JPH01312295A - Pipe clamp used at the time of fusing electrofusion joint and its fusion - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain required data for performing an optimum heating by providing a data means for fetching data associated with the quantity of power required for a fusion. CONSTITUTION:In a connecting part 1, a plug port 6 from which a pair of terminals 5 are projected is provided and in the plug port 6 formed of an insulator, a resistor 7 for connecting both the terminals 5 is buried. According to a switch operation, a weak inspecting current is caused to flow, the resistance value of the resistor 7 is measured. Based on this, a controller 9 decides a current, a voltage or an energizing time required for fusing a pipe 3 clamped by a clamp and a pipe joint 11 and applies the decided quantity of the power to the pipe joint 11 through a connector 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention is used to connect plastic pipes, and provides a pipe equipped with data necessary for fusion of an electrofusion joint in which a power line is embedded in the joint surface with the pipe. The present invention relates to a gripping clamp and a method for performing fusion bonding based on data obtained from the clamp.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Electrofusion joints have been developed in recent years as pipe joints and saddle joints for plastic pipes used for water and sewage pipes, gas pipes, etc. This joint is made of a molded product with heating wires embedded in the surface that comes in contact with the pipe.In the case of pipe joints, the pipe is usually inserted into the joint from both sides and then clamped to secure it. In the case of a saddle joint, this is done by applying current to the tube while it is pressed from the side and heating and melting the contact surface. The amount of power applied to these fittings affects the quality of the plastic pipe connections; too much power can cause overheating and deformation of the fittings, especially the pipes, while too little can result in insufficient heating. , the fusion strength decreases. Conventionally, devices that energize joints have been manually operated, and the amount of power to be energized has been determined by the operator on site, based on the appearance of the joint during welding. A method has begun to be adopted in which the amount of power to be applied is set in advance according to the size and type of the joint, and an operator identifies the type from the appearance of the joint and determines the corresponding amount of power. Recently, with regard to pipe joints, resistors with different resistance values depending on the type of joint are embedded separately from the heating wire, and the resistance value can be determined by passing test current through the resistor or through the resistor and the heating wire. Detection method (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-131025
(No.), a method to identify the type of pipe joint by detecting the resistance value of the heating wire itself, and apply the corresponding amount of electricity, and a method to determine the energization time by reading the pattern of the coding tab integrated with the joint. Method (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 175022/1983)
etc. have also been proposed.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention According to the method of detecting the resistance value of a resistor or heating wire embedded in a joint, or the method of reading the pattern of a coding tab provided on a joint, a plug, jack or By simply inserting a connector, etc. (hereinafter simply referred to as a connector, etc.) into a socket or tab, data regarding the type of joint and energization time can be obtained, and based on this data, a predetermined amount of power is automatically applied, and the optimal However, in the case of detecting the resistance value of a resistor or reading the pattern of a coding tab, such identification means must be provided for each joint, which increases the cost of the joint. This problem does not exist in the case of a method that reads the resistance value of the heating wire itself, but if you try to give the heating wire an identification function, design constraints like the one described above inevitably arise.

In other words, changing the resin material requires changing the resistance value.

Also, if you are trying to design a heating wire that can provide optimal heating depending on the size and type of the joint, the resistance values may overlap even if the size and type of the joint are different, and if you are trying to emphasize the identification function, The optimal heating may be selected.

The present invention focuses on the fact that the tube is usually held by a clamp during fusion, and attempts to solve the above problem by making it possible to obtain data necessary for fusion from the clamp.

Means for solving the problem and operation, that is, the present invention is characterized in that the clamp for gripping the tube is provided with data means that captures data regarding the amount of electric power required for fusion.

Clamps for gripping tubes are used only for tubes of the same size outside diameter, and separate clamps may be used for tubes of different sizes, but preferably they can be used commonly for tubes of different sizes. It will be done like this. For this purpose, an openable and closable sleeve or a plurality of divided sleeves for clamp fitting with different wall thicknesses are used, preferably a sleeve divided into two parts.

That is, the clamp is constructed to be able to fit the largest size tube, and when a smaller size tube is to be gripped, the clamp holds the tube with a sleeve having a thickness corresponding to the difference. Therefore, the term "clamp" as used in the present invention includes the sleeve.

