JP2010091074A - Flow passage connection joint - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flow passage connection joint attachable/detachable even when an inside of a flow passage is filled with fluid with a simple structure having no retaining spot. <P>SOLUTION: The flow passage connection joint 7 includes a socket 9 and a plug 8, the socket 9 includes a joint male part 93 formed upstream of a socket body 90 forming a socket side flow passage 92, and the plug 8 includes a joint female part 83 formed downstream of a plug body 80 forming a plug side flow passage 82, and an urging means for urging an opening/closing piece 85 having a valve element portion 85a toward an annular seal member 84 working as a valve seat, and a communication hole 95 opened to an upstream end outer peripheral surface of the joint male part 93 relatively slightly exceeds the annular seal member 84 and communicates with the plug side flow passage 82 with the joint male part 93 completely connected with the joint female part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a flow path connection joint that can be attached and detached with one touch.

Conventionally, an ink introduction tube (plug) having a convex portion whose tip is formed in a tapered shape and an ink introduction port is opened on the side (circumferential surface) of the tube wall, and an annular rubber packing ( A flow path connection joint is known which includes a plug body (socket) that closes an ink outlet port by urging a movable body serving as a valve body against a valve seat) by a spring member (see Patent Document 1). .
In this flow path connection joint, the convex portion is inserted into the rubber packing and inserted deeply into the socket, so that the movable body is pushed down, the ink outlet port is opened, and the ink inlet port opens into the socket. The plug and the socket communicate with each other to form a flow path.
JP 2002-113881 A

  However, in such a flow path connection joint, in the (complete) connection state between the plug and the socket, the ink outlet port formed at the tip of the convex portion of the plug is closer to the socket than the sealed portion by the rubber packing. Since the ink flows deeply into the (upstream side), a portion where the ink flow stagnates in the vicinity of the rubber packing, that is, a so-called ink reservoir (liquid reservoir) has occurred. In such a flow path connection joint, there is a problem that the smooth flow of the ink may be hindered due to the deterioration (aggregation) of the ink in the ink reservoir, and the flow path must be frequently washed.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a flow path connection joint that has a simple structure and does not cause liquid accumulation in the flow path.

  The flow path connection joint of the present invention is a flow path connection joint composed of a socket and a plug, and the socket includes a socket body in which a socket-side flow path connected to the outflow port and the outflow port is formed at the shaft center, A plug male portion formed on the upstream side and connected to the downstream side of the plug, the plug having an inflow port and a plug-side flow passage connected to the inflow port at the shaft center, and a downstream of the plug main body A joint female part formed on the side and connected to the joint male part; an annular seal member that is provided in the joint female part and seals between the joint male part; An opening / closing piece formed with a valve body part that is separated from and contacting the valve seat; and an urging means for urging the opening / closing piece toward the annular seal member. In the outer peripheral surface, a communication hole that communicates with the socket-side flow path opens, and in a state where the joint male part and the joint female part are completely connected, the joint male part pushes the opening / closing piece relatively to make the valve body annular In addition to being separated from the seal member, the communication hole of the male joint portion is slightly over the annular seal member and communicates with the plug-side flow path.

  In this case, the communication hole is preferably opened on the outer peripheral surface of the upstream end of the joint male part.

  According to these configurations, when the socket and the plug are completely connected, the communication hole of the joint male part communicates with the plug flow path in the vicinity of the annular seal member. For this reason, the fluid flowing in from the upstream side of the plug flows to the downstream end of the plug-side flow path (upstream end of the annular seal member), and flows into the socket-side flow path through the communication hole opened there. Outflow from the downstream side. Therefore, in this flow path connection joint, the location where the fluid flow is stagnated (liquid pool) does not occur, and the deterioration (aggregation) of the fluid in the liquid pool does not occur. Thereby, since the smooth flow of the fluid can be maintained, the deterioration of the fluid due to the liquid pool, the frequency of maintenance of each flow path, and the like can be significantly reduced. In the above, the plug is set on the upstream side, but the arrangement relationship between the plug and the socket (upstream or downstream) is arbitrary, and the plug is arranged on the downstream side and the socket is arranged on the upstream side. Also good.

