KR101509190B1 - Coupling and clip for coupling - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a coupling which is easily assembled and can be easily used by improving operational ability. The coupling comprises: a male connector in which a locking groove is formed on an outer circumference surface of a front end; a female connector having a head unit in which the male connector is inserted in an axis direction, and combined with the male connector; and a fixing clip combined to be removable on the female connector and fixing the male connector as at least a part protruding to the inside of the female connector is mounted on the locking groove of the male connector. The fixing clip comprises a band mounted and combined to the female connector, where both front ends are elastically changed along the horizontal plane of the female connector. The band comprises: a locking unit arranged on the opposite, enlarged in a linear form, and mounted on the locking groove of the male connector; and a bending connection unit integrally connected two front ends of the locking unit and generating elasticity. As the insertion hole in which the locking unit is mounted is penetrated and formed on an outside surface of the female connector, and the locking unit of the band is mounted on the insertion hole, the female connector straightly reciprocates and is combined to be removable on the locking groove of the male connector.

Description

CLIPING AND CLIP FOR COUPLING [0002]

The present invention relates to a coupling and a fastening clip of a coupling used to connect a hose or the like for conveying pressure fluid in a vehicle.

In recent years, couplings have been developed and used so that hoses can be connected quickly and easily in order to improve workability. For example, in the case of a radiator hose connecting between an engine and a radiator of a vehicle, a coupling is provided at the tip of the hose and the inlet of the engine so that the hose can be easily connected to the engine inlet.

The coupling includes a female connector and a male connector which are fitted to each other, and the male connector is coupled with a securing clip for locking and unlocking the female connector. Therefore, it is possible to connect the hose to the inlet of the engine simply by providing the radiator hose with the female connector, the male inlet with the male connector, and fitting the female connector of the hose into the male connector.

The securing clip is assembled to the female connector. The fixing clip is fitted in the engaging groove formed on the outer circumferential surface of the male connector to lock or unlock the inlet and the connector in close contact with each other.

The fixing clip is a member having elasticity and rigidity and partially protrudes into the connector so that when the male connector is fastened when the male connector is fastened, the fastening clip is resiliently deformed and returned to catch the fastening groove. Thus, when the male connector is fitted in the female connector, the engagement groove of the male connector is caught by the retaining clip and the coupled state of the coupling is maintained, and if necessary, the retaining clip can be detached from the retaining groove to separate the coupling.

A coupling and coupling retaining clip is provided that is easier to assemble and improves operability for easier use.

It also provides a fastening clip for the coupling and coupling that is simpler in structure and easier to manufacture.

In addition, the coupling and coupling retaining clips are provided that are more rigidly and precisely coupled, thereby preventing defective fastening and increasing airtightness.

To this end, the coupling of the present embodiment has a female connector having a male connector formed with a latching groove on the outer circumferential surface of the tip, a head portion into which the male connector is inserted in the axial direction, And at least a portion protruding inwardly inserted into the engagement groove of the male connector to fix the male connector, wherein the retaining clip is fitted to the female connector and the both ends are resiliently deformed along the transverse plane of the female connector Wherein the bands include a locking portion which is opposed to and extends in a straight line so as to be fitted in a locking groove of the male connector and a bending connection portion which is integrally connected to the distal ends of the two locking portions and generates an elastic force, The female connector has an insertion hole through which the locking portion is inserted on an outer surface of the female connector. The locking portion of the band is inserted into the insertion hole, It may be a repeat movement to be structure detachably coupled to the latching groove of the connector.

Wherein the band has a pair of opposite ends of the locking portion bent outwardly along a transverse plane of the female connector to form a protruding portion, and a slit is formed in the side surface of the female connector so as to be guided by the retaining portion, And the engaging portion is moved along the upper and lower ends of the slit.

The insertion hole may have a length corresponding to a length of the engaging portion.

The inner width of the slit may correspond to the diameter of the band.

And a fixing portion for fixing the fixing clip to the female connector, the fixing portion being formed at a position spaced apart from the lower end of the slit and projecting from the inner surface of the slit so as to narrow the inner width of the slit to be smaller than the diameter of the band can do.

The female connector has a coupling hole formed at a central portion between two insertion holes into which the locking portion is fitted, along a transverse plane of the female connector, and the band is connected to the coupling hole along the transverse plane of the female connector at the central portion of the bending connection portion And an auxiliary locking part inserted into the engagement groove of the male connector through the coupling hole to protrude therefrom and further inserted into the engagement groove of the male connector.

