Device for sealed connection between two containment enclosures for improved sealing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for sealed connection between two enclosures each defining a containment volume.SOLUTION: For a device for sealed connection between two doors 2, 5 each comprising a coaxial complementary flange 3, the flange 3 of one of the doors 5 and of the other door 2 comprises at least one peripheral seal 1, 4 each comprising an annular seal body extended at its outer peripheral part by an annular bead, the door and the flange having seals comprising, on the one hand, a tubular bearing surface complementary to the outer peripheral surface of the seal body and, on the other hand, a circular groove for engagement with the bead.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for a sealed connection between two housings each defining a containment volume, each housing having a door with a coaxial complementary flange, the door of one of the housings and the flange of the door of the other housing having at least one peripheral seal.

[0002] In the present application, an enclosure is understood to mean any product, assembly or device that defines a volume, and therefore may be an insulator, a container, a vessel or a bag.

[0003] A containment volume is understood to mean a sealed volume isolated from the external environment, which may in particular, but not exclusively, be a volume for preparing, storing and / or handling products that must not come into contact with the outside or the user.

[0004] The connection device according to the present invention is particularly intended, but not exclusively, for connecting two enclosures for the purpose of transferring products from one enclosure to the other without damaging the containment. This may include, for example, the transfer of hazardous products such as certain biological, chemical, or radioactive products, the transfer of components such as stoppers, vials, plungers, syringes, etc., the transfer of environmental control devices such as media plates, particle counters, the transfer of cleaning systems, the transfer of liquids, powders, tools, the transfer of waste outside the enclosure, and / or the transfer of any element required for the production or maintenance of a production line.

[0005] prior art Transferring products from one volume to another without damaging the containment of those volumes is a difficult problem to solve. To address this problem, double door sealing connection devices have been developed, including, for example, those described in French Patent Applications Nos. 2777822 and 3036054 and U.S. Patent No. 6,591,662.

[0006] The double door connection devices described in these documents are formed by first and second door / flange assemblies, one of which is for an enclosure into which product needs to be transferred, and the other door / flange assembly is for an enclosure from which product is to be transferred. One of the connected enclosures may be, for example, a bin-type waste collection receptacle, while the other enclosure may be a processing enclosure. The flange of each assembly defines an access opening that is closed by an associated door, and the flange and door of each enclosure are sealed together by a seal generally made of an elastomer.

[0007] In French patent applications Nos. 2777822 and 3036054, the housings are connected to each other by what is referred to as a bayonet system, where the male lugs of the flange and door of the container engage with the female lugs of the flange and door of the other housing, respectively, allowing the flange of the container to lock onto the flange of the processing housing and the flange of the door of the container to lock onto the door of the housing, followed by rotation of the container, which unlocks the doors connected to each other by unlocking the doors from their respective flanges.

[0008] The seal traditionally used in this type of connection device is a fir tree (or harpoon) shaped lip seal. Figures 1a-1c show an example of a double door arrangement with such a seal. These connection devices are generally satisfactory. However, the rotational movements required to lock the flanges and doors together and unlock the doors from their respective flanges, or vice versa, to install the communicating enclosure volumes, exert repeated stresses on the seal as a result of the repeated transfer motion. This, given the arrangement, poses the risk of deformation, twisting, and movement of the seal when the enclosures are connected to each other, thus creating seal problems that could lead to failure of the enclosure containment.

[0009] In U.S. Patent No. 6,591,662, the enclosures are connected by magnetic means supported by the doors of each enclosure or by pneumatic means acting between the doors. There is no rotational movement between the doors. This is therefore known as a static environment. The seals used in this type of connection device are solid seals, which provide better installation and ensure a good seal. However, this type of seal remains inadequate in dynamic environments, such as connection devices that may be actuated by rotational movement.

[0010] The present invention aims to overcome these difficulties by providing a sealed connection device between two containment housings, which provides a reinforced, stable and durable seal between the housings.

[0011] Subject of the Invention To this end, and according to a first aspect, the invention provides a device for connecting a seal between two doors each comprising coaxial complementary flanges with an advantageously cylindrical connecting interface, the flanges of one of the doors and the other door comprising at least one peripheral seal, the device being characterized in that each of the peripheral seals comprises an annular seal body extended in its outer circumferential part by an annular bead, the door and the flange supporting the seal comprising, on the one hand, a tubular bearing surface complementary to the outer circumferential surface of the seal body and, on the other hand, a circular groove for engagement with the bead, the seal body preferably comprising at least one surface in contact with one of the flanges and / or one of the doors that is not smooth.

[0012] Therefore, due to the arrangement of the assembly with the seals and the parts supporting them, the seals provided on the connection device have greater resistance to friction that occurs during the rotational movement of the elements relative to each other when one housing is connected to another, as well as when components are transferred from one housing to another and vice versa during opening.

