JP4294782B2 - Pipe fitting - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pipe joint that prevents detachment when a socket and a plug are connected by operating a sleeve.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a pipe joint provided with means for preventing such detachment, a pipe joint disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-243931 is known.
[0003]
In this pipe joint, a second sleeve for advancing and pressing the lock ball, retreating and releasing it is slidably fitted to the outer periphery of the socket having the lock ball, and the second sleeve is also fitted to the outer periphery of the socket. A first sleeve having a stopper abutting on the rear end of the second sleeve is slidably fitted on the outer periphery of the first sleeve, and the first sleeve is slid on the stopper of the first sleeve. A concave relief is formed in the direction. Further, a cylindrical lock member is rotatably fitted on the outer periphery of the socket and is positioned on the retreat side of the first sleeve. The distal end side of the lock member is engaged with the stopper and escapes. It has a structure in which a lock piece that can be fitted to the portion is provided.
[0004]
When the pipe joint having such a structure is not connected, the locking piece of the locking member is fitted into the relief portion of the first sleeve so that the first sleeve and the second sleeve are retracted. At the time of connection, the lock ball is pressed on the inner peripheral surface of the second sleeve by advancing the first sleeve and the second sleeve, and the socket and the plug are connected. When the socket and the plug are connected, the lock member is rotated to shift the positions of the lock piece and the relief portion of the first sleeve. As a result, when the first sleeve is about to move backward, the stopper of the first sleeve abuts against the lock piece to prevent the backward movement, thereby preventing the backward movement of the second sleeve.
[0005]
When the socket and the plug connected in this way are separated, the locking member is rotated so that the locking piece and the relief portion of the first sleeve are aligned with each other, thereby preventing the first sleeve from moving backward. Do.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the pipe joint having such a structure, in order to prevent the first sleeve that has advanced together with the second sleeve at the time of locking from being retracted, an active operation of rotating the lock member is required. For this reason, the operation of the lock member may be forgotten.
[0007]
Moreover, since the unlocking of the first sleeve can be performed by an easy operation such as rotating the locking member, care must be taken for erroneous operation. Furthermore, since the first sleeve, the second sleeve, and the lock member are fitted into the socket, the length of the socket in the axial direction is increased, which hinders downsizing of the pipe joint.
[0008]
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pipe joint that automatically locks a sleeve for operating a locking element that has advanced, and can improve operability.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pipe joint that can be miniaturized.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is a pipe joint for detachably connecting a socket and a plug by the lock element by operating a sleeve that moves forward to prevent the lock element from moving in the centrifugal direction and moves backward to release the lock. A stopper provided with a locking portion protruding on the outer periphery of a substantially C-shaped elastic body capable of expanding and reducing the diameter in an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the socket body is fitted in such a manner that the diameter can be increased and decreased. A receiving recess is formed in the inner periphery of the rear side of the sleeve at a position corresponding to the locking portion of the stopper, and the stopper is elastic when the sleeve is in the forward position. The locking portion is accommodated in the housing recess by moving in the diameter-expanding direction by the generated force, and the locking portion abuts against a wall portion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve by the housing recess. When the sleeve is retracted, the front is prevented. The stopper is moved in the diameter-reducing direction against the elastic force so that the engaging portion enters the inner periphery of the sleeve that moves backward from the wall portion and allows the sleeve to move backward. A pressing piece raising / lowering hole is formed at the position where the receiving recess on the rear side of the sleeve is formed so as to correspond to the locking portion of the stopper, and the pressing piece raising / lowering hole receives pressure to move in the centripetal direction. The pressing piece for pressing and moving the stopper in the centripetal direction to remove the locking portion from the stepped portion is disposed so as to be movable in the centrifugal direction, and the pressing piece is locked to the stopper by the stepped portion of the sleeve. It is characterized in that when it is in contact with the part, it is overlapped with the engaging part and moved in the centrifugal direction by the elastic force of the elastic body.
