JP7675583B2 - Connection nut - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connecting nut.

US Pat. No. 5,399,433 describes a showerhead.
The shower head has a connection nut as a hose connector.
6, a hose (not shown) is fixed to one axial end of the connection nut 70. The other axial end of the connection nut 70 has a female thread 71 formed on its inner peripheral surface.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, when connecting the connection nut 70 and the shower head (not shown), the female thread 71 of the connection nut 70 and the male thread 15 of the shower head are brought close together with their axial directions parallel to each other. Then, the female thread 71 of the connection nut 70 is screwed into the male thread 15 of the shower head to connect the connection nut 70 and the shower head. This connects the shower head and the hose.

JP 2018-15431 A

As shown in FIG. 6, the female thread 71 of the connection nut 70 is formed so that the thread gradually becomes higher from the inner peripheral surface of the connection nut 70 at point P. Hereinafter, the point where the thread gradually becomes higher from the inner peripheral surface of the connection nut 70 will be referred to as the incomplete thread 72. The area surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. 6 represents the incomplete thread 72. The incomplete thread 72 is the starting point of the female thread 71.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the female thread 71 of the connection nut 70 and the male thread 15 of the shower head are screwed together with their axial directions crossing, the threads of the male thread 15 tend to go over the threads of the incomplete thread 72 at the location indicated by the arrow T. This could lead to the threads of the male thread 15 going over the incomplete thread 72 of the female thread 71, resulting in the two threads being screwed together in a misaligned state.

In addition, in Figures 7 to 9, the dotted areas represent the threads of the male screw 15 and the threads of the female screw 71. The developed view mainly shows only the threads of the male screw 15 and the female screw 71, and omits other areas.

The connection nut for solving the above problem is a connection nut that connects a hose and a shower head, and has a fixing part that is fixed to the hose at one axial end and a connection part that is connected to the shower head at the other axial end, the connection part has a female thread that screws into the male thread of the shower head, and the starting point of the thread of the female thread has an abutment part against which the thread of the male screw abuts when the male screw and the female screw are attempted to screw into each other with their threads misaligned.

According to this configuration, when the male screw and the female screw attempt to screw together with their threads misaligned, the threads of the male screw abut the abutment portion, preventing further advancement. This makes it possible to prevent the male screw of the shower head and the female screw of the connection nut from screwing together with their threads misaligned.

For the above-mentioned connection nut, it is preferable that the abutment portion is the end face of the thread of the female screw. With this configuration, the end face of the thread of the female screw can be effectively used to provide the abutment portion.

It is preferable that the inclination angle of the end face with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the connection nut is 60 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less. This configuration allows the threads of the male screw to abut more reliably.

In the above connecting nut, it is preferable that the female thread is made of metal. With this configuration, the durability of the contact portion can be improved.
In the above connecting nut, the female thread is preferably made of a material harder than the male thread of the showerhead. With this configuration, the durability of the contact portion can be made higher than that of the male thread.

In the above connection nut, it is preferable that the starting point of the thread on the male thread of the shower head has an end face, and when the male thread and the female thread attempt to screw together with their threads misaligned, the thread of the female thread abuts against the end face of the male thread. With this configuration, in addition to the thread of the male thread abutting the abutting portion of the female thread, the thread of the female thread abutting against the end face of the male thread also prevents the male thread from advancing any further. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the male thread of the shower head and the female thread of the connection nut from screwing together with their threads misaligned.

The connection nut of the present invention can prevent the male thread of the shower head and the female thread of the connection nut from being screwed together with their threads misaligned.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shower head unit. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the shower head unit. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shower head unit. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the connecting nut as viewed from the other end side. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a female thread of a connecting nut of the prior art; FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing the female threads of a connection nut and the male threads of a shower head according to the prior art. FIG. 1 is a development view showing a state in which the female thread of a connection nut and the male thread of a shower head are screwed together according to the prior art. FIG. 13 is a development view of the female thread of a connection nut of the prior art and the male thread of a shower head when they are screwed together with their threads misaligned. FIG. 13 is a development view of a female thread in a connection nut of a modified example. 1 is a development view of the female thread of the connection nut of the present invention and the male thread of the shower head when they are about to be screwed together in a misaligned state.

An embodiment of a connecting nut will now be described.
1 and 2 , the showerhead unit 10 includes a showerhead 11, a hose 16, and a connection nut 20. The showerhead unit 10 also includes a base 30, a press-fit ring 40, a lip seal 50, and an O-ring 60.

