Patent Abstract:
Connector ( 100 ) to automatically connect an inflation device to a valve, comprising a hollow stopper ( 8 ) to operate elements for opening the valve and an elastically deformable seal ( 3 ), characterised in that the seal has a lip ( 35 ) designed to:
       immobilize the stopper during inflation, if the aforementioned valve is of a first type; or   deform to form a seal around the valve during inflation if the aforementioned valve is of a second type. This connector is particularly suitable for fitting to a bicycle pump.

Full Description:
BACK GROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a connector for an inflation device compatible with several types of valve without manual intervention, in particular for a bicycle pump type inflation device. 
   DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
   Several types of valve are used for inflating bicycle tyres. In particular, two types are commonly used and are known by the name of “Bicycle-type” valves (Presta) and “Car-type” valves (Schrader). Bicycle-type valves are small diameter valves (corresponding to an approximately 6.5 mm rim hole) defined by French standard NF R99-035 of May 1974, used particularly for bicycles known as racing bicycles, with narrow rims. Car-type valves have a larger diameter (corresponding to an approximately 9 mm rim hole), are defined by French standard NF R99-031 of May 1974, and are used particularly for mountain bikes, mopeds and cars. In addition to their form, these valves also function differently. 
   Several devices exist to inflate tyres fitted with one of these valves. However, these devices have the drawback that the type of valve must be determined in advance and the device must then be adjusted to fit the type of valve used by a deliberate action on the part of the user, for example changing or adjusting a connection means on the valve. Pump users require pumps fitted with “intelligent” connection means, i.e. connectors that allow the user to fit the pump without concerning himself with the type of valve that a tyre is fitted with. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The purpose of this invention is to propose a connector for an inflation device compatible with several types of valve, for example that adjusts to bicycle-type valves and car-type valves without user intervention. 
   According to the invention, such a connector for an inflation device to a tyre valve comprises a hollow stopper to operate valve opening means and an elastically deformable seal. The connector is characterised in that the seal has a lip designed to immobilise the stopper during inflation, if the aforementioned valve is of a first type, or to deform and form a seal around the valve on inflation if the aforementioned valve is of a second type. The first type may correspond to a car-type valve and the second to a bicycle-type valve. 
   If the aforementioned valve is of the first type, the lip may also form a seal between an inner edge of the valve and the stopper, with an air intake from the inflation device to the valve being formed through the hollow stopper. 
   The connector may advantageously comprise a pipe, for air, in which the stopper is movably mounted. When no valve is connected, the lip surrounds the stopper in an initial position. The connector then also has means for retracting the stopper into the pipe on connection to the second type of valve, so that the aforementioned valve can be surrounded by the lip, and means for returning the stopper to its initial position when the aforementioned valve is withdrawn. The connector will preferably comprise means of deforming the seal. 
   Thus, the means to deform the seal may comprise a cover and a body between which the seal is arranged, the body being movable in relation to the cover, so that it can move closer to the cover, compressing the seal, or move away from the cover, decompressing the seal. This can be achieved through operating controls to move the body relative to the cover, for example using a cam lever, which can be locked in a first position in which the seal is not deformed or slightly deformed, or in a second position in which the seal is significantly deformed. 
   The seal may advantageously have a socket between a socket opening and the lip, such opening being designed to introduce the valve into the socket, and the socket being able to contract around the valve when the seal is deformed, in order to hold the aforementioned valve during inflation. Preferably, the seal is a volume of revolution around an axis of revolution and the body is movable in translation along this axis relative to the cover. The seal may also be provided with a convex tapered rear surface, on the opposite side to the seal socket opening, facing a concave tapered front surface on the body, so that when the body compresses the seal, the deformation of the seal is increased so that the lip contracts more tightly around the stopper or the valve, as the case may be. 
   Instead of being fitted directly to the tyre, the valve can be mounted on an air chamber or any other item capable of being inflated. Thus, whenever the term “tyre” is used below for the sake of simplicity, it should be taken to mean “tyre, air chamber or any other item capable of being inflated”. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The description below, which relates to non-limitative examples, contains other specific features and advantages of the invention. 
