HK1226472A1 - Fluid transmission flat-face coupler with frontal annular seal - Google Patents

Abstract

A fluid transmission fitting (100) is described comprising a flat-faced female coupler (47) with a frontal annular seal (400) to protect from the introduction of impurities, when uncoupled, during the step of coupling-uncoupling and when coupled to a flat-faced male coupler (48).

Description

Planar fluid transfer coupling with leading annular seal

The present invention relates to a planar fluid transfer coupling with a leading annular seal.

In transmissions or hydraulic equipment, there is often a need for fluid transfer devices that are quickly coupled to each other and connected to a fluid supply via rigid or flexible tubing.

Known quick coupling devices generally comprise two couplings, called male and female, which are fixed to respective connecting pipes, coupled together by means of a threaded connection or a snap-fit.

The male and female couplings are formed by a fixed part and an axial sliding part, which are arranged in a closed position of the passage gap of the fluid when at rest, and which are moved to an open position of the passage gap by the cooperation of the relevant parts of one of the parts during the coupling of the two parts.

The technical solutions of the fluid transfer devices currently on the market show that the coupling between the male coupling and the female coupling is not always so easy, since the residual pressure in the pipes is increasing and the coupling is becoming more and more laborious.

Italian patent application MI2012a001254 relates to a fluid transfer coupling that achieves connectability by the continued action of a pressure compensation and release system. The structure is complex and the cost benefit is poor. Said known devices also comprise a central locking system, the mechanical structure being cumbersome and ineffective in case of occasional user actuations.

US-4540021 discloses a fluid transfer device with a female coupling comprising a front seal preventing the ingress of impurities only when, during coupling or uncoupling of the male coupling. For an uncoupled female coupling, the ingress of impurities is prevented by a sealing plug.

US-3407847 discloses a fluid transfer device with a female coupling comprising a front seal preventing the ingress of impurities only when, during coupling or uncoupling of the male coupling. When the female coupling is uncoupled, the front seal does not cover the width of the opening at the front end of the female coupling, and therefore impurities can also enter, which is disadvantageous.

The object of the present invention is to provide a plumbing installation which takes a minimum of force to perform the coupling operation and which is independent of the pressure prevailing in the circuit.

Another object of the present invention is to make the mechanical structure of the plumbing installation simpler, able to ensure user safety by means of suitable hydraulic control, even in the event of accidents.

It is still another object of the present invention to prevent foreign materials from entering a female coupling regardless of whether the female coupling is coupled with or without the male coupling and during a coupling or uncoupling process with the male coupling.

According to the invention, said object is achieved by a fluid transfer device according to claim 1.

The features of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail, by way of non-limiting examples shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the fluid transfer device of the first embodiment taken along line I-I of FIG. 26 with the female and male couplings uncoupled, the female coupling having a forward seal;

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the apparatus similar to FIG. 1, with the male and female couplings uncoupled, in a step of relieving the residual pressure of the hydraulic line;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the apparatus similar to FIG. 1, with the male coupling contacting the female coupling in a first step of coupling the male coupling to the female coupling;

FIGS. 4 and 5 show cross-sectional views of the apparatus similar to FIG. 1, with the interior of the male coupling moved into the female coupling in a second and third step of coupling the male coupling with the female coupling;

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the device similar to FIG. 1 in a fourth step of coupling the male coupling with the female coupling, the internal components of the female coupling moving within the sleeve, opening rear pressure relief, see enlarged detail at circle N;

figure 7 shows two cross-sectional views of the device similar to figure 1, with the balls in the female coupling moving radially within the fixed ring nut housing and with the male coupling entering, in a second step of coupling the male coupling with the female coupling.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the device similar to FIG. 1 and an enlarged detail at circle Q, with the male coupling positioned at the anchor ball, in a sixth step of coupling the male coupling with the female coupling;

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the device similar to FIG. 1, with the outer assembly having the locking balls moved to the locking position of the male coupling in a seventh step of coupling the male coupling with the female coupling;

FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the device similar to FIG. 1, with the male valve being opened by hydraulic thrust generated by the circuit supply in an eighth step of coupling the male coupling with the female coupling;

FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the device similar to FIG. 1 with pressure released in a first step of uncoupling the male coupling from the female coupling;

FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the device similar to FIG. 1, with the male valve closed in a second step of uncoupling the male coupling from the female coupling;

