CN113639120A - Female joint and joint assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a female connector for receiving a male connector. The female connector includes a female connector housing, a support ring, a clip, and a clip blocking member. The clip blocking member is located outside the female connector housing and has a pair of blocking surfaces facing distal ends of two clip legs of the clip, respectively. The male connector is at least partially insertable into an interior space of the support ring in the fluid passage of the female connector. When the recess of the male connector is aligned with the pair of housing openings and the pair of support ring openings, the pair of clip legs enter the recess of the male connector, and the operating portion of the clip can enter the stroke end position. The pair of blocking surfaces is configured to block the operating portion from entering the end-of-travel position by abutting distal ends of the pair of catch legs when the recess of the male connector is misaligned with the pair of housing openings and the pair of support ring openings and the pair of catch legs are abutting against the outer surface of the male connector.

Description

Female joint and joint assembly

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of connector assemblies, and more particularly, to a quick connector type connector assembly and a female connector thereof.

Background

A quick-connect type fitting assembly is a fitting that does not require tools to make or break the line. Quick-connect type joint assemblies typically include a male and a female joint that are connected to two pipes to be connected, respectively. The user can directly insert the male connector into the female connector without the aid of external tools to achieve an assembly connection between the male connector and the female connector to allow fluid to flow through the tubing of the connector assembly, thereby fluidly connecting two pipes to be connected through the connector assembly.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a female connector, which can effectively connect a male connector and a female connector via a clip, and prevent the male connector and the female connector from being not installed in place.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a box for receiving a male connector, the male connector comprising an outer surface and a groove recessed inwardly from the outer surface and extending circumferentially. The female joint includes: a box housing defining a fluid passage extending axially therealong and including a pair of housing openings extending circumferentially thereof and communicating with the fluid passage; a support ring including a pair of support ring openings extending along a circumferential direction of the support ring and communicating with an inner space of the support ring, the support ring being arranged in the fluid passage of the box housing, the pair of support ring openings being aligned with the pair of housing openings, respectively; a clip including a pair of clip legs configured to pass through the pair of housing openings into the pair of support ring openings, respectively, and an operating portion connected between proximal ends of the pair of clip legs; and a clip blocking member located outside the female connector housing and having a pair of blocking surfaces facing distal ends of the two clip legs of the clip, respectively. The male connector is at least partially insertable into an interior space of the support ring in the fluid passage of the female connector. And when the recess of the male tab is aligned with the pair of housing openings and the pair of support ring openings, the pair of clip legs enter the recess, and the operating portion of the clip can enter the stroke end position. The pair of blocking surfaces are configured to block the operating portion from entering the end-of-travel position by abutting distal ends of the pair of clip legs when the recess is misaligned with the pair of housing openings and the pair of support ring openings and the pair of clip legs are abutting against an outer surface of the male connector.

According to the female joint, an operator judges that the clip locks the male joint with respect to the female joint according to the fact that the operating portion reaches the stroke end position, and the clip is in the locking position when the clip locks the male joint with respect to the female joint.

According to the female joint, the installation indicator is arranged on the outer surface of the female joint shell, and an operator judges whether the operation part reaches the stroke end position or not according to the position of the operation part relative to the installation indicator.

According to the aforementioned female joint, when the clip is in the locked position, the distal ends of the pair of clip legs are spaced apart by a first predetermined distance, and the pair of blocking surfaces are configured to abut the distal ends of the two clip legs when the distance between the distal ends of the two clip legs is greater than the first predetermined distance, thereby blocking the operating portion of the clip from reaching the stroke end position.

According to the aforementioned female joint, the clip blocking member is connected to the support ring with a space between the pair of blocking faces and the outer surface of the female joint housing to receive the distal ends of the two clip legs.

According to the female joint, the female joint housing is cylindrical, the pair of blocking surfaces are arc surfaces parallel to the outer surface of the joint housing, a second predetermined distance is provided between the pair of blocking surfaces and the outer surface of the female joint housing, and the second predetermined distance is determined according to the length of the distal ends of the pair of clip legs extending from the outer surface of the joint housing when the clip is in the locking position.

According to the aforementioned female terminal, the clip blocking member includes a pair of blocking portions on which the pair of blocking faces are formed, respectively.

According to the female joint, the pair of blocking parts respectively comprise circular arc-shaped blocking plates concentrically arranged with the female joint shell, and the pair of blocking surfaces are formed by the blocking plates.

According to the aforementioned female joint, the distal ends of the pair of clip legs respectively form foot portions configured to hold the distal ends of the pair of clip legs outside the female joint housing.

According to the aforementioned female joint, the female joint further includes a seal ring provided in the fluid passage of the female joint housing and located inside the support ring in the axial direction of the female joint housing, the seal ring being configured to sealingly connect the male joint with the female joint, the support ring being configured to retain the seal ring in the fluid passage.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a connector assembly comprising a male connector comprising an outer surface and a groove recessed inwardly from the outer surface and extending circumferentially; and a female connector according to the first aspect.

