JP5467571B2 - Pipe fitting - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pipe joint used for connecting various pipes such as a water supply pipe and a hot water supply pipe.

  There exists a plug-in type pipe joint as a conventional pipe joint (for example, refer to patent documents 1). According to this type of pipe joint, the connection work of the pipe to be connected to the pipe joint is completed simply by inserting the pipe to be connected into the pipe joint, so that the labor required for the connection work can be reduced.

JP 2005-233350 A

  By the way, as for the existing pipe fittings including pipe fittings other than the plug-in type, the fitting main body is made of metal or engineering plastic, and accordingly, it is difficult to reduce the manufacturing cost.

  Therefore, as a result of diligent research, the present inventors have been able to use a polyolefin-based resin such as cross-linked polyethylene or polybutene, which is less expensive than metal or engineering plastic, as a material of the joint body, The development was successful and the present invention was completed.

  That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a pipe joint that can reduce the manufacturing cost and can also improve the productivity.

In order to achieve the above object, the pipe joint according to the present invention comprises:
A joint body in which a connected pipe is fitted on one end side;
A retainer capable of exhibiting a retaining function that bites into the connected pipe externally fitted to the joint body from the outside of the connected pipe so that the connected pipe does not come out from the joint body to the one end side. A connector having a portion,
An engagement function can be exerted so that the connecting tool bites into a portion of the joint body where the connected pipe is not fitted from the outside of the joint body so that the connection tool does not come out from the joint body to the one end side. An engaging portion is provided ,
The connector is
A substantially cylindrical spacer;
A first ring member disposed on one end side of the spacer and constituting the retaining portion;
A second ring member disposed on the other end side of the spacer and constituting the engaging portion;
The first ring member and the second ring member are provided with restricting means for restricting the movement of the spacer from the spacer .

Further, in the pipe joint, the regulating means is provided in an approximately ring-shaped first fixing member connected to one end side of the spacer so as to sandwich the first ring member with the spacer. And an inward flange provided on a substantially ring-shaped second fixing member connected to the other end of the spacer so that the second ring member is sandwiched by the spacer. (Claim 2 ).

Further, in the pipe joint, the connector includes a substantially cylindrical cover that covers the spacer, the first ring member, the second ring member, the first fixing member, and the second fixing member, Inward flanges may be provided at both ends of the cover (claim 3 ).

Further, in the pipe joint, each of the inward flanges of the first fixing member and the second fixing member is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes toward the inward flanges at both ends of the cover, or Protruding portions that protrude toward the first fixing member and the second fixing member may be provided on each of the inward flanges at both ends of the cover (claim 4 ).

On the other hand, in the pipe joint, the restricting means may be configured by inward flanges provided at both ends of a substantially cylindrical cover that covers the spacer, the first ring member, and the second ring member. (Claim 5 ).

Further, in the pipe joint, the connection tool may be unitized so that the engaging portion engages with the joint body when the fitting is externally fitted to the joint body from the one end side ( Claim 6 ).

In the pipe joint may be cylindrical portion of the adapter is connected to the other end of said joint body (claim 7).

Further, in the pipe joint, a joining member is inserted into the tubular portion from a notch groove provided at a tip portion of the tubular portion, and the joining member in a state of being inserted into the tubular portion is related to the joint body. It may be configured to stop (claim 8 ).

In the inventions according to claims 1 to 8 , a pipe joint that can reduce the manufacturing cost and improve the productivity can be obtained.

That is, in the inventions according to claims 1 to 8 , a joint body that has been conventionally molded using a metal or engineering plastic can be molded from a relatively inexpensive material such as a polyolefin resin, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. Can be planned.

Furthermore, in the inventions according to claims 1 to 8 , since the connection of the connected pipe to the pipe joint is completed simply by performing an operation of fitting the connected pipe to the joint body, the pipe joint is extremely excellent in assemblability. Is obtained.

In addition, in the inventions according to claims 1 to 8 , since the configurations of the joint body and the connection tool can both be simplified, the manufacturing cost is also reduced in this respect.

In the invention according to claims 3 and 6 , the unitized connector can be easily attached to the joint body, and the productivity can be improved.

In the invention according to claim 4 , the cover and the first ring member and the second ring member in the cover are prevented from co-rotating, and the connected pipe and the joint main body are accompanied with the rotation of the first ring member and the second ring member. Can be reliably prevented from being damaged.

In the invention which concerns on Claim 5 , the structure of a connection tool becomes simpler and manufacturing cost can also be reduced further.

In the inventions according to claims 7 and 8 , since the joint body and the adapter are separated and can be dealt with by changing only the configuration of the adapter according to the connection target of the connected pipe, the joint body can be shared. The accompanying cost reduction can also be achieved. That is, a conventional joint body that is not divided into a joint body and an adapter has a complicated structure and requires special processing, which may increase the manufacturing cost. Also, in general hot water supply / water supply systems, a wide variety of joint bodies such as nipple type, socket type, cheese type, elbow type, etc. are used depending on the connection target of the pipe to be connected. Some joint bodies have a structure and are produced only in a small amount. In this case, the manufacturing cost of the joint body is significantly increased. However, if the joint body and the adapter are separated as in the present invention, the manufacturing cost of the joint body to be shared can be reduced by mass production, and each adapter also has a simple structure and its manufacturing cost. Can be lowered.

In the invention according to claim 8 , the adapter can be easily connected to the joint body, and a pipe joint that is very excellent in terms of productivity (assembly) can be obtained.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows schematically the structure of the pipe joint which concerns on one embodiment of this invention in the state where the to-be-connected pipe was connected. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows schematically the structure of the said pipe joint in the state where the to-be-connected pipe is not connected. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows schematically the structure of the coupling main body and connector of the said pipe coupling. (A) And (B) is the longitudinal cross-sectional view and top view which show schematically the structure of the 1st fixing member of the said connection tool, and a 2nd fixing member. (A) And (B) is the perspective view and exploded perspective view which show schematically the structure of the adapter of the said pipe joint, and a joining member. It is a top view which shows the structure of the said adapter and a joining member schematically. (A) And (B) is the front view and side view which show the structure of the said adapter roughly. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the modification of the said pipe joint roughly. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the other modification of the said pipe joint roughly.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pipe joint according to the present embodiment has a substantially cylindrical joint body 2 in which a connected pipe 1 (see FIG. 1) is fitted on one end side, and the joint body 2. A connecting tool 3 for maintaining the connected state of the pipe 1 to be connected and an adapter 4 made of metal (for example, an alloy such as brass or bronze) connected to the other end of the joint body 2 are provided. The adapter 4 may not be made of metal.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a small-diameter portion 5 that is externally fitted to the connected pipe 1 is provided on one end side of the joint body 2, and an outer wall portion of the small-diameter portion 5 is provided for preventing water leakage. Two annular grooves 7 in which seal members (for example, O-rings) 6 are mounted are provided. Note that the number of the seal members 6 and the annular grooves 7 is not limited to two.

  Further, outside the small-diameter portion 5, when the connected pipe 1 is externally fitted to the small-diameter portion 5, the distal end surface of the connected pipe 1 and the inner peripheral surface of the distal end portion are covered, and the seal member 6 is attached from the connected pipe 1. A guard ring 8 is provided for protection. That is, the tube 1 to be connected to the small-diameter portion 5 passes outside the two seal members 6 with the tip surface and the inner peripheral surface of the tip portion covered with the guard ring 8. At this time, the guard ring 8 that comes into contact with the seal member 6 surely crushes without twisting the seal member 6 or detaching it from the annular groove 7 (for example, so that the cross section is substantially elliptical). The inner portion of the tip of the guard ring 8 is chamfered so that the seal member 6 is deformed). Further, the guard ring 8 is positioned so as to surround the seal member 6 closer to the tip of the small-diameter portion 5 of the two seal members 6, or is positioned closer to the tip of the small-diameter portion 5 than this position. (In this embodiment, the guard ring 8 is arranged at the position shown in FIG. 2).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a central portion 9 having an outer diameter larger than that of the small diameter portion 5 is connected to the proximal end side of the small diameter portion 5. The external fitting operation is performed until the guard ring 8 comes into contact with the central portion 9 and stops. That is, the central portion 9 also functions as a stopper at this time.

  And the connecting tool 3 is provided in order to prevent the to-be-connected pipe | tube 1 in the state where the said external fitting operation was completed and fitted in the small diameter part 5 from coming out of the small diameter part 5. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the connector 3 is made of a synthetic resin and has a substantially cylindrical spacer 10 and a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) first ring members disposed on one end side of the spacer 10. 11, one end side of the spacer 10 so that the first ring member 11 is sandwiched between the spacer 10 and a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) second ring members 12 disposed on the other end side of the spacer 10. A substantially ring-shaped second fixing member 14 connected to the other end side of the spacer 10 so that the second ring member 12 is sandwiched between the first ring-shaped fixing member 13 connected to the spacer 10 and the spacer 10. These members 10 to 14 are substantially cylindrical and covered with a metal (for example, stainless steel) cover 15 to form a unit.

