JPS6357676B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a pipe joint, and more particularly to a pipe joint that is suitable for use with flexible pipes made of nylon, polyurethane, etc., and in particular allows the pipe to be attached and detached reliably and smoothly. Regarding.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, various structures have been developed as pipe joints for connecting flexible pipes for transferring fluid.

This type of pipe joint has a plurality of pieces, for example, 4 pieces, which are arranged on the inner wall of the joint body at equal intervals in the circumferential direction so as to narrow toward the back from the insertion end of the pipe. When inserting a tube, the tips of the locking claws are pushed apart by the tube end to allow insertion of the tube, and when the tube is moved in the direction of removal, the tube is held back by frictional force etc. It is designed to be embedded into the outer wall of the building to prevent it from falling out.

In addition, when the tube is removed, a release means such as a release ring is separately provided to forcefully release the tip of the lock claw from being wedged into the outer wall of the tube.

The structure of the lock claw of a conventional pipe joint like this is
Since the locking pawl itself requires a certain degree of rigidity, the locking pawl itself is made relatively thick to ensure the necessary rigidity, and the tip of the pawl is made to have a good grip on the outer wall of the pipe. Focusing only on the shape,
For example, it was formed into a sharp blade shape.

However, when formed as described above, the lock pawl itself has rigidity and lacks elasticity, so once the blade of the lock pawl slips on the outer wall of the pipe, the lock pawl cannot easily follow the movement of the pipe, and the lock pawl itself becomes stiff. The problem is that the adhesion is extremely poor. The above disadvantages are particularly noticeable when the tube is made of a relatively hard material.
In order for the lock pawl to easily follow the movement of the pipe, the lock pawl itself needs to be formed thin, but it lacks rigidity.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventor punched out a flat elastic body such as phosphor bronze in an annular shape, as shown in FIG. He proposed a locking body in which notches 1 and 2 were formed alternately and filed a patent application (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 81293/1983).

As shown in FIG. 2, this locking body 3 is fitted and held in a groove 6 provided in the guide ring 5 of the joint body 4, and has a notch 2 formed in the outer wall of the pipe 7 to be inserted. The inner diameter end edge of No. 3 is made to bite into it. Reference numeral 8 denotes an elastic sleeve, which abuts the inner diameter edge portion from inside to supplement the elasticity of the inner diameter edge portion. Further, reference numeral 9 denotes a release ring which, when inserted in the axial direction when the tube is removed, spreads out the inner diameter edge of the locking body 3 to enable the tube 7 to be removed.

Since the locking body 3 has a ring shape connected in a zigzag pattern, when the tube 7 is inserted and the inner diameter edge is pushed apart, the reaction force of twisting near the inner diameter edge in the tube insertion direction, etc. A strong spring characteristic unique to the ring-like shape is created. Therefore, even if the locking body 3 itself is formed into a thin wall shape, strong spring properties can be obtained in combination with the replenishment of elasticity from the elastic sleeve 8. Furthermore, this spring force is different from conventional rigid ones, and is a so-called strong spring force, so it easily follows the outer wall of the tube even if the tube moves slightly in the direction of withdrawal after insertion. However, it embeds into the outer wall of the pipe and effectively prevents it from coming out, and once it is embeded into the outer wall of the pipe, it does not generate more than necessary penetration force, which may cause problems such as embedding marks on the outer wall of the pipe due to aging. It has the advantage of not being

However, since the above-mentioned locking body 3 is formed into a flat plate shape as a whole, it has been found that there are the following difficulties. That is, as the tube 7 is pushed in, the inner diameter edge of the locking body 3 is pushed out using the outer diameter edge as a fulcrum, but this deformation occurs because the locking body 3 is flat. This will cover the entire area. To explain in more detail, when the inner diameter edge is pushed wider by the insertion of the tube, the notch 2 on the inner diameter edge tends to widen due to the tensile force acting on the zigzag connection, and conversely, the outer diameter edge The notch 1 of is narrowed. As a result, when the inner diameter edge is pushed out, the outer diameter edge becomes smaller, and when the tube 7 is pushed in, the fulcrum of the outer diameter edge in the groove 6 shifts as shown by the broken line in Figure 3. , the angle of inclination of the inner diameter edge with respect to the outer wall of the tube 7 becomes gentler than the set value, and the attachment of the inner diameter edge to the outer wall of the tube 7 becomes worse, and in some cases, the outer diameter edge may come off from the groove 6. There is also a risk that the

Problems also arise when the tube 7 is removed by the release ring 9. That is, when the locking body 3 is embedded in the outer wall of the tube 7 at the above-mentioned misaligned position, the locking body 3 is deeper than the set position and is deformed and tilted to a greater extent than the set position, and is embedded in the outer wall of the pipe 7. In order to release the engagement of the locking body 3 with the release ring 9, the release ring 9 must be pushed further inward than the set position, which not only makes it difficult to remove and remove easily, but also reduces the insertion distance of the release ring 9. If there is a limit to this, the problem arises that it cannot be removed. Furthermore, at the time of removal, it is necessary to further deform the locking body 3, which has been deformed more than the setting as described above, to release the biting, so that the above deformation exceeds the elastic limit of the locking body 3. , a situation may occur in which it becomes impossible to reuse.

