JP3711224B2 - Quick fitting - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a quick fitting.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As an example of this type of quick fitting, the one shown in FIG. 10 is conventionally known.
This example is an example of a pipe joint for connecting a pipe for supplying water or hot water to a faucet instrument, and more specifically, a pipe joint for connecting a supply pipe directly connected to the faucet instrument and its upstream pipe It is an example.
[0003]
In the figure, 200 is a faucet device, and 202 is a supply pipe directly connected to the faucet device 200 to supply water and hot water to the faucet device 200. In this example, the supply pipe 202 is made of a flexible pipe.
[0004]
Reference numeral 204 denotes a quick pipe joint for connecting the supply pipe 202 and the upstream pipe, and includes a socket member 206, an elastic clip 208 and a safety cover 210.
[0005]
FIG. 11 shows the configuration of the quick pipe joint 204 in detail.
As shown in the figure, the socket member 206 has an insertion opening 212 at one end in the axial direction, and further has a female fitting surface 214 having a circular cross section following the insertion opening 212. A flange portion 216 is formed on the outer peripheral surface at the axial end.
[0006]
On the other hand, an end fitting 218 is attached to the supply pipe 202. The end fitting 218 has a male tube 220. The male tube 220 is inserted into the socket member 206 through the insertion opening 212 of the socket member 206, and the male fitting surface 222 on the outer peripheral surface is a socket member. The female fitting surface 214 of 206 is fitted, and the space between them is sealed by an O-ring 224 attached to the male fitting surface 222.
[0007]
Here, also in the end fitting 218, a flange portion 216 similar to that in the socket member 206 is formed.
The elastic clip 208 is made of a leaf spring and has a substantially annular shape. The elastic clip 208 has an engaging groove 228 at the intermediate portion in the width direction, and has a shape in which a part in the circumferential direction is cut out. An opening 226 is formed, and a guide 230 having a C-shape is continuously formed following the opening 226.
[0008]
The elastic clip 208 is elastically fitted in a direction perpendicular to the axis through the opening 226 with the male tube 220 inserted into the socket member 206 and the pair of flange portions 216 together. By engaging the flange portions 216 in the engagement grooves 228, the socket member 206 and the supply pipe 202 are fastened in the axially secured state.
[0009]
The safety cover 210 has a pair of locking portions 232 that are bent inward, and the locking portions 232 are fitted to and engaged with a pair of guides 230 of the elastic clip 208 to be in a protruding state. The guide 230 is covered and the elastic clip 208 is prevented from opening.
[0010]
However, in the case of this quick pipe joint 204, the action (action) of inserting the male pipe 220 into the socket member 206 at the time of pipe connection, the action of elastically fitting the elastic clip 208 in the direction perpendicular to the axis in that state, and thereafter At least three stages of operation for fitting the safety cover 210 are necessary, and it is not easy enough in terms of workability at the time of pipe connection, and there are problems that the number of joint components is large and the cost is not low. .
[0011]
FIG. 12 shows another conventional example of a quick pipe joint (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-46294). In this example, the male pipe 220 is inserted into the socket member 206 through the insertion opening 212 at the axial end of the socket member 206. 10 in that the male fitting surface 222 on the outer surface is inserted into the female fitting surface 214 of the socket member 206 and the O-ring 224 seals the water tightly between them. Although it is the same as that of the conventional example shown in FIG. 11, in this example, the male tube 220 is prevented from coming off by a retaining clip 236 attached to the socket member 206.
Specifically, in this example, a circumferential cutout 238 is formed in the socket member 206, and an elastic retaining clip 236 is attached to the notched portion 238, and the front end and the rear end of the retaining clip 236 are male tubes. The male tube 220 is prevented from being detached from the socket member 206 via the retaining clip 236 by contacting the flange portion 216 provided on 220 and the second locking surface 240 of the notch portion 238.
[0012]
In this example, the insertion amount of the male tube 220 is regulated by the flange portion 216 coming into contact with the stepped first locking surface 242 of the socket member 206.
[0013]
However, in the case of the quick pipe joint 244 of this example, the male tube 220 cannot be inserted into the socket member 206 with the retaining clip 236 attached to the socket member 206, and therefore the retaining clip 236 is removed. First, the male tube 220 is inserted into the socket member 206, and then the retaining clip 236 is fitted to the socket member 206, and at least the male tube 220 is inserted for tube connection. There is a problem that the operation of connecting the pipes is not sufficiently simple even in the case of the quick pipe joint of this example.
