JP7667564B2 - Fire-fighting fittings - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a plug-in type fire connector for connecting fire hoses to each other or connecting a fire hose to a fire hydrant valve.

Conventionally, a plug-in type fire coupling is known that includes a female fitting that is connected to the end of a fire hose, and a male fitting that is connected to the end of the fire hose and into which the female fitting is removably inserted (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the fire coupling described in Patent Document 1, the female fitting includes a receiving fitting that is attached to the fire hose, a tightening ring that is fixed to the tip side of the receiving fitting, a claw seat that is located on the inner circumference side of the tightening ring, a coupling claw that protrudes radially inward from the inner circumference surface of the claw seat, and a leaf spring that biases the coupling claw toward the radially inward direction of the claw seat. The male fitting includes a plug that is attached to the fire hose, and a push ring that is slidably attached to the plug. The push ring is formed into a cylindrical shape with a brim.

In the firefighting fastener described in Patent Document 1, the tip of the insert fitting engages with the connecting claw, connecting the female fitting and the male fitting. In addition, in this firefighting fastener, the engagement between the tip of the insert fitting and the connecting claw is released by pushing the push ring into the female fitting and moving the connecting claw radially outward of the claw seat with the tip of the push ring, and the connection between the female fitting and the male fitting is released. Therefore, when a firefighting fastener in which the female fitting and the male fitting are connected is used for firefighting activities, for example, if an obstacle comes into contact with the flange of the push ring and the push ring is pushed into the female fitting to a position where the engagement between the insert fitting and the connecting claw can be released, the female fitting may come off the male fitting, causing an unexpected accident.

In the firefighting fitting described in Patent Document 1, a short tube is fixed to the male fitting to prevent the push ring from being accidentally pushed in to a position where the engagement between the insert fitting and the connecting claw can be released when the female fitting and male fitting are connected. The short tube is fixed to the male fitting at a position farther away from the female fitting than the push ring. The short tube is also fixed to the male fitting using a tightening device, and is fixed to the male fitting by tightening the short tube evenly from four directions. An inclined edge is formed on the end of the short tube that is located on the push ring side. The inclined edge is formed at four points around the circumference of the short tube.

In the firefighting fitting described in Patent Document 1, the inclined edge of the short pipe covers a part of the flange of the push ring. Therefore, although obstacles etc. come into contact with the inclined edge, the inclined edge prevents the obstacles etc. from coming into contact with the flange of the push ring, and the inclined edge serves the function of preventing the obstacles etc. from coming into contact with the flange of the push ring. In addition, by preventing obstacles etc. from coming into contact with the flange of the push ring, the inclined edge prevents the push ring from being accidentally pushed into a position where the engagement between the insert fitting and the connecting claw can be released when the female fitting and the male fitting are connected. In addition, with this firefighting fitting, it is possible to separate the female fitting and the male fitting by inserting a finger into the gap formed between the inclined edges in the circumferential direction of the short pipe and pushing the push ring in.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-287377

In the firefighting joint described in Patent Document 1, the short pipe is fixed to the male fitting by applying equal tightening to the short pipe from four directions, and there is a risk that the fixing strength of the short pipe to the male fitting may decrease for some reason. If the fixing strength of the short pipe to the male fitting decreases, when an obstacle or the like comes into contact with the inclined edge while the female fitting and male fitting are connected, the short pipe may move toward the push ring relative to the male fitting, causing the inclined edge to come into contact with the flange of the push ring. Also, if the short pipe moves toward the push ring relative to the male fitting and the inclined edge comes into contact with the flange of the push ring, the push ring may be suddenly pushed into a position where the engagement between the insert fitting and the connecting claw can be released, causing the female fitting to come off the male fitting.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a plug-in type firefighting coupling that can reliably prevent the push ring from being accidentally pushed into a position where the engagement between the plug and the coupling claws can be released when the female and male fittings are connected.

