EP1948989A1

EP1948989A1 - Fluid coupling with a valve arrangement

Info

Publication number: EP1948989A1
Application number: EP06806790A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jens Trimborn; Thomas Koch
Original assignee: Froetek Kunststofftechnik GmbH
Current assignee: Froetek Kunststofftechnik GmbH
Priority date: 2005-09-21
Filing date: 2006-09-21
Publication date: 2008-07-30
Also published as: DE102005045154A1; WO2007033978A1; DE112006002199A5; US20090159825A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a fluid coupling with a bush (100) and a plug (200), which respectively contain a moveably mounted valve body (102, 202). The valve bodies have closing heads (108, 208) which are positioned at the side of a fluid channel and, in the separated state of plug and bush, close associated outlet openings. When plug (200) and bush (100) are plugged together, the valve bodies are transferred by contact with the respective other housing into an open position, in which they are removed from the fluid flow.

Description

FROTEK Kunststofftechnik GmbH An der Unteren Söse 24-30 37520 Osterode

Fluid coupling with valve arrangement

The invention relates to a fluid coupling with a socket and a plug and a valve assembly which closes the outlets of the socket and plug in the separated state.

Fluid couplings of the type mentioned are known for example from EP 670 023 B1. They consist of a fluid coupling bush (hereinafter referred to simply as "bushing") and a fluid coupling plug (hereinafter referred to simply as "plug"), each of which has a displaceably mounted valve body inside. The valve bodies are biased by springs in a closed position in which they close the fluid outlet of plug or socket sealing with a closing head. If socket and plug are joined, then the closing heads come into contact with each other and thereby mutually shift from their respective closed position to an open position. In the assembled state of plug and socket so creates a continuous connection for the fluid flow. In the known arrangement, the closing heads of the valve body are in the middle of the fluid flow and thus constitute an obstacle for this.

Furthermore, from EP 681 137 A2 a fluid coupling is known, with which under water a connection between two oil lines can be made. The fluid coupling comprises a plug-in element with a tubular fluid channel whose lateral fluid outlet is closed in the unmated state by an annular valve body. Against this background, it was an object of the present invention to provide a fluidically improved fluid coupling.

This object is achieved by a fluid coupling element according to claim 1 and by a fluid coupling according to claim 2. Advantageous embodiments are contained in the subclaims.

According to its first aspect, the invention relates to a fluid coupling element with a valve assembly, wherein the term "element" is an umbrella term for the socket and the plug of a fluid coupling. Furthermore, the term "fluid" should generally be understood below as meaning flowable media, ie, as usual, in particular liquids (for example water) and gases (for example air). The fluid coupling element contains the following two essential components:

a) A housing having at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet, which are connected by a fluid channel. The fluid inlet may be formed, for example, as a sleeve-shaped nozzle for attaching a flexible hose. The fluid outlet preferably has a circular, oval or polygonal cross-sectional opening. Furthermore, by definition, the fluid outlet should be at the transition to a complementary fluid coupling element. The terms arbitrarily assigned here "inlet" and "outlet" therefore correspond to a flow direction of the fluid, which leads from the considered fluid coupling element to a complementary fluid coupling element; Of course, in the use state, however, the flow can also be in the opposite direction, d. H. through the "fluid outlet" and exit through the "fluid inlet".

b) a movably mounted in the above-mentioned housing valve body having at least one closing head, which closes the fluid outlet in a prestressed closing position and releases it in an open position. If the housing has a plurality of fluid outlets, the valve body has correspondingly many associated closing heads. The bias of the valve body, for example, by a spring be generated and causes the closing head closes the fluid outlet without external forces.

The fluid coupling element is characterized in that said closing head, when it assumes the opening position, is substantially outside the fluid flow (more specifically, outside the space through which a fluid flow can flow).

In contrast to fluid couplings according to EP 670 023 B1, the closing head in the above-described fluid coupling element does not flow around the fluid, but rather the fluid flow passes completely past the closing head. The fluid flow is therefore opposed to a much lower resistance. The fluid coupling element can therefore be designed so that it can be flowed through substantially laminar overall.

The invention further relates to a fluid coupling with a valve assembly which includes a socket and a mating connector. The socket or the plug can in particular be designed in the manner of the above-described fluid coupling element and each contain the following components:

a) A housing having at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet, which are connected by a fluid channel. The housing otherwise corresponds to that which has been described above for the fluid coupling element under a).

b) a movably mounted in the above-mentioned housing valve body having at least one closing head, which closes the fluid outlet in a prestressed closing position and releases it in an open position. Incidentally, the valve body corresponds to that which has been described above for the fluid coupling element under b).

The fluid coupling is characterized

(i) that when plugged together, the valve body of the socket by contact moved to the housing of the plug from the closed position to the open position, and / or

(ii) that the valve body of the plug is moved from the closed position to the open position by contact with the housing of the socket.

The movement of a valve body through the housing of the other fluid coupling element has the advantage that the valve body is displaced around the entire plug-in path. In fluid couplings according to EP 670 023 B1, in which the valve bodies of the fluid coupling elements are supported against each other, however, the plug-in path is divided between the two valve bodies, so that in each case only half the displacement of the closing heads is possible.

In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention are explained which may relate to both a fluid coupling element and a fluid coupling with two complementary fluid coupling elements (socket or plug) of the type described above.

According to a first embodiment, the valve body may comprise two (preferably substantially symmetrically arranged) closing heads, between which the fluid channel is arranged. According to the valve body of course, the associated housing must be designed, d. H. it must have two spaced fluid outlets. Preferably, both the valve body and the associated housing are configured substantially symmetrical. This has the advantage that standing forces or effects perpendicular to the axis of symmetry cancel each other out. As a result, the valve body can be moved free of transverse forces in the direction of the axis of symmetry in the case of a fluid flow.

According to another preferred embodiment, the plug has two parallel outlet channels, which are sealingly insertable into corresponding insertion openings of the socket. Advantageously, the outlet channels are cylindrical or oval, so that they can be sealed by a simple O-ring with respect to the insertion. The above-mentioned outlet channels preferably have at their front ends in each case a projection, which comes into contact with the closing head of the socket during the mating of the fluid coupling. The closing head of the socket is then forced back into the open position by the projection of the outlet channels of the plug.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the valve body of at least one fluid coupling element has a sealingly guided outwardly of the housing inside actuating pin which is in mating the fluid coupling with the housing of the other fluid coupling element in contact. Therefore, the valve body can be pushed back out of the closed position into the open position via the actuating pin.

Preferably, the above-mentioned actuating pin is arranged along an axis of symmetry of the valve body. In this way it is achieved that the forces exerted on the actuating pin act in the direction of the axis of symmetry and lateral forces that could lead to tilting avoided.

Another advantageous embodiment of the valve body provides that it has at least one guide sleeve, which is mounted displaceably movable on a guide pin of the associated housing against a spring force. In this way, a secure storage can be realized with good mobility.

The closing head can be circular, in particular in cross section. However, it may also be oval in cross section (ellipsoidal) or polygonal, causing z. B. can achieve particularly flat designs of the fluid coupling.

In the following, the invention will be explained by way of example with the aid of the figures. It shows: 1 shows a section through a fluid coupling according to the invention with a

Socket 100 and a plug 200 at the beginning of the insertion process;

Fig. 2, the fluid coupling of Figure 1 in the fully assembled

Status;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the fluid coupling of Figure 2 with partially removed or transparent cover of the housing and an indicated flow from the socket to the plug.

4 shows a section along the line IV-IV of Figure 3.

The invention will be explained below with reference to a specific embodiment of a fluid coupling, wherein all figures show the same embodiment and the same reference numerals therefore belong to the same components. The fluid coupling can correspond in particular to the standard DIN 43589-1 for plug-in devices. It can serve, for example, to supply accumulator batteries with fresh water and / or to provide air circulation or central degassing for this purpose.

In Figure 1, the fluid coupling is shown at the beginning of the insertion process. The coupling consists of a socket 100 and a matching plug 200.

The bush 100 comprises a housing 101 with a valve body 102 movably mounted therein. The housing 101 has on one side a fluid inlet 103 designed as a plug-in nozzle for the connection of a hose (only partially shown). On the side facing the plug 200, the housing 101 has two parallel, cylindrical insertion openings 111, which each begin at fluid outlets 109. These fluid outlets 109 are closed in the illustrated state in each case by a closing head 108 of the valve body 102, wherein the closing heads 108 are each surrounded by an annular seal 107. Instead of being circular as shown, the closing heads 108 could also be oval, for example, to a flat as possible, standard-compliant design of To achieve fluid coupling. Furthermore, the closing heads 108 are continued by guide sleeves 106 in the axial direction, said guide sleeves being mounted on guide pins 104 of the housing 101. The valve body 102 is pressed by the pins 104 surrounding springs 105 in the closed position. The guide sleeves 106 are also connected to each other via a flat web, so that the valve body 102 has a total symmetrical structure. Along the flat web, it can advantageously come to a laminar flow of the medium.

The plug 200 has a substantially similar construction, wherein the reference numerals of corresponding components are increased by 100 relative to those of the socket. The plug 200 in particular comprises a housing 201 with a fluid inlet 203 (only partially shown). Towards the socket, the housing 201 has two parallel, cylindrical outlet channels 211, which are surrounded on the outside by annular, mounted in grooves seals 212 and which can be sealingly inserted into the insertion openings 111 of the bushing 100. At the end facing away from the socket, the outlet channels 211 each have a circular outlet opening 209, which is sealingly closed in the illustrated state by the closing head 208 of a movably mounted valve body 202. The closing head 208 is surrounded by a ring seal 207. Furthermore, the two closing heads 208 of the valve body 202 are continued in the manner explained above by two parallel, cylindrical guide sleeves 206, which are mounted on guide pins 204 against springs 205. The valve body 202 further has an actuating pin 210, which points in the direction of its axis of symmetry toward the bushing 100 and which is guided outwardly from the housing 201 of the plug between the two outlet channels 211. In the beginning of the plugging operation shown in FIG. 1, the actuating pin 210 is in direct contact with a stop 110 formed on the socket housing 101.

With regard to the closing heads 108, 208 and the associated seals 107, 207 it should be noted that in the closed state, the pressure of the on Inside adjacent medium acts substantially in the closing direction, so the bias of the respective springs 105 and 205 supported.

The socket 100 and the plug 200 can be plugged together in the direction of the arrow of Figure 1 to the D-way. Figure 2 shows the fluid coupling after completion of this plug-in operation in the fully mated condition. At this time, the valve body 102 of the sleeve 100 has been displaced from the closed position to a retracted open position by contact with the projections 213 of the male housing. Similarly, the valve body 202 of the plug 200 has been transferred from the closed position to the open position by the contact of the actuating pin 210 with the stop 110 of the female housing. The fluid outlets 109, 209 of the socket are therefore open, and a fluid, such as water, may flow through the fluid coupling. The flow path can, for example, as indicated in Figure 3 by arrows, from the fluid inlet 103 of the sleeve 100 via the centrally along the axis of the housing extending fluid channel through the fluid outlets 109, through the outlet channels 211, and through the fluid outlets 209 in a central fluid channel of the plug 200 and from there to the fluid inlet 203 of the plug 200. Of course, the flow of the fluid can also take place in the opposite direction. Advantageously, the closing heads 108, 208 are each completely outside the flow.

Claims

claims

A fluid coupling element (100, 200) with a valve assembly comprising a) a housing (101, 201) having at least one fluid inlet (103, 203) and at least one fluid outlet (109, 209) connected by a fluid channel, b) a in the housing (101, 201) movably mounted valve body (102, 202) with at least one closing head (108, 208) which closes the fluid outlet (109, 209) in a prestressed closing position and releases it in an opening position, characterized in that the closing head (108, 208) is in the opening position substantially outside the fluid flow.

2. Fluid coupling with valve arrangement, comprising a fluid coupling bush (100) and a matching fluid coupling plug (200) each having a) a housing (101, 201) with at least one fluid inlet (103, 203) and at least one fluid outlet (109, 209 b) a valve body (102, 202) movably mounted in the housing (101, 201) with at least one closing head (108, 208), which in a prestressed closing position controls the fluid outlet (109, 209). closes and releases it in an open position, characterized in that when mating the fluid coupling of the valve body (102) of the fluid coupling bushing (100) by contact with the housing (201) of the fluid coupling plug (200) and / or the valve body (202) of the fluid coupling plug (200) is moved from the closed position to the open position by contact with the housing (101) of the fluid coupling bushing (100).

3. Fluid coupling according to claim 2, characterized in that it contains a fluid coupling bushing (100) and / or a fluid coupling plug (200) according to claim 1.

4. fluid coupling element or fluid coupling according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valve body (102, 202) includes two closing heads (108, 208), between which the fluid channel is arranged and which are preferably arranged substantially symmetrically.

5. Fluid coupling according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fluid coupling plug (200) has two parallel outlet channels (211), which are sealingly inserted into corresponding insertion openings (111) of the fluid coupling bushing (100).

6. fluid coupling according to claim 5, characterized in that the outlet channels (211) at the front end a projection (213) which comes in mating the fluid coupling with the closing head (108) of the fluid coupling bushing (100) into contact.

7. fluid coupling element or fluid coupling according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valve body (202) has a sealing led out of the housing interior to the outside actuating pin (210), which is in mating of the fluid coupling with the housing of the other fluid coupling element in contact.

8. fluid coupling element or fluid coupling according to claim 7, characterized in that the actuating pin (209) along an axis of symmetry of the valve body (202) extends.

9. fluid coupling element or fluid coupling according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valve body (102, 202) at least one guide sleeve (106, 206) on a guide pin (104, 204) of the housing (101, 201) displaceable against a spring force is stored.

10. fluid coupling element or fluid coupling according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closing head (108, 208) is circular, oval or polygonal.