JP3052402U - Caulking tool for connecting metal pipes and fittings - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an annular groove when fixing a joint and a metal pipe by externally fitting a metal pipe to the joint and caulking the metal pipe into an annular groove provided on the outer periphery of the joint. Provided is a swaging tool capable of reliably swaging a metal tube corresponding to a portion. A positioning member is arranged in parallel with head parts. The distance between the two plate-shaped portions 71 and 72 of the positioning member 70 and the caulking blade portions 55 and 56 is determined by the distance between the engagement groove on the joint side to be engaged with the plate-shaped portions 71 and 72 and the annular groove. It is set the same as the distance. Therefore, when the plate-like portions 71 and 72 are engaged with the engagement grooves of the joint,
In this state, the positions of the caulking blade portions 55 and 56 are positions corresponding to the annular grooves provided in the joint. Therefore, if the pipe enlarged-diameter portion is pressed against the caulking blade portions 55 and 56 into the annular groove portion, an appropriate caulking state can be obtained. That is, positioning can be easily performed.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

 The present invention relates to a metal pipe / joint connection used to realize a structure in which a metal pipe such as a copper pipe is mechanically connected to a joint by caulking the metal pipe in a state of being fitted to the joint. For caulking tools.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, a so-called brazed joint has been generally used as a copper pipe joint as an example of a metal pipe joint. However, in the case of this type of joint, since the copper tube and the joint are fixed by brazing, it is necessary to use fire when working, or if the inside of the metal tube is not completely dry, the work will not be performed. There were various inconveniences such as inability to do so.

[0003] Therefore, a structure has been considered in which the copper pipe and the joint do not require brazing to be connected, but are mechanically connected to each other. The structure will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 10A, the joint used in the present structure has a cylindrical connecting portion 203 formed by expanding a predetermined length from the tip of the joint main body 201, and forming a cylindrical connecting portion 203. The leading end portion is further enlarged in diameter and narrowed at the leading end to form a concave portion 205 for disposing a seal ring 204 therein. In the recess 205, a seal ring 204 is provided. Also, a cylindrical stay member 207 is inserted into the connection portion 203. The stay member 207 has its end 209 slightly enlarged so that it cannot move deeper than the enlarged connection portion 203, and has an outer diameter such that a predetermined space is formed between the stay member 207 and the connection portion 203. Have been.

When connecting a copper tube 221 (see FIGS. 10B and 10C) to such a joint, the following operation procedure is performed. First, the copper tube 221 is cut into a predetermined length using a pipe cutter or the like. Subsequently, deburring of the cut outer surface of the copper tube 221 is performed using a reamer or the like.

Then, the position of the insertion length of the copper tube 221 into the joint body 201 is determined using a line gauge or the like, and a mark 223 is attached to the outer periphery of the copper tube 221 at that position. After confirming that the stay member 207 is contained in the joint body 201, the copper tube 221 is inserted between the connecting portion 203 of the joint body 201 and the stay member 207.

[0006] Finally, the vicinity of the center of the connection portion 203 is tightened using a press tool. By caulking the connecting portion 203 of the joint body 201, the copper tube 221 and the stay member 207, the joint body 201 and the copper tube 221 are connected. However, this conventional connection structure has some problems as described below.

(A) If the copper pipe 221 is not sufficiently inserted into the joint main body 201, the copper pipe 221 may come off from the joint main body 201 after the actual construction. In order to prevent this, the above-mentioned mark 223 on the outer periphery of the copper tube 221 is attached so that it can be determined whether or not the copper tube 221 is properly inserted even after the connection, but the user forgets to attach the mark 223 itself. In the case of incorrect or incorrectly positioned marks, it is very difficult to check for proper insertion after actual construction. Of course, it is possible to perform a nondestructive inspection using ultrasonic waves or the like, but it is not realistic to perform such an inspection at all the connection parts after completing the piping. That is, it cannot be visually checked from outside.

(B) At the time of connection, the copper tube 221 is inserted between the connection portion 203 of the joint body 201 and the stay member 207. Therefore, the gap between the connecting portion 203 and the stay member 207 is designed to be able to cope with the difference in the thickness of the copper tube 221 and to cope with the maximum thickness of the copper tube 221 that is a candidate for insertion. Will be set. Therefore, when the copper tube 221 having a smaller thickness is used, a gap is generated between the connecting portion 203 and the stay member 107 when the copper tube 221 is inserted. Due to the presence of this gap, when the connecting portion 203, the copper tube 221, and the stay member 207 are caulked in the above-described operation procedure, the caulking tends to be insufficient.

(C) The joint body 201 and the stay member 207 are at least necessary as parts constituting the joint, but the number of parts is small in consideration of a situation where work is often performed in a relatively narrow place or a dark place. Better. In particular, since the stay member 207 is separate from the joint body 201, it can be easily removed.

