JPH0121397B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a connector for multiple pipes, and more specifically, for connecting multiple pipes each having a plurality of fluid passages formed to input ports and output ports of pneumatic equipment such as solenoid valves and cylinders. Concerning multiple pipe connectors.

Drive an object using a fluid, such as air,
Alternatively, various devices for performing control have been widely used. In this case, the various devices described above usually include an input port for introducing air and an output port for removing air. Therefore,
Pipe lines are connected to the input port and the output port, respectively.

Conventionally, in order to minimize the installation space for these pipelines and to facilitate their maintenance and management, fluid introduction and discharge pipelines have been arranged as close together as possible. A specific example thereof is shown in FIG.

That is, an input (output) port 4 and an output (input) port 6 are formed in the device 2, and conduits 8 and 10 are connected to these ports 4 and 6, respectively. A first connector 12 is interposed between the conduit 8 and the port 4, while a first connector 12 is interposed between the port 6 and the conduit 1.
A second connector 14 is interposed between the connector 0 and the connector 0. In fact, the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 are threaded into the ports 4 and 6, respectively, and are connected to the conduit 8.
The conduit 10 is fitted and connected to engaging conduits 16 and 18 integrally formed in the first connector 12 and the second connector 14, respectively.

Therefore, in such a configuration, pipe line 8 and pipe line 1
0 is bundled with strings 20 or bands, etc., in an effort to reduce the installation space as much as possible and to facilitate maintenance and management. However, in this prior art, for example, in a device with many output ports such as a manifold type solenoid valve, the pipes 8 and 10 are
As the number of tubes that make up the system increases, the configuration itself becomes more complex. Furthermore, as described above, since the conduit itself must be secured at several locations with strings 20, bands, etc., a considerable number of man-hours are required for the tightening. Furthermore, the number of piping steps increases in proportion to the number of tubes, and as a result, there is a considerable risk of erroneous connections between ports, so-called erroneous piping. Furthermore, if a plurality of tubes are tightened with strings or bands, the piping pitch becomes narrower in the prior art as described above. Therefore, even if a connector is to be used, it is not easy to insert the tube itself into the connector due to the narrow piping pitch. Moreover, the number of connectors increases, which inconveniently increases the number of piping man-hours.

Therefore, as a result of intensive studies and efforts, the present inventor focused on a multi-tube in which multiple fluid passages are defined concentrically within one tube, and the inventors focused on a multi-tube in which a plurality of fluid passages are defined concentrically within one tube, and the inventors focused on a multi-tube in which a plurality of fluid passages are defined concentrically within one tube. preparing a connector having a fluid passage, positioning the end of the multiple tube by a terminal member constituting the connector, and connecting each fluid passage of the multiple tube to the fluid passage of the connector, Furthermore, if the end portions of the multiple tubes are configured to be firmly locked with the locking members constituting the connector, there is no need to tighten the tube members for introducing and discharging the fluid with strings, bands, etc. In addition, a connector for multiple pipes with less possibility of incorrect piping and which can easily and reliably connect multiple pipes to equipment without paying special consideration to the piping pitch can be obtained, eliminating the various problems mentioned above. I found out. Moreover, if a tightening member having a tapered screw carved into one end is fitted inside the body of the connector, and the tapered screw is screwed into the device to fix the connector itself connected to the multiple pipe, the device can be fixed. It has also been found that fluid pressure can be introduced by simply drilling a screw hole for the tapered screw, and that the range of applications of various devices using the fluid will be expanded at once.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the installation space as much as possible, avoid incorrect piping, and greatly reduce the number of piping steps. An object of the present invention is to provide a multi-pipe connector that can be easily connected to various devices.

To achieve the above object, the present invention includes a multi-tube receiving system having a plurality of fluid passages defined by an inner tube and an outer tube, and an end of the inner tube protruding from an end of the outer tube. a terminal that penetrates the inner tube into the tube insertion hole, the body having a tube insertion hole formed therein and communicating with the tube insertion hole to define a number of fluid passages corresponding to the plurality of fluid passages; Insert the member, and further expose one end of the inner tube to one fluid passage of the tube insertion hole, and engage the locking member with the outer tube of the multiple tube to airtightly connect the multiple tube to the body. It is characterized by being configured to do so.

