JP2017026107A - Connector member for connecting pipeline block - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent dropout or loss of an O ring in a connector member for connecting a pipeline block.SOLUTION: A connector member 1 is molded into a shape having a hollow tubular part 10 by synthetic resin, and is used for connecting a pipeline block. Two O rings 2, 2 are provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tubular part 10. Connecting parts 71 and 72 extending in a tube axial direction are provided so as to connect the O rings 2, 2 with each other. The two O rings 2, 2 and the connecting parts 71 and 72 are integrally molded. Preferably, the O rings 2, 2 and the connecting parts 71 and 72 are integrally molded by injection molding, and a gate mark of injection molding exists in the connecting part 71.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a connector member used in a pipe block connection structure. In particular, the present invention relates to a connector member in which an O-ring is provided in a tubular portion of the connector member.

In a hydraulic circuit, a liquid feeding circuit, etc., a pipeline block provided with a pipeline inside is arranged opposite to each other, and the pipelines provided in each pipeline block are connected to each other to form a series of pipelines and Technology is used. For example, such a pipe block or pipe connection structure is adopted in a hydraulic circuit of an automatic transmission of an automobile, a refrigerant circulation circuit of an air conditioner, or the like.

In connecting the pipelines between the pipeline blocks, a tubular connector member with an O-ring attached is often interposed between the pipeline blocks in order to ensure the sealing performance while facilitating the connection work.
For example, Patent Document 1 has a flange portion on the outer periphery of the intermediate portion in the length direction when mutually connecting the passages (exit, connection port) of the liquid tank and the double pipe joint block to be coupled to each other. The connection pipes at both ends of the pipe joint (connector member) are inserted into the opening ends of the respective passages via O-rings, and the flange is accommodated in the annular accommodating recess provided in the block, and the liquid tank is doubled. A technique for clamping between joint surfaces of a pipe joint block is disclosed. According to the connector member and the connection structure, it is disclosed that the cost can be reduced with a simple configuration.

Patent Document 2 discloses a connector member having an O-ring attached to a seal groove, which can be used for connecting a pipeline block.

JP 2005-207463 A JP 2014-151471 A

In the connector member disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is no seal groove in the connector member. With such a connector member, it is difficult to accurately define the position of the O-ring. Moreover, in such a connector member, there exists a possibility that an O-ring may drop | omit at the time of handling or an assembly | attachment until it attaches to a pipeline block. O-ring dropout or loss becomes a problem in the seal quality of the connector member.

In the connector member disclosed in Patent Document 2, since the O-ring is mounted in the seal groove, the O-ring is not easily dropped off. However, even in this technique, since the O-ring may fall off, it is required to prevent the O-ring from dropping or lost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a connector member for connecting a pipeline block that can prevent the O-ring from dropping off or being lost.

As a result of intensive studies, the inventors have provided two O-rings in the connector member tubular portion, provided a connecting portion for connecting these O-rings to each other, and integrally formed the O-ring and the connecting portion to solve the above problem. The present invention was completed.

The present invention is a connector member that is formed of a synthetic resin into a shape having a hollow tubular portion and is used for connection of a pipeline block, and two O-rings are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion. And a connecting portion extending in the tube axis direction is provided so as to connect the O-rings to each other, and the two O-rings and the connecting portions are integrally formed. It is a connector member (first invention).

In the first invention, it is preferable that an injection-molded gate mark exists in the connecting portion (second invention). In the second invention, the two connecting portions are provided so as to be symmetric with respect to the central axis of the tubular portion, one connecting portion has a gate mark, and the other connecting portion has It is preferable that no gate mark exists (third invention). In the first invention, it is preferable that a step or a groove capable of suppressing the movement of the O-ring toward the center of the tubular part is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular part (fourth invention).

According to the pipe block connecting connector member of the present invention (first invention), the O-ring is prevented from dropping from the connector member tubular portion. Further, even when the O-ring falls off, the O-ring is not easily lost.

Further, when the gate mark is present in the connecting portion as in the second invention, the sealing performance of the O-ring is not deteriorated by the gate mark. Moreover, when it is made like 3rd invention, it becomes difficult to produce a weld in an O-ring and it contributes to the improvement of a sealing performance. In addition, if a step or a groove is provided as in the fourth aspect of the invention, the effect of suppressing the o-ring from falling off can be ensured.

It is a figure which shows the connector member of 1st Embodiment. In the manufacturing process of the connector member of 1st Embodiment, it is sectional drawing which shows the process by which an O-ring and a connection part are integrally molded by injection molding with respect to a tubular part. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the pipe line of a pipe line block is connected by the connector member of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the connector member of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the connector member of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the connector member of 4th Embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, taking as an example a connector member used to connect a pipeline block used in a hydraulic circuit of an automatic transmission of an automobile. In addition, this invention is not limited to the separate embodiment shown below, The form can also be changed and implemented.

