JPH05248581A - Pipe joint - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the release operation by pushingly pressing a cylindrical lock part in the direction of the tip, making an elastic deformation of a lock claw outward at the tip part of the release part, and at the same time, holding the rear end part of the lock claw between the release part and the regulating part, thereby increasing the deformation amount of the lock part. CONSTITUTION:When a tube 18 is connected to a pipe joint, the tip of the tube is first inserted from the rear end of a guide ring 12 constituting a joint body part up to a tube end 40 in the inner circumferential surface of a housing 10. A lock claw 16 of a lock part 14 is pushingly expanded. Then, the tube 18 is somewhat drawn back, and the lock claw 16 is simultaneously moved rearward until a collar part 42 is brought into contact with a rear end part 44. Successively, the lock claw 16 is pushingly pressed to the inner side by a bush 26 which is a regulating part, and the lock claw 16 is bitten onto the outer circumferential surface of the tube 18. On the other hand, the lock claw 16 is pushingly pressed outward by this tip part 24 by pushing a release ring 20 forward, and the lock claw 16 is separated from the outer circumferential surface of the tube 18.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pipe joint, and more particularly, to a tubular joint main body and a lock portion provided in the joint main body and having a lock claw capable of biting into the outer peripheral surface of the inserted pipe. And a release portion that releases the lock claw from the outer peripheral surface of the pipe when the joint main body is pushed in the distal direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a lock portion having a lock claw disposed inside a joint body portion and capable of biting into the outer peripheral surface of an inserted pipe, and an outer periphery of the pipe when pushed toward the tip of the joint body portion. As an example of a pipe joint having a release portion that releases the lock claw from the surface, the applicant of the present application filed a patent application previously,
There is a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 32517. In this pipe joint, the lock portion is formed in an annular shape in which a large number of radial cuts are alternately formed from the inner diameter end edge and the outer diameter end edge, respectively, and the outer peripheral edge side where the cuts are formed extends over a certain width. The pipe is bent in the insertion direction of the pipe, and is fitted and held in an annular groove provided in the joint main body by the outer diameter end that is the bent end of the pipe into which the inner diameter end having the cut is inserted. It is possible to cut into the outer peripheral surface. To release the lock bite, the release portion is pushed into the joint body. When the release part is pushed in, the tip of the release part pushes the inner diameter end edge of the lock part, which bites into the outer peripheral surface of the pipe, toward the front, and separates from the outer peripheral surface of the pipe to release the bite.

[0003]

However, the above conventional pipe joint has the following problems. Although it has an excellent function in connecting pipes, there is a problem that a large force is required to operate the release portion when releasing the bite of the lock portion. The lock portion is made of metal, and it is necessary to deform the inner diameter edge of the lock portion when performing the releasing operation. Since a large force is required for this deformation, operability is difficult. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pipe joint with a good operability that can release the lock portion with a small force.

[0004]

In order to solve the above problems, the inventors of the present application have conducted extensive research and as a result, have focused on the fact that the force required for the deformation can be reduced by increasing the deformation amount of the lock portion. The present invention has been accomplished and has the following configuration. That is, a joint main body formed in a tubular shape with both ends open, and a tubular main body formed with both ends open, are arranged movably in the axial direction into the joint main body, and the tip portion is divided in the circumferential direction. The inside of the joint body is formed with a lock portion formed by a plurality of lock claws capable of biting into the outer peripheral surface of the inserted pipe by elastically deforming inward, and a tubular shape with both ends open. Is arranged so as to be movable in the axial direction, the rear end portion always protrudes outward from the rear end of the joint body portion, the tip portion is always located in the lock portion, and is pushed in the tip direction of the joint body portion. Is provided in the joint main body and a release part that releases the lock claw from the outer peripheral surface of the pipe by pushing the lock part in the tip direction and elastically deforming the lock claw outward at the tip part. The locking claw of the tube When it digs into the peripheral surface, it abuts on the lock claws and restricts the elastic deformation of the lock claws in the outward direction, the release part and the lock part are pushed in the distal direction, and the distal end part of the release part is locked. When elastically deforming the claw outwardly, it is characterized by including a restricting portion capable of holding the rear end portion of the lock portion with the releasing portion.

