JP2002195484A - Seal joint - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent damage of a seal joint caused by an O-ring, etc., mounted on the outer circumference of an opening as strongly rubbing and caught on the inner surface of the opening, etc., when various members are attached to/ detached from the opening while sealing the opening. SOLUTION: A seal plug 2 as a member to be attached to the opening 1 consists of a main body 4 with a shaft part 3 at the center, a movable sleeve 6 with an expanding tapered part 5 formed at the top, an operating member 8 engaged with a rod 7 of the movable sleeve 6 to integrally move with the rod, a spring 9 contracted and mounted between the operating member 8 and the main body 4 of the seal plug, and an O-ring 10 pressure-contacted to the inner surface of the opening 1 for sealing. The movement of an operating member 13 is stopped by the end surface 12 of the opening 1 with a force to push in the seal plug 2, the O-ring 10 is moved from the expanding side of the expanding tapered part 5 of the movable sleeve 6 to a land part 18 with a force to further push in the main body 4 of the seal plug, and the O-ring is pressed against the inner surface of the opening 1 for sealing. The seal plug is taken out by moving the O-ring to the tapered side of the expanding tapered part by the main body 4 of the seal plug.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seal joint for use in sealing and releasing a fluid container or a pipe line or connecting and disconnecting a pipe line in an apparatus for handling various fluids. The present invention relates to a seal joint capable of performing a sealing function by deforming a sealing portion from a retracted state to an expanded state when moved to a proper position.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In various devices for handling fluids, for example, in order to seal and release a container or a fluid line containing a fluid, or to connect and disconnect fluid lines from each other. Are used, but it is necessary to make sure that a fluid does not leak from a joint portion of these components. Various seal joints for connecting components while performing sealing in this way have been conventionally proposed, and for example, there are members as shown in FIG.

That is, the member shown in FIG.
1 shows an example of a hermetic plug 82 for closing the hermetic plug 1, and a hermetic plug main body 83 made of various materials such as metal or synthetic resin.
A protrusion 89 for fitting is formed at the tip end, and a grip portion 84 for pulling out and inserting the sealing plug 82 is formed at the rear portion. A ring-shaped groove 85 is formed on the outer periphery of the fitting projection 89, and an O-ring 8 as a ring-shaped elastic sealing member made of rubber, elastic synthetic resin, or the like is formed in the groove 85.
6 are stored.

The diameter of the outer peripheral edge of the O-ring 86 is set to be larger than the outer shape of the fitting projection 89 and larger than the inner diameter of the opening 81, so that when the opening 81 of the container 80 is sealed by the sealing plug 82. When the user grips the grip portion 84 and inserts the fitting projection 89 into the opening 81, the O-ring 86 contacts the inner periphery of the opening 81 after the distal end portion 87 enters the opening 81, and in this state, the hermetic plug is sealed. When the 82 is strongly pushed, the O-ring 86 is compressed and fits into the opening 81. At this time, a strong frictional force is generated between the O-ring 86 and the inner surface of the opening 81, and the sealing plug 82 is further pushed in against the frictional force, whereby the fitting projection 89 of the sealing plug 82 is completely inserted, and The work of mounting the stopper is completed.

[0005]

As described above, the sealing stopper 8
In the case of 2, since the sealing action is performed by the force when the O-ring 86 is compressed at the time of mounting, the greater the force generated between the O-ring 86 and the inner peripheral surface of the opening, the better the sealing property. Therefore, in order to ensure sufficient sealing, this O
If the elastic repulsion due to the compression of the ring is increased, an extremely large frictional force is generated when the hermetic plug is inserted, and a large amount of labor is required for the insertion operation.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 10A, when an uneven portion 88 such as a thread projecting from the inner surface of the opening 81 is formed, when the hermetic plug 82 is inserted, FIG.
As shown in the figure, the O-ring 86 makes strong contact with the uneven portion 88,
In this state, it is extremely difficult to push the plug, and the O-ring 86 will be damaged, which may cause poor sealing. This also causes the same problem when the surface accuracy is poor, for example, when the inner surface of the opening is not polished, or when the openings have different diameters. Further, when the hermetic plug is repeatedly used in one process in a factory, the seal portion is quickly deteriorated, so that the O-ring 86 needs to be frequently replaced.

