Fittings

Abstract

We propose a novel configuration for joints used to connect pipe materials. [Solution] A joint to which at least one pipe material is connected, forming a series of flow channels for fluid to flow inside the main body, wherein a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion are formed on the outside of the main body, and the first engaging portion and second engaging portion of one joint and the second engaging portion and first engaging portion of another joint are configured to engage with each other. Furthermore, the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are formed on a connecting portion provided on the outside of the main body, with the first engaging portion formed on one side of the connecting portion and the second engaging portion formed on the other side of the connecting portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a joint such as a one-touch joint that enables one-touch connection by inserting a pipe such as a resin tube.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 for example, a one-touch joint for one-touch connection of pipes such as resin tubes is known. This one-touch joint, also called a push-in connector, is widely used as a part for constructing various circuits such as a cooling water circuit for flowing cooling water through a resin tube and a pneumatic circuit for flowing high-pressure air through a resin tube.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an example of an elbow union in which ports (open sleeves) configured in an L-shape and into which tubes are inserted at both ends are provided.

[0004] Also, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a removal tool for pulling out and removing a tube from a collet of a one-touch joint.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] A one-touch joint such as that in Patent Document 1 may be used in a state where the tubes are connected to the ports at both ends and are strapped to another member with a binding band, or may be used as it is without strapping.

[0007] In this case, if a large number of quick-connect fittings are used, and multiple quick-connect fittings are used in relatively close proximity, the routing of the tubing becomes complicated, the appearance becomes messy, and maintenance becomes difficult. Also, the task of securing each close-located quick-connect fitting with cable ties becomes time-consuming. Furthermore, because the position of each quick-connect fitting is not predetermined and the tubing is connected in a free-for-all manner, the positions of the quick-connect fittings will be misaligned, resulting in unnecessary excess length in the tubing.

[0008] Furthermore, the same problems arise not only with components that allow for one-touch connection of tubing materials such as resin tubes, but also with fittings that use nuts or the like for connection.

[0009] In view of the above problems, the present invention proposes a novel configuration for a joint used to connect pipe materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The problems that this invention aims to solve are as described above, and the means for solving these problems will now be explained.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is a joint in which at least one pipe material is connected and a series of flow channels for fluid to flow inside the main body is formed, wherein a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion are formed on the outside of the main body, and the first engaging portion and second engaging portion of one joint and the second engaging portion and first engaging portion of another joint are configured to engage with each other.

[0012] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are formed on a connecting portion provided on the outside of the main body, with the first engaging portion formed on one side of the connecting portion and the second engaging portion formed on the other side of the connecting portion.

[0013] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the connecting portion is configured in a cylindrical shape.

[0014] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the device is configured as a one-touch joint having at least one push ring that is retractably inserted into the main body, and the pipe is secured in place by inserting it into the port of the push ring.

[0015] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the main body is configured in a substantially L-shape, with the push rings provided to be movable back and forth at both ends of the substantially L-shape, thus forming an elbow union. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The present invention provides the following effects: In other words, according to one aspect of the present invention, adjacent joints can be positioned relative to each other, and can be neatly arranged in one place without creating a cluttered appearance. Furthermore, the routing of pipe materials can be performed based on the position of the joints, eliminating the need for unnecessary excess length in the pipe materials, and making initial assembly and subsequent maintenance easier. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] (A) is a perspective view showing the front side of the quick-connect fitting. (B) is a perspective view showing the front side of the quick-connect fitting. [Figure 2] (A) is a plan view showing the front side of the quick-connect fitting. (B) is a bottom view showing the back side of the quick-connect fitting. (C) is a side view of the quick-connect fitting. [Figure 3] This diagram shows an example of using multiple quick-connect fittings together by securing them with bolts. [Figure 4] (A) is a perspective view showing the front side of a one-touch fitting in another embodiment. (B) is a perspective view showing the front side of a one-touch fitting in another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figs. 1(A) and 1(B) show a one-touch joint 1 as an embodiment of the joint according to the present invention. Figs. 1(A) and 1(B) are in a relationship showing the front and back of the one-touch joint 1. For the sake of convenience, the side appearing in Fig. 1(A) is taken as the front side or the upper side, and the side appearing in Fig. 1(B) is taken as the back side or the lower side.

[0019] The one-touch joint 1 is used at a predetermined position of various devices such as industrial machines and manufacturing apparatuses, and resin tubes 5, 5 for flowing fluids such as processing liquid, air, and gas are connected and used. Note that the material of the tubes 5, 5 is not limited, and it may include carbon or metal.

