Safety system for cam lock couplings

Abstract

A female coupling component for a cam and groove coupling, consisting of a chamber mounted to or built into the exterior of the female coupling component, containing a latching member to be used as a safety lock when used in conjunction with a male coupling component. The latching member will interlock with a radial groove on a male coupling component. To unlock the female coupling component, an intentional movement including pushing, twisting, and/or pulling, etc. of the latching member is applied such a way as to allow the male component to be inserted or removed. The female cam and groove coupling will work on any like-sized male coupling component (i.e., 3″ female to 3″ male) without any modifications necessary to the male coupling required.

Claims

1. A female coupling component for a cam and groove coupling joint, comprising: a female coupling component having a cylindrical outer surface configured for use with a male coupling component, the male coupling component having a hollow interior to convey fluid or gas, the female coupling component adapted to secure the male coupling component in close fitting engagement by a plurality of cam arms positioned on the female coupling half engaging a radial groove of the male coupling half, each cam arm being pivotally connected to the female coupling component; and being pivotable between a first unlocked position wherein the male coupling half is insertable and removable from the female coupling component and a second locked position wherein the male coupling half is securable in close fitting engagement with the female coupling component; an external case member which contains a chamber containing a latching member is partially built into or affixed to an outside circumferential surface of the female coupling component intermediate at least two cam arms and perpendicular to the axis of the female coupling component; the latching member is held within the chamber by a set screw inserted into the chamber perpendicular to the axis of the female coupling component; the latching member is partially located outside the cylindrical outer surface of the female coupling component and that is movable between a latched position wherein the latching member is positionable within the radial groove of a male coupling half within the female coupling half, and an unlatched position in which the latching member is not within the radial groove.

2. The female coupling component for a cam and groove coupling joint of claim 1, wherein the latching member must be purposefully moved using a twisting, pushing, or pulling movement.

3. The female coupling component for a cam and groove coupling joint of claim 1, wherein the latching member is normally biased toward the latched position.

4. The female coupling component for a cam and groove coupling joint of claim 3, further comprising: a chamber affixed or built into the female coupling component, a spring, and wherein the latching member is at least partially within the chamber and includes a recess, and the spring biases the latching member toward the latched position.

5. The female coupling component for a cam and groove coupling joint of claim 4, wherein the latching member is slideable within the chamber and partially extends from the chamber, includes a motion limiting groove, and wherein the chamber houses a setscrew, pin or other means extendable into the motion limiting groove of the latching member to prevent the latching member from being removed from the chamber.

6. The female coupling component for a cam and groove coupling joint of claim 1, wherein the latching member has a longitudinal axis and is rotatable about the longitudinal axis between latched and unlatched positions.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a side view of a female coupling component where the cam arms are in a locked position and in which the closed end of the chamber is shown. It will be understood that the cam arms could easily be configured so that the arms extend in the opposite position when in their locked position.

(2) FIG. 2 shows a bird's eye view of the female coupling component where the cam arms are in the unlocked position and the latching member is in the latched position within the chamber.

(3) FIG. 3 shows a side view of the female coupling component in which the cam arms are unlocked, and the exposed latching member is in the latched position within the chamber.

(4) FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of the female coupling component in which the spring, latching member, recess in the latching member, and set screw are all shown within the chamber in the latched position and the cam arms are in the locked position.

(5) FIG. 5 shows a side view of the female coupling component with the cam arms in the locked position.

(6) FIG. 6 shows a sectional side view of the female coupling component with the cam arms in the locked position and the set screw within the latching member and chamber.

(7) FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of the female coupling component with the tangential latching member contained within the chamber in the latched position.

(8) FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view of the female coupling component with the latching member contained within the chamber.

(9) FIG. 9 is an aerial view of one embodiment of the invention wherein the latching member is enclosed within a case including the female coupling component rather than attached tangentially to the female coupling component.

(10) FIG. 10 is an aerial view of the latching member, not contained within the chamber, showing the recess for the set screw.

(11) FIG. 11 is a side view of the latching member, not contained within the chamber, showing the recess for the set screw and the inner recess which interacts with the radial groove of the male coupling component.

(12) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a coupling in which the latching member has a longitudinal axis and may be rotated or twisted about the longitudinal axis between latched and unlatched positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(13) The present invention is further illustrated with the following detail, which generally may be taken in conjunction with the drawings and is not to be construed as limiting in nature.

(14) In general, the embodiments of the present invention provide a safety latching member attached tangentially to, included within the casing of, or otherwise affixed to the female coupling component for a cam and groove coupling. A general cam and groove coupling is assembled by inserting the male coupling component into the female coupling component. The cam arms found on the female coupling component are then pivoted so they engage the grooves in the male coupling component to lock the male coupling component within the female coupling component.