The fastening clip of this embodiment includes a band that is fitted to the female connector and is elastically deformed along the transverse plane of the female connector, and the band is disposed to be opposed to and extend in a straight line to form an insertion hole And a bending connection part for connecting the ends of the two locking parts and generating an elastic force. The locking part of the band is inserted into the insertion hole and linearly reciprocated And may be detachably coupled to the latching groove of the male connector.

The band may further include an engaging portion which is formed by bending outward at the tip of the locking portion and is fitted in a slit formed along the lateral plane on the side surface of the female connector and moves along the upper and lower ends of the slit when the band moves with respect to the female connector have.

The band further includes an auxiliary locking portion protruding from the central portion of the bending connection portion toward the female connector so as to be inserted into the locking groove of the male connector, and the auxiliary locking portion is inserted into the female connector through the coupling hole formed between the two insertion holes of the female connector. And inserted into the engagement groove of the male connector.

The fixing clip may have a structure in which the locking portion extends in a straight line shape and crosses the inside of the female connector in the form of a chord.

The bands may be formed such that two opposing locking portions form a straight line, and the two locking portions are formed such that the distance from the bending connection portion toward the distal end is narrowed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is an advantage that it is easy to assemble and operate and is easy to use.

In addition, since the structure is simple, the manufacturing is easy, and the manufacturing cost is reduced, so that the price competitiveness can be enhanced.

Further, the fixing clip can be more firmly fixed, and the fixing clip can be prevented from being separated by vibration or the like.

Further, more rigid fastening is possible.

1 is a perspective view showing a coupling according to the present embodiment.
2 and 3 are cross-sectional views showing coupling coupling states according to the present embodiment.
4 is a view showing a state in which the fixing clip is mounted on the female connector of the coupling according to the present embodiment.
5 is a view showing a fixing clip of the coupling according to the present embodiment.
6 is a schematic view showing a state where the fixing clip is mounted on the pressure connector of the coupling according to the present embodiment.
7 is a schematic view showing a process of unlocking the fixing clip in the female connector of the coupling according to the present embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same or similar parts are denoted using the same reference numerals in the drawings.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular forms as used herein include plural forms as long as the phrases do not expressly express the opposite meaning thereto. Means that a particular feature, region, integer, step, operation, element and / or component is specified, and that other specific features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / And the like.

All terms including technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Predefined terms are further interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the relevant technical literature and the present disclosure, and are not to be construed as ideal or very formal meanings unless defined otherwise.

FIG. 1 shows the construction of the coupling according to the present embodiment, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show the coupling state according to the present embodiment.

Hereinafter, in this embodiment, a coupling used for connecting a radiator hose connecting an engine of a vehicle to a radiator will be described as an example. Of course, the present invention is not limited to connecting a radiator hose of a vehicle, and is applicable to all places where fluid transportation is required in various devices.

The coupling 10 of the present embodiment includes a male connector 20 and a female connector 30 which are paired and engaged with each other and a fixing clip for locking or unlocking the male connector 20 fitted to the female connector 30 40).

For example, the male connector 20 can be installed in the inlet of the engine and the female connector 30 can be installed at the front end of the radiator hose. When the female connector 30 is inserted into the male connector 20 and the coupling 10 is fastened thereto, the radiator hose is simply connected to the inlet of the engine.

The male connector 20 has a cylindrical shape, the rear end thereof is engaged with the inlet of the engine, and the front end thereof is inserted into the female connector 30. The male connector 20 is formed with a locking groove 22 through which the fixing clip 40 is inserted along the outer peripheral surface. The latching groove 22 is formed inwardly of the latching groove 22 and the inner side surface of the latching groove 22 is perpendicular to the latching groove 24. Thus, the fixing clip 40, which has received the engaging groove 22, is caught by the engaging jaw 24 and does not fall outside the engaging groove. In the male connector 20, the front surface of the latching groove 22 is inclined in a conical shape so as to gradually decrease in diameter toward the front side along the axial direction. The front shape of the male connector 20 may be variously modified and is not particularly limited.

Here, the axial direction refers to the y-axis direction in Fig. 1 in the direction in which the female connector 30 and the male connector 20 are coupled. In the following description, the term " transverse direction " means a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and the term " transverse direction " means a plane defined by the transverse direction. The upper direction or the upper direction means a direction in which the fixing clip is lifted upwards in the drawing along the z axis which is the traveling direction of the fixing clip with respect to the female connector in Fig. 1, and the lower direction or the lower side means the opposite direction Down direction, and the up and down direction means the z-axis direction.

