JP2004084765A - Piping joint and method of connecting the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To save the space and to reduce the cost in the piping joint structure of a vehicular air conditioner. <P>SOLUTION: In the piping joint structure to support a piping member 5 with a flange member 10 fitted to a refrigerating device, the flange member 10 is provided with a device fitting member 11 and a pair of claw parts 12 and 12 extending from the device fitting member 11, and a groove part 14 passing through the piping member 5 is formed between the pair of claw parts 12 and 12 and the device fitting part 11. The piping member 5 is firmly coupled with the flange member 10 by caulking and press-fitting the claw parts 12 and 12 by winding them around an outer circumferential surface 6 of the piping member 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention particularly relates to a flanged pipe joint structure used as a refrigerant pipe of a vehicle air conditioner.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Generally, when a refrigerant pipe of a vehicle air conditioner is connected to a pipe connection portion of each refrigeration apparatus, it is often supported and connected to a flange-shaped pipe joint screwed and fixed to each refrigeration apparatus. Conventionally, as this pipe joint structure, there is one described in JP-A-2000-46259. According to this, as shown in FIG. 13, the joint base member 31 includes a joint base member 31 into which the piping member 30 is inserted into the opening 31a, and a flange member 32 for fixing the piping member 30 to the joint base member 31. The pipe member 30 is connected to the flange member 32 by expanding the end of the pipe member 30 inserted through the opening 31a of the flange portion 32 and the insertion hole 32a of the flange portion 32 by an expansion pipe punch.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in recent years, since various types of equipment are arranged in a vehicle air conditioner, space saving and cost reduction have been required in order to secure a space around a refrigeration cycle. In particular, since piping members are piped through the space of the vehicle that is not visible to connect distant parts, it is extremely difficult to install new equipment after piping once. Was required.
[0004]
In the conventional piping method disclosed in the above publication, the pipe member 30 is expanded and connected to the flange member 32, so that a pipe support jig is required at the time of connection, and a space for mounting the pipe support jig is required. Had to secure. Therefore, arranging the pipe support jig in a space-saving place requires a straight length linearly extending from the flange joint portion of the pipe member 30, and therefore, saves more space than necessary. Things were very difficult. Further, since the piping length and the piping support jig are arranged more than necessary, the connection structure of the piping member 30 is configured to be expensive.
[0005]
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a piping joint and a method of connecting the same, which can save space and further reduce cost.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A pipe joint according to the present invention is configured as follows in order to solve the above-described problem. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when connecting the piping member for flowing the refrigerant to the refrigerating device, the piping member is crimped to the piping joint mounted on the refrigerating device, so that the piping member is firmly supported by the piping joint. The Rukoto. That is, since the pipe joint can support the outer peripheral surface of the pipe member by caulking and crimping, the pipe joint and the pipe member can be firmly connected by the caulking force, and, for example, the pipe member is piped. It is not necessary to form the pipe member in a complicated shape such that the diameter of the pipe member is expanded inside the pipe joint at the connection site of the refrigerating device of the mating member, and the cost does not increase.
[0007]
Also, by performing the crimping action from the outer peripheral portion of the pipe joint, since the pipe member is not supported by the pipe support jig to expand the pipe inside the pipe joint as in the related art, the pipe support jig is used. Space for installation can be omitted, and space can be saved. Furthermore, since the pipe straight section does not need to be formed in order to install the pipe support jig, the pipe member can be bent immediately after the swaged portion of the pipe member to further save space.
[0008]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the pipe joint and the pipe member can be firmly connected to each other by crimping the claws of the pipe joint along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe member inserted into the groove. it can. Therefore, similarly to the first aspect of the present invention, the crimping operation can be performed from the outer peripheral portion of the pipe joint, and the space for installing the conventional pipe support jig can be omitted, and the space can be saved. Furthermore, since the pipe straight section does not need to be formed in order to install the pipe support jig, the pipe member can be bent immediately after the swaged portion of the pipe member to further save space. In addition, since the flange member is formed by simply extending the pair of claw portions from the device mounting portion, the flange member can be formed in an extremely simple shape and does not lead to an increase in cost.
[0009]
Further, as in the invention according to claim 3, for example, a knurl-shaped or tooth-shaped concavo-convex formed portion is formed on the mounting surface of the groove portion or the claw portion of the pipe joint, or an elastic body is fitted to the pipe joint. By supporting the member, the pipe joint and the pipe member can be more firmly connected to each other, and furthermore, the effect of reducing vibration transmission can be achieved.