On the other hand, in a case where the container to which the above-mentioned hermetic plug is attached is formed by combining and forming the upper and lower halves with a synthetic resin and bonding them together at a connecting portion by welding or welding, etc., An airtight inspection may be performed to check whether the joint is in a sealed state. In this case, the inspection is performed as follows. That is, one by one is manually attached to all but one of the openings provided in the container, and then the container is attached to a predetermined position in the opened airtightness inspection machine. A gas inlet nozzle is connected to the remaining opening of the container in an airtight state. Thereafter, the airtightness inspection machine is closed, an inspection gas is introduced into the container from the gas introduction nozzle, and it is inspected whether gas leakage occurs from the container. After the inspection is completed, the airtightness inspection machine is released, the inspected container is removed, and the hermetic plug attached to the container is pulled out one by one by hand to complete the airtightness inspection process.

When such an airtightness inspection is performed as, for example, one process in a production line, it is necessary to perform this inspection as quickly and reliably as possible in consideration of the overall production efficiency. As described above, the work of manually attaching the hermetic plugs one by one to the opening of the container and attaching it to the airtightness inspection machine, and the work of removing from the airtightness inspection machine after the inspection is completed and removing the mounted hermetic plugs one by one are extremely labor intensive. It becomes a work and it has to be a bottleneck in the production line. Further, there is also a problem that a person who continuously performs this work becomes an extremely heavy work when the frictional force of the O-ring of the hermetic plug is large as described above.

The above-mentioned problems occur not only when a hermetic plug is attached to the opening of the container, but also when, for example, a nozzle for an inspection gas is attached to the opening of the container. In addition, for example, when attaching a lid or a conduit for introducing or discharging a fluid to the opening of various containers or conduits, similar problems occur in labor at the time of attachment, damage to the O-ring for sealing, mounting time, and the like. .

Accordingly, the present invention provides a seal joint for joining two members in a sealed state without requiring a large amount of labor when joining or removing the seal joint, without damaging the sealing portion, and furthermore, quickly. A main object of the present invention is to provide a seal joint which can be attached or detached from a vehicle.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a ring-shaped elastic seal member, and a main body for holding the ring-shaped elastic seal member at a predetermined position on the outer periphery. A movable sleeve that is movable in the axial direction with respect to the main body, and an operating member that moves integrally with the movable sleeve, wherein the movable sleeve has a tapered surface that increases in diameter from inside to outside of the ring-shaped elastic seal member. With
The seal joint is characterized in that the ring-shaped elastic sealing member is pressed against the inner surface of the opening by the tapered surface of the movable sleeve by moving the operating member in the axial direction.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 is configured such that the operating member is moved by a force for pushing the seal joint into the opening and a force for pulling out the seal joint by acting on the end face of the opening. .

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is configured such that the operating member is moved by the action of a screw due to the relative rotation between the main body and the operating member.

The invention according to claim 4 is such that the operating member is configured so that the main body and the operating member are relatively moved by a lever.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the main body has an outer cylindrical portion and an inner shaft formed of different members, and a movable sleeve accommodating portion is formed between the cylindrical portion and the shaft. It is.

The invention according to claim 6 uses the seal joint as a hermetic plug for closing an opening.

Further, the invention according to claim 7 is that the seal joint is used for a hermetic plug which is attached when an airtight inspection of the container is performed.