  The first ring member 11 and the second ring member 12 are made of metal and have the same shape, and have annular claws 11a and 12a that protrude inward from the inner peripheral portion. In the present embodiment, a first spacer 16 is provided between the two first ring members 11, and a second spacer 17 is provided between the two second ring members 12. Since both the members 11 and 12 are arranged with the same surface facing the spacer 10, both the members 11 and 12 are opposite to each other.

  The first fixing member 13 is made of metal, and has a cylindrical portion (cylindrical portion in the illustrated example) 18 and an inward flange 19 as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The shaped portion 18 is configured to be fitted and fixed to one end of the spacer 10. The second fixing member 14 is configured in the same manner as the first fixing member 13, and the inward flange 19 of the second fixing member 14 is fitted and fixed to the other end portion of the spacer 10. Therefore, the inward flange 19 provided in the first fixing member 13 and the inward flange 19 provided in the second fixing member 14 are separated from the spacer 10 of the first ring member 11 and the second ring member 12. It functions as a restricting means for restricting movement.

  Then, the first fixing member 13 is fitted and fixed to one end side of the spacer 10 with the two first ring members 11 sandwiching the first spacer 16 therebetween, and the other end side of the spacer 10 is The members 10 to 14, 16 and 17 are integrated by fitting and fixing the second fixing member 14 with the two second ring members 12 sandwiching the two spacers 17 in contact with each other. By housing the member in the cover 15, the connector 3 is completed as one unit (see FIGS. 1 to 3). As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, inward flanges 20 are provided at both ends of the cover 15, and at least one of the inward flanges 20 has the integrated member in the cover 15. It is bent after being accommodated.

  Here, the inward flanges 19 of the first fixing member 13 and the second fixing member 14 are directed toward the inward flange 20 of the cover 15 so that the cover 15 does not rotate together with the members accommodated in the cover 15. The protrusion part 21 which protrudes is provided (refer FIG. 4 (A) and (B)). In the illustrated example, four protruding portions 21 are provided. However, the number, the shape and arrangement of the protruding portions 21, and the like can be variously changed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connector 3 is externally attached to the joint body 2 so as to cover a part of the small diameter portion 5 and the central portion 9.

  Then, the first ring member 11 of the connector 3 attached to the joint body 2 bites into the portion (the central portion 9 in the illustrated example) of the joint body 2 where the connected pipe 1 is not fitted from the outside of the joint body 2. In addition, the engagement portion is capable of exhibiting an engagement function that prevents the connector 3 from coming off from the joint body 2 to one end side. That is, the connector 3 is unitized so that the engaging portion (the first ring member 11) is engaged with the joint body 2 when fitted to the joint body 2 from one end side. The attachment 3 can be attached to the joint body 2 very easily.

  In addition, the second ring member 12 of the connector 3 attached to the joint body 2 is bitten from the outside of the pipe 1 to be connected to the pipe 1 to be externally fitted to the joint body 2. This is a retaining portion capable of exhibiting a retaining function that prevents the body 2 from coming off to one end side.

  As described above, the first ring member 11 and the second ring member 12 bite into the connected pipe 1 and the joint main body 2, respectively, and both 1 and 2 need to be configured to enable these bites. . And as a molding material of the to-be-connected pipe | tube 1 and the coupling main body 2 which enable such a structure, polyolefin resin, such as bridge | crosslinking polyethylene and polybutene, is mentioned, for example. In addition, it is preferable at the point of adhesiveness to shape | mold the to-be-connected pipe 1 and the coupling main body 2 with the same kind of raw material.

  Here, metal and engineering plastics are used for the conventional joint body, but the pipe joint of the present embodiment, which is manufactured by using a crosslinked polyethylene or polybutene, which is a polyolefin resin, for the joint body 2 is a general pipe joint. The present inventors have confirmed that it has sufficient functions such as durability and water-stopping required as the above.

  On the other hand, an adapter 4 for connecting the joint body 2 to a member such as a header (not shown) is coupled to the other end side of the joint body 2. That is, in the present embodiment, the adapter 4 is configured in a nipple shape that can be connected to, for example, a header, and thus the pipe joint can be used to connect the connected pipe 1 to the header.

  And this adapter 4 is externally fitted by the other end side of the coupling main body 2, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, FIG. 5 (A) and (B), FIG. 7 (A) and (B). A cylindrical portion 22 and a male screw portion 23 (the configuration of the male screw portion 23 is simply shown in each figure) are provided, and the cylindrical portion 22 has a notch groove in which notch grooves 24 are formed on the left and right sides. The formation part 25 and the outer peripheral surface are comprised by the polygonal part 26 (polygonal nut shape in the example of illustration).