[0010] As described above, since the brazing is not required to connect the copper pipe and the joint and the two are mechanically connected to each other, there are certain advantages. Also exists. Further, in the above-described example, the copper tube has been described as an example of the metal tube. However, the same problem still exists when another metal tube is connected to the joint.

[0011] Therefore, the applicant of the present application has disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-307563 that a metal pipe is externally fitted to a joint having a cylindrical portion having a predetermined outer diameter and an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion. In this state, a structure was proposed in which the joint and the metal pipe were connected by caulking the metal pipe covering the annular groove into the annular groove. For example, in the case of the connection structure shown in FIG. 9A, there is a seal ring between the flange of the joint and the annular groove provided on the outer periphery of the joint. In the case of the connection structure shown in FIG. There is an annular groove between the seal ring. In any case, the metal pipe whose end is enlarged by a predetermined length is fitted around the joint, and the enlarged diameter of the metal pipe covering the annular groove is swaged into the annular groove, thereby forming the joint and the metal. The tube is fixed.

[0012] With such a connection structure, brazing is not required to connect the metal pipe and the joint, and the structure has the predetermined merit of mechanically connecting the two together, and has a certain advantage while being connected after the connection. It is possible to visually judge whether the connection condition is appropriate from the outside, to cope with the difference in the thickness of the metal tube, and to obtain the advantage of not requiring a separate member such as the stay member described above. I was able to.

[0013]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

 By the way, in order to realize such a connection structure, as described above, it is necessary to caulk the metal pipe externally fitted to the joint into the annular groove. At this time, since the position of the annular groove cannot be visually checked, it is necessary to determine, for example, the distance from the flange based on the flange. However, caulking after actually measuring the distance is inefficient and impractical. Therefore, for example, when the side surface of the tool for performing the caulking operation is brought into contact with the flange provided on the above-described joint, it is conceivable that the caulking blade comes to a position corresponding to the annular groove. .

However, since a considerable force must be applied during the caulking operation, it is difficult for the operator to keep the caulking tool in contact with the flange portion. If a force is applied in the slanted state, the metal pipe may not enter the annular groove properly, and it may not be possible to obtain a sufficient caulked state.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problem, and a method of fixing a joint to a metal pipe by fitting a metal pipe to a joint and caulking the metal pipe into an annular groove provided on the outer periphery of the joint. Another object of the present invention is to provide a caulking tool for connecting a metal pipe and a joint which can securely caulk a metal pipe corresponding to a portion where an annular groove exists.

[0016]

[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]

 A caulking tool for connecting a metal pipe and a joint according to claim 1, which has been made to achieve the above object, is a joint having a cylindrical portion having a predetermined outer diameter and an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion. In this state, the metal pipe covering the annular groove is crimped into the annular groove while the metal pipe is fitted to the outside, thereby fixing the joint and the metal pipe. The head portion of the caulking tool for connecting metal pipes and joints is divided and has an arc-shaped portion formed so as to sandwich the metal pipe from the outer peripheral side. A caulking blade portion is provided upright on each of the arcuate portions of the divided head portions, and the caulking blade portions are formed by the metal tube covering the annular groove portion as the head portions approach each other. Can be pressed inward. Here, when the positioning member is engaged with the joint, the swaging blade portion can be arranged at a position corresponding to the annular groove portion.

That is, in the joint, since the positional relationship between the position where the positioning member engages and the annular groove is determined, the positional relationship between the swaging blade portion and the positioning member is set in consideration of this positional relationship. is there. Therefore, when the positioning member is engaged with the joint, the caulking blade portion and the annular groove portion, which are set to have a positional relationship based on the two members, respectively, correspond to each other, and the head portions are brought closer to each other in this state. This makes it possible to reliably press the metal pipe covering the annular groove into the annular groove.

It is conceivable that the positioning member is configured to engage with, for example, an engagement groove provided on an outer peripheral portion of the joint. At this time, a positioning member having substantially the same thickness as the width of the engaging groove and having two plate-shaped portions separated by a predetermined distance is provided, and the two plate-shaped portions are engaged so as to sandwich the joint. The engagement groove may be configured to be engageable. By engaging the engagement groove provided on the outer peripheral portion of the joint, the positioning in the “longitudinal direction” of the connection structure between the metal pipe and the joint can be reliably performed. It is more preferable to engage the engagement groove so that the joint is sandwiched between the two plate-shaped portions, since the "radial" positioning in the connection structure between the metal pipe and the joint can be reliably performed.

In the above-described example, the positioning member is engaged with the engagement groove on the joint side. Conversely, the joint side has a flange, and the positioning member is separated from the two by the width of the flange. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the plate-like member is formed and the flange of the joint is sandwiched between the two plate-like members.

