JP7759246B2 - Saddle-type branch valve core insertion machine - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a saddle-type diverter valve core insertion machine used to insert a saddle-type diverter valve core into a drilled hole after drilling a saddle-type diverter valve. This is set to prevent contact with the drilled hole in the distribution pipe and ensure the water flow diameter.

When inserting the water distribution valve core into the drilled hole, simply inserting it will allow water to seep in through the gaps in the insertion hole, so it must be tightly fitted to the inner surface of the drilled hole. Therefore, when inserting the core, pressure must be applied to the core against the inner wall of the drilled hole to expand its diameter and make it fit tightly.

In the prior art invention described in Patent Document 1, the handle is rotated using a screw mechanism to lower the core into the drilled hole, and further rotation expands the core's diameter and installs it in the drilled hole. In the invention described in Patent Document 2, the handle is pressed down to push the core near the drilled hole, reducing the number of rotations required for downward thrust, and the cam pin moves along the cam groove to expand the core's diameter and install it in the drilled hole.

Furthermore, the invention described in Patent Document 3 uses a spring that transmits the downward movement of the main body to the insertion rod, so that a marker indicating completion of insertion protrudes, whereas previously the completion of insertion was determined by pushing down the core and relying on the operator's sense. This allows the operator to determine when insertion is complete without relying on the operator's sense.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-180648 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-127946 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-107705

However, in a configuration like the invention described in Patent Document 2, where a cam pin with a handle for rotating the device is attached and an axial member with a head for holding and attaching the diverter valve core is fitted into a groove in the axial member, and the core is pressed in, if the length of the saddle-equipped diverter valve member is different, the installation position of the core will not match.

Therefore, the length (height) of the saddle-equipped diverter valve as a component attached to the perforated portion of the distribution pipe becomes an issue. For example, for currently used saddle-equipped diverter valves with a nominal outlet diameter of 25, the length S from the top end of the diverter valve to the top of the pipe (shown in Figure 2) is 86 mm for the AF type without an intermediate structure, 100 mm for the AS type with an intermediate structure, and 102 mm for the BS type with a different intermediate structure. Therefore, different equipment is required depending on the component length and manufacturer of the saddle-equipped diverter valve.

Furthermore, when the core member is held and attached to the press-fit head and the rotating rod is lowered and inserted into the drilled hole in the water pipe, downward thrust using a screw-type rotation requires a large number of rotations, which results in unnecessary waste of time and effort.
In addition, the water pressure of the flowing water entering from below during descent makes it difficult to propel the vehicle downwards in a vertical direction.

In the invention described in Patent Document 2, as shown in attached Drawing 1 of the specification, the cam pin moves in a cam groove, so the range of vertical movement does not change. If the height position of the component length of the saddle-equipped diverter valve differs from the initial setting value, the set position of the core will shift up or down, which may result in insufficient contact prevention of the drilled hole.

The present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems and provides a saddle-type faucet core insertion device for connecting the distribution pipe and the internal space of the saddle-type faucet via the faucet core. The device has a tapered section formed on one end of a cylindrical faucet core that is placed in the internal space of the saddle-type faucet, and is inserted into the distribution pipe by protruding the tapered section from the opening of the saddle-type faucet and expanding the diameter of the inserted tapered section to make it fit tightly against the distribution pipe. The device comprises: a cylindrical sleeve that is placed in the saddle-type faucet and has one end that leads to the internal space of the saddle-type faucet; a core mounting member that is placed in the internal space of the saddle-type faucet and to which the faucet core is attached and that is pushed into the tapered section of the faucet core to expand the diameter of the tapered section; a rod that is inserted into the sleeve and connected at one end to the core mounting member; a height adjustment member that is placed at the other end of the rod; a cylindrical handle support member that is screwed onto the outer periphery of the other end of the sleeve; and a handle that is supported by the handle support member and used to move the rod.
The height adjustment member and the handle support member are threadedly connected to each other, and by rotating the height adjustment member relative to the handle support member, the rod is moved axially within the sleeve, which in turn moves the core mounting member and the faucet core attached to it, positioning the faucet core in the interior space of the saddle-type faucet near the opening of the faucet.
By rotating the handle (hereinafter referred to as the handle bar) and rotating the handle support member relative to the outer periphery of the other end of the sleeve, the handle support member (hereinafter referred to as the handle fixing member) is moved in the axial direction of the sleeve (hereinafter referred to as the outer sleeve) together with the height adjustment member, and the rod (hereinafter referred to as the rotation operating rod) is moved in the axial direction accordingly, thereby moving the core mounting member further toward the water distribution pipe, causing the tapered portion of the water distribution valve core to protrude from the opening and be inserted into the water distribution pipe, and by further pushing the core mounting member into the inserted tapered portion, the tapered portion can be expanded in diameter and brought into close contact with the water distribution pipe.
The rotation rod is inserted into handle fixing members that screw-fit handlebars for rotation on both sides so that it can move up and down. A height adjustment member is rotatably set at the top of the rotation rod, and the height adjustment member has an adjustment male thread that screws into the handle fixing member set at the bottom. The handle fixing member also has an adjustment female thread that screws into the adjustment male thread of the height adjustment member at the top. The threading efficiency can be improved by using a trapezoidal thread for the adjustment screw.

