CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY WITH OVERLAPPING HOSES

Abstract

A connector assembly is provided comprising an adaptor, a first hose, a second hose and a fixing ring, wherein the adaptor comprises a first end section allocated to the first hose and a second end section allocated to the second hose, wherein a middle section of the adaptor is located between the first end section and the second end section, wherein the adaptor has a through bore for guiding a fluid. The first and second hoses surround the first and second end sections of the adaptor in a press-fit manner, wherein the second hose overlaps the first hose over at least a part of the middle section of the adaptor defining a hose overlap region. The inner overlapping surface sections of the first hose and the second hose are free of circumferential indentations in a relaxed condition of the first hose and the second hose.

Claims

1. Connector assembly comprising an adaptor, a first hose, a second hose and a fixing ring, wherein the adaptor comprises a first end section allocated to the first hose and a second end section allocated to the second hose, wherein a middle section of the adaptor is located between the first end section and the second end section, wherein the adaptor has a through bore for guiding a fluid, wherein the first hose is surrounding the first end section of the adaptor in a press-fit manner, wherein the second hose is surrounding the second end section of the adaptor in a press-fit manner, wherein the second hose overlaps the first hose over at least a part of the middle section of the adaptor defining a hose overlap region, wherein the fixing ring fixes the second hose on the first hose, wherein the fixing ring is located such that it overlaps in axial direction at least a part of the hose overlap region, wherein an inner surface of the second hose contacts an outer surface of the first hose, wherein the outer surface of the first hose is formed by an outer contacting wall section of the first hose, wherein the inner surface of the second hose is formed by an inner contacting wall section of the second hose, wherein the first hose and the second hose each have an inner overlapping surface section overlapping the adaptor in axial direction, characterized in that the inner overlapping surface sections of the first hose and the second hose are free of circumferential indentations in a relaxed condition of the first hose and the second hose and that the material of the inner contacting wall section of the second hose and/or the material of the outer contacting wall section of the first hose is an elastomer.

2. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein an outdoor surface of the second hose contacts an inner surface of the fixing ring, wherein the outer surface of the second hose is formed by an outer wall section of the second hose, wherein the outer wall section of the second hose is an elastomer.

3. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the wall of the second hose is at least 1.2 times thicker than the wall of the first hose.

4. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fixing ring is a separate member from the adaptor and first and second hoses, and wherein the fixing ring reduces the outer diameter of the second hose when the second hose is mounted on the first hose.

5. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first end section and/or the second end section of the adaptor comprise/s a protrusion protruding radially outward compared to an outer surface of the middle section of the adaptor.

6. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein a rotational axis of the first end section of the adaptor is identical to a rotational axis of the second end section of the adaptor.

7. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the adaptor comprises a polymer and/or a metal.

8. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein a stop element is disposed on the outer surface of the first hose.

9. The connector assembly according to claim 8, wherein the stop element is a stop ring separate from the first hose, and wherein the stop ring is secured on the first hose.

10. The connector assembly according to claim 9, wherein the stop ring comprises an inner surface which is, with respect to a longitudinal section of the first hose, at least in sections complimentary to the outer surface of the mounted first hose in the region of the first end section of the adaptor.

11. The connector assembly according to claim 9, wherein the stop ring is secured in a press-fit manner on the first hose.

12. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the wall of the second hose is at least 1.5 times thicker than the wall of the first hose.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The present disclosure shall be explained in greater detail below, based on the drawings depicting only one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Therein, in schematic depictions:

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of a connector assembly according to the present disclosure,

[0026] FIG. 2 shows the connector assembly of FIG. 1 during an intermediate mounting step and with an additional stop ring,

[0027] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view onto the stop ring of FIG. 2 and

[0028] FIG. 4 a side view of an adaptor of the connector assembly of FIG. 1 together with the stop ring of FIGS. 2 and 3, wherein the stop ring is depicted in a longitudinal section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The above-mentioned FIG. 1 highlights the basic principle of a connector assembly according to the present disclosure. The connector assembly comprises an adaptor 1, a first hose 2, a second hose 3 and a fixing ring 4. The adaptor 1 of this embodiment is made of polyphthalamide and is a molded single-piece element. The first hose 2 of this embodiment is a multilayer tube and might in particular comprise at least one layer made of polyamide. The second hose 3 basically consists of EPDM and is thus an elastomer. The second hose 3 also has a reinforcing element 17 in the form of reinforcement fibers. The fixing ring 4 is a crimped ring and made of metal.

