JP7602583B2 - Female pipe fitting, pipe fitting and annular cover - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a female pipe fitting that is fixed to the end of a pipe and connected to a male pipe fitting of a mating pipe, a pipe fitting that includes the female pipe fitting and the male pipe fitting (hereinafter referred to as "male and female pipe fittings"), and an annular cover that is used with the pipe fitting.

A conventional pipe fitting is known in which, when a female pipe fitting is fitted to the outside of a male pipe fitting, the communication hole of the female pipe fitting faces the outer peripheral groove of the male pipe fitting, and a clip attached to the outside of the female pipe fitting engages with the outer peripheral groove through the communication hole, thereby locking the male and female pipe fittings to prevent them from coming loose (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-106604 A (paragraph [0029], Figs. 3 and 4)

However, with the conventional pipe fittings described above, the locked state has a similar appearance to the unlocked state in which the male and female pipe fittings are partially engaged and not prevented from coming loose, making it difficult to check whether the pipe fittings are locked or not, and a solution is needed.

The first invention made to solve the above problems is a female pipe fitting that is fixed to an end of a pipe and connected to a male pipe fitting of a mating pipe, the female pipe fitting comprising: a fitting tubular portion that fits onto the outside of a fitting pipe portion of the male pipe fitting; a communicating hole formed in the fitting tubular portion that faces the outer peripheral groove of the fitting pipe portion when the fitting tubular portion is fitted to the correct fitting position of the fitting pipe portion; a clip that is attached to the outside of the fitting tubular portion and engages with the outer peripheral groove through the communicating hole; and an engaging arm that engages with an engaged portion of the male pipe fitting while overlapping the outer surface of the male pipe fitting, provided that the fitting tubular portion is positioned at the correct fitting position.

A second invention is a female pipe fitting as described in the first invention, which is provided with an annular cover that fits onto the outside of the mating tubular portion, slides toward the tip of the mating tubular portion , and is positioned when it reaches a normal slide position, and fits onto the outside of the clip to restrict outward deformation of the clip , and the engagement arm is provided on the annular cover and engages with the engaged portion on the condition that the annular cover is positioned at the normal slide position.

A third invention is the female pipe fitting according to the second invention , wherein the annular cover is provided with a visual inspection hole that overlaps with a portion of the clip when the annular cover is disposed in the normal slide position.

A fourth invention is the female pipe fitting according to the second or third invention , wherein a stopper for positioning the annular cover at the regular slide position is provided on the clip.

A fifth invention is the female pipe fitting according to the first invention , wherein the engagement arm is provided on the clip.

A sixth invention is a female pipe fitting described in any one of the first to fifth inventions, which is provided with an elastic hinge portion that rotatably supports the engaging arm and holds the engaging arm that is not engaged with the engaged portion in a position away from the outer surface of the male pipe fitting.

A seventh invention is a female pipe fitting as described in the sixth invention, which is provided with a band-shaped plate portion extending laterally from the female pipe fitting and a groove portion crossing a mid-way position in the longitudinal direction of the band-shaped plate portion, the tip side of the band-shaped plate portion from the groove portion forming the engagement arm, and a thin-walled portion of the band-shaped plate portion at the bottom of the groove portion forming the elastic hinge portion.

An eighth invention is a pipe fitting comprising a female pipe fitting according to any one of the first to seventh inventions , and the male pipe fitting to which the female pipe fitting is connected.

A ninth invention is a pipe fitting as described in the eighth invention, wherein the male pipe fitting is provided with an insertion tube portion which is inserted into the inside of a drain hose as the mating pipe, the outside of which is covered with a thermal insulating material, and a hood portion which is fitted onto the outside of the drain hose, and the engagement arm is capable of engaging at any position around the entire circumference of the tip of the hood portion.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is the pipe joint according to the ninth aspect of the present invention , wherein the engaging arm is provided with a hook portion that penetrates into and engages with the inside of the tip end of the hood portion.

An eleventh invention is the pipe fitting according to any one of the eighth to tenth inventions , wherein the engaging arm and the outer surface of the male pipe fitting are different in color.

A twelfth invention is an annular cover for a pipe fitting in which, when the fitting tubular portion of a female pipe fitting is fitted to the outside of the fitting pipe portion of a male pipe fitting up to the correct fitting position, the communicating hole of the fitting tubular portion faces the outer peripheral groove of the fitting pipe portion and a clip attached to the outside of the fitting tubular portion engages with the outer peripheral groove through the communicating hole, the annular cover is formed so as to be fitted onto the outside of the fitting tubular portion and slide toward the tip side of the fitting tubular portion to reach the correct slide position, where it is positioned to fit onto the outside of the clip and is integrally provided with an engaging arm, and when the fitting tubular portion is positioned at the correct fitting position and the annular cover is positioned at the correct slide position, the engaging arm engages with the engaged portion of the male pipe fitting with the engaging arm overlapping the outer surface of the male pipe fitting.

According to the structures of the first and eighth aspects of the invention , when the fitting tubular portion of the female pipe fitting is fitted to the fitting tubular portion of the male pipe fitting to the normal fitting position, the communication hole of the fitting tubular portion faces the outer circumferential groove of the fitting tubular portion, and the clip on the outside of the fitting tubular portion engages with the outer circumferential groove through the communication hole, so that the male and female pipe fittings are in a locked state and prevented from coming off. The female pipe fitting is provided with an engagement arm that engages with the engaged portion of the male pipe fitting on the condition that the fitting tubular portion is disposed in the normal fitting position. This makes it possible to check whether the male and female pipe fittings are in a locked state by checking whether the engagement arm is engaged with the engaged portion. The engagement arm engages with the engaged portion while overlapping with the outer surface of the male pipe fitting, so that the difference between whether the engagement arm is engaged with the engaged portion is clearly reflected by the difference between whether the engagement arm overlaps with the outer surface of the male pipe fitting or the difference in the amount of overlap, and it is easier to check whether the male and female pipe fittings are in a locked state than in the past.

