JP4211909B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector for piping, and more particularly to a one-touch type connector provided with a check member for confirming a connected state.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Various types of one-touch type connectors have been proposed in the past for forming a strong connection state simply by inserting a male connection member.
For example, a connector (push-in coupling) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-29377 is provided with a cylindrical holder (holding member) having a hook in a hollow portion of a sleeve (housing member), and in the hollow portion of the sleeve. The connected state is formed by engaging the holding rib of the inserted fluid pipe (connecting member) with the hook of the cylindrical holder.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
This type of one-touch connector can be used to connect pipes with a simple operation, and is therefore used for automobile fuel system pipes. However, there is no problem if the fluid pipe is fully inserted until the holding rib is securely engaged with the hook of the cylindrical holder, but the fluid pipe is not fully inserted due to carelessness of the operator. When the engagement state between the holding rib and the hook is not sufficient, the fluid pipe is easily detached and there is a possibility that inconvenience such as fuel leakage may occur.
[0004]
Therefore, conventionally, when connecting pipes using this type of connector, after inserting the fluid pipe into the connector, a process of inspecting that the fluid pipe is not detached by applying force in the drawing direction (drawing inspection process) Implementation is instructed. However, in spite of such inspection guidance, when the pull-out inspection was not performed, there was no way to confirm whether or not such an inspection was performed, and there was anxiety in production management.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and in connection work of piping using a one-touch type connector, it is possible to objectively confirm whether or not a pull-out inspection has been performed reliably, An object of the present invention is to ensure a reliable connection state and form a reliable connection state of pipes.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is a connector for inserting and holding a tubular connecting member having a circumferential protrusion, and has an opening end into which the connecting member is inserted. A housing member in which a hollow portion is formed from the end toward the inside and a window portion is formed in the peripheral wall, an annular base portion that is axially movable within the hollow portion of the housing member, and an axial direction extending from the base portion. A holding member including an elastic locking piece that engages with a protrusion of the connecting member inserted from the opening end and prevents the connecting member from coming off, and an operating portion exposed from the window portion, and the holding member A temporary fixing means for temporarily fixing to a back side moving end in a direction opposite to the opening end; and a check member mounted on a peripheral wall of the housing member; and the check member temporarily attached to the back side moving end. Operation part of the holding member stopped Engagement prevents the housing member from detaching from the peripheral wall, and when the holding member moves to the opening end side of the housing member, the engagement state with the operation portion is released and the check member is removed from the peripheral wall of the housing member. It is characterized in that an engaging portion that can be detached is formed.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, on the premise of the first aspect, the operation portion is formed in a tongue-like shape that can be flexibly bent, and the temporary fixing means is formed on a peripheral wall of the housing member. The temporary locking engagement portion and the temporary locking engaged portion formed in the operation portion, and the temporary locking engaged portion is formed by the elastic deflection deformation of the operation portion. It is characterized in that it can be freely engaged and disengaged.
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, on the premise of the description of the second aspect, the check member is engaged with the operation portion of the holding member temporarily fixed to the rear side moving end to elastically deform the operation portion. In addition, when the external force in the direction of the opening end more than a certain level acts on the holding member, a temporarily fixed state holding portion that allows elastic bending deformation of the operation portion is formed.
[0009]
Further, the invention of claim 4 is based on the premise of any one of claims 1 to 3, the check member is formed with side walls and a back wall surrounding the peripheral wall of the housing member from three sides, and the back wall Are formed with an abutment surface and an engaging projection that abut against the peripheral wall of the housing member, and a flange portion that engages with the peripheral wall of the housing member and an edge of the check member. A concave portion with which the portion engages is formed.
[0010]
Therefore, according to the invention of claim 1, when the connecting member is not inserted, the check member is mounted on the peripheral wall of the housing member, and the holding member is temporarily fixed to the rear side moving end by the temporary fixing means. As a result, the engaging portion of the check member is engaged with the operation portion of the holding member, and the mounting state of the check member to the housing member is held.
[0011]
From this state, when the connecting member is inserted into the hollow portion of the housing member and a connecting state is formed in which the elastic locking piece engages with the protrusion of the connecting member, a force in the pulling direction is applied to the connecting member (extraction inspection). ), The temporarily fixed state by the temporary fixing means is released, the holding member moves to the opening end side integrally with the connecting member, and the operating portion is detached from the engaging portion of the check member. As a result, the check member can be freely detached from the peripheral wall of the housing member.