[0010]
With this configuration, when the sleeve is retracted, the stopper includes the locking portion and the annular groove of the socket body by pressing the pressing piece and pressing the stopper against the elastic force of the elastic body to reduce the diameter. The engaging portion moves inward, and the latching portion is released from the wall portion formed by the receiving recess of the sleeve, and the sleeve can be retracted. When the socket and the plug are connected, the sleeve is in the advanced position, the stopper is in the diameter-expanding direction due to the elastic force, and the locking portion is accommodated in the accommodating recess. The sleeve is in contact with the wall formed by the receiving recess of the sleeve to prevent its retreat, and the sleeve is thus locked in the forward position. The socket and the plug can be separated by pressing the pressing piece with a finger, reducing the diameter of the stopper against the elastic force of the elastic body, and retracting the sleeve. Further, since the stopper is housed in the sleeve, the presence of the stopper does not cause the length of the socket body to be lengthened due to the structure.
[0011]
In the present invention, it is preferable that the substantially C-shaped elastic body of the stopper is formed of a synthetic resin provided with a metal leaf spring. If it does in this way, the spring property of the elastic body made from a synthetic resin will be reinforced, and the spring property of an elastic body can be maintained over a long period of time.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a pipe joint according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 to 5 show an example of an embodiment of a pipe joint according to the present invention, and the pipe joint of this example includes a socket 1 and a plug 2 that are fitted and connected to each other. .
[0013]
The socket 1 includes a cylindrical socket body 3, a cylindrical adapter 4 fitted inside the socket body 3, and a cylindrical sleeve 5 fitted outside the socket body 3 so as to be movable in the axial direction. And.
[0014]
The socket body 3 has a structure in which a large-diameter cylindrical portion 3b is continuously provided at the rear portion of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 3a, and an inner flange portion 3c is projected from the inner periphery of the boundary between the small-diameter cylindrical portion 3a and the large-diameter cylindrical portion 3b. It has become. Long holes 6 are formed in the small-diameter cylindrical portion 3a at intervals of 90 ° in the circumferential direction. The long holes 6 are engaged with engagement grooves 30 formed on the outer periphery of the plug 2 so that the socket 1 and the plug 2 are connected. A lock 7 made of a steel ball to be locked is accommodated so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction and the centrifugal direction. The widths of the long holes 6 are formed such that the outer diameter side of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 3a is wider than the outer diameter of the lock element 7, and the inner diameter side is narrow enough that the lock element 7 does not fall off in the centripetal direction but a part can protrude. .
[0015]
The adapter 4 has a front half fitted into the large-diameter cylindrical portion 3b of the socket body 3 and locks a lock protrusion 8 projecting from the outer circumference of the front half into the lock hole 9 of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 3b. It is attached to the socket body 3 by.
[0016]
An annular valve receiver 10 and an annular valve seat 11 are sandwiched and incorporated between the inner flange 3 c of the socket body 3 and the tip of the adapter 4. An O-ring 12 is sandwiched and incorporated between the inner flange portion 3 c of the socket body 3 and the valve receiver 10. Inside the adapter 4, a valve body 13 is incorporated so as to be movable in the front-rear direction of the fluid passage 4 a in the adapter 4. The valve body 13 is urged forward by a spring 14 whose proximal end is supported by the adapter 4 and whose distal end is in contact with the valve body 13. When the plug body 2 is not pushed in, the valve body 13 contacts the valve seat 11. The fluid passage 4a is closed.
[0017]
The sleeve 5 has a small inner diameter cylindrical portion 5a that fits into the small diameter cylindrical portion 3a of the socket main body 3 at the front, and a rear portion of the small inner diameter cylindrical portion 5a that fits into the large diameter cylindrical portion 3b of the socket main body 3. An inwardly stepped portion 15 is formed at the boundary between the small inner diameter cylindrical portion 5a and the large inner diameter cylindrical portion 5b.