In addition, when a sleeve is used, the data means is provided on the sleeve, or depending on the data means, for example, when a resistor is used as the data means, the resistor is provided on the other side of the clamp and the sleeve so that they are connected to each other. It will be done.

Tube gripping clamps are also used not only when welding tube fittings, but also when welding saddle fittings. In this case, the saddle joint is gripped together with the tube. Therefore, a clamp for gripping a tube is one that grips a tube and a saddle joint when fusion is performed using a saddle joint.

In addition, in order to be applicable to pipes of different sizes, a sleeve as described above is used for the pipe, and a spacer having a shape and thickness corresponding to the spacing between the clamp and the pipe joint, for example, is used for the saddle joint. used.

Data means include, for example, the clamp surface, the recording plate integrated with the clamp, the bar code displayed on the sleeve if a sleeve is used, the magnetic tape, the number and size of irregularities, holes, or embedded magnetic pieces. , position, arrangement, etc., electrical resistors, memory elements capable of recording several bits such as IC memory, and capacitors.

Data reading is performed by optical sensors, magnetic sensors, limit switches, sensors that detect the resistance value of electrical resistors, sensors that detect the capacitance of capacitors, and other sensors that are compatible with the data means, and their output is controlled. input to the device. The control device determines the amount of electric power corresponding to the input value, that is, the current or voltage and/or the energization time, and controls the amount of electric power applied to the joint.

Accordingly, another feature of the invention is to provide a sensor for reading data means that captures the data necessary for fusion, and to input the data read by the sensor into a control device to determine the amount of power, and to determine the amount of power based thereon. It consists of applying a predetermined amount of electric power.

Embodiment The clamp shown in Fig. 1.2 has a connecting part l and a bell-shaped clamp piece 2a integral with the connecting part 1, which is rotatably attached to the base of the clamp piece 2a to open and close. The clamp part 2 consists of a semicircular diameter clamp piece 2b that cooperates with the piece 2a to hug the plastic pipe 3, and is provided on both sides of the connecting part 1 in the same direction and parallel to each other, and the clamp piece 2b.
It has a long lever 4 that closes and locks it.
The connecting part 1 is provided with a socket 6 from which a pair of terminals 5 protrude, and the socket 6 formed of an insulator has both terminals 5.
A resistor 7 is buried to connect a plastic pipe 3 of a specific size and a pipe joint 1 held by a clamp.
It has a resistance value corresponding to the optimum amount of electric power for fusing 1 and 1.

The plug 8 is also made of an insulator, is connected to the control device 9, and has a socket 10 into which the terminal 5 is received.
After insertion into the insertion port 6, a weak test current is applied by operating a switch and the resistance value of the resistor 7 is measured.Based on this, the control device 9 controls the tube 3 held by the clamp.
Determine the current or voltage and/or energization time required to fuse the connector 1 and the pipe joint 11, and apply the determined amount of power to the connector 1.
2 to the pipe joint 11.

This device is constructed as described above, and when performing fusion, first,
A clamp is selected that matches the diameter of the plastic tube to be fused. Next, use this clamp to lock lever 4.
to open and close the clamp piece 2b to grip and hold the plastic pipe 3 inserted into the pipe joint 11 from both sides.

Then, insert plug 8 into plug 6, and connect connector 1.
After connecting 2, operate the switch to start fusion.

Then, a testing current is passed through the resistor 7, and its resistance value is measured. The control device 9 determines the amount of electric power corresponding to the measured resistance value, and a current or voltage determined based on this is applied to the joint for a predetermined period of time to perform fusion.

In the above embodiment, the insertion port 6 is provided in the connecting portion l, but it may be provided in another location, for example, in the clamp piece 2a or 2b.

In the above implementation, the clamps are used for plastic pipes with the same diameter, and different clamps are used for plastic pipes with different diameters, but the structure is configured so that they can be used commonly for plastic pipes of different sizes. You can also do that.

Figure 3 shows an example of this.The clamp is formed to a size that can fit the plastic pipe with the largest pipe diameter, and when gripping a plastic pipe with a smaller diameter, the inner diameter of the clamp and the plastic pipe are Two-piece sleeves 15a and 15b having a thickness corresponding to the difference in outer diameter of
is used, and is removed while being applied to the plastic tube 14 from both sides. Note that clamps having the same structure as those shown in FIG. 1.2 are given the same reference numerals.