In order to solve the above problems, the firefighting fitting of the present invention is a plug-in type firefighting fitting comprising a female fitting and a male fitting, and is provided with a contact prevention member arranged on the outer periphery of the male fitting, the female fitting comprising a receiving fitting, a clamping ring having a cylindrical clamping ring tube portion attached to the receiving fitting, a claw seat attached to the inner periphery of the clamping ring tube portion, connecting claws protruding radially inward from the inner periphery of the claw seat and engaging with the male fitting, and a biasing member for biasing the connecting claw radially inward of the claw seat, and the male fitting is provided with a contact prevention member arranged on the outer periphery of the male fitting, and the male fitting is provided with a contact prevention member arranged on the outer periphery of the male fitting, and the female fitting is provided with a contact prevention member arranged on the outer periphery of the male fitting .... The connector is provided with a plug having a tip portion that engages with the connecting claw, and a push ring that is slidably attached to the outer periphery of the plug. When the female and male fittings are connected, one axial side of the fire-fighting fitting is defined as a first direction side, and the opposite side to the first direction side is defined as a second direction side. The female fitting is connected to the male fitting from the second direction side, and the fastening ring end face, which is the end face on the first direction side of the fastening ring, constitutes the end face on the first direction side of the female fitting and is an annular flat surface that is perpendicular to the axial direction of the fire-fighting fitting. The push ring is axially oriented in the axial direction of the fire-fighting fitting. The contact prevention member has a cylindrical press ring tube portion formed in a cylindrical shape facing the press ring tube portion and a circular, flat flange portion extending radially outward from the end of the press ring tube portion on the first direction side, and the end of the press ring tube portion on the second direction side is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the pawl seat when the engaging state between the connecting pawl and the insert metal is released, thereby moving the connecting pawl to the radially outward side of the pawl seat, and the contact prevention member has a cylindrical press ring disposed on its inner peripheral side and a cover portion connected to the inner peripheral side of the end of the tube portion on the first direction side, and when the female metal fitting and the male metal fitting are separated, It is slidable relative to the metal fitting, the cover portion is positioned on the first direction side of the flange portion, and the end face of the tube portion, which is the end face on the second direction side of the tube portion, can come into contact with the end face of the fastening ring, and when the position of the pushing ring when the engagement between the connecting claw and the metal fitting can be released is set to the release position, when the end face of the tube portion comes into contact with the end face of the fastening ring and the pushing ring is in the release position, the cover end, which is the end portion on the second direction side of the cover portion, is positioned on the first direction side of the face on the first direction side of the flange portion.

In the firefighting fitting of the present invention, the contact prevention member arranged on the outer periphery of the male fitting comprises a cylindrical tube section with the push ring arranged on the inner periphery and a cover section connected to the inner periphery of the end of the tube section on the first direction side, and the cover section is arranged on the first direction side of the flange of the push ring. Therefore, in the present invention, the contact prevention member makes it possible to prevent obstacles, etc. from directly contacting the flange of the push ring from the first direction side.

In addition, in the present invention, the end face of the tube part of the contact prevention member on the second direction side can come into contact with the tightening ring end face of the tightening ring that constitutes the end face on the first direction side of the female metal fitting, and the contact prevention member does not move further toward the female metal fitting from the state in which the end face of the tube part is in contact with the tightening ring end face. In addition, when the push ring is placed in the releasable position, which is the position of the push ring when the engagement state between the coupling claw and the insert metal fitting can be released, and the end face of the tube part is in contact with the tightening ring end face, the cover end, which is the end of the second direction side of the cover part, is placed on the first direction side of the face on the first direction side of the flange part, so that even if an obstacle or the like comes into contact with the contact prevention member from the first direction side and the contact prevention member is pushed toward the second direction side when the female metal fitting and the male metal fitting are coupled, the push ring will not be pushed to the releasable position by the contact prevention member.

Therefore, in the present invention, when the female fitting and the male fitting are connected, it is possible to use the contact prevention member to reliably prevent the push ring from being pushed into a releasable position by an obstacle or the like. In other words, in the present invention, it is possible to reliably prevent the push ring from being accidentally pushed into a position where the engagement between the insert fitting and the connecting claw can be released when the female fitting and the male fitting are connected. Also, in the present invention, when the female fitting and the male fitting are separated, the contact prevention member is slidable relative to the insert fitting, and is not fixed to the insert fitting. Therefore, in the present invention, the installation work of the contact prevention member can be easily performed.

In the present invention, if the position of the push ring when the second direction side end of the push ring tube portion contacts the connecting claw is defined as the contact start position, it is preferable that when the end face of the tube portion contacts the end face of the tightening ring and the push ring is located at the contact start position, the cover end portion is located on the first direction side of the first direction side face of the flange portion, or is in contact with the first direction side face of the flange portion. With this configuration, even if an obstacle or the like contacts the contact prevention member from the first direction side and pushes the contact prevention member to the second direction side when the female metal fitting and the male metal fitting are connected, the contact prevention member will not push the push ring further in the second direction than the contact start position. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the push ring from being accidentally pushed to a position where the engagement between the insert fitting and the connecting claw can be released when the female metal fitting and the male metal fitting are connected.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the cover portion is formed in a ring-like, flat shape that connects to the inner periphery of the end portion of the tubular portion on the first direction side. In this manner, the ring-shaped cover portion makes it easier to prevent obstacles from directly contacting the flange of the push ring from the first direction side. Therefore, it becomes possible to more reliably prevent the push ring from being accidentally pushed into a position where the engagement between the insert and the connecting claw can be released when the female and male metal fittings are connected.