The cooperation that this joint Assembly blockked through checkpost and checkpost has avoided not yet inserting when taking one's place in female joint at the male joint, and the operating portion of checkpost has just arrived stroke end position to avoid operating personnel to arrive stroke end position and misjudge that the male joint has inserted in female joint and take one's place according to the operating portion of checkpost.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a perspective view of a joint assembly using a female joint according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a partially exploded view of the joint assembly of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the female connector shown in FIG. 1B from a first perspective;

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the female connector shown in FIG. 1B from a second perspective;

FIG. 2C is an exploded view of the female connector shown in FIG. 1B;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the support ring and blocker of FIG. 2C;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the female connector of FIG. 2B taken along line A-A;

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the female connector of FIG. 2B taken along line B-B;

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly of FIG. 1A taken axially through a female connector housing when the male connector is not in place;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly of FIG. 1A taken along a radial direction of the female connector housing when the male connector is not in place;

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly of FIG. 1A taken along the axial direction of the female connector housing with the male connector in place;

fig. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly of fig. 1A taken along a radial direction of the female connector housing with the male connector in place.

Detailed Description

Various embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. It should be understood that although directional terms, such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top" and "bottom," etc., may be used in the present disclosure to describe various example structural portions and elements of the disclosure, these terms are used herein for convenience of description only and are determined based on the example orientations shown in the figures. Because the disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure can be arranged in a variety of orientations, these directional terms are used for purposes of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting.

Fig. 1A is a perspective view of a connector assembly 100 using a female connector 102 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and fig. 1B is a partially exploded view of the connector assembly 100 of fig. 1A, wherein a male connector 104 is separated from the female connector 102. As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the connector assembly 100 includes a male connector 104 and a female connector 102. The male connector 104 is connected to the female connector 102 by a bayonet connection, i.e., the male connector 104 is partially inserted into the female connector 102, thereby providing fluid communication between the male connector 104 and the female connector 102.

The male connector 104 is substantially a straight cylinder with a circular cross section, and a male connector passage 124 is provided inside the male connector 104. The male connector passage 124 extends axially through the male connector 104 such that the male connector passage 124 communicates with the interior of the female connector 102 when the male connector 104 is inserted within the female connector 102. An inwardly recessed groove 125 is formed in an outer surface 127 of the male connector 104, and the groove 125 is annular and is disposed around the outer periphery of the male connector 104. The male connector 104 is provided with a guide surface 129 inclined with respect to the axis thereof at the end inserted into the female connector 102. The groove 125 is adapted to receive a catch 220 (see fig. 2C) of the female connector 102 to achieve a secure connection (locking) of the male connector 104 to the female connector 102, and the guide surface 129 is adapted to guide the male connector 104 to be inserted between the catches 220 of the female connector 102, which will be described in detail later.

The female connector 102 is substantially in the shape of a bent pipe bent at 90 °. To adapt to different application environments, the female connector 102 may also be straight tubular in other embodiments. The female connector 102 includes a female connector housing 110, the female connector housing 110 having two ends, one end being a receiving end 113 and the other end being a securing end 115. The female connector 102 has an inner diameter at the receiving end 113 of the female connector housing 110 that matches the outer diameter of the male connector 104 so that the male connector 104 can be inserted into the female connector 102. In this embodiment, the fixed end 115 of the box housing 110 is externally threaded so that the box 102 can be threadably coupled to an external pipe via the fixed end 115, and in other embodiments, the fixed end 115 can be coupled to an external pipe in other ways, such as by a clamp connection. The box housing 110 defines a fluid passage 111 extending along an axial direction of the box 102. When the male connector 104 is inserted into the female connector 102, the male connector passage 124 communicates with the fluid passage 111 of the female connector housing 110, thereby enabling fluid communication between the tubing to which the male connector 104 is connected and the tubing to which the female connector 102 is connected.

Fig. 2A and 2B are perspective views of the female connector 102 shown in fig. 1B from two different perspectives, respectively, and fig. 2C is an exploded view of the female connector 102 shown in fig. 1B. As shown in fig. 2A-2C, the box 102 includes a box housing 110, a clip 220, and a clip stop 230, as well as a support ring 240, a seal ring 250, an additional support ring 260, and an additional seal ring 270 located within the box housing 110.

As shown in fig. 2A-2C, the female connector housing 110 forms the basic structure of the female connector 102. The box housing 110 is generally in the shape of a 90 ° bend and includes a first relatively thick pipe section 211 and a second relatively thin pipe section 213, where the first and second pipe sections 211, 213 meet at the bend. The fluid passage 111 extends through the first tube section 211 and the second tube section 213. The support ring 240, the sealing ring 250, the additional support ring 260 and the additional sealing ring 270 are inserted into the first pipe section 211 of the box housing 110. The receiving end 113 of the female connector housing 110 corresponds to the free end of the first tube segment 211 and the fixed end 115 corresponds to the free end of the second tube segment 213.

