straight-through communication of the apertures and the outlet.

Technical Field

The present technology relates to a dust filter for filtering air sucked into an adsorption tank of a vehicle.

Background

A vehicle such as an automobile equipped with an engine has a canister that traps evaporated fuel generated in a fuel tank. The canister communicates with the atmosphere via an atmosphere passage provided with a dust filter that filters air drawn into the canister during a purge operation or the like. Such a dust filter is described in, for example, japanese patent application laid-open No. 2011-256760. In this dust filter, a drain port for draining water is provided at the bottom of a housing in which a filter member is housed, in addition to an air inlet through which air is sucked. In addition, a gutter-shaped drainage guide protruding obliquely downward from the casing is provided at the drainage groove. Therefore, even if water enters the case of the dust filter through the air inlet during rainfall or car washing, the water is guided to the outside through the drain guide from the drain port at the bottom, and does not accumulate in the case.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-256760

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

With the dust filter described in the above publication, there is a possibility that: when the vehicle is driven on standing water, the splashed water reversely enters from the drainage guide into the housing. In addition, the same thing may occur when the lower portion of the vehicle body is washed with high-pressure washing water. When the water flowing backward through the drainage guide is large and the water level in the housing rises, the filter member housed inside may be immersed in the water, and the function may be impaired. Therefore, it is desired to suppress the entry of water from the drain port while ensuring the drainage performance of the drain port.

Means for solving the problems

One aspect of the present technology is a dust filter for filtering air drawn into a canister of a vehicle, the dust filter including a first portion and a second portion that are independent of each other, the first portion including a first engaging portion, the second portion including a second engaging portion, the second engaging portion of the second portion being engaged with the first engaging portion of the first portion, the second portion being attached to the first portion, the first portion including: a filter member; and a housing having a housing chamber for housing the filter member, the housing having a drain port for discharging liquid that has entered the housing chamber, the second portion being attached to the first portion so as to form a cover that covers the drain port together with the first portion, the cover having an outlet that opens to the outside at a position below the drain port. Thereby, the drainage performance of the dust filter can be ensured, and water can be inhibited from entering from the drainage port. Further, by making at least a part of the cover (the second part) independent, the cover can be configured only in a required vehicle.

According to an aspect, the first portion includes a cover upper member integrally having the first engaging portion, the cover upper member being integrally formed with at least a part of the housing and surrounding the drain opening, and the second portion is configured as a cover lower member integrally having the second engaging portion, and the cover is formed by attaching the second portion to the cover upper member. This can prevent water from entering the cover from above the cover to the inside of the cover. Further, the structure such as the drain path in the cover can be designed more freely.

According to this aspect, the hood upper member and the hood lower member each have a wall portion, the hood lower member is fitted inside the hood upper member such that the wall portions overlap each other, and the wall portion of the hood upper member extends to the vicinity of the lower end edge of the wall portion of the hood lower member. This can delay the entry of water entering the gap between the overlapped wall portions from below into the interior of the cover.

According to this aspect, the linear protrusion protruding toward the wall portion of the cover upper member is formed on the wall portion of the cover lower member. This can delay the entry of water entering the gap between the overlapped wall portions from below into the interior of the cover.

According to this aspect, the first engaging portion has a hole, the second engaging portion has a claw engageable with the hole, and the linear protrusion passes above the hole when the second portion is attached to the first portion. This can prevent water from entering the cover, particularly when water enters the hole of the engagement portion.

According to this aspect, the flange that covers the extending direction of the gap between the overlapped wall portions is formed on the wall portion of the cover upper member. This prevents the water with momentum from directly entering the gap between the two overlapping walls.

According to an aspect, the flange has an upper surface that slopes towards its end edge towards the underside. This can promote the water falling along the outer surface of the wall portion to fall from the cover.

According to the above aspect, the cover upper member has a baffle or a protrusion extending downward between the drain opening and the wall portion of the cover upper member or between the drain opening and the outlet. This can prevent water that has entered the interior of the cover from reaching the periphery of the drain opening along the top surface.

According to the solution, the second part has: a cover first member integrally having the second engaging portion; and a cover second member attached to the cover first member by a snap-fit mechanism, the cover being formed by attaching the cover second member to the cover first member. This allows the structure such as the drain path in the cover to be designed more freely. In addition, when the cover is not necessary, the cover can be completely removed, and the member on the housing side can be made common regardless of the presence or absence of the cover.

