JP5452790B2 - Rapid fitting - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a quick joint that simply and reliably cuts and vents compressed air by joining and detaching from a plug, and more particularly to a quick joint that mechanically guarantees prevention of erroneous operation when a high-pressure air specification plug is detached.

  Conventionally, a tool such as a screwdriver or a nailing machine (hereinafter referred to as “air tool”) using compressed air as a drive source has been widely used. Supply of compressed air to these pneumatic tools for hand-held work is performed by connecting an air supply pipe (hereinafter referred to as “hose”) to a compressed air generation source (usually an air compressor). This hose connection and separation uses a connection means called a quick joint that can be reliably performed with a simple operation of about 1 or 2.

  This quick coupling connects or separates a socket disposed on the supply side of the air compressor and a plug disposed on the air tool side. When the plug is inserted into the socket, the tip part opens the self-seal valve (generally a spool) in the socket to form a ventilation path, and the inside of the socket near the fitting inlet edge The ball arranged so as to be able to advance and retract is engaged with the constricted portion of the plug with an urging force (referred to as “locked state”). On the other hand, in the operation at the time of separation, when the lock ring that is outer ringed on the front end side of the socket is moved in the plug insertion direction, the plug is repelled from the socket and at the same time the air passage is airtightly closed. (Referred to as “free state”).

  By the way, in recent air tools (especially nailing machines), the air pressure of the required specification is from the pressure (about 0.8MPs / about 8 atmospheres, "general pressure") that has been used conventionally because of higher performance. The specifications have shifted to higher pressures (about 2.5 MPs / about 25 atmospheres). Therefore, when the conventional quick joint is applied to the high pressure specification as it is, there is a problem in the use situation.

  For example, when the socket and the plug are separated after the work is completed by operating the conventional quick joint, the residual air in the hose connected to the plug is high pressure, so the reaction force with higher blowing pressure from the plug (Impact force) could cause unexpected hose movement and plug jumping, and damage the surrounding people and equipment.

  For the purpose of eliminating this danger, the applicant of the present invention previously proposed as a joint mechanism of a configuration considering high-pressure air by changing the operation structure of the conventional quick joint as Patent Document 1 above. It has obtained a patent for this.

JP 2000-120964 A

  The outline of the safety mechanism of the socket for quick joints of the patent invention proposed in the previous Patent Document 1 is as follows.

  That is, in the conventional quick joint, the fingertip operation of the lock ring for discharging the plug is a one-step operation of axial pressing, whereas the prior patent invention has two-step operation in two directions orthogonal to the operation of the lock ring. It was something to do. That is, once the lock ring is moved around along the outer surface, the next operation is followed by a step of moving on a line segment that is substantially orthogonal along the axial direction (or busbar direction). Was. By passing through this stroke (substantially L-shaped), the air passage is closed by the spool at the bending position (in other words, the connecting position of the line end of the circumferential line segment and the axial line segment). In addition, a gap is provided by slightly separating the joint surface without completely separating the plug and the socket, and high-pressure air remaining in the hose on the plug side is leaked from the gap. This state is referred to as a “half-locked state”.

  At present, the above-mentioned patented invention is actually commercialized and serves as a high-pressure rapid joint for avoiding the above-mentioned danger.

  The proper operation (manual operation with the fingertip) of the lock ring according to this patent invention is to step on a two-step operation process (a process bent at a substantially right angle). That is, first, without applying an axial pushing force, the lock ring circulates only a predetermined angle with an acting force (referred to as “circular force”) that circulates along the outer peripheral surface of the socket body. In the next stroke, a linear acting force (referred to as “direct power”) is moved in the axial direction along the axial direction. The pushing operation in the subsequent stroke became a trigger (trigger), and the plug was separated (released) so as to be ejected from the socket body.

  However, some on-site workers are aware of the pushing operation in the subsequent stroke, which is the same operation as that of the conventional product, and perform an operation of rotating while applying a pressing force in the preceding rotating operation (referred to as a “pushing operation”). ). In this case, since the resultant force of the acting force in the two right-angle directions becomes an inclination direction facing the plug insertion direction, there is a possibility that the lock ring may move from the circumferential direction to the axial direction at once. In this case, since the stop time at the bent position is not sufficient, there is a possibility that the plug may be separated without completely removing the remaining air in the hose. This is not a reaction force as rapid as that of the prior art, but there is a possibility that not only a shock force to the plug is generated but also the hose swaying or the plug jumping occurs.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a quick joint for high pressure air provided with a safety mechanism in order to guarantee the mechanism to avoid an erroneous operation by an operator by further improving the prior patent invention. In other words, the main point of the present invention is the addition of a fool proof (guarantee mechanism that prevents wrong operation) to the configuration of the prior patent invention.