In the present invention, for example, the contact prevention member is formed with a notch for pushing the flange in the second direction, and the notch is formed in at least two places in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion, and is formed from the cover portion to the cylindrical portion.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the male fitting is provided with a retaining ring to prevent the push ring from coming off the insert fitting in the first direction, the cover portion is disposed on the second direction side of the retaining ring, and the retaining ring prevents the contact prevention member from coming off the insert fitting in the first direction. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the contact prevention member from coming off the insert fitting even when the female fitting and the male fitting are separated. Therefore, the contact prevention member is easy to handle.

In the present invention, an annular gap may be formed between the inner circumferential surface of the cover and the outer circumferential surface of the insert metal fitting to push the flange in the second direction.

In the present invention, the contact prevention member is preferably formed by a plurality of divided bodies that are divided in the circumferential direction of the tubular portion, and the plurality of divided bodies are fixed together. With this configuration, it becomes possible to later attach the contact prevention member to the outer periphery of a male metal fitting that is already in use or is on the market. In other words, it becomes possible to later attach the contact prevention member to the outer periphery of a male metal fitting.

As described above, the plug-in firefighting fitting of the present invention makes it possible to reliably prevent the push ring from being accidentally pushed into a position where the plug fitting and the connecting claw can be disengaged when the female fitting and male fitting are connected.

1 is a front view of a fire-fighting fitting according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the female fitting and the male fitting are separated. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the fire-fighting fitting shown in FIG. 1 in a state in which the female fitting and the male fitting are connected. 2 is a view showing the female metal fitting from the E-E direction in FIG. 1 with the receiving metal fitting and the rubber tire removed. 2 is a view showing the male fitting and the contact-preventing member from the F-F direction in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a front view of the push ring shown in FIG. 1 . 2A is a left side view of the contact-preventing member shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2B is a front view of the contact-preventing member shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2C is a right side view of the contact-preventing member shown in FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state different from that of FIG. 2 of the fire connector shown in FIG. 2. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a contact-preventing member according to another embodiment of the present invention. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a contact-preventing member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

(Configuration of fire-fighting fittings)
FIG. 1 is a front view of a fire-fighting fitting 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, in a state in which the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are separated. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the fire-fighting fitting 1 shown in FIG. 1, in a state in which the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are joined. FIG. 3 is a view showing the female fitting 2 from the E-E direction in FIG. 1, in a state in which the receiving fitting 5 and the rubber tire 12 are removed. FIG. 4 is a view showing the male fitting 3 and the contact prevention member 4 from the F-F direction in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a front view of the push ring 18 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6(A) is a left side view of the contact prevention member 4 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 6(B) is a front view of the contact prevention member 4 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6(C) is a right side view of the contact prevention member 4 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state different from that shown in FIG. 2 of the fire-fighting fitting 1 shown in FIG. 2.

The fire connector 1 of this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "connector 1") is a plug-in type connector for connecting fire hoses to each other or connecting a fire hose to a fire hydrant valve. As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 1 includes a female connector 2 that is connected to the end of a fire hose H, and a male connector 3 that is connected to the end of a fire hose H and into which the female connector 2 is detachably inserted. The connector 1 also includes a contact prevention member 4 that is disposed on the outer periphery of the male connector 3. The connector 1 is composed of the female connector 2, the male connector 3, and the contact prevention member 4.

The female metal fitting 2 and the male metal fitting 3 are joined so that the axial direction of the female metal fitting 2 and the axial direction of the male metal fitting 3 coincide. In the following description, the axial direction of the joining metal fitting 1 when the female metal fitting 2 and the male metal fitting 3 are joined (i.e., the axial direction of the female metal fitting 2 and the male metal fitting 3) is the left-right direction. Also, the X1 direction side in FIG. 1, etc., which is one side of the left-right direction, is the "right" side, and the X2 direction side in FIG. 1, etc., which is the opposite side to the right side, is the "left" side. In this embodiment, the female metal fitting 2 in the separated state is inserted into the male metal fitting 3 from the right side to join the female metal fitting 2 and the male metal fitting 3. That is, the female metal fitting 2 is joined to the male metal fitting 3 from the right side. Also, the female metal fitting 2 in the joined state is pulled out of the male metal fitting 3 to the right side to separate the female metal fitting 2 and the male metal fitting 3. In this embodiment, the left side (X2 direction side) is the first direction side, and the right side (X1 direction side) is the second direction side.

The female fitting 2 comprises a receiving fitting 5, a tightening ring 6 having a cylindrical tube portion 6a attached to the receiving fitting 5, a claw seat 7 attached to the inner periphery of the tube portion 6a, three connecting claws 8 protruding radially inward from the inner periphery of the claw seat 7 and engaging with the male fitting 3, and a biasing member 9 that biases the connecting claws 8 radially inward. In this embodiment, the left end of the female fitting 2 is the tip of the female fitting 2, and the right end of the female fitting 2 is the base end of the female fitting 2. The tube portion 6a in this embodiment is a tightening ring tube portion.