According to this configuration, one of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion has a pair of grooves extending in parallel with each other and opening in opposite directions, and the other of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion has a protruding piece corresponding to the groove, and the cover is attached to the housing by relatively moving the protruding piece in a state of being fitted in the groove. This makes it possible to simplify the mounting of the cover.

According to the solution, each groove has a protrusion at the bottom, which is squashed by the projecting piece when the cover is mounted to the housing. This can suppress the cover from rattling in the depth direction of the groove in the attached state.

According to one aspect, each of the grooves has a notch in a side wall, each of the projecting pieces is divided into a front portion and a rear portion, and the dust filter is formed so that the front portion of the projecting piece can be inserted into the groove from the notch. This makes it possible to design: the sliding amount when the cover is mounted can be reduced, and the cover can be mounted without interfering with peripheral members such as an intake pipe.

According to this aspect, either one of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion is elastically deformable, and can be engaged with the other of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion by the elastic deformation. This can suppress the cover from rattling in the attached state.

According to one aspect, the second part is mounted to the first part by relative movement with respect to the first part, and a guide mechanism is provided between the first part and the second part to guide the relative movement. This makes it possible to simplify the mounting of the cover.

According to the above aspect, the drain port is at least one hole formed in the bottom of the storage chamber, and the cover has at least one baffle plate inside thereof, and the at least one baffle plate forms a drain path that prevents the holes and the outlet from being linearly connected. This can more reliably prevent water from entering the drain port.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a fuel system of an automobile as an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a dust filter as an embodiment attached to an intake duct (the outer shape is shown by a dotted line).

Fig. 3 is a bottom view showing an engaging portion between the housing and the cover provided on the lower side of the dust filter.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the dust filter of fig. 3 taken along line IV-IV, and the flow path of air sucked into the dust filter is indicated by arrows.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the dust filter of fig. 3 taken at line V-V, with arrows indicating a drainage path formed by a baffle in the cover.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the lower member with the upper member of the cover removed.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the upper member of the cover alone.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the engagement portion between the housing and the cover in fig. 3 taken along line VIII-VIII, showing the mechanism for attaching the cover.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the cover before being attached to the housing, and an insertion path of the protruding piece of the cover is shown by an arrow.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the engagement portion of the housing and the engagement portion of the cover taken along the protruding piece.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged view of a protrusion (a portion surrounded by a circle XI) provided at the bottom of the groove of fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a dust filter according to another embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the dust filter of fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the upper member of the cover of the dust filter of fig. 12 viewed from below alone.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view separately showing a lower member of a cover of the dust filter of fig. 12.

Fig. 16 is a side view of the lower member of fig. 15 assembled to the upper member of fig. 14.

Fig. 17 is an enlarged view showing an inclined upper surface of a flange provided on the lower member.