The invention according to claim 8 uses the seal joint as a nozzle for supplying a fluid.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the seal joint is fixed in a frame of an airtightness inspection machine, an opening of an object to be inspected is fitted to the seal joint, and then the airtightness inspection machine is closed. A seal joint for an airtightness inspection machine is provided in which a seal joint is attached to the opening by a force when the seal is closed, and is removed by a force when the seal is released.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which the structure of the apparatus of the present invention is simplified as much as possible and a hermetic plug 2 is mounted on an opening 1. FIG. 1 (a) shows a state before the hermetic plug 2 is mounted on the opening 1.
(B) shows the state after mounting and at the time of removal. The hermetic plug 2 is provided with a hermetic plug main body 4 having a shaft portion 3 at the center, a movable sleeve 6 slidably provided on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 3 and having an expanded tapered portion 5 at a distal end portion, and a movable sleeve 6 6, an operating member 8 which engages with a rod 7 projecting radially outward from the vicinity of the rear end and moves integrally with the movable sleeve 6, and a spring 9 contracted between the operating member 8 and the hermetic plug main body 4.
O, which is expanded by the relative movement with respect to the expanding tapered portion 5 and presses against the inner peripheral surface of the opening 1 to perform a sealing action.
It comprises a ring 10 and a seal member 11 for sealing between the outer periphery of the shaft 3 and the inner periphery of the movable sleeve 6. In addition, as a member that performs a sealing action on the inner peripheral surface of the opening 1, a ring-shaped elastic seal member of various shapes can be used in addition to the above-described O-ring.

Before the hermetic plug 2 is attached to the opening 1 in a sealed state, the end face 12 of the opening 1 does not contact the upper end face 13 of the operating member 8 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the spring 9 pushes the operating member 8 and the movable sleeve 6 connected to the operating member 8 by the rod 7 upward in the drawing. Therefore, the elastic force of the O-ring 10 causes the O-ring 1 to be attached to the base 14 of the expanding tapered portion 5 at the end of the movable sleeve 6 which has not been expanded as shown in the figure.
0 is located. In this state, the outer peripheral edge portion 15 of the O-ring 10 is located inside the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 16 extending from the hermetic plug main body 4 to the distal end on the outer peripheral side. Thereby, when inserting the tip portion of the plug 2 into the opening 1 as shown in FIG. 1A, the O-ring 10 can be inserted without contacting the inner surface of the opening 1.

The sealing plug 2 is further opened from the state shown in FIG.
When inserted upward in the drawing, the end surface 12 of the opening 1 and the end surface 13 of the operating member 8 come into contact with each other, and the movement of the operating member stops here. When the spring 9 is pushed firmly, the spring 9 is compressed. As described above, since the operation member 8 is stopped at this position despite the movement of the plug 2, only the plug main body 4 moves upward in the figure,
At this time, since the movable sleeve 6 connected by the rod 7 of the operating member 8 is also stopped, the relative movement between the movable sleeve and the plug body 4 is performed. As a result, in a state where the expanding tapered portion 5 formed at the tip of the movable sleeve 6 is fixed, it is fitted into the O-ring fitting hole 17 of the tubular portion 16 integrated with the hermetic plug main body 4 and is axially oriented. The immovable O-ring 10 moves in the opening direction together with the cylindrical portion 16 and moves from the small-diameter portion of the expanding tapered portion 5 to the large-diameter portion.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the state of the expanding tapered portion 5 and the O-ring at this time, and FIG. 2A shows the same state as that of FIG. Are located on the base 14 of the expansion taper 5 that has not yet expanded.
From this state, when the hermetic plug 2 is pushed in as described above and the O-ring 10 moves upward relative to the expanding tapered portion 5 in the figure, the O-ring 10 expands as shown in FIG. It is pushed and expanded by the tapered portion 5. When the hermetic plug 2 is further pushed into the opening 1, as shown in FIG. 2C, the O-ring 10 is pushed up from the expanded taper portion 5 to the land portion 18 that follows the O-ring 10 while moving on the inner surface of the opening 1. Held in position. At this time, the entire structure of the stopper 2 is shown in FIG.
It is shown in (b).

At this time, the O-ring 10 is elastically deformed by being pressed between the land 18 and the inner surface of the opening 1 to perform a reliable sealing action and to return the spring 9 even when the pressing force against the sealing plug 2 is released. Regardless of the force, the stopper 2 does not come off. Further, by setting the force of the O-ring 10 on the inner wall of the opening 1 at this time to a desired appropriate value in advance, it is possible to maintain a predetermined sealing state in this state. In this setting, for example, the gap between the land portion 18 and the inner surface of the opening 1 is adjusted, the diameter of the O-ring 10 is adjusted, and the elastic force is adjusted by arbitrarily selecting the material of the O-ring. It can be set arbitrarily.