     In the appended drawings: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective cross-section representation of a pump connector according to the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an axial cross-section of a seal for the connector in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIGS. 3 to 5  are cross-section representations of stages of the connection of the device in  FIG. 1  to a car-type valve; 
       FIG. 6  is a detail of  FIG. 5 , with the car-type valve being connected to the device; 
       FIGS. 7 to 9  are cross-section representations of stages of the connection of the device in  FIG. 1  to a bicycle-type valve. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1  shows a pump connector  100 . It is designed for connecting a pump to a valve  201 ,  202 , through which compressed air produced by the pump can be introduced into the tyre. It allows for the pump to be connected either to a car-type valve  201  or a bicycle-type valve  202  (see  FIGS. 3–9 ). This pump connector comprises an approximately cylindrical body  1  around an axis X 1  and a housing  2 . The housing  2  has a cylindrical inner surface  21  around an axis X 2 . The body  1  is mounted in the housing  2 , fitted in and sliding on the inner surface  21  and along the axis X 1  merged with the axis X 2 . A mounting area  10  extends transversally from the body  1  to allow for the pump connector  100  to be mounted on a piston/cylinder assembly (not shown), extending transversally along the axis X 1 , to form the bicycle pump. 
   The body  1  has a cylindrical pipe  13 , with an axis X 1  and a diameter D 1 , opened in a concave tapered front face  11  of the body and closed at the opposite end by a base  131 . A channel  14 , extending transversally to the axis X 1 , connects the pipe  13  and the mounting area  10 . Thus, the pressurised air provided by the piston/cylinder assembly can be carried through the channel  14 , the pipe  13  and then the front face  11  of the body  1 . 
   The pump connector  100  also comprises a seal  3  mounted along the axis X 1  between an annular cover  4  screwed to the housing  2  and the front face  11  of the body  1 . The seal has a shape of revolution around the axis of the seal X 3 . The seal is mounted so that its axis of revolution X 3  merges with the axis of revolution X 1  of the body  1 . The seal  3  is made from an elastically deformable elastomer type material. The cover has a circular opening  41  to introduce the valve to which the pump is to be connected into the seal. 
   A hollow stopper  8  is mounted so that it can slide in the pipe  13 . A helical compression spring  9 , fitted compressed between the hollow stopper  8  and the base  131 , tends to push the hollow stopper  8  out of the pipe  13  through the front face  11 . The seal  3  is designed to prevent the hollow stopper  8  from coming out of the pipe  13  through the front face  11 . The pipe  13  has a stub  132 , extending axially from the base  131  inside the pipe  13 , around which the rear end of the spring  9  is wrapped to position it transversally relative to the axis X 1 . 
   The pump connector  100  also has a lever  6  that comprises a cam  61  and a handle  62 . The lever is mounted so that it can pivot around a pivot  7  with an axis X 7  perpendicular to the axis X 1  and fixed relative to the housing  2 . The cam  61  has a thrust surface  611 , the distance from the axis X 7  of the pivot of which varies progressively from a first distance L 1  to a second distance L 2 , the second distance L 2  being greater than the first distance L 1 . The thrust surface  611  is arranged so that when the handle  62  on the lever is lowered parallel to the piston/cylinder assembly, i.e. perpendicular to the axis of revolution X 1  of the body  1 , the first distance L 1  is measured parallel to the axis X 1 , and when the handle of the lever is raised, parallel to the axis of revolution X 1  of the body  1 , the second distance L 2  is measured parallel to the axis X 1 . 
   When the handle is moved in rotation R around the pivot  7  from its lowered position to its raised position, the thrust surface  611  presses against a rear face  12  of the body  1 , on the opposite side from its front face  11  along its axis X 1 . Thus, the body  1  moves inside the housing  2  under the progressive thrust of the thrust surface  611  towards the cover  4  so that the seal  3  is compressed between the front face  11  of the body  1  and the cover  4 . 
