JP7223647B2 - joint - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a joint for connecting hoses using a sleeve, and more particularly to a joint used for piping in automobiles.

Piping in automobiles is mainly divided into fuel system, cooling system and exhaust system. The fuel system supplies liquid fuel such as gasoline from a filler port to a fuel tank and from the fuel tank to the engine. The cooling system circulates a refrigerant liquid such as cooling water between a radiator and a cooling target such as an engine, battery, or motor. The exhaust system dissipates exhaust gases from the engine to the atmosphere. Various pipes are used for these pipes, from highly flexible pipes such as rubber hoses to highly rigid pipes such as resin hoses and metal pipes. Couplings are used to connect these tubes to each other or to elements such as fuel tanks, engines, and the like. A joint utilizes a sealing member such as an O-ring to seal the connection between pipes in a liquid-tight or air-tight manner (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In an automobile, where vibration is particularly severe, a joint includes a multistage sealing structure such as a plurality of O-rings. Further, in the fuel system joint, a fluororubber product is used for the O-ring to prevent permeation of vaporized gasoline.

Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2011-529820

Since many parts of piping in automobiles are subjected to severe external vibrations, it is important to secure seals at joints. Conventionally, this has been dealt with by using a multistage seal structure, such as using a plurality of O-rings (see Patent Document 1, for example). However, since it is difficult to reduce the number of parts of the joint with this coping method, it is difficult to reduce the cost of the entire piping.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and in particular to provide a joint that can exhibit high sealing performance without using an O-ring.

A coupling according to one aspect of the present invention is a coupling for connecting a first hose to a second hose in a cooling line in an automobile and includes a coupling body, a sleeve and a nut. The joint body is a cylindrical member, and the first peripheral wall end is press-fitted to the end of the first hose, and the second peripheral wall end includes a male thread on the outer peripheral surface and an annular groove on the end surface. . The sleeve has a first peripheral wall end press-fitted into the annular groove of the joint body and a second peripheral wall end press-fitted into the end of the second hose. The nut has a first peripheral wall end including female threads coupled to the male threads of the fitting body and a second peripheral wall end including an inner peripheral surface in contact with the first peripheral wall end of the sleeve.

The first peripheral wall end of the sleeve may include a flange. The flange protrudes radially, faces the end surface of the second peripheral wall end of the joint body, and contacts the inner peripheral surface of the second peripheral wall end of the nut.

The first peripheral wall end of the fitting body or the second peripheral wall end of the sleeve may include an annular rib. The fitting may comprise a first clip for clamping the end of the first hose to the first circumferential wall end of the fitting body, or a second clip for clamping the end of the second hose to the second circumferential wall end of the sleeve. . The first peripheral wall end of the coupling body or the second peripheral wall end of the sleeve may include an O-ring.

In the above joint according to the present invention, the first peripheral wall end of the joint body is press-fitted into the end of the first hose, the first peripheral wall end of the sleeve is press-fitted into the annular groove of the joint body, and the end of the second hose is press-fitted. A second peripheral wall end of the sleeve is press-fitted into the end. Furthermore, the pressure applied by the nut to the end of the first peripheral wall of the sleeve prevents the sleeve from slipping out of the annular groove. As a result, the space between the first hose and the joint body, the space between the joint body and the sleeve, and the space between the sleeve and the second hose are all closed in a liquid-tight or air-tight manner, preventing fluid leakage from the joint. is reliably prevented. Thus, this joint can exhibit high sealing performance without using an O-ring.

If the first peripheral wall end of the sleeve includes the flange described above, neither the first peripheral wall end of the sleeve nor the nut need contact the second hose, since the flange contacts the nut. The position at is also not restricted by the thickness of the second hose. As a result, the outer diameter of the end of the first peripheral wall of the sleeve is made smaller than the outer diameter of the second hose, and the radial distance from the annular groove to the nut is sufficiently large without increasing the outer diameter of the nut. can do. As a result, the second peripheral wall end portion of the joint body can ensure a sufficiently large thickness outside the annular groove, and can sufficiently suppress deformation due to vibration impact from the outside. This prevents the loosening of the connection between the male thread of the joint body and the female thread of the nut and the loosening of the crimp between the sleeve and the hose due to the deformation of the joint body, thus making the joint highly reliable.

