FR3052846A1 - PROTECTIVE COVERAGE WITH SWIVEL HINGING SYSTEM FOR A GAS CONTAINER - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a protective casing (1) for a gas container (10), comprising a cover body (2) forming a protective shell defining an internal volume designed to receive all or part of the valve block (3), and a gripping device (6) pivoting between several angular positions comprising a rest position in which the attachment device (6) is completely folded and a hooking position in which the attachment device (6) is fully unfolded. At least one stop (13) is arranged between the attachment device (6) and the rollover body (2), said hooking device (6) coming into contact with said stop (13) when in position resting, and being held by said stop (13) at a given non-zero distance relative to the outer surface of the body (2) cowling. Gas container equipped with a valve block (3) and such a cover (1) for protection, and its use for storing or dispensing a gas or a gas mixture.

Description

The present invention relates to a protective cover, also called cap, for gas cylinders, in particular medical gas, equipped with a pivoting hooking device stop stop (s), for hanging the cowling on a bed, a stretcher, an armchair or other, and a gas container, such as a gas cylinder, equipped with such a protective cover arranged around a valve block, with or without integrated regulator.

Industrial and medical gases are commonly packaged in gas containers, typically gas cylinders, equipped with a valve block, with or without built-in expansion valve, namely a single tap open / closed type or an integrated valve regulator, also called RDI, to control flow and pressure of the delivered gas.

In order to protect this valve block, more simply called "tap", it is common to arrange at the level of the neck of the gas bottle and around the valve block, a protective cover forming a protective shell around the valve block. Such a cowling is commonly called "hat".

Moreover, to allow the bottle / cap / tap assembly to be hooked to a support, such as a hospital bed bar, a stretcher, a rod or support for attaching an emergency vehicle, for example a SAMU unit or the like, it is customary to arrange on the cap, a fixed attachment system.

There are fixed attachment systems and other mobiles, in particular translating or pivoting, for example those described by documents EP-A-629812, DE-A-10057469, US-A-2004/020793 and EP-A -2586481.

Some cowlings with pivoting attachment system having a specific housing in which is inserted a pivoting arm or have an outer surface shaped to accommodate the pivoting arm when fully folded, that is to say in its position of storage along and in contact with the outer surface of the cowling. For example, EP-A-2918893 and WO-A-2015/132092 may be mentioned.

While such solutions are attractive in theory, in practice it has been demonstrated that this type of cowling has a major disadvantage, namely that of causing a difficulty for users to easily grasp the shackle to pass it. from its rest position to its unfolded, that is to say active, position used to attach the assembly to a bed bar or the like.

In view of this, the problem that arises is to propose a protective cover or cap for a gas cylinder comprising an improved pivoting attachment device which does not have the aforementioned major drawback and which is of such design that it does not require significant modifications compared to existing shackles.

The solution of the invention is a protective casing or "cap" for a gas container, in particular for a gas cylinder, equipped with a valve block, with or without an integrated regulator, comprising: a casing body forming a shell protector defining an internal volume adapted to receive all or part of the valve block, and - a hooking device pivoting between several angular positions comprising: a rest position in which the attachment device (3) is fully folded and. an attachment position in which the attachment device (3) is unfolded, characterized in that at least one stop is arranged between the attachment device and the casing body, said attachment device coming into contact with said abutment when in the rest position, and being held by said abutment at a given non-zero distance E relative to the outer surface of the casing body.

With this stop, the attachment device does not come into the outer wall of the casing body, so can be easily grasped by the user since the attachment device abuts mechanically against the abutment that stops its course when folded back to its rest position.