As described above, when the hermetic plug 2 is applied to the opening of the container to be attached to the airtightness inspection device,
A leak can be inspected by attaching all of the hermetic plugs to a predetermined opening and then injecting an inspection gas into the container. When the hermetic plug 2 is used for other purposes, the operation corresponding to those uses is performed.

In the case where the hermetic plug 2 is applied to the above-described container airtightness inspection, after the inspection is completed, the hermetic plug 2 is closed.
The O-ring 10 is moved downward in the drawing through the hermetic plug main body portion 4, the shaft portion 3, and the distal end portion 18 by strongly pulling the O. At this time, the movable sleeve 6 does not move because it is pressed by the compression force of the spring 9, whereby the O-ring 10 moves from the land portion 18 to the expanding tapered portion 5 while moving on the inner surface of the opening 1. The relationship between the O-ring 10 and the expanding tapered portion 5 is opposite to the operation when the hermetic plug 2 is attached in FIG.
Will be moved to

Thereafter, when the sealing plug 2 is further pulled out, the frictional force of the O-ring compressed between the expanding tapered portion 5 and the opening 1 becomes small. FIG. 2
Immediately move to the state of (c). Then, O-ring 10
The sealing plug 2 can be pulled out from the opening 1 in a state in which the friction has completely disappeared.

In the above example, when the hermetic plug 2 is attached to the opening 1 of the container or the like and the extraction operation is performed, the hermetic plug 2 is moved with respect to the opening 1.
The same operation can be performed by fixing the opening and moving the opening 1 of the container or the like.

In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which a hermetic plug is attached to a container or the like. However, in the above-mentioned container airtightness inspection, this seal joint is used for a nozzle portion when gas is injected into the container. You can also. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a nozzle through hole 21 is formed in the sealed plug main body 4 along the central axis of the nozzle 20, and a pipe is connected to a pipe connection portion 19 at the end thereof. Provide a valve in the piping. Thus, when the nozzle 20 is inserted into the nozzle insertion opening with the valve closed, the O-ring 1
0 is inserted without contact. Further, the O-ring is expanded by the expanding tapered portion 5 of the movable sleeve 6 by the force for pushing the nozzle 20 in the same manner as described above, so that reliable sealing can be automatically performed. Then release the valve of the pipe,
Inspection is performed by injecting an inspection gas into the container. After the inspection is completed, the nozzle 20 can be easily extracted by the reverse process.

In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the O-ring is expanded by the action of the expanding taper portion of the movable sleeve by the force of pressing the sealing plug or the nozzle against the opening, and the O-ring is pressed against the inner surface of the opening. Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the O-ring can be expanded by moving the movable sleeve with a screw. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a screw threaded portion 23 in which the hermetic plug main body 4 and the operating member 8 are screwed to each other is formed, and a knob portion 24 is provided at the rear end of the hermetic plug main body 4. Further, a rotation pressing portion 25 is provided on the outer periphery of the operating member 8. The rod portion 7 extending from the movable sleeve 6 is provided with a groove 2 provided on the inner periphery of the operating member 8.
2 are fitted.

In inserting the sealing plug 2 into the opening in this embodiment, the knob body 24 is rotated in a state where the rotation pressing portion 25 of the operating member 8 is pressed in advance, so that the sealing plug main body 4 is relatively retracted. FIG.
As in (a), it is positioned at the base of the expanding tapered portion 5 to reduce the diameter. In this state, the hermetic plug 2 is inserted to an appropriate position in the opening.
5 is stopped to stop the rotation, and the knob body 24 is rotated by a finger to rotate the hermetic plug main body 4 so as to move leftward in FIG. As a result, as in the previous embodiment, O
The ring 10 moves to the left in FIG. 4 and expands by the action of the expanding taper, the O-ring moves to the land following the expanding taper, and the O-ring 10 is pressed against the inner surface of the opening to seal. be able to. When removing this stopper,
The knob 24 can be easily removed by rotating the knob 24 in the opposite direction. In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the rotary pressing portion 25 of the operating member 8 is pressed to rotate the knob portion 24 of the valve body 4 is shown.
The same operation can be performed even if the user presses 4 and rotates the rotary presser 25.

