Flange plate mounting structure for gas valve

Abstract

To provide a flange plate mounting structure for a gas cock in which when a tapered male threaded cylinder part (42) is threadedly connected to a tapered female threaded part (32) of a gas cock (3) through a center hole (10) of a flange plate (1), a periphery of the center hole (10) is held under a pressure from the front and back by an open end surface (36) of a piping connection part (32) and a holding member, the flange plate mounting structure capable of firmly and reliably mounting a flange plate (33) to a piping connection part (31) of the gas cock (3) without looseness, and capable of reliably screwing the tapered female threaded part (32) of the gas cock (3) and the tapered male threaded cylinder part (42) of a joint (41) until reaching a final fastening state.SOLUTION: A holding member is a holding fitting metal (2) made of a thin elastic metal plate formed in a substantially C shape, where an inner diameter and a wall thickness of the holding member are set to a size that allows an inner peripheral edge (21) to be threadedly engaged along a trough part of a tapered male threaded cylinder part (42).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an attachment structure for attaching a flange plate to a gas plug, particularly to an attachment structure for attaching a flange plate attached and fixed to a wall plate to a hexagonal cylindrical pipe connection portion of the gas plug.

Background Art

[0002] In order to fix a gas plug (3) to the surface of a wall plate (4), to which a flexible pipe (44) as a gas pipe housed in the wall plate (4) is connected via a joint (41), a metal flange plate (33) is provided at the open end of a hexagonal cylindrical pipe connection portion (31) of the gas plug (3) so as to project radially outward (see FIG. A tapered female screw portion (32) is formed in the pipe connection portion (31), and a tapered male screw cylindrical portion (42) that can be screwed thereto is provided in the joint (41).

[0003] The flange plate (33) of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-78783 (Patent Document 1) is an annular plate having a circular central hole (30), and a hexagonal fitting portion (34) projects from its surface so as to surround the central hole (30). The open end of the hexagonal cylindrical pipe connection portion (31) is fitted into the hexagonal fitting portion (34). On the other hand, an annular tightening nut (43) as a holding member for holding the flange plate (33) from the back side is screwed onto the tapered male screw cylindrical portion (42) of the joint (41). Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the tapered male screw cylindrical portion (42) to which the tightening nut (43) is screwed is screwed into the tapered female screw portion (32) of the pipe connection portion (31) fitted into the hexagonal fitting portion (34) of the flange plate (33), and tightened until the final tightened state is reached. Thereafter, by tightening the tightening nut (43), the periphery of the central hole (30) of the flange plate (33) is firmly clamped and held from the front and back by the open end face of the pipe connection portion (31) and the tightening nut (43), whereby the flange plate (33) is surely attached to the open end of the pipe connection portion (31) of the gas plug (3).

[0004] Following the procedure described above, the flange plate (33) attached to the piping connection portion (31) of the gas valve (3) is attached to the surface of the wall plate (4), and a separately prepared mounting bracket (5) is attached to the back surface of the wall plate (4). Then, mounting screws (51) are inserted through the multiple screw insertion holes (35) provided in the flange plate (33) and screwed into the screw holes (55) provided in the mounting bracket (5) and tightened. The area around the opening (40) of the wall plate (4) is compressed between the flange plate (33) and the mounting bracket (5), thereby fixing the gas valve (3) to the surface of the wall plate (4). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-78783 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, in the conventional example described above, the tightening nut (43) needs to have at least one pitch of female threads for screwing into the tapered male threaded cylinder (42), which requires a certain thickness. Furthermore, the degree to which the tightening nut (43) is threaded into the tapered male threaded cylinder portion (42) becomes looser towards the smaller diameter tip of the tapered male threaded cylinder portion (42) and tighter towards the larger diameter base end of the tapered male threaded cylinder portion (42). As a result, when the tightening nut (43) is tightened in a direction that presses it against the back surface of the flange plate (33), the tightening nut (43) moves toward the smaller diameter tip of the tapered male threaded cylinder portion (42), causing the degree of threading into the tapered male threaded cylinder portion (42) to loosen, which may cause the flange plate (33) to become loose when attached to the piping connection portion (31) of the gas valve (3). Furthermore, as the tapered male threaded cylinder portion (42) and the tapered female threaded portion (32) are screwed together, the tightening nut (43) is pushed by the flange plate (33) and moves toward the large-diameter base end of the tapered male threaded cylinder portion (42). However, if the tightening nut (43) cannot be moved toward the large-diameter base end of the tapered male threaded cylinder portion (42) before the tapered male threaded cylinder portion (42) and the tapered female threaded portion (32) reach the final tightened state, the tapered male threaded cylinder portion (42) and the tapered female threaded portion (32) cannot be screwed together to the final tightened state, resulting in the inconvenience of an insufficient screw connection between the gas valve (3) and the fitting (41).

