JP2006022911A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the impact added to a connector, from being transmitted to a connector main body. <P>SOLUTION: This connector 2 is composed of the connector main body 10, a retainer 20 and a protective member 30, and the protective member 30 is mounted on an outside part or an inside part of the connector main body 10. The protective member 30 is made out of a hard synthetic resin material or a metallic material to improve its rigidity. Though this connector 2 is mounted on, for example, a pipe P connected with a fuel tank, and may be hit by the other component or a working tool in maintenance work, the impact shock by the hitting can be reduced/absorbed by the protective member 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a connector for connecting a pipe and a tube, which is provided in an automobile or various machines and devices and circulates a fluid.

  For example, a connector as shown in FIG. 7 is known as one for connecting a metal pipe and a tube of an automobile fuel system (Patent Document 1). The connector 100 will be briefly described. The connector 100 includes a connector main body 101 and a retainer 102. One end of the connector main body 101 is formed with a connection portion 103 having a substantially bamboo-like shape for connecting the tube T, and the other end. Is formed with an insertion hole 104 into which the pipe P can be inserted. The inner periphery of the connector main body 101 is provided with a sealing material (not shown) for sealing the inserted pipe P and the main body 101 and a collar (not shown) for attaching the sealing material. An attachment hole 105 for attaching the retainer 102 that prevents the inserted pipe P from coming off is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the connector main body 101. Further, the retainer 102 is provided with a retaining piece 107 that engages with a bulge portion B that is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe P.

In the connector 100 configured as described above, the tube T is fitted into the connection portion 103 of the connector main body 101 of the connector 100, and the pipe P is inserted into the insertion portion 104. Thereafter, by attaching the retainer 102 to the mounting hole 105 provided in the side surface portion of the connector main body 101, the retaining piece 107 of the retainer 102 and the bulge portion B of the pipe P are engaged, and the connector main body 101 and the pipe P are Connected. As a result, the tube T and the pipe P are connected.
Japanese National Patent Publication No. 10-509232

However, such a conventional technique has the following problems. That is, when assembling parts or during maintenance, other parts or tools may hit the connector body. At this time, there is a risk that the connector body may be scratched by the impact, and the damaged connector has to be replaced. As a result, a connector replacement operation is added, which increases the number of work steps and increases the installation cost.
The present invention has been developed on the basis of the above-described problems, and aims to alleviate and absorb the impact applied to the connector.

As a means for achieving the above object, the present invention has a through-hole through which a fluid flows, a tube is connected to one end, and a pipe can be inserted into the other end. A connector body, a retainer that is attached to the connector body and prevents a pipe inserted into the connector body, and a protective portion that is provided on the connector body and is formed of a hard material that protects the connector body. It has the characteristics.

The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the protection portion is provided on an outer portion of the connector body.

The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the protection portion is provided on the inner side of the connector body.

<Invention of Claim 1>
According to the first aspect of the present invention, even if an impact is applied to the connector main body, the impact can be mitigated and absorbed by the protective portion made of a hard material.

<Invention of Claim 2>
According to the second aspect of the present invention, even if an external impact is applied to the connector main body, the impact is alleviated and absorbed by the protection portion, so that the outer portion of the connector main body can be prevented from being damaged.

<Invention of Claim 3>
According to the invention of claim 3, even if an impact is applied to the connector main body from the outside, the connector main body is reinforced by the protective portion provided inside, so that it is possible to prevent scratches that lead to cracking of the connector main body.

<Embodiment 1>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the first embodiment, a connector used for connecting a tube T of a fuel piping system of an automobile and a pipe P provided in a fuel tank will be described as an example. Further, the pipe P is made of synthetic resin or metal, and a bulge portion B is formed at the position near the tip of the pipe P so as to project over the entire circumference.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the connector 2 of the present invention includes a connector body 10, a retainer 20, and a protection member 30. (The protection member here corresponds to the protection portion of the present invention.) And seal rings 40 and 41 are attached to the inner peripheral portion of the connector body 10.

