Pipe joint

• US 9,556,991 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2010
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SMC Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: SMC Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Furuya, Masayoshi, Takanashi, Akihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ripley, Jay R
• Application Number:
  US13/505,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20120217742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,563 Days
• Field of Search: 285/39, 285/322, 285/319, 285/910, 277/403, 277/566, 277/567, 277/530, 277/549, 277/529, 277/644
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/0915 with a separate member for releasing the coupling
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 41/007 adjustable and comprising a bend

Abstract

A pipe joint has a body, and an annular packing is mounted to the opening of the body into which a fluid tube is inserted. The packing is provided with: a body section having a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape; and a seal section protruding in the radial direction from the inner peripheral surface of the body section. The seal section is formed at substantially the center of the body section in the widthwise direction thereof and is formed in a triangular cross-sectional shape tapering to the inner peripheral side. When the fluid tube is inserted in the opening, the seal section of the packing makes sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the fluid tube.

Claims

1. A pipe joint, comprising:

a body into which a tube is insertable;

a chuck disposed in an interior of the body and which retains the tube in the body by engagement with an outer peripheral surface of the tube, a first end of the chuck including a pawl that is angled radially inward and a second end of the chuck, which is opposite to the first end, including a latch that is angled radially outward;

a guide member that guides the chuck along an axial direction, the guide member including a front end portion located between the pawl and the latch of the chuck in the axial direction and the latch extends radially outward further than an innermost portion of the front end portion;

a packing disposed in the interior of the body for maintaining a fluidtight condition between the body and the tube, the packing being spaced apart from the chuck such that the packing does not contact the pawl of the chuck when the pawl is in contact with the fluid tube and does not contact the pawl of the chuck when the pawl is disengaged from the fluid tube; and

a release member for releasing the chuck from the tube when the tube is taken out from the body,

the packing further comprising;

a ring shaped main body portion including an inner circumferential surface and an outer peripheral surface, the inner circumferential surface and the outer peripheral surface being substantially in parallel with an inner circumferential surface of the body; and

a single sealing member, which projects from a central portion of the inner circumferential surface of the main body portion in a radial inward direction with respect to the main body portion, the sealing member abutting against the outer peripheral surface of the tube,

wherein a width dimension of the sealing member along the axial direction of the body is set to be smaller than a width dimension of the main body portion,

wherein a side surface of the main body portion abuts against a boundary in the interior of the body, and

wherein a space is provided between the sealing member and boundary in the interior of the body,

wherein no element of the pipe joint is positioned between the pawl of the chuck and the packing.

2. A pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the packing is disposed adjacent to the pawl of the chuck that bites into the outer peripheral surface of the tube.

3. A pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the packing further comprises a bulging portion that extends from a central portion of the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion and abuts against the inner circumferential surface of the body such that terminal ends of the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion are spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the body, the terminal ends being positioned outside of the central portion of the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion.

4. A pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein a side surface of the main body portion abuts against a boundary in the interior of the body, which is formed between a first opening in which the packing is installed and a second opening that is smaller in diameter than the first opening.

5. A pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein an end of the front end portion of the guide member is bent backwards towards an opposite end of the guide member.

6. A pipe joint according to claim 5, wherein the opposite end of the guide member includes a rear end portion that is bent with a rounded shape in cross section in a radial inward direction.

7. A pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the first end of the chuck includes a first plurality of slits extending towards the second end of the chuck, and the second end of the chuck includes a second plurality of slits extending towards the first end of the chuck.

8. A pipe joint according to claim 7, wherein individual slits of the first plurality of slits are spaced at equal intervals along a circumferential direction of the chuck.

9. A pipe joint according to claim 7, wherein individual slits of the second plurality of slits are spaced at equal intervals along a circumferential direction of the chuck.

10. A pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is formed with a tapered shape in cross section, which tapers from the main body portion toward an inner circumferential side of the sealing member.

11. A pipe joint according to claim 10, wherein the sealing member is formed with a triangular shape in cross section.

12. A pipe joint according to claim 11, wherein the sealing member is formed with an angle of inclination of 90°

at a point of intersection between one inclined surface and another inclined surface that constitute the cross sectional shape.

13. A pipe joint according to claim 11, wherein the sealing member is formed with an angle of inclination within a range of 80°

to 100°

at a point of intersection between one inclined surface and another inclined surface that constitute the cross sectional shape.

14. A pipe joint according to claim 13, wherein the space is provided between one of the inclined surfaces and a terminal end of the inner circumferential surface of the main body portion, the terminal end being positioned outside of the central portion of the inner circumferential surface of the main body portion.