SE544884C2 - Coupling element, coupling element system and heating or cooling system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure is related to a coupling element (1) and a coupling element system (20) for a radiator (50) and a heating system (60). The coupling element (1) discloses a first pipe section (2) and a second pipe section (5). The two pipe sections are not aligned but extend at an angle to each other. The respective centrelines (11, 12) of the first pipe section (2) and the second pipe section (5) extend without crossing each other. The disclosure also relates to a coupling element system, and a heating or cooling system.

Description

The present invention is related to a coupling element according to the appended claims.

BACKGROUND When attaching fluid pipes such as water pipes for heating or cooling, or hydraulics or pressurized gases etc., coupling elements are used. Also in upgrading and installing radiators or towel dryers in particular in bathrooms there is a standard method addressed in these situations. Radiators in bathrooms are often installed at a predetermined height above the exit point of the wall for the piping in order for provide a convenient height for drying of towels for example. lnstall a coupling at the wall exit for the pipes, then arrange a short piping to the radiator itself. The piping might need bending in order to adapt the piping for the height of the radiator and the exit site of the wall or floor. The finished arrangement is often nice looking and involves seldom problems in terms of function.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION When installing a radiator or towel dryer or other applications With fluids, such as hydraulics, pressurized air, there is often thus required a set of extra pipes, tools for bending and cutting and precise use of skills in order to attach an outlet/inlet from a wall or floor to an application such as a radiator inlet/outlet for heated fluid, pressurized air outlet, cooling liquid outlet or the like. lt is thus proposed a coupling element according to claim The advantage of the coupling element is that there can be an attaching directly on the outlet inlet of a wall then directly on this the radiator may be attached. Thus the exclusion of tools for bending and cutting is achieved. Also the tools needed for attaching is simple. Also as the wall exit piping has a predetermined distance between them than the predetermined distance between the inlet outlet of the radiator there is no need for any adjustment of piping in order to fit the wall piping to the radiator. The coupling element itself has all the necessary elements and thus there will be much less need to do thinking in the installing operation. Also there is no loose parts here. The coupling element is already equipped with the necessary elements for providing a full attachment of the wall and radiator piping. ln a further development there is proposed a coupling element according to claim By addressing an angle within the range there is achieved a swift and easy instalment of a radiator. ln a further development there is proposed a coupling element according to claim 3. By arranging a male cone section there will be a very tight and good function to the coupling element that will provide for a liquid tight operation. ln a further development there is proposed a coupling element according to claim With this particular configuration a good fitting may be achieved and a good fluid flow is achieved. ln a further development there is proposed a coupling element according to claim lt is an advantageous configuration to have the coupling element configured in this way. ln a further development there is proposed a coupling element according to claim 6. By introducing at least one grip surface it is provided for an even easier installation of the coupling element. ln a further development there is a proposed a coupling element according to claim 7. The advantage of a flat surface is that a standard tool such as a wrench may easily engage the grip surface. Also the respective pipe section will be prevented from being damaged when being installed as there is a dedicated surface for gripping the coupling element. ln a further development there is a proposed coupling element according to claim 8. By setting a predetermined minimal distance between the centrelines there is a possibility to achieve a modulated coupling that may be adapted to the intended application. ln a further development there is proposed a coupling element system according to claim 9. By having the two coupling elements which are left and right three is a possibility to attach a radiator in full without any pipes or further coupling arrangements. ln a further development there is prosed a heating system according to claim 10. By providing a radiator with an arranged coupling element system there is achieved a very quick and easy installation of a radiator.

LIST OF DRAWINGS Fig. 1 Radiator attached to a wall piping according to the prior art.

Fig. 2 A coupling element according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 The coupling element of Fig. 2 from an upper view.

Fig. 4 A pair of coupling elements according to the invention, a left and a right version. Fig. 5 The coupling elements according to the invention.

Fig. 6 A heating system according to the present invention.

