JP2003074778A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector with a connector body 12 having a short full length. SOLUTION: In this connector 11, the connector body 12 has the full length capable of housing the tip to a bulge part 10 of a pipe P inserted in an insertion hole 17 formed in the connector body 12, and a retainer 13 detachable from the connector body 12 is connected to the connector body 12 in front of a projecting wall 34. Thereby, the length of the connector body 12 is minimum, so that the full length of the connector 11 is short.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector for connecting pipes such as pipes and tubes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 9 shows a conventional connector for connecting a pipe. An insertion hole 2 is formed through the connector body 1 along its axis, and a pipe P is inserted from one end side thereof. A retainer mounting portion 4 to which the retainer 3 is mounted is formed near the entrance of the pipe P. The retainer 3 has a substantially C-shaped ring shape,
It can be flexibly deformed in the expansion direction. Further, a pair of locking projections 5 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the retainer 3, and the locking projections 5 are fitted into the openings 6 formed in the retainer mounting portion 4 to insert the insertion holes 2 It projects inside. Pipe P
Is inserted into the insertion hole 2, and the bulge portion 7 formed in the middle of the pipe P comes into contact with the locking projection 5 described above.
In order to push them outward, the retainer 3 as a whole expands and deforms. When the bulge portion 7 passes through the locking projection, the retainer 3 elastically returns and the bulge portion 7 locks on the locking projection 5 to prevent the pipe P from coming off. An insertion port 8 into which the tube T is inserted is formed on the side opposite to the insertion side of the pipe P. An example of a connector having such a structure is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-287684.

[0003]

For example, various devices are provided in an engine room of an automobile, and these devices are arranged in a dense state. The tubes and pipes for passing the fuel, which are provided in the engine room, face each other so that the tips of the tubes face each other at a narrow interval. In order to intervene the connector between these pipes, the worker intervenes the connector after separating the pipes left and right to widen the space.

However, the space for retracting the tubular body is not sufficient in the engine room, and the backward stroke of the tubular body becomes small. In the conventional connector, the retainer mounting part is formed in the connector body so as to be continuous in the axial direction of the pipe, so the total length of the connector becomes long, and it is necessary to increase the spacing of the pipe body by the amount corresponding to the retainer mounting part. Therefore, not only the attachment of the connector becomes a very difficult work, but also the attachment cannot be made in some cases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a connector in which the total length of the connector body is as short as possible.

[0006]

As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 inserts a pipe having a bulge portion for preventing slipping out at a position near the tip of the outer peripheral surface. A connector main body in which an insertion hole for inserting the pipe is formed along an axial direction, and the connector main body is attached to the connector main body, and the pipe is inserted into the insertion hole to a regular insertion depth. In a connector having an engaging portion capable of retaining the pipe in a retained state by engaging with the bulge portion at a fixed position, the connector body has a length capable of accommodating from the tip of the pipe to the bulge portion. It has a feature where it is formed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the retainer is provided in a plurality of types formed separately from the connector body, and the retainer is replaceable with respect to the connector. It has a feature in that it has become.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the retainer is engaged with the connector body so as to be freely movable, and with the pipe. By doing so, the retainer is provided with the locking portion that positions the retainer with respect to the connector body at a position where the pipe can be retained.

[0009]

According to the invention of claim 1, since the connector main body is formed to have a length for accommodating from the tip of the pipe to the bulge portion, it is connected in the axial direction like the conventional connector. The total length is shorter than that of the connector main body where the retainer was attached. Therefore, since it is not necessary to retreat the pipe body greatly to widen the interval between the pipe body and the connector, the connector can be inserted even in a place where the space for retracting the pipe body is insufficient.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the retainer and the connector main body are provided as separate bodies, the connector main body is commonly used, and only the retainer is replaced, so that the connector corresponding to various uses is used. be able to. Specifically, if there are many types of pipes with different diameter dimensions, even if a connector corresponding to each pipe is not newly prepared, if the diameter of the pipe inserted into the connector body is constant, Even if the diameters of the pipes extending to the rear of the bulge portion are different, it is possible to deal with this by attaching a retainer adapted to the pipe diameter to the connector body.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the retainer locks the locking portion to the pipe inserted into the connector body. By doing so, the retainer is positioned on the connector body at a position where the pipe can be prevented from coming off. However, in the state before the pipe is inserted, since the locking portion has no locking partner, the retainer is not positioned with respect to the connector body, and is supported in a floating state on the coupling portion side.

