Flange quick connector

Abstract

The invention provides a quick flange connector. The quick flange connector comprises a connector body; the plurality of fixing units are mounted in the circumferential direction of the connector main body; the sealing element is arranged in the middle of the connector main body, and the flange is clamped between the sealing element and the fixing unit; the fixing unit includes: a cam rotatably disposed on the connector main body; and the cam is provided with a spiral surface, the spiral surface is arranged on the cam, and the flange is clamped by the spiral surface by rotating the cam. The cam is sequentially rotated through the operating handle, the spiral face on the cam axially clamps the back face of the flange, the flange is attached to the end face sealing element on the connector body to achieve rapid axial locking and axial sealing, self-tightening force is formed when a pipeline is pressed, and loosening is prevented; therefore, the flange can be quickly connected, the connecting efficiency is high, and the operation is convenient and fast.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of flange connections, and particularly to a flange quick connector. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional flange connections rely on nuts, bolts, and gaskets, which have the following drawbacks:

[0003] Low connection efficiency: Each bolt needs to be tightened individually, which takes several minutes or even longer, especially affecting the operation progress in emergency situations;

[0004] Complex operation: It requires the use of multiple tools and demands high skills from installers; uneven bolt stress can easily lead to seal failure.

[0005] Poor safety: The installation of the gasket can easily cause hand injuries due to squeezing, and loose connections may lead to media leakage, posing a safety hazard.

[0006] Poor adaptability: Bolts are prone to loosening and sealing performance is unstable under vibration, high pressure or harsh environments.

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the above problems and realize a flange connector that provides fast, safe and reliable connection, thereby overcoming the above defects. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide a flange quick connector that enables fast, safe, and reliable connection.

[0009] This invention provides the following technical solution: a flange quick connector, comprising:

[0010] Connector body;

[0011] A fixing unit, wherein a plurality of fixing units are circumferentially mounted on the connector body;

[0012] A sealing element is provided in the middle of the connector body, and the flange is clamped between the sealing element and the fixing unit;

[0013] The fixing unit includes:

[0014] A cam, which is rotatably mounted on the connector body;

[0015] The cam has a helical surface, and rotating the cam causes the helical surface to clamp the flange.

[0016] Furthermore, the cam is radially inclined at a helix angle and rotatably disposed on the connector body so that when the helical surface clamps the flange, the entire helical surface contacts the flange surface.

[0017] Furthermore, a second mounting surface is formed on the cam, and a first mounting surface is formed on the contact portion between the connector body and the cam. Both the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface are inclined surfaces, so that the cam can be radially tilted at an angle of helix.

[0018] Furthermore, the fixing unit also includes: a threaded pin, and a mounting threaded hole opened on the connector body;

[0019] A through hole is formed through the cam, and the threaded pin passes through the through hole and is threadedly connected to the mounting threaded hole, thereby mounting the cam on the connector body. The cam can rotate along the outer wall of the threaded pin.

[0020] Furthermore, the fixing unit also includes a self-locking mechanism for locking the cam in one direction.

[0021] The self-locking mechanism includes:

[0022] A button pin is slidably connected to the threaded pin and can slide along the axial direction of the threaded pin.

[0023] The first elastic element is the first elastic element that connects the button pin and the threaded pin;

[0024] The through hole is provided with a plurality of wedge grooves, which are arranged in a ring shape.

[0025] The threaded pin is provided with a plurality of such locking components.

[0026] The positioning component includes:

[0027] A locking component is slidably connected to the threaded pin; the locking component can slide radially along the threaded pin.

[0028] The second elastic element is used to reset the locking element after it slides.

[0029] The button pin engages with the locking member by pressing; the button pin presses against the locking member so that the locking member is located in the wedge groove, thereby locking the cam to rotate in one direction.

[0030] Furthermore, the locking component includes:

[0031] A short pin, a long pin, and a third elastic element disposed between the short pin and the long pin; the end of the short pin is press-fitted with the button pin, and the end of the long pin is used to engage with the wedge groove.

[0032] Furthermore, the positioning assembly also includes a guide sleeve; the guide sleeve is disposed on the threaded pin and sleeved on the outer wall of the long pin.

[0033] Furthermore, the fixing unit further includes: a lubrication structure; the lubrication mechanism includes:

[0034] Oil hole, an oil hole with open ends opened on the inner side of the threaded pin;

[0035] A lubricating nozzle, wherein the lubricating nozzle is provided at the opening at one end of the oil hole;

[0036] An oil groove is provided on the outer wall of the threaded pin in an annular shape, and the oil groove is connected to the other end opening of the oil hole; the oil groove is located at the through hole of the cam.