FIG. 1 shows a connector member 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The upper view of FIG. 1 is a view of the member from the upper side, the central view is a sectional view, and the lower view is a view of the member from the lower side. 4, 5, and 6, similarly, the upper diagram shows a view of the member from the upper side, and the lower diagram shows a cross-sectional view. The connector member 1 is a synthetic resin member and is formed in a straight tube having a circular cross section. That is, the connector member 1 has a hollow tubular portion 10. In the present embodiment, the connector member 1 is substantially composed of a tubular portion 10. The connector member 1 is equipped with O-rings 2 and 2 for sealing.

Seal grooves 11 and 11 are provided on the outer peripheral surfaces near both ends in the length direction of the tubular portion 10 of the connector member 1, respectively. In the present embodiment, two seal grooves 11 are formed as ring-shaped grooves having a substantially rectangular groove cross section. As will be described later, the O-ring 2 is integrally formed in the seal groove 11, and the space between the connector member 1 and the inner peripheral surface of the pipe line is sealed by the O-rings 2 and 2.

The O-ring 2 provided in the seal groove 11 is a ring-shaped seal member having a predetermined cross-sectional shape. In the present embodiment, the inner peripheral side of the O-ring 2 is formed in a shape that matches the seal groove 11, and the outer peripheral side of the O-ring 2 is formed in an annular shape having a semicircular cross section. The O-rings 2 and 2 are made of an elastic material such as a rubber material or various elastomers. The cross-sectional shape of the O-ring may be another cross-sectional shape such as a rectangular cross-section, for example.

As will be described later, the O-rings 2 and 2 are formed by injection molding using the connector member tubular portion 10 as an insert member. In the present embodiment, the O-rings 2 and 2 and the tubular portion 10 are welded and integrated with each other by insert molding, but they may be brought into a non-bonded state.

The O-rings 2 and 2 are provided so as to be separated from each other by a predetermined distance in the tube axis direction of the tubular portion 10, but the connecting portions 71 and 72 are connected between the O-rings 2 and 2 so as to connect the O-rings to each other. 72 is provided. The connecting portions 71 and 72 are provided so as to extend in the tube axis direction of the tubular portion 10. In the present embodiment, two connecting portions 71 and 72 are provided so as to be symmetric with respect to the central axis of the tubular portion 10, that is, on the opposite side in the circumferential direction of the connector member 10. Moreover, in this embodiment, the connection parts 71 and 72 are provided in the linear form substantially parallel to a pipe-axis direction. The connecting portions 71 and 72 are preferably provided so as to be arranged on the inner side of the outer periphery of the O-ring so as not to adversely affect the sealing performance of the O-ring.

The two O-rings 2 and 2 and the connecting portions 71 and 72 are integrally formed. The integral molding is performed by injection molding. That is, the O-rings 2 and 2 and the connecting portions 71 and 72 are integrally formed of the same resin material. It is particularly preferable to insert-mold the O-ring and the connecting portion using the connector member tubular portion 10 as an insert member. A gate mark 8, which is a trace of a gate that has been injected with resin during injection molding, is present at substantially the center of one of the connecting portions (71). On the other hand, there is no gate mark on the other (72) of the connecting portion. Further, the O-rings 2 and 2 have no gate marks. That is, at the time of injection molding, resin is supplied from the gate provided in the upper connecting portion 71, and after filling the upper connecting portion 71, the portions of the O-rings 2 and 2 are filled. Later, the lower connecting portion 72 is filled.

The synthetic resin which comprises the tubular part 10 is not specifically limited. Preferably, an olefin resin such as a polypropylene resin, a thermoplastic resin such as a polyamide resin or an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin, a thermosetting resin such as a melamine resin, rubber, a thermoplastic elastomer, or the like can be used. The tubular portion 10 in the connector member 1 of the present embodiment is formed of a polyamide resin. The connector member tubular portion may be formed by injection molding, but other molding methods such as cutting may be used.

As the resin for forming the O-rings 2 and 2 and the connecting portions 71 and 72, a resin having appropriate elasticity suitable for the seal of the O-ring is selected. It is preferable to select a resin that can be injection molded. For example, various thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), thermoplastic vulcanized elastomer (TPV), thermoplastic polyurethane resin (TPU), fluororesin, various rubbers (particularly liquid silicone rubber) and the like are exemplified. From the viewpoint of preventing the O-ring from dropping off, it is preferable to select a combination of both materials so that the O-ring and the connector member tubular portion 10 are bonded (welded) and integrated with each other.

