EP3146172A1

EP3146172A1 - Liquid transfer device

Info

Publication number: EP3146172A1
Application number: EP15725570.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yves Gricourt
Original assignee: Oil System
Current assignee: Oil System
Priority date: 2014-05-23
Filing date: 2015-05-21
Publication date: 2017-03-29
Also published as: WO2015177302A1; CN106415090A; JP6340138B2; FR3021307B1; JP2017516964A; FR3021307A1; US20170088319A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a liquid transfer device including: a connecting element (2) which is to sealably attached onto a liquid transfer opening and which includes a set of liquid transfer ports (9), an outlet (11), and a bore (10) that extends between the transfer ports and the outlet; and an adapter (3) which is to be connected to liquid discharge means and which includes a head (14) shaped such as to be inserted into the outlet (11) and including a set of holes (15) for engaging with said ports (9). Said liquid transfer device includes a swing joint (4) placed in the connecting element (2) between the outlet and the liquid transfer ports and includes a set of liquid passages (16) and a recess (L) shaped such as to receive the head of the adapter in a position in which said passages of the joint and the holes of the adapter are aligned. Said joint is rotatably movable in the connecting element, between a closed position of the device and a liquid transfer position, by means of the head (14) of the adapter.

Description

Device for transferring a liquid

The invention relates generally to the transfer of liquids, in particular by gravity, by pumping, or under the effect of a pressure difference.

It relates more particularly, in a particularly advantageous application of the invention, the plugs intended to be fixed on the emptying holes of crankcases of motor vehicles or machine tools.

It may for example be to drain oil in a housing. But it is not beyond the scope of the invention when it is a question of draining any other liquid, such as a refrigerating liquid, a cutting fluid for a machine tool, etc.

In order to facilitate the emptying of such housings, numerous solutions have been proposed to reduce the operations performed at this plug and consequently reduce the duration of completion of the emptying.

Such plugs are intended to be screwed at the level of the housing orifice and comprise a movable valve intended to close the plug and capable of being displaced in translation by means of a suitable device, in particular an adapter mounted to the The end of a drain line, once installed at the plug, this adapter induces the penetration of the valve inside the housing or, in general, the container, thereby releasing the drain orifice for ensure the flow of the liquid and in particular of the oil.

Such a plug is for example described in the document FR 2 773 365.

The plug described in this document comprises a cap body comprising a radial j upe located between the third and the half of the height of the body and which is intended to bear against the wall of the housing when the cap is screwed down. In the mounted state, the body defines a protruding extension, which is provided with an annular groove for fixing the adapter.

Internally, the plug defines a bore in which is mounted the valve.

A set of seals, on which rests the valve in the open position of the cap, on the one hand, and in the closed position, on the other hand, are provided inside the internal bore of the body of the plug.

This type of arrangement suffers from a number of disadvantages.

It has been found, in the first place, that the body of the cap, which constitutes a connecting element of the device, protrudes from the reservoir and therefore is likely to be altered.

Second, the device is screwed onto the container with a flat key.

Thirdly, the seal turned towards the outside of the container is not protected and is therefore liable to be tampered with.

Finally, it was found that the cap is made in one piece, which does not allow to achieve different materials.

One can also refer to the document FR 2996217 which describes a liquid transfer device to overcome this drawback.

This device comprises a tubular connection element and an adapter that can be reversibly connected to the connecting element by providing, in the adapter, longitudinal grooves in which radial teeth engage in the adapter. Although this device has many advantages, it has been found that in use, and in particular during tightening, the teeth and grooves were likely to deform. In addition, it is necessary to provide a specific form for the adapter difficult to achieve by machining. Furthermore, the transfer device described in this document FR 2 996 21 7 is made from a relatively large number of parts, making the assembly more complex and more delicate and increasing its cost price.

The object of the invention is therefore to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks and to provide an improved device for transferring a liquid made from a small number of parts and having increased reliability.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a liquid transfer device comprising a connection element intended to be fastened securely to a liquid transfer orifice and comprising an assembly of at least one transfer transfer light. liquid in the connecting member, a liquid outlet of the connecting member and a bore extending between said transfer ports and the outlet port.

The device further comprises an adapter adapted to be connected to liquid discharge means and comprising a shaped head for insertion into the outlet and comprising an assembly of at least one hole for cooperating with said lights in the connection element.

