FR3141226A1 - Male connector for a fluid connection of a fluid transfer circuit. - Google Patents

Abstract

This male connector (20) for a quick-coupling fluid connection (10) comprises a tubular body with a main insertion axis (X) provided with a tube (30B) of generally cylindrical shape extended by an end piece (30A) of substantially frustoconical shape. In particular, the end piece (30A) has, between an inlet cross section (PE) of free end of substantially circular shape and an outlet cross section (PS) of substantially circular shape for connection to the tube ( 30B), an intermediate section (38) whose cross sections (Pi) are substantially ovoid in shape. ABRIDGED FIGURE: FIGURE 3.

Description

Male connector for a fluid connection of a fluid transfer circuit. Technical area.

The present invention relates to the technical field of fluid transport such as air or water, particularly in a fluid transfer circuit. It applies more particularly but not exclusively to the transfer of fluid in a fuel circuit, an air or vacuum circuit, a steam circuit or a cooling circuit of an engine, a battery for an electric vehicle or hybrid, power electronics or others, for example by means of a heat exchanger. The invention relates more particularly to a male connector tip for a fluid connection for a fluid transfer circuit.

In general, such a fluid connection comprises a female connector and a male connector having complementary internal and external shapes allowing them to cooperate by fitting. Thus, the female connector comprises a receiving orifice configured to receive by complementary shape an end tip of the male connector. Furthermore, locking of the end of the male connector and the female connector can be achieved by quick fixing elements, such as clips, snap tabs and/or fixing clips.

In order to ensure fluid tightness of this quick-coupling fitting, it is conventional to provide an annular seal, for example an O-ring seal. This seal thus ensures fluid tightness between the male and female connectors of the fluid connection.

In this case, in order to seal this interface, at least one of the ends is generally provided with a groove or an annular groove shaped to receive the annular seal. In order to generate the sealing effect, the seal is compressed during fitting between the internal wall of the female receiving orifice and the external wall of the male insertion tip.

However, during fitting, the annular seal, by forming an annular bulge, generates additional insertion force. This insertion effort can reach a level such that manual assembly sometimes proves very tedious and can thus cause a relatively significant loss of time during the assembly operations of such fluidic connections.

The invention aims in particular to propose a solution which makes it possible to reduce the insertion effort while guaranteeing a safe sealing effect.

Prior technique.

We already know from the prior art the document US 2008/0217912 A1 which describes a fluid connection comprising a female connector and a male end intended to be fitted inside a receiving orifice of the female connector. The female connector has on an internal wall of its receiving orifice a peripheral shoulder delimiting a seat for receiving a seal. This receiving surface has a generally undulated shape in the circumferential direction and is thus shaped to receive a seal which is also undulated.

With this specific configuration, the insertion efforts of the male end inside the female receiver are reduced. In this known prior art, the presence of the seal can however still generate additional effort from the fitting of the two male and female connectors together during the passage of the corrugation crests. The invention aims in particular to propose further reducing insertion efforts without generating significant additional costs.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a male connector for a quick-coupling fluid connection comprising a tubular body with a main insertion axis (X) provided with a tube of generally cylindrical shape extended by a tip. end of substantially frustoconical shape, characterized in that the end piece has, between a free end inlet cross section of substantially circular shape and an outlet cross section of substantially circular shape for connection to the tube, a section intermediate whose cross sections are substantially ovoid in shape.

Thanks to the invention, the fitting or insertion efforts are reduced. The reduction in insertion forces is obtained by modifying the geometry of the male connector tip such that the fitting of the male connector tip inside the female receiver tip occurs gradually during the axial insertion which reduces instantaneous insertion forces.

In addition, as the particular ovoid shape is formed on the male connector and not on the female connector, this makes it possible to maintain a classic shape for the female connector. In particular, the groove of the female part is annular in shape and not wavy, and a conventional sealing O-ring can be inserted into the annular groove in a natural position without stretching or deformation.

However, although more complex to achieve, one could imagine transposing this particular shape to a female connector, after a few shape adjustments. For example, the throat could be ovoid in section in this case.

A male connector according to the invention may also include one or more of the following characteristics.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the shape of the cross sections of the intermediate section comprises two half-ellipses elongated along their major axis and opposite each other so as to meet tangentially along their minor axis and of which the dimensions of the major axis and the minor axis gradually increase along the intermediate section.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the dimensions of the major axis of the two half-ellipses are different in the same cross section.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the dimension of the major axis of each of the half-ellipses follows an evolution profile defined by a generator which forms a predefined angle alpha with the reference axis between a minimum value corresponding to the radius of the circular shape of the input section up to a maximum value corresponding to the radius of the circular shape of the output section.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the evolution profiles of the two half-ellipses are identical and are offset axially from one another by an axial offset in the direction of the reference axis.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the end piece has, between the inlet cross section and the outlet cross section, transitional inlet and outlet regions for connecting the intermediate section respectively at the inlet section and the outlet section, the shape of the cross sections of these inlet and outlet regions comprises a half-ellipse tangentially connected to a half-circle.

