JP2003083492A - Header for branch piping - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To lock branch joints in a connecting state without deteriorating sealing functions. SOLUTION: A lock means 24 for connecting the branch joints 10 is constituted by a protruding fitting part 16 (a plug side fitting part) 16 on an outer periphery of a plug part 13, a fitting groove (a socket side fitting part) 22 on an inner periphery of a socket part 18, and a ring-like C shaped ring 23 (a fitting member) 23 fitted almost in a whole periphery with respect to both of the fitting parts. The two branch joints 10 are connected to each other by fitting to each other almost for the whole periphery through the C shaped ring 23. This is different from the conventional lock means wherein the two branch joints are fitted only at two portions in an interval of 180 degrees along the peripheral direction. Thus, there is no possibility that connected branch joints 10 are relatively displaced in a manner of tilting the axis.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is constructed by connecting a plurality of branch joints and is used for branching from a water supply source pipe to a plurality of water supply facilities for water supply or hot water supply in a house. It relates to a header for piping.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In this type of header, a substantially T-shaped branch joint having a connecting portion with a synthetic resin pipe connected to a water supply facility such as hot water supply and hot water supply can be coaxially rotated relative to each other. It will be connected to. For each branch fitting,
A plug portion and a socket portion located at opposite ends,
And a connection portion with the pipe is formed, and at the time of connection, the plug portion of one branch joint is relatively rotatably fitted in the socket portion of the other branch joint, and both connected branch joints are connected by the locking means. Locked in state.

The conventional locking means, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, has a circumferential engaging groove 102 on the outer periphery of the plug portion 101.
And the engagement groove 10 is formed in the socket 103.
A pair of left and right linear locking holes 104 that communicate with each other tangentially with respect to 2 are formed.
Is press-fitted so that a part of the split pin 105 is locked in the locking groove 102 of the plug portion 101.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional locking means, both branch joints 100 are 180 degrees in the circumferential direction.
Since only the two split pins 105 arranged at an angular interval of ° are connected, these two split pins 105 are connected.
Around the line 106 (virtual line) connecting the two, the number of the branch joints 100 on both sides is small, but the branch joint 100
There is a risk of relative displacement such that the axes of the two are inclined to each other. If the relative displacement is done by tilting the axes like this,
The bending state of the O-ring 107 becomes uneven in the circumferential direction, and as a result, the sealing function may deteriorate.

The present invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to lock branch joints in a connected state without deteriorating the sealing function.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a water source pipe is branched into a plurality of water supply facilities or hot water supply facilities for piping, and a plug portion and a socket portion are formed at both ends. And a plurality of branch joints provided with pipe joint means for pipes on the outer periphery, and at the connecting portion, the plug portion of one of the branch joints and the branch portion of the other The socket portion of the joint is coaxially and relatively rotatably fitted and locked by the locking means in the disengagement restriction state, and the gap between the outer periphery of the plug portion and the inner periphery of the socket portion is a seal member. A header for a branch pipe adapted to be sealed by a lock means, wherein the locking means includes a plug-side locking portion in the circumferential direction formed on the outer circumference of the plug portion and a circumference formed on the inner circumference of the socket portion. Person And the socket-side locking portion is constituted by a substantially ring-shaped engaging member to be engaged over substantially the entire circumference to the engagement portion of the both.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the pipe connected to the pipe joint means provided in the branch joint is a synthetic resin pipe, a copper pipe, a stainless pipe, or the like. The structure is a metal tube. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the pipe joint means is a tubular portion integrally formed with the branch joint, and the tubular portion is internally fitted to the tubular portion so as to be axially displaceable. And an inner cylinder that allows the pipe to be inserted therein, and a holding piece that is displaceable in the radial direction is formed on the inner cylinder. The inner cylinder is provided on the outer circumference of the holding piece and the inner circumference of the tubular portion. In the configuration, there is formed a tapered tightening portion which can be brought into contact with the pipe as it moves in the drawing direction, and at least one of which is reduced in diameter in the drawing direction of the pipe.

[0008]

[Advantageous Effects and Effects of the Invention] [Inventions of Claims 1 and 2] The two branch joints connected to each other are connected to each other by locking them over substantially the entire circumference through a substantially ring-shaped locking member. Therefore, the two branch joints are 180 ° in the circumferential direction.
Unlike the conventional locking means that locks only at two positions with an angular interval, there is no fear that the connected branch joint will be relatively displaced so as to incline its axis. [Invention of Claim 3] When the pipe is inserted into the inner cylinder until it penetrates into the holding piece and then the pipe is pulled back in the pulling-out direction, the holding piece is displaced in the diameter reducing direction by the taper of the tightening portion. Hold the pipe as it is tightened.
As a result, movement of the pipe in the insertion / removal direction is restricted. When connecting the pipes, it is only necessary to insert the pipes and pull them back.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The branch pipe header H (hereinafter, simply referred to as the header H) of the present embodiment is used in a house from a water supply source pipe S to a plurality of water supply facilities or hot water supply facilities (water heater, kitchen, bathroom, washroom, floor heating, etc.). This is for branching and piping, and the header H and a plurality of water supply equipment or hot water supply equipment are connected by a synthetic resin pipe P having a constant outer diameter.

