FLUID CONNECTION UNIT

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a fluid connection unit which is designed to connect a fluid line to a connector.

[0002] For example, in water installations (e.g. heating or drinking water), screw connections are used for a variety of applications, such as connecting a water meter, a pump, changing pipe systems, etc. According to the state of the art, these connections are usually made with imperial, conical threads. The conical external thread is coated with sealant (hemp, sealing tape, sealing cord) and screwed into a conical internal thread to create a tight connection. This involves additional work. As a result, the connection may leak because the internal thread part tears due to too much sealant or fails to seal due to too little sealant. This can result in water damage with significant financial loss for the owner.

[0003] From document EP 0 733 847 B1, which is considered the closest prior art, a fluid connection unit is known which is designed to connect a fluid line to a connector. The fluid connection unit comprises a base body and an insert element with an internal thread. The insert element can be inserted into the base body in such a way that it is arranged non-destructively and permanently against the insertion direction. Reference is also made to document EP 2 284 431 A1.

[0004] The present invention therefore has the object of providing a fluid connection unit with improved properties.

[0005] This object is achieved according to the present invention by a fluid connection unit according to claim 1.

[0006] Thus, the base body and the insert element can be formed separately from one another, particularly in a simplified manufacturing process, and then joined together to form the fluid connection unit according to the invention. In this way, geometries and / or material combinations can be realized that would not be possible in a conventional manner, particularly with an integral design of these two components.

[0007] In particular, the insert element can be non-rotationally symmetrical, in particular hexagonal, in the region where the insert element connects to the base body, so that rotation of the insert element relative to the base body is essentially prevented in the connected state. In this way, the connecting piece can be screwed into the insert element without the insert element rotating relative to the base body.

[0008] Furthermore, the base body can have at least two surfaces on its outer side that run parallel to one another and, in particular, are diametrically opposed with respect to a central axis of the base body. These two parallel surfaces on the outer side of the base body can be used, for example, as a wrench size for a tool in order to be able to rotate the base body with the insert element inserted therein more easily using the tool, for example relative to the connecting piece. In conjunction with the feature described above that the insert element is designed as a polygon, for example hexagonal, in the region in which the insert element connects to the base body, an outer side of the base body can also be designed correspondingly as a polygon, for example hexagonal.Thus, a substantially constant wall thickness of the base body along the circumference thereof can result in this area.

[0009] Advantageously, the base body can be made of a high-temperature plastic, in particular PPSU. Since, due to the process involved in manufacturing components from a high-temperature plastic, radially inwardly projecting projections, in particular internal threads, can only be formed to a very limited extent, threaded bushings with an internal thread must be subsequently introduced into base bodies made of a high-temperature plastic according to the prior art in a complex manner, for example, using a vibration process. The present invention therefore allows the advantageous properties of a base body made of a high-temperature plastic to be fully utilized while still providing it with an internal thread in a simple manner.

[0010] The base body and / or the insert element can be manufactured using an injection molding process. This allows for cost-effective production of the fluid connection unit according to the invention.

[0011] The insert element can also comprise PE_RT (polyethylene with increased temperature resistance) or cross-linked polyethylene, for example, PEX or PEX_C, or PTFE. The materials described above, such as radiation-cross-linked PEX_C, can impart a self-sealing property to the insert element or its internal thread with respect to the connector or its external thread.

[0012] In a further development of the present invention, the insert element can have a cylindrical region at its end opposite the internal thread, the outer diameter of which corresponds approximately to the diameter of the thread and which defines a fluid flow channel in its interior. This makes it possible to ensure that a fluid flow channel defined in the cylindrical region has a substantially identical diameter to a fluid flow channel defined within the external thread of the connecting piece in order to ensure substantially consistent fluid flow properties across the fluid connection unit and the adjacent regions of the connected components. The fluid flow channel of the insert element can advantageously be in fluid communication with the fluid flow channel of the base body, in particular along a common axis.

