Locking structure for connector valve core, pipeline connector and liquid cooling system

Abstract

A locking structure for a connector valve core (200), a pipeline connector and a liquid cooling system. The locking structure for a connector valve core (200) comprises a valve seat (100), a valve core (200), a stop pin (300) and a locking member, wherein a mounting hole (120) is provided in a side wall of the valve seat (100); a locking hole is provided in the valve core (200); the stop pin (300) can be connected to the interior of the mounting hole (120) in an axially movable manner, and a pushing portion (310) is provided at a side portion of the stop pin (300); and the locking member is arranged on the valve seat (100). After a user pushes the stop pin (300) to exit from the locking hole by means of the pushing portion (310), the stop pin (300) is stopped in the mounting hole (120); or after the stop pin (300) extends into the locking hole, the stop pin (300) is locked so as to limit the valve core (200) from rotating relative to the valve seat (100). Therefore, after the stop pin (300) exits from the locking hole, the user does not need to apply a force to the pushing portion (310) all the time, and only the connector can be rotated and clamped subsequently, such that the operation efficiency can be effectively improved, and the labor intensity can be reduced.

Description

Connector valve core locking structure, pipeline connector and liquid cooling system

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the Patent Office of China on March 8, 2024, with application number 202410270181.3 and application name “A Connector Valve Core Locking Structure, Pipe Connector and Liquid Cooling System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the technical field of connectors, and in particular to a connector valve core locking structure, a pipeline connector and a liquid cooling system. Background Art

[0003] Liquid cooling systems usually include pipes and connectors, and pipes are connected by connectors. For liquid cooling systems used in servers or other systems with high requirements for leak prevention, the connectors usually include a male end and a female end. The male end and the female end respectively include a valve seat and a valve core. When the male end and the female end are disconnected, the valve core needs to close the channel in the valve seat to prevent liquid leakage in the pipeline.

[0004] In the process of realizing the present invention, the inventors found that there are at least the following problems in the prior art: the valve core of the existing connector is locked by a spring pin. When the male end and the female end are docked, it is necessary to manually apply force to the spring pin continuously to overcome the elastic force of the spring pin and put the spring pin in a state of unlocking the valve core. The spring pin can only be released after the male end and the female end are assembled in place, which brings inconvenience to assembly, especially for liquid cooling systems with a large number of connectors, which will affect work efficiency and increase labor intensity.

[0005] Therefore, how to improve the assembly efficiency of connectors is a technical problem that those skilled in the art currently need to solve.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a connector valve core locking structure, a pipeline connector and a liquid cooling system, which can effectively improve the assembly efficiency of the connector.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0009] A connector valve core locking structure, comprising:

[0010] The valve seat has a valve seat flow channel inside and a mounting hole on the side wall;

[0011] A valve core, the valve core can rotate relative to the valve seat to open or close the valve seat flow channel, and the valve core is provided with a locking hole;

[0012] A stop pin is axially movably disposed in the mounting hole, and a pushing portion is provided on a side of the stop pin;

[0013] A locking member is provided on the valve seat, and is used to stop the stop pin in the mounting hole after the stop pin withdraws from the locking hole, or to lock the stop pin after the stop pin extends into the locking hole.

[0014] In some embodiments, a limiting guide cylinder is provided in the mounting hole, a limiting tooth is provided at one end of the limiting guide cylinder, and a guide groove is provided on the side wall of the limiting guide cylinder;

[0015] The locking member includes an elastic member and a tooth top block, a limit strip is provided on the outer periphery of the tooth top block, and a top tooth is provided on one end of the limit strip facing the stop pin, and both ends of the elastic member are respectively pressed against the mounting hole and the tooth top block;

[0016] The stop pin is provided with a push tooth at one end facing the tooth top block, and the stop pin is used to push the tooth top block to rotate through the push tooth and the top tooth, so that the top tooth is engaged with the limiting tooth, or the tooth top block moves axially along the guide groove, and the tooth top block is pressed against the stop pin under the elastic force of the elastic member.

[0017] In some embodiments, the mounting hole is a through hole, and a screw is connected to the internal thread of the mounting hole away from one end of the stop pin, one end of the elastic member abuts against the screw, and the screw is used to adjust the elastic force of the elastic member on the tooth top block.

[0018] In some embodiments, an accommodating cavity is provided inside one end of the stop pin facing the tooth top block, and a connecting rod that can move axially in the accommodating cavity is provided on the tooth top block.

[0019] In some embodiments, an axial hole communicating with the accommodating cavity is provided in the stop pin, and the connecting rod is a hollow rod.

[0020] In some embodiments, an outer surface of the pushing portion is provided with an anti-slip portion.

[0021] In some embodiments, a guide hole is further provided on the valve seat, and the guide hole is connected to the mounting hole from a side of the mounting hole. The pushing portion can extend from the guide hole or be located in the guide hole.

[0022] In some embodiments, the locking hole includes an open locking hole and a closed locking hole. When the valve core rotates to the open locking hole or the closed locking hole corresponding to the stop pin, the pushing part pushes the stop pin so that the head of the stop pin extends into the open locking hole or the closed locking hole.

[0023] A pipeline connector comprises a first connecting end and a second connecting end that are butted against each other and can rotate relative to each other, wherein the first connecting end and the second connecting end are respectively provided with any one of the connector valve core locking structures described above.

[0024] A liquid cooling system comprises a pipeline and the above-mentioned pipeline connector, wherein the pipeline and the pipeline connector are connected.

[0025] Compared with the existing technology, the above technical solution has the following advantages:

[0026] The present invention provides a connector valve core locking structure, pipeline connector, and liquid cooling system. When a user pushes a stop pin out of a locking hole via a pusher, the stop pin becomes immobilized within the mounting hole. Alternatively, after the stop pin is inserted into the locking hole, the stop pin is locked, thereby restricting rotation of the valve core relative to the valve seat. Therefore, after the stop pin is withdrawn, the user no longer needs to continuously apply force to the pusher; subsequent rotational engagement of the connector can be performed, effectively improving work efficiency and reducing labor intensity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0028] FIG1 is a cross-sectional view of a connector valve core locking structure provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention, when the valve core is in a locked state;

[0029] FIG2 is a cross-sectional view of a connector valve core locking structure provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention, when the valve core is in an unlocked state;

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the tooth top block and the limit tooth when they are in a stuck state;

[0031] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of the tooth top block and the limiting tooth in an unlocked state.

[0032] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0033] 100 is the valve seat, 110 is the valve seat flow channel, 120 is the mounting hole, and 130 is the guide hole;

[0034] 200 is the valve core, 210 is the opening locking hole;

[0035] 300 is a stop pin, 310 is a pushing portion, 320 is a receiving cavity, 330 is a shaft hole, and 340 is a pushing tooth;

[0036] 400 is a limiting guide cylinder, 410 is a limiting tooth, and 420 is a guide groove;

[0037] 500 is the tooth top block, 510 is the limit bar, 520 is the top tooth, and 530 is the connecting rod;

[0038] 600 is an elastic member;

[0039] 700 is a screw and 710 is a positioning rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0041] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. A connector valve core locking structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention includes: a valve seat 100, a valve core 200, a stop pin 300 and a locking member, wherein a valve seat flow channel 110 is provided inside the valve seat 100, and a mounting hole 120 is provided on the side wall of the valve seat 100; the valve core 200 can rotate relative to the valve seat 100 to open or close the valve seat flow channel 110, and a locking hole is provided on the valve core 200; the stop pin 300 can be axially movably placed in the mounting hole 120, and a pushing portion 310 is provided on the side of the stop pin 300 to facilitate the user to push the stop pin 300 to move axially; the locking member is provided on the valve seat 100, and the locking member is used to stop the stop pin 300 in the mounting hole 120 after the stop pin 300 withdraws from the locking hole, or to lock the stop pin 300 after the stop pin 300 extends into the locking hole. When the user pushes the stop pin 300 out of the locking hole using the push portion 310, the stop pin 300 stops in the mounting hole 120. Alternatively, after the stop pin 300 extends into the locking hole, the stop pin 300 is locked to restrict the valve core 200 from rotating relative to the valve seat 100. Therefore, after the stop pin 300 is withdrawn, the user does not need to constantly apply force to the push portion 310. The subsequent operation of rotating the connector can be performed, thereby effectively improving work efficiency and reducing labor intensity.

