Patent ID: 7686033

Claim:
A valve connector, comprising: a connector housing having a through-path, the connector housing being provided with a tube connecting portion on one axial end thereof and a pipe inserting portion on the other axial end thereof, an internal valve disposed in the connector housing for opening and closing the through-path, the internal valve having a valve seat surface defined in the connector housing, a valve body including a closing portion with an abutting surface for abutting with the valve seat surface on an outer peripheral portion of the closing portion, and a compression spring biasing the valve body toward the valve seat surface, the valve body being housed in the connector housing movably in an axial direction, wherein the valve body is provided with a plurality of guides, in circumferentially spaced relation, the guides are slidable and movable over an inner surface of the connector housing, wherein an anti-rotation mechanism is arranged between the valve body and a side of the connector housing for restraining the valve body from rotating with respect to the connector housing, the anti-rotation mechanism is in a form of a plurality of stationary anti-rotation projections in circumferentially spaced relation and extending radially inwardly with respect to the cylindrical inner surface of the connector housing so as to engage with the guides in a circumferential direction, wherein the number of the guides is greater than the number of the projections; wherein the valve body rotates in a predetermined angular range between a first position and a second position, in the first position the guide engages with the anti-rotation projection for preventing the valve body from rotating in one circumferential direction, and in the second position the guide engages with the anti-rotation projection for preventing the valve body from rotating in the other circumferential direction, wherein the connector housing includes a cylindrical inner peripheral surface at a position where the valve body is housed, a valve cap is fitted in the other axial end of the cylindrical inner peripheral surface, said valve cap has one axial end that bears the other axial end of the compression spring, and the anti-rotation projections are elongated and extend in the axial direction along the cylindrical inner peripheral surface.