EP2438842B1 - Connection piece with catch element - Google Patents

Description

Field of invention

The present invention relates to a connection piece for a vacuum cleaner, wherein the connection piece can be connected to a suction hose and a suction opening of a vacuum cleaner part, the connection piece has a first connection piece, and a tongue-shaped locking element is arranged on the connection piece, which is movable relative to the connection piece in order to against a restoring force from a locking position in which the connecting piece can be fixed by the locking element on the suction opening into an unlocking position in which the connecting piece can be released from the suction opening.

Background of the invention

The US script U.S. 2,444,888 A discloses a hose connection which is releasably connected to a vacuum cleaner housing. A helical spring presses an elastic latching element against a section of a clamping sleeve in such a way that the position of a catching section of the latching element, which protrudes through an opening in the clamping sleeve, is fixed.

In the German utility model DE 85 22 551 U1 an arrangement for releasably connecting the connection piece of a suction hose is disclosed, in which a locking device is fastened to the connection piece in an exchangeable manner. The locking device has an annular part on which a spring tab is molded.

In the European patent EP 0803225 B1 an arrangement for releasably connecting a suction nozzle is described. By a locking element of the Arrangement, the suction nozzle is detachably coupled to the suction opening. The locking element has an annular part on which two radially outwardly protruding locking cams are formed, which engage under a locking projection formed on a wall part of the suction opening of the vacuum cleaner, so that the suction nozzle on the vacuum cleaner housing is held in the suction opening.

the German patent application DE 10 2004 038 630 A1 discloses a coupling with a first tubular coupling element which has a locking groove and a second tubular coupling element which has two opposing locking lugs which engage in the locking groove in the coupled state of the coupling. A groove flank facing the second coupling element when the coupling elements are coupled has two opposing sections which can be moved elastically inward due to U-shaped interruptions and the tongues formed as a result. A decoupling is prevented when the relative rotational position of the first coupling element and the second coupling element is selected such that the latching lugs do not completely overlap the inwardly movable sections of the groove flank of the latching groove.

In addition, Offenlegungsschrift D 14 75 706 A1 a tubular connecting unit which can be inserted into a tubular connecting piece and fixed therein, comprising two concentric components, the inner component being provided with at least one locking shoulder, spring means, for example a leaf spring, by means of which the locking shoulder is biased outwards so that it protrudes through an opening in the outer component, the locking shoulder being movable between three positions, namely a locking position in which it protrudes from the outer component, a central position in which the shoulder can be brought in order to pull the unit out of the socket enable, namely by a cam effect, which is caused by an axial relative movement of the two components, as well as an inner position in which the shoulder can be moved by hand to allow a complete separation of the two components in the axial direction. Preferably, the locking member or members form the only means to hold the outer component firmly on the inner component, and the construction is expediently of such a type that that mentioned Cam action can be caused in a simple manner that an axial force is only applied to the outer component.

The problem underlying the invention

The invention is based on the object of providing a connection piece for a vacuum cleaner that is improved over the prior art. In particular, it should be possible to provide a connection piece that is easy to manufacture. Furthermore, it should be possible to provide a connection piece which can be fixed more reliably in a suction opening of a vacuum cleaner part.

Solution according to the invention

The reference symbols in all claims do not have a restrictive effect, but are only intended to improve their readability.

The problem posed is achieved by a connection piece with the features of claim 1.

A connection piece for a suction air flow between a suction opening of a vacuum cleaner part and a suction hose can be established. For this purpose, the suction hose can be connected to the connection piece by gluing, plugging or welding, for example. In order to enable a detachable connection between the suction hose and the vacuum cleaner part, the connecting piece can be connected to the suction opening of a vacuum cleaner part, in which it can be fixed in the locking position by the latching element. The vacuum cleaner part can, for example, be the housing of the vacuum cleaner, in which the suction air flow can be guided through the suction opening to a dust separation unit. The vacuum cleaner part can also be a handle, a suction tube or a nozzle. A connection piece usually has two openings so that the suction air can flow from the suction hose to the suction opening when the connection piece is connected to the vacuum cleaner part.

