Patent EA-002218-B1 (EA)
Title: Valve connector
Inventor: VAN DER BLOM NICOLAAAS
IPC: F04B41/00
Filed: 1996-02-02
Abstract: 1. A valve connector for coupling with inflation valves of vehicle tyres, comprising: - a housing to be connected to a pressure source, - within the housing a coupling hole for coupling with an inflation valve, the coupling hole having a central axis and an outer opening, - positioning means for positioning the inflation valve when coupled in the coupling hole, and - an activating pin, which is arranged coaxially with the coupling hole, for depressing a central spring-force operated core pin of the inflation valve, characterized by the fact that: - the activating pin is shiftable between a proximal pin position and a distal pin position relative to the positioning means so as to depress the core pin of the inflation valve in its distal pin position and disengage the core pin of the inflation valve in its proximal pin position when the inflation valve is positioned by the positioning means, - the activating pin is coupled with a piston (304) and the piston (304) is slidingly arranged in a cylinder (303) having a cylinder wall and is movable between a proximal piston position, which corresponds to the proximal pin position, and a distal piston position, which corresponds to the distal pin position, wherein the piston (304) is drivable from its proximal piston position to its distal piston position when the cylinder (303) is under pressure supplied from the pressure source, and - that flow regulating means are provided for selectively interrupting or freeing a flow path between the pressure source and the coupling hole depending on the piston positions and are adapted such that the flow path is interrupted in the proximal piston position and the flow path is freed in the distal piston position at least when the inflation valve is positioned by the positioning means. 2. Valve connector for connecting to inflation valves of vehicle tyres, comprising: - a housing (3,16,19,35,77,110,134,151,164,190) to be connected to a pressure source, - within the housing one valve coupling hole (5) for coupling with the inflation valve to which the valve connector is to be connected, the coupling hole having a central axis (4) and an outer opening (8), and - within the coupling hole (5) inflation valve sealing means (12,13,79,80,200,194,330,332), situated coaxially with the central axis (4) of the coupling hole (5), for sealing the valve connector onto inflation valves of various types and/or sizes characterized by the fact that, - said valve coupling hole (5) is of a stepped configuration thereby including at least two valve coupling hole sections which are axially displaced from each other and have different diameters and are designed for receiving inflation valves of different diameters, with the larger diameter hole section closer to the outer opening (8) of the coupling hole than the smaller diameter hole section, and - said inflation valve sealing means comprise a first valve sealing portion (13,80,194,332) and a second valve searing portion (12,79,200,330), which are located at different levels along the central axis (4), said first sealing portion disposed at and assigned to the larger diameter hole section and said second sealing portion disposed at and assigned to the smaller diameter hole section. 3. A valve connector for connecting to inflation valves of vehicle tyres, comprising: - a housing (35,134,164) to be connected to a pressure source, - within the housing a coupling hole (5) having a central axis (4) and an outer opening (8), for enabling coupling of the valve connector to inflation valves, - an activating pin for engaging with the central spring-force operated valve core pin of a first valve type of the tyre valves, and - an activating device co-operating with the activating pin, by which activating device the activating pin is shiftable relative to the housing in the direction of the central axis of the coupling hole from a proximal shifting position (18) into such a distal shifting position (32) that the activating pin engages the valve core pin of the first valve type and pushes the valve core pin into its open position when this first valve type is coupled in the coupling hole, characterized by a coupling means which is designed to sealingly selectively couple in the same coupling hole at least said first valve type or a second valve type which is different from the first valve type by its diameter, wherein the activating device co-operating with the activating pin (40,142,161) is further designed such that the activating pin (40,142,161) is shiftable into a shifting position in which the opening of the second valve type is allowed if this second valve type is sealingly coupled in the coupling hole (5). 