Connect under pressure coupling

A push-to-connect, flush-face coupling having a male half and a female half,

• the male half including a cylindrical plug with a front face, and a locking groove formed on an outer surface of the plug toward the front face;
• and
• the female half including i) a cylindrical coupling body and ii) a fitting at a rear end of the coupling body, the fitting having a first internal flow passage;
• said coupling body having a) a locking mechanism at a forward end of the coupling body for coupling the female half to the male half when the plug of the male half is inserted into the female half;
• and b) a valve assembly, the valve assembly including an upstream secondary valve and a downstream primary valve, with a second internal flow passage defined in the primary valve, the secondary valve comprising a pressure-balanced valve normally in a closed position preventing flow between the first and second flow passages, and moveable into an open position allowing fluid flow between the first and second flow passages, the secondary valve being supported and having a configuration such that the movement of the secondary valve is not significantly effected by fluid pressure applied against the secondary valve.

A female coupling half as in claim 30, wherein:

• the coupling body includes a series of locking ball openings toward the upstream end, i) a locking collar axially moveable relative to the coupling body at the upstream end of the coupling body, the locking collar including a ball groove formed on an inner surface that can receive locking balls, ii) a collar spring urging the locking collar forwardly in the coupling body, iii) a series of locking balls received in the locking ball openings in the coupling body, the ball groove in the locking collar being normally axially aligned with the locking balls and the locking balls being received in the ball groove, iv) a cylindrical face sleeve axially moveable relative to the coupling body received in the coupling body, said face sleeve having a front face engageable with a front face of the male half when the male half is inserted into the female half, v) a sleeve spring urging the face sleeve forwardly in the fitting, vi) a cylindrical retainer sleeve received in the face sleeve, the retainer sleeve being fixed relative to the coupling body, vii) a sealing sleeve axially moveable relative to the coupling body received in the retainer sleeve, viii) a valve body received in the sealing sleeve and also fixed relative to the coupling body, the second internal flow passage defined between the sealing sleeve and valve body, the face sleeve moveable rearwardly in the coupling body and cooperating with the sealing sleeve and moving the sealing sleeve rearwardly in the coupling body and out of sealing engagement with the valve body, the sealing sleeve further cooperating with and moving the sleeve valve rearwardly in the coupling body to open a flow path between the first and second flow passages, and the locking balls, when the face sleeve is moved rearwardly, moveable radially inward by the locking collar.