The movement of the movable sleeve can be further carried out in various manners, for example, by using a lever 26 as shown in FIG. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the end of the lever 26 is rotatable with respect to the shaft 28 which protrudes from the outer periphery of the sealed plug main body 4 through the through hole 27 of the operating member 8 located outside thereof. I support them. The intermediate portion of the lever 26 is rotatably fixed to a pin 30 protruding from the outer periphery of the operating member 8, whereby the operating portion 29 at the tip of the lever 26 is moved.
Is swung, the sealing plug main body 4 and the operating member 8 move relative to each other in the axial direction, and the movable sleeve 6 that moves integrally with the operating member 8 and the cylindrical portion 16 that moves integrally with the sealing plug main body. The supported O-ring 10 moves relatively in the axial direction. Thereby, the hermetic plug 2 can be mounted similarly to the above-described embodiments, and the hermetic plug 2 can be easily removed by swinging the lever 26 in the opposite direction thereafter.

In the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which the lever moves the sealing plug main body and the movable sleeve relative to each other. However, by using a cam or a link mechanism, for example, The same operation can be performed by using the mechanism described above.

The above embodiment shows an example in which the seal joint according to the present invention is formed with a minimum number of components in order to show the basic structure of the seal joint. You can also. That is, the hermetic plug main body 31 located at the central portion and the cylindrical member 32 on the outer periphery thereof are manufactured as separate members, and are integrally connected to each other by a cotter 33 at a lower portion thereof. A distal end cover 35 is fixed to the distal end of the hermetic plug main body 31 with a screw 34. In addition, the movable sleeve 36 has a sliding space 4 formed on the outer periphery of the shaft portion of the hermetic plug main body 31 and the inner periphery of the cylindrical member 32.
Within 0, it is slidably supported in the axial direction.
The operating member 38 is connected to the rod 3
9 are integrally connected.

The seal joint having such a structure can operate in the same manner as in the above-described embodiments, and the O-ring 41 is positioned at the base of the expanding tapered portion 42 of the movable sleeve 36 as shown in FIG. With the stopper 43 closed.
4 Insert the tip. Thereafter, the distal end of the opening 43 comes into contact with the end surface of the operating member 38, and from this state the spring 4
When the sealing member 44 is pushed in against the movable member 42, the cylindrical member 32 further moves with respect to the movable sleeve 42 whose movement is restricted. Is expanded, the O-ring is pressed against the inner surface of the opening 43, and the mounting operation is completed in the state shown in FIG. When removing the hermetic plug, the hermetic plug can be easily pulled out by pulling out the hermetic plug in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

In this embodiment, unlike the above-mentioned embodiments, in particular, since the hermetic plug main body is separate from the cylindrical member 32 and connected and integrated by the cotter 33, the movable sleeve 36 is slidably held. The sliding space 40 can be easily formed by combining the outer peripheral shape and the inner peripheral shape of both members. Further, a tip cover 35 is fixed to the tip of the sealed plug main body portion with a screw 34, and this tip cover 3
Since the O-ring housing portion 37 is formed between 5 and the tip of the cylindrical member 32, the O-ring housing portion 37 can be easily formed between the two members. Also, since the operating member 38 and the movable sleeve 36 are connected by one rod 39, both can be easily integrated.

The seal joint according to the present invention can be used for various devices such as a hermetic plug and a nozzle with the above-described structure, and is applied to, for example, an airtight inspection of a container as shown in FIG. be able to. The airtightness inspection device 50 includes a lower frame 52 fixed to a lower body 51 and an upper frame 54 fixed to an upper body 53, and the lower frame 52 faces upward as shown in FIG. One sealing plug 55 is fixed, and a guide projection 56 is provided at a central portion. FIG. 7 shows a state during the inspection operation. In this state, the first stopper 55 is
The guide projection 56 is fitted into a first opening 58 formed on the lower surface of the container 57 so as to protrude therefrom.

