Floating plug, floating socket and floating fluid connection assembly

Abstract

The utility model relates to the auxiliary device convenient to joint or disconnect component, especially floating plug, floating socket and floating fluid connection assembly. The utility model provides a kind of brand-new floating fluid connection assembly, floating plug is designed by floating structure, so that plug main body can only be deflection floating, floating socket is designed by floating structure, so that socket main body can be in radial floating and around axial torsion, so by making floating plug and floating socket respectively in different degrees of freedom floating, avoid floating plug or floating socket separately have greater freedom, and lead to one of them is too free and is not conducive to the alignment of plug socket, while it can guarantee that the entire connection assembly has greater freedom, to meet the tolerance ability of robot automatic plug-pull, facilitate to realize automatic plug.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to auxiliary devices for facilitating the connection or disconnection of connecting components, and more particularly to floating plugs, floating sockets, and floating fluid connection assemblies. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of product integration, some systems or equipment require connectors to simultaneously switch on and off between different circuits and media. Simultaneously, with the development of intelligent systems and the creation of specialized application environments, connectors, in addition to being manually operated for insertion and removal, also need to meet the needs of robotic arms for insertion and removal. The high degree of freedom of robots (i.e., axial movement in the X, Y, and Z axes and rotation around these axes) is the fundamental reason for their flexibility. However, multiple degrees of freedom require the control of multiple motors, making it difficult to control the positioning accuracy of the robot's end effector. Therefore, connectors need to be designed with a certain amount of float in multiple degrees of freedom to ensure the normal operation of the robot's circuit connection and disconnection tasks.

[0003] Existing technologies have designs regarding how to achieve tolerances in plugs and sockets of connecting components during mating. For example, the plug disclosed in Chinese invention patent application CN103094779A can float axially (in the insertion direction), float in a plane perpendicular to the axis (radial), axially yaw, and rotate about the axis, possessing a large degree of freedom. Similarly, the socket disclosed in Chinese utility model patent CN215870015U can also achieve axial and radial floating, axial yaw, and rotation about the axis, also possessing a large degree of freedom. However, in practical applications, it has been found that regardless of whether the aforementioned floating plug or floating socket is used, the excessive freedom often makes alignment difficult when operated by a robot. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a floating fluid connection assembly to solve the problem that existing floating sockets or floating sockets are not conducive to mating with compatible connectors when used in robotic plugging and unplugging applications. Furthermore, this invention also aims to provide a floating plug and a floating socket for the aforementioned floating fluid connection assembly to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0005] The floating fluid connection assembly of this utility model includes a floating plug and a floating socket. The floating plug includes a plug fixing seat for fixed connection with a mounting base. The plug fixing seat has a through hole for the plug body to pass through. There is a radial swing gap between the plug body and the through hole to allow the plug body to swing relative to the plug fixing seat. A floating plug seat is provided on the front side of the plug fixing seat, which is fitted on the outside of the plug body and blocks the plug body in a rearward direction. A tapered retainer with its small end facing forward and extending into the through hole is installed on the rear side of the plug body. A bracing structure is provided between the floating plug seat and the plug fixing seat to keep the tapered retainer always in contact with the rear of the through hole during plug and socket insertion and removal. The side hole is pressed along the compression spring, which supports the plug floating seat and the plug fixed seat to make the plug body relatively axially deflect during the insertion and removal of the socket. The floating socket includes a socket fixed seat for fixed connection with the mounting base and a socket floating seat mounted on the socket fixed plate. The socket floating seat and the socket fixed seat are in a blocking fit in the front-back direction and slide fit in the radial direction. The socket fixed plate and the socket floating seat are connected by the mutual cooperation of at least three radial tension springs distributed at different positions in the circumference. The center of the socket floating seat is located within the polygon enclosed by the radial tension springs, realizing the floating of the socket floating seat in the radial direction and the torsion around the front-back axis. The socket body extending in the front and back is mounted on the socket floating seat.

[0006] This invention provides a novel floating fluid connection assembly. The floating plug, through its floating structure design, allows the plug body to only oscillate and float. The floating socket, through its floating structure design, allows the socket body to float radially and twist around the axial direction. By allowing the floating plug and floating socket to float in different degrees of freedom, it avoids the situation where either the floating plug or the floating socket has too large a degree of freedom, which would make it difficult for one of them to be too free and thus hinder the alignment of the plug and socket. At the same time, it ensures that the entire connection assembly has a large degree of freedom to meet the tolerance requirements of automatic insertion and removal by robots, facilitating automated insertion.

[0007] Furthermore, the compression spring is sleeved on the outside of the plug body and constrains its radial position between the plug fixed seat and the plug floating seat through the plug body.

[0008] Furthermore, the plug body includes a plug body mounting section for mounting with the plug mounting base and a plug body insertion section for mating with the socket body. The plug body insertion section is radially floating on the plug body mounting section so that each plug body has radial floating capability.

[0009] Furthermore, the plug body has two or more parts to meet the switching requirements of different media, and all plug bodies correspond to the same plug floating seat.

[0010] Furthermore, the floating plug base is provided with a forward-extending plug guide structure for cooperating with the floating socket. The front end of the plug guide structure extends forward beyond the plug body to guide the plug body before it contacts the socket body.