One axial end of the connection nut 20 is fixed to the hose 16, and the other axial end of the connection nut 20 is connected to the shower head 11, thereby connecting the shower head 11 and the hose 16.

The end of the hose 16 opposite the end on the connection nut 20 side is connected to a water faucet (not shown). The shower head unit 10 is configured so that water can be showered from the shower head 11 by the water faucet.

The components of the shower head unit 10 will now be described.
<About the shower head 11>
As shown in Figure 2, the showerhead 11 has a cylindrical grip portion 12 and a disk-shaped water outlet portion 13 at the tip of the grip portion 12. The showerhead 11 has a water pipe 14 inserted and fixed inside the grip portion 12. A portion of the water pipe 14 protrudes from the base end of the grip portion 12. The water pipe 14 has a male thread 15 on the outer circumferential surface of the portion protruding from the base end of the grip portion 12.

<Regarding the connecting nut 20>
As shown in Fig. 3, the connection nut 20 has an opening 20a at one axial end into which the hose 16 is inserted. A first enlarged diameter portion 21 having a larger diameter than the inner diameter of the opening 20a is provided on the inner periphery of the other axial end side of the opening 20a. A second enlarged diameter portion 22 having a larger diameter than the first enlarged diameter portion 21 is provided on the other axial end side of the first enlarged diameter portion 21. A third enlarged diameter portion 23 having a larger diameter than the second enlarged diameter portion 22 is provided on the other axial end side of the second enlarged diameter portion 22. The third enlarged diameter portion 23 has an engagement groove 24 with which the O-ring 60 engages, and a female thread 25 on the other end side of the engagement groove 24.

The opening 20a, the first enlarged diameter portion 21, the second enlarged diameter portion 22, and the third enlarged diameter portion 23 have stepped portions 21a, 22a, and 23a extending in the radial direction at their respective boundaries.
2, the start point P of the thread of the female screw 25 has an end surface S as an abutment portion with which the thread of the male screw 15 abuts when the female screw 25 and the male screw 15 of the shower head 11 are to be screwed together in a misaligned state. The abutment portion will be described later.

The material of the connection nut 20 is not particularly limited. The connection nut 20 may be made of metal or resin, but it is preferable that it is made of metal because it has improved durability. In other words, it is preferable that the female thread 25 is made of metal.

In general, the water pipe 14 of the shower head 11 is made of resin, and the male thread 15 is often also made of resin. Therefore, if the female thread 25 is made of metal, the durability of the male thread 15 can be improved.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the female thread 25 is made of a material harder than the male thread 15 of the showerhead 11. If the female thread 25 and the male thread 15 are both made of resin, the hardness of the two can be compared, for example, by Rockwell hardness. Furthermore, if the female thread 25 and the male thread 15 are both made of metal, the hardness of the two can be compared, for example, by Vickers hardness.

<About the base 30>
2, the base 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has hook-shaped projections 30a that project radially outward over the entire circumference at two locations on one end side of the center in the axial direction.

The nozzle 30 has a first flange portion 31 at the center in the axial direction that protrudes radially outward around the entire circumference. Also, at the other end in the axial direction, it has a second flange portion 32 that protrudes radially outward around the entire circumference. The outer diameters of the first flange portion 31 and the second flange portion 32 are configured to be larger than the first enlarged diameter portion 21 of the connection nut 20 and smaller than the second enlarged diameter portion 22.

<Regarding the press-fit ring 40, lip seal 50, and O-ring 60>
2 and 3, the press-fit ring 40 is cylindrical. The lip seal 50 is annular and has a V-shaped cross section. The O-ring 60 is annular.

<Assembly Mechanism of Components of Shower Head Unit 10>
2 and 3, first, the other end of the hose 16 is inserted through the opening 20a on one end side of the connection nut 20, and the other end of the hose 16 is caused to protrude from the other end side of the connection nut 20. In this state, a press-fit ring 40 is inserted around the outer periphery of the other end side of the hose 16. The press-fit ring 40 is positioned closer to the one end side than the end of the other end side of the hose 16.

Next, one end of the nozzle 30 is inserted into the inner circumference of the other end of the hose 16. By inserting one end of the nozzle 30, the outer circumference of the other end of the hose 16 becomes slightly larger. In this state, the press-in ring 40 is moved to the end of the other end of the hose 16, so that the end of the other end of the hose 16 is sandwiched between the inner circumference of the press-in ring 40 and the key-shaped protrusion 30a of the nozzle 30. The key-shaped protrusion 30a of the nozzle 30 bites into the inner surface of the hose 16, preventing the nozzle 30 from coming off the hose 16.

The lip seal 50 is disposed between the first flange portion 31 and the second flange portion 32 of the connector 30. Thereafter, the hose 16 is moved toward one end side of the connection nut 20.
3, the press-fit ring 40 is inserted into the first enlarged diameter portion 21 of the connection nut 20. Furthermore, the first flange portion 31 and the second flange portion 32 of the cap 30 are inserted into the second enlarged diameter portion 22 of the connection nut 20. When the end portion on one end side of the press-fit ring 40 abuts against the stepped portion 21a, the hose 16 is fixed without moving any further toward the one end side of the connection nut 20. Therefore, the one end side of the connection nut 20 where the stepped portion 21a is formed functions as a fixing portion that is fixed to the hose 16.

Furthermore, an O-ring 60 is engaged with the engagement groove 24 of the third enlarged diameter portion 23 of the connection nut 20 from the other end side of the connection nut 20. When engaged with the engagement groove 24, the inner diameter of the O-ring 60 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the second flange portion 32 of the nozzle 30. In addition, when the press-fit ring 40 abuts against the step portion 21a, a clearance is provided between the O-ring 60 and the second flange portion 32 of the nozzle 30 in the axial direction of the connection nut 20. Therefore, when the hose 16 tries to move to the other end side of the connection nut 20, the second flange portion 32 of the nozzle 30 abuts against the O-ring 60, thereby restricting further movement. The connection nut 20 is freely rotatable with respect to the hose 16.

The male thread 15 of the shower head 11 is screwed into the female thread 25 of the connection nut 20 to connect the connection nut 20 and the shower head 11. Therefore, the other end of the connection nut 20 where the female thread 25 is formed functions as a connection part that is connected to the shower head.

The above steps are used to assemble each component of the shower head unit 10. The assembly steps for each component are not limited to the above steps, and the assembly may be performed in any order.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the connection nut 20 and the shower head 11 are connected, the space between the connection nut 20 and the water pipe 14 is sealed with an O-ring 60. The space between the connection nut 20 and the nozzle 30 is sealed with a lip seal 50. The space between the nozzle 30 and the hose 16 is sealed by the elasticity of the compressed hose 16.

<About the contact part>
4 and 5, an end face S is formed at the start point P of the thread of the female thread 25, in other words, at the thread located closest to the other end of the connecting nut 20 on the female thread 25. This end face S is configured as a flat surface such that the inclination angle α with respect to the inner peripheral surface 20b of the connecting nut 20 is 60 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less. This end face S extends along the axial direction of the connecting nut 20.

Specifically, at the starting point P of the female thread 25, a tangent line L is drawn that is tangent to the inner peripheral surface 20b of the connection nut 20 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the connection nut 20. In addition, a line M is drawn from the starting point P along the end face S and extends in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the connection nut 20. Then, the inclination angle α of the line M with respect to the tangent line L is 60 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less.

By making the inclination angle α 60 degrees or more, the threads of the male screw 15 can be more reliably abutted. Also, by making the inclination angle α 90 degrees or less, it becomes easier to form the end surface S.

The operation of this embodiment will be described.
9, a case will be described where the female thread 71 has an incomplete thread 72. When the female thread 71 of the connection nut 70 and the male thread 15 of the shower head are to be screwed together with their axial directions crossing each other, the incomplete thread 72 has a relatively low thread height, so that the thread of the male thread 15 can easily get past the thread of the incomplete thread 72 at the location indicated by the arrow T. Furthermore, when the thread of the male thread 15 also has an incomplete thread 17, the thread of the female thread 71 can easily get past the thread of the incomplete thread 17 at the location indicated by the arrow U.

In contrast, as shown in FIG. 11, a case will be described in which the female thread 25 has an end surface S as an abutment portion. When the female thread 25 of the connection nut 20 and the male thread 15 of the shower head are attempted to be screwed together with their axial directions crossing, the threads of the male thread 15 abut against the end surface S of the female thread 25, preventing it from advancing any further. This prevents the threads of the male thread 15 from climbing over the threads of the female thread 25 to screw together.

