Firefighting quick fittings

Abstract

To provide a quick-connect pipe coupling for firefighting, which can further improve labor-saving operation for firefighters. [Solution] A firefighting quick connection coupling (200) comprises a female pipe coupling (10) and a rolling structure (20). The female pipe coupling has a connecting pipe (11) and a through-connecting pipe (12) connected to each other, and the connecting pipe is used to connect a fire hose (100) or a sprinkler head. A through-connecting hole (13) is recessed at the front end of the through-connecting pipe, and a locking connection structure (30) is provided within the through-connecting hole. The rolling structure comprises a fixing ring (21) and a number of rollers (22). The fixing ring is fixed to the outer circumferential wall of the through-connecting pipe, and the rollers are rollably disposed on the fixing ring. When the fire hose is placed on the ground and pulled, the rollers can roll on the ground, reducing friction and resistance.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of firefighting quick connection couplings, and more particularly to a firefighting quick connection coupling that is used to connect onto a fire hose and can reduce resistance when the fire hose is placed on the ground and pulled. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional firefighting equipment technology, fire hoses used to transport tap water are usually equipped with different assembly parts at both ends, with one end equipped with a female pipe fitting used for quick insertion and connection with a male pipe fitting of a water faucet or other hose, and the other end equipped with a male pipe fitting used for quick insertion and connection with a fire nozzle.In addition, the present inventor previously proposed a quick insertion and connection joint design in Patent Document 1, which mentions the use of an elastic clamping ring as the elastic force of the movable locking member, thereby improving the shortcomings of the internal locking connection structure of conventional firefighting pipe joints. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Taiwan Patent No. I828499(B) Specification Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When firefighters pull a fire hose at a fire scene, these female pipe joints and fire nozzles come into direct contact with the ground, and because most of the female pipe joints and fire nozzles are made of metal and are relatively large in volume and weight, the friction with the ground increases significantly, increasing the resistance to movement. This not only hinders the hose from being deployed quickly, but also requires more effort in the process of dragging and carrying the hose, increasing the operational burden and physical exhaustion of the firefighters. Therefore, there is an urgent need to solve this problem. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The main purpose of this invention is to provide a fire quick disconnect coupling that has a number of rollable rollers around the outer periphery of the coupling due to the design of the female pipe coupling and rolling structure. When the firefighter connects the fire quick disconnect coupling to the end of a fire hose, the rollers of the rolling structure can roll smoothly along the ground when the firefighter drags the hose, effectively reducing frictional resistance and further saving the firefighter's effort when dragging the fire hose.

[0006] A secondary object of this invention is to provide a quick disconnect connector for firefighting applications, which has a female pipe coupling structure molded through one-piece processing, and an elastic clamping ring design for the internal locking connection structure of the female pipe coupling, thereby achieving the following advantageous effects: a simplified manufacturing process and low manufacturing costs; a fast and convenient installation process; elastic elements that do not quickly undergo elastic fatigue and are not easily broken; and the elastic elements can be replaced at any time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] (1) The female pipe fitting can be connected to the end of a fire hose and is provided for insertion and connection with another male pipe fitting. The female pipe fitting is preferably equipped with a fire nozzle and is used for insertion and connection with the male pipe fitting at the end of the fire hose. When a firefighter drags the hose to carry it, the multiple rollers of the rolling structure allow it to roll smoothly along the ground, effectively reducing frictional resistance and further reducing the firefighter's labor. The fire hose can be dragged and carried.