  In this case, it is preferable that each contact surface of the joint male part and the opening / closing piece is formed in a substantially flat surface.

  According to this configuration, the upstream end surface (tip surface) of the joint male part comes into surface contact without causing a gap in the plane of the opening / closing piece. The communication hole communicates with the plug-side channel while maintaining the surface contact. Thereby, a liquid pool does not arise also in the connection part of a joint male part and an opening-and-closing piece.

  In this case, it is provided on the outer peripheral surface of either the socket main body or the plug main body, and is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the other outer peripheral surface that guides the connection between the socket and the plug. It is preferable to further include a locking portion that is locked in the stopped state, and the locking portion preferably maintains the locked state with respect to the sleeve portion by the biasing force of the biasing means.

  According to this configuration, in order to close the valve, the engagement state of the engagement portion with respect to the sleeve portion is maintained by the urging means that urges the opening / closing piece toward the annular seal member. As a result, the biasing means can have both functions and the structure can be simplified.

  Further, in this case, the locking portion is constituted by a locking pin protruding from the other outer peripheral surface, and the sleeve portion is cut in a “J” shape from the connecting end in the connecting shaft direction. It is preferable to form a locking guide groove for guiding the engagement / disengagement.

  According to this configuration, the locking pin is guided in the locking guide groove of the sleeve portion, connected so as to insert the socket and the plug against the biasing means, and further rotated, thereby Due to the urging force, the locking pin is locked so as to drop into the distal end portion of the locking guide groove. Since the locking guide groove is formed in a “J” shape, the socket and the plug cannot rotate with each other in this state, and are locked when the socket and the plug are completely connected. Further, the lock is released by the reverse procedure, and the socket and the plug can be detached. Thereby, the connection state of a socket and a plug can be locked, and the detachment | leave by vibration etc. can be prevented reliably. The sleeve portion may be formed integrally with the socket body or the plug body, or may be formed of a separate member. When the sleeve portion is a separate member, it may be fixed to the socket body or the plug body, or may be configured to be rotatable in the circumferential direction. Further, a plurality of sets of locking pins and locking guide grooves may be provided.

  In this case, the annular seal member is preferably composed of two O-rings arranged in contact with each other.

  In this case, the O-ring is preferably formed of a molded product, and its parting line is preferably formed at a position shifted from the radial direction.

  According to these structures, since the contact area with the joint male part is increased by the two O-rings, it is possible to reliably seal and prevent fluid leakage effectively. In addition, the parting line (burrs when manufacturing O-rings) deviates from the contact surface with the joint male part, which eliminates poor contact between the O-ring and joint male part, making fluid leakage even more effective. Can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, a flow path connection joint according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This flow path connection joint is mounted on a liquid droplet ejection device that manufactures color filters, etc., and is used to replace the functional liquid droplet ejection head in the flow path from the functional liquid tank (sub tank) to the functional liquid droplet ejection head. The tank side and the head side are detachably connected.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, a droplet discharge device 1 includes an X-axis table 2 that moves a workpiece in the X-axis direction, and a pair of Y-axis support bases 3a that are spanned across the X-axis table 2. A Y-axis table 3 disposed above, and 13 carriage units 4 suspended in a movable manner on the Y-axis table 3 and mounted with a plurality of functional liquid droplet ejection heads 4c. 5 is housed. The droplet discharge device 1 also includes a functional liquid supply device 6 that supplies a functional liquid to the functional droplet discharge head 4c, and a control device (not shown) that controls the droplet discharge device 1 in an integrated manner. The liquid droplet ejection device 1 ejects functional liquid droplets from the functional liquid droplet ejection head 4c at a position where the X-axis table 2 and the Y-axis table 3 intersect to draw a predetermined drawing pattern on the workpiece.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 (a), each carriage unit 4 has six colors of R, G, B, C, M, and Y, each of two (total 12) functional liquid droplet ejection heads 4c. A head plate 4a for supporting 12 functional liquid droplet ejection heads 4c divided into 2 groups of 6 and a pressure regulating valve 40 for supplying functional liquid to the functional liquid droplet ejection head 4c on the basis of atmospheric pressure. A head unit 4b is provided. Each carriage unit 4 is suspended from a bridge plate 3b that spans a pair of Y-axis support bases 3a (see FIG. 1A).