1] is a perspective view showing the appearance of a joint according to an embodiment of the present invention. [FIG. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II shown in FIG. 1; FIG. (b) is an enlarged view of the end of the first peripheral wall of the sleeve and its vicinity in (a). (a) is a perspective view showing an annular rib of a sleeve. (b) is a perspective view showing a combination of a sleeve and a clip; (c) is a perspective view showing the combination of the annular rib of the sleeve and the O-ring.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a joint 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. Coupling 100 is used to connect first rubber hose 301 to second rubber hose 302, for example in an automobile. These rubber hoses 301, 302 are included, for example, in the cooling line of the rear motor of an electric vehicle (EV). Two cylindrical members 111 and 122 called "annular ribs" protrude from the joint 100 in opposite directions, and are press-fitted into the open ends of the rubber hoses 301 and 302, respectively. A plurality of, for example, three, annular protrusions 118 and 128 protrude from the outer peripheral surface of each of the annular ribs 111 and 122, and they bite into the inner peripheral surfaces of the rubber hoses 301 and 302 to function as retainers.

FIG. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line II--II shown in FIG. (b) is an enlarged view of the first peripheral wall end portion 121 of the sleeve 120 and its vicinity in (a). The joint 100 comprises a joint body 110 , a sleeve 120 and a nut 130 .

The joint body 110 is a cylindrical member made of resin such as polyamide (PA) and glass fiber reinforced polyamide (PA-GF), and one of its peripheral wall ends (hereinafter referred to as "first peripheral wall end") is annular. It is a rib 111 and is press-fitted into the open end of the first hose 301 . The other peripheral wall end portion 112 (hereinafter referred to as “second peripheral wall end portion”) of the joint body 110 includes a male thread 113 on its outer peripheral surface and an annular groove 114 on its end surface. The annular groove 114 has a depth direction parallel to the axial direction (the Y-axis direction in the figure) and extends along the circumference of the second peripheral wall end portion 112 .

Sleeve 120 is a cylindrical member made of resin such as PA and elastomer, and is arranged coaxially with joint main body 110 . The inner diameter of the sleeve 120 is equal to the inner diameter of the first peripheral wall end 111 of the joint body 110 except for the first peripheral wall end 121 . A first peripheral wall end portion 121 of the sleeve 120 is press-fitted into the annular groove 114 of the joint body 110 . A second peripheral wall end of the sleeve 120 is an annular rib 122 that is press fit into the open end of the second hose 302 . As a result, the inside of the first hose 301 communicates with the inside of the second hose 302 through the internal space 119 of the joint body 110 and the internal space 129 of the sleeve 120 . That is, the internal spaces 119 and 129 between the joint body 110 and the sleeve 120 function as flow paths for cooling water (LLC).

A first peripheral wall end portion 121 of the sleeve 120 is an annular protrusion, and the entire circumference protrudes in the axial direction (the negative direction of the Y-axis in the figure). As FIG. 2 shows, the first peripheral wall end 121 of the sleeve 120 has a larger inner diameter than the second peripheral wall end 122 of the sleeve 120 and the first peripheral wall end 111 of the joint body 110 , and the annular groove 114 of the joint body 110 is installed inside. However, the inner diameter of the first peripheral wall end portion 121 of the sleeve 120 is smaller than the outer diameter of the radially inner surface of the annular groove 114 of the joint body 110 . Therefore, the installation of the first peripheral wall end 121 into the annular groove 114 is realized by press-fitting. Since the inner peripheral surface of the first peripheral wall end portion 121 and the radially inner surface of the annular groove 114 are strongly pressed against each other, the two surfaces are liquid-tightly sealed.