This allows the position to be adjusted by rotating the rotation rod that holds and inserts the diverter valve core into the drilled hole in the distribution pipe, and by rotating the adjustment screw on the height adjustment member, making it easy to accommodate saddle-equipped diverter valves with different component lengths and heights.

The rotation rod has a hollow cavity formed in its lower half, with a through-hole drilled through it that connects to the interior gap with the outer sleeve (described below). Furthermore, abutment surfaces are formed on the outer surface, the top of which is connected to the lower part of the handle fixing member, and the lower end is connected to a faucet attachment member that is attached to a saddle-type faucet, and is rotatably mounted within the outer sleeve.

A core mounting member is connected to the lower end of the rotation operating rod, which abuts against the drilled hole in the distribution pipe, ensuring a structure that allows the distribution valve core to be smoothly inserted into the drilled hole in the distribution pipe.

By configuring the rotation control rod as described above, when it is propelled downward, running water enters the interior gap between the rotation control rod and the outer sleeve through the through-hole, equalizing the pressure in the hollow cavity of the rotation control rod and the interior gap, allowing the rotation control rod to be propelled smoothly.

As described above, the present invention provides a height adjustment mechanism for the handle fixing member and height adjustment member, making it compatible with saddle-equipped diverter valves of different heights. It also separates the process of lowering the core to near its installation position from the process of expanding the core's diameter. Because the lowering process uses the same pressure structure, the rotation operating rod can be lowered easily, reducing the number of handle rotations. Furthermore, the core's diameter is expanded once the tapered portion touches the top of the drilled hole, minimizing the amount of rotation work required.

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional front view of a saddle-equipped branch valve core insertion machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is an overall front view showing the main structure of the right half of the rotation operating rod of the core insertion machine as a vertical cross section, with the water distribution valve core held and attached to the core mounting member and inserted downward into the drilled hole in the pipe. FIG. 10 is an overall front view showing the state in which the diverter valve core is inserted into the drainage pipe drilling hole and the core insertion device is removed from the diverter valve. Similarly, this is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional front view of the contact point between the water distribution pipe drilling hole and the tip of the water distribution valve core, showing the state in which the tapered portion of the water distribution valve core, which has been inserted down to the drilling hole in the water distribution pipe, is abutting against the top of the water distribution pipe drilling hole. FIG. 10 is a plan view of a pressing member that prevents the handle fixing member from slipping out of the outer sleeve. FIG. 6 is a right side view of the pressing member shown in FIG. 5 .

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a rotational operating rod, on the top of which a height adjustment member 3 is rotatably mounted. The height adjustment member 3 has an adjustment male thread 31 threaded thereon that threadably engages with a handle fixing member 2 set below. An adjustment female thread 21 is threaded into the inner periphery of the upper part of the handle fixing member 2 to adjust its position by threading with the adjustment male thread 31 of the height adjustment member 3.

The rotation operating rod 1 has a hollow cavity 12 formed in its lower half, which has a through-hole 13 drilled through it that leads to the interior gap 51 between it and the outer sleeve 5 (described below). The outer surface of the outer sleeve 5 has an abutment surface 52 that indicates the lowered position where the water distribution valve core C is inserted into the water distribution pipe drilling hole P1 and the tip is expanded in diameter. The retaining flange 11 prevents the rod from slipping out of the outer sleeve in the upward direction. An O-ring that moves within the interior gap 51 for pressure equalization is attached to the retaining flange 11.

The top of the outer sleeve 5 is mated with the lower part of the handle fixing member 2, and the water faucet mounting member 8 is connected to the lower end, and is internally mounted with an O-ring that acts as a water stop member for the rotation operating rod 1.

The handle fixing member 2 is attached to the upper end of the outer sleeve 5 by threading handle bars 6 for rotation operation onto both sides of the rotating rod 1, which is movable up and down. After adjusting the height by rotating the height adjustment member 3, the handle fixing member 2 is propelled downward by the handle bars 6 to expand the diameter of the water faucet core C and crimp it. The retaining member 4 is rotated by a tool groove 41 engraved on its top surface, and the male thread 42 engraved on the bottom threads into a female thread engraved on the inner circumference of the outer sleeve 5, preventing the handle fixing member 2 from slipping out.

As described above, the rotation control rod 1 is installed inside the outer sleeve 5, leaving an interior gap 51. Therefore, when the rotation control rod 1 is propelled downward, running water enters the interior gap 51 between the rotation control rod 1 and outer sleeve 5 through the core mounting member 7, the rotation control rod 1, and the through-hole 13, equalizing the pressure in the hollow cavity of the rotation control rod and the interior gap, allowing the rotation control rod to be smoothly propelled downward.