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2B, the functional liquid supply device 6 includes six (six colors) main tanks 61 accommodated in a tank cabinet 50 provided in the chamber 5 and each bridge plate 3b. A plurality of (13) sub tanks 62, a tank side tube 63 connecting the main tank 61 and the plurality of sub tanks 62, and a plurality of head sides connecting each sub tank 62 and each functional liquid droplet ejection head 4c. A tube 64. Each head side tube 64 is provided with a pressure regulating valve 40 mounted on the carriage unit 4 together with the functional liquid droplet ejection head 4 c, and the head side tube 64 connects the sub tank 62 and the pressure regulating valve 40. It has a primary side tube 64a, and a secondary side tube 64b that connects the pressure regulating valve 40 and the functional liquid droplet ejection head 4c.

  An opening / closing valve 64c is interposed in the primary side tube 64a in the vicinity of the sub tank 62 so that the primary side tube 64a can be closed when the functional liquid droplet ejection head 4c or the pressure regulating valve 40 is replaced. It has become. Further, the flow path connection joint 7 is connected to the primary side of the pressure regulating valve 40 so that the pressure regulating valve 40 (secondary side tube 64b side) and the primary side tube 64a can be attached and detached with one touch. It has become. The flow path connection joint 7 includes a plug 8 connected to the primary side tube 64 a and a socket 9 connected to the pressure regulating valve 40.

  The functional liquid sent from the main tank 61 is stored in each sub tank 62 through the tank side tube 63. The functional liquid in each sub tank 62 is supplied to the functional liquid droplet ejection head 4c as a natural water head via the head side tube 64 and the pressure adjustment valve 40 in accordance with the driving of each functional liquid droplet ejection head 4c. On the other hand, when replacing the carriage unit 4 (head unit 4b), after closing the opening / closing valve 64c, the flow passage connection joint 7 disconnects the primary side tube 64a from the pressure regulating valve 40 ( In this state, the exchange is performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pressure regulating valve 40 includes a valve casing 41 formed in a substantially disc shape, a primary port 42 extending obliquely upward from the valve casing 41, and a valve casing 41. And a secondary port 43 extending downward. In the valve casing 41, a primary chamber 44 connected to the primary port 42, a secondary chamber 45 connected to the secondary port 43, and the primary chamber 44 and the secondary chamber 45 are interposed. The valve body 46 is provided. Further, the secondary chamber 45 is provided with a pressure receiving film body 47 that defines the space between the outside and the valve body 46 is opened and closed on the basis of atmospheric pressure by the pressure receiving film body 47. The functional liquid is reduced to a predetermined pressure and supplied to the secondary chamber 45.

  A tapered female thread portion 42a for a pipe is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the primary side port 42. The tapered female thread portion 42a has a socket 9 (more precisely, a socket male thread portion 94 described later) of the flow path connection joint 7. Are screwed together. Further, a filter 42b is attached to the back side of the taper female screw portion 42a, and the filter 42b is held between the filter 42b and the socket 9 screwed into the taper female screw portion 42a. A coil spring 42c is interposed (see FIG. 3A). Similarly, an outflow side female screw portion 43a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the secondary port 43, and an outflow connector 43b to which a secondary tube 64b is connected is screwed into the outflow side female screw portion 43a. (See FIG. 3B).

