JP2009018308A - Connector device for filter cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector device capable of accurately and properly connecting a filter cartridge to a piping system. <P>SOLUTION: The connector device for filter cartridge includes: a fixing part 1 having a plurality of connection pipes on the undersurface thereof so as to be airtightly attached or detached when attaching or detaching a filter cartridge; a movable table 2 having a flange holding part for holding so that fluid inlet and outlet pipes are aligned to the connection pipes; a guide mechanism 4 having two elongated members, which cross mutually in an X-shape and mutually pivoted at the central crossing point so as to restrict the movable table 2 to make the same movable in a vertical direction, pins attached to the respective ends of the elongated members, and horizontal slots for horizontally guiding the pins provided on the respective side surfaces of the fixed part 1 and the movable table 2; and an operation lever 3 having one end pivotally mounted 7 on the fixing part 1 and the other end having a handle 42, and having cam slots 45 for driving cam pins 6 fixed to the movable table up and down. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector device for connecting a filter cartridge to a piping system. The present invention particularly relates to a connector device for connecting a filter cartridge having a primary side and a secondary side inlet / outlet at the upper end of a cartridge to a piping system.

As one type of filter cartridge used for the purification or separation of fluids such as liquid and gas, the primary side fluid inlet pipe, the primary side fluid outlet pipe and the secondary side outlet pipe protrude from the upper end of the cartridge, and the external piping A type that is easy to connect to the system has been proposed.
In particular, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-71326 (corresponding to US Pat. No. 6,068,770) discloses a rectangular horizontal, primary fluid inlet pipe, primary fluid outlet pipe, secondary side outlet pipe protruding upward at the upper end of the filter cartridge. Disposable modular filter cartridges have been proposed in which a flange is provided and these inlets and outlets can be easily aligned and connected to the piping system using a horizontal flange.
This type of filter cartridge includes a fixed manifold block, a swing stage disposed immediately below the fixed manifold block and pivotally attached to the manifold block at the back, and a lock means for locking the swing stage to the fixed manifold block. It is connected to the piping system by a connector device having
To connect the filter cartridge to the piping system, swing the connector device's swing stage downward and tilt it to open the front opening, and both side edges of the horizontal flange of the filter cartridge are formed on both sides of the swing stage. The primary and secondary side entrances are positioned at predetermined positions by placing them on the rails and sliding them to the stop position, and then the swing stage is pushed up to the upper end position by the handle protruding forward from the swing stage and leveled. Thus, the primary and secondary side inlet / outlet pipes of the cartridge are hermetically fitted around the seal ring of the connector pipe protruding from the lower end of the manifold block, and then the sealing position is held by the locking means.

  This type of connector device has the advantage that when the filter cartridge inlet / outlet pipe is attached to / detached from the connector pipe of the fixed manifold block, the alignment between the two is accurate and the attachment / detachment is easy. Have. That is, when the swing stage is used, the fluid inlet / outlet pipe of the filter cartridge starts to engage with the lower end of the fluid passage protruding from the fixed manifold block in an inclined state, and finally, the axes thereof are vertically aligned. In particular, when the fitting depth between the two is deep, this tendency increases, and uneven stress is applied to the seal ring. This causes local deterioration of the seal ring in repeated use of the connector device, making it difficult to ensure the seal. The seal ring must be replaced frequently. Further, since this type of connector mechanism uses a swing stage, it requires a space in which the cartridge can swing, and cannot be used when there is no such room. Furthermore, a large amount of human power is required when lifting from the inclined position to the horizontal position.

  On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-147383 (Patent No. 2649464) uses a plurality of piston / cylinder mechanisms to connect between a fixed portion and a movable block each having a connector pipe to be coupled to each other, and separately move the movable block. A mechanism for locking the fixed part to the fixed part is provided, and the movable block is moved linearly with respect to the fixed part so that both connector pipes are fitted and sealed to each other and locked, or the lock is released and the two are separated. However, since a precise piston / cylinder mechanism is required and a separate locking mechanism is required, the connector device becomes complicated and expensive.

  Therefore, it is desirable to provide a connector device that does not have the above-mentioned drawbacks, can be manufactured at low cost, and can be coupled vertically with a fluid inlet / outlet pipe of a filter cartridge.