[0014]
FIG. 13 shows another conventional example of a quick fitting (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-92185).
In this example, the male tube 220 is inserted into the socket member 206 through the insertion opening 212 at the axial end of the socket member 206, and the male fitting surface 222 of the male tube 220 is inserted into the female fitting surface 214 of the socket member 206. And a sealing member 246 between which is sealed watertight, and a retaining clip 248 having elasticity at a notch 250 formed in the socket member 206 is attached to the socket member 206, and this is connected to the male tube 220. And the retaining clip 248 is applied to the first locking surface 253 and the second locking surface 254 of the notch 250, thereby causing the male tube 220 to move axially with respect to the socket member 206. This is an example of fixing.
[0015]
In the case of the quick pipe joint 246 shown in FIG. 13, the male pipe 220 has a tapered cam surface 256. Therefore, in the quick pipe joint 246 of this example, the retaining clip 248 is attached to the socket member 206. Under the male tube 220, the male tube 220 can be inserted into the socket member 206 and the male tube 220 can be retained by the retaining clip 248 as it is.
[0016]
However, in the case of this quick pipe joint 246, a cam surface 256 is formed on the male pipe 220 so that the male pipe 220 is expanded and deformed by insertion of the male pipe 220 with the retaining clip 248 attached to the socket member 206. There are problems that need to be kept. That is, in order to adopt such a connection method, there is a problem that a dedicated male tube 220 is required. Therefore, for example, for a male tube not provided with such a cam surface 256, the tube connection in this method is used. There is inconvenience that we cannot do.
[0017]
For example, the supply pipe 202 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 or the end fitting 218 attached to the end thereof is not provided with such a cam surface, so that the existing supply pipe 202 will be connected to the other side. Then, there is a problem that it cannot be applied as it is.
[0018]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The quick pipe joint of the present invention has been devised to solve such a problem.
Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a quick pipe joint for connecting pipes, comprising (a) a tubular shape having a female fitting surface on an inner surface and an insertion opening at an axial end; A socket member for inserting the male pipe through the insertion opening and fitting the male fitting surface of the outer surface of the male pipe to the female fitting surface; and (b) an insertion amount of the male pipe provided in the socket member. (C) a notch formed by notching the socket member in the circumferential direction, and (d) forming a separate body from the socket member. While being mounted, it can be expanded and contracted in the radial direction within the cutout portion based on its own elasticity, and the axial front end is brought into contact with the protruding portion protruding in the radial direction from the outer surface of the male pipe A retaining clip for preventing the male tube from coming off by bringing the rear end into contact with the corresponding second locking surface of the notch, and the retaining The lip has a cam surface that contacts the protrusion when the male pipe is inserted and follows the insertion movement of the male pipe to expand the retaining clip. after passing through the projecting portion in the axial direction, contraction exercise projecting portion and is brought into contact with the second locking surface front and rear end, Ri ones and Nashitea for retaining the male pipe, Further , the retaining clip is formed with a stopper claw protruding in the axial direction of the socket member, and the stopper claw is moved to the outer surface of the socket member when the retaining clip moves a certain distance in the direction perpendicular to the axis. A stopper surface that is locked to perform a stopper action is formed.
[0019]
[Operation and effect of the invention]
As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the cam surface is formed on the retaining clip itself, and when the male pipe is inserted into the socket member, the projecting portion provided on the male pipe expands the retaining clip by the action of the cam surface. This causes the protrusion to pass through in the axial direction, and after that, causes the protrusion to contract by its own elasticity, so that the front end and the rear end abut against the protrusion and the second locking surface of the notch of the socket member. In this quick fitting, the connecting operation between the male pipe and the socket member can be completed simply by inserting the male pipe into the socket member. . That is, it is possible to connect the pipes very easily by one operation (one action).
[0020]
In addition, in this quick fitting, since the cam surface is formed on the retaining clip itself, when inserting the male tube into the socket member with the retaining clip mounted on the socket member, 13 does not need to be formed in the cam surface as shown in FIG. 13. Therefore, according to the quick fitting of this claim 1, the conventional existing supply pipe as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. Thus, there is an advantage that the connection work can be performed on the socket member as it is.