[0042] In some embodiments, a limiting guide cylinder 400 is provided in the mounting hole 120. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the limiting guide cylinder 400 can be integrally formed in the mounting hole 120 or can be independent of the valve seat 100. The limiting guide cylinder 400 is fixed to the inner wall of the mounting hole 120, wherein one end of the limiting guide cylinder 400 is provided with a limiting tooth 410, and the side wall of the limiting guide cylinder 400 is provided with a guide groove 420. Specifically, the limiting teeth 410 uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction can be provided at one end of the limiting guide cylinder 400. Accordingly, a plurality of limiting teeth 410 are provided on the side wall of the limiting guide cylinder 400. The guide grooves 420 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction; the locking member includes an elastic member 600 and a tooth top block 500, the outer periphery of the tooth top block 500 is provided with a limit strip 510, and the end of the limit strip 510 facing the stop pin 300 is provided with a top tooth 520, and the two ends of the elastic member 600 are respectively pressed against the mounting hole 120 and the tooth top block 500. Specifically, a plurality of limit strips 510 evenly distributed along the circumferential direction can be provided on the outer periphery of the tooth top block 500, and the number of the limit strips 510 is the same as the number of the guide grooves 420; a push tooth 340 is provided on the end of the stop pin 300 facing the tooth top block 500. During the specific pushing process of the pushing portion 310, the stop pin 300 can push the tooth top block 500 to rotate under the action of the pushing tooth 340 and the top tooth 520, so that the top tooth 520 is engaged with the limiting tooth 410. At this time, the stop pin 300 is not subjected to the thrust of the tooth top block 500, so the stop pin 300 can stagnate at this pushing position. When the pushing portion 310 is released, the stop pin 300 will not extend. When the pushing portion 310 is pushed again, the limiting tooth 410 can be disengaged from the top tooth 520, and the limiting bar 510 can be rotated to a position corresponding to the guide groove 420. At this time, the pushing portion 310 is released, and the tooth top block 500 can move axially along the guide groove 420. The tooth top block 500 is pressed against the stop pin 300 under the elastic force of the elastic member 600. It should be noted that the locking member provided in this embodiment is only a preferred solution. In addition, other methods can also be used to make the stop pin 300 stop when it retracts into the mounting hole 120 and releases the push part 310. For details, please refer to the existing technology, and this embodiment will not go into details.

[0043] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG1 and FIG2 , the mounting hole 120 is a through hole. A screw 700 is connected to the inner thread of the mounting hole 120 at one end away from the stop pin 300. One end of the elastic member 600 abuts against the screw 700. The elastic member 600 is preferably a spring. To improve the connection stability of the spring, a positioning rod 710 can be provided on the screw 700. The spring is sleeved on the positioning rod 710 to ensure that the spring can axially expand and contract. The elastic force of the elastic member 600 on the tooth top block 500 can be adjusted by the screw 700. For example, turning the screw 700 toward the tooth top block 500 is equivalent to reducing the expansion and contraction stroke of the spring. Turning the screw 700 away from the tooth top block 500 is equivalent to increasing the expansion and contraction stroke of the spring. Therefore, by adjusting the elastic force of the spring, the assembly flexibility can be improved, and the problem of the valve core 200 being restricted from rotating or having difficulty in pushing the stop pin 300 due to too little or too much spring force can be avoided.

