JP6952586B2 - Tube end protection cap - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pipe end protective cap to be attached to a pipe end portion of a pipe having a flange protruding outward in the radial direction.

Conventionally, a pipe end protection cap to be attached to a pipe end is known in order to prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering from the pipe end and causing scratches or deformation at the pipe end. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). This tube end protection cap has a cylindrical cap body having an open end open at one end and a closed end closed at the other end, a band portion extending axially from the closed end of the cap body, and a band. It has a knob formed at the tip of the portion.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-299740

By the way, when removing the conventional pipe end protection cap from the pipe, the knob is grasped with a fingertip and the knob is pulled in the axial direction of the cap body. However, since the band portion is in the shape of a thin plate, if it is pulled strongly, the band portion may be cut off and the cap body may not be properly removed. In addition, when pulling out the cap body, the force may be concentrated on one point, and when it comes off vigorously, the worker's hand may hit the surrounding area.

On the other hand, when the cap body is directly grasped and removed, it is difficult to easily remove the cap body because the cap body has a cylindrical shape and the fingertips slip. Furthermore, when the cap body is removed by hooking a finger on the peripheral edge of the open end of the cap body, the fingertip of the operator may come into contact with the pipe end of the pipe when pulling out from the pipe, and dust and dirt attached to the fingertip may be removed. There was a problem that oil and the like adhered to the end of the pipe.

The present invention has been made with attention to the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pipe end protective cap that can be easily removed from a pipe without adhering foreign matter to the pipe end.

In order to achieve the above object, the pipe end protection cap of the present invention is attached to the pipe end portion of a pipe having a flange protruding radially outward at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the axial direction from the tip. It is a protective cap.
A cylindrical cap body having an open end at one end and a closed end at the other end is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap body, and the inner diameter dimension of the cap body is larger than the outer diameter dimension of the flange. The size is reduced, and the flange can be overcome by the relative movement of the cap body and the pipe in the axial direction. It is provided with a finger hook portion that protrudes outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the cap body.
Further, a position restricting portion that protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the cap body and makes the inner diameter dimension of the cap body smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the flange is formed at a position closer to the closed end than the retaining portion. The length from the closed end to the position restricting portion is set to be longer than the length from the tip of the pipe to the flange.

Therefore, in the present invention, the pipe end protection cap can be easily removed from the pipe without adhering foreign matter to the pipe end portion of the pipe.

It is a perspective view which shows the attachment state to the pipe of the pipe end protection cap of Example 1. FIG. It is a vertical cross-sectional view which shows the pipe end protection cap of Example 1, and is a side view of a pipe. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the facing state of the pipe end protection cap of Example 1 and a pipe. It is explanatory drawing which shows the contact state between the retaining protrusion of the pipe end protection cap of Example 1 and a pipe. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in the process of getting over the retaining protrusion of the pipe end protection cap of Example 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the completion state of getting over the retaining protrusion of the pipe end protection cap of Example 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the insertion regulation state of the pipe end protection cap of Example 1. FIG.

Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the pipe end protection cap of the present invention will be described with reference to Example 1 shown in the drawings.

(Example 1)
First, the configuration of the pipe end protection cap in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the pipe end protection cap 10 of the first embodiment is attached to the pipe end portion 101 of the pipe 100 to protect the pipe end portion 101 of the pipe 100 from scratches and deformations, or from an open tip 102. It prevents foreign matter such as dust from entering, and prevents fiber scraps of work gloves from adhering to the pipe end 101.

Here, the pipe end portion 101 of the pipe 100 has a flange 103 protruding outward in the radial direction at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the axial direction from the tip 102, and is called a so-called quick spool, which is a quick connector. Can be fitted to.

The pipe end protection cap 10 has a cap main body 11, a retaining portion 12, a position restricting portion 13, and a finger hook portion 14, and is integrally molded with low-density polyethylene.

The cap body 11 has a hollow cylindrical shape having an open end 11a open at one end and a closed end 11b closed at the other end, and a reduced diameter portion 11c is formed in an intermediate portion in the axial direction.
The reduced diameter portion 11c is a region in which the inner diameter dimension and the outer diameter dimension of the cap main body 11 are reduced from the open end 11a to the closed end 11b. The outer peripheral surface 11e is inclined in a tapered shape.