• un connecteur femelle comprenant un corps principal muni d’un orifice récepteur femelle d’axe principal d’insertion,
• un connecteur mâle comprenant un corps principal muni d’un embout d’insertion mâle présentant une forme complémentaire de l’orifice récepteur femelle pour coopérer par emmanchement selon l’axe d’insertion principal (X),
• un joint d’étanchéité torique destiné à assurer une étanchéité au fluide entre les connecteurs,

et dans lequel, lors de l’emmanchement, un premier des connecteurs est configuré pour porter le joint d’étanchéité et un deuxième des connecteurs présente une surface d’engagement circonférentielle configurée pour venir en engagement serré contre le joint,caractérisé en ce quele deuxième des connecteurs est un connecteur mâle selon l’invention.The invention also relates to a fluid connection for a fluid circuit, of the type comprising:

• a female connector comprising a main body provided with a female receiving orifice with a main insertion axis,
• a male connector comprising a main body provided with a male insertion tip having a shape complementary to the female receiving orifice to cooperate by fitting along the main insertion axis (X),
• an O-ring seal intended to ensure fluid tightness between the connectors,

and in which, during fitting, a first of the connectors is configured to carry the seal and a second of the connectors has a circumferential engagement surface configured to come into tight engagement against the seal, characterized in that the second of the connectors is a male connector according to the invention.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the connectors have complementary forms of mutual engagement delimiting, in the fitted state, an internal annular cavity for housing the seal.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the female connector comprises a peripheral shoulder internally delimiting a radial surface forming an annular sealing seat configured to receive the sealing O-ring.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the female connector comprises slots in a circumferential direction and further comprises a jumper engaged in the slots to retain the male connector inside the body of the female connector.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear in light of the description which follows, made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig.1

represents a perspective view of a male connector of a fitting according to the invention;

Fig.2

shows a side view of the connector of the ;

Fig.3

represents a partial view on an enlarged scale of an end cap of the connector of the ;

Fig.4

represents a front view of the connector of the ;

Fig.5

represents a perspective view of a female connector of the fluid connection according to the invention;

Fig.6

represents a schematic view in longitudinal section of a step of inserting the male connector inside a seal of the connector of the invention;

Fig.7

represents a diagram 7A representing a longitudinal sectional view of the end tip of the male connector of the and a diagram 7B representing four cross-section profiles according to the section planes P1, P2, P3 and P4 referenced in diagram 7A.

A fluid connection according to the invention is shown in the figures. This fluidic connection bears the general reference 10. This fluidic connection 10 includes a female connector 12 (illustrated in detail on the ) and a male connector tip 20 (shown in detail on the ) described below in detail.

In particular, such a fluid connection 10 may belong to a circuit for transporting a fluid, such as a cooling fluid for an engine or a battery of a motor vehicle. For example, it is intended for the rapid assembly of a first fluidic tubular element such as a grooved tubing or annular flange to a second fluidic conduit element such as a flexible pipe (not shown in the figures) intended to be connected for example by fitting onto the fluid connection 10. The flexible pipe is for example made of an elastomeric material, such as rubber.

For example, with reference to the , the female connector 12 of the fluid connection 10 is shown in detail. In general, the female connector 12 may include a main body 14 of generally tubular shape having an axial passage 16 extending longitudinally through the body 14. A first connection end 18 of the passage 16 (or receiving port 18) may be dimensioned to slidingly receive a tubular tip end 32 of the male connector 20 (described below). The tubular body 14 defines a main axis of insertion X along which the male connector 20 can be inserted. Preferably, on the other hand, the female component 12 is provided with another end 22 for connection to a second fluid transport conduit such as a flexible pipe (not shown in the figures).

Preferably, the body 14 may include a radial groove (not visible in the figures) formed inside the body 14 on an internal wall of the passage 16 which is internally spaced from the connection end 18 of the body 14. The groove may have a variety of section profiles (e.g., rounded, square, rectangular, trapezoidal, polygonal, etc.) and may generally be formed continuously around the inner circumference of said passage 16. Preferably, for example, the connector female 12 further comprises a peripheral internal shoulder delimiting a radial surface forming an annular sealing seat, configured to form one of the side walls of the annular groove.