Furthermore, the present invention comprises an annular body and a tightening member, the body defining at least two fluid passages is attached to a terminal member at one end thereof, and the inner tube is exposed to the outside more than the outer tube. A tube insertion hole is formed to receive one end of the double pipe, a hole is formed in the other end of the body into which the tightening member having a tapered thread is fitted, and the hole extends in the axial direction of the tightening member. connecting one fluid passageway of the body that is in communication with the inner tube to one fluid passageway of the target device;
The other fluid passage of the body is connected to the other fluid passage of the device.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a tube inserter that receives one end of a double tube that is anchored to a terminal member at one end of a body defining at least two fluid passages and has an inner tube exposed to the outside than an outer tube. A hole is formed in one end of the body, the other end of the body is formed with a hole into which a tightening member having a tapered screw is fitted, and the hole extends in the axial direction of the tightening member and communicates with the inner pipe. The fluid passages are connected to one of the fluid passages of the target device, and the other fluid passage of the body is connected to the other fluid passage of the device.

Next, preferred embodiments of the multi-pipe connector according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 and 3, reference numeral 30 indicates a multi-pipe connector according to the present invention. This connector 30 includes a body 32 made of a cylindrical body made of synthetic resin. This body 32 may be substantially provided integrally with a device such as a solenoid valve or a speed controller, or may be a separate body that can be connected to the device as the case may be. The body 32 has a hole 34 that opens wide at its end, and a first passage 38 extending in the axial direction of the body 32 is formed at the bottom 36 where the hole 34 terminates. , the bottom portion 36
A second passage 40 extending parallel to the first passage 38 is formed at a side end portion of the first passage 38 . One end of the first passage 38 is expanded to form an annular groove 42, while the bottom portion 36 has receiving seats formed with inclined surfaces extending in the axial direction of the body 32 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. 4
A plurality of 4 are arranged.

In the above configuration, the seal ring 48 is fitted into the annular groove 42, and the terminal member 50 is positioned above the seal ring 48. The terminal member 50 is connected to the body 3
Similar to 2, it includes a cylindrical body, and a passage 52 that passes through this terminal member 50 in the axial direction is provided in its center.
is formed. Projections 54, 54 projecting inward are provided inside the passage 52, and an outer tube support member 56, which is an arcuate plate, is provided at the end of the support members 55, 55 extending diametrically outward. 56 is integrally formed. Projections 58, 58 having acute-angled cross sections are formed on the outer peripheral walls of the supporting members 56, 56. Note that this terminal member 50 assumes this shape when connecting multiple pipes, which will be described later, to the body 32, and its original shape will be described later.

Next, the ring-shaped seal member 60 seated on the seat 44 will be described. The sealing member 60 has a circular cross section to increase the sealing effect, and has grooves 62a and 6 circumferentially formed at its upper and lower ends.
2b is engraved. In view of its function, the sealing member 60 is preferably made of an elastic material such as natural rubber or synthetic rubber.

Furthermore, the chuck member 64 is preferably used in the present invention. The chuck member 64 is generally a ring-shaped flat plate made of metal with high elasticity, and a main body 66 thereof has a plurality of slits 68 defined at equal intervals. Then, one end portion of the main body 66 is bent inward to form a claw portion 70. Claw part 7
As can be easily understood from the figure, the tip of 0 is
It is preferable to sharpen it.

Collet 72 fits over chuck member 64. This collector 72 is also preferably made of a flexible member such as synthetic resin, and like the chuck member, slits 76 are formed at equal intervals in a ring-shaped main body 74.
Multiple lines are formed. A bulge 78 is formed at one end of the main body 74 and becomes thicker toward the outside.
Further, a ring-shaped flange 80 is formed at the other end. It will be appreciated that the presence of the slits 76 allows the body 74 to be easily bent inwardly or outwardly.

Next, in the present invention, a guide member 82 that fits on the outside of the collet 72 is provided. The guide member 82 has an inwardly extending flange 84 at its upper end, as can be readily seen in FIG.
On the other hand, an inclined surface 86 is formed at the lower end thereof, and extends around the circumference and has a predetermined angle inward. Furthermore, an annular protrusion 88 that engages with the body 32 is formed on the ring-shaped guide member 82 at the upper part of the inclined surface 86 .

