JP2003090478A - Pipe coupling mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce switching time of a pipe line by automating mounting/ dismounting of a pipe. SOLUTION: A movable lock member 8 integrally having a tapered surface 9 and a hook part 10 is arranged to one end of a first pipe 1. A hook part fitting recess 15 in which the hook part 10 of the lock member 8 is fitted in a state of connecting to the first pipe 1 and the connection state is capable of locking is arranged to a second pipe 2. One end of the first pipe 1 is provided with a cylinder 3, a pipe 4 which supplies a pressurized fluid to an inside of the cylinder, a piston 5 slidably stored inside the cylinder 3, a cam sliding surface 7 integrally formed with the piston 5 and brought into contact with the tapered surface 9 of the lock member 8, and a spring 6 which pushes and moves the piston to a direction reverse to a direction in which the piston 5 is pushed and moved by the pressurized fluid.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pipe connecting mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a pipe joint is used to connect two pipes. As the pipe joint, there are various pipe joints such as ferrule joints and screw joints.

By the way, when switching the pipes, it is necessary to remove the pipe joint from the pipe and reattach it to another pipe. However, in the conventional pipe joint as described above, the replacement work is performed by using a tool. I had to complain that it had to be done manually, which took time and was inefficient.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a pipe connecting mechanism capable of automating the connection of pipes and shortening the switching time of the pipelines.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the pipe connecting mechanism of the present invention is movable at one end of the first pipe 1 by integrally having a tapered surface 9 and a hook portion 10. A lock body 8 is provided, and the hook portion 10 of the lock body 8 is fitted into the second pipe 2 in a state of being connected to the first pipe 1 so that the connected state can be locked. 15 is provided,
Further, at one end of the first pipe 1, a cylinder portion 3, a pipe 4 for supplying a pressurized fluid to the inside of the cylinder portion 3, a piston 5 slidably accommodated inside the cylinder portion 3,
Provided is a cam slope 7 that is in contact with the tapered surface 9 of the lock body 8 integrally with the piston 5, and a spring 6 that pushes and moves the piston 5 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the piston 5 is pushed and moved by the pressurized fluid. While the first pipe 1 and the second pipe 2 are connected to each other and the hook portion 10 is fitted and locked in the hook fitting recess 15, the pressurized fluid is fed from the pipe 4 into the cylinder portion 3. To move the piston 5 to one side, and the cam slope 7 of the piston 5 causes the taper surface 9 of the lock body 8 to move.
By pushing, the lock body 8 is moved and the hook 10 is released from the hook fitting recess 15, so that the first pipe 1 can be separated from the second pipe 2. It is the one.

Further, the pipe connecting mechanism of the present invention is the second
The pipe 2 is provided with a cylinder portion 12, a piston 13 slidable inside the cylinder portion 12, and a movable pipe portion 14 integral with the piston 13, and the movable pipe portion 14 is provided with a hook fitting recess. 15, the first pipe 1 and the second pipe 2 are connected to each other, and the hook portion 10 is fitted into the hook fitting recess 15 to lock the pressurizing fluid into the cylinder portion 12. By moving the piston 13 in and sliding the piston 13 to one side,
At the same time, the first pipe 1 can be moved to form the gap 19 at the connecting portion between the first pipe 1 and the second pipe 2, and the gap 1 can be formed.
Supply of cleaning fluid, sterile air, steam, etc.
The outlet 21 can be provided in the second tube 2.

The pipe connecting mechanism of the present invention has the first aspect.
Of the first pipe 1 is bent into a U-shape, the same connecting mechanism as that provided at one end of the first pipe 1 is provided at the other end, and the second pipe 2 is provided at the other end. The third pipe having the same structure as the above can be made detachable, so that the first pipe 1 can be used as a pipe joint for connecting the second pipe 2 and the third pipe.

In the pipe connecting mechanism of the present invention, the first
The pipe 1 of U-shape is detachable from the switching transfer device 39 which is provided with the pressurized fluid supply unit or is movable in connection with the pressurized fluid supply unit. It is possible to provide the first pipe 1 with a connector portion 38 that enables the pipe 4 to be connected to the pressurized fluid supply portion in the connected state.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows a state in which the second pipe 2 is connected to the first pipe 1 and locked. The first pipe 1 is provided with a cylinder portion 3 at one end, and a pipe 4 is connected to the cylinder portion 3. This pipe 4
Is to feed a pressurized fluid such as air into the cylinder portion 3.

