The invention relates to a secondary liquid container for a motor vehicle, in particular a washing liquid container.

Such secondary liquid containers are predominantly optimized in terms of construction space so as to be accommodated in motor vehicles. They are sometimes no longer arranged in the motor vehicle engine space which in any case has restricted dimensioning, but instead, for example, in one of the wheel cases or below the side trims in the back of the motor vehicle. Known containers consist of thermoplastic and are often extrusion blow-moulded. On account of the relatively concealed arrangement in the motor vehicle, they are provided with long filler pipes which are fitted at a location on the motor vehicle which is easily accessible for the motor vehicle user. The filler pipe is usually connected to the container in the upper region of the latter in the area where the maximum permissible liquid level is, that is to say above the floor, although, depending on the configuration of the container and the fitting of the filler pipe, the situation cannot be avoided where the mouth of the filler pipe issuing into the container may possibly be connected to the container even below the maximum permissible liquid level of the latter. So that the bleeding of the container during filling can be ensured, known containers are provided either with a bleeding valve or with a bleeding hose. The provision of bleeding valves is complicated in structural terms and the fitting of bleeding hoses is likewise complicated, particularly during the final assembly of the motor vehicle.

The object on which the invention is based, therefore, is to improve in this respect a secondary liquid container of the type mentioned in the introduction.

The object is achieved by means of a secondary liquid container for a motor vehicle, in particular by means of a washing liquid container, with a filler pipe which is connected to the container and with a filling bleed line running approximately parallel to the filler pipe, the filler pipe and the filling bleed line being connected to the container at a single filling and bleeding connection, and filling and bleeding being provided via one common connection cross section. Such a design of the filler pipe of the secondary liquid container appreciably simplifies the construction of the container. Secondary liquid containers which may also be considered are, for example, urea containers for selective catalytic exhaust gas reduction.

For example, the filler pipe and the filling bleed line may be produced in one piece, so that the filling bleed line does not have to be mounted and fastened separately on the vehicle body. There is also no need in this case for separate fastening and/or connection to the filler pipe.

The filling and bleeding connection may be designed as a leadthrough orifice of preferably round cross section in the container.

In an especially simple variant of the secondary liquid container according to the invention, there is provision for the filler pipe to be plugged releasably into the leadthrough orifice. In this case, for example, the leadthrough orifice may be provided with a leadthrough seal. The mounting of the secondary liquid container in the motor vehicle is thereby appreciably simplified.

In an expedient variant of the secondary liquid container according to the invention, there is provision for the filling bleed line to be routed in the connection piece as far as a mouth cross section of the said connection piece separately from the filler pipe. In other words, the filling bleed line is continued into the connection cross section of the connection piece.

There may especially preferably be provision for the filler pipe to comprise a connection piece which is adapted cross-sectionally to the filling and bleeding connection. It is thereby possible to configure the filler pipe, for example with a filling bleed line formed in one piece, so as to have any desired outer contour, whereas the filling and bleeding connection of the container preferably comprises a leadthrough orifice of round cross section. The connection piece expediently forms a convergence of the filler pipe and of the filling bleed line to the common connection cross section.

In a preferred variant of the secondary liquid container according to the invention, there is provision for the filler pipe and the filling bleed line to be extrusion blow-moulded in one piece from thermoplastic.

The connection piece may, for example, be injection-moulded from

thermoplastic.

If the connection piece is provided with at least one integrally formed seal running around on the outside, there is no longer any need for a separate leadthrough seal in the region of the filling and bleeding connection of the container. The connection piece may alternatively be provided with a groove which runs around on the outside and into which an O-ring seal is inserted. In the production of the connection piece from thermoplastic by injection moulding, it is alternatively also possible for a peripheral sealing lip made from a thermoplastic elastomer to have been injection-moulded onto the

connection piece.

In an especially simple and alternative refinement of the secondary liquid container according to the invention, there is provision for the connection piece to have at least one diametral step from an entry diameter to a connection diameter and for the filling bleed line to be connected in the region of a flow dead zone formed by the diametral step for the inflowing liquid. In this case, for example, the connection piece, filler pipe and filling bleed line may be produced in one piece. The entire component may thus have been obtained, for example, by extrusion blow-moulding from thermoplastic. A diametral step in the context of the invention is to be understood as meaning a variation in diameter from a smaller diameter to a larger diameter. Alternatively, it is possible to produce the filler pipe and connection piece, which preferably possesses a round connection cross section, in one part and to connect the filling bleed line as a separate component via a nipple to the connection piece, preferably in the region of the diametral step of the latter.

