FAUCET WATER INLET PIPE ASSEMBLY AND ASSEMBLY METHOD THEREOF

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to the technical field of faucets, and more particularly to a faucet water inlet pipe assembly and an assembly method thereof.

BACKGROUND

The existing faucet inlet pipe assembly includes a phosphorus deoxidized copper grade 1 (TP1) copper water pipe and C36000 brass joints welded to both ends of the copper water pipe. One of the brass joints is used to plug into a water inlet of the faucet, and the other brass joint is used to connect an indoor water pipe. However, this type of the faucet inlet pipe assembly mainly has the following technical problems. (1) An overall material cost of the faucet inlet pipe assembly is relatively high. (2) The copper water pipe and the brass joints contain lead elements, when water flows through the copper water pipe and the brass joints, they release trace amounts of lead into the water, which is harmful to human health. (3) The sealing performance of connection between the brass joints and the faucet is difficult to guarantee, and it is often necessary to wrap multiple layers of sealing tape around the brass joints to achieve sealing.

SUMMARY

A technical problem to be solved by the disclosure is to provide a faucet inlet pipe assembly with low overall material cost, lead-free and harmless, and good sealing performance based on shortcomings of the related art. At the same time, the disclosure also provides an assembly method of a faucet water inlet assembly.

In order to address the above technical problem, technical solutions of the disclosure are as follows. A faucet water inlet assembly includes a plastic water pipe, a first plastic joint, first sealing rings, a second plastic joint, second sealing rings and a metal nut. The first plastic joint defines a first water inlet channel therein, an end of the plastic water pipe is inserted into an end of the first water inlet channel and is fixedly connected to an inner wall of the first water inlet channel, and the first sealing rings are sleeved outside the first plastic joint. The second plastic joint defines a second water inlet channel therein, and another end of the plastic water pipe is inserted into an end of the second water inlet channel and is fixedly connected to an inner wall of the second water inlet channel. An end of the metal nut is sleeved outside the second plastic joint, the second sealing rings are sleeved outside the second plastic joint and is in interference fit with an inner wall of the metal nut, and external threads are disposed outside the metal nut.

In an embodiment, an inner wall of the end of the first water inlet channel of the first plastic joint defines a first annular connection port, and the end of the plastic water pipe is inserted into the first annular connection port and is welded with an inner wall of the first annular connection port.

In an embodiment, an outer wall of an end of the first plastic joint far away from the first annular connection port defines two first annular grooves in parallel, a number of the first sealing rings is two, and the two first sealing rings are sleeved into the two first annular grooves, respectively.

In an embodiment, an inner wall of the end of the second water inlet channel of the second plastic joint defines a second annular connection port, and the another end of the plastic water pipe is inserted into the second annular connection port and is welded with an inner wall of the second annular connection port.

In an embodiment, an outer wall of an end of the second plastic joint far away from the second annular connection port is provided with a plastic joint connection part protruding outward. Two second annular grooves are defined outside the plastic joint connection part in parallel. A number of the second sealing rings is two, and the two second sealing rings are sleeved into the two second annular grooves, respectively. The end of the metal nut is sleeved outside the plastic joint connection part.

In an embodiment, an end of the plastic joint connection part far away from the second annular connection port is provided with a connection part snap ring protruding outward. The end of the metal nut is provided with a nut snap ring protruding inward, a middle of the metal nut defines an annular snap groove concaving outward, the nut snap ring is snapped onto a side of the connection part snap ring, and the connection part snap ring is snapped into the annular snap groove.

In an embodiment, an outer wall of the end of the metal nut is provided with a nut head protruding outward, and the external threads are disposed on an outer wall of another end of the metal nut, and the another end of the metal nut defines a nut connection port therein.

In an embodiment, an inner wall of a mouth of the nut connection port defines a first guiding bevel, and an outer side of the connection part snap ring defines a second guiding bevel matched with the first guiding bevel.

An assembly method of the faucet water inlet pipe assembly of the disclosure includes the following steps:

• • S1, inserting and installing the plastic water pipe and the first plastic joint to each other, and welding the plastic water pipe with the inner wall of the first annular connection port of the first plastic joint;
  • S2, sleeving the metal nut onto the plastic water pipe;
  • S3, inserting and installing the plastic water pipe and the second plastic joint to each other, and welding the plastic water pipe with the inner wall of the second annular connection port of the second plastic joint;
  • S4, installing the first sealing rings on the first plastic joint, and installing the second sealing rings on the second plastic joint; and
  • S5, pushing the metal nut forcefully towards the second plastic joint, where, during the pushing, the first guiding bevel of the metal nut slides on the second guiding bevel of the connection part snap ring of the second plastic joint to force the end of the second plastic joint to elastically compress inward; the connection part snap ring of the second plastic joint slides along the inner wall of the metal nut; and when the connection part snap ring of the second plastic joint reaches a position of the annular snap groove of the metal nut, the end of the second plastic joint is bounced outward, the connection part snap ring is snapped into the annular snap groove, so that the metal nut is sleeved on the second plastic joint, and the assembly is completed.

Beneficial effects of the disclosure are as follows. (1) The plastic water pipe, the first plastic joint and the second plastic joint adopted by the disclosure have low cost, which is significantly lower than the copper water pipe and brass joints in the related art. At the same time, in the disclosure, the metal nut is sleeved outside the second plastic joint, which can ensure stability of the connection between the faucet water inlet assembly and the indoor water pipes. (2) The plastic water pipe, the first plastic joint and the second plastic joint adopted by the disclosure do not contain lead elements. When water sequentially flows through the second plastic joint, the plastic water pipe and the first plastic joint, they do not release lead into the water, which can avoid harm of lead to the human body. The metal nut is sleeved outside the second plastic joint, and does not come into direct contact with water. Thus, the metal nut does not release the lead into the water, which can avoid harm of the lead to the human body. (3) In the disclosure, the first sealing rings are sleeved on the first plastic joint, thus, when the first plastic joint is inserted into a water inlet of the faucet, the good sealing performance between the first plastic joint and the faucet can be ensured. In the disclosure, the second sealing rings are sleeved outside the second plastic joint, and the second sealing rings are in interference fit with the inner wall of the metal nut, thus, the good sealing performance between the second plastic joint and the metal nut can be ensured. (4) In the disclosure, the external threads are disposed outside the metal nut, which is conductive to connect with the indoor water pipes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic structural diagram from a first perspective of a faucet water inlet assembly according to the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic structural diagram from a second perspective of the faucet water inlet assembly according to the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic exploded structural diagram of the faucet water inlet assembly according to the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic sectional structural diagram of the faucet water inlet assembly according to the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic sectional diagram of an assembly process of the faucet water inlet assembly according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

A structure principle and a working principle of the disclosure are further described in detail in conjunction with drawings below.

As shown in FIGS. 1-6, the disclosure provides a faucet water inlet assembly, including a plastic water pipe 1, a first plastic joint 2, first sealing rings 3, a second plastic joint 4, second sealing rings 5 and a metal nut 6. The first plastic joint 2 defines a first water inlet channel 11 therein, an end of the plastic water pipe 1 is inserted into an end of the first water inlet channel 11 and is fixedly connected to an inner wall of the first water inlet channel 11, and the first sealing rings 3 are sleeved outside the first plastic joint 2. The second plastic joint 4 defines a second water inlet channel 41 therein, and another end of the plastic water pipe 1 is inserted into an end of the second water inlet channel 41 and is fixedly connected to an inner wall of the second water inlet channel 41. An end of the metal nut 6 is sleeved outside the second plastic joint 4, the second sealing rings 5 are sleeved outside the second plastic joint 4 and is in interference fit with an inner wall of the metal nut 6, and external threads 61 are disposed outside the metal nut 6. The plastic water pipe 1, the first plastic joint 2 and the second plastic joint 4 adopted by the disclosure have low cost, which is significantly lower than the copper water pipe and brass joints in the related art. At the same time, in the disclosure, the metal nut 6 is sleeved outside the second plastic joint 4, which can ensure stability of the connection between the faucet water inlet assembly and the indoor water pipes. The plastic water pipe 1, the first plastic joint 2 and the second plastic joint 4 adopted by the disclosure do not contain lead elements. When water sequentially flows through the second plastic joint 4, the plastic water pipe I and the first plastic joint 2, they do not release lead into the water, which can avoid harm of lead to the human body. The metal nut 6 is sleeved outside the second plastic joint 4, and does not come into direct contact with water. Thus, the metal nut 6 does not release the lead into the water, which can avoid harm of the lead to the human body. In the disclosure, the first sealing rings 3 are sleeved on the first plastic joint 2, thus, when the first plastic joint 2 is inserted into a water inlet of the faucet (not shown in drawings), the good sealing performance between the first plastic joint 2 and the faucet can be ensured. In the disclosure, the second sealing rings 5 are sleeved outside the second plastic joint 4, and the second sealing rings 5 are in interference fit with the inner wall of the metal nut 6, thus, the good sealing performance between the second plastic joint 4 and the metal nut 6 can be ensured. In the disclosure, the external threads 61 are disposed outside the metal nut 6, which is conductive to connect with the indoor water pipes (not shown in drawings).