The cylinder portion 3 accommodates a piston 5 slidably therein. The piston 5 is pushed by the pressure of the pressurized fluid sent from the pipe 4 into the cylinder portion 3 and slides to one side. Then, when the supply of the pressurized fluid to the inside of the cylinder portion 3 is stopped, the force of the spring 6 makes it possible to slide in the opposite direction and return to the original position.
A cam slope 7 is provided integrally with the piston 5.

A lock body 8 is also provided at one end of the first tube 1. The lock body 8 has a tapered surface 9 and a hook portion 10.
Are integrated. The tapered surface 9 is in contact with the cam slope 7 of the piston 5.

The lock body 8 is movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the first tube 1 and the second tube 2 move when they are attached and detached. That is, it is movable in the radial direction with respect to the first tube 1. The lock body 8 can have the same structure as the split ring whose diameter can be expanded and reduced. That is, a structure can be adopted in which the diameter is reduced to move it toward the center side in the radial direction, and conversely, the diameter is increased to move outward in the radial direction.

When a pressurized fluid is fed into the inside of the cylinder portion 3 and the piston 5 is slid to one side, the taper surface 9 of the lock body 8 in contact with the cam slope 7 of the piston 5 causes the cam slope 9 to move. The lock body 8 is pushed by 7, and moves outward in the radial direction. Further, the supply of the pressurized fluid to the inside of the cylinder portion 3 is stopped, and the piston 5 moves to the spring 6 as described above.
When it slides in the opposite direction and returns to its original position by the force of, the tapered surface 9 of the lock body 8 is released from the pressing force of the cam sloped surface 7 of the piston 5. At this time, the lock body 8 is pushed by the spring 11 mounted on the outside thereof, or by the elastic restoring force of the lock body 8 or by the force of the spring 11 and the elastic restoring force. Reduce the diameter and return to the original position. That is, the piston 5 moves in the direction opposite to the direction in which the lock body 8 moves.

The second pipe 2 connected to the first pipe 1 is provided with a cylinder portion 12 at one end thereof, and a piston 13 is slidably accommodated inside the cylinder portion 12. Then, the movable pipe portion 14 is integrally provided on the piston 13, and the movable pipe portion 14 is projected to the outside of the cylinder portion 12. The movable tube portion 14 has a hook portion fitting recess 1 on the side surface.
5 is provided. The movable tube portion 14 is inserted into the inside of the first tube 1 when the first tube 1 and the second tube 2 are connected. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the hook portion 1 of the lock body 8
0 moves inward in the radial direction and the hook portion 10 is fitted into the hook fitting recess 15 of the movable tube portion 14, whereby the connected state is locked.

In order to separate the first pipe 1 and the second pipe 2 in the connected state, it is necessary to release the locked state. And
To release the locked state, as shown in FIG. 2, a pressurized fluid is fed from the pipe 4 into the cylinder portion 3 of the first pipe 1 and the piston 5 is slid to one side. , The cam slope 7 of the piston 5 pushes the tapered surface 9 of the lock body 8 to move the lock body 8 outward in the radial direction, so that the hook portion 10 of the lock body 8 is fitted to the hook portion of the movable pipe portion 14. It is sufficient to escape from the recess 15. Then, the first pipe 1 and the second pipe 2 can be separated by removing the first pipe 1 from the second pipe 2 after releasing the locked state.

In the state where the first pipe 1 and the second pipe 2 are connected and locked, the cylinder portion 12 in the second pipe 2
When the pressurized fluid is fed into the inside of the chamber from one of the pressurized fluid inlet / outlet ports 16, the piston 13 can be slid to one side. At this time, the movable tube portion 1 together with the piston 13
4 also moves. Then, the first pipe 1 in which the hook portion 10 of the lock body 8 is locked by being fitted into the hook fitting recess 15 of the movable pipe portion 14 also moves together with the movable pipe portion 14 by the movement stroke of the piston 13. . And the first tube 1
Move away from the second tube 2. This allows
As shown in FIG. 1, the opening edge 17 of the first tube 1 is separated from the opening edge 18 of the second tube 2 to create a gap 19 therebetween. The opening of the second tube 2 can be opened and closed by the valve body 20.

