GB2129521A - Improvements in connectors - Google Patents

Abstract

A connector for an air or gas supply has two parts (10,11) releasably connectable together. The first connector part (10) includes a valve member (30) movable between a first position in which gas can flow through the connector and a second position to which the valve member is spring (22) biased when the connector parts (10,11) are separated in which the associated hose end is sealed. The valve member (31) can be manually depressed to allow passage of gas through the first connector part (10) after the second part has become disconnected. The first part is for connection to the user side of air- crew breathing equipment. The two parts are releasably connected by a split ring arrangement 58 (for detail see Figure 4) which comprises a segmented ring 71 on the inside of a split ring. The rings are immovably held together by a pin 73. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in connectors The invention relates to connectors for releasably joining together two lengths of hose, more particularly but not exclusively for use in oxygen supply or air supply apparatus for personnel such as pilots and other aircrew.

When an aircraft ditches, and the pilot and other aircrew have been supplied with air or oxygen from an aircraft supply, a releasable connector in the supply hose is required to allow the pilot and aircrew to free themselves instantaneously from the aircraft breathing supply in such an emergency. On separation, the "man portion" (i.e. the part connected to the user) closes automatically thus preventing ingress of water into the breathing line. However, a problem arises in that, although the mask will not fill with water, it is not possible for the person to breathe air through the supply hose.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a connector for releasably connecting together two lengths of hose, the connector having first and second parts sealably, releasably engageable the one with the other, the first party being for connection to a hose leading to a user and the second part being for connection to a hose from a gas supply, the first part having closure means movable between a first position in which the associated hose end is sealed and a second position in which the associated hose end is open to allow gas therethrough, and biasing means for biasing the closure means towards the first position, connection of the first and second parts of the connector together causing movement of the closure means to the second position, and the closure means being manually operable to overcome the biasing means to move the closure means to the second position when the first and second connector parts are separated.

The first and second connector parts preferably engage the one with the other with a snap fit, and are preferably coaxial when connected together.

The closure means is preferably movable axially of the first connector part between the two positions.

The closure means may be an elongate member having sealing means for sealingly engaging the interior surface of the first connector part in the first position. The sealing means may comprise an O-ring.

Movement of the elongate member into the first position is preferably a movement out of the first connector part and movement of the elongate member into the second position is preferably a movement into the second connector part. The elongate member is preferably tubular and preferably has holes in the side wall thereof to allow passage of gas through the first connector part when the elongate member is in the second position.

The biasing means is preferably a spring.

Afurther problem with releasable connectors of the general type referred to in the first paragraph of this specification is to ensure that the connector can be released consistently by forces within a desired range. Clearly, it is undesirable for a pilot, for example, to have great difficulty in disconnecting the connector parts.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a split ring connecting device for releasably connecting together two parts to be connected together by relative axial movement, the device comprising a resilient split ring and a segmented ring engaged on the split ring radially inwardly thereof, and means for maintaining the split ring circumferentially immovable with respect to the segmented ring.

The split ring is preferably engaged in an outwardly facing groove in the segmented ring and the maintaining means preferably comprises locating means extending across the groove and engaging in the gap of the split ring. The locating means may be a pin.

The segmented ring may have any convenient number of segments, but four equal segments is a preferred number.

By way of example, one embodiment of a connector according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional side view of a connector according to the invention with parts thereof engaged; Figure 2 is a sectional side view of one part of the connector of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional side view of a second part of the connector of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a split ring thumping device for the connector; Figure 5 is a sectional view along the lines A-A in Figure 4; and Figure 6 is a sectional view along the lines B-B in Figure 4 on an enlarged scale.

Figures 2 and 3 shows two parts of a connector for an air or oxygen supply hose for, for example, a pilot or other aircrew. Figure 2 shows a first connector part for connection on the users side of the connector and Figure 3 shows a second connector part for connection to a hose on the supply side. The first and second connector parts are referred to by reference numerals 10 and 11 respectively.