FIG. 13 shows a cross-sectional view of the device similar to FIG. 1 and an enlarged detail at circle S, with the inner member moved until the retaining ball is released in a third step of uncoupling the male coupling from the female coupling;

FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional view of the device similar to FIG. 1 with the anchor balls radially displaced in a fourth step of uncoupling the male coupling from the female coupling;

FIG. 15 shows a cross-sectional view of the device similar to FIG. 1 with the male coupling uncoupled from the female coupling;

FIG. 16 shows an enlarged detail view of FIG. 1 taken around circle W;

FIG. 17 shows a cross-sectional view along line XVII-XVII of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 shows an enlarged detail view of FIG. 2 at circle U;

FIG. 19 shows a cross-sectional view along line XIX-XIX of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 shows an enlarged detail view of FIG. 13 at circle Z;

FIG. 21 shows a cross-sectional view along line XXI-XXI of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 shows an enlarged detail view taken about circle V with the cam in a third position, rotated in the opposite direction to that shown in FIG. 27;

FIG. 23 shows an enlarged detail view along line XXIII-XXIII of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 shows a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 1, with the female coupling having a radial seal, according to another embodiment, showing an enlarged detail at circle B;

fig. 25 shows a sectional view similar to fig. 1, with the female coupling having a radial seal, according to a further embodiment, shown in an enlarged detail at circle C,

FIG. 26 shows a front view of the device according to the invention;

fig. 27 shows a cross-sectional view of the device similar to fig. 1, with the step of releasing the residual pressure before the male coupling of the lower line is coupled with the female coupling.

FIG. 28 shows a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 1 with the front seal installed in the uncoupled female coupling, according to a second embodiment, and showing an enlarged view of a portion at E;

FIG. 29 shows an enlarged right view of the uncoupled female coupling of FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 shows a cross-sectional view of a pre-seal according to a first embodiment, incorporated in the device shown in FIG. 1;

fig. 31 shows a cross-sectional view of a pre-seal according to a second embodiment, included in the device shown in fig. 28.

Fig. 1 shows a coupling joint 100 comprising a female coupling 47 of the planar type inserted into a hydraulic feed bushing/module 1, and a male coupling 48 of the planar type cooperating with said female coupling.

The module/bushing 1 for supplying fluid comprises at least one hydraulic line 49 and a drain line 50, both of which are associated with one or more female couplings 47.

In describing the operation, reference will be made to the wiring of only one female-male coupling (the upper one shown in the drawings), but it should be understood that it applies to all the wiring of the same device. It is worth noting that the lower female-male coupling line does not show a cross-section, but only a view, whose cross-section is identical to the upper line.

The bushing 1 also comprises a lever 4 integral with a cam 7, the cam 7 being intended to be relieved from a chamber 54 inside the female coupling 47 and to be used to decouple the male coupling 48 from the female coupling 47.

The cam 7 comprises two parts, an upper part 82, which acts on the coupling of the upper hydraulic circuit, and a lower part 83 (fig. 1), which acts on the coupling of the lower hydraulic circuit.

The cams 82, 83 have respective disk-shaped connecting portions 821, 831 (fig. 16-23, the lower cam 83 is not shown in the cross-sectional views for better understanding of the working process), assembled on the central shaft 5, the shaft 5 having a substantially rectangular cross-section and short rounded edges 501 (fig. 16), so as to cause the central shaft 5 to rotate within the ring portions 822, 832 of said connecting portions 821, 831. The rotation of the central shaft 5 by pressing the lever 4 moves the connecting portion 821 of the upper cam 82 clockwise but remains free at the second ring portion 832 without moving the connecting portion 831 of the lower cam 83; further, the connecting portion 831 of the lower cam 83 is moved counterclockwise, but remains free at the ring portion 822, and the connecting portion 821 of the upper cam 82 is not moved.

The ring portions 822, 832 are substantially complementary to the shape of the central shaft 5, but they are wider to create a rotational clearance that can hold one cam 82 stationary while the other 83 is moved, and vice versa. This is made clearer below.

The cams 82, 83 are held in place by a spring 71, such as spring C, which may also be used. Correspondingly, the central shaft 5 is integral with the rod 4.

The female coupling 47 comprises a pressure relief valve 51, so that said chamber 54 communicates with the drain 50 (fig. 1).