The second pipe 2 is provided with a supply / discharge port 21 for cleaning liquid, aseptic air, steam, etc., which is opened to the above-mentioned gap 19.
Is provided. Therefore, cleaning liquid
By sending in aseptic air / steam or the like, the connection between the first pipe 1 and the second pipe 2 can be washed and sterilized.

Then, after the cleaning and sterilization are completed, FIG.
In order to bring the opening edge portion 17 of the first pipe 1 into close contact with the opening edge portion 18 of the second pipe 2 again, as shown in FIG. In / out port 2
The piston 13 may be slid in the opposite direction by feeding the pressurized fluid from 2.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numerals 23,
24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 3
Numerals 2 and 33 denote packings, and numerals 34 and 3 respectively.
Reference numeral 5 indicates a sliding material. Further, reference numeral 36 is the first tube 1.
When the second pipe 2 and the second pipe 2 are connected to each other, the inner plug is in contact with the movable pipe portion 14, and the reference numeral 37 is a spring for urging the inner plug.

By the way, the first tube 1 can be bent into a U-shape to form a U-shape, as shown in FIG. Further, the same connecting mechanism as the above connecting mechanism provided at one end of the first tube 1 can be provided at the other end of the U-shaped first tube 1. That is, at the other end of the first tube 1,
It is possible to provide the cylinder portion 3, the pipe 4, the piston 5 having the cam sloped surface 7, the taper surface 9 and the lock body 8 having the hook portion 10. A third pipe (not shown) having the same structure as the second pipe 2 can be detachably attached to the other end of the first pipe 1. That is, the U-shaped first pipe 1 can be used as a pipe joint by connecting the second pipe 2 and the third pipe at both ends thereof.

The U-shaped first pipe 1 is provided with a connector portion 38 on the outer surface of the intermediate portion, and the other end of the pipe 4 for supplying the above-mentioned pressurized fluid to the cylinder portion 3 is It guides to the connector part 38, and the connector part 38 switches the transfer device 3
It can be freely attached to and detached from 9. That is, the switching transfer device 39 is provided with an automatic attachment / detachment mechanism (not shown) with respect to the connector portion 38, and is also provided with a drop prevention mechanism (not shown) for the connected first pipe 1. In addition, the switching transfer device 39 includes a pressurized fluid supply unit (not shown) or is connected to the pressurized fluid supply unit and connected to the connector unit 38, and is connected to the pipe 4 described above. The pressurized fluid can be supplied to the pipe 4 by connecting the pressurized fluid supply unit. Further, the switching transfer device 39 is movable.

When the pipeline is switched, the switching transfer device 3
9, one end or both ends of the first pipe 1 is removed from the second pipe and / or the third pipe while the first pipe 1 is connected to the connector pipe 38 via the connector portion 38, and the switching transfer device 39 is By moving the first pipe 1, the first pipe 1 is carried to the position of the pipe to be newly connected and connected. The movement of the switching transfer device 39 is preferably automated, but it can be moved manually.

[0023]

As described above, in the pipe connecting mechanism of the present invention, when the connected first pipe 1 and second pipe 2 are separated, the pressurized fluid is fed into the cylinder portion 3. Then, the piston 5 is slid to one side, and the taper surface 9 of the lock body 8 is pushed by the cam sloped surface 7 provided on the piston 5 to move the lock body 8, whereby the hook portion 10 of the lock body 8 is moved to the second position. The locked state may be released by escaping from the hook fitting recess 15 provided in the second pipe 2, and when connecting the separated first pipe 1 and second pipe 2, the second pipe 2 Since the hook portion 10 is automatically fitted into the hook fitting recess 15 and is in a locked state only by inserting the portion provided with the hook fitting recess 15 into the inside of the first pipe 1, It is not necessary to use a tool to manually attach and detach pipes when switching pipes as described above. It is possible to shorten the Toggles time. Further, according to the second aspect, a gap 19 is formed at the connecting portion between the first pipe 1 and the second pipe 2, and the cleaning liquid, sterile air, steam, etc. are fed into the gap 19. By doing so, the connecting portion between the first pipe 1 and the second pipe 2 can be washed and sterilized, so that sanitary management of the pipe is easy. Further, if the first pipe 1 is U-shaped as described in claim 3 and the connecting mechanism for the second pipe and the third pipe is provided at both ends thereof, the attaching and detaching work for the two pipes can be performed. Since it becomes easy, the switching time of the pipeline can be further shortened. In addition, as described in claim 4, the connector portion 3
If 8 is provided in the U-shaped first pipe 1 and the connector portion 38 thereof is attachable to and detachable from the switching transfer device 39, the movement for switching and the supply of the pressurized fluid are facilitated. Efficiency of pipeline switching work is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a half sectional view showing a state in which a first pipe and a second pipe are connected and locked.