On the other hand, regarding the configuration relating to the caulking blade portion, for example, the caulking blade portion may be erected on the arc-shaped portion as follows. In other words, basically, the arc-shaped part is erected at a predetermined height all around the circumference, and a relief part is provided in a part. This relief is either standing lower than the specified height or not standing. By doing so, the state in which the metal pipe enters the annular groove when performing the caulking operation can be made more appropriate. In other words, in the caulking operation in this case, the metal tube itself is deformed to reduce the diameter (diameter reduction), but a portion where distortion due to the deformation escapes is required somewhere. Therefore, by appropriately providing the relief portion, the reduced diameter state of the other portions becomes appropriate, and an appropriate crimping state can be obtained as a whole.

It is conceivable to employ the following configuration for the relief portion. That is, the head section is divided into two sections, a first head section and a second head section. Then, the arc-shaped portion of the first head portion is formed so that when the metal tube is sandwiched from the outer peripheral side, a portion larger than a half circumference of the metal tube can be sandwiched. In addition, relief portions are provided at both ends of the swaging blade portion erected on the arc-shaped portions of the first head portion and the head portion, and corresponding relief portions of the first head portion and the second head portion are provided. Combine them together to form a relief part. Further, the two relief portions are arranged so as to be shifted to the second head portion side with respect to the center line in the radial direction.

By doing so, the deformation of the metal tube in the escape portion can be made appropriate. In this case, “appropriate deformation” means that there is no deformation in which the metal tube does not fit in the escape portion and jumps out of the escape portion. For example, when a caulking operation is performed by a completely symmetrical divided head portion, a substantially uniform force acts on the metal tube from both sides, and therefore, for example, as shown by a two-dot line in FIG. May be trapped between the heads and jump out of the original outer diameter. On the other hand, if the arc-shaped portion of the first head portion is formed so as to sandwich a portion larger than half the circumference of the metal tube, the metal once started to deform so as to protrude as shown in FIG. The tube transitions again to maintain its original outer diameter, and as a result, fits well in the relief.

In order to perform the caulking operation, it is necessary to move the divided head unit. At this time, if a form generally implemented as a tool is adopted, the head unit connected to the head unit is required. It is conceivable to provide a configuration in which two operating patterns are provided, and the two operating patterns are brought closer to each other, so that the divided head portions come closer to each other. For human work, it is preferable that the caulking work can be performed by bringing the operation patterns closer together. In other words, the action of “making the operation patterns close to each other” is an action that is easy for humans to apply force. In addition, if the operation pattern is lengthened, it is easier to apply a large force using the principle of leverage.

However, assuming an environment in which such a connection structure is arranged, for example, the space is often a narrow space such as a space above a ceiling, and the degree of freedom of work such as near a wall is often limited. Therefore, depending on the position of the connection structure to be worked, a long operation pattern may be a hindrance. As a countermeasure for this, the head unit may be configured such that the relative angle with respect to the two operation handles can be changed about a predetermined rotation axis. In this way, an appropriate head angle can be adopted according to the working environment, which contributes to improvement in workability.

[0025]

[Embodiment of the invention]

 Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view showing a schematic configuration of a caulking tool (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “caulking tool”) 1 for connecting a metal pipe and a joint, which is one embodiment, (a) is a top view, and (b) is a top view. It is a side view.

Before describing the caulking tool 1 itself, first, the connection structure 2 to which the caulking tool is to be used will be described. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views showing a connection structure 2 between a copper pipe 5 as a metal pipe and a joint 10, wherein FIG. 6A shows a state before caulking, and FIG. 6B shows a caulking using the caulking tool 1 of the present embodiment. Is shown. The joint 10 uses, for example, BC6C as a material, and includes a cylindrical portion 11, a flange portion 21, and an engagement groove 30. The flange portion 21 is provided at a predetermined distance (L1) from the distal end 11a of the cylindrical portion 11. A cylindrical portion is provided at the base of the flange portion 21. The opening of the tapered groove 23 is made larger than the thickness of the copper tube 5, and the bottom is made the same as or smaller than the thickness of the copper tube 5.

At a predetermined position between the distal end 11 a of the cylindrical portion and the flange portion 21 (for example, at a position about two-thirds from the distal end 11 a of the cylindrical portion to the flange portion 21), an annular groove 1 is formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 11. 3 are formed. As shown in FIG. 6, the annular groove 13 of the present embodiment has a semicircular “U-shaped groove” in cross section.

Also, at a predetermined position between the cylindrical portion tip 11a and the annular groove portion 13 (eg, an intermediate position between the cylindrical portion tip portion 11a and the annular groove portion 13), a ring receiving groove 14 is also provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 11. And a seal ring 15 is interposed therein. In this embodiment, the seal ring 15 is an O-ring having a substantially circular cross section.

