Receptacles – Closures – With condition responsive vent or valve
Patent
1996-12-20
1998-01-13
Pollard, Steven M.
Receptacles
Closures
With condition responsive vent or valve
220316, 403 31, 403 37, B65D 4500
Patent
active
057069670
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a safety closure, particularly for vehicle gas tanks in accordance with the features of the preamble to Patent claim 1. Such a pressure-tight safety closure is known from DE-GM 92 16 647. This pressure-tight safety closure, which is particularly suitable for connector fittings of motor vehicle gas tanks, has a plug with an integral sealing portion insertable into the opening of the connector fitting and a locking device disposed on the outer side of the plug, particularly in the form of a collet, so that the cap-shaped safety closure set on the connector fitting, engages around said fitting. In order to enable simplified uncoupling, the safety closure also has an evacuation device, which communicates with the opening in the connector fitting in the region of the sealing portion. By means of such an evacuation device, particularly in the form of an evacuation screw or a spring-loaded evacuation valve, pressures acting on the plug-in coupling, which can for example occur due to a damaged seal of the connector fitting, can be dispersed or at least reduced, as they would render difficult or even impossible simple withdrawal of the safety closure.
This pressure-tight safety closure has proved its worth in particular as a protective cap for connector fittings on motor vehicle gas tanks and in this way it is possible reliably to prevent gas from escaping from a vehicle with a full tank thus giving rise to high explosive gas mixtures which are easy to ignite and which lead to a high safety risk particularly in underground garages.
As already indicated above, there is provided in the known pressure-tight safety closure an evacuation device in order in this way to reduce or disperse pressures in the connection region, which would render difficult simple withdrawal of the safety closure. In this connection however there is a risk that a user will forget to activate the evacuation valve in order to reduce pressure and will attempt by force to withdraw the actuating device in its preferred construction as a sliding sleeve. Stronger persons can in fact succeed in doing this even if a relatively high pressure obtains within the safety closure due to a damaged seal. Thus there is a risk that when the sliding sleeve is forcibly withdrawn and the locking device is thus unlocked, the safety closure, due to the fluid or gas pressure obtaining in the connector region will be propelled away, and thus could cause serious injury. In addition, in such connection or transitional pressures which still permit withdrawal of the sliding sleeve with the corresponding application of force, the contact surfaces of the locking device and the complementary-shaped engagement surfaces of the connector fitting are subjected to excessive stress, so that despite the fact that the collet is of a hardened construction, excessive wear on the portions of the locking device or of the connector fitting which are in contact can occur. Even the sliding sleeve preferably provided as an actuating device in this case is subjected to increased wear.
Accordingly the object underlying the invention is to improve a safety closure of the type in question as regards safety and ease of use.
This object is achieved by a safety closure with the features of claim 1.
By means of the piston which is axially movable guided in the interior of the safety closure, in cooperation with a locking member, preferably a locking ball, locking of the actuating device, particularly the sliding sleeve, is achieved, so that even when there is a relatively low pressure still acting on the coupling of e.g. 6 to 8 bar, upon the occurrence of leaking gas in the connector region of the connector fitting, actuation and thus withdrawal of the safety closure is prevented in a positive-locking and thus reliable manner. This response pressure of the locking member may be set and defined in a simple way to a pressure which is of no danger by the selection of a spring acting contrary to the movement of the piston. Due to the positive-locking closure by means of the lock
REFERENCES:
patent: 2219053 (1940-10-01), Osborn
patent: 3058760 (1962-10-01), Bankowski
patent: 3122263 (1964-02-01), Guiver
patent: 3128009 (1964-04-01), Norton
patent: 4308971 (1982-01-01), Straub
patent: 4575136 (1986-03-01), Keller
patent: 4700866 (1987-10-01), Taylor
patent: 4774983 (1988-10-01), Abe
Weh Erwin
Weh Wolfgang
Pollard Steven M.
Weh GmbH, Verbindung Technik
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