Pipe fitting removal tool

Abstract

The present invention provides a pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool that allows for easy attachment and detachment of individual pipe fittings without interfering with surrounding pipe fittings, even when multiple pipe fittings are arranged adjacent to each other. [Solution] The pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool 1 comprises a base member 10, a plurality of chuck members 12, and a sleeve 14 for opening and closing the chuck members 12. Each chuck member 12 has a gripping portion 26 facing the longitudinal central axis L of the base member 10. The chuck members 12 open and close between a closed position in which the gripping portion 26 grips the pipe fitting 70 and an open position in which the gripping portion 26 moves radially outward from the pipe fitting 70. The sleeve 14 is displaceable between a release position in which each chuck member 12 is in the open position and a gripping position in which each chuck member 12 is held in the closed position. By rotating the pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool 1 about the longitudinal central axis L, the pipe fitting 70 gripped by the plurality of chuck members 12 is rotated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pipe joint detachment tool for detaching a pipe joint having a fixing screw portion.

Background Art

[0002] A pipe joint that is used by screwing a fixing screw portion into a predetermined position usually has chamfered portions on two to six sides, and a tool such as a spanner or a socket wrench is fitted into the chamfered portion and rotated to perform attachment and detachment.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a device or equipment in which a large number of pipes are arranged in proximity, a large number of pipe joints may be arranged in proximity. When attaching and detaching such closely arranged pipe joints, it may interfere with adjacent pipe joints and prevent a tool such as a spanner from rotating sufficiently, or it may be impossible to fit the tool into the chamfered portion. Also, when the chamfered portion is smaller than the outermost diameter of the pipe joint and the chamfered portion is deeper than the outermost diameter portion, it may be impossible to engage a socket wrench with the chamfered portion. Therefore, when removing a pipe joint located at a position surrounded by a large number of pipe joints or attaching a pipe joint to such a place, it may be necessary to remove the surrounding pipe joints that do not originally need to be removed. Therefore, the operation of attaching and detaching pipe joints, particularly the operation of attaching and detaching only a specific pipe joint, has become complicated.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool that allows for easy attachment and detachment of individual pipe fittings without interfering with surrounding pipe fittings, even when multiple pipe fittings are arranged adjacent to each other. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In other words, the present invention is A pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool for attaching and detaching pipe fittings, Base member and A plurality of chuck members, each having a mounting portion attached to the base member and a gripping portion facing the longitudinal central axis of the base member, wherein the gripping portion is configured to open and close between a closed position in which it grips a pipe joint and an open position in which it moves radially outward from the pipe joint, A sleeve is displaceable relative to the base member between a release position that allows each chuck member to be in the open position and a gripping position that holds each chuck member in the closed position. Equipped with, The present invention provides a pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool that rotates the pipe fitting held by the multiple chuck members by rotating the pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool about the longitudinal central axis.

[0007] This pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool has a configuration in which the chuck member is opened and closed with a sleeve, so that even when multiple pipe fittings are arranged adjacent to each other, individual pipe fittings can be properly gripped. In particular, even when the chamfered portion is smaller than the outermost diameter of the pipe fitting, the gripping portion of the opening and closing chuck member can properly grip the chamfered portion. Furthermore, since the pipe fitting is rotated by rotating the base member around its longitudinal central axis, it is possible to avoid interference between the pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool and surrounding pipe fittings during rotational operation.

[0008] Also, The plurality of chuck members have first and second chuck members arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal central axis, and the first and second chuck members are pivotably attached to the base member at the mounting portion so as to pivot between the closed position and the open position. The system may further include a spring positioned between the first chuck member and the second chuck member to bias the first and second chuck members from the closed position toward the open position.

[0009] Furthermore, the first and second chuck members may have contact portions that abut against the base member when in the open position, preventing them from opening beyond the open position.

[0010] Furthermore, when the sleeve is displaced from the released position to the gripping position, the plurality of chuck members can be pushed radially inward, causing them to be displaced from the open position to the closed position.

[0011] moreover, The sleeve is arranged to move in the direction of the longitudinal central axis while being constrained to the base member in the circumferential direction of the sleeve, so as to be displaced between the release position and the gripping position. A portion of the sleeve can be configured to form a grip portion for the operator to grasp and rotate the pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool.