Also, when the locking body 3 is wedged into the outer wall of the tube 7 at the position where the locking body 3 returns from the above-mentioned deviated position to the normal position in the groove 6 due to its elastic force, the tube 7 is pushed back in the withdrawal direction when returning. Because it will get stuck,
The tube 7 may not be fixed at the predetermined insertion position, causing fluid leakage, and if the release ring 9 is pushed in during removal, the tube 7 may be pushed slightly to the initial insertion position while being embedded in the locking body 3. Since the release ring 9 tries to push out the inner diameter edge of the locking body 3,
The situation is exactly the same as in the above case, and the same difficulties as above occur.

The present invention relates to the above-mentioned improvements, and its purpose is to provide a pipe joint that allows pipes to be attached and detached more reliably and smoothly. A locking body that prevents movement of the tube inserted into the joint body in the withdrawal direction by having its locking end embedded in the outer wall surface of the tube, and a locking body that presses the locking end of the locking body at a moving position. and a release ring supported movably within a predetermined range at least in the axial direction of the joint body in order to control the biting of the locking end into the pipe, the locking body having an inner diameter A plurality of radial cuts are formed alternately from each of the end edge and the outer diameter edge, and the outer peripheral edge side where the cuts are formed is bent in the insertion direction of the tube over a certain width. The bent outer peripheral edge is fitted and held in an annular groove provided in the joint body, and the locking end is defined by the inner diameter edge in which the notch is formed. .

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 10 denotes a nearly cylindrical joint body, and inside this, a first step 11, a second step 12, and a third step 13 are formed from the tube insertion end side. Its inner diameter is gradually reduced. 14 is the flange 1 on the first step 11.
5 is a substantially cylindrical guide ring fixed in the joint body 10 to be joined, and a regulating step 16 is provided on the inner wall in the axial direction of the guide ring, and an annular groove 17 is provided around the inner end thereof. has been done. The inner diameter of the joint body 10 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the nylon or polyurethane tube 18 to be inserted due to the second step 12, and the third step 13
The insertion tip of the tube 18 to be inserted is positioned by this.

Reference numeral 19 denotes an elastic sleeve, which is made of an elastic member such as rubber and molded into a substantially cylindrical shape, and is held between the second step 12 of the joint body 10 and the guide ring 14, and is and tube 1
It seals between 8. This elastic sleeve 1
There are annular relief grooves 20 and 21 on both end edges of 9, respectively.
is recessed.

22 is a locking body, which is made by punching a thin (about 0.2 mm), flat plate-like elastic material such as phosphor bronze into an annular shape, and has an inner diameter edge and an outer diameter edge. A large number of radial cuts 23, 24 are alternately formed from each of the radial cuts 23, 24.

The locking body 22 has its outer diameter edge loosely fitted into the annular groove 17, and its inner diameter edge sinks into the outer wall of the tube 18 into which it is inserted to prevent the tube 18 from slipping out. In the invention, the outer circumferential edge of the locking body 22 on the side where the notch 24 is formed is bent toward the insertion direction of the tube 18 over a predetermined width to form a dogleg-shaped cross section, and the outer peripheral edge is adapted to come into contact with the corresponding corner periphery of the annular groove 17 or the wall surface of the annular groove 17 on the corner periphery side.

25 is a substantially cylindrical release ring (fourth
), the enlarged diameter step 26 comes into contact with the regulating step 16 of the guide ring 14, while the guide ring 1
It is fitted and supported by the guide ring 14 so that its axial movement range is restricted by the collar portion 27 coming into contact with the tube insertion end of the tube 4 . The outer circumferential surface of the release ring 25 is formed in a tapered shape such that the diameter decreases from the diameter-enlarging step 26 toward the tip, and the inner diameter edge of the locking body 22 is pushed toward the elastic sleeve 19 at the tip. ing. As a result, the inner diameter edge of the locking body 22 is deformed into a conical shape, and the inner diameter edge is positioned so as to slightly protrude inward from the outer wall surface of the tube 18 into which it is inserted.

