Patent Publication Number: US-2020292115-A1

Title: Coupling

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/240,132, filed Jan. 4, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 29/603,021, filed May 5, 2017 (now U.S. Pat. No. D838,350), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 29/553,778, filed Feb. 4, 2016 (now U.S. Pat. No. D788,890), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/650,914, filed Oct. 12, 2012, the entireties of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Quick disconnect couplings are used in various applications to connect two lines to create a fluid pathway therethrough. The couplings typically include cooperating male and female couplings that form the connection. A latch is used to connect the male and female couplings. An example of such a coupling is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,158 filed on May 31, 1991, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     Various components on the couplings can move to accomplish the connection therebetween. For example, a latch of the female coupling (or body) typically moves within the female coupling to connect the female coupling to the male coupling (or insert). Also, the male coupling is typically at least partially received within the female coupling to accomplish the connection. 
     SUMMARY 
     Aspects of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for forming couplings. In one aspect, a female coupling includes a body defining a fluid pathway therethrough, and a slot extending transversely with respect to the fluid pathway, and a latch positioned in the slot to move between locked and unlocked positions. A mating male coupling defining a fluid pathway forms the complete coupling. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of an example coupling. 
         FIG. 1B  is an exploded perspective view of the coupling of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an example body of the coupling of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the body of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the body of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the body of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is perspective view of an example insert of the coupling of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of the insert of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of the insert of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the insert of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-section view of the coupling of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of the body of  FIG. 2  during assembly. 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of the insert of  FIG. 6  during assembly. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of an example system including the coupling of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 14  is another perspective of the system of  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 15  is a side view of the system of  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 16  is another perspective view of the system of  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view of an example fluid supply module. 
         FIG. 18  is an exploded perspective view of the fluid supply module of  FIG. 17 . 
         FIG. 19  is a side view of another embodiment of a body including two materials. 
         FIG. 20  is a perspective view of the body of  FIG. 19 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     This application is directed to systems and methods for forming couplings. 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  show an example coupling  100  including a body  110  (sometimes referred to as a female coupling) and an insert  120  (sometimes referred to as a male coupling). 
     In the example shown, the insert  120  is being coupled to the body  110  by a clip or latch  130 . The body  110  and the insert  120  together form a fluid passage way therethrough. The latch  130  moves in a direction that is generally transverse to the longitudinal direction of the fluid pathway to couple the body  110  and the insert  120 , as described further below. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2-5 , the body  110  is shown. The body  110  includes an opening  230  into which the insert  120  is inserted. The latch  130  includes a main body  210  that moves within a slot  220 . In  FIG. 2 , the latch  130  is in a resting or locked position. The latch  130  can be biased or forced into the locked position using an integral cantilever or spring  131 . The latch  130  is moved in a direction A within the slot  220  of the body  110  to an unlocked position. The latch  130  can be moved to this position to, for example, connect or release the portion of the insert  120  that is introduced through the latch  130 . 
     The body  110  houses a valve  250  positioned therein. The valve  250  is biased by a spring  258  to a closed position as shown in  FIG. 5 . Upon mating with the insert  120 , the valve  250  is moved backwards to an open position so fluid can flow therethrough. The body  110  also includes a termination  240 . In this example, the termination  240  is a barbed termination that can be secured to a conduit, as described below. Other terminations can be used. For example, in an alternative design, the termination can be a separate part that is joined to the body. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 6-9 , the insert  120  is shown. The insert  120  includes a front portion  410  and a termination portion  420 . The front portion  410  can be inserted into the opening  230  in the body  110  and through the latch  130  to couple the insert  120  to the body  110  and to form the fluid pathway therethrough. A seal  411  seals the insert  120  within the inner diameter of the body  110 . See  FIG. 10 , described below. The termination portion  420  remains outside the body  110  so that the termination portion  420  can be connected to another structure, such as a container or a conduit containing a fluid (e.g., liquid or gas). 
     The insert  120  houses a valve  450  positioned therein. The valve  450  is biased by a spring  458  to a closed position as shown in  FIG. 9 . Upon mating with the body  110 , the valve  450  is moved backwards to an open position so that fluid can flow therethrough. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , the body  110  and the insert  120  are shown in the coupled state. In this state, the valves  250 ,  450  are in the open positions so that fluid can flow therethrough. During mating of the body  110  and the insert  120 , the valves  250 ,  450  contact and push against one another to move the valves  250 ,  450  backwards to open the fluid path as shown. 
     In this example, front portions  252 ,  452  of the valves  250 ,  450  form a “make before you break” connection, in that a seal  254  on the valve  250  and a seal  454  on the valve  450  are unseated after the valves  250 ,  450  are coupled so that there is little or no loss of any fluid flowing through the coupling  100  when the body  110  and the insert  120  are uncoupled. 
     When coupled as shown in  FIG. 10 , the latch  130  is accepted into a latch groove  530  formed on the insert  120 . See  FIGS. 9 and 10 . In this example, the latch groove  530  is angled from a beginning  532  to an end  534  of the latch groove  530 . Specifically, the latch groove  530  forms a smaller outer diameter at the beginning  532  and a larger outer diameter at the ending  534 . This generally forms a slope for the latch groove  530 . In other examples, the slope can be more or less pronounced or can be formed in other configurations, such as stepped, etc. A corresponding structure  135  on the latch  130  can be configured in a complementary shape, or can simply be formed in a different geometry, such as a flat portion without any slope. 
