Pipe joint members and pipe joints

Abstract

To reduce an outer diameter of a pipe joint member and prevent damage of a spring member for biasing a lock member at the pipe joint member in which the lock member is biased to a radial outer side.SOLUTION: A female pipe joint member 10 includes: a cylindrical pipe joint body 16 defining an insertion passage 14; a lock member 18 disposed in a lock element holding hole formed at the pipe joint body 16; a spring member 20 biasing the lock member 18 to an unlock position; and a sleeve 22 arranged on an outer peripheral surface 16a of the pipe joint body 16. The spring member 20 is elongated in a direction of a longitudinal axis L and biases the lock member 18 to a radial outer side with one end 20a fixed to the pipe joint body 16 and the other end 20b engaging with the lock member 18. The sleeve 22 can be displaced between a connection position where the lock member 18 is held at a lock position and a connection releasing position where the lock member 18 is displaced to the unlock position, and presses the lock member 18 to the lock position when being displaced from the connection releasing position to the connection position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pipe joint member detachably connectable to a counterpart pipe joint member, and a pipe joint formed of the counterpart pipe joint member and the pipe joint member. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, a pipe joint composed of a male pipe joint member and a female pipe joint member that enables quick attachment and detachment between pipes has been known. As disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1, such a female pipe joint member of a pipe joint usually includes a cylindrical pipe joint main body having a fluid passage, a locking member held by the pipe joint main body so as to be displaceable in a radial direction, a sleeve disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the pipe joint main body so as to be displaceable in a front-rear direction, and a coil spring that biases the sleeve forward relative to the pipe joint main body. When the sleeve is at a forward position, the locking member is held by the sleeve at a position protruding from an inner peripheral surface of the pipe joint main body, and when the sleeve is at a rear position, the locking member is in a state of being freely displaceable radially outward. When connecting the female pipe joint member to the male pipe joint member, the sleeve is displaced to the rear position against the biasing force of the coil spring and held in that state, and then the male pipe joint member is inserted into the fluid passage of the female pipe joint member. When the holding of the sleeve is released, the sleeve is displaced to the forward position by the coil spring, whereby the locking member engages with a locking groove formed on an outer peripheral surface of the male pipe joint member. Accordingly, the male pipe joint member is connected to the female pipe joint member. When separating the female pipe joint member from the male pipe joint member, the sleeve is displaced to the rear position against the biasing force of the spring and held in that state, and then the female pipe joint member is pulled out from the male pipe joint member.

[0003] In the pipe fittings described above, when the sleeve is in the rear position, the locking member is in a state where it can move freely in the radial direction, and depending on the orientation of the pipe fitting, it may be in a position where it protrudes into the fluid passage. When inserting or withdrawing the male pipe fitting member into or out of the female pipe fitting member in this state, the locking member may come into contact with the male pipe fitting member, making it difficult to perform the operation smoothly. This can be particularly problematic when connecting and disconnecting pipe fitting members by robot operation. Patent Document 2 discloses a pipe fitting in which a claw body, which is a locking member, is pressed radially inward by the sleeve, and the pipes are connected by causing the claw portion of the claw body to bite into the outer wall of the pipe. This claw body is provided with a spring portion that extends in the circumferential direction of the pipe fitting body, and the claw body is always biased radially outward by the engagement of this spring portion with the outer surface of the pipe fitting body. As a result, when the sleeve is in the disconnected position, the claw body is moved away from the outer wall of the pipe by the biasing force of the spring portion. In this way, the claw body is displaced radially outward by the spring, preventing the pipe from getting caught on the claw body during insertion and removal, thus making it easier to connect and disconnect the pipes. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 039719 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-310383 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] In the conventional locking member (claw) described above, the spring portion is formed to extend from both sides. With this configuration, the claw protrudes radially outward from the pipe joint body even when engaged with the outer wall of the pipe, and the radial dimensions of the locking member tend to increase. Consequently, the overall outer diameter of the pipe joint member increases. Furthermore, the spring portion that extends circumferentially to engage with the curved outer surface of the pipe joint member contacts the pipe joint member at a position relatively close to the body of the claw. Therefore, when the claw is displaced radially, large elastic deformation occurs, especially at the connection point between the claw and the body, which is prone to generating large stresses. There is a risk that this part may break if the claw is repeatedly displaced.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a pipe joint member and a pipe joint that can solve at least one of the problems of the prior art described above. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In other words, the present invention is A pipe joint member that is detachably connected to a corresponding pipe joint member, A cylindrical pipe fitting body that defines an insertion passage into which the corresponding pipe fitting member is inserted, A locking member disposed within a locking element holding hole formed in the pipe joint body, the locking member being displaceable between a locked position in which it protrudes into the insertion passage and engages with a locking groove of the corresponding pipe joint member inserted into the insertion passage, and an unlocked position in which it is displaced radially outward from the locked position and disengages from the locking groove, A spring member that extends elongated in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the pipe joint body, with one end fixed to the pipe joint body and the other end engaging with the locking member to bias the locking member toward the unlocked position, A sleeve disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the pipe joint body, which is displaceable between a connection position that holds the locking member in the locked position and a release position that allows the locking member to be displaced to the unlocked position, and which presses the locking member toward the locked position when displaced from the release position to the connection position, To provide a pipe joint member equipped with [a certain feature].