The inner diameter dimension R1 of the large diameter region 15a from the open end 11a to the reduced diameter portion 11c is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter dimension R2 of the flange 103 of the pipe 100. On the other hand, the inner diameter dimension R3 of the small diameter region 15b from the closed end 11b to the reduced diameter portion 11c is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter dimension R4 in the portion from the tip end 102 to the flange 103 of the pipe 100.

The retaining portion 12 is composed of a plurality of (three in the first embodiment) retaining protrusions 12a protruding inward in the radial direction from the inner peripheral surface 11d of the cap body 11. Each retaining protrusion 12a has a hemispherical shape and is arranged at equal intervals (every 120 °) along the circumferential direction of the cap body 11 (see FIG. 3A). Further, the retaining portion 12 is formed in the large diameter region 15a, and here, as shown in FIG. 2, the retaining portion 12 is formed at a position closer to the open end 11a than the central position in the axial direction of the large diameter region 15a. ..

The protrusion height of each retaining protrusion 12a is set to a height at which the flange 103 interferes when the pipe 100 is inserted into the cap body 11. That is, the inner diameter dimension R5 (inner diameter dimension of the cap body 11 at the position where the retaining portion 12 is formed) of the circle O1 inscribed in the tip of each retaining protrusion 12a connecting the tips of the retaining protrusions 12a is a flange. It is smaller than the outer diameter dimension R2 of 103. On the other hand, the retaining protrusions 12a and the cap body 11 have flexibility that allows them to be deformed when an axial force is applied. Therefore, when the pipe 100 is inserted into or pulled out from the cap main body 11 with the relative movement in the axial direction between the cap main body 11 and the pipe 100, the flange 103 can get over each of the retaining protrusions 12a. ..

That is, when an external force in the axial direction is not acting on the cap body 11 or the pipe 100, the inner diameter dimension R5 of the circle O1 is a size that prevents the flange 103 from being inserted. On the other hand, when an external force in the axial direction acts on the cap body 11 or the pipe 100, the cap body 11 and the retaining protrusion 12a are deformed, and the diameter dimension R5 of the circle O1 becomes larger than the outer diameter dimension R2 of the flange 103. , The flange 103 can be inserted.

As a result, the retaining portion 12 gets over the flange 103 by the inserting and pulling operations of the pipe 100, and interferes with the flange 103 with the cap body 11 attached to the pipe 100.

The position regulating portion 13 is composed of a plurality of position regulating protrusions 13a (three in the first embodiment) protruding inward in the radial direction from the inner peripheral surface 11d of the cap main body 11. The position-regulating protrusions 13a have a hemispherical shape and are arranged at equal intervals (every 120 °) along the circumferential direction of the cap body 11 (see FIG. 3B). Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, the position of each position regulating protrusion 13a is deviated from the position of the retaining protrusion 12a along the circumferential direction of the cap body 11.

Further, the position regulating portion 13 is formed in the large diameter region 15a and is located closer to the closed end 11b than the retaining portion 12. That is, the position restricting portion 13 is formed between the retaining portion 12 and the diameter reducing portion 11c. As shown in FIG. 2, the length between the retaining portion 12 and the position restricting portion 13 is set to be at least the thickness of the flange 103 or more.
Further, the length L1 from the closed end 11b to the position regulating portion 13 is set to be longer than the length L2 from the tip 102 of the pipe 100 to the flange 103.

The protruding height of each position regulating protrusion 13a is set to a height at which the flange 103 interferes when the pipe 100 is inserted into the cap body 11. That is, the inner diameter dimension R6 (inner diameter dimension of the cap body 11 at the position where the position regulating portion 13 is formed) of the circle O2 inscribed in the tip of each position regulating projection 13a connecting the tips of the position regulating protrusions 13a is a flange. It is smaller than the outer diameter dimension R2 of 103. In the first embodiment, the height of the protrusion is set to be the same as that of the retaining protrusion 12a.

The finger hook portion 14 is an annular member that protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface 11e of the cap body 11, and has a finger hook step surface 14a facing toward the open end 11a and a finger facing toward the closed end 11b. It has a contact step surface 14b and the like. The finger hook portion 14 is formed at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the axial direction from the open end 11a of the cap body 11, and is formed here in a small diameter region 15b between the closed end 11b and the reduced diameter portion 11c. ing.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the finger hook portion 14 is formed at a position closer to the closed end 11b than the central position in the axial direction of the small diameter region 15b. Then, the fingertip of the worker can enter between the diameter-reduced portion 11c and the finger-hanging stepped surface 14a of the finger-hanging portion 14.