Depending on the case, the protective cowling according to the invention may comprise one or more of the following technical characteristics: the fastening device is maintained at a given distance (or spacing) E of at least about 1 mm from on the outer surface of the cowling body, for example between 1.5 and / or 10 mm approximately with respect to the outer surface of the cowling body 2, so as to be slightly raised relative to the surface of the body of the cowling and to be able to be easily grasped by the user. - At least one stop is arranged at the base of the casing body. - The attachment device comprises two arms extending laterally on either side of the casing body, said at least one stop being arranged to be sandwiched between the attachment device at the two arms and the body of the cowling. - The casing body carries at least one stop projecting away from the outer surface of said casing body. - The casing body carries at least one stop projecting from the outer surface of said casing body, said stop having a height H of between 1 and 15 mm. - The stop is arranged on the casing body and can be traversed by a fastening means, in particular screw fixing, preferably a screw, a bolt or the like. - The casing body comprises two half-shells secured to one another by means of said fastening means passing through the stop. Preferably, the two half-shells are secured to one another in a vertical or substantially vertical plane. - The attachment device is pivotally attached about an axis AA, preferably located on the rear face of the body of the cowling. - The attachment device comprises a three-dimensional structure, preferably it has a generally curved shape. a locking system makes it possible to block and hold the fastening device in the rest position. - The hooking device pivots between the rest position and the attachment position of an angle (a) less than 180 °, typically less than 150 °. - At least one integral support amount of the casing body carries a carrying handle. - The casing body and the attachment device are formed of polymeric material. Typically, the polymer-type material is a plastic material, such as PVC, PE, PET, PP, PMMA, PU, PA ... - the attachment device comprises two arms extending on either side of the cowling , that is to say to the right and left of the cowling, so as to partially encircle it. - The attachment device is formed in one piece, in particular by molding. - The attachment device comprises a central opening which is positioned opposite the filling connector when the attachment device is in the rest position. - The attachment device is in contact with the stop when in the rest position. - The cowling further comprises a rotary wheel for controlling the gas outlet and a gas outlet connection. - The cowling further comprises a manometer for indicating the gas pressure in the bottle equipped with the cowling.

Furthermore, the invention also relates to a gas container equipped with a valve block, whether with or without integrated expansion valve, characterized in that it comprises a protective cover according to the invention arranged around at least a portion of said valve block.

As the case may be, the gas container of the invention may comprise one or more of the following technical characteristics: it is chosen from gas bottles. - It is a gas cylinder with a size between 10 and 150 cm. - It is a gas cylinder containing from 0.5 to 20 liters (capacity in water equivalent), or even a higher capacity. - It is a cylinder of hollow cylindrical body gas. - It is a gas cylinder comprising a neck carrying a gas outlet orifice. - The cowling is attached to the neck of the gas container. - It is a gas cylinder containing a gas or gas mixture selected from oxygen, air, N2O / O2 mixture, He / O mixture, NO / nitrogen mixture or any other gas or gas mixture. - The valve block is integrated pressure reducer type, that is to say an RDI. the bottle is made of steel, an aluminum alloy or a composite material. the bottle contains a gas at a pressure of up to about 350 bar. The invention also relates to a use of a gas container according to the invention for dispensing a gas or gas mixture, in particular a gas or gas mixture is selected from oxygen, air, N2O / O2, He / 02 and NO /nitrogen. The invention will now be better understood thanks to the following detailed description, given by way of illustration but without limitation, with reference to the appended figures in which: FIG. 1 represents a view of the front face of a protective casing according to FIG. invention in a gas cylinder, - Figure 2 shows a view of the rear face of the cowling of Figure 1 with hooking device in the latching position, - Figure 3 is a rear view of the cowl of the 2, FIG. 4 represents a partial sectional view of the cowling of FIGS. 3 and 4, and FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 4 but shows the attachment device in the rest position, and FIG. a top view of the cowling of Figure 1, with latching device in the rest position as in Figure 5.

Figures 1 to 6 show an embodiment of a rigid protective cover 1, commonly called "hat", arranged around a valve block 3, itself attached to the neck of a gas cylinder 10. Gas bottle 10 typically has a size between 10 and 150 cm, and a capacity of 0.5 to 20 liters (in water equivalent). The protective cover 1 serves to protect the valve block 3 against shocks, that said valve block 3 is of the type with integrated gas expansion valve or RDI, or the type without built-in expansion valve.

The protective casing 1 comprises a casing body 2 forming a rigid protective shell around an internal volume sized to receive the valve block 3, a carrying handle 4 designed to be handled by an operator, said carrying handle 4 being formed of a rigid material, and carried by one or more uprights-supports 5 mechanically connecting the body 2 of the cowling to the carrying handle 4, that is to say that the or the support-uprights 5 are secured to the carrying handle 4 so as to allow a user to easily transport the hat / tap / bottle assembly.

The body 2 of the cowling 1 is typically made of a material of the polymer and / or metal type, preferably of plastic material, such as PVC, PE, PET, PP, PMMA, PU, PA ... Similarly, the support-frames 5 can be formed of a plastic material, such as the body of the cowling 1, but also aluminum alloy or any other metallic material.