As shown in fig. 2C, the support ring 240, the seal ring 250, the additional support ring 260, and the additional seal ring 270 are each annular in shape, and have an outer diameter that matches an inner diameter at a mounting position in the first pipe section 211 of the box housing 110, respectively. The support ring 240, the sealing ring 250, the additional support ring 260 and the additional sealing ring 270 are inserted from the receiving end 113 into the first pipe section 211 of the female joint housing 110 and are arranged in the first pipe section 211 in sequence from the outside inwards. The sealing ring 250 and the additional sealing ring 270 are made of an elastic material for achieving a sealing connection between the male connector 104 and the female connector 102, preventing the fluid circulating in the connector assembly 100 from leaking outwards. The support ring 240 serves to define the axial position of the sealing ring 250 within the joint housing 110, and the additional support ring 260 serves to define the axial position of the additional sealing ring 270 within the joint housing 110. In order to ensure the sealing effect between the male connector 104 and the female connector 102, the female connector 102 of the present embodiment has two sealing devices, i.e. a sealing ring 250 and an additional sealing ring 270, in the connector housing 110, but in other embodiments, only one sealing device may be provided in the female connector 102. For other embodiments of the box 102 in which only one sealing means is provided, the provision of the additional sealing ring 270 and the additional support ring 260 is omitted on the basis of the box 102 of the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 2A and 2C, the clip 220 is partially inserted into the female connector housing 110. The catch 220 is used to lock the male connector 104 relative to the female connector 102 when the male connector 104 is inserted into the female connector 102, thereby maintaining a secure connection therebetween. The clip 220 is a long strip with a plurality of bending portions, and in this embodiment, the clip 220 is formed by bending a long strip-shaped straight rod with a circular cross section. The clip 220 includes an operating portion 223 and a pair of clip legs 222, and the operating portion 223 is connected between the two clip legs 222. The operation portion 223 extends substantially in the horizontal direction, and the middle portion of the operation portion 223 is upwardly convex for the convenience of the user. Proximal ends of the two catch legs 222 are connected to the operating portion 223, and the two catch legs 222 extend vertically downward from both ends of the operating portion 223, respectively, for effecting the engagement between the male connector 104 and the female connector 102. The two clip legs 222 extend substantially the same length, and the center line of the operating portion 223 and the center lines of the two clip legs 222 are substantially on the same plane. The distal ends 224 of the two latching legs 222 are bent to form feet 228, and the two feet 228 are bent from the two latching legs 222 to two different directions. The feet 228 are provided to facilitate attachment of the clip 220 to the female connector housing 110 such that the clip 220 does not easily fall off the female connector housing 110. In the present embodiment, the two leg portions 228 extend in directions perpendicular to the planes in which the center line of the operating portion 223 and the center line of the catch leg 222 lie. That is, the two legs 228 are parallel to each other and extend in opposite directions. It is noted that although in the present embodiment, the distal ends 224 of the two clip legs 222 are bent to form the feet 228, in other embodiments, the distal ends 224 of the two clip legs 222 may not be bent to form the feet, which is within the scope of the present disclosure. The clip 220 is made of a metal material having a certain rigidity (e.g., stainless steel). Since the clip 220 has an elongated strip shape, the two clip legs 222 have elasticity with respect to each other. That is, the two catch legs 222 can be moved toward or away from each other to cause the catch 220 to contract or expand. In the free state of the catch 220, the two catch legs 222 are substantially parallel to one another.

As shown in fig. 2A-2C, the clip stopper 230 is located outside the joint housing 110 for restricting the movement path of the clip 220. In this embodiment, the clip stopper 230 is integrally connected to the support ring 240. The support ring 240 is positioned at a position of the joint housing 110 near the connection end 113, and the catch stopper 230 protrudes from the connection end 113 out of the fluid passage 111 of the joint housing 110 and extends to the outside of the joint housing 110. In other embodiments, the clip stops 230 may also be attached directly to the outer surface of the splice enclosure 110.

As shown in fig. 2C, the support ring 240 has a ring structure and extends a certain length along the axial direction thereof. The support ring 240 is provided with a pair of mounting members 245 for fixedly coupling the support ring 240 with the female connector housing 110, and a pair of support ring openings 247 for allowing the two catch legs 222 to enter the inner space of the support ring 240. A pair of mounts 245 are located at the top and bottom of support ring 240, respectively. A support ring opening 247 extends through the support ring. The support ring openings 247 are elongated and extend along the circumference of the support ring 240. The mounts 245 and support ring openings 247 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the support ring 240.