Next, the action of the pipe end protection cap 10 of Example 1 is divided into a “tube end protection action” and a “cap removal action”, and will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4E.

[Protective action at the end of the pipe]
In order to protect the pipe end 101 of the pipe 100 from dust, scratches, etc. by using the pipe end protection cap 10 of the first embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 4A, the cap body 11 is opened to the tip 102 of the pipe 100. The ends 11a face each other. Then, the pipe 100 and the cap body 11 are moved so as to be relatively close to each other along the axial direction, and the tip 102 of the pipe 100 is inserted from the open end 11a.

Here, in the cap body 11, the inner diameter dimension R1 of the large diameter region 15a from the open end 11a to the reduced diameter portion 11c is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter dimension R2 of the flange 103 of the pipe 100. That is, the inner diameter dimension R1 of the large diameter region 15a is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter dimension R4 in the portion from the tip 102 of the pipe 100 to the flange 103. As a result, the tip 102 of the pipe 100 can be easily inserted from the open end 11a.

Then, as the pipe 100 is inserted, as shown in FIG. 4B, the peripheral edge portion of the flange 103 faces the retaining protrusion 12a protruding from the inner peripheral surface 11d of the cap body 11. Here, the retaining protrusion 12a makes the inner diameter dimension R5 of the cap body 11 smaller than the outer diameter dimension R2 of the flange 103, so that the flange 103 interferes with the retaining protrusion 12a. On the other hand, the retaining protrusion 12a and the cap body 11 at the position where the retaining protrusion 12a is formed can be deformed when an axial force is applied. Therefore, when the pipe 100 is pushed into the cap main body 11 with the flange 103 interfering with the retaining protrusion 12a, the cap main body 11 and the retaining protrusion 12a are deformed as shown in FIG. 4C, and the cap main body 11 is temporarily used. The diameter is increased so that the flange 103 gets over the retaining protrusion 12a.

When the pipe 100 is pushed into the cap body 11, the fingertips are pressed against the finger contact step surface 14b of the finger hook portion 14, so that the fingertips do not slip easily with respect to the cap body 11 and the cap body 11 can be easily pushed. Can be installed.

On the other hand, when the flange 103 gets over the retaining protrusion 12a, the cap body 11 and the retaining protrusion 12a return to the shape before deformation as shown in FIG. 4D. As a result, the inner diameter dimension R5 of the cap main body 11 becomes smaller than the outer diameter dimension R2 of the flange 103, and when the pipe 100 moves in the direction of coming out of the cap main body 11, the retaining protrusion 12a interferes with the flange 103. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cap body 11 from falling off from the pipe end 101 of the pipe 100. As a result, the pipe end 101 of the pipe 100 can be constantly covered with the cap body 11, and the pipe end 101 can be protected from adhesion of dust, scratches, and the like.

In the first embodiment, the retaining portion 12 is composed of three retaining protrusions 12a arranged in the circumferential direction of the cap body 11. Therefore, the cap body 11 can be easily deformed as compared with the case where the retaining portion is provided in an annular shape over the entire circumference of the cap body 11. Then, the force required for the flange 103 to get over the retaining portion 12 can be reduced, and the cap body 11 can be easily attached and detached.

Further, in the first embodiment, the position restricting portion 13 protruding from the inner peripheral surface 11d of the cap body 11 and interfering with the flange 103 is formed at a position closer to the closed end 11b than the retaining portion 12. That is, as shown in FIG. 4E, when the flange 103 gets over the retaining protrusion 12a and then the pipe 100 is further inserted into the cap body 11, the flange 103 interferes with the position regulating protrusion 13a constituting the position regulating portion 13. do. As a result, the relative movement of the pipe 100 and the cap body 11 in the axial direction is restricted.

Moreover, here, the length L1 from the closed end 11b to the position regulating portion 13 is set longer than the length L2 from the tip 102 of the pipe 100 to the flange 103. Therefore, the flange 103 interferes with the position regulating protrusion 13a, and the relative axial movement of the pipe 100 and the cap body 11 is restricted, so that the tip 102 of the pipe 100 is prevented from coming into contact with the closed end 11b. Will be done. As a result, it is possible to prevent the tip 102 of the pipe 100 from being scratched or the closed end 11b of the cap body 11 from coming off.

