KR102722887B1 - Pipe connector for service valve - Google Patents

Abstract

A pipe connecting device for a service valve according to the present invention is a device for connecting a pipe to a flare type service valve. A bushing has a male thread on its outer surface and passes a pipe through a central circular hole. A nut has a central circular hole, and a first female thread formed on the inner side of one opening to be engaged with a male thread of a valve port, a second female thread formed on the inner side of the other opening to be engaged with a male thread of a bushing, and a protrusion formed to protrude from the inner surface to be in close contact with an inclined surface of a valve port. An O-ring for a valve seals between the nut and the valve port. An O-ring for a nut seals between a bushing and a nut. An O-ring for a pipe seals between a bushing and a pipe. A stop ring is arranged inside the nut closer to the end of the pipe than an O-ring for a pipe to clamp the pipe. A cup plunger is pushed against an inclined surface of the valve port as the valve port is engaged with the nut while the pipe is inserted between the stop ring and the valve port through the central circular hole, thereby in contact with the stop ring and the pipe. A washer is placed between the stop ring and the pipe O-ring to support the stop ring. The locking cap is pre-fastened to the first female thread of the nut and adjusted to the insertion depth of the pipe, then disengaged from the nut to allow subsequent fastening of the valve port.

Description

{Pipe connector for service valve}

The present invention relates to a pipe connecting device for a service valve, and more specifically, to a technology relating to a device used to connect a flare type service valve to a pipe.

In general, when installing an air conditioner, the pipes are connected using a fastening nut on the service valve of the outdoor unit and the union of the indoor unit. However, in the past, the types of pipes and service valves were standardized and the work method was the same, so there was no confusion/misuse during the installation process.

However, recently, due to the rapid rise in raw material prices and the unstable supply and demand of installation materials, various piping materials have been used, such as modifying the form of service valves or changing the type of piping from the existing copper material to aluminum material, which has increased confusion during installation work and led to frequent cases of incorrect use of piping materials, resulting in a sharp increase in accidents such as gas leaks and piping detachment.

There are two main types of service valves used in air conditioners: flare type service valves and fitting type service valves. The flare type service valve is called a flare type because the end of the valve port that is connected to the fastening nut has a tapered slope, and the end of the pipe that is connected is flared in a trumpet shape to match the slope of the valve.

Conventionally, a flare type service valve must use copper piping for the following reasons: The piping must be made of copper material for easy flaring. When the piping is fastened to the valve by a fastening nut, the flared portion of the piping must be compressed between the inclined surface of the valve and the inclined surface of the fastening nut to maintain airtightness. Therefore, copper piping of the same material as the valve and fastening nut must be used to prevent corrosion of dissimilar metals.

When applying aluminum pipes to make strong connections, the flared portion of the aluminum pipes is pressed against the slope of the valve and the slope of the fastening nut, becoming thin and weak, and failing to withstand the high pressure, causing a phenomenon of breakage. As such, since expensive copper pipes must be applied according to the conventional method, the cost increases significantly compared to when aluminum pipes are applied.

Although air conditioner manufacturers/installers recommend the use of pre-installed piping through training, there are cases in which aluminum piping is incorrectly used in some fields for the purpose of cost reduction, which causes corrosion, gas leakage, and accidents such as piping detachment due to piping tearing and rupture.

In addition, when installing one air conditioner, there are on average 4 to 6 flare processing areas, and since their specifications are all different, it takes a considerable amount of time if the worker is not skilled in the work. If the surface roughness and shape are not satisfactory after inspection after flare processing, the worker has to cut the pipe and repeat the reprocessing, which is a difficult task.

Workers must tighten the fastening nut while carefully considering the compression amount of the pipe. However, in the case of inexperienced workers, they may tighten it too weakly, causing a gas leak, or tighten it too strongly, causing the compression part of the pipe to be lost and causing a gas leak again. Therefore, most workers have to use a torque wrench, which is inconvenient. This requires a lot of time and money, and there are problems such as reduced workability.

