Quick-release coupling with test tab

Abstract

A female connector adapted to be quickly coupled to a male connector, comprising a connector body having a fluid passage and an opening for receiving the male connector, a slot defined in a wall of the female connector, and a test tab received in the slot and slidably movable within the slot along a direction perpendicular to an axial direction in which the male connector is insertable, the test tab having an edge shaped to cause lateral movement of the test tab from a first position in which the indicia on the test tab is obscured to a second position in which the indicia is visibly exposed when engaged by a protruding feature of the male connector.

Description

Area of ​​Revelation

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to quick connect couplings that provide fluid-tight connections in fluid piping and hose systems, and more particularly to quick connect couplings having a test tab that provides a visual indication that a fluid-tight connection has been established. Background of the Revelation

[0002] There is a recognized need to verify that quick-connect coupling assemblies, which generally comprise a socket and a plug connected to a retaining bracket, are properly assembled to prevent leaks. Previous attempts to provide such verification involved the use of a test tab that is slidable along the coupling axis and includes locking elements that can be engaged with retaining elements of a retaining ring. Another previous attempt to verify proper assembly of a quick-connect coupling assembly utilizes a cover that pivots on the housing to conceal the test markings prior to assembly and pivots relative to the housing to expose the markings once the coupling elements are connected.To facilitate the pivoting of the lid, it must be provided with a hinge and a preload element, and the female element of the quick connector must be provided with a hinge opening.

[0003] It is desirable to verify the secure assembly of plug and socket with fewer and simpler components. Summary of Revelation

[0004] The disclosed female quick connect element provides visible verification of a secure connection with a mating male quick connect element using a simple, reliable design with only a single additional component.

[0005] The female quick connect element comprises a connecting body defining a fluid passage and a female coupling end suitable for receiving and forming a fluid-tight connection with a male quick connect element. The female coupling end has an opening for receiving a male coupling element. A slot is defined in a wall of the female coupling end for receiving and laterally deploying a test tab. The slot is configured to allow sliding movement of the test tab in a lateral direction perpendicular to the axial direction (i.e.the direction in which the male coupling element is inserted into the opening) from a first position in which the test tab is sufficiently concealed to prevent the reading of any indicia on the test tab, to a second position in which the test tab is visibly displayed to enable the reading of any indicia on the test tab and to confirm a fluid-tight connection between the connecting elements. The test tab has an edge closest to the opening of the female coupling end which is shaped to cause lateral movement of the test tab from the first position to the second position when engaged by a projecting feature of the male coupling element.

[0006] In certain embodiments, the female connector body has an axial groove adapted to receive and guide a projection on the male coupling member along the axial direction to prevent rotation of the male coupling member relative to the female coupling member while the projection engages the contoured edge of the test tab to cause movement of the tab from the first position to the second position.

[0007] The axial groove of the connector body may have a channel shape suitable for receiving a projection having a rectangular prism shape.

[0008] In other embodiments, the connector body may include a protruding feature that engages the contoured edge of the test tab without interfering with the rotation of the respective elements relative to each other. The protruding feature may, for example, be a circumferential rib or an enlarged frustoconical surface.

[0009] In certain aspects, the contoured edge of the test tab is a straight edge angled relative to the axial direction, wherein the angle between the axial direction and the straight edge is about 15 degrees to 60 degrees.

[0010] The test tab of any of the embodiments or aspects may include indicia on an exposed surface of the test tab when a fluid-tight connection is established between the connecting elements. Such indicia may consist of words, symbols, or a code (including color coding), such as a QR code / data matrix or barcode. Brief description of the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a quick coupling assembly including a female coupling member and a male coupling member before they are mated together. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the arrangement of Fig. 1, wherein the male member is partially inserted into the female member to initiate contact of a projection on the male member with a slidable test tab. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the arrangement of the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, where the male element is fully inserted and the sliding test tab is exposed. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a quick connect assembly including a female connector and a male connector prior to mating. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the arrangement of Fig. 4, wherein the male member is partially inserted into the female member to initiate contact of a projection on the male member with a slidable test tab. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the arrangement of the Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, with the male element fully inserted and the sliding test tab exposed. Fig. Figure 7 is a simplified perspective view of the arrangement of the Fig. 4-6, which shows the engagement of a circumferential rib of the male connector with the contoured edge of the test tab. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of a quick connect assembly including a female connector and a male connector prior to mating. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the arrangement of Fig. 8, wherein the male element is partially inserted into the female element to initiate contact of a protuberance on the male element with a slidable test tab. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the arrangement of the Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, with the male element fully inserted and the sliding test tab exposed. Fig. 11 is a simplified perspective view of the arrangement of the Fig. 8-10, showing the engagement of an enlarged frustoconical surface of the male connector with the contoured edge of the verification tab. Detailed description

[0011] In Fig. 1 shows a quick-connect assembly 10 comprising a female connector 12 and a male connector 14 prior to mating. The connector 12 may be provided with a retaining slot 16 to allow a retaining clip 17 to engage a retaining groove 18 on opposite sides of the connector 14 when assembled. The retaining clip 17 may be made of plastic or metal.

