MXPA97007087A - Hose body integrated with rapi connections - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hydraulic brake hose coupling comprising a quick-connect coupling, for the connection of a brake hose to a brake hose, the brake hose has an internal diameter in the range of about 0.3 cm to 0.84 cm (1/8 to 3/16 of an inch), wherein the quick connect coupling comprises, in combination with the brake hose and the brake hose: a connector body having a first end for the connection bent to the brake hose and a second end for the connection to the brake pipe, an elastic retaining element extending between the brake pipe and the connecting body, a stepped hole in the second end of the body for receiving the brake pipe, the stepped hole includes a first orifice section for communicating with the brake hose, a second orifice section for receiving a seal arrangement for sealing between the brake tube and the second orifice section and a third orifice section for receiving the retainer element, a projection within the third orifice section extending radially outwardly for coupling a portion to the retainer to prevent axial movement of the retention member. retention outside the third orifice section, and a slot in the brake tube for butting contact with another portion of the retainer to prevent axial movement of the connecting body tube.

Description

HOSE BODY INTEGRATED WITH QUICK CONNECTIONS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to configurations of integrated hose bodies of quick connections. More particularly, the present invention relates to configurations for integrated hose body with quick connections, in which a body of a connected hose receives a tube to connect a hose to the tube.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Motor vehicles generally use hydraulic brake systems, in which pressurized hydraulic fluid is used to transmit the force necessary to couple the brake shoes. Generally, various components of a brake system such as the master cylinder, the actuator and the brake cylinders can be interconnected by lines, including reinforced rubber hoses having couplings at each end. In current practice it is to use threaded connections for many of these couplings, but it is more advantageous to use quick connect couplings, whenever possible. With quick-connect couplings, a connection is made by simply mounting a coupling on a tubular member. Of course, it is important that the presence of hydraulic leaks is minimized and that the assembler knows that positive hydraulic coupling has been made when a "quick connect" hose has been connected to a pipe. An area in which it is sought to replace the conventional hydraulic couplings, which are based on the threaded connectors with quick-connect couplings are the couplings in which the hydraulic brake hose with a diameter of 0.31 cm and 0.47 cm (1/8 of inch and 3/16 of an inch) is connected to shaped metal tubes, which have an internal diameter of approximately 0.34 cm (0.135 inches). With such a small diameter, it is often difficult to really know if a positive connection has been made by the assembler and it is difficult to ensure that the possibility of leakage has been minimized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In view of the aforementioned, it is a feature of the present invention to provide a new and improved quick connect coupling in which the possibility of leakage is minimized and which it provides to the assembler with an indication that it has been made a positive, secure connection. The present invention relates to a quick-connect coupling for connecting a hose to a tube with a connector body having a first end for connection to the hose and a second end for connection to the tube. A stepped orifice is formed in the body through the second end, to receive the tube. The stepped orifice includes a first orifice section for communication with the hose; a second orifice section for receiving a seal arrangement radially sealing against the tube; and a third hole section for receiving a retaining element. A projection within the third orifice section extends radially inwardly to engage the retention element to prevent axial movement of the retention element out of the third section of the orifice; and a groove is provided in the tube to abut contact with the other end of the retainer to prevent axial movement of the tube outside the connector body. According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the tube further includes a flange extending radially outwardly for axial abutment contact with the seal arrangement and the retaining element is integrally maintained with the pipe at the flange. Preferably, the seal arrangement includes a defoatable seal with a plurality of lobes and a Teflon® spacer coupled by the flange on the tube.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAMETERS Various other features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as they come to be better understood, when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference numerals designate like or similar parts in all the drawings. various views and in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing how the quick connector of the present invention is used in a vehicle brake system; Figure 2 is a side view, partially in elevation showing a first preferred embodiment of a quick connect coupling configured in accordance with the principles of the present invention; Figure 3 is an enlarged side view of a retaining ring used with the quick connect coupling of Figure 2; Figure 4 is an enlarged end view of the retaining ring of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of a quick connect coupling exemplifying the features of the present invention; Figure 6 is a side view, partially in elevation, of a collar used with the second embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 5; and Figure 7 is an end view of the collar of Figure 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Now with reference to Figure 1, there is shown a connector body 10 for coupling a reinforced hydraulic brake hose 12 to a metal tube 14 formed by means of a hole 15 in a frame member 16 of a vehicle body, in which orifice the connector body is retained by a U-shaped fastener 1 7. Now with reference to Figure 2 in combination with Figure 