JP7349127B2 - Connector with pulsation absorption function - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector having a pulsation absorbing function, and particularly to a connector having a pulsation absorbing function suitable for use in connecting fuel piping and the like.

As this type of connector, for example, there are connectors described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. The connector (fuel piping connector) described in Patent Document 1 includes a cylinder formed integrally with a housing, and a piston is housed in the cylinder. An O-ring (sealing member) is fitted into a groove formed on the outer circumference of the piston. The piston fitted with an O-ring plays the role of absorbing pulsation.

In the connector (fluid coupling) described in Patent Document 2, a bellows (pulsation absorber) made of resin or rubber is arranged inside the coupling body. Moreover, a form in which an elastic body such as a coil spring is built into the bellows is also described in Patent Document 2.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-163154 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-77973

The connectors described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the following problems.
In the connector described in Patent Document 1, the O-ring changes over time as it slides on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder, and as a result, the sliding resistance of the O-ring changes. There is a concern that this may change the effect of pulsation absorption. There is also a concern that the O-ring will wear out as it slides on the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder, and as a result, the sealing performance of the O-ring will deteriorate.

In the connector described in Patent Document 2, it is difficult to maintain airtightness inside the bellows. There is a concern that if the gas inside the bellows escapes, the pulsation absorption effect will change. Furthermore, it is difficult to manufacture an airtight bellows that incorporates an elastic body such as a coil spring.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a connector with a pulsation absorption function that is equipped with a pulsation absorber whose pulsation absorption effect does not change easily and which is easy to manufacture. It is.

The present invention provides a connector body into which a pipe is inserted, a joint that protrudes from the connector body and has a flow path communicating with a fluid flow path inside the connector body, and A connector with a pulsation absorbing function, comprising: a pulsation absorber made of a rubber material for absorbing pulsations of fluid flowing through a flow path; and a storage chamber formed inside the connector main body to store the pulsation absorber. It is. The pulsation absorber is a flat plate-shaped membrane part, and includes a membrane part that is fixed to the connector main body part at an outer peripheral edge part and partitions between the fluid flow path and the storage chamber, and is integrally molded with the membrane part. and a pillar part arranged in the storage chamber.

Since the pulsation absorber according to the present invention does not have a sliding part and does not have an internal space that requires airtightness, its pulsation absorption effect is difficult to change. Furthermore, since it is an integrally molded product, it is easy to manufacture.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pulsation absorbing connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which a pipe is connected to the pulsation absorbing connector. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pulsation-absorbing connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention, with a pipe connected to the pulsation-absorbing connector. It is a perspective view of the connector with a pulsation absorption function in the state where the pipe is connected to the connector with a pulsation absorption function according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the pulsation absorbing connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention, in which a pipe is connected to the pulsation absorbing connector. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pulsation absorber shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. FIG. 5 is a side view of the pulsation absorber shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The connectors 101 and 102 (connectors with pulsation absorption function) of this embodiment are, for example, fuel pipes for supplying fuel (fuel oil such as gasoline) from a fuel tank to an injector (fuel injection device, not shown) of an engine. A connector used to connect piping in a system.

(First embodiment)
The connector 101 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has an L-shape including a connector main body 1 into which a pipe 50 is inserted, and a male joint part 2 (joint part) protruding from the side surface of the connector main body 1. It is a connector. The connector main body 1 is composed of a housing 3 having the male joint 2 and a lid 4 fixed to an axial end of the housing 3. In this embodiment, the housing 3 and the male joint part 2 are orthogonal to each other, but the housing 3 and the male joint part 2 do not need to be orthogonal to each other. The angle formed by the two may be 45 degrees. In other words, the above-mentioned "L-shape" does not include only the angle between the housing 3 and the male joint part 2 of 90 degrees, but also various angles such as 30 degrees, 45 degrees, and 60 degrees. This also includes eggplants.

For example, a fuel hose (not shown) is connected to the male joint portion 2 . 1 and 2 is a component called a retainer for fixing the pipe 50 to the connector main body 1. As shown in FIG. The pipe 50 is fixed (locked) to the connector body 1 by engaging the spool portion 50a (annular convex portion) of the pipe 50 with the retainer 14. Note that for a more specific example of the retainer 14, please refer to the retainer described in JP-A No. 2015-48898, for example.

Inside the housing 3, an O-ring 10, an annular spacer 11, an O-ring 10, and an annular spacer 12 are inserted in this order. In this embodiment, two O-rings 10 are inserted into the housing 3, but the number of O-rings 10 is not limited to this.

Here, the flow path 2a of the male joint portion 2 through which fuel flows, the fluid flow path 1a inside the housing 3, and the flow path 50b of the pipe 50 are constantly kept at high pressure (fuel pressure) by a fuel pump (not shown). It will be in a state where it is covered. When fuel is injected from the injector, the pressure decreases, and when the injector valve closes, the pressure increases. This repetition causes the pressure to fluctuate, and this pressure fluctuation causes fuel (fluid) pulsation.