[0012]
Therefore, if the check member is removed from the housing member after the pull-out inspection, it can be objectively confirmed whether or not the pull-out inspection has been executed depending on the presence or absence of the check member. Since the check member can be removed from the housing member only when the pull-out inspection is performed and the reliable connection state is formed, the reliable connection state can be ensured by removing the check member.
[0013]
According to the invention of claim 3, since the temporarily fixed state holding portion formed on the check member engages with the operation portion of the holding member and restricts the elastic deflection deformation of the operation portion, the temporarily fixed state is Retained. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably avoid the inconvenience that the holding member moves without the pull-out inspection being performed and the check member falls off the housing member.
[0014]
According to the invention of claim 4, the side wall of the check member engages with the flange portion of the housing member, the contact surface of the back wall contacts the peripheral wall of the housing member, and the engagement protrusion of the check member further includes the housing. By engaging the concave portion of the member, it is possible to form a mounting state in which the check member does not rattle with respect to the housing member.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
A connector according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a connector body 1 (see FIG. 1) in which a holding member 20 (see FIG. 3) is incorporated in a housing member 10 (see FIG. 2), and a check member 30 (see FIG. 4). And has a function of inserting and holding the tubular connecting member 40. The housing member 10, the holding member 20, and the check member 30 are all resin molded products.
FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state in which the check member is mounted on the connector body, and FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the operation of the connector.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 6, the connecting member 40 inserted and held by the connector according to the present embodiment has a circumferential protrusion 41 at a circumferential surface position separated from the tip by a predetermined distance, and is held. The member 20 is engaged with the ridge 41 to maintain the connected state.
[0017]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing member 10 has an open end 11 into which a tubular connecting member 40 is inserted at one end, and a hollow portion 12 is formed from the open end 11 toward the inside. The head portion of the housing member 10 is bifurcated, and a pipe connection portion 13 is formed from the branch portion toward both sides. The hollow portion 12 formed inside the housing member 10 is open to the end faces of these pipe connection portions 13. An O-ring 14 is inserted in the middle of the hollow portion 12 to maintain the airtightness on the pipe connecting portion 13 side. Note that the pipe connecting portion 13 can be arbitrarily formed depending on the number of pipes to be connected. For example, the pipe connecting portion 13 can be formed by extending the head of the housing member 10 in the axial direction without branching as shown in the figure. One piping connection part 13 can also be formed in the exit part.
[0018]
First and second window portions 15 and 16 are formed on the peripheral wall 10 a of the housing member 10. The 1st window part 15 is formed facing the front and back surface of the surrounding wall 10a, and the 2nd window part 16 is formed facing both the side surfaces of the surrounding wall 10a. Each of these window parts 15 and 16 is formed in a rectangular shape, and both penetrate through the hollow part 12.
[0019]
Further, on the front surface and the back surface of the peripheral wall 10a, a temporarily fixing locking portion 17 is formed at a position slightly spaced from the first window portion 15 toward the head side. In the present embodiment, the temporarily fixing locking portion 17 is configured by a locking claw that slightly protrudes from the peripheral wall 10a. Further, the guide protrusion 18 of the check member 30 extends in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the housing member 10 at a position away from the temporary fixing latch 17 to the head side. is there. Further, a flange portion 19 is formed in the vicinity of the opening end 11 of the housing member 10 so as to protrude from the peripheral wall 10a toward the outer diameter direction.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 3, the holding member 20 is configured by four elastic locking pieces 22 and 23 extending in the axial direction from an annular base 21, and each elastic locking piece 22 and 23 is With the base 21 as a fixed end, it can flex flexibly in the radial direction. Locking claws 24 are formed on the inner surfaces of the distal end portions of the elastic locking pieces 22 and 23, and the locking claws 24 engage with the protrusions 41 of the connecting member 40 to maintain the connected state (see FIG. 6 (c)). In addition, a corner portion 25 for restricting expansion is formed on the outer surface of the distal end portion of the elastic locking pieces 22 and 23, and an outer inclined surface 25a is formed from the corner portion 25 to the top of the distal end. On the other hand, an inner inclined surface 24 a is formed from the top of the tip to the locking claw 24.
