Tube Connector Pilot Indicator for Leak-Safe Clip Coupling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing fluid piping connectors face challenges in ensuring a fluid-tight seal and proper orientation alignment, often leading to leakage and requiring multiple connector designs for various orientations, while also preventing contact between the tube endform and the wire retainer during insertion.

Innovation Solution

A connector design featuring a modular head and pilot mechanism that allows for multiple orientations, includes a retention clip with slidable legs that spread and retract to ensure secure engagement, and an indicator piece visible when the tube is correctly coupled, preventing contact between the tube and the wire retainer and ensuring a fluid-tight seal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a wire retainer is used to secure the tube, then the tube can be retained in the connector, but the retainer may contact and damage the tube endform during insertion, preventing a fluid-tight seal

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefluid-tight sealVSAvoiddamage to tube endform

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The pilot is positioned at the leading end of the connector to perform preliminary action during insertion. It guides the tube endform through the retention clip legs before they close, preventing harmful contact between the retainer and endform during the critical insertion phase

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The pilot acts as an intermediary element between the tube endform and the retention clip. It mediates the interaction by providing a protective interface that allows the endform to pass through safely without direct contact with the retainer legs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If indexing members are added to ensure proper orientation, then alignment is improved, but the number of connector variants increases for different orientations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveorientation alignmentVSAvoidnumber of connector variants

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The indexing members are designed to work with multiple orientations simultaneously. The pilot and indexing features are configured to accommodate tubes at various angles, allowing a single connector design to serve multiple orientation requirements rather than requiring separate connectors for each orientation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Strength

If the retention clip legs are made harder than the tube, then securing strength is improved, but the legs may scrape and damage the tube endform during insertion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveretention strengthVSAvoidscraping of endform

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The pilot performs preliminary guidance action before the retention clip legs engage the endform. This ensures proper alignment and positioning occurs first, allowing the harder legs to secure the tube without scraping or damaging the endform during insertion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11796099B2Connector having a pilot with an indicator

Publication Date: 2023.10.24 COOPER STANDARD AUTOMOTIVE INC

AI summary

A connector and process for coupling a tube and the resulting assembly is disclosed. A receptacle includes pilot in a mounted position. The pilot is slidable from a mounting position to a final position while the pilot urges legs of a retention clip into a spread condition during a transition between the mounting position and the final position. In the final position, the pilot permits legs of the retention clip to retract to a relaxed condition and an indicator piece is visible.