FIG. 2 is a half cross-sectional view showing a state in which a locked state of a first pipe and a second pipe is released.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the first pipe bent into a U-shape to form a pipe joint.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 first tube 2 Second tube 3 Cylinder part 4 pipes 5 pistons 6 spring 7 cam slope 8 lock body 9 Tapered surface 10 Hook 11 spring 12 Cylinder part 13 pistons 14 Movable pipe section 15 Hook piece fitting recess 16 Pressurized fluid inlet / outlet 17 Opening edge 18 Opening edge 19 gap 20 valve body 21 Supply / discharge port for cleaning liquid, sterile air, steam, etc. 22 Pressurized fluid inlet / outlet 23 Packing 24 packing 25 packing 26 Packing 27 packing 28 packing 29 packing 30 packing 31 packing 32 packing 33 packing 34 Sliding material 35 Sliding material 36 Inner stopper 37 spring 38 Connector 39 Switching transfer device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A lock body 8 having a tapered surface 9 and a hook portion 10 integrally formed therein is provided at one end of a first pipe 1, and the movable lock body 8 is provided on the second pipe 2. A hook fitting recess 15 for fitting the hook 10 of the lock body 8 in a connected state to lock the connected state is provided, and the cylinder part 3 and the cylinder part 3 are provided at one end of the first pipe 1. A pipe 4 for supplying a pressurized fluid into the cylinder portion 3, a piston 5 slidably accommodated in the cylinder portion 3, and the piston 5
Cam slope 7 that comes into contact with the tapered surface 9 of the lock body 8 integrally with
And a spring 6 for pushing and moving the piston 5 in a direction opposite to the direction in which the piston 5 is pushed and moved by the pressurized fluid.
And the first pipe 1 and the second pipe 2 are connected to each other and the hook portion 10 is fitted into the hook fitting concave portion 15 and locked, and the pipe 4 is inserted into the cylinder portion 3. A pressurized fluid is fed from the above to move the piston 5 to one side, and the taper surface 9 of the lock body 8 is pushed by the cam sloped surface 7 of the piston 5 to move the lock body 8 so that the hook fitting recess 15 From the hook 10
A pipe connecting mechanism characterized in that the first pipe 1 can be separated from the second pipe 2 by escaping the pipe. 2. The second pipe 2 is provided with a cylinder portion 12, a piston 13 slidable inside the cylinder portion 12, and a movable pipe portion 14 integral with the piston 13, and the movable pipe portion is provided. 14 is provided with a hook fitting recess 15, and the first pipe 1 and the second pipe 2 are connected to each other so that the hook 10 fits into the hook fitting recess 15 and is locked. Of the first pipe 1 and the second pipe 2 by moving the first pipe 1 together with the movable pipe portion 14 by feeding the pressurized fluid into the inside of the pipe and sliding the piston 13 to one side. A gap 19 can be formed in the gap 19, and a cleaning liquid / sterile air that opens into the gap 19
The pipe connecting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a supply / discharge port 21 for steam or the like is provided in the second pipe 2. 3. The first pipe 1 is bent into a U shape, and the other end of the first pipe 1 is also provided with the same connection mechanism as the one provided at one end thereof, and at the other end thereof. Also, the third pipe having the same structure as the second pipe 2 can be detachably attached to the first pipe 1 to the second pipe.
The pipe connecting mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, which can be used as a pipe joint for connecting the pipe (2) and the third pipe. 4. A pipe 4 is detachably attached to a switching transfer device 39 which is provided with a pressurized fluid supply part or is movable in connection with the pressurized fluid supply part and is connected to the switching transfer device 39. Connector part 3 that can be connected to the pressurized fluid supply part
The pipe connecting mechanism according to claim 3, wherein 8 is provided in the first pipe 1.