WO1998016773A1

WO1998016773A1 - Coupling member

Info

Publication number: WO1998016773A1
Application number: PCT/SE1997/001717
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lennart Moberg
Original assignee: Nyberg, Bo, Erik
Priority date: 1996-10-15
Filing date: 1997-10-14
Publication date: 1998-04-23
Also published as: SE507523C2; SE9603772D0; SE9603772L

Abstract

The invention relates to a coupling member (1) for sealing connection between a hose or the like and a nipple (2). The coupling member (1) and preferably also the nipple (2) have a valve (10-12; 14) for preventing flow-through when the coupling member (1) is detached from the nipple (2). The valve in the coupling member (1) comprises a valve element (12) which cooperates with a valve seat (11). Furthermore, the coupling member (1) is provided with first blocking means (6) for holding the coupling member (1) to the nipple (2). According to the invention, the coupling member (1) is provided with second blocking means (22) which block the valve element (12) in its closed position. The first and the second blocking means (6, 22) have a common operating sleeve (8), which in a starting position, with the coupling member (1) detached from the nipple (2), blocks the valve element (12) in its closed position; in a second position permits the second blocking means (22) to release the valve element (12) for movement away from the valve seat (11) and urges the first blocking means (6) to holding the coupling member (1) to the nipple (2); and in a third position, which can only be achieved when the valve element (12) is in its closed position, permits the first blocking means (6) to release the coupling member (1) for detachment from the nipple (2).

Description

Coupling member

The invention relates to a coupling member of the type described in the preamble to claim 1.

Coupling members of this type are previously known and are used, for example, to establish a connection between a container, containing a fluid medium and being provided with a nipple, and a hose leading to a pump for extracting the medium from the container. In those cases where the container contains a medium with properties somehow dangerous to the surroundings, it is important that the valve in the coupling member be closed when the coupling member is disconnected from the nipple.

In previously known coupling members of this type, a valve was usually used which is spring-loaded towards a closed position and which is opened when the coupling member is mounted on the nipple. When the coupling member is disconnected from the nipple, the valve will be biased by the spring towards the closed position. If the valve element should stick for some reason, for example if the medium is viscous or for some other reason, the seal can be unsatisfactory, resulting in medium already extracted flowing backwards and coming out through the coupling member.

The purpose of the present invention is to achieve a coupling member which avoids the above described disadvantage and guarantees that the valve in the coupling member will be in its closed position when the coupling member is disconnected from the nipple.

This is achieved in a coupling member of the type described by way of introduction according to the invention by the coupling member being provided with those features disclosed in the characterizin '8g clause of claim 1. With the coupling member according to the invention, the valve in the coupling member will always be in the closed position before the coupling member is disconnected from the nipple. A precondition for being able to release the blocking means holding the coupling member securely to the nipple, is that the valve in the coupling member has been displaced to its closed position. In this manner one achieves appreciably improved security against unintentional leakage through the coupling member.

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accom- panying drawing, in which

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a coupling member according to one embodiment of the invention and a nipple, intended to cooperate with the coupling member,

Fig. 2 shows the coupling member and the nipple according to Fig. 1 in their coupled state.

The coupling member 1 shown in the drawing according to the invention is intended to cooperate with a nipple 2, which is designed to be built into the upper wall of a container (not shown) for a fluid medium. The coupling member 1 comprises an essentially cylindrical housing 3 which, at its lower end (as seen in the drawing) is in the form of a sleeve 4, which fits over a projecting part 5 of the nipple 2. The sleeve 4, at the lower end of the housing 3, is provided with lock means in the form of blocking balls 6 of known type, which are intended to engage in a groove 7 in the projecting portion 5. For operation of the blocking balls 6, the housing 3 is sur- rounded by an operating sleeve 8 displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the housing and being provided with an interior groove 9 for the blocking balls 6. When the coupling member 1 is mounted on the nipple 2 and the blocking balls 6 have locked these two components together, a sealing ring 10 will seal against the end of the projecting portion 5 thus achieving a seal between the nipple 2 and the housing s. In the housing 3 there is a valve seat 11, against which the sealing ring 10 abuts. A valve element 12 is axially displaceably mounted in the housing 3 and forms, together with the sealing ring 10 and the valve seat 11, a valve for opening and closing a flow-through channel in the housing 3 between the sleeve 4 and a hose nipple 13 for a hose (not shown) to a pump or the like. The valve element 12 cooperates in its closed position with the sealing ring 10 to close off the flow-through channel and is displaced axially towards the sleeve 4 to open the flow-through channel and at the same time push in a valve element 14 in the nipple 2 to open a flow-through channel through the nipple 2. The closed position is shown in Fig. 1, while the open position is shown in Fig. 2.

To move the valve element 12 between the open and closed positions, it is joined via a stem 15 to an operating element 16, which is guided in the housing 3 and seals against the same by means of a sealing ring 17. The operating element 16 is pro- vided at its end remote from the stem 15 with a threaded spindle 18 which extends through an end piece 19 in the housing 3 and has at its end a hand wheel 20. The operating element 16 is provided with a c cumferential groove 21 in which blocking means 22 engage when the valve element 12 is in its closed position as shown in Fig. 1. The operating sleeve 8 thus prevents the blocking means 22 from leaving the circumferential groove 21, and the operating element 16 is thus blocked from movement in the axial direction. This means that the valve element 12 cannot be displaced from its closed position, and the operating sleeve 8 is kept in this position by means of a spring 23 which acts between the operating sleeve 8 and the housing 3. Thus, this means that when the coupling member 1 is disengaged from the nipple 2 and the valve element 12 is in its closed position, the valve element is blocked in this position. This also means that no medium can flow out of the coupling member 1 from the hose nipple 13 or the hose connected thereto and associated apparatus. Security is thus achieved against undesired leakage of medium.

To connect the coupling member 1 to the nipple 2, the operating sleeve 8 is pulled manually to a position in which the groove 9 is directly opposite the blocking balls 6. The coupling member 1 with the sleeve 4 is thereafter slipped over the projecting portion 5 of the nipple 2 until the blocking balls 6 are directly opposite the groove 7 on the projecting portion 5. The operating sleeve 8 is then released and the spring 23 moves it to the position shown in Fig. 2. This position is determined by projections 24 on the nipple 2, the end of the operating sleeve 8 abutting against said projections. In this position, the groove 9 will be spaced from the blocking balls 6 and therefore the coupling member 1 will be blocked from movement relative to the nipple 2. At the same time a groove 25 in the operating sleeve 8 will be directly opposite the blocking balls 22, meaning that these can move out of the circumferen- tial groove 21 and permit the operating element 16 to be displaced axially. This is effected by tirrning the hand wheel 20, and the valve element 12 will be displaced away from the sealing ring 10 and the valve seat 11 to open the flow-through channel. At the same time the valve element 12 pushes down the valve element 14 in the nipple 2 so that its flow-through channel is also open. This is shown in Fig. 2, where there is communication for medium between the hose nipple 13 and the lower portion of the nipple 2.

In the position shown in Fig. 2, it is not possible to remove the coupling member 1 from the nipple 2, since the blocking balls 6 prevent this. Nor is it possible to dis- place the operating sleeve 8 manually to a position which would make it possible to release the blocking balls 6, since the blocking balls 22, in cooperation with the operating element 16 and the groove 25 prevent this. In order to be able to decouple the coupling member 1 from the nipple 2, the operating element 16 must first be displaced to the position shown in Fig. 1, thereby moving the valve element 12 to its closed position. The valve element 14 in the nipple 2 is thus also moved to its closed position. The circumferential groove 21 has thereby been moved to the position shown in Fig. 1, and the operating sleeve 8 can now be displaced far enough to release the blocking balls 6, permitting them to move into the groove 9 in the operating sleeve 8, thereby permitting the coupling member 1 to be removed from the mpple 2. As is evident from the above description, the coupling member according to the invention provides increased security against leakage by virtue of the fact that the valve 10-12 in the coupling member 1 cannot be opened when the coupling member 1 is disconnected from the nipple 2, and by virtue of the fact that the coupling member 1 cannot be disconnected from the nipple 2 if the valve 10-12 in the coupling member 1 is not closed.

The invention is not limited to the example shown above. Rather, changes can be made witiαin the scope of the following patent claims.

Claims

1. Coupling member for sealing connection of a hose or the like to a nipple to provide a flow-through channel from the hose or the like through the coupling member (1) and the nipple (2), said coupling member (1) and preferably also the nipple (2) having a valve (10-12;14) for closing off the flow-through channel when the coupling member (1) is disconnected from the mpple (2), the valve (10-12) in the coupling member (1) comprising a valve element (12) which in its closed position seal- ingly cooperates with a valve seat (11), said coupling member (1) being provided with first blocking means (6) for releasably holding the coupling member (1) to the nipple (2), characterized in that the coupling member (1) is provided with second blocking means (22), which are arranged to releasably block the valve element (12) in its closed position, that the first (6) and second (22) blocking means have a common operating sleeve (8), which in a starting position, with the coupling member (1) disconnected from the nipple (2), blocks the valve element (12) in its closed position by means of the second blocking means (22); in a second position permits the second blocking means (22) to release the valve element (12) for movement away from the valve seat (11) and urges the first blocking means (6) to a position for holding the coupling member (1) to the nipple (2); and in a third position, which can only be achieved when the valve element (12) is in its closed position, permits the first blocking means (6) to release the coupling member (1) for detachment from the nipple (2).

2. Coupling member according to Claim 1, characterized in that the valve element (12) is solidly joined to an operating element (16), with which the second blocking means (22) cooperate to block the valve element (12) in its closed position.

3. Coupling member according to Claim 2, characterized in that the operating element (16) is provided with a threaded spindle which engages a threaded end piece (19) in a housing (3) in the coupling member (1) to permit axial displacement of the valve element (12).

4. Coupling member according to one of Claims 1-3, characterized in that the valve element (12), when displaced from its closed position to its open position, is disposed to open a flow-through channel in the nipple (2) by axial displacement of a valve element (14) in the nipple (2).

5. Coupling member according to one of Claims 1-4, characterized in that the second blocking means (22) are balls cooperating with the operating sleeve (8).

6. Coupling member according to one of Claims 1-5, characterized in that the operating sleeve (8) is biased by means of a spring (23) towards its starting position.

7. Coupling member according to one of Claims 1-6, characterized in that the operating sleeve (8) is kept by means of projections (24) on the nipple (2) in its second position with the coupling member (1) blocked against movement relative to the nipple (2).