[0037] Furthermore, the fixing unit also includes a locking component for preventing the button pin from rotating;

[0038] The locking component includes:

[0039] A limiting threaded hole extends through the side wall of the connector body until it communicates with the mounting threaded hole to form the limiting threaded hole;

[0040] The threaded pin has a limiting groove.

[0041] A screw is threadedly connected to the limiting threaded hole. When the end of the screw is located in the limiting groove, the screw restricts the rotation of the threaded pin.

[0042] Furthermore, the connector body has an inverted wedge-shaped sealing groove, and the sealing element is embedded in the sealing groove.

[0043] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0044] By rotating the cam sequentially using the operating handle, the helical surface on the cam axially clamps the back of the flange, and the flange fits into the end face sealing element on the connector body to achieve rapid axial locking and axial sealing. It also generates a self-tightening force when the pipeline is under pressure to prevent loosening. This achieves rapid flange connection, resulting in high connection efficiency and convenient operation.

[0045] The self-locking mechanism allows the cam to rotate in only one direction, preventing loosening caused by accidental vibration. Pressing the button pin releases the cam's unidirectional rotation limit, and then operating the rotating cam again allows for rapid release of the separation flange; thus preventing loosening and achieving a high level of safety and adaptability. Attached Figure Description

[0046] Figure 1This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the explosive decomposition of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 3 This is a side view of the structure of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the spiral cam of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the self-locking mechanism of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 6 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the self-locking mechanism of the present invention.

[0052] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the operating wrench and screw-on flange of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram showing the separation of the threaded pin, cam, and connector body of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the lubrication structure of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 10 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface of the present invention.

[0056] The labels in the attached diagram are as follows: 1-Connector body, 2-Sealing groove, 3-Sealing element, 4-First mounting surface, 5-Cam, 6-Screw, 7-Helical surface, 8-Wedge groove, 9-Drive groove, 10-Threaded pin, 101-Threaded part, 102-Connecting part, 103-Head, 11-Lubricating nozzle, 12-Button pin, 13-Reset spring, 14-Short pin, 15-Compression spring, 16-Long pin, 17-Guide sleeve, 18-Flange, 19-Wrench, 20-Limiting threaded hole, 21-Limiting groove, 22-Mounting threaded hole, 23-Through hole, 24-Oil groove, 25-Oil hole, 26-Second mounting surface. Detailed Implementation

[0057] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Several embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.

[0058] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intervening component. When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intervening component. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this document are for illustrative purposes only.

[0059] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0060] Example 1:

[0061] This embodiment provides a flange 18 quick connector, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes: connector body 1, fixing unit and sealing element 3;

[0062] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the connector body 1 is generally cross-shaped. In other embodiments, the connector body 1 can be adjusted according to the actual situation, and no further limitations are made here. A through hole is provided in the middle so that the flange 18 can communicate with the connector body 1. The connector body 1 has multiple threaded mounting holes around the receiving hole. By using bolts to cooperate with the threaded mounting holes, the standard flange 18 on the equipment pipeline can be fixedly connected to the connector body 1 so that the connector body 1 is fixedly connected to the equipment. Of course, it can be adapted to various existing pipeline flanges 18 as required. The connector body 1 has four mounting threaded holes 22 corresponding to the fixing unit. The contact part between the connector body 1 and the cam 5 forms a first mounting surface 4. The first mounting surface 4 is inclined. Of course, in other embodiments, the first mounting surface 4 can also be flat.

[0063] The connector body 1 is circumferentially mounted with four fixing units; the distance between the four fixing units is equal so that when fixing the flange 18 on the external pipe, the flange 18 is subjected to uniform force.

[0064] The sealing element 3 is preferably a sealing rubber ring. A wedge-shaped sealing groove 2 is provided near the through hole of the connector body 1. The sealing element 3 is embedded in the sealing groove 2, and the axis of the sealing groove 2 is the same as the axis of the through hole. Of course, sealing elements 3 made of different materials can be adapted according to different working environment temperatures to achieve high and low temperature resistance, corrosion resistance and other characteristics. When the fixing unit fixes the flange 18 to the connector body 1, the surface of the flange 18 is tightly fitted with the sealing element 3, thereby achieving axial sealing of the flange 18, and forming a self-tightening force when the pipeline is under pressure to prevent loosening.