   The seal  3  will now be described, with particular reference to  FIG. 2 . In  FIG. 2 , the seal is shown uncompressed and free of any external stress. The seal  3  has a cylindrical outer surface  32 . This surface  32  is designed so that it can slide on the inner surface  21  of the housing  2 . The seal is axially delimited by a convex rear compression surface  31 , serving as a bearing surface for the front face  11  of the body  1 , and to the front by a bearing surface  34  serving as a bearing for the seal  3  on the cover  4 . The compression surface  31  is tapered, with the same dimensions as the tapered front face  11  of the body  1 . The bearing surface  34  is a flat annular surface, perpendicular to the axis X 3  of the seal, the outer diameter of which is the same as the diameter of the outer surface  32  and the inner diameter D 2 , approximately the same as the diameter of the opening  41  of the cover  4 , is the same as the diameter of a socket opening  39  to introduce the valve into the seal  3 . The diameter D 2  is approximately the same as the diameter of the stem of a car-type valve  201  (approx. 7.7 mm). 
   The seal  3  has an axial hole between the compression surface  31  and the bearing surface  34  with a complex shape of revolution of axis X 3 , which can be broken down into three successive areas. A first area  33  is an axial extension of the pipe  13 . This first area is made up of a cylindrical extension surface  331 , with the same axis and the same diameter D 1  as the pipe  13 . This extension surface extends between the compression surface  31 , of which it defines an inner diameter D 1 , and an annular stop surface  332 , extending transversally to the extension surface  331  in the direction of the axis X 3 . This stop surface  332  limits the protrusion of the stopper  8  through the front face  11  of the body  1 . A second area is made up of a lip  35  that extends towards the socket opening  39 , inside the third area  36  defined by a socket surface  361 , extending from the lip to the bearing surface  34 , of which it defines the inner diameter D2. 
   The lip  35  is defined on its outer side by a slightly tapered lip surface  351  extending from the socket surface  361  to its extremity opposite the opening and forming an acute angle with the socket surface  361 . The lip  35  is defined on its inner side by a complex surface extending between the inner perimeter of the stop surface  332  and the inner perimeter of the lip surface  351 . This complex surface has two annular contours  352  with a trapezoidal section, extending radially towards the axis X 3 , flanking a groove  353 , also with a trapezoidal section. The contours  352  define the inner diameter D 3  of the lip. The diameter D 3  is approximately the diameter of the stem of a bicycle-type valve  202  (approximately 5.2 mm). Any thickness of the lip, measured transversally to the axis X 3 , is small relative to lengths of its inner and lip surfaces, measured axially. In particular, the thickness of the lip is significantly less than the thickness of the seal measured between its outer surface  32  and its socket surface  361  or between its outer surface  32  and its extension surface  331 . The lip is therefore very flexible, allowing it to deform more easily than the thicker parts of the seal. 
   The stopper  8  will now be described, with particular reference to  FIGS. 6 and 1 . The hollow stopper has a hollow cylindrical guide  81 , with an outer diameter D 1 , allowing for the stopper to slide in the pipe  13 . The front end of the spring  9  is lodged inside the guide and is positioned transversally relative to the axis X 1  of the body  1 . The hollow stopper  8  also has a nose  82 , extending from the hollow guide  81  towards the opening  41  in the cover  4 . The nose  82  has channels  83  that open on one side onto the inside of the hollow guide  81  and on the other through a front surface of the nose. In the configuration in  FIG. 1 , that is, with the pump not connected to any valve and the lever  6  being lowered, the lip  35  is located around the nose  82  of the stopper  8 . 
   It will also be noted that in the configuration in  FIG. 1 , the pressurised air provided by the piston/cylinder assembly first travels through the channel  14 , passes up the pipe  13  and then enters the stopper  8  through the hollow guide  81 , entering the channels  83  to exit the hollow stopper in the socket  36  before being expelled from the pump through the openings  39  and then  41 , thus forming a circuit for the circulation of the air in the pump connector. The cover  4  is screwed to a head  16  on the housing  2 . It is therefore possible to adjust the distance between the cover and the axis X 7  of the pivot by screwing the cover  4 . This distance is advantageously chosen so that when the lever  6  is lowered, the body and the seal  3  are locked between the cam  61  and the cover  4 , whilst ensuring that the pressure exerted axially on the seal  3  is zero or low, i.e. the seal  3  is not deformed or slightly deformed. Thus, the contact between the front bearing surface  34  of the seal  3  and the cover forms a seal around the opening  41  in the cover  4  and the contact between the compression surface  31  of the seal  3  and the front face  11  of the body  1  forms a seal on it. Thus, even when the lever is lowered, the circuit is airtight along its length for the circulation of the air in the pump connector. 