[0018]
On the inner periphery of the distal end portion of the small inner diameter cylindrical portion 5a, a locker pressing projection 17 is provided in the centripetal direction for holding the locker 7 in the centripetal direction and suppressing the movement in the centrifugal direction when the sleeve 5 is in the forward position. The inner circumference of the locker pressing projection 17 in the small inner diameter cylindrical portion 5a is a space that allows the locker 7 to move in the centrifugal direction. The front surface of the locking element pressing projection 17 is provided with an inclined surface 17a that presses the locking element 7 in the centripetal direction when the sleeve 5 moves forward, and the locking surface of the small inner diameter cylindrical portion 5a is provided on the rear surface of the locking element pressing projection 17. An inclined surface 17b is provided for guiding the locking element 7 moved to the space formed in the inner periphery of the inner pressing projection 17 in the centripetal direction.
[0019]
A collar 19 is fitted to the outer periphery of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 3a of the socket body 3 so as to be movable in the axial direction and is located in a space formed on the inner periphery of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 5a. A spring 18 that biases the collar 19 in the distal direction is interposed between an outward stepped portion 16 formed on the outer periphery of the boundary between the socket main body 3 and the small-diameter cylindrical portion 3a. The collar 19 urged in the distal direction by the spring 18 is in contact with the rear surface of the locking element pressing convex portion 17, and the sleeve 5 is pressed and moved in the distal direction by the elastic force of the spring 18.
[0020]
The collar 19 is pushed by the plug 2 to be inserted into the socket 1 and abuts against the locking element 7 that moves to the rear end side in the long hole 6 and is moved backward, so that the locking element 7 locks the sleeve 5. It moves away from the child pressing projection 17 and is pushed in the centrifugal direction by the plug 2 to be inserted and moves into the space formed in the inner periphery of the small inner diameter cylindrical portion 5 a of the sleeve 5. It can be inserted.
[0021]
A cover 20 is fitted and fixed to the outer periphery of the distal end portion of the small diameter cylindrical portion 3 a of the socket body 3, and the protrusion 21 on the inner periphery of the cover 20 engages with the concave portion 22 on the outer periphery of the small diameter cylindrical portion 3 a of the socket main body 3. is doing. The cover 20 protects the dust near the long hole 6 formed in the small-diameter cylindrical portion 3a of the socket body 3 exposed to the distal end side of the sleeve 5 when the sleeve 5 is retracted. It is designed to prevent the small diameter cylindrical portion 3a from coming out from the end side.
[0022]
An annular groove 23 is provided on the front outer periphery of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 3b of the socket body 3, and the annular groove 23 has a width substantially equal to the groove width of the annular groove 23 as shown in FIG. A stopper 26 provided with a locking portion 25 protruding from the outer periphery of a substantially C-shaped elastic body 24 that can be reduced in diameter is fitted in such a manner that the diameter can be increased and reduced. In this example, the elastic body 24 is made of a synthetic resin provided with a metal leaf spring 31. However, the elastic body 24 may be made of only a synthetic resin as shown in FIG. The locking portions 25 provided on the outer periphery of the stopper 26 are provided at two positions in the target position in this example, but are not limited to this, and are provided over the entire circumference of the elastic body 24. Also good. Further, the thickness of the portion provided with the elastic body 24 and the locking portion in the stopper 26 is equal to or less than the depth of the annular groove 23.
[0023]
On the inner periphery of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 5 b on the rear side of the sleeve 5, an accommodation recess 32 that can accommodate the locking portion 25 is formed at a position corresponding to the locking portion 25 of the stopper 26.
[0024]
In the stopper 26, when the sleeve 5 is in the forward movement position, the stopper 5 moves in the diameter-expanding direction due to a resilient force so that the locking portion 25 is received in the receiving recess 32, and the locking portion 25 tries to retreat. The housing recess 32 of the sleeve 5 contacts the wall portion 33 formed inwardly on the inner periphery of the sleeve 5 to prevent the retraction thereof, and when the sleeve 25 is retracted, the stopper 26 is set to the elastic force. The engaging portion 25 is provided so as to enter the inner periphery of the large inner diameter cylindrical portion 5b of the sleeve 5 that moves backward in the reduced diameter direction against the wall portion 33 and allows the sleeve 5 to retract. ing.
