JPS645190Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Objective of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a masking cap for temporarily sealing the connection end of a piping member.

(Prior art) For example, the cooling circuit of an automobile air conditioner is
As shown in Figure 1, compressor 2 and capacitor 3, or compressor 2 and evaporator 4
are connected by a refrigerant circulation hose 5 or 6.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the refrigerant circulation hose 5 or 6 and the connector 7 or 8 attached to it.
The connector 7 or 8 has a pipe-shaped protrusion 7a that fits into an opening formed in the compressor 2, and has two through holes 10 through which bolts are inserted. It has a pipe 9 for communicating and connecting a refrigerant circulation hose 5 or 6.

However, connecting and piping each unit in this way is done at an automobile assembly factory, and at a parts production factory, piping members consisting of connectors 7 and 8, pipes 9, and refrigerant circulation hoses 5 and 6 are manufactured. After that, a gas at a predetermined pressure is usually sealed inside this piping member, and both ends are sealed with masking caps C before being sent to an assembly factory. Gas sealing is performed in this way to prevent moisture from entering the inside of the piping member, and when performing piping work at the assembly factory, if the gas body does not escape from the piping member, there will be no gas leakage. This is because it proves that it will not occur.

The cap C also has the purpose of preventing dust and the like from entering the piping member and protecting the end surface 11 that comes into contact with the compressor 2 before the piping of the cooling circuit is installed.

Figure 3 shows the masking cap C shown in Figure 2.
FIG.

A conventional masking cap C of this type has a main body part 12 that covers an end face 11 that is a cap mounting surface of the connector 7, and a flange part 13 that fits with the side surface of the connector 7. A sealing protrusion 14 that fits into the pipe-shaped protrusion 7a and a protrusion 15 that fits into the through hole 10 are provided.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in the case of such a conventional masking cap C, after the piping member is manufactured, the masking cap C is attached to the connector 7, and the masking cap C is transported to the vehicle assembly factory. There was a risk that the masking cap C would come off during transportation. Therefore, in some cases, it has become necessary to attach the masking cap C to the connector 7 using a rubber band or the like to prevent it from falling off.

Furthermore, in the case of a rubber cap when the cap is attached, the sealing protrusion 14 is firmly pressed against the end opening 7b of the pipe-shaped protrusion 7a of the connector 7, so that the rubber and metal pipes are tightly pressed together. Due to the contact, the rubber becomes fine powder and enters the piping member, which may cause clogging of the expansion valve having a narrow portion during the cooling operation performed after the piping work is completed.

This invention was made in view of the above points,
To provide a masking cap that prevents foreign matter from entering piping members and has a high sealing effect.

[Structure of the idea]

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a main body portion having a shape corresponding to the end surface of the connector constituting the end portion of the piping member, and a fluid fluid provided on the end surface. In the masking cap, the sealing protrusion protrudes from the main body so as to close the fluid passageway, and the sealing projection has a top portion that can be fitted into the fluid passageway and has a groove on an inner circumferential wall. a cylindrical seal portion that is closed; and a pointed end that extends vertically from the top of the cylindrical seal portion in the axial direction and rotates by an external rotational force to engage the groove portion. The device is comprised of a rotating rod having a section and a collar fitted onto the outer periphery of the rotating rod, and characterized in that the cylindrical seal section and the rotating rod are integrally molded with the main body from an elastic material. That is.

(Function) If the sealing protrusion is configured in this way, the rotating rod expands the cylindrical seal portion radially outward via the collar due to the rotational force from outside the cylindrical seal portion, and The pointed end engages with the groove formed in the inner circumferential wall of the cylindrical seal portion, and by pressing this cylindrical seal portion against the inner circumferential wall of the fluid communication port, the flesh of the cylindrical seal portion that has no place to go is pressed against each other. The entire outer periphery of this cylindrical seal portion expands and comes into close contact with the inner peripheral wall of the fluid inlet, thereby improving the sealing performance of the masking cap.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing an example of the masking cap according to the present invention, and FIG.
Although this is a plan view taken along a line, the same members as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are given the same reference numerals.