On the other hand, the portion of the copper tube 5 extending from the distal end 5 a to a predetermined distance (L 2) in the axial direction is an enlarged diameter portion 7 having an enlarged inner diameter. The predetermined distance (L2) corresponding to the length of the enlarged diameter portion 7 is set longer by a predetermined amount (α) than the predetermined distance (L1) corresponding to the length of the cylindrical portion 11 of the joint 10 described above. is there. The predetermined amount (α) only needs to be at least the length of the tip 5a of the copper tube 5 inserted into the tapered groove 23 at the base of the flange 21 and the length moved by “caulking” described later. .

The engagement groove 30 is provided over the entire circumference of the joint 10 at a position (L 3) from the annular groove 13. In this case, the predetermined distance (L3) is a distance between the centers of the engagement groove 30 and the annular groove portion 13. The bottom of the annular groove 13 is, of course, formed over the entire circumference of the joint 10, and the diameter of the bottom is set to a predetermined length (L4).

The above is the description of the copper tube 5 and the joint 10 constituting the connection structure 2. Next, the process until the connection of the copper tube 5 and the joint 10 to complete the connection structure 2 is completed. Explain the work procedure. In the present embodiment, description will be made from the point where the copper tube 5 is cut. [Working Step 1] First, the copper tube 5 is cut to a required length. For this cutting, an appropriate pipe cutting tool (tube cutter) may be used. [Working step 2] With respect to the cut copper pipe 5, after deburring the cut surface, the diameter is increased only a predetermined distance (L2) from the cut end. For this diameter expansion, an appropriate diameter expansion tool (expander) may be used. For example, a diameter increasing head having a shape obtained by dividing a cylinder into six in the axial direction is provided. When the diameter is to be increased, each of the six divided diameter expanding heads is moved radially outward. In the present embodiment, as described above, the length of the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 5 is desired to be formed at the above-mentioned predetermined distance (L2), so the length of the enlarged diameter head is set to L2. Then, the diameter expansion head is inserted into the copper tube 5 to expand the diameter. In the present embodiment, the inner diameter of the copper tube 5 is increased to correspond to the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 11 of the joint 10 to form the enlarged diameter portion 7. [Working Step 3] Subsequently, the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 5 is fitted to the cylindrical portion 11 of the joint 10. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6A, the tip of the enlarged diameter portion 7, that is, the tip 5a of the copper tube 5 is inserted into the tapered groove 23 at the base of the flange 21 of the joint 10. This provides a “tentative stop”. In other words, by temporarily fitting the enlarged-diameter portion 7 to the cylindrical portion 11, the frictional force between the two provides a temporary stop, but the tip 5 a of the copper tube 5 further extends in the tapered groove portion 23 in the outer circumferential direction. If it is pressed from above, the action of the temporary stop will be further strengthened. Therefore, for example, if the position of the copper pipe 5 and the joint 10 is immobilized by temporary fixing when constructing a vertical pipe, it is effective when performing the caulking work described below alone. [Working Step 4] Finally, the work of “caulking” the copper pipe 5 and the joint 10 is performed. In this caulking operation, the caulking tool 1 of this embodiment is used.

This is a schematic description of a series of working steps. Since the caulking operation is performed using the caulking tool 1 in the work process 4, the specific configuration of the caulking tool 1 will be described next. The swaging tool 1 of this embodiment is connected to two operating handles 61 and 62 via connecting shafts 63 and 64 as shown in a top view of FIG. 1A and a side view of FIG. There are provided two divided head portions, that is, a first head portion 51 and a second head portion 52, and a positioning member 70 provided in parallel with the first and second head portions 51 and 52. Since the operation patterns 61 and 62 are long, only a part thereof is shown.

First, the configuration of the first and second head units 51 and 52 will be described. These two head portions 51 and 52 are configured to be swingable about swing shafts 67 and 68, respectively, and are further connected to the connection shafts 63 and 64 with the swing shafts 67 and 68 interposed therebetween. Has caulking blade portions 55 and 56 on the opposite side. Further, the distance between these two swing shafts 67, 68 is fixed by plates 53, 54 provided so as to sandwich the first and second head portions 51, 52. Further, the two operating handles 61 and 62 described above are connected by a rotating shaft 65.

Therefore, when the operating handles 61 and 62 are operated to open, the two connecting shafts 63 and 64 approach each other, and the first and second head portions 51 and 52 move the respective swing shafts 67 and 68 to the swing center. And the caulking blades 55 and 56 move in a direction in which they are separated from each other. Conversely, when the operating handles 61, 62 are operated to close, the two connecting shafts 63, 64 are separated from each other, and the first and second head portions 51, 52 swing their respective swinging shafts 67, 68. And the caulking blades 55 and 56 move in a direction to approach each other.

Here, the configuration of the caulking blade portions 55 and 56 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is a top view showing only the caulking blades 55 and 56 and peripheral portions of the first and second heads 51 and 52, and FIG. It is -A sectional drawing. The first and second head portions 51 and 52 include arc-shaped portions 57 and 58, respectively. This is formed so that the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 5 is sandwiched from the outer peripheral side. When the two arc-shaped portions 57 and 58 are combined, a circular shape slightly larger than the outer diameter of the enlarged diameter portion 7 is formed. It is set to be. More specifically, these two arc-shaped portions 57, 58 are not the same shape, and as shown in FIG. 2A, the arc-shaped portion 57 of the first head portion 51 is larger than a semicircle, and conversely, The arc-shaped portion 58 of the two head portion 52 is smaller than a semicircle. In order to facilitate understanding of this difference in shape, the center line CL of a circle formed by combining the two arc-shaped portions 57 and 58 is shown by a dashed line in FIG.

The arc-shaped portions 57 and 58 are provided with caulking blades 55 and 56, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2B, the caulking blades 55 and 56 are provided upright at the center of the arc-shaped portions 57 and 58. The caulking blades 55 and 56 are basically provided upright at a predetermined height all around the arc-shaped portions 57 and 58, and a relief portion is provided in a part thereof. The relief portion is one that is erected below a predetermined height or is not erected.

The caulking blades 55, 56 press the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 5 shown in FIG. 6 into the annular groove 13 to form the caulking portion 9 in the caulking operation. Therefore, the thickness and height of the caulking blades 55 and 56 are set to appropriate sizes from the viewpoint that the above-described enlarged diameter portion 7 is pressed into the annular groove portion 13 to form the caulking portion 9. Further, in the caulking operation, the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 5 is deformed to reduce the diameter (diameter reduction), but a portion where distortion due to the deformation escapes is required somewhere. By appropriately providing the above-described relief portions, the reduced diameter state in the other portions becomes appropriate, and an appropriate caulked state is obtained as a whole.

The escape portion will be described. In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, four relief portions are formed in a circle formed by combining two arc-shaped portions 57 and 58. More specifically, at both ends of the caulking blade portion 55 erected on the arc-shaped portion 57 of the first head portion 51, there are substantially quarter-shaped relief portion constituting portions 55a, 55c. Escape portions 56a and 56c having the same shape are also provided at both ends of the caulking blade portion 56 erected on the arc portion 58 of the two head portion 52. Then, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), when the head portions 51 and 52 abut against each other and close, the corresponding relief portion components, that is, the component 55a and the component 56a, or the component 56a and the component The portions 56c are combined to form a substantially semicircular relief portion. In the vicinity of the center of each of the two arc-shaped portions 57 and 58, relief portions 55b and 56b each having a substantially semicircular shape by itself are formed. As a result, a total of four relief portions are formed. However, as described above, the arc-shaped portion 57 of the first head portion 51 is larger than the semicircle, and conversely, the arc-shaped portion 58 of the second head portion 52 is smaller than the semicircle. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2A, a relief portion formed by the relief portion constituting portions 55a and 56a on the tip side of the head portions 51 and 52 and a relief portion constituting portion 55c and 56c on the opposite side are formed. Both of the relief portions are arranged so as to be shifted toward the second head portion 52 from a center line CL of a circle formed by combining the two arc-shaped portions 57 and 58.

Next, the positioning member 70 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the positioning member 70 is fixed to one of the plates 53 provided so as to sandwich the first and second heads 51 and 52, and is positioned at a predetermined distance. It has a plurality of plate portions 71 and 72. The predetermined distance between the two plate-shaped portions 71 and 72 is slightly larger than the diameter (L4) of the bottom of the engagement groove 30 provided in the joint 10 shown in FIG. The thickness of the plate-shaped portions 71 and 72 is set to be substantially the same as the width of the engagement groove 30, and more specifically, set to be slightly smaller so as to be able to be smoothly inserted into the engagement groove 30. Therefore, these plate-like portions 71 and 72 are configured to be able to engage with the engagement groove 30 so as to sandwich the joint 10.

Further, the tips of the plate portions 71, 72 project a predetermined distance (for example, about 20 to 30 mm) from the tips of the head portions 51, 52, and the inside of the plate portions 71, 72 faces each other. The corners are chamfered to form a curve. On the other hand, as described above, the positioning member 70 is provided in parallel with the first and second head portions 51 and 52, but is set in a predetermined positional relationship with the caulking blade portions 55 and 56. Specifically, the distance between the positioning member 70 and the caulking blades 55 and 56 is set to be the same as the distance (L3) between the engagement groove 30 and the annular groove 13 in the joint 10.