[0021]
Further, a guide portion 26 is formed by bulging in the outer diameter direction from the middle portion of each elastic locking piece 22 to the vicinity of the tip portion. Here, of the four elastic locking pieces 22, 23, two elastic locking pieces (hereinafter referred to as first elastic locking pieces) 22 that face each other are provided with a guide portion 26 to an operation portion 27. It is formed to extend. The operation portion 27 is formed in a tongue-like shape that can be flexibly bent with the guide portion 26 as a fixed end, and a temporarily fixed engaged portion 28 formed of a concave groove is formed on the inner surface thereof. is there. Note that the operation portion 27 is not formed on another elastic locking piece (hereinafter referred to as a second elastic locking piece) 23 facing each other.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 1, the connector main body 1 is configured by incorporating a holding member 20 in the hollow portion 12 of the housing member 10 described above. That is, in the holding member 20, the guide portion 26 formed on the first elastic locking piece 22 is fitted to the first window portion 15, and the guide portion 26 formed on the second elastic locking piece 23 is They are fitted to the second window portion 16, are guided by the inner surfaces of the window portions 15, 16, and are movable in the axial direction of the housing member 10. In this assembled state, the base portion 21 and the distal end portion of the holding member 20 are disposed in the hollow portion 12 of the housing member 10, and the operation portion 27 formed on the first elastic locking piece 22 has the first It is exposed from the window portion 15 and is disposed (see FIG. 1B).
[0023]
The movable range of the holding member 20 relative to the housing member 10 is defined by the axial length of each of the window portions 15 and 16. Specifically, the position where the back surface of the guide portion 26 formed on the second elastic locking piece 23 is in contact with the inner edge of the second window portion 16 is the rear side moving end of the holding member 20. On the other hand, the position where the corner portion 25 formed on each elastic locking piece 22, 23 is in contact with the inner edge on the front end side of each window portion 15, 16 is the front end side moving end.
[0024]
Then, when the holding member 20 is disposed at the far side moving end, the temporarily fixing engaged portion 28 formed on the holding member 20 is engaged with the temporarily fixing locking portion 17 formed on the housing member 10. The holding member 20 is configured to be temporarily fixed to the rear side moving end.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 6, the connecting member 40 is inserted into the hollow portion 12 from the open end 11 of the housing member 10 (FIG. 6A). And the protrusion 41 currently formed in the connection member 40 is contact | abutted to the inner side inclined surface 24a formed in each elastic locking piece 22 and 23 of the holding member 20, and each elastic locking piece 22 and 23 is outer diameter direction. (Fig. 2B). When the connecting member 40 is further pushed in from this state, the protrusions 41 of the connecting member 40 pass over the locking claws 24 and engage with each other, whereby the connecting member 40 is connected to the connector body 1 (see FIG. c)).
[0026]
The temporarily fixed state of the holding member 20 described above is released by flexing the tongue-like operation portion 27 in the outer diameter direction when a large pulling force is applied to the connected connecting member 40. The temporarily fixed state of the holding member 20 is preferably adjusted so as not to be released by any other external force. Such a temporary fixing force includes the height of the locking claw 24 that forms the temporary locking engagement portion 17, the depth of the concave groove that forms the temporary locking engaged portion 28, and the elasticity that is applied to the operation portion 27. This can be realized by adjusting the magnitude of the force.
[0027]
When the temporarily fixed state is released and the holding member 20 moves to the front end side of the housing member 10 integrally with the connecting member 40, the corner portions 25 formed on the holding member 20 are changed to the window portions 15 formed on the housing member 10, respectively. 16 abuts against the inner edge of the front end side of FIG. In this contact state, the peripheral wall 10a of the housing member 10 prevents the elastic locking pieces 22 and 23 from expanding in the outer diameter direction, so that the connecting member 40 is prevented from coming off. When the holding member 20 is located at the far side moving end (FIG. 6C), the operation part 27 formed on the holding member 20 is firmly picked to prevent the holding member 20 from moving, and at that position. If a force in the pulling direction is applied to the connecting member 40, each elastic locking piece 22 expands in the outer diameter direction, and the connecting member 40 can be pulled out.
[0028]
Next, the configuration and operation of the check member will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the check member 30 has left and right side walls 31 and a back wall 32, and a guide groove 33 extending rearward from the front end is formed on each side wall 31 so as to face each other. Yes. As shown in FIG. 5, these guide grooves 33 have a function of engaging the guide protrusion 18 formed in the housing member 10 and mounting the check member 30 on the housing member 10.