As shown in fig. 2A-2C, the female connector housing 110 is provided with a pair of housing openings 215 at the receiving end 113, the housing openings 215 extending radially through the female connector housing 110. The housing opening 215 is elongated and extends along the circumferential direction of the joint housing 110. When the support ring 240 is installed in place in the female connector housing 110, the pair of support ring openings 247 are aligned with the pair of housing openings 215, respectively, so that the catch legs 222 of the catches 220 can pass through the housing openings 215 and the support ring openings 247 in order into the interior of the support ring 240 and mate with the recesses 125 on the male connector 104 inserted into the support ring 240 to fixedly connect the male connector 104 to the female connector 102, such that the male connector 104 is locked relative to the female connector 102. The female connector housing 110 is also provided with a pair of support ring mounting holes 217. The pair of support ring mounting holes 217 of the female connector housing 110 and the pair of mounts 245 of the support ring 240 can be matingly snapped together to fixedly connect the support ring 240 to the female connector housing 110. A pair of support ring mounting holes 217 are located at the top and bottom of the joint housing 110, respectively. The two support ring mounting holes 217 have the same size and shape, radially penetrate the box housing 110, and are symmetrically arranged with respect to the central axis of the box housing 110.

A pair of clip mounting grooves 219 (see fig. 2A and 2C) are also provided on the outer surface of the female connector housing 110 for receiving the two leg portions 228 of the clip 220. The pair of clip mounting grooves 219 have the same size and shape, and are symmetrically disposed at the lower portion of the joint housing 110. Each clip mounting groove 219 corresponds to one housing opening 215, and is provided on both sides in the width direction of the housing opening 215. That is, each clip mounting groove 219 extends through a corresponding one of the housing openings 215 in the width direction of the housing opening 215 (i.e., the axial direction of the female connector housing 110). Since the two leg portions 228 of the clip 220 extend in the axial direction of the female connector housing 110 when the clip 220 is mounted on the connector housing 110, the clip mounting grooves 219 also extend in the axial direction of the female connector housing 110, which enables the pair of clip mounting grooves 219 to receive the leg portions 228 of the clip 220.

As shown in fig. 2A and 2C, a mounting indicator is further provided on the outer surface of the top of the female connector housing 110 for indicating the mounting state of the clip 220 on the female connector 102. The installation indicator includes a pair of installation indicator plates 216, and the installation indicator plates 216 can both guide the installation of the clips 220 and indicate the installation state of the clips 220 on the female connector 102. The two installation indicating plates 216 are identical in size and shape, are arranged side by side along the axial direction of the female connector housing 110, and are respectively located on two opposite sides of the housing opening 215. The mounting indicating plates 216 are provided on the radial surface of the joint housing 110, and each mounting indicating plate 216 has a contour shape similar to the contour of the operating portion 223 of the clip 220. The above arrangement allows the two mounting indicator plates 216 to form an accommodating space between them that can accommodate the operating portion 223 of the clip 220. Each of the installation indicating plates 216 is provided with a notch 2165 at the middle in the circumferential extending direction of the female connector housing 110, the notch 2165 being provided so that the user can observe the installed state of the clip 220 from the side of the female connector 102.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the support ring 240 and the dam 230 of fig. 2C for illustrating a more detailed structure of the support ring 240 and the dam 230. As shown in fig. 3, the support ring 240 is provided with two windows 319 at positions where the two mounting members 245 are provided, and the two windows 319 are the same in size and shape. Only one window 319 and one mounting member 245 are shown in figure 3 at the top of the support ring 240, while one window 319 and one mounting member 245 are hidden from view at the bottom of the support ring 240. Specific configurations of the window 319 and the mounting member 245 will be described below by taking as an example the window 319 and the mounting member 245 disposed at the top of the support ring 240.

The windows 319 are generally square in shape, and each window 319 is capable of receiving one of the mounting members 245. The windows 319 extend through the thickness of the support ring 240 in the radial direction. The mount 245 of the support ring 240 includes a mount coupling end 320 and a mount free end 321, the mount coupling end 320 being coupled to one side edge of the window 319, the mount free end 321 being provided with a projection 322. Thus, the mounting member 245 forms a cantilever-type structure having elasticity that is movable in the window 319. In the free state of the mounting member 245, the protrusion 322 on the free end 321 of the mounting member protrudes from the outer surface of the body of the support ring 240, and the rest of the mounting member 245 is flush with the outer surface of the body of the support ring 240. When an inward force is applied to the protrusions 322 on the mount free end 321, the mount free end 321 moves towards the inside of the support ring 240, and the protrusions 322 on the mount free end 321 can be fully received in the windows 319 and no longer protrude beyond the outer surface of the body of the support ring 240. The size and shape of the projections 322 of the pair of mounting pieces 245 on the support ring 240 are respectively matched with the size and shape of the pair of support ring mounting holes 217 on the box housing 110, so that the pair of projections 322 can be respectively received in the pair of support ring mounting holes 217 when the support ring 240 is mounted in the box housing 110. The support ring 240 has axially opposite ends, an inner end 327 and an outer end 325. When the support ring 240 is inserted into the box housing 110, the inner end 327 first enters the box housing 110 and the outer end 325 then enters the box housing 110 such that the inner end 327 is inside the outer end 325.

The mating arrangement of the mounting members 245 of the support ring 240 and the support ring mounting holes 217 of the box housing 110 facilitates secure mounting of the support ring 240 within the box housing 110, preventing the support ring 240 from shifting and deflecting in both the axial and circumferential directions of the box housing 110. In addition, the mounting members 245 and the mounting holes 217 are matched to facilitate the detachment of the support ring 240, and the support ring 240 can be easily separated from the female joint housing 110 only by withdrawing the two protrusions 322 of the pair of mounting members 245 from the corresponding mounting holes 217 of the support ring.