[0008] (2) The locking connection structure of the present invention employs an elastic clamping ring design, which simplifies manufacturing and reduces manufacturing costs. It can be manufactured in various diameters as needed without requiring a punching press mold, and the elasticity can be set by easily adjusting the diameter and number of spring steel wires. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the present invention as a firefighting quick connector. [Figure 2] 2 is an exploded schematic view of the firefighting quick disconnect pipe coupling of FIG. 1 according to the present invention; [Figure 3] 2 is a side view of the firefighting quick connector of FIG. 1 according to the present invention; [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the firefighting quick connector of FIG. 1 according to the present invention; [Figure 5] 2 is an exploded view of the female pipe joint and locking connection structure of FIG. 1 according to the present invention; FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the locking connection structure of FIG. 5 according to the present invention. [Figure 7] 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the locking connection structure of FIG. 5 according to the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is an exploded view showing a roller of the rolling structure of the present invention when the roller is a roller piece. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the present invention as a firefighting nozzle. [Figure 10]10 is a perspective view of the front end of the firefighting nozzle of FIG. 9 according to the present invention; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] As shown with reference to the accompanying drawings, the fire quick connector according to the present invention is adapted to be attached to the end of a fire hose 100 (see FIG. 1), and is used as a quick connector 200 for quick insertion connection with a male pipe connector 400, or as a fire nozzle 300 for quick insertion connection with a male pipe connector 400 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). As shown with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, when the present invention is used as a quick connector 200, a preferred specific embodiment thereof comprises a female pipe connector 10 and a rolling structure 20.

[0011] 2 and 4, the female pipe fitting 10 is a pipe body made of copper alloy or aluminum alloy by integral processing, and includes a connecting pipe 11 at the rear portion and a through-connecting pipe 12 at the front portion. The connecting pipe 11 can be specifically implemented as a barbed fitting, and is used to insert and connect to the end of a conventional fire hose 100. The through-connecting pipe 12 has a diameter larger than that of the connecting pipe 11, and a through-connecting hole 13 is recessed at the front end of the through-connecting pipe 12, and the through-connecting hole 13 extends axially rearward to the connecting pipe 11 at the rear end. A locking connection structure 30 is provided in the through-connection hole 13, and the locking connection structure 30 is used to lock the male pipe fitting 400 when the male pipe fitting 400 is inserted into the through-connection hole 13, thereby preventing the male pipe fitting 400 and the quick disconnect coupling 200 from being separated.

[0012] As shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the rolling structure 20 is used to help reduce resistance when the female pipe fitting 10 is placed on the ground and pulled and moved. A specific embodiment thereof includes a fixing ring 21 and a number of rollers 22. The fixing ring 21 is fixedly fitted to the outer peripheral wall of the insert connecting pipe 12 of the female pipe fitting 10, and can be fixed to the outer peripheral wall of the insert connecting pipe 12 by a first thread structure 23 (or welding structure). The first thread structure 23, for example, has threads on the inner surface of the fixing ring 21 and the outer peripheral wall of the insert connecting pipe 12, and the two are screwed together. The fixing ring 21 is provided with a number of position restricting grooves 211 that penetrate its annular wall in the radial direction, and the number of rollers 22 may be circular roller balls 222 (see FIG. 2) or columnar roller blocks 223 (see FIG. 8). The rollers 22 are arranged to be able to roll within the position restricting grooves 211, and each roller 22 has a rolling surface 221 that protrudes from the outer annular surface of the fixing ring 21. As a result, when the fire hose 100 and the quick disconnect coupling 200 are placed on the ground and pulled to move, the rollers 22 roll on the ground via the rolling surfaces 221 of the rollers 22, making it possible to reduce the friction or resistance between the female pipe coupling 10 and the ground, and thereby further saving the firefighter's effort when pulling and moving the fire hose 100 and the quick disconnect coupling 200.

[0013] In addition, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, a rubber ring 40 can be fitted on the outer circumferential wall of the insert-through connecting pipe 12 of the female pipe coupling 10 described above. In one preferred embodiment, the rubber ring 40 is fitted on the outer circumferential wall of the fixed ring 21 of the rolling structure 20, and the rollers 22 are fitted around and fitted on the fixed ring 21, thereby preventing collision damage, preventing slippage, and protecting the assembled parts of the rolling structure 20.

