KR20230047596A - Smart coupler for fluid transfer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a smart coupler for fluid transfer, which can promote the improvement of productivity. The smart coupler for fluid transfer comprises: a coupler main body having a hollow part and having a support bump in an inner circumferential surface thereof; a nozzle member installed in the hollow part of the coupler main body to be able to move forward and backward, formed with a guide protrusion part on an outer circumferential surface thereof, and formed with a fluid injection hole in a lengthwise direction; a pressurization member having an opening that communicates with the fluid injection hole installed in a rear end of the nozzle member; a hinge part supported by a jaw hinge groove that is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the coupler main body; a plurality of jaws formed with a guide inclination part in which a stumbling bump is formed on an end thereof in a central direction, and the guide protrusion part is guided in an inner circumferential surface between the hinge part and the stumbling bump, and having a joint inclination protrusion outwardly formed on the end of the jaw; a sliding cover memberslidably installed in the coupler main body to cover the jaws and maintaining a state in which the jaws expand or are reduced centering around the hinge part when moving forward and backward; a coupling means provided with a first elastic member that is installed between the outer circumferential surface of the coupler main body and the cover member to elastically bias the cover member forward; an end cap coupled to a rear end of the coupler main body and coupled to a fluid transfer pipe for supplying a refrigerant; and a valve means installed in the hollow part between the support bump and the coupler main body to control supply of the refrigerant when the nozzle member moves forward and backward.

Description

Smart coupler for fluid transfer

The present invention relates to a coupler, and more particularly, to a smart coupler for fluid transfer for connecting and disconnecting a fluid transfer pipe from an air conditioner to supply fluid such as refrigerant injection and exhaust of the air conditioner.

In general, a coupler is used to supply a fluid supplied through a fluid transfer pipe to a predetermined device or to interconnect fluid transfer pipes in various industrial settings.

For example, when assembling an air conditioner, an appropriate amount of refrigerant suitable for each capacity is charged and released. In addition, when assembling the air conditioner, it is necessary to apply a vacuum to charge the refrigerant, check the normal state, or supplement the refrigerant due to leakage or repair of the refrigerant during long-term use.

To this end, a coupler coupled to a refrigerant injection port of a service valve installed in an outdoor unit of an air conditioner and connected to a fluid transfer pipe is used, and the coupler has a structure screwed to the refrigerant injection port.

As described above, since a relatively large amount of time is consumed in the refrigerant injection port of the service valve and the screw coupling structure of the coupler, it is difficult to improve productivity.

In view of this point, Korean Patent No. 10-0167730 (1980.09.29) discloses a coupler for air conditioner gas injection. The posted coupler slides by a spring in the air chamber provided by the clamp body and the adapter, and when coupled with the injection pipe, the ball inserted into the locking groove is inserted into the second piston and the ball by the spring. The injection pipe is joined.

Since such a structure can be fastened only to a structure in which a groove is formed in which a ball is coupled to an injection pipe, there are restrictions according to the coupling.

Korean Patent No. 10-0928645 (2009.11.19.) discloses a coupler for refrigerant injection. The posted refrigerant injection coupler includes a manifold having a refrigerant injection inlet and an air injection inlet, a body accommodating a valve stem and a valve piston, and a coupler body having a ball fastened to a refrigerant inlet on the vehicle side at the front end. , The coupler body has a structure in which a clamp ring is concentrically assembled around the coupler body to hang the ball in the groove of the refrigerant inlet while moving in the axial direction while receiving elastic support from the spring.

The coupler as described above has a structure in which a ball is coupled to a groove of a refrigerant inlet to fasten, and the use of the coupler is limited because the coupling pipe in which the groove is formed must be separately branched.

Korean Patent No. 10-0785487 (2007.12.06.) discloses a coupler for refrigerant injection. The coupler posted includes a clamp piston in which compressed air is transmitted and advanced by spring pressure; As the clamp piston advances, the ball inserted into the circumference of the gate advances in the axial center direction by the inclined surface of the tip of the clamp piston, and the valve stem is opened by the inclined surface of the inlet. It has a configuration provided with a valve at the front of the refrigerant inlet made to be.