The effects of this embodiment will be described.
(1) When the male screw 15 and the female screw 25 attempt to screw together with their threads misaligned, the threads of the male screw 15 come into contact with the end face S of the female screw 25, thereby preventing the male screw 15 from advancing any further. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the male screw 15 of the shower head 11 and the female screw 25 of the connection nut 20 from screwing together with their threads misaligned.

Furthermore, by using the end face S of the female screw 25 as the abutment portion, it becomes easy to form the abutment portion.
(2) The inclination angle of the end face S with respect to the inner circumferential surface 20b of the connection nut 20 is equal to or greater than 60 degrees and equal to or less than 90 degrees. This makes it possible to more reliably bring the threads of the male screw 15 into contact with the end face S. In addition, the end face S can be easily formed.

(3) The female screw 25 is made of metal. Therefore, the durability of the end surface S can be improved.
(4) The female thread 25 is made of a harder material than the male thread 15 of the showerhead 11. Therefore, the durability of the end surface S can be made higher than that of the male thread 15.

This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that there is no technical contradiction.
In the present embodiment, the inclination angle α of the end surface S as the abutting portion is not limited to 60 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less. The inclination angle α of the end surface S can be appropriately set within a range in which the effects of the present invention can be obtained.

- In this embodiment, the abutment portion is configured with a flat end surface S, but is not limited to this aspect. The end surface S may have a curved surface. Even if the end surface S has a curved surface, when a flat surface is imagined from the average surface of the curved surface, it is preferable that the inclination angle α of the flat surface is 60 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less.

- In this embodiment, the end face S as the abutment portion extends along the axial direction of the connection nut 20, but is not limited to this aspect. The end face S may extend in a direction intersecting with the axial direction of the connection nut 20. For example, the intersecting direction may be within 20 degrees of the axial direction of the connection nut 20.

The contact portion is not limited to the end surface S of the thread of the female screw 25 .
As shown in Fig. 10, a convex portion 26a that protrudes toward the inside in the radial direction of the connecting nut 20 (the front side of the paper in Fig. 10) may be provided on the threads of the incomplete thread 26 of the female thread 25, and this convex portion 26a may serve as an abutment portion against which the threads of the male thread 15 abut. In other words, the incomplete thread 26 may be provided with a portion where the threads are partially raised, and this may serve as an abutment portion. The abutment portion may be provided on the threads of the incomplete thread 26.

- In this embodiment, the male screw 15 has an incomplete thread 17, but this is not limited to the embodiment. The starting point of the thread of the male screw 15 may also have an end face, like the starting point P of the female screw 25. When the male screw 15 and the female screw 25 are to be screwed together with their threads misaligned, the end face of the male screw 15 may also be configured to abut against the thread of the female screw 25. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the male screw 15 of the shower head unit 10 and the female screw 25 of the connection nut 20 from being screwed together with their threads misaligned.

- In this embodiment, the shower head unit 10 has the shower head 11, the hose 16, the connection nut 20, the ferrule 30, the press-fit ring 40, the lip seal 50, and the O-ring 60, but is not limited to this aspect. The shower head unit 10 may be composed of the above-mentioned components excluding the hose 16. In other words, the shower head unit 10 does not have to include the hose 16.

11...shower head, 15...male thread, 16...hose, 20...connection nut, 25...female thread (connection part), P...starting point, S...end surface (contact part).

Claims (3)

A connection nut for connecting a hose and a shower head,
a fixing portion at one axial end thereof that is fixed to the hose, and a connecting portion at the other axial end thereof that is connected to the shower head,
The connecting portion has a female thread that is screwed into a male thread of the shower head , the male thread having an incomplete thread ,
a start point of the thread of the female thread on the shower head side has an abutment portion with which the thread of the male thread abuts when the incomplete thread of the male thread and the female thread are to be screwed together in a state where the threads of the male thread and the female thread are misaligned,
The abutment portion is an end surface of an end of a helical shaft in the thread of the female screw,
The end surface extends along an axial direction of the connection nut,
At the starting point, a tangent line L is drawn that is tangent to the inner peripheral surface of the connection nut and extends in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the connection nut;
When a line M is drawn from the starting point along the end face and extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the connection nut,
A connection nut characterized in that the inclination angle of the line M with respect to the tangent line L is 60 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less . 2. The connection nut according to claim 1 , wherein the female thread is made of metal. The connection nut according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the female thread is made of a material harder than the male thread of the showerhead.

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