Description of the reference numerals

10. An engine; 12. a fuel tank; 14. a pump assembly; 16. an air cleaner; 18. an air inlet pipe; 20. an ejector; 22. an oil supply port; 24. an air inlet pipe; 26. a cover; 28. an adsorption tank; 30. a tank-side passage; 32. an ORVR valve; 34. a purge passage; 36. a purge control valve; 38. an atmospheric port; 40. a dust filter; 42. a connection path; 44. a filter member; 46. a storage chamber; 48. 248, a housing; 50. an atmospheric port; 52. a side opening of the adsorption tank; 54. 254, a lower member of the housing; 56. an upper member of the housing; 58. a buckle assembling mechanism; 60. a holding member; 62. a buckle assembling mechanism; 63. a holding member; 64. an atmosphere-side space; 66. a canister side space; 68. 268, a water outlet; 70a to 70c, holes; 72. a guide passage; 74. 274, a cover; 76. a drainage path; 78. 278 and an outlet; 80. 280, a lower member of the cover; 82. 282, an upper member of the cover; 84. a buckle assembling mechanism; 86. a recessed portion; 88a to 88c, a baffle; 90. a baffle plate; 92. a baffle plate; 94a to 94c, inclined planes; 96. a clamping part of the shell; 98. a fastening portion of the cover; 100. a groove; 102. a projecting piece; 104. a support portion; 106. a notch; 108. a front side portion of the slot; 110. a rear portion of the slot; 112. a front side portion of the projecting piece; 114. a rear side portion of the projecting piece; 116. a base; 118. a connecting portion; 120. a flexible sheet; 122. a bevel; 124. a claw; 126. a flexible sheet; 128. a bevel; 130. a claw; 132. a protrusion; 134. a protrusion; 201. a wall portion of the upper member; 203. a wall portion of the lower member; 205. an upper end edge of the wall portion; 207. a lower end edge of the wall portion; 209. a lower end edge of the wall portion; 211. an upper end edge of the wall portion; 213. a slit; 215. a notch; 217. a side wall of the upper member; 219. a side wall of the lower member; 221. a rear wall of the upper member; 223. a rear wall of the lower member; 225. a protrusion; 227. a flange; 229. an upper surface of the flange; 231. a protrusion portion; 233. a base of the claw; 300. a groove; 302. a protrusion portion; 328. a bevel; 330. a claw; 332. and (4) a hole.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present technology will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a fuel system that can be applied to a vehicle such as an automobile. The fuel system has: an engine 10; and a fuel tank 12 that holds fuel that is burned at the engine 10. The engine 10 takes in air purified by an air cleaner 16 through an intake pipe 18. A pump unit 14 is provided in the fuel tank 12, and fuel delivered from the pump unit 14 is injected from an injector 20 into an intake pipe 18. An intake pipe 24 that introduces the fuel injected from the fuel supply port 22 into the fuel tank 12 is connected to the fuel tank 12. The fuel fill port 22 is detachably closed by a cap 26. The inlet pipe 24 extends generally obliquely upward from the fuel tank 12 to the fuel supply port 22.

[ adsorption tank ]

As shown in fig. 1, the fuel system has a canister 28, and the canister 28 traps the evaporated fuel generated at the fuel tank 12 to prevent the evaporated fuel from being released to the atmosphere. An adsorption layer made of activated carbon or the like is disposed in the housing of the canister 28. The canister 28 communicates with the fuel tank 12 through a tank-side passage 30, and the evaporated fuel flowing in from the tank-side passage 30 is captured by the adsorption layer. The fuel tank 12 is provided with an ORVR valve 32, and the ORVR valve 32 includes a float valve and the like, and transfers the evaporated fuel having passed through the ORVR valve 32 to the canister 28.

The canister 28 communicates with the intake pipe 18 of the engine 10 via a purge passage 34. The purge passage 34 is provided with a purge control valve 36. The opening and closing of the purge control valve 36 is controlled by, for example, an Electronic Control Unit (ECU)37 in accordance with the operating state of the engine 10. When the purge control valve 36 is opened, the intake negative pressure of the engine 10 acts on the canister 28 through the purge passage 34. Thereby, the evaporated fuel adsorbed on the adsorption layer in the canister 28 is desorbed and is introduced into the engine 10 together with the intake air flowing through the intake pipe 18, and therefore can be combusted in the engine 10.

Further, the canister 28 has an atmosphere port 38 communicating with the atmosphere. When the canister 28 is purged, air (purge air) is introduced from the atmosphere into the canister 28 through the atmosphere port 38. In addition to the purge operation, a negative pressure is applied to the inside of the fuel tank 12 due to, for example, fuel consumption or temperature reduction. Conversely, when the evaporated fuel is generated due to a temperature rise, fuel sloshing, or the like, a positive pressure is applied to the inside of the fuel tank 12. The pressure fluctuation in the fuel tank 12 is alleviated by introducing air into the canister 28 through the atmospheric port 38, or releasing air in the canister 28 to the atmosphere through the atmospheric port 38.

[ dust filter ]

As shown in fig. 2 to 4, the fuel system is provided with a dust filter 40 (air filter), and the dust filter 40 is used to remove foreign matters such as dust from the air sucked into the canister 28. The dust filter 40 communicates with the canister 28 through an appropriate connection passage 42 formed of a pipe or a hose (see fig. 1). The dust filter 40 includes a filter member 44 and a housing 48 made of, for example, resin and having a housing chamber 46 for housing the filter member 44. When the purge operation of the canister 28 is performed, the dust filter 40 filters air sucked through the connection passage 42 to remove foreign substances such as dust. The housing 48 is provided with: an atmospheric port 50 opened to the atmosphere for sucking air; and a canister side port 52 connected to the canister 28.