[0010]
Further, the invention according to claim 4 is a connection method in which a pipe member is supported by a pipe joint and connected to a pipe connection portion of the apparatus, and when the pipe member is connected to a connection portion of the refrigeration apparatus, the pipe member is connected to a pipe. After being inserted into the groove formed in the joint, the pipe joint supports the claw formed in the pipe joint by caulking along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe member, so that the pipe member and the pipe joint are caulked. Since the pipe joint can be firmly connected by force and the crimping action of the pipe joint can be performed from the outer peripheral portion, the pipe member is connected to the pipe joint in comparison with a method in which the pipe member is expanded inside the pipe joint and connected to the pipe joint. A pipe support jig for supporting one of the pipe members for expanding the pipe inside the joint can be omitted, and the space can be saved.
[0011]
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the crimping and crimping means is crimped to the outer peripheral surface of the pipe member by bending the claw portion of the pipe joint, a load for bending the claw portion from the outer peripheral portion of the pipe joint is applied. The pipe joint and the pipe member can be firmly connected by an easy operation.
[0012]
Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 6, since the crimping and crimping means is performed by press-compression to the claw portion of the pipe joint, the claw portion is crimped from the outer peripheral portion of the pipe joint similarly to the invention of claim 5. It is only necessary to apply a load, and the pipe joint and the pipe member can be firmly connected by an easy operation.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0014]
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a pipe joint structure in which the flange member 10 is caulked and crimped to join the flange member 10 and the pipe member 5 in a state where the pipe member 5 is supported by the flange member 10 as a pipe joint. The flange member 10 to which the pipe member 5 is connected is mounted on a refrigeration apparatus (not shown), and the pipe member 5 is connected to a pipe connection portion of the refrigeration apparatus.
[0015]
The pipe joint structure of the embodiment is a refrigeration apparatus constituting a refrigeration cycle, for example, connecting a pipe member for flowing a cooled refrigerant or a heated refrigerant to a pipe connection portion such as an evaporator, a condenser, or a compressor. Will be described.
[0016]
The flange member 10 of the first embodiment is formed of a metal material such as aluminum, and the flange member 10 includes a device mounting portion 11 formed in a rectangular plate shape as shown in FIGS. A pair of claw portions 12 are formed so as to protrude from one end of the mounting portion 11. A groove 14 for inserting the piping member 5 is formed between the pair of claws 12. Further, the device mounting portion 11 is provided with a mounting hole 15 for fixing to each refrigerating device with a screw member or the like.
[0017]
The groove portion 14 is formed so as to bite into the device mounting portion 11 in a semicircular shape, and is formed linearly along the inner peripheral surface of the claw portions 12 to allow the pipe member 5 to be inserted. .
[0018]
The piping member 5 is formed of a metal material such as aluminum, and has a larger diameter at the tip of the piping member 5 than the outer peripheral surface 6 of the piping member 5 for connection to a piping connection site of each refrigerating device. A pair of the large-diameter portions 7.7 are formed in the axial direction, and a groove 8 for engaging an O-ring (not shown) is formed between the large-diameter portions 7.7.
[0019]
The flange member 10 in which the pipe member 5 is inserted into the groove portion 14 holds the claw portions 12 with a crimping machine or a press machine while the lower surface of the large-diameter portion 7 arranged below is supported by the upper surface of the flange member 10. By caulking along the outer peripheral surface 6 of the pipe member 5, the inner peripheral surfaces of the claw portions 12 and 12 are pressed against the outer peripheral surface 6 of the pipe member 5, and the pipe member 5 is integrated with the flange member 10. Join.
[0020]
The flange member 10, which is formed by integrally pressing and connecting the pipe members 5, is formed by inserting a pair of large-diameter portions 7.7 of the pipe member 5 into a pipe connection site of each refrigerating apparatus, and then connecting a thread member (not shown) to the flange. It is inserted into the mounting hole 15 of the member 10 and fixed to each refrigeration device.
[0021]
At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the mounting surface of the flange member 10 with the pipe member 5 in the groove portion 14, that is, along the semicircular portion of the device mounting portion 11 and the inner peripheral surfaces of the both claw portions 12, For example, if the knurl portion 18 or the tooth portion is formed, when the claw portions 12 of the flange member 10 are pressed against the pipe member 5, the knurl portion 18 or the tooth portion is -It is possible to make a stronger connection by digging into the inner peripheral surface of 12.