Patent Publication No. 10-1153412 (Published on February 18, 2011)

The object of the present invention is to provide a pipe connecting device for a service valve that can reduce costs and maintain construction quality by enabling the application of pipes of various materials.

In order to achieve the above object, a pipe connecting device for a service valve according to the present invention is a device for connecting a pipe to a flare-type service valve in which an end of a valve port having a male screw on an outer surface is tapered to form an inclined surface, and includes a bushing, a nut, an O-ring for a valve, an O-ring for a nut, an O-ring for a pipe, a stop ring, a cup plunger, a washer, and a locking cap.

The bushing has a male thread on its outer surface and passes a pipe through its central circular hole. The nut has a central circular hole, a first female thread formed on the inner side of one opening to engage with the male thread of the valve port, a second female thread formed on the inner side of the other opening to engage with the male thread of the bushing, and a protrusion formed to protrude from the inner side toward the inclined surface of the valve port to ensure close contact. An O-ring for a valve seals between the nut and the valve port. An O-ring for a nut seals between the bushing and the nut. An O-ring for a pipe seals between the bushing and the pipe. A stop ring is placed inside the nut closer to the end of the pipe than the O-ring for the pipe to clamp the pipe.

The cup plunger is pushed against the inclined surface of the valve port as the valve port is engaged with the nut while the pipe is inserted through the central circular hole between the stop ring and the valve port, thereby pressing the stop ring against the pipe. The washer is positioned between the stop ring and the pipe O-ring to support the stop ring. The locking cap is pre-fastened to the first female thread of the nut and is then disassembled from the nut to allow subsequent engagement of the valve port.

Here, the stop ring may include a ring rim and hook portions arranged at equal intervals along the inner circumference of the ring rim, each of which is inclined toward the cup plunger. In addition, the cup plunger may include a central body portion that fits the pipe in a close state, an inclined step portion that extends in a tapered shape from a front end of the central body portion to catch the front end of the pipe, a plunger contact portion that extends from the inclined step portion and contacts an inclined surface of the valve port, and a plunger inclined portion that extends in an extended shape from a rear end of the central body portion and presses the hook portions into the pipe.

Here, the bushing may include a bushing step protruding from the inner surface to limit movement of the washer toward the pipe O-ring, and a bushing sloped portion corresponding to the pipe O-ring and having an inclined shape that becomes narrower as it moves away from the pipe end to compress and deform the pipe O-ring so as to adhere it to the pipe.

Here, the locking cap may include a cap body, a pair of elastic operating parts, latches, boss parts, and latching protectors. The cap body has a cap head having a mounting hole formed on a rear surface facing the nut, and a cap fastening part extending from the rear surface of the cap head in a hollow cylindrical shape and having a male thread formed on an outer surface to be fastened with a first female thread of the nut. The pair of elastic operating parts are received in the mounting holes of the cap head such that one end is fixed to the cap head and the other end is left in a free state.

The latches are formed on the free ends of the elastic operating members respectively so as to fit into the latching grooves of the nut as the cap body is fastened to the nut. The boss portions protrude through the hollow portion of the cap fastening member from the elastic operating members so as to separate the latches from the latching grooves when pushed by the pipe end inserted into the nut. The latching protectors are formed on the rear surface of the cap head so as to cover the fitting portions of the latches and the latching grooves on each outer side of the latches.

The pipe connecting device for a service valve according to the present invention has no restrictions on the use of pipes of various materials, so that inexpensive aluminum pipes can be used, and the pipes can be used directly on site without separate flaring, thereby reducing installation man-hours and time, thereby increasing the cost-saving effect and maintaining construction quality.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a service valve to which a piping connection device for a service valve according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a piping connection device for a service valve according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the rear of the locking cap.
Figure 6 is a plan view of the stop ring.
Figures 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views illustrating the process of dismantling the locking cap after inserting the pipe into the pipe connecting device for the service valve.
Figures 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views illustrating the process of temporarily attaching a service valve to a piping connection device for a service valve and then finally attaching it.

