Swivel Joint

Abstract

To provide a swivel joint which has little resistance during rotation and can be manufactured at low cost. [Solution] The swivel joint 1 is a fluid coupling for connecting hoses or equipment, and comprises a primary side connector 3 provided with connection means 2 connectable to a primary side hose or the like (inflow side), a secondary side connector 5 provided with connection means 4 connectable to a secondary side hose or the like (outflow side), and a connecting member 6 which rotatably connects the primary side connector 3 and the secondary side connector 5, the connecting member 6 having a flow path 22 therein for passing fluid, and has watertight means 40, 41, 42 which prevent water leakage at the sliding contact points by sliding against the inner surface of the primary side connector 3, and connecting means 24, 25 between the secondary side connector 5 and the connecting member 6, the fluid which has flowed into the primary side connector 3 is transported via the flow path 22 of the connecting member 6 to the secondary side connector 5 and flows out of the secondary side connector 5, making it an inexpensive device which can rotate with low torque.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fluid coupling for connecting hoses used for transporting fluids such as water to each other or to a hose and equipment. [Background technology]

[0002] There are tools such as high-pressure cleaners that operate the cleaning gun while it is connected to a hose. In tools such as high-pressure cleaners that operate the cleaning gun while the hose that supplies water is connected, the hose may become twisted during use, causing problems with operation. As a technology to solve this problem, there is a joint structure using bearing balls, as described in Patent Document 1.

[0003] The above joint structure may have a high resistance during rotation because the sliding area between the inflow side part and the outflow side part, which are connected to rotate with each other, is large. In addition, processing is required to seal the bearing balls, and high machining accuracy is required, which may increase costs. Furthermore, if the screw part that closes the hole used to insert the bearing ball falls off, the bearing ball may fall off or foreign matter may get in, causing poor rotation and the inflow side part and the outflow side part may separate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7034192 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a swivel joint that has little resistance when rotating and can be manufactured inexpensively. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration. A fluid coupling for connecting a hose or equipment, The device has a primary side connector provided with a connection means connectable to a primary side hose or device, which is an inflow side, a secondary side connector provided with a connection means connectable to a secondary side hose or device, which is an outflow side, and a connecting member that rotatably connects the primary side connector and the secondary side connector, the connecting member has a flow path therein for passing a fluid, and has a watertight means for preventing water leakage at a sliding contact portion by sliding contact with an inner surface of the primary side connecting body, and a connecting means for connecting the secondary side connecting body, A swivel joint characterized in that fluid that has flowed into a primary connector is transported to a secondary connector via a flow path in the coupling member and flows out from the secondary connector.

[0007] In addition, the present invention has the following configuration in the above swivel joint. The connecting member has a cylindrical mating portion at a tip end on the outflow side, and has a male thread on a part of an outer periphery from the mating portion toward the inflow side, The secondary side connector is characterized in that a mating portion that mates with the mating portion of the connecting member is provided inside the rear portion, which is the inflow side, of the secondary side connector, and a female thread that screws into the male thread is provided.

[0008] In addition, the present invention has the following configuration in the above swivel joint. The present invention is characterized in that a plurality of the secondary side connectors having different standards for connection means according to the hose or device are provided, and the secondary side connectors are configured to be replaceable. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The present invention provides a connecting member that rotates watertightly inside a cylindrical primary connector, and fixes a secondary connector to the connecting member, thereby enabling the primary connector and the secondary connector to rotate relative to each other. These components, except for the packing, are formed by cutting metal, but can be formed without using a high-performance cutting machine such as a machining center, and can be formed only by a general-purpose lathe without the need to replace the target workpiece. In this way, by using inexpensive components that are formed with a small number of parts and with extremely high precision, a swivel joint can be provided as a product at a low cost. Since the structure of the rotating joint part is simple, it can also be formed by powder metallurgy methods such as sintering, but the manufacturing method can be selected according to the level of mass production. Furthermore, since the area of ​​the frictional portion that comes into contact during rotation is smaller than in the conventional example, there is an effect that rotation can be achieved with lower torque. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of a swivel joint according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a cross section of each element constituting the swivel joint according to the present embodiment taken along line XX in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the swivel joint according to the present embodiment taken along line XX in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing another example of the swivel joint according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows an external perspective view of a swivel joint 1, Fig. 2 shows an explanatory diagram of an exploded cross section of the components of the swivel joint 1 taken along line XX in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 shows a cross section of the swivel joint 1 taken along line XX in Fig. 1. The swivel joint 1 is a fluid coupling that connects a primary side (IN) hose or equipment that supplies a fluid such as water, to a secondary side (OUT) hose or equipment that discharges the supplied fluid. The swivel joint 1 has a primary side connector 3 provided with a connection means 2 that can be connected to a joint T provided on a primary side hose or the like, a secondary side connector 5 provided with a connection means 4 that can be connected to a secondary side hose or equipment, and a connecting member 6 that rotatably connects the primary side connector 3 and the secondary side connector 5.

