阅读说明：本技术 连接器 (Connector with a locking member ) 是由 D·沃森 J·史密斯 于 2019-04-26 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种连接器,包括具有在一端处开放的直通部(5)的主体(1)。直通部中的肩部(7)面向开放端并且支承O型环(9)。盖(2)配合到主体的开放端并且从开放端朝向相反端延伸。盖是与主体不同的颜色。盖中的夹持环(3)具有多个面向内部的齿(32),以在使用中夹持直通部中的管,以防止管从连接器的开放端被拉出。锁定环(4)配合于盖和主体的开放端上,锁定环可在夹持环的齿可接合管的锁定位置与防止夹持环的齿接合管的解锁位置之间旋转。锁定环具有窗(44),窗(44)在锁定位置和解锁位置中的一个中与主体对齐并且在锁定位置和解锁位置中的另一个中与盖对齐。(A connector comprises a body (1) having a through-going portion (5) open at one end. A shoulder (7) in the through-going portion faces the open end and supports an O-ring (9). A cap (2) is fitted to the open end of the main body and extends from the open end toward the opposite end. The cover is a different color than the body. A gripping ring (3) in the cap has a plurality of inwardly facing teeth (32) to grip the tube in the through-passage in use to prevent the tube from being pulled out of the open end of the connector. A locking ring (4) is fitted over the open ends of the cap and body, the locking ring being rotatable between a locked position in which the teeth of the gripper ring can engage the tube and an unlocked position in which the teeth of the gripper ring are prevented from engaging the tube. The locking ring has a window (44), the window (44) being aligned with the body in one of the locked and unlocked positions and aligned with the cover in the other of the locked and unlocked positions.)

1. A connector, comprising:

a body having a through portion open at one end; a shoulder in the through facing the open end and supporting an O-ring;

a cover fitted to an open end of the body and extending from the open end toward an opposite end, the cover being a different color than the body;

a gripping ring located in the cap and having a plurality of inwardly facing teeth to grip a pipe in the through-passage in use to prevent the pipe from being pulled out of the open end of the connector;

a locking ring fitted over the cap and the open end of the body, the locking ring being rotatable between a locked position in which the teeth of the gripper ring can engage the pipe and an unlocked position in which the teeth of the gripper ring are prevented from engaging the pipe;

the locking ring has a window aligned with the body in one of the locked position and the unlocked position and aligned with the cover in the other of the locked position and the unlocked position.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the cover is formed of a material of a different color than the body.

3. The connector of claim 2, wherein the cover is molded from a different color plastic than the body.

4. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the cover is snap-fitted to the body.

5. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the cap fits within the open end of the body.

6. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the cap is provided with at least one radially extending lug which engages with a corresponding recess in the body.

7. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the cap is provided with a cam surface and a cam follower is provided on the locking ring, the cam surface being configured to cause axial movement of the locking ring as the locking ring is rotated between the locked and unlocked positions.

8. The connector of claim 7, wherein the cam surface is an inner face of the cover.

9. The connector of claim 1, wherein the cap is provided with one or more pawls, and a feature on the locking ring is arranged to ride over the one or more pawls as the locking ring moves between the locked and unlocked positions.

10. The connector of claims 7 and 9, wherein the feature on the locking ring that rides on the pawl is the same feature as the cam follower.

11. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the gripping ring is a collet having a plurality of legs extending away from the open end, the plurality of legs each engaging the cover and having the inwardly facing teeth.

12. The connector of claims 4 and 11, wherein the cover has a plurality of legs extending away from the open end, the legs each having an outwardly extending tooth at an end opposite the open end to engage with a complementary recess in the body to provide the snap-fit; at least one collet leg configured to engage a leg of the cover; the cap has an inwardly facing tapered surface which tapers to provide a cap angle which in use engages with the collet legs such that axial movement of the collet towards the open end causes inward deflection of the collet legs and causes a radially outward force to be applied to the legs of the cap via the tapered surfaces to urge the or each tooth of the cap into its respective complementary recess.

13. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the O-ring is configured to seal with the outer diameter of a pipe which is gripped in use by the collet.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a connector of the type comprising a cap and a body assembled together to provide a through-going portion. A gripping ring (such as a collet or gripping ring) is held within the assembly. A tubular element is inserted into the through-going portion of the connector, which tubular element is gripped by the teeth of the gripping ring. The teeth are arranged to grip the pipe if an axial force is applied that tends to remove the tubular element from the connector. For collets, this is accomplished by legs with teeth provided thereon that are forced radially inward by features on the connector. For the gripping ring, this is done by the teeth deflecting from the initial position into a position where they grip the pipe more tightly. The greater the axial force applied, the greater the clamping force applied by the teeth.

Background

Such connectors have found widespread use in applications for joining plastic pipes and the like (e.g., in plumbing, cabling, and fiber optic applications). The connector provides a quick and reliable method of joining two cables together or connecting a cable to another member.

Traditionally, the lid has been ultrasonically welded to the body, and this has been commercially successful. This does have a number of drawbacks, however, because the welding process requires complex equipment. The material of the cover and the material of the body must be compatible with each other and suitable for ultrasonic welding. The components must also be thick enough and robust to allow welding.

We have made many attempts to improve such connectors.

EP2860436 discloses snap-fit engagement of a cover onto a body instead of ultrasonic welding. The introduction in this document refers to a connector in which the end of the cap opposite the open end is provided with an inwardly facing annular shoulder which fits over a complementary outwardly facing annular shoulder on the body. However, there are problems with such designs. First, the cap with the annular shoulder must expand radially as the cap is pushed onto the body straining the cap. Second, when a bending load is applied to the connector, this tends to pull the snap ring away from the shoulder on one side, but forces the members on the opposite side together, thereby causing stresses that can crack or forcibly remove the cover. This is solved in EP2860436 by: the body is provided with a plurality of fingers extending towards the open end such that a snap fit is achieved towards the open end. The fingers are more flexible than the annular member, which reduces stress when bending. The fingers are also more prone to deflection when the cap is seated (as compared to the annular shoulder), thereby avoiding stress during assembly.

A development of this concept is described in EP3236127, which uses a similar concept to that described above, now only the cover angle (i.e. the surface inclined to engage with the collet to cause it to grip onto the tube when it is pulled away from the open end) is formed on the inner face of the axially projecting leg of the body.

WO2005/024284 discloses an arrangement in which the cover is provided as a snap-fit within the body rather than on the body as in the prior art described above. The lid has a castellation structure with a number of legs, each of which is provided with a tooth which will snap into a recess in the body. The clip has a plurality of legs, each of which will engage an inner edge of the lid defined between the legs of the lid.

Another development in the field of such connectors is to provide a locking ring. Such an arrangement is disclosed in EP 2131089. The locking ring is designed to fit over the open end of the connector and, in EP2131089, is rotated between a locked position preventing movement of the collet and an unlocked position allowing movement of the collet. To release the tube from the connector, it is necessary to push the collet a short distance into the connector. When the collets are held in such a position, the tube may be released because the collets can no longer be forced inward by features located on the connector. In the locked position, any accidental force on the collet will not allow the tube to be released because movement of the collet is prevented. However, in the unlocked position, the tube can now be released from the collet as before, as movement of the collet is permitted. Thus, in contrast to the situation when no locking ring is provided, a two-stage movement is necessary for releasing the tube: firstly, rotating the locking ring to an unlocking position; and secondly, to retain the collet inside the connector so that the teeth do not engage the tube when it is removed. A further possibility is to include a feature on the locking ring that will move the collet to this inner position (rather than just release the collet so that the collet can then move to this inner position).

A locking ring may also be provided in the case of a gripping ring. In this case, the locking ring is again rotatable between the locked and unlocked positions. The unlock position is a position in which: wherein the locking ring extends further into the connector such that portions of the locking ring engage the teeth and deflect the teeth radially outward to prevent the teeth from gripping the tube when the tube is removed from the connector. The unlock position is a position in which: wherein the locking ring does not engage the teeth, thereby allowing the teeth to grip the tube as described above.

In the case of such locking rings, it is important for the user to have a visual indication of whether the locking ring is in its locking position, so that they can easily and reliably ensure that this is the case.