The dust filter 40 is attached to the vicinity of the oil supply port 22 of the intake pipe 24, for example. The housing 48 is formed, for example, in a substantially semi-cylindrical shape so as to be able to abut against the side surface of the intake pipe 24. When the dust filter 40 is attached to the inclined portion of the intake duct 24, the dust filter 40 also assumes an attitude in which the shaft is inclined. The housing 48 includes a lower member 54 and an upper member 56, and can be coupled by an appropriate attachment mechanism such as a snap attachment mechanism 58.

The dust filter 40 is secured to the air inlet duct 24 by a suitable retaining member 60. The holding member 60 is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape, for example, and the dust filter 40 can be fixed by surrounding the intake duct 24 with the holding member 60 and the housing 48. The holding member 60 is coupled to the housing 48 using an appropriate fitting mechanism such as a snap fitting mechanism 62. The air intake port 50 is disposed, for example, on the inner peripheral side of the casing 48, and an appropriate gap is secured between the air intake port and the side surface of the intake pipe 24.

The filter member 44 is, for example, a filter paper folded into a pleated shape, and is positioned at a predetermined position of the storage chamber 46 by using an appropriate holding member 63. As another embodiment, the filter member 44 may be a block including a foamed urethane resin. When the filter member 44 is positioned at a predetermined position, the housing chamber 46 is divided by the filter member 44 into an atmosphere-side space 64 on the lower side and a canister-side space 66 on the upper side.

When the connection passage 42 becomes negative pressure, air flows from the atmosphere into the case 48 through the atmospheric port 50. In the case 48, the air moves from the atmosphere side space 64 to the canister side space 66 through the filter member 44, and at this time, the filter member 44 captures dust. The purified air is introduced from the canister-side space 66 to the canister 28 through the connection passage 42.

[ Water discharge opening ]

As shown in fig. 4 to 6, a drain port 68 is provided at the bottom of the case 48, and the drain port 68 is used for draining water entering the inside of the case 48. The drain port 68 is provided on the atmosphere side of the filter member 44, that is, at a position communicating with the atmosphere side space 64 of the housing chamber 46 inside the housing 48. In a state where the dust filter 40 is attached to the intake duct 24, the drain port 68 is located at the lowest portion of the atmosphere side space 64 inside the housing 48. During rainy weather, or during car wash, there is a possibility that water enters the housing 48 from the atmosphere 50 together with air. Even in such a case, water is discharged from the drain port 68 at the bottom of the atmosphere-side space 64 to the outside of the housing 48. Therefore, the water is prevented from accumulating at the bottom of the housing chamber 46 of the case 48 and degrading the filtering performance of the dust filter 40. The drain port 68 is, for example, at least one hole 70a to 70c opened in the bottom surface of the housing 48.

The holes 70a to 70c may be provided with guide passages 72 extending obliquely downward from the housing 48. The guide passage 72 may be provided with a structure that can easily close the drain port 68 when the housing 48 of the dust filter 40 is subjected to a leak test, for example, by cutting the tip end of the guide passage in a flat surface.

[ shade ]

As shown in fig. 2, 5, and 6, the dust filter 40 includes a cover 74 that covers the drain port 68 and prevents liquid such as water from entering the housing 48. The cover 74 is a hollow member having a drain passage 76 formed therein, and has an outlet 78 opening to the outside below the drain port 68. The water that has entered the housing 48 can be discharged from the drain port 68 into the cover 74, and then falls from the outlet 78 to the outside via the drain path 76. The drain passage 76 is formed so as to avoid straight through connection between the holes 70a to 70c (each hole when there are a plurality of holes) forming the drain port 68 of the housing 48 and the outlet 78. Thus, the length of the drain path 76 is longer than the linear distance from the holes 70a to 70c to the outlet 78. Such a shape is, for example, a labyrinth shape. With such a shape of the drain path 76, even if a jet of water or cleaning liquid enters from the outlet 78 during high-pressure washing of the vehicle, for example, the momentum thereof is weakened, and the jet is suppressed from reaching the drain port 68. Further, the discharge path may be branched or merged.

As shown in fig. 2, 5, 6, and 7, the cover 74 may be composed of a lower member 80 and an upper member (cover member) 82. The upper member 82 can be attached to the lower member 80 by an appropriate mechanism such as a snap-fit mechanism 84. By configuring the cover 74 in two parts in this manner, the desired drainage path 76 as described above can be easily formed. If necessary, the upper member 82 may be provided with a recessed portion 86, and the recessed portion 86 may be provided to avoid interference with a surrounding member (for example, a tapered portion of the intake pipe 24).