[0013] The cylindrical region of the insert element can have one or more circumferential grooves for accommodating a sealing element or sealing cord. Sealing the insert element against the inside of the base body in this area can prevent fluid from entering an inner contact area of ​​the insert element with the base body and escaping to an outer side of the fluid connection unit.

[0014] In particular, the internal thread of the insert element can be conical. This conical design of the internal thread can achieve a self-sealing property, which is often required or at least desired by standards for such fluid connections.

[0015] The insert element has at least one radially outwardly protruding locking knob on its outer surface, which is designed to engage with a corresponding recess in the base body. In particular, knob-like projections can be formed on all surfaces of the polygon, for example, the hexagon. If the insert element is radially compressed / expanded when screwing in the connector, this results in a very stable connection that can only be released by destruction, for example, shearing.

[0016] In this case, the at least one recess in the base body, into which a respective locking stud engages when the base body and insert element are connected, can be designed as a through-hole that completely penetrates the wall of the base body. Such through-holes can be produced inexpensively using retractable and extendable bolts, particularly with high-temperature materials such as PPSU, since disintegration nuclei can only be used to a limited extent, if at all, due to the necessary cooling / temperature control.

[0017] Alternatively or additionally, the base body can have a plurality of recesses, each having a central axis, of which at least two, in particular all, run essentially parallel to one another. This respective central axis can be understood in particular as an axis which runs along a main direction of extension through the wall of the base body and through the center of gravity of a cross-section of the recess formed orthogonally thereto. This makes it possible for an injection molding tool, which in the simplest embodiment is made of two parts, to have parallel and inwardly projecting pin-like projections, and for the two halves of this injection molding tool to be easily separated from one another in order to remove the injection-molded part.

[0018] The insert element can further comprise a shoulder which extends from a longitudinal end of the insert element, in particular a longitudinal end of the outer polygon thereof. The shoulder can be substantially annular. The central internal thread of the insert element can continue through the shoulder. The shoulder can in particular be designed and arranged such that, even after the insert element has been connected to the base body, it extends away from the base body with respect to the central axis of the fluid flow channel, i.e. extends further in this axial direction than the base body. The shoulder preferably has a flat end face at its free end, the plane of which is oriented substantially orthogonally, in particular to the central axis of the fluid flow channel.

[0019] If the fluid connection unit is now connected to a higher-level assembly, the shoulder can rest against it, thus providing an additional seal. In one possible embodiment, the shoulder can be plastically deformed in order to adapt to the mating surface of the higher-level assembly in a sealing manner. The shoulder can protrude, for example, by 1 mm to 5 mm, preferably by 2 mm, from the remaining insert element, in particular from its polygon, or from the base body in the axial direction. The present invention will be described below using two exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. It shows: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a fluid connection unit according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an insert element of the first embodiment of the fluid connection unit according to the invention; Figure 3 shows a side cross-sectional view of the fluid connection unit from Figure 1 ; Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a fluid connection unit, this second embodiment not being in accordance with the invention; Figure 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the fluid connection unit of Figure 4 ; and Figure 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the insert element.

[0020] In Figure 1 A fluid connection unit according to the invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10. The fluid connection unit 10 comprises a base body 12 and an insert element 14.

[0021] The insert element 14 has on its outer side in a Figure 2shown on the left a hexagonal shape 16 and in a Figure 2 The insert element 14 has a cylindrical shape 18 in the area shown on the right. A groove 20 is arranged on the cylindrical shape 18, in which a sealing element (not shown), such as an O-ring, can be received in order to form a seal between the insert element 14 and the base body 12 (see also Figure 3 ).

[0022] On the hexagonal shape 16, a locking knob 22 is provided on each of the six hexagonal surfaces, which protrudes radially outwards from a respective surface. A radially outer surface of each locking knob 22 rises from a Figure 2 shown right side, on which a respective locking knob 22 is substantially flush with the surface of the hexagonal shape 16, to a Figure 2towards the left side shown increasingly radially outwards. In this way, the insert element 14 can be pushed into a corresponding receptacle 24 of the base body 12 until a respective locking knob 22 engages / locks with an associated recess 26 (see also Figure 3 ). Thus, the insert element 14 can be secured in the receptacle 24 of the base body 12 both rotationally via its outer shape and axially by the engagement of the locking knobs 22.