The header H is provided in each branch joint 10 by connecting a plurality of branch joints 10 made of a hard synthetic resin and locking the connected branch joints 10 by the locking means 24 in the separation restriction state. The pipe P is connected to the pipe joint means 25 with one touch. The header H further includes a cap nut 33 connected to the branch joint 10 located at one end of the connected branch joints 10.
And a tubular body 34 connected to the branch joint 10 located at the other end.

The branch joint 10 is formed by integrally molding a tubular main body portion 11 with its axis oriented in the front-rear direction and a tubular portion 12 projecting from the outer periphery of the main body portion 11 so that the axis lines are orthogonal to each other. It is almost T-shaped as a whole. The front end of the main body portion 11 is a plug portion 13, and the rear end portion thereof is a socket portion 18. On the outer circumference of the plug portion 13, there are formed two circumferential sealing grooves 14 spaced apart in the axial direction,
A seal member 15 made of an O-ring is attached to each seal groove 14. In addition, at a position on the outer periphery of the plug portion 13 that is behind the seal member 15, a ridge locking portion 16 that is continuous over the entire circumference and has a diameter that is concentrically expanded (on the plug side that is a constituent feature of the present invention). (Locking portion) is formed. The front surface of the ridge locking portion 16 is a tapered guide slope 17 whose diameter decreases toward the front (the direction in which the plug portion 13 is fitted into the socket portion 18).

The socket portion 18 has a cylindrical shape into which the plug portion 13 can be fitted without looseness in the radial direction, and a seal surface 19 for elastically contacting the seal member 15 of the plug portion 13 is provided on the inner periphery thereof. ing. Further, a tapered abutting surface 21 having an inner diameter equal to the outer diameter of the protrusion locking portion 16 and corresponding to the guide slope 17 is provided in a portion of the inner periphery of the socket portion 18 rearward from the sealing surface 19. The enlarged diameter portion 20 having is formed. Further, the enlarged diameter portion 20 is formed with a locking groove 22 (socket side locking portion which is a constituent feature of the present invention) continuous over the entire circumference.

A C-shaped ring 23 (an engaging member which is a constituent feature of the present invention) having a rectangular cross section and made of a synthetic resin and having an arc shape is fitted into the engaging groove 22. The outer diameter of the C-shaped ring 23 in the free state is smaller than the inner diameter of the locking groove 22 and larger than the inner diameter of the expanded diameter portion 20. The inner diameter of the C-shaped ring 23 is smaller than the inner diameter of the expanded diameter portion 20. Therefore, in the state where the C-shaped ring 23 is located concentrically with the socket portion 18, the outer peripheral side portion of the C-shaped ring 23 is fitted into the locking groove 22 over its entire length, and the C-shaped ring 23 is The inner peripheral side portion of the locking groove 22 over its entire length
From the rear side, the protruding inner peripheral side portion is locked from the rear side to the protruding line locking portion 16 of the plug portion 13.

Incidentally, the locking means 24 is constituted by the protrusion locking portion 16 of the plug portion 13, the locking groove 22 of the socket portion 18 and the C-shaped ring 23. The pipe joint means 25, as shown in FIG. 5, is a tubular portion 1 formed integrally with the branch joint 10.
2 and an inner cylinder 26 which is fitted in the cylindrical portion 12 so as to be displaceable in the axial direction and into which the pipe P can be inserted. The inner cylinder 26 includes a plurality of radially displaceable members. Holding piece 27
Are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction, and a retaining projection 28 is formed on the inner circumference of the tip of each holding piece 27. In addition, the outer circumference of the holding piece 27 and the inner circumference of the tubular portion 12 can come into contact with the inner cylinder 26 as the pipe P moves in the drawing direction, and the diameter thereof decreases in the drawing direction of the pipe P. Tapered tightening portions 29 and 30 are formed. In addition, the tubular portion 12
Seal rings 31 and 32 elastically contacting the outer circumference of the pipe P are attached to the inner circumference of the inner cylinder 26 and the inner circumference of the inner cylinder 26, respectively.