If it is assumed that the retainer positioning means is engaged with the connector body instead of being engaged with the pipe, it means that the pipe is not inserted. However, since the retainer is positioned at a position where the pipe can be prevented from slipping out, when actually performing the connecting work to the pipe, after releasing the positioning state by the locking portion, it is necessary to perform the locking work on the pipe again, However, according to claim 3, since the retainer is not positioned before the pipe is inserted, the retainer is not required to be restored, as described above.
Work can be carried out smoothly.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION <First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, a structure of a portion of a fuel system pipe of an automobile for connecting a pipe P and a tube (not shown) will be described as an example. However, the pipe P is made of metal, and a bulge portion 10 bulging like a brim is formed over the entire circumference at a position near the tip. The connector 11 is composed of a connector body 12 and a retainer 13 both made of synthetic resin.

The connector main body 12 will be described. In the front half of the connector main body 12, a tapered cylindrical insertion tube 14 is extended in the axial direction, and a fuel passage 12a is provided in the inside thereof along the axial center. Is formed. This insertion tube 14 can be inserted into a tube (not shown),
In order to prevent it from coming off easily, a plurality of projecting edges 15 are formed in an annular shape on the outer circumference. On the other hand, the latter half of the connector body 12 is a receiving cylinder portion 16 having a cylindrical shape with a diameter larger than that of the insertion cylinder 14. The receiving tube portion 16 has a diameter larger than that of the fuel passage, and an insertion hole 17 for the pipe P is formed in the inside thereof so as to communicate with the above-described fuel passage coaxially. The insertion hole 17 is formed with a large diameter from the middle position to the rear, and an O-ring 18 and a spacer 19 for preventing the O-ring 18 from coming off are fitted therein, and the O-ring 18 allows the pipe P and the insertion hole 17 to be inserted. The sealability with is secured. The stepped portion at the boundary between the insertion hole 17 and the fuel passage 12a serves as a stopper edge 17a that regulates the front end position of the pipe, and is set to a depth that can accommodate almost the bulge portion 10 from the tip of the pipe P. There is.

A retainer receiving portion 20 for positioning the retainer is provided at the rear end of the receiving tube portion 16. The retainer receiving portion 20 is formed so as to form a square frame shape on the rear end face of the connector body, and the left and right side walls of the retainer receiving portion 20 are the receiving portion 3 described later.
A pair of guide grooves 21 provided on the overhang wall 34
It is designed to fit in. Of these, the upper surface of the retainer receiving portion 20 is opened to form a relief portion 32,
It is formed so that interference with the retainer 13 can be avoided when shifting the retainer to the locked state.

Further, on the outer surface of the connector body 12, a bearing portion 22 for connecting with a connecting shaft 33 of the retainer 13, which will be described later, is provided between the insertion cylinder 14 and the receiving cylinder portion 16 on the outer surface of the connector body 12. The bearing portion 22 is formed in a C shape so as to open toward the insertion cylinder 14 side of the retainer 13. The bearing portion 22 is the retainer 13
The connecting shaft 33 can be press-fitted and rotatably supported in a retaining state.

The retainer 13 comprises an accommodating portion 30 for accommodating the connector main body 12 and a pipe fitting portion 31 protruding from the connector main body 12 and fitted into the pipe P.

The accommodating portion 30 is formed to have a U-shaped cross section so as to cover the connector body 12.
Further, a relief portion 32 is opened at the front end portion of the upper surface of the accommodating portion 30, and when the retainer 13 is assembled,
The interference with the bearing portion 22 described above is avoided. In the relief portion 32, the above-mentioned connecting shaft is installed between both side walls of the housing portion 30.

A projecting wall 34 (locking section) projecting radially inward is provided on the inner wall surface of the housing section 30 near the boundary with the pipe fitting section 31, and the projecting wall 34.
Is formed in an arch shape having an opening width of approximately the same diameter as the pipe diameter, and is opened downwardly so as to receive the pipe P. Further, the overhanging wall 34 is opened coaxially with the insertion hole 17, and its arched opening edge is formed along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe P. When the pipe P is located in the accommodating portion 30 at the regular insertion depth, the projecting wall 34 is provided with the connector main body 12.
The pipe P can be fitted when the retainer 13 is rotated around the connecting portion toward the front side, and is located behind the bulge portion 10 and can be locked to the bulge portion 10 so that the pipe P can be locked. Has been prevented. In addition, a pair of guide grooves 21 are formed on the left and right end walls of the front end surface of the projecting wall 34.
Is formed in a notch in a vertical direction, and can be fitted with the retainer receiving portion 20 when the retainer 13 is in a locked state.