1, the connector body 10 includes a collar 18, which is bent around and inward of the surface outer of the brake hose 12 according to known methods and a stepped orifice 19 within which the formed metal tube 14 is received and retained. The quick connector body 10 includes a projection 20 for axially positioning the connector body against the frame member 16 and a slot 22 for receiving the U-shaped fastener 17 (see Figure 1). A hexagonal nut section 23 is in front of the projection 20 to perhaps facilitate clamping the connector body 10, but is no longer necessary to help make a threaded connection with the metal tube 14, because there is no threaded connection with the metal tube. The stepped hole 19 includes three hole sections. The first orifice section 30 has a diameter of approximately 0.49 cm (0.195 inches) for communication with the reinforced brake hose ID of 0.35 cm (1/8 inches). The first orifice section 30 is aligned with a second orifice section 32, which has a first annular projection 34 and functions as a section that seals the orifice. The second orifice section 32 is aligned with a third orifice section 36, which functions as a retention hole section which is positioned between a second step 38 and an internal projection 40 on a projection 42. The projection 42 has a wall interior 44, which defines an inlet opening 46. The second orifice section 32 provides a seal section and includes a three-lobed seal 50 having first, second and third lobes 51, 52 and 53, respectively. The three-lobed seal 50 abuts the first projection 34 and in turn is in abutment contact with a Teflon® 56 spacer. The three seal lobes 32 seal with a nipple portion 60 of the metal tube 14 formed with the ends. lobes 51, 52 and 53 which seal both against the nipple 60 and the wall of the second orifice section 32. The nipple 60 includes a first flange 62 having a truncated cone front surface 64, which couples to the Teflon® 56 separator when the formed metal tube 14 is pressed inside. Just behind the first flange 62 and between the first flange and a second flange 63 there is an annular groove 66 formed in a radially expanded portion 68 of the formed metal pipe 14. The groove 66 receives a retaining element 70, which has a first end 72 engaging the projection 40 on the projection 42 and a second end 74 sealed in the slot for retaining the formed metal tube 14, inside the connector body 10. As seen in Figures 3 and 4, the first end 72 of the retaining element 70 is formed at the ends of the elastic fingers 76, with the spaces 77 therebetween, to provide a bendable structure for the retaining element 70. The retaining element 70 is made of steel and includes a round central hole 78 at the second end 74 thereof, which receives the formed metal tube 14. When the formed metal tube 14 is pressed axially inside, the first flange 38 pushes against the Teflon® separator 56 to compress the three-lobed seal 50 against the first projection 34. The fingers 76 of the retaining element 70 are flexed inward, when the fingers engage the inner wall 44 of the projection 42. allowing the formed metal tube 14 to be completely inserted into the stepped hole 19 of the body member 10. After fully entering the third orifice section 36 of the hole 19, the fingers 76 of the retaining element 70 expand, such so that the second end 74 thereof adjusts under pressure behind the projection 40; in this way, avoiding axial movement between the connecting body 10 and the formed metal tube 14. When the retaining element 70 snaps to the position of Figure 1, there is an audible "click" which is heard by the assembler. This assures the assembler that the formed metal tube 14 is properly seated in the connector body 10, such that it will not come out and will minimize the possibility of leakage. Preferably, the retaining element 70 is integrally seated in the slot 66 by a series of cold forming operations, in which the retaining element is placed around the formed metal tube 14 and the tube is placed proximate to the retention to form the first and second flanges 62 and 63 respectively. Now with reference to Figures 5-7, a second embodiment of the invention is shown, in which a connector body 100 is connected to a formed metal tube 102. In this embodiment, the formed metal tube 102 has an annular groove. laminated 104 formed in it. The laminated annular groove 104 receives the detents 106 projecting radially inward from a detent end 107 of the collar 108, which collar is retained in a hole 1 of the connector body 100 by a shoulder 112 projecting inwardly. The hole 110 includes a step 1 14 between a seal hole section 116 and a connection hole section 118. The section of the connecting hole 118 receives the end of the nipple 120 of the formed metal tube 102, while the section seal hole 116 receives the first and second O-shaped rings 122 and 124 from an O-ring package 125. The O-shaped ring 124 abuts the shoulder of the boss 114, while the ring 122 O-shaped is in abutting contact with the detent end 107 of the collar 108. The O-ring package 25 can be easily replaced by a seal such as the seal 50 shown in Figure 2. Now with reference to the Figures 6 and 7, it is noted that the collar 108 has an end collar 130 and a first lobe 132. The first lobe 132 cooperates with the detent portion 106 to define a groove 134. The groove 134 receives the internal shoulder 112 of the body. connector 100 (see Figure 5) to prevent collar 108 from being removed from body 100. Just behind collar 130 there is another slot 140 which allows a tool to be inserted to extract collar 108 from hole 110 if necessary or desirable. When the formed metal tube 102 is inserted an audible "click" occurs when the detents 106 engage in the laminated annular groove 104 in the formed metal tube 102. This audible "click" indicates to the assembler that the connector body 100 and the tube formed metal 102 are positively seated in such a way that the formed metal tube can not be pulled out and in such a way that the O-shaped rings 122 and 124 seal against the outer surface of the formed metal tube and the section of the hole seal 116. From the above description, one skilled in the art can easily find out the essential characteristics of this invention and without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various uses and terms.

