GB2271406A

GB2271406A - Line to panel coupling arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2271406A
Application number: GB9320667A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Siegfried Zergiebel; Gerhard Macher
Original assignee: ITT Automotive Europe GmbH; Alfred Teves GmbH
Current assignee: ITT Automotive Europe GmbH; Continental Teves AG and Co oHG
Priority date: 1992-10-10
Filing date: 1993-10-07
Publication date: 1994-04-13
Anticipated expiration: 2013-10-07
Also published as: GB2271406B; GB9320667D0; FR2696810B1; FR2696810A1; DE4234262A1

Abstract

A line to panel coupling arrangement comprises first and second line terminating elements (2, 3 Fig 1) mutually engageable to connect one line (4, Fig 1) to another line (5, Fig 1). The end (8) of the first line terminating element (2) is adapted for insertion through a panel aperture, for securement to the second line terminating element (3) at the other side of the panel. The end (8) is provided with a projection (9 Fig 1) for limiting its passage through the aperture and with a retaining element (13) which permits passage through the aperture hut which retains the first element in the panel. <IMAGE>

Description

1 2271406 LINE TO PANEL COUPLING ARRANGEMENT This invention relates to a

line coupling for retention in an aperture in a wall or panel and intended for 5 providing a line extending through the panel. Coupling arrangements of this type are required e.g. for brake lines which extend f rom the brake arranged on the wheel to a master cylinder arranged in the engine compartment. To this end, the lines must be passed through the sheet metal of the 10 vehicle body, the point of penetration serving as a retaining point in addition. In this case, it has to be taken care of simultaneously that the brake hose cannot be damaged by relative movements at the point where it penetrates the vehicle body. It is conventional practice to 15 use coupling means made of steel, the external ends whereof receive the ends of two line portions. The coupling means itself is substantially composed of two parts which are attached to the wall by their screw coupling. For this purpose, an additional resilient element is often used which 20 ensures a support of the coupling means on the wall. Details in this respect are described in connection with 2 Figure 1.

It is disadvantageous in this known type of connection that a first coupling element is slipped through the wall or panel or, respectively, the body sheet and, simultaneously, a second coupling element must be screwed against it from the other side. The coupling means is retained in the metal sheet by the screw coupling. As it is usually impossible to provide a screw coupling between the coupling elements by one single fitter which is due to the wall or panel lying therebetween, two fitters have to be active at the same time in mounting the coupling means. Such an assembly is rather complicated, not only when looking at it alone. It also causes problems of organisation, since it is often advantageous when in the beginning a first line portion reaching up to the body sheet is fitted, and the second line portion along with the second coupling element is maybe coupled to the first coupling element only at a much later point of time.

The present invention seeks to provide an arrangement which simplifies the assembly and which permits the interconnection of the individual line portions to be deferred in time.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a line to panel coupling arrangement, retained at a wall, of a line extending through the wall, in particular a brake line extending through a sheet metal of an automotive vehicle, where the two line portions reaching up to the wall terminate in a coupling means which is retained 3 in the wall, the first coupling element of the said coupling means projecting with a portion through an opening of the wall and its second coupling element disposed on the opposite wall side being coupled to the first coupling element, characterised in that the portion projecting through the wall is furnished with a retaining element which permits that the portion is passed through the opening and which blocks retraction of the portion through the opening.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a line to panel coupling arrangement comprising first and second line terminating elements mutually engagable to connect one line to another wherein the end of the first line terminating element is adopted for insertion through a panel aperture, for securement to the second line terminating element at the other side of the panel, and a projection for limiting its passage through the aperture and a retaining element on the projection which permits passage through the aperture but which retains the first element in the panel.

In principle, the invention is to provide a possibility of locking the first coupling element in the associated wall opening and to thereby retain this coupling element in the wall. Irrespective thereof, the second coupling element will be screwed against the first coupling element possibly only at a much later time. In this way the line e.g. extending from a brake to a master cylinder can be passed through the body wall and can be locked in relation 4 thereto in two assembling operations which are greatly deferred in time. Another advantage is that a single operator can mount the brake line owing to this assembly being deferred in time.

A barb-like effect of the retaining element may be accomplished by a retaining element that is secured to the portion of the first coupling element yielding resiliently when the portion is passed through the opening, and by it spreading resiliently after penetration and thereby engaging behind the retaining wall. In this arrangement, either only one projection can be provided, or a plurality of projections can be provided which distribute evenly over the periphery of the portion.

The retaining element may comprise an elastic projection formed by a conical hollow cylinder which can be manufactured very easily and inexpensively.

Preferably, the retaining element is made of rubber, any elastomeric plastic material, or steel.

In order that the invention and its various other preferred features may be understood more easily, an embodiment will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Figure 1 is a line connector of known type illustrating the state of the art, 25 Figure 2 is a line connector with a retaining element according to the present invention, Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the retaining element of Figure 3.

Figure 1 shows a brake line coupling means 1 which comprises a steel fitting as a first coupling element 2 and a cap screw 3 as a second coupling element. A line hose 4 as a first line portion terminates into the first coupling 5 element 2 and is secured there in a f ashion known per se. A line pipe 5 is retained as a second line portion in the cap screw 3 in a fashion known per se. At its right-hand end in Figure 1 the f irst coupling element 2 includes a nonillustrated internal thread which is screwed to a non- illustrated external thread of the cap screw 3. This permits the connection between the line pipe 5 emanating f rom a master cylinder with the line hose 4 leading to a brake on a wheel through a wall 6 in the f orm of a body panel.

is In order to achieve a resilient support of the coupling means 1 in an opening 7 of the panel 6, a portion 8 extends through the panel 6 and is limited by a projection 9 in the direction of the line hose 4. The projection 9 has a hexagonal external surface permitting a wrench to securely screw the first coupling element 2 onto the cap screw 3. Similarly, the cap screw 3 comprises a portion 10 having a hexagonal external surface the lateral surface of which supports a spring element 11 which urges the projection 9 against the panel 6 and thus retains the coupling means 1 in the opening 7 and fixes it in relation to the panel 6.

