WO2009130870A1

WO2009130870A1 - Connector

Info

Publication number: WO2009130870A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/001780
Authority: WO
Inventors: 渡辺一成; 小池正樹; 松井孝紀
Original assignee: 豊田合成株式会社
Priority date: 2008-04-25
Filing date: 2009-04-17
Publication date: 2009-10-29
Also published as: JP2009264493A

Abstract

A connector used for connection of a pipe (P) having an annular projection (Pa) on the outer periphery of the pipe and requiring a less space for a portion at which the pipe is connected. The connector has a rotatable ring (30) rotatably mounted to a pipe connecting section (20) of a connector body (10). The pipe connecting section (20) has formed thereon body-side engaging sections (22), and the rotatable ring (30) has formed thereon ring-side engaging sections (32) engaged with and disengaged from the body-side engaging sections (22). The ring-side engaging sections (32) are each formed such that, when pressed by the annular projection (Pa) of the pipe (P), a locking section (35) formed as a cantilever is rotated to reach an opening (23) in the body-side engaging section (22), a locking arch section (35a) elastically deforms so as to enter the opening (23), and the annular projection (Pa) presses a restricting projection (35c) to go thereover to retain the annular projection (Pa) in position.

Description

connector

The present invention relates to a connector which is used for connection of a pipe having an annular protrusion on the outer periphery, and which is prevented by being inserted into a connection hole and engaging with the annular protrusion.

This type of connector is also called a quick connector, and various proposals have been made for the purpose of simplifying pipe connection (for example, Patent Document 1). The connector of patent document 1 is provided with the housing which has an insertion hole which inserts piping, and the retainer with which a housing is mounted | worn. The retainer includes a detection claw that prevents completion of the retainer when the pipe is not inserted into the insertion hole of the housing. The detection claw is engaged with a retainer mounting hole in the housing, and by inserting the pipe into the insertion hole, the detection claw interferes with the annular protrusion of the pipe and bends outward from the annular protrusion. The engagement is released and the retainer can be mounted. Therefore, unless the detection pawl is disengaged, the retainer assumes a half-mounted state in which the upper half protrudes from the housing.

Quick connectors such as the connector proposed in the above-mentioned patent document are used for piping connection in various devices such as industrial machines and vehicles. In addition to free piping connection, the quick connector has already been arranged in a predetermined route. May be used to connect piping. When a connector is used to connect a pipe that has already been arranged in a predetermined path, it is necessary to arrange the pipe in a predetermined path after securing an area in which the pipe can be connected by the connector. That is, the connector is in a state where the upper half of the retainer protrudes from the housing in a state before the pipe is connected, so that the upper half of the retainer is the housing in addition to the work area for attaching the retainer to the housing. It is necessary to secure a connector disposition area sufficient to dispose the connector protruding from the connector. Therefore, in order to secure such a region, it has been desired to save the space of the pipe connection portion by the connector.

JP 2005-172161 A

This invention aims at providing the connector which can implement | achieve space saving of a piping connection location based on solving the said problem of the prior art.

The present invention has been made to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and can be realized as the following forms or application examples.