As shown in FIG. 4, an inner wall of the end of the first water inlet channel 11 of the first plastic joint 2 defines a first annular connection port 12, and the end of the plastic water pipe 1 is inserted into the first annular connection port 12 and is welded with an inner wall of the first annular connection port 12, thereby ensuring the stability of the connection between the plastic water pipe 1 and the first plastic joint 2. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, an outer wall of an end of the first plastic joint 2 far away from the first annular connection port 12 defines two first annular grooves 13 in parallel, a number of the first sealing ring 3 is two, and the two first sealing rings 3 are sleeved into the two first annular grooves 13, respectively, thereby ensuring that the first sealing rings 3 are firmly positioned. By setting the two first sealing rings 3, the sealing performance between the first plastic joint 2 and the water inlet of the faucet is significantly improved.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, an inner wall of the end of the second water inlet channel 41 of the second plastic joint 4 defines a second annular connection port 42, and the another end of the plastic water pipe 1 is inserted into the second annular connection port 42 and is welded with an inner wall of the second annular connection port 42, thereby ensuring the stability of the connection between the plastic water pipe 1 and the second plastic joint 4. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, an outer wall of an end of the second plastic joint 4 far away from the second annular connection port 42 is provided with a plastic joint connection part 43 protruding outward. Two second annular grooves 44 are defined outside the plastic joint connection part 43 in parallel. A number of the second sealing rings 5 is two, and the two second sealing rings 5 are sleeved into the two second annular grooves 44, respectively. The end of the metal nut 6 is sleeved outside the plastic joint connection part 43. By setting the plastic joint connection part 43, the metal nut 6 can be stably connected to the second plastic joint 4. By setting the two second sealing rings 5, the sealing performance between the second plastic joint 4 and the metal nut 6 is significantly improved.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, an end of the plastic joint connection part 43 far away from the second annular connection port 42 is provided with a connection part snap ring 45 protruding outward. The end of the metal nut 6 is provided with a nut snap ring 62 protruding inward, a middle of the metal nut 6 defines an annular snap groove 63 concaving outward, the nut snap ring 62 is snapped onto a side of the connection part snap ring 45, and the connection part snap ring 45 is snapped into the annular snap groove 63. In this way, the nut snap ring 62 of the metal nut 6 can snap the connection part snap ring 45 of the second plastic joint 4, and the annular snap groove 63 of the metal nut 6 can snap the connection part snap ring 45 of the second plastic joint 4, so that the metal nut 6 and the second plastic joint are fixed to each other.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, an outer wall of the end of the metal nut 6 is provided with a nut head 64 protruding outward, and the external threads 61 are disposed on an outer wall of another end of the metal nut 6, and the another end of the metal nut 6 defines a nut connection port 65 therein. The nut head 64 is used to twist the metal nut 6 with a tool, and the nut connection port 65 is conductive for connection with the indoor water pipes.

As shown in FIG. 2-FIG. 4, an inner wall of a mouth of the nut connection port 65 defines a first guiding bevel 66, and an outer side of the connection part snap ring 45 defines a second guiding bevel 46 matched with the first guiding bevel 66. When the metal nut 6 is assembled onto the second plastic joint 4, the first guiding bevel 66 and the second guiding bevel 46 can provide guidance between them.

In an embodiment, the plastic water pipe 1 is a cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) high-density polyethylene water pipe. The first plastic joint 2 and the second plastic joint 4 are PEX high-density polyethylene joints. The metal nut 6 is a C36000 brass nut.

As shown in FIG. 5, and combined with reference to FIGS. 1-4, the assembly method of the disclosure is as follow. In step 1, as shown in a step diagram (a) in FIG. 5, the plastic water pipe 1 and the first plastic joint 2 are mutually inserted and installed. In step 2, as shown in a step diagram (b) in FIG. 5, the plastic water pipe 1 and the inner wall of the first annular connection port 12 of the first plastic joint 2 are welded, and the welding method is laser welding. A laser passes through the first plastic joint 2 in a semi-transparent state and makes a laser focus to reach a surface of the plastic water pipe I to achieve the laser welding. In addition, the welding method can also choose ultrasonic welding. In step 3, as shown in a step diagram (c) in FIG. 5, the metal nut 6 is sleeved onto the plastic water pipe 1. In step 4, as shown in a step diagram (d) in FIG. 5, the plastic water pipe 1 and the second plastic joint 4 are mutually inserted and installed, the plastic water pipe 1 and the inner wall of the second annular connection port 42 of the second plastic joint 4 are welded, and the welding method is laser welding. A laser passes through the second plastic joint 4 in a semi-transparent state and makes a laser focus to reach the surface of the plastic water pipe 1 to achieve the laser welding. In addition, the welding method can also choose ultrasonic welding. In step 5, as shown in a step diagram (e) in FIG. 5, the first sealing rings 3 are installed on the first plastic joint 2, and the second sealing rings 5 are installed on the second plastic joint 4. In step 6, as shown in a step diagram (f) in FIG. 5, the metal nut 6 is forcefully pushed towards the second plastic joint 4. During the pushing, with the reference to FIG. 4, the first guiding bevel 66 of the metal nut 6 slides on the second guiding bevel 46 of the connection part snap ring 45 of the second plastic joint 4 to force the end of the second plastic joint 4 to elastically compress inward. The connection part snap ring 45 of the second plastic joint 4 slides along the inner wall of the metal nut 6. When the connection part snap ring 45 of the second plastic joint 4 reaches a position of the annular snap groove 63 of the metal nut 6, the end of the second plastic joint 4 is quickly bounced outward, the connection part snap ring 45 is snapped into the annular snap groove 63, so that the metal nut 6 is sleeved on the second plastic joint 4, and the assembly is completed.

The above is merely some of the embodiments of the disclosure. Any minor modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical solutions of the disclosure are within a scope of the technical solutions of the disclosure.