A state in which the pipelines of the pipeline blocks constituting the hydraulic circuit are connected by the connector member 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows a part of the pipe block in cross section and the connector member 1 in appearance. Here, the pipeline block is a member in which a pipeline is formed, and when a predetermined pipeline block is arranged opposite to each other in a predetermined positional relationship, the internal pipeline communicates to complete a series of pipelines. It is the member comprised so that it might do. The pipe block is typically made of an iron-based alloy, an aluminum alloy, a synthetic resin, or the like. A plurality of pipelines are preferably formed in the pipeline block. These conduits are typically formed by machining or the like.

The connector member 1 is interposed between the opposing pipe blocks 3 and 4 to connect the pipes 31 and 41. In this embodiment, there are a pipe block 3 on the pressure control valve side and a pipe block 4 on the pipe side, and each pipe block is provided with pipes 31 and 41 inside the block by drilling. ing. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the connector members 1 and 1 are arranged so as to enter the pipelines 31 and 41 and the pipeline blocks 3 and 4 are arranged to face each other and assembled, the pipelines 31 at positions facing each other. , 41 are connected through the connector member 1.

In the connector member 1, both end portions of the tubular portion 10 of the connector member are inserted into the conduit 31 and the conduit 41 in a state where the O-rings 2 and 2 are integrated (FIG. 3). (B)). That is, the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 10 of the connector member and the inner peripheral surface of the pipes 31 and 41 are sealed by the O-rings 2 and 2.

In the present embodiment, the pipelines 31 and 41 provided in the pipeline blocks 3 and 4 have a stepped shape near the end face of the pipeline block. This is to prevent the inserted connector member 1 from excessively entering one of the pipe lines. As long as excessive penetration can be prevented, the pipe line may be a straight pipe instead of a stepped shape.

A method for manufacturing the connector member 1 will be described.
First, prior to the integral molding of the O-ring, the connector member (tubular portion 10) itself is manufactured (first step). For example, the connector member is formed by synthetic resin injection molding. An injection mold is prepared so that the connector member has a hollow tubular portion 10 and a ring-shaped seal groove 11 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 10. Using the mold, a synthetic resin is injection-molded to produce a connector member with no O-ring attached.

In addition, you may include the additional process which forms a part of connector member by cutting etc. in the injection molding process of this connector member. As an example of the additional machining, a grinding process for erasing a gate mark at the time of injection molding is exemplified. Alternatively, the connector member tubular portion may be formed by a method other than injection molding.

Next, the O-rings 2 and 2 and the connecting portions 71 and 72 are integrally formed. (Second step). This step is typically performed by injection molding. It is also possible to perform this integral molding by casting. Preferably, the O-rings 2 and 2 and the connecting portions 71 and 72 are directly integrally formed on the outer periphery of the tubular portion 10 by insert injection molding using the connector member tubular portion 10 as an insert member. The insert molding is preferably performed using so-called two-color molding, but may be insert molding other than two-color molding.

An example of insert molding is shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the mold is shown in cross section. The mold is provided with a fixed mold D1, a movable mold D2, and a core mold D3 if necessary, and the connector member tubular portion 10 that has already been molded is inserted into these molds. In this state, these molds are closed. Cavities C2, C71, C72 for forming O-rings 2, 2 and connecting portions 71, 72 are formed by the outer peripheral surface of the connector member (particularly the seal groove 11), the fixed side mold D1, and the movable side mold D2. It is formed. In this example, the cavity C71 for forming the connecting portion 71 is provided on the fixed mold D1 side, and the cavity C72 for forming the connecting portion 72 is provided on the moving mold D2 side.

Resin is injected into the closed mold through the gate provided on the fixed mold D1, filling the cavities C2, C2, C71 and C72, and the O-rings 2 and 2 and the connecting parts 71 and 72 are formed. It is formed. In the present embodiment, the resin injected from the gate G fills the cavity C71 from the substantially central portion of the cavity C71 and flows into the cavities C2 and C2. After entering the cavities C2 and C2, the resin once fills the cavities C2 and C2 while being diverted, and merges again in the cavities C2 and C2 on the side opposite to the diverted position, and flows into the cavity C72. Thereafter, the resin fills the cavity C72. In a state where the resin fills all the cavities, the injected resin is cured to obtain integrally formed O-rings 2 and 2 and connecting portions 71 and 72. If insert injection molding is used, the connector member 1 in which the O-rings 2 and 2 are integrated with the tubular portion 10 can be obtained directly.