The pipe fitting portion 31 is continuously provided behind the accommodating portion 30 via a step. The rear wall 30a of the accommodating portion 30 and the rear wall 31a of the pipe fitting portion 31 are parallel to each other, and the rear wall 31a of the pipe fitting portion 31 also has an arched pipe insertion shape similar to that of the overhanging wall 34 already described. Part 3
5 are formed and arranged coaxially.

A pair of engagement pieces 36 are provided at the lower edges of both side walls 31a of the pipe fitting portion 31, and these engagement pieces 36 are located at the axial center of the pipe P passing through the pipe insertion portion 35. The pipe P is formed so that it can be expanded and deformed.
Expands as the pipe passes and elastically returns after passing
It contacts the outer peripheral surface of the and is held in a state that it does not come off. The engagement piece 36 is formed with a width slightly smaller than the distance between the rear wall 30a of the housing portion 30 and the rear wall of the pipe insertion portion 35, and a support portion 37 is provided at the tip of each engagement piece 36. , Its shape has a curved surface that follows the outer peripheral surface of the pipe P, and abuts and locks the outer peripheral surface of the pipe P passing through the pipe fitting portion 31.

Next, the function and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. When connecting the tube body such as the tube and the pipe P to the connector body 12, first, the connecting shaft 33 of the retainer 13 is attached to the bearing portion 22 of the connector body 12.
Are fitted together. The pipe P is inserted from the entrance side of the insertion hole 17 with the retainer 13 kept in the retracted state. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, after the bulge portion 10 is inserted to a position on the inner side of the opening edge of the receiving tubular portion 16 (regular insertion depth), the retainer 13 is rotated toward the connector body 12. Then, the side wall of the retainer receiving portion 20 is fitted along the guide groove 21 of the housing portion 30, and the pair of engaging pieces 36 of the pipe fitting portion 31 abut on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe P. When the retainer 13 is further rotated from there,
As the pipe P passes, the engagement piece 36 expands and deforms. Finally, after the passage of the pipe P, the engagement piece 36 elastically returns, the support portion 37 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the pipe P, and the retainer 13 is locked to the pipe P. At this time, the locking portion 34 is locked behind the bulge portion 10. As a result, the pipe P is held in the retaining state. On the other hand, in the process of inserting the pipe P, when the pipe P does not reach the regular insertion depth, specifically, when the bulge portion 10 is located rearward of the opening edge of the receiving cylinder portion 16, the depth is set to that depth. Accordingly, the bulge portion 10 interferes with the locking portion 34 or the engaging piece 36 during the rotation of the retainer 13, and the retainer 13 cannot be further rotated toward the connector body 12. Therefore, the worker can know that the pipe P is in the half-inserted state, and therefore the pipe P can be reinserted to the regular insertion depth and then the retainer 13 can be reattached.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the mounting portion (bearing portion 22) of the retainer 13 in the connector body 12 is the locking portion (bulging wall 3) with respect to the bulge portion 10.
It is located in front of 4). Therefore, the length of the connector body 12 is sufficient to accommodate the bulge portion 10 as well. On the other hand, Fig. 9
In the conventional structure as shown in FIG. 2, the mounting portion (retainer mounting portion 4) of the retainer 3 in the connector body 1 is set to overlap the locking portion (locking protrusion 5) with respect to the bulge portion 7 axially rearward. Therefore, the total length of the connector body has to be long, but the present invention is short.

In this embodiment, the connecting shaft 3 of the retainer 13
3 and the bearing portion 22 of the connector body 12 can be attached and detached.
By replacing only the retainer 13, specifically, the pipes P having different pipe diameters can be held. In that case,
Before the bulge portion 10 of the pipe P, it is necessary to process the pipe P so that it has a common diameter that matches the diameter of the insertion hole 17 of the shared connector body 12.

Further, as described above, the retainer 13 is positioned in the locked state with respect to the connector body 12 by the engagement piece 36 being locked to the pipe P. Conversely, pipe P
When there is not, the retainer 13 is not positioned with respect to the connector body 12. This has the following effects. Although the locking with the pipe P may be temporarily stopped and the locking may be directly performed with the connector body 12, in that case, the retainer 13 may be positioned in the locking state with the connector body 12 before the pipe P is inserted. Although work is required, in the case of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to perform such releasing work.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The second embodiment is mainly related to the modification of the retainer 13, and the connector main body 12 and the pipe P are partially different in shape as follows, but are functionally similar to the first embodiment, and therefore only the differences are provided. Will be described, and other elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, the connector body 12 is
Although the receiving tube portion 16 inserted into the tube and the receiving tube portion 16 into which the pipe P is inserted are straight types formed on the coaxial line, in the second embodiment, the insertion tube 14 is positioned relative to the receiving tube portion 16. The elbow-type connector main body 12 is shown arranged in a right angle direction. Further, the pipe P according to the present embodiment is formed by bending the tip portion of the pipe P by about 90 ° while curving.