In the configuration of the second invention , the annular cover fitted to the fitting tubular portion of the female pipe fitting is positioned when it slides toward the tip side of the fitting tubular portion and reaches the normal slide position and is fitted to the outside of the clip, thereby reinforcing the above-mentioned locked state. The engaging arm engages with the engaged portion on the condition that the annular cover is disposed in the normal slide position, so that by checking whether the engaging arm is engaged with the engaged portion, it is possible to easily check both whether the locked state is established and whether the locked state has been reinforced at the same time.

Furthermore, if the annular cover of the 12th invention is attached to a female pipe fitting that does not have an annular cover, or if it is replaced with an annular cover that does not have an engagement arm and the annular cover of the 12th invention is attached to a female pipe fitting, the same effect as the configuration of the second invention can be achieved.

In the configuration of the third invention , it is easy to check whether or not there is a clip inside the annular cover by checking whether or not part of the clip can be visually confirmed inside or behind the visual inspection hole in the annular cover.

In the configuration of the fourth invention , a stopper that positions the annular cover in the correct slide position is provided on the clip, so that if the clip detaches from the mating cylindrical portion, the annular cover is not positioned in the correct slide position, making it possible to notice that the clip has detached.

The engaging arm may be provided on the clip ( fifth invention ). In that case, the annular cover may or may not be provided. The engaging arm may be provided on a portion of the female pipe fitting other than the clip and the annular cover. Furthermore, it is also conceivable to provide the engaging arm on the male pipe fitting so that "on condition that the mating tubular portion is positioned in the correct mating position, the engaging arm engages with the engaged portion of the female pipe fitting while overlapping the outer surface of the female pipe fitting."

In the configuration of the sixth invention , when the engaging arm is not engaged with the engaged portion, it is positioned away from the outer surface of the male pipe fitting, so that it is possible to easily and clearly determine whether the male and female pipe fittings are locked or not based on the position of the engaging arm.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention , the female pipe fitting having the engagement arm can be easily manufactured.

By using the pipe joint of the ninth aspect of the invention , it is possible to easily check the connection of the pipe joint of a drain hose, which is often placed in a dark or narrow place.

In the tenth aspect of the invention , the hook portion of the engaging arm penetrates into and engages with the inside of the tip portion of the hood portion, so that the engaged state is stable.

In the eleventh aspect of the invention , the engaging arm and the outer surface of the male pipe fitting are different colors, so that it is clear whether or not the engaging arm is engaged with the engaged portion.

Schematic diagram of a drain pipe according to a first embodiment. Side cross-sectional view of pipe fitting Perspective view of male pipe fitting A perspective view of a portion of a female pipe fitting A perspective view of a fitting cylinder portion Perspective view of the clip A cross-sectional view of the female pipe fitting with clip FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the annular cover. (A) is a front view of a pipe joint in which an annular cover is positioned in front of a normal sliding position, (B) is a front view of a pipe joint in which an annular cover is positioned in a normal sliding position A cross-sectional view of a pipe fitting in a locked state A side cross-sectional view of a pipe fitting with an annular cover in a normal sliding position. FIG. 1A is a partial cross-sectional side view of a pipe joint in which an annular cover is positioned at a normal sliding position; FIG. 1B is a partial cross-sectional side view of a pipe joint in which an annular cover is positioned in front of the normal sliding position; FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of a pipe joint according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a female pipe joint according to a third embodiment; Side cross-sectional view of pipe fitting FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of a pipe joint according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a female pipe joint according to a fifth embodiment; A perspective view of a fitting cylinder portion Perspective view of the clip Side cross-sectional view of pipe fitting A cross-sectional view of the female pipe fitting when the clip is in the closed position (A) A cross-sectional view of a female pipe fitting when the clip is in an open state, and (B) a front view of the female pipe fitting. Front cross-sectional view of pipe fitting 13 is a front view of a pipe joint according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of a tip portion of an engagement arm according to a modified example. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of a tip portion of an engagement arm according to a modified example. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a pipe joint according to a modified example.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, a pipe joint 100 of a first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 12. Figure 1 shows, for example, a state in which a drain pipe 110A of an air conditioner 110 arranged in the ceiling space is connected to a drain equipment pipe 111 of a building via a drain hose 120.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drain hose 120 has a two-layer structure in which the outside of the hose portion 121 is covered with a heat insulating material 122. The female pipe fitting 10 and the male pipe fitting 50 constituting the pipe fitting 100 of this embodiment, for example the male pipe fitting 50, are fixed to both ends of the drain hose 120. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the male pipe fittings 50 at both ends of the drain hose 120 are joined to the female pipe fittings 10 fixed to the drain pipe 110A and the drain equipment pipe 111, respectively, thereby connecting the drain pipe 110A to the drain equipment pipe 111 as described above.

First, the specific structure of the male pipe fitting 50 will be described below. As shown in FIG. 3, the male pipe fitting 50 has a structure in which a portion of the connecting pipe 51 is covered with a hood portion 50F. The hood portion 50F is formed by extending a cylindrical wall 56 to one side from the outer edge of a circular hose abutment portion 55 that projects laterally from the middle portion of the connecting pipe 51. The cylindrical wall 56 of the hood portion 50F is sized to fit just inside the drain hose 120.

The portion of the connecting pipe 51 that is surrounded by the hood portion 50F on one end side of the hose abutment portion 55 is the insertion pipe portion 51X that is inserted inside the drain hose 120. The tip of the insertion pipe portion 51X is tapered and protrudes outward from the hood portion 50F. Then, for example, with adhesive applied in advance to the outer peripheral surface of the insertion pipe portion 51X, the inner peripheral surface of the hose portion 121, and the tip surface of the insulating material 122, the insertion pipe portion 51X is inserted into the hose portion 121 up to a position where the end face of the drain hose 120 abuts against the hose abutment portion 55.

