Quick Connector Guide Member for Stable Flange Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional quick connectors rely on frictional engagement of sleeve projections with the housing, which can lead to unexpected movement of the sleeve, preventing the insertion of tubular portions and resulting in a failure to connect when the flange lacks a tapered surface for expanding the wire retainer.
Innovation Solution
A quick connector design featuring a guide member that moves between positions within the socket, utilizing a tapered guide surface to guide the wire retainer over the flange, ensuring secure engagement without relying on a tapered flange surface, and incorporating a holding recess to stabilize the guide member and prevent unintended movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the sleeve is held at the first position by frictional engagement of projections with the housing, then the device structure remains simple, but the sleeve may move unexpectedly from the first position to the second position before tubular portion insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guide member as an intermediary component between the sleeve and housing. The guide member includes a holding recess that positively engages with the sleeve projection, preventing unexpected sleeve movement while maintaining simple device structure. The guide member acts as a mediator that provides reliable positioning without requiring complex engagement mechanisms between the sleeve and housing directly.
2Ease of manufacture
If the flange lacks a tapered surface for pushing and expanding the wire retainer, then the tubular body design becomes simpler, but the wire retainer cannot be properly expanded to engage with the flange
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member serves as a mediator that provides the necessary tapered guide surface for expanding the wire retainer lock portions. Instead of requiring the flange to have a tapered surface, the guide member's tapered inner surface performs the expansion function, allowing simple flange design while ensuring reliable wire retainer engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by placing the tapered surface on the guide member rather than on the flange. The guide member's tapered inner surface pushes and expands the wire retainer lock portions from the inside, reversing the direction and location of the taper to achieve the same functional result with simpler tubular body design.
3Device complexity
If the guide member is held at the first position without a holding recess, then the device structure remains simpler, but the guide member may move unexpectedly affecting the engagement process
Solution Approach 1:
The holding recess in the guide member acts as an intermediary positioning mechanism. It provides a simple yet effective way to hold the guide member at the first position by engaging with the sleeve projection, ensuring reliable guide member positioning without adding complex structures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enhances the versatility of the quick connector by allowing connection of tubular bodies without a tapered flange, ensuring reliable engagement and preventing the tubular body from coming off, while restricting unexpected guide member movement and accommodating dimensional variations.
Implementation Method 1
an outer circumferential surface of the guide member is formed with, by a pair of walls opposed to each other in the axial direction, a holding recess in which the lock portions of the wire retainer are fitted in a state that the guide member is located at the first position, and of the pair of walls of the holding recess a wall located on the side of the other end of the socket is formed with a tapered guide surface that extends outward as the position goes to the other end of the socket
Implementation Method 2
When the other tubular body to be connected is inserted into the socket, the wire retainer is pushed out and expanded from inside by the tapered surface of the flange. When the wire retainer has gone over the flange, the wire retainer recovers elastically and engages with a base-side portion of the flange
Data Source
AI summary
A quick connector includes a tubular socket, a wire retainer attached to an outer circumferential surface of the socket, and a guide member provided inside of the socket. The wire retainer has a lock portion which engages with a flange of a first tubular body when the guide member is at a second position. An outer circumferential surface of the guide member is formed with a holding recess in which the lock portion is fitted when the guide member is at a first position, and a wall of a pair of walls forming the holding recess is formed with a tapered guide surface that extends radially outward. The tapered guide surface guides the wire retainer so that the wire retainer goes over the flange when the first tubular body is inserted.