The female connector 30 has a cylindrical shape and has a rear end along the axial direction and a head part 32 coupled to the hose at a front end thereof and into which the male connector 20 is inserted axially.

The inside of the head part 32 of the female connector 30 corresponds to the front end of the male connector 20 and is tightly coupled to the male connector 20. In the present embodiment, the inside of the head portion 32 of the female connector 30 has a circular cross-sectional structure corresponding to the male connector 20.

Inside the female connector 30, an O-ring 28, which is pressed between the female connector 30 and the male connector 20, may be further provided.

The female connector 30 is formed with an insertion hole 34 through which the fixing clip is inserted through the outer surface of the head portion 32. The fixing clip is inserted into the female connector through the insertion hole 34 of the female connector. The insertion hole 34 is a portion where the fixing clip 40 is mounted, and will be described later.

2 and 3, when the male connector 20 is inserted into the head portion 32 of the female connector 30, a fixing clip (not shown) inserted into the female connector 30 through the insertion hole 40 are fitted into the engagement grooves 22 of the male connector 20, and the coupling 10 is fastened. The fixing clip 40 is fitted in the locking groove 22 of the male connector 20 to maintain the male connector 20 in the locked state with respect to the female connector 30. [

Hereinafter, a coupling structure of the fixed clip and the female connector will be described.

The fixing clip 40 is detachably coupled to the head portion 32 of the female connector 30 and a portion thereof is protruded into the female connector 30 to be inserted into the female connector 20 It has a lagging structure.

The fixing clip 40 includes a band 41 which is inserted into the insertion hole 34 of the female connector 30 and is elastically deformed along the transverse plane of the female connector 30 at both ends.

The band 41 may be made of a material having an elastic force. For example, the band may be made of spring steel.

The band 41 is elongated and has a circular cross-sectional shape. The cross-sectional shape of the band is not limited to a circle, and may be, for example, a wide band shape with respect to the thickness.

4, the bands 41 are disposed opposite to each other and extend in a straight line to enter the female connector 30 through the insertion hole 34 formed in the female connector 30, And a bending connection portion 44 for integrally connecting the two ends of the locking portions 42 and generating an elastic force so that the locking portions 42 Is fitted in the insertion hole 34 of the female connector and linearly reciprocates. The distance between the two locking portions 42 of the band 41 corresponds approximately to the outer diameter of the engaging groove 22 of the male connector 20.

At the upper end of the head portion 32 of the female connector 30, two insertion holes 34 are formed. Two insertion holes 34 formed in the female connector are also formed at intervals corresponding to the interval between the two locking portions.

Thus, when the two locking portions of the band 41 are fitted through the respective insertion holes 34, the locking portion 42 is inserted into the female connector 30 in a form crossing the inner peripheral surface of the head portion 32 of the female connector 30 Respectively. Thus, the two linear locking portions 42 pass through the inside of the female connector in the form of a chord.

The locking portion 42 of the band 41 protruding into the female connector is engaged with the locking groove 22 of the male connector 20 to fix the female connector 30 and the male connector 20 in a locked state . When the band 41 is moved outward from the insertion hole 34 of the female connector 30, the locking portion 42 is released from the locking groove 22 of the male connector and the locking state is released.

The band 41 of the present embodiment has a structure in which the two opposing locking portions 42 are spaced apart from each other at the bending connection portion 44 toward the opposite end.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the two locking portions 42 extending in a straight line form have a structure in which both ends are sloped inward by a predetermined angle (a) in a state in which no elastic force is applied . The angle a may be about 2 to 4 degrees. With this structure, when the coupling is engaged and the locking portion 42 of the band 41 is fitted into the locking groove 22 of the male connector 20, the locking portion 42, So that the fastening force can be further increased.

The fixing clip 40 of the present embodiment further includes an auxiliary locking portion 45 in addition to the two locking portions 42 so as to fix the male connector 20 at three points.

The female connector 30 is formed with a coupling hole 35 passing through two insertion holes 34 in which the locking portion 42 is inserted and along the transverse plane of the female connector. An auxiliary locking portion 45 is formed on one side of the bending connection portion 44 at a position corresponding to the coupling hole 35 along the transverse plane of the female connector toward the coupling hole. The auxiliary locking portion 45 is inserted into the female connector 30 through the coupling hole 35 and inserted into the locking groove 22 of the male connector.

In this manner, in addition to the two locking portions 42 arranged opposite to each other by 180 degrees to be fixed at 180 degrees, the auxiliary locking portion 45 is inserted between the two locking portions into the locking groove 22 of the male connector to fix the male connector, The connector 20 is supported at three points by the band 41 so that it can be more firmly fastened to the female connector.

In the present embodiment, the bending connection portion 44 may be bent at a right angle in the locking portion or bent in an arc shape.

The bending connection portion 44 sufficiently protrudes outside the female connector 30 when the band 41 is completely inserted into the female connector 30 through the insertion hole 34 to form a handle. Therefore, it is more convenient for the operator to grip the bending connection portion 44 protruding outside the female connector, and by using the bending connection portion 44 as a handle, the band can be easily linearly moved with respect to the female connector, do.

On the other hand, in the band 41, the tip ends of the two locking portions 42 are bent outward along the lateral one side of the female connector 30 to form a protruding locking portion 46, A slit 36 is formed on the side surface of the slit 36 to guide the slit 36 when the band 41 is moved with respect to the female connector 30. Thus, And is guided.

2, the slit 36 is formed to have a predetermined length along the transverse plane in which the band 41 is slid on both sides of the female connector 30. The slit 36 and the engaging portion 46 regulate the linear movement distance of the band 41 in the female connector 30 and the band 41 is removed from the female connector 30 through the insertion hole 34 Thereby preventing the user from leaving.

The locking part 46 formed in the locking part is inserted into the slit 36 and is moved up and down between the upper and lower ends of the slit 36.

When the band 41 is moved outward with respect to the female connector 30, the engaging portion 46 moves along the slit 36 and engages with the upper end of the slit 36, 41 are separated from each other. The band 41 can be kept in a state of being coupled to the female connector 30 in the process of moving the band 41 and separating the male connector.

In this embodiment, the inner width of the slit 36 may correspond to the diameter of the band 41. The inner width of the slit means the size of the slit with respect to the axial direction. Thus, the engaging portion 46 of the band 41 is engaged with the slit 36 without clearance. Therefore, the band 41 can be precisely coupled to the female connector 30 without flowing, and the band 41 does not flow in the width direction of the female connector 30, so that the fastening force and the airtightness of the coupling can be increased do.

Here, the band 41 is inserted into the female connector through the insertion hole 34 of the female connector with the retaining portion 46 formed in the locking portion 42. [ The insertion hole 34 may be formed to have a length corresponding to the length of the engaging portion 46 so that the engaging portion 46 can pass sufficiently.

5, the band 41 is fixed to the female connector 30 so that the fastened state can not be easily released after the female connector 30 is fastened to the female connector 30 in the present embodiment And may further include a fixed portion. The fastening part prevents the fastening part 46 from being easily moved to the upper part in a state in which the band 41 is completely inserted into the female connector 30 and the fastening part 46 is moved to the lower end of the slit 36. [

The fixing part is formed at a position spaced apart from the lower end of the slit 36 and has a fixing jaw 38 protruding from the inner surface of the slit 36 to narrow the inner width of the slit 36 to be smaller than the diameter of the band 41 .

The fixing jaw 38 may be formed at a position spaced apart from the lower end of the slit 36 by a diameter of the engaging portion 46. The width b of the slit 36 becomes smaller than the diameter of the band 41, that is, the diameter c of the engaging portion 46, by the fixing jaws 38 as shown in Fig. The fixing jaw 38 may be formed in a ladder shape or an arc shape so that the engaging portion 46 can ride smoothly.

When the band 41 is inserted into the female connector 30 and a predetermined force is applied thereto, the engaging portion 46 is located between the lower end of the slit 36 and the fixing jaw 38 beyond the fixing jaw 38. Therefore, the engaging portion 46 is held by the fixing jaws 38, and the movement in the upward direction is restricted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fastening portion 46 from being easily moved to the upper side along the slit 36, thereby increasing the fastening of the band 41 to the male connector and preventing the band 41 from being easily loosened.

Hereinafter, a process of attaching the fixing clip to the female connector and releasing the locking state of the fixing clip will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG.

6, in order to fasten the fastening clip 40 to the female connector 30, the fastening portion 46 formed on the fastening portion 42 is inserted into the female connector 30 through the insertion hole 34 of the female connector. Press the locking part inwards to elastically deform the band. When the locking part 46 is assembled to the position of the insertion hole 34 and the band is moved toward the female connector in this state, the two locking parts 42 are inserted into the female connector while the fastening part penetrates the insertion hole.

