QUICK CONNECTION DEVICE BETWEEN TWO FLUID LINES

Abstract

The invention relates to a quick connection device comprising a male end piece (A) and a female end piece (B) intended to be connected to the ends of two pipes, the male end piece (A) and the female end piece (B) being intended to be fitted into each other, said device comprising an O-ring seal (E) housed in a peripheral recess (B2) of the internal wall of the female end piece (B) and a spring-action locking pin (2) mounted around said end pieces, characterized in that it further comprises a movable ring (1) fitted into the female end piece (B) and intended, successively, to block the pin (2) under stress in the open position and then to move under the support of the male end piece (A) during its fitting by releasing the locking pin and coming, at the end of its travel, to axially close the housing (B2) of the seal (E). Figure 3

Description

Title of the invention: QUICK CONNECTION DEVICE BETWEEN TWO FLUID PIPES

[0001] The invention relates, in general, to the field of connecting pipes and is more particularly concerned with a device suitable and intended to ensure a simple and rapid connection between two pipes of a heat transfer circuit of a motor vehicle.

[0002] The fluid circuits equipping motor vehicles use numerous connections between different conduits or fluid lines. Some connections are made via connecting elements called "quick connectors". These connecting elements generally comprise a male end piece and a female end piece carrying, in particular, a seal and a clip or a metal locking pin intended to cooperate, by deformation, with a collar and a groove.

[0003] These connections also require angular indexing means between the two conduits to be connected in order to allow, on the one hand, the passage and housing of these conduits in the engine compartment and, on the other hand, the optimization of the mechanical resistance of the connection between these conduits and the equipment intended to be connected thereto.

[0004] However, during the operations of connecting the conduits, the assembly of these connection means requires significant efforts on the part of the operator because he must, jointly, compress the joint in compression and forcefully separate the branches of the metal clip.

[0005] However, from the point of view of the ergonomics of a factory assembly line, it turns out that the maximum manual effort exerted by an operator is linked to the frequency of the assembly operations carried out. In other words, the higher this frequency, the lower the effort applied must be. It is therefore crucial to propose rapid connection means requiring low assembly effort to protect operators and avoid, at the same time, the installation of several stations, the use of a greater number of operators and an extension of the duration of assembly procedures.

[0006] There already exist connection means such as the quick connector described in patent FR3120674B1 which comprises, on the one hand, a female end piece having an axial bore provided with a first circular seal and a bore of larger diameter provided with a locking clip and, on the other hand, a male end piece having a first cylindrical surface for receiving a second seal. This connector further comprises an added intermediate sleeve having a second cylindrical surface in which is formed a circular external groove for receiving the locking clip and an internal bore fitting into a groove circular part of the male end which is arranged in front of the first cylindrical surface.

[0007] However, the quick connector described in this patent does not provide a solution to the technical problem posed by the excessive level of cumulative forces that the operator must exert manually to carry out the assembly and locking of the connection between the male and female ends.

[0008] In fact, this quick coupling does not allow for a reduction in the forces to be exerted by taking advantage of a pin already open when the operator inserts and pushes the male end into the female end, nor does it allow for an automatic return of this pin after assembly.

[0009] In this context, the invention consists, mainly, in proposing a quick connection device making it possible to eliminate, or at least significantly reduce, the force required to compress the sealing gasket and retract the locking pin as it passes over the collar.

[0010] This object is achieved, according to the invention, by means of a quick connection device comprising a male end piece and a female end piece intended to be connected to the ends of two pipes, the male end piece and the female end piece being intended to be fitted into each other, said device comprising an O-ring seal housed in a peripheral recess of the internal wall of the female end piece and a spring-effect locking pin mounted around said end pieces, characterized in that it further comprises a movable ring fitted into the female end piece and intended, successively, to block the pin under stress in the open position and then to move under the support of the male end piece during its fitting by releasing the locking pin and coming, at the end of its travel, to axially close the housing of the seal.

[0011] According to an advantageous characteristic of the device of the invention, the ring comprises a chamfered rear wall intended to receive the support of a beveled front flank forming a pusher carried by the external wall of the male end piece.

[0012] According to another characteristic of the device of the invention, the male end piece has, at the front of the beveled flank, a cylindrical section which radially closes the housing of the seal.

[0013] According to a specific variant embodiment of the device of the invention, the male end piece is provided, on its external wall, with a peripheral groove in which the locking pin is housed after its release. According to the invention, this groove is located behind the beveled flank.

