Pipe joint

The pipe joint design simplifies connection and disconnection with integrated valves and levers, preventing accidental disconnection and enhancing fluid flow efficiency.

JP2025136502APending Publication Date: 2025-09-19IHARA SCIENCE CORPORATION
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024035125
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-03-07
Publication Date
2025-09-19

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Conventional pipe joints require multiple operations to connect and disconnect joint halves, and there is a risk of accidental disconnection during fluid flow, especially when pressure is applied.

Method used

A pipe joint design featuring first and second cylindrical bodies with integrated valves and levers that allow easy connection and disconnection by rotating the levers, with additional mechanisms to prevent accidental disconnection by restricting sleeve movement.

Benefits of technology

Enables easy detachment of cylindrical bodies while preventing accidental disconnection, allows flexible orientation, reduces fluid resistance, and increases flow rate by maximizing flow path diameter.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To prevent incorrect operation, such as disconnecting a first cylindrical body and a second cylindrical body from each other, and enable easy attachment / detachment in a pipe joint where the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body are detachably connected.SOLUTION: A pipe joint includes: a first valve 4 in which a first valve body and a first rotary lever are provided in a first cylindrical body 1; a second valve 5 configured to open or close a passage in a second cylindrical body 2; and a sleeve 3 which is movably provided on an outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical body 2 and moves toward the first cylindrical body 1 to connect the first cylindrical body 1 with the second cylindrical body 2 in a state where the first cylindrical body 1 is inserted into the second cylindrical body 2. When the first rotary lever is rotated to open the passage in the first cylindrical body 1, the first rotary lever restricts movement of the sleeve 3 on the outer peripheral surface. When the first rotary lever is rotated to close the passage in the first cylindrical body 1, restriction on movement of the sleeve 3 by the first rotary lever is released to allow the sleeve 3 to move on the outer peripheral surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pipe joint. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is a pipe joint in which two joint halves, a first cylindrical body and a second cylindrical body into which the first cylindrical body is inserted, are detachably connected.

[0003] This type of pipe joint, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example, has a rotary valve provided in each joint half, and when at least one rotary valve is open, the connection between the joint halves is fixed.

[0004] Specifically, in this pipe joint, a convex locking element is formed on the valve shaft of one rotary valve, and a concave locking element is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the other joint half. One joint half is then rotated relative to the other joint half, and the rotary valve is opened when the locking element on the valve shaft and the locking element formed on the other joint half are engaged. When the rotary valve is in the open state, the locking elements are engaged with each other, thereby fixing the connection between the joint halves. As a result, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation, such as accidentally releasing the connection between the joint halves.

[0005] In the above-described pipe joint, when fixing the connection between the joint halves, it is necessary to rotate one joint half relative to the other joint half before opening the rotary valve. Furthermore, when releasing the connection between the joint halves, it is necessary to close the rotary valve and then rotate one joint half relative to the other joint half. Therefore, simply opening and closing the rotary valve is not enough to fix or release the connection between the joint halves. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-535344 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Therefore, the main objective of the present invention is to provide a pipe fitting in which a first cylindrical body and a second cylindrical body into which the first cylindrical body is inserted are detachably connected, and to make the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body easily detachable while preventing erroneous operations such as accidentally releasing the connection between the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] That is, the pipe joint according to the present invention is a pipe joint in which a first cylindrical body and a second cylindrical body into which the first cylindrical body is inserted are detachably connected, and includes a first valve body that opens and closes a flow path within the first cylindrical body, and a first rotary lever that is provided on the outside of the first cylindrical body and is connected to the first valve body to rotate the first valve body, and the first valve body and the first rotary lever are provided on the first cylindrical body, a second valve that is provided on the second cylindrical body and opens and closes a flow path within the second cylindrical body, and a second valve that is movably provided on the outer circumferential surface of the second cylindrical body and When the first cylindrical body is inserted into the second cylindrical body, the device is provided with a sleeve that moves toward the first cylindrical body to connect the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body, and when the first rotating lever is rotated to open the flow path within the first cylindrical body, the first rotating lever restricts the movement of the sleeve on the outer circumferential surface, and when the first rotating lever is rotated to close the flow path within the first cylindrical body, the restriction of the sleeve by the first rotating lever is released, allowing the sleeve to move on the outer circumferential surface.