When the engaging part is completely inserted into the female connector and then the force applied to the band is removed, the band 41 is returned to the original state by the elastic restoring force. Then, the engaging portion 46 is inserted into the slit 36 formed on both sides of the female connector.

In this state, when the fixing clip is moved in the vertical direction, the engaging portion of the band is guided along the slit while being sandwiched by the slit, so that the fixing clip can be stably linearly moved.

When the fixing clip 40 is mounted on the female connector 30, the two locking portions 42 extending in a straight line cross the inside of the female connector 30 on both sides in a string form, At the upper end, an auxiliary locking portion 45 passing through the coupling groove 35 also protrudes into the female connector.

Thus, the locking part 42 and the auxiliary locking part 45 of the fixing clip protruding into the female connector are fitted in the locking groove 22 of the male connector 20, thereby fixing the male connector to the female connector.

In order to detach the coupling 10 in a state where the coupling 10 is fastened and the fastening clip 40 of the female connector 30 fastens the male connector 20 in a locked state, And the auxiliary locking portion 45 and the auxiliary locking portion 45 must be detached from the retaining groove 22 of the male connector 20.

The coupling 10 of the present embodiment is configured such that the bending connection portion 44 protruding outside the female connector 30 and forming the handle of the fastening clip 40 is pulled out of the female connector, The lock state of the lock lever 40 can be released.

7, when the band 41 is pulled upward in a state where the band 41 is hooked on the engagement groove 22 of the male connector 20, The auxiliary locking portion 45 is moved toward the upper end of the female connector. Then, the engaging portion 46 of the band is moved upward along the slit after passing the fixing jaw 38 of the slit 36. [ The locking portion 42 and the auxiliary locking portion 45 are engaged with each other through the engagement groove 42 of the male connector. (22). The locking state of the male connector 20 with respect to the female connector 30 is released when the locking portion 42 and the auxiliary locking portion 45 of the band 41 are separated from the retaining groove 22 of the male connector 20 Is released.

Thus, the main coupling 10 is released from the locked state while being rotated relative to the female connector 30 by simply moving the band 41 linearly. Such a structure provides ease of operation within a very complex and narrow space, such as the engine room of a vehicle. That is, since the present coupling does not have to pull the fixing clip outward but merely pulls it outward, it is possible to minimize the work space required for unlocking the fixing clip.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, Of course.

10: Coupling 20: Male connector
22: latching groove 24: latching jaw
26: Slope 28: O-ring
30: female connector 32: head portion
34: insertion hole 35: coupling hole
36: Slit 38: Fixed chin
40: fixing clip 41: band
42: locking portion 44: bending connection
45: auxiliary locking portion 46:

Claims (10)

A female connector having a male connector having a hooking groove formed on an outer peripheral surface of a tip end thereof and a head portion having a male connector inserted in the axial direction and being coupled to the male connector; And a retaining clip fitted in the retaining groove of the male connector to fix the male connector,
Wherein the fixing clip is fitted to the female connector and includes both ends whose ends are elastically deformed along the lateral plane of the female connector,
Wherein the bands include a locking portion which is opposedly arranged and extends in a straight line so as to be fitted in a locking groove of the male connector and a bending connection portion which is integrally connected to the ends of the two locking portions and generates an elastic force, Wherein the locking portion of the band is fitted in the insertion hole and linearly reciprocally moved to be detachably engaged with the engagement groove of the male connector,
Wherein the female connector has a coupling hole formed between two insertion holes into which the locking part is inserted, the band protruding from the coupling hole toward the coupling hole at a position corresponding to the coupling hole, Further comprising an auxiliary locking portion coupled to the retaining groove of the male connector. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the band includes a latching portion formed at the tip of the locking portion and bent outwardly along a transverse plane of the female connector, and a slit is formed on a side surface of the female connector to receive and guide the latching portion, And the latching portion is moved along the upper end and the lower end of the slit when moved. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the insertion hole has a length corresponding to a length of the engaging portion. The method according to claim 2 or 3,
And a fixing portion for fixing the fixing clip to the female connector,
Wherein the fixing portion is formed at a position spaced apart from a lower end of the slit and includes a fixing protruding from the inner surface of the slit to narrow the inner width of the slit to be smaller than the diameter of the band. delete delete delete delete delete delete

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