  In order to connect the adapter 4 to the joint body 2, first, the tubular portion 22 of the adapter 4 may be externally fitted to the joint body 2 from the other end side. Is carried out until it comes into contact with a contact portion (small diameter portion) 27 provided on the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 22. Here, a large-diameter portion 28 having an outer diameter larger than that of the central portion 9 is provided on the other end side of the joint body 2, and in the tubular portion 22 in a state where the outer fitting to the joint body 2 is completed. The polygonal portion 26 is located outside the large-diameter portion 28, and the notch groove forming portion 25 is located outside the central portion 9 (see FIGS. 1 to 3). Further, two annular grooves 30 in which a seal member (for example, an O-ring) 29 for preventing water leakage is mounted are provided on the outer wall portion of the large diameter portion 28. Note that the numbers of the sealing members 29 and the annular grooves 30 are not limited to two.

  Then, the connection of the adapter 4 to the joint body 2 is completed by inserting the joining member 31 into the cylindrical portion 22 from the notched groove 24 provided in the notched groove forming portion 25 of the cylindrical portion 22.

  That is, the joining member 31 has a substantially U shape as shown in FIGS. 5B and 6, and the left and right width W1 is larger than the width W2 of the notch groove 24 (FIG. 6). reference). When the joining member 31 is inserted into the notch groove forming portion 25, the tip end portion of the joining member 31 is elastically deformed and passes through the two notch grooves 24, and after insertion, the engagement provided on both the front and rear sides of the joining member 31. The joining portions 32 are respectively engaged with the left and right edges of the cutout groove 24, and the joining member 31 is not removed from the cutout groove 24 unless elastically deformed. The joining member 31 inserted into the cylindrical portion 22 is locked to the large diameter portion 28 of the joint body 2 as shown in FIGS. Can be rotated around each other.

  In the pipe joint of the present embodiment, the joint body 2 can be molded from a relatively inexpensive material such as a polyolefin resin, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Moreover, the pipe joint of this embodiment can easily perform attachment of the connector 3 to one end side of the joint body 2 and connection of the adapter 4 to the other end side of the joint body 2, and productivity (assembly property) ) Is very good in terms of.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the connection of the connected pipe 1 to the pipe joint is simply performed by externally fitting the connected pipe 1 to the substantially tubular joint body 2 of the pipe joint in the unconnected state shown in FIG. Thus, the pipe joint and the connected pipe 1 are in the connected state shown in FIG. 1, and the connecting work of the connected pipe 1 can be performed very easily.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the joint body 2 and the adapter 4 are separated and can be dealt with by changing only the configuration of the adapter 4 according to the connection target of the connected pipe 1. It is also possible to reduce costs associated with sharing. That is, a conventional joint body that is not divided into a joint body and an adapter has a complicated structure and requires special processing, which may increase the manufacturing cost. Moreover, in a general hot water supply / water supply system, various types of joint bodies such as a nipple type, a socket type, a cheese type, and an elbow type are used depending on the connection target of the connected pipe 1, and some of them are complicated. Some joint bodies have a simple structure and are produced only in a small amount. In this case, the manufacturing cost of the joint body is significantly increased. However, if the joint body 2 and the adapter 4 are separated as in this embodiment, the manufacturing cost of the joint body 2 to be shared can be reduced by mass production, and each adapter 4 has a simple structure. Thus, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, components such as the material and shape of each member can be changed as appropriate. Hereinafter, modifications of the present embodiment will be described.

  The target to which the pipe to be connected 1 is connected by the pipe joint is not limited to the header described above, and the configuration of the adapter 4 can be variously changed according to the connection target, application, and the like. For example, the adapter 4 may be a socket type shown in FIG. 8 or a cheese type shown in FIG. 9, or may be an elbow type or the like. That is, the adapter 4 may include a component corresponding to the cylindrical portion 22 and be configured to be connectable to the other end side of the joint body 2.

  The guard ring 8 may not be disposed outside the small diameter part 5 but may be attached to the tip of the connected pipe 1 before being fitted on the small diameter part 5.

  The connection tool 3 has a symmetrical shape in the up / down and front / back / left / right directions, and is attached to the joint body 2 so as to be opposite to the state shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the second ring member 12 is used as the engaging portion. The first ring member 11 can also be used as a retaining portion. Thus, the connecting device 3 can be attached to the joint body 2 in any direction, so that there is no error in the attaching direction, and the assembling work is simple. It becomes. However, for example, the small-diameter portion 5 and the central portion 9 have substantially the same outer diameter, and the inner diameter of the portion facing the central portion 9 in the spacer 10 of the connector 3 is larger than the inner diameter of the portion facing the small-diameter portion 5. In this case, instead of the central portion 9, the portion of the spacer 10 that faces the central portion 9 functions as a stopper when the connected pipe 1 is externally fitted to the small diameter portion 5. Will do.