[0020] The main body 10 of the one-touch joint 1 has two cylindrical portions 11, 11 and a connecting portion 12 for connecting one-side end portions of the respective cylindrical portions 11, 11, and is configured as a cylindrical member having a substantially L-shaped appearance. A series of flow paths for flowing fluids are formed inside each of the cylindrical portions 11, 11 and the connecting portion 12, and cylindrical push rings 14, 14 for inserting and connecting the tubes 5, 5 are inserted at the end portions of each of the cylindrical portions 11, 11 on the side opposite to the connecting portion 12.

[0021] Each of the push rings 14, 14 is inserted into each of the cylindrical portions 11, 11 so as to be able to advance and retreat, and a chuck (not shown) for locking the outer peripheral portion of the tip of each of the push rings 14, 14 pushed in is provided inside each of the cylindrical portions 11, 11. On the rear end side of each of the push rings 14, 14, large-diameter portions 14a, 14a that protrude from each of the cylindrical portions 11, 11 and have a larger diameter than each of the cylindrical portions 11, 11 are formed, and ports 14b, 14b into which the tubes 5, 5 are inserted are formed in the large-diameter portions 14a, 14a.

[0022] A plurality of minute protrusions are formed on the inner peripheral surface of each of the push rings 14, 14, and in a state where the tip of each of the push rings 14, 14 is locked to a chuck (not shown), the minute protrusions slightly bite into the outer surface of the tube 5, 5, and the inserted tube 5, 5 is configured to be maintained in a state where it is prevented from coming off.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the connecting portion 12, which is part of the main body 10 of the one-touch connector 1, has a first engaging portion 21 and a second engaging portion 22 formed thereon, and the first engaging portion 21 and second engaging portion 22 of one one-touch connector 1 and the second engaging portion 22 and first engaging portion 21 of another one-touch connector 1 are configured to engage with each other.

[0024] In this embodiment, a cylindrical connecting portion 20 is provided on the connecting portion 12, a first engaging portion 21 is formed at the upper end of one side of the connecting portion 20, and a second engaging portion 22 is formed at the lower end of the other side of the connecting portion 20. The first engaging portion 21 is constructed by alternately arranging upward-extending protrusions 21a and recesses 21b positioned between each protrusion 21a in the circumferential direction. The second engaging portion 22 is configured to engage with the first engaging portion 21 of another one-touch joint 1, and is configured with protrusions 22a and recesses 22b similar to those of the first engaging portion 21, but arranged at a different angle from the arrangement of the first engaging portion 21.

[0025] The cylindrical connecting portion 20 has a hole 23 that penetrates in the Z-axis direction, which is perpendicular to the XY plane containing the axis of each cylindrical portion 11, 11. As shown in Figure 2(C), when two one-touch joints 1, 1 are placed side by side vertically, the axes of the holes 23, 23 coincide, forming a series of continuous through holes. Furthermore, this allows the convex portion 22a and concave portion 22b of the second engaging portion 22 provided at the bottom of the upper one-touch joint 1 to engage with the concave portion 21b and convex portion 21a of the first engaging portion 21 provided at the top of the lower one-touch joint 1 by interlocking with each other.

[0026] In this embodiment, the connecting portion 20 is cylindrical, but it may also be rectangular, or it may be configured as a columnar shape with a roughly C-shaped cross-section, or as a columnar shape with a roughly U-shaped cross-section. By making it cylindrical or columnar, as shown in Figure 3, it becomes possible to form a series of through-holes for passing a bolt 30 through, for example, and in particular, by making it cylindrical, it is possible to prevent the one-touch joint 1 from falling out laterally from the bolt 30.

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the connecting portion 20 is provided at the corner of the main body 10, specifically at the connection portion 12. However, the installation location is not limited; for example, it may be provided on the outer circumference of one of the cylindrical portions 11. Also, although the connecting portion 20 is provided at one location on the connection portion 12, it is not limited to one location; for example, it may be provided on the outer circumference of each of the cylindrical portions 11, 11.

[0028] As a result of the above, as shown in Figure 3, when multiple one-touch connectors 1,1 are used in stacked configuration, adjacent one-touch connectors 1,1 engage with each other due to the interlocking grooves of the connecting parts, allowing them to be positioned at a fixed angle without misalignment.

[0029] The shapes of the first engaging portion 21 and the second engaging portion 22 are not particularly limited. As shown in the example in Figure 1, the protrusions and recesses may be arranged alternately in the circumferential direction. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 4, the first engaging portion 21A may be configured with four pins 28 arranged at 90-degree intervals, and the second engaging portion 22A may be configured with four holes 29 arranged at 90-degree intervals.

