WO1999002913A1

WO1999002913A1 - Quick connection

Info

Publication number: WO1999002913A1
Application number: PCT/EP1998/004212
Authority: WO
Inventors: Erwin Weh; Wolfgang Weh
Original assignee: Erwin Weh; Wolfgang Weh
Priority date: 1997-07-07
Filing date: 1998-07-07
Publication date: 1999-01-21
Also published as: DE29711842U1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a quick connection used for the transfer of gas and/or fluids. This connection is mainly intended for filling gas cylinders or tanks that include a tubular body (11), a sliding sleeve (18) capable of displacement relative to the body (11) as well as a plurality of radially extending collet chucks (15). The collet chucks (15) are attached to the body (11) and have an engagement profile (17) for connection to a nipple (30) of a corresponding shape. In order to provide a quick connection which is easy to realise and to handle, the collet chucks (15) are form-fit coupled to the sliding sleeve (18) using at least one pusher (40) which engages between the collet chucks (15) when the quick connection (10) is in the coupled position.

Description

Description quick connector

The invention relates to a quick connector for the transmission of gaseous and / or liquid fluids, in particular for filling gas bottles or tank systems.

Such quick-connect couplings are intended to achieve a secure, sealed and quickly connectable plug-in coupling for transferring a fluid from a pressure source, for example from a refill bottle. The simple, problem-free operability of the quick-connect coupling is particularly important here, so that problem-free handling is possible even under unfavorable conditions, such as dangerous fluids or at high connection pressures.

Such a quick-connect coupling is described in EP-A-0 340 879, the quick-connect coupling having a housing with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, and a plurality of valves being provided in order to ensure a secure seal of the quick-connect coupling until the connection has been made completely. These valves are switched after attaching the quick coupling in a certain predetermined order. A control lever is engaged via an eccentric shaft with a sliding sleeve for the application of collets and with a central sealing piston which also releases the fluid inlet after the plug-in coupling has been connected. Although this creates a particularly secure connection option, the construction of this coupling is relatively complex due to the large number of components. In addition, handling is relatively complicated since, in addition to attaching the coupling, the control lever has to be actuated, so that one-handed operation is hardly possible.

From the applicant's WO-A-93/20378 there is also such a quick connector, in particular for filling gas bottles known, a quick connection device in the form of collets with an engagement profile is provided in the region of the outlet. Here, a hollow sealing piston which can be slid in the coupling housing is also described, which is coupled via an actuating device connected to a sliding sleeve for closing or opening the collets. Here too, a separate actuation of the actuating device in the form of a lever is required, so that the handling of this quick connector can also be improved.

Accordingly, the object of the invention is to create a quick-connect coupling of the type mentioned at the outset which, with a simple construction, enables safe and particularly simple handling.

This object is achieved by a quick connector coupling according to the features of claim 1. Preferred developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

The proposed quick connection coupling is characterized by a small number of components, simple manufacture and particularly simple operation, which is also particularly safe. Particularly for the filling of tank systems or gas bottles with high pressures, a particularly secure connection of the quick connection coupling is achieved, since the connection coupling is still twisted by a screwing movement after coupling due to the drivers between the collets and thus is inserted at the counter connection with a defined contact pressure. or screwed on.

It should be noted that the proposed quick connector coupling is suitable for various connections, in particular for connecting nipples with an external thread. To connect the coupling, however, other internal thread profile shapes can also be provided in the connecting nipple, the opposite collet shape being designed accordingly is. The connection and screwing movement is done with one hand.

The sealing piston, which is preferably slidable in the housing, first enables a safe, smooth engagement of the collets, since the engagement profile of the collets automatically adapts to the threads or corresponding positive engagement profiles due to the slight displaceability of the sealing piston.

This is particularly advantageous because it also the corresponding connection nipple, z. B. for a tank system, can be constructed relatively easily, and yet by the axial mobility of the sealing piston together with the screwing of the collets, the sealing surface of the quick coupling coupling rests securely on the connecting nipple. This also reliably prevents excessive wear or damage to the connection profile on both the coupling and nipple side.

Of particular importance in the quick coupling is the coupling of spline-like drivers with an outer sliding sleeve, which at the same time unscrewing by z. B. 90 ° or 180 °, so that a safe and quick one-hand operation of the

Quick connection coupling, namely first the connection and locking of the collets by means of the sliding sleeve and then their rotation by z. B. 90 ° also with the sliding sleeve or a rotatably connected grip sleeve, is made possible in one operation.

An exemplary embodiment is explained and described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show here:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a quick connector for a connecting nipple with an external thread as Connection profile, the quick connector is shown in longitudinal half-section; and Fig. 2 is an exhaust side front view of the

Sehne11anschlußkupplung according to FIG. 1, but without internal components.

