JPH10110881A - Connecting structure body for connector and pipe - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connecting structure body for a connector and a pipe high in reliability, suppressing radial play between a connector and a pipe and improving sealing performance so as to be adaptable to particularly a very low temperature sealing performance test of -40 deg.C. SOLUTION: A connecting structure body consists of a pipe 2 having a locking collar part 21 at the periphery, and a connector 1 provided with a locking member 15 and an O-ring inside. The locking collar part 21 of the pipe 2 inserted from an opening part 12 is engaged with a locking pawl 15a of the locking member 15, and a space to the peripheral surface of the pipe 2, is sealed with the O-ring 16. An annular cap 4 inserted through in sliding contact with the periphery of the pipe 2 is fittingly fixed to the opening part 12 side end part of the conector 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a one-touch connector used as a pipe joint for an automobile,
The present invention relates to a connector-to-pipe connection structure for suppressing backlash between a pipe connected to the connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a pipe joint for an automobile,
Many one-touch connectors as shown in FIG. 1 are used. The connector 1 is made of a cylindrical synthetic resin having a shaft hole 11 at the center of the shaft. The housing 1 has an opening 12 for inserting the pipe 2 at one end, and the tube 3 is fitted to the other end. A concave portion 1 having a diameter larger than that of the opening 12 adjacent to the opening 12 inside the opening 12 inside the one end of the shaft hole 11.
4 are formed.

The recess 1 of the housing 10 of the connector 1
4 is a locking member 1 in which a synthetic resin is annularly formed on one end side.
5 is inserted with a gap 14a in the radial direction, and an O-ring 16 is arranged on the other end side. This O-ring 16
The pressing bush 17 fixed between the locking member 15 at one end and the inner wall at the other end of the housing portion 10 are positioned so as to hardly move in the axial direction.

A pipe 2 inserted into this connector 1
Is made of a synthetic resin or a metal, and has a locking flange 21 on its outer periphery. When the pipe 2 is inserted into the housing part 10 through the opening 12 of the connector 1, the locking flange 21 is engaged with the locking claw 15 a of the locking member 15 of the connector 1.
Is moved while moving along the inclined surface and passes through after being spread, but once the locking claw 15a returns to its original position, the locking flange 21 engages with the locking claw 15a of the locking member 21. Stop and cannot move to one end side. In this way, at the same time that pipe 2 is connected to connector 1,
Is sealed by an O-ring 16 between the outer peripheral surface of the connector 1 and the inner peripheral surface of the connector 1.

However, the locking pawls 15a of the locking member 15 are pushed so as to be able to be pushed out in the radial direction.
Gap 1 in the radial direction between the
4a, when the pipe 2 is connected to the connector 1 and the locking claw 15a returns to its original position, the backlash (play) in the radial direction perpendicular to the axis is large as shown in FIG.
Even if the sealing property can be ensured by the ring 16, there is a problem that the sealing property is lowered at a low temperature. this is,
At low temperatures, the elasticity of the O-ring 16 is impaired, so that the O-ring 16 is displaced by the backlash between the connector 1 and the pipe 2 and the recovery thereof is delayed.

[0006]

As described above, the conventional connector and pipe have a large backlash at the time of connection, and thus have a problem in the sealing property especially at low temperatures. Conventionally, measures such as arranging double O-rings and using O-rings having good low-temperature performance have been taken, but the cost increase due to such measures has been unavoidable.

[0007] Even with such improvement of the O-ring, it has been extremely difficult to pass the sealing test at cryogenic temperatures. In this cryogenic seal test, a tube and a pipe were connected to both ends of the connector at -40 ° C.
While maintaining the pipe at a very low temperature, and applying a force in a direction perpendicular to the axis to the pipe, the presence or absence of leakage of the pressurized gas flowing inside is checked.

The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional situation,
Reliable connector-to-pipe connection structure that suppresses radial play between the connector and the pipe, improves sealing, and is particularly suitable for sealing tests at -40 ° C cryogenic temperatures. The purpose is to provide.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a connector / pipe connection structure provided with a pipe having a locking flange on an outer periphery, a pipe having a shaft hole and one end. A connector provided with a locking member held at one end side of the housing portion and an O-ring attached to the other end side of the housing portion, from an opening formed at one end of the housing portion to the housing portion. In the connection structure of the connector and the pipe, which engages the locking flange portion of the inserted pipe with the locking member and seals the gap with the outer peripheral surface of the pipe with an O-ring, the connector is slidably inserted into the outer circumference of the pipe. The formed annular cap is fitted and held at the opening-side end of the connector.