[Application Example 1]
Application Example 1 is a connector having a connector main body that is used for connection of a pipe having an annular protrusion on the outer periphery, and that is inserted into the connection hole and secured by engaging with the annular protrusion,
A pipe connection part formed in the connector body and having an insertion hole connected to the connection hole;
A temporary fixing position that is rotatably mounted in the insertion hole and prevents the distal end portion of the pipe from being inserted from the insertion hole to the connection hole side, and a stopper that prevents the pipe inserted into the insertion hole from being removed. A rotation ring set to a position and a transition position when transitioning from the temporary stop position to the retaining position;
A seal member that is disposed in the connection hole or the insertion hole and seals between an inner wall of the connection hole or the insertion hole and a sealing surface of the pipe;
With
The pipe connection portion includes a cylindrical portion that forms the insertion hole, an opening formed in the cylindrical portion, and a rotation guide portion that guides the rotation ring from the insertion hole side to the connection hole side while rotating. A main body side engaging portion,
The rotating ring includes an annular ring main body, and a ring side engaging portion that is formed on the ring main body and is connected to the main body side engaging portion to rotate to set the temporary fixing position, the transition position, and the retaining position. With
The ring-side engaging portion includes a locking arch piece made of a cantilever extending in the circumferential direction from the ring body, and a regulating protrusion protruding from the locking arch piece and engaging with the annular protrusion. A lock piece formed on the ring body, and a rotation taper portion that guides the rotation ring from the insertion hole side to the connection hole side while rotating the rotation ring by following the rotation guide portion. A rotating operation unit for applying a rotating force for returning the rotating ring from the transition position to the retaining position;
The rotating ring is in a state in which elastic deformation of the locking arch piece is restricted by the cylindrical portion even when the restricting protrusion is pushed by the annular protrusion when the rotating ring is in the temporary stop position and the retaining position. In the state where the regulation projection is pushed and rotated by the annular projection and is shifted from the temporary stop position to the transition position, the locking arch piece is elastically deformed so as to enter the opening, and the annular projection That the part pushes over the restricting projection and gets over it,
It is characterized by.

In Application Example 1, a seal member is inserted into the insertion hole of the connector body, and the rotary ring is temporarily assembled into the insertion hole of the pipe connection portion to be in a temporary fixing position. When the pipe is inserted into the insertion hole, the annular protrusion pushes the restricting protrusion of the lock piece of the rotating ring, and the rotating ring rotates. When the rotary ring rotates, the free end of the lock piece reaches the opening, that is, when the transition position is reached, the lock arch piece is elastically deformed so as to enter the opening, and the annular protrusion pushes over the restricting protrusion and gets over. Then, by applying a rotational force to the rotating operation part and returning the rotating ring from the transition position to the retaining position, that is, returning to the position where the free end of the locking arch piece is restricted from entering the opening. The annular protrusion engages with the restricting protrusion to prevent the pipe from being pulled out from the connector.

コネクタ In the connector configured as described above, since an annular rotating ring is arranged at the pipe connecting portion, it is only necessary to secure an area necessary for the rotating operation of the rotating ring when connecting the pipe. Therefore, as explained in the prior art, it is not possible to adopt a half-mounted form in which the retainer is protruded about half from the housing, and it is possible to save the space of the pipe connection portion by the connector.

Also, until the pipe is inserted, the lock piece of the rotating ring is in a position where the elastic deformation is restricted by the cylindrical portion of the pipe connecting portion, and the pipe cannot be inserted all the way toward the insertion hole. Therefore, the pipe is not connected at a halfway position with respect to the connector.

Furthermore, when the pipe is pushed into the insertion hole and the rotating ring is rotated so that the free end of the lock piece reaches the opening, the lock piece can get over the restricting protrusion by elastic deformation, At this time, a moderation feeling can be obtained.

Also, in order to prevent the annular protrusion from coming out of the connector after the annular protrusion has passed over the restricting protrusion, an operation by an operator to apply a rotational force to the rotating operation portion and return the rotating ring to the retaining position. Is not necessary and the connection is not inadvertently completed.

[Application Example 2]
According to the connector described in the application example 2, the rotation operation unit includes an operation arch piece protruding from the ring body and including a cantilever, and a lock claw formed at a free end of the operation arch piece. The main body side engaging portion includes an engaging groove that engages with the lock claw, and the lock claw is moved when the rotating ring moves from the temporary fixing position to the transition position, and the transition position. When moving from the position to the retaining position, the engagement groove is engaged. According to this configuration, when the lock claw formed at the free end of the operation arch piece of the rotation operation unit is engaged with or disengaged from the engagement groove, the rotation ring can obtain a sense of moderation at the retaining position.

[Application Example 3]
In Application Example 3, the main body side engaging portion and the ring side engaging portion are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion and the ring main body. With this configuration, the piping is prevented from being pulled out at equal intervals at the outer peripheral portion, and the reliability of piping connection and the reliability of preventing the retaining can be improved.