Since the conventional coupler has a structure in which the balls are coupled and separated by moving the balls forward and backward in the center direction by the clamp piston, the above-described conventional problems cannot be fundamentally solved, and the valve stem interlocks with the operation of the clamp piston. It is difficult to secure reliability according to opening and closing because it has a structure that is opened by

And Korean Patent Registration No. 10-182484 discloses an air conditioner refrigerant injection device equipped with an automatic separation means. The posted refrigerant injection device has a connector connected to a refrigerant supply pipe, a locking jaw protruding along the outer periphery of the connector, a hook part caught on the locking jaw at the bottom, and an automatic separation means having a movable member at the top. have a configuration

As described above, the conventional connector has an automatic separation means having a movable member on its outer circumferential surface, but since it requires a separate power source, it is subject to many restrictions in terms of installation. In addition, since it has a structure that is coupled to and separated from the inlet of the refrigerant pipe in the form of coupling by turning a screw, it is not easy to connect and separate from the refrigerant injection pipe of the service valve, and there is a risk of refrigerant leakage.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2001-0029018 discloses an automatic refrigerant injection device, and Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1826955 discloses a refrigerant charging device having a leak diagnosis function. Republic of Korea Utility Model Publication No. 2016-000991 discloses a connection device for refrigerant injection.

Korean Patent No. 10-0167730 (19980.09.29) Korean Patent No. 10-0928645 (2009.11.19.) Korean Patent No. 10-0785487 (2007.12.06.) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2001-0029018 Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1826955 Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-182484

The present invention is to solve the problems described above, and since it is installed in the fluid transfer pipe and is easily coupled and separated from the refrigerant injection port of the service valve for charging the refrigerant, the number of work hours according to refrigerant injection, vacuum exhaust, and inspection It is to provide a smart coupler for fluid transfer that can reduce and further improve the productivity of the air conditioner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a smart coupler for fluid transfer having a valve unit capable of controlling the flow of fluid flowing through the fluid transfer pipe when coupled and separated from the refrigerant injection port of the service valve.

In order to achieve the above object, the smart coupler for fluid transfer of the present invention has a coupler body having a hollow part and a support jaw on an inner circumferential surface, and is installed in the hollow part of the coupler body to be able to move forward and backward, and a guide protrusion is formed on the outer circumferential surface in the longitudinal direction. A nozzle member having a fluid injection hole formed therein, and a pressing member having an opening communicating with the fluid injection hole installed at a rear end of the nozzle member;

A hinge portion supported in a jaw hinge groove formed on an outer circumferential surface of the coupler body, a locking jaw is formed in the center direction at the end side, and a guide inclined portion for guiding the guide protrusion is formed on the inner circumferential surface between the hinge portion and the locking jaw portion, and the end A tightening slant protrusion is formed on the side in an outward direction with a plurality of jaws,

A sliding cover member installed to be slidably installed in the coupler body to surround the jaws and maintain the jaws in an expanded and reduced state around the hinge portion when moving forward and backward, and a sliding cover member installed between the outer circumferential surface of the coupler body and the cover member to Coupling means having a first elastic member for elastically biasing the cover member toward the front side;

An end cap coupled to the rear end of the coupler body and coupled to a fluid transfer pipe for supplying refrigerant;

It is characterized in that it is provided with a valve means installed in the hollow between the support jaw and the end cap of the coupler body to regulate the supply of refrigerant when the nozzle member is moved back and forth.

In the present invention, the valve means has a guide long hole connected to the fluid injection hole of the nozzle member in the longitudinal direction, extends from the rear end, and has a cylinder portion having fluid inlet holes formed at predetermined intervals on the outer circumferential valve body;

A piston installed to move forward and backward along the cylinder and opening and closing the inlet hole, a valve member having a rod extending from the piston along the hollow and contacting the pressing member, and installed between the valve member and the end cap to A second elastic member for elastically biasing the valve member toward the pressing member is provided.