[0014] According to another characteristic of the connection device of the invention, the ring is provided with at least one axial guide rib intended to slide in a groove carried by the internal wall of the female end piece.

[0015] Preferably, the ring has a partially concave front face whose radius of curvature corresponds substantially to the section of the seal.

[0016] Still according to the invention, the periphery of the ring has a front edge intended to come into abutment against a shoulder provided near the housing of the seal on the internal wall of the female end piece.

[0017] According to yet another characteristic of the connection device of the invention, the ring comprises a snap-fastening member cooperating, at the end of travel, with a complementary member carried by the internal wall of the female end piece.

[0018] Another object of the invention is a motor vehicle equipped with fluid lines connected by means of a quick connection device as defined above.

[0019] In its most general aspect, the invention proposes a connection device providing an improved technical solution to the problem of easy, watertight and lockable assembly of the male and female ends of a quick connection fitting.

[0020] More precisely, the ring which is added and arranged in the female end piece before fitting the male end piece makes it possible to block the locking pin in the open position before sliding axially under the action of the male end piece to release this pin and close, at the end of travel, the housing of the sealing joint.

[0021] Thus, thanks to the invention, the release of the locking pin and its engagement in the groove of the male end piece are carried out automatically.

[0022] Under these conditions, it is no longer necessary for the operator to force the pin apart and the latter only has to exert a simple effort to push the male end piece by pushing the ring into the female end piece in order to position and compress the sealing gasket in its housing, which facilitates the assembly operations.

[0023] Furthermore, the ring can be added and inserted into the female end piece by the supplier before any assembly in the factory. The assembly method implemented according to the invention complies with the standards by ensuring, at the same time, the function of final locking of the pin in the groove of the male end piece, the imprisonment of the sealing gasket in its housing and a reliable and rapid connection of the pipes.

[0024] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge on reading the description which follows, with reference to the appended figures, for which:

[0025] [Fig. 1] is a schematic exploded perspective view of a female end piece and a ring according to a preferred embodiment of the quick connection device of the invention in the waiting position.

[0026] [Fig.2] is a schematic half-sectional view of the device of [Fig.l] in the intermediate position after fitting the male end into the female end.

[0027] [Fig.3] is a schematic half-sectional view of the device of [Fig.l] in the final position after locking the connection.

[0028] For clarity, identical or similar elements are identified by identical reference signs throughout the figures.

[0029] Naturally, the embodiment of the quick connection device of the invention illustrated schematically by the figures presented above and described below, is given only as non-limiting examples. It is explicitly provided within the scope of the invention that different modes can be proposed and combined with each other to propose others.

[0030] The invention relates to the general field of the connection of fluid pipes by means of so-called "quick" connectors and is more particularly concerned with a device intended for the rapid connection of fluid pipes integrated into the heat transfer liquid circuits equipping motor vehicles.

[0031] In general and traditionally, the respective ends of these pipes are provided with a male end piece A and a female end piece B intended to be manually fitted into each other by an operator, as illustrated by figures 1 and 2 representing an embodiment to which the invention applies.

[0032] The devices allowing a rapid connection of these pipes comprise, on the one hand, a metal locking pin 2 mounted under stress around the end pieces A, B and intended to engage in a groove B1 provided on the wall of the female end piece B and, on the other hand, an O-ring seal E housed in a peripheral relief B2 of the internal wall of the female end piece B.

[0033] The invention aims to minimize the forces exerted to ensure the assembly of the connection device which, currently, are essentially linked to the accumulation of two peak forces necessary, on the one hand, for the compression of the sealing joint and, on the other hand, for the forced separation of the metal pin 2. For this purpose, the invention consists of eliminating, or at least very significantly reducing, the force exerted by the operator on the pin to concentrate his forces on the compression of the joint E alone.

[0034] To this end, the invention proposes to arrange, in the female end piece B, a movable ring 1 intended to block, before connection, the locking pin 2 under constraints in the open position then to move towards the inside of the female end piece B under the support of the male end piece A during its fitting by releasing the pin and coming, at the end of travel, axially closing the housing B2 of the seal E. The locking pin 2 first comes to be housed in the peripheral groove B1 of the female end piece B bearing against the ring 1 ([Fig.2]) then in the groove A1 of the male end piece A ([Fig.3]).

[0035] For this purpose, the ring 1 has a chamfered rear wall 11 intended to receive the support of a beveled front flank A2 forming a pusher carried by the external wall of the male end piece A. The “front” and “rear” orientations are defined here in relation to the sides, respectively, left and right of the device shown in Figures 2 and 3 and correspond to positions relative to the direction of fitting. The male end piece has, for its part, at the front of the beveled flank A2, a cylindrical section A3 closing, radially inside the female end piece B, the housing B2 of the seal E. The groove B1 of the female end piece B intended to receive the pin 2 is then slightly offset backwards relative to the beveled flank A2.

[0036] Preferably and as illustrated by [Fig.l], the ring 1 carries at least one axial guide rib 12 (and here an upper rib and a set of three lower ribs) intended to slide in a corresponding groove B3 carried by the internal wall of the female end piece B. Preferably, the ring 1 has a partially concave front face (not shown) whose radius of curvature corresponds substantially to the section of the sealing joint E.

[0037] Still according to the invention, the periphery of the ring 1 has a front edge 10 intended to come into abutment against a shoulder B4 formed near the housing B2 of the seal E on the internal wall of the female end piece B.

[0038] Where appropriate, according to an alternative embodiment of the invention not shown, the ring 1 comprises a snap-fastening member cooperating, at the end of its travel, with a complementary member carried by the internal wall of the female end piece. The connection device of the invention is thus provided with means jointly ensuring radial locking via the pin 2 and axial locking via the snap-fastening members of the ring 1.

[0039] The connection method using the device of the invention is carried out in the manner described below. Before assembling the quick connection, the ring 1 is in the retracted position in the female end piece B and spreads the locking pin 2 under stress to keep it in the open position. In this position, the seal E is free and retained in its housing B2 at the front of the ring 1.

[0040] When the operator comes to fit the male end piece A into the female end piece B ( [Fig.2]), its front cylindrical section A3 comes, through the ring 1 still moved back, to progressively and radially close the housing B2 of the seal E. During this phase, the operator must only exert, via the male end piece A, a radial compression force on the seal E and no other force is necessary.

[0041] Then, by continuing the fitting after the compression peak of the seal E and when the latter slides over its sealing diameter, the ring 1 is pushed and moved in a sliding manner towards the inside of the female end piece B, releasing the pin 2. The latter, by releasing, then automatically engages and slides in the respective grooves B1 and A1 of the female B and male A ends.

[0042] The housing B2 of the seal E is progressively reduced by compressing it due to the movement of the ring 1 until, at the end of the fitting stroke of the male end piece A, the ring comes into abutment against the internal shoulder B4 of the female end piece B and axially closes the housing B4 of the seal E. In this final position illustrated by [Fig. 3], the pin 2 is located at the bottom of the groove A1 and ensures the locking of the sealed connection. If necessary, the ring 1 is locked in this position by snap-fastening.

Claims

Claims

1. Quick connection device comprising a male end piece (A) and a female end piece (B) intended to be connected to the ends of two pipes, the male end piece (A) and the female end piece (B) being intended to be fitted into each other, said device comprising an O-ring seal (E) housed in a peripheral recess (B2) of the internal wall of the female end piece (B) and a spring-action locking pin (2) mounted around said end pieces, characterized in that it further comprises a movable ring (1) fitted into the female end piece (B) and intended, successively, to block the pin (2) under stress in the open position and then to move under the support of the male end piece (A) during its fitting by releasing the locking pin and coming, at the end of its travel, to axially close the housing (B2) of the seal (E).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said ring (1) comprises a chamfered rear wall (11) intended to receive the support of a beveled front flank (A2) forming a pusher carried by the external wall of the male end piece (A).

3. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the male end piece (A) has, at the front of the beveled flank (A2), a cylindrical section (A3) radially closing the housing (B2) of the seal (E).

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the male end piece (A) is provided, on its external wall, with a peripheral groove (Al) in which said locking pin (2) is housed after its release.

5. Device according to claims 2 and 4, characterized in that said groove (Al) is located behind the beveled flank (A2).

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said ring (1) is provided with at least one axial guide rib (12) intended to slide in a rib (B3) carried by the internal wall of the female end piece (B).

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said ring (1) has a partially concave front face whose radius of curvature corresponds substantially to the section of the sealing joint (E).

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the periphery of said ring (1) has a front edge (10) intended to come into abutment against a shoulder (B4) provided near the housing (B2) of the seal (E) on the internal wall of the female end piece (B).

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said ring (1) comprises a snap-fastening member cooperating, at the end of travel, with a complementary member carried by the internal wall of the female end piece (B).

10. Motor vehicle equipped with fluid lines connected by means of a quick connection device according to one of the preceding claims.

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