Breather

• US 8,276,479 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NOK Corporation
• Original Assignee: NOK Corporation
• Inventors: Shinbo, Noriyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): JOHNSON, VICKY A
• Application Number:
  US12/670,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20100187231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: 746/06.R, 123/574, 220/203.01, 220/203.02
• US Class Current: 74/606.R
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 13/0405 arranged in covering members apertures, e.g. caps
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/027 characterised by means for venting gearboxes, e.g. air breathers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2186 Gear casings

Abstract

To perform exhaustion to regulate pressure in a case with surely recovering liquid in the case without draining it, even when the pressure in the case rises rapidly, a breather for regulating internal pressure in a case by performing exhaustion to the outside when the internal pressure exceeds predetermined pressure thereby reducing the internal pressure, includes an exhaust passage leading from the inside of the case to the outside; a liquid recovery passage for recovering liquid discharged from the inside of the case to the inside of the case; and a discharge valve means which opens when the internal pressure in the case exceeds the predetermined pressure, wherein the liquid recovery passage is provided at the atmosphere side beyond the discharge valve means, and a recovery valve means is provided in the liquid recovery passage.

Claims

1. A breather for reducing an internal pressure by carrying out an exhaustion to an external portion so as to regulate the internal pressure in an inner portion of a case when the internal pressure in the inner portion of the case rises beyond predetermined pressure, the breather comprising:

an exhaust passage leading to the external portion from the inner portion of said case;

a liquid recovery passage for recovering the liquid discharged from the inner portion of said case to the inner portion of said case; and

a discharge valve which opens when the internal pressure in the inner portion of said case rises beyond the predetermined pressure,

wherein said liquid recovery passage is provided in an atmospheric air side beyond said discharge valve, and a recovery valve is provided in the liquid recovery passage, wherein the breather further comprises;

a cover body fixedly held onto a surface of said case; and

a compartment member for compartmenting a space surrounded by said cover body into an exhaust chamber and a recovery chamber, and

wherein said discharge valve is made of a rubbery elastic material, is provided integrally with said compartment member so as to extend toward an atmospheric air side, and includes a discharge lip that elastically contacts said cover body, and said recovery valve is made of a rubbery elastic material, is provided integrally with said compartment member so as to extend toward said inner portion side, and a recovery lip that elastically contacts said case.

2. A breather as claimed in claim 1, wherein said recovery lip elastically contacts with a top face of said case.

3. A breather as claimed in claim 1, wherein said recovery lip elastically contacts with an inner peripheral face of an annular groove provided on a top face of said case.

4. A breather as claimed in claim 1, wherein a labyrinth passage is provided in an atmospheric air side beyond said liquid recovery passage.

5. A breather as claimed in claim 1, wherein a baffle plate is provided in an inner portion side of said exhaust passage.

6. A breather as claimed in claim 1, wherein a bottom face of said recovery chamber is formed as an inclined surface which converges toward said recovery lip side.