Claims (15)

1. CLAIMING IS 1 . A quick-connect coupling for connecting a hose to a tube, characterized in that it comprises: a connecting body having a first end for the connection bent inwards for the hose and a second end for the connection to the tube; a retaining element extending between the tube and the connector body; a stepped orifice at the second end of the body for receiving the tube, the stepped orifice includes a first orifice section for communicating with the hose, a second orifice section for receiving a seal arrangement sealing between the tube and the second section of hole and a third hole section for receiving the retaining element; a projection within the third orifice section extending radially inwardly for collecting one end of the retention element to prevent axial movement of the retention element out of the third orifice section; and a groove in the tube for butting contact with the other end of the retaining element to prevent axial movement of the connecting body tube.
2. 2. The quick connect coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that the tube further includes a flange extending radially outwardly for axial abutment contact with the seal arrangement for retaining the seal arrangement in position.
3. 3. The quick-connect coupling according to claim 2, characterized in that the seal arrangement comprises a seal element and a spacer element, wherein the seal element abuts buttress with a projection facing axially at the end of the second orifice section and the spacer element is positioned between the seal member and the tube flange.
4. 4. The quick-connect coupling according to claim 3, characterized in that the seal flange has three axially spaced lobes, which extend radially to couple the tube and the wall of the third section of the hole in the connector body.
5. 5. The quick-connect coupling according to claim 4, characterized in that the separator is a Teflon® ring.
6. 6. The quick-connect coupling according to claim 5, characterized in that the retaining element has a first end with a larger diameter than a second end, the retaining element being integral with the tube at the location of the slot in the tube .
7. 7. The quick connect coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that the tube is made of metal and includes a tapered end portion, which is received in the first orifice portion.
8. 8. The quick-connect coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that the tube is made of metal and has an internal diameter of less than 0.35 cm (0.135 inches) for coupling with a hose with internal diameter of 0.3 cm or 0.84 cm (1 / 8 inch or 3/16 inch).
9. 9. The quick-connect coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that the retaining element has a first end with a larger diameter than a second end, the retaining element that is integral with the tube at the location of the groove in the tube .
10. 10. The quick-connect coupling according to claim 9, characterized in that the retaining element is formed of a plurality of fingers joined to the tube at the second end and radially spaced from the tube at the first end. eleven .
11. The quick-connect coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that the retaining ring is a collar normally inside with the connector body and wherein the collar includes an end portion for axially coupling the seal arrangement to retain the seal at butt contact with the ledge.
12. 12. The quick connect coupling according to claim 11, characterized in that the seal arrangement is a package consisting of an O-shaped ring pair.
13. 13. The quick-connect coupling according to claim 12, characterized in that the O-rings have substantially the same dimensions.
14. 14. The quick connect coupling according to claim 13, characterized in that the connector body has an outwardly bent collar associated therewith to form a permanent outwardly bent connection with the end of the hose.
15. 15. The quick-connect coupling according to claim 11, characterized in that the tube is a metal tube having an internal diameter smaller than an internal diameter of 0.31 cm (1/8 inch) of the brake hose to which it is connected by the quick connect coupling.