  Next, the flow path connection joint 7 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. As described above, the flow path connection joint 7 includes the plug 8 connected to the downstream end of the primary side tube 64a connected to the sub tank 62, the socket 9 screwed into the primary side port 42 of the pressure regulating valve 40, It is composed of That is, the plug 8 is disposed on the upstream side, and the socket 9 is disposed on the downstream side. The arrangement relationship (upstream or downstream) between the plug 8 and the socket 9 is arbitrary, and the plug 8 may be arranged on the downstream side and the socket 9 may be arranged on the upstream side. Further, the flow path connection joint 7 may be configured in the secondary side port 43 of the pressure regulating valve 40 similarly to the primary side port 42.

The plug 8 includes an inflow port 81 to which the primary tube 64a is connected and a plug body 80 formed with a plug-side flow path 82 connected to the inflow port 81 as an axial center, and a downstream side of the plug body 80. A joint female part 83 to which the upstream side (joint male part 93 to be described later) is connected, an annular seal member 84 provided in the joint female part 83 and sealing between the joint male part 93, and a plug-side flow channel 82. And an opening / closing piece 85 formed with a valve body portion 85a that is separated from and contacting the annular seal member 84 as a valve seat, and a piece urging spring 86 that urges the opening / closing piece 85 toward the annular seal member 84 (attached). Power means).
Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the plug main body 80, when completely connected to the socket 9, one locking pin 87 (locking portion) that is locked to a sleeve member 96 (described later) included in the socket 9 and is prevented from coming off. ) Is erected.

  The inflow port 81 is screwed into the tube connection port 81a having a slightly tapered shape toward the upstream side, the connection male screw portion 81b that supports the tube connection port 81a on the plug body 80, and the connection male screw portion 81b from the upstream side. A presser nut 81c. To connect the inflow port 81 and the primary side tube 64a, remove the presser nut 81c, pass it through the primary side tube 64a, and insert the downstream end of the primary side tube 64a into the tube connection port 81a. Further, a presser nut 81c passed through the primary side tube 64a is screwed into the connection male screw portion 81b. Thereby, the primary side tube 64a inserted and attached to the tube connection port 81a is set in the retaining state.

  The joint female portion 83 is formed with a larger diameter than the plug-side flow channel 82, and is formed with a larger diameter than the seal accommodating portion 83a on the downstream side of the seal accommodating portion 83a. And a seal presser accommodating portion 83b having an open downstream end. Further, an annular groove 83c for latching a C ring 84c described later is formed in the seal press accommodating portion 83b.

  The annular seal member 84 includes two O-rings 84a, a ring-shaped washer-shaped annular pressing member 84b that prevents each O-ring 84a from coming off, and a C-ring 84c that fixes the annular pressing member 84b. It is configured. The annular pressing member 84b is formed so that its inner diameter is larger than the inner diameter of the O-ring 84a, and its outer diameter is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the seal presser accommodating portion 83b.

  Each O-ring 84a is formed of a molded product, and its parting line (a burr at the time of manufacturing the O-ring 84a) is formed at a position shifted from the radial direction (see FIG. 5A). The two O-rings 84a are disposed so as to fit into the seal housing portion 83a in a state of being in contact with each other. The annular pressing member 84b is fitted into the seal pressing accommodating portion 83b and is set so as to press the downstream O-ring 84a. In this state, by attaching the C ring 84c to the annular groove 83c of the seal retainer accommodating portion 83b, the two O rings 84a and the annular retainer 84b are set in the retaining state. Further, since each O-ring 84a can be easily taken out by removing the C-ring 84c, maintenance such as replacement of the O-ring 84a can be easily performed.

As described above, by inserting the socket 9 (joint male part 93) into the two O-rings 84a, each O-ring 84a is deformed so as to be crushed between the seal presser accommodating part 83b. Then, it is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the seal presser accommodating portion 83 b and the outer peripheral surface of the joint male portion 93. In a state where the joint male part 93 and the joint female part 83 are completely connected, since the space between the joint male part 93 is sealed by the two O-rings 84a, the contact area increases, and the functional fluid leaks effectively. Can be prevented. That is, even if there is a connection failure or damage to one O-ring 84a, the other O-ring 84a functions as a backup, so that fluid leakage can be reliably prevented.
Moreover, the parting line seals using the O-ring 84a formed at a position shifted from the contact surface with the joint male portion 93, thereby eliminating the contact failure between each O-ring 84a and the joint male portion 93. Can effectively prevent leakage of functional fluid. If the parting line is so small that the parting line can be ignored when the O-ring 84a is deformed, a normal O-ring 84a (having a parting line formed in the radial direction) may be used.

  The opening / closing piece 85 is a substantially columnar member, and has a valve body portion 85a that is separated from and contacting the O-ring 84a on the upstream side of the annular seal member 84 as a valve seat, and a top body that is connected to the upstream side of the valve body portion 85a 85b and a spring receiving portion 85c which is connected to the upstream side of the top body 85b and serves as a receiving seat on the downstream side of the top biasing spring 86.

  The valve body portion 85a serves as a valve body that opens and closes the plug-side flow path 82 with the O-ring 84a of the plug-side flow path 82 (upstream side) as a valve seat. The downstream end surface of the valve body part 85a is formed in a flat surface, and the peripheral edge portion of the downstream end surface is tapered so as to be chamfered. By pressing the tapered peripheral portion against the O-ring 84a, sealing can be performed with a larger contact area, and a reliable valve closing state can be maintained.

  The top body 85 b constitutes a functional liquid flow path between the top body 85 b and the inner wall of the plug-side flow path 82, and has a slightly smaller diameter than the inner wall of the plug-side flow path 82. Further, the top body 85b has a shape in which an intermediate portion is constricted. Thereby, since the space between the inner wall of the plug-side flow channel 82 and the top body 85b can be widened, pressure loss due to the top body 85b can be reduced.

  The spring seat portion 85 c is an annular step formed at the tail end of the top body 85 b and receives the tip of the top biasing spring 86. Further, the tail end of the top biasing spring 86 is in contact with the upstream end wall of the plug-side channel 82, and the top biasing spring 86 receives the upstream end wall of the plug-side channel 82 to open and close the opening / closing top 85. Is urged to an O-ring 84a serving as a valve seat.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the socket 9 includes a socket main body 90 in which an outflow port 91 connected to the primary side port 42 of the pressure regulating valve 40 and a socket-side flow path 92 connected to the outflow port 91 are formed in the axial center. And a male joint portion 93 formed on the upstream side of the socket main body 90 and connected to the joint female portion 83 described above.
A sleeve member 96 that guides the connection of the plug 8 is press-fitted and fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the socket body 90. The sleeve member 96 has an inner diameter into which the plug 8 is inserted, and a locking guide groove 97 that guides a locking pin 87 erected on the outer peripheral surface of the plug body 80 when connected to the plug 8. Is formed. In addition, a socket male screw portion 94 that is screwed into a taper female screw portion 42 a formed in the primary port 42 of the pressure regulating valve 40 is formed on the outer peripheral surface on the downstream side of the socket main body 90.

  The joint male part 93 is formed on the upstream side of the socket body 90 so as to extend in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and its upstream (tip) side end surface is formed in a substantially flat surface (the peripheral part is slightly Chamfered.) A plurality (four) of communication holes 95 are opened on the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the joint male portion 93. Each communication hole 95 is a small hole having a diameter smaller than the cross-sectional diameter of the O-ring 84 a, and is formed so as to penetrate in the radial direction from four outer peripheral surfaces of the joint male part 93. Communicate. The number of communication holes 95 is arbitrary.

  When the joint male part 93 is inserted into the joint female part 83 (annular seal member 84), the front end surface of the joint male part 93 comes into surface contact without causing a gap in the plane of the valve body part 85a (opening / closing piece 85). It becomes. As a result, the connecting portion between the joint male portion 93 and the valve body portion 85a does not have a gap for entering the functional liquid or a portion where the functional liquid stays (a liquid pool). Absent.

  When the plug 8 and the socket 9 are connected, the opening / closing piece 85 is pushed against the piece biasing spring 86 by inserting the joint male part 93 into the joint female part 83 side, and an O-ring serving as a valve seat. The valve is opened away from 84a. Further, as described above, the plurality of O-rings 84a are in contact with each other and are arranged in the connecting axis direction. When the opening / closing piece 85 is opened, the outer peripheral surface of the joint male portion 93 is always two O-rings. It is in the state sealed by 84a (refer FIG. 4 and FIG.6 (c)). Similarly, when the plug 8 and the socket 9 are detached, the opening / closing piece 85 is always closed while being sealed by the two O-rings 84a. Accordingly, a long contact surface is formed in the connecting shaft direction with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the inserted joint male portion 93, and the sealed state can be maintained even during the attaching / detaching operation. Even if the opening / closing piece 85 is opened and closed in a state where the liquid is filled, the functional liquid does not leak from the connection portion between the joint male portion 93 and the joint female portion 83 (each O-ring 84a).

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the locking guide groove 97 is formed through the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve member 96, and is an axial guide portion cut in the connecting axial direction from the upstream end toward the downstream side. 97a, a circumferential guide portion 97b cut in the circumferential direction at the end of the axial guide portion 97a, and a pin engagement slightly cut in the connecting shaft direction toward the upstream side at the end of the circumferential guide portion 97b And a stop portion 97c. That is, the locking guide groove 97 is cut in a “J” shape from the connection end in the connection axis direction. A plurality of locking guide grooves 97 may be formed. In this case, it is preferable to form a pair of locking guide grooves 97 at positions symmetrical to the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve member 96. Further, in this case, two (a pair of) locking pins 87 may be erected so as to correspond to the pair of locking guide grooves 97.

  The plug 8 and the socket 9 are connected such that the locking pin 87 is guided in the locking guide groove 97 of the sleeve member 96 and the socket 9 and the plug 8 are inserted against the top biasing spring 86. By further rotating, the locking pin 87 is locked by the biasing force of the top biasing spring 86 so as to drop into the pin locking portion 97c. In this state, the socket 9 and the plug 8 become non-rotatable with each other and are locked in a completely connected state. Further, the lock is released in the reverse procedure, and the socket 9 and the plug 8 can be detached. Thereby, the detachment | leave by vibration etc. can be prevented reliably.

  Further, in the locked state, the entire socket 9 is urged to the downstream side by the piece urging spring 86 via the joint male portion 93, so that the locking pin 87 is pressed against the pin locking portion 97c. It will be in the state. In other words, in order to close the valve, the engagement state of the engagement pin 87 with respect to the sleeve member 96 is maintained by the frame urging spring 86 that urges the opening / closing piece 85 toward the annular seal member 84 (O-ring 84a). Can do. For this reason, the top biasing spring 86 can have two functions (the function of closing the opening / closing piece 85 and the function of locking the complete connection), and the structure can be simplified. In particular, by providing the top biasing spring 86 with a spring force that reliably maintains the locked state, the valve closing of the open / close top 85 against the O-ring 84a can also be reliably prevented from leaking liquid. .

  When one locking pin 87 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the plug main body 80 is locked to the pin locking portion 97c, the communication hole 95 is formed in the vicinity of the annular seal member 84 in the plug-side flow path 82. (See FIG. 4 and FIG. 5B). Thus, in a state where the socket 9 and the plug 8 are completely connected, the communication hole 95 opened in the joint male portion 93 communicates with the plug-side flow channel 82 in the vicinity of the annular seal member 84. For this reason, the functional liquid that has flowed in from the upstream side of the plug 8 flows to the downstream end of the plug-side flow channel 82 (upstream end of the annular seal member 84), and the socket-side flow channel via the communication hole 95 opened there. 92 flows out from the downstream side of the socket 9.

  Therefore, in this flow path connection joint 7, there is no occurrence of a location where the flow of the functional liquid stagnate (liquid pool), and no deterioration (aggregation) of the functional liquid in the liquid pool occurs. Thereby, since the flow of a normal functional liquid can be maintained, the frequency of maintenance of each flow path 82 and 92 can be reduced significantly. Moreover, since it can be set as the complete connection state only by latching the latch pin 87 to the pin latch site | part 97c, for example, when the flow-path connection joint 7 exists in a high place, an operator cannot visually check. Even in a place, connection work can be performed easily and reliably by groping.

  In this embodiment, the plug 8 is provided with the locking pin 87 and the socket 9 is provided with the sleeve member 96. However, the socket 9 is provided with the locking pin 87 and the plug 8 is provided with the sleeve member 96. It may be done. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the sleeve member 96 is configured as a separate member and is press-fitted and fixed to the outer periphery of the socket body 90. However, the sleeve member 96 may be integrally formed with the socket body 90 (or the plug body 80). Further, when the sleeve member 96 is a separate member, the sleeve member 96 may be configured to be rotatable in the circumferential direction with respect to the socket body 90 (or the plug body 80).

  Then, with reference to FIG. 6, the connection (detachment | disconnection) procedure of the flow-path connection joint 7 of this embodiment is demonstrated. Here, it is assumed that the open / close valve 64c interposed in the primary side tube 64a is closed and the plug-side flow path 82 is filled with the functional liquid. Further, since the socket 9 is connected and fixed to the pressure regulating valve 40, the worker mainly holds the plug 8 and performs connection (or detachment) work of the flow path connection joint 7.

  First, the plug 8 is adjusted in the rotational direction so that the locking pin 87 is aligned with the position guided by the locking guide groove 97 (axial guide portion 97a) of the sleeve member 96 (FIG. 6A). Then, the joint male part 93 of the socket 9 is strongly pushed into the annular seal member 84 of the plug 8. The joint male part 93 is inserted to a position where the joint male part 93 comes into surface contact with the valve body part 85a of the opening and closing piece 85 relatively while being sealed by the two close O-rings 84a (FIG. 6B). When the opening / closing piece 85 is pushed against the urging spring 86, the valve is opened and the communication hole 95 communicates with the plug-side channel 82. At this time, the locking pin 87 has reached the end of the axial guide portion 97a, and rotates the plug 8 until it hits the circumferential guide portion 97b (FIG. 6C). Here, when the force on the plug 8 is removed, the locking pin 87 is locked by the spring force of the top biasing spring 86 so as to drop into the pin locking portion 97c. Thus, the plug 8 and the socket 9 are completely connected (FIG. 6D). In this state, the communication hole 95 opened in the joint male part 93 communicates with the plug-side flow channel 82 in the vicinity of the annular seal member 84.

  On the other hand, when the plug 8 and the socket 9 are detached, the plug 8 is once pushed against the top biasing spring 86, rotated, and then the force is released to release the locking pin 87 from the pin locking portion 97c. remove. Thereafter, through a procedure reverse to the above connection, the opening / closing piece 85 is closed, and the connection between the plug 8 and the socket 9 is released (detached).

  According to the above configuration, when the socket 9 and the plug 8 are completely connected, the communication hole 95 of the joint male portion 93 communicates with the plug-side flow channel 82 in the vicinity of the annular seal member 84, so that the flow of the functional liquid is performed. There is no occurrence of stagnation (liquid accumulation), and deterioration (aggregation) of the functional liquid in the liquid accumulation does not occur. In addition, since the upstream end surface (tip surface) of the joint male part 93 is in surface contact with the flat surface of the opening / closing piece 85 without generating a gap, a functional liquid is provided at a connection portion between the joint male part 93 and the opening / closing piece 85. As a result, there is no gap or liquid pool in which the liquid enters, so that the functional liquid does not aggregate and become foreign matter. Thereby, since the flow of a normal functional liquid can be maintained, the frequency of maintenance of each flow path 82 and 92 can be reduced significantly.