Next, the details of the caulking operation in [Working Step 4] performed using the caulking tool 1 having the above configuration will be described. During the caulking operation, first, the plate-like portion 71 of the positioning member 70 of the caulking tool 1 is inserted into the engagement groove 30 of the joint 10 in a state where the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 5 and the joint 10 are fitted. , 72 are engaged. At this time, the operation handles 61 and 62 of the caulking tool 1 are opened to separate the caulking blade portions 55 and 56 from each other, and the portion where the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 5 fits the joint 10 is sandwiched. To a position like this. As shown in FIG. 3A, the plate portions 71 and 72 (only 71 is shown in FIG. 3A) are the tips of the head portions 51 and 52 (only the first head portion 51 is shown in FIG. 3A). When the plate-like portions 71 and 72 are inserted into the engagement grooves 30 of the joint 10, they are easily visually confirmed. Further, as described above, the inner corners where the plate-shaped portions 71 and 72 face each other are chamfered and formed in a curved shape (see FIG. 1A). Work becomes easier.

With the plate-like portions 71 and 72 inserted into the engagement grooves 30 in this manner, the plate-like portions 71 and 72 are brought to a position where the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 5 can be sandwiched between the caulking blade portions 55 and 56. When the operating handles 61 and 62 are closed, the connecting shafts 63 and 64 are separated from each other, the heads 51 and 52 swing about the respective swing shafts 67 and 68 as swing centers, and the caulking blade 55 , 56 move toward each other, so that the caulking blades 55, 56 press the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 5 toward the center.

At this time, as described above, the distance between the positioning member 70 and the caulking blades 55 and 56 is set to be the same as the distance (L 3) between the engagement groove 30 and the annular groove 13 in the joint 10. Therefore, the positions of the caulking blade portions 55 and 56 in the state where the positioning member 70 has positioned them are exactly the positions corresponding to the annular grooves 13 provided in the cylindrical portion 11 of the joint 10 (FIG. b) etc.). Accordingly, the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 5 pressed by the caulking blade portions 55 and 56 moves into the annular groove portion 13, and finally the caulking portion 9 as shown in FIG. The Rukoto. That is, the swaging blade portion of the swaging tool 1 is considered in consideration of the positional relationship between the engagement groove 30 and the annular groove portion 13 where the plate-shaped portions 71 and 72 of the positioning member 70 of the joint 10 are engaged. The positional relationship between 55 and 56 and the plate portions 71 and 72 of the positioning member 70 is set. Therefore, when the plate-like portions 71, 72 of the positioning member 70 are engaged with the engagement grooves 30, the caulking blade portions 55, 56 and the annular groove portions 13 whose positional relationship is set based on the two are respectively. When the head portions 51 and 52 are brought closer to each other in this state, the enlarged diameter portion 7 covering the annular groove portion 13 can be reliably pressed into the annular groove portion 13.

Therefore, it is convenient for the worker to confirm the position of the annular groove 13 externally fitted to the enlarged diameter portion 7. Further, when the side surface of the tool is brought into contact with, for example, the flange 21 of the joint 10, the swaging blades 55 and 56 may be brought to the positions corresponding to the annular grooves 13. In this case, it is necessary to apply a considerable force, so it is difficult for the operator to keep the tool in contact with the flange 21. Therefore, for example, if a force is applied in a state where the caulking blade portions 55 and 56 are oblique to the enlarged diameter portion 7, the caulking blade portions 55 and 56 do not enter the annular groove portion 13 properly and cannot obtain a sufficient caulking state. .

On the other hand, according to the caulking tool 1 of the present embodiment, when the plate-like portions 71, 72 of the positioning member 70 are engaged with the engagement grooves 30, as described above, the copper pipe 5 and the joint 10 Since the positioning in the “longitudinal direction” in the connection structure 2 can be reliably performed, and the joint 10 is engaged with the engagement groove 30 so as to sandwich the joint 10 between the two plate-shaped portions 71 and 72, the connection structure 2 The positioning in the "radial direction" can be surely performed. Therefore, the relative position of the caulking tool 1 itself does not easily move, and a reliable caulking operation can be performed quickly.

In the case of using the caulking tool 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the entire circumference of the enlarged diameter portion 7 is caulked into the annular groove portion 13. Instead, only the portion where the swaging blade portions 55 and 56 are formed is swaged into the annular groove portion 13, and the above-described four “relief portions” are not swaged. In other words, in the caulking operation, the diameter is reduced by deforming the enlarged diameter portion 7 itself, but a portion where the distortion due to the deformation escapes is required somewhere. For this reason, by appropriately providing the relief portion, the reduced diameter state in other portions becomes appropriate, and an appropriate caulked state is obtained as a whole.

In the case of the present embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 2A, the relief portions formed by the relief portion constituting portions 55a and 56a on the distal end sides of the head portions 51 and 52, and The escape portions formed by the escape portion forming portions 55c and 56c on the opposite sides are both shifted to the second head portion 52 side from the center line CL of the circle formed by combining the two arc-shaped portions 57 and 58. Will be arranged. Therefore, the deformation of the enlarged diameter portion 7 in these relief portions can be made appropriate. In this case, “appropriate deformation” means that there is no deformation in which the enlarged diameter portion 7 jumps out of the escape portion without being accommodated in the escape portion.