     One possible advantage of forming the latch groove  530  in this manner is that there is additional material forming the insert  120  at the end  534  of the latch groove  530 . This material can function to strengthen the insert  120  at this juncture and help resist breakage of the insert  120  at the latch groove  530 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the body  110  and the insert  120  can be assembled as follows. Initially, the body  110  and the insert  120  can be molded using a known technique, such as injection molding, using a polymeric material such as acetal, nylon, polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, polysulfone, etc. The valves  250 ,  450  can be formed in a similar manner. Other techniques, such as metal injection molding and/or machining, can also be used. 
     Next, for the body  110 , the spring  258  is placed on the valve  250 , and the valve  250  is introduced into the opening  230  formed in the body  110 . The valve  250  is compressed in a direction X against the spring  258  until in the position shown in  FIG. 11 . In this position, an end  270  of the valve  250  is accessible from an opening  242  formed in the termination  240  so that the seal  254  can be placed in a seal groove  272  formed in the end  270  of the valve  250 . In this example, the seal  254  is an O-ring. 
     Once the seal  254  is in position, the valve  250  can be released, allowing the spring  258  to force the valve  250  forward until the seal  254  engages a shoulder  244  formed in the termination  240 . In this position, the seal  254  resists further forward biasing by the spring  258  so that the valve  250  is retained in the body  110 . In addition, with the seal  254  engaging the shoulder  244 , fluid flow through the body  110  is stopped. 
     The insert  120  is similarly assembled by forcing the valve  450  and the spring  458  through the insert  120  until a seal groove  472  is accessible through the termination portion  420 . The seal  454  is then placed in the seal groove  472  to maintain the valve  450  within the insert  120  and to seal the insert  120  when the valve  450  is in the closed position. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 13-16 , an example system  500  incorporating the body  110  and the insert  120  is shown. 
     In this example, the system  500  includes a container  510  that is sized to hold a fluid, such as gasoline or another fuel. In this example, the container  510  is used as a source of fuel for a boat or other vehicle. Other configurations are possible. 
     The container  510  includes a cap  512  that can be rotated to affix or remove the cap  512  from the container  510 . The cap  512  can be removed to introduce additional fluid into the container  510 . Once filled, the cap  512  is replaced to maintain the fluid in the container  510 . 
     The container  510  also includes a vent  514  configured to maintain the interior of the container  510  at a given pressure. For example, the vent  514  can be configured to let fluid (e.g., air) into and/or out of the container  510  as necessary to compensate for removal of density from the container (e.g., make-up air) and/or the expansion and contraction of the fluids contained within the container  510 . 
     The container  510  further includes a fluid supply module  516  with a base  520  that is coupled to the container  510 . The fluid supply module  516  includes a fluid passage that extends from the base  520  to an opening  518 . A hose barb extends into the container  510  (see, e.g., hose barb  621  in  FIGS. 17-18 ). When connected to the container  510  as shown, fluid from within the container  510  can be drawn through the fluid passage to the opening  518 . 
     The opening  518  is threaded to correspond with threads on the termination portion  420  of the insert  120 . The insert  120  is screwed into the opening  518  to couple the insert  120  to the fluid supply module  516 . Other mounting configurations are possible. 
     In this configuration, the insert  120  is in fluid communication with the fluid in the container  510 . The valve  450  closes the insert  120  so that the fluid within the container  510  does not escape until the insert  120  is mated with the body  110 . 
     The termination  240  of the body  110  is connected to tubing  532  that extends to a destination for the fluid, such as an engine of the boat. When the body  110  is connected to the insert  120 , the valves  250 ,  450  are moved to their open positions, thereby allowing fluid to flow from the container  510 , through the fluid supply module  516  and insert  120 /body  110 , and through the tubing  532  to a desired destination. 
     When the fluid within the container  510  is depleted, the body  110  can be disconnected from the insert  120  by actuating the latch  130  and removing the body  110  from the insert  120 . The valves  250 ,  450  close as the body  110  is removed so that the flow of fluid through the body  110  and the insert  120  is stopped. Once disconnected, the container  510  can be removed and refilled, as needed. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 17 and 18 , an alternative design for a fluid supply module  616  is shown. In this example, the fluid supply module  616  includes an insert module  618  that is configured in manner similar to that of the insert  120  described above. However, the insert module  618  is molded as an integral part of the fluid supply module  616 . The insert module  618  is sized to be coupled to the body  110  and includes the valve  250  to allow fluid to flow therethrough. 
     The fluid supply module  616  also includes a termination  620  that is configured in a manner similar to that of the opening  518 . The termination  620  is threaded to allow a legacy fluid line to be connected thereto. The termination  620  can be closed with a plug  622  that is threaded onto the termination  620  when not in use. In this manner, the fluid supply module  616  is configured to allow for backwards compatibility with existing infrastructure. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 19 and 20 , another example of a body  710  is shown. The body  710  is similar to that of the body  110  described above, except that the body  710  is formed of a first portion  715  and a second portion  720 . The first and second portions  715  and  720  are affixed to one another to form the body  110 . 
     In one example, the first and second portions  715 ,  720  are coupled by a welding technique, such as by sonic welding, staking, adhesive, etc., or by insert molding or by pressing or a snap fit. The first and second portions  715 ,  720  can be made of different materials to accommodate different applications. For example, in one application, the first portion  715  is made of a polymeric material, and the second portion  720  is made of a metal material, such as brass. This allows for the second portion  720  to be more easily terminated for different applications and to be manufactured more cost-effectively. The different materials can also exhibit other benefits, such as added strength and allowance for molding of complete geometries, such as those exhibited by the body. Other configurations are possible. 
     Various modifications and alterations of this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure, and it should be understood that the inventive scope of this disclosure is not to be unduly limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein.