JP3017586B2 - Quick coupling - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a joint for connecting members forming a fluid flow path such as a hose and a pipe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The most common type of joint is a type in which two pipes are connected via a nut or a type in which a rubber hose is fitted into a metal nozzle. When it is necessary to perform the operation frequently and quickly, a coupling called a quick coupling may be used. One example is shown in FIG. 3, in which the joint shown is a rubber hose connecting pipe. That is, the main body 1 has a cylindrical shape, and a hose nipple 2 for connecting a hose (not shown) is attached to the rear end (the right end in FIG. 3). The valve center 3 is slidably fitted in the axial direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a collar 13 is integrally attached to the valve center 3 by a snap ring or the like, and a flow path 4 having a predetermined depth is formed from a tip end thereof along a central axis. At the end of the flow path 4, a communication hole 5 opening to the outer peripheral surface is formed. The inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 1 into which the valve center 3 which is a hollow shaft-shaped member is inserted
Are formed from a small-diameter portion that fits tightly and a large-diameter portion located on the rear end side of the small-diameter portion. Therefore, the communication hole 5
If the valve center 3 is in the forward position so that the opening of the valve center 3 is in close contact with the small-diameter inner peripheral surface of the main body, the flow path 4 is closed with respect to the hose nipple 2 and the valve center 3 is retracted. When the opening of the communication hole 5 is located on the large-diameter inner peripheral surface side of the main body 1, the flow path 4 opens to the hose nipple 2 through the communication hole 5. A spring 6 is interposed between the rear end of the valve center 3 and the hose nipple 2, and when not connected, the valve center 3 is advanced to maintain the valve closed state. Reference numerals 7 and 8 denote seal rings provided on both sides in the axial direction with the communication hole 5 interposed therebetween. Reference numeral 9 denotes a gasket, which is provided on the distal end surface of the valve center 3.

Further, a locking sleeve 10 is fitted on the outer periphery of the distal end side of the main body 1 so as to be movable back and forth. This is to allow the lock ball 11 held by the main body portion 1 to protrude inward or to protrude to the outer periphery, and the inner diameter is enlarged to two places corresponding to the lock ball 11. A concave portion is formed and is pushed toward the distal end by the spring 12.

[0004] The connecting member 38 connected by the quick coupling is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the connecting member 38 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and a large-diameter portion 39 having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the main body 20 is formed on the outer periphery on the distal end side thereof. A tapered surface 42 is formed on the side. The inner peripheral portion on the distal end side of the connection member 38 is a hollow portion substantially equal to the outer diameter of the valve center 3.
A sealing surface 40 that contacts the gasket 30 is formed at the center of the inner part. Note that reference numeral 41 in FIG. 2 denotes a pipe integrated with the connecting member 38.

[0005] Therefore, in the state where the connecting member 38 is not fitted, as shown in the lower half of FIG.
Since the valve center 3 is pushed forward by the spring 6, the lock ball 11 is pushed by the collar 13 integrally attached to the valve center 3 so as to protrude to the outer peripheral side of the main body portion 1. As a result, the locking sleeve 10 at the retracted position is held at the retracted position by the lock ball 11 so as not to advance. In this state, the connecting member 38 is inserted into the inside of the main body portion 1 and the sealing surface 40 thereof is pressed against the gasket 9, and the connecting member 38 is further pushed in to retract the valve center 3. When the rear end reaches the position of the right lock ball 11 in FIG.
Since 1 enters the inner peripheral side of the main body 1, the locking sleeve 10 is unlocked and moves forward. This state is shown in the upper half of FIG. 3, and the lock ball 11 is held by the lock sleeve 10 so as to protrude toward the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 1 and is simultaneously engaged with the rear end side of the large diameter portion 39. To prevent the connection member 38 from coming off. Since the valve center 3 is held at the retracted position, the communication hole 5 opens on the inner peripheral side of the main body 1, and the flow path 4 communicates with the hose nipple 2.

[0006]

Therefore, in the above-described conventional quick coupling, the connecting member 38 can be connected by inserting the connecting member 38 into the inside of the main body and retreating the valve center 3 by a predetermined dimension. If the sleeve 10 is retracted so that the lock ball 11 projects to the outer peripheral side of the main body portion 1, the connection member 38 can be pulled out and removed, and quick and easy attachment and detachment are possible.