The present invention provides a connector device for connecting a filter cartridge having a horizontal flange and a plurality of upright fluid inlet / outlet pipes at an upper end portion thereof to a piping system, wherein the fluid inlet / outlet pipe is hermetically sealed when the cartridge is attached / detached. A fixed part having a plurality of detachable coupling pipes on the lower surface side, a movable table having a flange holding part for holding the horizontal flange so that the fluid inlet / outlet pipe is aligned with the coupling pipe, and the movable table in the vertical direction A guide mechanism for restraining it to be movable, and an operating lever pivotally attached to the fixed portion at one end and having a handle at the other end, for driving a cam pin fixed to the movable table up and down A connector device for a filter cartridge including the operating lever having a cam slot is provided.
According to the present invention, since the movable table is always in a horizontal state and constrained so as to be movable only in the vertical direction, the horizontal flange of the filter cartridge is in a horizontal state and in a predetermined position on the flange holding portion of the movable table. The filter cartridge inlet / outlet pipe can be precisely aligned with the connector pipe coupling pipe in a normal vertical state, and the movable table can be made small by the cam slot of the operating lever and the cam pin (follower) provided on the movable table. The filter cartridge can be easily attached to and detached from the piping system by moving with force. Further, once coupled, the hermetic state can maintain the hermetic seal of the coupling portion against the force applied from the fluid by the locking action of the cam slot of the lever and the cam pin.
A preferable guide mechanism here includes two elongate members intersecting with each other in the X-shape and pivoted to each other at a central intersection, pins attached to the ends of the elongate members, and the side surfaces of the fixed portion and the movable table. Each is provided with a horizontal slot for horizontally guiding the pin.
This eliminates the need for complicated and precise processing such as a piston / cylinder mechanism, makes it possible to manufacture the connector device at a low cost, and uses the action of the lever, so that only a small force is required for the coupling operation.
The cam slot of the operation lever is configured to be closest to the pivot at the lowermost position of the operation lever and in the vicinity thereof, whereby the movable table is connected to the connector pipe and the fluid inlet / outlet pipe. Can be kept airtightly sealed.
Thus, the operation lever can also serve as a lock member, and connection (movement and sealing) and holding (locking) of the inlet / outlet pipe of the filter cartridge to the connector pipe can be achieved only by swinging the operation lever.

According to the present invention, since the filter cartridge can be attached to and detached from the connector device by vertical movement, and thus the cartridge can be held in a stable posture during operation, a connector device that can withstand long-term use without applying excessive force to the seal ring can be provided.
Further, the movable table can be easily moved up and down with a small force by the cam slot of the operation lever and the cam pin (follower) provided on the movable table, and the filter cartridge can be hermetically coupled with a small force. For example, in the structure of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-71326, 4 to 5 kg is required, but the connector according to the present invention can be attached and detached with a force of about 0.5 kg in a standard size connector device.
Since the connector device of the present invention uses a vertical guide mechanism using an X-shaped link, precision processing such as a piston / cylinder mechanism is unnecessary, and the connector device can be manufactured at low cost.
In addition, the portion of the cam slot where the cam pin is located in the vicinity of the lower end position of the operation lever is almost at the lowest position of the cam slot within a certain range of the operation lever. The connector pipe and the fluid inlet / outlet pipe can be held in a hermetically sealed state. Thus, the operation lever can also serve as a lock member, and connection (movement and sealing) and holding (locking) of the inlet / outlet pipe of the filter cartridge to the connector pipe can be achieved only by swinging the operation lever.
Since the connector device of the present invention does not swing (swing), the depth can be reduced and the space can be saved.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments.
1 to 3 are views of the connector device according to the embodiment of the present invention in a non-coupled state, FIG. 4 is a view of the connector device of the present invention in a coupled state, and FIGS. 3 is a view similar to FIGS. 1 to 3 in a state where the filter cartridge is attached to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a known filter cartridge coupled to a piping system by the connector device of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, the filter cartridge 20 includes a main body 22 in which a pleated or other filter element is housed and a lid portion with a flange 24 that closes the upper portion of the main body. The outlet passage of the filtered secondary fluid and the vent passage of the primary or secondary passage are connected to an inlet pipe 29, an outlet pipe 28, and a vent pipe 30 provided in the lid. In addition, since the vent passage may not exist or the primary side outlet may exist, the combination of the inlet / outlet pipes 28 to 30 may be omitted or closed as appropriate. In any case, the present invention is suitable for connecting a plurality of inlet / outlet pipes to a piping system.
The flange 24 has a rectangular shape, has a finger hook 27 used when the filter cartridge 20 is mounted on the connector device at the front end, and guide and holding means when mounted on the connector device of the present invention as will be described later. Parallel side edges 25, 26 supported by parallel rails. Grooves 21 and 23 into which the rails on the connector device side described below are fitted are formed on the lower surfaces of the side edge portions 25 and 26.