Further, in the first embodiment, the three retaining protrusions 12a constituting the retaining portion 12 and the three position regulating protrusions 13a constituting the position regulating portion 13 are formed along the circumferential direction of the cap body 11. It is formed out of alignment. As a result, when the tube end protection cap 10 is integrally molded with resin (low density polyethylene), it is possible to prevent an unreasonable load from being applied to the cap body 11 when the mold is removed.

Further, in the first embodiment, the reduced diameter portion 11c is formed in the intermediate portion in the axial direction of the cap main body 11, and the reduced diameter portion 11c causes the inner diameter dimension of the cap main body 11 to move from the open end 11a to the closed end 11b. Therefore, it is smaller than the outer diameter dimension R2 of the flange 103.

Therefore, the gap between the portion of the pipe 100 on the tip 102 side of the flange 103 and the inner peripheral surface 11d of the cap body 11 is reduced so that dust or the like adheres to the portion on the tip 102 side of the flange 103. Can be prevented. Thereby, the protection performance of the tip 102 of the pipe 100 can be further improved.

[Cap removal action]
When fitting the pipe end 101 of the pipe 100 to a quick connector (not shown), it is necessary to remove the pipe end protection cap 10 of the first embodiment. Here, the finger hook portion 14 projects outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface 11e of the cap body 11. Therefore, the operator who removes the pipe end protection cap 10 can pull the cap body 11 in the axial direction without strongly grasping the cap body 11 by hooking the fingertip on the finger hook step surface 14a of the finger hook portion 14. As a result, the cap body 11 can be easily removed from the pipe 100.

Further, the finger hook portion 14 is formed at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the axial direction from the open end 11a. Therefore, when the operator hangs the fingertip on the finger-hanging step surface 14a, the fingertip faces the outer peripheral surface 11e of the cap body 11 and does not come into contact with the pipe 100. As a result, even when the pipe end 101 of the pipe 100 is pulled out from the cap body 11, the operator's fingertip does not come into contact with the pipe end 101, and the fiber waste attached to the fingertip (for example, the operator) It is possible to prevent foreign substances such as attached military hand fibers) and oil from adhering to the pipe end 101.

Further, in the first embodiment, the finger hook portion 14 formed on the outer peripheral surface 11e of the cap main body 11 is formed between the reduced diameter portion 11c and the closed end 11b. On the other hand, the outer diameter of the cap body 11 is reduced by the reduced diameter portion 11c. Therefore, when the operator hangs the fingertip on the finger-hanging step surface 14a, the fingertip enters between the diameter-reduced portion 11c and the finger-hanging portion 14. As a result, slippage of the fingertip can be suppressed not only by the finger hook portion 14 but also by the diameter reduction portion 11c, and the operator can stably pull the cap body 11. Therefore, the cap body 11 can be removed more easily.

Next, the effect will be described.
The pipe end protection cap 10 of the first embodiment has the effects listed below.

(1) A pipe end protection cap 10 to be attached to a pipe end portion 101 of a pipe 100 having a flange 103 protruding radially outward at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the axial direction from the tip 102.
A cylindrical cap body 11 having an open end 11a at one end and a closed end 11b at the other end.
Formed on the inner peripheral surface 11d of the cap body 11, the inner diameter dimension R5 of the cap body 11 is made smaller than the outer diameter dimension R2 of the flange 103, and the axial direction between the cap body 11 and the pipe 100 is formed. With the retaining portion 12 that the flange 103 can get over with the relative movement of the
A finger hook portion 14 protruding outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface 11e of the cap body 11 at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the axial direction from the open end 11a.
It was made into a configuration equipped with.
As a result, it can be easily removed from the pipe 100 without adhering foreign matter to the pipe end 101 of the pipe 100.

(2) The cap body 11 has a reduced diameter portion 11c at an intermediate portion in the axial direction, which reduces the outer diameter dimension from the open end 11a toward the closed end 11b.
The finger hook portion 14 is formed between the reduced diameter portion 11c and the closed end 11b.
As a result, in addition to the effect of (1) above, the fingertips of the operator can be made less slippery, and the cap body 11 can be removed more easily.

