CN218178223U

CN218178223U - Multifunctional connector and male connector and female connector thereof

Info

Publication number: CN218178223U
Application number: CN202222338473.5U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张鑫; 李宗军; 杨雪松
Original assignee: Beijing Jidu Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Jidu Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-09-02
Filing date: 2022-09-02
Publication date: 2022-12-30
Anticipated expiration: 2032-09-02

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a multifunctional connector and a male connector and a female connector thereof. The multi-function connector is adapted for use in a thermal management system and is freely switchable between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation. The male connector can be used as a common connector to be in butt joint with a pipeline of the heat management system in the first working mode, the female connector can be sleeved on the basis of the male connector in the second working mode, the quick connector is in butt joint with the pipeline of the heat management system in a quick connector mode, accordingly, the quick connector and the common connector can be flexibly switched, meanwhile, the using requirements of a final scheme in the later stage of development can be met, and the development time and the cost are saved.

Description

Multifunctional connector and male connector and female connector thereof

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of thermal management systems, in particular to a multifunctional connector and a male connector and a female connector thereof.

Background

The joints currently used in thermal management systems are divided into two types: common joints and quick joints. The common joint has lower cost, but has high requirement on space and low assembly efficiency; the quick connector has low space requirement and high assembly speed, but has higher cost.

Since the two commonly used types of joints are structurally very different, only one type of joint is generally selected for installation, and the other type of joint is incompatible. For example, in a scene where a common joint is installed, if a quick joint needs to be changed, the mold needs to be opened again, and a large design change and disassembly and assembly can be performed, which often wastes development time and cost.

Disclosure of Invention

Aspects of the present application provide a multi-functional connector and a male connector and a female connector thereof to solve the above-mentioned problems.

The embodiment of the application provides a multifunctional joint which is suitable for being butted with a pipeline in a thermal management system. The multifunctional joint includes: a male connector and a female connector. The male connector comprises a body and a butt joint pipe which are communicated. The outer surface of the body is provided with a clamping portion, and in a first working mode, the butt joint pipe is in butt joint with the pipeline. The female joint comprises a sleeve and a delivery pipe which are communicated. The sleeve is provided with a cavity and a limiting part, in a second working mode, the female joint is sleeved on the male joint, and the conveying pipe is in butt joint with the pipeline. In a second working mode, the butt joint pipe is accommodated in the cavity, the sleeve is sleeved on the body, the limiting part is combined with the clamping part, and the male joint is stopped from moving relative to the female joint.

In some embodiments, the engaging portion is a groove recessed into the outer surface. The limiting part comprises a notch and an elastic piece, the notch penetrates through the pipe wall of the sleeve, the elastic piece is sleeved on the sleeve, part of the elastic piece is embedded into the notch and protrudes out of the inner wall surface of the sleeve, and the elastic piece is clamped in the groove in the second working mode.

In some embodiments, the sleeve comprises a first sleeve section and a second sleeve section. The first sleeving section is connected between the cavity and the second sleeving section, the limiting portion is arranged on the second sleeving section, the butt joint pipe is connected to one end of the body in a surrounding mode, a first sealing ring is arranged at one end of the body in a surrounding mode, and the first sleeving section is sleeved on the sealing ring in the second working mode.

In some embodiments, the inner circumferential surface of the first sleeve joint section is provided with a second sealing ring in a surrounding manner, and the second sealing ring partially protrudes out of the inner circumferential surface and abuts against the first sealing ring in the second working mode.

In some embodiments, the butt-joint pipe comprises an end portion and a sealing section connected between the end portion and the body, and the first sealing ring is arranged on the sealing section in a surrounding mode, wherein the outer diameter of the end portion and the outer diameter of the first sealing ring are matched with the inner diameter of the pipeline respectively.

In some embodiments, the multi-functional joint further comprises a fastener. Clamped to the pipe in correspondence of the sealing section and between the end and the first sealing ring in the first operating mode, and clamped to the pipe in correspondence of the delivery pipe and between the cavity and the end face of the delivery pipe in the second operating mode.

In some embodiments, in the second operation mode, the body is accommodated in the second socket section and abuts against a wall surface of the first socket section facing the second socket section.

The embodiment of the application also provides a male connector which is suitable for being butted with a pipeline in a thermal management system. The male connector comprises a body and a butt joint pipe which are communicated. The outer peripheral surface of the body is provided with a groove in a surrounding mode. The butt joint pipe comprises an end part and a sealing section, wherein the sealing section is connected between the end part and the body, and the outer diameter of the end part is matched with the inner diameter of the pipeline.

The embodiment of the application also provides a female joint which is suitable for being sleeved on a male joint and is butted with a pipeline in a thermal management system. The female joint comprises a sleeve and a delivery pipe which are communicated. The sleeve comprises a cavity, a first sleeve joint sleeve and a second sleeve joint section. The cavity connect in the conveyer pipe, first cup joint section connect in the cavity with between the second cup joint section, wherein the internal diameter of second cup joint section is greater than the internal diameter of first cup joint section to be provided with spacing portion, spacing portion includes incision and elastic component. The notch penetrates through the wall of the sleeve, and the elastic element is sleeved on the sleeve and is partially embedded into the notch to protrude out of the inner wall surface of the sleeve.

In the embodiment of the application, in the initial development period of the thermal management system, the detachable configuration mode of the male connector and the detachable configuration mode of the female connector of the multifunctional connector can be freely switched between the first working mode and the second working mode, so that the flexible switching between the quick connector and the common connector is realized, and meanwhile, the use requirements of the final scheme in the later development period can be met. Therefore, under the condition of not changing the mould, no extra mould cost and time cost are generated, the engineering development efficiency is greatly improved, and the development cost is saved.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the application and together with the description serve to explain the application and not to limit the application. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a side view of a multi-function connector according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 to 5 are schematic views illustrating a usage state of the multifunctional joint according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a side view of a multi-function connector according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 to 10 are schematic views illustrating a usage state of a multifunctional joint according to another embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the technical solutions of the present application will be described in detail and completely with reference to the following specific embodiments of the present application and the accompanying drawings. It should be apparent that the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

It should also be noted that the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a … …" does not exclude the presence of another identical element in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

Please refer to fig. 1 to 5. The embodiment of the present application provides a multifunctional joint 1, which is suitable for a thermal management system, such as a cooling system, a heat dissipation system, a heat exchange system, and the like for a vehicle. The multi-functional joint 1 includes a male joint 10 and a female joint 20, and optionally, the male joint 10 or the female joint 20 is connected to a pipeline t of a thermal management system, for example, a cooling hose, on the basis of the male joint 10.

The male connector 10 of the multi-function connector 1 includes a body 110 and a butt pipe 120 which are communicated with each other, wherein the body 110 has a hollow pipe structure, and an engaging portion 111 is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the body 110. The engaging portion 111 may be a groove provided around the outer circumferential surface of the body 110, or a plurality of grooves provided at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the body 110. In the embodiment, the groove surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the main body 110 by the engaging portion 111 is taken as an example, but not limited thereto. The docking pipe 120 has opposite trailing end 121 and leading end 122, wherein the trailing end 121 is connected to the body 110, the leading end 122 extends along the axial direction of the body 110, and a nozzle 123 communicating with the external environment is provided at the end surface of the leading end 122.

The female connector 20 of the multi-functional connector 1 includes a sleeve 210 and a delivery tube 220 communicating with each other. One end of the delivery tube 220 is connected to the casing 210, and the other end extends in the axial direction of the casing 210. The sleeve 210 includes a cavity 211 and a stopper 212. The internal space of the cavity 211 matches the volume of the docking pipe 120 of the male connector 10, so that the cavity 211 can accommodate the docking pipe 120 when the female connector 20 and the male connector 10 are docked. The stopper portion 212 is disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve 210, and may include, but is not limited to, a notch 2121 and an elastic member 2122. One or more notches 2121 are formed in the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 210 and penetrate the tube wall of the sleeve 210, so that the outer peripheral surface and the inner wall surface of the sleeve 210 communicate with each other. The elastic member 2122 may be, but is not limited to, an elastic clip spring, which is sleeved on the sleeve 210 and partially embedded in the notch 2121 to protrude from the inner wall surface of the sleeve 210. The elastic member 2122 can be pushed by its own elastic force to be displaced toward the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve 210 by an external force, and is submerged into the notch 2121, and normally protrudes from the inner wall surface of the sleeve 210 after the external force is removed.

In some embodiments of the present application, the sleeve 210 of the female connector 20 is further provided with a first sleeve section 213 and a second sleeve section 214. The first nesting section 213 is connected between the cavity 211 and the second nesting section 214, and the limiting portion 212 is disposed on the second nesting section 214. The first sleeve segment 213 is filled with a sealing element 215, and the sealing element 215 has a passage 2151 along the axial center for the abutting pipe 120 of the male connector 10 to pass through when the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are abutted.

In a first mode of operation of the embodiment of the present application, the multi-functional connector 1 is used as a plain connector that interfaces with a conduit t of a thermal management system through a male connector 10 (as shown in fig. 2 and 3). The pipeline t is sleeved on the butt pipe 120 of the male connector 10, and an end surface of the pipeline t abuts against the body 110 and is connected to the wall surface 112 on one side of the butt pipe 120. Thus, the wall 112 of the body 10 may provide an indication that the line t is in place during assembly of the line t and the male connector 10. After the butt joint is completed, the inner surface of the pipeline t is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the butt joint pipe 120 to achieve a sealing effect. Alternatively, in some embodiments of the present application, the outer diameter of the butt-joint pipe 120 and the inner diameter of the pipeline t may be tightly fitted with each other by interference fit, so that the inner surface of the pipeline t and the outer circumferential surface of the butt-joint pipe 120 are tightly fitted with each other.

In the second operation mode of the embodiment of the present application, the multi-function coupling 1 is used as a quick coupling which is coupled to a pipeline t of a thermal management system through a pipe 220 of a female coupling 20, and achieves a sealing effect among the male coupling 10, the female coupling 20, and the pipeline t after the coupling is completed (as shown in fig. 4 and 5). Specifically, the female connector 20 is sleeved on the male connector 10 through the sleeve 210, so that the butt pipe 120 of the male connector 10 is received in the cavity 211 through the passage 2151 of the sealing member 215 and is coaxially arranged with the delivery pipe 220. At this time, the body of the mating pipe 120 of the male connector 10 is covered by the sealing member 215 to form a seal with the sleeve 210. Meanwhile, the body 110 of the male connector 10 is received in the second nesting section 214 of the female connector 20, such that the wall surface 112 of the body 110 of the male connector 10, which is connected to one side of the butt pipe 120, abuts against the surface 2131 of the first nesting section 213, which faces the second nesting section 214, or abuts against the side of the sealing element 215, which faces the second nesting section 214, thereby forming a sealing effect between the body 110 and the first nesting section 213.

In the process that the body 110 of the male connector 10 is accommodated in the second sleeving section 214 of the female connector 20, the body 110 pushes the elastic member 2122 in the second sleeving section 214 to be retracted into the pipe wall, and when the elastic member corresponds to the engaging portion 111 of the body 110, the elastic member is embedded into the groove formed by the engaging portion 111 under the action of elastic restoring force, so that the stopper body 110 is displaced relative to the second sleeving section 214, thereby completing the limiting and fixing between the male connector 10 and the female connector 20, and playing a role in preventing loosening.

Therefore, when the multifunctional connector 1 provided by the embodiment of the application is applied to a thermal management system, two butt joint modes can be selected on the basis of the male connector 10, so that the overall design of the thermal management system is more flexible. Because the common joint or the quick joint can be switched at any time in the design and development process, the method can adapt to the final selection design mode, reduce the cost of repeated development and improve the development efficiency.

Please refer to fig. 6 to 10. The multifunctional joint provided by another embodiment of the present application is substantially the same in structure as the above-mentioned embodiments, and only the difference therebetween will be described below.

The male connector 10 of the multi-functional connector 1 includes a body 110 and a butt pipe 120 which are communicated with each other. The butt joint pipe 120 includes an end portion 124 and a sealing section 125 connected between the body 110 and the end portion 124, and the end of the sealing section 125 connected to the body 110 is surrounded by a first sealing ring 126. The outer diameter of the first sealing ring 126 and the outer diameter of the end portion 124 are respectively matched with the inner diameter of the pipeline t, so that when the pipeline t of the thermal management system is sleeved on the butt pipe 120 of the male joint 10, the end portion 124 of the butt pipe 120 can play a role in stopping the pipeline t, and a sealing effect can be achieved between the first sealing ring 126 and the pipeline t. In addition, in other embodiments of the present application, the multi-function connector 1 further includes a fixing member 30, such as a clip, for clamping between the end 124 of the butt joint pipe and the first sealing ring 126, i.e. clamping and fixing the pipeline t on the sealing section 125, so as to improve the stability and tightness of the butt joint between the pipeline t and the male connector 10.

The female connector 20 of the multi-functional connector 1 includes a sleeve 210 and a delivery tube 220 communicating with each other. Similarly, the end of the delivery tube 220 remote from the sleeve 210 may be provided with a similar configuration to the end 124 of the male connector 10 to provide a backstop effect for the tubing 220 when the tubing t is mated with the delivery tube 220. The sleeve 210 comprises a cavity 211, a first sleeve section 213 and a second sleeve section 214. The first sleeving connection section 213 is connected between the cavity 211 and the second sleeving connection section 214, and the second sleeving connection section 214 is provided with a limiting part 212. The inner diameter of the first sleeve section 213 is matched with the outer diameter of the first sealing ring 126 of the male connector 10, so that in the second working mode in which the female connector 20 is sleeved on the male connector 10, the first sealing ring 126 can be filled in the first sleeve section 213 and tightly abut against the inner circumferential surface of the first sleeve section 213, thereby playing a role in sealing. Alternatively, in some embodiments of the present application, the inner circumferential surface of the first sleeve section 213 is surrounded by the second sealing ring 216, and the second sealing ring 216 partially protrudes from the inner circumferential surface. Therefore, in the second operation mode, in addition to the sealing function between the first sealing ring 126 and the inner circumferential surface of the first sleeve section 213, the second sealing ring 216 can abut against the first sealing ring 126 to further provide the sealing effect.

In another application scenario of the present application, when the multi-function connector 1 is mated with the pipeline t of the thermal management system in the first operation mode (as shown in fig. 7 and 8), the pipeline t is sealed with the first sealing ring 126 on the mating pipe 120 of the male connector 10, and the pipeline t is prevented from slipping off the mating pipe 120 under the stopping action of the end 124. In addition, in some embodiments of the present application, the pipe t is clamped to the pipe t by the fixing member 30 at a position corresponding to the sealing section 125 of the butt pipe 120, thereby further providing a sealing effect and stably joining the pipe t to the male connector 10. In the second operation mode (as shown in fig. 9 and 10), the sleeve 210 of the female connector 20 is sleeved on the male connector 10, the end of the butt joint pipe 120 of the male connector 10, which is provided with the end portion 124, is received in the cavity 211 of the sleeve 210 and is coaxially arranged with the delivery pipe 220, and the first sealing ring 126 is tightly fitted in the first sleeving section 213. At this time, the first sealing ring 126 abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the first sleeving connection section 213, and the second sealing ring 216 abuts against the first sealing ring 126, so as to provide double sealing function. Meanwhile, the position-limiting portion 212 on the second nesting section 214 of the female connector 20 is embedded into the engaging portion 111 of the male connector 10 through the elastic member 2122 thereof, so as to stop the displacement of the male connector 10 relative to the female connector 20, thereby completing the position-limiting fixation therebetween. Then, as described above, the pipeline t is sleeved on the delivery pipe 220 of the female joint 20, and is clamped and fixed by the fixing member 30, thereby completing the operation of butting the multifunctional joint 1 and the pipeline t.

In addition, the multifunction connector 1 is quite convenient to be disassembled and assembled in switching between the first operation mode and the second operation mode. For example, when the second operation mode is switched to the first operation mode, the elastic member 2122 of the stopper portion 212 is pushed by the body 110 of the male connector 10 and is retracted into the tube wall of the sleeve 210 by applying an external force to the female connector 20, so that the engagement between the female connector 20 and the male connector 10 can be released. Meanwhile, as the external force is drawn in a direction away from the male connector 10, the sleeve 210 of the female connector 20 is separated from the male connector 10, and the operation of switching the second operation mode to the first operation mode is completed.

The above description is only an example of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A multi-function fitting adapted to interface with a conduit of a thermal management system, the multi-function fitting comprising:

the male joint comprises a body and a butt joint pipe which are communicated, a clamping part is arranged on the outer surface of the body, and the butt joint pipe is in butt joint with the pipeline in a first working mode; and

the female joint comprises a sleeve and a delivery pipe which are communicated, the sleeve is provided with a cavity and a limiting part, in a second working mode, the female joint is sleeved on the male joint, the delivery pipe is in butt joint with the pipeline,

in a second working mode, the butt joint pipe is accommodated in the cavity, the sleeve is sleeved on the body, the limiting part is combined with the clamping part, and the male joint is stopped from moving relative to the female joint.

2. The multi-function connector of claim 1, wherein the engaging portion is a groove recessed into the outer surface, the limiting portion includes a notch penetrating through a wall of the sleeve and an elastic member sleeved on the sleeve and partially inserted into the notch to protrude from an inner wall surface of the sleeve, and wherein the elastic member is engaged in the groove in the second mode of operation.

3. The multi-function connector of claim 1, wherein the sleeve comprises a first sleeve section and a second sleeve section, the first sleeve section is connected between the cavity and the second sleeve section, the limiting portion is disposed on the second sleeve section, wherein a first sealing ring is disposed around an end of the butt pipe connected to the body, and the first sleeve section is sleeved on the sealing ring in the second operation mode.

4. The multi-function connector of claim 3, wherein the inner periphery of the first socket section is circumferentially provided with a second sealing ring, and the second sealing ring partially protrudes from the inner periphery and abuts against the first sealing ring in the second operation mode.

5. The multi-function connector of claim 3, wherein said butt-joint pipe comprises an end portion and a sealing section connected between said end portion and said body, said first sealing ring being circumferentially disposed on said sealing section, wherein an outer diameter of said end portion and an outer diameter of said first sealing ring are respectively matched to an inner diameter of said pipe.

6. The multi-function fitting of claim 5 further comprising a securing member clamped to said conduit in correspondence of said seal segment and between said end portion and said first seal ring in said first mode of operation, and clamped to said conduit in correspondence of said delivery tube and between said chamber and an end face of said delivery tube in said second mode of operation.

7. The multi-function connector of claim 3, wherein in said second mode of operation, said body is received within said second socket section and abuts a wall of said first socket section facing said second socket section.

8. A male connector of the multi-function connector of claim 1, adapted to interface with a conduit in a thermal management system, the male connector comprising: the butt joint pipe comprises an end part and a sealing section, wherein the sealing section is connected between the end part and the body, and the outer diameter of the end part is matched with the inner diameter of the pipeline.

9. The male connector of claim 8, wherein a first sealing ring is disposed around an end of the sealing section connected to the body, an outer diameter of the first sealing ring is matched with an inner diameter of the pipeline, and when the pipeline is sleeved on the butt pipe, the end portion and the first sealing ring abut against an inner surface of the pipeline.

10. A female connector of the multi-function connector of claim 1, adapted to be received over a male connector to interface with a conduit in a thermal management system, the female connector comprising: the sleeve pipe and the conveyer pipe that are linked together, the sleeve pipe includes cavity, first cover joint cover and second cover joint section, the cavity connect in the conveyer pipe, first cover joint section connect in the cavity with between the second cover joint section, wherein the internal diameter of second cover joint section is greater than the internal diameter of first cover joint section to be provided with spacing portion, spacing portion includes incision and elastic component, the incision pierces through the sheathed tube pipe wall, the elastic component cover is established on the sleeve pipe and partial embedding in the incision and protrusion in sheathed tube internal face.

11. The female connector according to claim 10, wherein a second sealing ring is circumferentially disposed on an inner peripheral surface of the first coupling section, the second sealing ring partially protruding from the inner peripheral surface, wherein a first sealing ring is circumferentially disposed on the mating pipe of the male connector, and the second sealing ring abuts against the first sealing ring when the female connector is coupled to the male connector.