The guide inclined portion formed on the inner surface of the jaw has a structure gradually stepped inward from the engaging jaw portion toward the hinge portion, and the diameter of the cylinder portion of the valve body is smaller than the diameter of the hollow portion of the coupler body.

The smart coupler for fluid transfer according to the present invention facilitates coupling and separation of the refrigerant injection pipe of the service valve during refrigerant injection and exhaust of the air conditioning device, thereby reducing work time due to refrigerant injection, and further improving productivity. can do.

In addition, the smart coupler for fluid transport according to the present invention can control the flow of refrigerant, that is, the supply of refrigerant, by means of a valve installed inside when connecting and disconnecting from the refrigerant injection pipe of the air conditioner, thereby reducing the loss of refrigerant. Injecting air into the device can be fundamentally prevented.

In particular, the smart coupler for fluid transport according to the present invention is used for fluid transport in various industrial fields, fluid injection into mechanical devices, or transmission of pressure. When applied to a device for vacuum exhaust, etc., workability can be improved.

1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a smart coupler room for fluid transfer according to the present invention is coupled to a service valve;
2 is an exploded perspective view of a smart coupler for fluid transfer according to the present invention;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the smart coupler for fluid transfer shown in Figure 2;
4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the smart coupler for fluid transfer according to the present invention is waiting for coupling with the injection pipe portion of the service valve;
5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a smart coupler for fluid transfer according to the present invention is coupled to a service valve of an outdoor unit.

The smart coupler for fluid transport according to the present invention can be applied to devices for fluid transport in various industrial fields, fluid injection into machinery or pressure transmission, vacuum exhaust, and the like, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 As an example, the smart coupler for fluid transfer according to the present invention is combined with the refrigerant injection port 112 of the service valve 110 installed in the outdoor unit 100 of the air conditioning device to perform refrigerant injection, exhaust, inspection, etc. Let's explain.

Referring to the drawings, the smart coupler 10 for fluid transfer according to the present invention includes a coupler body 20 having a hollow part 21 and a support jaw 22 on an inner circumferential surface, and a hollow part of the coupler body 20 ( 21) It is installed on the side to be able to move forward and backward, and has a nozzle member 30 having a guide protrusion 31 formed on the outer circumferential surface and a fluid injection hole 32 formed in the longitudinal direction.

In addition, it is installed in the coupler body 20 and the nozzle member 30 to maintain the state in which the nozzle member 30 is coupled to the refrigerant injection port 111 of the service valve 110 installed in the outdoor unit 100 and in a separate state. A coupling means 40 for this, an end cap 25 coupled to the rear end of the coupler body 20 and connected to the fluid transfer pipe 200 for supplying refrigerant, and a hollow hole in the coupler body 20 It is installed in the hollow between the support jaw 22 and the end cap 25 formed on the part to control the supply of refrigerant when the nozzle member 30 moves forward and backward and elastically bias the nozzle member 30 forward. A valve means (60) is provided.

The smart coupler for fluid transfer according to the present invention configured as described above will be described in more detail for each component as follows.

In the coupler body 20 of the smart coupler 10 for fluid transfer according to the present invention, a hollow part 21 is formed in the longitudinal direction, and the inner circumferential surface of the hollow part 21, that is, a part supporting the nozzle member 30 The supporting jaw 22 is formed at the boundary where the and valve means 60 are installed. The supporting jaw 22 is formed along the inner circumferential surface of the hollow part 21 and has a structure through which a central part is penetrated so that the pressing member 36 to be described later can come into contact with the rod part 68 of the piston 67.

The end cap 25 is screwed to the rear end of the coupler body 20, and the end cap 25 has a structure connected to the fluid transfer pipe 200 through which the refrigerant flows.