[0044] In some embodiments, a accommodating chamber 320 is provided inside one end of the stop pin 300 facing the tooth top block 500, and a 530 that can move axially within the accommodating chamber 320 is provided on the tooth top block 500. The accommodating chamber 320 can ensure the stability of the axial movement of the tooth top block 500 relative to the stop pin 300, and also improve the stability of the stop pin 300 when pushing the tooth top block 500 to move axially and rotate.

[0045] In some embodiments, an axial hole 330 communicating with the accommodating chamber 320 is provided in the stop pin 300. By providing the axial hole 330, the resistance of the air in the accommodating chamber 320 to 530 can be avoided, which also plays a role in weight reduction. In addition, 530 is a hollow rod, which can save materials used to manufacture 530 and also improve the smoothness of the movement of 530 relative to the accommodating chamber 320.

[0046] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the pushing portion 310 is provided with an anti-slip portion. For example, a concave-convex structure can be provided on the outer surface of the pushing portion 310. The concave-convex structure can increase its friction, thereby facilitating the user to operate the pushing portion 310. In addition to the concave-convex structure, other structures that can increase the friction of the outer surface of the pushing portion 310 can also be used.

[0047] In some embodiments, a guide hole 130 is further provided on the valve seat 100, and the guide hole 130 is connected to the mounting hole 120 from the side of the mounting hole 120. The pushing portion 310 can extend from the guide hole 130, or be located in the guide hole 130, as long as it can meet the needs of the user to push the pushing portion 310. The pushing portion 310 and the stop pin 300 can be an integrally formed structure, for example, they can be manufactured by injection molding, wherein the pushing portion 310 can be a T-shaped structure or an L-shaped structure, wherein the end of the T-shaped structure and the L-shaped structure extending from the guide hole 130 is a cross bar or a cross plate parallel to the stop pin 300. The contact area between the user's finger and the pushing portion 310 can be increased by increasing the area of ​​the cross bar or the cross plate, thereby improving the user's experience of operating the pushing portion 310.

[0048] In some embodiments, the valve core 200 is provided with an opening locking hole 210 and a closing locking hole. When the opening locking hole 210 corresponds to the stop pin 300, the valve core 200 is in a state of closing the valve seat flow channel 110. When the closing locking hole corresponds to the stop pin 300, the valve core 200 is in a state of opening the valve seat flow channel 110. When the valve core 200 rotates until the opening locking hole 210 corresponds to the stop pin 300, the pushing portion 310 pushes the stop pin 300 so that the head of the stop pin 300 extends into the opening locking hole 210, thereby locking and limiting the rotation of the valve core 200. When the stop pin 300 is retracted and the valve core 200 is rotated until the closing locking hole corresponds to the stop pin 300, the pushing portion 310 pushes the stop pin 300 so that the head of the stop pin 300 extends into the closing locking hole, thereby locking and limiting the rotation of the valve core 200. In order to reduce the wear of the stop pin 300 on the valve core 200, the head of the stop pin 300 can be designed as a spherical structure. In addition, a flare can be set on one end of the stop pin 300 on the opening locking hole 210 and the closing locking hole to facilitate the head of the stop pin 300 to extend into the opening locking hole 210 or the closing locking hole.

[0049] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a pipeline connector, comprising a first connecting end and a second connecting end that are docked and relatively rotatable, the first connecting end and the second connecting end each being provided with any of the connector valve core locking structures described above. When assembling the first and second connecting ends, the stop pins 300 of their respective connector valve core locking structures must first be moved in opposing directions to release the rotation restriction on the valve core 200. When the first and second connecting ends are rotated until their respective valve cores 200 are in an open state, the stop pins 300 are then moved to restrict the rotation of the valve core 200 relative to the valve seat 100, thereby ensuring smooth liquid delivery within the pipeline connector.