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a flange plate mounting structure for a gas valve that allows the flange plate (33) to be firmly and securely attached to the pipe connection portion (31) of the gas valve (3) without loosening, and that allows the gas valve (3) and the joint (41) to be securely screwed together until the final tightened state is reached. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The technical means of the present invention to solve the above problem is a flange plate mounting structure for a gas valve, in which a flange plate for fixing to a wall plate is attached to the open end of the piping connection part of the gas valve, The aforementioned pipe connection portion is provided with a tapered female thread portion into which the tapered male threaded cylindrical portion of the fitting can be screwed in. A retaining member is screw-engaged to the tapered male threaded cylindrical portion. In a flange plate mounting structure for a gas valve, the flange plate has a central hole through which the tapered male threaded cylinder can be inserted, and when the tapered male threaded cylinder is screwed into the tapered female threaded cylinder through the central hole, the area around the central hole is held in place by the open end face of the pipe connection portion and the retaining member from both sides, The retaining member is made of a thin, elastic metal plate with a substantially C-shape, having an open portion formed in part that opens from the inner edge to the outer edge. While creating a step between the two side edges of the open portion, equivalent to one pitch of the male thread of the tapered male threaded cylinder, The inner periphery is designed to be screw-engaged along the valley of the tapered male screw cylinder, The thickness of the retaining member is made to substantially match the width of the valley of the tapered male screw cylinder, and the inner circumference is made to have an inner diameter that allows screw engagement along the valley of the tapered male screw cylinder. It means that it is set.

[0009] The above technical means work as follows: The retaining member is an elastic thin metal plate formed in a substantially C-shape, and its inner diameter and wall thickness are set so that its inner periphery can engage with the grooves of the tapered male threaded cylinder. Therefore, when the retaining member is lightly fitted onto the small-diameter tip of the tapered male threaded cylinder of the joint, the retaining member screws into the tapered male threaded cylinder, creating a step of one screw pitch in the open portion of the tapered male threaded cylinder.

[0010] The tapered male threaded section, into which the retaining member is screwed, is screwed into the tapered female threaded section of the gas valve's piping connection through the central hole of the flange plate. As the screwing progresses, the flange plate is pushed and moved by the open end face of the piping connection, and the retaining member elastically expands its inner diameter by enlarging the open section, and is screwed into the larger diameter base end of the tapered male threaded section. As a result, the tapered female threaded section of the gas valve and the tapered male threaded section of the joint can be screwed together until the final tightening state is reached, and in this state, the area around the central hole of the flange plate is compressed from both sides by the open end face of the gas valve's piping connection and the retaining member. Furthermore, the retaining member screwed into the tapered male threaded section is frictionally engaged with the groove due to its elastic force, preventing it from loosening unintentionally. Therefore, the area around the central hole of the flange plate is firmly and securely held in place from both sides by the open end face of the gas valve's piping connection and the retaining member, ensuring that the flange plate is securely attached to the gas valve's piping connection without any rattling.

[0011] In the above-described structure for attaching a flange plate to a gas valve, preferably, the retaining member is provided with one or more notches that open to the inner peripheral edge. The retaining member is formed from a thin metal plate into a roughly C-shape with some open sections, thereby increasing the distance between the open sections and allowing the inner circumference to be expanded. However, by adding one or more notches to the inner circumference in addition to the aforementioned open sections, the inner circumference of the retaining member can be expanded even more easily. In other words, the retaining member can move even more easily toward the larger diameter base end of the tapered male threaded cylinder, allowing the tapered female threaded section of the gas valve and the tapered male threaded cylinder of the joint to be screwed together more smoothly, and ensuring that both are securely tightened until the final tightened state is reached.

[0012] Furthermore, it is desirable that, when multiple notches are provided, each notch is positioned symmetrically with respect to the center line of the opening. In addition, it is desirable that, when multiple notches are provided, each notch is positioned symmetrically with respect to the center line of the opening. By doing so, the retaining member, which is formed in a roughly C-shape, can be expanded in diameter more smoothly and in a balanced manner, and the screwing of the retaining member into the tapered male threaded cylinder can be performed even more smoothly.