The male pipe fitting 50 is formed, for example, from a thermoplastic resin, such as soft polyvinyl chloride resin, hard polyvinyl chloride resin, polyolefin resin, or the like. The thermoplastic resin forming the male pipe fitting 50 may be either a transparent resin or an opaque resin. The hose portion 121 of the drain hose 120 is formed, for example, from a thermoplastic resin, such as a polyolefin resin or polyvinyl chloride resin. The insulating material 122 is preferably formed from a thermoplastic resin foam such as a polyolefin resin (e.g., a polyethylene resin, a polypropylene resin), foamed rubber, or the like.

The opposite side of the insertion pipe section 51X across the hose abutment section 55 of the connecting pipe 51 is the fitting pipe section 51Y that fits with the female pipe fitting 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer circumferential surface of the fitting pipe section 51Y is provided with a small diameter section 52 and a large diameter section 53 in that order from the tip side, and a tapered section 53T is formed at the step between the small diameter section 52 and the large diameter section 53. A pair of O-ring grooves 52M are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the small diameter section 52, and an O-ring (not shown) is attached thereto. Furthermore, an outer circumferential groove 53M is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter section 53, with which the clip 30 described later engages. The outer circumferential groove 53M has a square cross-sectional groove structure.

Next, the specific structure of the female pipe fitting 10 will be described below. As shown in FIG. 2, the female pipe fitting 10 is formed by assembling a clip 30 and an annular cover 40 to a fitting body 11 having a tubular structure. The fitting body 11, clip 30, and annular cover 40 are made of thermoplastic resin. The fitting body 11, clip 30, and annular cover 40 are different in color (including colorless and transparent) from one another, and the color of the annular cover 40 is also different from the color of the male pipe fitting 50.

The fitting body 11 is preferably made of soft polyvinyl chloride resin, hard polyvinyl chloride resin, polyolefin resin, etc. The clip 30 is preferably made of polyacetal resin, polyamide resin such as nylon 66, etc. The annular cover 40 is preferably made of polyolefin resin, polyamide resin, etc. The thermoplastic resin forming the fitting body 11, clip 30, and annular cover 40 may be either transparent or opaque. If at least the fitting body 11 is made of a transparent thermoplastic resin, the inside of the fitting body 11 can be visually confirmed from the outside, and the state of the drain water flowing in the pipe can be recognized. If the male pipe fitting 50, clip 30, and annular cover 40 in addition to the fitting body 11 are made of a transparent thermoplastic resin, the state of the drain water flowing in the pipe can be recognized over a wide range.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fitting body 11 has a pipe fixing portion 13 at one end of an L-shaped bent elbow portion 12, and a fitting tube portion 14 at the other end. The drain pipe 110A or drain equipment pipe 111 (see FIG. 1) is fixed in a fitted state to the pipe fixing portion 13, and the fitting tube portion 14 fits into the fitting pipe portion 51Y of the male pipe fitting 50 from the outside.

The fitting tube portion 14 has a large diameter portion 14K on the tip side from the middle position in the axial direction, and a small diameter portion 14L on the base end side, and the inner and outer diameters of the large diameter portion 14K are both larger than the inner and outer diameters of the small diameter portion 14L in a stepped manner. In addition, a tapered portion 14T is formed between the large diameter portion 14K and the small diameter portion 14L on the inner surface of the fitting tube portion 14. Then, when the fitting tube portion 14 of the female side pipe fitting 10 is fitted to the outside of the fitting pipe portion 51Y of the male side pipe fitting 50, the tapered portion 53T of the fitting pipe portion 51Y and the tapered portion 14T of the fitting tube portion 14 come into contact with each other, and the fitting tube portion 14 is positioned in the correct fitting position with respect to the fitting pipe portion 51Y.

As shown in FIG. 5, the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 14K is formed with a clip accommodating groove 15 having a C-shaped, square groove structure in a plan view. In addition, a communication hole 16 is formed in the groove bottom wall 15H of the clip accommodating groove 15, which penetrates the inside and outside of the fitting tube portion 14. The communication hole 16 extends in the circumferential direction of the fitting tube portion 14 and has a groove width that is approximately the same as that of the outer peripheral groove 53M of the male side pipe fitting 50 described above. In addition, the communication hole 16 is arranged toward one side of the groove width direction of the clip accommodating groove 15 (the tip side of the fitting tube portion 14). Then, as shown in FIG. 11, when the fitting tube portion 14 is arranged in the normal fitting position described above with respect to the fitting pipe portion 51Y, the communication hole 16 faces the outer peripheral groove 53M of the male side pipe fitting 50. In this embodiment, a pair of communication holes 16 are provided so as to face each other in the radial direction of the fitting tube portion 14, but a pair may be provided at a position shifted from the radially facing position, or two or more pairs may be provided so as to face each other in the radial direction. Also, only one communication hole 16 or three or more communication holes 16 may be provided.

As shown in Fig. 6(A) and Fig. 6(B), the clip 30 is C-shaped with a pair of projections 35 protruding laterally from both ends. The clip 30 is also elastically deformable so as to widen the opening 31A between both ends of the clip 30 from the state shown in Fig. 6(A) and Fig. 6(B). The clip 30 changes between the closed state shown in Fig. 6(A) and Fig. 6(B) and an open state in which the opening 31A is wider than in the closed state. The inside diameter of the clip 30 in the closed state is approximately the same as the outside diameter of the groove bottom wall 15H of the clip accommodating groove 15 in the fitting tube portion 14 (see Fig. 7).

As shown in FIG. 7, the pair of protrusions 35 are formed in a tapered shape that narrows in the circumferential direction of the clip 30 as it moves radially outward of the clip 30. In detail, the faces 35M1 of the pair of protrusions 35 that face each other in the circumferential direction of the clip 30 are formed approximately perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the clip 30, and the faces 35M2 of the pair of protrusions 35 that face the opposite side in the circumferential direction of the clip 30 are formed in a curved R-shape that moves away from the opening 31A of the clip 30 as it moves toward the radial inside of the clip 30 (i.e., the base end side of the protrusions 35). Note that the faces 35M2 may be formed approximately perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the clip 30, similar to the faces 35M1.

