JPH1137370A - Pipe joint - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically lock a sleeve for operating an advanced locking element, and to improve the workability. SOLUTION: In a pipe joint, a socket 1 and a plug 2 are connected by a locking element 7 by operating a sleeve 10 which inhibits the movement in a centrifugal direction, of the locking element 7 when it is advanced, and releases the inhibition when it is retreated. A stopper 21 obtained by projecting the locking part 20 from an outer periphery of an elastic body 19 which has a C-shaped structure and of which a diameter can be enlarged and reduced, is fitted into a circular groove 18 formed on an outer periphery of a socket body 2 in such manner that the diameter can be enlarged and reduced. In the stopper, the diameter is enlarged by the elastic force when the sleeve 10 is located on the advance position, to lock a rear edge of the sleeve 10 which is going to be retreated, and the diameter of the stopper is reduced against the elastic force when the sleeve 10 is retreated. Whereby the stopper 21 is accommodated inside of the retreated sleeve 10, further an engagement groove 31 is formed with which the stopper 21 is to be engaged when it is accommodated inside of the sleeve 10 when the sleeve 10 is located on the retreat position, and the rear edge side of the engagement groove 31 has a taper face 32 of which a diameter is enlarged toward the point edge side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pipe joint having a lock mechanism for preventing detachment when a sleeve is operated to connect a socket and a plug.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A pipe joint disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-249381 is known as a pipe joint provided with means for preventing such detachment. In this pipe joint, a second sleeve for advancing and pressing the lock ball and retreating and releasing the lock ball is slidably fitted on the outer periphery of the socket provided with the lock ball, and the second sleeve is also fitted on the outer periphery of the socket. A first sleeve having a stopper abutting against the rear end of the second sleeve is slidably fitted on the outer periphery of the first sleeve, and the stopper of the first sleeve slides in the sliding direction of the first sleeve. A notch is formed in the recess. Further, a cylindrical locking member is rotatably fitted on the outer periphery of the socket and located on the retreating side of the first sleeve, and the distal end side of the locking member is engaged with the stopper and escapes. It has a structure in which a lock piece that can be fitted to the portion is provided.

In the pipe joint having such a structure, when not connected, the first sleeve and the second sleeve are retracted by fitting a lock piece of a lock member into an escape portion of the first sleeve. At the time of connection, the lock ball is pressed on the inner peripheral surface of the second sleeve by advancing the first sleeve and the second sleeve, and the socket and the plug are connected. After connecting the socket and the plug, the lock member is rotated to shift the position of the lock piece and the escape portion of the first sleeve. As a result, when the first sleeve attempts to retreat, the stopper of the first sleeve abuts on the lock piece to prevent retraction, thereby preventing the retraction of the second sleeve. When the socket and the plug connected in this manner are separated from each other, the locking member is rotated, and the locking piece and the escape portion of the first sleeve are aligned with each other to release the first sleeve from retraction. Do.

[0004]

However, according to the pipe joint having the above structure, in order to prevent the first sleeve, which has been advanced together with the second sleeve at the time of locking, from retreating, a positive operation such as rotating the lock member is performed. Need. For this reason, the operation of the lock member may be forgotten in some cases. In addition, when connecting the socket and the plug, it is difficult to confirm whether or not the first sleeve is locked (retracted) by the lock member unless the position of the lock piece of the lock member is carefully observed.

