Back to results
US 2016/0258563 A1Published application
Wide tolerance fluid connector
AssigneeFasTest, Inc.
InventorsRobert DANIELSON, Scott Allan GULDEN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid connector that is designed to work with a wide range of tube configurations and sizes by being able to adjust to the configuration and size of tube being connected to. The fluid connector can also include a pressure driven actuation resistance mechanism to achieve higher pressures. Therefore, a single fluid connector can be used over a wide range of applications. This permits the creation of a standardized cost effective fluid connector design.
Claims18
A self-adjusting fluid connector, comprising:
- a generally cylindrical construction that includes a body, a collet assembly with a plurality of collets, a sleeve, a piston, and a longitudinal axis;
- the plurality of collets are pivotally supported at an end of the body for pivoting movement between an expanded position and a collapsed position;
- the sleeve surrounds the body, the collet assembly, and the piston;
- the sleeve is slidable relative to the plurality of collets and the body in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis between a default position and a retracted position where the plurality of collets are in the collapsed positon when the sleeve is at the default position and the plurality of collets are in the expanded position when the sleeve is at the retracted position;
- and the sleeve is biased by a spring toward the default position;
- the piston is slideably disposed within the body and the plurality of collets for sliding movement relative thereto in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis;
- the piston is biased by a spring in a direction away from the body in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis;
- an interface between an exterior surface of each of the collets and an interior surface of the sleeve, the interface controls movements of the collets between the expanded position and the collapsed position;
- and
- the interface between the exterior surface of the collets and the interior surface of the sleeve permits the collets to self-adjust to different collapsed positions around different diameters of tubes.
7 more elements
A fluid connector, comprising:
- a generally cylindrical construction that includes a body, a collet assembly with a plurality of collets, a sleeve, a piston, and a longitudinal axis;
- the plurality of collets are pivotally supported at an end of the body for pivoting movement between an expanded position and a collapsed position;
- the sleeve surrounds the body, the collet assembly, and the piston;
- the sleeve is slidable relative to the plurality of collets and the body in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis between a default position and a retracted position where the plurality of collets are in the collapsed positon when the sleeve is at the default position and the plurality of collets are in the expanded position when the sleeve is at the retracted position;
- and the sleeve is biased by a spring toward the default position;
- the piston is slideably disposed within the body and the plurality of collets for sliding movement relative thereto in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis;
- the piston is biased by a spring in a direction away from the body in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis;
- wherein at the default position of the sleeve, the sleeve is up and over ends of the plurality collets to force the plurality of collets to the collapsed position;
- and
- wherein the sleeve is at the default position when a tube is not inserted into an end of the fluid connector.
7 more elements
A fluid connector, comprising:
- a generally cylindrical construction that includes a body, a collet assembly with a plurality of collets, a sleeve, a piston, and a longitudinal axis;
- the plurality of collets are pivotally supported at an end of the body for pivoting movement between an expanded position and a collapsed position;
- the sleeve surrounds the body, the collet assembly, and the piston;
- the sleeve is slidable relative to the plurality of collets and the body in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis between a default position and a retracted position where the plurality of collets are in the collapsed positon when the sleeve is at the default position and the plurality of collets are in the expanded position when the sleeve is at the retracted position;
- and the sleeve is biased by a spring toward the default position;
- an interface between the collets and the sleeve that controls movements of the collets between the expanded position and the collapsed position;
- the piston is slideably disposed within the body and the plurality of collets for sliding movement relative thereto in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis;
- the piston is biased by a spring in a direction away from the body in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis;
- and
- a pressure driven actuation resistance mechanism that is engageable with an interior surface of the sleeve when the fluid connector is pressurized with a pressurized fluid.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.