   The operation of the pump connector  100  when it is connected to a car-type valve  201  will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 3 to 6 . The car-type valve  201  is shown partly on the Figures. It is fitted onto a tyre for the inflation of the said tyre. It has a stem  211  that defines a passage  215  for the air between the outside of the tyre and the tyre. The car-type valve  201  has a valve flap (not shown) to prevent the deflation of the tyre through the passage. The car-type valve  201  has, along the axis of the stem, in the air passage, a pin  212  that is used to control the opening of the flap by pressing on one end  213  of the pin  212 , accessible from outside the stem. The stem  211  has a conical inner chamfer  214  around the passage  215 , at the end opening onto the outside of the tyre, that is, on the inner edge of this end. 
   As shown in  FIG. 3 , when the stem  211  is placed in front of the connector  100 , the connector is in the position shown in  FIG. 1 , with the lever  6  lowered. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the stem  211  is then introduced along the axis X 1  through the openings  41  and then  39  into the socket  36  in the seal  3 . The stem fits between the lip  35  and the socket surface  361 , and the chamfer  214  presses against the lip surface  351 , which tends to push the lip  35  towards the axis X 3  of the seal, contracting and thus immobilising the nose  82  of the stopper  8 , whilst the front surface of the stopper  8  comes into contact with the end  213  of the pin  212 , which is pushed axially into the passage  215 . Thus, the imnmobilisation of the stopper allows for the pin  212  to be operated. The valve flap is thus open, connecting the inside of the tyre and the air circulation circuit  83 ,  81 ,  13 ,  14  in the connector  100 . If the pressure in the tyre is greater than the pressure in the pump cylinder, a ball valve  15  between the circuit and the cylinder is held closed until the pressure in the cylinder becomes greater than the pressure in the tyre on pumping. 
   When the lever  6  is raised, moving the body  1  and compressing the seal  3  between the body  1  and the cover  4 , several approximately simultaneous actions occur. The first action is the reinforcement of the action of the stopper  8  on the end  213  of the pin by increasing the compression of the spring  9  between the base  131 , which moves with the body  1 , and the stopper  8 , which remains approximately immobile. By compressing the seal  3 , the conical front face  11  of the body  1 , pressing against the compression surface  31  of the seal, which is also conical, tends to deform the seal so that it contracts radially around its axis X 3  as well as axially. Thus, the second action is the radial and axial deformation of the lip  35 , gripped between the chamfer  214  and the nose  82  of the stopper  8 . It must be noted that the nose  82  has on its outer surface shapes that complement the shapes  352 ,  353  of the complex surface of the lip  35 , which presses against it and deforms it. This thus ensures that the stopper  8  is held in place and forms a seal between the air circuit and the valve during inflation, i.e. the contours  352  interlock with complementary grooves on the outer surface  85  of the nose  82  and hold onto it, and the lip  35 , gripped between this outer surface  85  and the chamfer  214 , serves as a seal. By compressing the seal  3 , the third action is the contraction of the socket surface  361  around the stem  211 , ensuring that the valve is held firmly during inflation and forming another seal between the air circuit and the valve during inflation. This further seal may be sufficient, and the seal provided by the lip is in this case only supplementary. 
   At the end of inflation, to release the car-type valve  201 , the lever  6  must simply be lowered so that the seal elastically returns to its shape and the connector  100  is removed from the valve. 
   The operation of the pump connector  100  when it is connected to a bicycle-type valve  202  will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 7 to 9 . The bicycle-type valve  202  is shown partly on the figures. It is fitted onto a tyre for the inflation of the said tyre. It comprises a stem  221  that defines a passage for the air between the outside of the tyre and the tyre. The bicycle-type valve  202  has a valve flap that prevents the deflation of the tyre through the passage. The bicycle-type valve  202  has along the axis of the stem, in the air passage, a pin  222  that is used, by its being pushed into the stem, to control the opening of the flap by pressing on one end  223  of the pin  222 , accessible from outside the stem. A nut  225 , screwed onto the pin, is used to lock the pin by pressing against the stem so that if the end  223  is pressed accidentally, the pin cannot control the opening of the valve flap, thus causing the accidental deflation of the tyre. The nut  225  must therefore be unscrewed to allow the air to circulate in the passage with a view to inflating the tyre. It must be noted that the nut is configured to allow for the air to pass between the passage in the stem  221  and the outside of the tyre when the pin is pushed in and the nut is pressing against the stem. 
