JP4223607B2 - Screw locking device and connecting pipe provided with the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a screw lock device that prevents a connecting portion by a screw member from being detached, and particularly relates to a device suitable for connection of a connecting pipe having a screw portion at an end portion.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a general pipe connection. When connecting and using a tube, provide an internal thread at the end of one tube, an external thread at the end of the other tube, and screw the external thread with the internal thread. You can continue the pipe.
[0003]
However, since the connection may be loosened due to vibration, rotation, etc., there is a risk that it will fall off, so it is necessary to tighten firmly using a tool such as a wrench. In this case, since it is strongly tightened, it is necessary to use a tool to unravel the connected pipe. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes time for both connection and disconnection.
[0004]
In order to prevent loosening, a locking nut is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the female screw portion, and the female screw portion is buckled and deformed inward so as to bite into the male screw portion. However, in this method, the once-deformed female screw portion does not return to its original shape even when the lock nut is removed, so that it is difficult to separate and difficult to use repeatedly.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Therefore, there is a need for a screw lock device that can be used without loosening a tool without using a tool, and that does not require a tool for separation, and that can be used repeatedly, and a connecting pipe using the same. .
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The screw lock device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a tube (3) having a male screw portion (2) at one end, and an axis of the tube (3) adjacent to the male screw portion (2). It is provided with a lock member (1) that is pivotably attached, and the lock member (1) is provided with a screw thread portion (1a) having the same diameter and pitch as the male screw portion (2). To do.
[0007]
According to this, when the lock member (1) is turned after the male screw portion (2) is screwed into the female screw portion (5a) of the pipe (5) to be connected, the thread of the lock member (1) The portion (1a) enters the female screw side and enters like a wedge between the screw thread (2b) of the male screw portion (2) and the screw groove of the female screw portion (5a). As a result, the thickness of the thread of the male screw is substantially increased, and the lock is brought about by being strongly pressed by the screw groove of the female screw portion and increasing the friction.
[0008]
Even if the pipe is loosened in this locked state to release the connection, the thread portion enters the male screw in a larger manner (as if the wedge is further driven), and the locked state becomes stronger. Further, when the tube is turned in the opposite direction, the screwing into the female screw is deepened and the connection is strengthened. Therefore, the locked state is maintained even if the tube is rotated in any direction, and the male screw portion (2) is not detached from the female screw of the other tube (5).
[0009]
When separating, if you turn the locking member (1) in the loosening direction, the threaded part (1a) that has entered between the male screw and female screw will retreat, and there will be a gap between the male screw and female screw. it can. In this state, since the resistance between the male screw and the female screw is small, the tube (3) can be turned lightly and can be easily separated.
[0010]
The locking member (1) can be tightened and loosened by hand, and no tools are required, so that the working efficiency is good. Further, the male screw, the female screw and the lock member are not deformed and are in the same state as before use after use, and can be used repeatedly.
[0011]
The screw lock device according to claim 2 is the screw lock device according to claim 1, wherein the spring (35) for rotating the lock member (31) in the direction in which the screw is tightened, the thread of the male screw portion (32), and the lock member A stopper (36) for fixing the lock member (31) and the male screw portion (32) so as to maintain a state where the screw threads are connected to each other is provided. It can be released after being screwed into the female thread of the tube.
[0012]
The present invention is particularly suitable when the connected pipes are rotated and used to effectively prevent the lock from being loosened by receiving a force in the direction in which the lock member (31) is loosened due to torque fluctuation during rotation. is there.
[0013]
When joining the pipe, the lock member (31) is fixed so as not to rotate freely by the stopper (36), and the thread of the male screw part (32) and the thread of the lock member (31) are connected to each other. The Therefore, when the pipes are connected, the screw part (31a) of the lock member (31) is screwed into the female screw part of the other pipe as if part of the male screw part (32).
[0014]
When the tube is screwed in and the stopper (36) is released, the lock member (31) can rotate with respect to the male screw portion (32), and can be locked.
[0015]
The lock member (31) always receives a force in the tightening direction by the spring (35), and the force in the loosening direction due to torque fluctuation can be canceled by the force of the spring (35). Therefore, even if the connected pipe (30) is rotated, the lock member (31) is not loosened, and the pipe connection is not loosened.
[0016]
Further, the connecting pipe of the present invention is a connecting pipe provided with the above-described screw lock device, specifically, a connecting pipe used by connecting a plurality of pipes, and one end of the pipe is claimed in claim 1 or claim. 2 is provided, and the other end portion of the tube is provided with a female screw portion corresponding to the male screw portion.
[0017]
According to this, a long tube can be formed by connecting connection tubes having the same configuration one after another.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described below with reference to preferred embodiments.