First peripheral end 121 of sleeve 120 includes flange 124 at its proximal end. The flange 124 protrudes radially from the base end of the first peripheral wall end 121 and faces the end surface of the second peripheral wall end 112 of the joint body 110 .

Nut 130 is a cylindrical member made of resin such as PA and PA-GF, and is arranged coaxially with joint body 110 . The outer diameter of nut 130 is larger than the outer diameter of both joint body 110 and sleeve 120 . A first peripheral wall end portion 131 of the nut 130 includes a female thread 133 on its inner peripheral surface that can be coupled with the male thread 113 of the joint body 110 . When the male thread 113 of the joint body 110 is screwed into the female thread 133 , the second peripheral wall end portion 112 of the joint body 110 is accommodated inside the nut 130 .

The inner diameter of the second peripheral wall end portion 132 of the nut 130 is larger than the outer diameter of the second peripheral wall end portion 122 of the sleeve 120 inside in the axial direction (Y-axis direction), and is larger at the end in the axial direction (Y-axis direction). It is narrower than the outer diameter of flange 124 of sleeve 120 . As a result, when the male thread 113 of the joint body 110 is screwed into the female thread 133 of the nut 130, the second peripheral wall end portion 132 of the nut 130 has the inner peripheral surface 134 on the flange 124 of the sleeve 120 and the second hose 302 therebetween. Direct contact without sandwiching. As a result, the pressure PR is directly applied to the flange 124 from the inner peripheral surface 134 of the nut 130 . This pressure PR presses the first peripheral wall end 121 of the sleeve 120 against the annular groove 114 of the joint body 110 to prevent it from slipping out of the annular groove 114 .
[Advantages of Embodiment]

In the joint 100 according to the above embodiment of the present invention, the first peripheral wall end portion 111 of the joint body 110 is press-fitted into the end portion of the first hose 301 , and the first peripheral wall end portion 111 of the joint body 110 is fitted into the annular groove 114 of the joint body 110 . The end portion 121 is press-fitted, and the second peripheral wall end portion 122 of the sleeve 120 is press-fitted to the end portion of the second hose 302 . Furthermore, the pressure applied by the nut 130 to the first peripheral wall end portion 121 of the sleeve 120 prevents the sleeve 120 from slipping out of the annular groove 114 . As a result, the space between the first hose 301 and the joint body 110, the space between the joint body 110 and the sleeve 120, and the space between the sleeve 120 and the second hose 302 are all closed in a liquid-tight manner. LLC leakage is reliably prevented. Thus, this joint 100 can exhibit high sealing performance without using an O-ring.

When the first peripheral wall end portion 121 of the sleeve 120 is press-fitted into the annular groove 114 of the joint body 110 , the flange 124 of the first peripheral wall end portion 121 moves from the inner peripheral surface 134 of the nut 130 through the second hose 302 . directly without pressure PR. Therefore, neither the first peripheral wall end portion 121 of the sleeve 120 nor the nut 130 need to contact the second hose 302 , and the position in the radial direction is not restricted by the thickness of the second hose 302 . As a result, the outer diameter of the first peripheral wall end portion 121 of the sleeve 120 is made smaller than the outer diameter of the second hose 302 , and the radial direction from the annular groove 114 to the nut 130 can be adjusted without increasing the outer diameter of the nut 130 . can be sufficiently large. As a result, the second peripheral wall end portion 112 of the joint main body 110 can ensure a sufficiently large thickness outside the annular groove 114 to sufficiently suppress deformation due to vibration impact from the outside. In this way, loosening of the connection between the male thread 113 of the joint body 110 and the female thread 133 of the nut 130 and loosening of crimping between the sleeve 120 and the second hose 302 due to deformation of the joint body 110 are prevented. Coupling 100 is highly reliable.
[Modification]

(1) In the joint 100 according to the above embodiment of the present invention, the joint body 110 includes the annular groove 114 in the second peripheral wall end 112 and the first peripheral wall end of the sleeve 120 comprises the annular protrusion 121 . Conversely, the fitting body may include the annular projection and the sleeve may include the annular groove.