Further, the cap nut 33 comprises a socket portion 18 and a C-shaped ring 23, which have the same shape as the branch joint 10. Further, the tubular body 34 includes the plug portion 13 having the same form as the branch joint 10, the seal member 15, and the water supply pipe S.
And a female screw portion 35 for connecting to each other. next,
The operation of this embodiment will be described. When assembling the header H, first, the branch joints 10 are coaxially and relatively rotatably fitted and connected to each other. At the connecting portion, the plug portion 13 of the one branch joint 10 is fitted into the socket portion 18 of the other branch joint 10. In the process of fitting, the locking groove 2
The C-shaped ring 23, which is loosely fitted in 2, is brought into contact with the guide slope 17 of the plug portion 13 to elastically expand and deform the C-shaped ring 23. Then, when the plug portion 13 is fitted to the normal fitting position where the guide slope 17 is brought into contact with the abutting surface 21, the ridge locking portion 16 passes through the C-shaped ring 23, so that the C-shaped ring 23 The elastic restoration force causes the diameter to be reduced, and the ridge locking portion 16 is locked from the rear side. As a result, the protrusion locking portion 16 (plug portion 13) is restricted from being separated from the socket portion 18 rearward, so that both branch joints 10 are relatively rotatable and separated from each other in the axial direction. Locked to be impossible.

After connecting the branch joints 10 to each other in this manner, the cap nut 33 and the cylinder 34 are connected to the branch joints 10 located at both ends. Similarly to the connecting portion between the branch joints 10 as described above, the connecting portion between the cap nut 33 and the branch joint 10 is also fitted with the plug portion 13 of the branch joint 10 into the socket portion 18 of the cap nut 33 to form the C-shaped ring 2
It is locked in the axial disengagement regulation state by the locking means 24 using No. 3. Further, the connecting portion between the tubular body 34 and the branch joint 10 is also locked by the C-shaped ring 23 by inserting the plug portion 13 of the tubular body 34 into the socket portion 18 of the branch joint 10 as in the connecting portion between the branch joints 10. It is locked by the means 24 in a state in which the axial separation is restricted. The cylindrical body 34
The water supply source pipe S is connected to the female screw portion 35 by screwing.

The seal member 15 of the plug portion 13 is provided between the branch joints 10 connected to each other, between the branch joint 10 and the cap nut 33, and between the tubular body 34 and the branch joint 10. Since the sealing surface 19 of 18 is elastic, water is prevented from entering the inside. By the above, the assembling of the header H is completed. After that, the pipe P is connected to the header H. When connecting the pipe P, after inserting the end of the pipe P into the inner cylinder 26 provided in the cylinder 12 of each branch joint 10 (until the end of the pipe P penetrates the holding piece 27), a little. It may be pulled back in the pulling direction. With this pullback operation, the inner cylinder 26
Also moves in the same direction, and the holding piece 27 causes the tapered tightening portion 29 to have a tapered shape on the inner circumference of the tubular portion 12.
When the holding piece 27 is brought into contact with 0, the retaining piece 27 is displaced in the diameter-reducing direction, and the retaining projection 27 is engaged with the retaining projection 28 on the outer periphery of the pipe P. As described above, the pipe P is locked in the state in which the pipe P is regulated from the branch joint 10 by being tightened in the radial direction by the holding piece 27. In the state where the pipe P is connected, the inner cylinder 2
Since the seal ring 6 and the seal ring of the cylindrical portion 12 elastically contact the outer circumference of the pipe P, water intrusion from the connecting portion with the pipe P is prevented.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the two branch joints 10 connected to each other are connected to each other through the substantially ring-shaped C-shaped ring 23 so as to be locked over substantially the entire circumference. So two branch joints 180
Unlike the conventional locking means that locks only at two positions with an angular interval of °, there is no fear that the connected branch joint 10 is relatively displaced so as to incline its axis.
In addition, when connecting the pipe P to the branch joint 10, it is only necessary to perform a simple operation of inserting the pipe P and pulling it back, so that workability is excellent.
When removing the pipe P, the inner tube 26 may be pushed into the tube portion 12 to separate the tightening portions 29 and 30 from each other and release the pressing in the diameter reducing direction against the holding piece 27. It is also easy to operate.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The header of the second embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in that the branch joint 10 is made of metal, and the structure of the locking means 40 is different from that of the first embodiment. Although the connecting portion between the cylindrical body 34 and the branch joint 10 is described in FIG. 6, the branch joint 1
The same applies to 0s and the connecting portion between the branch joint 10 and the cap nut 33. Explaining the locking means 40, the protrusion locking portion 41 (plug side locking portion which is a constituent feature of the present invention) of the plug portion 13 of the tubular body 34 has a rectangular cross section, and the guide slope 17 of the first embodiment. The surface corresponding to is not provided. Further, the socket portion 18 is not provided with a surface corresponding to the tapered abutting surface 21 of the first embodiment.
Further, the C-shaped ring 42 (locking member which is a constituent feature of the present invention) is formed by bending a metal wire having a circular cross section into an arc shape, and the outer peripheral side portion thereof is elastically reduced to a slightly reduced diameter. The engagement groove 43 (socket side engagement portion which is a constituent feature of the present invention) is deformed and has a gap between both ends.
Has been inserted into. The inner peripheral side portion of the inserted C-shaped ring 42 is concentrically projected inward from the locking groove 43 over the entire length thereof and is locked from the rear side to the protrusion locking portion 41 of the plug portion 13. It has become so.