On the other hand, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 90 indicates a release button. The release bush 90 has a cylindrical shape and has an outwardly extending flange 92 formed at its upper end. Furthermore, an edge 94 having a gentler inclination angle than the claw portion 70 of the chuck member 64 is formed at the lower end of the release bush 90. Release button 9
0, the edge 9 is inserted from the middle of the cylindrical body.
A plurality of slits 96 are formed oriented toward the flange 92, and a stepped portion 98 is defined between the slits 96 and the flange 92 by making the wall thickness of the release button 90 thinner.

The connector 30 for multiple pipes according to the present invention is basically constructed as described above, and the assembly configuration when connecting multiple pipes using this connector will be described below.

First, the multiple tube 100 basically includes an outer tube 102 and an inner tube 104 disposed concentrically therein. For this reason, the outer tube 1
A fluid passage 106 is defined between the inner tube 104 and the inner tube 104, while a passage 108 is defined in the inner tube 104.
is defined. When the outer tube 102 and the inner tube 104 of the multi-tube 100 configured as described above are cut so that the bottom surfaces of their one ends define the same plane, the inner tube 102 and the inner tube 104 are cut so as to fit properly into the body 32. It is necessary to expose the tube 104 slightly to the outside rather than the outer tube 102. For this purpose, the terminal member 50 is preferably used.

Here, the original form of the terminal member 50 will be explained. As can be easily understood from FIG.
It is held vertically by. Said flat plate 11
A further pair of tongue pieces 1 is symmetrically attached to the outer circumferential end of 0.
12 and 112 are installed vertically. Therefore, the multiple tube 100 is fitted to the terminal member 50, and the outer tube 1
Adjust the lengths of 02 and inner tube 104. That is, the inner tube 104 is pushed to the bottom of the passage 52,
At the same time, the outer tube 102 is pushed in until it comes into contact with the flat plate 110. Then, the outer tube 102 is cut together with the supporting members 56, 56 using a cutter knife or the like, using the top tips of the tongues 112, 112 as reference points, as shown by reference numeral A in FIGS. 4 and 5. As a result, as shown in Fig. 3, the outer tube 1
02 and the inner tube 104 have different lengths
is obtained. Of course, the cut out support members 56,5
6 is discarded together with the flat plate 110 and the tongue pieces 112, 112. In this case, the inner tube 104 of the multiple tube 100 is inserted into the passage 52 provided in the terminal member 50, so that the inner tube 104 is slightly bent by the protrusion 54 due to its flexibility. It will flex inward and be held firmly. On the other hand, the outer tube 102 is connected to the terminal member 50.
and is locked by projections 58, 58 provided on the remaining support members 56, 56.

After going through the preparation stages as described above, the seal member 60, the chuck member 64, and the collector 7 are attached to the body 32.
2. Guide member 82 and release button 90
is assembled. That is, the seal member 60 fits into the upper end portion of the seat 44. in this way,
The seal member 60 is placed and fixed, and then the collet 72 is fitted onto the chuck member 64. As a result, the flange 80 of the collet 72 abuts the circumferential upper end of the chuck member 64. In this manner, chuck member 64 and collet 72 engage the upper end of seal member 60 secured to seat 44 in an integral configuration. That is, the inwardly sloping pawls 70 engage the curved inner ends of the seal member 60. Therefore, the guide member 82 is engaged with the hole 34 of the annular body 32. A guide member 82 made of a metal member is introduced into the inside of the hole 34, that is, a guide member 82 made of a synthetic resin body 3 is introduced into the hole 34.
2, the annular protrusion 88 bends and expands the body 32. In this way, the guide member 82 is assembled into the body 32.

The release bush 90 is then inserted into the guide member 82 . As explained above, the release button 90 has an edge 94 having a gentler inclination angle than the claw portion 70, and therefore, when the release button 90 is inserted into the chuck member 64 via the guide member 82, The tip portion of the edge 94 abuts against the claw portion 70 .