The nozzle member 30 is slidably installed in the hollow portion of the front side of the supporting jaw 22 formed on the coupler body 20 to inject refrigerant into the refrigerant injection port 120 of the service valve 110, A fluid injection hole 32 is formed in the longitudinal direction, and an injection part 33 coupled to the refrigerant injection port 111 of the service valve 110 is formed at an end side thereof. It is preferable that sealing members 35 are installed on the outer circumferential surface of the injection part 33 and the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle member 30 coupled to the coupler body 20 to maintain airtightness.

A pressing member 36 having an opening 36a communicating with the fluid injection hole 32 is installed at the rear end of the nozzle member 30 . The pressure member 36 is forward by the third elastic member 37 supported on the supporting jaw 22, that is, the direction in which the nozzle member 30 is drawn out from the hollow part 21 of the coupler body 20. becomes an elastic bias. The third elastic member 37 preferably uses a coil spring. However, when the pressing member 36 is elastically biased forward by the second elastic member 69 of the valve means 60 described later, the third elastic member 37 does not necessarily need to be installed.

In addition, the guide protrusion 31 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle member 30 constitutes the coupling means 40, and moves along the guide inclined portion 45 formed on the inner circumferential surface of the jaws 41 while moving the jaws 41. The ends are moved together in the direction of expansion and the direction of contraction.

The coupling means 40 is to maintain a coupled state with the refrigerant injection port 111 of the service valve 110 for charging the refrigerant, which is a fluid, and the jaw hinge groove formed on the outer circumferential surface of the coupler body 20 ( 25), a plurality of jaws 41 covering the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle member 30 in a supported state, and jaws 41 installed in the coupler body 20 to be able to move forward and backward, the refrigerant injection port 111 ) and a cover member 48 for maintaining a coupled state and a separated state. A first elastic member 47 is installed between the coupler body 20 and the cover member 48 to elastically bias the cover member 48 forward, that is, in a direction away from the coupler body 20. . The first elastic member 47 may be formed of a coil spring. The first elastic member 47 is supported by a fixing ring 47a coupled to the rear end of the cover member 48 .

Each of the jaws 41 is provided with a jaw body portion 42 bent at a predetermined curvature so as to cover a portion of the nozzle member 30, and a coupler body 20 at the rear end of the jaw body portion 42 A hinge portion 43 coupled to the jaw hinge groove 25 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the ) is formed, and protrudes inward from the end side of the jaw body portion 42, so that the head portion 112 of the refrigerant injection port 111 and Tightening inclined protrusions 45 are formed to keep the end of the jaw 41 coupled to the refrigerant injection port 111 by the engaging jaw 44 and the cover member 68 protruding outward.

The inner circumferential surface of the jaw body portion 42 between the hinge portion 43 of the jaw 41 and the locking jaw 44 guides the guide protrusion 31 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle member 30 to guide the inclined guide portion ( 46) is formed.

The guide inclined portion 46 formed on the inner surface of the jaw 41 gradually steps inward from the locking jaw 44 toward the hinge portion 43 and has an inclined structure.

The stepped structure of the guide inclined portion 46 expands and contracts the ends of the jaws 41 as the nozzle member 30 moves forward and backward.

The valve means 60 is installed in the hollow part 21 between the support jaw 22 and the end cap 25 of the coupler body 20 and passes through the fluid transfer pipe 200 for supplying the refrigerant to the nozzle. It is for regulating the supply of refrigerant flowing to the fluid supply hole 32 of the member 30, and is connected in the longitudinal direction so that the fluid refrigerant can be supplied to the fluid supply hole 32 of the nozzle member 30 in the longitudinal direction. A valve body 65 having a cylinder portion 63 in which a guide hollow 61 is formed, and fluid inlet holes 62 are formed extending from the rear end and communicating with the guide hollow 61 at predetermined intervals. do. It is preferable that the outer diameter of the cylinder part 63 of the valve body 65 is smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow part 21 or the end cap 25 . In addition, the inner diameter of the cylinder portion 63 is formed relatively larger than the diameter of the guide hollow 61 to have a stepped structure, and the stepped portion is in close contact with the piston 67 of the valve member 66 and the packing installed thereon. It forms a valve seat portion (61a) that blocks the movement of the fluid.