[Application Example 4]
In Application Example 4, the seal member is disposed in the insertion hole, and is positioned by a pressing end formed at an end portion of the ring main body and an inner wall of the insertion hole. It is the structure which seals between inner walls. With this configuration, since the seal member is positioned by the rotating ring, a separate member for positioning or preventing the seal member from being eliminated becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts can be reduced.

It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the connector concerning one Example of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the connector which connected piping. It is sectional drawing which decomposed | disassembled the connector. It is a perspective view which shows a piping connection part and a rotation ring. It is the perspective view which expanded the periphery of the ring side engaging part of a rotation ring. It is explanatory drawing explaining the assembly | attachment operation | work of a connector. It is explanatory drawing explaining the operation | work which connects piping to a connector.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector main body 12 ...

Tube connection part

13S, 14S ... Connection hole 20 ... Pipe connection part 20S ... Insertion hole 21 ... Cylindrical part 21a ... Insertion port 22 ... Main body side engaging part 23 ... Opening part 24 ... Guide recess 24a ... Engaging groove 25 ... Bulletproof prevention wall 26 ... Rotating guide part 27 ... Rotating taper groove 30 ... Rotating ring 31 ... Ring body 31a ... Pressing end 32 ... Ring side engaging part 33 ... Supporting piece 34 ... Rotating operation part 34a ... Return arch piece 34b ... Lock claw 34c ... Operating projection 35 ... Lock piece 35a ... Arch piece 35b ... Deformed portion 35c ... Regulating projection 35d ... Pressing slope 36 ... Rotating taper portion 36a ... Taper body 36b ... Guide inclined surface P ... Piping Pa ... Annular protrusion Pb ... Seal surface SP ... Seal member Tb ... Tube

(1) Schematic Configuration of Connector FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. The connector is for connecting a metal or resin pipe P to the tube Tb, and includes a connector main body 10, a seal member SP made of an O-ring, and a rotating ring 30. The pipe P is formed in a substantially round pipe shape, and an annular protrusion Pa composed of a bulge portion protruding in an annular shape is formed on the outer peripheral surface at a predetermined distance from the tip surface. The pipe P is formed with a seal surface Pb that is sealed by a seal member SP on the tip side from the annular protrusion Pa. Hereinafter, the connector body 10 and the rotating ring 30 will be described in order.

(2) Configuration of each part of connector (2) -1 Connector body 10
2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a connector to which a pipe P is connected, and FIG. 3 is an exploded sectional view of the connector. 2 and 3, the connector main body 10 is made of, for example, a resin and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having a plurality of diameters reduced. One end of the connector main body 10 is a tube connecting portion 12 to which a synthetic resin tube Tb (FIG. 1) is fitted by press fitting, and the other end is a pipe connecting portion 20 for retaining the pipe P. It has become. In the following description, the connector connection 20 side is the front side and the tube connection 12 side is the rear side.

In the hollow portion in the connector main body 10, connection holes 13 </ b> S and 14 </ b> S having a stepped hole shape disposed in the tube connection portion 12 and an insertion hole 20 </ b> S disposed in the pipe connection portion 20 are formed. The connection hole 13S is a flow path leading to the tube Tb, and the connection hole 14S is a hole into which a portion of the seal surface Pb of the pipe P is inserted. The insertion hole 20S is a hole for mounting the seal member SP and the rotating ring 30, and accommodates the sealing member SP and the rotating ring 30 side by side from the rear side.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a peripheral portion of the pipe connecting portion 20. The pipe connecting portion 20 has a cylindrical portion 21 that forms the insertion hole 20S opened at the insertion port 21a, and the cylindrical portion 21 includes a main body side engaging portion 22 formed by a notch or a protrusion. . The main body side engaging portion 22 is a part for retaining the pipe P by engaging / disengaging with the rotating ring 30 and is arranged at three locations at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with the same configuration. Each main body side engaging portion 22 includes an opening 23 formed in the cylindrical portion 21, a guide recess 24, a bullet prevention wall 25, and a rotation guide portion 26. The guide recess 24 is formed continuously with the opening 23 in the circumferential direction, that is, a part of the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 21 is formed as a recess having a predetermined width. An engagement groove 24 a is formed at the end of the guide recess 24. The bullet prevention wall 25 is a part of the peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion 21 and is arranged with a predetermined width in the same direction as the guide recess 24. Moreover, the rotation taper part 36 is formed in the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical part 21, and has the rotation taper groove 27 inclined from the front side toward the rear side.