[ baffle ]

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the cover 74 has linear baffles 88a, 88b, and 88c inside, crossing the connection holes 70a to 70c and the outlet 78. Baffles 88a, 88b, 88c are formed on the lower member 80. The baffles 88a, 88b, and 88c form the drain passage 76 that prevents the straight-through connection between the holes 70a to 70c and the outlet 78. The water discharge path 76 in the cover 74 can be formed into a labyrinth shape by the baffles 88a, 88b, and 88 c. The baffles 88a, 88b, 88c are configured to avoid straight-through communication between the apertures 70 a-70 c of the drain opening 68 and the outlet 78. As another embodiment not shown, only one shutter may be provided.

As shown in fig. 5 and 7, another baffle plate 90 may be provided on the upper member 82 so as to overlap with the baffle plate 88c of the lower member 80 when the upper member is attached to the lower member 80. Even if a gap (not shown) for fitting exists between the baffle 88c of the lower member 80 and the inner surface of the upper member 82, the presence of the baffle of the upper member 82 suppresses the momentum of the water flow entering from the outlet 78 and passing over the upper side of the baffle 88c toward the drain port 68. The baffle is disposed, for example, on the side of the drain port 68 with respect to the baffle 88c on the outermost outlet side of the upper member 82. The wall of the recess 86 of the upper member 82 can also function as an additional baffle 92.

[ sectional area of drainage route ]

As is clear from fig. 5 and 6, the cross-sectional area of the drain passage 76 is larger than the cross-sectional areas of the holes 70a to 70c of the drain port 68 which is a narrowed portion. When a plurality of holes are present, the cross-sectional area of the drainage path is preferably larger than the total cross-sectional area of the holes. Since the air sucked into the adsorption tank 28 through the dust filter 40 or discharged from the adsorption tank 28 also passes through the drain port 68, the cross-sectional area of the drain port 68 is designed as described above, thereby suppressing a decrease in air flow resistance due to the cover 74.

[ inclined plane of baffle ]

As shown in fig. 6, the baffle plates 88a, 88b, 88c have inclined surfaces 94a, 94b, 94c forming inclined paths on the drain side. The inclined surfaces 94a, 94b, 94c are, for example, surfaces whose intersection lines with the bottom surface of the housing 48 are inclined to either side with respect to the horizontal. The inclined surfaces 94a, 94b, and 94c form inclined paths, and as described above, the baffles 88a, 88b, and 88c can prevent water from entering from the outlet 78, and water from the drain port 68 can smoothly flow down inside the cover 74.

[ engaging part of housing and engaging part of cover ]

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the cover 74 is a separate member from the housing 48, and can be attached to the housing 48 by an appropriate attachment mechanism. The housing 48 and the cover 74 are provided with engaging portions (mounting portions) 96 and 98 integrally formed therewith, respectively, and the mounting can be performed by engaging the engaging portion 98 of the cover 74 with the engaging portion 96 of the housing 48. For example, when the cover 74 has a two-member structure, the engaging portion 98 may be provided on the lower member 80, and the upper member 82 may be attached to the lower member 80 by a snap-fit mechanism.

[ guiding mechanism ]

As shown in fig. 3, 5, 8-10, the cover 74 is slidably attached to the housing 48 by moving relative to the housing 48. For this reason, a guide mechanism for guiding the relative movement (sliding) is provided to the cover 74 and the housing 48. For example, the engagement portion 96 of the housing 48 may be provided with a pair of grooves 100 extending parallel to each other and opening in opposite directions, and the engagement portion 98 of the cover 74 may be provided with a pair of projecting pieces 102 engageable with the grooves 100. The pair of grooves 100 can be opened in directions away from each other as shown in fig. 4, for example, and in this case, the projecting pieces 102 can be projected in directions facing each other from the pair of support portions 104, and the pair of support portions 104 can be extended in the sliding direction from the base portion 116 of the engaging portion. Although not shown, as another embodiment, the pair of grooves 100 may be opened in a direction facing each other. Further, as another embodiment, a groove may be provided in the cover 74 and a projection may be provided in the housing 48. In a state where each projecting piece 102 is fitted to the corresponding groove 100, each projecting piece 102 is slid in the direction of the groove 100 to guide the movement of the hood 74.