[0065] The fixing unit includes: cam 5, threaded pin 10, and self-locking mechanism;

[0066] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 10 As shown, three drive slots 9 are provided on the outer side of the upper surface of the cam 5, such as... Figure 7 As shown, the drive groove 9 is used to cooperate with the wrench 19 to drive the cam 5 to rotate; the number of drive grooves 9 can be adjusted according to the actual situation, and is not limited here; a through hole 23 is formed through the middle of the cam 5, and the through hole 23 is used for the threaded pin 10 to pass through the through hole 23 and connect with the mounting threaded hole 22, so that the cam 5 is mounted on the connector body 1; a second mounting surface 26 is formed on the side of the cam 5 that contacts the first mounting surface 4. The second mounting surface 26 and the first mounting surface 4 are both inclined, so that the cam 5 is radially tilted at the helix angle, and is rotatably mounted on the connector body 1; a helical surface 7 is formed on the side of the cam 5 near the second mounting surface 26; when the cam 5 is rotated, through the cooperation of the second mounting surface 26 and the first mounting surface 4, the cam 5 is radially tilted at the helix angle, so that the entire helical surface 7 contacts the surface of the flange 18, thereby increasing the contact area and thus fully fixing the flange 18; of course, the second mounting surface 26 and the first mounting surface 4 can both be flat, and when the cam 5 is rotated, the helical surface 7 will only make point contact with the surface of the flange 18.

[0067] like Figure 8 As shown, the threaded pin 10 consists of a threaded portion 101, a connecting portion 102, and a head 103 from bottom to top. The threaded pin 10 passes through the through hole 23 and is threadedly connected to the mounting threaded hole 22, thereby mounting the cam 5 on the connector body 1. The connecting portion 102 of the threaded pin 10 is located at the through hole 23 of the cam 5, so that the cam 5 can rotate along the outer wall of the connecting portion 102. The diameter of the head 103 is larger than the diameter of the through hole 23, so as to axially limit the cam 5 on the connector body 1.

[0068] like Figures 4-6 As shown, the self-locking mechanism is used to lock the cam 5 in one direction of rotation. The self-locking mechanism includes: a button pin 12, a first elastic element, a wedge groove 8, and a locking assembly.

[0069] A sliding hole is formed from the head 103 of the threaded pin 10 to the connecting part 102. The lower part of the button pin 12 is located in the sliding hole and is slidably connected to the sliding hole. The upper part of the button pin 12 protrudes from the surface of the head 103 so that people can press the button pin 12. The first elastic element is a return spring 13, which is also accommodated in the sliding hole. The bottom end of the return spring 13 contacts or is fixedly connected to the bottom side of the sliding hole, and the top end of the return spring 13 contacts or is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the button pin 12. A V-shaped groove is formed in the lower part of the button pin 12 to facilitate the pressing and engagement of the locking assembly.

[0070] Several wedge grooves 8 are provided at the through hole 23, and the several wedge grooves 8 form a ring; the specific shape of the wedge grooves 8 can be referred to Figure 6 The locking component engages with the wedge groove 8 to lock the cam 5 in one direction.

[0071] At the junction of the head 103 and the connecting part 102 of the threaded pin 10, four through holes 23 communicating with the sliding hole are provided along the radial direction of the threaded pin 10. That is, four through holes 23 are evenly distributed in the radial direction of the shoulder contact angle on the threaded pin 10. The four through holes 23 are evenly spaced, and a locking component is embedded in each of the four through holes 23.

[0072] The locking assembly includes: a locking component, a second elastic component, and a guide sleeve 17;

[0073] In this embodiment, the locking component consists of a short pin 14, a long pin 16, and a third elastic element disposed between the short pin 14 and the long pin 16. The short pin 14, the third elastic element, the long pin 16, the second elastic element, and the guide sleeve 17 are sequentially inserted into the through hole 23 to form the locking assembly. The end of the short pin 14 is press-fitted with the V-groove of the button pin 12, the end of the long pin 16 is used to engage with the wedge groove 8, and both the third and second elastic elements are compression springs 15. The outer wall of the guide sleeve 17 is interference-fitted with the through hole 23 to allow the guide sleeve 17 to... 7 will not move. Of course, the guide sleeve 17 can also be threaded and snapped into the through hole 23. The long pin 16 passes through the guide sleeve 17, that is, the guide sleeve 17 is sleeved on the outer wall of the long pin 16 to guide the long pin 16. The two ends of the second elastic element contact the ends of the short pin 14 and the long pin 16 respectively. The third elastic element is sleeved on the outer wall of the long pin 16, with one end contacting the long pin 16 and the other end contacting the guide sleeve 17. Both the short pin 14 and the long pin 16 can slide in the through hole 23, and both the second elastic element and the third elastic element can deform in the through hole 23.