This masking cap 20 is made of synthetic resin such as vinyl chloride, and has a main body part 12 and a flange part 13 similar to the cap C shown in FIG.
and a protrusion 15, and in addition, in this embodiment, the end surface 11 of the connector 7 serves as a fluid communication port.
A sealing protrusion 22 is provided on the main body portion 12 so as to close the more protruding pipe-like protrusion 7a.

This sealing protrusion 22 is provided at the center of the main body part 12, and includes a cylindrical seal part 25 with a closed top 28, and a cylindrical seal part 25 that extends vertically from the top 28. It has a rotating rod 26.

The cylindrical seal portion 25 includes a space 23 into which the pipe-shaped protrusion 7a of the connector 7 enters.
a portion 24 that hangs down into the main body 12 across from the
It consists of a part extending upward from the upper part of the main body part 12, and is connected and integrated with the main body part 12 at the top of the space part 23.

On the other hand, the rotating rod 26 is a rod-shaped body that is hung from the top 28 at the center of the cylindrical seal portion 25, and has a triangular cross section as shown in FIG. Collar H is inserted. This rotating rod 26 is provided so as to be freely rotatable by a rotational force applied from the outside of the cylindrical seal portion 25. Further, the pointed end 26a of the rotary rod is engaged with the inner circumferential wall of the cylindrical seal portion 25 while the rotary rod expands the cylindrical seal portion 25 radially outward via the collar H. Groove portion 25a that fits
is formed.

Next, the action will be explained.

First, the flange portion 13 of the masking cap 20 in the state shown in FIG. 5 is fitted into the connector 7, which has an outer shape substantially similar to that shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 7. In this state, the protrusion 15 passes through the hole 10.
At the same time, the cylindrical seal portion 25 is pushed into the pipe-like protrusion 7a. Then, the cylindrical seal portion 25 of the masking cap 20 is grasped from the outer periphery with fingers and twisted. At this time, since the masking cap 20 is made of elastic vinyl chloride, it can be easily twisted. Due to this twisting, approximately the lower half of the rotating rod 26 rotates, and its pointed end 26a engages with the groove 25a of the cylindrical seal portion 25 via the collar H. This engagement is transmitted to the finger as a sensation, so if the grip of the finger is shifted upward and further twisted, the pointed end 26a of the rotating rod 26
engages with the groove portion 25a over substantially the entire length, causing the cylindrical seal portion 25 to expand. By pressing this expanded cylindrical seal portion 25 against the inner circumferential wall of the pipe-like protrusion 7a, the meat (hereinafter referred to as excess meat) of the cylindrical seal portion 25 that has nowhere to go is pressed against each other,
The entire outer circumferential surface 25b of this cylindrical seal portion 25 bulges out and tightly contacts the inner circumferential wall of the pipe-shaped protrusion 7a under pressure. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the cylindrical seal portion 25 is elastically deformed, and the cross-sectional triangular space 27 shown in FIG. This portion improves the sealing performance of the outer circumferential surface 25b of the cylindrical seal portion 25 against the inner circumferential wall of the pipe-shaped protrusion 7a.

Therefore, compared to conventional masking caps, it can be attached to the connector much more firmly, and it is possible to reliably prevent not only the cap from falling off but also gas leakage.

Moreover, since the entire masking cap 20 is made of an elastic material such as synthetic resin,
When this cap 20 is removed and the cooling circuit piping is installed next, by twisting the cylindrical seal portion 25 in the opposite direction to that described above, the engagement between the tip portion 26a and the groove portion 25a is disengaged, and the seal is released. and this cap 2
0 is removed relatively easily by acting on the internal pressure of the gas body, and does not cause any trouble to the piping work.