In addition, since the unlocking of the first sleeve can be released by an easy operation such as rotating the lock member, attention must be paid to an erroneous operation. Furthermore, since the first sleeve and the second sleeve are fitted to the socket and the lock member, the axial length of the socket increases, which hinders downsizing of the pipe joint.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a pipe joint which automatically locks a sleeve for operating a lock which has been advanced, thereby improving operability.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pipe joint which can easily confirm whether or not a sleeve is in a locked state.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pipe joint which can be reduced in size.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a socket and a plug are connected by the locker by operating a sleeve which moves forward to restrain the locker from moving in the centrifugal direction and retreats to release the lock. A detachably connected pipe joint, wherein a stopper provided by projecting a locking portion on an outer periphery of an elastic body having a substantially C-shaped structure capable of expanding and reducing the diameter of an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the socket body is provided. When the sleeve is in the forward position, the stopper is engaged with the rear end of the sleeve that is to expand and retreat when the sleeve is in the forward position, and the stopper is used when the sleeve is retracted. The stopper is reduced in diameter against the elastic force so as to be accommodated inside the retreating sleeve, and further, on the inner periphery of the sleeve, when the sleeve is in the retreating position, inside the sleeve. The accommodated stopper fits The rear end side of the fitting groove is a tapered surface that increases in diameter toward the front end side, or the rear end side of the stopper is a tapered surface that increases in diameter toward the front end side. Alternatively, the rear end side of the fitting groove and the rear end side of the stopper are tapered surfaces that increase in diameter toward the front end side.

[0010] With this configuration, when the sleeve is retracted, the stopper is pressed against the elastic force of the elastic body to reduce the diameter, so that the stopper can be housed inside the retreating sleeve. The stopper can be retracted, and the stopper is housed inside the retracted sleeve.
When connecting the socket and the plug, when the sleeve moves forward, the stopper released from the sleeve expands in diameter due to the elastic force of the elastic body, and the locking portion locks to the rear end when the sleeve tries to retreat, The sleeve is locked in the forward position to prevent retreat.

When the socket and the plug are separated, the sleeve is retracted by reducing the diameter of the stopper again to a position where it can be accommodated inside the sleeve against the elastic force of the elastic body. . Whether or not the sleeve is in the locked state can be determined by checking whether the stopper is in the state of being housed inside the sleeve, and this check can be easily performed visually. . Further, since the stopper is accommodated inside the sleeve when the sleeve is retracted, the presence of the stopper does not cause an increase in the length of the socket body.

When the sleeve is at the retracted position and the socket and the plug are in a connection standby state, the stopper housed inside the sleeve fits into the fitting groove formed on the inner periphery of the sleeve. Therefore, when the stopper is retracted inside the sleeve by retracting the sleeve, the elastic body whose diameter has been reduced against the elastic force is fitted into the fitting groove formed on the inner periphery of the sleeve. As a result, the elastic body is released from this reduced diameter, and the elastic body is not subjected to stress in the reduced diameter direction, so that the elastic body can maintain its spring property.

Further, when the rear end side of the fitting groove in which the stopper is fitted is formed as a tapered surface having a diameter increasing toward the front end side, when a force in the forward direction acts on the retreating sleeve, The rear end of the stopper is pressed by the tapered surface of the fitting groove, and the rear end of the stopper slides on the tapered surface in the small-diameter direction of the tapered surface by this pressing, whereby the elastic body is reduced in diameter, and the sleeve moves forward. I do. The stopper released from the sleeve by the advance of the sleeve expands in diameter due to the elastic force of the elastic body, and locks at the rear end when the sleeve attempts to retreat, so that the sleeve is locked at the advance position and the retraction is prevented. You.

Further, the rear end of the stopper fitted in the fitting groove is formed as a tapered surface having a diameter increasing toward the front end, so that a forward force acts on the retreating sleeve. The tapered surface of the stopper is pressed by the rear end side of the fitting groove, and the pressing causes the rear end side of the fitting groove to slide on the tapered surface of the stopper in the large-diameter direction of the tapered surface. The diameter is reduced and the sleeve is advanced.

[0015] Further, the rearward side of the fitting groove and the rear end side of the stopper are tapered so as to increase in diameter toward the front end side, so that a forward force acts on the retreating sleeve. At this time, the tapered surface of the stopper is pressed by the tapered surface of the fitting groove, and the pressing causes the tapered surface of the fitting groove to slide on the tapered surface of the stopper in the large-diameter direction of the tapered surface, thereby causing the elastic body to move. The diameter is reduced and the sleeve is advanced. The diameter reduction of the elastic body due to the advance of the sleeve is performed by the taper surface of the stopper being pressed by the taper surface of the fitting groove. Since the movement is performed by sliding on the taper surface of the stopper, a smoother diameter reduction operation can be obtained.

Further, a positioning projection for determining a circumferential position between the stopper and the fitting groove of the sleeve is formed on an outer periphery of the elastic body, and the positioning projection is formed on the sleeve only in the axial direction. It is preferable to form a positioning engagement groove that movably engages.

With this configuration, when the sleeve is retracted, the positioning projection formed on the elastic body and the positioning engagement groove of the sleeve guide the stopper housed inside the sleeve into the fitting groove of the sleeve. When housed inside the sleeve, the stopper securely fits into the fitting groove of the sleeve.

[0018]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows an example of an embodiment of a pipe joint according to the present invention.
1 is a socket, 2 is a cylindrical socket main body, and 3 is a cylindrical adapter which forms the socket 1 together with the socket main body 2. The socket body 2 has a small-diameter portion 4 at a front portion and a large-diameter portion 5 at a rear portion. A plurality of holes 6 are formed in a distal end portion of the small-diameter portion 4 in a circumferential direction. 7 are fitted so that they can come and go. In this embodiment, a lock claw is used in the lock 7, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a lock ball or a pin may be used.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a collar which is slidably fitted to the inner periphery of the distal end side of the socket body 2 and supports the locker 7 so as not to protrude to the inner periphery of the socket body 2. When the plug is connected, it is pushed by the plug and retreats against the resilience of the spring 9, disengages from the lock 7, and projects the lock 7 into the socket body 2. Is made possible.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a sleeve which is slidably fitted to the outer periphery of the socket body 2 to prevent and release the lock 7 from moving in the centrifugal direction. The sleeve 10 has a small-diameter inner peripheral tube portion 11 fitted on the small-diameter portion 4 of the socket body 2 on the front side, and a large-diameter inner peripheral tube portion 12 fitted on the large-diameter portion 5 of the socket body 2 on the rear side. And the inner peripheral surface of the small-diameter inner peripheral cylindrical portion 11 serves as a locker restraining surface 13 that presses the locker 7 in a centripetal direction. A recess 14 is formed on the distal end side of the small-diameter inner peripheral cylindrical portion 11 to release the locking of the lock 7, and the side wall of the recess 14 moves the lock 7 in the centripetal direction when the sleeve 10 advances (moves in the distal direction). The inclined surface 15 is pressed and moved.

A spring 16 is interposed between the step portion of the small-diameter inner peripheral cylindrical portion 11 of the sleeve 10 and the step portion of the large-diameter portion 5 of the socket body 2, and biases the sleeve 10 in the forward direction.
Reference numeral 7 denotes a sleeve 10 which has been urged by a spring 16 and moved forward.
Is a restricting portion that locks the sleeve 10 and positions the sleeve 10 at a position where the locker restraining surface 13 restrains the locker 7.

Reference numeral 18 denotes an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the large-diameter portion 5 of the socket main body 2. When the sleeve 10 is at the retracted position, the annular groove 18 is located almost inside the sleeve 10. When 10 is in the forward position,
The annular groove 18 is formed so that a substantially half portion in the axial direction is exposed.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a stopper.
Has a configuration in which a locking portion 20 is provided so as to protrude from an outer periphery of an elastic body 19 having a substantially C-shaped structure capable of expanding and reducing the diameter, and has a width substantially equal to the width of the annular groove 18. It is fitted in the annular groove 18 such that the diameter can be increased and reduced.

The thickness of the portion of the stopper 21 where the locking portion 20 is provided on the elastic body 19 is such that the elastic body 19 is shrunk against the elastic force thereof in relation to the depth of the annular groove 18. When the diameter is reduced and the elastic body 19 is reduced in diameter, the thickness is set to be accommodated in the large-diameter inner peripheral cylindrical portion 12 of the sleeve 10. When the elastic body 19 is in the expanded state due to its elastic force, the outer diameter of the elastic body 19 is set to be substantially the same as the diameter of the large-diameter inner peripheral cylindrical portion 12 of the sleeve 10. .

On the inner periphery of the large-diameter inner peripheral cylinder portion 12 of the sleeve 10, the stopper 2 housed inside the large-diameter inner peripheral cylinder portion 12 of the sleeve when the sleeve 10 is at the retracted position is locked. A fitting groove into which the part 20 fits is formed. In the fitting groove 31, the locking portion 20 of the stopper 21
Are formed at a depth that allows the fitting groove 31 to be completely fitted.
The diameter of the elastic body 19 when the engaging portion 20 is fitted to the elastic member 19 is the same as the diameter of the elastic body 19 whose diameter is expanded by the release of the engaging portion 20 due to the advance of the sleeve 10. .

The fitting groove 31 has a tapered surface 32 whose rear end side gradually increases in diameter toward the front end side. Similarly, even in the locking portion 20 of the stopper 21 that is provided to protrude from the outer periphery of the elastic body 19 and fits in the fitting groove 31 when housed inside the sleeve 10, the rear end side is the front end side. The tapered surface 33 gradually increases in diameter toward. The inclination angle of the tapered surface 33 is formed substantially the same as the tapered surface 32 of the fitting groove 31.

An engaging portion 20 provided on the outer periphery of the elastic body 19
Are provided at two symmetrical positions in this example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be provided over the entire circumference of the elastic body 19. In this case, the fitting groove 31 is also provided. It is provided over the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface of the large-diameter inner peripheral cylindrical portion 12 of the sleeve 10.

Further, in this embodiment, a positioning projection 34 for determining the circumferential position of the engaging portion 20 and the fitting groove 31 of the sleeve 10 is formed on the outer periphery of the elastic body 19, and A positioning engagement groove 35 is formed in the large-diameter inner peripheral cylindrical portion 12 so as to movably engage the positioning projection 34 only in the axial direction.

When the locking portion 20 is provided over the entire circumference of the elastic body 19, the positioning projection 34 and the positioning engagement groove 35 are not required.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a plug, and reference numeral 23 denotes an engagement groove formed on the outer periphery of the plug 22. Reference numeral 24 denotes an O-ring for sealing by pressing against the outer peripheral surface of the plug 22 inserted into the socket 1;
Reference numeral 5 denotes a seal ring that presses against and seals the tip of the plug 22.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, when connecting the socket 1 and the plug 22, the sleeve 10 of the socket 1 is placed in a retracted state. This state is performed as follows. The elastic body 19 provided with the locking portion 20 forming the stopper 21 is pressed in the centripetal direction to reduce the diameter, and the sleeve 10 is
The stopper 21 is retracted against the elastic force of
When the engaging portion 20 reaches the position of the fitting groove 31 of the sleeve 10, the inner peripheral surface of the large-diameter inner peripheral cylindrical portion 12 of the sleeve 10 is reduced in diameter. The elastic body 19 that has been pressed in the direction is released from the pressing and expands in diameter, and the locking portion 20 fits into the fitting groove 31.

When the sleeve 10 is retracted, the locking portion 2 of the stopper 21 housed inside the sleeve 10
0 is the sleeve 10 by the positioning projection 34 formed on the elastic body 19 and the positioning engagement groove 35 of the sleeve 10.
The locking portion 20 is securely fitted in the fitting groove 31 of the sleeve 10 when guided by the fitting groove 31 of the sleeve 10 and housed inside the sleeve 10.

Then, by the retreat of the sleeve 10,
The lock 7 at the distal end of the socket body 2 is released from the lock restraining surface 13 of the sleeve 10, and the lower part is supported by the collar 8 which is advanced by the bias of the spring 9, and the upper part is the outer periphery of the socket body 2. To the sleeve 1
It enters the concave portion 14 of 0. As a result, the inclined surface 15 of the retreating sleeve 10 is locked to the lock 7 in the recess 14, whereby the sleeve 10 is prevented from advancing and held in the retreated state. As described above, when the socket 1 and the plug 22 are in the connection standby state, the locking portion 2
Since 0 is fitted in the fitting groove 31, no stress is applied in the diameter reducing direction, so that the elastic body 19 can maintain its spring property (FIG. 1).

When the plug 22 is inserted into the socket 1 with the sleeve 10 retracted in this way, the collar 8 is retracted by the inserted plug 22 to release the support of the lock 7, and the outer periphery of the inserted plug 22 When the formed engaging groove 23 coincides with the locking element 7, the locking element 7, which is pressed in the centripetal direction by the inclined surface 15 of the sleeve 10, moves in the centripetal direction, and its lower part projects into the socket 1 and the plug 22 In the engaging groove 23. Thereby, the inclined surface 15
The sleeve 10 released from the locked state between the sleeve 10 and the lock 7 is urged in the forward direction by the elastic force of the compressed spring 16, and the fitting groove 3 of the sleeve 10 urged in the forward direction is
The tapered surface 33 of the locking portion 20 is pressed in the centripetal direction by the first tapered surface 32, and the tapered surface 32 of the fitting groove 31 is pressed by the pressing to the tapered surface 3 of the locking portion 20 of the stopper 21.
By sliding on the tapered surface 33 in the large diameter direction, the elastic body 19 is reduced in diameter, and the sleeve 10 moves forward. The diameter of the elastic body 19 is reduced by the advance of the sleeve 10 because the tapered surface 33 of the locking portion 20 of the stopper 21 is
The diameter of the elastic body 19 is reduced by sliding the tapered surface 32 of the fitting groove 31 on the tapered surface 33 of the locking portion 20 of the stopper 21 at this time. Therefore, a smoother diameter reduction operation can be obtained.

With the sleeve 10 advanced in this manner, the locking member restraining surface 13 restrains the locking member 7 to prevent the locking member 7 from coming off the engagement groove 23, and the socket 1 and the plug 22 are connected. At this time, as the sleeve 10 advances, the stopper 21 housed in the retreated sleeve 10 is released from the restraint of the sleeve 10 and the elastic body 19
The engaging portion 20 is engaged with the rear end of the sleeve 10 to prevent the sleeve 10 from retreating. (FIG. 3).

When the socket 1 and the plug 22 connected in this manner are separated from each other, the engaging portion 20 engaged with the rear end of the sleeve 10 is centriped against the elastic force of the elastic body 19. By pressing in the direction to reduce the diameter of the resilient body 19,
The locking portion 20 is moved to a position where it can be accommodated in the large-diameter inner peripheral cylindrical portion 12 of the sleeve 10, and the sleeve 10 is retracted.
As a result, the lock 7 is fixed to the lock restraining surface 13 of the sleeve 10.
And the plug 22 can be removed from the socket 1, and the socket 1 is in the state shown in FIG.

[0037]

As described above, according to the pipe joint according to the present invention, when the sleeve is advanced and the socket and the plug are connected, the stopper automatically expands in diameter and is locked at the rear end of the sleeve. Since the sleeve is locked, there is no need to worry about forgetting to lock the sleeve after connecting the socket and plug.
The structure is excellent in operability, and a structure in which unreasonable stress does not always act on the stopper, so that a stable lock mechanism can be obtained and durability can be improved. Further, since the stopper is provided on the socket body so as to be able to expand and contract only in the centrifugal direction and is accommodated in the sleeve when the sleeve is retracted, the presence of the stopper does not cause an increase in the length of the socket. Therefore, a compact pipe joint can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing a main part of an embodiment of a socket for a pipe joint according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view showing a state where the socket and the plug shown in FIG. 1 are connected.