(2) -2 Rotating ring 30
The rotating ring 30 is made of an elastically deformable resin that is rotatably mounted in the insertion hole 20S, and is a member that prevents the pipe P from being pulled out according to the position in the circumferential direction with respect to the main body side engaging portion 22. The ring main body 31 and the ring side engaging portion 32 that is formed on the ring main body 31 and is rotated while being connected to the main body side engaging portion 22 to set the temporary fixing position, the transition position, and the retaining position. . One end of the ring body 31 is a pressing end 31a that presses the seal member SP. The ring-side engagement portions 32 are formed at three equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the ring body 31, and support pieces 33 projecting in a circular arc shape from the ring body 31, and from the side portions of the support pieces 33. A projecting rotation operating portion 34 and a lock piece 35 are provided.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the periphery of the ring side engaging portion 32. The rotation operation unit 34 includes an operation arch piece 34a that protrudes from the support piece 33 and is formed in an arch shape from a cantilever. A lock claw 34b that engages with the engagement groove 24a is formed at the tip of the operation arch piece 34a. Further, on the upper surface of the operation arch piece 34a, an operation projection 34c for projecting a rotational force for rotating the rotation ring 30 with a finger is provided.
The lock piece 35 includes a lock arch piece 35a that protrudes from the ring body 31 and is formed in an arch shape from a cantilever. The locking arch piece 35a is arranged in parallel with the rotation operation portion 34, and a deformation portion 35b that facilitates elastic deformation upward from the tip is formed at the base of the locking arch piece 35a. . In addition, a restricting protrusion 35c is provided on the lower surface of the distal end of the locking arch piece 35a. The regulating projection 35c is formed with a pressing slope 35d that hits the annular projection Pa of the pipe P.
Further, a rotation taper portion 36 protrudes in an arc shape on the side portion of the support piece 33 and on the outer peripheral portion of the ring main body 31. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotation taper portion 36 has a guide inclined surface 36b formed on the side of the taper body 36a. The guide inclined surface 36 b guides the rotary ring 30 to the rear side while following the rotary taper groove 27.

(3) Connector assembly and connection work Next, work for assembling the rotating ring 30 to the connector and work for connecting the piping P will be described.
(3) -1 Connector Assembly Operation First, the seal member SP shown in FIG. 3 is inserted into the insertion hole 20S. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the work of assembling the connector, and is shown in a flat plane as viewed from the outer peripheral direction. In order to assemble the rotating ring 30 in the pipe connecting portion 20, first, as shown in FIG. 6A, the rotating operation portion 34 is bent inward, and the rotating ring 30 is connected to the pipe connecting portion from the ring main body 31 side. 20 is inserted. Then, when the operation protrusion 34c of the rotation operation unit 34 gets over the opening end of the pipe connection unit 20 and pushes the rotation ring 30 to the back side of the opening 23 (state of FIG. 6B), the rotation operation is performed. The part 34 returns to the outer peripheral direction by elastic force. Then, when the rotary ring 30 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from the rear side of the pipe connection portion 20, the rotation operation portion 34 moves along the upper surface of the guide recess 24 as shown in FIG. At the same time, the locking claw 34b engages with the engaging groove 24a, whereby the rotating ring 30 is positioned with respect to the pipe connecting portion 20. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the lock piece 35 moves along the inner peripheral surface of the bullet prevention wall 25. As a result, the lock piece 35 is brought into a state of being aligned with the inner peripheral side of the bullet prevention wall 25. Further, the guide inclined surface 36 b of the rotation taper portion 36 protruding from the ring body 31 along the circumferential direction is brought into contact with the rotation taper groove 27. At this time, the seal member SP shown in FIG. 3 is pushed by the ring body 31 of the rotating ring 30 and moves to the back side of the insertion hole 20S. Thereby, the rotation ring 30 becomes a temporary fixing position temporarily assembled to the pipe connecting portion 20.