[0012] The primary side connector 3 has a hexagonal columnar appearance, and is provided with a female thread formed in accordance with the standard for a tapered pipe thread as the connection means 2 on the water inflow side of the axis CL. The end face of the primary side connector 3 opposite to the side where the connection means 2 is provided has a tip face 11 perpendicular to the axis CL and with a circular mouth 10 at the axis CL. Between the tip face 11 and the connection means 2, there are provided a tubular portion 12 having the same diameter as the circular mouth 10 and with the circular mouth 10 as its outer opening end, an inner wall surface 13 perpendicular to the axis CL that forms the inner opening end of the tubular portion 12, and a cylindrical cylinder 14 having the inner wall surface 13 as its end face and a larger diameter than the circular mouth 10. The cylindrical portion 12 and the cylinder 14 constitute a rotation support portion that supports the connecting member 6 rotatably about the axis CL.

[0013] The connecting member 6 is formed as a cylindrical body having a circular flange 20 provided at the end of the primary side, which is the water inflow side, and a circular flange 21 with a diameter slightly smaller than that of the cylinder 14 at a position spaced from the end, and a through hole 22 forming a flow path at the axis CL. The portion from the circular flange 21 to the tip, which is the water outflow side, has an axial portion 23 formed with a diameter slightly smaller than that of the tubular portion 12, a male thread 24 formed in the area from the axial portion 23 excluding the mating portion 25, and a mating portion 25 formed in a cylindrical shape. The male thread 24 and the mating portion 25 form the coupling portion with the secondary side connector 5.

[0014] The secondary side connector 5 has an outer portion 36 having a cylindrical appearance at the end of the primary side, which is the water inflow side, and a connection portion 32 in which a female thread 30 that screws into the male thread of the connecting member 6 and a mating portion 31 that matingly engages with the cylindrical mating portion 25 are formed on the axis CL inside the outer portion 36. Also, a region 33 in the tip direction from the connection portion 32 has a connection means 4 formed in the shape of a plug that can be connected to a socket S of a one-touch coupler, as an example. Since there are various types of one-touch couplers, the shape of the connection means 4 is formed to match the standard of the socket to be used.

[0015] The structure of the connection between the primary side connector 3 and the secondary side connector 5 by the connecting member 6 will be described. An O-ring 40 and an annular ring 41 with a square cross section made of fluororesin are fitted between the circular flanges 20, 21 provided at a position spaced apart from the end of the connecting member 6. The distance between the circular flanges 20 and 21 is dimensioned to allow the O-ring 40 and the annular ring 41, which are coated with grease, to be arranged coaxially. Also, an annular ring 42 with a square cross section is fitted to the opposite surface of the circular flange 21. When the connecting member 6 fitted with the O-ring 40 and the annular rings 41, 42 is fitted inside the primary connector 3, the O-ring 40 and the annular rings 41, 42 come into contact with the inner surface of the cylinder 14. The O-ring 40, the annular ring 41 and the annular ring 42 constitute a watertight means for preventing water leakage from the cylinder 14. The male thread 24 formed at the end of the shaft portion 23 protruding from the circular opening 10 is adapted to screw into the connecting portion 32 (30) of the secondary connector 5. At this time, the mating portion 25 of the connecting member 6 penetrates into the end face 34 inside the mated portion 31 until it abuts against it, and is then tightened to be fixed at the abutting position.