[0030] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, for example, by inserting a bolt 30, which serves as a fastener, into the hole 23 of the one-touch joint 1,1 and screwing it into the female hole 32a of the base plate 32, which is the part to be fixed, it becomes possible to fix multiple one-touch joints 1,1 together to the base plate 32.

[0031] This allows multiple quick-connect fittings 1,1 to be fixed together without any angle misalignment, resulting in a neat and tidy appearance when assembled in one place. Furthermore, since the position of each quick-connect fitting 1,1 can be determined, the routing of the tubes 5,5 can be done based on the position of the quick-connect fittings 1,1, eliminating the need for unnecessary excess length in the tubes 5,5, making initial assembly and subsequent maintenance easier. Additionally, when fixing with bolts 30, each quick-connect fitting 1,1 will not rotate individually, making the fixing process easier.

[0032] Alternatively, instead of using the base plate 32 as shown in Figure 3, nuts may be used to bundle multiple quick-connect fittings 1 together, or instead of using bolts 30, cable ties may be used to bundle multiple quick-connect fittings 1 together. By bundling multiple quick-connect fittings 1,1 in this way, it is possible to construct something equivalent to a so-called manifold block.

[0033] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 3, the ports 14b, 14b of adjacent one-touch fittings 1,1 are arranged in the same direction. However, the engaging portions of the one-touch fittings 1,1 may be engaged so that the angles of the one-touch fittings 1,1 are different, so that the orientations of the ports 14b, 14b of adjacent one-touch fittings 1,1 are different. For example, the engaging portions of adjacent one-touch fittings 1,1 can be engaged so that they are positioned 90 degrees apart from each other. In particular, with a configuration in which multiple protrusions and recesses are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction, as in this embodiment, the one-touch fittings 1,1 can be positioned at various angles. Also, for example, by arranging the protrusions and recesses at 90-degree intervals, the angle difference between the one-touch fittings 1,1 can be limited to 90 degrees.

[0034] Furthermore, although the above embodiments have described an example in which the one-touch fitting 1 is configured as an L-shaped so-called elbow union, the shape of the fitting and the number of ports to which the pipe material is connected are not limited, and the present invention can be broadly applied to, for example, I-shaped fittings, T-shaped fittings, Y-shaped fittings, etc. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to resin fittings, but can also be applied to metal fittings and fittings that combine resin parts and metal parts. In addition, the configuration of the present invention can be applied not only to fittings that enable one-touch connection of pipe material such as resin tubes, but also to fittings that are connected using nuts or the like.

[0035] As described above, the joint according to the present invention is a joint to which at least one pipe material is connected and a series of flow channels for fluid to flow inside the main body is formed, and a first engaging portion 21 and a second engaging portion 22 are formed on the outside of the main body, and the first engaging portion 21 and second engaging portion 22 of one joint and the second engaging portion 22 and first engaging portion 21 of another joint are configured to engage with each other.

[0036] This allows for the precise positioning of adjacent joints, resulting in a neat and organized appearance in one location. Furthermore, the routing of pipes can be guided by the joint positions, eliminating the need for unnecessary excess pipe length and facilitating initial assembly and subsequent maintenance. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1. One-touch fitting 5 tubes 10 Main Unit 11 Cylinder part 12 Connection part 14 Push rings 14a Large diameter section 14b port 20 Connecting part 21 Engaging part 21a Convex part 21b Recess 22 Engaging part 22a Convex part 22b Recess 23 Hole 30 volts 32 base plate 32a Female hole

Claims

1. A joint to which at least one pipe material is connected, forming a series of flow channels for fluid to flow inside the main body, A first engaging portion and a second engaging portion are formed on the outside of the main body. A first engaging portion, a second engaging portion of a certain joint, A joint configured such that the second engaging portion and the first engaging portion of another joint engage with each other.

2. The first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are formed in a connecting portion provided on the outside of the main body. The first engaging portion is formed on one side of the connecting portion. The second engaging portion is formed on the other side of the connecting portion. The joint according to feature 1.

3. The connecting portion is configured in a cylindrical shape. The joint according to feature 2.

4. The main body has at least one push ring that is inserted so as to be movable back and forth, The pipe is configured as a one-touch fitting in which the pipe is held in place by inserting it into the port of the push ring. The joint according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The main body is configured in a roughly L-shape, The push rings are provided at both ends of the roughly L-shaped structure so as to be able to move back and forth. It is configured as an elbow union. The joint according to feature 4.

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