[0050] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a liquid cooling system, comprising a pipe and the pipe connector provided in the above embodiment, wherein the pipe is connected to the pipe connector. Furthermore, the liquid cooling system further comprises a liquid pump, which can transport liquid through the pipe and the pipe connector to achieve a cooling effect on the heat-generating component. The beneficial effects of the liquid cooling system can be referred to the above pipe connector and will not be further described here.

[0051] It should be noted that, in this specification, relational terms such as first and second are merely used to distinguish one entity from other entities, but do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities.

[0052] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0053] The above is a detailed introduction to a connector valve core locking structure, a pipe connector, and a liquid cooling system provided by the present invention. This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the core idea of ​​the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of the present invention, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present invention, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A connector valve core locking structure, characterized in that: include: A valve seat (100) is provided with a valve seat flow channel (110) inside and a mounting hole (120) on the side wall; a valve core (200), the valve core (200) being rotatable relative to the valve seat (100) to open or close the valve seat flow channel (110), and a locking hole being provided on the valve core (200); A stop pin (300) is axially movably disposed in the mounting hole (120), and a pushing portion (310) is provided on a side of the stop pin (300); A locking member is provided on the valve seat (100), and is used to stop the stop pin (300) in the mounting hole (120) after the stop pin (300) withdraws from the locking hole, or to lock the stop pin (300) after the stop pin (300) extends into the locking hole.

2. The connector valve core locking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limiting guide cylinder (400) is provided in the mounting hole (120), one end of the limiting guide cylinder (400) is provided with a limiting tooth (410), and a guide groove (420) is provided on the side wall of the limiting guide cylinder (400); The locking member comprises an elastic member (600) and a tooth top block (500); a limiting strip (510) is provided on the outer periphery of the tooth top block (500); a top tooth (520) is provided on one end of the limiting strip (510) facing the stop pin (300); and two ends of the elastic member (600) are respectively pressed against the mounting hole (120) and the tooth top block (500); The stop pin (300) is provided with a push tooth (340) at one end facing the tooth top block (500). The stop pin (300) is used to push the tooth top block (500) to rotate through the push tooth (340) and the top tooth (520), so that the top tooth (520) is engaged with the limiting tooth (410), or the tooth top block (500) moves axially along the guide groove (420). The tooth top block (500) is pressed against the stop pin (300) under the elastic force of the elastic member (600).

3. The connector valve core locking structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The mounting hole (120) is a through hole, and an internal thread in the mounting hole (120) away from one end of the stop pin (300) is connected to a screw (700), one end of the elastic member (600) is in contact with the screw (700), and the screw (700) is used to adjust the elastic force of the elastic member (600) on the tooth top block (500).

4. The connector valve core locking structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: An accommodating cavity (320) is provided inside one end of the stop pin (300) facing the tooth top block (500), and a connecting rod (530) that can move axially in the accommodating cavity (320) is provided on the tooth top block (500).

5. The connector valve core locking structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The stop pin (300) is provided with an axial hole (330) communicating with the accommodating cavity (320), and the connecting rod (530) is a hollow rod.

6. The connector valve core locking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surface of the pushing portion (310) is provided with an anti-slip portion.

7. The connector valve core locking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve seat (100) is further provided with a guide hole (130), the guide hole (130) being connected to the mounting hole (120) from the side of the mounting hole (120), and the pushing portion (310) can extend from the guide hole (130) or be located in the guide hole (130).

8. The connector valve core locking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The locking hole comprises an opening locking hole (210) and a closing locking hole. When the valve core (200) rotates to the opening locking hole (210) or the closing locking hole corresponding to the stop pin (300), the pushing portion (310) pushes the stop pin (300) so that the head of the stop pin (300) extends into the opening locking hole (210) or the closing locking hole.

9. A pipe connector, comprising a first connecting end and a second connecting end that are butted against each other and can rotate relative to each other, characterized in that: The first connecting end and the second connecting end are respectively provided with the connector valve core locking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A liquid cooling system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a pipe and the pipe connector according to claim 9, wherein the pipe and the pipe connector are connected.

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