A gas introduction pipe 69 penetrating through the lower body 51 is fitted into the guide projection 56, and a nozzle 60 as shown in FIG. ing. The nozzle 60 is fitted into a nozzle receiving projection 61 projecting downward substantially at the center of the upper wall of the container 57. An appropriate through hole 62 is formed in the nozzle receiving projection 61 so that a pressure gas introduced from the gas introducing pipe 58 through the nozzle 60 can be supplied into the container to perform an airtight inspection. .

A second hermetic plug 63 having the same structure as the first hermetic plug 55 is fixed to the upper frame 54 in a downward direction, and a holding projection 64 is formed at a central portion thereof. The second stopper 63 is attached to a third opening 65 protruding from the upper surface of the container.
7 is holding the upper wall. The lower frame 52 and the upper frame 54 are in contact with each other at the opening end faces thereof, and a seal 66 is provided at the contact portion so that the upper body 53 is outlined with respect to the first body 51 fixed to the lower side. The sealing action is reliably performed at the seal 66 by the pressing force as indicated by the arrow, whereby a sealed space can be formed inside.

The object to be inspected of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is formed by combining a lower half container 67 made of synthetic resin and an upper half container 68 fitted into the lower half container. An example of the container 57 is shown, and at the time of manufacturing this container, the fitting portion between the lower half container 67 and the upper half container 68 is fixed by bonding, or after fitting, the periphery of this portion is An example in which they are integrated in an airtight state by welding is shown. The container 57 manufactured in this manner is
In particular, it is necessary to inspect whether the confidentiality of the bonded or welded portion is sufficient. Since the above-described container is formed in any other shape in various forms, the airtightness inspection device 50 sets the position of the sealing plug, the position of the nozzle, the position of the holding member, and the like according to the shape and the position of the opening.

When the above-described airtightness inspection apparatus is used, for example, the upper frame 54 of the airtightness inspection apparatus 50 shown in FIG.
Is open to the lower frame 52, as shown in the figure, first, the first sealing plug 55 is fixed to the lower frame 52, and the nozzle 60 is fixed to the gas introduction pipe 58. The container 57 is covered with the guide projection 56 fitted and guided in the central opening 59. At this time, since the container 57 as the inspection object is light, the first opening 58 is the first opening 58.
When placed on the hermetic stopper 55, it is placed without substantially compressing the spring of the first hermetic stopper. At this time, the lower end of the lower center projecting guide 70 projecting downward at the center of the lower surface of the container is separated from the open end surface receiving step 71 formed on the outer periphery of the guide projection 56 of the lower frame 52.

At this time, the nozzle receiving projection 61 is fitted to the nozzle 60, and the opening end thereof is placed on the nozzle 60. Again, the spring of the nozzle is not substantially compressed by the container. As described above, since the spring of the first sealing plug 55 and the nozzle 60 is not compressed, each O-ring is not expanded, and the first opening 58 of the container and the nozzle receiving projection 61 are frictionless. It does not damage the O-ring when the plug or nozzle is installed.

In this state, by lowering the upper body 53 as shown in FIG. 8, the upper frame 54 is moved toward the lower frame 52. At this time, since the accurate positioning of the upper frame 54 has been performed in advance, the second sealing plug 63 fixed to the upper frame 54 by this lowering.
Fits into the second opening 65 protruding above the container. At this time, as in the case of the first hermetic plug 55, the O-ring is not expanded, so that the tip of the second hermetic plug 63 has the second opening 65 without friction.
Can be fitted inside.

When the upper body 53 is further lowered, the operation member of the second sealing plug 63 becomes the second
After the distal end of the first opening 58 abuts the operating member of the first stopper 55 while abutting on the distal end of the opening 65, the springs of the first stopper 55 and the second stopper 63 are compressed, and the expansion of the movable sleeve of the two stoppers is performed. The O-ring moves to the large-diameter side of the open tapered portion, and each portion is finally sealed by the O-ring. At this time, the sealing is performed by the O-ring also in the nozzle 60 portion as described above. Finally, the entire test container is uniformly pressed by the pressing protrusion 64 at the center of the upper frame 54, and in this state, the valve of the waste introduction pipe 58 is released to introduce the test pressure gas. Since the subsequent airtight inspection itself has no direct relation to the present invention, its description is omitted.