Each groove 100 has a notch 106 in an outer side wall thereof, and is divided into a front portion 108 and a rear portion 110 as viewed in the traveling direction, and each projecting piece 102 is divided into two portions, a front portion 112 and a rear portion 114 as viewed in the traveling direction. When the front portion of the projecting piece 102 is inserted into the groove 100 from the notch 106 and the cover 74 is slid, the front portion 112 and the rear portion 114 of the projecting piece 102 are fitted to the front portion 108 and the rear portion 110 of the groove 100, respectively. The front side portion does not enter from the tip of the slot 100 but enters from the middle, so the amount of sliding of the cover 74 required for installation can be suppressed, and the cover 74 can be prevented from interfering with surrounding members (e.g., the intake duct 24). The gaps w2-w1 of the front portion 112 and the rear portion 114 (spacing w2) of the projecting piece 102 with respect to the side wall (width w1) of the rear portion 110 of the slot 100 can be made larger than the gaps w3-w4 of the front portion 112 (width w4) of the projecting piece 102 with respect to the notch 106 (width w3) of the slot 100. Thus, the operator does not have to worry about the correct insertion of the side wall of the rear portion 110 of the slot 100, as long as the front portion 112 of the tab 102 can be inserted into the notch 106 of the slot 100. In particular, the design of the gap as described above is advantageous in the case where the side wall of the rear portion 110 of the groove 100 is visually difficult to be confirmed by the connecting portion 118 due to the reason that the flexible piece described later is structurally connected not only to the base portion 116 of the engaging portion but also to the support portion 104 extending from the base portion 116 via the connecting portion 118.

[ Flexible sheet and claw ]

As shown in fig. 3, 5, 8, and 9, an elastic flexible piece is provided at an engagement portion of one of the case 48 and the cover 74, and the elastic flexible piece can be engaged with an engagement portion of the other by elastic deformation. For example, a claw 124 having a slope 122 is provided on the outer surface of the housing 48, and a cantilever-like flexible piece 120 extending from the base 116 is provided on the mounting portion. The flexible piece 120 has, for example, a U-shape and has an edge portion for hooking to the claw 124 toward the rear in the traveling direction. When the cover 74 is slid, the flexible piece 120 rises on the slope 122 while flexing, and rides up on the claw 124. When the cover 74 moves to a predetermined position, the flexure returns, and the edge of the flexible piece 120 is hooked on the claw 124, thereby completing the attachment of the cover 74.

Other claws may be provided at the engagement portion of the cover 74. For example, a cantilevered flexible piece 126 extending from the base 116 may be provided on the mounting portion, and a claw 130 having a slope 128 may be provided on the flexible piece 126. When the cover 74 is slid, the inclined surface 128 of the claw 130 abuts on the projection 132 of the housing 48, whereby the flexible piece 126 is deformed, and the claw 130 rides on the projection 132 of the housing 48. When the hood 74 travels to a predetermined position, the claw 130 hooks on the projection 132 of the housing 48. The time points at which the two claws 124, 130 are hooked can be designed to be simultaneous. In the attached state of the cover 74, the claws 124, 130 suppress the cover 74 from wobbling in the sliding direction.

The claws or flexible pieces as described above can also be used to prevent the cover 74 from being attached by an incorrect method. For example, when the front portion 112 of the projecting piece 102 is erroneously inserted from the rear end of the rear portion 110 of the slot 100, the cover-side claw 130 abuts on the case 48-side claw 124, and thus the insertion cannot be completed, but only a small portion thereof.

[ projection of groove ]

As shown in fig. 9 to 11, a projection 134 may be provided on the bottom surface of each groove 100, and this projection 134 is used to prevent the cover 74 from wobbling in a direction (groove depth direction) orthogonal to the sliding direction in the attached state. When the hood 74 is slid and the claw is hooked (attachment is completed), the tip of the projecting piece 102 crushes the projection 134, and the shake in the direction orthogonal to the sliding direction is elastically absorbed. The bottom surfaces of the pair of grooves 100 can be inclined so as to be away from each other as they go toward the traveling direction at the time of mounting. Correspondingly, the distal end surfaces of the projecting pieces 102 facing the bottom surface of the groove 100 are also inclined so as to be away from each other as they go toward the traveling direction. Thus, the protrusion 134 on the bottom surface of the groove 100 can be brought into effect at the stage of completing the installation by sliding while securing the gap between the protrusion 102 and the groove 100 at the stage of inserting the protrusion 102 into the groove 100.