The latching element can be brought into the unlocking position and into the locking position, so it can be moved relative to the first connector part in order to enable the detachable connection between the suction hose and the vacuum cleaner part. The tongue-shaped latching element, which can also be referred to as a latching tab, is arranged on the first connecting piece part via its tongue root, the tongue end being movable relative to the first connecting piece part. In order to move the locking element from the locking position to the unlocking position, the end of the tongue can be operated, for example. Between the locking position and the unlocking position, the latching element can of course assume further intermediate positions in which the connecting piece is also fixed in the suction opening by the latching element.

A secure fixation of the connecting piece on the suction opening can be achieved in that the restoring force according to the invention acts on the latching element at least when it has been deflected from the locking position to the unlocking position. The restoring force can advantageously achieve that the latching element moves without the action of external forces or in the case of a resulting force counteracting the restoring force that is less than the Is restoring force, is in the locking position and secures the connection piece in the suction opening.

The inventors have recognized that a deformable spring element molded in one piece on the locking element can support or even completely take over the resilience properties of the locking element in the locking position in order to relieve the locking element and thus achieve a longer service life. A latching element with a longer service life can advantageously fix the connection piece more reliably to the suction opening. In addition, the inventors have recognized that the connection piece can be fixed even more securely to the suction opening of the vacuum cleaner part by the spring element, since the resetting function of the locking element can be at least partially taken over by the spring element and thus separated from the fixing function of the locking element. This can namely enable a spring element optimized for a reset function.

Since the spring element is formed in one piece on the tongue-shaped latching element, the number of parts of the connecting piece can be reduced and the connecting piece can thereby be manufactured more easily and quickly. The spring element and the latching element can namely be produced in one production step, for example by injection molding. The spring element is formed in one piece on the latching element if the spring element and the latching element are made of a uniform material and form a common component, that is to say are made of one piece.

It is further provided that the locking element is integrally formed on the first connecting piece part. The latching element is then formed in one piece on the first connecting piece part if the locking element and the first connecting piece part are made of a uniform material and form a common component, that is to say are made of one piece. As a result, the latching element and the first connecting piece part can be manufactured in one manufacturing step, for example by injection molding, whereby the manufacture of the connecting piece can be simplified and accelerated even further.

Preferred embodiment of the invention

Advantageous training and further developments, which can be used individually or in combination with one another, are the subject of the dependent claims.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the spring element is in contact with a second connector part at least in the unlocked position. In this embodiment, the spring element can be elastically deformed in that the latching element approaches the second connecting piece part when moving from the locking position to the unlocking position. Here, the spring element can be oriented inward. That The spring element can preferably touch the second connecting piece part in the locking position or in a position between the locking position and the unlocking position, whereby it is not yet deformed.

In a further preferred embodiment, the spring element is elastically deformed in the locking position of the latching element. As a result, the restoring force that the spring element exerts on the latching element can be increased. In an alternative embodiment to this, the spring element touches the second connecting piece part in the locking position, whereby it is not deformed or is even at a distance from the second connecting piece part.

In one embodiment of the invention, the spring element is designed in the shape of a tongue. Here, the spring element is molded onto the latching element at its tongue root. A tongue-shaped spring element has a simple geometric shape and can easily be manufactured using the current manufacturing processes. Particularly preferably, a latching means is arranged on the latching element, which, for example, can be designed as a latching hook.

