JP6910861B2 - Pipe fitting - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pipe joint, and more particularly to a pipe joint suitable as a pipe joint for a raw material container in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

Semiconductor manufacturing equipment, liquid crystal manufacturing equipment, photoresist process, dry or wet etching process, and other base material manufacturing equipment that includes surface treatment and thin film formation processes, or various precision analyzers, medical agents, foods and beverages The raw materials in the supply / manufacturing equipment and the like are filled in the raw material containers such as the pre-stage equipment of the reactor as a baking system so that they can be handled in the same manner as general gas. A gas supply system or the like is connected to this raw material container, and the carrier gas mixed from the gas supply system into the raw material container is transferred to the reaction furnace as a gaseous raw material fluid via the discharge system. For example, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a raw material gas is supplied to a reactor to perform a film forming process (MOCVD, ALD, etc.).

The pipe fittings, valves, pipes, etc. that make up such a container system are used for regular maintenance such as disassembly and maintenance, or for raw material containers and parts, for the purpose of removing solidified fluid and advanced contamination control. Replacement or the like is required, and in this case, the pipe joint connecting the raw material container and the pipe is attached and detached. Normally, before and after the attachment / detachment of the pipe joint, the inside of the flow path within the predetermined range including the pipe joint is isolated from the fluid by appropriately closing the shutoff valve or the like, and a predetermined purge provided in advance for the isolation range is performed. A predetermined purge process such as vacuum exhaust or inert gas replacement is performed via the line. For example, when replacing a raw material container, the fluid used is often a highly toxic chemical containing phosphorus, arsenic, etc., and in order to prevent this from leaking or diffusing to the outside, before disconnecting the pipe joint, the piping side After closing the shutoff valve installed next to the pipe, it is necessary to perform a predetermined purge treatment to surely remove the remaining fluid components from the flow path, and further, it is secured in advance even after the pipe joint is joined. It is necessary to perform a purge treatment on the isolated range to ensure that air components and the like are removed from the flow path.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the structure of a conventional pipe joint used for such a raw material container. In the joint body 100 of the figure, annular projecting portions 103a and 104a are formed on the end faces 103 and 104 of the joint cylinders 101 and 102, respectively, and a metal sealing member 105 is arranged between them, and a female nut is provided. The body 106 is provided on the outer periphery of the joint cylinders 101 and 102, while the female nut body 106 is attached to the female screw portion 107 of the female nut body 106 so that the joint cylinders 101 and 102 and the female nut body 106 can be fixed and detached. A male nut body 108 having a male screw portion 108a that can move the joint cylinder body 102 in the axial direction is screw-coupled. In particular, the projecting portions 103a and 104a formed with a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the end faces 103 and 104 ensure high sealing performance between the joint cylinders 101 and 102 by tightly closing the sealing member 105. Because.

Further, when joining the joint cylinder 101 and 102, the seal member 105 is set in advance on the end surface 103 of the joint cylinder 101, and the end surface 104 of the joint cylinder 102 is set to the female nut body 106 toward the seal member 105. When the male screw portion 108a of the male nut body 108 is engaged with the female screw portion 107 and screw-coupled by inserting it into the male nut body 108 and facing each other, the tip surface 108b of the male nut body 108 rotates and the flange portion 102a of the joint cylinder body 102a. I will push. Along with this, the joint cylinder 102 pushes the joint cylinder 101 to the back side via the seal member 105, but since the flange portion 101a is locked to the step portion 106a of the female nut body 106, the seal member 105 Is tightened by the projecting portions 103a and 104a from both sides with a predetermined pressing force to complete the joining.

However, as described above, when attaching or detaching this pipe joint, in addition to the work of isolating the flow path in a predetermined range or the work of releasing the isolation, the line system in this range is purged to provide a fluid. Although we tried to prevent leakage and clean the flow path, the fluid may easily liquefy in the flow path or when the purge range is wide. The purging time required for the fluid to decrease may be quite long, and on the other hand, the purging may be wasteful or uneven, which increases the time and labor required for the entire container replacement and maintenance. However, it had a considerable adverse effect on workability and product cost. Especially in recent years, the piping system has become more complicated, and along with this, a dead space for purging is likely to occur in the flow path, and the product (deposition) is also required to have extremely high quality, that is, extremely high cleanliness of the raw material. Along with this, it is necessary to ensure extremely high cleanliness in the flow path, and such a tendency is increasing more and more. Therefore, it is no longer normal to require a huge amount of purge time and energy to clean the inside of the flow path to a sufficient level.

In particular, in the case of the joint body 100 shown in FIG. 9, when the male nut body 108 is loosened to separate the joint cylinders 101 and 102, the inside of the pipe in a predetermined range including the flow paths 111 and 112 is exposed to the outside air. However, there are cases where pipes or the like whose inside of this flow path is exposed to the outside air are used again. In this case, if the purge drying before detachment is insufficient, the removal of the residue from the flow path is also insufficient, but even if this is small, it reacts with the outside air to generate by-products in the flow path. This may contaminate the raw material gas and eventually make it impossible to ensure the quality required for the product. This tendency is especially large when the fluid used is a highly pure, degradable or easily denatured drug.

In response to the above problem, especially with regard to preventing the inside of the flow path from being exposed to the outside air after the pipe joint is detached, the pipe joint structure has conventionally been such that the flow paths on both sides are released at the time of joining and closed at the time of non-joining. Has been proposed, and there are, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 as such pipe fittings. The liquid dripping prevention pipe joint of Patent Document 1 has a male joint and a female joint, and is slidably arranged inside each joint to close the flow path in a free state and to connect both joints. A valve body that opens the flow path when pressed against is provided. The pipe joint of Patent Document 2 is composed of a combination of a female side joint and a male side joint, and both joints are provided with a self-closing valve mechanism by a spring inside the joint body, and the self-closing valve mechanism is installed when the joint is connected. It is opened against the elastic force of the spring and communicates with the flow path. By using such a type of pipe joint, it is possible to prevent exposure to the outside air in the flow path when the pipe joint is detached.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-141579 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-200583

However, as described below, Patent Documents 1 and 2 are different from those used as pipe joints for raw material containers in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and it is extremely difficult to apply them. The pipe joint of the same document 1 prevents the fluid inside from dripping to the outside when the connection is disconnected. The structure of the pipe joint as a whole has to be extremely complicated, such as a structure that communicates with a small space by matching the positions of the drainage holes, and also has fluid sealability and corrosion resistance to special chemicals. In particular, the structure is completely different from that of the joint body 100 shown in FIG.

The pipe joint of the same document 2 also uses contaminated cooling water, gas, etc. as the main fluid used in the nuclear-related field, and also for detecting leakage by remote monitoring and preventing the fluid from being released to the outside at the time of leakage, for example. Regarding the fluid seal in the connected state, it is an extremely special pipe joint, such as a special sealing means by appropriately introducing a pressurized fluid from the outside through the introduction hole into the intermediate pressure space. The structure as a whole is extremely complicated, and further, it is completely different from the basic structure such as the joint body 100 shown in FIG. Therefore, the above problem cannot be solved by the pipe joints disclosed in Documents 1 and 2.

The present invention has been developed in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to allow the inside of the flow path to communicate with the outside air at the time of attachment / detachment while having extremely high sealing property. In addition, it is possible to reliably prevent fluid from leaking to the outside, which greatly reduces maintenance costs for raw material containers, such as a significant improvement in purging efficiency, and enables a significant reduction in working time. To provide pipe fittings.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a valve arranged on the joint end face of the tubular first body and the second body, and an outer cylinder provided on the outer periphery of the first body and the second body. A joint body having fixing means for fixing and detaching the first body, the second body, and the outer cylinder, and when the gasket is tightened, the outer circumference of the gasket and the inner circumference of the outer cylinder during, Rutotomoni with a seal space capable evacuated or gas purge, the first body and the flow passage of the second body, is incorporated an automatic open-close valve that automatically opens and closes at the time of bonding or withdrawal of both the automatic opening and closing With the valve closed, the space facing the valve seats of both the seal space and the automatic opening / closing valve is used as a purge area where vacuum exhaust and gas purging are possible, and the automatic opening / closing valve is a poppet having a valve seat. It is a pipe joint provided with a spring for elastically sealing the valve and a push rod protruding from the end faces of the first body and the second body at the center of the poppet valve.

In the invention according to claim 2 , an O-ring is mounted between the outer circumference of the first body and the second body and the inner circumference of the outer cylinder, and the O-ring and the gasket form a seal space portion having a double seal structure. It is a pipe joint.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the fixing means screw-connects a male nut that can move the second body in the axial direction to the female screw portion of the outer cylinder, and tightens and fixes the second body at the time of joining the first body and the second body. However, when not joined, it is a pipe joint in which the male nut is moved in the loosening direction from the female threaded portion.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the fixing means is a pipe joint including a mounting cylinder that is screwed and coupled to the male screw of the outer cylinder body and a male nut that is screwed into the female screw portion on the inner circumference of the mounting cylinder.

The invention according to claim 5 is a pipe joint in which a communication pipe is provided in a ring body rotatably provided on the outer periphery of the outer cylinder body via an O-ring, and the communication pipe is communicated with the seal space portion.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the joint body is provided with a stopper for stopping the loosening of the screw at a position where the seal of the purge region does not break the movement of the female screw portion and the male nut in the loosening direction and at a position where the automatic opening / closing valve closes. It is a provided pipe joint.

The invention according to claim 7 is a pipe joint in which the load of the spring is 50 N or more in order to detect the position where the automatic opening / closing valve starts to open at the position where the screw tightening torque increases.

The invention according to claim 8 is a pipe joint in which a stopper for engaging a protrusion of a male nut is provided at a lower portion of the inner circumference of the mounting cylinder.

The invention according to claim 9 is a pipe joint in which the first body and the second body are configured to be movable in the axial direction of the outer cylinder.

The invention according to claim 10 is a pipe joint, which is a pipe joint for a raw material container used as a connection joint for a raw material container to which the inside of the process gas pipe can be attached and detached without being exposed to the atmosphere.

According to the invention of claim 1, a gasket arranged on the joint end surface of the tubular first body and the second body, an outer cylinder provided on the outer periphery of the first body and the second body, and the first body. It is a joint body having a fixing means for fixing and detaching the second body and the outer cylinder body, and when the gasket is tightened between the outer circumference of the gasket and the inner circumference of the outer cylinder body, vacuum exhaust or Since it is provided with a seal space that can be purged with gas, by tightening the gasket via a fixing means, a seal space that is sealed with high precision is constructed, and the inside of the pipe is not exposed to the atmosphere at all. Furthermore, even if fluid remains in the seal space, by performing vacuum exhaust or gas purging in the seal space, for example, the work / processing of removing the joint and cleaning or replacing the valve or piping is significantly more than before. It can be done in a short time, and by purging, the pipe joint can be joined without mixing outside air into the fluid line. Further, an automatic opening / closing valve that automatically opens / closes when the two bodies are joined or detached is built in the flow path of the first body and the second body, and with the automatic opening / closing valve closed, both the seal space and the automatic opening / closing valve are closed. Since the facing space of the valve seat part is a purge area part where vacuum exhaust and gas purging are possible, when the tightened state of the gasket is released, the inside of the flow path is securely sealed by the automatic opening and closing valve. Since it is maintained, the inside of the flow path is not exposed to the atmosphere at the time of joining or disconnecting the joint, and even if the fluid leaks and remains in the purge region constituting the seal space and the end face space. By performing vacuum exhaust or gas purging, for example, the work / processing of removing the joint and cleaning or replacing the valve or piping can be performed in a significantly shorter time than before, and the automatic opening / closing valve is a spring. It is a poppet valve having a valve seat that is elastically sealed with, and since push rods protruding from the end faces of the first body and the second body are provided at the center of the poppet valve, the tube of the present invention is provided. The joint can be configured as a two-way opening / closing type coupling having a simple structure but having uniform and reliable sealing performance and quick and good opening / closing operability. Further, since the flow paths on both sides of the joint are opened and closed by the contact and separation of the push rods, the pressure loss is small and the valve seat can be formed small, so that the pipe joint is compactly configured. Even in this case, a high flow rate can be ensured.

According to the invention of claim 2 , an O-ring is mounted between the outer periphery of the first body and the second body and the inner circumference of the outer cylinder, and the O-ring and the gasket form a seal space portion of a double seal. Therefore, it is possible to provide a pipe joint having high sealing property, easy attachment / detachment property, and maintainability while having a simple peripheral surface sealing structure.

According to the invention of claim 3 , the fixing means screw-joins a male nut that can move the second body in the axial direction to the female screw portion of the outer cylinder, and tightens the second body at the time of joining the first body and the second body. When fixed and not joined, the male nut is moved in the loosening direction from the female screw part. Therefore, by this fixing means, the first body and the second body are moved in the axial direction with high accuracy by tightening or detaching by screw connection. It can be joined or detached while being allowed to join. Therefore, the degree of sealing of the seal space portion or the purge region portion is reliably maintained, the tightened seal state of the gasket is effectively exhibited, and the automatic opening / closing valve can be reliably opened / closed, so that the fluid in the flow path can be reliably operated. Is not exposed to the atmosphere, and the purging process can be performed in a short time and with high accuracy.

According to the invention of claim 4 , the fixing means is composed of a mounting cylinder that is screwed to the male screw of the outer cylinder and a male nut that is screwed to the female screw portion on the inner circumference of the mounting cylinder. Alternatively, the first body and the second body can be separated and joined or separated while being moved in the axial direction with high accuracy. Therefore, the degree of sealing of the seal space portion or the purge region portion is reliably maintained, the tightened seal state of the gasket is effectively exhibited, and the automatic opening / closing valve can be reliably opened / closed, so that the fluid in the flow path can be reliably operated. Is not exposed to the atmosphere, and the purging process can be performed in a short time and with high accuracy.

Moreover, since it is a fixing means by combining the mounting cylinder and the male nut, the mounting cylinder is used for connecting to the outer cylinder body, and the male nut is screwed into the mounting cylinder to tighten the gasket and when the male nut is loosened. Since the stopper function of the above is exhibited, it is not necessary to install the stopper function as a separate body, and not only the pipe joint can be manufactured compactly, but also its operability is very good.

According to the invention of claim 5 , since a communication pipe is provided in a ring body rotatably provided on the outer cylinder body via an O-ring and the communication pipe is communicated with the seal space portion, the communication pipe is communicated with the seal space portion. The fluid in the seal space can be reliably purged from the pipe joint, and the position of the communicating pipe with respect to the pipe joint can be easily changed by rotating the seal space, and there is no risk of fluid leaking from the ring body.

According to the invention of claim 6 , a stopper for stopping the loosening of the screw is joined at a position where the seal of the purge region portion is not broken and the automatic opening / closing valve closes when the female screw portion and the male nut move in the loosening direction. Since it is provided on the main body, when the second body is detached and moved while loosening the screw of the male nut, the detachment of the second body is securely locked by the stopper before the seal of the purge area is opened to the outside air. Will be. Therefore, when the screw is loosened and the male nut hits the stopper, the purge area is purged, and after confirming safety, the stopper is removed from the pipe joint, etc. The work can be realized with an extremely simple configuration.