[0012] Furthermore, the sleeve may have a circumferential support portion that engages with each chuck member in the circumferential direction when the sleeve is in the gripping position, thereby supporting each chuck member in the circumferential direction.

[0013] Furthermore, when the sleeve is in the gripping position, it can cover the portion of the plurality of chuck members from the mounting portion to the gripping portion from the outside, and house at least a portion of the pipe fitting gripped by the gripping portion inside.

[0014] Furthermore, the gripping portion of each chuck member protrudes toward the longitudinal central axis so as to form a locking surface facing the side of the mounting portion, and when each chuck member is in the closed position, the locking surface engages with the pipe fitting in the direction of the longitudinal central axis to hold the pipe fitting between the plurality of chuck members.

[0015] Furthermore, the base member can have a positioning portion for engaging with the inner peripheral surface or the outer peripheral surface of the pipe fitting to position the pipe fitting detaching tool in the radial direction with respect to the pipe fitting.

[0016] Furthermore, the sleeve can have a handle mounting portion for detachably mounting a handle.

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the pipe fitting detaching tool according to the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view of a pipe fitting detaching tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an exploded perspective view of the pipe fitting detaching tool. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view of the pipe fitting detaching tool with the sleeve in the gripping position. [Figure 4] It is a cross-sectional view of the pipe fitting detaching tool with the sleeve in the release position. [Figure 5] It is a cross-sectional view of the pipe fitting detaching tool taken along line A-A of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view of the pipe fitting detaching tool with the sleeve in the gripping position. [Figure 7] It is a bottom view of the pipe fitting detaching tool with the sleeve in the gripping position. [Figure 8] It is a first view showing the removal operation of the pipe fitting using the pipe fitting detaching tool. [Figure 9] It is a second view showing the removal operation of the pipe fitting using the pipe fitting detaching tool. [Figure 10] The third figure shows the process of removing a pipe fitting using a pipe fitting removal tool. [Figure 11] Figure 4 shows the process of removing a pipe fitting using a pipe fitting removal tool. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019] A pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a base member 10, a plurality of chuck members 12 attached to the base member 10, and a sleeve 14 arranged around the base member 10, as shown in Figures 1 to 6. The pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool 1 is displaced between an open, released state (Figures 1, 4, and 5) and a closed, gripping state (Figures 3 and 6) by moving the sleeve 14 back and forth (up and down in Figure 4, etc.) relative to the base member 10.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the base member 10 has a cylindrical shape overall and includes a base portion 16 with a large diameter and a positioning portion 18 with a smaller diameter. The base portion 16 has a receiving hole 20 that penetrates in the radial direction.

[0021] In this embodiment, the plurality of chuck members 12 consist of first and second chuck members 12, 12 that are positioned opposite each other with respect to the longitudinal central axis L of the base member 10. Each chuck member 12 has a mounting portion 22, an arm portion 24 extending forward from the mounting portion 22 along the longitudinal central axis L, and a gripping portion 26 located at the tip of the arm portion 24. The mounting portion 22 is inserted into a receiving hole 20 of the base member 10 and attached to the base member 10 by a chuck fixing pin 28. Specifically, the mounting portion 22 has a through hole 30 with an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the chuck fixing pin 28, and the mounting portion 22 is attached to the base member 10 by pressing the chuck fixing pin 28 through the through hole 30 into a press-fit hole 32 of the base member 10 and fixing it. Because the through hole 30 is slightly larger than the chuck fixing pin 28, the chuck member 12 can pivot relative to the base member 10 with the chuck fixing pin 28 as the center of rotation. The gripping portion 26 is positioned facing the longitudinal central axis L. The gripping portion 26 protrudes toward the longitudinal central axis L and forms a locking surface 34 facing the mounting portion 22.

[0022] A spring 36 is positioned between the two chuck members 12, biasing the chuck members 12 so that their gripping portions 26 move away from each other. A forward-projecting contact portion 38 is formed on the mounting portion 22 of the chuck member 12. In addition, as shown in Figure 4, a contact surface 40 is formed on the base member 10 at a position opposite to the contact portion 38. Each chuck member 12, biased by the spring 36, has its pivot range limited by the contact portion 38 contacting the contact surface 40, preventing it from opening beyond the open position shown in Figure 4.