[0016] When the mating portion 25 of the connecting member 6 abuts against the end face 34 inside the mated portion 31 and is fixed, the tip face 11 of the primary connector 3 and the inlet side rear end face 35 of the secondary connector 5 are arranged in an opposing state. In this state, the connecting member 6 can rotate within the cylinder 14 of the primary connector 3 while maintaining a watertight state, and since the secondary connector 5 is joined to the connecting member 6, the two rotate together. With the above structure, the primary connector 3 and the secondary connector 5 can rotate relatively around the axis CL, so that even if the connected hose is twisted, the twist can be eliminated.

[0017] [Second Example] The above-mentioned swivel joint 1 may use a secondary connector having a thread conforming to piping standards instead of a plug for a one-touch coupler. Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of a case where a secondary connector 50 having a different type of thread 51 for piping is attached instead of the secondary connector 5 having a connection means 4 for a one-touch coupler. The secondary side connector 50 has an outer portion 36a having a cylindrical appearance at its end on the primary side, which is the water inflow side, and a connection portion formed in the axis inside the outer portion 36a with a female thread that screws into the male thread of the connecting member 6 and a mating portion that mated with the cylindrical mating portion 25. The connection portion provided inside the outer portion 36a is similar to the connection portion 32 of the secondary side connector 5, so a description thereof will be omitted with the aid of reference numerals.

[0018] In this way, the secondary connector of the swivel joint 1 can be formed to specifications corresponding to various standards of connection joints, as long as it has a mating portion that can be joined to the connecting member 6.

[0019] The shapes of the screws and plugs shown in the above embodiments and drawings can be appropriately modified and replaced in accordance with the standards of plugs, sockets and screws generally known in the art, and are described in this specification as long as they do not contradict the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the arrangement and number of O-rings and annular rings used in the connecting member 6 may be changed as appropriate as long as smooth rotation is not impeded. [Industrial Applicability]

[0020] The present invention can be used as a swivel joint that prevents twisting in the middle of the hose or between the hose and the water discharge section when connected to a hose of a high-pressure washer, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0021] 1 Swivel joint 2. Connection Method 3 Primary side connector 4. Connection Method 5 Secondary connector 6 Connecting members 10 Circular Mouth 11 Tip surface 12 Cylindrical part 13 Inner wall surface 14 cylinders 20, 21 circular flange 22 Through hole (flow path) 23 Shaft 24 Male thread 25 Engagement part 30 Female thread (connection part) 31 Engaged part (connection part) 32 Connection 33 areas 34 End face 35 Rear end surface 36 External shape 36a External part 40 O-ring (watertight means) 41, 42 Annular ring (watertight means) 50 Secondary connector 51 Screw CL axis center S Socket

Claims

1. A fluid coupling for connecting a hose or equipment, The device has a primary side connector provided with a connection means connectable to a primary side hose or device, which is an inflow side, a secondary side connector provided with a connection means connectable to a secondary side hose or device, which is an outflow side, and a connecting member that rotatably connects the primary side connector and the secondary side connector, the connecting member has a flow path therein for passing a fluid, and has a watertight means for preventing water leakage at a sliding contact portion by sliding contact with an inner surface of the primary side connecting body, and a connecting means for connecting the secondary side connecting body, A swivel joint characterized in that a fluid that has flowed into a primary connector is transported to a secondary connector via a flow path of the coupling member and flows out from the secondary connector.

2. The connecting member has a cylindrical mating portion at a tip end on the outflow side, and has a male thread on a part of an outer periphery extending from the mating portion toward the inflow side, The swivel joint according to claim 1, characterized in that a mating portion that mates with the mating portion of the connecting member is provided inside the rear portion, which is the inflow side of the secondary side connector, and a female thread that screws into the male thread is provided.

3. 3. The swivel joint according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the secondary side connectors having different standards for connection means according to hoses or devices are provided, and the secondary side connectors are configured to be replaceable.

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