According to the invention of claim 7 , the spring load is set to 50 N or more in order to detect the position where the automatic opening / closing valve starts to open at the position where the screw tightening torque increases, so that the spring load is relative to the screw tightening torque. Is set to a moderately large value, so when the screw is tightened by operating the male nut, the torque will change clearly at a sufficiently perceptible and detectable level at the first position where the automatic opening / closing valve starts to open. Become. Through this torque change, it can be easily determined that the automatic opening / closing valve built in the pipe joint has started to open. On the contrary, even when the screw is loosened, it can be easily determined that the automatic opening / closing valve is closed through the torque change. Therefore, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the flow path of the pipe joint is in the open state only by the torque of the screw from the outside, and the flow path is exposed to the outside air in the process of handling the pipe joint. It can be surely prevented and the safety of work can be improved.

According to the invention of claim 8 , since the stopper for engaging the protrusion of the male nut is provided at the lower part of the inner circumference of the mounting cylinder, the stopper is not required as a stopper and is securely locked in the normal detachment operation of the pipe joint. It is a structure that can be used as a fixing means. Therefore, it is possible to provide a pipe joint that has both reliable attachment / detachment operability and high safety while having a simple structure.

According to the invention of claim 9 , since the first body and the second body are configured to be movable toward the axial direction of the outer cylinder, the first body and the second body provided inside are used as the outer cylinder. It can be easily detached from the body, and the pipe joint can be detached and disassembled extremely easily. In particular, even if the gasket is firmly fixed between the first body and the second body, the gasket can be easily taken out and a new gasket can be easily attached. Similarly, the assembly of fittings is extremely easy. Therefore, the handleability and maintainability of the pipe joint are greatly improved.

According to the invention of claim 10 , since the pipe joint of the present invention is used as a connection joint of a raw material container that can be attached and detached without exposing the inside of the process gas pipe to the atmosphere, it is usually the most maintenance or replacement frequency in the manufacturing apparatus. It is extremely safe and easy to attach / detach the piping of the raw material container, which is one of the expensive members, and its utility value is extremely high.

It is a vertical sectional view of the pipe joint which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is external perspective view of the pipe joint which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 1 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which the first body and the second body are separated from the outer cylinder. (A) is a vertical cross-sectional view using a stopper for the pipe joint of this example, and (b) is a bottom view of (a). It is a vertical sectional view of the pipe joint which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which joints are joined. It is external perspective view of the pipe joint which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which showed an example of the structure which used the pipe joint of this invention as a raw material container in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. It is a vertical sectional view of a conventional pipe joint.

Hereinafter, the structure of the pipe joint (this example) according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of this example, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of FIG. In FIG. 1, the joint body 1 of the pipe joint of this example has a tubular first body 2 and a second body 3, and an outer tubular body 4 provided on the outer periphery thereof.

In FIG. 1, in order to have high corrosion resistance and durability, the first body 2 is made of SUS316L, and the internal gas contact surface is electrolytically polished to Rz 0.7 μm or less in the case of EP specifications, or STD. In the case of specifications, it is formed according to the specifications and applications, such as mechanical polishing to Rz 3.2 μm or less. This point is the same for the second body 3.

The first body 2 is formed in a substantially tubular shape, and a flow path 5a in a substantially columnar space is formed therein. As will be described later, the first body 2 can be fitted and slidable on the inner peripheral surface of the flow path 5a. A poppet valve body 6a is housed. The tip side (lower side in FIG. 1) is a joint end surface for joining the flow path 5a to the flow path 5b, and an annular protrusion 7 is formed on the joint end surface in order to strongly close the gasket 21 described later. An O-ring 9a is mounted in a mounting groove on the outer periphery of the flange portion 8, and a communication passage 10 opened on the protrusion 7 side is opened as described later. On the other hand, an O-ring 11 is also mounted in the mounting groove on the outer periphery of the rear end side (upper side of FIG. 1) to seal between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 4, and the end of the tube is at the rear end. The member 12a is fixed by welding.

The material and basic structure of the second body 3 are the same as those of the first body 2, and a flow path 5b having a substantially columnar space is formed inside. As will be described later, the flow path 5b of the second body 3 A poppet valve body 6b that can be fitted and slidable is housed on the inner peripheral surface. The tip side (upper side of FIG. 1) is a joint end surface for joining the flow path 5b to the flow path 5a, and an annular protrusion 15 is also formed on this joint end surface in order to strongly close the gasket 21 described later. At the same time, an O-ring 9b is mounted in a mounting groove on the outer periphery of the flange portion 16. On the other hand, the end member 12b of the tube is welded and fixed to the end portion on the rear end side (lower side in FIG. 1) in the same manner as described above. Further, the second body 3 is fixed to the outer cylinder 4 by the male nut 14 described later.

The outer cylinder 4 is made of SUS316 as a material and is formed in a substantially tubular shape, and is configured to have a shape and size that can enclose both the first body 2 and the second body 3 in a state where the joint end faces face each other. In this example, the lower side of FIG. 1 is formed to be slightly thick, and in the assembled state in which the first body 2 and the second body 3 are inserted into the outer cylinder 4, the joint end faces face each other inside the outer cylinder 4, and these are opposed to each other. The seal space portion 17, which will be described later, is arranged between the two. On the other hand, a communication hole 18 is provided on the upper side of the figure, which is formed to be slightly thin, and a ring body 20 is fixed to the outer periphery via a retaining ring 19 as described later. In the fixed state, the joint body 1 has substantially the same diameter as a whole, and is configured to have a slim and compact outer shape.

In FIG. 1, in the joint body 1, a gasket 21 is arranged between the protrusions 7 and 15 of the first body 2 and the second body 3. The gasket 21 can be appropriately selected depending on the implementation, but in this example, it has high corrosion resistance that has been electropolished using pure Ni as a material, and exhibits high sealing performance in a state of being crushed by tightening deformation. Further, in this example, the shape is formed in a retainer shape that matches the shape of the annular groove formed around the outer periphery of the joint end face and can be fitted and held, but a simple disc shape or the like may be used and can be appropriately selected. .. As described above, the joint body 1 of this example has a mechanical metal gasket surface seal joint structure.

In FIG. 1, the joint body 1 has fixing means for fixing and detaching the first body 2, the second body 3, and the outer cylinder body 4. The fixing means in the pipe joint of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has such a function. For example, as seen in the prior art, the tip end side of the second body 3 is inserted into the outer cylinder 4. At this time, in addition to the ball lock type by engaging the outer peripheral surface side of the second body 3 with a ball (not shown) appropriately provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the outer cylinder 4, the outer peripheral surface side of the second body 3 and the outer cylinder 4 In addition to the screw fastening type that directly connects the inner peripheral surface side with a screw via a seal member, a ring joint method, a clamp type fixing means using a separately provided clamp jig, or other fixing mechanism. Etc., can be arbitrarily selected according to the implementation.

The fixing means of this example adopts a fixing method by screw fastening using a male nut 14. That is, a male nut 14 that can move the second body 3 in the axial direction is screwed to the female screw portion 22 of the outer cylinder 4, and is tightened and fixed at the time of joining the first body 2 and the second body 3, and is not fixed. At the time of joining, the male nut 14 is moved from the female screw portion 22 in the loosening direction.