Said valve 51 comprises a valve body 23, formed with a housing for sliding the shutter 25, pressed by a spring 26, against the shutter 25 and against the projections of the stop 27. The sealing is ensured by the contact between the seal 251 of the shutter 25 and the edge 231 of the valve body 23 (figure 1).

The cup 72 acts on the shutter 25, sliding in the axial direction and pushed by said upper cam 82 against the thrust of the spring 84. The upper cam 82 always contacts the cup 72, being pushed by the spring 84 against the cam 82 in the release position of the shutter 25. The cup 72 moves with the shutter 25 between the engagement position and the release position.

The shutter 25 has a hole 252 (fig. 2) therein for venting gas to minimize hydraulic thrust. This hydraulic thrust is determined by the diameter of the engagement between the conical surface 251 of the shutter 25 and the valve body 23 and depends on the diameter of the rear portion 263 of slightly smaller size of the shutter 25 on which the seal 28 acts. The combined structure of shutter 25-valve body 23 allows to minimize the actuation force of shutter 25 itself in the presence of residual pressure inside chamber 54.

The female coupling 47 also comprises an internal fitting 60, sliding axially within the external fitting 53 of the female coupling 47 itself; and a seal 19 for creating a pressure differential between the hydraulic line 49 and the chamber 54.

Said seal 19, which closes the calibrated connection 191 (fig. 2) between the chamber 54 and the hydraulic line 49. The tube 191 is contained within the inner body 13.

The seal 19 is annular, forms a seal in radial form, i.e. orthogonal to the axis of the device 100, and comprises a non-deformable portion 192 and a deformable portion 193.

The tube 191 is external to the chamber 54 and the pressurized fluid flowing inside it flows radially outwards from the inside of the chamber 54 at the outer surface of the seal 19.

When a given nominal pressure is reached, the deformable portion 193 bends towards the inside of the chamber 54, thereby determining the admission of pressurized fluid into the chamber 54 of the hydraulic line 49. When the pressure returns below the nominal pressure, the deformable portion 193 returns to its original position, thereby blocking the fluid passage.

The seal 19 can also be used with non-planar male and female couplings, operating on the same principle.

The female coupling 47 has a flat surface in the rest position (fig. 1)

The internal fitting 60 comprises a base 35 and a shank 44 integral with each other, the shank 44 having a plane 441 facing the outside of the female coupling 47; and a seal bushing 43 defining a gap 65 (fig. 3). The tightness of the gap 65 is ensured by the seal 42, the seal 42 is mounted on the seat at the end of the stem 44, the stem 44 is in contact with the sealing bush 43, the sealing bush 43 is pushed by the spring 33, the spring 33 is between the inner body 13 and a projection 431 commensurate with the sealing bush 43 itself (fig. 3).

The external fitting 53 (fig. 2) comprises a ring nut holder 29, a ring nut 30 and at least one locking ball 32, the locking ball 32 being arranged inside a housing 291 of the ring nut holder 29.

The housing 304 (fig. 3) includes a deformable elastic portion 305 for pushing the ball 32, as will become more apparent hereinafter (fig. 7).

The spring 46 (fig. 2) presses against the protrusions 292, 302, against the ring nut 30, the ring nut support 29 and the sleeve 1, thus restraining the external fitting 53 in a central rest position, ensuring that the male coupling 48 is locked after coupling.

Likewise, the cup 41 (fig. 2) slides axially within the ring nut support 29. The spring 54 presses against the projection 411 of the cup 41 and the stop shoulder 39 in the inner body 13, while in the coupled position the cup 41 also acts in the opposite direction in the case of a reverse sliding movement in the ring nut support 29.

The cup 41 is also provided with a housing 412 for mounting the locking ball 32 when the female coupling 47 is uncoupled, preloading the seal 45 on the seal bushing 43, thus preventing the ingress of impurities between the two elements (figure 6).

Adjacent to the cup 41 (fig. 2), facing the male coupling 48, there is a front seal 400 having a deformable portion 401, which prevents the entry of impurities when the coupling is uncoupled, coupled and during coupling/uncoupling, as will become clear below.

In coupling with the male connector 48, the bottom 35 slides in the internal body 13 and is pressed by the spring 38 which presses against the valve body 23 (fig. 13).

