JP7041001B2 - Pipe fittings and their fitting members - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pipe joint and a joint member thereof, and more particularly to a joint member including a connection confirmation member for confirming that the connection is properly performed.

For example, in a pipe joint composed of a socket (female joint member) and a plug (corresponding male joint member) shown in Patent Document 1, a substantially U-shaped locking member is inserted into the socket to form a plug. The plug is held in the socket by engaging with the locking portion formed on the outer peripheral surface. Even in this state, the connected state is maintained for the time being, but if a large force acts in the direction of pulling the socket and the plug apart, the locking member may open and the connection may be released. Therefore, this pipe joint is provided with a locking operation member for preventing the locking member from being deformed in the opening direction, and by setting the locking operation member in the fixed position in the connected state, the locking member cannot be opened by mistake. It is designed to prevent the connection from being broken more reliably.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-142011

The above-mentioned pipe fittings are mainly used for food pipes, but since food pipes need to be internally cleaned in a relatively short cycle, the pipe joints used there are frequently attached and detached. It will be. Every time a pipe joint is connected, it is required to set the locking operation member in a fixed position to ensure a secure connection. It may be left in a fully connected state. Such a situation is likely to occur, especially if it is frequently attached and detached. It is possible to prevent such a situation to some extent by visually checking the pipe joints one by one before flowing the fluid through the pipe to check whether the locking operation member is in the fixed position, but the locking operation member is fixed. Since it is not always easy to confirm whether or not it is in the position, there is a risk that it will be overlooked even by visual confirmation.

Therefore, the present invention is a joint member that makes it possible to more easily confirm that the locking operation member is firmly connected at a fixed position, and is detachably connected to such a joint member. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pipe fitting provided with a corresponding fitting member.

That is, the present invention
A joint member that detachably connects the corresponding joint member.
A cylindrical joint body with a passage for receiving the corresponding joint member,
A locked state in which the corresponding joint member is attached to the joint body and engaged with the corresponding joint member received in the passage to hold the corresponding joint member in the passage, and an unlocked state in which the holding of the corresponding joint member is released. Locking member to have and
It is attached to the joint body and can be displaced between a fixed position that prevents the locking member from being in the unlocked state and an unlocking position that allows the locking member to be in the unlocked state. Locking operation member and
It is displaceable with respect to the joint body, and when the lock operation member is in the fixed position, it can be displaced to a connected display position where a predetermined display indicating that the lock operation member is in the fixed position is made. A connection confirmation member that is prevented from being displaced to the connection display position when the lock operation member is in the release position, and a connection confirmation member.
Provided is a joint member provided with.

The joint member includes a connection confirmation member that can be displaced to a connection display position where a predetermined display indicating that the lock operation member is in the fixed position is made when the lock operation member is in the fixed position. Therefore, it is possible to easily confirm that the locking operation member is in a fixed position and the corresponding joint member is securely connected based on the predetermined display. The predetermined display includes various displays such as a display by a sensor detection signal, a light emission display by an LED or the like, a display by sound, and a display by the appearance or hiding of a predetermined character or colored portion.

In particular,
The joint body has two openings that penetrate in the radial direction.
The locking member extends from the first and second ends, which are located around the outer periphery of the joint body and face each other apart from each other in the circumferential direction, and the passage through the opening. It has first and second locking portions that partially enter inside, and in the locked state, the first and second locking portions are the outer peripheral surface of the corresponding joint member received in the passage of the joint member. The corresponding joint member is held by engaging with the joint member, and in the unlocked state, the first and second locking portions are displaced outward in the radial direction of the joint body to release the engagement with the outer peripheral surface. Being done
The locking operating member is rotatable with respect to the joint body around a rotational axis extending in the radial direction of the joint body, and at the fixed position, the first and the locking members in the locked state. It can be engaged with the second end portion to prevent the first and second locking portions from being displaced outward in the radial direction.

More specifically,
The locking operating member has a protrusion protruding outward from the joint body in the direction of the rotation axis.
The connection confirmation member has an engaging surface that engages with the locking operation member, and a recess that is recessed outward from the engaging surface.
When the locking operation member is in the unlocking position, the protrusion of the locking operation member interferes with the engaging surface of the connection confirmation member to prevent the connection confirmation member from being displaced to the connection display position. When the locking operation member is in the fixed position, the protrusion is aligned with the recess and is received in the recess so that the connection confirmation member can be displaced to the connection display position. Can be.

Preferably, when the lock operation member is rotated from the fixed position toward the release position while the connection confirmation member is in the connection display position, the protrusion engages with the side surface of the recess. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the locking operation member from rotating to the unlocking position.