To install the saddle-equipped faucet core insertion device of the present invention, a saddle-equipped faucet W is attached to the distribution pipe P at the distribution location, a faucet hole is drilled, the core insertion device is attached, and the height adjustment member 3 is pushed down to thread onto the adjustment female thread 21. The handle fixing member 2 is then rotated downward until its lower end abuts the abutment surface 52 of the outer sleeve. This inserts the faucet core C into the distribution pipe drilling hole P1 and presses it into the drilling hole P1. The height adjustment member 3 and the rotation operating rod 1 are rotatable relative to each other, and it is preferable to prevent the rotation operating rod 1 from rotating while the handle fixing member descends its lowering length R, thereby preventing the faucet core C from rotating and damaging it. When installing a faucet with a different nominal diameter, an adapter can be used between the faucet mounting member 8 and the saddle-equipped faucet W.

Once the splitter valve core C has been inserted into the drilled hole, the handle fixing member 2 is rotated upward until it abuts the lower part of the retaining member 4, and then the handle fixing member 2 and height adjustment member 3 are unscrewed and pulled up further to return the height adjustment member 3 and handle fixing member 2 to their original positions before they were attached, and the splitter valve core insertion tool can be removed.

The saddle-equipped diverter valve core insertion machine of the present invention accommodates height adjustment for saddle-equipped diverter valves of different heights by providing height adjustment mechanisms for the handle fixing member and height adjustment member. Furthermore, the process of lowering the diverter valve core to near the installation position and the process of expanding the core are separated and the lowering process is performed under the same pressure as described above. This makes it easy to lower the rotation operating rod, reducing the number of handle rotations. Furthermore, the diverter valve core is expanded from the top of the drilled hole, minimizing the rotation work, making it highly valuable for the waterworks industry.

1 Rotation operation rod 11 Anti-slip flange 12 Hollow cavity portion of rotation operation rod 13 Through hole 2 Handle fixing member 21 Adjustment female screw of handle fixing member 3 Height adjustment member 31 Adjustment male screw of height adjustment member 4 Retaining member 5 Outer sleeve 51 Interior gap 52 Abutment surface of outer sleeve 6 Handle bar 7 Core mounting member 8 Branch valve mounting member C Branch valve core P Distribution pipe P1 Distribution pipe drilling hole portion R Drop length S of handle fixing member Component length W of saddle-equipped branch valve Branch valve with saddle

Claims (3)

A saddle-type faucet core insertion machine for connecting the distribution pipe and the internal space of the saddle-type faucet by inserting a tapered portion formed on one end of a cylindrical faucet core placed in the internal space of the saddle-type faucet into a distribution pipe by protruding the tapered portion from an opening of the saddle-type faucet and expanding the diameter of the inserted tapered portion to make it fit tightly against the distribution pipe,
a cylindrical sleeve disposed on the saddle-equipped branch tap and having one end communicating with the internal space of the saddle-equipped branch tap;
a core mounting member that is disposed in the internal space of the saddle-equipped diverter valve, to which the diverter valve core is attached, and that is pushed into the tapered portion of the diverter valve core to expand the diameter of the tapered portion;
a rod inserted through the sleeve and connected at one end to the core mounting member;
a height adjustment member disposed at the other end of the rod;
a cylindrical handle support member that is screwed onto the outer periphery of the other end of the sleeve;
a handle supported by the handle support member for moving the rod;
Equipped with
The height adjustment member and the handle support member are threadedly connected to each other, and by rotating the height adjustment member relative to the handle support member, the rod is moved axially within the sleeve, which in turn moves the core mounting member and the diverter tap core attached thereto, thereby positioning the diverter tap core in the interior space of the saddle-type diverter tap at a position adjacent to the opening of the saddle-type diverter tap;
By rotating the handle and rotating the handle support member relative to the outer periphery of the other end of the sleeve, the handle support member is moved in the axial direction of the sleeve together with the height adjustment member, and the rod is moved in the axial direction accordingly, thereby further moving the core mounting member toward the water distribution pipe, causing the tapered portion of the water distribution valve core to protrude from the opening and be inserted into the water distribution pipe, and by further pushing the core mounting member into the inserted tapered portion, the tapered portion can be expanded in diameter and brought into close contact with the water distribution pipe.
Saddle-equipped branch faucet core insertion machine. The core mounting member is formed in a cylindrical shape,
The rod has a cylindrical portion on one end side,
the internal space of the core mounting member and the internal space of the cylindrical portion are in communication with each other;
a hole is formed in the peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion, the hole communicating the internal space of the cylindrical portion with a space between the rod and the sleeve;
The saddle-equipped branch tap core insertion machine according to claim 1. The sleeve has a restricting portion on its outer periphery that restricts the handle support member from moving toward one end of the sleeve.
The saddle-equipped branch tap core insertion machine according to claim 1 or 2.