[0012] Fig. 2 shows the element 12 in sketched form to illustrate the position of a movable test tab 20 along a slot 21 defined by the element 12. The slot 21 can be formed, for example, by grooves and / or walls of the element 12. A projection 22 can be provided on the male connecting element 14 to engage and deploy the test tab 20 upon insertion of the element 14 into the female connecting element 12. The projection 22 is slidable along a channel-shaped groove 24 which captures the right-prismatic-shaped projection 22 and prevents rotation of the element 14 relative to the element 12 during insertion of the element 14 into the element 12. Other shapes for the projection 22 and the groove 24 can also be used.In other embodiments, other protruding features such as ribs or enlarged portions of the male connector element may be used, with or without channeled groove(s) and anti-rotation feature(s). When element 14 is pressed against element 12, a surface of projection 22 engages a contoured edge 26 of test tab 20, forcing tab 20 to extend along the slot defined by element 12 from a position shown in FIG. Fig. 2 to a position in which an indicator area 28 of the tab 20 is visibly displayed to enable verification of a proper connection between the elements 12 and 14. During assembly, the projection 22 cooperates with the edge 26 of the tab 20 to translate axial movement of the element 14 relative to the element 12 into lateral movement of the tab 20 in a direction perpendicular to the axial movement of the element 14 to enable viewing of an indicator area 28. Upon full insertion of the element 14 into the element 12, the indicator area 28 is fully exposed, along with any markings or characters located within the indicator area.

[0013] In an alternative embodiment, which is described in the Fig. 4-7, the groove 24 of the member 12 and the projection 22 of the member 14 may be omitted, and instead, the member 14 may include a projecting feature, such as a circumferential rib 30, which engages the edge 26 of the test tab 20.

[0014] In a further alternative embodiment, which is described in the Fig. 8-11, the groove 24 and the projection 22 may be omitted and instead the element 14 may have an enlarged portion 35, for example a frusto-conical portion, which can engage the edge 26 of the tab 20.

[0015] The contoured edge 26 of the test tab 20, which engages a protruding feature of the male connecting element 14, such as the protrusion 22, the rib 30, or the enlarged portion 35, may be straight or curved (e.g., parabolic, hyperbolic, sinusoidal, etc.). Straight edges 26 are presently preferred because they are easiest to manufacture. The straight edge 26 is preferably oriented at an acute angle relative to the axial direction in which the element 14 is inserted into the element 12, with an acceptable angle being from about 15 degrees to 60 degrees or 40 degrees to 50 degrees (e.g., about 45 degrees).

[0016] The display area 28 of the tab 20 can be provided with characters, such as a machine-readable code (e.g. barcode or QR code), which can be applied using various techniques, such as printing, laser etching, painting, engraving, embossing, molding, etc. The marking can also or alternatively include words, letters, numbers or symbols that can be read by humans.

[0017] The above description is illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention should be determined by reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents. It is anticipated and intended that future developments in the art will occur, and that the disclosed devices, kits, and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. Therefore, the invention is capable of modification and variation and is limited only by the following claims.

Claims

[1] A female connector comprising: a connector body defining a fluid passage with an opening adapted to receive and connectably engage a male connector member; a slot defined in the connector body; and a test tab received in the slot and slidably movable within the slot along a lateral direction perpendicular to an axial direction into which the male connector is insertable, the test tab having an edge contoured to effect lateral movement of the test tab from a first position in which the test tab is concealed to a second position in which the test tab is visibly exposed when engaged by a protruding feature of the male connector during insertion of the male connector into the opening, whereby effective coupling of the quick connect elements can be verified. [2] The quick connector element according to claim 1, wherein the connector body has a groove on an inner surface of a wall of the connector body which is suitable for receiving and guiding a projection projecting from the male connector element to prevent rotation of the male connector element relative to the connector body during connection. [3] The quick connector element according to claim 2, wherein the groove has the shape of a channel to receive a protuberance having a right prismatic shape. [4] The quick connector element according to claim 1, wherein the connector body is adapted to enable engagement of the test tab with a circumferential rib on the male connector element. [5] The quick connector element according to claim 1, wherein the contoured edge of the test tab is straight and forms an acute angle with respect to the axial direction. [6] The quick connector element according to claim 5, wherein the angle of the straight edge of the test tab relative to the axial direction is between 15 degrees and 60 degrees. [7] The quick connector element according to claim 5, wherein the angle of the straight edge of the test tab relative to the axial direction is between 40 degrees and 50 degrees. [8] The quick connect element according to claim 1 further comprising indicia on a surface of the test tab that are visibly displayed when the female quick connect element is effectively coupled to the male quick connect element. [9] The quick connector element according to claim 8, wherein the indicia are a machine-readable code. [10] The quick connector element according to claim 8, wherein the indicia comprise words, numbers or symbols that can be read by a human. [11] The quick connector element according to claim 9, wherein the machine-readable code is a QR code or a bar code. [12] The quick connector element according to claim 1, wherein the connector body is adapted to enable engagement of the test tab with a frusto-conical portion of the male connector element. [13] A quick connect assembly comprising the female connector element according to claim 2 and a male connector element having a projecting projection engageable in the groove. [14] A quick connect assembly comprising the female connector element according to claim 4 and a male connector element having a circumferential rib for engagement with the test tab. [15] A quick connect assembly comprising the female connector element according to claim 14 and a male connector element having an enlarged frusto-conical portion for engagement with the test tab.

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