The invention is explained below by means of two exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of a secondary liquid container according to the invention,

Figure 2 shows a section along the lines ll-ll in Figure 1 ,

Figure 3 shows an enlarged view, in the form of a detail, of the part in

Figure 2 identified by the arrow III,

Figure 4 shows a side view of the connection piece according to the

invention,

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the connection piece according to the invention which shows the outflow-side end of the latter, and

Figure 6 shows a part-section through an alternative embodiment of the filler pipe according to the invention.

Reference is made first to Figure 1 which shows a first exemplary

embodiment of the secondary liquid container 1 according to the invention. The secondary liquid container 1 is designed as a washing liquid container for a motor vehicle. In the exemplary embodiment described, it is extrusion blow- moulded in one piece from thermoplastic. Inside the secondary liquid container 1 is arranged a feed pump, not illustrated, for example for washing liquid, which is connected via the lines 2 to a windscreen cleaning system for a motor vehicle. A filler pipe for the secondary liquid container is designated by 3, a filling bleed line 4 being formed in one piece on the said filler pipe. The filler pipe 3 with the integrally formed filling bleed line may have been produced, for example, as what is known as a 3D blow moulding by what is known as low- . waste extrusion blow-moulding, for example by suction blow-moulding. An end piece 6 surrounding the filler orifice 5 is placed onto the filler pipe 3 and the filling bleed line 4 on the inflow side/filling side, and a connection piece 7, which is adapted cross-sectionally to a filling and bleeding connection 8 of the secondary liquid container 1 , is attached to the filler pipe 3 and the filling bleed line 4 on the outflow side. The filling and bleeding connection 8 is designed as a leadthrough orifice with a circular cross section and with a leadthrough seal 9. The leadthrough seal 9 forms a sleeve-shaped sealing collar 10 which cooperates with a sealing seat 11 of the connection piece 7. Instead of the sealing seat 11 , the connection piece 7 may also be provided with a peripheral sealing lip or with an integrally formed peripheral sealing collar.

The connection piece 7 is preferably injection-moulded from thermoplastic and is connected to the filling bleed line 4 and the filler orifice 5 on the side facing away from the secondary liquid container 1 , for example is welded to the filling bleed line 4 and the filler pipe 3 in this region.

As will be gathered particularly from Figure 5, the filling bleed line 4 is continued inside the connection piece 7 into the mouth cross section 12 of the connection piece 7.

The end piece 6, which may likewise be injection-moulded from thermoplastic, is likewise welded to the filling bleed line 4 and the filler pipe 3. The said end piece can be covered by a closing flap, not illustrated, or by a closing plug.

In the variant to the connection piece 7, as illustration in Figure 6, the filler pipe and the filling bleed line 4 are connected to the connection piece 7 on its side remote from the mouth cross section 12. The connection piece 7 is designed as an adapter from the non-round overall cross section/enveloping curve of the filler pipe 3 and of the filling bleed line 4 to the cross section of the filling and bleeding connection 8, the filler pipe 3 and the filling bleed line 4 not being routed separately from one another into the mouth cross section 12 of the connection piece 7. Instead, the connection piece 7 defines an adaptation of diameter from the filling bleed line 4 to the cross section of the filling and bleeding connection 8. The filling bleed line 4 is arranged in the connection piece 7 in the region of a flow deadzone in the liquid passing through the filler pipe 3, so that the bleed stream escaping during the filling of the secondary liquid container 1 can nevertheless emerge, parallel to the inflowing liquid, out of the filling bleed line 4.

In this case, the connection piece may have been produced in one piece with the filler pipe 3 and also in one piece with the filler pipe 3 and the connection piece 7. It is likewise conceivable that the connection piece 7 has two nipples, to which the filler pipe 3 and the filling bleed line 4 are connected in each case.

As will be gathered particularly from Figure 1 , the filler pipe 3 and the filling bleed line 4 are connected approximately in the upper third of the secondary liquid container 1 in the installation position of the latter, specifically in a region which is arranged slightly below the maximum permissible liquid level inside the secondary liquid container 1.

List of Reference Symbols

Secondary liquid container

Lines

Filler pipe

Filling bleed line

Filler orifice

End piece

Connection piece

Filling and bleeding connection

Leadthrough seal

Sealing collar

Sealing seat

Mouth cross section