[0023] The sleeve 14 has a cylindrical body portion 42 and a handle mounting portion 44 located at the rear end of the body portion 42. The body portion 42 has two elongated holes 46 that extend in the direction of the longitudinal central axis L. The sleeve 14 receives the base member 10 inside and is attached to the base member 10 by sleeve fixing pins 48. Specifically, by pressing the sleeve fixing pins 48 through the elongated holes 46 into the press-fit holes 50 of the base member 10 and fixing them, the sleeve 14 is able to be displaced in the direction of the longitudinal central axis L while being constrained in the circumferential direction relative to the base member 10.

[0024] An operating ring 52 is positioned on the outside of the sleeve 14. The operating ring 52 is fixed to the base member 10 via a sleeve fixing pin 48. Therefore, by gripping the operating ring 52 and moving the sleeve 14 in the direction of the longitudinal central axis L, the sleeve 14 can be moved relative to the base member 10.

[0025] When the sleeve 14 is in the open position shown in Figures 1, 4, and 5, most of the base member 10 is located outside the sleeve 14. The chuck member 12 is also located outside the sleeve 14 and is in the open position due to the biasing force of the spring 36. When the sleeve 14 is displaced forward along the longitudinal central axis L relative to the base member 10 to the gripping position shown in Figures 3 and 6, the part of the chuck member 12 from the mounting portion 22 to the gripping portion 26 is covered from the outside by the sleeve 14, and the base member 10 and the chuck member 12 are housed inside the sleeve 14. The chuck member 12 is pushed radially inward by the sleeve 14 to the closed position. A groove 54 with approximately the same width as the chuck member 12 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the sleeve 14, and as shown in Figures 3 and 7, the chuck member 12 is partially housed within the groove 54.

[0026] The operation of attaching and detaching pipe fittings using the pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool 1 will be described below with reference to Figures 8-11.

[0027] As shown in Figure 8, multiple pipe fittings 70 are installed close to each other. Each pipe fitting 70 is fixed by screwing in a fixing threaded portion 72. When removing one of these pipe fittings 70, first the sleeve 14 of the pipe fitting removal tool 1 is set to the release position. Next, as shown in Figure 9, the chuck member 12 is inserted between adjacent pipe fittings 70, and the pipe fitting removal tool 1 is moved so that the target pipe fitting 70 is positioned between the chuck members 12. At this time, the positioning portion 18 of the base member 10 is inserted into the passage 74 of the pipe fitting 70, thereby aligning the pipe fitting removal tool 1 radially with respect to the pipe fitting 70. That is, the longitudinal central axis L of the pipe fitting removal tool 1 is positioned on a straight line that is approximately the same as the longitudinal central axis M of the pipe fitting 70. Furthermore, when the end face 56 of the base member 10 abuts against the pipe joint 70, the pipe joint attachment / detachment tool 1 is aligned in the direction of its longitudinal central axis L, so that the gripping portion 26 of the chuck member 12 faces the chamfered portion 76 of the pipe joint 70. An inclined surface 60 is formed on the outer tip of the arm portion 24 of the chuck member 12, making it easier to insert the chuck member 12 into the gap between adjacent pipe joints 70.

[0028] Next, as shown in Figure 10, the sleeve 14 is moved toward the pipe fitting 70 to the gripping position. At this point, the portion of the pipe fitting 70 excluding the threaded portion 72 is housed inside the sleeve 14 along with the base member 10 and the chuck member 12. As the sleeve 14 moves to the gripping position, the chuck member 12 closes, and the gripping portion 26 contacts the chamfered portion 76 of the pipe fitting 70. When the sleeve 14 is rotated around its longitudinal axis L, the entire pipe fitting removal tool 1 rotates, and the pipe fitting 70, whose chamfered portion 76 is gripped by the gripping portion 26 of the chuck member 12, also rotates together with the pipe fitting removal tool 1 around its longitudinal axis M. This allows the pipe fitting 70 to be removed, as shown in Figure 11. At this time, since the locking surface 34 of the gripping portion 26 is engaged with the pipe joint 70 in the direction of the longitudinal central axis L, the pipe joint 70 remains held inside the sleeve 14 while being held between the chuck member 12.