The male nut 14 has a male screw portion 23 and a nut portion 24 that can be screwed with the female screw portion 22, and the material is integrally formed of SUS304 (or SUS316L). Screw lubricity is ensured on the female screw portion 22 by applying a predetermined grease. Further, the diameter of the nut portion 24 of this example is provided to be smaller than the diameter of the rear end portion of the second body 3, and as described later, the nut portion 24 is tightened by hooking a tool to tighten the second body 3. The joint body 1 is maintained in a compact outer shape even when the joint body 1 is fixed. By using the fixing means by the male nut 14, an extremely simple and highly durable structure and a reliable tightening force are secured, which is suitable from the viewpoints of productivity, cost and maintainability of the joint body 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the gasket 21 is tightened, the joint body 1 is capable of vacuum exhaust and gas purge (nitrogen purge) between the outer circumference 21a of the gasket 21 and the inner circumference 25 of the outer cylinder 4. A seal space portion 17 is provided. Like the joint body 100 shown in FIG. 9, the joint end faces of the joint having a structure commonly enclosed in the outer cylinder, in which the male side member and the female side member face each other and come into contact with each other and are crimped to each other, are extremely close to each other. Since it is necessary to strongly sandwich the gasket in order to secure high sealing performance, it is necessary to provide a protruding shape such that the gasket is projected from the joint end face by reducing the diameter. Therefore, a predetermined space region is formed between the outer circumference of the gasket and the peripheral surface inside the outer cylinder. Such a space area becomes a retention place where the fluid leaking from the gasket collects with the use of the joint body. Therefore, if fluid tightness is ensured by a predetermined seal structure and vacuum exhaust or purge processing is possible, this space region is surely inside without letting the fluid that may leak from the joint end face of the joint escape to the outside. It is possible to catch and eliminate the joint body 1 at the same time with reliable fluid sealability and handleability / safety of the joint body 1.

The seal structure of this space region can be arbitrarily selected according to the implementation without particular limitation as long as it is a structure that can secure the fluid sealability according to the fluid used, conditions, etc. However, the seal structure of the seal space portion 17 of this example is , Two O-rings 9 capable of sealing both sides between the outer periphery of the first body 2 and the second body 3 and the inner circumference 25 of the outer cylinder 4 are attached, and the two O-rings 9 and the gasket 21 are used. , The fluid in the flow path 5 is formed in a seal space portion capable of double sealing.

The O-rings 9a and 9b are made of FKM and are formed in a ring shape, and the first body 2 and the second body 3 have a substantially U-shaped cross section formed on the outer peripheral surface at a predetermined position from the joint end surface, respectively. It is fitted in the mounting groove, and when the first body 2 and the second body 3 move with respect to the surface of the inner circumference 25 of the outer cylinder 4, as will be described later, the first body 2 and the second body 3 are placed on the surface of the inner circumference 25. On the other hand, it can slide smoothly while maintaining high sealing performance. With this configuration, when the joint body 1 is joined and tightened, the gasket 21 serves as a primary seal for the fluid in the flow paths 5a and 5b, and the two O-rings 9a and 9b serve as secondary seals, respectively. Therefore, the seal space portion 17 has a double seal structure.

In FIG. 1, an automatic opening / closing valve that automatically opens / closes when the first body 2 and the second body 3 are joined or detached is built in the flow paths 5a and 5b. By forming a so-called double-way opening / closing type joint in which the internal flow paths 5a and 5b are automatically opened / closed as the first body 2 and the second body 3 join or separate from each other, the joint is not formed. The inside of the flow paths 5a and 5b can be isolated from the outside air at the time of joining, and the flow paths 5a and 5b can be automatically communicated at the time of joining the joints. Therefore, the inside of the flow paths 5a and 5b can be easily operated. Can be reliably protected from the outside air. With such a two-way opening / closing structure, any structure can be selected depending on the implementation. For example, when joining a joint, the valves provided at the flow path openings on both sides are opposed to each other against the urging force. The structure may be such that the valves are opened by pressing each other, while the valves are closed by the urging force provided on these valve bodies when the joint is disengaged.

The automatic opening / closing valve of this example uses a poppet valve. That is, the springs 27a and 27b for elastically sealing the poppet valve having the valve seats 26a and 26b, and the push rod protruding from the joint end surface of the first body 2 and the second body 3 at the center of the poppet valve, respectively. 28a and 28b are provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, specifically, the poppet valve is inside the body in which the poppet valve bodies 6a and 6b having the push rods 28a and 28b and the valve seats 26a and 26b and the valve seats 26a and 26b are seated. It has valve seats 29a and 29b, and as will be described later, the poppet valve bodies 6a and 6b are elastically urged by the springs 27a and 27b to close the valve, while the push rods 28a and 28b. The valve opens when the tips hit each other.

As shown in the figure, the poppet valve bodies 6a and 6b are made of SUS316L, and when they are housed in the first body 2 and the second body 3, the tubular portions 30a and 30b are in the flow path 5a. The push rods 28a and 28b are in a state of protruding from the joint end faces, respectively, while being fitted into each of 5b. Further, the cylindrical portions 30a and 30b in which the springs 27a and 27b are housed and the tubular portions 30a and 30b are reduced in diameter so that the inside communicates with the inside of the tubular portions 30a and 30b. It has a tubular neck portion 31a, 31b and heads 32a, 32b extending from the neck portion 31a, 31b, and the head portions 32a, 32b are provided with valve seat seats 26a, 26b. The push rods 28a and 28b are integrally formed.

The outer diameters of the tubular portions 30a and 30b are formed to be substantially the same as the inner diameters of the flow paths 5a and 5b, and are provided so as to be slidable with respect to the inner peripheral surfaces of the flow paths 5a and 5b without any resistance. The springs 27a and 27b are housed inside. The necks 31a and 31b are integrally formed and connected to the tubular portions 30a and 30b, and circular holes 33a and 33b are formed at intervals of approximately 90 degrees at four locations, respectively, and as will be described later. The fluid that has flowed into the tubular portions 30a and 30b will pass through the holes 33a and 33b of the necks 31a and 31b.

Push rods 28a and 28b are integrally formed on the heads 32a and 32b in a columnar shape having a small diameter so as to be oriented in the axial direction of the poppet valve bodies 6a and 6b and to be axially symmetric. As will be described later, these push rods 28a and 28b have a function of lifting the valve body of the poppet valve to open the valve body by abutting the tip portions against each other as the pipe joint of the present invention is joined. If such a function can be exhibited, it can be provided without any particular limitation. For example, the longer the valve joint is, the larger the valve opening and the larger the flow rate, but the longer the tightening is required, so the torque amount increases. do. As for the diameter, the pressure loss of the fluid can be reduced and the valve seat 26a, by making the diameter as thin as possible as long as the operability of the poppet valve bodies 6a and 6b and the strength of the push rods 28a and 28b allow. The diameter of 26b can also be reduced, and a large flow rate can be taken while forming the pipe joint compactly, which is preferable.

The valve seat sheets 26a and 26b are made of a resin material having corrosion resistance and degassing resistance such as PFA and PCTFE, and high temperature resistance such as 150 degrees depending on use, and are formed in an annular shape (disk shape), and the push rod 28a. , 28b is caulked and fixed to the heads 32a and 32b using a predetermined caulking jig so as to surround the root portion in a moat shape. As will be described later, the poppet valve bodies 6a and 6b can be seated on the valve seat portions 29a and 29b by being urged by the springs 27a and 27b. The seating surface is appropriately formed according to the implementation such as a flat shape or a 30-degree conical shape.

The springs 27a and 27b can be arbitrarily set according to the implementation without particular limitation as long as they can exert an elastic force in a direction in which the end members 12a and 12b and the poppet valve bodies 6a and 6b are always separated from each other. Since it is required to be installed in 5b and always in contact with the fluid and to appropriately close the poppet valve bodies 6a and 6b when the pipe joint is attached and detached, its material and load setting are important. In particular, when the joint is not joined, the automatic on-off valve must be able to be properly closed by exhibiting corrosion resistance equal to or higher than that of the joint material. Further, compactification of the springs 27a and 27b is an essential condition for compactification of the pipe joint.