[0009] With this pipe fitting, the first and second cylindrical bodies can be connected and disconnected simply by rotating the first rotary lever, without any other operation. In addition, when the first valve is opened, the first rotary lever restricts movement of the sleeve on the outer circumferential surface of the second cylindrical body, preventing erroneous operation in which the first cylindrical body is accidentally disconnected from the second cylindrical body when fluid is flowing through the pipe fitting. Furthermore, since both the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body are provided with valves, the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body can be attached to either the upstream or downstream side as desired, regardless of the pressure on the upstream or downstream side.

[0010] One embodiment of the pipe fitting further includes a protrusion formed on the first rotating lever that protrudes from the first rotating lever toward the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical body, and a recess formed on the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve that fits into the protrusion, and when the first cylindrical body is inserted into the second cylindrical body, the protrusion fits into the recess, creating an engaged state when the first rotating lever is rotated to open the flow path within the first cylindrical body, and the engaged state is released when the rotating lever is rotated to close the flow path within the first cylindrical body.

[0011] With this configuration, the protrusion and recess fit together when fluid is flowing within the pipe fitting, thereby more reliably restricting the movement of the sleeve and more firmly connecting the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body.

[0012] The second valve has a second valve body that opens and closes the flow path within the second cylindrical body, and a second rotary lever that is provided on the outside of the second cylindrical body, connected to the second valve body, and rotates the second valve body; when the first cylindrical body is inserted into the second cylindrical body, the sleeve is provided between the first rotary lever and the second rotary lever; and when the second rotary lever is rotated to open the flow path within the second cylindrical body, the second rotary lever has a regulating surface that regulates the sleeve from moving toward the second rotary lever.

[0013] With this configuration, when the flow path of the second cylindrical body is opened, the first rotary lever and the restricting surface restrict movement of the sleeve, so to allow movement of the sleeve, both the first rotary lever and the second rotary lever must be rotated. As a result, even if one valve is accidentally closed while fluid is flowing through the pipe fitting, movement of the sleeve is restricted as long as the other valve remains open, making it possible to more reliably prevent erroneous operation in which the first cylindrical body is accidentally detached from the second cylindrical body.

[0014] The first valve or the second valve is preferably a ball valve.

[0015] With this configuration, the flow path diameter is at its maximum when the flow path is open, which reduces fluid resistance and allows the flow rate within the pipe joint to be increased compared to conventional quick joints. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention described above, in a pipe fitting in which a first cylindrical body and a second cylindrical body into which the first cylindrical body is inserted are detachably connected, the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body can be easily detached while preventing erroneous operations such as accidentally releasing the connection between the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pipe joint according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in any of the drawings shown below, some parts may be omitted or exaggerated and depicted in a schematic manner for ease of understanding. The same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will be omitted where appropriate.

[0019] <Device configuration> As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the pipe fitting 100 of this embodiment is a so-called quick joint that includes a first cylindrical body 1, a second cylindrical body 2 into which the first cylindrical body 1 is inserted, and a sleeve 3 that connects and fixes the first cylindrical body 1 and the second cylindrical body 2.

[0020] 1 and 2, the first cylindrical body 1 is, for example, cylindrical, and the interior of the cylindrical body forms a flow path. Here, the direction of insertion into the second cylindrical body 2 is referred to as the front of the first cylindrical body 1, and the direction opposite to the direction of insertion into the second cylindrical body 2 is referred to as the rear of the first cylindrical body 1. A tubular member P is connected to the rear end of the first cylindrical body 1.

[0021] Specifically, the first cylindrical body 1 has a small diameter section 11 that tapers toward the tip end and is inserted into the second cylindrical body 2 while connected to the second cylindrical body 2, and a large diameter section 12 that is provided behind the small diameter section 11 and has a larger outer diameter than the small diameter section 11. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the small diameter section 11 and the inner diameter of the large diameter section 12 are approximately equal. In addition, a recess is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter section 11 to accommodate a metal anti-slip member that prevents the first cylindrical body from slipping out of the second cylindrical body 2.

[0022] 1 to 4, the large diameter portion 12 is provided with a first valve 4 that opens and closes the flow path of the first cylindrical body 1. Specifically, the first valve 4 has a first valve element 41 that is provided in the flow path of the large diameter portion 12, and a first rotary lever 42 that is provided on the outside of the first cylindrical body 1 and is connected to the first valve element 41 to rotate the first valve element 41. In this embodiment, the first valve 4 is, for example, a ball valve, and the first valve 4 is opened and closed when the first rotary lever 42 is rotated by an operator.

[0023] The first valve body 41 is generally spherical. A cylindrical flow path is formed in the center of the first valve body 41, penetrating the first valve body 41. The flow path formed in the first valve body 41 has an inner diameter substantially equal to that of the flow path of the first cylindrical body 1.

[0024] The first rotary lever 42 is connected to the first valve body 41 via a stem 43 and has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this embodiment, when the first valve 4 is open, the longitudinal component of the first rotary lever 42 is approximately parallel to the longitudinal component of the flow path in the first cylindrical body 1. On the other hand, when the first valve 4 is closed, the longitudinal component of the first rotary lever 42 is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal component of the flow path in the first cylindrical body 1.

[0025] Furthermore, the first rotating lever 42 is formed with a protrusion 42a that protrudes from the first rotating lever 42 toward the outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical body 1. Specifically, the protrusion 42a is formed on the front side of the opposing surface of the first rotating lever 42, which is the surface that faces the outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical body 1. More specifically, when the first valve 4 is open, the protrusion 42a protrudes from the front side of the opposing surface of the first rotating lever 42 across to the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve 3.

[0026] 1 and 2, the second cylindrical body 2 is, for example, cylindrical, and the interior of the cylindrical body forms a flow path. In this embodiment, the flow path of the second cylindrical body 2 has an inner diameter approximately equal to that of the flow path of the first cylindrical body 1. Here, the direction of insertion into the first cylindrical body 1 is referred to as the front of the second cylindrical body 2, and the direction opposite to the direction of insertion into the first cylindrical body 1 is referred to as the rear of the second cylindrical body 2. A tubular member P is connected to the rear of the second cylindrical body 2.

[0027] Specifically, the second cylindrical body 2 is provided with an insertion recess 21 provided on the front side of the second cylindrical body 2, into which the small diameter portion 11 is inserted. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the insertion recess 21 gradually decreases toward the rear of the second cylindrical body 2, and the rear end of the insertion recess 21 is penetrated, and its inner diameter is approximately equal to the inner diameter of the flow path of the second cylindrical body 2. Note that the insertion recess 21 is provided with a metal anti-slip member that prevents the second cylindrical body 2 from coming off the first cylindrical body 1.

[0028] The sleeve 3 is movably provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical body 2, and when the small diameter portion 11 is inserted into the insertion recess 21, it moves toward the front side of the second cylindrical body 2 to connect the first cylindrical body 1 and the second cylindrical body 2. Specifically, the sleeve 3 is roughly cylindrical, and is movable toward or behind the second cylindrical body 2.

[0029] Furthermore, a recess 3a is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve 3. The recess 3a fits onto the protrusion 42a when the first valve 4 is open. Specifically, the recess 3a is formed on the front side of the sleeve 3 along the circumferential direction of the sleeve 3. In this embodiment, the recess 3a is formed around the entire circumference of the sleeve 3, but it may also be formed on a part of the circumference of the sleeve 3.

[0030] 1 to 4, the second cylindrical body 2 is provided with a second valve 5 that opens and closes the flow path of the second cylindrical body 2. Specifically, the second valve 5 has a second valve element 51 that is provided in the flow path behind the insertion recess 21 of the second cylindrical body 2, and a second rotary lever 52 that is provided on the outside of the second cylindrical body 2, connected to the second valve element 51, and rotates the second valve element 51. In this embodiment, the second valve 5 is, for example, a ball valve, and the second valve 5 is opened and closed when the operator rotates the second rotary lever 52.

[0031] The second valve body 51 is generally spherical. A cylindrical flow path is formed in the center of the second valve body 51, penetrating the second valve body 51. The flow path formed in the second valve body 51 has an inner diameter substantially equal to that of the flow path of the second cylindrical body 2.

[0032] The second rotary lever 52 is connected to the second valve body 51 via a stem 53 and has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this embodiment, when the second valve 5 is open, the longitudinal component of the second rotary lever 52 is approximately parallel to the longitudinal component of the flow path in the second cylindrical body 2. On the other hand, when the second valve 5 is closed, the longitudinal component of the second rotary lever 52 is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal component of the flow path in the second cylindrical body 2.

[0033] Furthermore, the second rotary lever 52 has a restricting surface 52a that restricts the sleeve 3 from moving toward the second rotary lever 52 when the second rotary lever 52 is rotated to open the flow path of the second cylindrical body 2. When the second valve 5 is in an open state, the restricting surface 52a is provided opposite the rear end surface of the sleeve 3. With this configuration, if an operator accidentally tries to move the sleeve 3 rearward, the rear end of the sleeve 3 comes into contact with the restricting surface 52a, restricting the sleeve 3 from moving further rearward than the restricting surface 52a. In this embodiment, the restricting surface 52a is part of the side surface of the second rotary lever 52.

