Tube Connector Locking Ring With Visual Lock Status Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connectors for outer diameter tubes lack a reliable visual indication of the locked and unlocked positions, limiting their application and usability due to reliance on direct line of sight and color contrast, which is not always feasible with standard tube colors.
Innovation Solution
A connector design that uses a cap and locking ring with contrasting colors and visible lugs through windows, allowing visual distinction between locked and unlocked states without requiring a direct line of sight, applicable to both inner and outer diameter connectors, and allowing the cap to be molded in a different color for enhanced visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking ring with windows is used to provide visual indication of locking status, then the visibility and reliability of locking status indication is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional components and assembly steps
Solution Approach 1:
The locking ring is nested within the connector body, with windows formed as integral features of the locking ring structure itself rather than separate components. The cap is also nested within the body, with its color providing the visual indication through the windows. This nesting approach provides reliable visual indication while minimizing additional complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap is molded in a color that contrasts with the body material, creating a visible visual indication of locking status through the windows in the locking ring. This color differentiation method provides reliable status indication without requiring complex mechanical or electronic components, thereby improving reliability while controlling device complexity.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the cap is molded in a different color from the body to enhance visibility, then the ease of detecting locking status is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase due to color matching and assembly tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is molded in a contrasting color (such as black or dark gray) against a lighter body (such as white or off-white), creating a high-contrast visual indication that is easily detectable. This approach significantly improves locking status detection while the color is applied through standard molding processes without requiring exceptional manufacturing precision or post-assembly color matching.
3Ease of manufacture
If a snap fit engagement is used instead of ultrasonic welding to join the cap and body, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the reliability of the connection decreases due to potential cracking or dislodging under bending loads
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is divided into multiple flexible fingers that can independently deflect and engage with the body. This segmentation allows each finger to accommodate bending loads individually, preventing the cracking and dislodging issues that would occur in a rigid annular shoulder design. The segmented structure maintains connection reliability while enabling simple snap-fit assembly without ultrasonic welding.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap fingers are designed with flexibility to dynamically respond to applied loads. When bending forces are applied, the fingers can deflect elastically rather than fracturing, maintaining the integrity of the snap-fit connection. This dynamic behavior ensures reliable connection under varying load conditions while keeping the manufacturing process simple.
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
Provides a reliable visual indication of the locking status without increasing manufacturing costs, ensuring secure tube connection and easy user verification of the locking mechanism's position, particularly beneficial for outer diameter connectors where prior art solutions fail.
Implementation Method 1
the cap (2) is visually distinctive from the body (1)... the locking ring (4) is provided with at least one window (44)... providing a visual indication to the user of the locked and unlocked positions
Implementation Method 2
The cam follower (43) is positioned to engaged with a cam groove (294)
Implementation Method 3
the cap having an inwardly facing tapered surface that is tapered to provide a cap angle that engages, in use, with the collet legs such that axial movement of the collet towards to the open end causes inward deflection of the collet legs
Data Source
AI summary
A connector having a body with a through-way open at one end. A shoulder in the through-way faces the open end and supports an O-ring. A cap is fitted to an open end of the body and extends from the open end toward the opposite end. The cap is a different color than the body. A gripping ring in the cap has inwardly facing teeth to grip a tube in the through-way to prevent the tube from being pulled out of the open end of the connection during use. A locking ring is fitted over the open end of the body and cap. The locking ring is rotatable between a locked position and an unlocked position. The locking ring has a window that lines up with the body in one of the locked and unlock positions and the cap in the other of the locked and unlocked positions.