After completion of the airtight inspection, when the upper body 53 is lifted after degassing the internal gas, the same operation as the operation of the above embodiment is performed, and the first plug 55, the second plug 63, and the nozzle 60 are closed. The seal by the O-ring is released. As a result, the container 57 includes the lower frame 52 and the upper frame 54.
Can be easily separated from each other, and an airtight inspection can be performed with almost no trouble of human hands.

In the conventional container airtightness inspection apparatus, a person who inspects a hermetic plug as shown in FIG. 9 is inserted into the first opening 58 and the second opening 65, respectively, by hand, and then attached to the inspection apparatus. Then, the nozzle is attached to the container, the inside of the container is sealed, and an inspection gas is introduced from the nozzle to perform an airtight inspection. After the inspection was completed, the airtight inspection machine was released, the container to be inspected was taken out of the inspection machine, and the sealing plug was manually pulled out from the opening to complete the inspection process.

In such a conventional inspection method, a large amount of labor is required for mounting and removing the hermetic plug into the opening, and
Further, there is a disadvantage that the O-ring for sealing the stopper is gradually damaged by the inner surface of the opening, so that an accurate airtight inspection cannot be performed. However, by using the above-described airtightness inspection apparatus, the inspection container can be automatically attached to the opening by simply placing the container to be inspected at a predetermined position of the inspection apparatus, and the inspection can be performed. Accordingly, when the container to be inspected is placed at a predetermined position of the inspection device and when the device for removing the container to be inspected from the inspection device after the inspection is also automated, all the above operations can be performed automatically. Becomes In addition, the O-ring having a sealing function such as a hermetic plug can be inspected accurately for a long period of time without wear or damage.

[0048]

Since the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is constructed as described above, in a seal joint which is connected to the inner surface of the opening while performing sealing by a ring-shaped elastic sealing member, a ring-shaped member is formed before joining. When the elastic seal member is retracted, it can be inserted into the opening to the coupling position in that state, it can be expanded and pressed against the inner surface of the opening by the operating member at the coupling position, and when it is removed from the opening Can be removed with the ring-shaped sealing member retracted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inner surface of the opening and the ring-shaped elastic seal member from coming into contact with each other when the seal joint is moved to or taken out of the joint position, and a large frictional force is not generated. These operations can be performed easily and quickly without requiring great force. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the ring-shaped elastic seal member from being damaged due to the contact therebetween.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the operating member is moved by a force for pushing the seal joint into the opening and a force for pulling out the seal joint when the operating member contacts the end face of the opening. Since the seal joint described above is used, the ring-shaped elastic seal member can be automatically expanded or reduced in diameter by simply pushing in or pulling out the seal joint without using any special means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the seal joint according to the first aspect, the operating member is moved by the action of a screw due to relative rotation between the main body and the operating member. The ring-shaped elastic seal member can be easily and reliably expanded or reduced in diameter by the operation of rotating the screw.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the seal joint according to the first aspect, the operating member relatively moves the main body and the operating member by a lever. Since the ring-shaped elastic seal can be automatically expanded or contracted by a moving operation, these operations can be performed without requiring a large force.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the outer cylindrical portion and the inner shaft portion are formed of different members, and a movable sleeve accommodating portion is formed between the cylindrical portion and the shaft portion. Since the seal joint according to the first aspect is provided, the housing portion of the movable sleeve can be easily formed, and the manufacturing cost of the seal joint can be reduced.

In the invention according to claim 6, since the seal joint is used as a hermetic plug for closing the opening, the opening of various containers or pipes can be easily and securely plugged.
It can be removed with a stopper.