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings as follows. Here, the same reference numerals are used for the same components, and repeated descriptions and detailed descriptions of well-known functions and components that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention are omitted. The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those with average knowledge in the art. Therefore, the shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for a clearer description.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a service valve to which a pipe connection device for a service valve according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pipe connection device for a service valve according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the rear side of a locking cap.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, a pipe connection device (100) for a service valve according to one embodiment of the present invention is a device for connecting a pipe (20) to a service valve (10), and includes a bushing (110), a nut (120), an O-ring for a valve (130), an O-ring for a nut (140), an O-ring for a pipe (150), a stop ring (160), a cup plunger (170), a washer (180), and a locking cap (190).

Here, the service valve (10) corresponds to a flare type service valve in which the end of the valve port (11) having a male screw (11a) on the outer surface is tapered to form a slope (11b), as shown in Fig. 1. The service valve (10) is made of copper. The pipe (20) may be made of various materials, such as copper or aluminum.

The bushing (110) has a male screw (111) on the outer surface and passes a pipe (20) through a central circular hole. The male screw (111) of the bushing (110) is formed to be connected with the second female screw (122) of the nut (120). The bushing (110) has a cup plunger (170), a stop ring (160), a washer (180), and an O-ring (150) for the pipe built in together with the nut (120) to secure the inserted pipe (20) while maintaining airtightness.

For example, the bushing (110) may include a bushing step (112) and a bushing slope (113). The bushing step (112) protrudes from the inner surface of the bushing (110) to limit the movement of the washer (180) toward the pipe O-ring (150). The bushing step (112) acts as a stopper to prevent the washer (180) moving to compress the pipe O-ring (150) from compressing the pipe O-ring (150) more than necessary.

Accordingly, the bushing step (112) prevents damage to the pipe O-ring (150) due to excessive compression, and prevents the soft pipe (20) from being unable to withstand the excessive compression of the pipe O-ring (150) and causing a deformation bottleneck, thereby resolving the problem of gas leakage from the pipe O-ring (150).

The bushing slope (113) is slanted so that the inside of the bushing (110) corresponding to the pipe O-ring (150) becomes narrower as it gets further away from the end of the pipe (20), thereby compressing and deforming the pipe O-ring (150) and sealing it against the pipe (20). The bushing slope (113) allows the pipe O-ring (150) to be introduced into the slanted narrow space when the pipe O-ring (150) is compressed, thereby increasing the sealing strength.

Since the pipe O-ring (150) tends to flow further into the narrow space due to the bushing slope (113) when subjected to high pressure, the sealing force can be further increased. That is, the bushing (110) is configured so that the sealing force of the pipe O-ring (150) can be proportionally increased as the operating pressure increases. The bushing (110) can be made of a plastic material, etc.

The nut (120) has a central circular hole, a first female screw (121) that is fastened with the male screw (11a) of the valve port (11) is formed on the inside of one opening, a second female screw (122) that is fastened with the male screw (111) of the bushing (110) is formed on the inside of the other opening, and a protrusion (123) that protrudes from the inner surface to fit closely against the inclined surface (11b) of the valve port (11).

The protrusion (123) is pressed against the inclined surface (11b) of the valve port (11) when the valve port (11) and the nut (120) are finally connected, thereby sealing between the nut (120) and the valve port (11). Accordingly, the nut (120) and the valve port (11) can be sealed in a double-sealed structure by being first sealed by the valve O-ring (130) and secondarily sealed by the protrusion (123) of the nut (120) and the inclined surface (11b) of the valve port (11).

The nut (120) is prepared by fastening the locking cap (190) to the first female screw (121), and when the air conditioner is installed, the locking cap (190) is dismantled and fastened to the service valve (10) of the outdoor unit so that the pipe (20) can be connected. The nut (120) has a hexagonal outer periphery and can be fastened to the service valve (10) using a fastening tool such as a hexagonal wrench. The nut (120) may have a first mounting groove (124) for mounting an O-ring (130) for a valve at the rear end of the first female screw (121) based on the first and second female screws (121, 122) being arranged front and rear. The protrusion (123) may protrude from the rear periphery of the first mounting groove (124) to the inclined surface (11b) of the valve port (11).

