Connector for modular prefilled hydraulic control apparatus

A hydraulic apparatus for controlling the engagement and disengagement of the clutch of a motor vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

• (A) a master cylinder having an input rod adapted to be connected to the clutch pedal of the motor vehicle and having an outlet;
• (B) an annular slave cylinder assembly adapted to be positioned within the vehicle clutch housing in concentric surrounding relation to the clutch drive shaft interconnecting the vehicle clutch and the vehicle transmission and including an annular housing defining an annular bore and means defining a passage extending between said bore and a slave cylinder assembly inlet;
• (C) a conduit adapted to extend between said master cylinder outlet and said slave cylinder assembly inlet;
• (D) a quick connect leakproof connector mounted at a predetermined location between said master cylinder outlet and said slave cylinder assembly inlet to define a first modular unit including said master cylinder and a second modular unit including said annular slave cylinder assembly, each of said modular units being filled with hydraulic fluid, said quick connector including two engageable members each associated with a respective modular unit, said members acting to seal the respective modular units when engaged, one of said members comprising a male member having an axially extending body portion and the other of said members comprising a female member defining an axially extending bore sized to receive said body portion of said male member, one of said members including resilient means, the other of said members including leading camming means operative in response to insertion of said male member portion into said female member bore to bias said resilient means resiliently radially, and trailing abutment means operative in response to movement of said leading means past said resilient means to coact with said resilient means to inhibit withdrawal of said male member body portion from said female member bore;
• (E) said resilient means comprising a tubular spring clip including a plurality of circumferentially spaced cuts extending from the rear annular edge of the clip to a location proximate to but spaced rearwardly from the front annular edge of the clip to define a plurality of circumferentially arrayed, axially extending finger portions, alternate finger portions being bent radially inwardly from the tubular plane of said clip to define a circumferential array of spring fingers extending axially rearwardly and radially inwardly to provide free rearward ends movable resiliently radially;
• and
• (F) said leading means and said trailing means being defined respectively by the leading and trailing annular surfaces of an annular rib structure on said other member.

A hydraulic apparatus for installation in a vehicle or machine, said apparatus when installed comprising a hydraulic master cylinder, a remote hydraulic slave cylinder, and a conduit connecting the master cylinder to the slave cylinder, characterized in that the master cylinder, slave cylinder and conduit are filled with hydraulic fluid and in that a connector is provided through which hydraulic fluid can pass, said connector being of a leakproof quick connect type and comprising a pair of connector members each including valve arrangements which valve arrangements are both closed when the connector members are not coupled to enable the cylinders to be interconnected through the conduit, said connector members including coacting means engaging in response to coupling of said members to inhibit disconnect of said members, said connector further comprising a disconnect member mounted on one of said connector members and operative in response to movement of said disconnect member with said connector members coupled to disengage said coacting means and allow disconnect of said connector members, said coacting means including a tubular spring clip including a plurality of circumferentially spaced cuts extending from one annular edge of the clip to a location proximate to but spaced from the other annular edge of the clip to define a plurality of circumferentially arrayed axially extending finger portions, alternate finger portions being bent radially inwardly from the tubular plane of said clip to define a circumferential array of spring fingers extending axially and radially inwardly to provide free ends movable resiliently radially.