[0013] In the above-described flange plate mounting structure for gas valve, it is even more preferable that "an engaging projection is provided at a predetermined location around the central hole on the back surface of the flange plate, such that at least one of the sides of the open portion of the retaining member can engage in the circumferential direction when the tapered female thread portion and the tapered male thread portion are screwed together." When screwing the tapered female thread portion of the gas valve's piping connection to the tapered male thread portion of the joint, at least one of the two sides of the open portion of the substantially C-shaped retaining member is engaged circumferentially with an engaging projection protruding from the back surface of the flange plate. This allows the retaining member to be smoothly and reliably screwed into the tapered male thread portion of the joint toward the larger diameter base end. Therefore, in the final tightened state of the tapered male thread portion and the tapered female thread portion, the flange plate is securely clamped and fixed by the gas valve's piping connection and the retaining member, and will not loosen. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The retaining member is made of a thin, elastic metal plate with an approximately C-shaped inner circumference that can be screw-engaged along the valleys of the tapered male threaded cylinder. This allows the inner circumference to elastically expand in diameter from the small-diameter tip to the large-diameter base end of the tapered male threaded cylinder as it is screwed into the valleys. In this state, the retaining member frictionally engages with the valleys of the tapered male threaded cylinder, so the degree of screwing of the retaining member does not loosen. Therefore, the area around the central hole of the flange plate can be securely clamped and held from both sides by the open end face of the pipe connection and the retaining member, allowing the flange plate to be firmly and securely attached to the pipe connection of the gas valve without rattling.

[0015] Furthermore, since the retaining member can move toward the larger diameter base end of the tapered male threaded cylinder while elastically expanding its inner diameter, the tapered male threaded cylinder and the tapered female threaded cylinder can be securely screwed together until the final tightening state is reached. Thus, the connection between the gas valve and the fitting is secure.

[0016] Furthermore, the flange plate can be securely attached to the gas valve's piping connection simply by screwing the tapered male threaded section, which is equipped with a retaining member, into the tapered female threaded section of the piping connection part, which is equipped with a flange plate, thus simplifying the installation of the flange plate to the gas valve. In addition, the retaining member is formed by punching a thin metal sheet into a roughly C-shape, and there is no need to provide a female threaded section, so the structure of the retaining member is simple and can be manufactured easily and inexpensively.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] [Figure 1] It is an exploded perspective view showing a state where a flange plate adopted in a flange plate mounting structure to a gas plug according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to the gas plug [Figure 2] It is a front view of a holding member adopted in a flange plate mounting structure to a gas plug according to an embodiment of the present invention [Figure 3] It is a side view showing a state where a holding member adopted in a flange plate mounting structure to a gas plug according to an embodiment of the present invention is screwed into a tapered male screw cylinder portion of a joint [Figure 4] It is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a flange plate mounting structure to a gas plug according to an embodiment of the present invention [Figure 5] It is an explanatory view of a conventional flange plate mounting structure to a gas plug

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state where a flange plate (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a pipe connection portion (31) of a gas plug (3) using a substantially C-shaped holding metal fitting (2) adopted as a holding member for specific matters

[0019] The flange plate (1) of the present embodiment is formed by punching a single metal plate into a shape having an annular plate (11) with a central hole (10), a pair of first and second connecting bands (12a) and (12b) extending from two mutually opposing positions on the periphery of the annular plate (11), and first and second divided pieces (13a) and (13b) extending from the tip of each of the first and second connecting bands (12a) and (12b) to both sides

[0020] Subsequent bending processes result in the first and second connecting bands (12a) and (12b) being folded in half at their base ends and placed on the surface of the annular plate (11), as shown in Figure 1. At the same time, the first and second dividing pieces (13a) and (13b) are bent at a right angle at the boundary with the first and second connecting bands (12a) and (12b) to stand upright on the annular plate (11), and each is bent at approximately 120 degrees at two points that divide it into three equal parts. As a result, a hexagonal fitting portion (13) consisting of a pair of first and second dividing pieces (13a) and (13b) located via a discontinuous portion (14) is formed on the surface of the annular plate (11) so as to surround the central hole (10).

[0021] Furthermore, a hexagonal annular packing (15) is housed at the bottom of the hexagonal fitting portion (13), which is tightly fitted within the hexagonal fitting portion (13) and has a hole with the same diameter as the central hole (10). In addition, an annular back packing (16) is provided on the back surface of the annular plate (11) along its periphery for attachment to the wall plate. Furthermore, a screw insertion hole (17) is provided at a position symmetrical to the central hole (10) of the annular plate (11) for inserting mounting screws (51) to fasten it to a mounting bracket (not shown) located on the back side of the wall panel.

[0022] The hexagonal tubular pipe connection portion (31) of the gas valve (3) is fitted into the hexagonal fitting portion (13) of the above configuration, while elastically deforming the first and second divided pieces (13a) and (13b) in the direction in which the width of the discontinuous portion (14) expands. As a result, the flange plate (1) is temporarily fixed to the pipe connection portion (31) of the gas valve (3).