[0023] The insert element 14 has on its inside an internal thread 28, which is conical here and extends from a Figure 3 left side to a Figure 3 right side of the internal thread 28. At the Figure 3Adjoining the right side of the internal thread 28 shown in FIG. 1 is a substantially cylindrical fluid flow channel 30 which is arranged radially within the region with the cylindrical shape 18. This cylindrical fluid flow channel 30 extends at a Figure 3 side shown on the right into a fluid flow channel 32 of the base body 12, wherein here an outer diameter of the area with the cylindrical shape 18 of the insert element 14 essentially corresponds to a nominal inner diameter of the internal thread 28.

[0024] If a connecting piece is now screwed into the internal thread 28 of the insert element 14, the insert element 14 is pushed radially outwards due to the conical shape of the internal thread 28 and the elastic material properties of the insert element 14, whereby the engagement between the locking knobs 22 and the respective recesses 26 is additionally reinforced.

[0025] As particularly in Figure 1As can be seen, the three Figure 1 visible recesses 26, which are designed here as through-holes through the wall of the base body 12, have mutually parallel central axes. On a side diametrically opposite a central axis X of the fluid connection unit 10, the base body 12 in the illustrated embodiment has three further recesses 26, each of which is provided with a corresponding one of the Figure 1 visible recesses 26, so that three through holes 26 are formed which completely penetrate the base body 12 from the outside to the opposite outside.

[0026] In the Figure 4 and 5A second embodiment 110 of a fluid connection unit is now shown, wherein this second embodiment is not according to the invention, wherein with regard to the second embodiment 110 of the fluid connection unit, explicit reference is made to the advantages, features and functions of the first and inventive embodiment 10 of the fluid connection unit, so that in the following only the differences between the second embodiment 110 and the first embodiment 10 are pointed out. Identical components will be designated by the same reference numerals. Analogous, but modified, components will be designated by reference numerals which are increased by 100 relative to a respective analogous component of the fluid connection unit 10.

[0027] The base body 12 of the fluid connection unit 110 is identical to the base body 12 of the fluid connection unit 10. Of course, it is also conceivable that the fluid connection unit 110 may have a base body that is designed differently than the base body 12 of the fluid connection unit 10.

[0028] In contrast to the insert element 14, the insert element 114 (see Figure 5 ) does not have any radially outwardly projecting locking knobs, but comprises notches 134, which are aligned with the recesses 26 (see Figure 4), are aligned when the insert element 114 is inserted into the base body 12. In this assembled state, two halves 136a and 136b of a securing element 136 can now be pushed onto the base body 12 from the outside in such a way that pin-like projections 138, which extend radially inward from the two halves 136a and 136b of the securing element 136 and are formed to fit the recesses 26, pass through the recesses 26 of the base body 12 and engage with the notches 134 of the insert element 114. In this way, the insert element 114 can be secured in the base body 12.

[0029] In Figure 4 and 5 It can also be seen that the securing element 136 has an edge 140 which has a Figure 5 engages around the end shown on the left in order to also come into contact with the insert element 114 and to secure it axially.

[0030] In Figure 4It can also be seen that the two halves 136a and 136b of the securing element 136, in the assembled state, lock together via a locking mechanism 142 formed on both sides diametrically with respect to a main axis X of the fluid connection unit 110, so that an unintentional detachment of the two halves 136a and 136b of the securing element 136 from the base body 12 can be prevented.

[0031] The base body 12 has, at its end opposite the receptacle 24 for receiving the insert element 14 or 114, a nozzle 44 which is designed to connect the fluid connection unit 10 or 110 to a fluid line, for example using a compression sleeve (not shown).