The nut (120) may have a second mounting groove (125) for mounting an O-ring (140) for the nut at the front end of the second female screw (122). The nut (120) may have a receiving groove (126) for receiving a stop ring (160) and a plunger slope (174) of a cup plunger (170) while being formed in communication with the second mounting groove (125). The nut (120) is made of copper.

An O-ring (130) for a valve seals between a nut (120) and a valve port (11). When the O-ring (130) for a valve is inserted into a first mounting groove (124) of a nut (120), it is compressed and deformed by being pushed into the first mounting groove (124) by a valve port (11) connected to the nut (120), thereby ensuring airtightness between the nut (120) and the valve port (11). The O-ring (130) for a valve may be made of a sealing material such as rubber.

An O-ring (140) for a nut seals between a bushing (110) and a nut (120). The O-ring (140) for a nut is compressed and deformed by being pushed into the second mounting groove (125) by the bushing (110) that is fastened to the nut (120) while being fitted into the second mounting groove (125) of the nut (120), thereby ensuring airtightness between the bushing (110) and the nut (120). The O-ring (140) for a nut may be made of a sealing material such as rubber.

The pipe O-ring (150) seals between the bushing (110) and the pipe (20). The pipe O-ring (150) is positioned in the bushing (110) and is compressed and deformed by being pushed toward the bushing slope (113) by the washer (180) that moves according to the fastening between the nut (120) and the valve port (11) while the pipe (20) is fitted in the central hole, thereby ensuring airtightness between the bushing (110) and the pipe (20). The pipe O-ring (150) is provided in two pieces in consideration of the normal safety range and can seal between the bushing (110) and the pipe (20). The pipe O-ring (150) can be made of a sealing material such as rubber.

The stop ring (160) is positioned within the nut (120) closer to the end of the pipe (20) than the pipe O-ring (150) to clamp the pipe (20). The stop ring (160) is positioned between the cup plunger (170) and the washer (180) to forcibly clamp the pipe (20) according to the fastening between the valve port (11) and the nut (120).

For example, the stop ring (160) may include a ring rim (161) and hook portions (162) arranged at equal intervals along the inner circumference of the ring rim (161) and each inclined toward the cup plunger (170). The inclination angle of the hook portions (162) is set so that they can be aligned and corrected by the plunger inclination portion (174) of the cup plunger (170) at the time when the pipe (20) is completed. The stop ring (160) may have holes formed at each of the bent boundaries of the hook portions (162). The stop ring (160) may be made of a metal material.

The pipe (20) inserted into the stop ring (160) shows a tendency to come off in the opposite direction of the insertion direction when high pressure is applied. At this time, the hook parts (162) on the inner side of the stop ring (160) are subjected to a load in the direction of the pipe (20) coming off, and the ring edge (161) on the outer side of the stop ring (160) is supported by the washer (180) so that a load is applied in the direction of the pipe (20) being inserted, thereby preventing the pipe (20) from coming off.

In this way, the stop ring (160) is subjected to opposing forces inwardly and outwardly, which causes the stop ring (160) to tend to expand in a radial shape. Since the stop ring (160) of the present embodiment has a ring edge (161) in a circular band shape with a certain width, even if opposing forces are applied inwardly and outwardly, the ring edge (161) maintains a circular band shape, thereby suppressing expansion in a radial shape. As a result, the effect of preventing the pipe (20) from being detached can be enhanced.

The cup plunger (170) is pushed against the inclined surface (11b) of the valve port (11) as the valve port (11) is fastened with the nut (120) while the pipe (20) is inserted through the central circular hole between the stop ring (160) and the valve port (11), thereby pressing the stop ring (160) against the pipe (20).

For example, the cup plunger (170) may include a central body portion (171), an inclined step portion (172), a plunger contact portion (173), and a plunger inclined portion (174). The central body portion (171) fits the pipe (20) in a close state. The inclined step portion (172) extends in a tapered shape from the front end of the central body portion (171) so as to catch the front end of the pipe (20). The inclined step portion (172) functions as a stopper to prevent additional insertion when inserting the pipe (20) and to ensure that only the necessary amount is inserted. In addition, the inclined step portion (172) can wrap and protect the front end of the pipe (20) so that the raw material and the resin coating layer are not lifted when using a resin-coated pipe (20).

The plunger contact portion (173) extends from the inclined step portion (172) and contacts the inclined surface (11b) of the valve port (11). The plunger inclined portion (174) extends in an extended form from the rear end of the central body portion (171) and presses the hook portions (162) into the pipe. The cup plunger (170) may be made of metal, plastic, or the like.

When the service valve (10) and the nut (120) are fastened, the cup plunger (170) moves toward the stop ring (160) by the valve port (11) after the plunger contact portion (173) comes into contact with the inclined surface (11b) of the valve port (11). Accordingly, the cup plunger (170) enables the plunger inclined portion (174) to wrap around the hook portions (162) of the stop ring (160) that are deformed when the pipe (20) is inserted, thereby firmly correcting them back to their normal state.

At the same time, the cup plunger (170) can improve the sealing power of the pipe O-ring (150) surrounding the pipe (20) by compressing the pipe O-ring (150) by pushing the stop ring (160) and the washer (180) together toward the pipe O-ring (150) with the plunger slope (174).

A washer (180) is placed between a stop ring (160) and a pipe O-ring (150) to support the stop ring (160). The washer (180) supports the stop ring (160) to prevent deformation of the stop ring (160) due to a physical force applied to the stop ring (160) that secures the pipe (20) under high pressure. The washer (180) acts as a backup ring when the pipe O-ring (150) is compressed, thereby also performing the role of inducing the pipe O-ring (150) to withstand high pressure without deformation.

In addition, as the fastening of the valve port (11) to the nut (120) progresses, the washer (180) comes into close contact with the cup plunger (170) and the stop ring (160) to compress the piping O-ring (150). In this process, the washer (180) is stopped by being caught by the bushing step (112), thereby preventing excessive compression of the piping O-ring (150) and enabling a certain amount of compression to be compensated. The washer (180) may be made of a metal material.

The locking cap (190) is pre-fastened to the first female screw (121) of the nut (120) so as to match the insertion depth of the pipe (20), and then disassembled from the nut (120) so that subsequent fastening of the valve port (11) can be performed. The locking cap (190) is fastened to the nut (120) prior to use of the pipe connection device (100) for the service valve while the main parts are assembled within the nut (120), thereby protecting the main parts within the nut (120) from contamination and damage.

The locking cap (190) is configured to be disassembled from the nut (120) only when the pipe (20) is inserted into the nut (120) to a normal depth while being fastened to the nut (120). Accordingly, since the worker cannot disassemble the locking cap (190) arbitrarily without the normal insertion of the pipe (20), the insertion depth of the pipe (20) into the nut (120) can be easily adjusted under the guidance of the locking cap (190). In other words, the locking cap (190) can provide the worker with information on whether the pipe (20) is normally inserted into the nut (120).

For example, the locking cap (190) may include a cap body (191), a pair of elastic operating parts (194), latches (195), boss parts (196), and latching protectors (197). The cap body (191) has a cap head (192) and a cap fastening part (193). The cap head (192) has a mounting hole (192a) formed on the rear surface facing the nut (120). The mounting hole (192a) of the cap head (192) is for installing the elastic operating parts (194). The mounting hole (192a) is formed to be of a size that allows the forward and backward movement of the elastic operating parts (194) while receiving the elastic operating parts (194). The mounting hole (192a) may be formed in a cross-shaped form penetrating from the rear surface of the cap head (192).