[0013] Advantageously, the seal has an "L" cross section, which offers the advantage of being simple to machine, thus making it possible to reduce the risk of failure of the seal and therefore of damaging the containment part due to machining errors.

[0014] Advantageously, when the door and flange are connected to one another, the seal is inverted symmetrically with respect to the cross section.

[0015] Advantageously, the outer peripheral surface of the seal body is smooth.

[0016] Advantageously, the seal body has a non-smooth tubular inner circumferential contact surface and / or a non-smooth annular front contact surface, which makes it possible to promote friction when the container is connected to the processing housing and thus to reinforce the seal.

[0017] Advantageously, the seal body has a thickness greater than the thickness of the annular bead.

[0018] Advantageously, the seal is made entirely or partly from a silicone material or other material that minimizes the effects of charged remanence or has an anti-friction surface treatment.

[0019] Advantageously, the seal comprises a reinforcing insert.

[0020] The advantage of this type of connection device is that it can be implemented with a rotation mechanism for locking and unlocking the door and flange, while providing a seal that is as reinforced, stable, and durable as a static seal.

[0021] The invention also relates to a seal for a flange or door intended to form a connection device as described above, comprising an annular seal body extended at its outer periphery by an annular bead, said seal body advantageously having a non-smooth tubular inner circumferential surface and / or a non-smooth annular front surface, the latter defining a surface intended to come into contact with one of the flanges and / or one of the doors of the connection device.

[0022] The invention also relates to a door provided on the containment housing and comprising a seal as described above.

[0023] The present invention also relates to a containment housing comprising a seal as described above.

[0024] The present invention also relates to an insulator that includes a flange defining an access opening to the interior of the enclosure, a door sealingly closing the access opening, and a seal as described above supported by the flange or door. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1a] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art device for a sealed connection between two housings. [Figure 1b] 1b is a cross-sectional view of one of the component parts of the connection device from FIG. 1a. [Figure 1c] 1b is a cross-sectional view of another component part of the connection device from FIG. 1a. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a device for a sealed connection between two housings according to the invention; [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of one of the component parts of the connection device from FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 shows the sealing of the component parts of the connection device from FIG. 3. [Figure 4bis]4 shows an alternative embodiment of a seal for a component part of the connection device from FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 3 is a cross-sectional view of another component part of the connection device from FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 6 shows the sealing of the component parts of the connection device from FIG. 5. [Figure 6bis] 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the seal of the component parts of the connection device from FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 3 shows the connection device from FIG. 2 with the housings opened towards each other without damaging the enclosure. [Figure 8] 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the component part from FIG. 3. [Figure 8bis] 9 shows an exploded perspective view of the door comprising the component parts from FIG. 8. FIG. [Figure 9] 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the component part from FIG. 5. [Figure 9bis] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the flange forming the component part from FIG. 9.

[0026] For greater clarity, identical or similar elements of the various embodiments will be designated by the same reference numerals in all figures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] 2 to 7, a device for a sealed connection between two housings isolated from the external environment is described, each housing comprising a flange 3, 7 and a door 2, 5 sealingly closing an opening defined by the associated flange.

[0028] According to certain embodiments, one of the housings is fixed and the other housing is portable. The fixed housing can be a processing housing, while the portable housing can be a container or bag. Thus, the processing housing comprises a flange 7 and a door 5, which is preferably circular and sealingly closes an opening defined by the flange 7. The door 5 is hinged relative to the flange 7 about an axis tangent to the flange. Similarly, the container comprises a flange 3 and a door 2, which sealingly closes the opening defined by the flange 3. The door 2, which is also circular, is sized to fit into the opening defined by the flange 7 of the processing housing door 5, allowing the door to pass through the opening.

[0029] The connection device comprises two parts each with coaxial complementary flanges having a mating interface, advantageously cylindrical or conical, each part being formed by the door of one of the housings, the complementary flange being the flange defining the access opening of the respective housing.

[0030] The connection device further comprises two peripheral seals 1, 4. In the embodiment shown, one of the seals 4 is supported by the door 5 of the processing housing, while the other seal 1 is supported by the flange 3 of the container. Of course, it will be clear that an inverted arrangement of the seals may be provided without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0031] Each seal 1, 4 advantageously has an annular seal body 10, 40 with a parallelepiped cross section, which body is extended within its outer periphery by an annular bead 11, 41. According to a preferred embodiment, each seal 1, 4 has a substantially L-shaped cross section (Figures 4 and 6).

[0032] Each seal 1, 4 is housed in a matching housing provided for this purpose in the part (door or flange) that supports it. Each seal is therefore positioned to completely fill the housing, leaving no gaps or voids between it and its associated door and flange. As shown in FIG. 2, when a container is connected to the processing housing, seal 4 of processing housing door 5 contacts circular support surface 22 of container door 2, while seal 1 of container flange 3 contacts circular support surface 72 of processing housing flange 7 (FIG. 2).