[0032] In Figure 6A perspective view of a second embodiment of the insert element is shown. Features of the second embodiment of the insert element that are analogous to the first embodiment of the insert element are designated by analogous reference numerals, but increased by the number 200. Features of the insert element 214 that are identical to the insert element 14 are designated by identical reference numerals.

[0033] In contrast to the insert element 14, the insert element 214 (see Figure 6 ) has a shoulder 246 which projects along the axial direction X from the hexagonal shape 16, on the side opposite the cylindrical shape 18. The shoulder 246 is substantially annular and has an end face 248 oriented orthogonally to the axis X. The central internal thread 228 of the insert element 214 continues through the shoulder 246.

[0034] When a fluid connection unit provided with the insert element 214 is connected to a superordinate assembly, the shoulder 246 can adapt to a mating surface of the superordinate assembly, being plastically deformed in this embodiment, and thus providing a seal of the fluid flow channel 30 to an outside.

Claims

1. Fluid connection unit (10, 110), which is designed to connect a fluid line with a connector, comprising a basic body (12), which is made of plastic, and an insert element (14, 114, 214), which is made of plastic, wherein the basic body (12) defines a fluid flow channel (32) in its interior, which extends from a first longitudinal end of the basic body (12) to a second longitudinal end of the basic body (12), wherein the insert element (14, 114, 214) has an internal thread (28, 228) for connection with the connector, wherein a nozzle (44) is arranged at the first longitudinal end of the basic body (12), which is configured for connection with the fluid line, wherein a receptacle (24) is arranged at the second longitudinal end of the basic body (12), which is configured to receive the insert element (14, 114, 214) in such a manner that an operationally secure connection is formed between the base body (12) and the insert element (14, 114, 214), which is non-destructively inseparable in at least one direction opposite to the insertion direction of the insert element (14, 114, 214) into the basic body (12), characterized in that the insert element (14, 214) has at least one locking lug (22) projecting radially outward on its outer side, which is arranged to engage with a corresponding recess (26) of the basic body (12).

2. Fluid connection unit (10, 110) according to claim 1, characterized in that the insert element (14, 114, 214) in the area (16) where the insert element (14, 114, 214) connects with the basic body (12) is designed to be non-rotationally symmetrical, in particular hexagonal, so that a rotation of the insert element (14, 114, 214) relative to the basic body (12) in the connected state is essentially prevented.

3. Fluid connection unit (10, 110) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the basic body (12) has on its outer side at least two surfaces (16) that run parallel to each other, and in particular are diametrically opposite with respect to a central axis of the basic body (12).

4. Fluid connection unit (10, 110) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the basic body (12) is made of a high-temperature plastic, in particular PPSU.

5. Fluid connection unit (10, 110) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the basic body (12) and / or the insert element (14, 114, 214) is / are manufactured using an injection molding process.

6. Fluid connection unit (10, 110) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insert element (14, 114, 214) comprises PE_RT or crosslinked polyethylene, for example PEX or PEX_C, or PTFE.

7. Fluid connection unit (10, 110) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insert element (14, 114, 214) has at its end opposite the internal thread (28, 228) a cylindrical section (18), the outer diameter of which approximately corresponds to the diameter of the thread (28, 228) and which defines a fluid flow channel (30) within its interior.

8. Fluid connection unit (10, 110) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the cylindrical area (18) of the insert element (14, 114, 214) has one or more circumferential grooves (20) for receiving a sealing element or sealing cord.

9. Fluid connection unit (10, 110) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the internal thread (28, 228) of the insert element (14, 114, 214) is conically shaped.

10. Fluid connection unit (10, 110) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one recess (26) of the basic body (12), with which a respective locking lug (22) engages in the connected state of the basic body (12) and the insert element (14, 214), is designed as a through-hole which completely penetrates the wall of the basic body (12).

11. Fluid connection unit (10, 110) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the basic body (12) has a plurality of recesses (26), each having a central axis, of which at least two, in particular all, run essentially parallel to each other.