[0029]
Further, a part of the lower protrusion 34 forming the lower wall of the guide groove 33 is notched, and the notch 35 is an operation formed on the first elastic locking piece 22 of the holding member 20. The part 27 constitutes an engaging part that can be freely engaged and disengaged. That is, when the holding member 20 is in the temporary fixing position, the head of the operation unit 27 enters the notch 35 and engages, and when the holding member 20 is in the position moved to the opening end 11 side, The mutual positioning is performed such that the head of the operation unit 27 is detached from the notch 35. When the operation part 27 is engaged with the notch 35, the lower protrusion 34 interferes with the operation part 27 even if the check member 30 is to be removed along the guide protrusion 18. Can not be removed. On the other hand, when the operation unit 27 is detached from the notch 35, the check member 30 can be easily removed along the guide protrusion 18.
[0030]
Further, as shown in FIG. 4 (e), a tapered surface 36 (temporarily fixed state holding portion) is formed on the inner surface of the notch portion 35 so as to gradually protrude upward from a slightly lower position. . The tapered surface 36 engages with the head portion of the operation unit 27 in the temporarily fixed state to restrict elastic deflection deformation of the operation unit 27. As described above, it is preferable that the temporarily fixed state of the holding member 20 is adjusted so as not to be released except by an external force applied when pulling out the connecting member 40 in the connected state. However, the delicate adjustment is difficult, and it is also assumed that the temporary fixing force of the holding member 20 becomes weak due to expansion and contraction due to a temperature change. Therefore, a configuration for restricting the bending deformation of the operation portion 27 in the temporarily fixed state is added by the tapered surface 36 formed on the check member 30 to prevent the unintended movement of the holding member 20. The tapered surface 36 allows the flexible bending deformation of the operation portion 27 when an external force in the direction of the opening end 11 (that is, an external force for pulling out the connecting member 40) is applied to the holding member 20. .
[0031]
A contact surface 37 and an engagement protrusion 38 are formed on the inner surface side of the back wall 32 of the check member 30. The check member 30 is mounted on the peripheral wall 10a of the housing member 10, the contact surface 37 contacts the peripheral wall 10a, and the engagement protrusion 38 is fitted to the second window portion 16 (concave portion). In the horizontal direction. Furthermore, the lower end edge of the side wall 31 of the check member 30 is engaged with the flange portion 19 formed on the peripheral wall 10 a of the housing member 10, thereby suppressing rattling in the rotation direction.
[0032]
The check member 30 is formed with a knob 39 that extends outward from the back wall 32. As will be described later, when the check member 30 is removed from the peripheral wall 10a of the housing member 10 after the pull-out inspection, the check member 30 can be easily removed simply by lightly gripping and sliding it. The knob portion 39 is in a state where the operation portion 27 is engaged with the notch portion, and cannot be removed even if the check member 30 is forcibly removed, and an excessive force is applied to the knob portion 39. In order not to be able to do it, it has a shape that is difficult to pick. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a knob portion 39 is formed in a tapered bar shape.
[0033]
The check member 30 described above is mounted on the peripheral wall 10a of the housing member 10 along the guide protrusion 18 in a state where the operation portion 27 is moved to the opening end 11 side. Next, the holding member 20 is moved to the far side moving end to form a temporarily fixed state, and the operation portion 27 is engaged with the notch portion 35 of the check member 30. In this state, the check member 30 cannot be removed from the housing member 10.
[0034]
When connecting, as shown in FIG. 6, the connecting member 40 is inserted into the hollow portion 12 of the housing member 10, and the protrusions 41 of the connecting member 40 are engaged with the elastic locking pieces 22 and 23 of the holding member 20. Then, the connected state is formed (FIGS. (A) to (c)). Thereafter, in order to confirm that the protrusions 41 of the connecting member 40 are completely engaged with the elastic locking pieces 22 and 23 to form a connected state, a pull-out inspection is performed. This pull-out inspection is executed by applying a large force in the pull-out direction to the connecting member 40.