[0014] As shown in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7, a preferred embodiment of the lock connection structure 30 described above includes a position limiting ring 31, at least two movable locking members 32 (three movable locking members 32 are shown in the figures), and an elastic fastening ring 33, of which the position limiting ring 31 corresponds to the circular ring of the insertion connection hole 13 and is engaged with the front end of the insertion connection tube 12 or the insertion connection hole 13 through a second thread structure 34, and the second thread structure 34 is, for example, such that threads are provided on the outer ring surface of the position limiting ring 31 and on the inner wall of the insertion connection hole 13, so that the two are screwed together. The rear surface of the position restriction ring 31 has two or more positioning protrusions 311 (shown as three positioning protrusions 311 in the figure) protruding toward the rear end of the insertion connection hole 13, and locking member guide slits 312 (see FIG. 6) formed between the positioning protrusions 311, and the locking member guide slits 312 are arranged to radially connect the outer annular surface and the inner annular surface of the position restriction ring 31.

[0015] The multiple movable locking members 32 are installed in the respective locking member guide slits 312 and are configured to be movable radially (see Figure 7), and by protruding radially from the inner annular surface of the position restricting ring 31, are used to lock the male pipe fitting 400, which can be inserted into the connecting insertion hole 13. The movable locking members 32 can also be pushed by the press ring 401 (see Figure 1) of the male pipe fitting 400, and so by entering radially into the locking member guide slits 312, they are used to release the male pipe fitting 400, making it possible to withdraw the male pipe fitting 400 in the reverse direction. As shown in Figure 6, more specifically, each of the multiple movable locking members 32 has an arc-shaped block 321 and an arc-shaped convex lock 322 formed on the inner surface of the block 321, and when the block 321 is placed in the locking member guide slit 312 and the movable locking member 32 is moved radially, the convex lock 322 can be made to protrude from the locking member guide slit 312 to the inner annular surface of the position restricting ring 31 (see Figure 7). On the other hand, when the male pipe fitting 400 is inserted, the front end of the male pipe fitting 400 presses the slanted surface of the convex lock 322, allowing the convex lock 322 to enter the locking member guide slit 312 in the opposite direction, and when the male pipe fitting 400 is inserted until it reaches the predetermined set position, the convex lock 322 again locks the male pipe fitting 400 by the elastic force of the elastic tightening ring 33.

[0016] The elastic tightening ring 33 is an elastic annular packing that can elastically expand and contract its diameter in the radial direction, and is preferably a garter spring made of a spirally wound spring steel wire with both ends connected to each other. When installed, the elastic tightening ring 33 is fitted around the outer wall surfaces of the plurality of positioning protrusions 311 and the outer surfaces of the plurality of movable locking members 32 (see Figures 5 and 7), and is used to apply elastic pressure to the outer surfaces of the movable locking members 32 in a direction toward the center of the position restricting ring 31, allowing the convex locks 322 of the above-mentioned movable locking members 32 to be pushed and locked onto the male pipe fitting 400.

[0017] 9 and 10, another embodiment of the firefighting quick connector of the present invention is used to construct a firefighting nozzle 300. Similarly, it includes the above-mentioned female pipe connector 10 and rolling structure 20, but differs from the above-mentioned embodiment in that the connecting pipe 11 of the female pipe connector 10 does not need to be implemented as the above-mentioned barbed fitting, and is a smooth-surfaced pipe body, while a conventional sprinkler head 50 is connected to the front end of the connecting pipe 11, and the connection structure and type of the sprinkler head 50 are not limited, and the firefighting nozzle 300 is constructed by the female pipe connector 10 and the sprinkler head 50. When the firefighting nozzle 300 is in use, a male pipe connector 400 at the end of a fire hose 100 can be inserted and connected to the insertion and connection hole 13 of the female pipe connector 10 (see FIG. 9), allowing the firefighting nozzle 300 to be quickly attached to the end of the fire hose 100. When a firefighter drags and carries the fire hose 100 and the fire nozzle 300, the friction or resistance between the fire nozzle 300 and the ground can be reduced through the rollers 22 of the rolling structure 20, which further reduces the firefighter's labor and allows the fire hose 100 and the fire nozzle 300 to be pulled and moved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0018] 100: Fire hose 200: Quick fitting 300: Firefighting nozzle 400: Male pipe fitting 401: Push ring 10: Female pipe fitting 11:Connecting pipe 12: Insertion connecting pipe 13: Insertion connection hole 20: Rolling structure 21: Fixing ring 211: Position control groove 22: Roller 221: Rolling surface 222: Rollerball 223: Roller piece 23: First thread structure 30: Lock connection structure 31: Position control ring 311: Positioning protrusion 312: Locking member guide slit 32: Movable locking member 321: Block 322: Convex Lock 33: Elastic clamping ring 34: Second thread structure 40: Rubber ring 50: Sprinkler head