First, the connector body 10 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector main body 10 has a substantially cylindrical shape, one side of which has a small diameter portion 58 formed with a small diameter, and the other side has a large diameter portion 59 formed with a large diameter. Is formed. And the tube connection part 11 can be provided in the one end part of the small diameter part 58 downward.
Further, an introduction hole 12 is formed inside the connector body 10 (the introduction hole here corresponds to a through hole of the present invention), and the pipe P can be received from one end thereof. In addition, the tube connecting portion 11 has a communication hole 13 that is continuous with the introduction hole 12 in the inside thereof, and a plurality of retaining protrusions 14 having an arrow shape in cross section and forming an annular shape are formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. . A tube T made of synthetic resin is fitted on the tube. Moreover, the front-end | tip part of the tube connection part 11 plays the role of the guide part for performing the external fitting of the tube T smoothly by making it taper-shape.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an intermediate portion 15 and an insertion portion 16 (on the right side in FIG. 2) having a stepped diameter are formed in the middle of the introduction hole 12 in the axial direction. Two seal rings 40, 41 and a collar 42 that prevents the seal rings 40, 41 from coming off are fitted to the intermediate portion 15. Both seal rings 40 and 41 are in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pipe P and serve to seal between the pipe P and the hole wall of the introduction hole 12. Further, the insertion portion 16 is formed to have a larger diameter than the inner diameter of the intermediate portion 15, thereby improving the insertability of the collar 42 and the role of the inlet of the pipe P when the connector 2 is assembled.

  Further, a pair of front and rear flanges 50 and 51 are provided on the outer peripheral side of the connector main body 10 so as to project in the circumferential direction. The flanges 50 and 51 are formed in a substantially square shape, and a space between the both flanges 50 and 51 is a mounting portion 52 for mounting the retainer 20 described below. The attachment portion 52 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and a pair of window portions 53 are formed in a portion near the flange 50 on the upper surface. Both the window portions 53 communicate with the insertion portion 16, and the retaining piece 21 of the retainer 20 enters and exits the insertion portion 16 through the both window portions 53. A rib 54 is formed between the window portions 53 so as to continue to the flange 50. This is to prevent the strength of the flange 50 from being reduced due to the formation of the window portion 53 and to break or bend in the axial direction.

  In addition, on the left and right side surfaces of the attachment portion 52, a lock hole 55 that communicates with the insertion portion 16 is provided at a substantially central portion in the height direction. Further, a flat lock surface is formed on the lower surface portion 56 of the attachment portion 52. The locking claw 22 provided on the retainer 20 can be selectively locked with respect to the lock hole 55 and the lower surface portion 56, whereby the retainer 20 is connected to the connector main body 10 with the pipe P. Locking is performed in two stages: a temporary fixing position that allows insertion and removal (position shown in FIG. 2) and a lock position that prevents the pipe P from coming off (position shown in FIG. 3).

  In addition, a pair of projecting piece portions 65 connected to the flange 51 are formed on the circumferential surface of the large diameter portion 59 of the connector body 10. This serves to attach a protective member 30 to be described later to the connector body 10.

  Next, the retainer 20 will be described. The retainer 20 is formed of a synthetic resin material, and has a substantially plate-like base portion 23, a pair of locking arms 24 extending downward to the front edge (the side edge on the near side shown in FIG. 1), and a pair of similarly extending downwards. A retaining piece 21 is provided. Both locking arms 24 are arranged on the outer side with respect to the base 23, and both retaining pieces 21 are arranged on the inner side. Among these, the retaining piece 21 is formed with a width dimension that can be inserted into the window portion 53, and the inner peripheral side of the base end portion is formed in an arc shape along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe, It cannot be bent and deformed. In addition, a slit 25 that is cut straight out toward the base portion 23 is provided between the retaining pieces 21, and this is a relief that avoids contact with the rib 54 described above. Further, the engagement of the slit 25 and the rib 54 also exerts an effect of preventing the retainer 20 attached to the attachment portion 52 from rotating in the circumferential direction.

  On the other hand, the locking arm 24 has a substantially constant lateral dimension, is formed to be longer than the retaining piece 21 and is elastically displaceable. The locking arm 24 is provided with a locking claw 22 inwardly at the tip, so that the locking claw 22 is locked to the lock hole 55 when the retainer 20 is in the temporary locking position shown in FIG. It has become.