However, the sealing surface 40 of the connecting member 38
The valve center 3 is provided with a gasket 9 for abutting the lock ball 11 and the collar 13 integrally attached to the valve center 3 is configured to push the lock ball 11 to the outer peripheral side of the main body portion 1. The valve center 3 needs a moving amount for the lock ball 11 to act.
The required stroke is long, and the operability is deteriorated. In addition, since a long stroll is pushed in against the spring force, the gasket surface is significantly damaged, and there is a problem in durability.
Furthermore, if the tip of the valve center 3 is protruded from the main body in order to prevent the above-mentioned inconvenience, the tip may be easily damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a quick coupling with good operability and durability.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a hollow shaft in which a flow path is opened inside a cylindrical main body by using a front end surface as a connecting contact surface and retreating. A hollow member having a small-diameter portion formed at an outer peripheral end thereof is disposed so as to elastically move back and forth on the outer peripheral side of the valve body and inside the main body. Further, a locking sleeve having a large diameter portion on the inner peripheral side is fitted on the outer peripheral side of the main body so as to elastically move back and forth, and a portion of the main body in which the locking sleeve is fitted. A lock ball that engages with the small-diameter portion of the hollow member by protruding inward to prevent the hollow member from advancing, and protrudes outward to prevent the locking sleeve from moving forward and backward; The inner circumference of the main body can be selectively selected by the locking sleeve. A second lock ball to be protruded is disposed, and a seal surface is formed in an inner part of the cylindrical portion to be in contact with the hollow member, the seal surface being in contact with the connection contact surface, and a tip of the cylindrical portion is formed. A connection member having a large-diameter portion that is engaged with the second lock ball and is prevented from coming off is provided on an outer peripheral portion.

[0010]

In the quick coupling of the present invention,
If the hollow shaft-shaped valve body and the hollow member are advanced, the lock ball is protruded to the outer peripheral side of the main body, so that the lock sleeve is engaged with the lock ball and the advance is prevented. The body is in the advanced position, thereby closing the channel. When the connection member is inserted into the main body in this state, the distal end surface of the tubular portion abuts against and presses the hollow member, and the sealing surface formed on the inner deep portion of the tubular portion,
It comes into contact with the connection abutment surface formed on the valve body to be in a connected state. When the connecting member is further inserted, the hollow member is allowed to retreat and the lock ball is allowed to enter the inside of the main body, so that the locking sleeve is moved so that the second lock ball projects inside the main body. The second locking ball is engaged with the projection of the connecting member to prevent it from coming off, and the locking ball prevents the hollow member from advancing. At the same time, the valve body is pushed by the connecting contact surface of the connecting member and retreats, so that the valve is opened. Also, if you move the locking sleeve in the opposite direction,
Since the lock ball can be projected to the outer peripheral side of the main body, the lock of the connection member by the lock ball is released, and the connection member can be pulled out.

[0011]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which an upper half shows a connected state and a lower half shows a non-connected state. The state is shown. The main body 20 of the quick coupling shown here has a small-diameter portion 20 having a small inner diameter at the center in the axial direction.
A hose nipple 21 having a flow path 21a formed along a central axis is attached to the right end of FIG. 1 of the main body 20. The space is sealed by an O-ring 22. In the center of the main body 20, a valve center 23 is provided.
Are inserted to move in the axial direction. The valve center 23 retreats to open the flow path and communicate with the flow path 21a of the hose nipple 21. The valve center 23 is tightly fitted to the small-diameter portion 20a of the main body 20. A flow path 24 is formed over a predetermined dimension from the distal end face of the main body 23, and a communication hole 25 is formed from the flow path 24 to the outer peripheral surface of the main body 20 which is tightly fitted to the small diameter portion 20 a. O-rings 26 and 27 are provided on both front and rear sides in the axial direction with the opening of the communication hole 25 interposed therebetween.
Therefore, when the valve center 23 is at the forward position, the opening of the communication hole 25 is closed by the inner peripheral surface of the small-diameter portion 20a of the main body 20. The opening 25 is separated from the small diameter portion 20a and opens to the hose nipple 21. A retainer 28 is attached to the rear end (the right end in FIG. 1) of the valve center 23, and the end of the retainer 28 is fitted to the hose nipple 21 so as to be able to move back and forth.
A spring 29 is disposed between the flange portion of the hose nipple 21 and the end face of the hose nipple 21, and the valve center 23 is constantly pressed forward (to the left in FIG. 1) by the spring 29. In addition, O provided on the outer peripheral portion of the valve center 23
The O-ring 27 on the right side of FIG.
The O-ring 27 is interposed between the valve center 23 and the retainer 28, and contacts the inner surface of the main body 20 when the valve center 23 is in the forward position.
3 and the main body 20 are sealed. In other words, the advance of the valve center 23 is restricted by the O-ring 27 abutting on the inner surface of the main body 20. Further, an annular gasket 30 is attached to the distal end surface of the valve center 23.