(3) The position regulating portion 13 that protrudes from the inner peripheral surface 11d of the cap main body 11 and makes the inner diameter dimension R6 of the cap main body 11 smaller than the outer diameter dimension R2 of the flange 103 is more than the retaining portion 12. Formed near the closed end 11b,
The length L1 from the closed end 11b to the position regulating portion 13 is set to be longer than the length L2 from the tip 102 of the pipe 100 to the flange 103.
As a result, in addition to the effects of (1) or (2) above, the tip 102 of the pipe 100 is restricted from coming into contact with the closed end 11b, and the tip 102 of the pipe 100 is prevented from being damaged or the closed end 11b is prevented from coming off. can.

(4) The retaining portion 12 is composed of a plurality of retaining protrusions 12a arranged in the circumferential direction of the cap body 11.
As a result, in addition to the effect of any one of (1) to (3) above, the retaining portion 12 of the flange 103 can be easily overcome.

The pipe end protection cap of the present invention has been described above based on the first embodiment, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and the gist of the invention according to each claim in the claims. Design changes and additions are allowed as long as they do not deviate from.

In the first embodiment, an example in which the finger hook portion 14 is formed in the intermediate portion of the small diameter region 15b is shown, but the finger hook portion 14 is formed at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the axial direction from the open end 11a of the cap body 11. It is not limited to this, as it is sufficient. For example, it may be formed in the large diameter region 15a or may be formed on the peripheral edge of the closed end 11b.

Further, for example, the outer diameter dimension from the intermediate portion of the cap body 11 to the closed end 11b may be increased, and the stepped surface generated by increasing the outer diameter dimension may be used as the finger hook portion.

Further, although the finger hook portion 14 has an example of having a finger hook step surface 14a and a finger rest step surface 14b surrounding the entire circumference of the cap body 11, the finger hook portion 14 is along a part of the peripheral direction of the cap body 11. It may be stretched. That is, the finger hook portion may be formed by a plurality of protrusions formed in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface 11e of the cap body 11 and arranged in the circumferential direction.

Further, in the first embodiment, an example is shown in which the retaining portion 12 is composed of three retaining protrusions 12a and the position regulating portion 13 is composed of three position regulating protrusions 13a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the retaining portion 12 and the position restricting portion 13 may be formed by an annular protrusion extending all around the circumference of the cap body 11. Further, the number of the retaining protrusions 12a and the position restricting protrusions 13a can be arbitrarily set.

Further, in the first embodiment, an example in which the protrusion heights of the retaining protrusion 12a and the position regulating protrusion 13a are set to the same height is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The position restricting protrusion 13a may be higher than the retaining protrusion 12a because the flange 103 does not need to get over it. Further, the position regulating portion 13 and the diameter reducing portion 11c may not be formed.

Further, in Example 1, an example in which the pipe end protection cap 10 is formed of low density polyethylene is shown, but the material of the pipe end protection cap 10 is not limited to this. For example, any material having the flexibility required for attachment / detachment to / from the pipe 100 or molding, such as thermoplastic elastomer or polypropylene, can be used. It is preferable to use a material having a low environmental load.

10 Pipe end protection cap 11 Cap body 11a Open end 11b Closed end 11c Reduced diameter part 11d Inner peripheral surface 11e Outer peripheral surface 12 Retaining part 12a Retaining protrusion 13 Position regulating part 13a Position regulating protrusion 14 Finger hook 100 Pipe 101 Pipe end 102 Tip 103 Flange

Claims (3)

A pipe end protection cap to be attached to the pipe end of a pipe in which a flange protruding radially outward is formed at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the axial direction from the tip.
A cylindrical cap body with an open end at one end and a closed end at the other end,
Formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap body, the inner diameter dimension of the cap body is made smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the flange, and the flange is moved along the axial direction between the cap body and the pipe. With a retaining part that can be overcome
A finger hook portion protruding radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the cap body is provided at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the axial direction from the open end .
A position regulating portion that protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the cap body and makes the inner diameter dimension of the cap body smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the flange is formed at a position closer to the closed end than the retaining portion.
A pipe end protection cap characterized in that the length from the closed end to the position restricting portion is set longer than the length from the tip of the pipe to the flange. In the pipe end protection cap according to claim 1,
The cap body has a reduced diameter portion in the middle portion in the axial direction that reduces the outer diameter dimension from the open end to the closed end.
The pipe end protective cap is characterized in that the finger hook portion is formed between the reduced diameter portion and the closed end. In the pipe end protection cap according to claim 1 or 2.
The pipe end protection cap is characterized in that the retaining portion is composed of a plurality of retaining protrusions arranged in the circumferential direction of the cap body.

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