A tube connector including a tubular connector body having an inboard contact surface facing an outboard open end, a collet extending into the open end and towards the contact surface, and an o-ring positioned between the collet and the contact surface. The o-ring provides a fluid-tight seal between the connector body and an outer circumference of a tube inserted through the collet and into the connector body. The connector also includes a relatively rigid ring guide positioned between the o-ring and the collet. The ring guide is adapted to protect the o-ring and maintain the o-ring in a proper position for providing a fluid-tight seal and includes a sloped or radiused outboard surface for guiding an inserted tube and a sloped inboard surface for contacting the o-ring.
1. A connector, comprising:
a connector body defining a fluidic connector passageway having a longitudinal axis, a first section, and a second section outboard the first section, wherein the second section is radially stepped out from the first section so that a contact surface is formed at an end of the first section, an interior surface of the second section having a constant inner radius about the longitudinal axis;
a collet disposed in an open end of the connector body passageway and extending inboard into the second section of the connector body and towards the contact surface;
a resiliently flexible o-ring disposed in the second section of the connector passageway between the collet and the contact surface of the body; and
a ring guide positioned in the second section of the connector passageway between the o-ring and the collet and including,
an interior surface having a radius greater than an inner radius of the o-ring,
an exterior surface spaced radially outwardly from the interior surface, the exterior surface having a radius about equal to an outer radius of the o-ring, wherein the ring guide and the o-ring are sized so that the exterior surface of the ring guide and the outer radius of the o-ring are in sliding contact with an interior surface of the second section of the connector body;
an inboard surface for contacting the o-ring extending from the interior surface to the exterior surface, wherein at least a portion of the inboard surface is frustoconical and extends towards the o-ring from the exterior surface, and
an outboard surface for contacting the collet extending between the interior surface and the exterior surface, wherein at least a portion of the outboard surface is one of radiused and frustoconical and extends towards the collet from the interior surface.
2. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the outboard surface of the ring guide includes a flat section extending from the exterior surface of the ring guide perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body and a frustoconical section extending inboard at an angle from the flat section to the interior surface.
3. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the outboard surface of the ring guide includes a frustoconical portion and diagonally opposed portions of the frustoconical outboard surface extend in an angle of between about 50 degrees 80 degrees.
4. The connector of claim 3 , wherein the diagonally opposed portions of the frustoconical outboard surface extend in an angle of between about 60 degrees and 73 degrees.
5. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the frustoconical inboard surface of the ring guide departs from a generally perpendicular orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis at an angle of between about 5 degrees and 15 degrees.
6. The connector of claim 5 , wherein the frustoconical inboard surface of the ring guide departs from a generally perpendicular orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis at an angle of between about 7.5 degrees and 12.5 degrees.
7. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the connector body further includes a third section outboard the second section and radially stepped out from the second section, the connector further comprising a collar coaxially positioned in the third section to retain the collet within the connector body.
8. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the ring guide is made of a thermoplastic resin.
9. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the interior surface of the ring guide has a radius substantially equal to a radius of an interior surface of the first section of the connector body.