In the above configuration, when the tube 18 is inserted into the joint body 10 from the direction of the release ring 25, the tube 1
8 pushes the inner diameter edge of the locking body 22 apart from the tube outer wall surface while resisting the elastic force of the inner diameter edge and the elasticity of the elastic sleeve 19 in contact with the inner diameter edge;
The tube 18 is inserted until the tip reaches a predetermined position where it abuts the third step 13. In this case, the outer peripheral edge of the locking body 22 is bent in the direction of insertion of the tube 18, and the outer diameter edge of the locking body 22 contacts the corresponding corner of the annular groove 17 or the wall surface of the annular groove 17 on the corner side. Because it is, tube 18
The pressing force on the locking body 22 caused by the insertion of the locking body 22 causes the outer diameter edge, which is the bottom ridge of the truncated cone formed by the bent part of the outer periphery of the locking body 22, to be applied to the corner or wall surface. You can receive it through And in this case,
The truncated cone formed by the above-mentioned bent portion is strong in shape and will not be crushed by the above-mentioned pressing force, and as in the above-mentioned conventional example, the inner diameter edge is pushed wide and the notch 23 Even if an action that tends to open occurs, in the case of the present invention, since the outer diameter edge is pressed against the corner periphery or wall surface,
Contrary to the conventional example, the notch 24 still has the effect of trying to open, so that the outer diameter edge is not narrowed to a small diameter and the outer diameter edge is misaligned within the annular groove 17, as in the conventional case. do not have. Furthermore, in the present invention, the inner diameter edge is located at the fourth edge due to the balance of the overall force such as the strength of the bent portion being large and the action of opening both the notches 23 and 24 as described above. As shown in the figure, it deforms in such a way that it is pushed outward using the vicinity of the base of the bent part as a fulcrum. Since the radius is small, it can penetrate into the outer wall of the tube 18 quickly.
On the other hand, when the tube 18 is removed, the release ring 25 is pushed in, so that the tube 18 is quickly released from being wedged into the outer wall.

In addition, the reaction force that the outer diameter edge of the locking body 22 receives from the corresponding corner or peripheral wall surface of the annular groove 17;
Since the tube 18 has a strong restoring force due to the repulsive force of the bent portion against the crushing force acting on the outer diameter end edge and the inner diameter end edge, even after the tube 18 is removed, it will return to its original position with the above restoring force. Become.

Note that even if the shape of the bent portion is formed into, for example, an arc shape as shown in FIG. 6, the same effect can be obtained.

As described above, according to the present invention, the locking body does not shift its position due to insertion of the tube or pushing of the release ring, and the inner diameter edge, which is the locking end, is wedged into the outer wall of the tube at the desired setting position. When removing or removing a pipe, it can be done quickly by simply pushing in the release ring by a predetermined amount.In general, the pipe can be attached and removed reliably and easily, and the locking body deforms by a predetermined amount at a predetermined position. It does not deform beyond its elastic limit and can be used with good durability. Furthermore, the bending structure increases the overall strength, provides strong spring properties, and generates a strong restoring force in conjunction with the force received from the annular groove.

Although the present invention has been variously explained above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and it goes without saying that many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a conventional locking body, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of a conventional pipe joint incorporating this locking body, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of this pipe joint. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the pipe joint according to the present invention, and FIG.
The figures are a front view and a sectional view of the locking body, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the locking body. 1, 2... Notch, 3... Locking body, 4... Joint body, 5... Guide ring, 6... Concave groove, 7...
...Pipe, 8...Elastic sleeve, 9...Release ring, 10...Joint body, 11...First step, 12
...Second step, 13...Third step, 14...Guide ring, 15...Flame, 16...Regulation step, 1
7... Annular groove, 18... Tube, 19... Elastic body sleeve, 20, 21... Relief groove, 22... Locking body,
23, 24...notch, 25...release ring,
26... Expansion step, 27... Flange.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A locking body that is fitted into the joint body and prevents movement of the pipe inserted into the joint body in the withdrawal direction by having its locking end embedded in the outer wall surface of the pipe, and this locking body. and a release ring movably supported at least within a predetermined range in the axial direction of the joint body in order to press the locking end at a moving position to control the locking end biting into the pipe. In this, the locking body is formed into an annular shape in which a large number of radial cuts are alternately formed from each of the inner diameter edge and the outer diameter edge, and the outer circumferential edge side where the cuts are formed has a constant width. The tube is bent in the insertion direction, and the bent outer circumferential edge is fitted and held in an annular groove provided in the joint body, and the locking end is attached to the inner diameter edge where the notch is formed. A pipe joint made up of: