Plug attachment device

Abstract

To provide a plug attachment device which enables improvement of sealability of a plug.SOLUTION: A plug 200 for sealing a port 110 is attached to a plug attachment device 1. The plug attachment device includes: a handle part 10; a pin 20 fitted in an insertion part 201; a connection part 30 which is provided between the handle part 10 and the pin 20 to connect these components; a sleeve 40 which has an outer diameter larger than an outer diameter of the pin 20 and is movably disposed between the pin 20 and the handle part 10 with the connection part 30 inserted thereinto to press a flange part 202 of the plug 200 against an outer surface 101; and a spring 50 which is compressed and provided between the handle part 10 and the sleeve 40. Gaps S1, S2 are respectively formed between the handle part 10 and the sleeve 40 and between an outer peripheral surface of the connection part 30 and an inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a plug attachment device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a sealing plug used to seal the base end side of a casing and a pushing jig for pushing the sealing plug into the casing. The pushing jig has a shaft portion inserted into the through-hole of the sealing plug and a flange portion extending perpendicularly from the shaft portion. When the sealing plug is pressed into the casing using the pushing jig, the sealing plug is pushed into the casing and the tip surface of the flange portion abuts against a flange portion on the base end side of the sealing plug, thereby preventing the pushing jig from passing through the through-hole of the sealing plug while the sealing plug is being pressed into the casing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 02-180330 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] With a pressing jig such as that described in Patent Document 1, the pressing direction of the sealing plug by the pressing jig may be oblique to the sealing plug. In this case, the sealing plug is pressed into the casing at an angle, resulting in a gap between the flange of the sealing plug and the casing. As such, with a pressing jig such as that described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the sealing performance of the sealing plug will be insufficient.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has an object to provide a plug installation device that can improve the sealing performance of the plug. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a plug installation device for installing a plug, which has an insertion portion to be inserted into an opening formed in the outer surface of an object to be installed, and a flange portion that contacts the outer surface, in an opening of the object to be installed, and is equipped with a handle portion, a pin that is fitted into the insertion portion, a connecting portion that is provided between the handle portion and the pin and connects them together, a sleeve whose outer diameter is larger than that of the pin, the connecting portion is inserted through and is arranged freely between the pin and the handle portion, and which presses the flange portion of the plug against the outer surface, and a biasing member that is provided in compression between the handle portion and the sleeve, and is characterized in that gaps are formed between the handle portion and the sleeve, and between the outer surface of the connecting portion and the inner surface of the sleeve.

[0007] In this invention, even if the plug is pushed in obliquely by the plug installation device, gaps are formed between the handle and the sleeve and between the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve, so that the end face of the sleeve, which is biased by the biasing force of the biasing member, comes into direct contact with the flange of the plug. Therefore, no gap is formed between the flange and the outer surface of the plug, improving the sealing performance of the plug. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a plug installation device that can improve the sealing performance of the plug. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a plug installation device, a plug, and a housing according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the state before the plug is installed. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a plug attachment device, a plug, and a housing according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the plug attachment device being pushed straight into the plug; [Figure 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a plug mounting device, a plug, and a housing according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the plug mounting device is pushed obliquely into the plug. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A plug installation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The plug installation device 1 is for installing a sealing plug 200 in an opening formed in the outer surface of an object to be installed. In this embodiment, the object to be installed is a housing 100 that houses multiple valves, and the opening is a port 110 formed in the outer surface 101 of the housing 100.

[0011] First, the housing 100 and the plug 200 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the plug 200 is attached to the housing 100. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the plug attachment device 1 is pushed straight into the plug 200.

[0012] The housing 100 includes a flat outer surface 101 and a port 110 formed in the outer surface 101 .

[0013] The plug 200 has an insertion portion 201 that is inserted into the port 110, and a flange portion 202 that extends radially from the outer circumferential surface of the open end of the insertion portion 201. In this embodiment, the plug 200 is made of rubber. The insertion portion 201 has an outer circumferential shape that corresponds to the inner circumferential shape of the port 110. In this embodiment, the insertion portion 201 is a cylindrical shape with a circular outer circumferential surface and a closed base. The outer diameter of the insertion portion 201 is approximately the same as the inner diameter of the port 110. The flange portion 202 is formed in an annular shape.

[0014] Plug 200 seals port 110 when insertion portion 201 is inserted into port 110 and flange portion 202 comes into contact with outer surface 101 of housing 100. This prevents paint from entering port 110 when housing 100 is painted. It also prevents foreign matter such as dust and rainwater from entering port 110 when housing 100 is stored or transported.

[0015] Next, the plug installation device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The plug installation device 1 comprises a handle portion 10 to be held by an operator, a pin 20, a connecting portion 30 provided between the handle portion 10 and the pin 20 to connect them together, a sleeve 40 through which the connecting portion 30 is inserted and which is disposed movably between the pin 20 and the handle portion 10, and a spring 50 as a biasing member provided in a compressed state between the handle portion 10 and the sleeve 40.

[0016] An internally threaded hole 11 is formed on the end face of the handle 10, into which an externally threaded portion 32 of a connecting portion 31, which will be described later, is screwed.

[0017] The pin 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape to be fitted into the insertion portion 201 of the plug 200, and the outer diameter of the pin 20 is smaller than the inner diameter of the insertion portion 201. The axial length of the pin 20 is approximately the same as the depth dimension of the insertion portion 201. As a result, when the pin 20 is fitted into the insertion portion 201, the tip surface 21 of the pin 20 abuts against the bottom surface 203 of the insertion portion 201.

[0018] The connecting portion 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its outer diameter is smaller than the outer diameters of the pin 20 and the handle portion 10. The pin 20 is formed integrally with one end of the connecting portion 30, and a coupling portion 31 having a male thread portion 32 formed on its outer circumferential surface is formed integrally with the other end of the connecting portion 30. The pin 20, connecting portion 30, and coupling portion 31 are formed coaxially. The plug mounting device 1 is assembled by inserting and screwing the male thread portion 32 of the coupling portion 31 into the female threaded hole 11 of the handle portion 10.

[0019] The sleeve 40 is used to press the flange 202 of the plug 200 against the outer surface 101 of the housing 100, and is formed in a cylindrical shape as a separate member from the pin 20 and the connecting portion 30. In this embodiment, the sleeve 40 is made of resin. The axial length of the sleeve 40 is shorter than the axial length of the connecting portion 30. Therefore, the sleeve 40 is movable in the axial direction between the pin 20 and the handle portion 10.

[0020] The sleeve 40 has an annular pressing portion 41 with a flat pressing surface 41a that presses against the flange portion 202 of the plug 200, and a cylindrical spring accommodating portion 42 that accommodates the spring 50 therein. Because the inner diameter of the pressing portion 41 is smaller than the inner diameter of the spring accommodating portion 42, the sleeve 40 moves in the axial direction as the inner circumferential surface 41b of the pressing portion 41 fits along the outer circumferential surface of the connecting portion 30. Because the inner diameter of the pressing portion 41 is smaller than the outer diameter of the pin 20, the pressing surface 41a engages with the back surface of the pin 20. In other words, the sleeve 40 is disposed movably between the pin 20 and the handle portion 10. Furthermore, the outer diameter of the pressing portion 41 is larger than the outer diameter of the pin 20. Therefore, when the tip surface 21 of the pin 20 abuts against the bottom surface 203 of the insertion portion 201 , the pressing surface 41 a of the sleeve 40 abuts against the flange portion 202 of the plug 200 .

[0021] A gap S1 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion 30 and the inner peripheral surface 41b of the pressing portion 41 of the sleeve 40. Furthermore, with the pressing surface 41a engaged with the back surface of the pin 20, a gap S2 is formed between the handle portion 10 and the sleeve 40. Therefore, the sleeve 40 can tilt relative to the connecting portion 30. In this embodiment, the gaps S1 and S2 are approximately 1 to 5 millimeters.

[0022] Both ends of the spring 50 are in contact with the pressing portion 41 of the sleeve 40 and the end face of the handle portion 10, respectively. The biasing force of the spring 50 constantly presses the pressing surface 41a of the sleeve 40 against the back surface of the pin 20. As a result, the tip surface 21 of the pin 20 abuts against the bottom surface 203 of the insertion portion 201, and at the same time, the pressing surface 41a of the sleeve 40 abuts against the flange portion 202 of the plug 200.

[0023] Next, a method for attaching the plug 200 to the port 110 using the plug attachment device 1 will be described.

[0024] 1 , the plug 200 is first temporarily fastened manually to the port 110, and then the pin 20 of the plug attachment device 1 is fitted into the insertion portion 201 of the plug 200, and the handle portion 10 is pushed toward the port 110. As a result, the tip surface 21 of the pin 20 abuts against the bottom surface 203 of the insertion portion 201, and the pressing surface 41 a of the sleeve 40 abuts against the flange portion 202 of the plug 200. By continuing to push the handle portion 10 from this state, the insertion portion 201 of the plug 200 is inserted into the port 110, and the flange portion 202 of the plug 200 abuts against the outer surface 101 of the housing 100. 2, by continuing to push the handle portion 10 further, the spring 50 contracts by the gap S2 between the sleeve 40 and the handle portion 10, and the handle portion 10 comes into contact with the sleeve 40. As a result, the sleeve 40 receives a pushing force from the handle portion 10 and strongly presses the flange portion 202 of the plug 200 against the outer surface 101 of the housing 100. In addition, the pin 20 presses the bottom surface 203 of the insertion portion 201, elastically deforming it in the axial direction by a length corresponding to the gap S2, thereby strongly pushing the insertion portion 201 into the port 110. As a result, the flange portion 202 of the plug 200 comes into close contact with the outer surface 101 of the housing 100 with no gap, and the port 110 is sealed by the plug 200.

[0025] Although the pin 20 and the handle portion 10 are separate from the sleeve 40, the stroke of the pin 20 and the handle portion 10 is restricted by the handle portion 10 abutting against the sleeve 40 (the state shown in FIG. 2). As a result, even if the plug installation device 1 continues to be pushed in, after the flange portion 202 of the plug 200 abuts against the outer surface 101, the plug 200 can only be pushed in by the gap S2 until the handle portion 10 abuts against the sleeve 40, preventing damage to the plug 200 due to the plug installation device 1 being pushed in.

[0026] Here, when attaching the plug 200 to the port 110 using the plug attaching device 1, it is possible that the plug 200 is pushed in at an angle by the plug attaching device 1 relative to the plug 200. In this case, the plug 200 is inserted at an angle into the port 110, causing a gap to form between the flange 202 of the plug 200 and the outer surface of the port 110, resulting in insufficient sealing. If the sealing property of the plug 200 is insufficient, paint may enter the port 110 through the gap that forms between the flange 202 of the plug 200 and the outer surface 101 of the housing 100 when the housing 100 is painted, or foreign matter such as dirt or rainwater may enter the port 110 through the gap when the housing 100 is stored or transported. Furthermore, if a partial gap occurs in the circumferential direction between the flange portion 202 of the plug 200 and the outer surface of the port 110, paint may get into the gap when the housing 100 is painted, which may result in poor installation of the piping joint attached to the port 110 of the housing 100 after painting.

[0027] In the plug mounting device 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a gap S1 is formed between the handle portion 10 and the sleeve 40, and a gap S2 is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the connecting portion 30 and the inner circumferential surface 41b of the sleeve 40, so that the sleeve 40 can tilt with respect to the pin 20 and the connecting portion 30. Therefore, even if the plug mounting device 1 is pushed obliquely into the plug 200 as shown in FIG. 3, the sleeve 40 presses the flange portion 202 of the plug 200 by the biasing force of the spring 50, independently of the pin 20 and the connecting portion 30 that are pushed obliquely. Note that in FIG. 3, the center line O1 is the central axis of the port 110, and the center line O2 is the central axis of the plug mounting device 1. As a result, the pressing surface 41a of the sleeve 40 does not come into partial contact with the flange portion 202, but the entire circumference comes into surface contact with the flange portion 202, pressing the flange portion 202 straight against the outer surface 101 of the housing 100. Therefore, even if the plug installation device 1 pushes the plug 200 in at an angle relative to the plug 200, the plug 200 is installed straight into the port 110, and no gap is generated around the entire circumference between the flange 202 of the plug 200 and the outer surface 101 of the housing 100, improving the sealing performance of the plug 200. From the above, the gap S1 between the handle portion 10 and the sleeve 40 and the gap S2 between the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion 30 and the inner peripheral surface 41b of the sleeve 40 need to be large enough to allow the sleeve 40 to be inclined relative to the pin 20 and the connecting portion 30 and press the flange 202 of the plug 200 straight against the outer surface 101 of the housing 100, even if the plug installation device 1 is pushed in at an angle relative to the plug 200. Specifically, the gaps S1 and S2 are formed to have a size that allows an inclination of about 5 degrees of the sleeve 40 relative to the pin 20 and the connecting portion 30.

[0028] Modifications of the above embodiment will be described below. The following modifications are also within the scope of the present invention, and it is possible to combine the following modifications with the configuration of the above embodiment, or to combine the following modifications with each other.

[0029] (1) In the above embodiment, the plug 200 seals the port 110 formed in the housing 100. However, the object to which the plug 200 is attached is not limited to the housing 100, and may be equipment such as a pipe. When the object to which the plug 200 is attached is a pipe, the plug 200 seals the flow path of the pipe.

[0030] (2) In the above embodiment, the plug mounting device 1 is assembled by inserting and screwing the male threaded portion 32 of the joining portion 31 of the connecting portion 30 into the female threaded hole 11 of the handle portion 10. In this way, since the handle portion 10 and the connecting portion 30 are disassembled, the size of the gap S2 and the initial load of the spring 50 can be easily adjusted. Alternatively, the joining portion 31 may not be formed on the connecting portion 30, and the handle portion 10 and the connecting portion 30 may be joined by welding or the like. In this case, the sleeve 40 and the spring 50 are assembled to the outer periphery of the connecting portion 30 before welding the handle portion 10 and the connecting portion 30 together.

[0031] The configuration, operation, and effects of the embodiment of the present invention configured as above will be described below.

[0032] a pin 20 fitted into the insertion portion 201; a connecting portion 30 provided between the handle portion 10 and the pin 20 to connect them; a sleeve 40 having an outer diameter larger than that of the pin 20, through which the connecting portion 30 is inserted and which is movably disposed between the pin 20 and the handle portion 10, for pressing the flange 202 of the plug 200 against the outer surface 101; and a spring 50 provided in compression between the handle portion 10 and the sleeve 40, wherein gaps S1 and S2 are formed between the handle portion 10 and the sleeve 40 and between the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion 30 and the inner peripheral surface 41b of the sleeve 40.

[0033] In this configuration, even if the plug 200 is pushed in by the plug installation device 1 in an oblique direction relative to the plug 200, gaps S1 and S2 are formed between the handle portion 10 and the sleeve 40 and between the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion 30 and the inner peripheral surface 41b of the sleeve 40, so that the pressing surface 41a of the sleeve 40, which is biased by the biasing force of the spring 50, comes into direct contact with the flange portion 202 of the plug 200. Therefore, no gap is formed between the flange portion 202 of the plug 200 and the outer surface 101, improving the sealing performance of the plug 200.

[0034] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely illustrate some of the application examples of the present invention, and it is not intended that the technical scope of the present invention be limited to the specific configurations of the above embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 plug mounting device, 10 handle portion, 20 pin, 21 tip surface, 30 connecting portion, 31 coupling portion, 40 sleeve, 41 pressing portion, 41a pressing surface, 41b inner peripheral surface, 42 spring accommodating portion, 50 spring (biasing member), 100 housing (mounting object), 101 outer surface, 110 port (opening), 200 plug, 201 insertion portion, 202 flange portion, S1, S2 gap 1, gap 2

Claims

[Claim 1] A plug attachment device for attaching a plug to an opening formed in an outer surface of an object to be attached, the plug having an insertion portion to be inserted into the opening and a flange portion to be in contact with the outer surface, A handle portion, a pin fitted into the insertion portion; a connecting portion provided between the handle portion and the pin and connecting the handle portion and the pin; a sleeve having an outer diameter larger than that of the pin, the sleeve having the connecting portion inserted therethrough and movably disposed between the pin and the handle portion, for pressing the flange portion of the plug against the outer surface; a biasing member provided in a compressed state between the handle portion and the sleeve, A plug attachment device, characterized in that gaps are formed between the handle portion and the sleeve, and between the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve.

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