(3) -2 Connector Connection Work In order to connect the pipe P to the connector assembled as described above, the pipe P is inserted into the pipe connection portion 20 as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the pipe P is further pushed in with the annular protrusion Pa of the pipe P hitting the restricting protrusion 35c of the lock piece 35, as shown in FIG. In addition, the rotating ring 30 is moved in the clockwise direction, that is, in the oblique direction, by the guide inclined surface 36 b being guided by the rotating taper groove 27. At this time, the rotation operation unit 34 moves in the guide recess 24 because the lock claw 34b engages / disengages from the engagement groove 24a, and the lock piece 35 follows the inner wall of the bullet prevention wall 25. Moving. Then, as shown in FIG. 7C, when the free end of the lock piece 35 reaches the transition position where it reaches the opening 23, the lock piece 35 passes through the opening 23 with the one end as a fulcrum, and the annular protrusion Pa. To bend toward the outer diameter side. Thereby, the annular protrusion Pa gets over the restriction protrusion 35c of the lock piece 35 and returns to the original position by the elastic force. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7D, the operation protrusion 34c of the rotation operation unit 34 is pushed in the circumferential direction to rotate the rotating ring 30 counterclockwise. At this time, the guide inclined surface 36 b of the rotation taper portion 36 moves to the near side by being guided by the rotation taper groove 27. The rotation operation unit 34 is positioned by moving in the guide recess 24 and the lock claw 34b engaging with the engagement groove 24a, and the lock piece 35 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the bullet prevention wall 25. The deflection is restricted upon hitting. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotating ring 30 is in a retaining position where the restricting protrusion 35 c hits the annular protrusion Pa and the pipe P is restricted from moving in the disconnecting direction, and is thus positioned relative to the connector body 10. Connected.

(4) Operation and effect of the connector The configuration of the above embodiment provides the following effects in addition to the effects described above.
(4) -1 In the connector, since the annular rotating ring 30 is arranged in the pipe connecting portion 20, it is only necessary to secure an area necessary for the rotating operation of the rotating ring 30 when connecting the pipe. Therefore, as explained in the prior art, it is not possible to adopt a half-mounted form in which the retainer is protruded about half from the housing, and it is possible to save the space of the pipe connection portion by the connector.

(4) -2 Until the pipe P is inserted, the lock piece 35 of the rotating ring 30 is in a position where elastic deformation is restricted by the cylindrical part 21 of the pipe connecting part 20, and the pipe P is directed toward the insertion hole 20S. I can't insert it. Therefore, the pipe P is not connected to the connector at a halfway position.

(4) -3 When the pipe P is pushed into the insertion hole 20S to rotate the rotating ring 30 and the free end of the lock piece 35 reaches the opening 23, the lock piece 35 is deformed into an annular protrusion Pa by elastic deformation. Can get over the restricting protrusion 35c, and at this time, a moderation feeling can be obtained.

(4) -4 To prevent the annular protrusion Pa from coming out of the connector after the annular protrusion Pa has passed over the restricting protrusion 35c, a rotational force is applied to the rotation operation section 34 to prevent the rotation ring 30 from being removed. An operation by the operator to return to the position is necessary, and the connection is not left unintentionally.

(4) -5 The lock claw 34b formed at the free end of the operation arch piece 34a of the rotation operation portion 34 is engaged with or disengaged from the engagement groove 24a, that is, the rotary ring 30 is temporarily stopped or prevented from being removed. A sense of moderation can be obtained when the position is reached.

(4) -6 As shown in FIG. 4, since the main body side engaging portion 22 and the ring side engaging portion 32 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 21 and the ring main body 31, the pipe P is It can be pulled out with equal force at equal intervals on the outer periphery, and the reliability of pipe connection and the prevention of locking can be improved.

