Quick connect fluid connector with tube variation tolerance and connection verification
AssigneeFasTest, Inc.
InventorsRobert Danielson, Christopher Wagner, Jake Clifton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A quick connect fluid connector that is provided with sealing and gripping feature that are able to tolerate variations in a tube of a second fluid system to which the fluid connector connects. The fluid connector tolerates the variations while maintaining the sealing and gripping at high fluid pressures through the fluid connector. In one embodiment, the fluid connector may also be provided with an RFID tag to verify that the fluid connector is properly connected to the tube.
Claims12
A quick connect fluid connector that is detachably connectable to a tube of a fluid system to process a fluid into or from the fluid system through the quick connect fluid connector, comprising:
- a generally cylindrical construction that includes a body, a piston surrounded by the body, a collet assembly with a plurality of collets, a locking sleeve that surrounds the body and the piston, and a longitudinal axis;
- the collet assembly is disposed within the body adjacent to an end thereof, the plurality of collets of the collet assembly are radially movable between an expanded position and a collapsed position radially inward from the expanded position;
- the piston is slidably disposed within the body for sliding movement parallel to the longitudinal axis between a retracted position and a forward position, a spring is engaged with the piston and biases the piston toward the forward position of the piston, and the piston and the plurality of collets are arranged relative to one another so that the piston actuates the plurality of collets to the collapsed position as the piston moves from the retracted position to the forward position;
- and
- wherein the piston and the plurality of collets are arranged such that at the retracted position of the piston, the plurality of collets are at the expanded position, and at the forward position of the piston an end of the piston surrounds the plurality of collets and the plurality of collets are at the collapsed position.
A quick connect fluid connector that is detachably connectable to a tube of a fluid system to process a fluid into or from the fluid system through the quick connect fluid connector, comprising:
- a generally cylindrical construction that includes a body, a piston surrounded by the body, a position piston surrounded by the piston, a collet assembly with a plurality of collets, a locking sleeve that surrounds the body and the piston, and a longitudinal axis;
- the piston is slidably disposed within the body for sliding movement parallel to the longitudinal axis between a retracted position and a forward position, a spring is engaged with the piston and biases the piston toward the forward position of the piston;
- the position piston is slidably disposed within the piston and the position piston is slidable parallel to the longitudinal axis relative to the piston between a retracted position and a forward position, a spring is engaged with the position piston and biases the position piston toward the forward position thereof;
- a seal within an interior space of the piston adjacent to an end thereof;
- wherein the seal surrounds the position piston at the forward position thereof, and the seal contacts the position piston at the retracted position thereof whereby the position piston limits radial inward extrusion of the seal.
A quick connect fluid connector that is detachably connectable to a tube of a fluid system to process a fluid into or from the fluid system through the quick connect fluid connector, comprising:
- a generally cylindrical construction that includes a body;
- a metal part mounted on the body and movable relative to the body between a first position and a second position;
- at least one radio frequency identification tag attached to an outer surface of the body configured to verify connection of the quick connect fluid connector with the tube;
- wherein the radio frequency identification tag is positioned at a location on the outer surface of the body such that at least a portion of the radio frequency identification tag is covered by the metal part when the metal part is at the first position, wherein when the metal part is at the first position a signal from the radio frequency identification tag is blocked to prevent sensing of the radio frequency identification tag thereby indicating that the quick connect fluid connector is not connected with the tube, and no portion of the radio frequency identification tag is covered by the metal part when the metal part is at the second position, wherein when the metal part is at the second position, a signal from the radio frequency identification tag is not blocked to allow sensing of the radio frequency identification tag thereby indicating that the quick connect fluid connector is connected with the tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.