Connector of a fuel pipe for vehicle

• US 6,652,007 B1
• Filed: 04/12/2002
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hyun Sik Hwang
• Original Assignee: Hyun Sik Hwang
• Inventors: Hwang, Hyun Sik
• Primary Examiner(s): Bochna, David
• Application Number:
  US10/110,464
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 285/308, 285/319, 285/305, 285/317, 285/921, 285/321
• US Class Current: 285/305
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/0017 related to fuel pipes or their connections, e.g. joints or sealings F02M55/004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/0047 Layout or arrangement of systems for feeding fuel fuel injection apparatus characterised by their conduits and venting means F02M55/00; fuel injection apparatus having a common rail F02M63/0225; arrangement of fuel conduits of low pressure fuel injection apparatus F02M69/462
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 55/004 Joints; Sealings
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 69/462 Arrangement of fuel conduits, e.g. with valves for maintaining pressure in the pipes after the engine being shut-down
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/0841 by means of a transversally slidable locking member surrounding the tube
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/0885 with access to the split elastic ring from a radial or tangential opening in the coupling

Abstract

Disclosed is a connector of a fuel pipe for vehicle, which can be easily mounted on or separated from a connector housing by adjusting a latch. The latch includes guide members oppositely located at a prescribed interval, push members vertically located away from the opposite sides of the guide members, and two pair waved resilient members disposed on the upper and lower portions of the guide members. Each guide member has a curved inner surface, a slant surface on the front portion for guiding an insertion of the pipe, a fixed jaw on the rear portion for retaining a bead formed on the peripheral surface of the pipe, and a guide groove formed in the center portion thereof. The two pair waved resilient members elastically connect the push members and the guide members to provide a powerful elastic force to the two pair waved resilient members, so that the guide members are extended outward when the push members are pressed. The connector housing has a guide rail combined with the guide grooves of the latch, thereby allowing the guide members to move back and forth. When the pipe is mounted in or separated from the connector, the guide members are extended outward in a perfect round shape, so that the pipe is easily mounted or detached and is prevented from a separation since the two pair waved resilient members elastically retain a bead of the pipe after mounting.

Claims

1. A connector of a fuel pipe for vehicle which comprises a connector housing mounted on one of a fuel feed pipe, a fuel recovery pipe and an evaporative fuel gas connecting pipe and a latch combined with the connector housing,

wherein the latch includes:

guide members oppositely located at a prescribed interval, each guide member having a curved inner surface, a slant surface on a front portion of the guide member for guiding an insertion of the pipe, a fixed jaw on a rear portion of the guide member for retaining a bead formed on the peripheral surface of the pipe, and a guide groove formed in the center of the guide member;

push members located away from the opposite sides of the guide members; and

two pair of waved resilient members connected to the guide members and the push members, so that the pipe is smoothly separated from the force provided to the guide member evenly when the push members are pressed and the pipe and bead are clamped from a powerful elastic force when the pipes are inserted.

2. A connector of a fuel pipe for vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector housing includes:

a through hole for inserting the pipe; and

a guide rail formed inside the connector housing, wherein the guide rail is combined with the guide grooves for allowing the guide members to move back and forth.

3. A connector of a fuel pipe for vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the two pair of waved resilient members is bent in a zig-zag.

4. A connector of a fuel pipe for vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the two pair of waved resilient members includes two bends.

5. A connector of a fuel pipe for vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the push members are pressed, a portion of each of the two pairs of waved resilient members comes to abut a portion of an associated one of the guide members.

6. A latch for use with a pipe connector housing, the latch comprising:

a) guide members oppositely located at a prescribed interval, each guide member having a curved inner surface, a slant surface on a front portion of the guide member for guiding an insertion of a pipe, a fixed jaw on a rear portion of the guide members for retaining a bead formed on a peripheral surface of the pipe, and a guide groove formed in the center portion of the guide member;

b) push members located away from the opposite sides of the guide members; and

c) two pair of waved resilient members connected to the guide members and the push members, so that force is provided to the guide member evenly when the push members are pressed.

7. The latch of claim 6, wherein each of the two pairs of waved resilient members is bent in a zig-zag.

8. The latch of claim 6, wherein each of the two pairs of waved resilient members includes two bends.

9. The latch of claim 6, wherein when the push members are pressed, a portion of each of the two pairs of waved resilient members comes to abut a portion of an associated one of the guide members.