This is done in EP2131089 by: a window is provided in the wall of the connector to allow the tube to be visible through the wall of the connector. The locking ring is then provided with scalloped edges so that portions of the locking ring extend for a greater axial extent than other portions. The connector is configured such that in the unlocked position, a portion of the locking ring that extends for a lesser axial extent is aligned with the opening in the connector such that the tube remains visible and provides a visual indication to the user that the connector has not been locked. In the locking position, the window is covered by a portion of the locking ring that extends for a greater axial extent and represents the locking position.

Such an arrangement is highly effective because it provides a visual indication of whether the locking ring has been locked. This arrangement also allows the user to see if the tube has been correctly positioned within the connector. However, this arrangement is limited to Inner Diameter (ID) connectors. Such a connector is a connector as follows: it is provided with an inner sleeve having an outer O-ring configured to seal against the inner diameter of a tube inserted into the connector. This is not applicable to the following more common Outer Diameter (OD) connectors: wherein the connector is provided with an O-ring which seals against the outer diameter of the tube. In such a connector, there is no direct line of sight through the portion of the body covered by the locking ring to the tube within the connector.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention aims to provide a locking mechanism that is also applicable to an OD connector.

According to the present invention, there is provided a connector according to claim 1.

Unlike in EP2131089 above, it is not necessary to have a line of sight through the body to the tube within the connector, as the invention now relies on the contrast between the body and the cover material in order to provide the user with a visual indication of the locked and unlocked positions. In view of this, the present invention is applicable to both inner and outer diameter connectors.

Furthermore, EP2131089 relies on the contrast of colour between the tube and the body in order to provide a visual indication. However, connector manufacturers typically have no control over the properties of the tubing to which the connector is attached. In practice, both the connector and the tubing are typically white or beige in color. Thus, there is a relatively small visual contrast between the locked and unlocked configurations for the user. However, in the present invention, the visual contrast is within the control of the connector manufacturer, which can be made visually distinct as necessary. For example, all components of the connector except the cover may be white or beige in color, and the cover may be dark in height versus color.

The invention can also be implemented without any increase in manufacturing costs, since the cover is a separate component and can therefore be moulded in different coloured plastics. The window in the locking ring may be a molded feature only.

The need for the cover to be a different colour to the body is required so that there is a visual contrast between the window aligned with the body and the window aligned with the cover. In its simplest form, the cover is formed in its entirety of a material of a different colour to the material of the body. However, other possibilities include the portion of the cover visible through the window being formed of a different material than the remainder of the cover. The portion of the cover visible through the window may alternatively be printed, painted or otherwise marked in a different color. The portion may be provided with some form of indicia (such as a padlock) or wording to indicate the locked or unlocked position.

The lid may be welded into the body but is preferably a snap fit. This provides the advantage that the cover avoids the limitation of the required material of the welded arrangement.

The cover may fit over the open end of the body, but preferably fits within the open end of the body as this makes it easier to construct the window and its alignment with the different colored portions.

Preferably, the cap is provided with at least one radially extending lug which engages with a corresponding recess in the body. These lugs can be used to position the cover in the correct annular orientation, and the radially projecting portion provides an area exposed at the outside of the body so that it can be viewed through a window in the locking ring. However, any portion of the cover may be positioned so as to be visible through the window. For example, there may be windows in the body as follows: the cover is visible through the window.

The cap is preferably provided with a cam surface and the cam follower is provided on the locking ring, the cam surface being configured to cause axial movement of the locking ring as the locking ring is rotated between the locked and unlocked positions.

Because the cover is a separate component that fits within the body, the cover is more easily formed into the complex shape required for the cam surfaces when the cover is molded.

The cam surface may be located on the outer face or end face of the cap. However, the cam surface is preferably located on the inner face.

The cap is preferably provided with one or more pawls, and a feature on the locking ring is arranged to ride over the one or more pawls as the locking ring moves between the locked and unlocked positions. This provides a "click" feel, providing the user with a tactile indication that they have locked and/or unlocked the lock ring. Preferably the feature on the locking ring that rides on the pawl is the same feature as the cam follower, however, both mechanisms may be separate if necessary.

The gripper ring may be a gripper ring. Preferably, however, the gripping ring is a collet having a plurality of legs extending away from the open end, each of the legs engaging the cover and having inwardly facing teeth.

