This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application No. 105101623, filed on Jan. 20, 2016.
The disclosure relates to a filter device, more particularly to a filter device having a quick release tube coupling.
Tube couplings are widely applied in piping and plumbing systems, and those manufactured by John Guest Ltd. are well-known to the public. A conventional tube coupling manufactured by John Guest Ltd. includes a hollow connector that defines a passageway, and a collet that is movably connected to the hollow connector and that is for receiving a tube. The passageway has front and middle sections in which the collet is movably disposed, and a rear section which is opposite to the front section and in which a seal ring is received. The middle section has a maximum inner diameter larger than those of the front and rear sections. In the earlier designs, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,883 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,214, the hollow connector is molded as one piece, but the shape of the hollow connector leads to difficulties in removing the hollow connector out of a mold, and the hollow connector formed has a relatively poor precision. In the later designs, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,529 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,560, the hollow connector is divided into separate front and rear parts to prevent difficulties when being removed from a mold. The front part forms the front section of the passageway, and the rear part forms the middle and rear sections of the passageway. The front and rear parts of the hollow connector are connected to each other for use. However, when in use, the front and rear parts of the hollow connector may be separated from each other and may even be damaged due to back pressure generated by fluid in the passageway.
Tube couplings have been applied to filter devices. Referring to
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Therefore, the object of the disclosure is to provide a filter device that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior arts.
According to the disclosure, the filter device includes a housing, a filter core, a cover, and a tube coupling. The housing defines an accommodating space and is formed with an opening that is in fluid communication with the accommodating space. The filter core is disposed in the accommodating space. The cover is connected to the housing and is disposed at the opening.
The tube coupling includes a connector body, a collet, a retaining member, and a seal ring. The connector body is connected to the cover, has an inner end part adjacent to the housing, an outer end part opposite to the inner end part, and a guiding part interconnecting the inner and outer end parts and defining a passageway. The passageway is in fluid communication with the accommodating space and extends through the inner end part, the guiding part, and the outer end part. The passageway has a tapering portion that tapers toward the outer end part. The tube coupling and the cover are molded as one piece. The collet is movably connected to the connector body, and has a ring-shaped base disposed outside of the outer end part, and a plurality of resilient arms extending from the ring-shaped base into the passageway. The retaining member is disposed at the inner end part. The seal ring is disposed in the passageway between the collet and the retaining member, and is retained in the passageway by the retaining member.
Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Referring to
The cover 4 is connected to the housing 2 and is disposed at one of the openings 22. The technique for connecting the cover 4 and the housing 2 may vary based on actual design needs. For example, the cover 4 may threadedly engage the housing 2, or may be connected to the housing 2 by ultrasound-assisted spin welding or by male and female engagement parts.
The tube coupling 5 includes a connector body 51, a collet 55, a retaining member 57, and a seal ring 56.
The connector body 51 is connected to the cover 4, has an inner end part 52 adjacent to the housing 2, an outer end part 53 opposite to the inner end part 52, and a guiding part 54 interconnecting the inner and outer end parts 52, 53. The inner end part 52 has an inner end surface 521 that faces the housing 2. The guiding part 54 defines a passageway 511 that is in fluid communication with the accommodating space 21 and that extends through the inner end part 52, the guiding part 54 and the outer end part 53. The passageway 511 has a tapering portion that tapers toward the outer end part 53. The tube coupling 5 and the cover 4 are molded as one piece.
More specifically, the guiding part 54 of the connector body 51 has an inner segment 541, an outer segment 545, and a converging segment 546. The inner segment 541 is connected to the inner end part 52 of the connector body 51. The outer segment 545 is connected to the outer end part 53, and has an inner diameter that is smaller than that of the inner segment 541. The converging segment 546 interconnects the inner segment 541 and the outer segment 545, and defines the tapering portion of the passageway 511.
The collet 55 is movably connected to the connector body 51, and has a ring-shaped base 551 disposed outside of the outer end part 53, and a plurality of resilient arms 552 extending from the ring-shaped base 551 into the passageway 511. The ring-shaped base 551 has an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the outer segment 545 of the guiding part 54 of the connector body 51. Each of the resilient arms 552 has an arm segment 553 extending from the ring-shaped base 551 into the passageway 511, and a head segment 554 formed at a distal end of the arm segment 553, and being movable between the inner segment 541 and the converging segment 546 of the guiding part 54 of the connector body 51 during a movement of the collet 55 relative to the connector body 51. The head segment 554 of each of the resilient arms 552 has an abutment portion 555 that protrudes toward the guiding part 54, and a grip portion 556 that protrudes inwardly and that is for tightly gripping the tube 7 which is inserted into the tube coupling 5 when the head segment 554 is at the converging segment 546 of the guiding part 54.
The retaining member 57 is disposed at the inner end part 52 of the connector body 51. The retaining member 57 includes a hollow body 572, an outer flange 571, and an inner flange 573. The hollow body 572 extends into the passageway 511 toward the outer end part 53 of the connector body 51. The outer flange 571 extends radially outward from the hollow body 572 and is fixedly connected to the inner end surface 521 of the inner end part 52 of the connector body 51. The inner flange 573 extends radially inward from the hollow body 572 and is for limiting an insertion of the tube 7 into the connector body 51. The outer flange 571 of the retaining member 57 is connected fixedly to the inner end surface 521 of the inner end part 52 of the connector body 51 by ultrasound-assisted spin welding, or by using an adhesive material, etc.
The seal ring 56 is received in the inner segment 541 of the guiding part 54 of the connector body 51, is disposed in the passageway 511 between the collet 55 and the retaining member 57, and is retained in the passageway 511 by the retaining member 57.
During assembly, first the seal ring 56 is disposed within the inner segment 541 of the connector body 51 of the tube coupling 5, and then the retaining member 57 is fixedly disposed on the inner end part 52 of the connector body 51. Next, the collet 55 is inserted into the passageway 511 so that the collet 55 is movably disposed at the cover 4.
To install the tube 7 on the filter device, first the collet 55 is pushed to move the ring-shaped base 551 of the collet 55 toward the outer end part 53 of the connector body 51, so that the abutment portion 555 of the head segment 554 of each of the resilient arms 552 is distal from the converging segment 546 of the guiding part 54 of the connector body 51. At this time, the abutment portion 555 of the head segment 554 of each of the resilient arms 552 is located within the inner segment 541, which permits the tube 7 to be smoothly and easily inserted into the collet 55. The installation is completed after the tube 7 extends through the seal ring 56 and abuts against the inner flange 573 of the retaining member 57.
Referring to
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In summary, the retaining member 57 is disposed on the inner end part 52 of the connector body 51 of the tube coupling 5, and the connector body 51 and the cover 4 are molded as one piece. Therefore, the connector body 51 is prevented from separating from the housing 2 when the back pressure is generated. Thus, the filter device of the disclosure has an enhanced structural strength against the back pressure compared with the above-mentioned conventional filter device 93 (see
In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects.
While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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105101623 | Jan 2016 | TW | national |