[0025]
Further, a pressing piece elevating hole 27 is formed at a position where the accommodating recess 32 of the large inner diameter cylindrical portion 5b of the sleeve 5 is formed so as to correspond to the locking portion 25 of the stopper 26. The pressing piece lifting / lowering hole 27 receives the pressure, moves in the centripetal direction, presses and moves the stopper 26 in the centripetal direction, and removes the locking portion 25 from the wall 33. The pressing piece 28 is movable in the centripetal direction. It is arranged to prevent it from falling out. The pressing piece 28 is prevented from coming off by the retaining plate 29 provided integrally with the pressing piece 28 coming into contact with the inner surface of the large inner diameter cylindrical portion 5b.
[0026]
The pressing piece 28 overlaps with the locking portion 25 when the wall portion 33 of the sleeve 5 is in contact with the locking portion 25 of the stopper 26, and is moved in the centrifugal direction by the elastic force of the elastic body 24. Moved.
[0027]
Next, the operation of this example configured as described above will be described.
First, when the socket 1 and the plug 2 are connected, the sleeve 5 is set in the forward position. In this state, the stopper 26 moves in the diameter-expanding direction by the elastic force of the elastic body 24 so that the locking portion 25 is received in the receiving recess 32 of the sleeve 5 and the locking portion 25 tends to retreat. The sleeve 5 abuts against the wall portion 33 formed by the receiving recess 32 and prevents its retreat, so that the sleeve is locked in the forward position, and is formed in the small diameter cylindrical portion 3 a of the socket body 3. The locking element 7 fitted in the elongated hole 6 is pressed in the centripetal direction by the locking element pressing projection 17 of the sleeve 5 at a forward position in the elongated hole 6, and a part of the locking element protrudes to the inner periphery of the socket body 3. It has become a state.
[0028]
In this state, when the plug 2 is inserted into the socket 1, the lock 7, a part of which protrudes from the inner periphery of the socket body 3, is pushed by the plug 2, and the collar 19 is pushed and moved, while moving through the slot 6. When the locking element 7 moves away from the locking element pressing projection 17 of the sleeve 5 by this movement, it is pushed in the centrifugal direction by the outer peripheral surface of the plug 2 and the inner periphery of the small inner diameter cylindrical portion 5a of the sleeve 5 is moved. Move into the space formed. As a result, the plug 2 can be inserted all the way into the socket 1, and when the plug 2 is further inserted and the engaging groove 30 formed on the outer periphery of the plug 2 reaches the position of the lock 7, the lock 7 is plugged. 2 is released from the outer peripheral surface of 2 and engages with the engaging groove 30.
[0029]
When the insertion of the plug 2 is stopped in this state, the locking element 7 engaged with the engagement groove 30 is pushed in the distal direction by the collar 19 urged by the spring 18 and the plug 2 passes through the long hole 6. And moved in the centripetal direction by an inclined surface 17b formed on the inner periphery of the locking element pressing projection 17 of the sleeve 5, and enters the inner periphery of the locking element pressing protrusion 17, where the locking element 7 is The locking element pressing protrusion 17 holds the plug 2 in the centripetal direction and inhibits the movement in the centrifugal direction to prevent the plug 2 from escaping from the engaging groove 30, and the socket 1 and the plug 2 are connected here.