The first housing part 10 has a tubular male housing part 12 of aluminium alloy or other suitable material within which is seated a rubber bushing 13.

When connected to a hose, the hose is engaged between the bushing 13 and the housing 12 to form a seal.

The main housing portion 12 has an inwardly projecting annular abutment 14 and a cylindrical portion 15 carrying an internal screw thread 16 extending from the region of the annular abutment 14. Threadedly engaged in the cylindrical portion 15 is a cylindrical portion 17 of a valve carrier 18, the cylindrical portion 17 carrying external threads 19.

A spring locater element 20 having a spring locater 21 is held between the cylindrical portion 17 of the valve carrier and the annular abutment 14 of the main housing part 12. The valve carrier is also of aluminium alloy or other suitable material. A coil spring 22 is located on the locater 21.

The valve carrier 18 carries a valve member 30 which has a tubular main part 31 secured to a valve base 32 by a screw 33. The valve member 30 is also of aluminium alloy or other suitable material. between the main part 31 and the base 32 is held an O-ring 34 and, with the valve member 30 in the position shown in Figure 2, the O-ring seals against a cylindrical inner surface 35 of the valve carrier 18.

The main valve part 31 has large holes 36 adjacent the base oval holes 37 adjacent the free end and circular holes 38 in a central portion. Holes 29 are provided in a tubular extension 40 of the valve carrier 18.

The base 32 has a cylindrical extension for locating the spring 22.

The second connector part 11 is shown in Figure 3.

The second part 11 has a seal carrier 50 carrying adjacent its free end an O-ring 51 in an annular groove 52. The seal carrier 50 has an internally threaded cylindrical portion 53 remote from the O-ring 51, the cylindrical portion 53 remote from the O-ring 51, the cylindrical portion 53 being threadedly engaged by an externally threaded cylindrical portion 54 of a hose carrier part 55 to which a hose is connected in use.

Mutually facing annular grooves 56 and 57 on the seal carrier 50 and hose carrier part 55 respectively form an annular recess for locating a split ring connecting device 58, shown in more detail in Figures 4, 5 and 6. The connector device 58 presents a rounded inner profile 59 adapted to engage an annular groove 60 in the cylindrical extension 40 of the valve carrier 18 of the first connector part 10 with a snap fit. The O-ring 51 is adapted to seal against cylindrical surface 61 of the valve carrier 18 of the first connector part 10.

When the two connector parts 10 and 11 are pushed together, the free end of the valve members 30 is engaged by an annular rim 62 of the hose carrier part 55 of the second housing part 11 and the valve member 30 is pushed against the bias of the spring 22 away from sealing engagement with the valve carrier 18. As shown in Figure 1, with the two connector parts engaged, the split ring connecting device 58 has engaged the groove 60 of the first housing part to hold the two housing parts together.

The O-ring 52 seals against the cylindrical surface 61 of the first housing part. In this position, gas is able to flow into the second housing part, through the holes 35 in the valve member 30, passed the spring locater 20, which is an elongate element, and into the rubber bushing 13.

If the user has to disconnect his hose from the supply hose connected to the second housing part 11, the two connector parts are pulled apart, whereupon the spring 22 urges the valve member 30 into the position shown in figure 2, thereby preventing any undesired fluids, such as sea water or possibly contaminated air into the users mask or helmet. If for example an aircraft has ditched in the sea and the user once clear of the aircraft wishes to breathe through the first connector part 10, all he has to do is to manually depress the valve member 30 against the bias of the spring 22 to free the seal caused by the O-ring 34 against the inner cylindrical surface 35 of the valve carrier 18.Once the valve member has been sufficiently pressed into the first housing part 10, air will pass through the holes 37 and 38 into the main valve part 31 then through the holes 36, past the valve locater 20 and into the rubber bushing 13. It will be appreciated that the user probably has his thumb over the end of the tubular main valve part 31, thereby rendering the holes 37 and 38 necessary to allow air through the valve member. When the valve member 30 is depressed, the holes 38 align with the holes 39 in the valve carrier 18.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 show details of the split ring connecting device 58. The device has a split ring 70 of spring steel arranged around a segmented ring 71. The segmented ring 71 has four segments cut from a single ring of aluminium alloy or other suitable substantially rigid material, but it will be appreciated that a different number of segments could be used. The segmented ring 71 has an external peripheral groove 72 in which the split ring 70 is engaged and a profile providing the inwardly facing rounded portion 59 described with reference to Figure 3.

