CONNECTOR FOR FLUID TRANSFER CIRCUITS AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

Abstract

The invention concerns a connector (1) for fluid transfer circuits comprising a main body (2) including: a first end (2a) equipped with at least one connecting end-piece (3) shaped to cooperate with an element such as an injector, a second end (2b) comprising a gasket bearing area (Z1) intended to house a sealing gasket (101), said connector (1) further comprising a flange (4) added onto the main body (2), preferably at the second end (2b) of the main body (2).

Claims

1. A connector for fluid transfer circuits comprising a main body including: a first end equipped with at least one connecting end-piece shaped to cooperate with an element such as an injector, a second end comprising a gasket bearing area intended to house a sealing gasket, the connector further comprising a flange added onto the main body, at the second end of the main body.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the flange is added by assembly on the second bend of the main body.

3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the flange is overmolded on the second end of the main body.

4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the main body and the flange are made of a same or different plastic material.

5. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the second end of the main body is equipped with at least one retaining element shaped to receive the flange.

6. The connector according to claim 5, wherein the one retaining element is a circumferential groove in which the flange is housed.

7. The connector according to claim 5, wherein the retaining element is a recess in which the flange is housed.

8. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a first parting surface of the main body is formed at a guiding and centering area of the connector arranged between the first and second ends out of the gasket bearing area.

9. The connector according to claim 1, comprising a sealing gasket arranged in the gasket bearing area of the connector.

10. A method for manufacturing a connector according to claim 1, the method comprising at least the following steps: molding the main body of the connector, overmolding or assembling the flange on the second end of the main body of the connector.

11. The manufacturing method according to claim 10, wherein the overmolding or the assembling of the flange is made under the gasket bearing area of the main body.

12. The manufacturing method according to claim 10, wherein the flange is assembled by clipping or welding or snap-riveting or crimping.

Description

[0048] The invention will be better understood, thanks to the following description, which relates to embodiments according to the present invention, given as non-limiting examples and explained with reference to the appended schematic figures, in which the identical reference number indications correspond to structurally and/or functionally identical or similar elements. The attached schematic figures are listed below:

[0049] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the main body of an exemplary connector according to the invention,

[0050] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector according to a first embodiment,

[0051] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the connector as illustrated in FIG. 2 equipped with a sealing gasket, according to the first embodiment,

[0052] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connector according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3;

[0053] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the main body of the connector, whatever the embodiment of the connector, with illustration of the first parting surface offset out of the gasket bearing area and of a second parting surface,

[0054] FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the main body of the connector shown in FIG. 5 according to the second embodiment,

[0055] FIG. 7 is a detail view of the second end of the connector shown in FIG. 6 according to the box E,

[0056] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the second end of the connector shown in FIG. 7 along the axis A-A,

[0057] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the connector comprising a main body such as the one shown in FIG. 6, according to the second embodiment,

[0058] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the main body of the connector according to the invention with an illustration of a first parting surface offset out of the gasket bearing area according to a variant of the second embodiment.

[0059] The connector 1 according to the invention comprises a main body 2 extending generally along a longitudinal axis X-X as illustrated in FIG. 1. The main body 2 comprises a first body section 2c extending along an axis Y-Y and a second body section 2d extending along the axis X-X, the first body section 2c being secant to the second body section 2d.

[0060] Advantageously and as seen in each cross-section illustrated in FIGS. 4, 6, 9, the first body section 2c and the second body section 2d are fluidly connected via an internal channel 2e. The main body 2 comprises a first end 2a arranged on the first body section 2c. The main body 2 comprises a second end 2b arranged on the second body section 2d.

[0061] As seen in the figures showing the connector 1, the first end 2a of the main body 2 is equipped with a connecting end-piece intended to cooperate with a tube or a hose of a return ramp (not shown).

[0062] Furthermore, and as illustrated in particular in FIG. 2, the second end 2b comprises a gasket bearing area Z1 intended to house a preferably O-ring sealing gasket 101, illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0063] According to the invention, the connector 1 further comprises a flange 4 illustrated in FIG. 2 for example. The flange 4 is annular. The flange 4 is assembled to the main body 2 according to a first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 or is overmolded on the main body 2 according to a second embodiment as shown in FIG. 9.

[0064] According to a first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the flange 4 is arranged at the second end 2b of the main body, leaving a section of the second end 2b protruding with respect to the flange 4. In this first configuration, the flange 4 may be overmolded or assembled, for example by clipping.

[0065] According to a second embodiment illustrated in particular in FIG. 9, the flange 4 may be arranged on the second end 2b of the main body 2. In this second configuration, the flange 4 is overmolded on the second end 2b.

[0066] Whatever the embodiment and as illustrated in particular in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 to 10, the second end 2b of the connector 1 can be equipped with at least one retaining element 5, 6 shaped to receive at least one section of the flange 4.

[0067] In the first embodiment and as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the retaining element is a circumferential groove 5 in which the flange 4 is housed, as seen in FIG. 4. In a variant, not shown, of the first embodiment, the circumferential groove 5 can be replaced by a circumferential bulge, a complementary groove being then arranged on the flange 4. Nevertheless, in this variant, the configuration of the connector 1 complicates the demolding in particular of the end 2b of the connector 1, for example by a forced demolding.

[0068] In the second embodiment and as illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 9, the retaining element is a recess element 6 arranged on the second end 2b and in which a section of the flange 4 is housed as shown in FIG. 9. In the present case, there are shown two retaining elements arranged on the second end 2b of the main body 2 in a diametrically opposite manner as illustrated in FIG. 8. Of course, there can be only one retaining element or a plurality of retaining elements. Advantageously, the retaining elements may be preferably disposed in negative relief (recesses) to allow a natural demolding once the pins in the mold making the recesses 6 have retracted to allow the extraction of the second end 2b of the connector 1, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8.

[0069] FIG. 5 shows a first parting surface P1 of the main body 2 of the connector 1 schematizing the boundary between a first mold portion forming the gasket bearing area Z1 and the second end 2b of the main body 2 and a second mold portion forming the portion of the main body greater than the gasket bearing area Z1. In addition, a second parting surface P2 is illustrated in FIG. 5 and schematizes the two mold sections of the second mold portion forming the upper portion of the main body 2 of the connector 1, the second parting surface P2 extending substantially along the same longitudinal axis X-X.

[0070] FIG. 10 shows a variant in which the first parting surface P1 is positioned upstream of the guiding and centering area Z2 of the connector. Thus, the first parting surface P1 schematizes the boundary between a first mold portion forming the guiding and centering area Z2 of the connector 1, the gasket bearing area Z1 and the second end 2b of the main body 2 and a second mold portion forming the portion of the main body greater than the guiding and centering area Z2 of the connector 1. The second parting surface P2 is not shown but uses the same principle as in FIG. 5.

[0071] According to the invention, the connector 1 is made by molding, on the one hand, the main body 2 by injection for example, and by assembling or overmolding, on the other hand, a flange 4 at the second end of the main body 2 and preferably under the gasket bearing area Z1. In this manner, the parting surface P of the main body 2 for the demolding can be offset toward the guiding area Z2 of the connector out of the gasket bearing area Z1.

[0072] Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown in the appended figures. Modifications remain possible, in particular from the point of view of the constitution of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the protection field of the invention.