The receiving metal fitting 5 can be connected to a fire hose H. The receiving metal fitting 5 is composed of a substantially cylindrical hose connection part 5a that is inserted into the fire hose H, and a substantially cylindrical receiving part 5b that is connected to the hose connection part 5a. The end of the fire hose H is arranged on the outer periphery of the hose connection part 5a. The receiving part 5b is formed at the left end (tip) of the receiving metal fitting 5. The receiving part 5b is equipped with a cylindrical seal arrangement part 5c in which a U-packing 11 that prevents water leakage when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are joined is arranged, and a slip-out prevention part 5d that prevents the U-packing 11 from slipping out to the left side. The slip-out prevention part 5d is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the seal arrangement part 5c. A male thread is formed on the left end side of the outer periphery of the receiving part 5b for attaching a tightening ring 6.

The tightening ring 6 is attached to the left end side of the receiving metal fitting 5. The tightening ring 6 constitutes the left end of the female metal fitting 2. The tightening ring 6 is composed of the above-mentioned tubular portion 6a and the annular portion 6b formed in a circular ring shape and flat plate shape and connected to the tubular portion 6a. A female thread is formed on the right end side of the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 6a to screw into the male thread of the receiving mouth portion 5b. A protective rubber tire 12 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 6a. The annular portion 6b is connected to the left end side of the tubular portion 6a. The inner diameter of the annular portion 6b is smaller than the inner diameter of the tubular portion 6a. In addition, the inner diameter of the annular portion 6b is larger than the inner diameter of the slip-out prevention portion 5d. The left surface of the annular portion 6b is the left end surface 6c of the tightening ring 6. The left end surface 6c constitutes the left end surface of the female metal fitting 2. The left end surface 6c is a circular flat surface that is perpendicular to the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the left end surface 6c is the end surface of the tightening ring.

The claw seat 7 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with a flange, and is composed of an annular portion 7a formed in a circular and flat plate shape, and three locking portions 7b that engage with the connecting claw 8 to regulate the amount of protrusion of the connecting claw 8 in the radial inward direction. The annular portion 7a constitutes the left end of the claw seat 7. The locking portions 7b are formed to protrude from the inner peripheral end of the annular portion 7a toward the right side. The locking portions 7b are formed in a generally arc shape. The three locking portions 7b are formed at equal angular intervals with a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction of the annular portion 7a, and the spaces between the locking portions 7b form notches 7c into which the connecting claws 8 protruding inward in the radial direction are fitted. The inner diameter of the claw seat 7 is generally equal to the inner diameter of the annular portion 6b of the tightening ring 6.

The connecting claw 8 is a block member formed in a substantially arc shape. The connecting claw 8 has a protruding portion 8a that protrudes radially inward from the notch 7c. Both ends of the connecting claw 8 can come into contact with the ends of the locking portion 7b, and the amount of protrusion of the connecting claw 8 radially inward is restricted by the contact of both ends of the connecting claw 8 with the ends of the locking portion 7b. The inner peripheral surface of the protruding portion 8a is formed into a convex curved surface that bulges radially inward from the left end side to the right end side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the claw seat 7 is fitted into the inner periphery of the tubular portion 6a of the tightening ring 6 with the protrusion 8a of the connecting claw 8 fitted into the notch 7c of the claw seat 7. The tightening ring 6 with the claw seat 7 fitted into it is attached to the left end side of the socket portion 5b, and the claw seat 7 is stored inside the tightening ring 6 while being sandwiched between the slip-out prevention portion 5d and the annular portion 6b in the left-right direction. The connecting claw 8 is movable in the radial direction between the slip-out prevention portion 5d and the annular portion 7a.

The biasing member 9 is, for example, composed of two leaf springs. The biasing member 9 is fixed to approximately the center of the outer circumferential surface of the connecting claw 8. The biasing member 9 is disposed between the inner circumferential surface of the tubular portion 6a of the tightening ring 6 and the outer circumferential surface of the connecting claw 8, and biases the connecting claw 8 radially inward.

The male fitting 3 is equipped with a metal insert 17 whose tip engages with the connecting claw 8 when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are connected, a push ring 18 that is slidably attached to the outer periphery of the metal insert 17, and a stop ring 19 to prevent the push ring 18 from coming off the metal insert 17. In this embodiment, the right end of the male fitting 3 is the tip of the male fitting 3, and the left end of the male fitting 3 is the base end of the male fitting 3.

The insert 17 can be connected to a fire hose H. The insert 17 is composed of a substantially cylindrical hose connection part 17a that is inserted into the fire hose H, a cylindrical slide part 17b on which the push ring 18 slides on the outer periphery, and a cylindrical engagement protrusion 17c that engages with the connection claw 8 when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are joined. The end of the fire hose H is disposed on the outer periphery of the hose connection part 17a. The slide part 17b is formed so as to be connected to the right end side (tip side) of the hose connection part 17a. The engagement protrusion 17c is formed on the right end side of the insert 17 so as to be connected to the slide part 17b, and constitutes the right end of the insert 17. The outer diameter of the engagement protrusion 17c is larger than the outer diameter of the slide part 17b. In addition, the outer diameter of the engagement protrusion 17c is smaller than the inner diameter of the slip-out prevention part 5d of the receiving fitting 5.