[0033] More specifically, therefore, the process housing door 5 comprises a circular groove 50 (FIG. 3) in which the annular bead is forcefully engaged. The groove opens onto the outer peripheral surface 51 of the door 5 against which the associated flange 7 face abuts when the process housing door is closed. The door groove 50 is defined by a tubular bearing surface 54 that is complementary to the outer peripheral surface 44 of the seal body 40 (FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0034] Similarly, the flange 3 of the processing housing comprises a circular groove 20 into which the annular bead 11 is forcefully engaged. The groove 20 opens onto the inside of the flange 3. The groove 20 of the flange 3 is defined by a tubular bearing surface 34 that is complementary to the outer peripheral surface 14 of the seal body 10 (FIGS. 5 and 6).

[0035] In the illustrated embodiment, the grooves 20 and 50 are arranged to have a flat bottom and a single edge, thus facilitating the positioning of the seals 1 and 4 in their respective grooves 20, 50 and making it possible to maintain the general geometry of the seals when inserted.

[0036] The sealing body of each sealing part 1, 4, when installed on the part that supports it, has, on the one hand, two faces that seal the part that supports it with respect to other parts of the same part, and, on the other hand, a part that has the same function when two housings are connected (door / door or flange / flange sealing part).

[0037] More specifically, therefore, the inner peripheral surface 42 and the annular (outer) front surface 43 of the seal body 40 respectively define a first sealing surface 42 that seals the flange 7 with respect to the door 5 and a second sealing surface 43 that seals the supporting door 5 with respect to the container door 2. "Front surface" is understood to mean a surface that is oriented towards the outside of the housing separately (i.e., without being connected to another housing).

[0038] The door seal 4 is positioned so that the seal surface 42 in contact with the flange 7 extends in the same plane as the outer peripheral surface 51 of the door 5, thus defining a conical seal interface not only when the door 5 of the processing housing is closed, but also when a container is connected to the processing housing and the door is closed.

[0039] Similarly, the inner peripheral surface 12 and the front (or outer) surface 13 of the sealing body 10 respectively define a first sealing surface 12 that seals against the flange 3 and door 2, and a second sealing surface 13 that seals against the door 2 that supports it relative to the door 5 of the processing housing.

[0040] The flange seal 1 is positioned so that the seal surface 12 that contacts the door 2 extends in the same plane as the inner peripheral surface 21 of the door 2, thus defining a conical seal interface not only when the container door 2 is closed, but also when the container is connected to the processing housing and the door is closed.

[0041] The sealing surfaces 43 of the seal body 40, which abut against the support surface 22 of the vessel door 2, define an annular seal interface when the receptacle is connected to the processing housing, regardless of whether the doors are locked or unlocked on their respective flanges. When the doors are unlocked from their respective flanges to allow communication between the two housings, the two doors 2, 5 are sealed by the seal 4 via the sealing surfaces 43, while the two flanges 3, 7 are sealed by the seal 1 via the sealing surfaces 13.

[0042] As illustrated in FIG. 2, when the housings are connected to each other, the seals are positioned so as to be symmetrically inverted with respect to the transverse plane.

[0043] In the described embodiment, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, the sealing surfaces 12, 13, 42, 43 are not smooth to promote friction when connecting the container to the processing housing, thereby improving the connection force. This also makes it possible to appropriately limit friction between the sealing surface and the contact surface of the flange or door. Therefore, the sealing surfaces can be provided with indentations, serrations, teeth, pins, or have surface conditions that promote friction.

[0044] In the embodiment just described and shown in Figures 2 to 7, the grooves 20, 50 are located directly in the parts that support the seals, i.e., the door of the processing housing and the flange 3 of the vessel, and the seals 1, 4, 100, 400 are then force-fit into these grooves. To facilitate installation and removal of the seals, an alternative embodiment is provided in which the parts that support the seals are formed in two separate parts. Figures 8, 8bis, 9 and 9bis illustrate this type of arrangement.

[0045] Therefore, and as shown in these drawings, the door 5 consists of an upper portion 5A and a lower portion 5B between which the seal 4, 400 is inserted. The portions 5A, 5B are arranged, when assembled, to define a groove 50 which receives the bead 41 of the seal 4, 400.

[0046] Similarly, the flange 3 comprises an upper portion 3A and a lower portion 3B between which the seal 1, 100 is inserted. The portions 3A, 3B are arranged to define a groove 20 that, when assembled, receives the bead 11 of the seal 1, 100.