[0029] When removing the pipe fitting 70 from the pipe fitting removal tool 1, the sleeve 14 is moved to the release position (Figure 8) while holding the operating ring 52. This causes the chuck member 12 to open due to the biasing force of the spring 36, allowing the pipe fitting 70 to be removed from the pipe fitting removal tool 1.

[0030] When installing the pipe fitting 70 in the predetermined position, the removal operation described above is performed in the reverse order. That is, the pipe fitting 70 is installed in the pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool 1 (Figure 11), the sleeve 14 is gripped and rotated to screw the pipe fitting 70 into the predetermined position (Figure 10), the sleeve 14 is released so that the gripping part 26 is in an open position, away radially outward from the chamfered part 76 of the pipe fitting 70 (Figure 9), and the pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool 1 is moved away from the pipe fitting 70 (Figure 8).

[0031] As described above, when installing and removing the pipe fitting 70, the pipe fitting installation / removal tool 1 is rotated by gripping and rotating the sleeve 14. In other words, a part of the sleeve 14 constitutes a grip portion for the operator to grip and rotate. Since the chuck member 12 is partially housed in the groove 54 of the sleeve 14, when the sleeve 14 is rotated, the chuck member 12 engages with the side wall (circumferential support portion) 58 of the groove 54 in the rotational direction (i.e., the circumferential direction of the sleeve 14). As a result, the chuck member 12 is supported in the circumferential direction by the side wall 58 of the groove 54, and the rotational force applied to the sleeve 14 is transmitted directly from the sleeve 14 to the chuck member 12. If such a groove 54 were not present, the rotational force applied to the sleeve 14 would be applied to the chuck member 12 via the chuck fixing pin 28 and the base member 10, which would place a large load on the chuck fixing pin 28 and the part that supports it. Furthermore, the space between the mounting portion 22 and the gripping portion 26 of the chuck member 12 is composed of an elongated arm portion 24, and a large load is placed on the arm portion 24, which has relatively weak structural strength. As a result, there is a risk that this weak part may break. In this embodiment, the possibility of such breakage can be reduced by supporting the chuck member 12 in the circumferential direction with the side wall 58 of the groove 54 of the sleeve 14. Note that the circumferential support portion for supporting the chuck member 12 in the circumferential direction may be other configurations, such as a projection protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the sleeve 14, instead of the side wall 58 of the groove 54.

[0032] A handle (not shown), such as a torque wrench or lever, can be attached to the handle mounting portion 44 of the sleeve 14. The handle mounting portion 44 has a hexagonal outer surface 44a and a hexagonal inner surface 44b, and any handle can be attached detachably using either the outer surface 44a or the inner surface 44b. By attaching a handle, the rotational operation of the pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool 1 when attaching or detaching the pipe fitting 70 can be performed easily with less force. Furthermore, if a torque wrench is used as the handle, the torque when attaching the pipe fitting 70 can be appropriately controlled.

[0033] In this way, the pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool 1 makes it possible to easily remove any pipe fitting 70 from among a plurality of adjacent pipe fittings 70. In particular, since the chuck member 12 having an elongated arm portion 24 is opened and closed by a cylindrical sleeve 14, the chuck member 12 and sleeve 14 can be inserted into the narrow space between the pipe fittings 70. Also, because the chuck member 12 is configured to open and close, even if the chamfered portion 76 is smaller than the outermost diameter of the pipe fitting 70 and is located deeper than the outermost diameter portion, as in the illustrated pipe fitting 70, the gripping portion 26 can be engaged with the chamfered portion 76 beyond the outermost diameter portion in the axial direction of the pipe fitting 70. Furthermore, since the pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool 1 is rotated about a longitudinal central axis L that is substantially the same as the longitudinal central axis M of the pipe fitting 70 to perform the attachment and detachment operation of the pipe fitting 70, interference with surrounding pipe fittings 70 during the rotation operation can be avoided, preventing it from rotating sufficiently.