[ other embodiments ]

In the embodiment of fig. 2 described above, the cover 74 is formed independently of the housing 48. However, as shown in fig. 12 and 13, as another embodiment, a part of the cover 274 may be formed integrally with the housing 248. For example, the cover 274 is divided into an upper member 282 and a lower member 280, and the upper member 282 and the lower member 254 of the housing 248 are formed integrally. However, in the case of either of the embodiments shown in fig. 2 and 12, it can be said that the cover of the dust filter 40 covering the drain port 268 can be formed by forming the remaining second portion separately from the first portion including the filter member 44 and the housing of the dust filter 40 and attaching the second portion to the first portion via the engaging portion. Thus, the second portion comprises all or a portion of the shroud.

As shown in fig. 12 and 13, the cover 274 formed by the upper member 282 and the lower member 280 is a hollow member having the drain passage 76 formed therein, and has an outlet 278 opening to the outside at a position below the drain port 268. The water that has entered the housing 248 can be discharged from the drain port 268 into the cover 274, and then fall from the outlet 278 to the outside through the drain passage 76. The same baffle plates 88a, 88b, 88c as described in fig. 5 and 6 can be provided on the lower member 280 of the cover 274.

In order to form the cover 274, basically, the upper member 282 is a member that opens downward, and the lower member 280 is a member that opens upward. The outlet 278 of the housing 274 may be formed by both the upper member 282 and the lower member 280. The upper member 282 is formed to surround the drain port 268. As described above, since the upper member 282 is formed integrally with the lower member 254 of the housing 248, the drain port 268 is formed as a member penetrating the integral member. The drain port 268 may be open to the inside of the upper member 282. Since the upper member 282 of the cover 274 is formed integrally with a part of the housing 248, for example, water falling through the lower surface of the inclined air intake duct 24 (see fig. 2) can be suppressed from entering from the upper side of the cover 274 into the interior of the cover 274. Preferably, the drain port 268 is disposed to be spaced upward as far as possible from the bottom surface of the lower member 280 so as not to suck up water entering the interior of the cover 274 even when the interior of the housing 248 becomes a negative pressure.

[ wall of the shield ]

As shown in fig. 14 and 15, the upper member 282 and the lower member 280 of the cover 274 have wall portions 201 and 203, respectively. The lower member 280 is fitted inside the upper member 282 so that the wall portions 201 and 203 overlap each other. The wall portion 201 of the upper member 282 is provided to extend to the vicinity of the lower end edge 207 of the wall portion 203 of the lower member 280. The wall portion 203 of the lower member 280 may be provided to extend as far as possible to the vicinity of the upper end edge 205 of the wall portion 201 of the upper member 282. This can delay entry of water entering the gap between the overlapped walls 201 and 203 from below into the interior of the cover 274. In another embodiment, not shown, the lower member 280 may be fitted to the outside of the upper member 282 depending on the arrangement and shape of the baffle.

[ engaging part ]

As shown in fig. 14 to 16, the upper member 282 and the lower member 280 of the cover 274 each have an engaging portion for attachment formed integrally therewith. For example, the engaging portion of the upper member 282 may be constituted by at least one hole 332 formed in the wall 201, and the engaging portion of the lower member 280 may be constituted by a claw 330 formed in the wall 203 and engageable with the hole 332. In the illustrated embodiment, two holes 332 and two claws 330 are provided in each of the side walls 217 and 219. When the lower member 280 is slid, the inclined surface 328 of the claw 330 abuts on the lower end edge 209 of the wall portion 201 of the upper member 282, whereby the wall portion 201 of the upper member 282 is flexed outward, and the claw 330 is pushed into the wall portion 201. When the lower member 280 is advanced to a predetermined position, the deflection of the wall 201 is restored, and the claw 330 is hooked on the edge of the hole 332, and the mounting is completed. By providing a slit 213 between the hole 332 and the lower edge 209, the insertion of the claw 330 can be facilitated. By providing the hole 332 as close as possible to the lower edge 209 of the wall 201, the wall 201 of the upper member 282 can be easily bent by the claw 330. Therefore, the plurality of claws 330 can be arranged at different heights at different distances from the upper surface of the upper member 282. Further, when the orientation of claw 330 is inclined with respect to lower end edge 209 of wall portion 201, as shown in fig. 16, notch 215 can be provided at lower end edge 209 of wall portion 201, and inclined surface 328 of claw 330 can be brought into line contact with lower end edge 209 of wall portion 201 when attached.

