Pipe joints or couplings – Packed – Wedge
Patent
1991-07-19
1992-11-03
Reese, Randolph A.
Pipe joints or couplings
Packed
Wedge
285313, 285317, 285 39, F16L 3700
Patent
active
051601796
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a pipe coupler for coupling a flexible tube to the connection port of a cylinder, a valve or the like in order to supply a compressed fluid.
BACKGROUND ART
As to pipe couplers of this kind, there are ones of a lock claw type such as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 57-20947, Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 63-29156 and Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 1-7914. There are also collet type couplers as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 57-45512, Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 58-9311, Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 61-10077 and Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 61-10712.
A coupler of the lock claw type has an annular chuck, which has relatively good rigidity and spring-like elasticity. The annular chuck is accommodated in a mounting recess of a coupler main body. The coupler has a plurality of lock claws at the tip of the chuck. The claws engage an outer peripheral surface of a flexible tube.
The coupler of the collet type has a collet made of an elastic material. The collet has an enlarged portion at an outer periphery of the tip. The enlarged portion comes into contact with a taper of a holding ring arranged in a mounting recess of a coupler main body. This contact causes a plurality of arm segments to bend toward the axis of the collet and claws provided at an inner periphery of the arm segments engage an outer peripheral surface of a flexible tube.
However, in the lock claw type, the flexible tube is held only by the lock claws, so that the holding force totally depends upon the clamping force of the lock claws. Accordingly, in order to hold the flexible tube firmly by means of the lock claws, the clamping force must be set large. However, it is difficult to set this clamping force at the optimal level, and an excessive force is likely to be applied. If the clamping force is set too high, the lock claws will immediately and strongly clamp the flexible tube when the flexible tube is inserted into the chuck and the lock claws are opened. Therefore, although the tip of the flexible tube does not reach the innermost end of the mounting recess, an operator may think that the tip of the flexible tube does reach the innermost end. When the flexible tube is imperfectly inserted into the pipe coupler, a sealing ring located at an inner portion of the chuck incompletely seals the flexible tube, causing leakage of the fluid. Moreover, if the tip of the flexible tube does not come into contact with the innermost end of the mounting recess, the flexible tube is supported only by the lock claws with their clamping force. In this condition, when the flexible tube is swung, it swings about the lock claws. This swinging operation causes the lock claws to clamp the flexible tube even more. This may result in the formation of cracks on the flexible tube or in the flexible tube breaking off.
The clamping of the lock claws to the flexible tube is released by pressing a release ring into the mounting recess. However, when the clamping force applied to the flexible tube is large, it is not easy to release the lock claws from engagement with the tube. The clamping force of the lock claws becomes larger as the diameter of the flexible tube increases. It thus becomes more difficult to disengage the lock claws from tubes having large diameters.
It is much easier to insert and detach the flexible tube in collet type couplers than in the lock claw type. However, when the flexible tube has a small diameter, there is a problem that the flexible tube is liable to be accidentally removed. More specifically, pipe couplers for small diameter flexible tubing have a collet with an enlarged diameter tip. However, in such couplers the area of the taper on the enlarged portion of the outer periphery of the collet tip becomes small. This causes the degree of closing of the arm segments brought about by the contact between the taper of the holding ring and the enlarged portion to be in
REFERENCES:
patent: 3874709 (1975-04-01), MacDonald
patent: 4146254 (1979-03-01), Turner et al.
patent: 4440424 (1984-04-01), Mode
patent: 4593943 (1968-06-01), Hama et al.
patent: 4722558 (1988-02-01), Badoureaux
patent: 4747626 (1988-05-01), Hama et al.
patent: 5029908 (1991-07-01), Belisaire
Aberle Timothy
CKD Corporation
Reese Randolph A.
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