Rotatable stopcock for a male coupling having a 90° offset connecting piece

[0002] The invention pertains to a rotatable stopcock for a plug-type coupling having a connector for connecting fluid lines and a mounting hole that is situated along the extension of one of the two lines and operates to receive a tube that is connected to the stopcock. The tube is provided with a through-bore that is angled by 90° in order to connect the coupling housing to the connector, wherein the pin is sealed relative to the mounting hole of the coupling housing directly behind the through-bore by means of a ring seal and provided with a turning knob that can be fixed relative to the coupling housing in the axial direction of the mounting hole.

[0003] A stopcock of this type is, for example, known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,545, and is used in connection with a connector and a perpendicular outgoing line. In this case, the tube is fixed in the axial direction of the mounting hole by means of a sleeve and a union nut and protrudes from the sleeve with a flattened cylindrical rod. A turning knob is attached to this rod and fixed thereon by means of a screw.

[0004] Consequently, this stopcock consists of many individual parts that need to be assembled and connected to the housing of the connector in order to ensure that the stopcock is able to fulfill its intended function. However, this assembly and connection process is associated with high production and assembly costs.

[0005] With reference to plug-type couplings for fluid lines that convey fuel, it is particularly important to interrupt the fuel flow by means of a stopcock before the coupling is disengaged. Although this could, in principle, be achieved by utilizing a conventional shut-off valve, this would also require a large number of individual parts, as well as their assembly.

[0006] The present invention is based on the objective of developing a stopcock for a plug-type coupling which can be inexpensively manufactured, as well as easily handled and mounted in the mounting hole of the plug-type coupling.

[0007] According to the invention, this objective is attained due to the fact that the housing wall on the mounting hole contains a peripheral flange, and the fact that two opposing ring segments are integrally formed onto the end wall of the turning knob. The ring segments extend concentrically to the outer wall and are provided with inwardly directed detent catches that positively engage behind the flange ring after elastically expanding the ring segments during the insertion of the tube into the mounting hole.

[0008] Due to the design of the housing of the plug-type coupling and the integrated stopcock, the fluid flow through the plug-type coupling can be rapidly and reliably interrupted and released again in an equally simple fashion. The tube also is reliably positioned in the mounting hole by the ring segments and, in particular, their engagement behind the flange ring of the coupling.

[0009] In order to ensure that the turning knob can be easily taken hold of and turned, the ring segments on the outer wall are usually knurled or ribbed. To reliably fix the turning knob in the open position, it is, according to another embodiment of the invention, proposed that a detent limb with two inwardly protruding detent teeth that extend past the outer wall be arranged between the two ring segments, such that the detent teeth cooperate with a detent notch integrally formed onto the outer wall of the coupling housing in such a way that the turning knob is locked in the open position of the stopcock.

[0010] One embodiment of the stopcock according to the invention is illustrated in the figures and described in greater detail below. The figures show:

[0011] FIG. 1, a side view of a plug-type coupling with a connector and a stopcock, wherein the stopcock is partially sectioned in this figure;

[0012] FIG. 2, a top view of the same plug-type coupling with a stopcock;

[0013] FIG. 3, a front view of FIG. 1, wherein the stopcock is in the closed position;

[0014] FIG. 5, a perspective representation of the coupling housing;

[0015] FIG. 6, a perspective representation of the stopcock;

[0016] FIG. 7, a longitudinal section through an empty coupling housing;

[0017] FIG. 8, a longitudinal section through the corresponding shut-off valve;

[0018] FIG. 9, a section through the shut-off valve along the line IX—IX in FIG. 8;

[0019] FIG. 10, the coupling housing according to FIG. 6 with an inserted shut-off valve in the open position, and

[0020] FIG. 11, a representation according to FIG. 10 of the coupling housing with an inserted shut-off valve, however, turned by 90°.

[0021] A stopcock 1 operates to release and interrupt the fluid flowing into a plug-type coupling 2 that is provided with a connector 3 for connection with a fluid line not shown and disposed at an angle of 90°. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the plug-type coupling 2 contains an opening 4 on the left side for inserting a part not shown that is conventionally provided with a peripheral holding rib which is locked in the coupling opening 4.

[0022] The perspective representation of the coupling housing 5 shown in FIG. 5 includes a mounting hole 6 disposed in axial alignment with the opening 4. The hole is adapted to rotatably accommodate the stopcock 1 shown in FIG. 6.

[0023] The coupling housing 5 may be manufactured of hard plastic by means of an injection molding process or of a suitable metal alloy. However, the stopcock 1 is integrally manufactured from a hard-elastic plastic material. According to FIGS. 8 and 9, the stopcock 1 consists of a turning knob 7 with a tube 8 that is integrally formed thereon. The central tube 8 contains a central through-bore 9 that is also angled by 90°. This through-bore begins at the end face along an axial extension of the opening 4 and ends along an axial extension of the connector 3 via a 90° angle.

[0024] Referring now to FIG. 7, an outside diameter of the tube 8 is adapted to be received inside the diameter of the mounting hole 6 in the region situated on both sides of the connector 3 and the tube can be turned relative to this region of the mounting hole 6. The mounting hole 6 contains a stepped hole portion 6′ widening toward the inserting region and ends with a widening conical stepped passage 6″.

[0025] At the end of the conical stepped passage 6″, the housing wall 10 is provided with a peripheral flange ring 11 that serves for axially fixing the stopcock 1 relative to the coupling housing 5.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, two opposing ring segments 13 are integrally formed onto the end face 12 of the turning knob 7, such that the ring segments extend concentrically to the outer wall 10 of the housing 5. The outside of these ring segments is provided with knurling 14 for easy grasping and turning of the turning knob 7. The inner side of the ring segments 13 is provided with a pair of detent catches 15 that slide over the flange ring 11 after elastically expanding the ring segments 13 during the insertion of the tube 8 into the mounting hole 6. Subsequently, these detent catches positively engage the flange ring as illustrated in FIG. 11.

[0027] In order to reliably prevent the stopcock 1 from being pressed out of the mounting hole 6 by high fluid pressure, the detent surfaces 16 of the detent catches 15 form an angle a of more than 90° relative to the radial contact surface 17 of the flange ring 11, with said angle being measured opposite the attachment direction “A” of the turning knob 7.

[0028] Again referring to FIG. 7, the outside diameter of the tube 8 contains a step 18 in the direction of the end face 12 which corresponds to the stepped passage 6′ in the mounting hole 6. In this case, a ring seal 21 (FIG. 11) for preventing fluid from escaping at the turning knob 7 is installed between the opposing radial ring surfaces 19 and 20.

[0029] To lock the stopcock in the open position, one additional detent limb 22 (FIG. 8) is provided on the end face 12 of the turning knob 7 in the region between the two ring segments 13. The detent limb 22 also extends past the outer wall 10 and points in the direction of the bent through-bore 9 with its expandable end 23. The detent limb 22 is also provided with two detent teeth 24 on its inner side as indicated in FIG. 9. A detent notch 25 is arranged on the housing wall 10 at the same distance from the flange ring 11. This detent notch is aligned relative to the detent teeth 24 of the detent limb 22 in such a way that the turning knob 7 is locked in the open position (see FIG. 10) of the stopcock.