[0011] Furthermore, there are three plug bodies arranged in a triangular pattern, and three plug guide structures arranged in a triangular pattern, with each plug guide structure located outside the line connecting two adjacent plug bodies.

[0012] Furthermore, the tapered retaining sleeve is a tapered nut, which allows for adjustment of the initial pressure of the compression spring.

[0013] Furthermore, one of the socket floating seat and the socket fixed seat includes front and rear limiting plates that are spaced apart, and the other has a sliding mating plate sandwiched between the front and rear limiting plates, with a radial tension spring disposed between the front and rear limiting plates to make full use of the space in the front-rear direction.

[0014] Furthermore, the sliding mating plate is part of the socket fixing seat and is an annular plate. The front and rear limiting plates are part of the socket floating seat and are located on the front and rear sides of the annular plate respectively. The socket body is located in the annular cavity of the annular plate. The outer end of the radial tension spring is connected to the annular plate, and the inner end is connected to the spring connecting pin connecting the front and rear limiting plates.

[0015] Furthermore, the front and rear limit plates are respectively provided with through holes for the socket body to pass through. The socket body passes through the front and rear limit plates from front to back, and a locking nut is screwed on at the rear end to lock the socket body onto the socket floating seat.

[0016] Furthermore, there are three socket bodies evenly distributed in the circumferential direction, and three radial tension springs, each of which is arranged between two adjacent socket bodies.

[0017] Furthermore, the floating socket base is provided with a forward-extending socket guide structure for cooperating with the floating plug. There are three socket guide structures arranged in a triangle, and each socket guide structure is located outside the line connecting two adjacent socket bodies.

[0018] The floating plug of this utility model includes a plug fixing seat for fixed connection with a mounting base. The plug fixing seat has a through hole for the plug body to pass through. There is a radial swing gap between the plug body and the through hole to allow the plug body to swing relative to the plug fixing seat. The front side of the plug fixing seat is provided with a plug floating seat that is fitted on the outside of the plug body and blocks the plug body in the rear direction. A tapered retaining sleeve with its small end facing forward and extending into the through hole is installed on the rear side of the plug body. A compression spring is provided between the plug floating seat and the plug fixing seat to keep the tapered retaining sleeve pressed against the rear hole of the through hole during the plug and socket insertion and removal process. The compression spring supports the plug floating seat and the plug fixing seat so that the plug body swings axially relative to the socket during the insertion and removal process.

[0019] This utility model provides a novel floating plug. By using a compression spring to support the floating base of the plug and the fixed base of the plug, the plug body can be relatively axially tilted during the insertion and removal process with the socket. This avoids the floating plug having too much freedom and being too flexible when plugged into the matching socket, which would cause inconvenience in alignment and insertion.

[0020] Furthermore, the compression spring is sleeved on the outside of the plug body and constrains its radial position between the plug fixed seat and the plug floating seat through the plug body.

[0021] Furthermore, the plug body includes a plug body mounting section for mounting with the plug mounting base and a plug body insertion section for mating with the socket body. The plug body insertion section is radially floating on the plug body mounting section so that each plug body has radial floating capability.

[0022] Furthermore, the plug body has two or more parts to meet the switching requirements of different media, and all plug bodies correspond to the same plug floating seat.

[0023] Furthermore, the floating plug base is provided with a forward-extending plug guide structure for cooperating with the floating socket. The front end of the plug guide structure extends forward beyond the plug body to guide the plug body before it contacts the socket body.

[0024] Furthermore, there are three plug bodies arranged in a triangular pattern, and three plug guide structures arranged in a triangular pattern, with each plug guide structure located outside the line connecting two adjacent plug bodies.

[0025] Furthermore, the tapered retaining sleeve is a tapered nut, which allows for adjustment of the initial pressure of the compression spring.

[0026] The floating socket of this utility model includes a socket fixing seat for fixed connection with the mounting base and a socket floating seat mounted on the socket fixing plate. The socket floating seat and the socket fixing seat are in a blocking fit in the front-to-back direction and in a sliding fit in the radial direction. The socket fixing plate and the socket floating seat are connected by the mutual cooperation of at least three radial tension springs distributed at different positions in the circumference. The center of the socket floating seat is located within the polygon formed by the radial tension springs, so as to realize the floating of the socket floating seat in the radial direction and the torsion around the front-to-back axis. The socket body extending in the front and back is mounted on the socket floating seat.

[0027] This utility model provides a novel floating socket. Through the cooperation of the floating socket seat and the fixed socket seat, the floating socket seat can float radially and twist around the front and rear axes. This avoids the floating socket having too much freedom, which would cause the floating to be too flexible and make it inconvenient to align and plug in when it is plugged in with the adapter plug.

[0028] Furthermore, one of the socket floating seat and the socket fixed seat includes front and rear limiting plates that are spaced apart, and the other has a sliding mating plate sandwiched between the front and rear limiting plates, with a radial tension spring disposed between the front and rear limiting plates to make full use of the space in the front-rear direction.

[0029] Furthermore, the sliding mating plate is part of the socket fixing seat and is an annular plate. The front and rear limiting plates are part of the socket floating seat and are located on the front and rear sides of the annular plate respectively. The socket body is located in the annular cavity of the annular plate. The outer end of the radial tension spring is connected to the annular plate, and the inner end is connected to the spring connecting pin connecting the front and rear limiting plates.

