Valves and valve actuation – With correlated flow path – Valve operated by joining flow path sections
Patent
1997-06-18
1998-09-15
Chambers, A. Michael
Valves and valve actuation
With correlated flow path
Valve operated by joining flow path sections
285316, F16L 3728
Patent
active
058068325
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a quick coupler that uncouples in two stages enabling the pressure of a fluid in the coupler to be released prior to complete uncoupling, the coupler comprising a female part and a male part, the female part having a closure valve at its upstream end, which valve is open when the female and male parts are coupled together and is closed while they are being uncoupled, the male part having an outside surface provided with a collar, and the female part including a latch which is movable in a radial direction and which includes a bore extending in the axial direction of the female part and through which the male part passes, said latch including on the surface of its bore two retaining projections designed to co-operate separately with the collar of the male part, which projections are offset from each other in the axial direction.
French patent FR-A-1 503 989 discloses a quick coupler in which the latch includes two teeth for cooperating with a collar formed on the outer surface of the male part, said two teeth being disposed on either side of the male part on the latch so as to disengage the male part from the female part in two stages corresponding to the latch being pushed in once and released once. Nevertheless, the engagement of the male part in the sealing ring of the female part is such that the male part is not fully disengaged from the sealing ring or from the axial guidance portion, respectively, when it is in its intermediate position, thereby making rapid disengagement of the residual pressure downstream from the valve of the female part impossible, since that could result in whipping if the latch is released too quickly.
In order to mitigate that drawback, French patent application FR-A-2 514 855 proposes a quick coupler in which the latch includes three locking teeth, of which a first tooth and a second tooth are arranged in separate manner in the axial direction of the coupler inside a radial bore of the latch, thereby defining a certain axial distance over which the male part can move, and where said first and second teeth are arranged on the same side of the radial opening in the latch relative to the male part which is inserted through said radial hole of the latch, and where the third tooth is arranged in a position that is axially between the first and second teeth and on the opposite side thereto in the radial hole of the latch. In this way, a shoulder formed on the outer surface of the male part is locked in its fully coupled position by the first tooth, and a first operation of pushing in the latch disengages this first tooth from the shoulder on the male part while simultaneously causing the third tooth to engage in the axial passage of the shoulder in the male part during extraction so as to enable the male part to move backwards over an axial distance corresponding to the axial distance between the first and third teeth. Thereafter, the latch is released so that it returns into its initial position under drive from a spring, and the third tooth disengages from the shoulder of the male part as a result of this release, while simultaneously the second tooth engages in the axial passage of the shoulder in the male part in order to enable said male part to reverse again through an axial distance corresponding to the difference between the axial positions of the third and second teeth which retain the male part in the third axial position before said male part is finally disengaged by a second operation of pushing in the latch, thereby disengaging the second tooth from the shoulder of the male part and enabling the male part to be fully extracted, after which the latch is released and returns to its initial position.
In this manner, the male part is disengaged from its coupling with the female part by a sequence of two pushes on the latch, a first push making partial uncoupling possible during which the portion of the fluid under pressure that is to be found downstream from the valve can escape from the coupler prior to the male and female parts becoming fully unc
REFERENCES:
patent: 3777771 (1973-12-01), De Visscher
patent: 4483510 (1984-11-01), Palau et al.
patent: 5290009 (1994-03-01), Heilmann
patent: 5535985 (1996-07-01), Larbuisson
Chambers A. Michael
Societe Y.T.O.
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