With such a configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the locking operation member from being erroneously set to the unlocked position in the connected state.

Specifically, the connection confirmation member has a central portion having the engaging surface and legs extending substantially parallel to each other in the direction of the rotation axis from both sides of the central portion, and the leg portion is the leg portion. It can be slidably held with respect to the joint body so that the connection confirmation member can be displaced with respect to the joint body in the direction of the rotation axis.

Preferably, when the locking member is in the unlocked state, the leg portion of the connection confirmation member may interfere with the locking member so that the connection confirmation member cannot be attached to the joint body. ..

Specifically, a sensor attached to the connection confirmation member and detecting that the connection confirmation member has reached the connection display position is further provided so that the predetermined display is a detection signal of the sensor. Can be done.

More specifically, when the sensor is a contact sensor and the connection confirmation member is in the connection display position, the sensor comes into contact with at least one of the joint body and the locking operation member. The detection signal can be emitted.

Further, the present invention
With any of the above-mentioned joint members,
A pipe joint comprising a corresponding joint member that is received in the passage of the joint member and is detachably connected to the joint member.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the pipe joint according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a side view in the unconnected state of the pipe fitting which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view in the temporary connection state of the pipe joint of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the socket at the position of the line AA of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the pipe joint at the position of line AA of FIG. 2, and is the figure of the state in which the locking member is in the unlocked state while the plug is inserted into the socket. It is a perspective view in the temporary connection state of the pipe joint of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the pipe joint at the position of line AA of FIG. 2, and is the figure when the pipe joint is in the temporary connection state of FIG. FIG. 5 is a top view showing the positional relationship between the locking operation member and the first and second ends of the locking member in the temporarily connected state of FIG. It is a perspective view in the connection completion state of the pipe joint of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the pipe joint at the position of line AA of FIG. 2, and is the figure when the pipe joint is in the connection completion state of FIG. FIG. 8 is a top view showing the positional relationship between the locking operation member and the first and second ends of the locking member in the connected state of FIG. 8. It is a top view which shows the positional relationship between the lock operation member and the 1st and 2nd ends of the lock member when the lock operation member is set to the release position. It is a perspective view of the connection confirmation member. It is a perspective view of a pipe joint when a connection confirmation member is attached to a socket in a temporary connection state. It is sectional drawing of the pipe joint of FIG. 13 at the position of the line AA of FIG. It is a perspective view of the pipe joint when the connection confirmation member is attached to the socket in the connection completion state. It is sectional drawing of the pipe joint of FIG. 15 at the position of the line AA of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the pipe joint at the position of line AA of FIG. 2, and is the figure which shows the relationship between the connection confirmation member and the lock member in the state which the lock member is in the unlocked state.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pipe joint 1 according to the present invention includes a socket (joint member) 10 and a plug (corresponding joint member) 12. As will be described later, the socket 10 accepts the plug 12 and detachably connects the plug 12.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the socket 10 has a cylindrical socket body (joint body) 16 having a passage 14 (FIG. 3) for receiving the plug 12, and a substantially U-shaped socket body 16 attached to the socket body 16. It includes a locking member 18 and a locking operating member 20 attached to the socket body 16. The socket body 16 has two openings 22 that penetrate in the radial direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the locking member 18 has a first locking portion 28 and a second locking portion 30 extending from the first end portion 24 and the second end portion 26, and the first end portion 24 and the second end portion 26, respectively. And a connecting portion 31 for connecting the first locking portion 28 and the second locking portion 30. The first end portion 24 and the second end portion 26 are located around the outer side of the socket main body 16 and are positioned so as to be separated from each other in the circumferential direction and face each other. The first locking portion 28 and the second locking portion 30 are positioned so as to partially enter the passage 14 of the socket body 16 from the first end portion 24 and the second end portion 26 through the opening 22, respectively. The locking member 18 is detachably fixed to the mounting projection 32 provided at the lower part of the socket main body 16 by the mounting pin 34 at the connecting portion 31. The locking operation member 20 is rotatably attached to the mounting projection 36 provided on the upper portion of the socket main body 16 with respect to the socket main body 16 around the rotational axis R extending in the radial direction of the socket main body 16. The locking operation member 20 has a protrusion 38 protruding outward from the socket body 16 in the direction of the rotation axis R, and the protrusion 38 is gripped and rotated.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, the plug 12 has a tapered surface 42 that tapers toward the front (left side in the figure) and a rear surface (right side in the figure) of the tapered surface 42 on the outer peripheral surface 40. It has a stepped locking portion 44 located at. A seal member 48 that is hermetically engaged with the inner peripheral surface 46 (FIG. 3) of the socket body 16 is attached to the front position of the tapered surface 42.