Note that the description of the operation of the lock ring in the present specification assumes that the operation is performed from the plug side with the plug facing forward. In this case, it becomes a “push operation”. Conversely, when operating from the socket side with the socket facing forward, it is a “pull operation”.
Further, the terms “lock”, “half-lock”, and “free” are used as phrases that indicate the state of involvement with the socket mainly using the plug.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a quick coupling (hereinafter referred to as “socket”) according to the present invention is configured as follows.

  That is, a quick coupling that engages and disengages from a plug and cuts off the supply of air, the spool that is disposed in a socket body that constitutes the outer shell body of the rapid coupling and that opens and closes the air passage, and the socket A plurality of holding holes formed at the circumferential position of the fitting inlet edge of the body, a plurality of balls held in the holding holes and moving forward and backward on the side of the socket body, and external to the tip of the socket body A lock ring provided with a direct power in the direction of the tip and a rotational force that moves around the outer surface, and an annular cam that is formed on the inner surface of the lock ring to restrict the movement of the ball A notch having a recess capable of storing a ball at a specific position when the lock ring is formed at a predetermined position of the annular cam and moved around the lock ring, and the inner surface side of the lock ring or the outside of the socket body. Side A guide protrusion is formed on one side, and a longitudinal groove extending substantially in the axial direction and a circumferential groove extending in the circumferential direction are formed on the other side to form a guide groove having a bent portion connected to each other at its end, Guide means for restricting movement of the lock ring in the axial direction and the circumferential direction by engagement of the guide convex portions and the guide grooves, and further, holding holes identified from a plurality of holding holes formed in the socket body. The shape is formed in a long holding hole having a specific length that allows the held ball to move linearly toward the tip side, and the movement amount of the ball in the long holding hole is set larger than the movement amount of the spool, and The annular cam is formed with a notch having a storage space that can move from the constricted portion of the plug to the lock ring side in correspondence with a specific ball when the lock ring is moved around. Furthermore, when the guide convex portion in the guide means comes into contact with the side surface of the groove on the distal end side of the circumferential groove and moves relatively, a locking portion that can prevent the relative movement of the guide convex portion toward the longitudinal groove side. It is characterized by being formed on the circumferential groove side.

  The ball at the specific position moves to the notch formed in the annular cam and the leakage of residual air in the hose on the plug side starts, but this leakage is caused by the guide convex portion that has moved the circumferential groove to the bent portion side. You may make it start before contact | abutting to the said latching | locking part, and you may make it not start the leakage of residual air in the state latched by the latching | locking part.

  Further, the position of the locking portion needs to be in the guide groove in the circumferential direction, but the position may be in the vicinity of the bent portion of the guide groove that switches from the circumferential groove to the vertical groove.

  The shape of the locking portion may be a convex portion protruding from the groove side surface of the circumferential groove toward the rear end side, or a concave portion recessed toward the front end side.

  Furthermore, when the groove width of the circumferential groove is gradually increased toward the locking portion of the bent portion (increase gradually), the guide has been slidably moved (relatively moved) to follow the groove side surface. A convex part can contact | abut to a latching | locking part (a recessed part or a convex part) reliably, and can be made to latch reliably.

  Furthermore, the groove width of the longitudinal groove of the guide means may be gradually narrowed (to be gradually narrowed) from the bent portion toward the end portion (toward the distal end side).

  Further, the above-described vertical groove may be formed as an oblique vertical groove formed by moving an end portion in the extending direction by a predetermined distance in any direction of the circumferential direction from the bus extension on the inner peripheral surface of the lock ring. good.

