Plug-in connection for pipelines and hoses

• US 5,855,399 A
• Filed: 06/21/1996
• Issued: 01/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DIPL ING HENN GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: DIPL ING HENN GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Profunser, Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nicholson, Eric K.
• Application Number:
  US08/659,108
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 285/305, 285/307, 285/308, 285/319, 285/321
• US Class Current: 285/305
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/043 Brake line couplings, air hoses and stopcocks
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 33/20 Undivided rings, sleeves or like members contracted on the hose or expanded in the hose by means of tools; Arrangements using such members
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/084 combined with automatic locking
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/0885 with access to the split elastic ring from a radial or tangential opening in the coupling

Abstract

A plug-in connection is described for the joining of pipelines and hose lines, especially for use with the pipeline systems of motor vehicles, consisting of an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve, which accommodate a pipeline or hose line between them, so that a pipe socket can be placed on top of the outer sleeve, which can be locked by means of a protective element to the outer sleeve. The pipe socket has, on its outer circumference, at least one radial trapezoidal indentation oriented in the lengthwise direction. The pipe socket has an opening in the region of the indentation in the circumferential direction, through which a piece of the protective element reaches, and the indentation is matched up with a trapezoidal projection on the outer sleeve, with which the protective element interacts. The plug-in connection has at least one length-minimized, width-variable, integrated projection/opening arrangement on the outer sleeve and in the pipe socket with a detent spring for single-hand operation. The integrated projection/opening arrangement interacts with a detent projection captively arranged on the pipe socket in a relocate guide formed by the particular indentation, the detent projection being fashioned as a trapezoidal bead partly reaching through the particular opening.

Claims

1. A connection for connecting a generally cylindrical hose to a pipe, the hose having an outer surface and an inner surface defining a bore, the connection comprising:

an inner sleeve sized to fit within the bore and to engage the inner surface;

an outer sleeve sized to be placed about the outer surface of the hose and to engage the outer surface of the hose, the outer sleeve having a radially projecting detent projection that forms a stop surface;

a pipe socket sized to be placed about the outer sleeve and having a circumferential slot formed in the pipe socket adjacent to the radially-projecting detent projection; and

a generally U-shaped detent spring having a leg with a straight central portion and an end at an angle to the straight central portion which is connected to a curved portion, the curved portion engaging an outer surface of the pipe socket with the central portion of the leg disposed within the slot and engaging the stop surface of the detent projection and a side of the slot to attach the pipe socket to the outer sleeve and with the end of the leg being positioned outside of the slot and adjacent to the outer surface of the pipe socket, the detent spring is adapted to fit within a groove on the outer surface of the pipe socket, wherein the groove has guide ridges laterally displaced along the length of the surface of the pipe socket from the opening and serving as a stop for the end of the spring.

2. The connection of claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the U-shaped portion is smaller than an outer diameter of the pipe socket.

3. The connection of claim 1, wherein the projection has a trapezoidally shaped bevel extending along the length of the outer sleeve.

4. A connection for connecting a generally cylindrical hose to a pipe, the hose having an outer surface and an inner surface defining a bore, the connection comprising:

an inner sleeve sized to fit within the bore and to engage the inner surface;

an outer sleeve sized to be placed about the outer surface of the hose and to engage the outer surface of the hose, the outer sleeve having a radially projecting detent projection that forms a stop surface;

a pipe socket sized to be placed about the outer sleeve and having a circumferential slot formed in the pipe socket adjacent to the radially-projecting detent projection; and

a snap-in pin having an inner surface, the inner surface having an indentation disposed within the slot and matched to the contour of the detent projection to engage the stop surface and a side of the slot in order to attach the outer sleeve to the pipe socket, the snap-in pin having a radially projecting handle.

5. The connection of claim 4, wherein the outer sleeve and pipe socket are positioned with respect to the other about a central axis of the bore so that the stop surface is disengaged from the snap-in pin and fixed in a corresponding slot in the pipe socket.

6. The connection of claim 4, wherein a diameter of the inner sleeve is enlarged after accommodating the hose when the hose is secured between the outer sleeve and the inner sleeve.

7. The connection of claim 4, wherein the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve are fabricated from a single piece.

8. The connection of claim 4, wherein the outer sleeve and the pipe socket each have a corresponding marking for orienting the outer sleeve with the pipe socket.

9. A connection for connecting a generally cylindrical hose to a pipe, the hose having an outer surface and an inner surface defining a bore, the connection comprising:

an inner sleeve sized to fit within the bore and to engage the inner surface;

an outer sleeve sized to be placed about the outer surface of the hose and to engage the outer surface of the hose, the outer sleeve having a radially projecting detent projection that forms a stop surface;

a pipe socket sized to be placed about the outer sleeve and having a circumferential slot formed in the pipe socket adjacent to the radially-projecting detent projection;

a generally U-shaped detent spring having a leg with a central portion and an end connected to a curved portion, the curved portion engaging an outer surface of the pipe socket with the central portion of the leg disposed within the slot and engaging the stop surface of the detent projection and a side of the slot to attach the pipe socket to the outer sleeve and with the end of the leg being positioned outside of the slot and adjacent to the outer surface of the pipe socket; and

the pipe socket has a locking cam on the outer surface, the cam engaging the spring end when the spring end is in a release position to maintain the spring end in the release position.

10. A connection for connecting a generally cylindrical hose to a pipe, the hose having an outer surface and an inner surface defining a bore, the connection comprising:

an inner sleeve sized to fit within the bore and to engage the inner surface;

an outer sleeve sized to be placed about the outer surface of the hose and to engage the outer surface of the hose, the outer sleeve having a radially projecting detent projection that forms a stop surface;

a pipe socket sized to be placed about the outer sleeve and having a circumferential slot formed in the pipe socket adjacent to the radially-projecting detent projection;

a generally U-shaped detent spring having a leg with a central portion and an end connected to a curved portion, the curved portion engaging an outer surface of the pipe socket with the central portion of the leg disposed within the slot and engaging the stop surface of the detent projection and a side of the slot to attach the pipe socket to the outer sleeve and with the end of the leg being positioned outside of the slot and adjacent to the outer surface of the pipe socket; and

wherein the pipe socket has a longitudinally-extending recess having a sidewall and a floor adapted to accommodate the detent spring, the sidewall being spaced to provide a gap between the detent spring and the sidewall.

11. A connection for connecting a generally cylindrical hose to a pipe, the hose having an outer surface and an inner surface defining a bore, the connection comprising:

an inner sleeve sized to fit within the bore and to engage the inner surface;

an outer sleeve sized to be placed about the outer surface of the hose and to engage the outer surface of the hose, the outer sleeve having a radially projecting detent projection that forms a stop surface;

a pipe socket sized to be placed about the outer sleeve and having a circumferential slot formed in the pipe socket adjacent to the radially-projecting detent projection; and

a snap-in pin having an inner surface, the inner surface having an indentation disposed within the slot and matched to the contour of the detent projection to engage the stop surface and a side of the slot in order to attach the outer sleeve to the pipe socket, the snap-in pin having a stiffening rib extending circumferentially along an outer surface of the snap-in pin.