  The spacer 10 is formed of a transparent or translucent resin (light-transmitting resin) such as polycarbonate, for example, and a through hole or slit is provided at an appropriate position of the cover 15 to facilitate confirmation of insertion of the pipe 1 to be connected. Therefore, it is preferable. However, the spacer 10 may be formed of an opaque resin such as POM (polyacetal). In this case, for example, a mark for confirming insertion may be provided at an appropriate position of the connected pipe 1.

  The first ring member 11 and the second ring member 12 may be provided one by one instead of plurally. In this case, the first spacer 16 and the second spacer 17 are not necessary.

  The first fixing member 13 and the second fixing member 14 may be fixed by screwing, for example, instead of being fitted and fixed to the spacer 10.

  Instead of the configuration in which the inward flanges 19 of the first fixing member 13 and the second fixing member 14 are provided with protruding portions 21 that protrude toward the inward flanges 20 at both ends of the cover 15, You may employ | adopt the structure which provides the protrusion part which protrudes toward the 1st fixing member 13 and the 2nd fixing member 14 in each of the direction flanges 20. FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the first fixing member 13 and the second fixing member 14 are provided, but without providing these, the two inward flanges 20 of the cover 15 are connected to the first ring member 11 and the second ring. You may make it use as a control means which controls the separation movement of the member 12 from the spacer 10.

  Either the connector 3 or the adapter 4 may be attached to the joint body 2 first. However, when the connector 3 is attached first, if the connector 3 is inserted too much, the adapter 4 may be attached. A stopper such as a protrusion may be provided at the central portion 9 of the joint body 2.

  In the present embodiment, the joint body 2 is molded using a relatively inexpensive polyolefin resin. However, the joint body 2 may be formed using a material that allows the second ring member 12 to bite. Thus, it is not always necessary to use an inexpensive material.

  The connected pipe 1 is not limited to a single-layer pipe made of polyolefin resin, but is made of a synthetic resin (for example, cross-linked polyethylene, polybutene, polypropylene, vinyl chloride, etc.) with an intermediate layer made of metal (for example, a light metal such as aluminum or stainless steel) interposed therebetween. It may be a pipe (three-layer pipe) or the like provided with the above layer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connected pipe 2 Joint body 3 Connection tool 4 Adapter 11 Retaining part 12 Engaging part

Claims (8)

A joint body in which a connected pipe is fitted on one end side;
A retainer capable of exhibiting a retaining function that bites into the connected pipe externally fitted to the joint body from the outside of the connected pipe so that the connected pipe does not come out from the joint body to the one end side. A connector having a portion,
An engagement function can be exerted so that the connecting tool bites into a portion of the joint body where the connected pipe is not fitted from the outside of the joint body so that the connection tool does not come out from the joint body to the one end side. An engaging portion is provided ,
The connector is
A substantially cylindrical spacer;
A first ring member disposed on one end side of the spacer and constituting the retaining portion;
A second ring member disposed on the other end side of the spacer and constituting the engaging portion;
And a restricting means for restricting a separation movement of the first ring member and the second ring member from the spacer . An inward flange provided on a substantially ring-shaped first fixing member connected to one end of the spacer such that the restricting means sandwiches the first ring member with the spacer; and the spacer The inward flange provided on the substantially ring-shaped second fixing member connected to the other end side of the spacer so as to sandwich the second ring member . Pipe fittings. The connector includes a substantially cylindrical cover that covers the spacer, the first ring member, the second ring member, the first fixing member, and the second fixing member, and inward flanges at both ends of the cover. The pipe joint according to claim 2 provided with . Each of the inward flanges of the first fixing member and the second fixing member is provided with protruding portions that protrude toward the inward flanges at both ends of the cover, or inward at both ends of the cover The pipe joint according to claim 3 , wherein each of the flanges is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes toward the first fixing member and the second fixing member . 2. The pipe joint according to claim 1 , wherein the restricting means includes inward flanges provided at both ends of a substantially cylindrical cover that covers the spacer, the first ring member, and the second ring member . The said connection tool is unitized so that the said engaging part may be in the state engaged with this joint main body when it externally fits with respect to the said joint main body from the said one end side. Pipe fittings. The pipe joint according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein a cylindrical portion of the adapter is connected to the other end side of the joint body . A joining member is inserted into the tubular portion from a notch groove provided at a tip portion of the tubular portion, and the joining member inserted into the tubular portion is configured to be engaged with the joint body. pipe joint of claim 7 are.