Pipe joints or couplings – With indicator – alarm or inspection means
Patent
1998-12-16
2000-07-18
Browne, Lynne H.
Pipe joints or couplings
With indicator, alarm or inspection means
285308, 285321, F16L 3500
Patent
active
060896167
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention pertains to a detachable plug connection with assembly indicator for connecting fluid lines corresponding to the preamble of claim 1.
When bringing together the insertion part and the plug housing it is particularly important that the retaining rib engages securely with the retaining element, so that the connection point is held absolutely secure. The engagement of the retaining rib on the spring-opening catch edges causes a click sound which confirms the production of the connection to the assembler, but this sound cannot be reliably perceived, depending on the noise level on the job, so that an absolute guarantee of the engagement of the insertion part is not assured.
In order to be certain of the engagement of the retaining rib during assembly, it is possible for the assembler to pull on the assembled plug connection to see whether it holds. There is no guarantee, however, that the assembler has actually performed this retention test, since it cannot be seen from the plug connection whether this check has actually been performed. There is thus nothing left for postmonitoring other than to pull once again on the plug connection.
In order to improve this monitoring, an indicator part consisting of two support rings spaced apart and two ridges connecting the support rings together, which can be positioned in front of the insertion opening of the housing, is provided in prior art according to EP 0 547 489 A1. While the one support ring contacts the front housing wall or its front end, the second support ring projects into the housing interior and is held by the connecting ridges in a waiting position directly behind the catch edges of the retaining element, specifically, at such a spacing that the retaining rib of the insertion part presses against the support ring of the insertion part shortly before engagement on the catch edges.
The connecting ridges are connected here to the support ring, the so-called indicator section, contacting the front of the housing entry by way of separable weakened areas which separate upon further penetration of the insertion part into the housing interior, at the latest upon engagement of the catch edges behind the retaining rib. The detachment of the indicator section is to serve as the indicator of a proper coupling between the insertion part and the plug housing, a bracket part projecting radially away from the indicator part being provided, with which the indicator part can be grabbed and removed from the connecting ridges after detachment.
The absence of the bracket with associated indicator part is thus certain proof that the plug connection has been closed; otherwise the assembler would not have been able to remove the bracket. But this type of monitoring also involves an additional expenditure of labor, so that at bottom nothing is gained by the expensive indicator part over and against pulling on the assembled insertion part.
The problem of the invention is to design or supplement the aforementioned plug connection such that a visually well-recognizable proof of the secure connection is obtained without additional manual measures.
This problem is solved according to the characterizing features of claim 1 in that the other support ring turned away from the housing wall can be supported on the insertion part on a flange behind the retaining rib, and the ridges on both rings are formed to spring open elastically and are mutually connected by bridging strips curved outwards which fold together to the outside when the insertion part is pressed in and project visibly beyond the housing wall.
The elastic spring ridges here offer the additional advantage that, in case of incomplete assembly, the plug housing is pressed away from the insertion part due to the restoring forces in the ridges, so that the assembler is immediately informed and can press the plug housing firmly back on again.
In order to ease the positioning of the indicator part between the insertion part and the plug housing, two possibilities are provided for preassembly.
In the embodiment accordi
REFERENCES:
patent: 4925217 (1990-05-01), Ketcham
patent: 5112085 (1992-05-01), Busch et al.
patent: 5378024 (1995-01-01), Kumagai et al.
patent: 5441313 (1995-08-01), Kalahasthy
patent: 5779278 (1998-07-01), Grooters et al.
Henlin Jean-Martin
Trede Michael
A. Raymond & Cie
Bochna David E.
Browne Lynne H.
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