Mounting apparatus and system thereof

Mounting apparatus includes a shaft member having a shaft fluidic channel therein and a shaft exterior surface. The shaft exterior surface includes a base portion and a sidewall portion forming an intersecting angle therebetween. The mounting apparatus also includes a compression member disposed across from the sidewall portion of the shaft member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT/US2010/41899, filed Jul. 14, 2010.

BACKGROUND

Mounting apparatus secure conduits such as hoses to allow the flow of fluid through the hoses in a watertight manner. Such mounting apparatuses are used in fluid delivery systems to secure hoses to transport fluid such as pressurized air from a pressurized air chamber to a fluid supply. The mounting apparatuses include barbs thereon to securely hold the hoses in place.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Mounting apparatus typically connect conduits such as hoses having a compressible outer surface and/or wall portion. Generally, such a connection allows the flow of fluids therethrough in a watertight manner. Mounting apparatus tend to use barbs to enable secure placement of the conduit thereto. Such barbs, however, often require an installer to use great force, difficult hand operations, special tools and/or lubrication in installation of the conduit to the mounting apparatus. In accordance with examples of the present disclosure, a mounting apparatus is disclosed with does not require barbs. Rather, the mounting apparatus includes a shaft member and compression member to cooperate with each other in a manner to achieve a durable connection with a conduit without a need for applying great force during installation of the conduit thereon. Thus, reducing difficulty of conduit installation and avoiding the need for lubrication. That is, in examples of the present disclosure, the compression member includes a compression portion configured to compress an exterior wall surface of the conduit by a compressed amount in a manner such that an interior wall surface of the conduit is forced against a sidewall portion of a wall member of the shaft member and an end of a wall member of the conduit is forced against a base portion of the shaft member.

FIG. 1Ais a side view illustrating a mounting apparatus in an uninstalled state according to an example of the present disclosure.FIG. 1Bis a side view illustrating a conduit mounting system100including the mounting apparatus ofFIG. 1Ain an installed state with a conduit according to an example of the present disclosure. Referring toFIG. 1B, in the present example, a conduit mounting system100includes a mounting apparatus110and a conduit150, for example, with a compressible exterior wall surface154and/or wall member152. In an example, the conduit150may include a conduit fluidic channel155therein and a wall member152surrounding the conduit fluidic channel155. The wall member152of the conduit150may include an end153, an exterior wall surface154, and an interior wall surface156.

Referring toFIGS. 1A and 1B, the mounting apparatus110includes a shaft member160and a compression member170. In an example, the shaft member160may be elongated and/or generally cylindrical. In an example, the compression member170may be integral with the shaft member160or connected to the shaft member160, for example, either directly or indirectly through another member. In the present example, the shaft member160includes a shaft exterior surface164and a shaft fluidic channel165therein. The shaft exterior surface164includes a base portion167and a sidewall portion168forming an intersecting angle θitherebetween. In examples, the intersecting angle θiis in a range of 85-95 degrees to generally allow a flush fit between the end153of the wall member152of the conduit150and the base portion167of the shaft exterior surface164of the shaft member160. In the present example, the intersecting angle θiis approximately 90 degrees.

Referring toFIG. 1A, in the present example, the compression member170is disposed across from the shaft member160to form a conduit receiving space185configured to receive a wall member152of the conduit150therebetween. Referring toFIGS. 1A and 13, the compression member170includes a compression portion172configured to compress the exterior wall surface154of the wall member152of the conduit150by a compressed amount acin a manner such that the interior wall surface156of the wall member152of the conduit150is forced against the sidewall portion168of the shaft member160and the end153of the wall member152of the conduit150is forced against the base portion167of the shaft member160.

Referring toFIG. 2E, in an example, the compression member170may also include a main body174forming a transition angle θtwith the compression portion172, and the compression portion172may have a curved end172a. In the present example, the compressed amount acis in a range of 20-35% compression by volume or cross sectional area of a thickness twof the wall member152of the conduit150. An adequate amount of compression creates a line seal around the conduit150such that it is fluid tight and has adequate holding force to axial loads on the conduit150. The compression amountacbelow 10% to 20% generally may be conducive to leaks, whereas the compression amount acgenerally above 30% to 40% may contribute to the seal taking a compression set and potentially prematurely fail. Further, the compression amount a, below 20% may not provide adequate reactive force to resist axial loads that may pull the conduit150away from its seal. In an example, the compressed amount acis 27% compression by volume or cross sectional area of the thickness twof the wall member152of the conduit150. In an example, the conduit mounting system100may be used in an ink supply system of a printing system to transport air to provide adequate pressure for the appropriate flow of ink therein. Thus, in an example, the conduit150may transport pressurized air, for example, between a pump and an ink supply.