  From the above, the retainer 20 is restricted from shifting to the final stop state in the temporarily fixed state. Further, at the temporary fixing position, the base 23 is disposed so as to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the connector main body 10, and the retaining piece 21 is partially inserted into the window 53. Since it is completely retracted from the insertion portion 16, the piping P can be inserted and removed from the introduction hole 12.

  Next, the unlocking structure of the locking claw 22 with respect to the lock hole 55 for shifting the retainer 20 from the temporary fixing position to the final fixing position will be described. A guide slope 26 having a downward slope is formed on the side surface on the front side in the fitting direction provided at the end of the locking claw 22, and the locking claw locked to the lock hole 55 at the temporary fixing position. The leading end portion of 22 is in a state of entering into the introduction hole 12. This locking claw 22 is located at a position where the pipe P is at the normal depth, that is, the position shown in FIG. 2 and the front surface of the bulge part B contacts the end face of the collar 42 housed in the insertion part 16 (hereinafter referred to as a normal insertion position). And the bulge part B expands the locking claw 22 in the unlocking direction.

  Thereby, the latching claw 22 and the lock hole 55 are unlocked, and when the force acts in the radial direction, which is the pushing direction, into the retainer 20 from this state, the latching claw 22 of the retainer 20 is further expanded. As a result, the lock with respect to the lock hole 55 is completely released and can be displaced downward in the figure. The lower portion of the hole edge of the lock hole 55 is inclined downward in the radial direction, and this is a guide slope 57 for guiding the unlocking operation of the locking claw 22.

  In the lock position shown in FIG. 3, the locking claw 22 of the retainer 20 is locked to the lower surface portion 56 of the mounting portion 52, and the retaining piece 21 of the retainer 20 enters the insertion portion 16 to enter the bulge portion. Lock to B. As a result, the pipe P is held in a state of being prevented from coming off with respect to the connector body 10.

  In the locked position, the bottom surface of the base 23 is substantially in contact with the top surface of the connector body 10, that is, the upper end surfaces of both flanges 50 and 51, but the lock on the connector body 10 is released on the bottom surface side of the base 23. A release recess 27 is provided so that a slight gap is formed between the upper end surface of the flange 51. In this state, when a protective member 30 described later is not attached to the connector body 10, a release jig (not shown) can be inserted into the release recess 27 through this gap, and a predetermined release operation is performed. Thus, the locking claw 22 can be unlocked from the lock hole 55.

  Next, the protection member 30 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the protection member 30 includes a cover mounting piece portion 31 formed in a substantially U shape and a cover portion 32 formed in a substantially L shape. The cover part 32 is made of a metal material, so that its rigidity is enhanced. And the full length of the cover part 32 is set to the length which covers from the collar 51 of the connector main body 10 to the front-end | tip of the tube connection part 11. FIG. And the both sides | surfaces part of a cover part is raising the rigidity of a cover part by bending in circular arc shape. An end portion of the cover portion 32 on the side of the flange 51 is a flat connecting portion 37 without bending both side surfaces thereof. This is to improve the moldability when the cover mounting piece portion 31 is formed by insert molding after the cover portion 32 is formed.

The cover mounting piece 31 is made of a synthetic resin material, and the width and height of the cover mounting piece 31 are set to be substantially the same as the dimension of the large diameter portion 59 of the connector body 10. A cover mounting projection 33 having an arrowhead cross section is formed inside the both ends. The cover attaching piece 31 is integrated with the connecting portion 37 of the cover portion 32 by insert molding.

The protective member 30 formed in this way makes it possible to attach the cover attachment protrusion 33 of the cover attachment piece 31 to the protrusion 65 of the connector body 10 without rattling.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be specifically described. In order to connect the connector main body 10, first, the retainer 20 is set to the connector main body 10 at the temporary stop position. Then, the tube T is externally fitted to the tube connecting portion 11 of the connector main body 10, and then the cover mounting projection 33 of the protective member 30 is engaged with the protruding piece portion 65 of the connector main body 10, and the end of the cover mounting piece portion 31 is engaged. The part is brought into contact with the flange 51 of the connector body 10. Thus, the connector 2 is assembled by attaching the protective member 30 to the connector body 10 without rattling.