A collar 31 is fitted on the outer periphery of the valve center 23 on the distal end side of a portion fitted to the small diameter portion 20a of the main body 20 so as to be movable back and forth. The collar 31 is used to operate a lock ball 32, which will be described later. The outer diameter of the front end side is smaller than the outer diameter of the rear end side, and the portion is a small diameter portion. It is always pressed forward by a spring 33 disposed between the main body 20 and the side wall of the small diameter portion 20a. It should be noted that the collar 31 is prevented from coming off by forming steps that engage with each other on the inner peripheral surface of the collar 31 and the outer peripheral surface of the valve center 23.

Lock balls 32 and 34 are held at two locations in the body 20 that are adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the peripheral wall on the distal end side. These lock balls 32 and 34 are
0, which has a diameter larger than the thickness of the peripheral wall portion, and selectively protrudes to the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the main body 20.

Further, a locking sleeve 35 is fitted on the outer peripheral portion on the distal end side of the main body 20 so as to be movable back and forth. The lock sleeve 35 allows the lock balls 32, 34 to protrude to the outer peripheral side of the main body 20 when in the retracted position, and moves the lock balls 32, 34 into the main body 20 when in the forward position. The locking sleeve 35 is maintained in a state of being protruded to the peripheral side, and concave portions 35a and 35b are formed at two positions before and after the inner peripheral surface of the locking sleeve 35 so as to correspond to the lock balls 32 and 34, respectively. The locking sleeve 35 is always pressed forward by a coil spring 36 interposed between the locking sleeve 35 and the main body 20 on the inner peripheral side, and a slit 35c formed on the rear end side along the axial direction is formed on the main body 20. It is engaged with the attached stopper pin 37. The slit 35c is bent into an L-shape including a portion along the axial direction and a portion along the circumferential direction, and the stopper pin 37 is engaged with the portion along the circumferential direction to lock the slit 35c by erroneous operation. The movement of the sleeve 35 is regulated.

The connecting member 38 connected by the above-mentioned quick coupling is configured as shown in FIG. 2 described above, and the operation of the above-described quick coupling when this is used will be described below. As shown in the half, in the disconnected state, the valve center 23 is pushed by the spring 29 and the O-ring 27 is
a, and the communication hole 25 is closed by the inner surface of the small-diameter portion of the main body 20. The collar 31 is also pushed by the spring 33 and is in the advanced position, so that the lock ball 32 is pushed outward by the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion of the collar 31, and the locking sleeve 35 compresses the coil spring 36 and retreats. Since the recesses 35a and 35b on the inner surface are located at positions corresponding to the lock balls 32 and 34, the lock balls 32 and 34 protrude toward the outer peripheral side of the main body 20. Therefore, the locking sleeve 35 is held at the retracted position by engaging with the lock balls 32 and 34 to prevent the forward movement.