For example, when the number of operations is as small as 1000 to 10000 times, consideration for high durability is suppressed and the required seal load is set to be reduced, or the material is used from the viewpoint of low cost, high load, and high corrosion resistance. You may choose. For example, when high corrosion resistance is an essential condition, SUS316WPA material is plastically processed to increase hardness and strength to secure a load, and it is used at an allowable stress or more, or SUS316L made by electrolytic polishing is used. , Cobalt-based spring material (NAS 604PH) may be used to ensure high strength and high corrosion resistance, or Hastelloy or Inconel material may be used.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a communication pipe 35 is provided in a ring body 20 rotatably provided on the outer periphery of the outer cylinder 4 via O-rings 34a and 34b, and the communication pipe 35 is communicated with the seal space portion 17. There is. Since the communication pipe 35 communicates with the seal space portion 17, leak fluid and the like inside the seal space portion 17 can be reliably removed to the outside through the communication pipe 35. As described above, the pipe joint of the present invention is a two-way opening / closing type equipped with an automatic opening / closing valve, and can appropriately perform vacuum exhaust and gas purging treatment on the seal space 17 of the outer circumference 21a of the gasket 21. It has become.

For this reason, conventionally, in the case of a pipe joint directly connected to a raw material container, for example, before the joint is detached when replacing the raw material container, the flow path in a predetermined range is isolated and the flow path in this range is separated. On the other hand, immediately after joining the pipe joint, the predetermined vacuum exhaust or purge treatment is performed again to clean the area exposed to the outside air before the fluid flows. Although a step was required, in the pipe joint of the present invention, a large-scale vacuum exhaust and purge process for the line system, which was performed before and after such joint attachment / detachment, was performed on the seal space portion 17 (or described later). It is also possible to perform only a very small-scale processing performed on the purge area portion 53). Therefore, the process of attaching and detaching the pipe joint is extremely simplified, the work process is significantly reduced, and the productivity of the product is also extremely improved. Further, it goes without saying that even in the joined state of the pipe joint of the present invention, vacuum exhaust and purge treatment can be appropriately performed as needed.

The communication structure between the seal space portion 17 and the communication pipe 35 can be arbitrarily selected according to the implementation without particular limitation. However, in the specific communication structure of this example, the communication passage 10 is provided in the first body 2. The communication passage 10 is communicated to the inside of the communication pipe 35 through the closed region (space portion) surrounded by the recesses 36 and 37, the communication hole 18, and the hole 20a provided in the ring body 20. ..

In FIG. 1, the communication passage 10 is opened toward the seal space 17 on the joint end surface side of the first body 2, and is provided at two or four locations axially symmetrically with respect to the axial center of the first body 2. , These communication passages 10 are connected to the annular groove portion 10a formed by notching in a U-shaped cross section so as to go around the outer periphery of the first body 2, and thus communicate with the outer peripheral surface side of the first body 2. Further, on the rear end side of the outer circumference of the first body 2, a shallow band-shaped recess 37 is formed so as to go around the outer circumference, and on the other hand, a pipe joint is assembled on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 4. In the state, the recess 36 is formed in a shallow band shape so as to orbit the inner circumference at a position corresponding to the position of the recess 37. Therefore, the positions of the recesses 36 and 37 coincide with each other to secure an annular space formed in a thin band shape. A communication passage 10 communicates with this space, and a communication hole 18 is provided at an appropriate position in the recess 36, and is shallow so as to orbit the outer peripheral side of the position of the communication hole 18. A recess 38 is formed in a strip shape.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the ring body 20 is made of SUS316L and is formed in an annular shape. 34b is provided. Further, the pipe joint is fixed by a C-shaped retaining ring 19 (manufactured by SUS304), and in this state, each of the communication passage 10, the space portion (recesses 36 and 37), the communication hole 18, the hole portion 20a, and the communication pipe 35. The internal region becomes a communication region sealed with respect to the outside air, and a flow path capable of purging or the like is formed in the sealed space portion 17. This flow path is directly connected to and communicates with the flow path 45 in the communication pipe 35. Further, in this fixed state, the upper and lower O-rings 34a and 34b are located on both the upper and lower sides of the recess 38 to seal the inside of the flow path, and the O-rings 34a and 34b are relative to the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 4. The ring body 20 is rotatable with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 4 while being sealed. Since the communication pipe 35 can be rotated along with this rotation, the direction of the communication pipe 35 can be freely adjusted according to the position and orientation of the pipe joint.

The communication pipe 35 has a flow path 45 inside, is made of SUS316L and is formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section, and is a ring body so as to connect the flow path 45 to a hole 20a at one end. It is fixed to the outer circumference of 20. Further, the other end is provided with an end face 39 formed in the same shape as the above-mentioned joint end face, and the end face 39 is provided with a female nut member 40, and another joint, a pipe, or the like is provided in a highly sealed state. It is possible to connect. Since the joint (purge pipe joint) provided at this portion moves up and down integrally with the female nut member 40, a flexible pipe is usually required. Of course, the shape and size of the communication pipe 35 can be arbitrarily selected according to the implementation.

Next, a pipe joint structure (another example) when the stopper 41 is used for the pipe joint of this example will be described. FIG. 4A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the joint body 1, and FIG. 4B is a bottom view of FIG. 4A as viewed from the lower side of the drawing.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the joint body 1, the joint body 1 is provided with a stopper 41 for stopping the loosening of the female screw portion 22 and the male nut 14 in the loosening direction at a predetermined position. As shown in the figure, the structure of the joint body 1 of this other example is almost the same as the structure of the above example, but since the stopper 41 is engaged with the shoulder portion 4a of the outer cylinder 4, the structure of the joint body 1 is different from that of the present example. The width of the ring body 20 is formed to be slightly smaller.

In FIG. 4A, the stopper 41 is made of AC4C, is composed of two substantially plate-shaped members formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section, and has a fixing member 42 having an engaging portion 42a. The locking member 43 having the engaging portion 43a is pivotally attached via the hinge portion 44. As shown in FIG. 3B, the engaging portion 43a formed in the lower part of the locking member 43 is formed in a bifurcated shape and can be engaged with the arcuate outer peripheral surface of the end member 12b. Similarly, the fixing member 42 can also be engaged with the shoulder portion 4a of the outer cylinder body 4. In FIG. 6A, in a state where the fixing member 42 is engaged and fixed to the shoulder portion 4a so as to mesh with the body portion of the outer cylinder 4, the locking member 43 is rotated to engage the engaging portion 43a. Matching behavior is shown. As will be described later, in a state where the upper and lower parts of the stopper 41 are engaged, the movement of the male nut 14 in the loosening direction can be locked by the engaging portion 43a of the locking member 43.

Subsequently, the structure of the pipe joint (another example) according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view in a state where a pipe joint of another example is joined, and FIG. 5 shows a groove portion 55 (stopper) of the mounting cylinder 54 and a protrusion 57 of the male nut 56 engaged with each other in FIG. Another example is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example in the purged state described above, and FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of the other example. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The fixing means provided in another example in FIGS. 5 to 7 includes a mounting cylinder 54 that is screwed to the male screw 58 of the outer cylinder body 4 and a male nut 56 that is screwed into the female screw portion 59 on the inner circumference of the mounting cylinder 54. It consists of two members. Unlike the outer cylinder 4 shown in FIG. 1, a male screw 58 is formed on the lower outer periphery of the outer cylinder 4 of another example, and a collar portion 4b is formed on the upper portion of the male screw 58.

In FIGS. 5 to 7, the mounting cylinder 54 is integrally formed of the same material as the outer cylinder 4 in a tubular shape, and a female screw 60 opened on the upper end surface 54a side is provided on the upper inner circumference thereof. An annular groove 61 is cut out on the back side of the 60. The female screw 60 can be screwed and coupled with the male screw 58 of the outer cylinder body 4. A female screw portion 59 is provided on the further back side of the groove portion 61, and a concave groove portion 55 (stopper) is cut out following the female screw portion 59. As will be described later, the groove 55 is provided as a stopper that can be locked by engaging with the protrusion 57 of the male nut 56 that rotates and descends. A nut portion 62 is formed on the lower outer circumference of the mounting cylinder 54.