[0047] In addition to facilitating installation of the seal 1, 100, 4, 400, this configuration of the parts supporting the seal in two separate parts has the advantage of allowing reinforced support of the seal due to the clamping of the beads 11, 41 between the upper and lower parts of the door 5 and flange 3, which provides a seal of better strength when the two assembled doors are opened.

[0048] The annular sealing body of the seal has a thickness greater than the thickness of the annular bead. In the illustrated embodiment, the ratio is 3. This is of course one embodiment, and different thickness ratios may be provided without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, by making the stressed parts of the peripheral seal more "rigid" during use of the connection device (connecting housings together and opening the door), the risk of deformation, twisting and movement of the seal is reduced.

[0049] Advantageously, the seals 1, 4 are made of a silicone material or other material that minimizes the effects of residual magnetism. It may also be provided that the seals are made of a bacteriostatic material to prevent bacterial growth. Examples of bacteriostatic materials are described in European Application No. 316052.

[0050] In the embodiments described above, the seals 1, 4 are made of a single material. However, provisions may be made such that the seals include inserts to stiffen them and thus improve their strength. An example of this type of seal is shown in Figures 4bis and 6bis. In this example, each seal 100, 400 is made of two parts: one part forms the flexible part 100A, 400A of the seal (advantageously made of silicone material or any other material that minimizes the effects of residual magnetism), and the other part is the insert 100B, 400B, preferably made of metal. In the illustrated embodiment, each insert 100B, 400B has an L-shaped cross section, with its longest arm positioned to define the annular bead of the associated seal, and the other arm is housed in a corresponding groove 110, 410 provided in the flexible part 100A, 400A.

[0051] The shape of the seals 1, 4, 100, 400 according to the present invention and their arrangement with the door and flange of the connecting device make it possible to create a "solid" seal area, i.e. an area without cavities or gaps (called hidden areas), unlike prior art seals which have such areas that promote the retention of liquids and bacteria.

[0052] The shape of the seal 1, the invention and its arrangement with the door and flange of the connection device also make it possible to minimize the annular area of ​​contamination (area in contact with the external environment).

[0053] The shape of the seals according to the present invention and their arrangement with the door and flange of the connection device also allows for easy installation and removal of the seals in the door and flange of the enclosure in question, providing better cleanability.

[0054] Although the present invention has been described with respect to connecting a vessel to a processing enclosure, it will of course be apparent that the present invention is not limited to this type of use, as other types of enclosures can be connected to one another.

[0055] The present invention is described above by way of example, it being understood that those skilled in the art will, however, be in a position to produce various alternative embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. 1. A device for a sealing connection between two doors (2, 5), each with coaxial complementary flanges (3, 7), characterized in that the flanges (3) of one of the doors (5) and the other door (2) are provided with at least one peripheral seal (1, 4, 100, 400), each of the peripheral seals (1, 4) comprising an annular seal body (10, 40) extended on its outer periphery by an annular bead (11, 41), the door and the flange supporting the seals on the one hand comprising a tubular bearing surface (34, 54) complementary to the outer periphery surface (14, 44) of the seal body (10, 40) and on the other hand a circular groove for engagement with the bead (11, 41), the seal body comprising at least one non-smooth surface in contact with one of the flanges and / or one of the doors.

2. 2. The sealing connecting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing part (1, 4, 100, 400) has an "L" cross section.

3. 3. The sealing connecting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sealing part (1, 4, 100, 400) is inverted symmetrically with respect to the cross section when the door and the flange are connected to each other.

4. 10. The sealing connecting device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer peripheral surface (14, 44) of the sealing body (10, 40) is smooth.

5. 10. A sealing connecting device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing body (10, 40) has a non-smooth tubular inner peripheral contact surface (12, 42).

6. 10. A sealing connecting device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing body has a non-smooth annular front contact surface (13, 43).

7. 10. A sealing connecting device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing body (10, 40) has a thickness greater than the thickness of the bead (11, 41).

8. 10. A sealing connecting device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing part (1, 4, 100, 400) is made completely or partly of a silicone material or other material which minimizes the influence of charged remanence or has an anti-friction surface treatment.

9. 10. The sealing connecting device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing part (100, 400) comprises a reinforcing insert (100B, 400B).

10. 1. A seal (1, 4) for a flange or door intended to form a connection device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an annular seal body (10, 40) extended at its outer periphery by an annular bead (11, 41), said seal body (10, 40) having a non-smooth tubular inner circumferential surface (12, 42) and / or a non-smooth annular front surface (13, 43).

11. A door provided on a containment housing and comprising a seal according to claim 10.

12. A flange provided on a containment housing and comprising a seal according to claim 10.

13. 11. An insulator comprising: a flange defining an access opening to an interior of the enclosure; a door sealingly closing the access opening; and a seal according to claim 10 carried by the flange or the door.

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