[0021]
Further, in the case of the quick pipe joint according to the first aspect, the number of necessary members is small, and the cost can be reduced more than before .
[0022]
Also those of the first aspect, while forming a stopper pawl retaining clip, the outer surface of the socket member, and is engaged the stopper pawl forms a stop surface forming the stopper function, Oke in this way For example, when the retaining clip is moved in the direction perpendicular to the axis to release the lock on the male pipe, the retaining clip can be prevented from being detached from the socket member. Therefore, the retaining clip is lost when the retaining clip is detached from the socket member. In addition to eliminating the risk of being lost, it is possible to obtain a good advantage by moving it slightly in the direction perpendicular to the axis when returning to the original position.
[0023]
【Example】
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a quick pipe joint of the present example, and 12 denotes a socket member constituting the main body thereof.
The socket member 12 has a tubular shape as a whole, and a female fitting surface 14 is formed on the inner surface.
Further, a female screw hole 16 is formed on one end side (lower end side) in the axial direction, and the female screw hole 16 is screw-connected to a mating pipe to be connected.
[0024]
An insertion opening 18 is formed at the other axial end of the socket member 12, and a male tube 20 described later is inserted into the socket member 12 through the insertion opening 18.
[0025]
Reference numeral 22 denotes the other pipe to be connected to each other (in this example, the supply pipe shown in FIGS. 10 and 11), and a tubular end member 24 made of a metal fitting is attached to the end of the pipe.
The end member 24 includes a nipple portion 26. The nipple portion 26 is fitted into the main body 28 of the tube 22 and is attached to the main body 28 together with a sleeve 30 that is caulked in the diameter reducing direction on the outer surface of the main body 28. It is fixed.
[0026]
The end member 24 has a flange portion (protrusion portion) 32 that protrudes in the radial direction on the outer surface of the male tube 20, and a male fitting surface 34 at a front portion (lower portion in the figure) following the flange portion 32. have. The male fitting surface 34 is fitted to the female fitting surface 14 of the socket member 12.
An O-ring groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the male pipe 20, and an O-ring 36 is attached thereto. The male fitting surface 34 and the female fitting surface 14 are sealed in a watertight manner by the O-ring 36. .
Here, the male fitting surface 34 is a straight surface in the axial direction (a surface extending in the axial direction of the socket member 12). The corresponding female fitting surface 14 is the same.
[0027]
The socket member 12 is provided with a stepped portion on which a first locking surface 38 in the direction perpendicular to the axis is formed. By contact of the flange portion 32 with the first locking surface 38, a male locking surface 38 is formed. The amount of insertion of the tube 20 into the socket member 12 is defined.
[0028]
The socket member 12 is formed with a notch 40 formed by notching the insertion opening 18 in the circumferential direction in the vicinity of the insertion opening 18, and a retaining clip 42 is attached to the socket member 12 at the notch 40.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 3, the retaining clip 42 is made of a leaf spring material (made of metal in this example), and is disposed with its plate surface directed in the axial direction of the socket member 12. The retaining clip 42 has a pair of elastic legs 44 and a connecting portion 46 that connects them at one end in the circumferential direction, and the pair of elastic legs 44 are positioned in the notch 40.
[0030]
The connecting portion 46 is located on the outer surface of the socket member 12, and the connecting portion 46 is provided with a knob 48 that protrudes outward in the direction perpendicular to the axis. In the knob 48, The retaining clip 42 can be pulled or pushed in the direction perpendicular to the axis.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 1B, the retaining clip 42 has its front end (lower end) abutted on the flange portion 32 and its rear end abutted on the corresponding second locking surface 50 of the notch 40. This prevents the male pipe 20 from coming off from the socket member 12.
[0032]
The retaining clip 42 is formed with a cam surface 52 that contacts the flange portion 32 when the male tube 20 is inserted, and expands and deforms each elastic leg 44 of the retaining clip 42 by following the insertion movement of the male tube 20. ing. Specifically, these cam surfaces 52 are mortar-shaped surfaces that approach the center side of the socket member 12 as it advances forward in the insertion direction of the male tube 20.
In this example, the retaining clip 42 is configured such that a portion of the pair of elastic legs 44 excluding the portion where the cam surface 52 is formed contacts the second locking surface 50.
[0033]
As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the retaining clip 42 is formed with a guide claw 54 that protrudes in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the socket member 12 at the tip of the elastic leg 44.