[0030] The adaptor 1 comprises a first end section 5, a second end section 6 and a middle section 7 which is disposed between the first end section 5 and the second end section 6. The first end section 5 comprises a protrusion 10 protruding radially outward. This protrusion 10 comprises a shoulder facing toward to the middle section 7 and a tapered section in order to facilitate an engagement of the first hose 2 on the adaptor 1. The second end section 6 comprises a radial protrusion 11 with a shoulder facing toward the middle section 7 and a tapered section for facilitating an engagement of the second hose 3 on the adaptor 1. It has to be noted that various different end sections 5, 6 can be combined together.

[0031] FIG. 2 highlights an intermediate manufacturing step, wherein the first hose 2 has already been mounted onto the adaptor 1. The first hose 2 of this embodiment completely covers the first end section 5 as well as the middle section 7 and abuts on the shoulder of the protrusion 11 of the second end section 6. Furthermore, a stop element 12 in the form of a stop ring has been pushed onto the first hose 2 in the region of the first end section 5. The next manufacturing step of this embodiment after FIG. 2 is to push the second hose 3 onto the adaptor 1 and over the first hose 2 until the face end of the second hose 3 abuts on the stop element 12. In a last step, the fixing ring 4 in the form of the crimped ring is mounted onto the second hose 3 in the region of the middle section 7.

[0032] As can be seen in FIG. 1, the fixing ring 4 exerts a pressing force onto the second hose 3 thereby reducing the outer diameter of the second hose 3. This pressing force in combination with said shoulders of the protrusions 10, 11 and furthermore in combination with the rubber-like material EPDM of the second hose 3 a reliable connection has been established between the first hose 2 and the second hose 3. In particular, the inner contacting wall section of the second hose 3 comprises EPDM and thus an elastomer thereby establishing a good frictional connection between the outer surface of the first hose 2 and the inner surface of the second hose 3.

[0033] The shoulder of the protrusion 11 provides a good manufacturing control possibility which also applies to the stop element 12. In both cases, an employee and/or a camera can easily control the correct mounting position of the first hose 2 and the second hose 3 on the adaptor 1 by controlling the distance between the face end of the first hose 2 and the shoulder of the protrusion 11 and the distance between the face end of the second hose 3 and the stop element 12, respectively. Both manufacturing control possibilities make a manufacturing process more reliable.

[0034] The stop element 12 is highlighted in FIG. 3 in a perspective view on the left and in a longitudinal section, mounted on the adaptor 1, in FIG. 4 on the right. As can be seen from the perspective view, the stop element 12 comprises a plurality of circumferentially alternating sections 13, 14 disposed on the inner surface of the stop element 12. In this embodiment, the stop element 12 comprises four sections 13 which are tapered in an axially outwardly direction and four sections 14 which are tapered in an axially inwardly direction. More precisely, each section 13, 14 comprises a protruding part 15 which protrudes radially inwardly. This protruding part 15 has a tapered inner surface ending in the axial middle of the stop element 12.

[0035] Each section 13, 14 also comprises a non-protruding part 16 with a constant thickness of the wall of the stop element 12. This can be seen in particular in the longitudinal section of the stop element 12 in FIG. 4. The alternating circumferential sections 13, 14 result in an inner surface of the stop element 12 which is complementary to the outer surface of the first hose 2 in the region of the first end section 5 which can also be seen in FIG. 4. It has to be noted that the first hose 2 is not shown in FIG. 3 which explains a certain distance between the outer surface of the first end section 5 and the inner surface of the stop element 12. The alternating arrangement of the sections 13, 14 facilitates pushing the stop element 12 onto the region of the first end section 5 while at the same time providing good fixation in the region of the first end section 5.