Quick Connector Latch Code for Pipe Lock Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional quick connectors often fail to ensure a secure connection, leading to leaks due to incomplete locking, making it difficult to verify if the components are fully connected and locked in position.
Innovation Solution
A quick connector design that incorporates a movable latch member with scannable codes, which aligns to form a readable code when the latch is fully engaged, allowing verification of a secure connection using a scanning device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional quick connectors are used without verification mechanisms, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability of connection is poor leading to leaks and failed connections
Solution Approach 1:
A scannable code (barcode, QR code, or data matrix) is introduced as an intermediary verification mechanism. The code is positioned on the connector body and only becomes readable when the latch member is fully engaged, providing objective proof of proper connection without adding complex sensors or electronics to the connector itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual visual inspection of connection status is replaced with an automated optical scanning system. Instead of relying on operators to visually assess whether connectors are properly engaged, a scanning device automatically reads the scannable code to verify latching status, reducing human error and improving reliability.
2Measurement precision
If visual inspection methods are used to verify connection status, then the ease of operation is high, but the measurement precision of connection status is insufficient making it difficult to verify full engagement
Solution Approach 1:
Visual inspection is replaced with automated optical scanning. The scanning device uses cameras or optical sensors to read the scannable code, providing precise verification of connection status without requiring operators to closely examine the connector assembly, thereby maintaining ease of operation while dramatically improving measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The scannable code serves as an intermediary that translates the mechanical latching status into an optically readable format. When the latch member is fully engaged, the code becomes visible and scannable, providing unambiguous verification of proper connection without requiring operators to interpret complex mechanical positions or gaps.
3Reliability
If scannable codes are added to verify proper assembly, then the reliability of connection verification is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding complex electronic sensors or verification systems, a simple optical copy (scannable code) is applied to the connector body. This code is a two-dimensional representation that can be manufactured using standard printing or marking techniques already common in the industry, minimizing additional manufacturing complexity while providing reliable verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The verification function is extracted from the mechanical latching mechanism itself and placed on a separate, independently manufacturable element (the scannable code). This allows the code to be applied through existing printing or marking processes without modifying the core latching mechanism, thereby maintaining ease of manufacture while improving verification reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A quick connector is adapted to display a code that verifies that a latch member is engaged to retain an installed pipe to the quick connector. The quick connector comprises a connector body having a receiving portion surrounding an internal passage, the internal passage arranged to receive the pipe therein. A latch member retained on the receiving portion is arranged to be movable between a pipe insertion position and a latched position. In the pipe insertion position, the latch member allows the pipe to be inserted into the internal passage. A code readable by a scanning device becomes readable when the latch member is moved to the latched position verifying that the pipe is installed and latched in the connector body.