[0030] Furthermore, the front and rear limit plates are respectively provided with through holes for the socket body to pass through. The socket body passes through the front and rear limit plates from front to back, and a locking nut is screwed on at the rear end to lock the socket body onto the socket floating seat.

[0031] Furthermore, there are three socket bodies evenly distributed in the circumferential direction, and three radial tension springs, each of which is arranged between two adjacent socket bodies.

[0032] Furthermore, the floating socket base is provided with a forward-extending socket guide structure for cooperating with the floating plug. There are three socket guide structures arranged in a triangle, and each socket guide structure is located outside the line connecting two adjacent socket bodies. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of one embodiment of the floating plug of this utility model;

[0034] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The front view of the floating plug shown;

[0035] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the floating plug;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of one embodiment of the floating socket of this utility model;

[0037] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the floating plug;

[0038] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Enlarged view of the guide structure of the middle socket;

[0039] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating the engagement state of the floating plug and floating socket of the floating fluid connection assembly;

[0040] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A front view of the floating fluid connection assembly shown;

[0041] Figure 9 To display Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the state.

[0042] In the diagram: 1. Plug fixing seat; 10. Plug body; 11. Guide rod; 12. Plug floating seat; 13. Compression spring; 14. Swing clearance; 101. Plug body mounting section; 102. Plug body insertion section; 103. Conical nut; 104. Stepped surface; 105. Clamping connecting sleeve; 1020. Outer flange; 110. Locking mating annular groove; 111. Guide cone; 2. Socket fixing seat; 200. Socket flange seat; 201. Socket unlocking cylinder; 202. Fixing flange; 203. Connecting flange; 204. Unlocking flange; 2040. Inner protrusion; 205. Annular mounting seat; 206. Compression spring; 207. Anti-rotation groove; 20 8. Sliding mating plate; 21. Socket body; 210. Socket body mounting section; 211. Socket body plug-in section; 212. Fixed valve core; 213. Valve core spring; 214. Movable valve core; 215. Locking nut; 22. Guide tube; 220. Guide tube fixing seat; 221. Guide tube locking section; 222. Locking sleeve; 223. Annular groove nut; 224. Locking spring; 2221. Annular groove protruding ring; 225. Unlocking ring mounting groove; 226. Locking ball; 2222. First inclined surface; 2210. Trumpet mouth; 231. Rear limit plate; 232. Front limit plate; 233. Spring connecting pin; 234. Radial tension spring; 24. Unlocking ring. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The features and performance of this utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments.

[0044] This invention reduces the individual degrees of freedom of the floating plug and floating socket by giving them different degrees of freedom in the floating fluid connection assembly. This avoids the problem of excessive flexibility and difficulty in alignment caused by too many individual floating directions, while ensuring that the connection assembly as a whole has a large tolerance.

[0045] One specific embodiment of the floating fluid connection assembly of this utility model is as follows: Figure 1-9 As shown, this includes a floating plug and a floating socket. For ease of explanation, the plug side of the floating plug and the plug side of the floating socket will be referred to as the front side.

[0046] The specific structure of the floating plug is as follows: Figure 1-3 As shown, it includes a plug fixing base 1, which is used to fix the plug to the mounting base. The plug fixing base 1 is a circular plate structure with connecting holes at the edges. The plug fixing base 1 has through holes for the plug body 10 to pass through. The plug body 10 is the part used to interlock with the socket body 21 of the floating socket for fluid medium transmission. Specifically, the rear end of the plug body 10 is used to connect to the medium pipeline, and the front end of the plug body 10 is used to insert into the socket body 21 of the floating socket. In this embodiment, the plug body 10 includes a plug body mounting section 101 and a plug body insertion section 102 fixedly connected to the plug body mounting section 101. As the names suggest, the plug body mounting section 101 is used to install the plug body 10, and the plug body insertion section 102 is used to insert the plug body 10 into the socket body 21. Specifically, as shown... Figure 3 As shown, the plug body mounting section 101 is a stepped cylinder with a larger front and a smaller rear. The smaller diameter section at the rear end passes through the through hole, and the diameter of the through hole is larger than the outer diameter of the smaller diameter section. The rear end of the plug body insertion section 102 is provided with an outer flange 1020. The inner wall surface of the larger diameter section of the plug body mounting section 101 is provided with an internal thread section, and a compression connecting sleeve 105 is connected through this internal thread section. The compression connecting sleeve 105 presses the outer flange 1020 against the radial inner annular surface between the larger diameter section and the smaller diameter section. There is a sealing ring between the outer flange 1020 and the radial inner annular surface of the larger diameter section, thereby achieving a sealed connection between the plug body mounting section 101 and the plug body insertion section 102. The inner cavities of the two are interconnected to form a medium transmission channel. Here, the outer diameter of the outer flange 1020 is smaller than the inner diameter of the large diameter section, which allows each plug body insertion sleeve section 102 to float radially relative to the plug body mounting sleeve section 101. This enables different plug bodies 10 to float radially independently during the insertion process, thus providing better tolerance.

