Patent ID: 7143994

Claim:
A coupling device comprising: a first coupling part provided with a first coupling member and having an internal bore extending through the coupling part and its coupling member; and a second coupling part provided with a second coupling member and having an internal bore extending through the coupling part and its coupling member, said second coupling member being engageable in a fluid-tight manner with the first coupling member; wherein the first coupling part is provided with a valve, which comprises a valve body displaceably arranged inside the internal bore of the first coupling part and a spring member acting on the valve body, the valve body being displaceable against the action of the spring member from a first position, in which the valve is closed and prevents fluid flow through the internal bore of the first coupling part, to a second position, in which the valve is open and allows fluid flow through the internal bore of the first coupling part, wherein the valve comprises a housing which is fixed inside the internal bore of the first coupling part, said housing being provided with a cavity accommodating the spring member and a part of the valve body, wherein said cavity is in fluid communication with an orifice at the end of the valve facing the free end of the first coupling member so as to allow the cavity to be in fluid communication with the surroundings via said orifice when the first coupling member is out of engagement with the corresponding second coupling member, the second coupling member has an external spherical contact surface of metallic material, the first coupling member being provided with a corresponding internal conical contact surface of metallic material for engagement with the spherical contact surface of the second coupling member, and the spherical contact surface of the second coupling member and the corresponding conical contact surface of the first coupling member are designed to form a fluid-tight seal between the first coupling part and the second coupling part when said contact surfaces are pressed against each other.