In this example as illustrated on the , the male connector 20 further comprises a body 30 provided with the male insertion end 32 having a complementary shape to the female connection end 18 to allow engagement by fitting along the main insertion axis inside passage 16 of female connector 12.

In the example illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, the tubular body 30 with main axis of insertion so that the male connector 20 has a chamfer.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the body 30 of the male end piece 20 may include an external circumferential groove (not visible in the figures) and the fluid connection 10 further comprises a clip 26 ( ) intended to be engaged as a jumper inside slots 24 provided circumferentially in the body of the female connector 12 in order to cooperate with the circumferential groove and thus to retain the male connector 20 inside the passage 16 of the female connector 12.

According to the invention, the fluid connection 10 also comprises an O-ring seal 50, for example shown on the . Preferably, the O-ring seal 50 can be partially disposed inside the groove of the female connector 12. As described in detail below, the seal 50 can be dimensioned to engage in a tight manner around the male connector 20 when the latter is received inside the passage 16, as illustrated schematically on the . The seal 50 may be formed from any suitable material, for example vulcanized rubber, silicone, synthetic elastic and/or resilient material, etc.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the seal 50 is carried by the female connector 12. In this case, the seal 50 is, for example, annular or O-ring and is inserted inside the passage 16 in the annular groove of the female connector 12 provided for this purpose.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the end cap 30A of the male connector 20 has an external peripheral circumferential engagement surface configured to come into tight engagement against the joint 50, when the male connector 20 is inserted into inside the axial passage 16 of the female connector 12.

For example, the male 20 and female 12 connectors have complementary forms of mutual engagement delimiting in the inserted state a closed annular cavity for housing the seal 50, defined by the annular groove closed by the circumferential engagement surface of the male connector 20.

In order to guarantee quality sealing, in the embodiment of the invention, the seal 50 must be radially compressed inside the groove of the female connector 12 by the male connector 20.

According to the invention, more specifically, the end piece 30A of the male connector 20 has, between a free end inlet cross section PE of substantially circular shape and an outlet cross section PS of substantially circular connection shape to the tube 30B, an intermediate section 38 whose cross sections Pi are substantially ovoid in shape ( ).

Three profiles of cross sections PE, P2 and PS of the end piece 30A are shown schematically in Figure 7B.

Preferably, the PE inlet and PS outlet cross sections have circular shapes, respectively with radii R1 and R2. In the example described, radius R1 has a smaller dimension than radius R2.

Preferably, the shape of the cross sections Pi, for example the shape of the cross section P2 of the intermediate section 38, comprises two half-ellipses E1 and E2 elongated along their major axis and opposite each other so as to be join tangentially along their minor axis and whose dimensions of the major axis D1, D2 and the minor axis d1, d2 gradually increase along the intermediate section 38.

Furthermore, preferably, the dimensions of the major axis D1, D2 of the two half-ellipses E1 and E2 are different in the same cross section Pi.

For example, as can be seen in the , the dimension of the major axis D1 or D2 of each of the half-ellipses E1 and E2 follows an evolution profile, defined by a generator which forms a predefined "alpha" angle with the reference axis at the radius R1 of the circular shape of the inlet section PE up to a maximum value corresponding to the radius R2 of the circular shape of the outlet section PS.

Preferably, the evolution profiles of the two half-ellipses E1 and E2 are identical and are offset axially from each other by an axial offset in the direction of the reference axis (X).

Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the end tip 30A of the male connector 20 has, between the inlet cross section PE and the outlet section PS, inlet regions 40 and transition outlet 42 for connecting the intermediate section 38 respectively to the inlet section PE and to the outlet section PS. Preferably, the shape of the cross sections Pi of these transition regions comprises a half-ellipse connected tangentially to a semi-circle.

Thanks to this configuration, the fitting of the male connector 20 inside the female connector 12 follows a gradual profile. Indeed, the generally ovoid and progressive general shape of the end piece 30A presents an asymmetry of revolution along a transverse plane which allows modulation of the force of fitting or insertion of the male connector 20 inside of the female connector 20.

For example, during fitting, a first 12 of the connectors is configured to carry the seal 50 and a second 20 of the connectors has a circumferential engagement surface configured to come into tight engagement against the seal 50.

Preferably, the male connector 20 and/or female 12 is made of a plastic material, for example by plastic molding. However, in a variant of the invention, the male connector 20 and/or the female connector 12 is made of a metallic material.

The support pressure exerted against the seal 50 during the fitting of the male connector 20 inside the female connector 12 thus makes it possible to guarantee an effective sealing connection between the two connectors 12, 20.