[0047] A plug floating seat 12 is provided on the front side of the plug fixing base 1. The plug floating seat 12 also has a through hole. The small diameter section of the plug body mounting cylinder section 101 passes through the through hole and is fitted with a sleeve. The radial outer annular surface, i.e., the stepped surface 104, between the large diameter section and the small diameter section of the plug body mounting cylinder section 101 blocks the front side of the plug floating seat 12. That is, the plug floating seat 12 blocks the plug body 10 in the rearward direction. A compression spring 13 is fitted on the small diameter section of the plug body mounting cylinder section 101. The two ends of the compression spring 13 press against the plug floating seat 12 and the plug fixing base 1, respectively. The rear end of the plug body mounting cylinder section 101 extending out of the plug fixing base 1 has an external thread section and a conical nut 103 is screwed on it. The maximum outer diameter of the conical nut 103 is larger than the diameter of the through hole on the plug fixing base 1, so that it can block the plug fixing base 1 in the forward direction. In this way, the compression spring 13 can be tightened between the plug fixing base 1 and the plug floating seat 12. The conical nut 103 has its small end facing forward and its large end facing backward, and the outer diameter of the small end is smaller than the diameter of the through hole on the plug fixing seat 1. Therefore, the small end of the conical nut 103 extends into the through hole, that is, the conical nut 103 is pressed against the edge of the through hole by its conical surface. Tightening the conical nut 103 can adjust the initial pressure of the compression spring 13. In use, by tightening the conical nut 103, the elastic force of the compression spring 13 can be increased, or a compression spring 13 with a larger elastic coefficient can be used. This ensures that when the floating plug and the floating socket are inserted, even if the plug body 10 is subjected to a backward force, the compression spring 13 can still maintain sufficient support to ensure that the conical surface of the conical nut 103 is pressed against the edge of the through hole. In this way, the plug body 10 will not float significantly in the front-back direction relative to the plug fixing seat 1, but will only wobble relative to the plug fixing seat 1.

[0048] like Figure 1-3 As shown, there are three plug bodies 10. These three plug bodies 10 can simultaneously fulfill the switching requirements of different media. All plug bodies 10 are assembled together with the same plug floating seat 12. When there are two or more plug bodies 10, the contact between the tapered nut 103 of each plug body 10 and the corresponding hole edge varies slightly when the plug body 10 wobbles relative to the plug fixing seat 1. However, the elasticity of the compression spring 13 ensures that at least one plug body 10's tapered nut 103 is in a state of tight contact with the hole edge of the hole. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of plug bodies 10 can be one, two, or more, depending on the required number of media loops to be transmitted. When there is only one plug body 10, the compression spring 13 ensures that the tapered nut 103 is always pressed against the rear hole edge of the hole on the plug fixing seat 1.

[0049] from Figure 1-3It can also be seen that the floating plug seat 12 is provided with a forward-extending plug guide structure for cooperating with the floating socket. In this embodiment, the plug guide structure is a guide rod 11, the rear end of which has a reduced diameter section. The floating plug seat 12 has a through hole, and the reduced diameter section of the rear end of the guide rod 11 passes through the through hole and extends to the rear side of the floating plug seat 12. A connecting nut is screwed onto the reduced diameter section to connect the guide rod 11 to the floating plug seat 12. The front end of the guide rod 11 extends forward beyond the plug body 10 to cooperate with the socket guide structure before the plug body 10 contacts the socket body 21, guiding the insertion of the plug and socket.

[0050] To ensure alignment of the plug and socket in the circumferential angle around the extended axis when they are inserted, three plug guide structures are provided. In this configuration, the three plug bodies 10 are arranged in a triangle, and the three guide rods 11 are also arranged in a triangle. Each guide rod 11 is located outside the line connecting two adjacent plug bodies 10, meaning the three guide rods 11 and the three plug bodies 10 are staggered circumferentially. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of guide rods 11 can be varied, for example, to a single rod, in which case the guide rod 11 can be positioned in the middle of the triangle formed by the three plug bodies 10.

[0051] The above describes a floating plug in one embodiment, but the floating plug in the floating fluid connection assembly of this utility model is not limited to the embodiment described above. In other embodiments, the plug body mounting section 101 and the plug body insertion section 102 can be an integral structure, but still have a stopping mating surface that is blocked by the plug floating seat 12 in the rearward direction. In this embodiment, the plug body 10 passes through the plug floating seat 12 and the plug fixing seat 1 from front to back and then the conical nut 103 is screwed on.

[0052] In the above embodiments, the rear end of the plug body 10 is fitted with the plug fixing seat 1 via a tapered nut 103. In another embodiment, the tapered nut 103 can be replaced by a tapered retaining ring. In this case, the tapered retaining ring is fitted onto the rear end of the plug body 10, and a C-shaped retaining ring is installed on the rear end of the plug body 10 at the tapered retaining ring. The C-shaped retaining ring restricts the position of the tapered retaining ring. Whether it is the tapered nut 103 or the tapered retaining ring, they actually act as tapered retaining sleeves on the rear side of the plug fixing seat 1. The offset of the plug body 10 relative to the plug fixing seat 1 is achieved through the fit between its tapered surface and the edge of the through hole.