FIG. 3 shows the embodiment shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a partially omitted perspective view showing a state in which a stopper is housed inside a sleeve.

FIG. 4 shows the embodiment shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a partially omitted perspective view showing a state in which a stopper is outside a rear end of a sleeve.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Socket 2 Socket body 3 Adapter 4 Small diameter part 5 Large diameter part 6 Hole 7 Locker 8 Collar 9 Spring 10 Sleeve 11 Small diameter inner peripheral cylinder part 12 Large diameter inner peripheral cylinder part 13 Locker restraining surface 14 Depression 15 Slope 16 Spring 17 regulating part 18 annular groove 19 elastic body 20 locking part 21 stopper 22 plug 23 engagement groove 24 O-ring 25 packing 31 fitting groove 32 taper surface 33 taper surface 34 positioning protrusion 35 positioning engagement groove

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A sleeve which moves forward to inhibit movement of the locking element in the centrifugal direction and retreats to release the inhibition,
A pipe joint for detachably connecting a socket and a plug with the locking element, wherein the pipe joint is engaged with an outer periphery of an elastic body having a substantially C-shaped structure capable of expanding and contracting in an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the socket body. A stopper provided with a protruding portion is fitted so as to be able to expand and reduce the diameter, and the stopper is provided at the rear end of the sleeve which is to expand and retreat by the elastic force when the sleeve is at the advanced position. Locking and, when the sleeve is retracted, the stopper is reduced in diameter against the elastic force so that the stopper is accommodated inside the retreating sleeve, and further, a sleeve is provided on the inner periphery of the sleeve. When the stopper housed inside the sleeve is in the retracted position, a fitting groove into which the stopper is fitted is formed, and the rear end side of the fitting groove is a tapered surface that increases in diameter toward the front end side. Characteristic pipe joint. 2. A sleeve which moves forward to inhibit movement of the locking element in the centrifugal direction and retreats to release the inhibition,
A pipe joint for detachably connecting a socket and a plug with the locking element, wherein the pipe joint is engaged with an outer periphery of an elastic body having a substantially C-shaped structure capable of expanding and contracting in an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the socket body. A stopper provided with a protruding portion is fitted so as to be able to expand and reduce the diameter, and the stopper is provided at the rear end of the sleeve which is to expand and retreat by the elastic force when the sleeve is at the advanced position. Locking and, when the sleeve is retracted, the stopper is reduced in diameter against the elastic force so that the stopper is accommodated inside the retreating sleeve, and further, a sleeve is provided on the inner periphery of the sleeve. When the stopper is in the retracted position, a fitting groove is formed in which the stopper housed inside the sleeve fits, and the stopper has a tapered surface whose rear end side becomes larger in diameter toward the front end side. A pipe joint characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. A sleeve which moves forward to inhibit the locker from moving in the centrifugal direction and retreats to release the inhibition,
A pipe joint for detachably connecting a socket and a plug with the locking element, wherein the pipe joint is engaged with an outer periphery of an elastic body having a substantially C-shaped structure capable of expanding and contracting in an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the socket body. A stopper provided with a protruding portion is fitted so as to be able to expand and reduce the diameter, and the stopper is provided at the rear end of the sleeve which is to expand and retreat by the elastic force when the sleeve is at the advanced position. Locking and, when the sleeve is retracted, the stopper is reduced in diameter against the elastic force so that the stopper is accommodated inside the retreating sleeve, and further, a sleeve is provided on the inner periphery of the sleeve. When the stopper is in the retracted position, a fitting groove is formed in which the stopper housed inside the sleeve fits, and the rear end side of the fitting groove and the rear end side of the stopper are each increased in diameter toward the front end side. Characterized by a tapered surface Joint. 4. A positioning projection is formed on an outer periphery of the elastic body to determine a circumferential position between the locking portion and a fitting groove of the sleeve, and the positioning projection is formed on the sleeve in an axial direction. 4. The pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein a positioning engagement groove is formed so as to be movably engaged only with the pipe joint.