The socket portion 18 has a jig opening 44 formed so as to penetrate from the outer circumference to the locking groove 43 on the inner circumference thereof. By inserting (not shown) and pushing out the C-shaped ring 42 toward the rear end opening side of the socket 18 while elastically contracting the C-shaped ring 42, the C-shaped ring 42 is disengaged from the locking groove 43, and thus the lock can be released. It is like this. Since the configuration other than the above is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the structure, action, and effect will be omitted.

[Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to 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 the above embodiment, the locking member is a C-shaped ring, but according to the present invention, the locking member may be a coil that is wound one or more times. (2) In the above embodiment, the pipe joint means with the pipe is formed integrally with the branch joint, but according to the present invention, the pipe joint means may be a member separate from the branch joint.

(3) In the above embodiment, the header joint and the water supply facility or the hot water supply facility are connected by a pipe made of synthetic resin. However, according to the present invention, a pipe made of a copper pipe is branched. It may be connected to a joint, or a pipe made of a material other than a synthetic resin pipe or a copper pipe may be connected. (4) The pipe joint means of the branch joint according to the above-described embodiment has the tubular portion, the inner tube, the holding piece, and the tightening portion so that the pipes can be connected by one-touch operation. A connection structure of a type other than the form may be provided in the branch joint. In this case, the connection structure may be integrated with the branch joint, or a unit separate from the branch joint may be attached to the branch joint.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 Partially cutaway plan view

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged plan view of a partially enlarged view showing a locking means.

4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a pipe joint means.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged partially cutaway plan view showing a locking means according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a conventional example.

8 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

H ... Head for branch piping P ... pipe S ... Water supply source pipe 10 ... Branch joint 12 ... Cylinder 13 ... Plug 15 ... Seal member 16 ... Ridge locking part (plug side locking part) 18 ... Socket part 22 ... Lock groove (lock part on socket side) 23 ... C-shaped ring (locking member) 24 ... Locking means 25 ... Pipe joint means 26 ... Inner cylinder 27 ... Holding piece 29, 30 ... Tightening part 40 ... Locking means 41 ... Ridge locking part (plug side locking part) 42 ... C-shaped ring (locking member) 43 ... Locking groove (socket side locking part)

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2D060 AC01 AC03                 3H015 BA01 BA04 BB03 BB05 BC02                       FA01                 3H019 DA03 DA04 DA09                 3J106 AA01 AB01 BA01 BB04 BC04                       BD01 BE11 CA03 EA03 EB03                       EC01 ED12 EE01 EF05

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A pipe for branching from a water supply source pipe to a plurality of water supply facilities or hot water supply facilities for piping, wherein a plug portion and a socket portion are formed at both ends, and a pipe for piping is provided on the outer periphery. And a plurality of branch joints provided with pipe joint means are connected, and at the connecting portion, the plug portion of one of the branch joints and the socket portion of the other of the branch joints are coaxial with each other. In addition, the branch pipe is fitted so as to be relatively rotatable and locked by the locking means in the disengagement restriction state, and the gap between the outer periphery of the plug part and the inner periphery of the socket part is sealed by a seal member. A header for use, wherein the locking means includes a circumferential plug-side locking portion formed on the outer circumference of the plug portion, and a circumferential socket-side locking portion formed on the inner circumference of the socket portion. A branch pipe header, characterized in that it is provided with a substantially ring-shaped locking member that is locked over substantially the entire circumference with respect to one locking portion. 2. The pipe connected to the pipe joint means provided in the branch joint is a synthetic resin pipe or a metal pipe such as a copper pipe or a stainless pipe. Branch pipe header as described. 3. The pipe joint means includes a cylindrical portion integrally formed with the branch joint, and an inner cylinder that is fitted in the cylindrical portion so as to be displaceable in the axial direction so that the pipe can be inserted. A retaining piece that is displaceable in the radial direction is formed on the inner cylinder, and the retaining piece contacts the outer periphery of the retaining piece and the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion as the inner cylinder moves in the pipe withdrawing direction. The branch pipe header according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a tapered tightening portion that can be contacted and at least one of which is reduced in diameter in a pipe withdrawing direction is formed.