With the above configuration, the socket according to the present invention (“rapid coupling”) has the following effects.
If the lock ring is operated manually as described above, that is, if it is moved around the lock ring without applying a pressing force and then moved in the axial direction by applying a pressing force, the residual air will remain in the half-locked state. Exhaust can be completed, but when a “push-and-turn operation” is performed on the contrary, the guide convex portion comes into contact with the locking portion and movement in the circumferential direction and axial direction of the transition is prevented. In this case, one end of the operation is loosened and the operation is performed again. However, as long as the pushing operation is performed, the operation is again blocked by the locking portion. As a result, the operator recognizes an appropriate operation by trying a turning operation without applying pressure. As a result, an inappropriate operation can be eliminated and an appropriate operation can be recognized and learned.

  In addition, when the width of the notch formed in the annular cam is widened in the circumferential direction so that residual air is exhausted in the state where the guide convex portion is locked by the locking portion or in the vicinity thereof The safety can be ensured at least even in an erroneous operation.

  By setting these locking parts, it is possible to make the operator recognize the proper operation, and it is possible to avoid a sudden reaction due to residual air in the hose, a jump to the plug, and damage to the vicinity due to it. .

  In addition, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to high-pressure air, and can naturally be applied to conventional general pressure, and the foolproof effect is remarkable.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the free state of a socket and a plug. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the locked state of a socket and a plug. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the half-locked state of a socket and a plug. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the lock ring and the ball in the cross-sections taken along the lines AA, BB, and CC in FIGS. 1 to 3, where (A) is a free state, (B) is a locked state, C) shows a half-locked state. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view (A) showing the action of the guide means and the travel of the ball, and an enlarged view (B) of the guide groove portion. It is explanatory drawing which shows the position of the ball | bowl in a guide means, (A) shows a free state, (B) shows a locked state, (C) shows a semi-locked state, respectively. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the effect | action of a guide means, and the movement process of a ball | bowl, The same figure (B) is a partial expanded horizontal sectional view of an annular cam. It is explanatory drawing (A) and (B) which show the other Example of a guide groove.

  Next, specific embodiments of the socket of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 3 are longitudinal sections including a socket shaft C showing the positional relationship between the socket 1 and the plug 9 in each state. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the socket 1 and the plug 9 are free, and FIG. The plug 9 is in a locked state, and FIG. 3 shows the socket 1 and the plug 9 in a semi-locked state.

  In the following description, the insertion side of the plug 9 in the socket 1 is the “front end side” (right side in the drawings of FIGS. 1 to 3), and the opposite side is the “rear end side” (in the drawings of FIGS. 1 to 3). Define as left).

  Reference numeral 1 is a socket mainly formed of a hard pressure resistant material such as metal or hard resin.

  The socket 1 is connected to a substantially cylindrical socket body 2 (which can be polygonal in appearance) that serves as an outer shell body, and an air compressor (not shown) that is connected to the rear end side of the socket body 2. The joint ring 3, the spool 4 which is inscribed in the inner peripheral surface of the socket body 2 and slides along the axis C, and is inscribed and fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the socket body 2 and is relatively slid with the spool 4. Cylindrical valve seat ring 5 that is mounted in a ring-like manner, and is arranged in a circular manner and at equal intervals inside the position slightly shifted to the rear side from the fitting inlet edge 20 on the front end side of the socket body 2. It comprises six balls 6, 6, 6,... And a cylindrical lock ring 7 that is wrapped around the tip of the socket body 2 so as to surround these balls 6. Each of the balls 6 is formed in a size having a diameter equal to or greater than a wall thickness in the vicinity of the insertion opening of the socket body 2.

  A cylindrical valve seat ring 5 is disposed on the inner side surface of the rear end side of the socket body 2 and an O-ring 51 is mounted on the valve seat ring 5 so as to be airtight with the joint ring 3. Is secured. The joint ring 3 is an auxiliary tool for connecting to the air compressor side, and an air supply pipe (hereinafter referred to as “hose”) which is a pressure-resistant flexible pipe from the air compressor with a swivel ring 31 interposed therebetween. .) Hs is rotatably connected. In addition, when attaching directly to the supply port (output port) of the high pressure air of an air compressor, without interposing in this hose Hs, this swivel ring 31 is not necessarily required.