The transfer device further includes a rotating seal located in the connection element between the outlet port and the liquid transfer ports and comprising an assembly of at least one liquid passage and a shaped recess for receiving the the adapter in a position in which said passageways of the eye and the holes of the adapter are aligned, said seal being rotatable in the connecting member under the action of the head of the adapter between a position of closing the device in which the eye closes the transfer ports and a liquid transfer position in which said passages and said lumens are aligned.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the transfer device comprises stops for limiting the rotation of the eye in the bore of the connecting element. For example, this stop comprises at least one transverse pin inserted through the rotary joint and into a slot made transversely in the adapter.

Advantageously, the slot is endowed with bulges.

According to a particular embodiment, the rotary joint comprises at least one radial extension snapping into a slot made transversely in the adapter.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the outlet orifice of the connecting element and the cavity of the seal are polygonal in shape complementary to that of the head of the adapter.

According to yet another characteristic of the transfer device according to the invention, the seal is arranged coaxially with the outlet orifice.

The passages of the rotary joint, the lumens of the connecting element and the holes of the adapter are advantageously arranged radially.

In one embodiment, the seal has six passages and the connecting member has six liquid transfer ports.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the device further comprises a closure cap of the connecting element.

This cap comprises for example a flat head and a tail of shape complementary to that of the bore of the connecting element in which it is inserted and provided contour reliefs corresponding to that of the liquid transfer lights.

As regards the adapter, in one embodiment, it comprises a cylindrical body from which said head extends axially, a base mounted on an open end of the cylindrical body and a sliding seal in the body under the action of an annular control element passing through the base and comprising a sealing rod inserted into the head to seal the holes.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description, given solely by way of nonlimiting example, and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is an exploded view of a liquid transfer device according to the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the connecting element of the device of FIG. 1, respectively in the closed position of the device and in the liquid transfer position;

- Figure 4 is a sectional view of the device of Figure 1, showing the closed position of the device and the transfer position of the liquid;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a liquid transfer device according to the invention;

- Figure 6 shows a detail view of the connecting element according to the invention;

- Figures 7 and 8 illustrate the mounting of the adapter head in the outlet of the connecting member;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of an adapter of a device for transferring a liquid according to the invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a plug intended to close the connection element,

Referring first to Figure 1, which describes a first embodiment of a liquid transfer device according to the invention, designated by the general reference numeral 1.

In the exemplary embodiment envisaged, the liquid transfer device is intended to ensure the emptying of motor oil crankcases of motor vehicles or machine tools. But it is not beyond the scope of the invention when it comes to transferring any other type of liquid, such as refrigerating liquid, cooling, a cutting fluid of a machine tool, ...

As can be seen, the device 1 comprises three parts: a connecting element 2 which constitutes a plug which is fixed by screwing on the emptying orifice of a casing, an adapter 3 partially shown in FIG. 1 and a seal rotating 4 which is mounted in the connecting element 2 and rotating under the action of the adapter.

The connecting element 2 comprises a body 5, made of metal, plastic or any other material, comprising an annular shoulder 6 through which the connecting element 2 rests against the wall of the housing, a median thread 7 serving screwing it to the housing and a distal end 8 comprising a set of radial liquid transfer lights 9.

Internally, the body 5 of the connecting element comprises an axial bore 10 which passes through the connecting element and in which the rotary joint 4 is housed.

The bore 10 extends in particular from the transfer ports 9 to an axial fluid outlet orifice 11 formed in the shoulder 6.

The adapter 3 essentially comprises a body, not shown in FIG. 1, provided with an end tube 12 internally comprising an axial passage 13 and a head 14 constituting a tool for moving the rotary joint 4. As can be seen on FIG. In Figure 1, the adapter head 14 is provided with a set of radial holes for alignment with the liquid transfer ports 9.

The head of the adapter 14 and the outlet port 11 of the connecting element adopt a corresponding shape. The head 14 and the orifice 11 are here polygonal, and more particularly hexagonal. The head is here a six-sided shape.

The rotary joint 4 has generally a cylindrical shape, of external diameter substantially corresponding to the bore 10 of the body of the connection element. It comprises an axial inner housing L whose inner peripheral surface constitutes an imprint capable of receiving the head 14 of the adapter. It is here polygonal and more particularly hexagonal to receive the head 14.