[0022]
Also, instead of forming the knurls 18 on the mounting surface of the groove portion 14 of the flange member 10 with the piping member 5, an elastic fitting member (not shown) is attached, and the piping member 5 is inserted. The claws 12 may be crimped along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe member 5. Thereby, the vibration transmitted from the pipe member 5 is suppressed from being transmitted to the flange member 10 and the connected refrigerating apparatus.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 4, the piping member 5A formed by bending the back surface of the flange member 10 is crimped by inserting the straight portion of the piping member 5A into the groove 14 of the flange member 10. You may do so. In the pipe joint structure of the embodiment, since the claw portions 12 of the flange member 10 are crimped along the outer peripheral surface 6 of the pipe member 5A by caulking, it is not necessary to support the pipe member 5A with a pipe support jig. Therefore, a straight portion that extends linearly from the back surface of the flange member 10 in the piping member 5A is not particularly required. Therefore, if it is bent along the back surface of the flange member 10, when connecting the piping member 5A to the refrigerating apparatus, a space can be secured by that amount, and space can be saved.
[0024]
Next, a method for caulking the claws 12 of the flange member 10 to the pipe member 5 will be described.
[0025]
The crimping crimping method of the first embodiment is, as shown in FIG. 5, crimping the claws 12, 12 so as to bend along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe member 5. As shown, after inserting the straight pipe member 5 into the groove 14 of the flange member 10, the mandrel 3 is inserted into the tubular portion of the pipe member 5 from the tip end side of the pipe member 5. By inserting the mandrel 3, when the claw portions 12 of the flange member 10 crimped and pressed into the outer peripheral surface of the pipe member 5, the deformation of the pipe member 5 can be prevented, and the cylindrical shape in the cylindrical portion can be maintained. Is to do so.
[0026]
When the mandrel 3 is inserted into the inside of the cylindrical shape of the pipe member 5, as shown in FIG. 7, the claw portions 12 are moved from one outer side of each of the claw portions 12 by a caulking machine (not shown). Then, the claws 12 are bent along the outer peripheral surface 6 of the pipe member 5 in order or simultaneously with the other claws 12 until the claws 12 slightly bite into the outer peripheral surface 6 of the pipe member 5. Then, after the mandrel 3 is detached from the upper part of the pipe of the pipe member 5, as shown in FIG. It will be. The formation of the large diameter portion 7 and the groove 8 shown in FIG. 8 may be performed before the step shown in FIG.
[0027]
As described above, according to the pipe joint structure of the embodiment, the flange member 10 as the pipe joint includes the device mounting portion 11 mounted on the refrigeration device, and the pair of claw portions 12 connected to the groove portion 14. Since the claw portions 12 are formed so as to extend from the device mounting portion 11, the claw portions 12 are bent along the outer peripheral surface 6 of the pipe member 5 through which the pair of claw portions 12 are inserted into the groove portions 14. By crimping as described above, the piping member 5 can be firmly connected.
[0028]
Therefore, a load that bends the claw portions 12 of the flange member 10 from outside the claw portions 12 can be applied while the pipe member 5 is supported by the flange member 10. There is no need to support the pipe member 5 at a part other than the part 10, so that the space for disposing the pipe support jig of the pipe member 5 can be omitted, and when piping to the refrigeration cycle of the vehicle, space can be saved. Can be achieved. In addition, the space can be saved, so that the length of the pipe member 5 can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced because the pipe support jig is omitted.
[0029]
Next, in the second form of the crimping crimping method, as shown in FIG. 9, the pipe member 5 is inserted into the groove portion 14 of the flange member 10, and the mandrel 3 is formed into a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. After being inserted into the inside, the pair of claws 12 are pressed along the longitudinal direction of the flange member 10 from the tip end side of the claws 12 with a press to press the claws 12 with each other. As a result, the pair of claw portions 12 are press-contacted by the press, and the portions of the claw portions 12 that are in contact with the pipe member 5 are enlarged, and the enlarged portions are slightly attached to the outer peripheral surface 6 of the pipe member 5. The claw portions 12 are pressed against the pipe member 5 by biting into the pipe member 5.
[0030]
Therefore, the pipe member 5 is pressed against the device mounting portion 11 by closing a part of the groove portion 14 with the claw portions 12 of the flange member 10, and is firmly connected to the flange member 10. Become.
[0031]
Next, a flange member according to a second embodiment will be described. The second flange member 20 is formed of a metal material such as aluminum, and as shown in FIG. 10, a groove is formed between the device mounting portion 21 and the device mounting portion 21 from one end of the device mounting portion 21. And a claw portion 22 which is bent in an inverted L-shape to form the crest portion 24. That is, the groove portion 24 is formed in a long hole shape extending from the end face in the short direction at one end side of the rectangular plate-shaped flange member 20. The device mounting portion 21 is formed with a mounting hole 25 for mounting to the refrigeration device with a screw member or the like.