  Each of the balls 6, 6, 6,... Is held so as to be received in a holding hole 21 formed on the distal end side of the socket body 2. The holding hole 21 has an opening shape penetrating so as to be able to move forward and backward to the inner and outer surfaces of the socket 1. .. Of the six holding holes 21, 21, 21,... For storing them separately, and every other three specific holding holes 21 extend to the fitting edge 20 along the direction of the axis C of the socket. The elongated holding hole 21a is formed in an elongated shape. This is because the ball 6a stored and held in the long holding hole 21a is linearly moved to the tip side while protruding from the socket body 2 toward the inner surface side.

  The arrangement of the six balls is only an example of this embodiment, and the arrangement of the long holding holes 21a is not limited to this. Accordingly, the specifications of the number of balls, the corresponding holding holes, and which of these are the long holding holes are appropriately selected and set.

  Further, a stopper ring 22 for restricting the end point of the forward movement of the lock ring 7 is attached to the fitting edge portion 20 at the tip of the socket body 2 in a flange shape.

  Further, a convex guide convex portion 23 is provided on the outer surface of the socket body 2 that is closer to the rear end side than the holding hole 21 by a predetermined distance. The guide projection 23 is composed of a rod-like body, a rotating or fixed small sphere, etc., and engages with a guide groove 82 formed in the lock ring 7 described later to regulate the behavior of the lock ring 7. is there.

  The spool 4 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and has a small-diameter shank portion 41b having a relatively small outer diameter on the rear end side with an outer step portion 41a disposed substantially in the middle of the entire length. The enlarged large-diameter shank portion 41c is used.

  The small-diameter shank portion 41b is configured so as to be slidable while inscribed in an annular manner with respect to the valve seat ring 5, and a vent hole 42 that forms a vent path V is formed on a side surface thereof. A seal ring 43 is provided at a position close to the rear end side from the vent hole 42. The seal ring 43 abuts against the valve seat ring 5 as the spool 4 slides, thereby defining a moving dead center in the tip side direction of the spool 4 and as an airtight means when the air passage V is blocked. It functions.

  The large-diameter shank portion 41c is slidably disposed in contact with the socket body 2, and the inner surface shape of the large-diameter shank portion 41c is an insertion receiving port 44 that is suitable for the plug 9 to be inserted. 9 has an inner step portion 44a with which the tip end portion 9 abuts.

  Further, on the outside of the spool 4, a coil spring 45 having an axially extending urging force (elastic force) is provided between the outer step portion 41 a and the valve seat ring 5. As a result, the plug 9 is released elastically with the movement of the spool 4 toward the front end in the process of reaching the free state, and the rear end edge 50 of the valve seat ring 5 is pressed against the seal ring 43 and vented. Airtightness when the road V is blocked is secured.

Next, the lock ring 7 of the present invention has a cylindrical shape at least on the inner side (the outer side may be a polygonal shape or the like), and is mounted and disposed so as to surround the outer peripheral side of the fitting inlet edge 20 of the socket body 2. doing. An annular cam 71 is formed on the inner peripheral surface on the distal end side of the lock ring 7 so as to project annularly in the normal direction. This controls the movement of each ball 6 (inside / outside movement) in contact with the balls 6, 6,... Stored and held on the tip side of the socket body 2. Further, an enlarged inner peripheral surface 72 having a space in which the balls 6, 6,... Can be withdrawn from the inner peripheral surface of the socket body 2 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tip edge of the lock ring 7. .
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the lock ring 7 is rotated around the socket body 2 by a predetermined rotation angle θ (about 30 degrees in the embodiment), the annular cam 71 has an opening in the elongated holding hole 21a. Notches 73 having a space where specific balls 6b other than the held ball 6a can move to the extent that they do not protrude from the inner peripheral surface of the socket body 2 are formed at three positions that are equally spaced on the circumference. Yes.

  Further, a spiral spring 74 having direct power between the annular cam 71 and the outer surface of the socket body 2 is arranged inside the lock ring 7 so as to be mounted on the socket body 2. One end portion 74 a of the spiral spring 74 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the lock ring 7, and the other end portion 74 b is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the socket body 2. As a result, the spiral spring 74 acts as a direct power (biased repulsive force) that moves the lock ring 7 substantially linearly toward the tip side and as a rotating force (biased repulsive force) that moves the lock ring 7 in the circumferential direction. That is, by the interposition of the spiral spring 74, two types of force, ie, a rotating force in the direction of arrow f and a pressing force (arrow e) in the direction of the arrow f, are applied to the lock ring 7 constantly. The notch 73 acts as an action force for revolving around a position where it does not engage with any of the balls 6 (the state shown in FIG. 4B).