[0053] In the embodiments described above, the compression spring 13 located between the plug floating seat 12 and the plug fixing seat 1 is fitted onto the plug body 10, and the number of compression springs 13 is equal to the number of plug bodies 10. This eliminates the need for additional structures on the plug fixing seat 1 and the plug floating seat 12 to mount the compression springs 13, facilitating the installation and position holding of the compression springs 13. In other embodiments, the number of compression springs 13 located between the plug floating seat 12 and the plug fixing seat 1 may be different from the number of plug bodies 10. The plug floating seat 12 and the plug fixing seat 1 are each provided with a spring seat, and the two ends of the compression spring 13 are respectively mounted on the spring seats on the plug floating seat 12 and the plug fixing seat 1.

[0054] The specific structure of the floating socket is as follows: Figure 4-6 As shown, the system includes a socket mounting base 2, which is used to fix and connect to the mounting base to achieve the installation of the entire floating socket. A floating socket base is also installed inside the socket mounting base 2, and a socket body 21 is mounted on the floating socket base. The socket body 21 is the part used to interlock with the plug body 10 of the floating plug for fluid medium transmission. Specifically, the rear end of the socket body 21 is used to connect to the medium pipeline, and the front end of the socket body 21 is used to plug into the plug body 10 of the floating plug.

[0055] Specifically, the socket mounting base 2 includes a socket flange seat 200 and a socket unlocking cylinder 201. The socket flange seat 200 includes a flange cylinder section and a fixing flange 202 located at the rear end of the flange cylinder section. The fixing flange 202 is used for fixed connection with the mounting base. A connecting flange 203 is provided at the front end of the flange cylinder section, and the connecting flange 203 is fixedly connected to the socket unlocking cylinder 201. The socket mounting base 2 also includes an annular mounting seat 205, which is guided and slidably installed in the socket unlocking cylinder 201 section in the front-rear direction. The front end of the socket unlocking cylinder 201 section has an inwardly extending unlocking flange 204. A compression spring 206 is clamped between the unlocking flange 204 and the annular mounting seat 205. The compression spring 206 provides a rearward elastic force to the annular mounting seat 205 so that the annular mounting seat 205 is held at the rear end limit position, that is, the position where it fits against the connecting flange 203. At the circumferential mating surfaces of the annular mounting base 205 and the socket unlocking cylinder 201, one of them is provided with a front-to-back extending anti-rotation rib, and the other is provided with a matching anti-rotation groove 207. The cooperation between the anti-rotation rib and the anti-rotation groove 207 can ensure that the two will not rotate relative to each other in the circumferential direction.

[0056] The annular mounting base 205 has a radially inwardly extending annular sliding mating plate 208. The socket floating base includes a front limiting plate 232 and a rear limiting plate 231, which are located on the front and rear sides of the sliding mating plate 208, respectively, and are in contact with the front and rear sides of the sliding mating plate 208. The front and rear limiting plates are fixedly connected at the annular opening of the sliding mating plate 208 by screws, bolts, or rivets to ensure that the front and rear spacing remains unchanged. The annular mounting base 205 has free space at the outer edges of the front and rear limiting plates, so that the front and rear limiting plates are sandwiched on the front and rear sides of the sliding mating plate 208 and can float radially relative to the sliding mating plate 208, and can twist around the front and rear extending axis, thus realizing the floating of the socket body 21 mounted on the socket floating base.

[0057] A radial tension spring 234 is connected between the annular mounting base 205 and the floating socket base. There are multiple radial tension springs 234, which are distributed in different positions in the circumferential direction. Each radial tension spring 234 is in the same plane, and the center of the floating socket base is within the polygon enclosed by each radial tension spring 234. In this way, when the floating socket base floats radially or twists about the front-to-back axis, each radial tension spring 234 can provide the floating socket base with an elastic force to return to its original position.

[0058] like Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the radial tension spring 234 is located in the space between the front and rear limiting plates, and one end is connected to the sliding mating plate 208, while the other end is connected to the socket floating seat. Specifically, a spring connecting pin 233 extending forward and backward is connected between the front and rear limiting plates, and the inner end of the radial tension spring 234 is connected to the spring connecting pin 233.

[0059] Regarding the installation of the socket body 21 and its connection with the socket floating base, as follows: Figure 5As shown, the front and rear limiting plates are respectively provided with through holes. The socket body 21 includes a socket body insertion cylindrical section 211 and a socket body mounting cylindrical section 210. The socket body mounting cylindrical section 210 is a stepped cylindrical section with a larger diameter at the front and a smaller diameter at the rear. The smaller diameter section at the rear is used to connect to the medium pipeline, and the larger diameter section at the front is threadedly connected to the socket body insertion cylindrical section 211, thereby forming a medium channel that runs through the front and rear. A fixed valve core 212 extending forward is provided inside the socket body mounting cylindrical section 210, which can be fixed to extend to the front end of the socket body insertion cylindrical section 211. A movable valve core 214 is slidably installed inside the socket body insertion cylindrical section 211 in the front-rear direction. The movable valve core 214 is a ring sleeve, and a valve core spring 213 is installed inside the socket body insertion cylindrical section 211 to provide elastic force to the movable valve core 214 forward. The inner side of the front end of the socket body insertion cylindrical section 211 tapers inward to form a constriction, which can stop the movable valve core 214 and thus determine the limit position of the movable valve core 214. The fixed valve core 212 extends to the constricted opening, and the movable valve core 214, when at its front limit position, seals against the inner side of the constricted opening and the outer side of the fixed valve core 212, respectively, thereby sealing the socket body 21. The small-diameter section of the socket body mounting cylinder 210 passes through the through holes on the front and rear limit plates sequentially from front to back, and a locking nut 215 is screwed on at the rear side of the rear limit plate 231. By screwing the locking nut 215, the transition between the large-diameter section and the small-diameter section of the socket body mounting cylinder 210 is at a stepped surface that blocks the front limit plate 232, thus locking the socket body 21 onto the socket floating seat.

