JP2006234024A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector 1 having a retainer 30 assembled to a predetermined position without inclination to a connector body 10 for facilitating handling of the assembly work, etc. <P>SOLUTION: The connector 1 comprises the connector body 10 and the retainer 30. A detection piece 34 of the retainer 30 allows the retainer 30 to move from a temporary fixing position to a slip-out preventive position by elastically deforming at a flange part Pa when a pipe P is inserted into a hole part of the connector body 10. The connector 1 is provided with a guide mechanism composed of a guide regulation part 23 provided for the connector body 10 and a guide piece 37 provided for the retainer 30. The guide mechanism guides the guide piece 37 to the mounting direction and regulates the inclination of the retainer 30 to the connector body 10 when the retainer 30 moves from the temporary fixing position to the slip-out preventive position on the connector body 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for connecting piping with one touch.

  As a conventional connector, for example, a connector described in Patent Document 1 is known. The technique of Patent Document 1 includes a connector body and a retainer. The connector body is formed so that piping can be inserted. In addition, the retainer is attached to the connector main body, and can be moved to a removal position that prevents the pipe inserted into the connector main body from coming off. The retainer can be moved to the retaining position when the pipe is completely inserted into the proper connection position of the connector body, and the movement to the retaining position is prevented when the pipe is not completely inserted. . Therefore, whether or not the pipe is completely inserted into the proper connection position of the connector main body can be confirmed based on whether or not the retainer can be moved to the retaining position.

  However, the connector of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that when the retainer is assembled to the connector body, the retainer is inclined and attached to the connector body, and when it is subjected to external force after being assembled, it is inclined and assembled.

JP 2004-3588 A

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector that is easy to handle such as assembling work without the retainer being inclined and attached to the connector body and without being inclined even when an external force is applied to the retainer. With the goal.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
When a pipe having a flange portion is connected and a connector main body having a hole into which the pipe is inserted is engaged with the connector main body at a temporary fixing position and the pipe is inserted into the hole at a regular connection position. In the connector provided with a retainer that is movable in the mounting direction, which is the movement from the temporarily fixed position to the retaining position, and that retains the pipe with respect to the connector body by engaging the flange portion at the retaining position.
The retainer protrudes from both ends of the board portion, has a retaining piece that engages with the flange portion of the pipe, and has a U-shape that surrounds a part of the outer peripheral surface of the connector body, and the retainer body protrudes from the retainer body. Elastically deformable so as to be expanded at the flange when the pipe is inserted into the hole, and to allow the retainer to move from the temporary stop position to the retaining position. A detecting piece to be deformed, and a guide piece provided in the retainer body along the mounting direction;
The connector main body guides the guide piece in the mounting direction on the outer peripheral surface of the connector main body when the retainer moves from the temporary fixing position to the retaining position with respect to the connector main body, and the retainer is attached to the connector main body. And a guide restricting portion for restricting the tilting of the connector.

According to the connector of the present invention, when the pipe is inserted into the normal connection position of the connector main body from the state where the retainer is assembled to the connector main body, the detection piece is expanded by the flange portion of the pipe. The retainer can be elastically deformed to move the retainer held at the temporary stop position to the stop position. That is, when the pipe is not completely inserted into the normal connection position of the connector main body, the retainer remains held at the temporary fixing position and cannot be moved to the locking position. Therefore, the pipe is not connected to the connector in an incomplete state.
In addition, the guide restriction part of the guide piece and the connector body allows the retainer to move in the mounting direction with respect to the connector body and restricts the retainer from tilting, so when assembling the retainer to the pipe connection part in the temporarily fixed position When the external force is applied in the assembled state, or when the retainer is moved from the temporary stop position to the retaining position, the retainer can be securely assembled without tilting to the specified position on the connector body. Are better.

(1) Schematic configuration of connector 1 An embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The connector 1 is for connecting the pipe P to the tube Tb, and includes a connector main body 10 and a retainer 30. The pipe P is made of resin or metal and is formed in a substantially round pipe shape. On the outer peripheral surface at a position spaced apart from the front end surface of the pipe P, a flange portion Pa composed of a bulge portion protruding in an annular shape is formed. Hereinafter, the connector main body 10 and the retainer 30 will be described in order.

(2) Configuration of each part of connector 1 (2) -1 Connector body 10
2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the connector main body 10, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1 to 3, the connector main body 10 is made of, for example, a resin and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. One end of the connector body 10 is a pipe connection part 11 for connecting the pipe P, and the other end is a tube connection part 12 to which a tube Tb made of, for example, a synthetic resin is attached by press fitting. Hereinafter, the following description will be given with the pipe connection portion 11 side of the connector 1 as the front side and the tube connection portion 12 side as the rear side.

  The hollow portion in the connector main body 10 is formed by first to fourth hole portions 13 to 16 each having a stepped hole shape in which the inner diameter increases stepwise from the rear toward the front. In the third hole 15, two front and rear O rings 17 and 17 are disposed, and a resin spacer ring 18 positioned between the O rings 17 and 17 is fixed. In the connector body 10, a resin stopper ring 19 is fixed across the third hole portion 15 and the fourth hole portion 16. The rear O-ring 17 is prevented from coming off by a spacer ring 18, and the front O-ring 17 is kept from coming off by a stopper ring 19.

As shown in FIG. 1, first and second restricting flanges 21 and 22 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe connecting portion 11 of the connector body 10 in parallel from the front side to the rear side at a predetermined interval. Has been. The first and second restriction flanges 21 and 22 have side edges that are flattened up and down, and are formed in a substantially disk shape.
A pair of left and right insertion holes 26 located in the front half portion between the first restriction flange 21 and the second restriction flange 22 are formed in the upper half of the pipe connection portion 11 symmetrically. . The space between the insertion holes 26 is a partition portion 11c. Further, a pair of left and right receiving holes 28 corresponding to the insertion holes 26 are formed symmetrically in the lower half of the pipe connecting portion 11. Engaging claws 29 projecting upward are formed in the upper half of each receiving hole 28. Moreover, the lower edge part of the engaging claw 29 is along the inner peripheral surface of the pipe connection part 11, and the engaging end 24 is formed in the lower part.

  Further, between the first and second restricting flanges 21 and 22, guide restricting portions 23 are respectively formed on both sides of the side surface 11 a of the pipe connecting portion 11. The guide restricting portion 23 is a mechanism for guiding the retainer 30 in the mounting direction. Between the guide projecting portion 23a protruding from the front surface of the second restricting flange 22, the guide restricting portion 23 and the side surface 11a. The guide groove 23b is formed by separating a predetermined gap.

(2) -2 Retainer 30
4 is a front view showing the retainer 30, FIG. 5 is a side view of the retainer 30, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 1 and 4 to 6, the retainer 30 is made of an elastically deformable resin and includes a retainer body 31 formed in a U shape surrounding a part of the outer peripheral portion of the pipe connection portion 11. The retainer body 31 includes a pair of left and right retaining pieces 33, a detection piece 34, and a guide piece 37 that protrude downward from both sides of a flat plate-like substrate portion 32.
The board portion 32 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape, and is formed between the first restriction flange 21 and the second restriction flange 22 in the connector body 10 so as to be fitted from above.
The retaining pieces 33 are formed in a long and thin plate shape that is bilaterally symmetrical and extends downward from the front end portion of the substrate portion 32. A locking groove 38 having an inverted U shape and capable of receiving the pipe P in the radial direction is formed between the retaining pieces 33. The retaining piece 33 can be inserted into the insertion hole 26 (see FIG. 1) of the connector body 10 from above. Further, when the retainer 30 is in the temporary fixing position, the retaining piece 33 is retracted upward. An interrupt groove 39 is formed between the upper ends of the retaining pieces 33. The interrupt groove 39 is formed so as to be relatively capable of receiving the partition portion 11c (FIG. 1) between the insertion holes 26 in the connector body 10.
The detection piece 34 is formed in a long and thin plate shape that is bilaterally symmetrical and extends downward from both left and right end portions of the front half of the substrate portion 32. The detection piece 34 is disposed between the first restriction flange 21 and the second restriction flange 22 in the connector body 10 so as to be slidable from above to below. The detection piece 34 is formed to be elastically deformable, that is, to be able to bend and deform in a direction in which the lower end portion is expanded. At the lower end of the detection piece 34, a substantially rectangular plate-shaped detection projection 35 protrudes in an opposing manner.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, on the inner surface side of the detection projection 35, a first guide slope 35a that inclines so as to expand toward the tip, and a second guide slope that slopes backward from the tip on the front side. A guide slope 35b is formed. The detection protrusion 35 uses the elastic deformation of the detection piece 34 and enters the receiving hole 28 of the connector main body 10 shown in FIG. 1 so as to be able to engage with the engagement claw 29. In this state, the detection protrusion 35 is provided. Projecting into the pipe connecting portion 11.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, the guide piece 37 constitutes a guide mechanism together with the guide restricting portion 23 of the connector body 10, and is long and symmetrically extended from the left and right ends of the board portion 32. It has a thin plate shape and has a tapered tip, and is separated by a slit 37a so that it does not open even if the detection piece 34 expands due to elastic deformation. The guide piece 37 is inserted into the guide groove 23 b of the guide restricting portion 23, thereby restricting the retainer 30 from being inclined when moving in the mounting direction with respect to the connector main body 10.

(3) Connector 1 connection work (3) -1 The connector 1 configured as described above is used as follows. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the retainer 30 is assembled to the connector main body 10 at the temporary fixing position, and FIG. 8 is a view seen from the arrow d8 in FIG. In order to assemble the retainer 30 to the connector main body 10 at the temporary fixing position, the retaining piece 33 of the retainer 30 is aligned with the insertion hole 26, the guide piece 37 is aligned with the guide groove 23b of the guide restricting portion 23, and both detections are made. With the piece 34 sandwiching the outer peripheral surface of the pipe connection portion 11, the substrate portion 32 is pushed downward. Accordingly, the retainer 30 is moved in the mounting direction while restricting the inclination of the retainer 30 while the retaining piece 33 is inserted into the insertion hole 26 and the guide piece 37 is inserted into the guide restricting portion 23. The detection protrusion 35 also follows the outer peripheral portion of the pipe connection portion 11. However, when the first guide slope 35 a of the detection protrusion 35 slides along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe connection portion 11, the detection protrusion 35 is elastic in the direction of expanding the detection piece 34. Deform. The elastically deformed detection piece 34 is elastically restored by the detection projection 35 entering the receiving hole 28, and the locking recess 35 c (see FIG. 4) of the detection projection 35 is formed in the engagement claw 29 of the reception hole 28. Engage. In this state, the vertical movement of the retainer 30 is restricted by the restraint by the receiving hole 28 of the detection projection 35 and the engagement between the engagement recess 35 c and the engagement claw 29.

(3) -2 FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the pipe P is inserted into the connector main body 10. As shown in FIG. 9, in order to connect the pipe P to the connector 1, the pipe P is inserted into the pipe connection portion 11 of the connector main body 10. At this time, the flange portion Pa of the pipe P abuts against the front end surface of the stopper ring 19, so that the pipe P is completely inserted into the regular connection position of the connector main body 10. In this state, the pipe P sequentially passes through the stopper ring 19, the front O-ring 17, the spacer ring 18, and the rear O-ring 17. At this time, the distal end portion of the pipe P reaches the second hole portion 14 of the connector main body 10. Further, the O-rings 17 and 17 are brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pipe P by using elastic deformation, and the sealability between the pipe P and the connector main body 10 is ensured.

  When the pipe P is inserted into the normal connection position of the connector main body 10 as shown in FIG. 10, the flange portion Pa of the pipe P becomes the second of the detection protrusion 35 of the detection piece 34 in the retainer 30 as shown in FIG. 11. And slides in contact with the guide slope 35b. Thereby, the detection piece 34 is elastically deformed in the direction in which the detection piece 34 is expanded, and the detection protrusion 35 of the detection piece 34 is shifted laterally from the engagement claw 29 of the receiving hole 28. As a result, the lower surface of the detection projection 35 is disengaged from the engagement claw 29 of the receiving hole 28, so that the retainer 30 can be moved downward. That is, when the pipe P is inserted into the normal connection position of the connector main body 10, the engagement of the detection projection 35 with the engagement claw 29 of the receiving hole 28 is released and the retainer 30 is moved downward. Can do.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12, when the substrate portion 32 of the retainer 30 is pushed downward, the retainer 30 moves downward. At this time, since the guide piece 37 is inserted into the guide groove 23 b of the guide restricting portion 23, the retainer 30 moves in the mounting direction with respect to the connector body 10 without tilting the retainer 30. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the detection protrusion 35 of the detection piece 34 descends while sliding along the side surface 11 a of the connector body 10, and finally reaches the engagement end 24, so that the detection piece 34 is moved. Restores elasticity. Then, when the detection protrusion 35 is engaged with the engagement end 24, the upward movement of the retainer 30 is restricted. At the same time, the interruption groove 39 of the retainer 30 is relatively engaged with the partition portion 11c of the connector main body 10, and the downward movement of the retainer 30 is restricted by the board portion 32 facing the upper side surface of the connector main body 10. At the same time, the left / right movement is also restricted by the interrupt groove 39. When the retainer 30 is moved to the retaining position, the retaining piece 33 engages with the pipe P on the opposite side of the flange portion Pa, that is, on the front side. As a result, the pipe P is restricted from moving in the removal direction, and is prevented from being removed from the connector body 10 and connected to the connector 1.

(4) Action and Effect of Connector Body 10 (4) -1 According to the connector 1, the engagement claw 29 of the receiving hole 28 and the detection are detected when the pipe P is inserted into the normal connection position of the connector body 10. The engagement with the piece 34 is released, and the retainer 30 held at the temporary stop position can be moved to the stop position. That is, when the pipe P is not completely inserted into the normal connection position of the connector main body 10, the engagement between the engagement claw 29 of the receiving hole 28 and the detection piece 34 is not released, so that the retainer 30 is held in the temporarily fixed position. It cannot be moved to the retaining position. Therefore, the pipe P is not connected to the connector 1 in an incomplete state.

