JP3170840B2 - Pipe mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pipe mounting structure for mounting a pipe to a member to be mounted, such as a liquid tank for vehicle air conditioning, via a connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a structure for attaching a refrigerant distribution pipe to a liquid tank or the like constituting a vehicle air conditioner, there is known a structure disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 59-185486, for example. Hereinafter, this will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 6, reference numeral 50 denotes a pipe mounting connector. The connector 50 has a pipe through hole 51 through which the refrigerant distribution pipe 2 passes and a bolt through hole 52 through which the bolt 21 passes. , Connector 50
A circular engaging portion 50a into which a pipe protruding ridge portion 2a described later is fitted is formed on the mounting surface of the rim. An annular ridge 2a is formed at the end of the pipe 2 by bulging.
A connection portion 2b is formed at a tip end of the ridge portion 2a. A large-diameter portion 1c into which the O-ring 22 is fitted is formed at the inlet of the refrigerant passage 1a of the liquid tank 1. The pipe 2 is connected to the liquid tank 1 as follows.
Attached to First, the through-hole 51 of the connector 50
The O-ring 22 is attached to the connecting portion 2b of the pipe 2 penetrated through the pipe, and the pipe connecting portion 2b is inserted into the refrigerant passage 1a inside the liquid tank 1. In this state, the bolt 21 is screwed into the bolt hole 1b on the liquid tank 1 side via the bolt through hole 52 of the connector 50 and fixed. Here, the pipe 2 is made of an aluminum-based material, while the bolt 21 is made of an iron-based material.

[0003]

Since the liquid tank 1 is usually provided vertically in the engine room of a vehicle, the upper surface of the connector 50 mounted on the upper surface of the liquid tank 1 is provided when the vehicle is washed or when it is raining. As shown by reference numeral W in FIG. 6, water tends to stay due to surface tension. As described above, since the pipe 2 is made of an aluminum-based material and the bolt 21 is made of an iron-based material, the pipe 2 and the bolt 21 are indirectly connected to each other via water W due to a difference in ionization tendency between the two. Conduction causes so-called electrochemical corrosion (hereinafter referred to as electrolytic corrosion), which causes a problem that the pipe 2 is corroded.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a pipe mounting structure that prevents electric corrosion of a pipe due to the stagnation of water.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1 showing an embodiment, the present invention is directed to a pipe through hole 1 in which a pipe 20 made of a first metal is passed through a connector 10.
1, the pipe 20 is connected to the member 1 to be mounted.
A pipe mounting structure in which the connector 10 is screwed to the mounting target member 1 with a bolt 21 made of a second metal having a different ionization tendency from the first metal so as to be connected to the fluid passage 1a of FIG. Applied. Then, on the upper surface of the connector 10, a downwardly inclined drain groove 13 is formed, which crosses a portion between the pipe through-hole 11 and the bolt through-hole 12 through which the bolt 21 penetrates, and reaches the connector peripheral surface. Solve. In addition, in particular, in the second aspect of the present invention, a downwardly inclined drain surface 14 reaching the connector peripheral surface is formed at the end of the upper surface of the connector 10 on the side of the pipe through hole 11. Further, in the invention of claim 3, the mounting target member 1 is a liquid tank for vehicle air conditioning.

[0006]

The water adhering to the portion between the pipe through-hole 11 and the bolt through-hole 12 on the upper surface of the connector drops from the peripheral surface of the connector 10 through the drain groove 13 having a downward slope. Therefore, water does not stay in the portion between the pipe through-hole 11 and the bolt through-hole 12, and the pipe 20 and the bolt 21 are not indirectly conducted by water, and the pipe 20 is not corroded. In particular, in the invention of claim 2,
Moisture adhering around the pipe 20 flows down the slope 14 and falls off the connector 10. Thereby, water does not stay around the pipe 20. Therefore, corrosion of the pipe 20 due to a component that becomes a corrosion factor in moisture can also be prevented.

In the means and means for solving the above problems which explain the constitution of the present invention, the drawings of the embodiments are used to make the present invention easy to understand. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 4, the air-conditioning liquid tank 1 provided in the engine room of the vehicle is connected to the condenser 3 through a refrigerant distribution pipe 20 made of an aluminum-based material, and is also connected to the condenser 3 through a similar pipe 20. Connected to a downstream expansion valve (not shown). The refrigerant from the condenser 3 flows into the liquid tank 1 through the pipe 20, where the refrigerant is separated into gas and liquid. Then, only the liquid refrigerant is guided to the expansion valve through the pipe 20.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a structure for attaching a pipe to the liquid tank 1, FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III. Reference numeral 10 denotes a pipe mounting connector, which is obtained by cutting an aluminum extruded material to a predetermined thickness or formed by an aluminum die casting method. Connector 10
A pipe through hole 11 through which the pipe 20 passes and a bolt through hole 12 through which the bolt 21 passes.
The distance between these through holes 11 and 12 is
It is determined in advance so as to match the interval between the refrigerant passage 1a on the side and the bolt hole 1b. The connector mounting surface side of the pipe through-hole 11 is enlarged in diameter so as to be engaged with a ridge 20a described later to form an engaging portion 11a.

Further, a drain groove 13 is formed on the upper surface of the connector 10 so as to cross the portion between the pipe through hole 11 and the bolt through hole 12 and to reach the connector peripheral surface.
As shown in FIG. 3, a slope 13 a is formed at the bottom of the bottom 3 and slopes downward toward the outside. further,
On the upper end of the connector 10, an inclined surface 1 that slopes down toward the outside so as to surround the pipe through hole 11.
4 are formed.