[0060] The number of socket bodies 21 is equal to the number of plug bodies 10, and their positions are directly opposite each other. For example... Figure 4-5 In the illustrated embodiment, there are three socket bodies 21 evenly distributed circumferentially, and three radial tension springs 234 arranged between adjacent socket bodies 21. This maximizes space utilization and facilitates socket miniaturization. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of radial tension springs 234 can be four, six, or more.

[0061] In addition, the floating socket base is provided with forward-extending socket guide structures for mates with the floating plug. The number of socket guide structures is equal to the number of plug guide structures, and their positions are directly opposite each other. For example... Figure 4-5 As shown, there are three socket guide structures arranged in a triangle. Each socket guide structure is located outside the line connecting two adjacent socket bodies 21, meaning the three socket guide structures and the three socket bodies 21 are staggered in the circumferential direction. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of socket guide structures can be varied, for example, one. In this case, the socket guide structure can be located in the middle of the triangle formed by the three socket bodies 21.

[0062] In the above embodiments, there are three socket bodies 21. The three socket bodies 21 can simultaneously meet the switching requirements of different media. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of socket bodies 21 can be one, two or more, depending on the number of media circuits to be transmitted, and can be matched with the number of plug bodies 10 of the floating plug.

[0063] In the above embodiments, the floating socket base includes front and rear limiting plates, and the socket fixing base 2 includes a sliding mating plate 208. The front and rear limiting plates of the floating socket base are sandwiched between the front and rear sides of the sliding mating plate 208 and achieve a blocking engagement in the front-rear direction and a sliding fit in the radial direction. In other embodiments, the annular mounting base 205 of the socket fixing base 2 includes two annular plates spaced apart front and rear, and the floating socket base includes the sliding mating plate 208. The sliding mating plate 208 is sandwiched between the two annular plates spaced apart front and rear and achieves a blocking engagement in the front-rear direction and a sliding fit in the radial direction. In this case, the socket body 21 is mounted on the sliding mating plate 208. A radial tension spring 234 is disposed on the front or rear side of the sliding mating plate 208, with its outer end connected to the corresponding annular plate and its inner end connected to the sliding mating plate 208.

[0064] When the floating plug and floating socket are plugged in, such as Figure 7-9 As shown, the plug body insertion sleeve section 102 extends into the front port of the socket body insertion sleeve section 211 and pushes the movable valve core 214 backward. After the movable valve core 214 moves backward, it releases the sealing fit between itself and the inner surface of the constriction and the fixed valve core 212. The plug body insertion sleeve section 102 replaces the movable valve core 214 in forming a sealing fit with the inner surface of the constriction. The inner cavity of the plug body insertion sleeve section 102 is connected to the inner cavity of the socket body insertion sleeve section 211, forming a medium passage. During the insertion process, the elastic force provided by the spring 13 of the floating plug is much greater than the rearward pushing force on the plug body insertion cylinder 102, or the spring 13 has a large elastic coefficient and will not undergo significant compression deformation when the plug body insertion cylinder 102 is subjected to a rearward pushing force. The plug body 10 mainly sways relative to the front-back direction to adapt to the position of the socket body 21. At the same time, each plug body 10 can adapt to the position of the socket body 21 and float radially. The socket body 21 mainly floats in the radial plane and twists around the front-back axis to adapt to the position of the plug body 10. The floating socket and floating plug have tolerance capacity in the front-back direction, i.e., in the axial direction, by reserving a mating redundancy size.

[0065] In one specific embodiment, the radial floating range of the floating socket can reach ±6mm, the torsion angle around the front and rear axes can reach ±15°, the yaw angle of the floating plug can reach ±7° (far greater than the angular accuracy of the robot arm within -1°), the radial floating range of each plug body 10 can reach ±1.5mm, and the axial insertion redundancy of the floating plug and floating socket is within ±3mm, thus making it suitable for robot operation, enabling rapid connection and disconnection of multi-fluid channels, and meeting the application requirements of special application sites such as unmanned intelligent workshops and nuclear power plants.

[0066] Typically, floating plugs and floating sockets are equipped with locking mechanisms after insertion to ensure a reliable connection, and this invention is no exception. Specifically, in one embodiment of this invention, the locking mechanism is integrated into the plug guide structure and the socket guide structure to further simplify the structure. Simultaneously, to accommodate robot operation, an automatic unlocking function is implemented when the plug and socket are removed.

