Quick coupling

A quick coupling comprises a male element (2) which can be threadably assembled to a female element (3), housing an inner tubular supporting body (8) in turn housing a bearing (11) thereon the female element (3) bears, the female element (3) including a plurality of radially extending holes (20) in which are engaged ball elements (21) which can be fitted in a circumferential slot formed in the male body (2) and being adapted to be radially locked by an enlarged portion (16) formed on an inner side of a ring nut which can be driven against an urging spring (17) pertaining to the female element.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a quick coupling providing a safe connection of mechanical parts, an easy plug-in, respectively plug-out, of the quick coupling components, an efficient mutual connection and plug-in/plug-out, without using operating tools.

A well known requirement of the prior art, in particular in the electric or electronic apparatus refrigerating field, is that of continuously refrigerating electric or electronic components included in said apparatus.

This is usually performed by using a plurality of pipes designed for supplying a refrigerating fluid to the devices to be refrigerated, and return ducts for recovering the refrigerating fluid.

Said delivery or feeding, respectively return, pipes or ducts, are conventionally coupled to the devices to be refrigerated, by means of quick-coupling assemblies.

In a prior quick coupling assembly, the male element thereof has a male element thread which can be engaged with a female element thread formed on the female part of the coupling.

To prevent the two bodies of the quick coupling from accidentally detaching and sliding away, said prior quick couplings usually comprise a protective ring nut element which can be clamped under a clamping torque applied by a torque wrench.

A drawback of such a prior arrangement is that both the connecting and disengaging operations of the threaded parts require that a tool be used, such as a torque wrench.

Such a tool must also be used for overcoming the great friction occurring, in particular, between an inner tubular element and an outer tubular element of the quick coupling female part.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide a novel quick coupling allowing the threaded bodies thereof to be slidably connected, respectively disconnected, by simple manual operations, without requiring operating tools, while providing a safe connection of the quick coupling bodies.

According to the present invention, the above mentioned object is achieved by a quick coupling comprising a male element which can be threadably connected to a female body, said female body including an inner tubular body housing a bearing on which an outer tubular body bears.

Advantageously, the female body outer tubular body comprises, at a front side thereof, a plurality of circumferentially extending holes housing radially movable ball elements therein, said ball elements being adapted to be engaged in a circumferential slot of the male body, said ball elements being adapted to be radially locked by a circumferential enlarged portion formed on the inner side of a female body ring nut and adapted to be driven against a counter-biasing spring.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown inFIG. 1, the quick coupling, generally indicated by the reference number1, comprises a quick coupling male element2and a quick coupling female element3which can be mutually coupled to one another.

To provide a threaded type of connection, the male element2comprises, at a front portion thereof, an outer thread4, to be coupled with an inner thread5formed inside the female body or element3.

The operating fluid, such as a refrigerating fluid, is supplied, in a per se known manner, either through the inlet6of the male body2or through the inlet7of the female element3.

The inlet7is formed in a tubular body8housing a longitudinally extending stem9encompassed by a spring10, as known in the prior art.

The constructional elements9and10, and related gaskets, advantageously O-ring seals, will be not disclosed in further details therein, since they are well known in the prior art and are conventionally used in prior quick couplings.

Advantageously, the tubular body8houses therein a bearing11, advantageously a thrust bearing, designed for resisting both against axial pushing forces and against radial efforts. More specifically, the bearing11is housed in an annular chamber12formed in the outer tubular body3forming the female part of the quick coupling.

Also advantageously, the bearing11is held in its desired position by resilient ring elements13and14, engaged in suitable engaging slots; in this connection it should be apparent that it would be also possible to provide other locating and locking means for properly locating and locking the bearing.

Thus, owing to the provision of the bearing11, any friction forces between the outer body3and inner tubular body8of the female element will be practically eliminated, thereby allowing the connection, respectively disconnection, of the threaded parts4and5to be manually carried out, in a very easy manner and without using operating tools, since any friction forces, as operating in prior couplings, are herein overcome, owing to the provision of said bearing11.

The front side or portion of the female body3of the quick coupling1receives herein a movable ring-nut element15having, on a front side thereof, an inner annular enlarged portion16there against abuts a spring17which also abuts against an outer shoulder18, positionally fixed, of the tubular body3.

At the front portion thereof, said ring nut15is held at an end position by a resilient ring element19.

A plurality of radially extending holes20are circumferentially formed in the front portion of the tubular body3, said holes receiving therein a corresponding plurality of ball elements21which, in a fully assembled condition of the male body2and female body3, are engaged in a circumferential groove22of the male body2, and operate as locking means as they are engaged in the circumferential groove22upon connecting the bodies2and3.

Upon threading the body2, by the threads4and5, in the female body3, said ball elements21will be radially outward displaced from the male body2and, accordingly, will cause the ring nut15to be backward driven (FIG. 2), thereby pressing the spring17.

With the body2fully threaded in the tubular body3of the quick coupling, generally indicated by the reference number1, the ball elements21will enter the groove or slot22of the male body2thereby causing the spring17to drive the ring nut15in the direction shown by the arrow (f) inFIG. 3, thereby the inner radially extending enlarged portion16will be arranged above the ball elements21to in turn lock the latter at their desired positions thereby providing a safe and properly locked connection between the body2and body3of the quick coupling1.

As is desired to disconnect the body2from the body3, the ring nut15must be displaced in the direction indicated by the arrow (g) inFIG. 3, to allow the ball elements21, which are now in a free condition, to be radially displaced, to withdraw the body2from the tubular body3, since the ball elements21will be able of freely radially outward moving, to allow the body2to be easily disengaged.