Pipes and tubular conduits – Combined – With end structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-24
2001-11-20
Hook, James (Department: 3752)
Pipes and tubular conduits
Combined
With end structure
C138S120000, C138S155000, C138S177000, C138SDIG001, C285S319000, C285S331000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318410
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connecting structure for connecting a filler hose or an air hose with a mating member in an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as the filler hose and so on for an automobile, a resin hose, a metallic hose and a hose combined with both hoses which are excellent in a gasoline permeability-proof character, have been widely used, instead for a rubber hose. For example, a hose connecting structure in which one end of the resin hose is detachably connected to the mating member has been known in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-329956.
That is, the prior hose connecting structure disclosed in the above Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-329956 is, as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, comprised of a hose
10
and a mating member
45
with which the hose body
10
can be connected. The hose body
10
is blow-formed (blow-molded) by a resin material, and is constructed by a hose body
15
including straight end portions
28
extending straightly at both ends thereof and an engaging member
34
attached to an outer surface of at least one straight end portion of the hose body. Here, an intermediate portion
20
having a bellow portion
22
is extended between the straight end portions
28
.
On an outer surface of the tubular straight end portion
28
, seal grooves
24
into which annular sealing members
23
are fitted are formed at a tip or front end, an annular large-diameter portion
25
having a large diameter is formed at a rear end, and an annular groove
26
for fitting is formed at an intermediate portion, respectively. The annular large-diameter portion
25
located at the rear end of the straight end portion
28
is formed to make an inner diameter of the intermediate portion
20
larger than an inner diameter of the straight end portion
28
, thereby maintain a large flowing amount of the filler.
The engaging member or connecting member
34
includes an annular base portion
34
a
, a plurality of arm portions
34
b
, and first engaging portions
34
c
. Each of the arm portion
34
b
extends parallel to the straight end portion
28
toward the front end thereof via a support portion standing up from the annular base portion
34
a
radially outwardly. Each of the first engaging portion
34
c
is formed at a free end of the arm portion
34
b
to directed radially inwardly. The engaging member
34
is attached to the straight end portion
28
by forcedly fitting the annular base portion
34
a
into the ring groove
26
, and is protruded radially outwardly.
On the other hand, a metallic or a resin pipe
45
as the mating member includes tubular opened end portion
44
and an annular second engaging portion
42
. The opened end portion
44
has an inner diameter slightly larger than an outer diameter of the straight end portion Z
8
of the resin hose
10
, and the annular second engaging portion
42
is formed by folding back an opened tip end of the opened end portion
44
axially outwardly to be protruded from an outer surface of the opened end portion
44
radially outwardly.
When the resin hose
10
is connected with the pipe
45
, the straight end portion
28
is inserted into the opened end portion
44
. As insertion of the straight end portion
28
, the arm portions
34
b
of the engaging member
34
are elastically or resiliently deformed radially outwardly once by the second engaging portion
42
, and then returned radially inwardly when it has passed by the second engaging portion
42
, whereby the first engaging portion
34
c
engages with the second engaging portion
42
.
By the way, in the above connecting structure the intermediate portion
20
of the hose body
15
is preferably formed by a thin tubular wall to increase flexibility of the hose body
15
.
However, the hose body
15
is usually produced by a blow-forming when it is made of the resin material, and is produced by a metal liquid bulge forming at the end portion and/or the bellow partially by a thin tube drawn into a constant thickness when it is made of the metallic material. For this reason, making only the intermediate portion
20
thinner than the both straight end portions
28
is difficult in both of the resin hose and metallic hose, that is, to increase the flexibility of intermediate portion
20
, the whole hose body
15
needs to be thinned. Thus, the straight end portions
28
are also thinned to reduce strength or rigidity thereof.
As a result, when the straight end portion
28
of the hose body
15
is connected to the opened end portion
44
of the mating member
45
and the fluid is flown therethrough, an axially central portion of the straight end portion
28
bulges radially outwardly by the fluid pressure. In this way, the sealing character by the sealing member
23
between the straight end portion
28
and the opened end portion
44
may be deteriorated, and the engagement of the first engaging portion
34
c
with the second engaging portion
42
may be disengaged.
Also, when this connecting structure is used under a cold environment below 10° C., the axially central portion of the straight end portion
28
may be shrunk radially inwardly, so that the disadvantages that the sealing character by the sealing member
23
between the straight end portion
28
and the opened end portion
44
may be deteriorated and the engagement of the first engaging portion
34
c
with the second engaging portion
42
may be disengaged are caused.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and has a first object to provide a connecting structure of a hose with a mating member which can increase a sealing character between a straight end portion of the hose body and an opened end portion of the mating member securely by reinforcing the straight end portion of the hose body by the connecting member, when the whole hose body is formed by a thin tubular wall in view of the flexibility of the intermediate portion of the hose body. Also, the present invention has a second object to provide the connecting structure of the hose with the mating member in which a first engaging portion of the connecting member attached to the hose body can engage with a second engaging portion of the mating member strongly by reinforcing the straight end portion of the hose body by the connecting member, when the whole hose body is formed by a thin tubular wall in view of the flexibility of the intermediate portion of the hose body.
Inventors of this application have hit on to strength the straight end portion by a part of the connecting member attached to an outer surface of the straight end portion, by improving shape of the connecting member.
In order to achieve the above object, the hose connecting structure for connecting a tubular hose body formed by a thin cylindrical wall with a mating member in a fluidtight condition, comprises said tubular hose body including the thin cylindrical wall having an outer surface an an inner surface extending substantially parallel to the outer surface in the tube, and extending from one end to other end; a straight end portion formed integral with said hose body at least at the one end extending straightly, and an annular groove formed on a mold-formed outer surface thereof and extending radially inwardly integral with the mold-formed outer surface at position axially spaced from a tip end, to be connected with said mating member; an connecting member including a cylindrical portion secured to the outer surface of said straight end portion coaxially therewith, an annular protrusion extending radially inwardly from an inner peripheral surface of other end of the cylindrical portion and fitted into the annular groove, a sealing groove formed on an outer peripheral surface of the one end of the cylindrical portion, a plural first engaging elements each extending radially outwardly from the outer peripheral surface of the other end of the cylindrical portion to provide a radial space between the first engaging element and the outer
Ichikawa Hiroyuki
Kawasaki Minoru
Miyajima Atsuo
Hook James
Jacobson Holma, PLLC
Tokai Rubber Industries Ltd.
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