[ guiding mechanism ]

As shown in fig. 14 to 16, the lower member 280 of the cover 274 is slidably attached to the upper member 282 by moving relative to the upper member 282. Therefore, a guide mechanism for guiding the relative movement (sliding) of the lower member 280 can be provided in the housing 274. For example, the groove 300 may be provided in the upper member 282, and the linear protrusion 302 that can be fitted into the groove 300 may be provided in the lower member 280. For example, as shown in fig. 14, the grooves 300 may be provided on the inner side surfaces of the side walls 217 of the upper member 282 that face each other, and in this case, the linear protrusions 302 may be provided on the outer side surfaces of the corresponding side walls 219 as shown in fig. 15. The movement of the lower member 280 is guided by sliding the lower member 280 in the direction of the groove 300 in a state where each protrusion 302 is fitted to the corresponding groove 300. As another embodiment, not shown, the lower member 280 may be provided with a groove and the upper member 282 may be provided with a linear protrusion. Further, as another embodiment, the movement of the lower member 280 of the cover 274 may be guided by providing a groove or a linear protrusion on the outer surface of the lower member 254 of the housing 248.

[ Linear projection ]

As shown in fig. 15 and 16, a linear protrusion 231 protruding toward a wall 201 of an upper member 282 of the cover 274 is formed on the wall 203 of the lower member 280 of the cover 274. The linear protrusion 231 may be disposed to extend continuously across the entire wall portion 203, that is, across the side walls 219 and the rear wall 223 on both sides, for example. This can delay entry of water entering the gap between the overlapped walls 201 and 203 from below into the interior of the cover 274. The linear protrusion 231 can be disposed at any position within a range in which the two wall portions 201 and 203 overlap. However, for example, when the lower member 280 is attached to the upper member 282, the linear protrusion 231 can pass above the hole of the engagement portion. This can prevent water from entering the cover 274, particularly when water enters through the hole of the engagement portion. Further, a base 233 having the same height as the linear protrusion 231 may be provided on the claw of the engagement portion, and the middle portion of the linear protrusion 231 may be integrally formed with the base 233. This also makes it possible to suppress the entry of water by the base 233.

[ Flange ]

As shown in fig. 12 and 15, the wall portion 203 of the lower member 280 of the cover 274 may be provided with a flange 227 covering a projection of a gap between the two overlapping wall portions 201 and 203 in a direction in which the upper member 282 and the lower member 280 are fitted to each other. The flange 227 can be provided to extend continuously across the entire wall portion 203 (the side walls 219 and the rear wall 223 on both sides) along the lower end edge of the wall portion of the upper member 282, for example. This prevents the water with momentum from directly entering the gap between the two overlapping walls 201 and 203. As shown in fig. 17, the upper surface 229 of the flange 227 can be inclined downward (angle θ) toward the end edge of the flange 227. This can facilitate the water falling through the outer surface of wall portion 201 of upper member 282 from falling from cover 274. The illustrated flange 227 tapers in thickness toward the end edges due to the sloping upper surface 229. However, as another embodiment not shown, even in a state where the thickness of the flange 227 is constant, the upper surface can be inclined by inclining the flange 227 itself. As another embodiment, another flange may be provided in parallel with the flange 227 at the lower end edge 209 of the wall portion 201 of the upper member 282.

[ projection ]

As shown in fig. 13, a projection or a baffle plate may be provided on the upper member 282 of the cover 274, and the projection or the baffle plate may extend downward between the drain port 268 and the wall portion 201 of the upper member 282. For example, a protrusion 225 extending downward may be provided between the drain opening 268 and the rear wall 221 of the upper member 282. This prevents water entering from the inside of the rear wall 221 of the upper member 282 and coming along the top surface of the upper member 282 from reaching the vicinity of the drain port 268, and can be allowed to fall down to the floor surface of the lower member 280. Further, the baffle 90 may be provided between the drain port 268 and the outlet 278 of the cover 274. This can prevent water from entering the depth of the cover 274 from the outlet 278 of the cover 274 over the baffle 88 c.

Although specific examples have been described above, the present technology is not limited to these examples, and those skilled in the art can make various substitutions, improvements, and changes without departing from the scope of the present technology.