[0005]

[Operation] The operation will be described. The lock portion is formed in a tubular shape, and when releasing the biting of the lock portion, the lock portion is pushed toward the tip end, and the tip portion of the release portion elastically deforms the lock claw outward. At that time, since the rear end portion of the lock claw is clamped between the release portion and the restriction portion, the clamping portion, which is the rear end portion, and the elastically deformable lock pawl formed at the front end portion are separated from each other. Therefore, the amount of deformation of the lock portion can be increased, and the force required for the deformation can be reduced.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 1 (cross-sectional view of the pipe joint) and FIG. 3 (exploded perspective view showing the internal mechanism of the pipe joint). Reference numeral 10 is a housing that constitutes the joint body, and is formed in a tubular shape with both ends open. The housing 10 has a male screw formed at its tip (not shown), and can be screwed and fixed to an appropriate member.
Reference numeral 12 is a guide ring that constitutes the joint body, and is formed in a tubular shape with both ends open. Guide ring 12
Is fitted and fixed from the rear end side of the housing 10.
Reference numeral 14 denotes a lock portion, which is formed in a tubular shape with both ends open, and is disposed inside the guide ring 12 so as to be movable in the direction of the axis L. A plurality of (four in this embodiment) lock claws 16 are divided at the tip of the lock portion 14 in the circumferential direction.
Is formed in. Each lock claw 16 is elastically deformed inward so that the tip end is inserted into the synthetic resin tube 1
It is possible to cut into the outer peripheral surface of No. 8.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a release ring which is an example of a release portion, and is formed in a tubular shape with both ends open. The release ring 20 is disposed in the guide ring 12 so as to be movable in the direction of the axis L, and the rear end portion is formed on the flange portion 22 and always projects rearward from the rear end of the guide ring 12. The tip portion of the release ring 20 is always located in the lock portion 14.
When the release ring 20 is pushed in the distal direction, the lock portion 1
4 is pushed in the distal direction, and at the same time, the lock claw 16 is elastically deformed so as to open from the inside to the outside by the tapered tip portion 34, and the lock claw 1 is moved from the outer peripheral surface of the tube 18.
Release the bite of 6.

Reference numeral 26 is a bush, which is an example of a regulating portion, and is formed in a ring shape that is cut midway. The bush 26 is made of metal or hard synthetic resin. The bush 26 is fitted in a groove 28 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the guide ring 12. The bush 26 is cut off midway in order to facilitate the fitting into the groove 28 during assembly. The bush 26 is the lock portion 14.
When the lock claws 16 of the above-mentioned bite into the outer peripheral surface of the tube 18, the lock claws 16 come into contact with the outer wall surfaces of the lock claws 16 and regulate the elastic deformation of the lock claws 16 in the outward direction. By this regulation, the state in which the lock claw 16 bites into the outer peripheral surface of the tube 18 is maintained, and it is possible to prevent the tube 18 from being pulled out from the pipe joint. When the release ring 20 is pushed into the guide ring 12, the tip portion 24 of the release ring 20 pushes the lock pawl 16 in the tip direction and the lock pawl 16
Elastically deforms so as to open outwards, with the bushing 26 interlocking with the part 30 of the release ring 20 on the locking part 1.
The rear end portion 32 of the No. 4 can be clamped.

Reference numeral 34 denotes an elastic sleeve, which is made of an elastic material such as synthetic rubber. The elastic sleeve 34 is hooked on a step 36 formed in the housing 10. The elastic sleeve 34 is arranged to prevent the fluid sent through the tube 18 from leaking out of the housing 10. The elastic sleeve 34 is formed in an inverted V shape in cross section, and even if fluid leaks from the tube 18, the elastic sleeve 34 tries to widen the V shape, and as a result, the inner peripheral surface of the housing 10 and the outer periphery of the tube 18 are increased. The degree of close contact with the surface is increased, and fluid leakage can be prevented. Reference numeral 38 denotes a ring member, which is sandwiched between the elastic sleeve 34 and the tip end surface of the guide ring 12. The ring member 38 is provided to prevent the elastic sleeve 34 from being abnormally deformed by an external force. In order to assemble the pipe joint constructed as described above, first, the elastic sleeve 34 is inserted into the housing 10, and then the ring member 38 is inserted. Then, the guide ring 12, the bush 26, the lock portion 14, and the release ring 20 which are assembled in advance are fitted into the housing 10 to be assembled.