In Fig. 1, a preferred embodiment of a quick connector 10 is shown shortly before connection to a connector nipple 30. The quick-connect coupling 10 has a tubular housing 11, the right end face serving as inlet 12 and the left end face as outlet 13 for the transmission of the fluid to be transferred to the connection nipple 30. The inlet 12 to the housing 11 has an external thread 14 , to which a hose or a pipeline for supplying the fluid to be transferred can be connected. The external thread 14 can be designed to adapt to the fluid to be transferred, in particular to the respectively desired feed angle, passage cross sections, etc.

On the end face opposite the external thread 14, here the outlet 13, a plurality of elongate collets 15 arranged in tubular form are provided, which in the position not shown here are spread radially outwards when plugged onto the connecting nipple 30, as is also the case, for example, in the aforementioned WO-A-93/20378 is shown. The elongated collets 15, of which at least three collets are arranged around the housing 11, are attached at their right-hand end to an annular groove 11a of the housing 11 and are preloaded by an annular spring 16, so that the collets 15 are spread radially outwards when the sliding sleeve 18 described below is withdrawn for the connection process.

At the left end here on the inwardly bent surface, the collets 15 each have a design corresponding to the connection profile 31 of the connection nipple 30 form-fitting engagement profiles 17, so that, in the embodiment with an external thread as the connection profile 31 on the connection nipple 30, there is a correspondingly formed internal thread with a few thread turns on the radially inward-facing surfaces of the engagement profile 17.

Around the collets 15, a sliding sleeve 18 is provided, which is guided on the cylindrical outer jacket of the housing 11 and is surrounded by a grip sleeve 19 made of plastic. The grip sleeve 19 is coupled to the sliding sleeve 18 via a spring ring 21 and axially limited by a support ring 20 relative to the housing 11.

A sealing piston 22 is guided on the circumferential surface of the housing 11 toward the outlet 13 and has a sealing ring 23 on its front end face for contact with an end sealing face 32 of the connecting nipple 30. A control piston 25 guided in the sealing piston 22 is sealed off from the housing 11 with an inserted sealing ring 24, so that the gaseous and / or liquid fluid flowing essentially along the central axis of the plug-in connection coupling 10 cannot escape to the outside. The sealing ring 23 as a coupling-side sealing surface can also be designed in a simplified design on the correspondingly widened end face of the housing 11.

Also of importance is the control piston 25, which is mounted centrally in the housing 11 and seals by means of a further sealing ring 26 with respect to the sealing piston 22 which is preferably provided. The control piston 25 is acted upon by a compression spring 28 which is also guided in the sealing piston 22 and is supported against the latter. This control piston 25 ensures that in the coupled position of the quick-connect coupling 10 to the connection nipple 30 of the control piston 25, a locking ball 29 presses outward into the sliding sleeve 18, so that it is held in the locked position when the fluid flows. However, if there is no fluid pressure. The compression spring 28 can move the control piston 25 towards the inlet 12 so that, due to the smaller diameter ramp on the outer surface of the control piston 25, the locking ball 29 can step inwards and thus the sliding sleeve 18 can be pulled towards the inlet 12.

Of particular importance here is at least one (here three) driver 40 arranged on the inner circumference of the sliding sleeve 18, each of which protrudes between the collets 15, as can be seen in particular from the dotted illustration in FIG. 2. Each side edge of the driver 40 engages on the side surfaces of the adjacent collets 15, as a result of which their engagement profiles 17 are simultaneously screwed onto the connection profile 31 with the rotation of the sliding sleeve 18 and thus the sealing piston 22 is pressed against the sealing surface 32. Since the contact pressure of the sealing piston 22 can vary slightly axially depending on the position and engagement conditions of the engagement profile 17 in the opposite profile 31 of the connecting nipple 30, this screwing of the sliding sleeve 18 of the sealing piston 22 is reliably pressed against the counter-connection 30, so that a constant contact force of the latter two components to each other is made possible.

The drivers 40 are arranged in the manner of a spline (spline profile) on the inner circumferential surface of the sliding sleeve 18 between the collets 15. Instead of the one-piece design, the drivers 40 can also be fastened as individual shell elements on the inner circumferential surface of the sliding sleeve 18 in the region between the collets 15, as is indicated here by rivets 43. Alternatively, the attachment can also be done by gluing or welding.