More preferably, the lid is retained in the body by a snap fit, the lid having a plurality of legs extending away from the open end, the legs each having an outwardly extending tooth at an end opposite the open end to engage with a complementary recess in the body to provide the snap fit; at least one collet leg configured to engage a leg of the cover; the cap has an inwardly facing tapered surface which tapers to provide a cap corner which in use engages with the collet legs such that axial movement of the collet towards the open end causes inward deflection of the collet legs and causes a radially outward force to be applied to the legs of the cap via the tapered surfaces to urge the or each tooth of the cap into its respective complementary recess.

With such an arrangement, any movement that tends to cause the tube to be pulled out of the connector will cause the teeth of the collet to increase their gripping force on the tube and push the legs of the cap into the recesses in the body. Thus, the greater the force applied to the tube, the greater the radial force holding the collet, cap and body together.

This arrangement is the subject of co-pending application GB 1800719.5.

The connector may equally be adapted as an inner diameter connector or an outer diameter connector. However, the connector is particularly beneficial for outer diameter connectors given that the prior art cannot be used with such an arrangement. Thus, preferably, the O-ring is configured to seal with the outer diameter of the pipe which is gripped by the collet in use.

Drawings

Examples of connectors according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1A is a perspective view of a double-ended connector, with the left-hand side shown exploded and the right-hand side shown assembled;

FIG. 1B is a view similar to FIG. 1A, with a left-hand exploded perspective view shown sectioned along an axial plane;

FIG. 1C is a view similar to FIG. 1B in non-exploded form;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cover showing the same view of the cover as in FIG. 1A, but shown in greater detail;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cover showing the cover of FIG. 1B in greater detail;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connector of FIG. 1A with the locking ring in an unlocked configuration;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with the locking ring in the locked configuration;

fig. 6A to 6C are views similar to fig. 1A to 1C showing a second example of the present invention;

FIG. 7A is an enlarged version of FIG. 6C showing the locking ring in a locked configuration; and

figure 7B is a view similar to figure 7A showing the locking ring in the unlocked configuration.

Detailed Description

The connector is composed of four main components, namely a body 1, a cap 2 and a collet ring 3 and a locking ring 4.

As shown in the drawings, the connector is a two-ended connector having a cap 2 and a locking ring 4 at each end. The connector is adapted to connect two tubes together. However, the invention is equally applicable to single-ended connectors used to connect pipes to an underlying structure. Alternatively, a two-ended connector may be provided with a connector according to the invention at one end and a different type of connector at the opposite end.

The body 1 is open at one end and has an axial through-going portion 5 extending through the connector. The through-going portion 5 is a stepped bore having a narrow diameter portion 6 corresponding approximately to the inner diameter of the pipe to be received. The portion 6 terminates at a first shoulder 7 facing the open end, against which first shoulder 7 the tube abuts in use. The second shoulder 8 provides a further outward step for the bore and is arranged to receive an O-ring 9 which seals against the tube in use.

This part of the body is of conventional design.

The collet 3 is also of conventional design. The collet 3 comprises an annular ring 30, the annular ring 30 having a number of discrete axially projecting legs 31, the legs 31 each having inwardly facing teeth 32 for gripping on a tube, as described hereinafter.

The open end of the body 1 is designed to receive the cap 2. The open end has a plurality of axially extending recesses 11 to align with complementary ribs 21 located on the cap 2. A plurality of through holes 12 are provided through the wall of the body 1 to receive complementary teeth 22 on the cover 2. Immediately to the right of the through hole 12 is an annular shoulder 13, the annular shoulder 13 lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the connector to provide an end stop for the cap 2 when the cap 2 is inserted into the body 1. The face 14 of the recess 12 facing the shoulder 13 lies in a plane perpendicular to the axis for enhanced engagement with the tooth 22, as described below.