As the plug 12 is inserted into the passage 14 of the socket 10, the tapered surface 42 of the plug 12 engages with the first locking portion 28 and the second locking portion 30 of the locking member 18, and the locking member 18 is shown in FIG. As shown in the above, the first locking portion 28 and the second locking portion 30 are displaced outward in the radial direction (unlocked state). When the plug 12 is further inserted and the tapered surface 42 exceeds the locking member 18, the first locking portion 28 and the second locking portion 30 return inward in the radial direction due to the elastic restoring force of the locking member 18, and the locking member 18 is shown in the drawing. As shown in 5 and FIG. 6, the first locking portion 28 and the second locking portion 30 are engaged with the locking portion 44 of the plug 12 (locked state). When the locking member 18 engages with the locking portion 44 of the plug 12, the plug 12 is held in the passage 14 of the socket 10, and the pipe joint 1 is temporarily connected. In this temporarily connected state, the locking operation member 20 is in the unlocked position and the locking member 18 is allowed to be deformed to the unlocked state. Therefore, the socket 10 and the plug 12 are deformed and pulled apart unintentionally. When a large force is applied in the direction, the locking member 18 may be intentionally released from the locked state (FIG. 4).

When the locking operation member 20 is rotated clockwise as seen in FIGS. 5 and 7 from the temporarily connected state of FIGS. 5 and 6, the first end portion 24 and the second end portion 26 of the locking member 18 are locked. It is pressed inward by the sliding inner peripheral surface 49 of the operating member 20. When the locking operation member 20 is rotated to the fixed position shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the first end portion 24 and the second end portion 26 of the locking member 18 are locked in the fixing recess 50 of the locking operation member 20. To. By locking the first end portion 24 and the second end portion 26 from the outside in the fixing recess 50, the first end portion 24 and the second end portion 26 cannot be displaced outward. As a result, the first locking portion 28 and the second locking portion 30 are also in a state where they cannot be displaced outward. That is, by setting the locking operation member 20 in the fixed position, the locking member 18 is prevented from being unlocked, and the pipe joint 1 is a connection in which the connection between the socket 10 and the plug 12 is reliably maintained. It will be in the completed state.

When releasing the connection, the locking operation member 20 is rotated in the opposite direction (counterclockwise as seen in FIG. 10). Then, the sliding outer peripheral surface 51 of the locking operation member 20 engages with the first end portion 24 and the second end portion 26 of the locking member 18, and the first end portion 24 and the second end portion 26 engage with the sliding outer peripheral surface 51. Is pushed outward by. When the locking operation member 20 is rotated to the release position shown in FIG. 11, the locking member 18 is unlocked so that the first locking portion 28 and the second locking portion 30 are displaced radially outward from the tapered surface 42 of the plug 12. It becomes a state. As a result, the holding of the plug 12 by the locking member 18 is released, and the plug 12 can be removed from the socket 10.

The socket 10 further includes a connection confirmation member 52 (FIG. 12) that is displaceably attached to the socket body 16. The connection confirmation member 52 is a substantially U-shaped member including a central portion 54 and two leg portions 56 extending substantially parallel to each other from both sides of the central portion 54. An engaging surface 58 and a recess 60 recessed from the engaging surface 58 are formed on the lower surface of the central portion 54. A contact sensor 62 is fixed to the central portion 54, and the detection portion 64 of the contact sensor 62 extends into the recess 60 through the through hole 66 of the central portion 54.

As shown in FIGS. 13 to 16, the connection confirmation member 52 slides the leg portion 56 between the left and right ribs 68 of the socket body 16 and the first locking portion 28 and the second locking portion 30 of the locking member 18. It is attached to the socket body 16 so as to be inserted. The leg portion 56 is slidably held with respect to the socket body 16, and the connection confirmation member 52 is displaceable in the direction of the rotation axis R. When the lock operation member 20 is in the unlocked position, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the protrusion 38 of the lock operation member 20 is engaged with the engagement surface 58 of the connection confirmation member 52, and the contact sensor 62 is in a state of being engaged. The detection unit 64 is in a state where it does not touch anywhere. On the other hand, when the locking operation member 20 is in the fixed position, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the protrusion 38 of the locking operation member 20 is in the position aligned with the recess 60 of the connection confirmation member 52. At this time, the protrusion 38 is received in the recess 60 without interfering with the engaging surface 58, and the connection confirmation member 52 can be displaced to the connection display position closer to the locking operation member 20. When the connection confirmation member 52 is in the connection display position, the detection unit 64 of the contact sensor 62 comes into contact with the head 36a of the mounting protrusion 36 of the socket body 16. The contact sensor 62 detects that the conductor has come into contact with the detection unit 64, and transmits a detection signal to an external device (not shown). The detection unit 64 may be brought into contact with another member such as the locking operation member 20.