[0032]
As shown in FIGS. 11 to 12, the claw 22 is crimped along the outer peripheral surface 6 of the pipe member 5 by inserting the pipe member 5 into the groove 24 of the flange member 20 formed as described above. The piping member 5 is firmly connected to the flange member 20.
[0033]
In the crimping crimping method according to this embodiment, in the case of FIG. 11, after inserting the mandrel 3 into the cylindrical shape of the pipe member 5, the claw 22 is rotated toward the outer peripheral surface 6 of the pipe member 5 inserted into the groove 25. And crimping by crimping. As a result, the surface of the claw portion 22 on the side in contact with the pipe member 5 is bent so as to wind around the outer peripheral surface of the pipe member 5, and slightly bites into the outer peripheral surface 6 of the pipe member 5 to attach the pipe member 5 to the flange member. 20.
[0034]
In the case of FIG. 12, after the mandrel 3 is inserted into the cylindrical shape of the pipe member 5, the claw 22 is moved toward the outer peripheral surface 6 of the pipe member 5 inserted into the groove 25, and Press-welding in the longitudinal direction of the flange member 20 to perform crimping and pressure bonding. As a result, the surface of the claw portion 22 on the side that comes into contact with the pipe member 5 is pressed into contact with the contact surface of the pipe member 5 with the outer peripheral surface 6 so that the pipe member 5 is brought into contact with the flange member 20. Will be combined.
[0035]
As described above, by using the flange member 20 of the second embodiment, the claw portion 22 of the flange portion 20 is bent so as to be wound around the outer peripheral surface 6 of the pipe member 5, or is press-contacted by crimping. In the same manner as in the first embodiment, in the state where the pipe member 5 is supported by the flange member 20, a load for bending or press-pressing the claw portion 22 of the flange member 20 from outside the claw portion 22 is applied. Therefore, there is no need to support the pipe member 5 at a portion other than the flange portion 20 of the pipe member 5, whereby the space for disposing the pipe support jig of the pipe member 5 can be omitted, and the refrigeration of the vehicle can be avoided. When piping in a cycle, space saving can be achieved. In addition, the space can be saved, so that the length of the pipe member 5 can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced because the pipe support jig is omitted.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a pipe joint structure according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a flange member in which knurling is performed on a groove portion.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a bent pipe member is connected to a flange member.
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state before and after crimping according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an operation diagram showing the caulking method.
FIG. 7 is an operation diagram showing the crimping and crimping method.
FIG. 8 is an operation diagram showing the crimping and crimping method.
FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrating a crimping / crimping method according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a flange member according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a crimping crimping method of the first embodiment in a pipe joint structure using the flange member of the second embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a caulking method according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a conventional pipe joint structure.
[Explanation of symbols]
5, 5A Piping member 10 Flange member (Piping joint)
11 Device mounting part 12 Claw part 14 Groove part 15 Mounting hole 20 Flange member (Piping joint)
21 Device mounting part 22 Claw part 24 Groove part 25 Mounting hole

Claims (6)

A pipe joint that supports a pipe member that is piped to a refrigeration device of an air conditioner,
A piping joint mounted on the refrigeration apparatus and formed so as to be able to be crimped to the outer peripheral surface of the piping member. A mounting portion to be mounted on the refrigeration apparatus, a claw extending from the device mounting portion, and a groove connected to the claw and through which the pipe member is inserted, wherein the claw is the pipe member The pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the pipe joint is formed so as to be able to be crimped to the outer peripheral surface of the pipe joint. The piping joint according to claim 2, wherein either or both of the concave and convex molding and the elastic body fitting are processed on the mounting surface of the groove or the claw. A piping method for connecting a piping member that has a piping member piped to a refrigeration device of an air conditioner and a piping joint attached to the refrigeration device and supports the piping member with the piping joint,
The pipe joint includes a device mounting portion that is fixed to the refrigeration device, and a claw portion that extends from the device mounting portion and is formed by being connected to a groove portion through which the pipe member is inserted.
A method of connecting a pipe joint, wherein the pipe joint supports the pipe member with a crimping means. The method of connecting a pipe joint according to claim 4, wherein the caulking means is performed by bending a claw portion of the pipe joint and caulking the outer peripheral surface of the pipe member. The method of connecting a pipe joint according to claim 4, wherein the caulking means is performed by press-pressing the claw portion along an outer peripheral direction of the pipe member.

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