Quick Connect Pipe Fitting for Secure Tool-Free Water Line Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Installing water filters on water lines is time-consuming, requiring operations like cutting and brazing on copper lines or cutting/gluing on PVC lines, making it difficult for homeowners to quickly and easily connect plumbed appliances to water lines.
Innovation Solution
A quick connect fitting kit comprising a chuck, collar, and collet with threaded ends and sloped surfaces, allowing for easy mounting and fluid communication, enabling quick and secure connection of water filters or other appliances to water lines without the need for extensive cutting or gluing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional water filter installation methods are used (cutting and brazing on copper lines or cutting/gluing on PVC lines), then secure connection is achieved, but installation time and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The fitting is divided into separate components (body, collar, and O-ring) that can be independently manufactured and assembled. The body contains an internal thread for the collar, and the O-ring provides sealing. This segmentation allows for quick assembly without complex joint preparation while maintaining secure connection through threaded engagement and sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The O-ring acts as an intermediary sealing element between the pipe and the fitting body. Instead of requiring direct metal-to-metal or plastic-to-plastic sealing through brazing or gluing, the O-ring provides a flexible sealing interface that accommodates minor imperfections and ensures watertight connection through simple mechanical assembly.
2Reliability
If traditional water filter installation methods are used (cutting and brazing on copper lines or cutting/gluing on PVC lines), then secure connection is achieved, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The fitting is divided into separate components (body, collar, and O-ring) that can be independently manufactured and assembled. The body contains an internal thread for the collar, and the O-ring provides sealing. This segmentation allows for quick assembly without complex joint preparation while maintaining secure connection through threaded engagement and sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The O-ring acts as an intermediary sealing element between the pipe and the fitting body. Instead of requiring direct metal-to-metal or plastic-to-plastic sealing through brazing or gluing, the O-ring provides a flexible sealing interface that accommodates minor imperfections and ensures watertight connection through simple mechanical assembly.
3Ease of operation
If quick connect fitting with threaded components is used, then installation ease and speed are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fitting body is designed with universal functionality, serving as both the structural component and the sealing surface for the O-ring. The internal thread in the body accommodates standard collar threads, making the fitting compatible with various pipe types and sizes. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby managing complexity while maintaining ease of installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar is designed to fit over the pipe and nest within the fitting body, while the O-ring nests within a groove in the body. This nested arrangement allows all components to be compactly organized, minimizing the overall footprint and reducing the perceived complexity of the assembly. The components fit together in a logical sequence that simplifies installation.
Data Source
AI summary
A quick connect fitting kit includes a chuck having a threaded end. The chuck defines a channel. A collar has a threaded end and a sloped inner surface. The threaded end of the collar is meshable with the threaded end of the chuck to mount the collar to the chuck. A collet has a sloped outer surface. The collet is positioned within the collar such that the sloped outer surface of the collet is positioned on the sloped inner surface of the collar. The collet defines a passage. The passage of the collet is sized for receipt of a pipe. The pipe is in fluid communication with the channel of the chuck when the collet is compressed against the pipe and the collar is mounted to the chuck.