[0067] Specifically, the locking connection structure used in the plug guide structure and the socket guide structure is a locking ball 226 locking groove matching locking structure. For example... Figure 3 , 6 As shown in Figure 9, the plug guiding structure, i.e., the guide rod 11, has a guide cone 111 at its front end and an annular groove in the middle of the guide rod 11, which is a locking groove for engaging with the locking ball 226 of the socket guiding structure. The two sides of the locking groove are inclined groove walls. The socket guiding structure is a guide tube 22, including a guide tube fixing seat 220. The bottom of the guide tube fixing seat 220 has a screw hole and is fixedly connected to the socket floating seat by connecting screws. The front end of the guide tube fixing seat 220 is threadedly connected to a guide tube locking section 221, and the front end of the guide tube locking section 221 has a flared mouth 2210 so that the guide rod 11 can extend into the inner cavity of the guide tube locking section 221. A locking sleeve 222 is fitted on the outer side of the guide cylinder locking section 221. The locking sleeve 222 is equipped with a locking spring 224 that provides it with an elastic force to move forward. The cylinder wall of the guide cylinder locking section 221 is provided with radially penetrating ball grooves. There are two sets of ball grooves arranged at intervals. Two sets of locking balls 226 are installed in the two sets of ball grooves. The locking balls 226 can float radially in the ball grooves.

[0068] The inner wall of the locking sleeve 222 is provided with a first inclined surface 2222, a second inclined surface, and a locking surface along the axial direction. The first inclined surface 2222 and the second inclined surface are arranged at intervals, and the locking surface intersects with the second inclined surface. A front row of locking balls 226 is provided between the locking sleeve 222 and the guide cylinder locking section 221, corresponding to the position of the first inclined surface 2222, and a rear row of locking balls 226 is provided corresponding to the position of the locking surface. The locking spring 224 keeps the locking sleeve 222 in the locked position relative to the guide cylinder locking section 221. When the guide tube locking section 221 is in the locked position, the first inclined surface 2222 faces the front row locking ball 226 to hold the front row locking ball 226 in the corresponding hole in the guide tube wall, at which time part of the front row locking ball 226 is exposed inside the guide tube; the locking surface faces the rear row locking ball 226 to hold the rear row locking ball 226 in the corresponding hole in the guide tube wall, at which time part of the rear row locking ball 226 is also exposed inside the guide tube locking section 221. When the guide rod 11 is inserted into the guide tube locking section 221, the guide cone 111 first contacts the front row locking ball 226, and under the action of the insertion force, pushes the front row locking ball 226 to move radially outward along the guide tube locking section 221. The movement of the front row locking ball 226 acts on the first inclined surface 2222, causing the locking sleeve 222 to overcome the spring force and move towards the unlocked position. At this point, the locking surface moves relative to the rear locking ball 226 so that the second inclined surface intersecting with the locking surface approaches the rear locking ball 226. As the guide rod 11 continues to be inserted, the rear locking ball 226 leaves the locking surface and contacts the second inclined surface, and continues to push the locking sleeve 222 under the action of the guide cone 111 of the guide rod 11 until the guide cone 111 of the guide rod 11 passes over the rear locking ball 226 axially and is fully engaged. At this point, both the front and rear locking balls 226 lose the compression of the guide rod 11, causing the spring to be released instantaneously and pushing the locking sleeve 222 to reset. Guided by the first inclined surface 2222 and the second inclined surface, both the front and rear locking balls 226 reset to their initial positions. At this point, the rear locking ball 226 enters the locking engagement groove 110 and engages with the groove wall to lock and retain the guide rod 11. Furthermore, since the locking surface is cylindrical, the rear locking ball 226 can reliably remain in its current position under conditions of vibration and impact, without radial movement.

[0069] To achieve automatic unlocking when the floating plug is unplugged, the outer circumferential surface of the locking sleeve 222 is provided with an annular groove protrusion 2221, and the rear end of the locking sleeve 222 is screwed with an annular groove nut 223. Through the cooperation of the opposite end faces of the annular groove protrusion 2221 and the annular groove nut 223, an unlocking ring mounting groove 225 is formed on the outer side of the locking sleeve 222. The floating socket includes an unlocking ring 24, which surrounds the outer side of all guide tubes 22 and the socket body 21, and its inner circumferential surface is tangent to the bottom of the unlocking ring mounting groove 225. The front and rear end faces of the unlocking ring 24 are respectively stopped by the corresponding end faces of the annular groove protrusion 2221 and the annular groove nut 223.

[0070] Based on the above description of the various socket guide structures and the position of the socket body 21 of the floating socket, combined with Figure 7 As shown in the structure, the inner contour of the unlocking flange 204 at the front end of the socket unlocking cylinder 201 is similar to a plum blossom shape. It has an inner protrusion 2040 in front of the socket guide structure and the socket body 21. In the front-back direction, the inner protrusion 2040 coincides with the unlocking ring 24.

[0071] During unlocking, the rear locking ball 226 engages with the locking ramp, causing the guide rod 11 to pull out and move the socket body 21 forward synchronously relative to the socket fixing seat 2, overcoming the compression spring 206. During this process, the inner protrusion 2040 contacts and stops the unlocking ring 24, causing the unlocking ring 24 to move backward relative to the guide cylinder locking section 221, thereby moving the unlocking sleeve backward towards the unlock position. The rear locking ball 226 and the front locking ball 226 move radially under the action of the guide rod 11 to a position that avoids the guide cone 111 of the guide rod 11, allowing the guide rod 11 to be smoothly pulled out of the socket connector. This achieves automatic unlocking when the floating plug is pulled out.