When the quick-connect coupling 10 is plugged onto the connecting nipple 30 with the then radially spread-out hook-shaped three collets 15, the sealing ring 23 comes into contact with the sealing surface 32, as a result of which a position occurs in this position Leakage of fluid at the connection nipple 30 is avoided. Due to the contact of the sealing ring 23 on the sealing surface 32, the sealing piston 22 is also displaced to the right until a bolt 41 projecting on the outer circumference comes into contact with a position fixing ring 42 and can no longer be displaced axially to the right.

When pressure is applied, the control piston 25 is then shifted to the left, so that the locking ball 29 is pressed outward, in order to inevitably lock the collets 15 with the respective engagement profile 17 on the correspondingly configured connection profile 31 of the connection nipple 30, since the ones already manually advanced during the connection process Sliding sleeve 18 engages around the radially outer ends of the collets 15, so that they are held in a form-fitting manner in their engagement position on the connecting nipple 30.

Also of importance is a control piston ring surface 25a, which has a somewhat larger effective surface than the contact surface between the sealing ring 23 and the sealing surface 32. This ensures that with fluid flow substantially along the central axis of the quick coupling 10 of the sealing piston 22 with its sealing ring 23 by the control piston 25 while compressing the compression spring 28 with increasing pressure is also pressed more strongly against the sealing surface 32, which is due to the slightly flexible mounting of the Bolt 41 is made possible by means of the element 42 relative to the housing 11. This will provide a servo effect, i.e. H. a stronger contact pressure of the sealing ring 23 with increasing fluid pressure and thus a reliable seal of the quick coupling 10 is achieved.

To release the Sehne11anschlußkupplung 10, the sliding sleeve 18 is withdrawn directly or with the handle sleeve 19 connected non-rotatably via a wedge or feather key as an anti-rotation 44 on a corrugation or corresponding profiling 45 on the outer surface by hand. This is only possible if after Interruption of the fluid supply to the control piston 25 under the action of the compression spring 28 is shifted here to the right towards the inlet end 12 and thus the locking ball 29 is released inwards. So that the sealing contact between the sealing piston 22 and the sealing surface 32 is released, so that finally the quick connector 10 can be removed.

With regard to the design of the driver 40, it is important that the spreading movement of the collets 15 is not hindered by this, but at the same time a "bayonet-type" screwing of the quick-connect coupling 10 is made possible, so that damage to the engagement profile 17 or the connection profile 31 is avoided. The three catches 40 provided here thus allow the quick connection coupling 10 to be simply plugged onto the connection nipple 30, the collets 15 being closed and locked by the advanced sliding sleeve 18.

To increase the sealing contact between the sealing surface 32 and the sealing ring 23, the locked collets 15 can then be screwed onto the counter-connection 30/31 by at least a few angular degrees by means of the positively engaging drivers 40, the screwing of the collets 15 by means of the sliding sleeve 18 practically in one Handle is made to make the connection particularly pressure-tight and safe.

Claims

claims

1. Quick connection coupling for the transmission of gaseous and / or liquid fluids, in particular for filling gas bottles or tank systems, comprising:

- A tubular housing (11);

- A sliding sleeve (18) which is displaceable relative to the housing (11);

- A plurality of radially expandable collets (15) fastened to the housing (11) with an engagement profile (17) for connection to a correspondingly designed connection nipple (30); characterized in that the collets (15) with the sliding sleeve (18) are positively coupled by at least one driver (40) in the coupled position of the

Plug-in coupling (10) engages between the collets (15).

2. Quick connection coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that three collets (15) and three interposed drivers (40) are provided on the inner circumference of the sliding sleeve (18).

3. Quick connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a displaceable sealing piston (22) is provided for abutment on the connecting nipple (30) and between the sealing piston (22) and the housing (11) a position fixing bolt (41) Axial play is arranged.

4. Quick connection coupling according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a control piston (25) is guided on the sealing piston (22), which has a piston ring surface (25a) towards the inlet (12).

5. Quick connection coupling according to claim 4, characterized in that the piston ring surface (25a) has a larger effective area than the axially opposite sealing ring (23) on the sealing piston (22).

6. Quick connection coupling according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the sliding sleeve (18) can be locked by a locking ball (29) which is guided on the outer surface of the control piston (25).

7. Quick connection coupling according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that a compression spring (28) is arranged between the sealing piston (22) and the control piston (25).

8. Quick connection coupling according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the sliding sleeve (18) is surrounded by a grip sleeve (19) with a grip profile (45) and an anti-rotation device (44).

9. Quick connection coupling according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the drivers (40) are integrally formed in the manner of a spline with the inner peripheral surface of the sliding sleeve (18).

10. Quick connection coupling according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the drivers (40) are formed by shell elements which are inserted and fastened, in particular glued, soldered, welded, between the collets (15) on the inner peripheral surface of the sliding sleeve (18) , dotted or riveted (43).