(15) FIGS. 1-6 and 9 present embodiments of the female coupling component with a safety latching mechanism of the present invention. One embodiment pertains to a female coupling component with a latching member 3 enclosed in a chamber 1 to be used as a safety locking apparatus for a cam and groove coupling. When a male coupling component is inserted into a typical female cam and groove coupling, the only locking member is the cam arms 2 (FIG. 1). The cam arms 2 on the exterior of the female coupling component are pivotable from an unlocked to locked position, the locked position being shown in (FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 9).

(16) FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a female coupling component having a cylindrical outer surface wherein the cam arms 2 are in an unlocked position. The closed end of the chamber 1 is shown in (FIG. 1), whereas the open end of the chamber 1 with the latching member 3 inside is shown in (FIG. 3). FIG. 2 illustrates the bird's eye view of the female coupling component with the latching member 3 being shown protruding from the chamber 1. It is to be understood the orientation of the chamber and the direction in which the latching member protrudes may be reoriented and/or reversed from that in (FIGS. 1,2,3,4,5,6, and 9). Latching member 3 is within the chamber 1 which may be built into or affixed to the side of the female coupling component intermediate at least two cam arms 2. FIGS. 2, 4, and 5. Latching member 3 is partially located outside the cylindrical outer surface of the female coupling component. FIGS. 2, 4, 9, and 12.

(17) FIG. 4 illustrates a sectional side view of one embodiment of the present invention with a spring biased latching mechanism. The latching member 3 is shown in the locked position within the chamber 1 with a set screw 5, wherein the recess of the latching member 6 does not allow the male coupling component to be released from the female coupling component without a purposeful movement. The latching member 3 may be held in place by the set screw 5, as shown in (FIG. 4), or may be held by any other means of restraint. FIG. 7 illustrates in a magnified view Section E of FIG. 4 that includes the inner recess of the latching member 6, the latching member 3, and the set screw 5 held within the chamber 1. The inner recess of the latching member 6 allows the male coupling component to be inserted or removed. In order to move the latching member 3 to the unlatched position in this embodiment, an intentional force must be applied to move the latching member 3 so that no part of the latching member is within the radial groove of the male coupling. This may be done by biasing the latching member 3 against the spring 4, which is held within the closed end of the chamber 1.

(18) FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the female coupling component with the cam arms 2 in the locked position. FIG. 6 is a sectional side view of the female coupling component with the cam arms 2 in the locked position. FIG. 5 further illustrates the latching member 3 within the chamber 1, held in place with the set screw 5. FIG. 8 shows a section of FIG. 5, including the cross view of the latching member 3 within the chamber 1, held in place with the set screw 5 in a magnified view.

(19) FIG. 9 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention in which the chamber 1 is fully enclosed within a case 7 including the female coupling component as opposed to being attached tangentially to the female coupling component as shown in (FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6.) This embodiment is shown with one cam arm 2 in the unlocked position the other cam arm 22 in the locked position (extending into the area of the recessed groove), and the latching member 3 in the latched position with the spring 4 in its neutral position. The inner recess of the latching member 6 is working in conjunction with the radial groove of the male coupling component to hold the latching member 3 in the latched position. The set screw 5 is held within the set screw recess 8 which allows the latching member 3 to be pushed against the spring 4 and to easily return to its neutral position.

(20) FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate the latching member 3 when it is not enclosed within the chamber 1. FIG. 10 shows a bird's eye view of the latching member 3 with the set screw recess 8. FIG. 11 shows a side view of the latching member 3 with the set screw recess 8 and the inner recess of the latching member 6.

(21) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a coupling in which the latching member 21 has a longitudinal axis and may be rotated or twisted about the longitudinal axis between latched and unlatched positions. As shown the recess 23 is coincident with the interior of the coupling to thereby allow a male coupling member to inserted or removed therefrom.

(22) In a further embodiment, the safety latching member is a passive locking system in which no purposeful movement other than that to connect the male and female components is needed to employ the safety latch. In this further embodiment, a purposeful movement is necessary to unlock the safety latching member. The purposeful movement may be any movement such as pushing, pulling, or twisting, among others.

(23) It is to be understood that the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a latching member” includes reference to one or more of such latching members, i.e. that there is at least one latching member. The terms “comprising”, “having”, “including”, and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by text. The use of examples or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) is intended merely to better illustrate or describe embodiments of the invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed.

(24) While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the foregoing drawings and description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that are within the scope of the following claims are desired to be protected.

(25) All references cited in this specification are incorporated herein by reference to the extent that they supplement, explain, provide a background for or teach methodology or techniques employed herein.