The protective casing 1 also has openings giving access to the valve block 3 situated in the internal volume of the body 2 of the casing 1, in particular to the outlet fitting 8, to the filling connector 11, to the pressure outlet fitting 12, rotating steering wheel 7 ...

More specifically, the valve block 3, typically RDI type, comprises a rotary wheel 7, located on the front face 2a, manipulable by a user to control the flow of gas, a gas outlet connector 8 for withdrawing the gas stored in the bottle 10, a manometer 9 for controlling the pressure of the gas, a filling connector 11, located on the rear face 2b, for introducing gas into the bottle 10 when the latter is empty, and a pressurized gas outlet connection 12 located laterally and serving to distribute the gas at operating pressure compatible with the downstream application. The assembly of the protective casing 1 and its fixing around the valve block carried by the gas cylinder 10, is made by screwing by means of fasteners, namely screws or the like.

Preferably, the body 2 of the protective casing 1 is formed of at least two half-shells coming to join one another, according to a vertical junction plane. The two half-shells then take the valve 3 and the container neck 10 sandwiched so as to contain the valve block 3 in their space or internal volume.

In order to allow the catch or the stowage of the bottle assembly lOÆloc tap 3 / casing 1 to a support, such as a bed of hospital bed or stretcher, the protective casing 1 comprises, on the side of its rear side 2b, a hooking device 6 pivoting about an axis AA, between: - a fully folded position, called "rest", that is to say the position adopted by the attachment device 6 when is stored and positioned in contact or quasi-contact body 2 of the cowling 1, and - a completely unfolded position called "hooking", that is to say the position adopted by the attachment device 6 when is completely out and can be hooked to a support, such as a bed rail or the like.

In Figures 1, 5 and 6, the attachment device 6 is in the rest position, while in Figures 2 to 4, it is in the attachment position, that is to say fully unfolded. These two positions therefore constitute the extreme angular positions that can adopt the attachment device 6 when pivoting about the axis AA. Typically, the pivot angle α between these two extreme angular positions is less than or equal to 170 ° and greater than 0 °, preferably greater than 90 °, for example an angle of the order of 150 °.

In order to solve some of the problems posed by the known pivoting fastening devices, in the context of the present invention, care is taken to maintain a non-zero spacing E (see Figs 5 and 6) between the attachment device 6 and the body 2 of the protective cover, when the attachment device 6 is in the fully folded position, that is to say "rest".

To do this, one (or more) abutment 13 is provided between the outer surface of the body 2 of the cowling 1, namely its rear face 2a, and the attachment device 6 so that the latter comes to rest against the stop 13, when the attachment device 6 is in the "rest" position, and therefore does not become embedded in a cavity or housing of the cowling 1.

The stop (s) 13 will therefore stop the angular pivoting stroke of the attachment device 6 when it is folded by the user to move it from its hooking position (FIG. its rest position (Figures 5 and 6), since the attachment device 6 will meet the abutment 13, that is to say abut against it.

Thus, there will always remain a minimum spacing E between the attachment device 6 and the body 2 of the cowling 1 which will then allow the user to easily grasp the attachment device 6 and to rotate it to its hooking position (Fig. 4). The attachment device 6 is thus kept voluntary at a minimum distance or spacing E from the external surface of the body 2 of the cowling 1, as can be seen in FIG. 6.

The abutment 13 constitutes a kind of protrusion of height H, for example a height H of 1 mm to 15 mm, carried for example by the external surface of the casing body 2 and projecting outwardly of the casing 1. stop 13 is located opposite the attachment device 6, that is to say in front of the attachment device 6. In other words the (or the) abutment 13 is taken "in sandwich" between the attachment device 6 and the casing body 2.

In the embodiment of Figure 3, a single stop 13 is arranged at the base 14 of the casing body 2 which has here a flange shape. However, according to another embodiment, it is possible to arrange a plurality of stops 13, for example two stops or more, between the pivoting attachment device 6 and the body 2 of the cowling 1.

Similarly, in the Figures, the stop 13 is arranged on the body 2 of the cowling 1 but according to another embodiment, it is also possible to arrange the stop 13 on the attachment device 6 itself or, according to another Another embodiment, abutments 13 can be arranged both on the attachment device 6 and on the casing body 2 1.