The integral molding of the O-rings 2 and 2 and the connecting portions 71 and 72 is not necessarily performed by insert molding using the tubular portion 10. When the O-rings 2, 2 and the connecting portions 71, 72 are integrally molded, but are formed separately from the connector member tubular portion 10, they may be assembled and integrated after the integral molding.

The operation and effect of the invention will be described.
The O-ring 2 is integrally provided in the pipe block connecting connector member 1 of the above embodiment, and the pipe block can be easily connected. And according to the connector member 1 for a pipe line block connection, dropping and loss of an O-ring are suppressed beforehand.

For example, in the case of the connector member of Patent Document 1, when the connector member is handled or inserted, the O-ring moves so as to roll on the surface of the tubular portion of the connector member, so that the O-ring may come off from the tubular portion or be in a predetermined position. There is a risk of slipping off. On the other hand, according to the connector member 1 of the said embodiment, since the O-rings 2 and 2 and the connection parts 71 and 72 are integrally molded, the O-ring may move so as to roll by the connection part. Can be prevented. Further, since the distance between the O-rings 2 and 2 is kept constant by the connecting portion, the O-ring is suppressed from moving. By such an action, the O-rings 2 and 2 are prevented from dropping from the connector member tubular portion 10.

In addition, even if one O-ring is dropped from the tubular portion 10, the dropped O-ring is connected by the connecting portion, and thus the dropped O-ring is not easily lost.

Moreover, when the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 10 of the connector member is provided with a step or a groove that can suppress the movement of the O-ring toward the center of the tubular portion, it is particularly effective for suppressing the o-ring from dropping off. . In the connector member 1 of the above embodiment, the seal groove 11 is provided. If one of the O-rings is difficult to move toward the center of the tubular portion by a groove or a step, even if the other O-ring tries to move to the outside of the tubular portion, Since the anchor is applied, the other O-ring is more difficult to drop off from the tubular portion 10. It is preferable that a step or a groove that can prevent the O-ring from moving toward the center of the tubular portion is provided for both O-rings.

Further, from the viewpoint of ensuring the sealing performance of the connector member 1 for connecting the pipe block, the O-rings 2 and 2 and the connecting portions 71 and 72 are integrally formed by injection molding, and at the time of injection molding It is preferable that a gate mark of injection molding exists in the connecting portion so that a gate is provided in the connecting portion. In this way, the O-ring is injection-molded to improve the dimensional accuracy of the O-ring, and the gate trace can be prevented from being present in the O-ring, and the gate trace can be prevented from adversely affecting the sealing performance. .

  Further, like the connector member 1 of the above embodiment, two connecting portions 71 and 72 are provided so as to be symmetric with respect to the central axis of the connector member tubular portion 10, and one connecting portion 71 has a gate mark 8. If there is no gate mark in the other connecting portion 72, it is particularly effective for improving the sealing performance. According to this configuration, the resin injected during the integral molding of the O-ring and the connecting portion is once split after filling the O-ring portion, and then merged, but the weld formed at the joining portion is the other This is because the weld that can be generated in the O-rings 2 and 2 can be made less conspicuous and the deterioration of the sealing performance due to the presence of the weld is suppressed.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications. Although other embodiments of the invention will be described below, in the following description, portions different from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and detailed descriptions of the same portions will be omitted. Further, the embodiments described below can be implemented by combining some of them or replacing some of them.

In FIG. 4, the connector member 5 of 2nd Embodiment is shown. In the present embodiment, the connector member main body is integrally formed in a shape in which two tubular portions 50, 50 are arranged in parallel, and the space between them is connected by a plate-like connecting portion 53. The tubular portions 50 and 50 are respectively provided with seal grooves 51 and 51, and O-rings 2 and 2 are attached thereto. As described above, the connector member may be provided with a plurality of tubular portions. For example, if two, three, or four tubular portions are provided, two or three, four at a time. Two pipe lines can be connected, and the connection work becomes efficient.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the plate-shaped connection part 53 is formed in the center part vicinity of the longitudinal direction of the tubular part 50 of a connector member. The plate-like connecting portion 53 can perform a function of positioning the connector member 3 and the pipe in the length direction like the connector member disclosed in Patent Document 1.

Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, connecting portions 71 and 71 extending in the tube axis direction are provided so as to connect the O rings 2 and 2 to each other. The connecting portions 71 and 71 are integrally formed. Thereby, also in this embodiment, dropping and loss of the O-ring are suppressed as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the 2nd connection part 73 is provided along the plate-shaped connection part 53 so that the approximate center part of the connection parts 71 and 71 may be connected mutually. A gate mark 8 is present at substantially the center of the second connecting portion. In this way, if the second connecting portion 73 is provided, and the resin is guided to the connecting portions 71 and 71 and the O-rings 2 and 2 through the second connecting portion at the time of injection molding, the O in a separated position is provided. Rings can be formed simultaneously, and the configuration of the gate provided in the mold can be simplified.

