US2003586A - Milking machine connecter and pneumatic and electric conductor therefor - Google Patents

Description

S. J. ERLING June 4, 1935.

MILKING MACHINE CONNECTER AND PNEUMATIC AND ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR THEREFOR Filed Nov. 22, 1932 a -y w, f Mm E n NVM a5 m V 5 Patented June 4,- 1935 PATENT ori-ICE MILKING MACHINE CONNECTER AND PNEU- MATIC AND THEREFOB ELEo'ralc 'CONDUCTOR Sven Johan Erllng, Nockeby, Sweden, alignor to The De Laval Separator Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey y Application November zz, 19:2, serial No. 643,838 In Sweden December 28, 1931 9 emma. (ci. 17a-eze) It is known to provide a pneumatic and electric theconducting wire which extends through any given length of rubber tube should be longer than such given length of rubber tube in order to pre-- vent rupture when the tube is bent or otherwise deformed. Various expedients have been devised to accomplish the desired result, such as. for example: introducing a comparatively soft straight conducting wire into a channel, of somewhat greater diameter than the wire, extending longitudinally through the tube wall, while the tube is stretched considerably beyond its normal length, so that, when the tube is allowed to resume its normal length, the conducting wire will be coiled up in the shape of a more or less irregular spiral; or introducing a corrugated wire into a longitudinal channel of substantially greater diameter than the wire. In the case o! some of these various expedients it is diillcult to insert the wire, and in most, if not all, of them, the bends, turnsor twists in the wire are starting points for ruptures.

Special difilculties arise in adapting any pneumatic and electric conductor to that type of milking machine which embodies the following construction. A rubber tube, in which is embedded two conducting wires, encloses a metal sleeve and is surrounded by another metal sleeve. 'Ihe tube is connected with the main vacuum pipe by slipping said inner sleeve over a cock or nozzle on or communicating with said vacuum pipe. The vacuum pipe is connected with one pole of a circuit and the outer sleeve is connectible with another pole of the circuit. The wires at the described end of the tube are electrically connected with the outer and inner sleeves respectively. The wires at the other end of the tube are connected with opposite poles of a magnet, which, in the opening and closing of the electric circuit, controls the operation of a pneumatic valve.

.The invention comprises a novel construction of pneumatic and electric conductor which is adapted for any use for which pneumatic and electric conductors are applicable, and it also comprises a special construction whereby the pneumatic and electric conductor, preferably of the special type herein described, is adapted to a milking machine connecter of the described general construction.

The construction embodying the invention comprises an elastic tube containing channels through which extend an electric conducting wire in the form of a regular helix. Owing to the small diameter of the channel, it is extremely diiilcult to insert such a spiral conducting wire and it is also dimcult, in the process of such insertion, to maintain the spiral shape. I have overcome this difllculty by winding the electric conducting wire, which preferably is composed of a number of tine wires, upon a central core, which is preferablyof relatively soft material, for example, steel which is softer than the steel or other metal of which the wire is composed. The core may be allowed to remain within the wire spiral, but it is much prei'erred to withdraw the core after the introduction of the composite structure into the rubber tube. It is not necessary, during the operation, to maintain the rubber tube stretched and indeed it is undesirable to do so, since there is a tendency toward impairment of the conducting wire ii' the tube undergoes some change of shape.

It is practicable to have several such helical electric conductors extend through one longitudinal channel in the tube wall in order to avoid an opening of the electric circuit in case a rupture should occur in one of the electric conductors; and in claiming an electric conducting wire extending through such channel I do not mean to be limited to a single electric conductor.

Figure 1 is an enlarged view of a conducting wire wound about a central core.

Figure 2 is a View, mainly in longitudinal section, of a connecter embodying my invention.

In Figure l a is the removable core about which is spirally or helically wound the wire b, which is composed, preferably, of a number of fine wires.

In Figure 2 d is one end of a rubber tube. Extending longitudinally through the wall of the rubber tube are two channels c, c', through which extend two wires, b, b', each spirally coiled about an open center, from which, after the insertion of the wire, the core a has been removed. The end of the rubber tube encloses an inner sleeve e having an outwardly turned or flanged, or otherwise enlarged, head f. Sleeve e is adapted to engage a cock or nozzle on or communicating with a vacuum pipe (not shown). In the upper open end of channel c, and opening in its inner wall, the rubber tube is provided with a special orice through which the end of wire b is drawn. This end of wire extends in an arcuate direction over the end.- wall of the rubber tube and between said end wall and the iiange f. A clamping ring i, having an inturned iiange, abuts against the end wall of the rubber tube and the flanged end f of the sleeve e and clamps the end of wire b between the flanged end of the sleeve and the end wall of the rubber tube.