The connector 2 assembled in this way is attached to the fuel tank. That is, the pipe P attached to the fuel tank is pushed into the insertion portion 16 of the connector body 10. Then, the bulge part B of the pipe P moves forward while being in sliding contact with the hole wall of the introduction hole 12. Eventually, the bulge part B further advances while expanding the locking arm 24 protruding into the insertion part 16 from the lock hole 55, and the pipe P eventually reaches the normal insertion position.

  At the regular insertion position, the locking claw 22 and the lock hole 55 are unlocked. For this reason, when the retainer 20 in the temporary fixing position is pushed in the radial direction downward from this state, the retainer 20 moves downward under the guidance action of the flanges 50 and 51. Eventually, when the pipe P reaches the locking position shown in FIG. 3, the locking arm 24 is elastically restored, and the locking claw 22 is locked to the lower surface portion 56 of the mounting portion 52. In this locked position, the retaining piece 21 enters the insertion portion 16 via the window portion 53 and is locked to the bulge portion B. As a result, the pipe P is held in a retaining state.

  In this state, the connector main body 10 is covered with the protective member 30 provided with the rigid cover portion 32, so that other parts, work tools, etc. collide with the connector 2 during the assembly work or maintenance of the automobile. Even so, the impact caused by the collision is alleviated and absorbed by the protective member 30 of the connector 2 and is not transmitted to the connector body 10. As a result, the connector main body 10 can be prevented from being scratched on the outer side thereof, so that the cost associated with the replacement of the connector 2 and the like, and the man-hour for the replacement work can be reduced.

<Embodiment 2>
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Since this embodiment is obtained by changing a part of the first embodiment, the changed portion will be described in detail, and the same or substantially equivalent configuration as that of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals. A duplicate description is omitted.

  First, the connector body 18 will be described. The connector main body 18 is formed with columnar cover mounting convex portions 35 on the left and right circumferential surfaces on the tube connecting portion 11 side. This functions to attach a protective member 60 described later to the connector body 18.

  Next, the protection member 60 will be described. The protection member 60 includes a right cover portion 61 formed of a synthetic resin material, a left cover portion 62 also formed of a synthetic resin material, and a mounting clamp 66. The left and right cover portions 62 and 61 are formed in a semicircular arc shape in a longitudinal section, and the rigidity is enhanced by being formed in a substantially L shape as a whole. The inner radii of the left and right cover parts 62 and 61 are formed substantially the same as the radius of the large diameter part 59 of the connector body 18. The total length of the left / right cover parts 62, 61 is set slightly longer than the length from the flange 51 of the connector body 18 to the tube connection part 11 side. The height is set to be slightly longer than the dimension obtained by combining the outer diameter dimension of the connector main body 18 and the length of the tube connecting portion 11. A boss hole 36 that engages with the cover mounting convex portion 35 provided in the connector main body 18 is provided in the inner peripheral portion of the elbow portion of the left and right cover portions 62 and 61. As a result, the left cover portion 62 can be attached to the left side of the connector body 18 by engaging the boss hole portion 36 with the cover attachment convex portion 35 provided on the left side of the connector body 18. Similarly, the right cover portion 61 can be attached to the right side of the connector main body 18 by engaging the boss hole portion 36 with the cover attaching convex portion 35 provided on the right side of the connector main body 18.

  Further, the mounting clamp 66 is formed by bending a metal plate-shaped leaf spring material into an annular shape, thereby forming a clamp portion 68. Further, both end portions thereof are bent outward in the radial direction and can be picked. The knobs 70 and 71. And the clamp part 68 of the formed attachment clamp 66 can be expanded and reduced in diameter by operating both the knobs 70 and 71, and the inner diameter of the clamp part 68 in the reduced diameter state is as described above. The left and right cover parts 62 and 61 are slightly smaller in diameter than the combined outer diameter.