Next, guide means 8 is disposed on the inner peripheral surface on the rear end side of the lock ring 7.
As shown in FIG. 5, the guide means 8 is a means for linking the guide convex portion 23 and the guide groove 82.

  The guide convex portion 23 is a convex body formed with a predetermined protrusion height on a predetermined outer surface of the socket body 2, and is composed of a rotatable embedded small sphere or a pin body whose advancement is adjustable. ing.

  On the other hand, the guide groove 82 includes a guide groove (referred to as a “vertical groove”) 82a that linearly moves the lock ring 7 mounted on the socket body 2 by a predetermined distance in the axial direction, and a guide groove (“ 82b, and is formed in a substantially L-shaped continuous groove by connecting these one end portions side to each other. The circumferential groove 82b is opened without providing a groove side surface on the rear end side. Since this is for convenience in consideration of the assembly process of the lock ring 7, depending on the assembly, a groove side surface may be provided also on the rear end side.

  Further, the L-shaped bent portion (the connecting portion) 81 is formed with a convex locking portion 83 projecting from the groove side surface 82c on the front end side of the circumferential groove 82b toward the rear end side. The protruding amount (length) of the locking portion 83 is the relative movement of the guide convex portion 23 in the circumferential direction (actually, the guide convex portion 23 is stopped, and the guide groove 82 engaged therewith moves following it). For this reason, it is referred to as “relative movement”. Further, the forming direction (groove extending direction) of the circumferential groove 82b is the direction of the anti-circular force (arrow g) by the spiral spring 74 from the bent portion 81, as shown in FIG.

  With this configuration, the relative movement of the guide protrusion 23 in the guide groove 82 can be considered as the following two strokes.

  First, when the lock ring 7 is rotated without applying a pressing force, the guide convex portion 23 moves to the bent portion 81 through a stroke (arrow d2) that moves on the rear end side of the circumferential groove 82b, and the subsequent push It moves in the longitudinal groove 82a by force (arrow d3).

On the other hand, when an operation is performed while applying a pressing force to the lock ring 7 together with the force in the circumferential direction (the above-described “pushing operation”), the guide convex portion 23 follows the groove side surface 82c while following the movement (arrow d1). For this reason, contact with the locking portion 83 prevents further circular movement. As a result, the guide convex portion 23 cannot move to the longitudinal groove 82a, so that the lock ring 7 is prevented from axial movement (arrow j) on the rear end side and can completely disengage the plug 9 (free state). become unable.
[Operation of this embodiment]

Next, the balls 6, 6, which are regulated by the annular cam 71 on the socket body 2 side and the notch 73 on the lock ring 7 side in conjunction with the relative movement of the guide convex portion 23 in the guide groove 82, 6 (see FIGS. 5 to 7) and the operation status of the socket 1 at that time will be described.
(1) Operation status in the locked state (see FIGS. 2 and 4B)

  The locked state refers to a state where the plug 9 and the socket 1 are tightly fitted with airtightness. In this locked state, as described above, the rotating force in the direction of arrow f and the pressing force (arrow e) toward the tip end are constantly acting on the lock ring 7.

In this state, the guide convex portion 23 is located at the end portion 82e of the circumferential groove 82b, and all the balls 6 are pushed out to the inner peripheral surface side of the socket body 2 by the annular cam 71. All of the protruding balls 6, 6, 6... Engage with the constricted portion 91 of the plug 9 to prevent the plug 9 from moving. At the same time, the front end portion of the plug 9 presses the inner step portion 44a of the insertion receiving port 44 of the spool 4, and the spool 4 is pressed toward the rear end side while bending the coil spring 45 (accumulation of elastic energy) (arrow). c). As a result, the outer step portion 41a of the spool 4 comes to rest in a state where the outer step portion 41a is close to or in contact with the valve seat ring 5, the connection state between the plug 9 and the socket 1 is firmly maintained, and the vent hole 42 of the spool 4 is maintained. Is opened to form the air passage V. This situation is the positional relationship of each component in the “locked state”.
(2) Operation status in the semi-locked state (see FIGS. 3 and 4C)

  The semi-locked state refers to a state where the fitting between the plug 9 and the socket 1 is loosened. In this state, the lock ring 7 is manually turned around against the turning force (in the direction of the arrow f) of the spiral spring 74, and the guide convex portion 23 reaches the connecting portion between the circumferential groove 82 b and the vertical groove 82 a, that is, the bent portion 81. It has been moved. As shown in FIG. 4C, the lock ring 7 has three notches 73 formed on the inner peripheral surface arranged every other one of the six balls 6, 6, 6,. It moves around to the position corresponding to the balls 6b, 6b, 6b. At this time, the air pressure in the socket 1 and the bending force accumulated in the coil spring 45 are applied to the plug 9 as an urging repulsive force and act on the plug 9 as a pushing force (or discharge force) (arrow h). ) Of the balls 6, 6,... That are in contact with the conical surface 91 a of the constricted portion 91, the (three) balls 6 b corresponding to the notch 73 are disengaged from the engagement with the constricted portion 91, and the socket body 2. It is pushed out from the inner surface of the inner surface and pushed into the notch 73 (the state shown in FIG. 4C).

  On the other hand, the remaining three balls 6a are housed and held in the long holding hole 21a and are projected into the socket body 2 (while being engaged with the constricted portion 91), inside the long holding hole 21a. It is moved to (insertion side). In accordance with the movement of the ball 6a, the plug 9 and the spool 4 with which the plug 9 is fitted also move in the distal direction (arrow a). At this time, the movement amount Sa of the ball 6 a in the elongated holding hole 21 a is set to be larger than the movement amount Sb of the spool 4 with respect to the valve seat ring 5 (Sa> Sb). After closing the vent hole 42 and abutting against the seal ring 43 to ensure airtightness on the socket 1 side, the plug 9 relatively moves Sc (Sa-Sb) relatively to the tip side. As a result, a gap 46 is formed between the insertion receiving port 44 of the spool 4 and the plug 9. Then, the high-pressure air remaining in the hose Hp on the plug 9 side is exhausted through the gap 46 to the tip side (arrow i). In this state, since the ball 6a held in the long holding hole 21a is still engaged with the constricted portion 91 of the plug 9, the plug 9 is not completely separated from the socket 1. This situation is the positional relationship of each component in the “half-locked state”.

  Here, in the present invention, when the pushing operation is performed as described above, the guide convex portion 23 of the lock ring 7 engages with the locking portion 83 formed in the circumferential groove 82b and moves to the vertical groove 82a. Be blocked. At this time, even if force is applied more firmly, the locking portion 83 prevents further movement in the circumferential direction. In this case, the operator generally relaxes the operating force on the lock ring 7. At this time, the lock ring 7 is returned to the vicinity of the end portion 82e of the initial position in the locked state described above by the rotating force acting as the urging force constantly (always) (this is not limited to the case described later). By repeating this phenomenon, the operator becomes aware of an erroneous operation and learns the operation of applying the pressing force after rotating the lock ring 7 without applying the pressing force.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, a configuration is adopted in which residual air is leaked even when the guide protrusion 23 is in contact with or close to the locking portion 83 even if the pushing operation is performed. That is, in particular, as shown in FIGS. 5 (A), 6 (C), and 7, the locking portion 83 of the circumferential groove 82b of the lock ring 7 abuts on the guide convex portion 23 or reaches a close position. When moved, the width W (distance between the rotating directions) of the notch 73 is increased to such an extent that the corresponding ball 6b can enter the notch 73 of the annular cam 71.

With this configuration, when the operator performs a pushing operation, the lock ring 7 stops only by the circular movement, but at that time, the lock ring 7 is in a semi-locked state, and leakage of residual high-pressure air occurs. However, since the lock ring 7 does not move in the axial direction any more, the operator still has to weaken the operation force, and the lock ring 7 is pushed back by the direct power (biasing repulsive force) of the spiral spring 74. It becomes. In this case, although it does not return to the vicinity of the end portion 82e of the initial position in the locked state described above, the lock ring 7 is made to circulate without applying a pressing force by a second operation, and then the locking ring 7 is applied with the pressing force. You will learn to move the axis.
(3) Operation status in the free state (see FIGS. 1 and 4A)