The rotary joint is thus made of a sufficiently strong material to withstand the clamping forces applied by the head 14 of the adapter while ensuring effective sealing.

In this respect, rubber may be used. It will also be possible to make the joint in the form of a central core made of a hard material, such as a metal, coated with a layer of sealing material.

The rotary joint 4 is provided with a set of passages 16 of liquid, also six in number, in which the housing L opens. They are arranged radially.

It comprises two transverse and aligned holes 17, arranged according to a diameter of the seal and intended to receive pins, such as 18. Similarly, the body 5 of the connecting element is provided with two transverse end slots 19, diametrically opposite, in which the pins 18 are inserted.

Referring also to FIGS. 2 and 3, the rotary joint 4 is inserted into the body 5 of the connecting element 2 in coaxial manner with the outlet orifice 11. It is angularly displaceable relative to to the body 5 between a closed position of the transfer device, visible in FIG. 2, in which the passages 16 of the gasket 4 are offset with respect to the liquid transfer apertures 9 made in the connecting element, and a position of transfer of liquid in which the passages 16 are aligned with the lights 9.

These two positions here correspond to an angular displacement of 30 degrees of the gasket relative to the connecting element 5.

The slot 19 in which the pins 18 is inserted thus extends over an angular sector of 30 degrees. Thus, the closure positions of the device and liquid transfer visible in Figures 2 and 3 correspond to two extreme positions of the pins 18 in the slot 19.

The liquid transfer device which has just been described is used by inserting the head 14 of the adapter into the outlet orifice 11 of the connecting element fixed to the wall of the casing C (FIG. 4), with interposition of a seal J. The head 14 is inserted until it is inserted into the housing L made in the joint. It is in particular introduced beyond the outlet orifice 11 until it can be angularly displaced relative to the connecting element.

In the closed position, the holes made in the head of the adapter 14 and the passages 16 formed in the rotary joint are aligned but are offset relative to the slots 9.

From the closed position of the device visible on the right-hand part of FIG. 4, it is simply necessary to turn the head of the adapter 30 degrees to align the holes 14 of the adapter head and the passages 16 of the rotary joint with the liquid transfer apertures 9 made in the body of the adapter head, to communicate the interior of the housing with the passage 13 formed in the adapter.

It should be noted that in the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, the rotary assembly of the gasket 4 in the connecting element is effected by means of pins 18 inserted in slots 19 and in holes 17 made in the joint.

It is also possible, alternatively, as shown in Figure 5, to provide radial shoulders 20 with an end ramp 21 snapped into the slot 19 formed in the body 5 of the connecting element. This embodiment is advantageous insofar as it further reduces the number of parts of the two-piece liquid transfer device and facilitates the mounting of the rotary joint in the connection element which is made here by snapping. With reference to FIG. 6, which describes an embodiment corresponding to that of FIG. 1 and on which the pins 18 which are inserted in the slots 19 are advantageously provided, end bulges 23 are made in the second embodiment. slot 19, in which the pins 18 engage in the two extreme positions in order to constitute stable and locked positions of the device either in the closed position or in the liquid transfer position.

Of course, this embodiment is also applicable to the embodiment described with reference to FIG.

In any case, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the use of the transfer device is relatively simple to implement since it involves inserting the head of the adapter in the outlet port 11 then in the housing L of the rotary joint 4 (Figure 7). In this position, the faces of the hexagonal head, the outlet orifice 11 and the housing L are aligned.

In contrast, in the liquid transfer position, the faces of the head of the adapter 14 and the housing L of the rotary joint are offset relative to those of the outlet orifice 11. Thus, the head of the adapter comes in abutment against a radial shoulder 24 internally defining the outlet orifice 11 so that the adapter can not be removed from the connecting element as long as the device is in the liquid transfer position.

With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the structure of the adapter of the liquid transfer device which has just been described will now be described. This adapter is intended to be connected to liquid discharge means, for example a transfer pipe opening into a receptacle.

The adapter 3 has a cylindrical body 25 having a first end 26 from which the tube 12 (Figure 1) with the end head 14 and an opposite end 27 open. It further comprises a base 28 provided with a liquid flow tube 29 which is mounted in a sealed manner, for example by screwing, on the open end 27 of the body 25 and a seal 30 which is slidably mounted in the body 25 and comprises a sealing rod 3 1 adapted to be inserted into the tube 1 2 to close the holes 14. A control element 32 comprising an annular piece 33 axially movable around The control element comprises in this connection two guide rods 34 which pass through the base 28 and which are fixed to the annular ring 30 by means of pins 35 with interposition of O-rings (not shown).