The bottom 35 comprises two seals 14, 17 (fig. 9), one on the side of the hydraulic line 49 and one on the side of the chamber 54. The area comprised between the two seals 14, 17 is in contact with the drainage duct 50 through a tube 56.

As shown in fig. 1, the male coupling 48 accordingly comprises a male body 4, the rear part of which is coupled to a device 140 with an inner tube 61 for connection to a user (not shown), for example a hydraulic device. The male body 48 may include one or more valves. The present application relates to a male coupling having two internal valves.

A first valve 101 (fig. 1) is located at the junction with the female coupling 47, which comprises a front sealing piston 8, the piston 8 having a guide rod 2 for a spring 3. A seal 51 ensures the seal between the male body 4 and the piston 8, the seal 51 being mounted in a male body annular seal, near the front end of the male body 4. By cooperating with the seal 51, the piston 8 seals the cavity 63 at the front, without coupling the male connector 48 with the female connector 47.

The second valve 102 is located in an intermediate portion of the male coupling 48 and includes the valve body 11 transverse to the plurality of apertures 62. The valve bodies 101, 102 define, together with the male body 4, a cavity 63 free from residual pressure. The sealing member 90 and the sealing member 120 provided on the shutter 18 ensure the sealing performance of the valve 102, and the shutter 18 slides in the valve body 11.

In operation, residual pressure may exist in one or more of the hydraulic lines 49. By moving the lever 4 to the right, the upper cam 82 is actuated, by the cup 72 contacting the shutter 25, connecting the hydraulic line 49 with the drainage line 50, to release the residual pressure inside (figure 2).

In this function, the seal 19 is deformed at the deformable portion 193 so that the fluid passage passes through the tube 191.

In this process, the lower cam 83 does not move because the shaft 5 contacts the supply side of the ring portion 822 of the upper cam 82 by rotating to the right, and the ring portion 832 of the connecting portion 831 is wide enough so that the shaft 5 rotates without contacting any side thereof (fig. 18 to 19).

The force exerted by the lever 4 must be sufficient to overcome the resistance of the spring 71, in any case keeping the lower cam in position.

After the residual pressure inside the line 49 is released, the system is ready for coupling.

The first step of coupling (fig. 4) is to push the male coupling 48 into the female coupling 47 by applying pressure to the flat surface 441 of the shank 44. There is no residual pressure in the tube 61 and the load of the spring 38 of the female coupling and the load of the springs 9, 16 of the male coupling are the same, thereby opening the sealing bushing 43 of the female coupling and the valves 101, 102 of the male coupling. In the presence of pressure in the pipe 61, there is no residual pressure in the chamber 63 defined between the valves 101, 102 and the male coupling 48, which is limited upstream of the valve 102 at the pipe 61. By the male coupling 48 approaching the female coupling 47, the piston 8 is in contact with the stem 44, integral with the bottom 35, the seal 37 and the sealing bush 43, forming an inner assembly 60.

The seal 37 ensures a seal between the end of the shank 44 and the base 35.

The male body 4 retracts the cup 41 by pushing the male coupling 48 into the female coupling 47 (fig. 4-5).

By continuing to push the male coupling towards the female coupling, the cup 41 comes into contact with the ball 32 and, correspondingly, with the ring nut support 19, whereby the entire outer assembly 53 is moved towards the inside of the female coupling 47 (fig. 6).

At this point, as upper cam 82 abuts sleeve 1, valve body 23 continues to retract, shutter 25 contacts cup 72 and releases the pressure generated within chamber 54 (fig. 6).

By releasing the pressure in the chamber 54, the entire internal assembly 60 can be retracted, pushed by its piston 8, contacting the stem 2 and locked on the valve 18, the valve 18 not being opened by the rear pressure (fig. 8).

During insertion of the male coupling 48 into the female coupling 47 (fig. 7-8), the locking ball 32 is withdrawn from the seat 412 of the cup 41 and into contact with the deformable member 305.

The deformable member 305 is pushed radially by the ball 32, deformed by the clockwise rotation, and withdrawn from the seat 412. When the male body 4 is in place, facing the housing 49 of the ball 32, the deformable member 305 pushes the ball 32 inside the housing 49 (fig. 8-9).