The free state refers to a state in which the plug 9 is completely separated from the socket 1. If the viewpoint is changed, it can be said that the plug 9 is in an initial state before being fitted toward the socket 1 (arrow b).
In order to completely separate the plug 9 from the half-locked state of (2), the lock ring 7 is moved against the circumferential force (in the direction of the arrow f) that is steadily acting by the spiral spring 74 as in the prior art. When the fingertip is manually moved to the rear end side (at this time, the guide convex portion 23 at the position of the bent portion 81 is moved to the end portion 82d of the longitudinal groove 82a), the enlarged inner peripheral surface 72 is moved to the elongated holding hole 21a. The three held balls 6a, 6a, 6a are moved outward. As a result, the three balls 6a, 6a, 6a move away from the constricted portion 91 and move toward the enlarged diameter inner peripheral surface 72. As a result, since the other three balls 6b are already disengaged from the constricted portion 91 of the plug 9 in the half-locked state, all the balls 6, 6, 6,... Are disengaged from the constricted portion 91. It will be. In conjunction with this, the plug 9 is released elastically from the insertion receiving port 44 by the direct power (biased repulsive force) of the coil spring 45 disposed between the spool 4 and the valve seat ring 5. At the same time, the distal end portion 44b of the insertion receiving port 44 advances toward the distal end side to restrict the projection of all the balls 6, 6,... Into the socket body 2, and the ball 6a in the long holding hole 21a The lock ring 7 comes into contact with the stepped surface 71 a on the front side of the annular cam 71 and stops at a position slightly retracted from the opening on the front end side of the socket body 2. This situation is the positional relationship of each component in the “free state”. In this state, the spiral spring 74 is in a state where it has been compressed and stored an expansion force (biasing force).
Thereafter, in the separation and connection, the above processes are repeated.
[Possibility of other embodiments]

  The guide means 8 of the present embodiment is composed of a guide convex portion 23 disposed on the socket body 2 and an L-shaped guide groove 82 formed on the inner surface of the lock ring 7. 23 may be disposed on the inner surface of the lock ring 7, and the guide groove 82 may be formed on the outer surface of the socket body 2.

  Further, the engaging portion 83 of the guide groove 82 is not limited to a convex shape, and may be formed in a concave portion 83a that is recessed from the groove side surface 82c to the tip side as shown in FIG.

  Further, in addition to these, as shown in FIG. 8B, the longitudinal groove 82a of the guide means 8 may be formed so as to gradually widen from the end portion 82d toward the connection portion with the circumferential groove 82b. Thereby, the transition (shift from the free state to the locked state) of the guide convex portion 23 from the axial direction to the rotating direction becomes smooth. At this time, it is desirable to widen a part of the width of the notch 73 of the lock ring 7 corresponding to the shape of the vertical groove so that the ball 6b can easily move from the notch 73 to the annular cam 71.

In addition, the groove extending direction of the vertical groove 82 a is not necessarily parallel to the axis C of the lock ring 7 (or the socket 1), and the end 82 d of the vertical groove 82 a is arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the lock ring 7. It may be moved in the circumferential direction by a predetermined distance. In other words, as shown in FIG. 8 (A), it may be an oblique vertical groove 82f extending in an oblique direction having an intersecting angle with respect to the bus m of the lock ring 7. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the crossing angle α of the longitudinal groove with respect to the circumferential groove is 90 °, but the front and rear angles may also be α = 88 °, α = 92 °, or the like.
By setting the slanted vertical groove 82a with a slight crossing angle in this way, for example, when α <90 ° is set, an operation for moving from the circumferential groove to the vertical groove, which is the stroke during separation, is performed. Has the effect of making the law clear. On the other hand, when α> 90 ° is set, there is an effect that the moving process from the vertical groove to the peripheral groove, which is the process at the time of joining, can be smoothly performed.
The α setting range (90 ° front-rear range) needs to be limited to a range that does not interfere with the movement of the ball 6 in the notch 73 described above.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Socket 2 Socket body 20 Fitting edge part 21 Holding hole 21a Elongate holding hole 22 Stopper ring 23 Guide convex part 3 Joint ring 31 Swivel ring 4 Spool 41a Outer step part 41b Small diameter shank part 41c Large diameter shank part 42 Vent hole 43 Seal ring 44 Insertion receiving port 44a Inner step portion 44b Front end portion 45 Coil spring 46 Gap 5 Valve seat ring 50 Rear end edge portion 51 O-ring 6 Ball 6a Ball held in the long holding hole 6b Ball 7 corresponding to the notch Lock ring 71 Annular cam 71a Stepped surface 72 Expanded inner peripheral surface 73 Notch 74 Spiral spring 74a One end (lock ring side)
74b The other end (socket ring side)
8 guide means 81 bent portion 82 guide groove 82a longitudinal groove 82b circumferential groove 82c groove side surface 82d (vertical groove ˜) end portion 82e (circumferential groove ˜) end portion 82f oblique vertical groove 83 locking portion 83a concave portion 9 plug 91 constriction 91a Conical surface Hs Hose (socket side)
Hp hose (plug side)
C Socket shaft m (lock ring) bus Sa Movement amount of ball Sb in the long retaining hole Sb Movement amount Sc Relative movement amount of the plug V Ventilation path W Notch width (distance between circumferential directions)
Arrow f Locking ring arrow leading to the locked state g Locking ring rotating arrow reaching the free state arrow d1 Travel arrow d2 near the rear end in the horizontal groove Travel arrow d3 following the groove side in the horizontal groove d3 In the vertical groove Travel distance α Crossing angle θ Rotation angle