In the retainer 13 of this embodiment, a clamp portion 40 for clamping the bent portion of the pipe P is continuously provided at the rear portion of the pipe fitting portion 31. The clamp portion 40 is continuous with the rear wall of the pipe fitting portion 31 and extends rearward so as to face each other. Clamp part 40
Is curved downward so as to correspond to the bent portion of the pipe P. The inside of the clamp portion 40 is open so that the bent portion of the pipe P can enter, and a tapered guide surface is formed along the open edge. Further, although the clamp portion 40 is curved downward as described above, it may be curved upward to the contrary.

The operation and effect of the second embodiment configured as described above will be described. In addition to having the same effects as the first embodiment, in the present embodiment, the retainer 13 is locked to the pipe P and the clamp portion 40 covers the bent portion of the pipe P with respect to the pipe P whose tip end portion is bent. Pipe P
To fit. As a result, the pipe P can be held in the same position without rotating with respect to the connector body 12. As a result, since the pipe P does not move with respect to the receiving cylinder portion 16, the mounting state is always reliable.

<Third Embodiment> In the first and second embodiments, the retainer 13 is held in the locked state by being locked to the pipe P, whereas in the present embodiment, the connector is held. Retainer 13 by locking to main body 12
Is held in a locked state. The third embodiment mainly relates to the modification of the retainer 13, and the connector body 12 and the pipe P have the same structure as that of the first embodiment or the second embodiment.

This embodiment has a structure in which the pipe fitting portion 31 in the first embodiment is omitted, and the left and right side walls of the retainer 13 are deformable in the expanding direction and are provided inside the left and right side walls. The retainer 13 is locked to the outer peripheral surface of the receiving cylinder 16 by the pair of locking projections 42. The locking projections 42 are formed so as to project inwardly from the vicinity of the lower ends of the left and right inner walls of the receiving tubular portion 16, the lower surfaces of the respective locking projections 42 are arcuate, and the upper surfaces are the outer circumference of the connector body 12. It has a curved surface that follows the surface.

The operation and effect of the third embodiment configured as described above will be described. Similar to the first embodiment, the retainer 13 is rotated toward the connector body 12 after inserting the pipe P to the regular insertion depth. Then, the arcuate lower surface of the locking projection 42 and the outer peripheral surface of the receiving cylinder portion 16 come into contact with each other. If you rotate the retainer 13 as it is,
The left and right side walls 30c of the retainer 13 are forcibly expanded and deformed as the receiving tube portion 16 passes, and after finally passing, they elastically return and are locked to the outer peripheral surface of the receiving tube portion 16.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition to the above, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

(1) In any of the embodiments, the retainer 13 is attached to the connector body 12 by rotating, but the retainer may be attached by sliding in the axial direction. .

(2) In any of the embodiments, the retainer 1
The retracted state of No. 3 has been described as being realized by the engagement between the bearing portion 22 and the connecting shaft 33, but the retainer may be completely separated from the connector body 12.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a pipe is at a regular insertion depth.

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing a state where the pipe is at a regular insertion depth.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the retainer.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the retainer.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the connector body.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state when the pipe is at a regular insertion depth in the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the retainer according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a rear view showing the state when the pipe is at the regular insertion depth in the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Bulge section 11 ... Connector 12 ... Connector body 13 ... Retainer 17 ... Insertion hole 36 ... Engaging piece

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A connector for inserting and connecting a pipe having a bulge portion for preventing slippage at a position near the tip of the outer peripheral surface, wherein an insertion hole into which the pipe is inserted is arranged along an axial direction. A formed connector main body, and the pipe is attached to the connector main body, and the pipe can be retained in the retaining state by being locked to the bulge portion at a position where the pipe is inserted into the insertion hole to a regular insertion depth. A connector comprising a retainer having a locking portion, wherein the connector body is formed to have a length capable of accommodating the tip of the pipe to the bulge portion. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of types of the retainer are provided separately from the connector body, and the retainer is replaceable with respect to the connector. . 3. The retainer locks the retainer to the connector body, and the retainer retains the pipe from the connector body by locking the retainer to the pipe. 3. The locking portion for positioning at a proper position is provided.
Connector described.