The cover 2 is designed to fit within the body 1, rather than on the body 1. In a similar manner to the collet, the cap 2 has an annular ring 23, the annular ring 23 having a number of discrete axially projecting legs 24, the legs 24 being separated by slots 25 such that each leg 24 is flexible. Outwardly projecting teeth 22 are located at the end of each leg furthest from the discharge end. As best shown in fig. 3, the tooth 22 has a flat end face 26 to engage the shoulder 13 to prevent over-insertion of the cap. The teeth 22 have a tapered outer surface 27 to allow the legs 24 to deflect inwardly when the cap 2 is inserted into the body 1. The teeth 22 have a planar face 28 on their outermost surface and facing the open end 4. The planar face 28 is designed to engage with the planar surface 13 in the cover 1.

The inner faces 29 of the legs 24 are tapered to provide a cover angle.

As described so far, the body 1, the cover 2 and the collet 3 may independently provide an operable connector. The invention, however, relates to a connector provided with an additional member in the form of a locking ring 4.

The connector described so far is disclosed in our previous GB 1800719.5. The improvement of the present design relates to the modification of the cap 2 and the provision of the locking ring 4.

The cap 5 has pairs of radially extending lugs 291, these lugs 291 being designed to engage in pairs of recesses 15 at the open end of the body 1 to locate the cap 2 in the body 1.

The locking ring 4 is in the form of an annular body 41, the annular body 41 having an annular lip 42 extending radially inwardly across part of the end face at the open end of the connector. The cam follower 43 extends toward the inner edge of the lip 42, away from the open end of the connector. In practice there will be a second cam follower 43 on the opposite side of the locking ring 4, however, in practice any number of cam followers may be provided.

The locking ring 4 has at least one window 44, only one of the windows 44 being shown in the drawings. However, it is preferable that the number of windows 44 corresponds to the number of lugs 291. Although the window 44 is shown as a through hole in the wall of the annular body 41, the window 44 may be positioned differently. For example, the windows 44 may be located in the annular lip 42, or the windows 44 may be in the form of scalloped edges located at the end of the locking ring 4 opposite the lip 42, rather than through holes located in the wall of the annular body 41.

The purpose of the window 44 is to align with the ledge 291 in one of the locked or unlocked positions. The cap 2 is visually distinct from the body 1. The cap 2 is also preferably visually distinct from the locking ring 4. In practice, the body 1 is a moulded plastic component made of a material such as beige, grey or black. The collet 3 and locking ring 4 are often the same colour as the body 1. However, the cap 2 is made of a material having a high color contrast with respect to the locking ring 4. For example, the cover 2 is dark red or dark green.

The point of this high color contrast is that the lugs 291 (which are made of a high contrast material) are visible through the windows 44 when the locking ring 4 is in the locked or unlocked position. The exact convention for this is not important. For example, if the cover 2 is made of a red material, it is preferable that the windows 44 are aligned with the lugs 291 in the unlocked configuration. On the other hand, if the cover 2 is green material, alignment may occur in the locked position. Thus, the user has the following visual indications: for example, if a user can see a red material through the window 44, the connector has not been locked.

To achieve a high color contrast to provide a visual indication, it is only necessary to color the radially outermost surface of the lug 291 with a high contrast. However, in practice this is most easily achieved by making the entire lid 2 from a different coloured material (e.g. by moulding the lid 2 from plastics), as this allows the process to be completed in a single moulding step and therefore does not cause any additional complexity in the manufacturing process.

The cam follower 43 is positioned to engage a cam groove 292 on the inner face of the cover 2 towards the open end. The cam groove 292 has a ramp 293 such that the cam groove 292 effectively includes a shallow portion 294 and a deeper portion 295. When the cam follower 43 is located in the deeper portion 295, this corresponds to the unlocked position shown in fig. 5, since the collet 3 is free to move within a small range in the axial direction. Thus, by pushing on the annular ring 30, the collet can be pushed into the body 1 and, if the collet is held in this position, the tube can be withdrawn from the connector without the cam legs 3 lifting the cam followers 29 to grip the tube.

By contrast, as the cam follower 43 rotates up the ramp 293 to the shallower portion 294, the cam follower abuts the surface 296 such that the cam follower is forced away from the open end to the position shown in fig. 5 in which the cam follower now bears against the underside of the annular ring 30 to prevent inward movement of the collets 3 as described above.

As the cam follower 43 moves between the two positions, the cam follower 43 will ride over the detent 297, which provides the user with a tactile indication that they have moved between the two positions.