In the present embodiment, one connecting portion 71 that directly connects the O-rings is provided for each tubular portion 50, 50. As in the connector member 1 of the first embodiment, two connecting portions 71 and 71 are provided so as to be symmetric with respect to the central axis of the tubular portion 10, and one connecting portion 71 has a gate mark 8 and the other. It is not essential that the gate 72 does not exist in the connecting portion 72. That is, it is sufficient that at least one connecting portion 71 that connects the O-rings is provided for the tubular portion 50.

In FIG. 5, the connector member 6 of 3rd Embodiment is shown. In the present embodiment, only one connecting portion 71 is provided for the tubular portion 60, and the tubular portion 60 is not provided with a seal groove, and the seals 2 and 2 are directed toward the center of the tubular portion. Although the two points of being provided with steps 61 and 61 capable of suppressing movement are different from the connector member 1 of the first embodiment, the other points are the same.

Similarly, in the connector member 6 of the third embodiment, an effect that the o-rings 2 and 2 can be prevented from being dropped or lost can be obtained.

In FIG. 6, the connector member 9 of 4th Embodiment is shown. In the present embodiment, there is no step or groove that can directly prevent the O-rings 2 and 2 from moving toward the center of the tubular portion. Even in such a configuration, the O-rings 2 and 2 are integrally connected by the connecting portion 71, so that the effect of suppressing the dropout and loss of the O-ring can be obtained. That is, a step or a groove that can directly restrain the O-rings 2 and 2 from moving toward the center of the tubular portion is not essential.

In the present embodiment, the connecting portion 71 is formed so as to be embedded in the connector member tubular portion 90. In this way, when the connecting portion 71 is embedded in the tubular portion, the connecting portion 71 itself is fixed to the tubular portion 10 and exhibits an anchoring effect, which is effective in suppressing the dropout and loss of the O-rings 2 and 2. Is.

Further, when the connecting portion 71 is formed so as to be embedded in the connector member tubular portion 90, the connecting portion 71 is meandered while extending in the tube axis direction of the tubular portion as in the present embodiment. The bent portion may have a bent shape, and the connecting portion 71 can be prevented from moving along the groove of the tubular portion, and the O-rings 2 and 2 can be prevented from falling off and being lost. Especially effective.

The connector member may have a shape having other portions in addition to the hollow tubular portion. Examples of other portions include a flange portion for preventing excessive insertion of the connector member into the conduit, a key portion for preventing erroneous assembly of the connector member, and the like.

In addition, the specific application field in which the connector member is used is not particularly limited, and can be widely applied as long as it is a pipe block connection application for a pipe block to which a synthetic resin connector member can be applied. For example, the connector member of the present invention can be used for a pipeline block such as a hydraulic circuit, a refrigerant pipe, a cooling water circulation system, a pressure transmission system, and a flow rate adjustment valve. Furthermore, not only circuits that transmit hydraulic pressure such as hydraulic pressure and water pressure, but also circuits that transmit various gas pressures such as air pressure, etc. The blocks can be connected by a connector member.

The connector member of the present invention can be used for connection of pipelines provided in the pipeline block, and has high industrial utility value.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector member 10 Tubular part 11 Sealing groove 2 O-ring 71, 72 Connection part 8 Gate trace D1 Fixed side mold D2 Movement side mold D3 Core mold G Gate 3, 4 Pipe block 31, 41 Pipe line 5 Connector member 50 Tubular part 53 Plate-like connecting part 73 Second connecting part 6, 9 Connector member 60, 90 Tubular part 61 Step

Claims (4)

A connector member that is formed of a synthetic resin into a shape having a hollow tubular portion and is used for connection of a pipeline block,
Two O-rings are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion,
A connecting portion extending in the tube axis direction is provided to connect the O-rings to each other,
The two O-rings and the connecting portion are integrally formed.
Connector member for pipe block connection. The pipe block connecting connector member according to claim 1, wherein an injection-molded gate mark is present in the connecting portion. The two connecting portions are provided so as to be symmetric with respect to the central axis of the tubular portion,
There is a gate mark on one connecting part,
There is no gate mark on the other connecting part,
The connector member for a pipeline block connection according to claim 2. The connector member for connecting a pipeline block according to claim 1, wherein a step or a groove capable of suppressing movement of the O-ring toward the center of the tubular portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion.

Images