  The operation of the second embodiment configured as described above will be specifically described. As in the first embodiment, the retainer 20 is set to the connector main body 18 at the temporary stop position. Then, the tube T is fitted on the tube connecting portion 11 of the connector main body 18. Thereafter, the left and right cover parts 62 and 61 of the protection member 60 are engaged with the boss hole part 36 provided in the cover part and the cover mounting convex part 35 provided in the connector body 18 from the left and right sides of the connector body 18. It is attached as follows. Then, both knobs 70 and 71 are operated to the circumferential portion near the end on the connector main body 18 side of the attached left and right cover portions 62 and 61 and the circumferential portion near the end on the tube connecting portion 11 side. Then, the mounting clamp 66 having a diameter-expanded state is disposed, and the left and right cover portions 62 and 61 are fixed by releasing the knob operation and bringing the clamp portion 68 into a diameter-reduced state.

  At this time, the left and right cover portions 62 and 61 are positioned and prevented from shifting with respect to the connector main body 18 by the boss hole portion 36 and the cover mounting convex portion 35, and the inner diameters of both cover portions are larger than those of the connector main body 18. Since it is substantially equal to the diameter portion, it is fixed by the attachment clamp 66, so that it can be attached to the connector body 18 without rattling.

  Therefore, similarly to the effect of the first embodiment, even if an impact force is applied to the connector 3 from the outside, the impact is alleviated and absorbed by the protective member 60.

<Embodiment 3>
A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Since this embodiment is obtained by changing a part of the first or second embodiment, the changed portion will be described in detail, and the same reference numerals are used for the portions considered to be the same or substantially equivalent to the first or second embodiment. A duplicate description will be omitted.

A protective member 80 is press-fitted into the inner periphery of the tube connecting portion 11 of the connector main body 28. The protection member 80 is made of metal and formed in a cylindrical shape, and plays a role of reinforcing the tube connection portion 11. Thereby, even if an impact is applied to the connector 4, the connector 4 can be prevented from cracking because it is reinforced by the protective member 80.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and do not depart from the gist other than the following descriptions. Various modifications can be made within the range.

(1) The protective member 30 of the first embodiment is formed by insert-molding the cover attachment piece 31 into the cover portion 32. However, the cover portion 32 and the cover attachment piece portion are made of a synthetic resin material or a metal plate material. 31 may be formed integrally.

(2) Although the protection member 60 of the second embodiment combines the left and right cover portions 62 and 61, the left and right cover portions 62 and 61 may be connected by a hinge portion.

(3) The left and right cover portions 62 and 61 of the protection member 60 of the second embodiment are fixed to the connector body 18 and then fixed by the mounting clamp 66. However, the mounting clamp 66 is abolished and one cover portion is removed. It is also possible to provide a latching claw portion and an engagement hole portion on the other cover portion, and to fix to the connector main body 18 by engagement between the latching claw portion and the engagement hole portion.

The disassembled perspective view of the connector in Embodiment 1 Cross-sectional view of the connector temporarily secured Cross section of connector piping The disassembled perspective view of the connector in Embodiment 2 Cross-sectional view of the connector temporarily secured Sectional drawing of the temporary fix | stop state of the connector in Embodiment 3 Exploded perspective view of a conventional connector

Explanation of symbols

T ... Tube
P ... Piping B ... Bulge part 2, 3, 4, ... Connector 10, 18, 28 ... Connector body 12 ... Introduction hole (through hole)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 ... Insertion part 20 ... Retainer 21 ... Stopping piece 22 ... Locking claw 30, 60, 80 ... Protection member (protection part)
31 ... Cover attachment piece 32 ... Cover part 35 ... Cover attachment convex part 36 ... Boss hole part 50, 51 ... ５１ 52 ... Attachment part 61 ... Right side cover part 62 ... Left side cover part 66 ... Attachment clamp

Claims (3)

A through hole through which fluid flows, one end connected to a tube, and the other end is a connector body that allows insertion of piping; and
A retainer which is attached to the connector body and prevents the pipe inserted into the connector body from coming off;
A connector comprising a protective portion provided on the connector body and formed of a hard material for protecting the connector body. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the protection portion is provided on an outer side portion of the connector main body. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the protection part is provided on an inner side of the connector main body.