[0034] In addition, in this embodiment, the surfaces of the side of the second rotating lever 52 on which the regulating surface 52a is formed other than the regulating surface 52a are provided further forward of the second cylindrical body 2 than the regulating surface 52a and further outward than the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 3 (i.e., further outward from the second cylindrical body 2 than the regulating surface 52a) so that the second rotating lever 52 does not interfere with the sleeve 3 when the second rotating lever 52 is rotated.

[0035] <Attachment / detachment operation of the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body> First, the state in which the first valve 4 and the second valve 5 are open will be described with reference to FIG.

[0036] In this state, the flow path of the first cylindrical body 1 and the flow path of the second cylindrical body 2 are connected to form a single flow path. In addition, the first valve body 41 and the first rotary lever 42 are provided in the first cylindrical body 1, and the second valve body 51 and the second rotary lever 52 are provided in the second cylindrical body 2.

[0037] Furthermore, in this state, the sleeve 3 is disposed between the stem 43 of the first valve 4 and the restricting surface 52a. Furthermore, the protrusion 42a of the first rotating lever 42 and the restricting surface 52a of the second rotating lever 52 restrict movement of the sleeve 3 relative to the outer circumferential surface of the second cylindrical body 2. Specifically, the protrusion 42a is engaged with the recess 3a of the sleeve 3, restricting forward and rearward movement of the sleeve 3. Furthermore, if the operator accidentally attempts to move the sleeve 3 rearward, the rear end of the sleeve 3 will come into contact with the restricting surface 52a, restricting the sleeve 3 from moving rearward beyond the restricting surface 52a.

[0038] Next, the case of attaching and detaching the first cylindrical body 1 and the second cylindrical body 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0039] When an operator rotates the first rotary lever 42 and the second rotary lever 52, the first valve 4 and the second valve 5 are closed, respectively, as shown in FIG.

[0040] When the first valve 4 and the second valve 5 are closed, the first rotary lever 42 rotates to move the protrusion 42a away from the recess 3a of the sleeve 3, thereby releasing the engagement between the protrusion 42a and the recess 3a of the sleeve 3. Furthermore, the second rotary lever 52 rotates to move the restricting surface 52a away from the rear end of the sleeve 3, thereby releasing the restriction on the rearward movement of the sleeve 3.

[0041] This allows the sleeve 3 to move relative to the outer circumferential surface of the second cylindrical body 2. As a result, as shown in Fig. 4, an operator can remove the first cylindrical body 1 from the second cylindrical body 2 by moving the sleeve 3 from the tip side of the second cylindrical body 2 toward the second rotating lever 52.

[0042] Furthermore, even when the first cylindrical body 1 is detached from the second cylindrical body 2, the first valve body 41 and the first rotating lever 42 are provided on the first cylindrical body 1, and the second valve body 51 and the second rotating lever 52 are provided on the second cylindrical body 2, as shown in Figure 4, just as when the first cylindrical body 1 and the second cylindrical body 2 are connected.

[0043] <Effects of this embodiment> With the pipe fitting 100 configured in this manner, the first cylindrical body 1 and the second cylindrical body 2 can be connected and disconnected simply by rotating the first rotary lever 42 and the second rotary lever 52, without any other operation being required. In addition, when the first valve 4 is opened, the first rotary lever 42 restricts movement of the sleeve 3 on the outer circumferential surface of the second cylindrical body 2, so that when a fluid is flowing inside the pipe fitting 100, an erroneous operation in which the first cylindrical body 1 is accidentally disconnected from the second cylindrical body 2 can be prevented. Furthermore, since the first cylindrical body 1 and the second cylindrical body 2 are each provided with a first valve 4 and a second valve 5, the first cylindrical body 1 and the second cylindrical body 2 can be attached to either the upstream or downstream side as desired, regardless of the pressure on the upstream and downstream sides.

[0044] Furthermore, since the first valve body 41 and the first rotating lever 42 are both provided in the first cylindrical body 1, which is the same cylindrical body, the piping length of the first cylindrical body 1 can be shortened compared to when the valve body and the rotating lever are each provided in separate cylindrical bodies. In addition, since the second valve body 51 and the second rotary lever 52 that constitute the second valve 5 are provided in the second cylindrical body 2, the piping length of the second cylindrical body 2 can also be shortened.

[0045] Furthermore, when a fluid is flowing within the pipe fitting 100, the protrusion 42a and the recess 3a fit together, thereby more reliably restricting the movement of the sleeve 3 and more firmly connecting the first cylindrical body 1 and the second cylindrical body 2.