Therefore, a pulsation absorber 5 for absorbing the pulsation of the fuel (fluid) flowing through the flow path 2a, the fluid flow path 1a, the flow path 50b, etc. is formed inside the axial end of the connector body 1. It is stored in the storage chamber 1b. The pulsation absorber 5 has a flat plate-shaped membrane portion 6 and a strut portion 7 integrally formed with the membrane portion 6, all of which are made of a rubber material (an elastically deformable material). Note that, from the viewpoint of liquid resistance against fuel, it is preferable that the pulsation absorber 5 be formed of fluororubber among other rubber materials. The membrane portion 6 and the strut portion 7 are integrally molded, for example, by injection molding.

The membrane portion 6 is fixed to the connector main body portion 1 at its outer peripheral edge portion 6a, and partitions between the fluid flow path 1a and the storage chamber 1b.

The support column 7 extends in the axial direction of the pulsation absorber 5, and contacts the back surface 4a of the lid 4 (inner wall surface of the storage chamber 1b) in the axial direction. Further, in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, a gap S is provided between the support column 7 and the inner wall surface of the storage chamber 1b. The strut portion 7 has a cavity 8 extending in the axial direction of the pulsation absorber 5, and the cavity 8 opens on the opposite side from the membrane portion 6. The bottom corner portion 8a of the cavity 8 on the membrane portion 6 side has a rounded surface shape over the entire circumference. Further, the boundary portion 9 between the membrane portion 6 and the outer circumferential surface of the support portion 7 also has a rounded surface shape over the entire circumference.

The pulsation absorber 5 is assembled into the connector main body 1 in the following manner, for example. The end of the housing 3 opposite to the side into which the pipe 50 is inserted is a cylindrical portion 13 having an internal space with a larger diameter than the fluid flow path 1a. The outer peripheral edge 6a of the membrane portion 6 of the pulsation absorber 5 is placed against the inner step portion 13a of the cylindrical portion 13. Then, the cylindrical leg portion 4b of the lid body 4 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 13, and the tip of the leg portion 4b is pressed against the outer peripheral edge portion 6a of the membrane portion 6. Thereafter, the cylindrical portion 13 and the lid body 4 are joined by welding, adhesion, or the like. Note that the housing 3 and the lid 4 are, for example, resin parts.

(Second embodiment)
3 and 4 show a second embodiment of the connector 102 of the invention. Regarding this connector 102, parts and parts similar to those of the L-shaped connector 101 of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the connector 102 has a linear shape that includes a connector main body 1 into which the pipe 50 is inserted, and a male joint part 2 (joint part) that protrudes from the axial end of the connector main body 1. (straight type) connector. In addition, in this embodiment, the connector main body part 1 and the male joint part 2 are arrange|positioned on a straight line, but the male joint part 2 may be inclined with respect to the connector main body part 1.

In the connector 102, a storage chamber 1b for storing the pulsation absorber 5 is formed on the side surface of the end of the housing 3 opposite to the side where the pipe 50 is inserted. This storage chamber 1b includes a cylindrical portion 13 that is a part of the housing 3 and is formed to extend in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the housing 3, and a lid body 4 that closes the opening of the cylindrical portion 13. It is a space divided into sections.

As in the case of the first embodiment, the flat plate-shaped membrane part 6 constituting the pulsation absorber 5 has an inner step part 13a of the cylindrical part 13 and a leg part 4b of the lid body 4 at its outer peripheral edge part 6a. It is fixed to the connector main body part 1 by being held between the two.

Further, the strut portion 7 constituting the pulsation absorber 5 extends in the axial direction of the pulsation absorber 5, and contacts the back surface 4a of the lid 4 (inner wall surface of the storage chamber 1b) in the axial direction. Further, in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, a gap S is provided between the support column 7 and the inner wall surface of the storage chamber 1b. A hollow portion 8 is formed in the support portion 7, and a bottom corner portion 8a of the hollow portion 8 on the side of the membrane portion 6 and a boundary portion 9 between the membrane portion 6 and the outer circumferential surface of the support portion 7 are rounded over the entire circumference. The shape is also the same as in the first embodiment.

(action/effect)
According to the connectors 101 and 102, the pulsation absorber 5 made up of the membrane part 6 and the strut part 7 is elastically deformed, thereby alleviating the pressure fluctuation of the fuel flowing through the fluid flow path 1a, etc., and suppressing the pulsation of the fuel. It will be done. As a result, the error in the amount of fuel injected from the injector can be suppressed within a desired range. In addition, by appropriately adjusting the hardness (hardness of the rubber material), outer diameter, inner diameter of the hollow part 8, thickness of the membrane part 6, etc. of the strut part 7 constituting the pulsation absorber 5, various pulsation frequencies of the fluid can be adjusted. can be accommodated. Further, since the pulsation absorber 5 does not have a sliding part and does not have an internal space that requires airtightness, its pulsation absorption effect is difficult to change. Furthermore, since the pulsation absorber 5 is an integrally molded product, it is easy to manufacture.