[0035]
When the completely connected state is formed, the pulling inspection causes the holding member 20 to move integrally with the connecting member 40 in the direction of the opening end 11 to release the temporarily fixed state, and at the same time from the notch 35 to the operation unit. As a result, the check member 30 can be detached from the housing member 10 along the guide protrusion 18 (FIG. 6D). On the other hand, when the connected state is incomplete, the connecting member 40 is pulled out with a weak pulling force, so the worker starts the connecting operation again. When the pull-out inspection is not performed, the holding member 20 remains stationary at the temporary fixing position, and the engagement state between the notch portion 35 and the operation portion 27 is maintained as it is. 30 cannot be removed from the housing member 10. Therefore, when the check member 30 remains on the peripheral wall 10a of the housing member 10, it can be estimated that the pull-out inspection has not been performed.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in the pipe connection work, whether or not the pull-out inspection is reliably performed can be objectively confirmed by whether or not the check member remains on the peripheral wall of the housing member, This makes it possible to ensure a reliable connection state.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1A and 1B are views showing a connector body according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a front view, and FIG.
2A and 2B are views showing a housing member according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 2A is a front view, and FIG. 2B is a right side view.
3A and 3B are diagrams showing a holding member according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 3A is a front view, FIG. 3B is a bottom view, and FIG.
4A and 4B are diagrams showing a check member according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 4A is a front view, FIG. 4B is a left side view, FIG. 4C is a bottom view, and FIG. (E) is sectional drawing which expands and shows a taper.
FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state in which a check member is mounted on the connector main body.
FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the operation of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1: connector main body 10: housing member 10a: peripheral wall 11: open end 12: hollow portion 13: pipe connection portion 14: O-ring 15: first window portion 16: second window portion 17: temporary fixing member Stop 18: Guide ridge 19: Flange 20: Holding member 21: Base 22: First elastic locking piece 23: Second elastic locking piece 24: Locking claw 24a: Inner inclined surface 25: Corner Portion 25a: Outside inclined surface 26: Guide portion 27: Operation portion 28: Temporary engagement portion 30: Check member 31: Side wall 32: Back wall 33: Guide groove 34: Lower protrusion 35: Notch (Engagement part)
36: Tapered surface (temporarily fixed state holding portion)
37: Contact surface 38: Engagement protrusion 39: Knob 40: Connecting member 41: Projection

Claims (4)

A connector for inserting and holding a tubular connecting member having a circumferential protrusion,
A housing member having an open end into which the connecting member is inserted at one end, a hollow portion formed from the open end toward the inside, and a window portion formed on the peripheral wall;
An annular base portion that is movable in the axial direction within the hollow portion of the housing member, and a projection of the connecting member that extends in the axial direction from the base portion and is inserted from the opening end are engaged to prevent the connecting member from coming off. A holding member including an elastic locking piece and an operation portion exposed from the window portion;
A temporary fixing means for temporarily fixing the holding member to the rear side moving end in a direction opposite to the opening end;
A check member mounted on the peripheral wall of the housing member,
Further, the check member engages with the operation portion of the holding member temporarily fixed to the back side moving end to prevent the housing member from being detached from the peripheral wall, and the holding member moves to the opening end side of the housing member. The connector is characterized in that the engagement portion is formed so that the check member can be detached from the peripheral wall of the housing member when the engagement state with the operation portion is released. The connector according to claim 1, wherein
The operation part is formed in a tongue-like shape that can be flexibly elastically,
The temporary fixing means includes a temporary locking engaging portion formed on the peripheral wall of the housing member and a temporary locking engaged portion formed on the operation portion,
A connector characterized in that a temporarily fixed engaged portion can be freely engaged with and disengaged from a temporary locking engaging portion by elastic bending deformation of an operation portion. The connector according to claim 2, wherein
The check member engages with the operation portion of the holding member temporarily fixed to the back side moving end to restrict the elastic deflection deformation of the operation portion, and the holding member has an external force in a direction of the opening end or more than a certain level. A connector characterized in that a temporary fixing state holding portion is formed that, when acted, allows elastic deformation of the operation portion. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the check member, a side wall and a back wall surrounding the peripheral wall of the housing member from three sides are formed, and an abutment surface and an engaging protrusion are formed on the back wall to come into contact with the peripheral wall of the housing member.
And the flange part which the side wall edge part of a check member engages in the surrounding wall of the said housing member, and the recessed part which the engagement protrusion part of a check member engages was formed.

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