Claims (8)

It is a quick coupling that cuts off the supply of air by mating with a plug,
A spool that is disposed in a socket body that constitutes the outer shell body of the quick coupling and opens and closes the air passage;
A plurality of holding holes formed at the circumferential position of the fitting inlet edge of the socket body;
A plurality of balls held in the holding holes and moving forward and backward on the side of the socket body inward and outward;
A lock ring having an outer ring at the front end of the socket body and a direct power in the direction of the front end and a rotational force that moves around the outer surface;
An annular cam formed on the inner surface of the lock ring for restricting the movement of the ball;
A notch having a recess capable of storing a ball at a specific position when the lock ring is formed at a predetermined position of the annular cam and moved around the lock ring;
A guide convex portion is formed on either the inner surface side of the lock ring or the outer surface side of the socket body, and a longitudinal groove extending in a substantially axial direction and a circumferential groove extending in a circumferential direction are formed on the other side. A guide groove that communicates with the bent portion at the end portion, and a guide means that restricts movement of the lock ring in the axial direction and the circumferential direction by engagement of the guide convex portion and the guide groove, and
further,
The shape of the holding hole specified from the plurality of holding holes formed in the socket body is formed into a long holding hole having a specific length that can move the held ball straight to the tip side, and the inside of the long holding hole The amount of movement of the ball is set to be larger than the amount of movement of the spool, and the annular cam is movable to the lock ring side from the constricted portion of the plug in response to a specific ball when the lock ring is moved around. Form a notch with storage space,
Further, when the guide convex portion in the guide means comes into contact with the groove side surface on the tip side of the circumferential groove and moves relatively, the locking portion can prevent further relative movement of the guide convex portion to the longitudinal groove side. A quick joint characterized in that is formed on the circumferential groove side. When the ball at the specific position moves from the constricted portion of the plug to the socket ring side and starts moving to the notch,
The quick joint according to claim 1, wherein the guide convex portion that has moved relative to the circumferential groove is before fitting to the locking portion. The locking part formed on the circumferential groove side
3. The quick coupling according to claim 1, wherein the quick coupling is in the vicinity of a bent portion of the circumferential groove. The locking part formed on the circumferential groove side
The rapid joint according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the quick joint is a convex portion protruding from the groove side surface of the circumferential groove toward the rear end side. The locking part formed on the circumferential groove side
The rapid coupling socket according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the socket is a recess recessed from the groove side surface of the circumferential groove to the tip side. The groove width of the circumferential groove is
6. The quick coupling according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, characterized in that the width gradually increases toward the locking portion of the bent portion. The groove width of the vertical groove
The rapid coupling according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, characterized in that the width gradually decreases from the bent portion toward the end portion.   The longitudinal groove is an oblique longitudinal groove constituted by moving an end portion in the extending direction thereof in any direction in the circumferential direction by a predetermined distance from the bus bar on the inner peripheral surface of the lock ring. 2. The quick coupling according to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.

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