[0019]
[Example 1]
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the operating principle of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an assembled state of the present embodiment.
[0020]
In the figure, (3) is a connecting pipe main body, (2) is a male screw part attached to one end of the connecting pipe main body (3), and is fixed to the connecting pipe main body (3) by the middle shaft (2a). Has been. (2b) is a thread of the male screw part (2).
[0021]
(1) is a lock member provided around the central shaft (2a) of the male screw portion (2), and (1a) is a screw thread portion provided around the lock member (1). The lock member (1) can freely rotate around the axis of the connecting pipe main body (3) and the male screw portion (2).
[0022]
(5) is another connecting pipe to be connected, and a female screw (5a) is cut at one end. When connecting the connecting pipe, align the male threaded part (3) with the end of the other connecting pipe (5) where the female thread (5a) is cut, and rotate the connecting pipe body (3) to screw it in. .
[0023]
If the lock member (1) is rotated in the same direction as when the connecting pipe body (3) is screwed after the male screw portion (3) is screwed, the screw thread portion (1a) of the lock member (1) is screwed. Enter and insert like a wedge between the male screw and female screw. As a result, the threaded portion (1a) of the locking member (1) comes on top of the threaded portion (2a) of the male threaded portion (2), and the thickness of the threaded portion is substantially increased and locked. It becomes. That is, the pressing force acts in the direction in which the thread groove of the female screw portion (5a) is to be expanded by the screw thread portion (2b) of the male screw portion (2) and the screw thread portion (1a) of the lock member (1). The frictional resistance increases at the contact portion with the female screw portion, and acts as a fixing force.
[0024]
Since the operation of rotating the lock member (1) to the locked state can be performed with a light force, it can be performed by hand without using a tool.
[0025]
When the connecting pipe body (3) is turned in the loosened state in this locked state, the screw thread (2b) of the male screw part (2) will further ride on the screw thread part (1a) of the lock member (1). It will be tightened and the pipe connection will not loosen. Therefore, the connection pipe will not be accidentally disconnected unless the lock is intentionally released.
[0026]
When separating, the locking state is released by loosening the locking member (1). The locking member (1) can be turned by hand without using a tool. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a tool at the time of connection and separation, and work efficiency is good.
[0027]
The separated connecting pipe can be used repeatedly without the female thread portion being buckled and deformed even after use.
[0028]
In addition, if the screw lock device of the present invention is formed at one end and the connecting pipe is formed with a female screw at the other end, even if two or more are connected, it is connected in the same way as necessary one after another. Can go.
[0029]
[Example 2]
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation principle of the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the present embodiment, in which (10) is a lock member, (10a) is a thread portion, (12 ) Is a male screw portion, and (12b) is a screw thread of the male screw portion.
[0030]
The basic operation is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the point of the present invention is that the screw thread portion of the lock member is strongly pressed against the female screw to be in the locked state. However, the way of entering the thread portion is different.
[0031]
Since the threaded ends of the locking member (10) and the male screw part (12) can be cut and flush with the end surfaces of the locking member (10) and the male screw part (12), respectively, it is manufactured in comparison with the first embodiment. There is an advantage that is easier.
[0032]
[Example 3]
This embodiment is a particularly suitable embodiment in the case where the connected tube is rotated and used. Even if a force is applied in the direction in which the lock member is loosened due to torque fluctuation by rotating the connected tube, the lock member is spring-loaded. By applying a force in a direction in which the lock member is tightened, the lock member can be prevented from being loosened.
[0033]
The basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and after the male screw portion is screwed into the female screw portion of the pipe to be connected, the screw thread portion of the locking member enters the female screw side, and the screw of the male screw portion There is no change in entering a lock between the mountain and the thread groove of the female screw portion. However, the difference is that a locking mechanism for canceling the force applied in the direction in which the locking member is loosened is provided.
[0034]
FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of a locking member locking mechanism. In the figure, (30) is a connecting pipe body, (32) is an external thread part, (31) is a lock member, and (31a) is a thread part of the lock member (31). (33) is a plate portion fixed to the connection pipe body (30), and (34) is a cup portion of the lock member (31). The plate part (33) and the cup part (34) are not fixed, and the cup part (34) can rotate around the plate part (33) unless locked by a stopper (36) described later.
[0035]
A spring (35) is accommodated in the cup part (34), and the spring (35) is once locked in a spring mounting hole provided in the plate part (33), and the other end is a cup part ( 34) is locked in the spring mounting hole.
[0036]
(36) is a stopper that prohibits relative rotation of the cup part (34) with respect to the plate part (33), and is fixed to the plate part (33).