[0034] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, the number of chuck members may be three or more. The gripping portion of the chuck member has a flat shape to match the chamfered portion of the pipe fitting to be fitted, but the shape can be changed as appropriate to match the shape of the pipe fitting. For example, if a recess or groove is formed in the pipe fitting, a protrusion may be provided on the gripping portion to match it. In the above embodiments, a form for attaching and detaching a female pipe fitting has been described, but a male pipe fitting may also be attached and detached. In that case, the positioning portion of the base member may be shaped to engage with the outer circumferential surface of the male pipe fitting. Note that the positioning portion is provided to facilitate attachment and detachment operations, but it is not necessarily required. In the above embodiments, the entire chuck member pivots around the chuck fixing pin, but the mounting portion may be fixed to the base member or configured integrally with the base member, and the arm portion may bend to open and close between the open position and the closed position. In that case, a spring to bias the chuck member toward the open position is not necessarily required. The sleeve may be configured, for example, to have a surface inclined in the circumferential direction on its inner surface, so that it can be rotated in the circumferential direction to displace between a release position and a gripping position, thereby opening and closing the chuck member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1. Pipe fitting removal tool 10 Base member 12 Chuck components 14 sleeves 16 base 18 Positioning section 20 Receiving hole 22 Mounting part 24 Arm section 26 Gripping part 28 Chuck fixing pin 30 Through holes 32 Press-fit holes 34 Locking surface 36 Springs 38 Contact part 40 Contact surface 42 Main body 44 Handle mounting section 44a Outer surface 44b Inner surface 46 Slotted holes 48 Sleeve fixing pins 50 press-fit holes 52 Operating Ring 54 Groove 56 End face 58 Side wall (circumferential support part) 60 Slope 70 Pipe fittings 72 Screw part 74 aisles 76 Chamfered section L Longitudinal central axis M Longitudinal central axis

Claims

1. A pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool for attaching and detaching pipe fittings, Base member and A plurality of chuck members, each having a mounting portion attached to the base member and a gripping portion facing the longitudinal central axis of the base member, wherein the gripping portion is configured to open and close between a closed position in which it grips a pipe joint and an open position in which it moves radially outward from the pipe joint, A sleeve is displaceable relative to the base member between a release position that allows each chuck member to be in the open position and a gripping position that holds each chuck member in the closed position. Equipped with, A pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool that rotates the pipe fitting held by the multiple chuck members by rotating the pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool about the longitudinal central axis.

2. The plurality of chuck members have first and second chuck members arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal central axis, and the first and second chuck members are pivotably attached to the base member at the mounting portion so as to pivot between the closed position and the open position. The pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool according to claim 1, further comprising a spring disposed between the first chuck member and the second chuck member for biasing the first and second chuck members from the closed position toward the open position.

3. The pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool according to claim 2, wherein the first and second chuck members have contact portions that contact the base member when in the open position to prevent them from opening beyond the open position.

4. The pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool according to claim 1, wherein when the sleeve is displaced from the release position to the gripping position, the plurality of chuck members are pushed radially inward, causing them to be displaced from the open position to the closed position.

5. The sleeve is arranged to move in the direction of the longitudinal central axis while being constrained to the base member in the circumferential direction of the sleeve, so as to be displaced between the release position and the gripping position. The pipe fitting attachment tool according to claim 4, wherein a portion of the sleeve constitutes a grip portion for an operator to grasp and rotate the pipe fitting attachment tool.

6. The pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool according to claim 5, wherein the sleeve has a circumferential support portion that engages with each chuck member in the circumferential direction when the sleeve is in the gripping position and supports each chuck member in the circumferential direction.

7. The pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool according to claim 4, wherein the sleeve, when in the gripping position, covers the portion of the plurality of chuck members from the mounting portion to the gripping portion from the outside, and accommodates at least a portion of the pipe fitting gripped by the gripping portion inside.

8. The pipe fitting attachment / detachment tool according to claim 1, wherein the gripping portion of each chuck member protrudes toward the longitudinal central axis so as to form a locking surface facing the mounting portion, and when each chuck member is in the closed position, the locking surface engages with the pipe fitting in the direction of the longitudinal central axis to hold the pipe fitting between the plurality of chuck members.

9. The pipe fitting attachment tool according to claim 1, wherein the base member has a positioning portion that engages with the inner or outer circumferential surface of the pipe fitting to position the pipe fitting attachment tool radially relative to the pipe fitting.

10. The pipe fitting attachment tool according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve has a handle attachment portion for attaching a handle detachably.

Images