[0008] In this pipe joint member, a spring member for biasing the locking member radially outward toward the unlocking position is separate from the locking member and is positioned to extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis. This makes it possible to reduce the radial dimension of the locking member compared to when the spring member is integrally formed with the locking member so as to extend circumferentially, and thus reduce the outer diameter of the pipe joint member. In addition, since the spring member can be made to extend relatively long in the direction of the longitudinal axis, it is possible to prevent large local deformations from occurring.

[0009] Furthermore, the pipe joint body may be further provided with a projection member that is attached to the pipe joint body so as to protrude radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the pipe joint body, and which engages with the spring member near one end to cause the spring member to bend radially outward.

[0010] Furthermore, the pipe joint may be further provided with a coil spring disposed between the pipe joint body and the sleeve to bias the sleeve toward the connection position, wherein at least a portion of the spring member is positioned inside the coil spring.

[0011] Furthermore, the pipe joint body may have a spring receiving hole extending along the spring member in the direction of the longitudinal axis, such that at least a portion of the spring member is received within the spring receiving hole when the locking member is in the locked position.

[0012] Further, the locking member is formed in an arc shape extending in the circumferential direction of the pipe joint main body, and has an arc-shaped engagement inner peripheral surface that engages with the locking groove, and a recess formed at a central portion of the engagement inner peripheral surface in the circumferential direction, and the other end of the spring member can be engaged with the locking member at the recess.

[0013] Each of the above configurations and combinations thereof make it possible to further reduce the outer diameter of the pipe joint member.

[0014] The present invention further provides any one of the above pipe joint members, a corresponding pipe joint member detachably connected to the pipe joint member, the corresponding pipe joint member having a locking groove on an outer peripheral surface thereof, and a pipe joint comprising the above.

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the pipe joint according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] [Figure 1] It is a side sectional view of a pipe joint according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an exploded perspective view of a female pipe joint member of the pipe joint in Fig. 1. [Figure 3] It is a side sectional view of the pipe joint in Fig. 1, showing a state where a sleeve of the female pipe joint member is placed at a disconnection position. [Figure 4] It is a side sectional view showing a state where a male pipe joint member is inserted into the female pipe joint member from the state in Fig. 3. [Figure 5] It is a side sectional view showing a state where the sleeve is moved to the connection position from the state in Fig. 4, and the male pipe joint member is connected to the female pipe joint member. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0017] A pipe joint 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a female pipe joint member (pipe joint member) 10 that is detachably connected to each other and a corresponding male pipe joint member (corresponding pipe joint member) 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the female pipe joint member 10 includes: a cylindrical pipe joint body 16 that defines an insertion passage 14; a locking member 18 disposed so as to be displaceable in a radial direction relative to the pipe joint body 16; a plate-shaped spring member 20 for biasing the locking member 18 radially outward; and a sleeve 22 disposed on an outer peripheral surface 16a of the pipe joint body 16. The female pipe joint member 10 further includes a coil spring 24 disposed between the pipe joint body 16 and the sleeve 22 for biasing the sleeve 22 forward (to the right as viewed in the drawings).

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the pipe joint body 16 is formed with a lock holding hole 26 for accommodating the locking member 18 and a spring receiving hole 28 for receiving the spring member 20. The lock holding hole 26 is formed to extend in the circumferential direction, and the spring receiving hole 28 is formed to extend along the spring member 20 in the direction of the longitudinal axis L. The lock holding hole 26 and the spring receiving hole 26 communicate with each other to form a substantially T-shaped hole.

[0019] The locking member 18 has an arc shape that extends along the circumferential direction of the pipe joint body 16, and a recess 30 is provided in the center of the arc-shaped engaging inner circumferential surface 18a in the circumferential direction. The spring member 20 has one end 20a fixed to the outer circumferential surface 16a of the pipe joint body 16 by a screw 32, and extends slenderly forward along the longitudinal axis L to the other end 20b. A spherical projection member 34 is press-fitted and fixed to the outer circumferential surface 16a of the pipe joint body 16 near the one end 20a of the spring member 20. This projection member 34 engages with the spring member 20 near the one end 20a of the spring member 20, causing the spring member 20 to bend radially outward. As a result, when no external force is applied, the spring member 20 is bent radially outward from one end 20a to the other end 20b, and the other end 20b of the spring member 20 engages with the recess 30 of the locking member 18, biasing the locking member 18 radially outward. The coil spring 24 is located on the outside of the pipe joint body 16, and most of the spring member 20, excluding one end 20a and the other end 20b, is located inside the coil spring 24.