In FIGS. 5 to 7, the male nut 56 is integrally formed in a tubular shape with the same material as the mounting cylinder 54, and the tubular inner peripheral surface conforms to the shape of the tubular outer peripheral surface of the second body 3 and is idle. It is fitted in a fitted shape. A protrusion 57 is formed on the outer peripheral side, and a nut portion 63 is formed on the lower portion.

Subsequently, in this example shown in FIG. 1, the operation when the joint body 1 is assembled and joined from the disassembled state will be described. As described above, FIG. 1 shows a state in which the joint body 1 is joined and the flow paths 5a and 5b communicate with each other, whereas in FIG. 3, the first body 2 and the second body 3 are the outer cylinder 4 It is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a main part which showed an example of the disassembled state separated from. In the figure, the flow path normally extending to the end member 12a is not shown.

In FIG. 3, the first body 2 and the second body 3 are separated from the outer cylinder body 4, and when the assembled state shown in FIG. 1 is changed from this state, the first body 2 is held in this posture. It is inserted into the outer cylinder 4 and the flange portion 8 is abutted against the step portion 25a to be locked. At this time, the O-ring 9a slides on the surface of the inner circumference 25 in a tightly fitted state. Next, the second body 3 is also inserted into the outer cylinder 4 in this posture. Also at this time, the O-ring 9b slides on the surface of the inner circumference 25 in a tightly fitted state. The gasket 21 is set in advance on the joint end surface 15 in a predetermined state.

At this point, the pipe joint is in the state (purged state) shown in FIG. 4 (a). In the figure, the flange portion 16 is fitted into the inner circumference 25, so that both the O-rings 9a and 9b are hermetically fitted and sealed on the surface of the inner circumference 25, and the poppet valve body 6a is formed. Since 6b and 6b are all in the fully closed state, an example of the state in which the purge region portion 53 is formed in the state in which the automatic opening / closing valve is closed is shown. The purge region 53 includes both the region forming the seal space 17 (the region between the outer circumference of the gasket 21 or the joint end surface and the inner circumference 25 of the outer cylinder 4) and the automatic opening / closing valve. A space area consisting of a facing space 53a of the valve seat portions 29a and 29b (including a region formed in the space between the joint end faces facing each other and a flow path space in which the push rods 28a and 28b are arranged and moved forward and backward). (Note that 10 in the figure is a continuous passage.)

In this purged state, the purge region portion 53 is subjected to a process such as evacuation or gas purging through the communication passage 10 (flow passage 45) to eliminate the atmospheric components remaining in the purge region portion 53 and to remove the atmospheric components remaining in the purge region portion 53. The inside of the purge region 53 can be cleaned by cleaning the inside of the 53 to the extent that the fluid can come into contact with it (about the same as the flow paths 5a and 5b).

In the purged state, the tip of the male screw portion 23 of the male nut 14 loosely fitted to the second body 3 reaches the tip of the female screw portion 22 to engage with the screw, and the nut portion 24 is rotated to rotate the male nut 14. Tighten up. Along with this tightening, the tip surface 23a of the male nut 14 pushes the flange portion 16 of the second body 3 to move the second body 3 (screw tightening movement), and this movement becomes a predetermined position. At that time, the tips of the push rods 28a and 28b come into contact with each other.

When the push rods 28a and 28b are further tightened and moved, the movement of the push rods 28a and 28b is locked by the contact between the tips, while the second body 3 can be further approached to the first body 2, so that the push rods 28a and 28b come into contact with each other. An equal drag force acts on the poppet valve bodies 6a and 6b via the push rods 28a and 28b starting from the tip portions, and the poppet valve bodies 6a and 6b are lifted from the valve seat portions 29a and 29b by this drag force. The poppet valve opens. At this time, since the poppet valves have substantially the same configuration as each other, it is guaranteed that both valve bodies on which this drag acts act in substantially the same valve opening operation.

While the poppet valve is open in this way, a part of the fluid will flow out to the inside of the purge region 53, but as described above, the purge region 53 is surely connected to the outside by the O-rings 9a and 9b. Since it is a sealed sealed area, it can be reliably trapped inside the pipe joint without leaking to the outside and without exposing the fluid to the outside air, and if the purge area 53 is purged, It is possible to join pipe joints without mixing outside air into the fluid line.

Further, the male nut 14 is tightened and screwed to move, and when the predetermined position is reached, the joint end faces that are close to each other interfere with each other and are locked, and the gasket 21 provided between them is provided in the protrusion 7. , 15 are pressed from above and below. After that, by further tightening the male nut 14 with a predetermined torque, the gasket 21 is crushed to seal between the protrusions 7 and 15, and the joining of the joint body 1 is completed.

Further, in the seal space 17 formed in the joined state in which the gasket 21 is tightened, the fluid that has flowed out while the poppet valve is open at the time of joining remains as described above, so that if necessary. The pipe joint can be cleaned by evacuating or gas purging the seal space 17 via the communication passage 10 (flow passage 45). The process such as purging the seal space 17 may be performed at a predetermined timing when the pipe joint is used for a predetermined time and a predetermined number of times, for example.

In this joined state, almost all of the fluid that has flowed into the flow path 5b of the first body 2 through the end member 12b flows into the tubular portion 30b and proceeds into the neck 31b while in contact with the spring 27b. , Passes through the hole 33b, proceeds in the flow path 5b toward the joint end surface 15, passes through the hole formed in the center of the gasket 21, and flows into the first body 2. After that, the process proceeds in the reverse direction of the above path in the second body 3, and flows out from the joint body 1 via the end member 12a.

On the contrary, when the joint body 1 (first body 2, second body 3, and outer cylinder 4) is detached or disassembled, the male nut 14 is loosened and the second body 3 is detached, and the reverse of the above. Will be performed in the procedure of. Also in this case, similarly to the above, before the second body 3 is separated from the outer cylinder 4, such as before the joint end faces are separated from each other (used state) or in the purge state, the seal space portion 17 or the seal space portion 17 or the like is performed at an appropriate timing. Can appropriately perform treatments such as vacuum exhaust and gas purge on the purge region portion 53.

Further, in the pipe joint of this example, in order to detect the position where the automatic opening / closing valve starts to open at the position where the screw tightening torque increases, the load of the springs 27a and 27b is applied according to the configuration of the joint body 1. , I am trying to adjust it above the specified value.

That is, in the case of a double-way opening / closing type joint as in the present invention, since the poppet valve is completely built in the joint body 1, it is difficult to perceive and detect the opening / closing state during the screw tightening movement. On the other hand, as described above, in the action of joining the joint, when the tips of the push rods 28a and 28b come into contact with each other as the screw is tightened, the subsequent joining action is performed. Since the poppet valve bodies 6a and 6b are pushed up, the moving load in the subsequent screw tightening movement increases discontinuously. This also applies when the joint is disengaged, and when the tips of the push rods 28a and 28b are separated from each other due to the separation movement of the second body 3, the moving load for loosening the screw thereafter is discontinuous. Will decrease. Therefore, the torque for tightening or loosening the male nut 14 for tightening or loosening the screw also changes (increases or decreases) discontinuously at this point.

Therefore, by perceiving and detecting the torque of the male nut 14 that changes discontinuously in this way, it is possible to know at least the presence / absence of the open / closed state of the built-in valve extremely easily. Basically, the larger the change in torque, the easier it is to perceive and detect. Therefore, the more the load of the springs 27a and 27b that urge the poppet valves 6a and 6b is set, the easier it is to perceive and detect. At the same time, the sealing property of the fluid is also improved.