[0030]
When the socket 1 and the plug 2 thus connected are separated, the stopper 26 is reduced in diameter by pressing the pressing piece 28 with a finger and pressing the stopper 26 against the elastic force of the elastic body 24. The locking portion 25 including the locking portion 25 is moved into the annular groove 23 of the socket body 3 to remove the locking portion 25 from the wall portion 33 formed by the receiving recess 32 of the sleeve 5, so that the sleeve 5 can be retracted. Retreat. When the sleeve 5 is retracted, the lock 7 is detached from the lock pressing projection 17 and can be moved in the centrifugal direction, and the plug 2 can be removed from the socket 1 and separated.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the pipe joint according to the present invention, when the socket and the plug are connected, the sleeve is in the advanced position, the stopper is in the diameter expanding direction by the elastic force, and the locking portion is accommodated in the accommodating recess. In this state, the locking portion comes into contact with the wall portion formed by the receiving recess of the sleeve to be retracted to prevent the retracting, and thereby the sleeve is locked in the advanced position. The sleeve does not require a positive operation to lock the sleeve after the connection between the socket and the plug. Therefore, there is no worry about forgetting the lock operation and the operability is excellent. When the socket and the plug are separated, two operations such as pressing the pressing piece with a finger and retreating the sleeve are required. Therefore, the socket and the plug are not prepared. Therefore, the lock can be released by the operation of pressing the pressing piece with a finger, so that the unlocking operation is facilitated, and the socket and the plug can be easily separated.
Further, since the stopper is accommodated in the sleeve, the presence of the stopper does not cause the length of the socket body to be increased, and the size of the pipe joint can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partially longitudinal front view showing an example of an embodiment of a pipe joint according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a left side view of the socket shown in FIG.
3 is a perspective view of a stopper and a pressing piece incorporated in the socket shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the socket and the plug shown in FIG. 1 are connected. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a sleeve is retracted for separating the socket and the plug shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another example of a stopper incorporated in a socket.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Socket 2 Plug 3 Socket main body 3a Small diameter cylinder part 3b Large diameter cylinder part 3c Inner collar part 4 Adapter 4a Fluid path 5 Sleeve 5a Small inner diameter cylinder part 5b Large inner diameter cylinder part 6 Long hole 7 Locking element 8 Lock protrusion 9 Lock hole 10 Valve receiver 11 Valve seat 12 O-ring 13 Valve body 14 Spring 15 Step portion 16 Step portion 17 Locking element pressing projection 17a Inclined surface 17b Inclined surface 18 Spring 19 Collar 20 Cover 21 Protrusion 22 Recess 23 Annular groove 24 Elastic body 25 Locking Part 26 stopper 27 button elevating hole 28 push button 29 retaining plate 30 engaging groove 31 metal plate spring 32 housing recess 33 wall part

Claims (2)

A pipe joint that removably connects the socket and the plug with the lock by operating the sleeve that moves forward to suppress the movement of the lock in the centrifugal direction and moves backward to release the suppression,
A stopper provided with a locking portion protruding on the outer periphery of a substantially C-shaped elastic body capable of expanding and reducing the diameter in an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the socket body is fitted in such a manner that the diameter can be increased and decreased. On the inner periphery of the rear side of the sleeve, an accommodation recess that can accommodate the locking portion is formed at a position corresponding to the locking portion of the stopper,
In the stopper, when the sleeve is in the advanced position, the stopper moves in the diameter increasing direction due to a resilient force so that the locking portion is stored in the storage recess, and the storage of the sleeve about which the locking portion is about to retreat. A locking portion is formed by abutting against a wall portion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion by the concave portion to prevent the backward movement of the sleeve, and moving the stopper in the diameter-reducing direction against the elastic force when the sleeve moves backward. Is provided so as to enter the inner circumference of the sleeve retracting away from the wall and allowing the sleeve to retract,
Further, a pressing piece raising / lowering hole is formed at the position where the housing recess on the rear side of the sleeve is formed so as to correspond to the locking portion of the stopper, and the pressing piece raising / lowering hole receives a pressure in the centripetal direction. The pressing piece that moves and presses and moves the stopper in the centripetal direction and removes the locking portion from the stepped portion is disposed so as to be movable in the centrifugal direction, and the pressing piece has the stepped portion of the sleeve at the stopper. A pipe joint characterized in that when it is in contact with the locking part, it is overlapped with the locking part and is moved in the centrifugal direction by the elastic force of the elastic body. The pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the substantially C-shaped elastic body of the stopper is formed of a synthetic resin with a metal leaf spring.

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