As shown in FIG. 5 etc., the push ring 18 has a cylindrical portion 18a formed in a cylindrical shape with the left-right direction as the axial direction, and a circular ring-shaped, flat flange portion 18b that spreads outward in the radial direction from the left end of the cylindrical portion 18a. The push ring 18 is also composed of the cylindrical portion 18a and the flange portion 18b, and is formed in a cylindrical shape with a flange. The cylindrical portion 18a in this embodiment is the push ring tube portion.

The inner diameter of the push ring 18 is larger than the outer diameter of the slide portion 17b. The inner diameter of the push ring 18 is smaller than the outer diameter of the engagement protrusion 17c. The outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 18a is smaller than the inner diameter of the annular portion 6b and the inner diameter of the claw seat 7. The outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 18a is larger than the outer diameter of the engagement protrusion 17c. The push ring 18 is disposed on the outer periphery of the slide portion 17b and is slidable in the left-right direction. The right part of the push ring 18 (i.e., the right part of the cylindrical portion 18a) is inserted into the inner periphery of the claw seat 7 when the engagement between the insert 17 and the coupling claw 8 is released (specifically, when the engagement between the engagement protrusion 17c and the coupling claw 8 is released), and moves the coupling claw 8 radially outward from the claw seat 7 (see FIG. 7(A)).

The retaining ring 19 is attached to the boundary between the hose connection portion 17a and the sliding portion 17b. The outer diameter of the retaining ring 19 is larger than the inner diameter of the push ring 18. The retaining ring 19 is positioned to the left of the push ring 18, and prevents the push ring 18 from slipping out of the insert 17 to the left. The retaining ring 19 also prevents the contact prevention member 4 from slipping out of the insert 17 to the left.

The contact prevention member 4 is disposed on the outer periphery of the metal insert 17. The contact prevention member 4 includes a cylindrical tube portion 4a with the push ring 18 disposed on the inner periphery, and a cover portion 4b connected to the inner periphery of the left end of the tube portion 4a. The contact prevention member 4 in this embodiment is composed of the tube portion 4a and the cover portion 4b. The tube portion 4a is formed in a cylindrical shape. The cover portion 4b is formed in an annular and flat shape. Specifically, the cover portion 4b is formed in a flat shape with the thickness direction being the left-right direction. In addition, the cover portion 4b is formed in an annular shape connected to the inner periphery of the tube portion 4a. In this embodiment, the right surface 4c of the cover portion 4b is the cover end portion, which is the right end portion of the cover portion 4b.

The length of the contact prevention member 4 in the left-right direction is shorter than the length of the pressing ring 18 in the left-right direction. The inner diameter of the tube portion 4a is larger than the outer diameter of the flange portion 18b of the pressing ring 18. The outer diameter of the tube portion 4a is smaller than the outer diameter of the left end surface 6c of the tightening ring 6. The inner diameter of the cover portion 4b is larger than the outer diameter of the slide portion 17b. The inner diameter of the cover portion 4b is smaller than the outer diameter of the retaining ring 19. The cover portion 4b is disposed to the left of the flange portion 18b of the pressing ring 18. The contact prevention member 4 functions to prevent an obstacle or the like from directly contacting the flange portion 18b from the left side. The cover portion 4b is disposed to the right of the retaining ring 19 (i.e., the contact prevention member 4 is disposed to the right of the retaining ring 19), and as described above, the contact prevention member 4 is prevented from coming off the insert 17 to the left by the retaining ring 19.

The contact prevention member 4 is slidable relative to the insert 17 when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are separated. That is, the contact prevention member 4 is slidable in the left-right direction relative to the insert 17 when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are separated. As shown in FIG. 7, when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are connected, the right end face 4d of the tube 4a can contact the left end face 6c of the fastening ring 6. In addition, in this embodiment, when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are connected, the left-right distance between the left end face 6c and the retaining ring 19 is longer than the left-right length of the contact prevention member 4, so that the contact prevention member 4 is slidable in the left-right direction relative to the insert 17 even when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are connected. The right end face 4d in this embodiment is the end face of the tube.

The contact prevention member 4 has a notch 4e for pushing the flange 18b to the right. The notch 4e is formed in two places in the circumferential direction of the tube 4a. Specifically, the notch 4e is formed in two places at a pitch of 180° around the axis of the tube 4a. The notch 4e is also formed from the cover 4b to the tube 4a. Specifically, the notch 4e is formed from a relatively close portion of the inner circumferential surface of the cover 4b to the center of the tube 4a in the left-right direction. When the contact prevention member 4 is viewed from the left side, a part of the flange 18b can be seen in the notch 4e. The width of the notch 4e in the circumferential direction of the tube 4a is wide enough for the thumb of the person operating the connecting fitting 1 to enter the notch 4e, and the person operating the connecting fitting 1 can push the flange 18b to the right from the left side using the thumb placed in the notch 4e.

When the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are connected, the position of the push ring 18 (the position shown in FIG. 7A) when the engagement between the connecting claw 8 and the insert fitting 17 can be released (more specifically, when the connecting claw 8 moves radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the engaging protrusion 17c) is set to the releasable position 18A. As shown in FIG. 7A, when the right end surface 4d of the tube portion 4a is in contact with the left end surface 6c of the tightening ring 6 and the push ring 18 is in the releasable position 18A, the right surface 4c of the cover portion 4b is located to the left of the left surface of the flange portion 18b of the push ring 18, and a gap is formed between the right surface 4c of the cover portion 4b and the left surface of the flange portion 18b in the left-right direction.

In addition, if the position of the press ring 18 when the right end of the cylindrical portion 18a of the press ring 18 contacts the connecting claw 8 (the position shown in FIG. 7(B)) when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are connected is defined as the contact start position 18B, then as shown in FIG. 7(B), when the right end face 4d of the cylindrical portion 4a contacts the left end face 6c of the tightening ring 6 and the press ring 18 is positioned at the contact start position 18B, the right face 4c of the cover portion 4b is positioned to the left of the left face of the flange portion 18b of the press ring 18, or is in contact with the left face of the flange portion 18b.

When the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are joined in the joining fitting 1, the female fitting 2 is inserted into the insert fitting 17 from the right side. When the female fitting 2 is inserted to a position where the engaging protrusion 17c exceeds the joining claw 8, the left end of the engaging protrusion 17c engages with the right end of the protruding portion 8a of the joining claw 8, and the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are joined. On the other hand, when the female fitting 2 is removed from the male fitting 3, the push ring 18 is pushed to the right side to the releasable position 18A. At this time, the thumb is placed on the notch 4e of the contact prevention member 4, and the flange 18b is pushed to the right. When the push ring 18 is pushed to the releasable position 18A, the joining claw 8 moves radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the engaging protrusion 17c, and the engagement state between the engaging protrusion 17c and the protruding portion 8a is released. In this state, the female fitting 2 is pulled out of the male fitting 3, and the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are separated.

(Main effects of this embodiment)
As described above, in this embodiment, the push ring 18 is arranged on the inner periphery of the tubular portion 4a of the contact prevention member 4, and the flange portion 18b of the push ring 18 is arranged to the right of the cover portion 4b which is connected to the inner periphery of the left end portion of the tubular portion 4a, and the contact prevention member 4 functions to prevent obstacles, etc. from coming into direct contact with the flange portion 18b from the left side. In addition, in this form, when the right end face 4d of the tube portion 4a is in contact with the left end face 6c of the tightening ring 6 and the push ring 18 is positioned in the releasable position 18A, the right face 4c of the cover portion 4b is positioned to the left of the left face of the flange portion 18b, and a gap is formed between the right face 4c of the cover portion 4b and the left face of the flange portion 18b.Therefore, when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are connected, even if an obstacle or the like comes into contact with the contact prevention member 4 from the left side and pushes the contact prevention member 4 to the right, the push ring 18 will not be pushed to the releasable position 18A by the contact prevention member 4.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are connected, it is possible to reliably prevent the push ring 18 from being pushed into the releasable position 18A by an obstacle or the like using the contact prevention member 4. In other words, in this embodiment, it is possible to reliably prevent the push ring 18 from being accidentally pushed into the releasable position 18A when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are connected.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the right end surface 4d of the tube portion 4a is in contact with the left end surface 6c of the tightening ring 6 and the push ring 18 is located at the contact start position 18B, the right surface 4c of the cover portion 4b is located to the left of the left surface of the flange portion 18b of the push ring 18, or is in contact with the left surface of the flange portion 18b. Therefore, even if an obstacle or the like comes into contact with the contact prevention member 4 from the left side and pushes the contact prevention member 4 to the right when the female metal fitting 2 and the male metal fitting 3 are connected, the contact prevention member 4 will not push the push ring 18 to the right of the contact start position 18B. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to more reliably prevent the push ring 18 from being accidentally pushed up to the releasable position 18A when the female metal fitting 2 and the male metal fitting 3 are connected.

In addition, in this embodiment, because the cover portion 4b is formed in an annular shape, it is easier to prevent obstacles from directly contacting the flange portion 18b from the left side. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to more reliably prevent the push ring 18 from being accidentally pushed up to the releasable position 18A when the female fitting 2 and male fitting 3 are connected.

In this embodiment, when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are separated, the contact prevention member 4 is slidable relative to the insert fitting 17, and the contact prevention member 4 is not fixed to the insert fitting 17. Therefore, in this embodiment, the installation work of the contact prevention member 4 can be easily performed. Specifically, in this embodiment, the installation of the contact prevention member 4 is completed by inserting the insert fitting 17 into the inner periphery of the contact prevention member 4 and the push ring 18 and attaching the retaining ring 19, so the installation work of the contact prevention member 4 can be easily performed.

In this embodiment, the retaining ring 19 is disposed to the left of the cover portion 4b, and the retaining ring 19 prevents the contact prevention member 4 from coming off the insert metal fitting 17 to the left. Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the female metal fitting 2 and the male metal fitting 3 are separated, it is possible to prevent the contact prevention member 4 from coming off the insert metal fitting 17. Therefore, in this embodiment, the contact prevention member 4 is easy to handle.

(Modification 1 of Contact-Prevention Member)
Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a contact-preventing member 4 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8(B) is a diagram showing the male metal fitting 3 and the contact-preventing member 4 from the direction G-G of Fig. 8(A).

In the above embodiment, the inner diameter of the cover portion 4b of the contact prevention member 4 may be larger than the outer diameter of the retaining ring 19. That is, the cover portion 4b may be formed in a circular ring shape with a large inner diameter. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, an annular gap S for pushing the flange portion 18b of the push ring 18 to the right is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the cover portion 4b and the outer peripheral surface of the slide portion 17b of the insert fitting 17, and the contact prevention member 4 does not have a notch portion 4e. The gap S is formed in a circular ring shape. The width of the gap S in the radial direction of the tube portion 4a is wide enough for the thumb of the person operating the connecting fitting 1 to enter the gap S, and the person operating the connecting fitting 1 can use the thumb placed in the gap S to push the flange portion 18b to the right from the left side.

(Modification 2 of Contact-Prevention Member)
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a contact-preventing member 4 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the contact prevention member 4 may be formed by a plurality of divided bodies 24 divided in the circumferential direction of the tubular portion 4a, and the plurality of divided bodies 24 may be fixed together. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the contact prevention member 4 may be formed by two divided bodies 24 divided equally into two in the circumferential direction of the tubular portion 4a. In this case, for example, a plurality of pins 25 protruding in the circumferential direction of the tubular portion 4a are fixed to one of the divided bodies 24, and holes 24a into which the pins 25 are press-fitted are formed in the other divided body 24, and the two divided bodies 24 are fixed together by pressing the pins 25 into the holes 24a. The two divided bodies 24 may be fixed together by a means other than press-fitting.

In the modified example shown in FIG. 8, the contact prevention member 4 may be composed of multiple divisional bodies 24 divided in the circumferential direction of the tubular portion 4a, and may be formed by fixing the multiple divisional bodies 24 together. In these cases, it becomes possible to later attach the contact prevention member 4 to the outer periphery of a male fitting 3 that is already in use or a male fitting 3 that is available on the market. In other words, it becomes possible to later attach the contact prevention member 4 to the outer periphery of the male fitting 3. The contact prevention member 4 may be composed of three or more divisional bodies divided in the circumferential direction of the tubular portion 4a.

Other Embodiments
In the above-described embodiment, the notch portions 4e may be formed in three or more places in the circumferential direction of the tubular portion 4a. Also, in the above-described embodiment and modified example, the left-right distance between the left end face 6c of the fastening ring 6 and the retaining ring 19 when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are joined is equal to the left-right length of the contact-preventing member 4, and the contact-preventing member 4 does not have to be able to slide left-right relative to the insert fitting 17 when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are joined.

In the above-described embodiment and modified example, when the right end surface 4d of the tube portion 4a is in contact with the left end surface 6c of the tightening ring 6, the right surface 4c of the cover portion 4b may be in contact with the left surface of the flange portion 18b, and the push ring 18 may be disposed at a predetermined position between the contact start position 18B and the releasable position 18A in the left-right direction. Even in this case, when the female fitting 2 and the male fitting 3 are connected and an obstacle or the like comes into contact with the contact prevention member 4 from the left side and pushes the contact prevention member 4 to the right, the contact prevention member 4 will not push the push ring 18 to the releasable position 18A.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the cover portion 4b does not have to be formed in an annular shape. In this case, for example, a plurality of cover portions 4b formed in an arc-like and flat shape are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction of the tube portion 4a. In this case, the notch portion 4e does not have to be formed in the contact prevention member 4. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the cover portion 4b does not have to be formed in a flat plate shape. Also, in the above-mentioned modified example, the cover portion 4b does not have to be formed in an annular shape or in a flat plate shape.