Further, as described above, in the pipe joint of this example, the first body 2 and the second body 3 are configured to be movable toward the axial direction of the outer cylinder 4. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, both the first body 2 and the second body 3 can be separated or assembled with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 4 in the axial direction thereof. Therefore, the joint body 1 can be easily assembled and disassembled, and the usability and management of the pipe joint of the present invention are extremely good. In particular, since the joint end faces (projections 7 and 15) can be easily exposed to the outside and can be stored inside the outer cylinder 4, the gasket 21 set in this portion can be replaced extremely easily, and high sealing performance is achieved. As a pipe joint that should be guaranteed, maintainability is extremely good.

Next, the operation of another example will be described. In another example, the stopper 41 is used, and the male nut 14 is at a position where the seal of the purge area 53 is not broken by the stopper 41 provided in the joint body 1 as described above and the automatic opening / closing valve is closed. The loose movement of the screw is locked. Other actions are the same as the actions of this example above.

With such a configuration, when the pipe joint of the present invention is detached without performing a purge treatment or the like inside the flow path, the male nut 14 is loosened to separate the second body 3 from the outer cylinder 4. However, when this separation is properly locked by the stopper 41, the male nut 14 is suddenly loosened too much, and the joint (second body 3) comes off before the automatic opening / closing valve is completely closed. There is no risk of accidents such as the inside of the flow path being exposed to the outside air and being contaminated. Similarly, the stopper 41 ensures that the second body 3 is detached before an accident occurs in which the joint is suddenly opened and the seal of the purge area 53 is broken and the substances inside are scattered to the outside air. Locked to. Therefore, high safety when handling the pipe joint of the present invention is ensured, accidents are prevented, and workability is improved. Therefore, for example, when the joint body 1 is detached, the male nut 14 is loosened and locked to the stopper 41, then purged with respect to the seal space 17, and after confirming safety, the stopper 41 is attached to the joint body. It is also possible to easily perform extremely safe and reliable work such as removing from 1.

Specifically, in the pipe joint of this example (another example), the above-mentioned action can be ensured by the following structure. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, in order to ensure that the seal of the seal space 17 is opened to the outside air (the seal is destroyed) after the poppet valve is securely closed when the joint is detached. , The following conditions are required. That is, in the outer cylinder 4, starting from the position of the step portion 25a, the surface of the substantially columnar inner circumference 25 is in the vertical direction from this starting point to the position of the end portion (incomplete screw portion) of the female screw portion 22. On the other hand, when the second body 3 is inserted into the outer cylinder 4 in the state shown in the figure with respect to the same starting point, the tips of the push rods 28a and 28b come together. Assuming that the distance to the position of the O-ring 9b of the second body 3 in the state of being in contact with each other without drag is B, it is necessary that A> B.

Next, the position of the O-ring 9b of the second body 3 is the position of the end portion (the position adjacent to the end portion of the female screw portion 22) on the surface of the inner circumference 25 having a substantially columnar shape, that is, the end within the range of the distance A. In this state, the distance from the position of the step portion 25a to the position of the rear end surface of the male nut 14 when the tip surface 23a is in contact with the flange portion 16 is defined as C. Note that FIG. 4A generally shows this state. Further, let L be the length in the vertical direction when the stopper 41 is engaged with the joint body 1. At this time, if L ≦ A + C, when the male nut 14 is moved in the loosening direction, the stopper 41 is engaged before the seal of the seal space 17 is broken or before the poppet valve is completely closed. Since the rear end surface of the male nut 14 is securely locked by the joint portion 43a, there is no possibility that the second body 3 will be unexpectedly detached from the outer cylinder body 4.

Subsequently, in the pipe joint (another example) according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the operation from the disassembled state of the joint body 1 to the joined (used) state by assembling will be described. The action of this other example is similar to the action of this example described above, except that the following points are different. First, although not shown, in a state where the first body 3 is separated from the outer cylinder 4 (corresponding to the state of FIG. 3 in this example), the gasket 21 is set on the joint end face and the male nut 56 is used. The male nut 56 is previously closed and joined to the mounting cylinder 54 so that the protrusion 57 engages with the groove 55. Further, as in the case of FIG. 3, the flange portion 8 of the first body 2 is set against the step portion 25a of the outer cylinder body 4. In this state, while inserting the flange portion 16 of the second body 3 into the outer cylinder body 4, the female screw 60 of the mounting cylinder 54 is engaged with the male screw 58 of the outer cylinder body 4, and then the nut is engaged. The portion 62 is rotated to tighten the mounting cylinder 54 to the outer cylinder 4 to screw and connect the two. In this screwing connection, the upper end surface 54a may be locked to the flange portion 4b.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a state in which the screwing connection between the male screw 58 and the female screw 60 is completed. The state shown in the figure is a purge state in which the purge region portion 53 is formed, as in the state of FIG. 4A described above. In this state, as in the case of this example, using the communication passage 10 (flow passage 45), the purge region portion 53 is evacuated or purged to remove atmospheric components and clean the pipe joint. do. The second body 3, the outer cylinder 4, and the male nut 56 are set so that the male screw 58 and the female screw 60 are screwed together and the protruding portion 57 is engaged with the groove portion 55 in the purged state shown in the figure. Each dimension and shape of is adjusted.

Finally, FIG. 6 shows a usage state in which the joining of the pipe joint of another example is completed and the flow paths 5a and 5b communicate with each other. In the purged state shown in FIG. 5, since the mounting cylinder 54 and the outer cylinder 4 are screwed and fixed, the nut portion 63 is rotated to tighten the male nut 56 to the mounting cylinder 54. The tip surface 56a pushes and moves the flange portion 16 of the second body 3 with the screwing motion of the protrusion 57 and the female screw portion 59, and thereafter, the poppet valve bodies 6a and 6b open in the same manner as the above-described action of this example. At the same time, the protrusions 7 and 15 tighten the gasket 21 with a predetermined torque to reach the state where the joining shown in FIG. 6 is completed. It should be noted that the processing on the purge region portion 53 and the seal space portion 17 can be performed in the same manner as the above-described operation in the case of this example.

Further, also in this another example, as in the case of the other example described above, the loosening movement of the screw of the male nut 56 is locked at the position where the seal of the purge region portion 53 is not broken and at the position where the automatic opening / closing valve is closed. It is supposed to be done. Specifically, the male nut 56 is screwed (screwed between the protrusion 57 and the female screw 59) by rotating the second body 3 in a direction in which the joining force for tightening the gasket 21 is loosened, thereby joining in FIG. When the joint is released from the state to the purge state, as shown in FIG. 5, this purge state is maintained (in the state where the seal is not broken and the poppet valves 6a and 6b are closed). The protrusion 57 is securely locked to the groove 55 that functions as a stopper for the screw rotation. On the other hand, since the mounting cylinder 54 is fixed to the outer cylinder body 4, the second body 3 is no longer separated from the first body 2. Therefore, even when the pipe joint of another example is separated, it is possible to easily handle the pipe joint that ensures high safety and cleanliness.

Next, an example will be described in which the pipe joint of the present invention is a pipe joint for a raw material container used as a connection joint for a raw material container that can be attached and detached without exposing the inside of the process gas pipe to the atmosphere in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus or the like. FIG. 8 shows a schematic block diagram of an example of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus when the pipe joint 50 of the present invention is directly connected to the raw material container 46 (precursor container). Reference numeral 47 is a pipe / valve constituting (a part of) the container system of the raw material container 46, 48a is a raw material replenishment line for filling the raw material 52 in the container, and 48b is for supplying carrier gas to the container. 49 is a discharge line for supplying the raw material 52 to a manifold connected to a reactor or the like outside the container, and 50 is a pipe joint of the present invention directly connected and fixed to the container pipe by welding or the like to the raw material container 46. Further, reference numeral 51 denotes a flow path (corresponding to the above-mentioned flow path 45) provided in the pipe joint 50 and capable of processing such as purging.