At least one discharge hole 61b communicating with the guide hollow 61 is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the valve body 65 .

In addition, the fluid inlet hole 62 formed in the cylinder part 63 of the valve body 65 is formed in the circumferential direction of the cylinder part 63 and is spaced apart at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder part 63. can

Inside the guide hollow 61 and the cylinder part 63 of the valve body 65, a valve member 66 for regulating the flow of fluid is installed to be able to move forward and backward. The valve member 66 is slidably installed inside the cylinder part 63 and extends from a piston 67 for opening and closing the fluid inlet hole 62 and an end side of the piston 67 so that the end A rod part 68 in contact with the pressing member 36 is provided. The piston 67 and the rod part 68 may be integrally formed.

In addition, the rod part 68 is guided along the inner peripheral surface of the end side of the guide hollow 61 of the valve body 65 supporting the end side of the rod part 68 in the longitudinal direction so as to form a refrigerant flow passage. A plurality of guide protrusions 69 may be formed.

At least one sealing member 67a may be installed on the outer circumferential surface of the piston part 67 to maintain airtightness with the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder part 63 and contact the valve seat part 61a.

The valve means 60 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and any structure capable of regulating the flow of the refrigerant supplied from the fluid transfer pipe to the fluid injection hole 32 of the nozzle member 30 is possible.

The operation of the smart coupler for fluid transfer according to the present invention configured as described above will be described as follows.

In order to charge the refrigerant in the outdoor unit 100 of an air conditioner mass-produced using the smart coupler 10 for fluid transfer according to the present invention, the nozzle member 30 of the smart coupler connected to the fluid supply pipe 200 is connected to the service valve 110. ) to the refrigerant injection port 111 and then pressurized.

In this way, the injection part 33 of the nozzle member 30 is inserted into the refrigerant injection port 111 while retracting, and the head part 112 of the refrigerant injection port 111 is partitioned by the jaws 41 enters the inner space.

When the nozzle member 30 is retracted, the guide protrusion 31 installed on the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle member 30 moves along the guide inclined portion 45 of the jaws 41, and the first elastic member ( The cover member 48 elastically supported by 47) rises. That is, since the guide inclined portion 46 is inclined outward toward the rear, the ends of the jaws 41 converge toward the center. Therefore, the locking jaw 44 installed at the end of the jaw 41 is caught on the rear surface of the head portion 112 of the refrigerant injection port, so that the refrigerant injection port 111 of the service valve 110 and the coupler 10 for charging the refrigerant ) is formed.

At this time, the cover member 48 is raised by the first elastic member 47 to cover the tightening inclined protrusion 45, so that the jaw 41 is lifted and the coupled state of the head part 112 is maintained. .

At the same time, as the nozzle member 30 is retracted, the first elastic member 37 is compressed and retracted by the pressing member 36 installed at the end of the nozzle member 30, and the pressing member 36 is retracted. As the valve member 66 is retracted along the way, the second elastic member 69 is compressed.

In more detail, since the end of the rod part 68 of the valve member 66 is in contact with the pressing member 36, as the pressing member 36 retreats, the valve member 66 retreats, thereby As the piston 67 moves along the cylinder part 63, the fluid inlet hole 62 is opened.

Therefore, the refrigerant supplied from the fluid supply pipe 200 passes through the inner space of the end cap 25, the fluid inlet hole 62, the guide hollow 61, the discharge hole 61b, the hollow part and the pressing member 36. is supplied to the outdoor unit 100 of the air conditioner through the opening 36a of the nozzle member 30, the fluid main supply hole 32, and the refrigerant injection port 111 of the service valve 110 .