In this assembled state, the preparation step is completed, and then the multiple tube 100 integrally assembled with the terminal member 50 is introduced into the release bush 90. The multiple tube 100 passes through a hole penetrating the center of the release bush 90 together with the terminal member 50, and one end of the inner tube 104 is connected to the annular groove 4.
It is pushed in until it reaches the inside of 2. At this time, the seal ring 48 deforms while being slightly pressed by the wall portion of the body 32 that defines the annular groove 42, comes into close contact with the inner wall, and presses the inner tube 104 with its elastic force. (See Figure 3).

In this way, the internal passage 10 of the multi-tube 100
8 ensures communication with the first passage 38. on the other hand,
The external passageway 106 of the multi-tube 100 includes a support member 56,
56 and the seat 44 communicate with the second passage 40 through a gap defined between the seat 56 and the seat 44. Therefore, the multiple pipe 1
When pressurized air is supplied to the chuck member 6, the multiple pipe 100 is slightly pulled upward in the figure.
The tip of the claw portion 70 of 4 is connected to the outer tube 1 made of a flexible member.
02 and firmly hold this multi-tube 100. In this way, the multiple tube 100
and the connector 30 hermetically connect the fluid passage.

Next, the operation when removing the multiplex tube 100 once assembled as described above from the connector 30 will be explained.

In this case, the release button 90 is first pressed downward in the figure. As a result, the inclined surface of the edge 94 presses against the claw portion 70, causing the highly flexible claw portion 70 to bend outward. For this reason, the claw portion 70 disengages from the outer tube 102. Therefore, it becomes possible to pull out the multiplex tube 100 and separate it from the terminal member 50 integrally. That is, the terminal member 50
4, 54, 58, 58 to secure the inner tube 10
4. Because it is held in the outer tube 102, it can be easily removed despite the presence of the pressing force of the seal ring 48. Therefore, as can be easily understood from this embodiment, according to the apparatus of the present invention, the multiple pipe 100 and the connector 30 can be connected and disconnected with a single touch operation.

Next, FIG. 6 shows another example of the structure of the multi-tube connector according to the present invention. In this case, the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 2 to 5 above indicate the same components, and therefore, detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, in particular, the inventor attempts to improve the body 32. That is, in this embodiment, the body 32 constituting the connector 30 has a hole 34 formed in the upper part, but also has a hole 15 formed in the lower part.
0 is formed. A tube body 154 extends through the hole 150 and is largely exposed to the outside. That is, the first passage 38 is connected to this tube body 1.
It is in communication with a passageway 156 defined by 54. In this case, a circumferential groove 158 is defined at the distal end of the tubular body 154, and this groove 158
A seal ring 160 is fitted to the.

Therefore, the tightening member 162 is fitted into the hole 150 of the body 32 configured as described above. As can be easily understood from the figure, the tightening member 162 has an annular groove 164 at one end, into which a seal ring 166 is fitted, and an annular protrusion 167 formed near the annular groove 164. Further, the tightening member 162 has a hexagonal bulge 168 formed on its way to be rotated with a spanner or the like, and furthermore, a tapered screw 170 is provided below the bulge 168 to be screwed into the device and to maintain airtightness. Screw it in. In addition, in the figure, reference numeral 1
Reference numeral 72 indicates a passage passing through the central axis of the tightening member 162, and this passage is connected to the second passage 40 of the body 32.
It is configured to be able to communicate with.

In the above configuration, in order to connect the multiple pipe 100 to the device via the connector 30, first, a hole 202 is bored in the device 200, and fluid passages 204 and 205 are connected to the bottom of the hole, respectively. I'll keep it. Then, a tapered screw 206 is carved into the peripheral wall of the hole 202. In this state, the tightening member 162 is fitted into the body 32 to which the multiple pipes 100 are connected in the same manner as described above. body 3
In this case, it is preferable that body 3 is made of a slightly flexible synthetic resin material.
2 is bent outward to engage with the annular protrusion 167 of the tightening member 162. Seal ring 166 is in hole 1
It is pressed against the inner wall of the body 32 defining the inner wall 50 to ensure its airtightness.

In the above assembly configuration, when the bulging portion 168 is rotated and the tapered screw 170 is screwed into the screw 206, the tube body 154 is fitted into the fluid passage 204, and the seal ring 160 ensures airtightness.