[0074] It is understandable that in the initial state, both the third and second elastic elements have preload, and one end of the long pin 16 protrudes from the outer wall of the threaded pin 10 and is inserted into the wedge groove 8. When the button pin 12 is pressed, under the action of the third and second elastic elements, the short pin 14 will be embedded in the V-groove of the button pin 12, and the long pin 16 will automatically move out of the wedge groove 8 and retract into the through hole 23. When the button pin 12 is released, the return spring 13 will drive the button pin 12 to move upward, thereby pushing out the button pin 12, while the short pin 14 disengages from the V-groove of the button pin 12 and is squeezed by the button pin 12. At this time, the two compression springs 15 The stroke is reduced at the same time. In order to keep the preload of the two compression springs 15 the same, the two compression springs 15 naturally push the long pin 16 out of the through hole 23 of the threaded pin 10, so that the long pin 16 is stuck into the wedge groove 8. Thus, only the cam 5 is allowed to rotate clockwise. When the cam 5 rotates clockwise, the wedge groove 8 squeezes the long pin 16. Since there is a second elastic element between the long pin 16 and the short pin 14, the second elastic element will be compressed. When the wedge groove 8 corresponds to the long pin 16, the second elastic element pushes the long pin 16 into the wedge groove 8. When the button pin 12 is pressed, the long pin 16 is disengaged from the wedge groove 8, and the cam 5 can rotate freely, thus locking the cam 5 in one direction.

[0075] Working principle: First, the second mounting surface 26 of cam 5 contacts the first mounting surface 4 of connector body 1. Then, the threaded pin 10 passes through the through hole 23 and connects to the mounting threaded hole 22, thereby mounting cam 5 on connector body 1, and making the helical surface 7 of cam 5 close to the middle of connector body 1. When it is necessary to fix flange 18, one end face of flange 18 contacts the middle of connector body 1, and makes flange 18 contact sealing element 3. Then, the operator can drive cam 5 to rotate by inserting wrench 19 into drive groove 9. When cam 5 rotates, it passes through the first mounting surface 4 and the second mounting surface 26. The engagement of the mounting surface 26 allows the cam 5 to rotate radially at the helical angle, thereby making the entire helical surface 7 contact the back of the flange 18 and locking the flange 18. When the flange 18 is locked, the sealing element 3 fits precisely with the flange 18, achieving rapid axial locking and axial sealing. Moreover, through the self-locking mechanism, only unidirectional rotation of the cam 5 is allowed. Once the cam 5 is locked to the flange 18, the cam 5 cannot rotate in the opposite direction, preventing the cam 5 from loosening due to accidental vibration. Pressing the button pin 12 can release the unidirectional rotation limit of the cam 5, and then rotating the cam 5 can quickly release and separate the flange 18.

[0076] Example 2:

[0077] This embodiment further includes, based on the first embodiment, as follows: Figure 9 As shown, the fixing unit also includes a lubrication structure;

[0078] The lubrication mechanism includes:

[0079] Oil hole 25, an oil hole with open ends opened inside the threaded pin 10;

[0080] Specifically, an oil hole 25 is formed by penetrating the head 103 of the threaded pin 10 to the middle of the connecting part 102 and exiting from the connecting part 102;

[0081] Lubricating nozzle 11, which is provided at the opening of one end of oil hole 25;

[0082] Specifically, the lubricating nozzle 11 is fixedly connected to the oil hole 25 of the head 103, and the operator can inject lubricating fluid into the oil hole 25 through the lubricating nozzle 11;

[0083] The outer wall of the threaded pin 10 is provided with an annular oil groove 24, which is connected to the other end opening of the oil hole 25; the oil groove 24 is located at the through hole 23 of the cam 5.

[0084] Specifically, the outer wall of the connecting part 102 is provided with an annular oil groove 24, which is connected to the other end opening of the oil hole 25; the oil groove 24 is located at the through hole 23 of the cam 5;

[0085] It is understandable that when the operator injects lubricant into the oil hole 25 through the lubricating nozzle 11, the lubricant will eventually flow into the oil groove 24, thereby achieving rotational lubrication of the cam 5.