As described above, when charging of the refrigerant to the outdoor unit is completed in a state in which the refrigerant injection port 111 provided in the service valve 110 of the outdoor unit 100 is coupled to the head part 112, the operator operates the smart coupler of the present invention. The cover member 48 of (10) is retracted along the coupler body 20.

In this way, the nozzle member 30 is moved forward by the elastic force of the second elastic member 69, and the guide protrusion 31 installed on the outer circumferential surface moves along the guide inclined portion 46, and the jaw 41 They are opened, and the locking jaw 44 installed at the end thereof is separated from the head portion 112 of the refrigerant injection port 111.

As this separation process is performed, the valve member 66 advances as the nozzle member 30 advances, and the piston 67 of the valve member 66 is attached to the valve seat portion 61a of the valve body 65. By being in close contact, the guide hollow 61 is blocked. Therefore, the supply of refrigerant is cut off.

As described above, the smart coupler for fluid transfer according to the present invention is easy to combine and separate for refrigerant injection from the refrigerant injection port of the service valve of the outdoor unit, and the valve means is operated at the same time as the coupling is performed to inject the refrigerant, separate and At the same time, since the refrigerant valve unit is closed and the supply of the refrigerant is blocked, the time required for injection and discharge of the refrigerant can be shortened compared to the conventional coupler, thereby improving productivity.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the attached registered claims.

The smart coupler for fluid transport according to the present invention is applied to various devices such as refrigerant injection into the outdoor unit of an air conditioning device, connection of fluid transport pipes, connection of pipes for fluid transport in various industrial machines, vacuum exhaust, fluid injection, and the like. possible.

Claims (5)

A coupler body having a hollow portion and having a support jaw on an inner circumferential surface, a nozzle member installed in the hollow portion of the coupler body to be able to move forward and backward, a guide protrusion formed on the outer circumferential surface and a fluid injection hole formed in the longitudinal direction, and a rear end of the nozzle member A pressing member having an opening communicating with the fluid injection hole installed in the
A hinge portion supported in a jaw hinge groove formed on an outer circumferential surface of the coupler body, a locking jaw is formed in the center direction at the end side, and a guide inclined portion for guiding the guide protrusion is formed on the inner circumferential surface between the hinge portion and the locking jaw portion, and the end A tightening slant protrusion is formed on the side in an outward direction with a plurality of jaws,
A sliding cover member installed to be slidably installed in the coupler body to surround the jaws and maintain the jaws in an expanded and reduced state around the hinge portion when moving forward and backward, and installed between the outer circumferential surface of the coupler body and the cover member to Coupling means having a first elastic member for elastically biasing the cover member toward the front side;
An end cap coupled to the rear end of the coupler body and coupled to a fluid transfer pipe for supplying refrigerant;
A smart shut-off coupler for fluid transfer, characterized in that it has a valve means installed in the hollow between the support jaw and the end cap of the coupler body to control the supply of refrigerant when the nozzle member is in front and behind. According to claim 1,
The valve means has a guide long hole connected to the fluid injection hole of the nozzle member in the longitudinal direction, a valve body extending from the rear end and having a cylinder portion having fluid inlet holes formed at predetermined intervals on the outer circumferential surface;
A piston installed to move forward and backward along the cylinder and opening and closing the inlet hole, a valve member having a rod extending from the piston along the hollow and contacting the pressing member, and installed between the valve member and the end cap to A smart coupler for fluid transfer, characterized in that it has a second elastic member for elastically biasing the valve member toward the pressing member. According to claim 1,
Smart coupler for fluid transfer, characterized in that the guide inclined portion formed on the inner surface of the jaw has a structure gradually stepped inward toward the hinge portion from the engaging jaw portion. According to claim 1,
Smart coupler for fluid transfer, characterized in that the diameter of the cylinder portion of the valve body is formed smaller than the diameter of the hollow portion of the coupler body. According to claim 2,
Smart coupler for fluid transfer, characterized in that at least one discharge hole communicating with the guide hollow is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the valve body.

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