Fig. 7 A heating system according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present disclosure is related to the installation of radiators. With radiators is meant heating devices that is arranged to have heated or cooled fluid running throw the radiator. The purpose for the arrangement is to heat or cool a room, house building or the like. ln general radiators are used in groups, and attached to a heating or cooling source. The radiator is in general made up from a hollow inside that may be filled with the fluid. The disclosure is related to any radiator that will be attached with wall pipes. ln particular the radiator may be a towel drier in a bathroom, thus allowing for towels to be hang in the middle of the radiator as well as on top of it.

The present disclosure is not limited to radiators, it is related to attaching of equipment or pipes in general. ln particular the present disclosure is also relevant for hydraulics and also pressurized air applications, when attachment is required with a tight sealing.

An example of a prior art radiator 50 is disclosed in Fig. 1. The radiator may have a valve 51 in order to control the flow of fluid through the interior of the radiator. By controlling the flow the heating energy or absorption of energy, i.e. cooling, by the radiator. The prior art radiator 51 is installed by a prior art installation. The installation is arranged by applying two shorter pipes 52 and 53. The pipes 52 and 53 are attached to a wall piping with a wall outlet 54 and a wall inlet 55. Pipe 52 is thus attached to the wall pipe with a stream of fluid coming out of the wall. Pipe 53 is attached to the fluid stream going into the wall. Thus a circulation is achieved that is coming from a heating or cooling source running through pipes to the wall outlet 54, moving through the radiator 50 and then leaving through the pipe 53 to the wall inlet 55. The pipes 52 and 53 have been configured for attaching to the wall outlet 54 and wall inlet 55. Thus, the pipes have been cut from a longer pipe. The pipes have further had their shape adapted to the wall pipes and to the attachment to the radiator valve 51 at attachment points 56 and 57, where a nut for example may be applied, see fig. 6 and 7. The distance between the attachment points 56 and 57 is preferably 40 mm centre of hole to centre of hole. Other distances are thinkable.

The present disclosure is related to a coupling element 1. The element 1 is disclosed in Fig. 2 and also Fig. 3. The element 1 is arranged for being attached to a radiator, in particular a radiator valve 51, and inlet and outlet of wall pipes. However often the coupling element is attached via a wall plate 25. See, Fig. 6 that is disclosing two nuts that may be attached to a first pipe section 2 of the coupling element 1. The wall plate 25 preferably has two nuts that is attached to extending pipe sections of the wall plate. The wall plate is thus in itself attached to the respective coupling element 1, such that the wall plate 25 is attached to the wall pipes. ln general, the wall plate 25 has a distance between the centre of the outlet/inlet 54/55 that is 60 mm. This is a preferred distance as it provides for good sealing with a wall.

Other distances is thinkable also.

The coupling element is thus arranged with a first pipe section 2. And the first pipe section 2 is arranged with a first closed end 4 that closes the first pip section 2 in one end. Also comprised with in this first pipe section 2, an opening 3 is comprised and at the end opposite the closed end The first pipe 2 section is in Fig. 2 disclosed as a round section. The shape of the first pipe section 2 may be different, a squared or a u-shape may also be applied, or any other shape. However the end close to the opening should be arranged such that an outside thread 8 may be applied to this end. The thread 8 is preferably a conic thread. ln an even more preferred aspect the thread 8 is a half inch thread, most suitably a conic half inch thread, for a good sealing function. Should it be applicable the same thread as for the nut is possible to use.

The end at opening 3 of the first pipe section 2, may have a sealing surface 58, see fig. 2. This surface 58 may have tapered shape to seal with a cone, that is for providing good sealing when engaging a corresponding conic surface, for example on a wall plate 25 as disclosed below.

The coupling element 1 further comprises a second pipe section 5. The second pipe section 5 comprises a second opening 6. The second pipe section 5 has a closed end 7 at the opposite of the second opening The closed ends 4 and 7 of the first and second pipe sections may be configured as a pipe bend. Thus the configuration as disclosed in Fig. 2 is not mandatory. Also as seen in Fig. 4 the closed ends 4 and 7 have a flat configuration. This is not mandatory. The closed ends 4, and 7 may be rounded in shape for example.