During the assembly of the coupling means 1, the portion 8 is inserted through the opening 7 and the cap screw 3 is screwed to the first coupling element 2. Since 6 both coupling elements cannot be held at the same time by one operator due to the oaparation by the body panel which may have large dimensions, it may be necessary that two operators are required to effect securement of the coupling 5 means 1 in the panel 6.

The present invention is shown in Figure 2. The individual elements are explained only in as far as they differ from Figure 1. The basic difference between Figure 1 and Figure 2 is that a groove 12 is shaped into the portion 8, on whose lateral surface on the right hand in Figure 2 the end surface of a substantially annular retaining element 13 is supported. The retaining element 13 which is shown separately in Figure 3 comprises a substantially cylindrical ring portion 14 and an annular conical portion 15 which are integral parts of the retaining element 13. Preferably, the retaining element 13 is made of injection-moulded plastic material which is rigid enough to prevent movement of the first coupling element 2 in Figure 1 or 2 to the lef t, yet on the other hand, is elastical enough to sufficiently yield when the portion 8 is passed through the opening 7, and hence not to inhibit the movement of the f irst coupling element 2 to the right until the projection 9 abuts on the wall 6. A mixture of polypropylene and EPM has proved to be an appropriate material. Thus, the retaining element 13 serves as a catchtype element which, in that the f ree end of the annular cone 15 engages behind the panel 6 at the opening 7. The free end of the annular cone 15 is compressed while the portion 7 8 is passed through the opening 7, and it expands again after this action to adopt its original shape. Accordingly, the first coupling element 2 is introduced through the opening 7 in the panel 6 in a first step and is retained by the retaining element 13, while the cap screw 3 can be screwed to the first coupling element 2 in a second step, which can be done later if required, the line pipe 5 thereby being coupled to the line hose 4.

Thus the present invention enables the provision of a line coupling retained in a panel 6 which coupling includes a coupling means 1, the two coupling elements 2, 3 of which are situated on opposite sides to the wall 6 and which are screwed together. Therefore, the present invention facilitates the assembly of the coupling means 1 and enables that assembly to be separated into two steps deferred in time. Looking at this construction from a different point of view the first coupling element 2 is provided with a barb-like retaining element 13 over which the first coupling element 2 can be slipped and locked against the retaining panel 6. In a way deferred in time, the second retaining element (cap screw 3, spring element 11) can then be screwed to the first coupling element 2, whereby the coupling means 1 is finally secured to the panel 6.

Although the preferred configuration of retaining element is annular it is envisaged that alternative shaping is possible for example the retaining element may form part of an annulus.

8

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A line to panel coupling arrangement, retained at a wall, of a line (4, 5) extending through the wall (6), in particular a brake line extending through a sheet metal of an automotive vehicle, where the two line portions (4,5) reaching up to the wall (6) terminate in a coupling means (1) which is retained in the wall (6), the first coupling element (2) of the said coupling means projecting with a portion (8) through an opening (7) of the wall (6) and its second coupling element (3) disposed on the opposite wall side being coupled to the first coupling element (2), characterised in that the portion (8) projecting through the wall (6) is furnished with a retaining element (13) which permits that the portion (8) is passed through the opening (7) and which blocks retraction of the portion (8) through the opening (7).

2. A coupling arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the retaining element (13) is provided with at least one elastic attachment (annular cone 15) extending at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the coupling means (1), the resilient free end of which attachment protruding from the first coupling element (2) and, in the mounted condition of the first coupling element (2), starting from the portion (8) takes support on the wall (6).

3. A coupling arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first coupling element (2) is provided with a stop (projection 9) 9 which limits the position of the portion (8) in relation to the wall (6) in the assembly direction, and in that the resilient end (annular cone 15) of the retaining element (13) in the mounted condition pulls the stop (projection 9) 5 against the wall (6).

4. A coupling arrangement as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the second coupling element (cap screw 3) is adapted to be screwed to the first coupling element (2) and, in the mounted condition, via a spring element (11) is supported on the wall (6) and, in doing so, pulls the stop (projection 9) against the wall (6).

5. A coupling arrangement as claimed in any one of the claims 2 to 4, characterised in that the retaining element (13) is an annular rubber sleeve (13) which is formed integrally of a cylinder ring (14) and an annular cone (15), the said annular cone (15) forming the elastic attachment.

6. A coupling arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the retaining element (13) is made of injection-moulded plastics, especially polypropylene and EPM, or it is made of spring steel.

7. A coupling arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a groove (12) is provided in the first coupling element (2), on the one side wall of which groove the retaining element (13) takes support in opposition to the assembly direction of the first coupling element (2).

8. A line to panel coupling arrangement comprising first and second line terminating elements mutually engageable to connect one line to another wherein the end of the first line terminating element is adopted for insertion through a panel aperture, for securement to the second line terminating element at the other side of the panel, and a projection for limiting its passage through the aperture and a retaining element on the projection which permits passage through the aperture but which retains the first element in 10 the panel.

9. A line to panel coupling arrangement substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2 & 3 of the drawings.

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