In this position, the assembly comprising the outer assembly 53 and the male coupling 48 is returned to the coupling equilibrium position (fig. 9) by the spring 46 acting on the shoulder 292 of the locking annular support 29. In the absence of pressure inside the tube 61, as previously described, the inner assembly 61 does not move, being held in position by the spring 38, and therefore the sealing bush 43 and the shutter 18 retract, in which case the circuit is open and the coupling is coupled as shown in fig. 10.

Prior to coupling, the front ring seal 400 is preloaded between the ring nut 30, the ring nut support 29 and the cup 41 (fig. 1, 2), closing any gaps that allow impurities to enter the female coupling 47, as well as when it is uncoupled from the male coupling 48 along with the flat surface 441 of the shank 44.

During coupling, the deformable portion 401 of the annular seal 400 preloads the outer diameter of the male body 4, thereby cleaning impurities therein and preventing impurities from being carried into the female coupling (at circle N of fig. 6). After coupling, the ring seal 400 preloads the outer diameters of the ring nut 30, the ring nut support 29, and the male body 4 (fig. 9), thereby preventing impurities from entering between these components.

During coupling, the deformable connection 401 rotates clockwise (i.e. pushed towards the inside of the female coupling 47) and during uncoupling, the deformable portion 401 rotates anticlockwise (i.e. pushed outwards by sliding on the male coupling 48).

Where the manual mechanical coupling operation is completed (fig. 9), the male coupling 48 is mechanically coupled with the female coupling 47, but the valve 102, which maintains the residual pressure inside the pipe 60 of the male coupling 48, is still not opened by virtue of the movement of the internal assembly 60 towards the inside of the female coupling 47. A separate connection operation is therefore required in addition to the residual pressure existing inside the male coupling 48, since no valve is acting to maintain said residual pressure.

By feeding a pressure pulse into the hydraulic line 49, hydraulic actuation is generated, moving the inner assembly 60 of the female coupling 47 towards the inside of the male coupling 48, thus opening the valve 102 (fig. 10).

Fluid flows from the hydraulic line 49 into the chamber 54 by virtue of the deformable portion 193 of the seal 19, whereupon the thrust on the sealing surface of the base 35 moves the inner assembly 60 towards the male coupling 48. The sealing bush 43 remains in contact with the cup 41 and, accordingly, is blocked by the male body 4, so that the sealing bush 43 is opened by overcoming the force of the spring 33.

By continuing to move towards the male coupling 48, the internal assembly 60 pushes the piston 8 and the stem 2 contacting the shutter 18, opening the valve 102, thus releasing the pressure, completely opening the fluid passage.

The male coupling has yet another valve inside the valve 102 with the purpose of reducing the hydraulic thrust zone.

The inner assembly 60 stops when the base 35 abuts the shoulder 36 of the inner body 13 (fig. 10). In this position, chamber 54 is full of oil and is compressed, no longer allowing internal assembly 60 to move unless shutter 25 moves, since seal 19 no longer allows fluid to return to hydraulic line 49.

According to the same method of initial release illustrated in figures 2, 18 and 19, described above, the uncoupling between the male coupling 48 and the female coupling 47 is started by acting on the lever 4 which moves the upper cam 82 (figure 11), the hydraulic line 49 is connected to the drainage line 50 by means of the cup 72, the action is exerted on the shutters 25, thus releasing the pressure inside them. In the case of pressure in the hydraulic circuit 49 and possible fluid flow (for example due to a load applied upstream of the male coupling), by actuating the shutter 25, the pressure in the chamber 54 drops, while the presence of the seal 19 and of the standard tube 191 generates a higher pressure in the hydraulic circuit 49, which acts on the seal 14, which generates thrust on the internal assembly 60, overcoming the spring 38, thus moving the internal assembly 60 itself, closing the piston 8 and the shutter 18 (fig. 12).

Continuing to move, the upper cam 82 pushes on the cup 72, acting on the valve body 23, correspondingly moving the integral female coupling 47 and male coupling 48 outwardly towards the locking ball 32, the fixed ring nut 30 having a recess 303 therein. In this position, the locking ball 32 is withdrawn from the recess 49 of the male body 4, releasing it to come out (fig. 13-14).

It is noted that the ring 832 of the lower cam 83 is wide enough to allow a double movement of the upper cam 82 at the end of the second movement, the shaft 5 being almost immediately on one side of said ring 832 (fig. 20-21).

The unconstrained male coupling 48 is decoupled by the urging of the internal spring. After the ball 32 is released, the spring 46 returns the female coupling 47 to the rest position (fig. 15 and 1) through the ring 34.

Notably, during uncoupling, the deformable portion 401 of the seal 400 is rotated outward by the male coupling pressing and disengaging. The outer assembly 53 eventually returns so that the seal 400 returns to the original rest position shown in fig. 1 to restore resiliency.

After the lever 4 is released, the system is ready for a new connection.

If the male coupling 48 is pushed, the female coupling 47, which is coupled by the locking balls 32, is conveyed outward at the time of coupling. When the locking balls 32 reach the recess 303 of the ring nut 30, the male coupling 48 is uncoupled (accidental uncoupling, "uncoupling" action).

The operation of the lower circuit is similar to that of the upper circuit, noting that the rod 4 is moved towards the left in the opposite direction (fig. 27): the interaction between the shaft 5 and the coupling portion 831 of the lower cam 82 is similar to the coupling portion 821 of the upper cam 82 described above in that the ring portion 822 rotates the coupling portion 831 of the lower cam 83 without moving the upper cam 82.

Figures 24-25 show a female coupling 47 with a seal 19 according to two further embodiments.

The seal 19 shown in figure 24 is not located directly at the outlet of the tube 191, an annular clearance 194 is provided in the valve body 23 to prevent wear of the seal 19 itself, and the seal 19 also includes a non-deformable portion 192 and a deformable portion 193.

The clearance 194 allows the pressurized fluid to flow directly from the outlet of the tube 191, first towards the non-deformable portion 192 and then towards the deformable portion 193, on either side of the outlet of the tube 191.

The deformable portion 193 has a thickness that is thinner than the thickness of the non-deformable portion 192, the further away from the non-deformable portion 192. When pressure is present in chamber 54, deformable portion 193 presses against conical surface 232 of valve body 23. When there is no pressure in chamber 54, the pressurized fluid in hydraulic line 49 causes deformable portion 193 to bend inward starting at the furthest distance from non-deformable portion 192.

The seal 19 of fig. 25, also comprising the non-deformable portion 192, is made of a more rigid material, and is arranged directly on the outlet of the tube 191.

The non-deformable portion 192 has an L-shaped cross-section for directing pressurized fluid from the tube 191 directly to the deformable portion 193, the deformable portion 193 not directly facing the outlet of the tube 191. The enlargement shown by circle C is more clear and in this case also the L-shaped clockwise rotation through 90 ° forms an annular gap 194: the short side of the L closes the outlet end of tube 191 while the long side of the L directs the pressurized fluid of tube 191 directly toward deformable portion 193 of seal 19.

Thus, in this second embodiment, the seal 19 is protected from wear, the true reason being to avoid, in this operating mode, a direct interaction between the outlet of the tube 191 and the deformable portion 193 of the seal 192.

Fig. 28-31 show a front ring seal 500 according to a second embodiment, also comprising a deformable portion 501, with respect to the first embodiment 400, and a rest surface 502 for the ring nut support 29, which ends in the cup 41 and is inclined when the seal 500 is removed (compare fig. 30, 31).

As shown in section E of fig. 28, surface 502 is preloaded forward on ring nut support 29, while the preload on cup 41 is circumferential, affecting edge 503 of seal 500.

Notably, the stationary surface 402 of the first seal 400 is linear (perpendicular) to the plane 441 of the stem 44, while the stationary surface 502 of the second seal 500, whether the seal 500 is installed in the female coupling 47 (FIG. 28) or removed therefrom (FIG. 31), is sloped.

This determines a greater preload on the ring nut support 29 and the cup 41, preventing even accidental lifting of the deformable portion 501, for example if the operator tries to remove impurities manually from the flat surface 441 of the shank 44 before coupling.