We will now describe the main aspects of the invention with reference to the preferred embodiment of the invention previously described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 7.

Initially, the seal 50 is mounted on one of the male 20 or female 12 connectors. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the seal 50 is mounted inside the annular groove of the female connector 12, delimited axially by an internal peripheral shoulder formed in the internal surface of the female connector 12.

Then, in a second step, the insertion end 32 of the male connector 20 is inserted into the connection end of the female connector 12. During this insertion, the male connector 20 radially deforms the joint 50 in order to be able to overcome the relief created by the seal 50.

As the male connector tip 50 is not strictly circular at its insertion end 32 but is on the contrary provided with an asymmetrical deformation of revolution defined by the invention, the pressure exerted by the end profile 32 of the male connector 20 on the seal 50 is gradual and modulated circumferentially which facilitates the instantaneous insertion of the male connector 20 inside the axial passage 16 of the female connector 12.

The gradual support pressure exerted by the engagement surface of the male connector 20 on the joint 50 makes it possible to reduce the effort of instantaneous insertion or introduction of the male end 20 inside the female end 12, first compressing one side more strongly, then its opposite side. Consequently, the profile of the intensity of the insertion force appears very progressive, limiting excess effort during insertion.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments previously described. Other embodiments within the reach of those skilled in the art can also be considered without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the claims below.

Claims (10)

Male connector (20) for a quick-coupling fluid connection (10) comprising a tubular body with a main insertion axis (X) provided with a tube of generally cylindrical shape extended by an end cap (30A) of substantially frustoconical shape, characterized in that the end piece (30A) has, between an inlet cross section (PE) of free end of substantially circular shape and an outlet cross section (PS) of substantially circular shape connecting to the tube, an intermediate section (38) whose cross sections (Pi, P1, P2) are substantially ovoid in shape. Male connector (20) according to the preceding claim, in which the shape of the cross sections (Pi, P1, P2) of the intermediate section (38) comprises two half-ellipses (E1, E2) elongated along their major axis (D1, D2) and opposite each other so as to meet tangentially along their minor axis (d1, d2) and whose dimensions of the major axis (D1, D2) and the minor axis (d1, d2) gradually increase along the intermediate section (38). Male connector (20) according to the preceding claim, in which the dimensions of the major axis (D1, D2) of the two half-ellipses (E1, E2) are different in the same cross section (Pi, P1, P2). Male connector (20) according to claim 2 or 3, in which the dimension of the major axis (D1, D2) of each of the half-ellipses (E1, E2) follows an evolution profile defined by a generator which forms a predefined angle alpha with the reference axis (X) between a minimum value corresponding to the radius of the circular shape of the input section (PE) up to a maximum value corresponding to the radius of the circular shape of the output section (PS ). Male connector (20) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, in which the evolution profiles of the two half-ellipses (E1, E2) are identical and are offset axially from one another by an offset axial in the direction of the reference axis (X). Male connector (20) according to any one of the preceding claims 2 to 5, in which the end piece (30A) has, between the inlet cross section (PE) and the outlet cross section (PS), transitional inlet (40) and outlet (42) regions for connecting the intermediate section (38) respectively to the inlet section (PE) and to the outlet section (PS), the shape of the cross sections (Pi, P1, P2) of these input (40) and output (42) regions comprises a half-ellipse connected tangentially to a semi-circle. Fluid connection (10) for fluid circuit, of the type comprising:

• a female connector (12) comprising a main body (14) provided with a female receiving orifice (18) with a main insertion axis (X),
• a male connector (20) comprising a main body (30) provided with a male insertion tip (32) having a shape complementary to the female receiving orifice (18) to cooperate by fitting along the main insertion axis (X),
• an O-ring seal (50) intended to ensure fluid tightness between the connectors (12, 20),

and in which, during fitting, a first (12) of the connectors (12, 20) is configured to carry the seal (50) and a second (20) of the connectors (12, 20) has a surface circumferential engagement configured to come into tight engagement against the joint (50),characterized in thatthe second (20) of the connectors (12, 20) is a male connector (20) according to any one of the preceding claims. Connection (10) according to the preceding claim, in which the connectors (12, 20) have complementary forms of mutual engagement delimiting, in the fitted state, an internal annular cavity for housing the seal (50). Connection (10) according to any one of claims 7 and 8, in which the female connector (12) comprises a peripheral shoulder internally delimiting a radial surface forming an annular sealing seat configured to receive the sealing O-ring (50). ). A connector (10) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the female connector (12) comprises slots (24) in a circumferential direction and further comprises a jumper engaged in the slots (24) to retain the connector male (20) inside the body (14) of the female connector (12).