The sleeve is divided into two parts, one of which has a pair of protruding terminals 15b, and a socket 17 that receives the terminals 16 in the clamp piece 2b and connects with the terminal 5 of the insertion port 6.
A pair is formed. Resistors 1 each connect terminal tubes into the insulators of the sleeve piece 15b and the clamp piece 2b.
A resistor 19 is embedded between the socket and the socket. The resistance value R of the parallel resistors 18 and 19 is R, where the resistance value of the resistor 18 is R1, and the resistance value of the resistance value 19 is R2.
=R+Rz/(R++R2), and this resistance value R is set to correspond to the optimum amount of electric power for fusion.

In the case of this device, the sleeves 15a and 15b having the required wall thickness are first selected prior to fusion (sleeves are not used when gripping a plastic tube with the largest diameter), and the sleeves are inserted from both sides of the plastic tube 3. Piece 15
a and 15b, and with the terminal 16 inserted into the socket 17, hold and secure. Thereafter, the resistance value R is measured in the same manner as in the above embodiment, and the corresponding amount of electric power is applied to the joint.

In this embodiment, the socket 17 is connected to the socket 6, but it may also be directly connected to the control device.

The above embodiments are examples of fittings for plastic pipes, but the same means as in the above embodiments are applied to the clamps used for saddle fittings to reduce the amount of electricity required for fusion. can be granted.

In each of the above embodiments, a resistor is also used as the data means, and its resistance value is read, but in other embodiments, a bar code, a 6i tape, an uneven surface, a hole, or an embedded magnetic field is used. Items represented by the number, size, position, arrangement, etc. of pieces, electrical resistors, memory elements capable of recording the number of focus such as tC memory, capacitors, etc. are used.

In yet other embodiments, any of these may be provided on the sleeve or as an integral part of the sleeve or on a clamp that includes the sleeve.

Effects of the Invention The present invention is configured as described above, and has the following effects.

The clamp according to claim 1 makes it possible to obtain data on the amount of power required for fusion without sacrificing the design for optimal heating, and it is possible to obtain data on the amount of power required for fusion, as in the past, for individual electrofusion joints. Since there is no need to provide means, the cost of the joint is reduced.

According to the clamp described in claim 2, it can be used for pipes of various sizes having different pipe diameters.

When the resistor according to claim 3 is used as the data means, it becomes possible to combine the data means and it can be applied to a clamp including a sleeve.

According to the fusion method according to claim 4, it is possible to perform fusion by obtaining data regarding the amount of electric power required for fusion from the clamp, and perform optimal heating compared to the conventional method in which data is obtained from the joint. There are no restrictions on the design of the data, and the data means can be used in common, reducing costs.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front view of the clamp according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view of the clamp according to the present invention;
The figure is a sectional view of the clamp, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of another embodiment. ■... Connecting part 2... Clamp 3.14... Plastic tube 6... Inlet 8... Insertion 9... Control device 15a, 15b - sleeve (piece) 18.19... if
f; Anti-layer applicant Mitsui Petrochemical Industries Co., Ltd. agent Patent attorney Akira Sato - 6ru? Toro

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) During fusion of electrofusion joints, a heating wire is buried in the contact surface with the plastic pipe, and the fusion with the pipe is performed by applying a predetermined amount of electricity to the heating wire and heating and melting the contact surface. In the tube gripping clamp used,
A clamp characterized by being provided with a data means that captures data regarding the amount of electric power required for fusion. (2) The clamp according to claim 1, wherein the clamp includes a sleeve that is removably fitted inside, and the sleeve is configured to be openable and closable or to be divided so as to be able to hold the plastic pipe. (3) The clamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the data means is a resistor, and the data is its resistance value. (4) During fusion of electrofusion joints, a heating wire is buried in the contact surface with the plastic pipe, and the fusion with the pipe is performed by applying a predetermined amount of electricity to the heating wire and heating and melting the contact surface. The tube gripping clamp used is provided with a data means that captures data regarding the amount of electric power required for fusion, and the data read by the sensor from the data means is input to the control device to determine the amount of electric power. A fusion method characterized by applying a predetermined amount of electric power to a joint based on