The blocker 230 includes a pair of blocking portions 330 that form a pair of blocking faces 302. Only one of the barriers 330 is clearly shown in fig. 3, the other barrier 330 being hidden from view. The two blocking parts 330 are symmetrically disposed on the support ring 240, and have the same structure. The blocking portion 330 includes a coupling plate 323 and a blocking plate 324. The web 323 is coupled to the support ring 240 at one end and extends radially outward from the outer end 325 of the support ring 240. The other end of the connecting plate 323 is connected to a blocking plate 324, the blocking plate 324 extending from the end of the connecting plate 323 in the axial direction of the support ring 240 towards the inner end 327 of the support ring 240. The blocking plates 324 of the two blocking portions 330 are respectively positioned outside the pair of support ring openings 247 with a space from the outer surface of the support ring 240. The blocking plates 324 of the two blocking parts 330 are both arc-shaped plate-shaped, so that each blocking part 330 has a blocking surface 302 facing the outer surface of the support ring 240, and the blocking surface 302 is an arc surface. In the present embodiment, the clip stopper 230 is formed of two separate stoppers 330, and in other embodiments, the two stoppers 330 may be integrally connected.

Fig. 4A is a sectional view of the female connector 102 of fig. 2B taken along the line a-a to the left as viewed in the direction of the arrow, and fig. 4B is a sectional view of the female connector 102 of fig. 2B taken along the line B-B as viewed in the direction of the arrow, that is, a radial section of the female connector 102 at the mounting position of the clip 220. Fig. 4A and 4B show the assembled relationship of the components of the female connector 102 after the components are assembled in place. In fig. 4A and 4B, the catch 220 is already in its locked position, although the male connector 102 has not yet been inserted into the female connector 102.

As shown in fig. 4A, the support ring 240, the seal ring 250, the additional support ring 260, and the additional seal ring 270 are inserted into the female connector housing 110 from the receiving end 113 in the insertion direction indicated by arrow a. The female joint housing 110 is provided with two steps 401, 402 on the inner wall of the fluid passage 111 at the receiving end 113, i.e. the first pipe section 211, and the additional sealing ring 270 and the additional support ring 260 abut on the two steps 401, 402, respectively. In the axial direction of the first pipe section 211 of the box housing 110, the additional sealing ring 270 is located inside the additional support ring 260, the additional support ring 260 can limit the movement of the additional sealing ring 270 in the direction opposite to the insertion direction indicated by the arrow a, and the two- step steps 401 and 402 respectively limit the further movement of the additional sealing ring 270 and the additional support ring 260 in the insertion direction indicated by the arrow a. The support ring 240 is mounted within the first tube section 211 of the box housing 110 with the inner end 327 of the support ring 240 facing the seal ring 250 and the end face of the outer end 325 being substantially flush with the end face of the receiving end 113 of the box housing 110. The sealing ring 250 is disposed between the support ring 240 and the additional support ring 260, and the fit arrangement of the support ring 240 and the additional support ring 260 can limit the movement of the sealing ring 250 in the axial direction of the female joint housing 110. Also visible in fig. 4A are window 319 at the top of support ring 240, as well as mount connection end 320 and mount free end 321 of mount 245.

As shown in fig. 4A and 4B, when the support ring 240 is installed in place in the fluid passage 111 of the box housing 110, the pair of support ring openings 247 are aligned with the pair of housing openings 215, respectively. The support ring opening 247 and the housing opening 215 are approximately the same width, both matching the diameter of the catch legs 223. The two housing openings 215 have the same size and shape and are symmetrically arranged on the left side and the right side of the female connector housing 110; the two support ring openings 247 have the same size and shape and are symmetrically disposed on the left and right sides of the support ring 240. A pair of support ring openings 247 are located inside the pair of housing openings 215, respectively. A support ring opening 247 and a housing opening 215 on the same side of the female connector 102 are aligned with each other and extend in the same direction.

The above-described mating arrangement of the support ring 240 and the header housing 110 enables the pair of catch legs 222 of the catch 220 to be simultaneously inserted into the pair of housing openings 215 and the pair of support ring openings 247, and also enables the pair of catch legs 222 to enter the interior space of the support ring 240 when the catch 220 is seated in place in the female header 102 in its locked position. When the clip 220 is in its locked position, the foot 228 (distal end 224) of the clip leg 222 extends from the female connector housing 110 and is partially received in a pair of clip receiving grooves 219 on the outer surface of the female connector housing 110. The provision of the foot portion 228 of the clip leg 222 enables the distal end 224 of the clip leg 222 to be held outside the female connector housing 110, while the provision of the clip installation groove 219 makes it possible to limit the extent to which the two clip legs 222 of the clip 220 are opened relative to each other by the engagement of the foot portion 228 of the clip 220 with the clip installation groove 219. This enables the clip 220 to be better held on the female connector housing 110.