The container system 47 is a circuit composed of a pipe and various valves, and is provided, for example, by arranging a plurality of multi-port valves in an H-shaped pipe. In the container system 47, by opening and closing each flow path, it is possible to switch the line to a raw material 52 or carrier gas supply line, a discharge line, a purge line, or the like, or to adjust the flow rate of the flow path, for example, a block. It is configured as an automatically controllable valve unit (block valve) integrated in a shape. A carrier gas composed of hydrogen gas, nitrogen gas, helium gas, argon gas and the like is supplied from the supply line to the raw material container 46, and the raw material is vaporized or sublimated as a gasification material and pumped to a reactor or the like.

The raw material 52 to be filled in the raw material container 46 includes, for example, the production of liquid or solid semiconductors made of silicon compounds, phosphorus compounds, boron compounds, metal compounds, mixtures and solutions thereof used in CVD and ALD processes. It is a raw material (drug).

A typical example of the use of the pipe joint 50 of the present invention shown in FIG. 8 is to replace the raw material 52 of the container 46 when the raw material 52 is exhausted. When replacing the raw material container 46, it is usually necessary to perform a predetermined vacuum exhaust and a nitrogen purge through a purge line within a predetermined isolation range of the flow path pipe including the connection joint. In the case of the pipe joint 50 of the present invention, it is usually unnecessary, and the pipe joint 50 can be detached only by performing an extremely small-scale and simple treatment on the seal space 17 via the purge flow path. Further, when the valve is detached, it can be easily detached while maintaining the sealed state inside the flow path because the automatic opening / closing valve is built in the double-way opening / closing type. After that, the raw material container 46 after use is replaced or discarded, and the raw material container 46 is joined to a new raw material container filled with the raw material. At the time of joining, it is possible to perform joining with extremely high sealing and high leakage prevention only by easy and highly safe tightening work, and it is possible to omit the purging process again. Therefore, the pipe joint of the present invention has extremely high utility value as a connection joint for such a raw material container.

Hereinafter, examples of the pipe joint of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is a so-called 1/4 inch joint (weight of about 280 g), the inner diameter of the flow path of the end members 12a and 12b is Φ4.3 mm, and the distance between these end portions (dimension between face joints) is about 80 mm. The maximum outer diameter of the outer cylinder 4 is 27 mm in width, and the outer diameter of the nut portion 24 of the male nut 14 is 24 mm in width. Further, the pitch of the communication pipe 35 (the distance from the axial position of the joint body 1 to the axial position of the female nut member 40) was 38 mm, and the inner diameter of the communication passage 10 (purge port) of the first body 2 was Φ1.8 mm. .. Furthermore, if the outer diameters of the push rods 28a and 28b are set to a small diameter of 2 mm, the Cv value can be as large as about 0.3 while maintaining a compact outer diameter, which is equivalent to the outer diameter of a so-called 1/2 inch joint. Is possible.

Further, in this embodiment, the loads of the springs 27a and 27b are set to 50 N or more. With this setting, as described above, the torque change of the male nut 14 can be clearly obtained in addition to the good sealing performance of the poppet valve, and the opening and closing of the valve can be perceived and detected well.

When joining the pipe joint of the present invention, the following three stages of tightening are usually performed. First, the male nut 14 is lightly tightened by hand to some extent, and then after recognizing that the tips of the push rods 28a and 28b abut each other and the torque becomes heavy, the protrusions 7 and 15 are further tightened by hand to tighten the gasket 21. The nut portion 24 is securely tightened with a predetermined torque using a tool (spanner), and the joining is completed.

On the other hand, when the joint is welded to a member (raw material container, etc.) and joined, the position of the joint is fixed. Load torque may also act on the joint through the joint. In such a case, an extra weight is applied to the rotation torque of the male nut 14, and it is difficult to understand the torque change when the tips of the push rods 28a and 28b hit each other due to this extra weight. It may become.

When it is difficult to discriminate such a torque change, it is preferable to increase the load of the springs 27a and 27b more appropriately. For example, in the structure of this embodiment, if it is set to 120N, operability and the like can be determined. It is suitable because it is possible to ensure clear discrimination of torque change within a range that does not impair the balance, and the sealing performance of the valve is also improved.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the description of the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention described in the claims of the present invention.

1 Joint body 2 1st body 3 2nd body 4 Outer cylinder body 5a 5b Flow path 6a 6b Poppet valve body 7 15 Protrusion 9a 9b O-ring 14 Male nut 17 Seal space 20 Ring body 21 Gasket 21a Outer circumference 22 Female screw part 25 Inner circumference 26a 26b Valve seat seat 27a 27b Spring 28a 28b Push rod 29a 29b Valve seat 34a 34b O-ring 35 Communication pipe 41 Stopper 46 Raw material container 50 Pipe joint 53 Purge area 53a Opposite space 54 Mounting cylinder 55 Groove
56 Male nut 57 Protrusion 58 Male screw 59 Female thread

Claims (10)

A gasket arranged on the joint end surface of the tubular first body and the second body, an outer cylinder provided on the outer periphery of the first body and the second body, the first body, the second body, and the outer cylinder. It is a joint body having fixing means for fixing and detaching the body, and when the gasket is tightened, vacuum exhaust and gas purging are possible between the outer circumference of the gasket and the inner circumference of the outer cylinder. Rutotomoni provided with a seal space, the first body and the flow passage of the second body, is incorporated an automatic open-close valve that automatically opens and closes at the time of bonding or withdrawal of both in a condition in which the automatic opening and closing valve is closed, The sealing space and the facing space of both valve seats of the automatic opening / closing valve are designated as a purge region where vacuum exhaust and gas purging are possible, and the automatic opening / closing valve elastically seals a poppet valve having a valve seat. A pipe joint characterized in that a spring for the purpose and a push rod protruding from the end faces of the first body and the second body are provided at the center of the poppet valve. Said O-ring is mounted between the first body and the outer periphery of the second body and the inner periphery of the outer cylindrical body, according to claim 1 which is a sealed space of the dual seal at the O-ring and the gasket Pipe fittings. In the fixing means, a male nut that can move the second body in the axial direction is screwed to the female screw portion of the outer cylinder and tightened and fixed at the time of joining the first body and the second body, and at the time of non-joining, the fixing means is tightened and fixed. The pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the male nut is moved in the loosening direction from the female screw portion. The pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means comprises a mounting cylinder that is screwed and coupled to the male screw of the outer cylinder body, and a male nut that is screwed into a female screw portion on the inner circumference of the mounting cylinder. The pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein a communication pipe is provided in a ring body rotatably provided on the outer periphery of the outer cylinder body via an O-ring, and the communication pipe is communicated with the seal space portion. A claim that the joint body is provided with a stopper for stopping the loosening of the screw at a position where the seal of the purge region does not break the movement of the female screw portion and the male nut in the loosening direction and at a position where the automatic opening / closing valve closes. The pipe fitting according to 3 or 4. The pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the load of the spring is set to 50 N or more in order to detect the position where the automatic opening / closing valve starts to open at the position where the screw tightening torque increases. The pipe joint according to claim 4 , wherein a stopper for engaging the protrusion of the male nut is provided at the lower part of the inner circumference of the mounting cylinder. The pipe joint according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the first body and the second body are configured to be movable toward the axial direction of the outer cylinder. A pipe joint for a raw material container according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the pipe joint is used as a connection joint for a raw material container to which the inside of a process gas pipe can be attached and detached without being exposed to the atmosphere.

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