It is important to ensure that a consistentforce applied to the connector will release the two connector parts. The desired range of forces is between 201bs force and 281bs force. it has been found that if the split ring 70 is allowed to change position relative to the segments of the segmented ring 71, the force required to separate the connector parts is efffected. Accordingly, a pin 73 is engaged in a hole through one segment of the segmented ring 71 and the pin 73 engages the gap in the split ring 70. In this way, no circumferential movement is permitted between the split ring 70 and the segmented ring 71.

Claims (5)

1. A connector for releasably connecting together two lengths of hose, the connector having first and second parts sealably, releasably engageable the one with the other, the first part being for connection to a hose leading to a user and the second part being for connection to a hose from a gas supply, the first part having closure means movable between a first position in which the associated hose end is sealed and a second position in which the associated hose end is open to allow gas therethrough, and biasing means for biasing the closure means towards the first position, connection of the first and second parts of the connector together causing movement of the closure means to the second position, and the closure means being manually operable to overcome the biasing means to move the closure means to the second postion when the first and second connector parts are separated.

2. A connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first and second connector parts engage the one with the other with a snap fit.

3. A connector as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the first and second connector parts are coaxial when connected together.

4. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the closure means is movable axially of the first connector part between the two positions.

5. A split ring connecting device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 4 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.

5. A connector as claimed in claim 4 wherein the closure means is an elongate member having sea ling means for sealingly engaging the interior surface of the first connector part in the first position.

6. A connector as claimed in claim 5 wherein the sealing means is an O-ring.

7. A connector as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein movement of the elongate member into the first position is a movement out of the first connector part and movement of the elongate member into the second position is a movement into the second container part.

8. A connector as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7 wherein the elongate member is tubular.

9. A connector as claimed in claim 8 wherein the tubular elongate member has holes in the side wall thereof to allow passage of gas through the first connector part when the elongate member is in the second position.

10. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the biasing means is a spring.

11. A split ring connecting device for releasably connecting together two parts to be connected together by relative axial movement, the device comprising a resilient split ring and a segmented ring engaged on the split ring radially inwardly thereof, and means for maintaining the split ring circumferentially immoveable with respect to the segmented ring.

12. A split ring connecting device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the split ring is engaged in an outwardly facing groove in the segmented ring.

13. A split ring connecting device as claimed in claim 12 wherein the maintaining means comprises locating means extending across the groove and engaging the gap of the split ring.

14. A split ring connecting device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the locating means is a pin.

15. A connector substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

16. A split ring connecting device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 4to 6 ofthe accompanying drawings.

17. A connector comprising a split ring connecting device as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 13 or 14.

New claims or amendements to claims filed on 10 Now 1983 Superseded claims 1 to 17 New or amended claims: CLAIMS

1. A split ring connecting device for releasably connecting together two parts to be connected together by relative axial movement, the device comprising a resilient split ring and a segmented ring engaged on the split ring radially inwardly thereof, and means for maintaining the split ring circumferentially immovable with respect to the segmented ring.

2. A split ring connecting device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the split ring is engaged in an outwardly facing groove in the segmented ring.

3. A split ring connecting device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the maintaining means comprises locating means extending across the grooves and engaging the gap of the split ring.

4. A split ring connecting device as claimed in Claim 3 wherein the locating means is a pin.