JPH11311386A - Coupling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce constitutional parts of a coupling device as an inner housing carries out pressing of a sealing member and falling-stop against the other pipe body. SOLUTION: This coupling device is constituted of an outer housing 1 free to connect a tube, an inner housing 2 built in this outer housing 1 and free to insert a pipe and a seal ring 3 against the pipe. Additionally, the inner housing 2 has a presser surface to press the seal ring 3 inserted into the outer housing 1 from the axial direction and has a lock arm 11 free to flexibly deform to be engaged with a bulge part of the pipe. In this way, as the inner housing 2 is made to be a member capable of doubly and simultaneously carrying out respective falling-stop of the seal ring 3 and the pipe, it is possible to reduce the number of constitutional parts as much.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pipe joint device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, since fuel system piping of an automobile passes between a large number of equipments, it is necessary to use a plurality of pipes to smoothly connect the pipes. There were many. As such a conventional example, FIG.
The structure shown in FIG. Briefly describing the structure, a housing hole 52 capable of receiving a pipe 51 is formed inside the connector main body 50, and the pipe 51 is provided with a substantially C-shaped opening at its entrance side and is capable of expanding and deforming. The retaining ring 53 retains the retaining ring. Also, since it is necessary to secure a seal, the connector body 5
In O, an O-ring 54, a spacer 55, an O-ring 56, and a holding member 57 are sequentially incorporated from the back.

[0003]

Therefore, the structure shown in FIG. 8 has specifications that are used particularly in places where high sealing properties are required, so that a large number of parts can be given to the seal. Is becoming more complicated. However, even if this point is excluded, the members for holding the O-rings 54 and 56 (holding members 57) and the member for preventing the pipe 51 from falling off (retaining ring 53) are provided as dedicated members, respectively. Therefore, it can be said that there is sufficient room for simplifying the structure. The present invention has been developed in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coupling device capable of simplifying the structure.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an outer housing connectable to one of two pipes to be connected, and an outer housing connected to the outer housing. A joint device comprising an inner housing that can be incorporated and can receive the other tubular body and a seal member disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the other tubular body, wherein the joint device is provided at a front portion of the inner housing. A pressing surface is formed to press the seal member against the inner peripheral surface of the outer housing so as to prevent the seal member from coming off, and a rear portion engages with a bulge portion formed to project from the outer peripheral surface of the other tubular body. It is characterized in that a lock arm which can be bent and deformed for preventing the lever from being removed is formed.

According to the invention of claim 2, according to claim 1,
In the above description, the outer housing is formed of a hard resin material in a cylindrical shape, while the inner housing is formed of a material that can be incorporated into the outer housing and has higher elasticity than the outer housing. It is characterized by having.

Further, according to the invention of claim 3, according to claim 1
Or the inner housing has a cylindrical main body that can be housed in the outer housing and into which the other tubular body can be inserted, and a rear end edge of the main body has At least one pair of the lock arms is formed to extend so as to be able to bend and deform in the axial direction, and is provided on an outer wall surface of the outer housing to engage with each of the lock arms to prevent a circumferential displacement of the inner housing. Are formed.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the two pipes are connected, the outer and inner housings are connected. When one of the tubes was connected to the outer housing and the other was inserted into the inner housing, the lock arm was bent and engaged with the bulge portion, so that the tube was prevented from coming off. Held in state. When the other tube is inserted, the pressing surface of the tube presses the sealing member to prevent the sealing member from coming off, so that the sealing property with respect to the tube is ensured.
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the inner housing can simultaneously hold down the seal member and prevent the other tube from coming off, so that the number of components is reduced as compared with the related art. Can be done.

In the joint device of the present invention, since the outer and inner housings are formed separately, they can be formed of different materials. Therefore, if the inner housing having the lock arm is made of a material having higher elasticity, the bending operation of the lock arm becomes smooth, and the insertion operation of the other tube can be performed with a light force. sell. Further, if a hard material is selected as a material for the outer housing incorporating the inner housing, protection for the inner housing can be achieved.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the inner housing is incorporated into the outer housing, each lock arm is engaged with the corresponding slip stopper. With this, even if the inner housing tries to displace in the circumferential direction,
When each lock arm comes into contact with the slip stopper, the displacement operation is regulated. Therefore, the assembling condition of the inner and outer housings becomes stable.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an example of a joint device used for a portion connecting a tube T (one tube of the present invention) and a pipe P (the other tube of the present invention) of a fuel system pipe of an automobile, not shown. To explain.
However, the pressure of the fluid flowing in the pipe P is lower than that of the joint device shown in FIG. Strict seals are not required. The pipe P is made of metal, and a bulge B is formed in a flange shape over the entire circumference at a position near the tip. As shown in FIG. 1, a coupling device according to this embodiment includes an outer housing 1 connected to a tube T, an inner housing 2 incorporated in the outer housing 1 and through which a pipe P can be inserted, and an inner housing 2 inside the outer housing 1. And a seal ring 3 that is disposed on the inner housing 2 and is prevented from falling off.