[0086] Example 3:

[0087] This embodiment further includes, based on embodiment one or embodiment two, as follows: Figure 8 As shown, the fixing unit also includes a locking component to prevent the button pin 12 from rotating;

[0088] The locking components include:

[0089] The limiting threaded hole 20 penetrates the side wall of the connector body 1 until it communicates with the mounting threaded hole 22 to form the limiting threaded hole 20;

[0090] A limiting groove 21 is provided on the threaded pin 10;

[0091] Specifically, a limiting groove 21 is provided on the outer wall of the threaded part 101;

[0092] Screw 6 is connected to the internal thread of the limiting threaded hole 20. When the end of screw 6 is located in the limiting groove 21, screw 6 restricts the rotation of the button pin.

[0093] Specifically, when the threaded pin 10 is installed into the threaded hole 22, the limiting groove 21 is aligned with the screw 6. The operator can screw the end of the screw 6 into the limiting groove 21, thereby preventing the threaded pin 10 from rotating axially.

[0094] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0095] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of this patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A flange quick connector, characterized in that, include: Connector body; A fixing unit, wherein a plurality of fixing units are circumferentially mounted on the connector body; A sealing element is provided in the middle of the connector body, and the flange is clamped between the sealing element and the fixing unit; The fixing unit includes: A cam, which is rotatably mounted on the connector body; The cam has a helical surface, and rotating the cam causes the helical surface to clamp the flange.

2. The flange quick connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cam is radially inclined at a helix angle and rotatably mounted on the connector body so that when the helical surface clamps the flange, the entire helical surface contacts the flange surface.

3. The flange quick connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, A second mounting surface is formed on the cam, and a first mounting surface is formed at the contact portion between the connector body and the cam. Both the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface are inclined surfaces, so that the cam can be radially tilted at the angle of the helix angle.

4. The flange quick connector according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The fixing unit further includes: a threaded pin, and a mounting threaded hole opened on the connector body; A through hole is formed through the cam, and the threaded pin passes through the through hole and is threadedly connected to the mounting threaded hole, thereby mounting the cam on the connector body. The cam can rotate along the outer wall of the threaded pin.

5. The flange quick connector according to claim 4, characterized in that, The fixing unit further includes a self-locking mechanism, which is used to lock the cam in one direction of rotation. The self-locking mechanism includes: A button pin is slidably connected to the threaded pin and can slide along the axial direction of the threaded pin. The first elastic element is the first elastic element that connects the button pin and the threaded pin; The through hole is provided with a plurality of wedge grooves, which are arranged in a ring shape. The threaded pin is provided with a plurality of such locking components. The card slot component includes: A locking component is slidably connected to the threaded pin; the locking component can slide radially along the threaded pin. The second elastic element is used to reset the locking element after it slides. The button pin engages with the locking member by pressing; the button pin presses against the locking member so that the locking member is located in the wedge groove, thereby locking the cam to rotate in one direction.

6. The flange quick connector according to claim 5, characterized in that, The locking component includes: A short pin, a long pin, and a third elastic element disposed between the short pin and the long pin; the end of the short pin is press-fitted with the button pin, and the end of the long pin is used to engage with the wedge groove.

7. The flange quick connector according to claim 6, characterized in that, The positioning assembly further includes a guide sleeve; the guide sleeve is disposed on the threaded pin and sleeved on the outer wall of the long pin.

8. The flange quick connector according to claim 4, characterized in that, The fixing unit further includes: a lubrication structure; the lubrication mechanism includes: Oil hole, an oil hole with open ends opened on the inner side of the threaded pin; A lubricating nozzle, wherein the lubricating nozzle is provided at the opening at one end of the oil hole; An oil groove is provided on the outer wall of the threaded pin in an annular shape, and the oil groove is connected to the other end opening of the oil hole; the oil groove is located at the through hole of the cam.

9. The flange quick connector according to claim 4, characterized in that, The fixing unit further includes a locking component for preventing the button pin from rotating; The locking component includes: A limiting threaded hole extends through the side wall of the connector body until it communicates with the mounting threaded hole to form the limiting threaded hole; The threaded pin has a limiting groove. A screw is threadedly connected to the limiting threaded hole. When the end of the screw is located in the limiting groove, the screw restricts the rotation of the threaded pin.

10. The flange quick connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connector body has an inverted wedge-shaped sealing groove, and the sealing element is embedded in the sealing groove.

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