Also, when attaching the connector 7 to the compressor 2, connect the opening of the compressor 2 and the connector 7.
In order to prevent refrigerant from leaking from the gap with the pipe-shaped protrusion 7a, an O-ring 21 is sometimes used. It is provided on the outer periphery of the pipe-like protrusion 7a of No.7. In this case, if the masking cap 20 is made of transparent vinyl chloride, the O-ring 21 will be visible from the outside when the masking cap 20 is attached to the connector 7. Even if the ring 21 is attached with an unnecessary deformation, it can be immediately detected. Therefore, by appropriately reinstalling such an O-ring, it is possible to avoid a situation where the O-ring is deformed and cannot be used during piping work.

Note that such a masking cap 20 is used to seal the sealed gas, prevent dust from entering into the parts being transported, and prevent the O-ring 21 from falling apart, so it becomes unnecessary after the parts are assembled. Since it is a disposable cap, so to speak, this cap must be low cost. To make this masking cap 20 at low cost,
It is best to use the so-called dobuzuke method. To summarize this method, as shown in Fig. 4, a mold having a shape corresponding to the upper surface of the masking cap 20 is soaked in a tank filled with liquid resin, so that the cross-sectional shape shown in Fig. 4 is obtained. It forms a cap.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but can also be applied to a structure in which the pipe-like protrusion 7a and the pipe 9 are integrally formed, for example, as shown in FIG. . Also the 9th
As shown in the figure, the present invention can also be applied to a connector 7 in which no pipe-shaped protrusion 7a is provided on the end surface 11, and it goes without saying that it can also be applied to a connector 7 in which the O-ring 21 is removed.

Furthermore, although in the above-mentioned embodiments gas is pre-filled in the piping member, the present invention is not limited to this, and may not be filled with gas.

[Effect of idea]

As described above, according to the present invention, the main body has a shape corresponding to the end face of the connector constituting the end of the piping member, and the main body has a shape that corresponds to the end face of the connector that constitutes the end of the piping member, and the main body has a shape that corresponds to the end face of the connector that constitutes the end of the piping member. In the masking cap, the sealing protrusion has a cylindrical sealing part that can be fitted into the fluid communication port and has a groove in the inner circumferential wall, while the top thereof is closed. a rotating rod that extends vertically from the top of the cylindrical seal part in the axial direction and has a pointed end that rotates by an external rotational force and engages with the groove; It consists of a collar fitted around the outer periphery of the rotating rod, and since the cylindrical seal part and the rotating rod are integrally molded with the main body part from an elastic material, the tip of the rotating rod can be bent by utilizing elastic deformation. By engaging the part and the groove part of the cylindrical seal part,
Compared to the conventional masking cap, the fitting force of the masking cap is significantly improved, it does not fall off easily, and leakage of the sealed gas can be reliably prevented.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of piping for a cooling circuit of an automotive air conditioner, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a conventional masking cap attached to a connector, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line - - in Fig. 2. , FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the - line of the masking cap of the present invention shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the masking cap shown in FIGS. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the masking cap in a state in which it is attached, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are cross-sectional views showing other embodiments of the present invention. . 7... Connector, 7a... Pipe-shaped protrusion (fluid communication port), 11... End face, 12... Main body, 1
5...Protrusion, 20...Masking cap, 22
. . . Seal protrusion, 23 . . . Space, 25 . . . Cylindrical seal portion, 25a .

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A main body having a shape corresponding to the end face of the connector constituting the end of the piping member, and a body extending from the main body so as to close a fluid communication port provided on the end face. A masking cap having a protruding sealing protrusion, wherein the sealing protrusion can be fitted into the fluid communication port, and a cylindrical sealing part having a groove on an inner circumferential wall and having a closed top; A rotating rod is provided vertically in the axial direction from the top of the cylindrical seal portion and has a pointed end that rotates by an external rotational force and engages with the groove; Consists of a collar fitted around the outer circumference of the rod,
A masking cap in which the cylindrical seal portion and the rotating rod are integrally molded with the main body portion from an elastic material. (2) The masking cap according to claim 1, wherein the elastic material is transparent.