Thus, also referring to FIG. 10, when the sliding seal 30, and more particularly the sealing rod 31, is inserted into the head 14 of the adapter, the adapter is closed and no leakage of liquid can not occur through the head 14.

On the contrary, when manual pulling on the annular control element 33 (arrow F) is applied, the sealing rod is released from the head 14, allowing a subsequent transfer of liquid through the adapter.

This arrangement is particularly advantageous for the discharge of harmful liquids or at high temperature since it prevents the transferred liquid from coming into contact with the skin of an operator.

Referring finally to FIG. 11, the device which has just been described is completed by a plug 35 for closing the connection element, comprising a flat head 36 and a tail 37 of shape complementary to that of the bore. of the connecting element in which it is inserted, that is to say hexagonal. The tail 37 comprises, on each face, a relief 38. The reliefs 38 have a contour corresponding to that of the liquid transfer lights in which they are inserted. They have here an outer face inclined ramp so as to allow insertion of the plug while ensuring its maintenance in position thus preventing inadvertent rotation of the rotating anointing.

Due to the flat surface of the head 36, the plug does not protrude from the housing. It will be noted moreover that the invention which has just been described has a certain number of advantages.

Firstly, the connecting element is shaped to receive a hexagonal adapter head limiting the deformations of the connecting element.

Second, the device that has just been described has a reduced number of parts, limiting its manufacturing cost and facilitating its implementation.

Note further that the connecting element is made in one piece without welding, limiting the risk of breakage, improving reliability and facilitating the manufacture of the device especially in an automated manner.

Third, the device, in particular the connecting element, does not have a washer type spring used in the state of the art for producing this type of device and which are specific springs with a high cost price.

Claims

A liquid transfer device comprising a connecting member (2) for sealingly attaching to a liquid transfer port and comprising an assembly of at least one liquid transfer port (9) in the connecting member, a liquid outlet port (11) of the connecting member and a bore (10) extending between the transfer ports and the outlet port, an adapter (3) for connection to means for discharging the liquid and comprising a head (14) shaped to be inserted into the outlet orifice (11) and comprising an assembly of at least one hole (15) intended to cooperate with said lights (9); ) formed in the connecting element, characterized in that it comprises a rotary joint (4) placed in the connecting element (2) between the outlet orifice and the liquid transfer ports and comprising a set of at least one liquid passage (16) and a imprint (L) shaped to receive the adapter head in a position in which said gasket passages and the adapter holes are aligned, said gasket being rotatable in the connecting member under the action of the head (14) of the adapter between a closed position of the device in which the seal closes the transfer ports and a liquid transfer position in which said passages and said lumens are aligned.

2. Device according to claim 1, comprising stops (17, 18, 19) for limiting the rotation of the seal in the bore of the connecting element.

3. Device according to claim 2, comprising at least one transverse pin (18) inserted through the rotary joint and into a slot (19) made transversely in the adapter.

4. Device according to claim 3, wherein the slot is provided with end bulges (23).

5. Device according to claim 2, wherein the rotary joint comprises at least one radial extension (20) snapping into a slot made transversely in the adapter.

6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the outlet port of the connecting member and the seal footprint have a polygonal shape complementary to that of the head of the adapter.

7, Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the seal is arranged coaxially with the outlet orifice.

8. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the passages of the rotary joint, the slots of the connecting element and the holes of the adapter are arranged radially.

9. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the seal comprises six passages and the connecting element comprises six liquid transfer lights.

10. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a plug (35) for closing the connecting element.

11. Device according to claim 10, wherein the cap comprises a flat head and a tail complementary shape to that of the bore of the connecting element in which it is inserted and provided with contour reliefs (38). corresponding to that of the liquid transfer lights.

12. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the adapter comprises a cylindrical body (25) from which extends axially said head, a base (28) mounted on an open end of the cylindrical body and a seal

(30) sliding in the body under the action of an annular control element (32) passing through the base and comprising a sealing rod

(31) being inserted into the head to close the holes (15).