[0046] Furthermore, because the movement of the sleeve 3 is restricted by the protrusion 42a and the restricting surface 52a, it is necessary to rotate both the first rotating lever 42 and the second rotating lever 52 to move the sleeve 3. As a result, even if one valve is accidentally closed while fluid is flowing through the pipe fitting 100, as long as the other valve remains open, the movement of the sleeve 3 is restricted, thereby more reliably preventing the first cylindrical body 1 from accidentally coming off the second cylindrical body 2.

[0047] In addition, because the first valve 4 and the second valve 5 are ball valves, the flow path diameter within the pipe fitting 100 is maximized when the first valve 4 and the second valve 5 are open. As a result, fluid resistance can be reduced, and the flow rate within the pipe fitting 100 can be increased compared to conventional quick joints.

[0048] <Other embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the second rotating lever 52 is formed with the restricting surface 52a, but the restricting surface 52a may not be formed. In this case, the first cylindrical body 1 and the second cylindrical body 2 can be connected and released by simply rotating only the first rotating lever 42 without any other operation.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the protrusion 42a is formed on the first rotating lever 42, but the configuration in which the first rotating lever 42 restricts the movement of the sleeve 3 is not limited to this. For example, the first rotating lever 42 may be configured to be provided opposite the tip end of the sleeve 3 and to have a restricting surface that restricts the forward movement of the sleeve 3.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the second rotating lever 52 is formed with the restricting surface 52a, but the configuration in which the second rotating lever 52 restricts the rearward movement of the sleeve 3 is not limited to this. For example, a protrusion that protrudes from the outer circumferential surface of the second cylindrical body 2 may be formed at the front of the second rotating lever 52, and a recess that fits into the protrusion of the second rotating lever 52 may be formed at the rear of the sleeve 3, thereby restricting the rearward movement of the sleeve 3.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the restriction surface 52a is a part of the side surface on the tip side of the second rotary lever 52 when the second valve 5 is open, but the restriction surface 52a may be the entire side surface.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the first valve 4 and the second valve 5 are ball valves, but they are not limited to this and may be other types of valves.

[0054] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 100···Pipe fittings 1. First cylindrical body 2 Second cylindrical body 3 Sleeve 3a Recess 4. First valve 41 First valve body 42 First rotating lever 42a...Protrusion 5 Second valve 51 Second valve body 52 Second rotating lever 52a Regulatory aspects

Claims

1. A pipe joint in which a first cylindrical body and a second cylindrical body into which the first cylindrical body is inserted are detachably connected, a first valve including a first valve body that opens and closes a flow path within the first cylindrical body, and a first rotary lever that is provided on the outside of the first cylindrical body and is connected to the first valve body to rotate the first valve body, the first valve body and the first rotary lever being provided on the first cylindrical body; a second valve provided in the second cylindrical body and configured to open and close a flow path within the second cylindrical body; a sleeve movably provided on an outer circumferential surface of the second cylindrical body, the sleeve moving toward the first cylindrical body when the first cylindrical body is inserted into the second cylindrical body to connect the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body, A pipe fitting in which, when the first rotary lever is rotated to open the flow path within the first cylindrical body, the first rotary lever restricts movement of the sleeve on the outer circumferential surface, and when the first rotary lever is rotated to close the flow path within the first cylindrical body, the restriction of the sleeve by the first rotary lever is released, allowing the sleeve to move on the outer circumferential surface.

2. a protrusion formed on the first rotary lever and protruding from the first rotary lever toward an outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical body; a recess formed on an outer circumferential surface of the sleeve and fitted with the protrusion, 2. A pipe fitting as described in claim 1, wherein when the first cylindrical body is inserted into the second cylindrical body, the protrusion fits into the recess when the first rotating lever is rotated to open the flow path within the first cylindrical body, and the fitted state is released when the rotating lever is rotated to close the flow path within the first cylindrical body.

3. The second valve is a second valve body that opens and closes a flow path within the second cylindrical body; a second rotary lever provided on the outside of the second cylindrical body, connected to the second valve body, and configured to rotate the second valve body; When the first cylindrical body is inserted into the second cylindrical body, the sleeve is provided between the first rotary lever and the second rotary lever, 2. The pipe fitting according to claim 1, wherein when the second rotary lever is rotated to open the flow path in the second cylindrical body, the second rotary lever has a restricting surface that restricts movement of the sleeve toward the second rotary lever.

4. 4. The pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the first valve or the second valve is a ball valve.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Fluid Coupling

    JP2021535344A