The second pipe section 5 has e an outside protrusion 9. The outside protrusion 9 is arranged to keep a nut 10 movably in place. The nut 10 may thus rotate around the second pipe section 5. The protrusion 9 may be arranged at a distance from the second opening 6. The distance provide for that a male cone section 16 is arranged in the direction of the second opening 6 from said protrusion. The male cone section 16 provides for that a sealing may be arranged to the attached radiator 50 or in particular a valve 51 of a radiator 50. The protrusion 9 has an outer rim that has a smaller diameter than an inside thread of the nut 10. The nut 10 is optional, but preferred.

The male cone section 16 may be replaced by a flat section that allows for a gasket to be applied. ln this arrangement the protrusion may be arranged at the second opening 6 itself, for example as a rim with a larger diameter than the rest of the second pipe section The nut 10 may thus be arranged to have an open design at the outer end 17, and a semi- closed shape at the other end 18. The semi-closed shape comprises an edge 19 which can engage the protrusion 9 such as the nut 10 is prevented from falling off the second pipe section The nut 10 may have a thread that is an M22 thread. This is particularly advantageous for some applications. But any thread may be applied such as M20, M18, M16, M24 M26 is applicable. Other thinkable threads are also possible, R threads etc., also smaller such as M10, M12, M14 etc. Also the same thread as for the first pipe section 2 is possible to use.

The first pipe section 2 and the second pipe section 5 have an extension that is at an angle to each other. With this is mean that when seeing the coupling element 1 from a side, such as in direction of arrow A in Fig. 2, there is disclosed an angle of around 90° between the first and second pipe sections. This angle may be altered for example in a range of 85 - 95° or 88 - 92°.

The first pipe section 2 has a centreline 11. The second pipe section 5 also has a centreline 12. See for example Fig. 5 but also Fig. 2. The two centrelines from the side passes each other at the angle discussed above. However, the two centre lens 11 and 12 never crosses each other. l.e. they do not intersect. This is due to the fact that the first pipe section 2 and the second pipe section 5 are offset to each other. The circle 19 of Fig. 5 discloses the angle between the two centrelines 11 and 12. lt should be remembered that within the circle 19 the respective centrelines do not touch, i.e. do not cross each other.

A shortest distance between the first pipe section centreline (11) and the second pipe section centreline (12) is arranged to be more than 0 mm: The distance may be preferably comprised in the range of 2 mm to 50 mm, even more preferred in the range of 5 mm -mm, most preferred in the range of 5-20 mm. Thus it is possible for the larger range to achieve a difference in first opening 3 attachment vs second opening 6 attachment of up to 100 mm if two coupling elements are used in pairs.

The first and second pipe sections 2, 5 have an opening 13 in between, see Fig. 3. The opening is arranged in the respective side wall 14 and 15 of the first and second pipe section 2, The offset between the first pipe section 2 and the second pipe section 5, may be arranged to the right or to the left. Thus there may be t\No coupling elements 1a and 1b that are each other's mirror images, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. The coupling element 1a has the same features as the coupling element 1b with the only difference that the first and second pipe sections 2,are on different sides if one look in the direction of the first pipe section On the outside of the first pipe section 2 there may be arranged a grip surface 21, see fig. 2. The grip surface 21 may be arranged as a squared plate on the outside surface of the first pipe section 2. There may preferably be arranged a second grip surface 22 on the second pipe section 5. The two grip surfaces should preferably be arranged parallel to each other and in line with each other. .šsfls- grip surface may be used for gripping the coupling element by a wrench or another tool, or the hand of a person installing the coupling element 1. lt is preferred to have two grip surfaces, however there maybe one grip surface only, either on the first pipe section 2 or the second pipe section The present disclosure is also related to a coupling element system 20, see Fig. 4 and 5. ln this system there is a right version 1b and a left version 1a applied of the coupling element. By arranging the coupling element system as such there is a simple solution achieved for attaching a radiator to wall pipes directly.

The disclosure is also related to a heating system 60 in which a radiator 50 is comprised, and the coupling element system 20 as described above. The heating system is disclosed in Fig. lt is also with in line of the present disclosure shown a heating system 60 according to Fig. 7. ln this installation as shown the two coupling elements 1b and 1a have had their positions switched. ln this way the broader the longer distance between wall inlet 55' to wall outlet 54' is compensated for.