In a preferred embodiment of the connecting piece, the tongue roots of the latching element and the spring element are arranged offset from one another. The tongue roots can, for example, be arranged at different points with respect to the longitudinal extension of the connecting piece. As a result of the offset tongue roots, the spring element can advantageously be integrally formed with its tongue root on the latching element in such a way that the spring force that acts on the latching element by the spring element can be increased. Particularly preferably, the tongue root of the spring element is integrally formed on the half of the latching element facing the tongue root of the latching element. at In a particularly preferred connection piece, the tongue-shaped latching element and the tongue-shaped spring element extend in opposite directions, each starting from the tongue root. The extension direction of the tongue-shaped latching element and the tongue-shaped spring element is the direction from the tongue root to the tongue end. The two directions of extension do not have to run parallel so that they run in opposite directions, but can also include an angle to one another.

According to the invention it is preferably provided that the first connector part is mounted on a second connector part. Particularly preferably, the first connector part at least partially surrounds the second connector part, for which purpose, for example, at least a part of the first connector part can be plugged onto the second connector part, which can lead to a simplified construction of the connection connector. The first connector part can be referred to as an outer connector and the second connector part as an inner connector.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least two locking elements are arranged on the first connector part. The at least two latching elements are particularly preferably arranged radially opposite one another on the first connecting piece part. An achievable advantage of at least two locking elements is the improved fixation of the connection piece in the suction opening, since higher forces can be absorbed by at least two locking elements. In addition, it can be achieved that the locking means arranged on the locking elements can be designed to be smaller and thus more ergonomic. For example, the radial extent of a latching hook can be reduced so that it protrudes less from the latching element and the connecting piece can thus be more easily inserted into the suction opening. Of course, in one embodiment of the invention, the connecting piece can also be fixed in the suction opening by a single latching element.

In a further preferred embodiment, the first connector part is designed as a hollow cylinder, and the two locking elements are arranged diametrically opposite one another. Such a first connector part can easily be plugged onto the second connector part and enable the suction opening of a vacuum cleaner part to be securely fixed.

In a further development of the invention, it is preferably provided that the connection stub has a third stub part. The third connector part can, for example, be that part of the connector that is visible from the outside when the connector is inserted into the suction opening of a vacuum cleaner part. In the case of a connection piece with a first, a second and a third connection piece, that is to say in the case of a three-part design of the connection piece, the third connection piece can also be referred to as the outer body of the connection piece. A flexible section is advantageously formed on the third socket part in order to prevent the hose from kinking at the connection socket. This flexible section can be formed, for example, by slots and webs, so that the third connector part can be deformed in the area of the slots and webs. The flexible section is particularly preferably formed at the end of the third connector part which faces away from the first and / or the second connector part. According to the invention, the third connection part can be molded onto the first and / or the second connection part and thereby form an integral component therewith.

In a further preferred embodiment, the latching element has an actuating section which engages in a window of the third connecting piece part. By means of the actuating section, the user can bring the latching element from the locking position into the unlocking position against the restoring force, so that a more convenient actuation for removing the connecting piece from the vacuum cleaner part can be made possible. In addition, accidental removal of the third connection piece from the connection piece can be avoided. If the connecting piece has more than one latching element, an actuating section is preferably arranged on each of the latching elements. Particularly preferably, each actuating section of each latching element engages in a corresponding window of the third connector part.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first connector part is cylindrical. In the case of the cylindrical first connecting piece part, the openings through which the suction air can be guided are particularly preferably arranged on the base surfaces of the cylinder. The latching element is particularly preferably arranged on the lateral surface of the cylindrical first connecting piece part.

The present invention makes it possible, with simple constructive and inexpensive means, to provide a connection piece which can enable the connection piece to be securely and reliably fixed in the suction opening of a vacuum suction part. In particular, the connection piece can be produced quickly and easily.

Brief description of the drawings

Further advantageous configurations are described in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings, to which the invention is not limited, however.

• Fig. 1 einen Anschlussstutzen in einer perspektiven Darstellung;
• Fig. 2 den Anschlussstutzen in einer Schnittdarstellung senkrecht zur Zeichenebene der Fig. 1 durch die Schwerachse des Anschlussstutzens;
  und schließlich
• Fig. 3 einen ersten Stutzenteil des Anschlussstutzens in einer perspektivischen Darstellung.