The cap fastening portion (193) extends in a hollow cylindrical shape from the rear of the cap head (192), and has a male screw (193a) formed on the outer surface that is fastened with the first female screw (121) of the nut (120). The hollow portion of the cap fastening portion (193) is formed to communicate with the mounting hole (192a) of the cap head (192). Accordingly, the boss portions (196) can protrude from the elastic operating portions (194) through the hollow portion of the cap fastening portion (193).

A pair of elastic operating parts (194) are accommodated in the mounting hole (192a) of the cap head (192), one end of which is fixed to the cap head (192) and the other end is left free. When a force is applied forward to the center of the elastic operating parts (194), the fixed end elastically deforms and the free end moves forward, and when the force applied to the center is removed, the free end returns to the rear by the elastic restoring force of the fixed end.

The elastic operating portion (194) is bent at 90 degrees so that one end is fixed to the outer edge of the mounting hole (192a) and the other end can be freely placed on the outer edge of the mounting hole (192a). The elastic operating portions (194) can be arranged so that the fixed ends form 180 degrees and the free ends form 180 degrees.

The latches (195) are formed at the free ends of the elastic operating parts (194) respectively so as to be fitted into the latching grooves (127) of the nut (120) as the cap body (191) is fastened to the nut (120). The latching grooves (127) may be arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the nut (120). Each latching groove (127) may be formed concavely with a certain width from the front end of the nut (120). The latching grooves (127) may be provided in a number, for example, six, into which the latches (195) can be fitted regardless of the rotational position of the cap body (191).

The latch (195) may be formed in an inclined shape that becomes thicker as it goes in the disassembly direction of the cap body (191). Accordingly, the latch (195) may smoothly pass through the latch grooves (127) when the cap body (191) is fastened to the nut (120) and may be fitted into the corresponding latch grooves (127) at the final fastening point. In this state, the latch (195) may be caught in the latch grooves (127) when the cap body (191) rotates in the disassembly direction, thereby preventing disassembly of the cap body (191). The latch (195) may be separately molded and attached to the elastic operating parts (194), or may be molded integrally with the elastic operating parts (194).

The bosses (196) protrude through the hollow of the cap fastening portion (193) from the elastic actuating portions (194) so as to separate the latches (195) from the latching groove (127) by being pushed by the end of the pipe (20) inserted into the nut (120). The bosses (196) can be positioned facing the end of the pipe (20) at the center of the elastic actuating portions (194). The bosses (196) can be integrally formed with the elastic actuating portions (194).

When the boss parts (196) are pushed out by contacting the end of the pipe (20) inserted into the nut (120), the elastic operating parts (194) are pushed forward. Accordingly, as the free end of the elastic operating parts (194) moves forward, the latches (195) can be separated from the corresponding latching grooves (127).

The latch protectors (197) are formed on the rear side of the cap head (192) to cover the fitting portions of the latches (195) and the latch grooves (127) on each outer side of the latches (195). The latch protectors (197) can protrude from the rear outer side of the cap head (192) to cover the outer side of the latches (195). The latch protectors (197) can be integrally formed with the cap head (192). The latch protectors (197) prevent a worker from directly manipulating the latches (195) to separate them from the latch grooves (127). Therefore, the latch protectors (197) prevent a worker from arbitrarily dismantling the locking cap (190) without normal insertion of the pipe (20). The parts of the locking cap (190) can be made of a plastic material, etc.

The process of connecting a pipe (20) to a service valve (10) by means of a pipe connection device (100) for a service valve of the aforementioned configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10 together with FIGS. 2 and 3. Here, FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views for explaining the process of disassembling a locking cap after inserting a pipe into the pipe connection device for a service valve. FIGS. 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views for explaining the process of temporarily connecting a service valve to the pipe connection device for a service valve and then finally connecting it.

First, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an O-ring (130) for a valve is mounted in a first mounting groove (124) of a nut (120), and an O-ring (140) for a nut is mounted in a second mounting groove (125) of the nut (120). A cup plunger (170), a stop ring (160), and a washer (180) are sequentially inserted into the nut (120). Here, the cup plunger (170) is positioned so that the plunger contact portion (173) passes the protrusion (123) of the nut (120) and is close to the O-ring (130) for a valve, and the plunger inclined portion (174) is positioned in the receiving groove (126) of the nut (120). The stop ring (160) is positioned in the receiving groove (126) of the nut (120) together with the washer (180) with the hook portions (162) facing the plunger slope (174).

In this state, the bushing (110) is fastened to the second female screw (122) of the nut (120) with the piping O-rings (150) inserted inside. When the bushing (110) is finally fastened to the nut (120), the nut O-ring (140) is compressed and deformed by being pushed into the second mounting groove (125) by the end of the bushing (110), thereby ensuring airtightness between the bushing (110) and the nut (120).

And, the locking cap (190) is fastened to the first female screw (121) of the nut (120). When the locking cap (190) is finally fastened to the nut (120), the latches (195) are respectively fitted into the corresponding latching grooves (127) of the nut (120) and are prevented from rotating in the disassembling direction of the locking cap (190). In addition, the locking cap (190) prevents the operator from directly manipulating the latches (195) and separating them from the latching grooves (127) by having the latching protection parts (197) on the outside of the latches (195).

In this process, when the pipe connection device (100) for the service valve is prepared, as shown in FIG. 7, the pipe (20) is inserted through the bushing (110) until the tip is caught on the inclined step (172) of the cup plunger (170). The inclined step (172) can wrap around and protect the tip of the pipe (20) so that the raw material and the resin coating layer are not lifted when the resin-coated pipe (20) is used. In this process, the locking cap (190) pushes the elastic operating parts (194) as the boss parts (196) are pushed by the tip of the pipe (20), thereby allowing the latches (195) to be separated from the corresponding latching grooves (127) and the cap body (191) to be rotated in the disassembly direction.

In this state, as shown in Fig. 8, when the locking cap (190) is finally dismantled from the nut (120), the nut (120) is prepared to fasten the service valve (10) with the pipe (20) inserted to the normal depth.

In this process, with the locking cap (190) separated from the nut (120) and prepared, the valve port (11) of the service valve (10) is manually fastened to the first female screw (121) of the nut (120), as shown in Fig. 9. The fastening between the valve port (11) and the nut (120) is performed until the inclined surface (11b) of the valve port (11) comes into contact with the plunger contact portion (173) of the valve O-ring (130) and the cup plunger (170).

In this state, as shown in Fig. 10, the valve port (11) is finally fastened to the nut (120) by a fastening tool. Then, the O-ring (10) for the valve is first sealed by being compressed and deformed by being pushed into the first mounting groove (124) by the valve port (11), and the inclined surface (11b) of the valve port (11) is pressed against the protrusion (123) of the nut (120) to perform a second seal, thereby forming a double-sealed structure for airtightness between the valve port (11) and the nut (120).

The cup plunger (170) moves toward the stop ring (160) as the plunger contact portion (173) is pushed by the inclined surface (11b) of the valve port (11). Accordingly, the plunger inclined portion (174) wraps around the hook portions (162) of the stop ring (160) that are deformed when the pipe (20) is inserted, and firmly corrects them to their normal state again. The stop ring (160) firmly clamps the pipe (20) without detachment by opposing forces applied to the inside and outside while being restrained from expanding in the radial direction by the ring rim (161).

At the same time, the plunger slope (174) pushes the stop ring (160) and the washer (180) together toward the pipe O-ring (150) to compress the pipe O-rings (150). The washer (180) is stopped by being caught on the bushing step (112) while supporting the stop ring (160), thereby preventing excessive compression of the pipe O-ring (150). The pipe O-rings (150) are compressed and deformed by being pushed into the narrow space by the bushing slope (113), thereby enabling high sealing between the pipe (20) and the bushing (110).

In this way, the pipe connection device (100) for the service valve of this embodiment has no restrictions on using pipes (10) of various materials, so it enables the use of inexpensive aluminum pipes, and allows the pipes (10) to be used directly on site without separate flaring processing, thereby reducing installation man-hours and time, increasing the cost-saving effect, and maintaining construction quality.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawings, this is merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Accordingly, the true scope of protection of the present invention should be determined only by the appended claims.