As shown in fig. 4B, when the clip 220 is in the locked position in the female connector 102, the outer edge of the operating portion 223 is substantially flush with the outer edge of the attachment indicator plate 216, the operating portion 223 is located at the end-of-stroke position 405, and even if the operator continues to press the operating portion 223 downward, the operating portion 223 cannot move downward any more. Normally, the operator determines whether the clip 220 is mounted to the lock position by observing whether the operating portion 223 of the clip 220 is located at the stroke end position 405. When the user sees that the outer edge of the operating portion 223 of the clip 220 protrudes beyond the outer edge of the mounting indicator plate 216, that is, the operating portion 223 is not in the end-of-stroke position 405, the operator determines that the clip 220 is not mounted in position in the female connector 102 and is not in the locked position. As a result, the operator can determine whether or not the clip 220 is mounted in position on the female joint housing 110 by the relative positions of the operating portion 223 of the clip 220 and the pair of mounting indicator plates 216. When the catch 220 is in place on the female connector housing 110 in the locked position, the distal ends 224 of the two catch legs 222 are a first predetermined distance 408 between them. Wherein the first predetermined distance 408 is less than the diameter of the fluid passageway 111 at the receiving end 113 of the female connector housing 110.

As also shown in fig. 4B, on the radial surface of the female joint housing 110, the circle formed by the circular arc-shaped blocking surfaces 302 of the pair of blocking portions 330 of the blocking member 230 and the circle on which the outer surface of the female joint housing 110 is located are concentric circles. That is, the pair of blocking surfaces 302 are parallel to the outer surface of the cylindrical female joint housing 110. The pair of stop surfaces 302 are a constant distance from the outer surface of the female connector housing 110, designated as a second predetermined distance 409. When the clip 220 is mounted in place in the connector housing 110 as shown in fig. 4B, the distal ends 224 of the pair of clip legs 222 extend from the outer surface of the female connector housing 110, with both distal ends 224 being received in the space between the pair of stop surfaces 302 and the outer surface of the connector housing 110, and the second predetermined distance 409 being determined by the length of the distal ends 224 of the pair of clip legs 222 that extend from the outer surface of the connector housing 110 when the clip 220 is mounted in place. In the present embodiment, the second predetermined distance 409 is configured to: when the clip 220 is in place, the distal ends 224 of the pair of clip legs 222 are in proper contact with the stop faces 302 of the pair of stops 230. The above arrangement enables the clip stopper 230 of the female connector 102 to define a movement path of the clip 220 during the process of fixedly connecting the male connector 104 and the female connector 102 using the clip 220, thereby preventing the mis-assembly between the male connector 104 and the female connector 102, which will be described in detail below.

In assembling the respective components of the female joint 102 in the assembled state as shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the additional seal ring 270, the additional support ring 260, the seal ring 250, and the support ring 240 are first inserted in order from the receiving end 113 into the female joint housing 110 in the insertion direction indicated by the arrow a. After these components reach the position shown in fig. 4A, the catches 220 are spread apart, pulling the pair of catch legs 222 away from each other so that the distance between the pair of catch legs 222 increases until the catches 220 can ride over the female connector housing 110 and the pair of catch legs 222 are aligned with the two housing openings 215 of the female connector housing 110. Next, the pair of catch legs 222 are released, so that the pair of catch legs 222 enter the two housing openings 215, respectively, and the two feet 228 remain outside the female connector housing 110. Subsequently, the operation portion 223 reaches the stroke end position 405.

Fig. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly 100 of fig. 1A taken along the axis of the female connector housing 100 when the male connector 104 is not in place, the cut-away location being the same as in fig. 4A. Fig. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly 100 of fig. 1A taken along a radial direction of the female connector housing 100 when the male connector 104 is not installed in place, the cut-away position being the same as in fig. 4B. In fig. 5A and 5B, the clip 220 is not installed in place while the male connector 104 is not yet inserted in place in the female connector 102, and the clip 220 is not in the locked position.