This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. For example, when a swaging operation is performed by a completely symmetrical split head portion, a substantially uniform force acts on the enlarged diameter portion 7 from both sides, and as illustrated in FIG. There is a possibility that a part of the portion 7 is sandwiched between the head portions and protrudes outside the original outer diameter. On the other hand, in the case of the present embodiment, since the arc-shaped portion 57 of the first head portion 51 is formed so as to sandwich a portion larger than a half circumference of the enlarged diameter portion 7, FIG. ), The enlarged-diameter portion 7 that has begun to deform so as to jump out again shifts to deformation that maintains the original outer diameter. As a result, the relief portion formed by the relief portion constituting portions 55a and 56a, and It fits well in the escape portion formed by the escape portion constituting portions 55c and 56c on the opposite side.

In the caulking operation, the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 5 is pressed into the annular groove 13 and deformed so as to reduce the diameter, so that the axial length of the enlarged diameter portion 7 is somewhat shorter. Become. Further, the tip 5a of the copper tube 5 receives a force to deform in the direction of increasing the diameter under the influence of such deformation. However, in the present embodiment, as described above, since the tip 5a of the copper tube 5 is inserted into the tapered groove 23, it is possible to prevent the deformation, that is, the tip from expanding, due to the deforming force. .

Note that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments at all, and it goes without saying that various embodiments can be adopted as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention. Some of them will be described. (1) In the above-described embodiment, the plate-shaped portions 71 and 72 of the positioning member 70 are engaged with the engagement grooves 30 on the joint 10 side, but the engagement relationship may be reversed. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the joint 110 may include a flange 130, and the positioning member may be sandwiched between two plate members separated by the width of the flange 130. The example shown in FIG. 7 has a configuration in which two sets of plate portions 71 and 72 of the positioning member 70 in the above embodiment are provided, and as shown in FIG. The flange 110 is sandwiched between a set of the plate-shaped members 171a and 171b and a set of the plate-shaped members 172a and 172b, and the joint 110 itself is sandwiched between the two sets. Other configurations may be the same as in the above embodiment.

When the positioning is performed with the flange portion 130 sandwiched between the plate members 171a, 171b, 172a, and 172b, the caulking blade portions 55 and 56 of the head portions 51 and 52 come to an appropriate position. It has been like that. (2) In the above-described embodiment, four relief portions are provided for the caulking blade portions 55 and 56. However, for example, in FIG. 2A, formed by the relief portion constituting portions 55a and 56a on the tip end sides of the head portions 51 and 52. It is also possible to use only two of the escape portion formed by the escape portion and the escape portion formed by the escape portion constituting portions 55c and 56c on the opposite side.

Conversely, in the above-described embodiment, the relief portions 5b and 56b each having a substantially semicircular shape alone are formed near the center of each of the two arc-shaped portions 57 and 58, respectively. For example, two or more relief portions may be formed, and a total of six or more relief portions may be formed.

(3) In order to perform the caulking operation, a considerably large force for bringing the head portions 51 and 52 close to each other is required. Therefore, in the above-described embodiment, the two operating patterns 61 and 62 connected to the head sections 51 and 52 are provided, and the two operating patterns 61 and 62 are brought closer to each other so that the head sections 51 and 52 are connected to each other. It was configured to approach. When a human works, it is preferable that the caulking work can be performed by bringing the operation handles 61 and 62 closer to each other in this manner. In other words, the operation of "making the operation patterns 61 and 62 closer to each other" is an operation that is easy for humans to apply force. In addition, if the operation pattern is lengthened, it is easy to apply a large force based on the principle of leverage.

However, assuming an environment in which the connection structure 2 is arranged as described above, it is considered that, for example, it is often a narrow space such as a space above a ceiling and the degree of freedom of work such as a wall is limited. . Therefore, depending on the position of the connection structure 2 to be worked, the long operation patterns 61 and 62 may be a hindrance. As a countermeasure for this, as shown in FIG. 8, the head sections 51 and 52 (only 52 is shown in FIG. 8) are moved around two predetermined operating shafts 150 (see FIG. (Shown only). In this way, an appropriate head angle can be adopted according to the working environment, which contributes to an improvement in workability. In addition, when the angle is changed in this way, a configuration that allows temporary fixing at an arbitrary angle is more preferable.