The outer housing 1 is integrally formed of, for example, glass-containing 12 nylon, and has a through hole 4 formed in the axis thereof. A tapered cylindrical insertion tube 5 extends in the front half of the outer housing 1 along the axial direction, and can be inserted into the tube T. Further, a plurality of protruding edges 6 are formed on the outer periphery of the insertion tube 5 in an annular shape and at a constant pitch to prevent the tube T from easily coming off. Further, a short cylindrical connecting portion 7 is formed continuously with the insertion tube 5, and a larger-diameter receiving tube portion 8 is formed coaxially with the connecting portion 7. I have. The connecting portion 7 and the receiving cylinder 8 are formed so that the pipe P can be inserted thereinto, and the boundary between the connecting portion 7 and the receiving cylinder 8 becomes a step in the outer housing 1 so as to form a step.
Is formed on the locking step surface 9. Further, a pair of cutout recesses 10 (corresponding to the slip stoppers of the present invention) are formed on the side wall surface of the receiving cylinder portion 8. The notch recesses 10 are for fitting a lock arm 11 of the inner housing 2 to be described later, and are cut into a rectangular shape along the axial direction from the rear end surface of the receiving cylinder 8. Further, a pair of locking windows 12 is opened at a position closer to the connection portion 7 on the side wall surface of the receiving cylinder portion 8 and perpendicular to the both cutout recesses 10.

The inner housing 2 is integrally formed of a material having a higher elasticity than the outer housing 1 (for example, 12 nylon). Inner housing 2 is pipe P
The main body 13 has a cylindrical shape through which the inner portion of the outer housing 1 can be inserted. The front end surface of the main body 13 serves as a pressing surface 14 for pressing the seal ring 3 against the locking step surface 9. Further, a pair of retaining claws 15 is arranged on a side surface of the main body 13. The both retaining claws 15 are formed so as to be capable of elastic deformation inward and outward (radial direction of the main body 13), and when the inner housing 2 is incorporated into the outer housing 1, the locking window 12 is formed. The inner housing 2 is prevented from coming off by engaging with the edge of the hole.

A pair of lock arms 11 are provided on the rear end edge of the main body 13 to prevent the pipe P from coming off, and both lock arms 11 are orthogonal to the both stopper claws 15. It is arranged in a position. Further, both lock arms 11 once project horizontally outward in the radial direction at the rear end edge of the main body portion 13 and then extend in the axial direction. Further, as shown in FIG.
When the inner housing 2 is assembled into the outer housing 1, the length of the tip of the lock arm 11 is set to be substantially flush with the tip of the receiving cylinder 8, and the lock arm 11 projects outward. The dimensions are set such that the back surface of the lock arm 11 is substantially flush with the outer surface of the receiving cylinder 8 at the time of assembling. Furthermore, the entire lock arms 11 can be bent outwardly, and when the pipe P is inserted, the lock arms 11 are bent and deformed between the claw portions 11a formed at their distal ends. The bulge B of the pipe P is sandwiched between the pipes P to keep the pipe P from falling off. However, the inner surface of the claw portion 11a located on the distal end side is tapered to be chamfered 16 so that the pipe P can be smoothly inserted.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment configured as described above will be specifically described. When carrying the pipe P to the insertion site, the outer housing 1 and the inner housing 2 are assembled. That is, first, the seal ring 3 is inserted into the outer housing 1 and is brought into contact with the locking step surface 9. Next, the inner housing 2 is inserted into the receiving cylinder 8 of the outer housing 1 from the body 13 side,
Both retaining claws 15 are elastically engaged with the corresponding hole edges of the engaging window 12. Thus, the inner housing 2 is held in a state where the inner housing 2 is prevented from coming off with respect to the outer housing 1. At this time, the two lock arms 11 are fitted into the corresponding notched concave portions 10 of the outer housing 1 respectively. Then, the insertion tube 5 of the outer housing 1 is inserted into the distal end portion of the tube T, and insertion is performed until the distal end of the tube T reaches the connection portion 7.

At the connection site of the pipe P, the pipe P is first inserted into the receiving tube 8 of the outer housing 1. During this time, when the bulge portion B of the pipe P passes through the claw portion 11a, the entire lock arms 11 bend while projecting outward from the receiving tube portion 8 as shown in FIG.
Is allowed. After the passage, when the tip of the pipe P is inserted until it reaches the step at the boundary between the connecting portion 7 and the insertion tube 5, the lock arm 11 is elastically restored, and as a result, the claw portion 11a sandwiches the bulge portion B. As a result, the pipes P are prevented from falling out of the two housings and held. Thus, the connection between the pipe P and the tube T is completed. At this time, the pipe P is pressed against the entire outer peripheral surface of the pipe P by the insertion of the inner housing 2 as described above, and a good sealing state is secured. ing.

As described above, in the joint device according to the present embodiment, the inner housing 2 can be a dual-purpose member for simultaneously preventing the seal ring 3 and the pipe P from coming off, so that the inner housing 2 is different from the conventional structure in which each is a dedicated member. In comparison, the structure can be simplified. Further, since the inner housing 2 is formed of a material having higher elasticity than the outer housing 1, the lock arm 11 is easily bent, and the operability is excellent. In addition, since such an inner housing 2 is accommodated in the outer housing 1 made of a material having higher strength, it is effective for avoiding damage to the inner housing 2. Furthermore, since the inner housing 2 has the lock arms 11 fitted into the cutout recesses 10 of the outer housing 1 with almost no gap, the positional displacement of the inner housing 2 in the circumferential direction is restricted, and both the outer and inner housings are restricted. Can be made stable. Furthermore, the inner housing 2 has the notch recess 10 and the lock arm 1.
Since they are inserted while engaging them with each other, they can also guide insertion.

The present invention can be modified in various ways.
The following modifications are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. The numbers of the lock arms 11, the retaining claws 15, and the corresponding locking windows 12 are not limited. The locking window 12 does not necessarily have to be the through hole 4, but may be a notch formed by cutting the inner wall surface of the outer housing 1. In the present embodiment, the notch recess 10 is shown as the circumferential stopper of the inner housing 2, but instead of the notch recess 10, the inner housing 2 has an inner wall surface extending along the axial direction.
A ridge may be formed for each ridge, and the lock arms 11 may be engaged between the ridges. In that case, the lock arm 11 does not have to be configured to protrude outward.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a coupling device.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a pipe connection operation in a state where the inner housing is assembled in the outer housing.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a state before the inner housing is assembled to the outer housing.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state in which an inner housing is incorporated.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a pipe is being inserted.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a completed state of pipe insertion.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a conventional coupling device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Outer housing 2 ... Inner housing 3 ... Seal ring 11 ... Lock arm 13 ... Main body part 14 ... Holding surface 15 ... Retaining claw B ... Bulge part P ... Pipe (tube) T ... Tube (tube)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An outer housing connectable to one of two pipes to be connected, an inner housing which can be inserted into the outer housing so as to be able to be inserted thereinto and receive the other pipe. A joint device comprising a seal member disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the other tubular body, wherein the seal member is pressed against an inner peripheral surface of the outer housing at a front portion of the inner housing to prevent the inner housing from falling off. A pressing surface is formed, and a rearwardly formed lock arm is formed on the other tube so as to engage with a bulge formed on the outer peripheral surface of the other tube to prevent the tube from coming off. A coupling device. 2. The outer housing is formed of a hard resin material in a cylindrical shape, while the inner housing is formed of a material that can be incorporated in the outer housing and has a higher elasticity than the outer housing. The joint device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The inner housing has a cylindrical main body which can be housed in the outer housing and into which the other tube can be inserted, and at least a pair of rear end edges of the main body are provided. The lock arm is formed to extend so as to be able to bend and deform in the axial direction, and a stopper portion is formed on an outer wall surface of the outer housing to engage with each of the lock arms to prevent a circumferential displacement of the inner housing. The joint device according to claim 1, wherein the joint device is provided.