[0010] The annular cap in the connector-pipe connection structure is divided at one location, and the divided portion can be opened and closed to be inserted into the outer periphery of the pipe. Also, a plurality of radially convex portions and concave portions are alternately formed on the inner periphery of the annular cap, and a plurality of notches are provided in the locking flange portion of the pipe corresponding to the convex portions, and the locking flange portion is formed. The annular cap may be formed so as to be inserted into the outer periphery of the pipe through the notch through the convex portion.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the connection structure of a connector and a pipe according to the present invention, an annular cap inserted into the outer periphery of the pipe is fitted and held at an end of the connector on the opening side to which the pipe is connected. At the same time, the inner circumference of the annular cap is slidably in contact with or close to the outer circumference of the pipe. Therefore, even if a force in the direction perpendicular to the axis is applied to the pipe 2,
Since the outer peripheral surface of the pipe comes into contact with the inner circumference of the annular cap held by the connector, the pipe hardly moves in the radial direction, and the play can be reduced or suppressed.

A specific example of the connector-pipe connection structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the connector 1 is the same as the conventional connector shown in FIG. That is, the shaft hole 1
1 and a pipe 2 at one end.
Housing portion 10 having an opening 12 for inserting
And a connection tube portion 13 for externally fitting the tube to the other end portion.
A recess 14 having a diameter larger than that of the opening 12 is formed adjacent to the opening 12.

At one end of the housing 10 of the connector 1, a locking member 15 made of a synthetic resin in an annular shape is inserted and held so as to be immovable in the axial direction. An O-ring 16 is mounted on the other end of the housing 10. At least a part of the inner periphery of the locking member 15 is formed with a locking claw 15a protruding inward, and one end side surface is tapered. The O-ring 16 is mounted so as to be hardly moved in the axial direction by the pressing bush 17 inserted and fixed between the locking member 15 and the inner wall of the other end of the housing portion 10. .

On the other hand, the pipe 2 inserted into the connector 1 is made of synthetic resin or metal, and has a locking flange 21 on its outer periphery as in the prior art. Therefore, the pipe 2 is moved from the opening 12 of the connector 1 to the housing 10.
When it is inserted into the inside, the locking flange 21 pushes and spreads through the locking claw 15a of the locking member 15 of the connector 1 while moving along the tapered surface. Is returned to its original position, so that the locking flange 21 abuts on the locking claw 15a and cannot move to one end.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the annular cap 4 in this specific example is divided at one place, and the divided portion 41 is opened and closed to be inserted into the outer periphery of the pipe 2. That is, the annular cap 4 is made of synthetic resin or rubber and has an inner portion 42 having an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the pipe 2, and a concave portion formed between the inner portion 42 and the outer portion 43. Is formed. A cut-out portion 45 is provided on the opposite side of the annular cap 4 from the split portion 41, leaving an inner portion 42. When the split portion 41 is opened, the pipe 2 extends from one end of the pipe 2 across the locking flange 21. 2 can be inserted into the outer periphery.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the annular cap 4 inserted into the outer periphery of the pipe 2 closes the open division 41 so that the other end of the pipe 2
Is inserted in sliding contact with the outer periphery of In this state, one end of the pipe 2 is inserted into the opening 12 of the connector 1 and the locking flange 2 is inserted.
1 is a locking claw 15a of a locking member 15 in the housing portion 10.
When the annular cap 4 is slid on the pipe 2 toward the other end after the engagement, the groove 44 of the annular cap 4 is fitted and held at the opening-side end of the connector 1.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the annular cap 4 is held at the end of the connector 1 on the opening side, and the inner part 42 of the annular cap 4 is connected to the outer periphery of the pipe 2 and the opening side of the connector 1. Since it is inserted between the inner peripheral edge of the end portion and fills the gap, the pipe 2 does not move in the radial direction, and the play in the radial direction can be almost eliminated.

FIGS. 7 to 11 show another specific example of the connection structure of the connector and the pipe according to the present invention. The annular cap 5 of this specific example is made of synthetic resin or metal and has an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the pipe 2 as shown in FIG. By cutting out a plurality of portions, the radial projections 51 and the recesses 52 are formed.
Are alternately formed. Also, this annular cap 5
As shown in FIG. 7, the outer peripheral edge 53 is bent at a substantially right angle so that it can be fitted to the opening-side end of the connector 1.

In the case of this specific example, the locking flange 22 of the pipe 2 is not a continuous ring, but a notch 23 through which the convex 51 can pass at a position corresponding to each convex 51 of the annular cap 5. It is provided. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
The annular cap 5 can be inserted from one end of the pipe 2 to the outer periphery of the pipe 2 such that the projection 51 passes through the notch 23 of the locking flange 22.