[0037]
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the structure and operation of the stopper (36). (38) is a holder that serves as a housing of the stopper (36), and the upper part is fixed to the plate part (33). (39) is a coil spring housed in the holder (36).
[0038]
(37) is a slide shaft attached so as to vertically penetrate the holder (38) and the coil spring (39) housed therein. Reference numeral (40) denotes a flange fixed to the slide shaft (37), which comes into contact with the upper part of the coil spring (39).
[0039]
Prior to connecting the tube, the stopper should be activated. Specifically, the connecting pipe body (30) and the cup part (34) are rotated in opposite directions (direction in which the spring (35) is tightened), and a slide shaft (37) is provided in the cup part (34). It is located directly above the shaft insertion hole (34a). Then, the upper end of the slide shaft (37) protruding from the upper surface of the plate portion (33) is pushed down against the force of the coil spring (39). Then, the lower part of the slide shaft (37) is inserted into the shaft insertion hole (34a).
[0040]
In this state, the internal spring (35) tries to rotate the plate part (33) and the cup part (34) in the opposite direction (direction in which the spring (35) is loosened), so the slide shaft (37) is inserted into the shaft insertion hole. As a result, the friction between the shaft insertion hole (34a) and the shaft (37) increases, and the shaft (37) does not come out of the shaft insertion hole (34a).
[0041]
As a result, the stopper (36) is in a working state, and is fixed in a state where the screw thread of the male screw part (32) and the screw thread of the screw part (31a) of the lock member are connected.
[0042]
In this state, the male thread part (32) of the connection pipe body (30) is screwed into the female thread part of another connection pipe. Since the screw thread of the male screw part (32) and the screw thread of the lock member are connected, the screw part (31a) of the lock member is screwed in as if part of the male screw part. At this stage, the stopper is not released yet.
As the tube is screwed in and tightened, the tightening force gradually increases, and the difference between the force by which the spring tries to rotate the cup portion and the tightening force decreases. Then, the friction between the slide shaft (37) and the shaft insertion hole (34a) is reduced, and the slide shaft (37) is pushed up by the force with which the coil spring (39) pushes the flange (40) upward. The lower part of the slide shaft (37) comes out of the shaft insertion hole (34a), and the stopper (36) is released.
[0043]
When the stopper is released, the lock member (31) can be rotated with respect to the male screw portion (32), so that the connecting portion of the pipe can be locked as in the first embodiment.
[0044]
Even if force is applied in the direction of loosening the lock member (31) due to torque fluctuation by rotating the connected pipe, the lock member is always receiving force in the direction of tightening by the spring (35). Is canceled by the force of the spring, the locking member does not loosen, and the pipe connection does not loosen.
[0045]
The above stopper can be released automatically by the tightening force when the pipe is screwed in. However, the stopper can be released when the male screw part is screwed into the female screw part of another pipe. Any other configuration may be used. The stopper may be manually released by another means, for example, a configuration in which the stopper is automatically released by contact with another pipe to be connected.
[0046]
Furthermore, the spring may be used not only as a locking mechanism but also as a means for positively rotating the lock member in the tightening direction. In this case, simultaneously with the release of the stopper, it rotates in the tightening direction and bites into the male screw portion side.
[0047]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to connect a pipe without loosening without using a tool, and without using a tool for separation, and further, a screw lock device that can repeatedly use the pipe, and the same are used. Connection pipe could be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an operation principle of a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which Example 1 is assembled.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation principle of the second embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a second embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a general pipe connection;
7 is a view showing an example of a locking prevention mechanism for a lock member according to Embodiment 3. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure and operation of a stopper.
[Explanation of symbols]
(1) Lock member
(1a) Lock member thread
(2) Male thread
(2b) Male thread thread
(3) Connection pipe body
(5) Other connecting pipe
(5a) Female thread of other connecting pipe

Claims (3)

A tube having a male threaded portion at one end, and a lock member attached to the male threaded portion so as to be rotatable around the axis of the tube, the lock member having the same diameter as the male threaded portion; A screw lock device having a screw thread portion of the same pitch. A stopper that fixes the lock member and the male screw portion so as to maintain a state where the spring that rotates the lock member in the direction in which the screw is tightened and the screw thread of the male screw portion and the screw thread of the lock member are connected. The screw lock device according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is releasable after the male screw portion is screwed into the female screw portion of another pipe. A connecting pipe used for connecting a plurality of pipes, wherein one end portion of the pipe is provided with the screw lock device according to claim 1 or 2, and the other end portion of the pipe is provided with a male screw portion. A connecting pipe having a corresponding female screw portion.

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