(4) -2 FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the vicinity of the guide mechanism. Since the guide mechanism including the guide piece 37 and the guide restricting portion 23 of the connector main body 10 restricts the retainer 30 to move in the mounting direction with respect to the connector main body 10 and prevents the retainer 30 from tilting. There are effects and effects. The guide mechanism guides the retainer 30 in the mounting direction without being inclined with respect to the connector main body 10 when the retainer 30 is assembled to the pipe connection portion 11 at the temporary fixing position. It cannot be assembled in a damaged state.
In addition, even when an external force is applied to the retainer 30 in a state where the retainer 30 is assembled to the connector main body 10 in the temporarily fixed position, the guide mechanism regulates the inclination of the retainer 30. No assembly work is required.
Furthermore, since the guide mechanism guides the retainer 30 so as not to tilt even when the retainer 30 is moved from the temporary stop position to the removal prevention position, the retainer 30 can be reliably moved to the removal prevention position.

(4) -3 Even when an external force (twisting) for rotating the connector 1 is applied in a state where the assembly of the pipe P to the connector 1 is completed, the interrupt groove 39 of the retainer 30 is inserted into the partition portion 11c of the connector body 10. Can be reliably prevented from tilting the retainer 30 and the detection piece 34 from being opened, and coupled with the effect of preventing the rotation of the guide mechanism, the retainer 30 itself can be more reliably prevented from being twisted.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the scope of the invention.

It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the connector concerning one Example of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a connector main body. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. It is a front view which shows a retainer. It is a side view of a retainer. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which assembled | attached the retainer to the connector main body in the temporary fix position. It is the figure seen from the arrow d8 of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which inserted piping in the connector main body. It is a perspective view which shows the state which inserted piping in the connector main body. It is explanatory drawing explaining operation | movement of a retainer when piping is inserted in a connector main body. It is a perspective view which shows the state which connected piping to the connector main body. It is explanatory drawing explaining operation | movement of a retainer. It is explanatory drawing explaining the effect | action of a guide mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Connector 10 ... Connector main body 11 ... Piping connection part 11a ... Side surface 11c ... Partition part 12 ... Tube connection part 13 ... 1st hole 14 ... 1st 2 holes 15 ... 3rd hole 16 ... 4th hole 17 ... O-ring 18 ... spacer ring 19 ... stopper ring 21, 22 ... first and second 2 restricting flange 23 ... guide restricting portion 23a ... guide protrusion 23b ... guide groove 24 ... engagement end 26 ... insertion hole 28 ... receiving hole 29 ... engagement Claw 30 ... Retainer 31 ... Retainer body 32 ... Substrate 33 ... Putting piece 34 ... Detection piece 35 ... Detection protrusion 35a ... First guide slope 35b ... No. 2 guide slope 35c ... locking recess 37 ... guide piece 37a ... slit 38 ... locking groove 39 ... interrupting groove P ... piping Pa ... flange Tb .. .tube

Claims (2)

The connector main body (10) having a hole portion into which the pipe (P) having the flange portion (Pa) is connected and inserted into the pipe (P) is engaged with the connector main body (10) at a temporary fixing position and the above. When the pipe (P) is inserted into the hole at a regular connection position, the pipe (P) can move in the mounting direction, which is the movement from the temporary fixing position to the retaining position, and the flange (Pa) is engaged at the retaining position. In a connector provided with a retainer (30) for retaining the pipe (P) with respect to the connector main body (10) by joining together,
The retainer (30) has a retaining piece (33) that protrudes from both ends of the board portion (32) and engages with the flange portion (Pa) of the pipe and surrounds a part of the outer peripheral surface of the connector body (10). A retainer main body (31) formed in a U-shape and projecting from the retainer main body (31) so that when the pipe (P) is inserted into the hole, the flange (Pa) is expanded. A detecting piece (34) that is elastically deformable and elastically deforms the retainer (30) so as to allow movement from the temporary locking position to the retaining position, and the retainer body (31) in the mounting direction. A guide piece (37) provided along,
When the retainer (30) moves from the temporarily fixed position to the retaining position with respect to the connector main body (10), the connector piece (10) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the connector main body (10). 37) having a guide restricting portion (23) for guiding the retainer (30) to the connector body (10) and guiding the retainer (30) in the mounting direction.
Features a connector. The connector according to claim 1,
The guide restricting portion (23) is a connector having a guide groove (23b) that can be inserted and removed so as to restrict the inclination of the retainer (30) of the guide piece (37).

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