The annular cap 5 inserted into the outer periphery of the pipe 2 is then rotated in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. 9 so that the projection 51 of the annular cap 5 and the locking flange 22 of the pipe 2 are rotated. Since the position of the notch 23 shifts and the projection 51 overlaps with the locking flange 22, the annular cap 5 is slidably supported on the outer periphery of the pipe 2 without coming off at one end of the pipe 2. In this state, as shown in FIG. 10, one end of the pipe 2 is inserted into the opening 12 of the connector 1, and the locking flange 22 is engaged with the locking claw 15 a of the locking member 15 in the housing 10. After that, the annular cap 5 is connected to the pipe 2
The upper part is slid to the other end side and fitted to the opening side end of the connector 1.

As another method, the annular cap 5 is first fitted and held at the opening side end of the connector 1, and the individual locking flanges 22 of the pipe 2 are attached to the annular cap 5.
It is also possible to insert the pipe 2 into the connector 1 so as to pass through the concave portion 52, and to engage the locking flange 22 of the pipe 2 with the locking member 15 of the connector 1.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, the annular cap 5 is held at the end of the connector 1 on the opening side, and the projections 51 arranged on the inner peripheral side of the annular cap 5 are formed on the outer periphery of the pipe 2. Because it is in contact with or in close proximity, pipe 2
Does not move in the radial direction, and the play in the radial direction can be almost eliminated.

As described above, in the connector / pipe connection structure of the present invention, the annular caps 4 and 5 held by the connector 1 are almost in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the pipe 2.
Even if a radial force is applied to the pipe 2, the radial play of the pipe 2 is small, and the displacement of the O-ring 16 is suppressed to a small value. Therefore, not only the sealing property in the normal state is excellent, but also the sealing property test at an extremely low temperature of −40 ° C. is possible.

Further, since the opening 12 of the connector 1 is almost closed by the annular caps 4 and 5, dust and the like can be prevented from entering the housing 10 of the connector 1 and the sealing portion can be prevented. Excellent dustproof effect.

[0025]

According to the present invention, the backlash in the radial direction between the connector and the pipe can be suppressed, the displacement of the O-ring inside the connector can be minimized, and the sealing performance can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to provide a highly reliable connector-pipe connection structure that can be applied to a sealing test at an extremely low temperature of −40 ° C.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic partially cutaway side view showing a conventional connector-pipe connection structure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic partially cutaway front view showing a state where an annular cap according to the present invention is inserted into a pipe.

FIG. 3 is a schematic partially cutaway side view showing a state where an annular cap according to the present invention is inserted into a pipe.

FIG. 4 is a schematic partially cutaway front view showing a state where an annular cap according to the present invention is inserted into a pipe.

FIG. 5 is a schematic partially cutaway side view showing a state in which the annular cap according to the present invention is fitted to the connector.

FIG. 6 is a schematic partially cutaway side view showing a specific example of the connector-pipe connection structure of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic partially cutaway side view showing a state where another annular cap according to the present invention is inserted into a pipe.

FIG. 8 is a schematic partially cutaway front view showing a state where another annular cap according to the present invention is inserted into a pipe.

FIG. 9 is a schematic partially cutaway front view showing a state in which another annular cap according to the present invention is inserted into a pipe.

FIG. 10 is a schematic partially cutaway side view showing a state in which another annular cap according to the present invention is fitted to the connector.

FIG. 11 is a schematic partially cutaway side view showing another specific example of the connector-pipe connection structure of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 10 Housing part 11 Shaft hole 12 Opening 13 Connection cylinder part 14 Depression 14a Gap 15 Locking member 15a Locking claw 16 O-ring 17 Pressing bush 2 Pipes 21 and 22 Locking flange 23 Notch 3 Tube 4 Ring Cap 41 Dividing part 42 Inner part 43 Outer part 44 Groove part 45 Cutting part 5 Annular cap 51 Convex part 52 Concave part 53 Outer edge

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A pipe having a locking flange on the outer periphery, a shaft having a shaft hole and a housing at one end, and a mounting member held at one end of the housing and mounted on the other end. And a connector provided with an O-ring. The engaging flange of the pipe inserted into the housing portion from the opening formed at one end of the housing portion is engaged with the locking member. In a connector / pipe connection structure in which a gap is sealed with an O-ring, an annular cap inserted in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the pipe is fitted and held at an opening-side end of the connector. And pipe connection structure. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the annular cap is divided at one location, and the divided portion is opened and closed, and the annular cap inserted into the outer periphery of the pipe is fitted and held at the opening side edge of the connector. The connector and pipe connection structure according to claim 1, wherein 3. A plurality of radially convex portions and concave portions are alternately formed on the inner periphery of the annular cap, and a plurality of notches are provided in a locking flange portion of the pipe corresponding to the convex portions. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein an annular cap inserted into the outer periphery of the pipe through a notch of the locking flange and inserted into the outer periphery of the pipe is fitted and held at an opening-side edge of the connector. Pipe connection structure.