Further, in the invention according to claim 7, since the seal joint is used for a hermetic plug to be attached when performing an airtightness inspection of the container, the hermetic plug required to have strict sealing properties is surely attached to the opening of the container. In addition to being removable, it can be easily and quickly attached and detached, and the airtightness inspection can be easily automated. In addition, since the ring-shaped elastic seal member is not damaged, the hermetic plug can be used without performing maintenance for a long time.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the seal joint is used for a nozzle for supplying a fluid, for example, when an airtight inspection of a container is performed, the nozzle can be easily and reliably secured while ensuring the sealing property. In addition, the removal operation can be repeated, and the airtightness inspection can be easily automated.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the seal joint is fixed in a frame of an airtightness inspection machine, an opening of an object to be inspected is fitted to the seal joint, and then the airtightness inspection machine is closed. The seal joint is attached to the opening by a force at the time of closing, and is removed by a force at the time of release, so that the seal joint according to claim 2 is used. By fixing the nozzle etc. to the frame of the airtightness inspection machine in advance, the seal joint of these parts can be automatically attached to or removed from the object to be inspected by opening and closing the airtightness inspection machine. This makes it possible to easily and accurately perform an airtight inspection without the need for an airtight inspection, and to further automate the airtight inspection.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a hermetic plug, where (a) shows a state before the ring-shaped elastic seal member is expanded, and (b) is a state after the ring-shaped elastic seal member is expanded. It is a figure showing the state of.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part showing an operation of the embodiment;
(A) is a state before the ring-shaped elastic seal member is expanded,
(B) is sectional drawing which shows the state during expansion, (c) shows the state after expansion.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a nozzle.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing another embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a hermetic plug.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a hermetic plug.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views showing still another embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a hermetic plug, wherein FIG. 6A shows a state before the ring-shaped elastic seal member is expanded, and FIG. It is a figure showing the state after expansion.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an airtightness inspection machine.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a state during the airtightness inspection in the same embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a hermetic plug using a conventional seal joint.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a concavo-convex portion is formed in an opening for mounting a hermetic plug in a conventional hermetic plug using a seal joint, and (a) is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the mounting. (B) is a partially enlarged sectional view during mounting.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Opening 2 Sealing plug 3 Shaft part 4 Sealing plug main body 5 Expanding taper part 6 Movable sleeve 7 Rod 8 Operating member 9 Spring 10 O-ring 11 Sealing member 12 End face 13 End face 14 Base 15 Outer edge part 16 Cylindrical part 17 O-ring Mating hole 18 Land

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A ring-shaped elastic seal member, a main body for holding the ring-shaped elastic seal member at a predetermined position in an axial direction on an outer periphery, a movable sleeve movable in an axial direction with respect to the main body, and an integral part of the movable sleeve. The movable sleeve has a tapered surface that expands in diameter from the inside to the outside of the ring-shaped elastic seal member, and the movable member is moved in the axial direction by the tapered surface of the movable sleeve. A seal joint wherein a ring-shaped elastic seal member is pressed against an inner surface of an opening. 2. The seal joint according to claim 1, wherein the actuating member moves by a force for pushing the seal joint into the opening and a force for pulling out the seal joint by contacting the end face of the opening. 3. The seal joint according to claim 1, wherein the actuating member moves by a screw action due to a relative rotation between the main body and the actuating member. 4. The seal joint according to claim 1, wherein the operating member relatively moves the main body and the operating member by a lever. 5. The body according to claim 1, wherein the outer cylindrical portion and the inner shaft portion are formed as separate members, and a movable sleeve housing portion is formed between the cylindrical portion and the shaft portion. Seal joint. 6. The seal joint according to claim 1, wherein said seal joint is used as a hermetic plug for closing an opening. 7. The seal joint according to claim 6, wherein the seal joint is used for a hermetic plug to be attached when performing an airtight inspection of the container. 8. The seal joint according to claim 1, wherein the seal joint is used for a nozzle for supplying a fluid. 9. The seal joint is fixed in a frame of an airtightness inspection machine, an opening of an object to be inspected is fitted to the seal joint, and then the airtightness inspection machine is closed. 3. The seal joint according to claim 2, wherein the seal joint is detached by a force when the seal joint is mounted and released.