The pipe 20 is made of an aluminum-based material,
An annular large-diameter ridge 20a formed by bulging at the tip
Is formed, and a small-diameter protruding ridge 20b for preventing the O-ring from coming off is formed on the distal end side. Also,
A connection portion 20c having substantially the same diameter as the refrigerant passage 1a of the liquid tank 1 is formed on the distal end side of the ridge portion 20b.

Next, a procedure for attaching the pipe 20 to the upper surface of the liquid tank 1 using the connector 10 will be described. The pipe 20 having the O-ring 22 mounted between the large-diameter ridge 20a and the small-diameter ridge 20b is inserted into the pipe through hole 11 of the connector 10 from the lower part in the drawing, and the ridge 2
0a is engaged with the engaging portion 11a on the lower surface of the connector 10. Thereby, the pipe 20 is prevented from falling off. In this state, the distal end connecting portion 20c of the pipe 20 is fitted into the refrigerant passage 1a in the liquid tank 1, and then the bolt through hole 12 of the connector 10 and the bolt hole 1b of the liquid tank 1 are aligned. The bolt 21 is screwed into the bolt hole 1b via the through hole 12. Thereby, the pipe 20 is fixed to the liquid tank 1. Here, when the bolt 21 is screwed, the O-ring 22 is compressed and deformed, so that the pipe 20 and the liquid tank 1 are securely sealed.

By the way, since the pipe 20 is made of an aluminum-based material while the bolt 21 is made of an iron-based material,
When water accumulates on the upper surface of the connector 10 as shown in the figure during car washing or rainy weather, electrolytic corrosion of the pipe 20 occurs due to the difference in ionization tendency between the two as described above. However, the connector 10 of the present embodiment has a pipe through hole 11 as shown in the figure.
Since the drainage groove 13 is provided between the groove 13 and the bolt through hole 12, the water attached to the groove 13 flows down the slope 13a and drops from both ends of the groove 13 so that the pipe 20
No water stays between the bolt 21. Therefore, the pipe 20 and the bolt 21 are not electrically conducted by water, and the electrolytic corrosion of the pipe 20 can be prevented.

Further, in this embodiment, in particular, since the slope 14 is formed at the end of the upper surface of the connector so as to surround the pipe through-hole 11, the moisture adhering to the periphery of the pipe 20 flows down the slope 14 and falls. Thereby, water does not stay around the pipe 20. Therefore, corrosion of the pipe 20 due to a component that becomes a corrosion factor in moisture can be prevented.

The shape of the drain groove 13 is not limited to the above-described one, and for example, slopes 13b and 13c may be formed as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) or FIG. 5 (c). As shown in the figure, instead of the inclined surface, an arc surface 13d which becomes lower toward both ends may be used. In the above description, the connector for attaching a pipe to a liquid tank has been described. However, the present invention is also applied to a connector for attaching a pipe to another attachment target member, particularly, an attachment target member provided at a location where moisture easily accumulates. it can. Therefore, the pipe may be for flowing a fluid other than the refrigerant.

[0016]

According to the present invention, a downwardly extending drain groove is provided on the upper surface of the connector so as to reach both ends across a portion between the pipe through hole and the bolt through hole through which the bolt passes. Water does not stay between the bolt and
The water prevents the pipe and the bolt from conducting, and prevents the electrolytic corrosion of the pipe. According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the drainage surface is also provided at the end near the through hole on the upper surface of the connector, the water does not stay around the pipe, and the water is corroded by a component which causes corrosion. Corrosion of pipes can be prevented. Furthermore, in the third aspect of the present invention, since the liquid tank is provided in the engine room of the vehicle as described above, water easily accumulates on the upper surface of the connector mounted on the upper surface during car washing or during rainy weather. Therefore, a great effect can be obtained by forming the drain groove in the connector for attaching the refrigerant distribution pipe to the liquid tank.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a pipe mounting structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a pipe mounting structure.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a connection state between a liquid tank and a capacitor.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a modification of the drain groove of the connector.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a conventional pipe mounting structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid tank 20 Pipe 10 Connector 11 Pipe through hole 12 Bolt through hole 13 Drainage groove 13a Slope 14 Slope 21 Bolt 22 O-ring

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-63-272001 (JP, A) JP-A-62-72984 (JP, A) JP-A-5-69735 (JP, A) 185486 (JP, U) Fully open Showa 61-197461 (JP, U) Fully open Showa 55-157672 (JP, U) Fully open Showa 50-114044 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. ⁷ , DB name) B60H 1/32 613 F16L 41/08 F25B 41/00 F25B 43/00

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pipe made of a first metal is inserted and connected to a pipe through hole penetrated by a connector, and the pipe is connected to a fluid passage of a member to be mounted.
In a pipe attachment structure in which the connector is screwed to the attachment target member with a bolt made of a second metal having a different ionization tendency from the first metal, an upper surface of the connector has the pipe through hole and the bolt A pipe mounting structure, characterized in that a downwardly inclined drain groove is formed to extend to a peripheral surface of the connector across a portion between the connector and the bolt through hole. 2. The pipe mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein a downwardly inclined drain surface reaching the peripheral surface of the connector is formed at an end of the upper surface of the connector on the side of the pipe through hole. 3. The pipe mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the mounting target member is a liquid tank for vehicle air conditioning.