   As shown in  FIG. 7 , when the stem  221  is placed in front of the connector  100 , the connector is in the position in  FIG. 1 , with the lever  6  lowered. As shown in  FIG. 8 , the stem  221  is then introduced along the axis X 1  through the openings  41  and then  39  into the socket  36  in the seal  3 . The end  223  of the pin  222  comes into contact with the front surface of the stopper. As the stem  221  enters the socket  36 , the pin  222  is gradually pushed in so that the flap on the bicycle-type valve  202  is gradually opened. When the nut  225  presses against the stem  221 , the pin, locked in this way, is not pushed any further into the stem. Whilst the stem  221  continues to enter the socket  36 , and then beyond between the lip  35  on the seal  3 , the end  223  of the pin gradually pushes the stopper back into the pipe  13 , until the spring is completely compressed, thus stopping the entry of the stem  221 . The pump connector  100  is designed so that in this position, shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the stopper is in the pipe  13 , beyond the front surface  11  of the body  1 . 
   A new air circuit  13 ,  14  is established in the connector  100 , placing the air inside the tyre in contact with the air inside the pipe  13 , through the nut  225 . If the pressure in the tyre is greater than the pressure in the pump cylinder, the ball valve  15  is held closed until the pressure in the cylinder becomes greater than the pressure in the tyre on pumping. 
   When the lever  6  is raised, moving the body  1  and compressing the seal  3  between the body  1  and the cover  4 , this allows for the lip to contract around the stem  221  of the bicycle-type valve, in particular through the action described above of the conical surfaces of the body  1  and the seal  3 . 
   The pump connector  100  is designed so that in this position, shown in  FIG. 9 , the lip  35  contracts around a favourable area  226  of the stem  221  to seal it during inflation. In particular, it is ensured that the lip does not contract around the thread used to screw on a conventional flexible bicycle pump connector of the prior art. Preferably, the inner diameter D3 of the lip and the inner diameter of the area  222  must be approximately the same. When contracted in this way, the lip forms a seal between the pipe  13  and the bicycle-type valve  202 , as well as holding the valve in place, during inflation. The stopper  8 , still locked between the spring  9  and the end  223  of the pin  222  in the valve, is used to hold open the bicycle-type valve flap to allow the pressurised air provided by the bicycle pump to enter the tyre. 
   At the end of inflation, to release the bicycle-type valve  202 , the lever  6  must simply be lowered and the connector  100  removed from the valve. 
   It can thus be seen that the pump operator does not have to concern himself with the type of valve, car-type or bicycle-type, on the tyre. The pumping operation is the same whatever the type of valve. This operation successively involves the pushing of the valve into the pump connector, the raising of the lever, pumping, and finally the release of the valve by lowering the lever. 
   Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples described above, and numerous adjustments can be made to these examples without leaving the scope of the invention. 
   Such a connector is not limited to connection to car-type or bicycle-type valves of the types described above, but can also be fitted to other types of existing or future valves. In particular, the diameters D 1 , D 2  and D 3  can be different depending on the diameters of the valves to which the pump is to be connected. Nor is it limited to use as a pump connector on bicycle pumps alone. 
   Instead of mounting the connector on a piston/cylinder assembly on a manual pump, it can also be mounted directly on a flexible hose on a compressed air supply station such as those available at service stations. 
   The operating controls can also be made up of other means than a cam lever, such as for example a screw to push the body into the housing to a greater or lesser extent. 
   The seal may partly or fully consist of materials other than an elastomer material, and in particular a thermoplastic material or rubber. 
   It is possible for the cover not to be screwed onto the housing, but to form an integral part of it.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5