They show schematically:

• Fig. 1 a connection piece in a perspective view;
• Fig. 2 the connection piece in a sectional view perpendicular to the plane of the drawing Fig. 1 through the center of gravity of the connecting piece;
  and finally
• Fig. 3 a first stub part of the connecting stub in a perspective illustration.

Detailed description based on an exemplary embodiment

In the following description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the same reference symbols designate the same or comparable components.

Fig. 1 shows a three-part connection piece 10 for a vacuum cleaner in a perspective illustration. A sectional view of the connecting piece 10 perpendicular to the plane of the drawing Fig. 1 through the center of gravity of the connecting piece 10, dash-dotted line Fig. 1 is in Fig. 2 shown. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a first connecting piece 11 of the connecting piece 10. The connecting piece 10 has a connection point 17 for a suction hose to which a suction hose can be glued in order to connect the suction hose to the connecting piece. This connection point is located at an opening 21 of a cylindrical second connector part 13.

In order to connect the connection piece 10 to a suction opening of a vacuum cleaner part, which is, for example, a vacuum cleaner housing, the cylindrically shaped first connection part 11 can be inserted up to a stop 19 into the suction opening of the vacuum cleaner part, so that only one connection piece 10 connected to the suction opening third nozzle part 15 of the connecting piece 10 is visible to the user. When the connection piece 10, which is connected to the suction hose, is inserted into the suction opening, a fluid connection for the suction air flow can be established between the suction hose and the vacuum cleaner part, for example in order to lead the dust picked up by a nozzle to the dust separation unit of the vacuum cleaner.

At the end 23 of the third connection part 15, which faces away from the first 11 and the second connection part 13, a flexible section 25 is formed on the third connection part 15. The flexible section 25 is formed by slots 27 and webs 29, so that the third connector part 15 can be deformed in the area of the flexible section 25. This can prevent the suction hose from kinking on the connecting piece 10 during use.

The first connector part 11 is designed as a hollow cylinder and is pushed onto the second connector part 13, which is also designed as a hollow cylinder, so that the second connector part 13 is enclosed by the first connector part 11. The first nozzle part 11 mounted on the second nozzle part 13 is fixed to the second nozzle part 13 by snap-in connections, which are not shown in the figures. In order to fix the connecting piece 10 in the suction opening, two tongue-shaped locking elements 40 are formed on the first connecting piece part 11, which are diametrically opposite one another. The one-piece molded locking elements 40 can be elastically deformed and moved relative to the first connector part 11 in order to move from a locking position in which the connector 10 can be fixed by the locking elements 40 on the suction opening to an unlocking position in which the connector can be released from the suction opening is, to be able to be brought. A latching hook 41 designed as a latching means is formed on each of the latching elements 40 and engages in the locking position in a corresponding latching surface on a latching groove on the suction opening in order to fix the connection piece 10 on the suction opening. In the locking position, the latching hooks 41 are therefore at least partially in the corresponding latching groove. In the unlocked position, the latching hooks 41 are located outside the corresponding latching groove, so that the connecting piece 10 can be released from the suction opening in the unlocked position of the latching elements 40. For reasons of illustration, only the locking position is shown in the figures.

An elastically deformable, tongue-shaped spring element 50 is formed in one piece on each of the tongue-shaped latching elements 40 and is elastically deformed in the locking position and the unlocking position of the latching element 40. The spring element 50 is in contact with the second connector part 13 in the unlocking position, the locking position and the positions in between. If the latching element 40 is brought from the locking position into the unlocking position, the latching element 40 approaches the second connector part 13. For this reason, not only the latching element 40 is deformed, but also the spring element 50, so that a force must be applied in order to deform the spring element 50 and thereby bring the latching element 40 into the unlocked position. The latching element 40 can thus be brought from the locking position into the unlocking position against a restoring force, the spring element 50 exerting part of the restoring force on the latching element 40. The other part of the restoring force arises from the fact that the latching element 40 itself is deformed when it is brought from the locking position into the unlocking position. Here, the latching element 40 is elastically deformed in the unlocked position and the positions between the unlocked position and the locked position. The latching element 40 can therefore be relieved of the load by the spring element 50, since the entire restoring force no longer has to be achieved by the elastic deformation of the latching element 50.