Also, since the support column 7 is in contact with the back surface 4a of the lid body 4 (inner wall surface of the storage chamber 1b), the behavior (elastic deformation) of the membrane section 6 supported by the support column 7 from the back side is caused. is stable, and the effect of pulsation absorption is less likely to change.

In addition, in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the pulsation absorber 5, a gap S is provided between the support column 7 and the inner wall surface of the storage chamber 1b, so that the support column 7 is It becomes easier to elastically deform, and the effect of absorbing pulsation is more easily obtained.

Further, by forming the hollow portion 8 in the support portion 7, it becomes easier to cope with various pulsation frequencies of the fluid. Note that by adjusting the depth and inner diameter of the cavity 8 at the time of designing the pulsation absorber 5, various pulsation frequencies of the fluid can be accommodated.

Further, the bottom corner 8a of the cavity 8 on the side of the membrane 6 may have an R surface shape over the entire circumference, or the boundary portion 9 between the membrane portion 6 and the outer peripheral surface of the support column 7 may have an R surface shape over the entire circumference. By doing so, stress concentration on the boundary portion (shape changing portion) between the membrane portion 6 and the support portion 7 can be suppressed, and the durability of the pulsation absorber 5 is improved.

(Modified example)
The above embodiment can be modified as follows.
A gap may be formed between the support column 7 constituting the pulsation absorber 5 and the back surface 4a of the lid 4 (inner wall surface of the storage chamber 1b).

A solid support portion 7 without the hollow portion 8 may be used. Further, in the above embodiment, the hollow portion 8 extends in the axial direction of the pulsation absorber 5, but the pillar portion 7 has a hollow portion extending in a direction different from the axial direction, such as a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. may be formed.

In the above embodiment, one support column 7 is formed on the back side of the membrane part 6 (opposite side to the fluid flow path 1a); For example, a plurality of strut portions having an outer diameter smaller than the strut portion 7 may be formed.

The bottom corner 8a of the cavity 8 on the side of the membrane part 6 does not necessarily have to be in the shape of an R surface, for example, it may be in the shape of a C surface, or it does not have to extend all the way around. The same applies to the boundary portion 9 between the membrane portion 6 and the outer circumferential surface of the support portion 7, and the boundary portion 9 does not necessarily have to be in the shape of an R surface. For example, it may be in the shape of a C surface. It does not have to cover the entire circumference.

Regarding the male joint portion 2 of the connectors 101 and 102, this portion may be a threaded joint, a flange joint, or the like.

Furthermore, the uses of the connectors 101 and 102 are not limited to connecting fuel piping and the like. For example, the connectors 101 and 102 may be used to connect pipes through which water flows. The pulsation absorber 5 can suppress water pulsation, and can also suppress cracking of the connector body 1 and the connected pipe when the water freezes. Furthermore, the connectors 101 and 102 may be used to connect pipes through which compressed air flows, and in this application, pulsation of compressed air can be suppressed.

It goes without saying that various other changes can be made within the scope of those skilled in the art.

1: Connector body part 1a: Fluid flow path 1b: Storage chamber 2: Male joint part (joint part)
2a: Channel 5: Pulsation absorber 6: Membrane portion 6a: Outer peripheral portion 7: Support portion 8: Cavity portion 8a: Bottom corner portion 9: Boundary portion 50: Pipes 101, 102: Connectors (connectors with pulsation absorption function)
S: Gap

Claims (4)

a connector body into which the pipe is inserted;
a joint portion that protrudes from the connector body portion and has a flow path communicating with a fluid flow path inside the connector body portion;
a pulsation absorber made of a rubber material for absorbing pulsations of the fluid flowing through the fluid flow path;
a storage chamber formed inside the connector main body and storing the pulsation absorber;
Equipped with
The pulsation absorber is
a flat membrane portion that is fixed to the connector main body portion at an outer peripheral edge portion and partitions between the fluid flow path and the storage chamber;
a strut portion integrally molded with the membrane portion and disposed in the storage chamber;
has
The support column extends in the axial direction of the pulsation absorber and is in contact with an inner wall surface of the storage chamber in the axial direction,
A gap is formed between the support column and an inner wall surface of the storage chamber in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.
Connector with pulsation absorption function. The connector with a pulsation absorption function according to claim 1 ,
A hollow portion having an opening is formed in the support portion.
Connector with pulsation absorption function. The connector with a pulsation absorption function according to claim 2 ,
The cavity extends in the axial direction of the pulsation absorber,
A bottom corner of the hollow portion on the side of the membrane portion has a rounded surface shape;
Connector with pulsation absorption function. The connector with a pulsation absorption function according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A boundary portion between the membrane portion and the outer circumferential surface of the support portion has an R surface shape;
Connector with pulsation absorption function.

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