These guide claws 54 come into contact with the circular outer peripheral surface of the socket member 12 as shown in FIG. 4, and in the process in which the retaining clip 42 moves in the direction perpendicular to the axis and in the withdrawing direction, cams are formed by the outer surface of the socket member 12. An expansion force is applied to each of the pair of elastic legs 44 by the action. In other words, in this example, when the retaining clip 42 is moved in the direction perpendicular to the axis and toward the knob 48, the retaining clip 42 automatically expands and the lock on the male tube 20 is released.
[0034]
In this example, these guide claws 54 also serve as stopper claws that prevent the retaining clip 42 from coming off the socket member 12 at the same time. That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a locking recess 56 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the socket member 12, and when the retaining clip 42 moves a certain distance in the direction perpendicular to the axis and in the extracting direction, the stopper claw is moved. The combined guide claw 54 comes into contact with the stopper surface 58 of the locking recess 56, where further movement of the retaining clip 42 is prevented, and thereby the retaining clip 42 is detached from the socket member 12. Is to be prevented.
[0035]
Next, the operation of the quick pipe joint 10 of this example will be described.
In the case of the quick pipe joint 10 of this example, as shown in FIG. 6 (I), the retaining clip 42 is previously attached to the socket member 12 (however, the male pipe 20 is inserted after being inserted into the socket member 20). It is also free)
Under this condition, the male tube 20 is inserted into the socket member 12 through the insertion opening 18. At this time, in the retaining clip 42, the cam surface 52 comes into contact with the flange portion 32 of the male tube 20, and the retaining clip 42 is expanded and deformed by following the further insertion movement of the male tube 20 (FIG. 6 (II)). .
As a result, the flange portion 32 can pass through the retaining clip 42. Thus, when the protruding portion 32 passes through the retaining clip 42, the retaining clip 42 contracts again, and the front end thereof is shown in FIG. 6 (III). The rear end is brought into contact with the second locking surface 50 of the notch 40 while preventing the male tube 20, that is, the tube 22 from coming off from the socket member 12.
[0036]
FIG. 7 shows the action of releasing the lock of the male tube 20 by the retaining clip 42, that is, the removal preventing state.
As shown in the figure, in this example, the locking clip 42 can be released by moving the retaining clip 42 in the direction perpendicular to the axis and upward in the figure. Specifically, when the retaining clip 42 is pulled up from the state shown in FIG. 7 (I) to the state (II), a pair of elastic legs are formed by the guide action between the guide claw 54 of the retaining clip 42 and the outer surface of the socket member 12. 44 expands. Here, the locking action of the male tube 20 by the retaining clip 42 is released (FIG. 7 (III)), and the male tube 20 can be easily extracted from the socket member 12 as it is (FIG. 8 (IV)).
[0037]
At this time, the guide claw 54 also serving as a stopper claw enters the locking recess 56 of the socket member 12 and abuts against the stopper surface 58, whereby the upward movement of the retaining clip 42 in the drawing is stopped. That is, the retaining clip 42 is prevented from being detached from the socket member 12.
[0038]
In the case of the quick pipe joint 10 of the present example as described above, the connection work between the male pipe 20 and the socket member 12 can be completed simply by inserting the male pipe 20 into the socket member 12. That is, the tube 22 can be connected very easily by one operation (one action).
Further, in the case of the quick pipe joint 10 of this example, the number of necessary members is small, and the cost is reduced as compared with the conventional case.
[0039]
Further, in this example, the retaining clip 42 is made of a leaf spring material, and the plate surface is disposed in a state facing the axial direction of the socket member 12, so that the axial strength and rigidity of the retaining clip 42 are increased. It is possible to increase resistance to the male tube 20 from coming out of the socket member 12, and to prevent the retaining clip 42 from being deformed even when a strong pulling force is applied to the male tube 20. Can be prevented.
Further, the elastic force in the radial direction of the retaining clip 42 itself can be increased.
[0040]
Furthermore, in this example, since the cam surface 52 is formed on each of the pair of elastic legs 44, the pair of elastic legs 44 can be smoothly expanded in a well-balanced manner as the male tube 20 is inserted. .
[0041]
In addition, in this example, by the action of the guide claw 54, it is possible to easily expand the retaining clip 42 only by moving the retaining clip 42 in the direction perpendicular to the axis. Therefore, it is easy to remove the male tube 20 from the socket member 12. You can do this.