FIG. 2Ais an exploded view of a portion ofFIG. 1Baccording to an example of the present disclosure. Referring toFIG. 2A, in an example, the compression portion172of the mounting apparatus110illustrated in FIG.1B is configured to contact the wall member152at a compression angle θcsuch that a first component f1of the force is in a direction perpendicular to the sidewall portion168of the shaft member160and a second component f2of the force is in a direction perpendicular to the base portion167of the shaft member160. In an example, the compression portion172may contact the exterior wall surface154where a line lcgenerally parallel to and passing through the compression portion172intersects with a line lwgenerally parallel to and passing through the exterior wall surface154of the conduit150. Such forces assist in establishing and/or maintaining contact between each of the base portion167and the sidewall portion168of the shaft member160with the conduit150. Thus, establishing a secure connection between the conduit150and mounting apparatus110. In examples, the compression angle θcis in a range of 10-80 degrees. Such a compression angle range creates desirable force vectors. For example, a compression angle θcin a lower end of the range enhances compression against the sidewall portion168and also aids assembly. Whereas, the compression angle θcin an upper end of the range allow for coordinated conduit geometries.

FIG. 3is side view illustrating a portion of a mounting apparatus including a compression member having ribs according to an example of the present disclosure. Referring toFIG. 3, in an example, the compression member170may include ribs325thereon. The ribs325may be disposed across from the sidewall portion168of the shaft member160, and may be configured to contact the exterior wall surface154of the wall member152of the conduit150. In an example, the ribs325are configured to compress the exterior wall surface154of the conduit150to force the interior wall surface156of the conduit150against the sidewall portion168of the shaft member160. Further, the ribs325assist the compression member170in providing a fluid tight seal between the conduit150and the shaft member150of the mounting apparatus110.

FIG. 2Bis a cross-sectional view taken along line2B-2B ofFIG. 1Aaccording to an example of the present disclosure.FIG. 2Cis a cross-sectional view taken along line2C-2C ofFIG. 1Baccording to an example of the present disclosure. Referring toFIGS. 1A-2B, in an example, the compression member170surrounds the sidewall portion168of the shaft member160. As illustrated inFIGS. 2B and 2C, a two-dimensional shape of the conduit receiving space185corresponds to a two-dimensional shape of the conduit150. A distance dsof the conduit receiving space185is less than a thickness twof the wall member152of the conduit150. For example, the distance dsof the conduit receiving space185may be in a range of 20 to 30% of a thickness twof a wall member152of the conduit150. In the present example, the distance may be 27%. Referring toFIGS. 2B and 2C, an example of the two dimensional shape of the conduit receiving space185is a circular ring which corresponds with the two-dimensional shape of the conduit150. In other examples, the conduit150and the conduit receiving space185may have corresponding shapes other than a circular shape.

FIG. 2Dis an exploded view of a portion of the mounting apparatus ofFIG. 1Aaccording to an example of the present disclosure. Referring toFIG. 2D, the sidewall portion168includes a conduit insertion path168aand a circumference cs(FIG. 2B) having diameters d1, d2, and d3transverse to the conduit insertion path168a. Each of a subsequent diameter is equal or greater than each of a previous diameter along the conduit insertion path168ain a conduit insertion direction di. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 2D, d2is greater than d1, and d3is greater than d2. In an example, the circumference csof the sidewall portion168is tapered in a continuous manner in which the diameter d3of the circumference csof the sidewall portion168closest to the base portion167is greater than the diameter d1of the circumference csof the sidewall portion168furthest from the base portion167. In an example, the diameter d1of the circumference csof the sidewall portion168furthest from the base portion167is greater than the diameter d4of the conduit fluidic channel155of the conduit150in an uninstalled state. The shaft fluidic channel165of the shaft member160may be tapered in a manner in which a diameter of the shaft fluidic channel165narrows along the conduit insertion direction di. In an embodiment, a length lbof the base portion167is nearly equal or greater than the thickness twof the wall member152of the conduit150(FIG. 2C). Referring toFIG. 2D, in an example, the shaft member160may include a tapered end160ahaving a diameter d5less than a diameter d4of the conduit150(FIG. 2C). The tapered end160amay be disposed and/or extend upstream from the compression portion172with respect to the conduit insertion direction di.

The present disclosure has been described using non-limiting detailed descriptions of example embodiments thereof that are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. It should be understood that features and/or operations described with respect to one embodiment may be used with other embodiments and that not all embodiments of the disclosure have all of the features and/or operations illustrated in a particular figure or described with respect to one of the embodiments. Variations of embodiments described will occur to persons of the art. Furthermore, the terms “comprise,” “include,” “have” and their conjugates, shall mean, when used in the disclosure and/or claims, “including but not necessarily limited to.”

It is noted that some of the above described embodiments may describe structure, acts or details of structures and acts that may not be essential to the disclosure and which are described as examples. Structure and acts described herein are replaceable by equivalents, which perform the same function, even if the structure or acts are different, as known in the art. Therefore, the scope of the disclosure is limited only by the elements and limitations as used in the claims.