FR2812371A1 - Low pressure fluid pipe connection for motor vehicles has flange at one end of ferrule which has deformable ring mounted axially in groove - Google Patents

Abstract

The low pressure fluid pipe (10) connection to a tubular ferrule (1), for motor vehicles, has a flange (3) at one end of the ferrule defining an annular peripheral groove (5). The connection has a tubular insert (1) to be fixed to one end of the pipe and cover the ferrule. It has a deformable ring (B) mounted axially in the groove. The ring has locks integrated into it.

Description

WATERPROOF CONNECTION SYSTEM BETWEEN A DUCT AND A

TUBULAR BULB TIP

  The invention relates to a sealed connection system.

  between a conduit and a tubular bulb tip.

  In the automotive industry, for example, manufacturers use low-pressure connection connectors which include a bulb-type tubular nozzle to which an air or water pipe is connected by means of a hose clamp. just

  mount behind the tip bulb.

  At the same time, and in general, the tendency of fittings manufacturers is to favor snap-on solutions to facilitate the assembly and disassembly operations of these fittings.

without using a tool.

  However, these more or less complex solutions are not suitable for mounting on bulb tips, because they use specific tips which require the replacement of bulb tips. As a result, these solutions penalize car manufacturers, all the more so since the bulb ends are most often already integrated into sub-assemblies before carrying out the

pipe connections.

  The object of the invention is therefore to design a connection system which can be mounted directly on a conventional bulb tip in order to provide in particular a solution to the aforementioned problem, and which

  is both simple and economical.

  To this end, the invention provides a sealed connection system between a conduit and a tubular bulb end piece, said bulb being located at one end of the end piece and delimiting an annular peripheral groove with an annular peripheral boss of the end piece, this connection system comprising a tubular insert intended to be fixed at one end of the conduit and to come to cap the end piece, and locking means for axially immobilizing the end piece and the insert, system which is characterized in that it comprises a ring deformable in diameter and intended to be mounted axially in the groove of the end piece, and in that the means of

  lock are integrated into the ring.

  Generally, the ring is split so that

  be able to vary its diameter and adjust it to that of the throat of the nozzle.

  The variation in diameter of the ring can result from at least

  a deformation zone or an axial slot.

  In general, the ring is intended to be housed inside the insert, and to undergo a reduction in diameter to tighten around the groove of the nozzle. Advantageously, the ring also forms a witness

  visual which provides information on the correct state of connection of the system.

  The locking means are of the snap-on type and are constituted by elastically deformable tabs, carried by the ring and

  able to fit into openings drilled in the insert.

  In general: - the ring has an annular shoulder at its external wall which divides the ring into two annular parts having different external diameters, - the locking tabs are formed from the annular part of the ring having the largest external diameter, and - the insert has an internal wall having a shape complementary to that of the external wall of the ring, in particular an internal annular shoulder on which the shoulder bears

outer ring.

  According to an exemplary embodiment, each opening pierced in the insert is extended laterally by an internal notch which forms a cavity for releasing the associated tab after rotation of the ring for

  unlock the connection system.

  According to another exemplary embodiment, the disassembly between the endpiece and the conduit is carried out by releasing the locking tabs of the ring from the openings of the insert by exerting on said tabs a pressure force by means of a tool. example, i.e. the ring is not

not mobile in rotation.

  Advantageously, the ring B also forms a visualization indicator to ensure that assembly operations have been

correctly performed.

  Other advantages, characteristics and details of the invention

  will emerge from the additional description which follows with reference to

  appended drawings, given solely by way of example and in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tubular bulb end piece, - FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a ring of the connection system according to invention, - Figure 3 is an end view along arrow F of the ring of Figure 2, - Figure 4 is an axial sectional view of the ring illustrated in Figure 2, - Figure 5 is a view tip to illustrate an alternative embodiment of the ring of Figure 2, - Figure 6 is a perspective view of an insert of the connection system according to the invention, - Figure 7 is a sectional view along line VII -VII of Figure'8, - Figure 8 is an axial sectional view of the insert illustrated in Figure 6, - Figures 9 to 11 are sectional views to illustrate the successive steps during assembly of the system connection according to the invention, and - Figures 12 and 13 are sectional views to illustrate the steps succ essives when dismantling the connection system

according to the invention.

  A tubular end piece 1 with a bulb is illustrated in FIG. 1. The bulb 3 is located at one end of the end piece 1 and it delimits a groove

  annular 5 with a peripheral boss 7 located at a distance from the bulb 3.

  This type of tip 1 is conventional and its dimensions, as well as the shape of its bulb and the width of its groove, can vary from

application to another.

  The purpose of the connection system according to the invention is to connect a conduit 10 to this end piece 1 (FIG. 11), and this system comprises a ring B intended to be mounted axially in the groove 5 of the end piece 1, and an insert I connected to one end of the conduit 10 and in which the ring B is housed. Generally, the ring B is deformable so as to have a variable diameter. To this end and according to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in Figures 2 to 4, the ring B has at least one deformation zone 12 which is constituted by a series of axial notches 14 which open alternately at the two ends of the ring B. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4, the ring B has three deformation zones 12 which are regularly spaced around the ring B and each formed from a series of four notches 14, and three tabs of

  elastically deformable lock 20.