Prior to inserting the male connector 104 into the female connector 102, the clip 220 is installed in place in the female connector 102 in the locked position as shown in fig. 4A. Since the two catch legs 222 of the catch 220 enter the inner space of the support ring 240, the distance between the two catch legs 222 is smaller than the inner diameter of the support ring 240 and thus also smaller than the outer diameter of the male connector 104. After the male connector 104 is inserted into the support ring 240, the inclined guide surface 129 of the male connector 104 enters between the two catch legs 222. As the guide surface 129 increases in diameter, the guide surface 129 pushes the two catch legs 222 away from each other as the male connector 104 moves gradually inward, allowing the male connector 104 to enter between the two catch legs 222. During this process, the catch legs 222 are spaced from the interior space of the support ring 240 and the distance between the two feet 228 is greater than the first predetermined distance 408 shown in fig. 4B. Also, the inner surfaces of the two catch legs 222 abut on the outer surface of the male connector 104. As shown in fig. 5A, with the two clip legs 222 of the clip 220 expanded outward, the foot portions 228 of the two clip legs 222 move upward in the pair of clip installation grooves 219, and the clip stoppers 230 (including the stopper portions 330) provided outside the female connector housing 110 also block the downward movement of the foot portions 228 of the two clip legs 222. At this time, even if the operating portion 223 of the clip 220 is pressed downward, since the pair of leg portions 228 of the clip 220 abut on the pair of stopper faces 302 of the clip stopper 230, the operating portion 223 does not move downward to be completely accommodated in the accommodating space formed by the pair of mounting indicator plates 216, and thus the operating portion 223 protrudes from the outer edge of the mounting indicator plate 216, and the user can see that the clip 220 is not mounted in place from the position of the operating portion 223 with respect to the mounting indicator plate 216. However, if the stopper portion 330 is not provided, when the clip 220 is in the state shown in fig. 5B, and the operating portion 223 of the clip 220 is pressed downward, the operating portion 223 moves downward to be completely received in the receiving space formed by the pair of mounting indicator plates 216, and reaches the end-of-stroke position 405. Therefore, the provision of the clip stopper 230 can prevent a phenomenon in which the clip 220 is not mounted in place and the operating portion 223 of the clip 220 has reached the stroke end position 405 during mounting.

As the male connector 104 continues inward into the fluid passageway 111 of the female connector 102, the sealing ring 250 and additional sealing ring 270 progressively abut against the outer surface of the male connector 104 to effect a sealed connection between the male connector 104 and the female connector 102. When the recess 125 of the male connector 104 is aligned with the pair of catch legs 222 of the catch 220, the pair of catch legs 222 are retracted inwardly relative to each other to catch into the recess 125 of the male connector 104. At this point, the clip 220 is installed in place in the female connector housing 110, returning to the locked position.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly 100 of FIG. 1A in an axial direction with the male connector 104 in place, the cross-sectional view being the same as FIG. 4A; fig. 6B is a radial cross-sectional view of the connector assembly 100 of fig. 1A with the male connector 104 in place, the cross-sectional view being the same as in fig. 4B. As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, when the male connector 104 is installed in place in the female connector 102, the recesses 125 of the male connector 104 are aligned with the pair of housing openings 215 and the pair of support ring openings 247 of the female connector 102 so that the pair of clip legs 222 of the clip 220 are inserted into the recesses 125 of the male connector 104. At this time, the distance between the distal ends 224 of the pair of clip legs 222 is returned to the first predetermined distance 408, and the operating portion 223 of the clip 220 is returned to the stroke end position 405. Because the support ring 240 is fixedly attached to the insertion end 113 of the female connector 102, when the clip 220 is seated in the connector assembly 100 in a locked position, the clip 220 resists axial relative movement of the male connector 104 and the female connector 102, thereby locking the male connector 104 relative to the female connector 102. In addition, the seal ring 250 and the additional seal ring 270 are arranged such that the male connector 104 is disposed in radial abutment with the female connector 102. Thus, when the clip 220 is installed in place in the connector assembly 100, the male connector 104 and the female connector 102 are securely and sealingly connected together, thereby ensuring effective communication of fluid within the connector assembly 100.

Since the operator cannot view the recesses 125 of the male connector 104 within the female connector 102 during insertion of the male connector 104 into the female connector 102, it is impossible to determine whether the male connector 104 is inserted into position within the female connector 102 by observing whether the recesses 125 of the male connector 104 are aligned with the pair of housing openings 215 and the pair of support ring openings 247 of the female connector 102. The operator can only determine whether the male connector 104 is inserted in the female connector 102 by determining whether the operating portion 223 of the catch 220 can enter the stroke end position 405. The clip stopper 230 of the present disclosure can provide a reasonable movement locus guide for the distal ends 224 of the pair of clip legs 222 of the clip 220, so that the operating portion 223 of the clip 220 can enter the end-of-stroke position 405 only when the recess 125 of the male connector 104 is aligned with the pair of housing openings 215 and the pair of support ring openings 247 of the female connector 102, and the operating portion 223 of the clip 220 cannot enter the end-of-stroke position 405 even if the operating portion 223 of the clip 220 is pressed down (for example, by a wrong operation) when the recess 125 of the male connector 104 is not aligned with the pair of housing openings 215 and the pair of support ring openings 247 of the female connector 102. Thus, the operating portion 223 of the clip 220 is prevented from entering the end-of-travel position 405 in the case where the male connector 104 has not been inserted in position in the female connector 102, thereby preventing an operator from erroneously determining that the male connector 104 has been mounted in position in the female connector 102 in accordance with an indication that the operating portion 223 has entered the end-of-travel position 405.

As can be seen in conjunction with fig. 5B and 6B, during insertion of the male connector 104 into the female connector 102, the clip stops 230 located outside the distal ends 224 of the pair of clip legs 222 do not affect the relative movement of the pair of clip legs 222 of the clip 220 at all times, and thus do not affect the operation of connecting the male connector 104 to the female connector 102.

While only certain features of the disclosure have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the disclosure.