(4) Further, for example, assuming that an appropriate caulking portion 9 is formed when the head portions 51 and 52 come into contact with each other as shown in FIG. Must be operated until the heads 51 and 52 close. Therefore, the following mechanism may be adopted as a device for obtaining a secure caulking state. That is, when the operating patterns 61 and 62 are operated to move the head units 51 and 52 from the open state to the closing direction, the operation is performed in the opening direction until the head units 51 and 52 are completely closed. To make it impossible. The configuration for this may be provided inside the rotating shaft 65 connecting the two operation handles 61 and 62 shown in FIG. When the caulking operation is performed using this caulking tool, the caulking tool itself cannot be removed from the enlarged-diameter portion 7 of the copper pipe 5 unless the caulking portion 9 is securely formed. In addition, it is possible to prevent occurrence of an insufficient caulking state. Of course, a configuration may be adopted in which the sensor detects that the head units 51 and 52 have been completely closed, and notifies the user with a buzzer or the like. However, in this case, there is a possibility that insufficient caulking may occur due to human factors. On the other hand, as described above, if the caulking tool itself cannot be removed from the enlarged portion 7 of the copper tube 5 unless the caulking portion 9 is securely formed, an artificial factor The inconvenience in can be eliminated.

(6) In the above embodiment, the description has been given of the case of the copper tube as an example of the metal tube. However, the present invention is not limited to the copper tube, but is a connection structure in which another metal tube and the joint 10 are connected. The present invention can be similarly applied as a caulking tool used for the above.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a top view of a caulking tool according to an embodiment, and FIG.
Is a side view thereof.

FIG. 2A is a top view showing only a portion around a caulking blade portion of first and second head portions of the caulking tool according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation at the time of a caulking operation.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a deformed state of the enlarged-diameter portion during a caulking operation.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a deformed state of an enlarged-diameter portion at the time of a caulking operation by comparing an example and a conventional case.

FIG. 6 shows a connection structure between a copper pipe and a joint according to an embodiment, and (a)
FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing a state before crimping, and FIG.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a connection structure advantageous to a conventional connection structure.

FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view showing a conventional connection structure between a copper pipe and a joint.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Caulking tool 2 ... Connection structure 5 ... Copper tube 7 ... Expanded diameter part 9 ... Caulked part 10 ... Joint 11 ... Cylindrical part 13 ... Annular groove part 14 ... Ring storage groove 15 ... Seal ring 21 ... Flange part 23 ... Tapered groove part 30 .. Engagement groove 51 first head 51 second head 53, 54 plate 55, 56 caulking blade 55b, 56b relief 55a, 55c, 56a, 56c relief component 57, 58 Arc-shaped portions 61, 62 Operation handle 63, 64 Connection shaft 65 Rotating shaft 67, 68 Oscillating shaft 70 Positioning member 71, 72 Plate-shaped portion 130 Flange 150 Rotating shaft 171a, 171b , 172a,
172b: plate-shaped member

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] May 18, 1998

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 2

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Claims (5)

[Utility model registration claims] The metal pipe covers the annular groove in a state where the metal pipe is fitted to a joint having a cylindrical portion having a predetermined outer diameter and an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion. A metal pipe / joint connection caulking tool for fixing the joint and the metal pipe by caulking the metal pipe into the annular groove portion, the circle being divided and formed so as to sandwich the metal pipe from the outer peripheral side. A head portion having an arc-shaped portion, and the metal tube, which is erected on the arc-shaped portion of each of the divided head portions and approaches the head portions, presses the metal tube covering the annular groove portion into the annular groove portion. A caulking blade portion, and a positioning member that engages with the joint to dispose the caulking blade portion at a position corresponding to the annular groove portion. . 2. The positioning member has two plate-like portions having substantially the same thickness as the width of the engagement groove and being separated by a predetermined distance. The swaging tool according to claim 1, wherein the swaging tool is configured to be able to engage with the engagement groove so as to sandwich the joint. 3. An upright state of the caulking blade portion on the arc-shaped portion is basically set up at a predetermined height over the entire circumference of the arc-shaped portion. The caulking tool for connecting metal pipes and joints according to claim 1, wherein a relief portion is provided which is erected lower than a height or is not erected. 4. The head part is divided into two parts, a first head part and a second head part, and the arc-shaped part of the first head part has a metal tube when the metal tube is sandwiched from the outer peripheral side. The first head part and the second head part are provided with relief part forming parts at both ends of the caulking blade part which is erected on the arc-shaped part of the first head part and the second head part. The corresponding relief portion constituting portions of the first head portion and the second head portion are united with each other to form the relief portion, so that the two relief portions are both based on a radial center line as a reference. The caulking tool for connecting metal pipes and joints according to claim 3, wherein the tool is arranged so as to be shifted toward the second head portion. 5. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: two operating patterns connected to the divided head portions, wherein the two operating patterns are brought closer to each other so that the divided head portions come closer to each other. The head unit is configured to be capable of changing a relative angle with respect to the two operating handles around a predetermined rotation axis. Caulking tool for connecting metal pipes and fittings.