  According to an alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the deformation zones 12 are replaced by an axial slot 15 which makes it possible to vary the diameter of the ring B. In this alternative, the split ring B has two locking tabs 20 which are diametrically opposite according to a diameter perpendicular to that passing through the slot 15,

for example.

  The ring B, in the free state, has an internal diameter which is greater than the internal diameter of the groove 5. of the end piece 1, and an external diameter which is less than the external diameter of the peripheral boss 7 of

end piece 1.

  The outer wall of the ring B has an annular shoulder 16 which divides the ring B into two annular parts B1 and B2 having different external diameters. The shoulder 16 has a shape

tapered for example.

  Generally, the tabs 20 form locking means which cooperate with the insert I to immobilize the axially

  conduit 10 on the nozzle 1, as will be described later.

  Advantageously, the locking tabs 20 are integrated into the ring B. The locking tabs 20 are directly formed in the ring B and each delimited between two axial notches 22 which open at the end of the part B2 of larger diameter of the ring B. The locking tabs 20, for example three in number in FIG. 2, are regularly distributed around the ring B, slightly inclined towards the outside and interposed between the three deformation zones 12. The external surface of each locking tab 20 has a boss forming a stop 25 towards its free end, which extends over the entire width of

tab 20, for example.

  The ring B is made of plastic and its shape came directly from molding with the lugs 20, knowing that its axial length corresponds to the width of the groove 5 of the end piece 1, and that its internal shape is adapted to the shape of the bulb 3 of the end piece 1 to allow the ring B to be positioned in the groove 5 when the end piece 1 is engaged axially inside the ring B or vice versa, like this

will be explained later.

  The annular insert I of the connection system according to the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8. The insert I breaks down into an annular part II and an annular part 12 which has internal and external diameters greater than those of the annular part It. These differences in diameter are obtained by means of two external annular shoulders

  30 and internal 32 which advantageously have frustoconical shapes (Figure 8).

  Furthermore, the internal diameter of the annular part II of the insert I is such that it will allow compression radially inward of the part B1 of smaller diameter of the ring B, and the external diameter of the annular part 12 of the insert is such that it will allow compression radially inward of the portion B2 of larger diameter of the ring B. The annular portion 12 of the insert I is pierced with three openings 35 in which are intended coming to accommodate the three locking tabs 20 of the ring B. According to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the three openings 35 extend laterally, and in the same direction of rotation, by three internal notches forming cavities clearance 37 to receive the tabs 20 during the disassembly or unlocking operation of the system, as will be described later. At the free end of each locking tab 20, a radially external finger 29 can be provided which does not engage inside the insert I to constitute a manual means for driving the ring B in rotation during of

the unlocking operation.

  According to another exemplary embodiment, the operation of dismantling or unlocking the system is carried out by acting by

  pressure on the legs 20, as will also be described later.

  The outer wall of the annular part II of the insert has annular ribs 38 to form a fir tail end, for example on which the free end of the conduit 10 can be fitted.

  when the latter consists of a flexible pipe.

  The insert I is also made of plastic, and its

  shape came directly from molding.

  The sealing of the connection system can be ensured by an annular seal 40 which is, for example, mounted inside the annular part B1 of smaller diameter of the ring B, by resting on a radially internal annular flange 42 which is formed at the free end of the annular part Il of the insert 1, as can be seen in FIG. 9. This

  seal 40 is intended to seal at the level of the bulb 3 of the end piece 1.

  Alternatively, the seal 40 could be overmolded at the free end of the annular part B1 of smaller diameter of the ring B as shown in dashed lines in Figure 4. In this case, the seal 40 is intended to ensure the seal at the level of the internal annular shoulder 32 of the insert I. The aforementioned seals 40 essentially provide an axial seal, but they could be given an appropriate shape

  to also ensure a radial seal, if necessary.

  The method of mounting the connector according to the invention is

illustrated in Figures 9 to 11.

  Referring to FIG. 9, it is considered that the conduit 10 is constituted by a flexible pipe, the end of which has been fitted on the annular part II of the insert 1, while its annular part 12 projects at

the end of the conduit 10.

  In a first step, only the annular part B1 of the ring B is introduced inside the annular part 12 of the insert I. In a second step (FIG. 10), the end piece 1 is axially engaged by its bulb. 3 inside the ring B, so that the ring B comes to be positioned in the groove 5 of the end piece 1 after having undergone

  a slight increase in diameter when the bulb 3 of the nozzle 1 passes.

  When the ring B is received in the groove 5 of the insert 1, it has not yet

  undergoes radial compression to adjust its diameter to that of the groove 5.