Claims (11)

1. A female connector (102) for receiving a male connector (104), the male connector (104) including an outer surface (127) and a groove (125) recessed inwardly from the outer surface (127) and extending circumferentially, the female connector (102) comprising:

a box housing (110), the box housing (110) defining a fluid passage (111) extending axially therealong and including a pair of housing openings (215), the pair of housing openings (215) extending circumferentially of the box housing (110) and communicating with the fluid passage (111);

a support ring (240), the support ring (240) including a pair of support ring openings (247), the pair of support ring openings (247) extending along a circumferential direction of the support ring (240) and communicating with an inner space of the support ring (240), the support ring (240) being disposed in the fluid passage (111) of the female joint housing (110), the pair of support ring openings (247) being aligned with the pair of housing openings (215), respectively;

a clip (220), the clip (220) including a pair of clip legs (222) and an operating portion (223) connected between proximal ends of the pair of clip legs (222), the pair of clip legs (222) configured to pass through the pair of housing openings (215) into the pair of support ring openings (247), respectively; and

a clip blocker (230), the clip blocker (230) located outside of the female connector housing (110) and having a pair of blocking faces (302) facing distal ends (224) of two clip legs (222) of the clip (220), respectively;

wherein the male connector (104) is at least partially insertable into an inner space of the support ring (240) in the fluid passage (111) of the female connector (102), and wherein, when the recess (125) of the male connector (104) is aligned with the pair of housing openings (215) and the pair of support ring openings (247), the pair of clip legs (222) enter the recess (125), and the operating portion (223) of the clip (220) is able to enter an end-of-travel position (405); and is

Wherein the pair of blocking surfaces (302) are configured to block the operating portion (223) from entering the end-of-travel position (405) by abutting the distal ends (224) of the pair of catch legs (222) when the recess (125) is misaligned with the pair of housing openings (215) and the pair of support ring openings (247) and the pair of catch legs (222) abut against the outer surface (127) of the male connector (104).

2. The box joint (102) of claim 1, wherein:

an operator judges that the clip (220) locks the male connector (102) with respect to the female connector (102) based on the operating portion (223) reaching the end-of-travel position (405), and when the clip (220) locks the male connector (102) with respect to the female connector (102), the clip (220) is in a locked position.

3. The box joint (102) of claim 2, wherein:

an installation indicator is arranged on the outer surface of the female joint shell (110), and an operator judges whether the operation part (223) reaches the stroke end position (405) according to the position of the operation part (223) relative to the installation indicator.

4. The box joint (102) of claim 2, wherein:

the pair of blocking surfaces (302) are configured to abut the distal ends (224) of the two clip legs (222) when the clip (220) is in the locked position at a first predetermined distance (408) between the distal ends (224) of the pair of clip legs (222), the pair of blocking surfaces (302) being configured to block the operating portion (223) of the clip (220) from reaching the end-of-travel position (405) when the distance between the distal ends (224) of the two clip legs (222) is greater than the first predetermined distance (408).

5. The box joint (102) of claim 1, wherein:

the clip stops (230) are connected to the support ring (240) with a space between the pair of stop faces (302) and an outer surface of the female connector housing (110) to receive the distal ends (224) of the two clip legs (222).

6. The box joint (102) of claim 5, wherein:

the female connector housing (110) is cylindrical, the pair of blocking surfaces (302) are arc surfaces parallel to the outer surface of the connector housing (110), a second predetermined distance is formed between the pair of blocking surfaces (302) and the outer surface of the female connector housing (110), and the second predetermined distance is determined according to the length of the distal ends (224) of the pair of clip legs (222) extending out of the outer surface of the connector housing (110) when the clip (220) is in the locking position.

7. The box joint (102) of claim 6, wherein:

the clip stopper (230) includes a pair of stopper portions (330), and the pair of stopper faces (302) are formed on the pair of stopper portions (330), respectively.

8. The box joint (102) of claim 7, wherein:

the pair of blocking parts (330) respectively comprise circular arc-shaped blocking plates (324) concentrically arranged with the female joint shell (110), and the pair of blocking surfaces (302) are formed by the blocking plates (324).

9. The box joint (102) of claim 1, wherein:

the distal ends (224) of the pair of catch legs (222) each form a foot (228), the feet (228) being configured to retain the distal ends (224) of the pair of catch legs (222) outside of the female connector housing (110).

10. The box joint (102) of claim 1, wherein:

the female joint (102) further comprises a sealing ring (250), the sealing ring (250) being arranged in the fluid passage (111) of the female joint housing (110) and being located inside the support ring (240) in the axial direction of the female joint housing (110), the sealing ring (250) being configured to sealingly connect the male joint (104) with the female joint (102), the support ring (240) being configured to retain the sealing ring (250) in the fluid passage (111).

11. A joint assembly (100), the joint assembly (100) comprising:

a male connector (104), the male connector (104) including an outer surface (127) and a groove (125) recessed inwardly from the outer surface (127) and extending circumferentially; and

the box (102) according to any one of claims 1-10.

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