[0023] A fitting (41) is connected to the flexible pipe (44), which serves as the gas piping and is installed on the back side of the wall panel, as in conventional designs. This fitting (41) is pulled out into the room through an opening in the wall panel together with the flexible pipe (44), and the retaining bracket (2) is fitted onto the tapered male threaded cylindrical portion (42) of the fitting (41). The fitting (41) provided at the pipe connection portion (31) of the gas valve (3) and the downstream end of the flexible pipe (44) can be the same as the conventional example shown in Figure 5.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the retaining bracket (2) is made of an elastic thin metal plate punched into a roughly C-shape, with an open portion (20) formed in a part of the circumferential direction, extending from the inner circumferential edge (21) to the outer circumferential edge (22), and a pair of notches (23) formed symmetrically with respect to the center line of the open portion (20) so as to open to the inner circumferential edge (21).

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the wall thickness of the retaining bracket (2) is approximately the same as the width of the valley (42a) of the tapered male threaded cylinder (42), and the inner circumference (21) is set to an inner diameter that allows screw engagement along the valley (42a) of the tapered male threaded cylinder (42). As a result, when the retaining bracket (2) is screw-engaged from the small-diameter tip (45) side of the tapered male threaded cylinder (42) along the valley (42a), the retaining bracket (2) can be screw-engaged while creating a step (S) between the two side edges (20a) (20b) of the open portion (20) equivalent to one pitch of the male thread of the tapered male threaded cylinder (42). As screwing progresses along the valley (42a), the retaining bracket (2) can move toward the large-diameter base end (46) while elastically expanding the width of the open portion (20) and thus expanding its inner diameter.

[0026] Next, we will describe an installation structure in which a flange plate (1) is attached to the piping connection portion (31) of the gas valve (3) using the retaining bracket (2) configured as described above. First, as described above, an annular packing (15) is placed inside the hexagonal fitting portion (13) protruding from the surface of the annular plate (11), and then the piping connection portion (31) of the gas valve (3) is fitted on top of it, expanding the discontinuous portion (14) of the hexagonal fitting portion (13). This temporarily fixes the flange plate (1) to the piping connection portion (31) of the gas valve (3).

[0027] On the other hand, the retaining bracket (2) is lightly fitted onto the small-diameter tip (45) of the tapered male threaded cylinder portion (42) of the joint (41), and the inner circumferential edge (21) is aligned with the valley (42a) and screwed into place. The tapered male threaded cylinder portion (42), with the retaining bracket (2) fitted onto it in a screw-engaged state, is screwed into the tapered female threaded portion (32) of the piping connection portion (31) of the gas valve (3) via the central hole (10) of the flange plate (1).

[0028] As the tapered male threaded section (42) of the joint (4) is screwed into the tapered female threaded section (32) of the gas valve (3), the flange plate (1) is pushed by the open end face (36) of the pipe connection section (31). As a result, the flange plate (1) moves toward the large diameter base end (46) of the tapered male threaded section (42), and at the same time, the retaining bracket (2) also moves toward the large diameter base end (46) while elastically expanding the open section (20) and engaging with the screw.

[0029] When the tapered male threaded section (42) of the joint (41) is tightened to the tapered female threaded section (31) of the gas valve (3) until the final tightening is complete, as shown in Figure 4, the area around the central hole (10) of the flange plate (1) is firmly held in place from both sides by the open end face (36) of the piping connection section (31) of the gas valve (3) and the retaining bracket (2). As a result, the flange plate (1) is securely fixed to the open end of the piping connection section (31) of the gas valve (3) without any unintentional rattling.

[0030] The retaining bracket (2), which is moved to the large-diameter base end (46) side of the tapered male threaded cylinder (42) while expanding its inner diameter, has its inner periphery (21) fitted onto the valley (42a) of the tapered male threaded cylinder (42) in a frictional engagement state by elastic force. As a result, it does not loosen unintentionally and is firmly fixed to the tapered male threaded cylinder (42). This allows the open end face (36) of the piping connection part (31) of the gas valve (3) and the retaining member (2) to firmly clamp and hold the area around the central hole (10) of the flange plate (1) from both sides, and the flange plate (1) can be securely fixed to the open end of the piping connection part (31) of the gas valve (3) without unintentional rattling. Therefore, when a user uses the gas valve, they can operate it with peace of mind without feeling any discomfort such as rattling.