[0020] When the sleeve 22 is moved backward against the biasing force of the coil spring 24 from the state shown in Figure 1 to the disengaged position shown in Figure 3, the locking member 18 is displaced radially outward by the biasing force of the spring member 20 to the unlocked position shown. While the sleeve 22 is held in the disengaged position, the male pipe joint member 12 can be inserted into the insertion passage 14 without contacting the locking member 18. When the male pipe joint member 12 is inserted to the position shown in Figure 4 and the sleeve 22 is released, the sleeve 22 is displaced forward to the connected position shown in Figure 5 by the biasing force of the coil spring 24. At this time, the locking member 18 is pressed radially inward by the inclined inner circumferential surface 36 of the sleeve 22 and displaced against the biasing force of the spring member 20 to the locked position. While the sleeve 22 is in the connected position, the locking member 18 is held in this locked position by the sleeve 22. In this locked position, the locking member 18 has its engaging inner circumferential surface 18a protruding into the insertion passage 14 and engaging with the locking groove 38 of the male pipe joint member 12. As a result, the male pipe joint member 12 is locked by the locking member 18 and connected to the female pipe joint member 10. The spring member 20 is bent radially inward as the locking member 18 is displaced to the locked position, and a portion of it is received in the spring receiving hole 28. To release the connection, the sleeve 22 is displaced to the release position as shown in Figure 3, and the male pipe joint member 12 is pulled out from the female pipe joint member 10.

[0021] In the female pipe fitting member 10 of the pipe fitting 1, the spring member 20 for biasing the locking member 18 radially outward is separate from the locking member 18 and is arranged to extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis L. This allows the locking member 18 to be shaped such that almost its entirety is housed within the locking element holding hole 26 when in the locked position, and in particular, its radial dimensions can be reduced. By reducing the radial dimensions of the locking member 18, it is possible to reduce the overall outer diameter of the female pipe fitting member 10. Furthermore, since the spring member 20 is arranged to extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis L, it is possible to make it a longer member compared to when it is arranged to extend in the circumferential direction, making it possible to prevent large local deformations. This reduces the possibility of the spring member 20 breaking. In addition, by making the spring member 20 longer, it is possible to reduce the variation in the magnitude of the biasing force generated by the spring member 20.

[0022] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, the number and shape of the locking member and spring member can be changed as desired. Furthermore, the fixing of the spring member to the pipe joint body is not limited to the form of screws, but can be done in various forms such as adhesive or press-fitting. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0023] 1. Pipe fittings 10 Female pipe fitting member (pipe fitting member) 12 Male pipe fitting members (corresponding pipe fitting members) 14 Insertion passage 16 Pipe fitting body 16a Outer surface 18 Locking component 18a Engagement inner surface 20 Spring component 20a one end 20b Other end 22 sleeves 24 Coil Springs 26 Lock element holding hole 28 Spring receiving holes 30 recesses 32 screws 34 Protruding member 36 Slanted inner surface 38 Locking groove L Longitudinal axis

Claims

1. A pipe joint member that is detachably connected to a corresponding pipe joint member, A cylindrical pipe fitting body that defines an insertion passage into which the corresponding pipe fitting member is inserted, A locking member disposed within a locking element holding hole formed in the pipe joint body, the locking member being displaceable between a locked position in which it protrudes into the insertion passage and engages with a locking groove of the corresponding pipe joint member inserted into the insertion passage, and an unlocked position in which it is displaced radially outward from the locked position and disengages from the locking groove, A spring member that extends elongated in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the pipe joint body, with one end fixed to the pipe joint body and the other end engaging with the locking member to bias the locking member toward the unlocked position, A sleeve disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the pipe joint body, which is displaceable between a connection position that holds the locking member in the locked position and a release position that allows the locking member to be displaced to the unlocked position, and which presses the locking member toward the locked position when displaced from the release position to the connection position, A pipe joint member equipped with [a specific feature].

2. The pipe joint member according to claim 1, further comprising a projection member attached to the pipe joint body so as to protrude radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the pipe joint body, and which engages with the spring member near one end to cause the spring member to bend radially outward.

3. The pipe joint member according to claim 1, further comprising a coil spring disposed between the pipe joint body and the sleeve for biasing the sleeve toward the connection position, wherein at least a portion of the spring member is disposed inside the coil spring.

4. The pipe joint member according to claim 1, wherein the pipe joint body has a spring receiving hole extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis along the spring member, and at least a portion of the spring member is received in the spring receiving hole when the locking member is in the locked position.

5. The pipe joint member according to claim 1, wherein the locking member has an arc shape extending in the circumferential direction of the pipe joint body, and has an arc-shaped engaging inner circumferential surface that engages with the locking groove, and a recess formed in the center of the engaging inner circumferential surface in the circumferential direction, and the other end of the spring member engages with the locking member in the recess.

6. A pipe joint member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A corresponding pipe joint member that is detachably connected to the aforementioned pipe joint member, the corresponding pipe joint member having the locking groove on its outer surface, A pipe fitting equipped with the following features.

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