Therefore, the passageway 108 of the inner tube 104 is connected to the tube body 154.
The passage 106 of the outer tube 102 communicates with the fluid passage 205 via the second passage 40 and the passage 172.

According to the present invention, it is possible to connect multiple tubes with an extremely simple configuration as described above, and when attaching the multiple tubes to a connector, it is necessary to simply press the tubes in the axial direction. good. This has the effect of not only making it easier to install multiple tubes, but also simplifying their handling.
Furthermore, the terminal member makes it easier to dimension the outer tube and inner tube that make up the multiple tube, and increases airtightness, but it also eliminates the need for special processing to ensure the locking effect. This results in a significant reduction in production costs. Furthermore,
To install the multiple tube, it is only necessary to assemble the multiple tube and the terminal member integrally and then fit them into the body. On the other hand, the multiple tube and the terminal member can be removed integrally by simply pushing out the release button. I can do it. Therefore, a practical effect can also be obtained in that assembly, disassembly, and maintenance management are extremely facilitated.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various improvements and changes in design can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a multiple tube and its connector according to the prior art, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a multiple tube connector and a multiple tube according to the present invention, and FIG. A partially omitted vertical cross-sectional view of the connector attached to the connector, FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the engagement relationship between the terminal member and the multiple pipe before cutting, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the terminal member, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially omitted vertical cross-sectional view of a multi-pipe connector that can be easily attached to a device using a tightening member. 30...Connector, 32...Body, 34...
...hole, 36...bottom, 38...first passage, 40
... second passage, 42 ... annular groove, 44 ... catch seat,
48... Seal ring, 50... Terminal member, 52... Passage, 54... Projection, 56... Support member, 58... Projection, 60... Seal member,
62a, 62b... groove, 64... chuck member,
66...Main body, 68...Slit, 70...Claw portion, 72...Collection, 74...Main body, 76...
Slit, 78... bulge, 80... flange,
82... Guide member, 84... Flange, 86...
... Inclined surface, 88 ... Annular protrusion, 90 ... Release button, 92 ... Flange, 94 ... Edge,
96...Slit, 98...Stepped portion, 100...Multiple tube, 102...Outer tube, 104...Inner tube, 10
6,108... passage, 110... flat plate, 112...
... tongue piece, 150 ... hole, 154 ... pipe body, 15
6...Passage, 158...Groove, 160...Seal ring, 162...Tightening member, 164...Annular groove, 166...Seal ring, 167...Annular protrusion, 168...Bulging portion, 170... ... Tapered screw, 172 ... Passage, 200 ... Device, 202 ...
...hole, 204, 205...fluid passage, 206...
…screw.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A tube insertion for receiving a multiple tube having a plurality of fluid passages defined by an inner tube and an outer tube, and in which the end of the inner tube protrudes from the end of the outer tube. a body having a hole formed therein and communicating with the tube insertion hole to define a number of fluid passages corresponding to the plurality of fluid passages, a terminal member passing through the inner tube being inserted into the tube insertion hole; Further, one end of the inner tube faces one fluid passage of the tube insertion hole, and a locking member is engaged with the outer tube of the multiple tube to airtightly connect the multiple tube to the body. A connector for multiple pipes featuring the following. 2. In the connector according to claim 1, the terminal member includes a support member formed with an internal passage for receiving the inner tube of the multiple tube and a protrusion for locking the outer tube of the multiple tube, and the support member A connector for multiple tubes, which is constructed so that the inner tube is exposed to the outside from the outer tube by cutting off along with the outer tube. 3. One end of a double tube consisting of an annular body and a tightening member, which defines at least two fluid passages, is attached to a terminal member at one end of the body, and has an inner tube exposed to the outside rather than an outer tube. a tube insertion hole for receiving the inner tube; a hole for fitting the tightening member having a tapered thread carved in the other end of the body; A multi-pipe connector comprising connecting one fluid passage of a body communicating with one fluid passage of a target device, and connecting the other fluid passage of the body to another fluid passage of the device. 4. In the device according to claim 3,
A multi-tube connector in which one end of one fluid passage of the body is connected to an inner pipe, and the other fluid passage of the body is connected to one fluid passage of a device via a conduit integral with the body.