Next, a method of connecting the tube 18 to the pipe joint of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Tube 1
8 from the rear end of the guide ring 12 to the housing 1
0 Tube end 40 formed in a step shape on the inner peripheral surface
Insert until it touches. At that time, the tube 18 is inserted while the lock claw 16 of the lock portion 14 is being spread. When the tip of the tube 18 reaches the tube end 40, the tube 18 is pulled back slightly backward. The lock claw 16 bites slightly into the outer peripheral surface of the tube 18 when the tube 18 is inserted, and the lock portion 14 moves rearward together with the tube 18 as the tube 18 is pulled back. The lock portion 14 moves to a position (a position shown in FIG. 1) where the collar portion 42 comes into contact with the rear end portion 44 of the guide ring 12. When the lock portion 14 moves rearward, the lock claw 16 is pushed inward by the bush 26, gradually elastically deformed inward, and deeply digs into the outer peripheral surface of the tube 18. Lock part 14
When the brim portion 42 of the abutment is brought into contact with the rear end portion 44 of the guide ring 12, the tube 18, the lock portion 14, and the release ring 20 are
Is stopped, and the bush 26 holds the state (the locked state) in which the lock claw 16 deeply digs into the outer peripheral surface of the tube 18 (the state in FIG. 1).

A method of releasing the bite of the lock portion 14 from the locked state and withdrawing the tube 18 from the pipe joint will be described with further reference to FIG. In the state of FIG. 1, the release ring 20 is pushed toward the tip. Lock part 1
4 and the tube 18 also move in the distal direction. At this time, the tip portion 24 of the release ring 20 pushes the lock claw 16 from the inside to the outside. By this pushing movement, the lock claw 16 is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the tube 18, and the tube 18 is released. At that time, since the rear end portion 32 of the lock portion 14 is sandwiched between the bush 26 and the portion 30 of the release ring 20, each lock claw 16 is elastically deformed outward with the sandwiched portion as a fulcrum (FIG. 2). Condition). In this embodiment, since there is a relatively large distance between the fulcrum and the biting portion of the lock claw 16, the amount of deformation of the lock claw is large, so that the force required to push the release ring 20 can be small. Although various preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the restricting portion is not the ring member 38 cut in the middle but is shown in FIG. It is needless to say that more modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, such as the elastically deformable zigzag ring 26a made of metal or synthetic resin.

[0012]

When the pipe joint according to the present invention is used, the lock portion is formed in a tubular shape, and when the bite of the lock portion into the pipe is released, the lock portion is pushed in the distal direction, The tip portion of the release portion elastically deforms the lock claw outward. At that time, since the rear end portion of the lock claw is clamped between the release portion and the restriction portion, the clamping portion, which is the rear end portion, and the elastically deformable lock pawl formed at the front end portion are separated from each other. Therefore, the amount of deformation of the lock portion can be increased, and the force required for the deformation can be reduced, so that a pipe joint with good operability can be realized, and the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a pipe joint according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a lock portion of the pipe joint of FIG. 1 is released.

3 is an exploded perspective view showing a mechanism inside a housing of the pipe joint of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the regulating portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Housing 12 Guide Ring 14 Lock Part 16 Lock Claw 18 Tube 20 Release Ring

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A joint main body formed in a tubular shape with both ends open, and a tubular main body formed with both ends open, disposed movably in the axial direction into the joint main body, and having a tip portion of a peripheral shape. Divided into directions and elastically deformed inward, the tip of which is formed into a plurality of lock claws that can bite into the outer peripheral surface of the inserted tube, and a tubular shape with both ends open, It is arranged in the joint body so as to be movable in the axial direction, the rear end portion always projects outward from the rear end of the joint body portion, the tip portion is always located inside the lock portion, and is pushed in the tip direction of the joint body portion. When released, the lock portion is pushed toward the distal end, and the distal end portion elastically deforms the lock pawl to release the lock pawl from the outer peripheral surface of the pipe, and the joint body. Is provided inside the part, and the lock claw is When it digs into the outer peripheral surface of the pipe, it abuts on the lock claw to restrict the elastic deformation of the lock claw in the outward direction, and the release part and the lock part are pushed in the distal direction, and the distal end part of the release part. Is provided with a restriction portion capable of sandwiching the rear end portion of the lock portion with the release portion when elastically deforming the lock claw outward.