HK1189930B - Quick connector - Google Patents

Description

Quick coupling

Cross reference to prior application

This PCT patent application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No.61/454,058 entitled "Quick Connector" filed 2011, 3, 18, the entire disclosure of which is to be considered part of the disclosure of this application and is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to quick connector assemblies, and more particularly to quick connector assemblies that receive and lock male end form features.

Background

In many different applications, quick connector assemblies are used to make a quick connection between a male end form and a hose or another pipe and establish fluid communication. It is important that the male end form be quickly engageable with the quick connector assembly to minimize assembly time and labor on, for example, an assembly line. At the same time, the quick connector assembly must be very reliable and must establish a fluid tight seal with the male end form that does not leak or disengage from the male end form. In the automotive industry, quick connector assemblies are often used for fuel lines, and failure of a quick connector assembly can pose a serious safety risk. To reduce this risk, manufacturers have developed assemblies that cannot be locked until the male end form is fully inserted into the quick connector.

One known quick connector assembly includes a housing having a female receiving portion for receiving a male end form and a stem portion for receiving a hose. The locker is movable between a non-engaged position for allowing insertion or withdrawal of the male end form and an engaged position for engaging the bead to retain the male end form in the housing. The locker includes a ring that prevents the locker from moving to the engaged position until the male end form is inserted into the housing by a predetermined distance, and the ring is broken when the male end form is inserted into the housing by the predetermined distance so that the male end form can be completely inserted into the housing. Once the male end form is fully inserted into the housing and the bead passes the locker, the locker can be moved downwardly into the engaged position to engage the bead and retain the male end form in the housing in the locked position. The locker can then be moved back to the non-engaged position to allow the male end form to be extracted. However, once the male end form is removed from the quick connector assembly, there is no structure to prevent the locker from moving back to the engaged position even when the male end form is not seated in the housing because the ring is broken. Thus, such a quick connector assembly only prevents the locker from moving to the engaged position prior to the quick connector assembly first receiving the male end form. Thereafter, even when the male end form is not inserted into the housing of the quick connector assembly, there is no safety mechanism to prevent the locker from moving to the engaged position. The user may inadvertently move the locker to the engaged position without properly locking the male end form in the housing.

There remains a substantial and continuing need for improved quick connector assemblies that are both reliable and reusable.

Disclosure of Invention

At least one aspect of the present invention provides a quick connector assembly for mating with a male end form, the quick connector assembly including a housing having an outer surface and an interior bore for receiving the male end form. The locker has a pair of outer legs slidably engaged with the outer surface of the housing. The locker is movable between a non-engaged position for allowing the male end form to be inserted into or withdrawn from the internal bore and an engaged position for restraining the male end form within the internal bore. One of the outer legs or the outer surface of the locker includes at least one cutout and the other includes at least one window for receiving the cutout when the locker is in the engaged position. Thus, the locker can be moved from the engaged position to the disengaged position only after the outside legs of the locker are pulled away from the housing to disengage the cutout from the window. This acts as a safety mechanism preventing the locker from being inadvertently removed from the in-use position. In addition, when the locker is moved into the engaged position, thereby restraining the male end form, the spring action of the notch into the window may produce an audible sound indicating to the user, such as an assembly line worker or mechanic, that the locker is in the proper engaged position.

Drawings

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a quick connector assembly with a latching device in an unused position;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of the quick connector assembly with the locker in the engaged position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the quick connector assembly with the locker in the engaged position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of the quick connector assembly with the locker in the engaged position.

Detailed Description

Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown generally in FIGS. 1-4 an exemplary quick connector assembly 20 for establishing fluid communication between a male end form 22 and another hose or tube (not shown). The male end form 22 is preferably metal, has a substantially tubular shape with a bead 24 thereon and extends forwardly from the bead 24 to the end of the tube. However, it should be understood that the male end form 22 may be any desired material and may have any desired shape.