[0031] Furthermore, the retaining bracket (2) used in the above embodiment has a pair of notches (23) that open only to the inner periphery (21) in addition to the opening (20), positioned symmetrically with respect to the center line of the opening (20). This makes it easier to enlarge the opening (20) and expand the inner diameter of the retaining bracket (2), allowing the retaining bracket (2) to move smoothly toward the large-diameter base end (46) of the tapered male threaded cylinder (42). Thus, the tapered female threaded cylinder (32) and the tapered male threaded cylinder (42) can be securely tightened until the final tightened state is reached.

[0032] Furthermore, a portion of the periphery of the central hole (10) of the flange plate (1) is extended and bent toward the back side to provide an engaging projection (18). When the tapered female thread portion (32) of the piping connection portion (31) of the gas valve (3) is screwed into the tapered male thread portion (42), this engaging projection (18) is positioned between the open portions (20) of the retaining fitting (2) that is screwed into the tapered male thread portion (42), and one side edge (20b) of the open portion (20) of the retaining fitting (2) engages with the engaging projection (18) protruding from the back side of the flange plate (1) from the circumferential direction. As a result, the retaining fitting (2) can be reliably and smoothly screwed into the large-diameter base end portion (46) of the tapered male thread portion (42), and in the final tightened state, it can hold the flange plate (1) while pressing it from the back side.

[0033] The retaining bracket (2) of the above embodiment can be manufactured simply by punching out an elastic thin metal sheet with a thickness that is approximately the same as the width of the valley (42a) of the tapered male screw cylinder portion (42) into a roughly C-shape, and can therefore be manufactured easily and inexpensively.

[0034] Furthermore, the retaining bracket (2) allows the flange plate (1) to be securely attached to the piping connection part (31) of the gas valve (3) simply by screwing the tapered male threaded cylindrical part (42) of the joint (41) into the tapered female threaded part (32) of the gas valve (3), thus simplifying the installation of the flange plate (1) to the gas valve (3). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] (1) ·······Flange plate (2) ·······Retaining hardware (retaining member) (3) ·······Gas valve (10)... Central hole (21)·······Inner periphery (31)·······Pipe connection section (32)·······Tapered female thread section (36)...Open end surface (41)·······Joint (42)·······Tapered male threaded cylinder

Claims

1. A flange plate mounting structure for a gas valve, which involves attaching a flange plate to the open end of the piping connection part of the gas valve for fixing to a wall panel, The aforementioned pipe connection portion is provided with a tapered female thread portion into which the tapered male threaded cylindrical portion of the fitting can be screwed in. A retaining member is screw-engaged to the tapered male threaded cylindrical portion. In a flange plate mounting structure for a gas valve, the flange plate has a central hole through which the tapered male threaded cylinder can be inserted, and when the tapered male threaded cylinder is screwed into the tapered female threaded cylinder through the central hole, the area around the central hole is held in place by the open end face of the pipe connection portion and the retaining member from both sides, The retaining member is made of a thin, elastic metal plate with a substantially C-shape, in which an open portion is formed in part, extending from the inner edge to the outer edge. A flange plate mounting structure for a gas valve, wherein the thickness of the retaining member is set to substantially match the width of the valley of the tapered male screw cylinder, and the inner diameter of the inner circumferential member is set to allow screw engagement along the valley of the tapered male screw cylinder, while creating a step of one pitch of male screw of the tapered male screw cylinder between the two end edges of the open portion, so that the inner circumferential member can engage with the tapered male screw cylinder.

2. In the flange plate mounting structure to the gas valve according to claim 1, A flange plate mounting structure for a gas valve, wherein the retaining member is provided with one or more notches that open to the inner periphery.

3. In the flange plate mounting structure to the gas valve according to claim 2, When multiple notches are provided, each notch is positioned symmetrically with respect to the center line of the opening, forming a flange plate mounting structure for a gas valve.

4. In the flange plate mounting structure to a gas valve according to claim 2 or claim 3, The flange plate mounting structure for a gas valve is arranged such that the notch and the opening are positioned at equal angles in the circumferential direction of the retaining member.

5. In the flange plate mounting structure to a gas valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A flange plate mounting structure for a gas valve, wherein an engaging projection is provided at a predetermined location around the central hole on the back surface of the flange plate, such that when the tapered female thread portion and the tapered male thread portion are screwed together, at least one of the sides of the open portion of the retaining member can engage in the circumferential direction.

6. In the flange plate mounting structure to the gas valve according to claim 4, A flange plate mounting structure for a gas valve, wherein an engaging projection is provided at a predetermined location around the central hole on the back surface of the flange plate, such that when the tapered female thread portion and the tapered male thread portion are screwed together, at least one of the sides of the open portion of the retaining member can engage in the circumferential direction.

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