[0042]
In addition, the guide claw 54 also serves as a stopper claw, and the stopper claw abuts on a locking recess 56 formed on the outer surface of the socket member 12, more specifically, the stopper surface 58, so that the direction perpendicular to the axis is further increased. Since the movement is blocked, it is possible to satisfactorily prevent the retaining clip 42 from being accidentally detached from the socket member 12 when releasing the lock on the male tube 20.
[0043]
FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, in the present invention, the entire pipe 22 or an end member attached to the end of the pipe 22 is made of a pipe material, and the flange portion 32 is formed by bending and deforming the pipe. Is also possible.
[0044]
Further, in the present invention, it is not always necessary that the projecting portion has such a flange portion, that is, a form projecting over the entire circumference, and it is also possible to form the projecting portion in a form projecting partially in the circumferential direction.
[0045]
In the above example, the first locking surface 38 that defines the amount of insertion of the male tube 20 is provided in contact with the flange portion 32 or the projecting portion. It is also possible to provide it so as to regulate the amount of insertion by abutting on the front end surface.
[0046]
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, this is merely an example.
For example, in the present invention, a cam surface is also provided on the male tube 20 side so that the cam surface contacts the cam surface 52 on the retaining clip 42 side, and the retaining clip 42 is expanded by the action of both cam surfaces. It is possible in some cases to exercise.
The present invention can also be applied to connection of pipes other than water faucets and various other pipes. Further, in the above example, the retaining clip 42 is made of a leaf spring material, but the retaining clip may be made of various forms of members other than such a plate material. It can be configured in variously modified forms within a range that does not.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a view showing a quick pipe joint according to an embodiment of the present invention together with its peripheral portion.
FIG. 2 is a view showing the tube shown in FIG. 1 in a state before being inserted into a socket member.
FIG. 3 is a view showing the socket member and the retaining clip of the same embodiment in a separated state.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state before and after insertion of a tube into the socket member of the same embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a view showing a configuration of a retaining clip of the same embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view of a quick pipe joint of the same embodiment.
7 is an operation explanatory diagram following FIG. 6. FIG.
FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory diagram following FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a main part of another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of a conventional quick pipe joint.
FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the quick pipe joint of FIG. 10 into each member.
FIG. 12 is a view showing another example of a conventional quick pipe joint.
FIG. 13 is a view showing still another example of a conventional quick pipe joint.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Quick pipe coupling 12 Socket member 14 Female fitting surface 18 Insertion opening 20 Male pipe 32 Flange part (protrusion part)
34 Male fitting surface 38 First locking surface 40 Notch portion 42 Stopping clip 44 Elastic leg 46 Connecting portion 50 Second locking surface 52 Cam surface 54 Guide claw 58 Stopper surface

Claims (1)

A quick fitting for connecting pipes,
(A) It has a tubular shape and has a female fitting surface on the inner surface and an insertion opening at the axial end, and a male tube is inserted through the insertion opening so that the male fitting surface on the outer surface of the male tube is the female fitting surface. A socket member to be fitted to the mating surface;
(B) a first locking surface provided on the socket member and defining an insertion amount of the male pipe;
(C) a notch formed by notching the socket member in the circumferential direction;
(D) Forms a separate body from the socket member, is attached to the socket member at the notch, and can expand and contract radially in the notch based on its own elasticity. A stopper that prevents the male pipe from coming off by bringing the front end in the axial direction into contact with the protruding portion that protrudes in the radial direction from the outer surface of the pipe, while bringing the rear end into contact with the corresponding second locking surface of the notch. And the retaining clip has a cam surface that abuts against the protrusion when the male tube is inserted and follows the insertion movement of the male tube to expand the retaining clip. The retaining clip passes through the projecting portion in the axial direction by an expanding motion, and then contracts to bring the front end and the rear end into contact with the projecting portion and the second locking surface, and then pulls out the male tube. those that stop and Nashitea is,
Further , the retaining clip is formed with a stopper claw protruding in the axial direction of the socket member, and the stopper claw is disposed on the outer surface of the socket member when the retaining clip moves a certain distance in the direction perpendicular to the axis. A quick pipe joint characterized in that a stopper surface is formed which is locked to form a stopper.

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