  Thirdly (FIG. 11), the end piece 1 and the ring B penetrate further inside the insert 1, so as to engage the ring B inside the insert I in such a way that : - the part B1 of the ring B, on passing the internal shoulder 32 of the insert 1, is compressed radially inwards to tighten around the groove 5 of the end piece 1 when it enters the annular part 12 of insert 1, and - part B2 of ring B engages inside annular part 12 of insert I, also compressing radially inwards, as well as the tabs of locking 20. The tip 1 is engaged in the insert I until its peripheral boss 7 comes to bear substantially against the free end face of the insert 1, and that the bulb 3 of the tip 1 comes to bear on the seal 40. At the end of this displacement, the locking tabs 20 have come to project into the corresponding openings of the insert 1, so that the stops 25 of the tabs 20 come to bear on the adjacent edges of the openings 35 to immobilize axially

insert I and tip 1.

  Concretely, the aforementioned second and third times correspond only to a single operation for engaging the end piece 1 in the insert 1, but this breakdown has been made to better specify the

  cooperation between the different parts of the connection system.

  The ring B also constitutes a visual indicator which makes it possible to ensure that the assembly has been carried out in good conditions. Indeed, if a part of the ring B remains visible from the outside, that is to say when it is not entirely housed in the insert 1, it follows that the

assembly is defective.

  The dismantling operation of the fitting is illustrated on the

Figures 12 and 13.

  To disassemble the fitting, it suffices to disengage the tabs of the ring B from the openings 35 of the insert I. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the disassembly is obtained by rotation of the ring B with respect to the end piece 1 acting by means of the finger 29, so that the locking tabs 20 come out inside the cavities 37 which extend the openings 35 (FIG. 13), and nothing is any longer an obstacle to the separation of conduit 10 and nozzle 1

(figure 13).

  On the other hand, when the clearance cavities 37 are not provided, one acts by simple pressure on the tabs 20 of the ring B manually or by means of a tool to disengage them from the openings 35

  of the insert I before axially separating the end piece 1 and the conduit 10.

  When the end piece 1 is released from the insert 1, it should be noted that

  the ring B remains trapped inside the groove 7 of the nozzle 1.

  As a variant, during the fitting assembly operation, the ring B could have been positioned directly in the groove 5 of the end piece 1,

  instead of prepositioning it inside insert 1.

  The invention is particularly applicable to low pressure connectors for fluids such as water or air to replace the collars of

  traditional tightening, in particular in the automotive field.

Claims (16)

  1. A sealed connection system between a conduit (10) and a tubular end piece (1) with a bulb, said bulb (3) being located at one end of the end piece (1) and delimiting an annular peripheral groove (5) with a annular peripheral boss (7) of the end piece (1), this connection system comprising a tubular insert (I) intended to be fixed to one end of the duct (10) and to come to cover the end piece (1), and locking means (20) for axially immobilizing the end piece (1) and the insert (I), characterized in that it comprises a ring (B) deformable in diameter and intended to be mounted axially in the groove (5) from the mouthpiece   (1), and in that the locking means are integrated into the ring (B).   2. Connection system according to claim 1,   characterized in that the ring (B) is split to vary its diameter.   3. Connection system according to claim 1, characterized in that the ring (B) has at least one zone of   deformation (12) to vary its diameter.   4. Connection system according to any one of   Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the ring (B) is intended to come   be housed inside the insert (I), and undergo a reduction in diameter for   tighten around the groove (5) of the nozzle (1).   5. Connection system according to claim 4, characterized in that the ring (B) also forms a visual indicator which   provides information on the correct connection status of the system.   6. Connection system according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the locking means   are of the snap-on type and are constituted by elastically deformable tabs (20), carried by the ring (B) and capable of being housed in   openings (35) drilled in the insert (I).   7. Connection system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the ring (B) has an annular shoulder (16) at its external wall which divides the ring (B) in two parts   annulars (B1, B2) having different external diameters.   8. Connection system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the locking tabs (20) are formed from the annular part (B2) of the ring (B) having the largest external diameter. 9. Connection system according to claim 8, characterized in that each locking tab (20) is formed between two axial cutouts (22).   10. Connection system according to claim 9, characterized in that each locking tab (20) has towards its   free end a stop (25) on its outer wall.   11. Connection system according to any one of   Claims 6 to 10, characterized in that the insert (I) has a wall   internal having a shape complementary to that of the external wall of the ring (B), in particular an internal annular shoulder (32) on which comes   take support on the outer shoulder (16) of the ring (B).   12. Connection system according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the ring (B) is   immobilized in translation once engaged in the insert (1).   13. Connection system according to any one of   Claims 6 to 12, characterized in that each opening (35) pierced   in the insert (I) is extended laterally by an internal notch which forms a clearance cavity (37) from the associated tab (20) after rotation of the   ring (B) to unlock the connection system.   14. Connection system according to any one of   Claims 6 to 12, characterized in that each unlocking tab   (20) has a radially external finger (29) at its free end and which projects outside the insert (I) to form a pressure means on the legs (20) in order to disengage them from their respective openings (35) when of the dismantling operation.   15. Connection system according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one   annular seal (40) to ensure axial sealing at the level the bulb (3) of the nozzle (1).   16. Connection system according to any one of   Claims 1 to 14, characterized in that it comprises at least one seal   seal (40) which is molded at the end of the annular part (B1) of   smaller diameter of the ring (B).