In order to increase the restoring force that the spring element 50 can exert on the latching element 40, the tongue root 51 of the spring element 50 is on the half 43 of the latching element 40 facing the tongue root 47 of the latching element 40 molded. The tongue roots 47, 51 of the latching element 40 and the spring element 50 are thus arranged offset from one another in the axial direction of the connecting piece 10. In addition, the latching element 40 and the spring element 50 extend in opposite directions, each starting from the tongue root 47, 51 to the tongue end.

The latching elements 40 each have an actuating section 45 which a user can press down in order to bring the latching element 40 into the unlocked position. Since the two latching elements are opposite one another, the actuation of the latching elements 40 via the actuating sections 45 is pleasant for the user, since he can press them together with one hand. The actuation sections 45 of the two latching elements each engage in a window 31 of the third connector part 15.

The present invention makes it possible, with simple constructive and inexpensive means, to provide a connection piece which can enable the connection piece to be securely and reliably fixed in the suction opening of a vacuum suction part. In particular, the connection piece can be produced quickly and easily.

The features disclosed in the above description, the claims and the drawings can be important both individually and in any combination for the implementation of the invention in its various configurations.

List of reference symbols

10

Connection piece

11

first nozzle part

13th

second nozzle part

15th

third nozzle part

17th

Junction

19th

attack

21

opening

23

end

25th

flexible section

27

slot

29

web

31

window

40

Locking element

41

Locking hook

43

half

45

Operating section

47

Tongue root

50

Spring element

51

Tongue root

Claims (10)

1. Connection piece (10) for a vacuum cleaner, wherein the connection piece (10) can be connected to a suction hose and a suction opening of a vacuum cleaner part, the connection piece (10) has a first connection piece part (11), and a latching element (40) is arranged on the first connection piece part (11) and is able to move relative to the first connection piece part (11), in order to be able to be brought, counter to a resetting force, from a locking position, in which the connection piece (10) can be fixed to the suction opening by way of the latching element (40), into an unlocking position, in which the connection piece (10) can be released from the suction opening, wherein latching element (40) is embodied in the shape of a tongue and a resiliently deformable spring element (50) is moulded in one piece on the latching element (40) and is resiliently deformed at least in the unlocking position of the latching element (40), in order to exert at least some of the resetting force onto the latching element (40), characterised in that the latching element (40) is moulded onto the first connection piece part (11) in one piece.
2. Connection piece (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that the spring element (50) is in contact with a second connection piece part (13), at least in the unlocking position.
3. Connection piece (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the spring element (50) is resiliently deformed in the locking position of the latching element (40).
4. Connection piece (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the spring element (50) is embodied in a tongue-shaped manner.
5. Connection piece (10) according to claim 4, characterised in that the bases of the tongues (47, 51) of the latching element (40) and of the spring element (50) are arranged offset from one another.
6. Connection piece (10) according to one of the preceding claims 2 to 5, dependent upon claim 2 in each case, characterised in that the first connection piece part (11) is installed on the second connection piece part (13).
7. Connection piece (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least two latching elements (40) are arranged on the first connection piece part (11).
8. Connection piece (10) according to claim 7, characterised in that the first connection piece part (11) is embodied as a hollow cylinder, and the two latching elements (40) are arranged in a diametrically opposed manner.
9. Connection piece (10) according to one of the preceding claims 2 to 8, in each case dependent upon claim 2, characterised in that the connection piece (10) has a third connection piece part (15).
10. Connection piece (10) according to claim 9, characterised in that the latching element (40) has an actuation section (45), which engages into a window (31) of the third connection piece part (15).

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