Tube joint

• US 7,213,845 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2004
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SMC Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: SMC Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Sato, Motohiro, Taneya, Yoshimoto, Maruyama, Noriyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): DUNWOODY, AARON M
• Application Number:
  US10/924,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20050046178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 285/93, 285/315, 285/316, 285/81, 285/84, 285/85, 285/86
• US Class Current: 285/86
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/23 by means of balls
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/34 at least one of the lift valves being of the sleeve type, i.e. a sleeve is telescoped over an inner cylindrical wall

Abstract

A tube joint comprises a retaining mechanism which retains the locked state by preventing a sleeve from any rotation in the circumferential direction which would be otherwise caused by any unexpected external force. The retaining mechanism includes a ratchet which is provided to surround the outer circumferential surface of a socket body and which is rotatable synchronously with the sleeve, and a coil spring which is interposed between the sleeve and the ratchet and which makes an urging action to cause mutual separation under an action of the spring force.

Claims

1. A tube joint comprising a socket and a plug which are detachably connectable by the aid of balls by operating a sleeve, said tube joint further comprising:

a lock mechanism which prevents said socket and said plug from any disengagement by regulating displacement of said sleeve in an axial direction; and

a retaining mechanism which retains a locked state by preventing said sleeve from any rotation in a circumferential direction which would be otherwise caused by any unexpected external force,

wherein said retaining mechanism includes a ratchet which is provided to surround an outer circumferential surface of a socket body and which is rotatable synchronously with said sleeve, and a coil spring which is interposed between said sleeve and said ratchet for urging said sleeve in a direction away from said ratchet under action of a spring force.

2. The tube joint according to claim 1, wherein said ratchet is provided with a pair of projections which have an angle of separation of 180 degrees in said circumferential direction, said sleeve is formed with a pair of cutouts which have an angle of separation of 180 degrees in said circumferential direction, and said ratchet and said sleeve are synchronously rotated by making engagement between said projections and said cutouts.

3. The tube joint according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of pins are secured to said outer circumferential surface of said socket body, and said plurality of pins are provided so that said pins are engageable with a plurality of engaging recesses formed for said ratchet respectively.

4. The tube joint according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of pins are composed of a pair of pins which have an angle of separation of 180 degrees in said circumferential direction.

5. The tube joint according to claim 4, wherein said plurality of engaging recesses comprise a pair of first engaging recesses which have an angle of separation of 180 degrees in said circumferential direction, and a pair of second engaging recesses which are arranged with an angle of separation of 90 degrees between said first engaging recesses.

6. The tube joint according to claim 5, wherein said pins are provided so that said pins are coincident in said axial direction with cutouts formed for said sleeve when said pins abut against said first engaging recesses.

7. The tube joint according to claim 6, wherein said pins are provided so that said pins are not coincident in said axial direction with cutouts formed for said sleeve when said pins abut against said second engaging recesses.

8. The tube joint according to claim 1, wherein a first identification ring is installed to a socket body of said socket, a second identification ring is installed to said plug, and said first identification ring and said second identification ring are colored with an identical color respectively.

9. A tube joint comprising a socket and a plug which are detachably connectable by the aid of balls by operating a sleeve, said tube joint further comprising:

a lock mechanism which prevents said socket and said plug from any disengagement by regulating displacement of said sleeve in an axial direction; and

a retaining mechanism which retains a locked state by preventing said sleeve from any rotation in a circumferential direction which would be otherwise caused by any unexpected external force,

wherein said retaining mechanism includes a single pin which is secured to a socket body, and a groove having a substantially L-shaped cross section which is formed in said sleeve to make engagement with said pin, so that a position of said pin in said groove can be observed and visually confirmed externally of said tube joint.