[0072] The locking and unlocking principles of the locking connection structure used in the plug guide structure and the socket guide structure are the same as the technical principle of the locking connection structure used in the Chinese utility model patent with authorization announcement number CN212430113U.

[0073] The embodiments of the floating plug and floating socket of this utility model have been described in the above-described embodiments of the floating fluid connection assembly, and will not be repeated here.

[0074] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. The patent protection scope of the present utility model shall be determined by the claims. Similarly, any equivalent structural changes made based on the description and drawings of the present utility model shall also be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A floating plug, characterized in that, The device includes a plug fixing seat (1) for fixed connection with the mounting base. The plug fixing seat (1) has a through hole for the plug body (10) to pass through. There is a radial swing gap (14) between the plug body (10) and the through hole for the plug body (10) to swing relative to the plug fixing seat (1). The front side of the plug fixing seat (1) is provided with a plug floating seat (12) that is fitted on the outside of the plug body (10) and blocks the plug body (10) in the rear direction. The plug body (10) is provided with a tapered retainer with its small end facing forward and extending into the through hole at the rear side position of the plug fixing seat (1). There is a compression spring (13) between the plug floating seat (12) and the plug fixing seat (1) to keep the tapered retainer pressed against the rear hole of the through hole during the plug and socket insertion and removal process. The compression spring (13) supports the plug floating seat (12) and the plug fixing seat (1) so that the plug body (10) swings relative to the socket during the insertion and removal process.

2. The floating plug according to claim 1, characterized in that, The compression spring (13) is fitted on the outside of the plug body (10) and constrains its radial position between the plug fixing seat (1) and the plug floating seat (12) by the plug body (10).

3. The floating plug according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The plug body (10) includes a plug body mounting section (101) for mounting with the plug mounting base (1) and a plug body insertion section (102) for inserting with the socket body (21). The plug body insertion section (102) is mounted on the plug body mounting section (101) in a radial floating manner so that each plug body (10) has radial floating capability.

4. The floating plug according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, There are two or more plug bodies (10) to meet the switching requirements of different media, and all plug bodies (10) correspond to the same plug floating seat (12).

5. The floating plug according to claim 4, characterized in that, The floating plug base (12) is provided with a forward-extending plug guide structure for cooperating with the floating socket. The front end of the plug guide structure extends forward beyond the plug body (10) to guide the plug body (10) before it contacts the socket body (21).

6. The floating plug according to claim 5, characterized in that, There are three plug bodies (10) arranged in a triangle, and three plug guide structures arranged in a triangle. Each plug guide structure is located outside the line connecting two adjacent plug bodies (10).

7. The floating plug according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The tapered retainer is a tapered nut (103) to adjust the initial pressure of the compression spring (13).

8. A floating socket, characterized in that, It includes a socket fixing seat (2) for fixed connection with the mounting base and a socket floating seat mounted on the socket fixing plate. The socket floating seat and the socket fixing seat (2) are in a blocking fit in the front-back direction and slide fit in the radial direction. The socket fixing plate and the socket floating seat are connected by the mutual cooperation of at least three radial tension springs (234) distributed at different positions in the circumference. The center of the socket floating seat is located within the polygon enclosed by the radial tension springs (234), which realizes the floating of the socket floating seat in the radial direction and the torsion around the front-back axis. The socket floating seat is equipped with a socket body (21) that extends in the front and back.

9. The floating socket according to claim 8, characterized in that, One of the socket floating seat and the socket fixed seat (2) includes front and rear limiting plates connected at an interval, and the other has a sliding mating plate (208) sandwiched between the front and rear limiting plates. A radial tension spring (234) is provided between the front and rear limiting plates to make full use of the space in the front and rear directions.

10. The floating socket according to claim 9, characterized in that, The sliding mating plate (208) is part of the socket fixing seat (2) and is a ring plate. The front and rear limiting plates are part of the socket floating seat and are located on the front and rear sides of the ring plate respectively. The socket body (21) is located in the ring hole of the ring plate. The outer end of the radial tension spring (234) is connected to the ring plate, and the inner end is connected to the spring connecting pin (233) connecting the front and rear limiting plates.

11. The floating socket according to claim 10, characterized in that, The front and rear limit plates are respectively provided with through holes for the socket body (21) to pass through. The socket body (21) passes through the front and rear limit plates from front to back, and a locking nut (215) is screwed on the rear end to lock the socket body (21) onto the socket floating seat.

12. The floating socket according to any one of claims 8-11, characterized in that, There are three socket bodies (21) evenly distributed in the circumferential direction, and there are three radial tension springs (234) arranged between two adjacent socket bodies (21).

13. The floating socket according to claim 12, characterized in that, The floating socket base is provided with a forward-extending socket guide structure for cooperating with the floating plug. There are three socket guide structures arranged in a triangle, and each socket guide structure is located outside the line connecting two adjacent socket bodies (21).

14. A floating fluid connection assembly, characterized in that, It includes a floating plug and a floating socket, wherein the floating plug is the floating plug according to any one of claims 1-7, and the floating socket is the floating socket according to any one of claims 8-13.

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