The abutment 13 may furthermore have another function, namely, as in the case of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, receiving a screw 15 or the like serving to secure the two (or more) half-shells forming the body 2 of cowling, one with the other.

As illustrated in the Figure, the attachment device 3 forms a curved three-dimensional structure surrounding the casing body 2, when the attachment device 3 is in the rest position.

More specifically, the three-dimensional curved structure forming the attachment device 6 comprises two arms, namely a right arm 6a and a left arm 6b, coming to take the body 2 substantially "sandwich" rollover, when the attachment device 3 is in the rest position.

Each of the arms 6a, 6b carries a fastening notch 16 for fastening the assembly to a support, such as a hospital bed bar or the like. Each fixing notch 16 has an arched shape, for example shaped in a circular arc, as shown in Figure 2, so as to marry the best shape of a tubular bar bed, stretcher, wheelchair or other.

In the storage position, the attachment device 6 is positioned around the body 2 of the cowling 1 so as to minimize the overall size of the cowling 1, when the attachment device 3 is folded as in Figure 2. When the three-dimensional structure forming the attachment device 6 is folded, it projects externally but without increasing the overall size of the cowling 1. The attachment device 6 then comes into contact or quasi-contact (20) of the stop 13 by covering the abutment 13, as shown schematically in Figure 5.

The attachment device 6 thus comprises a free downstream end carrying the arms 6a, 6b, and an upstream end coming to pivotally attach (axis AA) to the body 2 of the cowling 1. An opening may be provided in the wall of the body 2 cowling 1 to allow and / or facilitate the pivoting of the attachment device 6 from its rest position to that of attachment, or vice versa.

The attachment device 6 may be formed of plastic, metal or a combination of both.

Furthermore, in an alternative embodiment, the three-dimensional structure constituting the attachment device 6 comprises a central opening 17, revealing the filling connection 11, when the attachment device 6 is in the rest position, that is, ie folded and in contact with the stop 13. This allows the user to fill the bottle 10 with fresh gas, without having to unfold the attachment device 6, that is to say leaving the device 6 hanging in its rest position, as shown in Figures 1 and 5.

A gas cylinder equipped with a cowling according to the invention is particularly well suited to the storage and distribution of medical gases.

Claims (11)

claims 1. Protective cover (1) for a gas container (10) equipped with a valve block, comprising: - a cover body (2) forming a protective shell delimiting an internal volume designed to receive all or part of the valve block (3 ), and - an attachment device (6) pivoting between a plurality of angular positions comprising: a rest position in which the attachment device (3) is fully folded and. an attachment position in which the attachment device (6) is unfolded, characterized in that at least one stop (13) is arranged between the attachment device (6) and the body (2) cowling, said peeling device (6) coming into contact with said stop (13) when it is in the rest position, and being held by said stop (13) at a distance (E) which is not zero in relation to the external surface body (2) cowling. 2. Cowling according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the attachment device (6) is maintained at a given distance (E) of at least 1 mm from the outer surface of the body (2) cowling. 3. Cowling according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one stop (13) is arranged at the base (14) of the body (2) cowling. 4. Cowling according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the attachment device (6) comprises two arms (6a, 6b) extending laterally on either side of the body (2) cowling, said at least one stop (13) being arranged to be sandwiched between the attachment device (6) at the two arms (6a, 6b) and the body (2) of the cowling (1). 5. Rollover according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the casing body (2) carries at least one stop (13) protruding away from the outer surface of said body (2) cowling. 6. Cowling according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the casing body (2) carries at least one stop (13) protruding from the outer surface of said body (2) cowling, said stop (13). ) having a height H of between 1 and 15 mm. 7. Cowling according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stop (13) is arranged on the body (2) cowling and is traversed by a fixing means (15), preferably a screw or a bolt. 8. Cowling according to claim 7, characterized in that the stop (13) is arranged on the body (2) cowling and is traversed by a screw or a bolt. 9. Cowling according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the casing body (2) comprises two half-shells secured to one another by means of said fastening means (15) passing through the stop (13). Gas container (10) equipped with a valve block (3) and a protective cover (1) arranged around at least a part of said valve block (3), characterized in that it comprises a cover (1). ) of protection according to one of claims 1 to 9. 11. Use of a gas container according to claim 10 for storing or dispensing a gas or gas mixture, preferably the gas or gas mixture is selected from oxygen, air, N2O / O2, He / 02 and NO / nitrogen .