10..Service valve 11..Valve port
11b..slope 20..piping
100..pipe connection for service valve 110..bushing 112..bushing step
113..Bushing slope 120..Nut
121..1st female screw 122..2nd female screw
123..Protrusion 127..Latch groove
130..O-ring for valve 140..O-ring for nut
150..O-ring for plumbing 160..Stop ring
161..Ring border 162..Hook part
170..Cup plunger 171..Center body
172..Slope step 173..Plunger contact area
174..Plunger slope 180..Washer
190..Locking cap 191..Cap body
192..Cap head 193..Cap fastening part
194..Elastic actuator 195..Latch
196..Boss Department 197..Latch Protection Department

Claims (4)

A device for connecting a pipe to a flare-type service valve in which the end of a valve port having a male screw on the outer surface is tapered to form a sloped surface.
A bushing having a thread on the outer surface and a central circular hole through which a pipe is passed;
A nut having a central circular hole, a first female thread formed on the inside of one opening to engage with the male thread of the valve port, a second female thread formed on the inside of the other opening to engage with the male thread of the bushing, and a protrusion formed from the inner surface to protrude and fit closely to the inclined surface of the valve port;
An O-ring for a valve sealing between the above nut and the valve port;
O-ring for sealing between the above bushing and nut;
An O-ring for sealing between the above bushing and the pipe;
A stop ring positioned within the nut closer to the pipe end than the above pipe O-ring to clamp the pipe;
A cup plunger that pushes the stop ring against the inclined surface of the valve port as the valve port is engaged with the nut while the pipe is inserted through the central circular hole between the stop ring and the valve port, thereby pressing the stop ring against the pipe;
A washer positioned between the stop ring and the piping O-ring to support the stop ring; and
A locking cap which is pre-fastened to the first female screw of the above nut to adjust the insertion depth of the pipe, and then disassembled from the nut to enable subsequent fastening of the valve port;
Piping connections for service valves including: In the first paragraph,
The above stop ring,
A ring rim and hook portions arranged at equal intervals along the inner periphery of the ring rim, each hook portion being inclined toward the cup plunger;
The above cup plunger,
A pipe connecting device for a service valve, characterized by including a central body portion for fitting the pipe in a tight state, an inclined step portion extended in a tapered shape from a front end of the central body portion to catch the front end of the pipe, a plunger contact portion extended from the inclined step portion to contact an inclined surface of a valve port, and a plunger inclined portion extended in an extended shape from the rear end of the central body portion to press the hook portions onto the pipe. In the first paragraph,
The above bushing,
A bushing step protruding from the inner surface to limit the movement of the washer toward the O-ring for the pipe,
A pipe connection device for a service valve, characterized in that it includes a bushing slope that compresses and deforms the pipe O-ring so that the inner side corresponding to the pipe O-ring becomes narrower as it gets further away from the pipe end, thereby sealing the pipe O-ring against the pipe. In the first paragraph,
The above locking cap,
A cap body having a cap head having a mounting hole formed on the rear surface facing the nut, and a cap fastening portion extending from the rear surface of the cap head in a hollow cylindrical shape and having a male screw formed on the outer surface to be fastened with the first female screw of the nut;
A pair of elastic actuating members, one end of which is fixed to the cap head and the other end of which is free, accommodated in the mounting holes of the cap head;
Latches formed on the free ends of the elastic operating members respectively so as to fit into the latching grooves of the nut as the cap body is fastened to the nut;
Boss portions protruding through the hollow portion of the cap fastening portion from the elastic operating portions so as to separate the latches from the latching grooves while being pushed by the pipe ends inserted into the nut; and
Latch protectors formed on the rear of the cap head to cover the fitting portions of the latches and latching grooves on each outer side of the latches;
A piping connection device for a service valve, characterized by including:

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