Next, the structure of the connector device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
1 to 3 show the connector device in a non-coupled state where the operation lever is at the upper end position, FIG. 1 is a perspective view, FIG. 2 is a front view, and FIG. 3 is a right side view. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connector device in a coupled state in which the operation lever is at the lower end position.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a support bracket, which is fixed to the wall surface of the place of use, for example. A fixing portion is fixed to the support bracket 5. Note that the support bracket 5 is not necessary when the fixing portion can be directly fixed to a support frame such as a wall surface. The fixed portion includes a horizontal head plate 1 fixed to the support plate 32 of the support bracket 5, a coupling block 10 supported by the head plate 1, and upper ends of three fluid passages vertically passing through the coupling block 10. And three connector pipes 11 respectively connected to the lower end portion of the fluid passage. A seal ring 33 is provided around the lower end of the connector pipe 31.

  Both ends of the head plate 1 are bent downward to form side portions 34. A horizontal movable table 2 is disposed below the head plate 1. The movable table 2 is guided in the vertical direction by a vertical guide mechanism 4 interposed between the movable table 2 and the head plate 1. The guide mechanism 4 includes two elongate members 35 and 37 that intersect in an X shape and are pivotally attached to each other at a central intersection 36, pins 8 respectively attached to respective ends of the elongate members, and both side portions of the head plate 1. 34 and horizontal slots 38 respectively provided on the corresponding side surface portions 39 of the movable table 2 for guiding the pins 8 horizontally. Therefore, when the movable table 2 is moved by an operation lever 3 described later, the relative angle of the elongated members 35 and 37 intersecting with the X shape can be changed because the pin 8 is movable in the slot 38, and each of the intersections 36 is changed. Since the vertical distance between the pins 8 on the side is the same as the vertical distance between the pins on the other side regardless of the relative angles of the members 35 and 37, the movable table 2 is kept horizontal at any position in the vertical direction. With this structure, the movable table 2 is constrained so as to move only in the vertical direction. Therefore, the connector pipe 31 protruding downward from the coupling block 10 through the opening of the head plate 1 and the inlet / outlet pipe 28 of the cartridge attached to the movable table 2 are provided. ˜30 is maintained in an aligned relationship.

  The movable table 2 is provided with rails 40 and 41 on the inner side of the lower edges of the side surface portions 39, and holds the parallel edges 25 and 26 of the filter cartridge shown in FIG. The rails 40 and 41 guide the mounting of the filter cartridge by fitting into the parallel grooves 21 and 23 of the filter cartridge. When the rails 40 and 41 are pushed to the position of the stop member 46, the cartridge is held at that position.

Both side plates 43, 44 of the operating lever 3 are pivotally attached to the front end side surface portions 34 of the head plate 1 by means of pivotal attachment portions (pivot attachment pins) 7. A manual operation handle 42 is formed at the front end of the operation lever 3. Cam slots 45 are formed in opposite sides on both side plates 43, 44 of the operation lever 3, and cam pins 6 fixed to the front end of the movable table 2 are fitted therein. The cam pin 6 is restrained in the cam slot by the enlarged head.
The cam slot 45 drives the movable table 2 up and down by moving the operation lever 3 up and down by hand, locks the movable table 2 to the fixed portion at the upper end position of the movable table 2, and lowers the lower end of the movable table 2. The movable table 2 is shaped to stop at the position. The shape of the cam slot 45 is such that the distance from the pivot pin 7 to the cam pin 6 is the farthest when the operating lever 3 is at the uppermost position as shown in FIG. 1-3, while the operating lever 3 is the farthest as shown in FIG. It is determined to be the closest approach when it is at or near the lower position. For example, this distance can be determined to be substantially constant when the operation lever 3 is within about 30 degrees from the vertical position.
Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, when the operation lever 3 is pushed up and the movable table 2 is in the non-joining position at the lower end position, the cam slot 45 descends the side plate 43 of the operation lever 3 from the first end substantially vertically. It inclines backward, then extends to define the lower end position of the movable table 2 and terminates at the second end. When the operating lever 3 is pushed down as shown in FIG. 4 and the movable table 2 is at the upper end position (joining position), the cam slot 45 has the side plate 43 substantially arc-shaped from the first end. (Between pins 6 and 7 is approximately equidistant), then curved upward to the second end. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 1, the movable table 2 is held at the lowest position because the cam pin 6 is stopped at the second end of the cam slot 45. When the operation lever 3 is pushed downward, the cam pin 6 is pushed up by the inclination of the cam slot 45. As a result, the movable table 2 is pushed up, and when the operation lever 3 is pushed down to the vicinity of the lowest position, for example, about 30 degrees from the vertical position. The cam pin 6 reaches an arcuate portion (a portion at an approximately equal distance between the pins 6 and 7), and the movable table 2 is maintained at the uppermost position even if the lever is further pushed down. Finally, the state shown in FIG. 4 is reached, and the cam pin 6 comes to the first end through the cam slot 45. As described above, when the operation lever 3 is pushed down to a certain extent, the filter cartridge is securely held at the lower end of the pipe line of the connector device, and there is no possibility that the connector device is loosened by the fluid pressure applied to the cartridge.