4. A valve connector for connecting to inflation valves of vehicle tyres, comprising: - a housing to be connected to a pressure source, - within the housing a coupling hole for enabling the coupling of the valve connector to inflation valves, the coupling hole (5) having a central axis (4) and an outer opening (8), - sealing means within the coupling hole for sealing the coupling hole against the inflation valve, the sealing means comprising a defonnable bushing by which the coupling hole is formed, and  - activating means for axially compressing the defonnable bushing into its deformed state, thereby radially squeezing the defonnable bushing against the inflation valve, characterized by the fact that the activating means comprises: - a lever arm (102,319) which is coupled to the housing (110,134,368) movable between a rest position (82) and a activating position (83), and - a reaction arm (320) which is fixedly coupled to the housing for enabling a gripping hold of said lever arm and said reaction arm (320), wherein said defonnable bushing (78,366) is in its deformed state when said lever arm is in said activating position (83) and not deformed when said lever arm is in said rest position (82), the deformed state corresponding to the formation of a temporary securing thread onto the surface of said defonnable bushing when the valve connector is coupled to the inflation valve. 5. Valve connector according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that said first sealing portion (13,194,332) and said second sealing portion (12,200,330) are separate parts. 6. Valve connector according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that each of the sealing portions (13,194,332; 12,200,330) comprises an annular sealing face at the inner end of the respective coupling hole section. 7. Valve connector according to claim 2, chacterized by the fact that it comprises within the coupling hole a securing thread (7,9) for securing the valve connector onto the inflation valve. 8. Valve connector according to claim 7, characterized by the fact that it comprises a coupling bushing (6,191,340), which is: - attached on the housing (3,190,341), rotatably around the central axis (4), and - sealed to the housing (3,190,341) by said second sealing portion (12), wherein said coupling bushing comprises said securing thread (7,9) and said first sealing portion (13,194,332), and the housing (3,190,341) comprises a stopping edge (198) for stopping the coupling movement of the inflation valve. 9. Valve connector according to claim 8, characterized by the fact that said coupling bushing (191,340) is an outer bushing and comprises an inner bushing (193,331), which is - non-rotatably coupled to said outer bushing (191,340) by means of a set of ribs (196) of said inner bushing (193,331) and corresponding grooves (197) in said outer bushing (191,340) distributed around the bushing circumference, and - axially movable within said outer bushing (191,340) and the housing (190,341), wherein said second sealing portion (200,330,333) is step-formed, embedded in a corresponding milling (201), so that that part of the step-formed second sealing portion with the highest step lies closest to the centerline (4). 10. Valve connector according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that said second sealing portion comprises a first part (330) and a second part (333), of which said second part (333) is fitting in an undercut groove of the housing (341) and is arranged to seal said inner bushing (341) to said housing. 11. Valve connector according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the housing (3) consists of two portions with a predetermined angle between their respective centre axes, which angle is 30 degree - 60 degree . 12. Valve connector according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that said first sealing portion (80) and said second sealing portion (79) are formed by an elastic body (78) which is designed as a bushing (78) of deformable material to create a temporary securing thread (79,80) when radially squeezed against the thread of an inflation valve, and that a piston (76) is movably mounted in the housing (110) for axially compressing the elastic body when activated by a lever (102) which is tumable from a rest position into an activating position, in which the elastic body (78) is compressed. 13. Valve connector according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that in said activating position (83) said lever arm (102,319) is approximately parallel with said reaction arm (320) and in said rest position (82) said lever arm forms an angle ( of less than 90 degree  with said reaction arm (320). 14. Valve connector according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that said lever arm (102) is U-shaped and comprises an axis (85) around which said lever arm is movable between rest said position (82) and said activating position (83). 15. Valve connector according to claim 3, characterized in that said activating device is further designed for axially shifting the activating pin (40,142,161) into said distal shifting position (32) from a proximal shifting position (18) which is farther away from the outer opening (8) of the coupling hole (5) than said distal shifting position (32) and corresponds to the activating pin (40,142,161) being inside the housi