In the above-described embodiment, the end of the fire hose H may be disposed on the inner periphery of the hose connection portion 5a. Similarly, in the above-described embodiment, the end of the fire hose H may be disposed on the inner periphery of the hose connection portion 17a.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the female fitting 2 may be a pipe to which a nozzle for discharging water is connected at the tip (right end). In this case, a nozzle connection part to which a nozzle is connected is fixed to the tip (right end) of the receiving fitting 5. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the female fitting 2 may be an intermediate fitting for connecting a female fitting other than the female fitting 2 to the male fitting 3. For example, the female fitting 2 may be an intermediate fitting for connecting a male fitting 3 having a different inner diameter to the female fitting. In this case, the female fitting 2 is provided with a push ring, and the right side of the female fitting 2 is configured in the same manner as the right side of the male fitting 3.

1. Connecting fittings (Fire-fighting connecting fittings)
2 Female metal fitting 3 Male metal fitting 4 Contact prevention member 4a Cylindrical portion 4b Cover portion 4c Right surface (cover end portion)
4d Right end face (tube end face)
4e: Notch portion 5: Receiver metal fitting 6: Clamping ring 6a: Cylinder portion (clamping ring cylinder portion)
6c Left end face (fastening ring end face)
7 Claw seat 8 Connecting claw 9 Urging member 17 Insert 18 Press ring 18A Releasable position 18B Contact start position 18a Cylindrical portion (press ring tube portion)
18b flange portion 19 retaining ring 24 divided body S gap X1 second direction side X2 first direction side

Claims (7)

In a plug-in type fire-fighting coupling having a female fitting and a male fitting,
a contact prevention member disposed on an outer circumferential side of the male fitting,
The female fitting comprises a receiving fitting, a fastening ring having a cylindrical fastening ring sleeve portion attached to the receiving fitting, a claw seat attached to the inner peripheral side of the fastening ring sleeve portion, a coupling claw protruding radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the claw seat and engaging with the male fitting, and a biasing member biasing the coupling claw radially inward of the claw seat,
The male fitting includes a metal insert having a tip portion that engages with the coupling claw when the female fitting and the male fitting are coupled together, and a push ring that is slidably attached to the outer periphery of the metal insert,
When the female fitting and the male fitting are joined, one side in the axial direction of the fire-fighting fitting is defined as a first direction side, and the opposite side to the first direction side is defined as a second direction side.
The female fitting is coupled to the male fitting from the second direction side,
The fastening ring end face, which is the end face on the first direction side of the fastening ring, constitutes the end face on the first direction side of the female fitting and has an annular flat surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the fire connecting fitting,
The push ring includes a push ring tube portion formed in a cylindrical shape with the axial direction of the fire connecting fitting as its axial direction, and a circular ring-shaped and flat flange portion extending radially outward from the end of the push ring tube portion on the first direction side,
The end portion of the press ring tubular portion on the second direction side is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the claw seat when the engagement between the connecting claw and the insert metal fitting is released, and moves the connecting claw to the radially outer side of the claw seat,
the contact prevention member includes a cylindrical portion having an inner periphery on which the push ring is disposed, and a cover portion connected to the inner periphery of an end portion of the cylindrical portion on the first direction side, and is slidable relative to the insert metal member when the female metal member and the male metal member are separated from each other,
The cover portion is disposed on a first direction side relative to the flange portion,
The end surface of the cylindrical portion on the second direction side is capable of contacting the end surface of the fastening ring,
When the engagement between the connecting claw and the insert metal fitting is released, the position of the push ring is set to a release position.
A fire-fighting fastening fitting characterized in that, when the end face of the tubular portion is in contact with the end face of the fastening ring and the push ring is positioned in the releasable position, the cover end, which is the end portion on the second direction side of the cover portion, is positioned on the first direction side of the first direction side surface of the flange portion. If the position of the press ring when the second direction side end of the press ring tube portion contacts the connecting claw is defined as a contact start position,
A fire-fighting fitting as described in claim 1, characterized in that when the end face of the tube portion is in contact with the end face of the fastening ring and the push ring is positioned at the contact start position, the cover end is positioned on the first direction side of the first direction side surface of the flange portion, or is in contact with the first direction side surface of the flange portion. The fire-fighting fitting according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cover portion is formed in a ring-like, flat shape that connects to the inner periphery of the end portion on the first direction side of the cylindrical portion. The contact prevention member is formed with a notch for pushing the flange portion in the second direction,
4. The fire connector according to claim 3, wherein the notch is formed at least at two locations in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion and is formed from the cover portion to the cylindrical portion. The male fitting includes a retaining ring for preventing the push ring from coming off the insert fitting in a first direction,
The cover portion is disposed on a second direction side relative to the retaining ring,
5. The fire connector according to claim 4, wherein the retaining ring prevents the contact prevention member from coming off the insert in the first direction. The fire-fighting fitting according to claim 3, characterized in that an annular gap is formed between the inner circumferential surface of the cover portion and the outer circumferential surface of the insert fitting to push the flange portion in the second direction. The fire-fighting fitting according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the contact prevention member is composed of a plurality of divided bodies that are divided in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion, and is formed by fixing the plurality of divided bodies.

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