As can be seen from a comparison of fig. 4 and 5, the window 44 is moved to a different circumferential position. In one of the circumferential positions, the window 44 will be aligned with the lug 291 so that the color of the lug 291 will be displayed to the user. In another position, the window 44 will be aligned with a portion of the body 1 so that the body colour will be visible through the window. Preferably, the connector is configured such that the lug 291 is visible through the window 44 in the unlocked configuration, as it is more convenient to effectively display to the user, for example, a red color which serves as a warning that the device is unlocked. Once the locking ring is in the locked position and the window 44 is aligned with the underlying material of the body 4, the window is much less visible in the locked condition.

For assembly to the connector, the cover 2 is inserted into the body 1, deflecting the legs 24 until the end faces 26 of the teeth land on the shoulders 13. At this point, the legs 24, which have been deflected inwardly by the tapered surfaces 27, snap into the recesses 12 and the axial faces 28 of the teeth engage against the complementary faces 14 in the cap 1.

The collet may then be inserted into the locking ring 4 and onto the assembled body 1 and cap 2 in a conventional manner.

In the position shown in fig. 1C, the tube is inserted into the open end and lands on the shoulder 6. The O-ring seal 9 engages the outside of the pipe as the teeth 32 grip the pipe to provide a sealed connection.

The connector is designed to prevent removal of the tube from the connector by merely applying an axial force to the tube. The engagement between the teeth 32 and the tube ensures that the collet 3 moves to the left (using the orientation of figures 1A to 1C) when an axial force is applied to the tube. The legs of the collet then lift at the cap corners 29 causing the legs 31 to deflect inwardly and the teeth 32 grip the tube with increasing force as the axial force on the tube increases.

With the current design and the axial forces causing increased gripping force on the tube, the interaction between the collet legs 31 and the legs 24 of the cap 2 provides a resultant radially outward force on the legs 24 that pushes the teeth 22 deeper into the recesses 12 to cause the cap 2 to grip more tightly within the body 1. The planar face 28 on the tooth 22 allows the tooth 22 to deflect into the recess 12 and the face-to-face contact between the face 28 and the face 14 provides strong resistance to axial forces.

A second example of a connector will now be described with reference to fig. 6 and 7.

In this example, the collet 3 has been replaced by a gripping ring 100. The remaining components are substantially the same, and only the differences have been described below.

The gripping ring 100 is in the form of a ring typically made of stamped metal. The ring has a plurality of inwardly extending teeth 101, the ends of the teeth 101 being deflected away from the open end of the connector. In use, when a tube is inserted into the connector, the tube may pass through the angled teeth, which are deflected outwardly by insertion of the tube in view of their angled ends. However, any attempt to remove the tube causes the angled teeth to dig into the wall of the tube, and further movement in that direction will cause a tighter grip of the tube.

The gripping ring 101 is sandwiched between the body 1 and the cover 2, as best shown in fig. 7A and 7B.

In contrast to the previous example, the locking ring 4' has an inwardly extending annular skirt 45, the annular skirt 45 extending axially from the innermost edge of the lip 42. The skirt 45 has inclined faces 46 at its axially innermost and radially outermost edges. This end face of the skirt 45 is also provided with barbs 47, the barbs 47 engaging with corresponding shoulders 2 'on the cap 2 to retain the locking ring 4' on the cap 2.

The movement of the locking ring 4' between the locking and unlocking positions is caused in the same way as in the previously described example by the cam followers 43 engaging in the cam grooves 294. This time, however, the cam follower 43 is provided on the radially outermost face of the skirt 45.

However, in this example, the position where the lock ring 4 'is located at the axially outermost side (shown in fig. 7A) corresponds to the locked position, and the position where the lock ring 4' is located at the axially innermost side (fig. 7B) corresponds to the unlocked position. As will be apparent from fig. 7B, in the unlocked position, the angled face 46 engages the teeth 101 and deflects the teeth 101 radially outward so that the teeth 101 will not grip the tube as it is removed. By contrast to the previous example, the second example only requires movement of the locking ring 4', whereas the first example requires both movement of the locking ring and axial displacement of the collet as described above.