A pair of connecting protrusions 32 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the clip 30 at two positions 180 degrees apart. The pair of connecting protrusions 32 form an arc shape extending in the circumferential direction of the clip 30. When the clip 30 is fitted into the clip accommodating groove 15, the pair of connecting protrusions 32 enter the pair of communicating holes 16 and protrude inwardly into the fitting tubular portion 14. In this state, the outer peripheral surface of the clip 30 is located inside the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 14K of the fitting tubular portion 14, and the pair of projections 35 protrude outwardly from the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 14K.

As shown in Figures 6(A) and 6(B), the pair of connecting protrusions 32 are positioned toward one side in the central axial direction of the clip 30, so that they will not enter the pair of communication holes 16 if the clip 30 is turned over. In addition, a tapered tip inclined surface 32K is formed on the edge of the surface of the tip of the connecting protrusion 32 that faces the tip side of the fitting tube portion 14. Note that the connecting protrusion 32 may be configured without the tip inclined surface 32K.

As shown in FIG. 7, the connecting protrusion 32 has a protrusion 32T that protrudes from its inner periphery toward the opening 31A of the clip 30. This makes it difficult for the connecting protrusion 32 inserted into the communication hole 16 to come out of the communication hole 16. In addition, the portion of the inner periphery of the connecting protrusion 32 opposite the protrusion 32T is rounded. This makes it easy to insert the connecting protrusion 32 into the communication hole 16. Note that the connecting protrusion 32 may not have a protrusion 32T.

As shown in FIG. 4, the annular cover 40 is annular and has an engagement arm 71 integrally therewith. The inner diameter of the annular cover 40 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 14K of the fitting tubular portion 14. The annular cover 40 is fitted from the tip side of the fitting tubular portion 14 to the small diameter portion 14L before the clip 30 is accommodated in the clip accommodation groove 15 of the large diameter portion 14K. The clip 30 is then accommodated in the clip accommodation groove 15, and the annular cover 40 is prevented from coming off the fitting tubular portion 14 by a pair of protrusions 35 acting as stoppers on the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 14K. Hereinafter, the side of the annular cover 40 close to the tip surface of the fitting tubular portion 14 will be referred to as the "front side" as appropriate, and the opposite side will be referred to as the "rear side" as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 8(A), the annular cover 40 is formed with a pair of projection receiving portions 41 corresponding to the pair of projections 35 of the clip 30. The pair of projection receiving portions 41 are rectangular slits having openings on the front surface of the annular cover 40 as shown in FIG. 9(A). Also, as shown in FIG. 8(B), a reinforcing rib 42 extending circumferentially along the rear edge of the annular cover 40 is provided on the rear side of the projection receiving portions 41 on the outer surface of the annular cover 40. Then, when the openings of the pair of projection receiving portions 41 face the pair of projections 35 and the annular cover 40 is slid from the small diameter portion 14L to the large diameter portion 14K, the pair of projections 35 are received by the pair of projection receiving portions 41 as shown in FIG. 9(B), and the annular cover 40 is fitted to the outside of the clip 30. At this time, the protrusion 35 abuts against the inner surface 41A of the protrusion receiving portion 41 as a stopper, positioning the annular cover 40 in the normal sliding position relative to the fitting tube portion 14, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 10, the cross-sectional shape of the protrusion receiving portion 41 as viewed from the axial direction of the annular cover 40 is substantially the same as the shape of the protrusion 35 as viewed from the axial direction of the clip 30. Specifically, the protrusion receiving portion 41 is formed in a tapered shape that narrows in the circumferential direction of the annular cover 40 as it approaches the radially outward direction of the annular cover 40, and the surface 41M1 of the inner surface of the protrusion receiving portion 41 that faces the surface 35M1 of the protrusion 35 is formed substantially perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the annular cover 40, and the surface 41M2 that faces the surface 35M2 of the protrusion 35 is formed in an R-shape that curves away from the surface 41M1 as it approaches the radially inward direction of the annular cover 40.

8(A) and 8(B), an engaging protrusion 45 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the annular cover 40, extending in the circumferential direction. The engaging protrusion 45 is disposed toward the rear end of the annular cover 40, and is formed in an arc shape in the area of the annular cover 40 except for the area where the pair of protrusion receiving portions 41 are formed. The inner diameter of the engaging protrusion 45 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 14K of the fitting tube portion 14, and is larger than the outer diameter of the clip 30 when the connecting protrusion 32 of the clip 30 engages with the outer peripheral groove 53M of the male pipe fitting 50 (see FIG. 12(B)). Then, when the annular cover 40 moves to the normal sliding position described later, as shown in FIG. 12(A), the engaging protrusion 45 enters the clip receiving groove 15, and the annular cover 40 is locked in the normal sliding position.

The triangular cross section of the engaging protrusion 45 at any position in the circumferential direction has oblique sides on the front and rear sides that are inclined relative to the axial direction of the annular cover 40. This allows the large diameter portion 14K to be easily inserted inside the annular cover 40. Note that the triangular cross section of the engaging protrusion 45 may have the oblique side only on the front side and a vertical side perpendicular to the axial direction of the annular cover 40 on the rear side. This can increase the locking force that locks the annular cover 40 in the correct sliding position.

In addition to the protrusion receiving portion 41, the annular cover 40 has a rectangular second cutout 43 that opens at the tip of the annular cover 40. The second cutout 43 is formed at the tip of the annular cover 40, and the length in the axial direction of the annular cover 40 is shorter than the protrusion receiving portion 41. A plurality of second cutouts 43 (two in this embodiment) are provided, and a partition wall 44 is formed between adjacent second cutouts 43 in the circumferential direction of the annular cover 40.

As shown in FIG. 4, a protruding arm support 75 protrudes to the side from the outer surface of the partition wall 44. An engagement arm 71 is bent at a right angle from the tip of the arm support 75 and extends forward of the fitting tube 14. The tip of the engagement arm 71 is bent at a right angle toward the center of the main body 40H of the annular cover 40, and forms a hook 73 with a locking protrusion 72 protruding from the tip toward the main body 40H. As shown in FIG. 2, when the fitting tube 14 is placed in the normal fitting position with respect to the fitting pipe 51Y and the annular cover 40 is placed in the normal sliding position with respect to the fitting tube 14, the engagement arm 71 overlaps the outer surface of the hood 50F of the male pipe joint 50, and the locking protrusion 72 of the hook 73 is locked to the inside of the hood 50F, so that the hook 73 can be engaged with the tip of the hood 50F.

In other words, the female pipe fitting 10 can overlap the engagement arm 71 on the outer surface of the male pipe fitting 50 and engage with the engaged portion of the male pipe fitting 50 (the tip of the hood portion 50F) on the condition that the fitting tube portion 14 is positioned in the normal fitting position with respect to the male pipe fitting 50 and the annular cover 40 is positioned in the normal sliding position, and if this condition is not met, the engagement arm 71 cannot be engaged with the engaged portion. In addition, since the hood portion 50F is cylindrical and the distance from the main body portion 40H of the annular cover 40 to the tip of the hood portion 50F is the same all around the hood portion 50F in the circumferential direction, the engagement arm 71 can engage with any position around the hood portion 50F as long as the above-mentioned condition is met.

The configuration of the pipe fitting 100 of this embodiment has been described above. Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, in order to connect the male pipe fittings 50 at both ends of the drain hose 120 to the female pipe fittings 10 of the drain pipe 110A and the drain equipment pipe 111, the clip 30 of the female pipe fitting 10 is accommodated in the clip accommodation groove 15, and the annular cover 40 is placed in the small diameter portion 14L of the fitting tube portion 14, as shown in FIG. 9 (A). Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the fitting tube portion 51Y of the male pipe fitting 50 is pushed into the fitting tube portion 14 of the female pipe fitting 10. Then, the tapered portion 53T of the fitting tube portion 51Y slides against the tip inclined surface 32K (see FIG. 6 (A)) of the connecting protrusion 32, and the clip 30 is expanded and deformed. Then, when the tapered portion 53T of the fitting pipe portion 51Y reaches the correct fitting position where it abuts against the tapered portion 14T inside the fitting tube portion 14, the connecting protrusion 32 enters the outer circumferential groove 53M, and the clip 30 elastically returns to a state housed in the clip housing groove 15. This causes the male and female pipe fittings 10, 50 to be fitted together and locked in a locked state to prevent them from coming loose. At this time, the fitting portion of the male and female pipe fittings 10, 50 is sealed by an O-ring (not shown) provided in the O-ring groove 52M of the male pipe fitting 50.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9(A), the pair of projection receiving portions 41 of the annular cover 40 is slid toward the male pipe fitting 50 by facing the pair of projections 35 of the clip 30. Then, as shown in FIG. 9(B), the pair of projections 35 are received by the pair of projection receiving portions 41, and the projections 35 come into contact with the rear surface 41A of the projection receiving portion 41, positioning the annular cover 40 in the normal slide position. Also, as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12(A), the annular cover 40 is locked in the normal slide position by the engagement between the engagement protrusions 45 and the clip housing groove 15. Then, the annular cover 40 and the clip 30 cover the entire clip housing groove 15 from the outside. This restricts the expansion deformation of the clip 30, strengthening the above-mentioned locked state. Also, the relative movement of the pair of projections 35 is restricted by the annular cover 40, so that the expansion deformation of the clip 30 is restricted and the locked state is strengthened.

In this state, that is, when the fitting tube portion 14 is positioned in the normal fitting position relative to the fitting pipe portion 51Y and the annular cover 40 is positioned in the normal sliding position relative to the fitting tube portion 14, the engagement arm 71 overlaps the outer surface of the hood portion 50F of the male pipe fitting 50, and the outer surface of the locking protrusion 72 abuts the tip edge of the hood portion 50F from the side. Then, when the hook portion 73 is pressed toward the hood portion 50F, the outer surface of the locking protrusion 72 slides against the hood portion 50F, and the locking protrusion 72 overcomes the tip surface of the hood portion 50F and locks to the inside of the hood portion 50F, and the engagement arm 71 engages with the tip portion of the hood portion 50F. Here, the engagement arm 71 engages with the hood portion 50F at any position in the circumferential direction, so that the engagement arm 71 can be engaged with the hood portion 50F without worrying about the phase of the male pipe fitting 50 relative to the female pipe fitting 10. The aforementioned locked state is also strengthened by the engagement of the engagement arm 71. In addition, the hook portion 73 of the engagement arm 71 penetrates and engages the inside of the hood portion 50F, so it is less susceptible to disturbances such as contact with foreign objects, and the engagement state is stable.

The above operations complete the connection between the female pipe fitting 10 and the male pipe fitting 50. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the drain pipe 110A of the air conditioner 110 can be connected to the drain equipment pipe 111 of the building via the drain hose 120.

However, if the male and female pipe fittings 10, 50 are not properly connected (hereinafter, this is referred to as "misconnection"), water leakage will occur in the ceiling. As a first example of a misconnection, in a semi-connected state in which only the part having one O-ring groove 52M at the tip side of the fitting pipe section 51Y of the male pipe fitting 50 shown in FIG. 2 is fitted into the small diameter section 14L of the fitting tube section 14, and the other O-ring groove 52M is located in the large diameter section 14K of the fitting tube section 14, the female and male pipe fittings 10, 50 are temporarily fixed due to friction of the O-ring (not shown) in the O-ring groove 52M at the tip side. It is also possible that the worker mistakes this as a connected state and moves the annular cover 40 to the normal slide position. In this case, the engaging arm 71 cannot be engaged with the tip of the hood section 50F, so the worker realizes that the female and male pipe fittings 10, 50 are not properly connected (i.e., misconnected). Even if the erroneous connection is not noticed during the work, when visually checked later, the tip of the engagement arm 71 overlaps at a position shifted toward the female side pipe fitting 10 from the tip of the hood part 50F, and the tip of the hook part 73 rises on the outer surface of the hood part 50F, so that the engagement arm 71 is in a state of floating from the outer surface of the hood part 50F, so the erroneous connection can be easily noticed. In addition, since the engagement arm 71 and the male side pipe fitting 50 are different in color, the erroneous connection can be noticed even in a dark place with dim light. Furthermore, if the annular cover 40 is not placed in the normal sliding position, the entire clip 30, which is a different color from the annular cover 40, is exposed, so that the erroneous connection can also be noticed. In addition, as shown in FIG. 12(B), when the annular cover 40 is slid halfway and is half-fitted on the outside of the clip 30, the clip 30 can be seen through the second cutout part 43 of the annular cover 40, so that the erroneous connection can be noticed.

Although this is not a case of erroneous coupling, it is possible that after the male and female pipe fittings 10, 50 are mated to the correct mating position, the operation of sliding the annular cover 40 to the correct slide position may be forgotten. In this case, the situation is similar to the first example of erroneous coupling described above, and it is easy to notice that the sliding operation of the annular cover 40 has not been performed.

A second example of an incorrect connection would be when the male and female pipe fittings 10, 50 are mated with the clip 30 removed, and the annular cover 40 is slid to the correct slide position, causing the engagement arm 71 to engage with the hood portion 50F. However, in this case, the protrusion 35 of the clip 30 cannot be seen inside the protrusion receiving portion 41 of the annular cover 40, and so the incorrect connection is noticed. Moreover, the annular cover 40, clip 30, and fitting body portion 11 are all different colors, making the incorrect connection easily noticeable.

In this embodiment, since the annular cover 40 abuts or is adjacent to the hose abutment portion 55 of the hood portion 50F in the normal slide position, the hose abutment portion 55 can act as a stopper that positions the annular cover 40 in the normal slide position even when the clip 30 is detached. In contrast, when the clip 30 is detached, the annular cover 40 is not positioned in the normal slide position, and may move beyond the normal slide position. In this way, when the clip 30 is detached, the annular cover 40 approaches the hood portion 50F from the normal slide position, and the hook portion 73 of the engagement arm 71 cannot or does not easily engage with the tip of the hood portion 50F, which allows the operator to notice the incorrect connection.

In this way, in the pipe fitting 100 of this embodiment, by checking whether the engagement arm 71 is engaged with the tip of the hood portion 50F, it is possible to easily check whether the male and female pipe fittings 10, 50 are in a locked state and whether the locked state has been strengthened at the same time. This makes it easy to check the connection of the drain hose, which is often placed in a dark or narrow place such as an attic. In addition, in the pipe fitting 100 of this embodiment, the male and female pipe fittings 10, 50 can be rotated relative to each other while maintaining the engagement of the engagement arm 71 with the tip of the hood portion 50F. In other words, the pipe fitting 100 of this embodiment can be used as a rotating joint, and for example, it becomes possible to easily change the position of the drain hose after it is connected.

The male and female pipe fittings 10, 50 can be separated by inserting a tool such as a flathead screwdriver between the engagement arm 71 and the outer surface of the hood portion 50F to release the engagement between the engagement arm 71 and the hood portion 50F, moving the annular cover 40 away from the male pipe fitting 50, and then pinching the pair of protrusions 35 of the clip 30 to expand and deform it.

[Second embodiment]
The female pipe joint 10A of this embodiment shown in Fig. 13 differs from the first embodiment in that the engagement arm 71 is rotatably supported by the arm support portion 75 via the elastic hinge portion 74. Specifically, the annular cover 40A of this embodiment is provided with a band-shaped plate portion 71X extending laterally from the main body portion 40H, and its tip portion is the above-mentioned hook portion 73. A groove portion 74M crosses the position of the band-shaped plate portion 71X near the base end in the longitudinal direction, and the groove portion 74M has a triangular cross section and opens toward the hood portion 50F. The tip side of the band-shaped plate portion 71X from the groove portion 74M forms the engagement arm 71, while the base end side of the band-shaped plate portion 71X from the groove portion 74M forms the arm support portion 75, and further, the thin-walled portion at the bottom of the groove portion 74M of the band-shaped plate portion 71X forms the elastic hinge portion 74. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In the female pipe fitting 10A of this embodiment, the annular cover 40A has the above structure, so that the annular cover 40A can be easily manufactured by resin molding. In addition, the engagement arm 71 can engage with the tip of the hood portion 50F by elastically deforming the elastic hinge portion 74, and when not engaged with the tip of the hood portion 50F, the engagement arm 71 is separated from the outer surface of the hood portion 50F and extends to the side of the female pipe fitting 10A (specifically, the annular cover 40A). In other words, based on the position of the engagement arm 71, it is easy and clear to determine whether the male and female pipe fittings 10, 50 are in a locked state.

[Third embodiment]
In the female pipe fitting 10B of this embodiment shown in Figures 14 and 15, the engagement arms 71 described in the first embodiment are disposed at two locations 180 degrees apart on the annular cover 40B. The rest of the structure is the same as in the first embodiment.

[Fourth embodiment]
16 has an annular cover 40C in which a pair of engagement arms 71 of the annular cover 40B described in the third embodiment are supported on an arm support portion 75 via elastic hinge portions 74, similar to the engagement arms 71 of the second embodiment. The rest of the structure is the same as in the first and second embodiments.

[Fifth embodiment]
17 to 23, and is significantly different from the third embodiment in that a female pipe fitting 10D does not have an annular cover 40, and a clip 30D is provided with a pair of engagement arms 71. Only the differences from the third embodiment will be described below.

As shown in Figures 17 and 18, the large diameter portion 14K of the female pipe fitting 10D of this embodiment has an overhanging protrusion 17 that overhangs laterally from the opposite side of the dam portion 15S sandwiched between the clip accommodating groove 15. The overhanging protrusion 17 is disposed on the small diameter portion 14L side of the clip accommodating groove 15, and a fall-prevention claw 21 stands upright from its tip and faces the clip accommodating groove 15. Also, as shown in Figure 20, a triangular locking protrusion 23 protrudes from the tip of the fall-prevention claw 21 toward the large diameter portion 14K. The opposing surfaces of the locking protrusion 23 and the overhanging protrusion 17 are disposed approximately flush with a pair of inner surfaces within the clip accommodating groove 15.

As shown in Figures 19(A) and 19(B), the clip 30D of this embodiment is provided with a pair of connecting arms 76 that extend toward each other from a pair of protrusions 35. The pair of connecting arms 76 are curved in an arc and overlap the dam portion 15S from the outside (see Figure 21). The clip 30D changes between a closed state (see Figure 21) in which the pair of connecting arms 76 overlap in the circumferential direction of the male pipe fitting 50, and an open state (see Figure 22(A)) in which a gap is formed between the pair of connecting arms 76.

As shown in Figures 19(A) and 19(B), the tip of the connecting arm 76 is provided with a protrusion 36, and the tip of the protrusion 36 is formed with a locking projection 37. In one connecting arm 76, the protrusion 36 is positioned toward the center of the male pipe fitting 50, and the locking projection 37 protrudes toward the outside of the male pipe fitting 50. In contrast, in the other connecting arm 76, the protrusion 36 is positioned toward the outside of the male pipe fitting 50, and the locking projection 37 protrudes toward the center of the male pipe fitting 50. When the clip 30D is in a closed state, the pair of locking projections 37 lock together (see Figure 21).

As shown in FIG. 22(B), when clip 30D is in the open state, dam portion 15S of fitting tube portion 14 is exposed from between a pair of connecting arms 76. Here, dam portion 15S is colored a different color from the pair of connecting arms 76 (in FIG. 22(B), dam portion 15S is colored gray to represent the difference in color). This makes it easier for the operator to recognize whether or not a gap is formed between the pair of connecting arms 76, i.e., whether clip 30D is in a closed or open state.

As shown in Figures 19(A) and 19(B), a pair of overhanging portions 33 overhang laterally from the rear side positions of a pair of connecting protrusions 32 on the outer peripheral surface of clip 30D, and the protrusions protruding from these overhanging portions 33 toward the male pipe fitting 50 are bent at right angles to the side to form a pair of arm support portions 75. The pair of engaging arms 71 described in the first embodiment are bent at right angles from the tips of the pair of arm support portions 75 and extend toward the male pipe fitting 50.

This concludes the description of the configuration of the pipe fitting 100 of this embodiment. In the pipe fitting 100 of this embodiment, as in the first to fourth embodiments, when the fitting tube portion 14 of the female pipe fitting 10D is fitted to the fitting pipe portion 51Y of the male pipe fitting 50 to the normal fitting position, as shown in FIG. 23, the connecting protrusion 32 of the clip 30D engages with the outer circumferential groove 53M of the male pipe fitting 50, and the female and male pipe fittings 10, 50 are locked. Then, on the condition that the locked state is reached, the pair of engagement arms 71 of the clip 30D engage with the tip of the hood portion 50F of the male pipe fitting 50. This allows the female and male pipe fittings 10, 50 to be confirmed as being in a locked state by checking whether the engagement arms 71 are engaged with the tip of the hood portion 50F. Also, as in the first to fourth embodiments, the engagement arm 71 engages with the tip of the hood portion 50F while overlapping the outer surface of the male pipe fitting 50, making the difference between engaged and unengaged clear, and allowing you to easily check whether the male and female pipe fittings 10, 50 are locked or not.

In addition, in the pipe fitting 100 of this embodiment, when the clip 30D is opened to separate the male and female pipe fittings 10, 50, the fall-prevention claw 21 prevents the clip 30D from falling off the fitting body 11D.

Sixth Embodiment
This embodiment is shown in Fig. 24, and the female pipe joint 10E of this embodiment is the same as that of the third embodiment except for the shape of the pair of projection receiving portions 41V of the annular cover 40V. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 24(A), the projection receiving portion 41V is L-shaped and includes a guide portion 41VA extending linearly from the tip edge of the annular cover 40V to the base end side, and a storage portion 41VB extending from the guide portion 41VA to one side in the circumferential direction of the annular cover 40V. Then, the annular cover 40V is slid to receive the pair of projections 35 of the clip 30D into the pair of guide portions 41VA of the pair of projection receiving portions 41V as shown in Fig. 24(B), and then the annular cover 40V is rotated to store the pair of projections 35 into the pair of storage portions 41VB as shown in Fig. 24(C). This allows the annular cover 40V to be stably held in the normal sliding position.

[Other embodiments]
25A, a guide surface 72G may be provided on the outer side of the locking projection 72 of the engagement arm 71 of the first to sixth embodiments. This facilitates the operation of engaging the hook portion 73 with the tip portion of the hood portion 50F by sliding the guide surface 72G against the outer edge of the tip portion of the hood portion 50F.

(2) As shown in FIG. 25(B), a guide surface 72J may be provided on the inside of the locking protrusion 72 of the engagement arm 71 of the first to sixth embodiments so that the locking protrusion 72 can easily enter the inside of the hood portion 50F after passing over the tip surface of the hood portion 50F.

(3) As shown in FIG. 26(A), a triangular locking protrusion 77 may be provided that protrudes outward from the tip of the engagement arm 71V, and the locking protrusion 77 may be engaged through a through hole 78A of a flange 78 that protrudes outward from the tip of the hood portion 50F by passing the tip of the engagement arm 71V through the through hole 78A. In this case, a space for deforming the engagement arm 71V may be provided between the engagement arm 71V and the side surface of the hood portion 50F. Alternatively, the flange 78 may not be provided, and the locking protrusion 77 may be made to protrude inward from the tip of the engagement arm 71V and engage with the tip surface of the hood portion 50F.

(4) Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 26(B), a through hole 73A may be formed at the tip of the engagement arm 71W, and a protrusion 79 protruding from the outer surface of the hood portion 50F may be configured to engage with the through hole 73A.

(5) Furthermore, the object with which the engaging arm 71 engages is not limited to the hood portion 50F. One example of such an arrangement is one in which the cylindrical wall 56 of the hood portion 50F is not provided, and only the hose contact portion 55 is provided, projecting to the side of the drain hose 120, with the engaging arm 71 engaging with the tip of the hose contact portion 55.

(6) In the above embodiment, the first to sixth embodiments each have one or two engagement arms 71, but the number of engagement arms may be three or more. Also, the engagement arms 71 in the fifth and sixth embodiments may be supported rotatably like the engagement arms 71 in the second and fourth embodiments.

(7) Instead of the clip 30 of the first to sixth embodiments, for example, a U-shaped or C-shaped clip may be provided that fits laterally into the fitting tube portion 14 and engages with the outer peripheral groove 53M through the communication hole 16, and a pivotable engagement arm may be provided on the clip.

(8) Also, the engagement arm may be provided on both the clip and the annular cover. Also, the engagement arm may be provided on the fitting body of the female pipe fitting, and the clip and the annular cover may not have engagement arms. It is also conceivable to provide an engagement arm on the male pipe fitting, so that "provided that the mating tubular portion is positioned in the correct mating position, the engagement arm engages with the engaged portion of the female pipe fitting while overlapping the outer surface of the female pipe fitting."

(9) In the first to sixth embodiments, a part of the clip 30 was visible through the protrusion receiving portion 41 of the annular cover 40 when the annular cover 40 was in the normal sliding position, but it may be invisible. In that case, the clip 30 may not be provided with a protrusion 35, and the annular cover 40 may not be provided with a protrusion receiving portion 41, or, as in the female pipe fitting 10F shown in FIG. 27, the annular cover 40F may be provided with a cover wall 46 that covers the protrusion 35 received in the protrusion receiving portion 41. In addition, the annular cover 40 covers the entire clip 30, but the annular cover 40 may be made transparent so that it is possible to visually check whether the clip 30 is present inside.

(10) In this embodiment, the joint body 11 is L-shaped, but it may be I-shaped and extend in a straight line.

10, 10A to 10F Female pipe joint 14 Fitting tube portion 15 Clip accommodating groove 16 Communication hole 30, 30D Clip 35 Protrusion 40, 40A to 40C, 40F, 40V Annular cover 41, 41V Protrusion receiving portion 50 Male pipe joint 50F Hood portion 51Y Fitting pipe portion 53M Outer circumferential groove 71, 70V, 71W Engagement arm 71X Band-shaped plate portion 72 Locking protrusion 73 Hook portion 74 Elastic hinge portion 74M Groove portion 120 Drain hose

Claims (4)

A female pipe fitting is fixed to the end of a pipe and is coupled to a male pipe fitting of a mating pipe,
a fitting tube portion that is fitted onto the outside of the fitting pipe portion of the male pipe joint;
a communication hole formed in the fitting tube portion, the communication hole facing an outer circumferential groove of the fitting pipe portion when the fitting tube portion is fitted to a normal fitting position of the fitting pipe portion;
a clip attached to the outside of the fitting tubular portion and engaging with the outer circumferential groove through the communication hole;
an annular cover that is fitted to the outside of the fitting tubular portion, slides toward the tip side of the fitting tubular portion, and is positioned when it reaches a normal sliding position relative to the fitting tubular portion, and is fitted to the outside of the clip to restrict outward deformation of the clip;
a mating arm provided on the annular cover, the mating cylinder portion being positioned in the normal mating position and the annular cover being positioned in the normal sliding position, the mating arm engaging with the mating portion of the male pipe fitting while overlapping an outer surface of the male pipe fitting. A female pipe fitting is fixed to the end of a pipe and is coupled to a male pipe fitting of a mating pipe,
a fitting tube portion that is fitted onto the outside of the fitting pipe portion of the male pipe joint;
a communication hole formed in the fitting tube portion, the communication hole facing an outer circumferential groove of the fitting pipe portion when the fitting tube portion is fitted to a normal fitting position of the fitting pipe portion;
a clip attached to the outside of the fitting tubular portion and engaging with the outer circumferential groove through the communication hole;
an engaging arm that is provided on the clip and engages with an engaged portion of the male pipe fitting in a state overlapping an outer surface of the male pipe fitting when the fitting cylindrical portion is disposed in the normal fitting position ,
The clip is a female pipe fitting that changes between a closed state in which the ends overlap in the circumferential direction of the male pipe fitting, and an open state in which a gap is formed between the ends in the circumferential direction of the male pipe fitting . A pipe fitting comprising the female pipe fitting according to claim 1 or 2 and the male pipe fitting to which the female pipe fitting is connected. When a fitting tubular portion of a female pipe fitting is fitted to a normal fitting position on the outside of a fitting pipe portion of a male pipe fitting, a communication hole of the fitting tubular portion faces an outer circumferential groove of the fitting pipe portion, and a clip attached to the outside of the fitting tubular portion engages with the outer circumferential groove through the communication hole,
a clip that is fitted to the outside of the fitting tubular portion, slides toward the tip of the fitting tubular portion, and is positioned when it reaches a regular slide position relative to the fitting tubular portion so as to be fitted to the outside of the clip, and is integrally provided with an engagement arm;
An annular cover that engages with an engaged portion of the male pipe fitting with the engagement arm overlapping the outer surface of the male pipe fitting, provided that the engagement tube portion is positioned in the normal engagement position and the annular cover is positioned in the normal slide position.

Images