Next, a state in which the filter cartridge is connected to the piping system by the connector device of the present invention will be described.
First, the handle 42 of the operating lever 3 is pushed up to bring the connector device into the state shown in FIGS. Next, both grooves 21 and 23 of the flange 24 of the filter cartridge 20 having the structure shown in FIG. 9 are fitted to the rails 40 and 41 of the movable table 2 and inserted into the stopper 46 provided near the back surface of the movable table 2. Thus, both edges 25, 26 of the filter cartridge are supported by rails 40, 41, and the inlet / outlet pipes 28-29 of the filter cartridge are precisely aligned with the corresponding connector pipes 31, respectively. The state is shown in FIGS.
Next, when the handle 42 of the operation lever 3 is pushed downward, the movable table 2 moves upward while maintaining the horizontal state as described above, and finally the inlet / outlet pipes 28-29 are shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. Are fitted into the corresponding connector pipes 31 and engaged with each other via a seal ring to be hermetically sealed.
In this state, the cam pin 6 is at or near the first end of the cam slot 45, and the first end or the vicinity thereof is at the lowest position, so that the connector device is in a locked state, and the filter pressure is applied by the fluid pressure applied to the filter cartridge. There is no possibility that the inlet / outlet pipes 28 to 29 are disconnected from the connector pipe 31.

1 is a perspective view of a connector device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a non-coupled state. It is a front view of the uncoupled state of the connector apparatus by the Example of this invention. It is a right view of the uncoupled state of the connector apparatus by the Example of this invention. 1 is a perspective view of a connector device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a coupled state. It is a perspective view of a non-bonding state among the use states which couple | bond a filter cartridge with a piping system using the connector apparatus of this invention. It is a front view of a non-joining state among use states which couple | bond a filter cartridge with a piping system using the connector apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view of a combined state among the use states which couple | bond a filter cartridge with a piping system using the connector apparatus of this invention. It is a front view of a combined state among the use states which couple | bond a filter cartridge with a piping system using the connector apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view of an example of a filter cartridge to which the present invention is applied.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Head plate 2 Movable table 3 Operation lever 4 Vertical guide mechanism 5 Support bracket 6 Cam pin 7 Pivoting part 8 Pin 10 Connection block 11 Pipe joint 21, 23 Filter cartridge parallel groove 25, 26 Parallel edge part of filter cartridge 31 Connector pipe 33 Seal ring 34 Head plate side surface 35, 37 Elongated member 36 Intersection 38 Horizontal slot 39 Movable plate side surface 40, 41 Rail 42 Handle 43, 44 Side plate of operation lever 3 45 Cam slot

Claims (4)

  In a connector device for connecting a filter cartridge having a horizontal flange and a plurality of upright fluid inlet / outlet pipes at an upper end portion to a piping system, a plurality of airtightly attachable / detachable parts to / from the fluid inlet / outlet pipes when the cartridge is attached / detached. A fixed part having a coupling pipe on the lower surface side, a movable table having a flange holding part for holding the horizontal flange so that the fluid inlet / outlet pipe is aligned with the coupling pipe, and the movable table is movable in the vertical direction And a guide mechanism for restraining the cam pin, and an operation lever pivotally attached to the fixed portion at one end and a handle at the other end, and for driving a cam pin fixed to the movable table up and down A filter cartridge connector device comprising: an operating lever having a cam slot;   The cam slot of the operation lever is configured to be closest to the pivoting portion at a lowermost position of the operation lever and in the vicinity thereof, whereby the movable table is connected to the connector pipe and the fluid inlet / outlet pipe. The connector device according to claim 1, wherein the connector device can be held in an airtightly sealed state.   The connector device according to claim 1, wherein the flange holding portion is a rail formed on both sides of the movable table to guide and hold the both side edges of the flange having parallel side edges. .   The connector device according to claim 1, wherein an elastic seal ring is provided on an outer periphery of a lower end of the connector pipe.

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