Also there is a possibility to use the coupling element 1 with a straight normal coupling element where the centrelines of t\No respective pipe sections meet. This way a smaller dislocation of the attachment points for the coupling elements is possible to achieve. ln another use of the coupling element 1 it is possible to use two left versions 1a, 1a together for a parallel dislocation of the opening 3 of the first pipe section 2, or the same for a dislocation of the second openings 6. ln same way it is possible to use two right versions 1b, 1b together in the same way.

Claims (10)

1. Coupling element (1 ) for preferably, a radiator (50), towel dryer (50), hydraulic application or pressurized fluid such as pressurized air or the like, comprising -a first pipe section (2) comprising a first opening and a first closed end (4) at the opposite end to the first opening (3) of the first pipe section (2), -a second pipe section (5) comprising a second opening (6) and a second closed end (7) at the opposite end to the second opening (6) of the second pipe section (5), -an outside thread (8) beginning at the first opening (3) and extending along a section of the first pipe section (2), - an outside protrusion (9) at the second pipe section (5), preferably at a distance from the second opening (6), - preferably there is a nut (10) that is movably attached on the second pipe section (5) in such a way that the nut (10) is stopped from falling of the second pipe section (5) by said outside protrusion (9), wherein the first pipe section (2) and the second pipe section (5) extend at an angle relative to each other, wherein the first pipe section (2) has a first pipe section centreline (11) extending through the centre of said first pipe section (2) passing through said first opening (3), wherein the second pipe section (5) has a second pipe section centreline (12) extending through said second pipe section (5) passing through said second opening (6), characterized in that said first pipe section centreline (11) and said second pipe section centreline (12) extend without crossing each other, such that each of the first pipe section (2) and the second pipe section (5) have a passage (13) in between that is extending through their respective wall (14, 15) of the respective first and second pipe section (2, 5).

2. Coupling element (1) according to the above wherein the angle between the first pipe section and the second pipe section is comprised in the range of 85 - 95 degrees, preferably 88 - 92 degrees, more preferred essentially being about 90 degrees.

3. Coupling element (1) according to any of the above wherein the end of the second pipe section (5) comprises a male cone section (16).

4. Coupling element (1a) according to any of the above wherein the first pipe section (2) is positioned the right of the second pipe section (5) when said second opening (6) is facing away from the view angle and the first opening (3) is positioned upwards.

5. Coupling element (1 b) according to any of the claims 1-3 above wherein the first pipe section (2) is positioned the left of the second pipe section (5) when said second opening (6) is facing away from the view angle and the first opening (3) is positioned upwards.

6. Coupling element (1) according to any of the claims above, wherein the first pipe section (2) and/or the second pipe section (5) comprises an outside grip surface (21, 22) that allows for a simplified gripping of the coupling element (1), preferably the outside grip suiface (21, 22) is arranged as a sduarett piate on the outside stariace of 'the first pipe section (21 andfor the second pipe section (ö) and, the grip surface (21) of the first pipe section (2) is arranged in the parallel with and facing the grip surface (22) of the second pipe section (5).

7. Coupling element (1) according claim 6, wherein the grip surface (21) of the first pipe section (2) and/or the grip surface of the second pipe section (5) is/are arranged as a flat surface, preferably as a flat square on the outside side of the first pipe section (2) and the second pipe section (5).

8. Coupling element (1) according to any of the claims above wherein a shortest distance between the first pipe section centreline (11) and the second pipe section centreline (12) is more than 0 mm, preferably comprised in the range of 2 mm to 50 mm, even more preferred in the range of 5 mm - 25 mm, most preferred in the range of 5-20 mm.

9. Coupling element system (20) for a radiator, hydraulic application, compressed fluid such as air or the like, comprising a coupling element (1a) according to vëclaim 4 and a second coupling element (1b) according to claim 5, or a pair (1a, 1a; 1b; 1b) of coupling elements according to claim 4 or claim

10. Heating system (60) or cooling comprising a radiator (50) or a towel dryer (50) and a coupling element system according to claim 83.