(2) The resin material of the joint according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to PA or the like. In addition, various resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyacetal, polyether ether ketone, polyphenylene sulfide, and polyimide can be used. These are appropriately selected according to the field of use or application of the joint 100, the material of the hoses 301 and 302, and the like.

(3) Since the inner diameter of the first peripheral wall end portion 121 of the sleeve 120 is smaller than the outer diameter of the radially inner surface of the annular groove 114 of the joint body 110, the inner peripheral surface of the first peripheral wall end portion 121 and the annular groove The radially inner surface of 114 is liquid-tightly sealed. Alternatively or additionally, the outer diameter of the first peripheral wall end 121 of the sleeve 120 may be larger than the inner diameter of the radially outer surface of the annular groove 114 of the joint body 110 . In this case, when the first peripheral wall end portion 121 is press-fitted into the annular groove 114, the outer peripheral surface of the first peripheral wall end portion 121 and the radially outer surface of the annular groove 114 are strongly pressed against each other. The gap is sealed liquid-tight and even air-tight.

(4) FIG. 3(a) is a perspective view showing the annular rib 122 of the sleeve. The fitting 100 according to the above embodiment of the invention utilizes annular ribs 111,122 for connection with the rubber hoses 301,302. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3b, a clip-on 222 may be utilized in place of the annular rib. Further, the connection target of the joint according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to rubber hoses, and may be resin hoses. In this case, since the flexibility of the hose is inferior, an O-ring 322 may be added to the annular rib as a sealing member, as shown in FIG. 3(c), for example.

Reference Signs List 100 joint 110 joint body 111 first peripheral wall end of joint body 112 second peripheral wall end of joint body 113 external thread 114 annular groove 118 annular projection of annular rib 119 internal space of joint body 120 sleeve 121 first peripheral wall end of sleeve 122 second peripheral wall end of sleeve 124 flange 128 annular projection of annular rib 129 inner space of sleeve 130 nut 131 first peripheral wall end of nut 132 second peripheral wall end of nut 133 internal thread 134 inner peripheral surface of nut 301 first first peripheral wall Hose 302 Second hose

Claims (4)

A coupling for connecting a first hose to a second hose in a cooling line in an automobile, comprising:
A joint body, which is a cylindrical member, the first peripheral wall end portion of which is press-fitted into the end portion of the first hose, the second peripheral wall end portion of which has a male thread on its outer peripheral surface and an annular groove on its end surface. and,
a sleeve having a first peripheral wall end press-fitted into the annular groove of the joint body and a second peripheral wall end press-fitted into the end of the second hose;
a nut having a first peripheral wall end including female threads coupled to the male threads of the joint body, and a second peripheral wall end including an inner peripheral surface in contact with the first peripheral wall end of the sleeve ;
a first peripheral wall end of the sleeve;
Projecting radially from the boundary with the second peripheral wall end of the sleeve, facing the end surface of the second hose, and contacting the axially expanding inner peripheral surface of the second peripheral wall end of the nut multi-layered part where
projecting radially from the opposite side of the second peripheral wall end of the sleeve across the step, facing the end face of the second peripheral wall end of the joint body, and The radially expanding inner surface has a contacting flange and
including
A joint characterized by : 2. The coupling of claim 1, wherein a first peripheral end of the coupling body or a second peripheral end of the sleeve includes an annular rib. A first clip for tightening the end of the first hose on the end of the first peripheral wall of the joint body, or a second clip for tightening the end of the second hose on the end of the second peripheral wall of the sleeve. A joint according to claim 1 or claim 2 . 4. The coupling of any one of claims 1-3 , wherein the first peripheral end of the coupling body or the second peripheral end of the sleeve includes an O-ring.

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