In order to connect the connecting member 38 to the quick coupling, the connecting member 38 is butted against the quick coupling so that the distal end of the valve center 23 is fitted to the inner peripheral portion of the distal end of the connecting member 38. You. When the connecting member 38 is pushed into the quick coupling from this state, the collar 31 retracts while compressing the spring 33, and the sealing surface 40 formed on the connecting member 38 is attached to the tip of the valve center 23. It comes into contact with a certain gasket 30 and comes into contact in a sealed state.
By pushing the connecting member 38 a little further, the collar 3
1 and the valve center 23 are retracted, and when the small-diameter portion of the end of the collar 31 reaches the position of the lock ball 32 on the right side in FIG. 1, the lock ball 32 retreats to the inner peripheral side of the main body 20. The locking sleeve 35 is released and the locking sleeve 35 is pushed by the coil spring 36 to move forward. At this time, the large-diameter portion 39 of the distal end of the connecting member 38 has passed the position of the lock ball 34 on the left side in FIG. 1, and therefore, when the lock sleeve 35 advances, the lock balls 32 and 34 are locked. Sleeve 35
Is pushed into the inner peripheral side of the main body 20. And FIG.
Of the large diameter portion 39 of the connecting member 38 is engaged with the tapered surface 42 on the rear end side (left side in the figure) of the connecting member 38, so that the connecting member 38 is maintained in a state of being fitted to the quick coupling. . Further, the valve center 23 retreats to a position where the opening of the communication hole 25 exceeds the small diameter portion in the main body 20, so that the flow path 24 communicates with the flow path of the hose nipple 21.

To remove the connecting member 38, the locking sleeve 35 is retracted to compress the coil spring 36. As a result, when the recesses 35a and 35b reach the positions corresponding to the lock balls 32 and 34, the lock balls 32 and 34 can move to the outer peripheral side of the main body 20. The engagement between the connection member 38 and the collar 35 is released, and the connection member 38
And the collar 35 moves forward to keep the lock ball 32 protruding to the outer peripheral side. Therefore, the lock sleeve 35 is engaged with the lock ball 32 and is held at the retracted position. At the same time, the valve center 23 is pushed forward by the spring 29 and the opening of the communication hole 25 is fitted in close contact with the small diameter portion 20a of the main body 20, so that the flow path 24 is closed.

Therefore, in the above-described quick coupling, the connection member 38 can be attached and detached by inserting the connection member 38 or sliding the locking sleeve 35 in the axial direction.
And the collar 31 for operating the lock ball 32 can be slid independently of each other as a separate member, so that the length of sliding of the valve center 23 in the axial direction and the length of insertion of the connecting member 38 are shortened. be able to.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the structure of the valve center, the collar, or the lock sleeve can be changed as needed.

[0020]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the quick coupling of the present invention, the valve element for opening the flow path by moving backward and the hollow member for operating the lock ball are formed as separate members. Since each of them is configured to be able to move in the axial direction independently of each other, even in the case of connecting members having a structure in which the connecting sealing surface of the connecting member is retreated in the axial direction, the valve body of the valve body is Since the required stroke can be shortened, operability and durability can be improved. In addition, a compact coupling having a short shaft length can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a connecting member used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional quick coupling.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 20 main body 23 valve center 24 flow path 25 communication hole 30 gasket 31 collar 32, 34 lock ball 35 locking sleeve 35a, 35b recess 38 connecting member 39 large diameter portion 40 sealing surface

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kuniyoshi Shishido 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyota Motor Corporation (72) Inventor Yoshihisa Matsuda 168 168 Hikage-ku, Ina City, Nagano Prefecture Louvre Corporation ) Inventor Toshio Hidano 4-2-240 Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Eizu Kogyo Co., Ltd. (56) Reference: Japanese Utility Model Application Hei 3-88088 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F16L 37/23 F16L 37/28-37/46

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A hollow shaft-shaped valve element having a front end surface serving as a connecting contact surface and retreating to open a flow path is accommodated in a cylindrical main body so as to elastically move back and forth. A hollow member having a small-diameter portion formed at an outer peripheral end thereof is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the body and inside the main body so as to elastically move back and forth, and a part of the inner peripheral side is enlarged on the outer peripheral side of the main body. The locking sleeve as the diameter part is fitted so that it moves back and forth elastically,
By projecting inward to the portion of the main body where the locking sleeve is fitted, it engages with the small diameter portion of the hollow member to prevent the hollow member from advancing and project outward. A lock ball that prevents the locking sleeve from moving forward and backward, and a second lock ball that is selectively protruded toward the inner peripheral side of the main body by the locking sleeve are arranged, and a cylindrical portion that is brought into contact with the hollow member A sealing surface is formed in the inner back portion of the cylindrical portion, the sealing surface being in contact with the connection abutting surface, and a large-diameter portion is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the distal end of the cylindrical portion so as to be engaged with the second lock ball and prevented from falling off. A quick coupling characterized by having a connecting member.