An outer sleeve Ic surrounds the end of the rubber tube and has an inturned lower edge which bites into the wall of the rubber tube and is thereby held securely thereon. The clamping ring t is confined between an inturned flange of the outer sleeve lc and the end wall of the rubber tube.

The inner sleeve e is preferably provided with a slit g in order to make it possible to easily force the connecter onto the cock or nozzle of the vacuum pipe (not shown) The slitted inner sleeve e is squeezed by the rubber tubewhich isconfined between this sleeve and thev outersleeve k. In order to prevent a considerable deformation of the slitted inner sleeve e, which would make it diiilcult to force it onto the nozzle, the slit is made very narrow, preferably about .3 mm. Owing to the diiliculty of making a long slit ofthlsnarrow width, it is found expedient to limit the squeezing above referred to by making only a part (most conveniently the upper part) of the slit of very narrowwidth, the other part h, of greater length, being much wider.

'I'he upper end of wire b may be bent out through an orice extending from the channel c' through the outer tube wall, and contact with the outer sleeve 7c, but it is preferred to have the upper end of wire b' contact with a ring m, which is confined between the outer wallof the rubber tube and the sleeve k. It is preferred toestablish certain and permanent contact between the ring m and the wire conductor b by soldering them together. This can be facilitated by making the ring m, a split ring and by effecting the soldering before the application of the outer sleeve k.

It is unnecessary to solder the wire conductor b to the inner sleeve e, since the wire b is pressed tightly against both the outer wall of the sleeve e and against its flanged head, but for special security the wire b may be soldered to the sleeve e.

In order to prevent moisture from entering the open ends of channels c, c' of the rubber tube, they should be plugged, for example, by rubber stoppers n, n'.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A pneumatic-electric connecter for milking machines comprising a tube of elastic material provided in its wall with a longitudinally extending channel, and an electric conductor extending therethrough, said conductor comprising a closely wound helix of wire.

, 2. A pneumatic-electric connecter for milking machines comprising a tube of elastic material provided in its wall with a longitudinally extending channel, and a tubular electric conducting element extending therethrough, the wall of the tubular electric conducting element comprising a wire helix.

3. vA connecter for milking machines compris- Y ing a tube of elastic material provided in its wall 4. A connecter for milking machines comprising a tube of elastic material provided in its wall with a longitudinal channel, a metal sleeve confined within an end of the tube, said sleeve having a head, and an electric conducting wire extending through said channel and th'e vend of which is confined between the end wall of the tube and the head of the sleeve, with which it has electrical connection.

5. A connecter for milking machines comprising atube of elastic material provided in its wall with a longitudinal channel, a metal sleeve confined within an end of the tube, said sleeve having an end head, the tube wall being provided along said end of its inner wall with an orifice opening into said channel near one end thereof and an electric conducting wire extending through said channel and into said orifice and along the outer wall of the sleeve and between the end wall of the tube and the head of the sleeve.

6. A connecter for milking machines comprising a tube of elastic material provided in its wall with a longitudinal channel, a metal sleeve confined within an end of the tube, said sleeve being provided with a longitudinal slit .and thereby made circumferentially elastic and an electric conducting wire extending through said channel and confined between the tube and the slitted sleeve, with which it has electrical connection;

7. A connecter for milking machines comprising a tube of elastic material provided in its wall with a longitudinal channel, a metal sleeve con'- flned within an end of the tube, said sleeve being provided with a slit extending from the end lthereof adjacent the end of the tube longitudinally toward the other end and thereby made circumferentially elastic, said slit being relatively narrow near the first named end and relatively wide toward its other end, and an electric conducting wire extending through said channel and confined between the tube and the slitted sleeve, with which it has electrical connection.

8. A connecter for milking machines comprising a tube of elastic material, the wall of which is provided with two longitudinally extending channels, an inner metal sleeve conned within one end of the tube, a metal sleeve embracing the' same end of the tube, and electric conducting wires extending through said channels, one of said wires extending through an opening in the inner wall of the tube and into electric contact with the inner sleeve and the other wire extending through an opening in the outer wall of the tube and .in electric connection with the outer sleeve.

- 9. A connecter for milking machines comprising a tube of elastic material, the wall of which is provided with two longitudinally extending channels, an inner metal sleeve confined within one end of the tube, a metal sleeve embracing the same endof the tube, electric conducting wires extending through said channels, one of said wires extending through an opening in the inner wall of the tube and into electric contact with the inner sleeve and the other wire extending through an opening in the outer wall of the tube and in electric connection with the outer sleeve, and closures for the ends of said channels beyond said openings. v SVEN JOHAN ERLING.

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