(4) -7 As shown in FIG. 2, the seal member SP is positioned in the insertion hole 20S and positioned by the pressing end 31a formed at the end of the ring body 31 and the inner wall of the insertion hole 20S. A separate member for preventing the SP from being positioned or falling off becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.
In the above embodiment, the main body side engaging portion 22 and the ring side engaging portion 32 are arranged at three positions at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. May be.
In the above-described embodiment, the rotation operation unit 34 is formed in an arch shape, but is not limited thereto, and is not particularly limited as long as the rotation force can be applied to the rotation ring 30. You may form in a side part.

Claims

A connector main body (used for connection of a pipe (P) having an annular protrusion (Pa) on the outer periphery, which is inserted into the connection hole and engaged with the annular protrusion (Pa). 10) a connector comprising:
A pipe connection part (20) formed in the connector body (10) and having an insertion hole (20S) connected to the connection hole;
A temporary fixing position that is rotatably mounted in the insertion hole (20S) and prevents the distal end portion of the pipe (P) from being inserted from the insertion hole (20S) to the connection hole side, and the insertion hole (20S) ) A rotating ring (30) set to a retaining position for retaining the pipe (P) inserted into the retaining position and a transition position when shifting from the temporary retaining position to the retaining position;
A seal member (SP) disposed in the connection hole or insertion hole (20S) and sealing between the inner wall of the connection hole or insertion hole (20S) and the seal surface (Pb) of the pipe (P);
With
The pipe connection part (20) rotates the cylindrical part (21) forming the insertion hole (20S), the opening part (23) formed in the cylindrical part (21), and the rotating ring (30). And a body side engaging portion (22) having a rotation guide portion (26) for guiding from the insertion hole (20S) side to the connection hole side,
The rotary ring (30) is formed in the ring main body (31) and the ring main body (31), and is rotated while being connected to the main body side engaging portion (22), whereby the temporary fixing position and the transition position. A ring-side engagement portion (32) that is set at a retaining position,
The ring-side engaging portion (32) protrudes from a locking arch piece (35a) made of a cantilever extending in the circumferential direction from the ring body (31) and the locking arch piece (35a). A lock piece (35) having a restricting protrusion (35c) that engages with the annular protrusion (Pa), and the rotation ring (35) formed on the ring body (31) to follow the rotation guide part (26). 30) rotating taper portion (36) for guiding from the insertion hole (20S) side to the connection hole side while rotating, and the rotation ring (30) formed on the ring body (31) from the transition position to the above-mentioned position. A rotation operation part (34) for applying a rotational force for returning to the removal position,
Even if the restricting protrusion (35c) is pushed by the annular protrusion (Pa) when the rotating ring (30) is in the temporary stop position and the removal stop position, the locking arch piece (35a) remains in the cylinder. In a state in which elastic deformation is restricted by the portion (21), the restriction protrusion (35c) is pushed by the annular protrusion (Pa) and rotates to move from the temporarily fixed position to the transition position. The lock arch piece (35a) is elastically deformed so as to enter the opening (23), and the annular protrusion (Pa) pushes over the restricting protrusion (35c) to get over,
Features a connector.
The connector according to claim 1,
The rotating operation portion (34) includes an operation arch piece (34a) that is a cantilever projecting from the ring body (31) and a lock formed at a free end of the operation arch piece (34a). Claw (34b),
The main body side engaging portion (22) includes an engaging groove (24a) that engages with the locking claw (34b),
The lock claw (34b) engages with the engagement groove (24a) when the rotating ring (30) moves from the temporary stop position to the transition position and when transitions from the transition position to the retaining position. Connector configured to match.
The connector according to claim 1 or 2,
The said main body side engaging part (22) and ring side engaging part (32) are the connectors arrange | positioned at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the said cylindrical part (21) and ring main body (31).
The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The seal member (SP) is disposed in the insertion hole (20S), and is positioned by a pressing end (31a) formed at an end of the ring body (31) and an inner wall of the insertion hole (20S). By this, the connector which seals between the said piping (P) and the inner wall of the said insertion hole (20S).