The exemplary quick connector assembly 20 includes a housing 26, generally indicated, presenting a female receiving portion 28 for receiving the aforementioned male end form 22 and a stem portion 30 for receiving and establishing fluid communication with a hose or any other type of tube (not shown). In the exemplary embodiment, housing 26 is formed from metal and is formed by a deep drawing process. However, it should be understood that the housing 26 may be any desired type of formable material, including, for example, a polymeric material or a composite. The housing 26 may also be formed by any desired process, such as machining, injection molding, stamping, and the like. .

The housing 26 has an internal bore 32, the internal bore 32 extending axially between the female receiving portion 28 and the stem portion 30 for conveying fluid from the male end form 22 to a tube or hose (not shown) that mates with the stem portion 30. The female receiving portion 28 has an access aperture 34 for receiving the male end form 22 into the internal bore 32. The internal bore 32 of the notch-receiving portion 28 is double-counterbored to present a first shoulder 36 opening up to a first portion 38 and a second shoulder 40 opening up to a larger second portion 42, the first shoulder 38 having a first diameter and the second shoulder 40 having a second diameter greater than the first diameter. The exemplary stem portion 30 extends at a right angle. However, it should be understood that rod portion 30 may have a variety of different shapes.

A pair of sealing rings 44 are disposed in the first portion 38 of the internal bore 32, with one of the sealing rings 44 abutting the first shoulder 36, and with a spacer 46 sandwiched between the sealing rings 44 in the first portion 38 of the internal bore 32. The sealing ring 44 is preferably an O-ring that may be made of various elastomeric materials depending on the fluid and operating temperature of the quick connector assembly 20. The exemplary spacer 46 is a thermoplastic material and is manufactured by an injection molding process; however, the spacers 46 may be of any other desired material and may be formed by any desired process. It should also be understood that the first portion 38 may include any number (including zero) of seal rings 44.

The quick connector assembly 20 of the exemplary embodiment further includes a substantially cylindrical sleeve 48 disposed in the second portion 42 of the interior bore 32 and extending between the second shoulder 40 and the access bore 34. The sleeve 48 also extends radially inwardly along the second shoulder 40 of the housing 26 to present a first spring seat 50 (discussed in further detail below) and axially into the first portion 38 to abut the first seal ring 44 for retaining the first and second seal rings 44 and the spacer 46 in the first portion 38 of the internal bore 32. The exemplary sleeve 48 is a thermoplastic material and is manufactured by an injection molding process. However, the sleeve 48 may be of any desired material and may be manufactured using any desired forming process.

The quick connector assembly 20 further includes a plunger 52, the plunger 52 having a substantially annular shape and being slidably disposed within the sleeve 48 in the second portion 42 of the interior bore 32. The plunger 52 has a front portion 51 and a rear portion 55, the front portion 51 having a larger diameter to receive the bead 24 of the male end form 22 and the rear portion 55 having a smaller diameter to receive the portion of the male end form 22 forward of the bead 24. The plunger 52 also includes a radially extending portion 57 that is sized similar to the opening of the sleeve 48 to guide the movement of the plunger 52 within the sleeve 48.

The plunger 52 also has a second spring seat 53, the second spring seat 53 facing the first spring seat 50 of the sleeve 48 as already discussed above. A spring 54 is disposed in the second portion 42 of the internal bore 32 and extends between the first spring seat 50 of the sleeve 48 and the second spring seat 53 of the plunger 52 to bias the plunger toward the access bore 34 and into a rest position, which is shown in fig. 1 and will be described in further detail below. The spring 54 of the exemplary embodiment is a wave spring 54 formed from stainless steel stock; it should be understood, however, that any other type of compression spring 54 may alternatively be used. The plunger 52 is preferably a thermoplastic material and is manufactured by an injection molding process. However, the plunger 52 may be of any desired material and may be manufactured using any desired forming method.

The quick connector assembly 20 further includes a locker 56, the locker 56 being movable between a use position (fig. 1) for retaining the male end form 22 in the housing 26 and a non-use position (fig. 2-4) for allowing the male end form 22 to be inserted into or removed from the housing 26. The locker 56 includes a base 58 and a pair of inboard legs 60, the inboard legs 60 extending downwardly through the recess receiving portion 28 of the housing 26 and at least one upper slot 59 in the sleeve 48 into the internal bore 32. As best shown in fig. 3, each medial leg 60 has an upper portion 62 and a different lower portion 64. The upper portions 62 are spaced apart from one another slightly larger than the diameter of the male end form 22, and the lower portions 64 are spaced apart from one another slightly larger than the diameter of the bead 24 of the male end form 22 but smaller than the diameter of the plunger 52. Thus, when the locker 56 is in the non-engaged position of fig. 1, the spring 54 biases the plunger 52 towards the lower portion 64 of the inner leg 60, which position is hereinafter referred to as the "rest position". Because of the greater spacing of the lower portions 64 of the inboard legs 60, the bead 24 of the male end form 22 can be inserted into the housing 26 past the inboard legs 60 of the locker 56 to the position shown in fig. 2-4 when the locker 56 is in the non-engaged position. After the collar 24 passes the inner leg 60, the locker 56 may be moved downwardly into the engaged position, as shown in fig. 2-4. With the locker 56 in the engaged position, the bead 24 of the male end form 22 is trapped between the upper portion 62 of the inner leg 60 and the radially extending portion 57 of the plunger 52. The male end form 22 is then successfully locked and sealed by the quick connector assembly 20. In addition, the plunger 52 is biased toward the bead 24 of the male end form 22, and therefore movement of the male end form 22 relative to the housing 26 is limited even if the quick connector assembly 20 vibrates, for example, as the vehicle travels along a bumpy road. The collar 48 may also have a flange 61 extending toward the plunger 52 to contact the plunger 52 when the male end form 22 is locked in the quick connector assembly 20, i.e., the flange 61 defines how far the plunger 52 can be pushed into the internal bore 24.

The sleeve 48 also includes a pair of circumferentially spaced shelves 66, and each inboard leg 60 of the locker 56 presents an outwardly extending lip 67 corresponding to one of the shelves 66 and an angled portion 68 leading to the lip 67. When the locker 56 is initially mounted to the housing 26, the angled portion 68 of the inboard leg 60 engages the sleeve 48 to flex the inboard leg 60 inwardly. Once lip 67 passes shelf 66, inboard leg 60 flexes laterally back to its unstressed position. If a user attempts to remove an installed locker 56 from the housing 26, the lip 67 on the inside leg 60 will engage the shelf 66 of the sleeve 48 to prevent removal of the locker 56 from the housing 26. Preferably, the lip 67 and shelf 66 are strong enough to withstand up to ninety (90) newtons of force.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the locker 56 is in the engaged position, the lower portion 64 of the inside leg 60 extends downwardly through the sleeve 48 and the lower slot of the housing 26 to provide evidence that the locker 56 is in the engaged position. This is advantageous because it provides a visual indication to a person, such as an assembly line worker or technician, that the locker 56 has reached the engaged position and that the male end form 22 is properly locked and sealed by the quick connector assembly 20.

The locker 56 further includes a pair of outer legs 70, the outer legs 70 extending downwardly from the base 58 for engaging the outer surface of the recess receiving portion 28 of the housing 26. The outer legs 70 are spaced apart from one another and each has a first arcuate portion 72, a second arcuate portion 74 and a flared portion 76, the first arcuate portion 72 having the same curvature as the outer surface of the outer shell 26, the second arcuate portion 74 also having the same curvature as the outer surface of the outer shell 26, the flared portion 76 being flared outwardly from the second arcuate portion 74. The flared portions 76 of the outboard legs 70 help guide the outboard legs 70 onto the housing 26 when the locker 56 is mounted to the notch receiving portion 28 of the housing 26 during assembly of the quick connector assembly 20. The locker 56 is then pushed downward to flex the outboard leg 70 outward until the second arcuate section 74 engages the housing 26. At this point, the locker 56 is in the non-engaged position shown in FIG. 1. To move the locker 56 downwardly to the engaged position shown in fig. 2-4, a downward force must be applied to the base 58 to flex the outer legs 70 outwardly until the first arcuate portions 72 engage the housing 26. The shape of the outboard legs 70 only allows the locker 56 to remain in the non-engaged or engaged position, and thus, the exemplary embodiment locker 56 cannot be moved to the partially engaged position where the male end form 22 may be inadvertently separated from the quick connector assembly 20. This is also another important safety feature of the quick connector assembly 20.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, each outboard leg 70 of the locker 56 further includes at least one notch 78, the notch 78 extending radially inward from the first arcuate portion 72 thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the cutout 78 is formed by cutting a small slit in the locker 56 and bending the material of the locker 56 at the slit. This is a quick process that adds very little cost or labor to the manufacture of the latch 56. As best shown in the cross-sectional view of fig. 4, the housing 26 has a window 80 for receiving the cutout 78 of the locker 56 and engaging the cutout 78 of the locker 56 when the locker 56 is in the in-use position in which the first arc-shaped portion 72 of the outer leg 70 engages the housing 26. The engagement of the cutouts 78 of the locker 56 with the windows 80 of the housing 26 prevents the locker 56 from being moved out of the engaged position by simply applying an upward force to the locker 56. In contrast, before the locker 56 can be moved out of the engaged position, the outer leg 70 must be pulled apart to disengage the notch 78 from the window 80. This safety mechanism provides further assurance that the locker 56 will not be inadvertently removed from the in-use position. It should be understood that alternatively, the cutout 78 may be formed in the housing 28 and the window 80 may be formed in the outer leg 70.

As best shown in fig. 3, when the exemplary embodiment latch 56 is in the engaged position, the base 58 is raised relative to the top of the housing 26, and the inboard legs 60 extend downwardly from either side of the base 58. This arrangement presents an opening between the base 58 and the housing 26 to receive a conventional screwdriver or similar tool that can be inserted into this opening and used to pry the locker 56 upwardly to the unused position. Alternatively, the flared portion 76 of the outboard leg 70 of the locker 56 may be pulled outwardly and upwardly to move the locker 56 from the engaged position to the disengaged position. Thus, only a deliberate action by the user can move the locker 56 to the non-engaged position. This is also another safety feature of the quick connector assembly 20.

As best shown in fig. 4, when the exemplary embodiment latch 56 is in the engaged position, the base 58 is raised relative to the housing 26 and the inboard leg 60 extends downwardly from one side of the base 58. This arrangement presents an opening on the opposite side of the base 58 from the inboard leg 60. A conventional screwdriver or similar tool may be inserted through this opening and used to pry the locker 56 up to the non-engaged position only after the outside leg 70 has been pulled apart to disengage the notch 78 of the outside leg 70 from the window 80 of the housing 26. Alternatively, the flared portion 76 of the outboard leg 70 of the locker 56 may be pulled apart to separate the cutout 78 from the window 80, and the flared portion 76 of the outboard leg 70 of the locker 56 pushed upward without tools to move the locker 56 from the engaged position to the disengaged position.

In operation, the quick connector assembly 20 begins with the locker 56 in the unused position and the plunger 52 in the rest position. As discussed above, in this position, the plunger 52 is biased forward by the wave spring 54 against the lower portion 64 of the inboard leg 60 of the locker 56. This contact between the inside leg 60 and the plunger 52 prevents the locker 56 from moving downward to the engaged position and prevents the plunger 52 from disengaging the housing 26. The male end form 22 is then pushed in an axial direction through the receiving inlet 34 into the interior bore 32 of the housing 26, sealing the forward end of the male end form 22 to the housing 26 by the sealing ring 44 to prevent fluid from exiting the quick connector assembly 20. Once the male end form 22 is inserted far enough into the internal bore 32, the bead 24 of the male end form 22 will engage the plunger 52. Further insertion of the male end form 22 will overcome the biasing force from the wave spring 54 to move the plunger 52 rearwardly. Once the bead 24 passes the inboard leg 60, the locker 56 may be pushed downwardly into the engaged position to trap the bead 24 of the male end form 22 between the plunger 52 and the upper portion 62 of the inboard leg 60 of the locker 56. It should be noted that the locker 56 may only be moved into the engaged position after the male end form 22 is inserted far enough into the internal bore 32 of the housing 26 that the bead 24 passes the inboard leg 60. This feature, when combined with the visual cue that the locker 56 was successfully moved to the in use position, ensures that the male end form 22 can only be properly locked and sealed by the quick connector assembly 20.

To remove the male end form 22 from the quick connector assembly 20, the user must first disengage the notch 78 of the locker 56 from the window 80 of the housing 26 before he or she can pry the base 58 of the locker 56 upward or push the outside leg 70 of the locker 56 outward using a conventional screwdriver. Once the locker 56 reaches the unused position, the wave spring 54 and plunger 52 automatically eject the male end form 22 from the internal bore 32 of the housing 26. The locker 56 cannot be completely removed from the housing 26 due to the lip 67 of the inside leg 60 and the shelf 66 of the sleeve 48.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings, and may be practiced otherwise than as described while still being within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (12)

1. A quick connector assembly for mating with a male end form factor, the quick connector assembly comprising:

a housing having an outer surface and an interior bore for receiving the male end form;

a locker having a pair of outer legs slidably engaged with said outer surface of said housing and further comprising a pair of inner legs extending downwardly into said inner bore of said housing, wherein said locker is movable between an unused position for allowing insertion and withdrawal of said male end form into and out of said inner bore and an in-use position for restraining said male end form within said inner bore;

at least one of the outside legs of the locker or the outer surface of the housing comprising at least two windows, the other of the outside legs of the locker and the housing comprising at least two notches for engagement with the windows, wherein the locker is movable from the in-use position to the out-of-use position only in response to the outside legs being pulled outwardly away from each other to disengage the notches from the windows; and

a plunger slidably disposed in the interior bore of the housing; and a spring engaged with the plunger and biasing the plunger in a first direction toward a rest position,

wherein the locker is movable from the non-engaged position to the engaged position only if the male end form is inserted into the internal bore of the housing to slide the plunger away from the rest position in response to overcoming the biasing force from the spring.

2. The quick connector assembly of claim 1, wherein each said outer leg has a cutout and said outer surface of said housing has a pair of windows.

3. The quick connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein each said outboard leg has a first arcuate portion having a similar curvature to said outer surface of said housing and a second arcuate portion having a similar curvature to said outer surface of said housing.

4. The quick connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein said notch is disposed on said first arcuate portion of said outboard leg.

5. The quick connector assembly of claim 3, wherein said latching means is in said engaged position when said first arcuate portion of said outboard leg is engaged with said outer surface of said housing.

6. The quick connector assembly of claim 5, wherein said latching means is in said non-engaged position when said second arcuate portion of said outboard leg is engaged with said outer surface of said housing.

7. The quick connector assembly according to claim 6 wherein each said inboard leg has an upper portion and a different lower portion.

8. The quick connector assembly according to claim 7 wherein said upper portions of said inside legs are spaced slightly larger than the diameter of said male end form and said lower portions of said inside legs are spaced slightly larger than the diameter of the bead of said male end form.

9. The quick connector assembly of claim 6, further comprising a bushing disposed in said housing.

10. The quick connector assembly according to claim 9, wherein each said inboard leg includes an outwardly extending lip, and wherein said collar includes a pair of shelf-like objects for engaging said lips to prevent said locker from being removed from said quick connector assembly.

11. The quick connector assembly of claim 10, wherein said housing includes a pair of lower slots, wherein said inboard leg extends through said pair of lower slots when said latching mechanism is in said engaged position.

12. A method of removing a male end form from a quick connector assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, the method comprising the steps of:

moving at least one of the outside legs outwardly and away from each other to separate at least two cutouts in the outer surface or the outside leg of the outer shell from at least two windows in the other of the outer surface and the outside leg of the outer shell; and

moving the locker from the engaged position to the disengaged position to disengage the inboard leg of the locker from the male end form only after the cutout is disengaged from the window.