That is, in the pipe joint 1, the connection confirmation member 52 is prevented from being displaced to the connection display position when the lock operation member 20 is in the unlocked position, and the connection confirmation member 52 is prevented from being displaced to the connection display position when the lock operation member 20 is in the fixed position. It can be displaced to the connected display position. Then, when the locking operation member 20 is in the fixed position, the connection confirmation member 52 is displaced to the connection display position, so that the contact sensor 62 transmits a detection signal, and the locking operation member 20 is fixed based on this detection signal. It can be confirmed that the socket 10 and the plug 12 are in the connected state by being positioned.

In the state where the connection confirmation member 52 is in the connection display position (FIGS. 15 and 16) in the connection completion state, when the lock operation member 20 is to be rotated from the fixed position to the release position, the lock operation member The protrusion 38 of 20 engages with the side surface of the recess 60 of the connection confirmation member 52. This prevents the locking operation member 20 from being rotated to the unlocked position. Therefore, in order to release the connection between the socket 10 and the plug 12, the connection confirmation member 52 is first removed. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the locking operation member 20 from being erroneously operated.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17, when the plug 12 is not sufficiently inserted into the passage 14 of the socket body 16 and the locking member 18 is not in the locked state, the leg portion 56 of the connection confirmation member 52 is the locking member. The connection confirmation member 52 cannot be attached to the socket body 16 by interfering with the first locking portion 28 and the second locking portion 30 of 18. With such a configuration, it is also possible to confirm whether the plug 12 is firmly inserted into the socket 10 and is in a temporarily connected state.

The connection confirmation member 52 may be attached to the socket body 16 in a temporarily connected state in which the lock operation member 20 is in the unlocked position after the plug 12 is connected to the socket 10, or the connection is completed with the lock operation member 20 in the fixed position. Then, it may be attached to the socket body 16. When attached in the temporarily connected state, the connection confirmation member 52 is in a state in which the engaging surface 58 engages with the protrusion 38 of the locking operation member 20 and rides on the locking operation member 20. When the locking operation member 20 is rotated to a fixed position in this state, the engaging surface 58 and the protrusion do not interfere with each other, and the connection confirmation member 52 is displaced downward toward the socket body 16 by its own weight, and the contact sensor 62. The detection unit 64 is in contact with the mounting protrusion 36 of the socket body 16 and is in the connection display position.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The pipe joint 1 is a pipe joint for food piping, and has a structure including a U-shaped locking member 18 as described above and a locking operation member 20 that rotates around a rotation axis R. It can be a pipe joint of another shape. The pipe joint having such a different structure is, for example, a spherical locker in which the locking member is held so as to be radially displaceable with respect to the joint body, and the locking operation member is arranged outside the joint body and has a longitudinal axis. There is a sleeve that is slidable in the direction of the above and is locked to the locker from the outside in the radial direction. In this case, the pipe joint is in a connection completed state by rotating the sleeve in the circumferential direction with respect to the joint body while the sleeve holds the locker in the locked state, and the connection confirmation member is attached to the joint body in this state. Then, the connection confirmation member can be set to the connection display position, and the contact sensor can be brought into contact with the sleeve to emit a detection signal.

Further, in the above embodiment, the pipe joint 1 is used in a state where the locking operation member 20 is located on the upper side, and the connection confirmation member 52 is in a state where it is placed on the socket body 16 or the locking operation member 20 by the action of gravity. ing. Therefore, the pipe joint 1 according to the above embodiment can be used only in a state where the locking operation member 20 is located above, but if an urging member such as a spring is attached between the connection confirmation member 52 and the socket body 16. , Can be used in any orientation.

Further, in the above embodiment, the connection confirmation member 52 is in the connection display position and the lock operation member 20 is in the fixed position by the detection signal of the contact sensor 62, but another display method is used. You can also. For example, instead of the contact sensor, another sensor such as a proximity sensor or a distance sensor may be used. Alternatively, the switch may be activated to turn on the LED or sound a buzzer so that the display is directly displayed to the operator. Furthermore, the characters and colored parts hidden by the connection confirmation member appear and become visible when the connection confirmation member is in the connection display position, and conversely, the characters and coloring are made when the connection confirmation member is in the connection display position. It is also possible to hide the part so that it cannot be seen.