  In the flow path connection joint 7 of the present embodiment, one of the socket 9 and the plug 8 (socket 9) is directly connected to a device / apparatus (in the embodiment, the pressure regulating valve 40). It is good also as a form which connects both sides to a tube. In such a case, the outlet port 91 of the socket 9 is configured in the same manner as the inlet port 81 of the plug 8.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a droplet discharge device and a plan view schematically showing a head unit equipped with a functional droplet discharge head. FIG. 4 is a perspective view (a) of a carriage unit (head unit) mounted on a droplet discharge device and a system diagram (b) schematically showing a functional liquid supply device. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view (a) on the inlet side and a longitudinal sectional view (b) on the outlet side of the pressure regulating valve mounted on the carriage unit. It is sectional drawing of the flow-path connection joint which concerns on this embodiment. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view (a) of the O-ring integrated in the flow-path connection joint which concerns on this embodiment, and the partial top view (b) which showed typically the locking groove and locking pin which were formed in the sleeve member. . It is a figure explaining the procedure of the connection (detachment | leave) of the flow-path connection joint which concerns on this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  7: flow path connection joint, 8: plug, 9: socket, 80: plug body, 81: inflow port, 82: plug side flow path, 83: joint female part, 84: annular seal member, 84a: O-ring, 85 : Opening / closing top, 85a: Valve body part, 86: Top biasing spring, 87: Locking pin, 90: Socket body, 91: Outlet port, 92: Socket side flow path, 93: Joint male part, 95: Communication hole 96: Sleeve member, 97: Locking guide groove

Claims (7)

A flow path connection joint consisting of a socket and a plug,
The socket has a socket body formed with an outlet port and a socket-side flow passage connected to the outlet port at the shaft center, a joint male part formed on the upstream side of the socket body and connected to the downstream side of the plug, With
The plug has an inflow port and a plug main body formed on the axial center and a plug-side flow path connected to the inflow port; a joint female portion formed on the downstream side of the plug main body to which the joint male portion is connected; An annular seal member that is provided in the joint female portion and seals between the joint male portion, and a valve body portion that is built in the plug-side flow path and separates and contacts the annular seal member as a valve seat is formed. An opening and closing piece, and an urging means for urging the opening and closing piece toward the annular seal member,
On the outer peripheral surface of the joint male part, a communication hole communicating with the socket-side flow path is opened,
In a state where the joint male part and the joint female part are completely connected, the joint male part relatively pushes the opening / closing piece to separate the valve body from the annular seal member, and the joint male part A flow path connection joint, wherein the communication hole relatively communicates with the plug-side flow path slightly beyond the annular seal member.   2. The flow path connection joint according to claim 1, wherein the communication hole is opened on an outer peripheral surface of an upstream end portion of the joint male portion.   3. The flow path connection joint according to claim 1, wherein each contact surface of the joint male part and the opening / closing piece is formed in a substantially flat surface. A sleeve portion that is provided on an outer peripheral surface of either the socket body or the plug body, and guides the connection between the socket and the plug;
A locking portion that is provided on the other outer peripheral surface and is locked in a locked state with respect to the sleeve portion in the fully connected state;
4. The flow path connection joint according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion maintains a locked state with respect to the sleeve portion by a biasing force of the biasing means. The locking portion is composed of a locking pin protruding from the other outer peripheral surface,
5. A locking guide groove is formed in the sleeve portion so as to be cut in a “J” shape from a connection end in a connection axis direction and guide engagement / disengagement of the locking pin. The flow path connection joint described in 1.   The flow path connection joint according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the annular seal member is composed of two O-rings arranged in contact with each other.   The flow path connection joint according to claim 6, wherein the O-ring is formed of a molded product, and a parting line thereof is formed at a position shifted from a radial direction.

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