Claims (6)

1. Fluid transfer joint (100) comprising a female coupling (47) of the planar type and a male coupling (48), the female coupling (47) of the planar type being inserted in a hydraulic supply module (1) belonging to said joint (100), the male coupling (48) being couplable with said female coupling (47);

the module (1) comprises at least one hydraulic line (49) and a drainage line (50), and a lever (4) integral with the cam (7) for venting pressure from a chamber (54) inside each female coupling (47) and for uncoupling the male coupling (48) from the female coupling (47);

the female coupling (47) comprising a pressure relief valve (51) placing a chamber (54) in communication with the drain line (50);

the method is characterized in that:

the female coupling (47) also comprises an internal assembly (60) which slides axially within an external assembly (53) of the female coupling (47) itself;

said internal assembly (60) comprising a base (35) and a shank (44), integral with each other, the shank (44) having a plane (441) facing the outside of the female coupling (47); and a sealing bushing (43) defining a gap (65);

the outer assembly (53) comprises a ring nut support (29), a ring nut (30) and at least one locking ball (32), the locking ball (32) being arranged in a housing (291) of the ring nut support (29);

said female coupling (47) further comprising a front annular seal (400,500), supported by said ring nut (30), facing the male coupling (48), having a deformable portion (401,501), the deformable portion (401,501) preventing impurities from entering the female coupling (47) if the female coupling (47) is uncoupled from the male coupling (48) or the female coupling (47) is coupled to the male coupling (48) during coupling/uncoupling;

during coupling, the deformable portion (401,501) turns clockwise towards the inside of the female coupling (47); whereas during uncoupling the deformable portion (401,501) rotates anticlockwise towards the outside of the female coupling (47) and slides on the male coupling (48);

in the case of uncoupling of the female coupling (47) from the male coupling (48), the front annular seal (400,500) preloads the ring nut (30), the ring nut support (29) and the cup (41), thus closing any gap that allows impurities to enter the female coupling (47) following the plane (441) of the shank (44).

2. The fitting (100) according to claim 1, wherein the deformable portion (501) of the front annular seal (500) comprises a seating surface (502) for the ring nut support (29) and a seating edge (503) for the cup (41), said surface (502) being inclined with respect to the first surface (441) of the shank (40) when the seal (500) is mounted on the female coupling (47) uncoupled from the male coupling (48), said surface (502) preloading the ring nut support (29) forward, while the preloading of the cup (41) is circumferential, affecting the edge (503) of the seal (500).

3. Joint (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said cup (41) comprises a further seal (45) preloaded against the diameter of the sealing bush (43), thereby preventing the ingress of impurities between these elements.

4. The fitting (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the outer casing (304) of the ring nut (30) comprises deformable means (305) for radially pushing the locking balls (32) towards the outer casing (49) of the male body (4).

5. Fluid transfer joint (100) comprising a female coupling (47) of the planar type, to be inserted into a hydraulic supply module (1) belonging to said joint (100), and a male coupling (48) couplable with said female coupling (47);

the module (1) comprises at least one hydraulic line (49) and a drain line (50), and a lever (4) integral with the cam (7) for venting pressure from a chamber (54) inside each female coupling (47) and for uncoupling the male coupling (48) from the female coupling (47);

the female coupling (47) comprising a pressure relief valve (51) placing a chamber (54) in communication with the drain line (50);

the method is characterized in that:

the female coupling (47) also comprises an internal assembly (60) which slides axially within an external assembly (53) of the female coupling (47) itself;

said internal assembly (60) comprising a base (35) and a shank (44), integral with each other, the shank (44) having a plane (441) facing the outside of the female coupling (47); and a sealing bushing (43) defining a gap (65);

the outer assembly (53) comprises a ring nut support (29), a ring nut (30) and at least one locking ball (32), the locking ball (32) being arranged in a housing (291) of the ring nut support (29);

the cup (41) slides axially within a ring nut support (29) and includes a housing (412) for the locking ball (32).

6. Joint (100) according to claim 5,

said female coupling (47) further comprising a front annular seal (400,500), supported by said ring nut (30), facing the male coupling (48), having a deformable portion (401,501), the deformable portion (401,501) preventing impurities from entering the female coupling (47) if it is uncoupled from or coupled to the male coupling (48) during coupling/uncoupling;

during coupling, the deformable portion (401,501) turns clockwise towards the inside of the female coupling (47); during uncoupling, the deformable portion (401,501) rotates anticlockwise towards the outside of the female coupling (47) and slides on the male coupling (48);

in the case of uncoupling of the female coupling (47) from the male coupling (48), the front annular seal (400,500) preloads the ring nut (30), the ring nut support (29) and the cup (41), thus closing any gap for impurities to enter the female coupling (47) following the plane (441) of the shank (44).