1 Pipe fitting 10 Socket (joint member)
12 plugs (corresponding joint members)
14 Passage 16 Socket body (joint body)
18 Locking member 20 Locking operation member 22 Opening 24 1st end 26 2nd end 28 1st locking 30 2nd locking 31 Connecting part 32 Mounting protrusion 34 Mounting pin 36 Mounting protrusion 36a Head 38 Protrusion 40 Outer peripheral surface 42 Tapered surface 44 Locking part 46 Inner peripheral surface 48 Sealing member 49 Sliding inner peripheral surface 50 Fixed recess 51 Sliding outer peripheral surface 52 Connection confirmation member 54 Central part 56 Leg part 58 Engagement surface 60 Recessed part 62 Contact sensor 64 Detection unit 66 Through hole 68 Rib R Rotating axis

Claims (9)

A joint member that detachably connects the corresponding joint member.
A cylindrical joint body with a passage for receiving the corresponding joint member,
A locked state in which the corresponding joint member is attached to the joint body and engaged with the corresponding joint member received in the passage to hold the corresponding joint member in the passage, and an unlocked state in which the holding of the corresponding joint member is released. Locking member to have and
It is attached to the joint body and can be displaced between a fixed position that prevents the locking member from being in the unlocked state and an unlocking position that allows the locking member to be in the unlocked state. Locking operation member and
It is displaceable with respect to the joint body, and when the lock operation member is in the fixed position, it can be displaced to a connected display position where a predetermined display indicating that the lock operation member is in the fixed position is made. A connection confirmation member that is prevented from being displaced to the connection display position when the lock operation member is in the release position, and a connection confirmation member.
Fitting member with. The joint body has two openings that penetrate in the radial direction.
The locking member extends from the first and second ends, which are located around the outer periphery of the joint body and face each other apart from each other in the circumferential direction, and the passage through the opening. It has first and second locking portions that partially enter inside, and in the locked state, the first and second locking portions are the outer peripheral surface of the corresponding joint member received in the passage of the joint member. The corresponding joint member is held by engaging with the joint member, and in the unlocked state, the first and second locking portions are displaced outward in the radial direction of the joint body to release the engagement with the outer peripheral surface. Being done
The locking operating member is rotatable with respect to the joint body around a rotational axis extending in the radial direction of the joint body, and at the fixed position, the first and the locking members in the locked state. The joint member according to claim 1, wherein the first and second locking portions are engaged with the second end portion to prevent the first and second locking portions from being displaced outward in the radial direction. The locking operating member has a protrusion protruding outward from the joint body in the direction of the rotation axis.
The connection confirmation member has an engaging surface that engages with the locking operation member, and a recess that is recessed outward from the engaging surface.
When the lock operation member is in the unlocked position, the protrusion of the lock operation member interferes with the engagement surface of the connection confirmation member to prevent the connection confirmation member from being displaced to the connection display position. When the locking operation member is in the fixed position, the protrusion is aligned with the recess and is received in the recess so that the connection confirmation member can be displaced to the connection display position. The joint member according to claim 2. When the lock operation member is rotated from the fixed position to the release position while the connection confirmation member is in the connection display position, the protrusion engages with the side surface of the recess, and the lock operation member is engaged with the side surface of the recess. The joint member according to claim 3, wherein the locking operation member is prevented from rotating to the unlocked position. The connection confirmation member has a central portion having the engaging surface and legs extending substantially parallel to each other in the direction of the rotation axis from both sides of the central portion, and the legs are attached to the joint body. The joint member according to claim 3 or 4, which is slidably held so that the connection confirmation member can be displaced with respect to the joint body in the direction of the rotation axis. According to claim 5, when the locking member is in the unlocked state, the leg portion of the connection confirmation member interferes with the lock member so that the connection confirmation member cannot be attached to the joint body. The described joint member. One of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a sensor attached to the connection confirmation member and detecting that the connection confirmation member has reached the connection display position, and the predetermined display is a detection signal of the sensor. The joint member according to item 1. The sensor is a contact sensor, and when the connection confirmation member is in the connection display position, the sensor contacts at least one of the joint body and the locking operation member to emit the detection signal. The joint member according to claim 7. The joint member according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and the joint member.
A pipe joint comprising a corresponding joint member that is received in the passage of the joint member and is detachably connected to the joint member.

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