Claims

1. A firefighting quick connector having a female pipe connector and a rolling structure, the female pipe fitting has a connecting pipe at the rear portion used for connecting a fire hose and an insertable connecting pipe at the front portion, the insertable connecting pipe having a diameter larger than that of the connecting pipe, an insertable connecting hole recessed at the front end of the insertable connecting pipe, the insertable connecting hole communicating with the connecting pipe at the rear end, and a locking connecting structure provided within the insertable connecting hole, the locking connecting structure being used for locking connection with the male pipe fitting when the male pipe fitting is inserted into the insertable connecting hole; The rolling structure comprises a fixed ring fixedly fitted to the outer peripheral wall of the insertion connecting pipe of the female pipe fitting, and a number of rollers arranged so as to be able to roll on the fixed ring, each of the rollers having a rolling surface protruding from the outer ring surface of the fixed ring, and when the female pipe fitting is pulled and moved over an object, the rolling surface of the roller is able to roll on the object, a fire-fighting quick disconnect coupling.

2. A firefighting quick connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that a sprinkler head is connected to the front end of the connecting pipe, and the female pipe connector and the sprinkler head form a firefighting nozzle.

3. 3. A firefighting quick connector according to claim 1, wherein the fixing ring and the outer wall of the insertion connection pipe are fixed together by a first thread structure or a welding structure.

4. The firefighting quick connector according to claim 3, characterized in that the fixing ring is provided with a number of position-limiting grooves that penetrate the annular wall in the radial direction, and the rollers are respectively installed in the position-limiting grooves.

5. 5. The firefighting quick connector according to claim 4, wherein the roller is one of a spherical roller ball and a columnar roller piece.

6. 3. The firefighting quick connector according to claim 1, wherein a rubber ring is fitted onto an outer peripheral wall of the fixed ring of the rolling structure.

7. The lock connection structure includes a position restriction ring coupled to the front end of the insertion connection pipe or in the insertion connection hole, at least two movable locking members, and an elastic fastening ring, and the rear surface of the position restriction ring has two or more positioning protrusions protruding toward the rear end of the insertion connection hole and locking member guide slits formed between the positioning protrusions, and the locking member guide slits radially connect the outer annular surface and the inner annular surface of the position restriction ring, the plurality of movable locking members are each installed in the locking member guide slits and configured to be movable in a radial direction, and are used to lock the male pipe fitting by protruding radially from the inner annular surface of the position restricting ring, and are used to unlock the male pipe fitting by entering radially into the locking member guide slits, The firefighting quick disconnect coupling according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the elastic tightening ring is an elastic annular packing whose diameter can elastically expand and contract in the radial direction, the elastic tightening ring is attached to the outer wall surfaces of the plurality of positioning protrusions and the outer surfaces of the blocks of the plurality of movable locking members, and applies elastic pressure to the outer surfaces of the movable locking members in a direction along the center of the position restriction ring.

8. 8. The firefighting quick connector according to claim 7, wherein the outer annular surface of the position restriction ring and the inner wall of the insertion connection hole are integrally engaged with each other by a second thread structure.

9. 8. The firefighting quick response coupling according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of movable locking members have a block and a convex lock formed on the inner surface of the block, and when the movable locking members are made movable in the radial direction, the convex lock protrudes from the locking member guide slit to the inner annular surface of the position restriction ring and is capable of entering the locking member guide slit in the reverse direction.

10. 8. The firefighting quick disconnect coupling according to claim 7, wherein the elastic tightening ring is a garter spring formed by spirally winding a spring steel wire and connecting both ends of the wire together.

Images