Fluid coupler
A fluid coupler includes a body with a docking platform, a support portion annularly disposed around the body's first end adjacent to the docking platform's rear side, a valve assembly, a switch member, and an interlocking mechanism. The support portion contains a limiting cavity and a latch pin hole, the limiting cavity communicating with a safety pin hole and the latch pin hole opening at the first mounting surface. The valve assembly has a valve ball with a passage, pivotally mounted in the body. The switch member, on the first mounting surface, includes a handle with a limiting groove and a latch tongue. The interlocking mechanism features a safety pin with an annular groove in the limiting cavity, a spring maintaining its position, and a latch pin matching the handle's limiting groove and the safety pin's annular groove for locking or unlocking the handle.
1 . A fluid coupler, comprising:
a body having a first end and a second end, with a fluid passage extending through the body between the first end and the second end, the first end of the body being provided with a docking platform having a docking surface, the docking surface having an opening in communication with the fluid passage and provided with at least one interlocking latch and at least one latch groove arranged circumferentially around the opening in a staggered manner, wherein an outer periphery of the at least one interlocking latch and the at least one latch groove is provided with a safety pin hole and a positioning hole, a latch tongue slot and a latch tongue receptacle are further provided between the safety pin hole and the positioning hole, and the latch tongue slot is arranged adjacent to the latch tongue receptacle;
a support portion annularly disposed around the first end of the body and positioned adjacent to a side of the docking platform facing away from the docking surface, the support portion having a first mounting surface and a second mounting surface, the first mounting surface being adjacent to the side of the docking platform facing away from the docking surface and perpendicular to the docking surface of the docking platform, the second mounting surface being located on a side of the support portion facing away from the docking platform and perpendicular to the first mounting surface, the support portion having a limiting cavity and a latch pin hole therein, wherein the limiting cavity extends axially through the support portion between the second mounting surface and the docking surface and is in communication with the safety pin hole, and the latch pin hole opens at the first mounting surface, extends in a direction perpendicular to the first mounting surface, and is in communication with the limiting cavity;
a valve assembly comprising a valve ball, an upper valve body, and a lower valve stem, wherein the valve ball is pivotally mounted within an internal space of the body via one end of the upper valve body and the lower valve stem, the valve ball having a passage and configured to be driven to rotate by the upper valve body;
a switch member disposed on the first mounting surface of the support portion, the switch member comprising a handle and a latch tongue, the handle having a pivot connection portion, the latch tongue being connected to the handle via the pivot connection portion, the pivot connection portion being provided with a shaft hole therethrough, the handle having a bottom surface defined with a limiting groove, wherein the upper valve body has another end fixedly disposed within the shaft hole, enabling the valve ball to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the switch member; and
an interlocking mechanism comprising a safety pin, a spring, and a latch pin, the safety pin comprising a main body portion, a front end cylinder, and a conical portion, the main body portion having an outer periphery provided with a safety pin annular groove, the main body portion being received within the limiting cavity, the front end cylinder extending from the main body portion and being inserted into the safety pin hole, the main body portion having an outer diameter matching an inner diameter of the limiting cavity, the front end cylinder having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the main body portion and matching an inner diameter of the safety pin hole, the conical portion being located at a front end of the safety pin and capable of protruding beyond the docking surface of the docking platform, the spring being received within the limiting cavity with one end abutting a bottom wall of the limiting cavity and another end abutting a rear end of the safety pin, wherein the latch pin is movably received within the latch pin hole in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the limiting cavity, the latch pin comprising a limiting portion and a locking portion, the limiting portion being disposed at one end of the latch pin and having a shape matching the limiting groove of the handle, and the locking portion being disposed at another end of the latch pin and having a shape matching the safety pin annular groove.
2 . The fluid coupler of claim 1 , further comprising a tube member, the tube member being connected to the second end of the body and having a tube passage, the tube passage being in communication with the fluid passage.
3 . The fluid coupler of claim 1 , wherein the interlocking latch comprises a shank portion protruding from the docking platform and an engagement portion connected to the shank portion and disposed perpendicularly to the shank portion, the latch groove comprises a docking section and a locking section, the docking section having an opening matching the shape of the engagement portion, the locking section having an opening that is recessed compared to the opening of the docking section, and when the engagement portion slides into the locking section, the opening of the locking section is capable of restricting axial separation of the engagement portion.
4 . The fluid coupler of claim 1 , wherein the docking platform is provided with a pair of interlocking latches of different sizes and a pair of latch grooves of different sizes, and the size of each interlocking latch matches the size of the docking section of its corresponding latch groove.
5 . The fluid coupler of claim 1 , wherein a depth of the positioning hole matches a length of the conical portion of the safety pin.
6 . The fluid coupler of claim 1 , wherein the second mounting surface of the support portion is further provided with a ball groove, the handle is further provided with a button hole extending transversely therethrough and a ball through-hole located on a bottom surface of the handle, the ball through-hole is in communication with the button hole, and the position of the ball through-hole corresponds to the ball groove.
7 . The fluid coupler of claim 6 , wherein the button hole is provided with a button member that is laterally constrained and capable of limited axial displacement, the button member comprising a pressing portion extending out of the button hole and a pressing core portion disposed within the button hole, the pressing core portion having a button annular groove recessed on its outer periphery.
8 . The fluid coupler of claim 1 , wherein when the fluid coupler is in an undocked state, the safety pin is maintained in a predetermined position, in which a front end of the main body portion of the safety pin, under a force of the spring, abuts against a wall surface within the limiting cavity adjacent to the safety pin hole, and a rear end of the main body portion of the safety pin presses against the locking portion of the latch pin, causing the limiting portion of the latch pin to engage with the limiting groove of the handle to lock the switch member.
9 . The fluid coupler of claim 8 , wherein when the fluid coupler is docked and positioned with another fluid coupler, the conical portion of the safety pin aligns with and is embedded into the positioning hole on the docking platform of the other fluid coupler to reach an unlocked position, in which the safety pin, compared to the predetermined position, further moves in a direction compressing the spring, causing the locking portion of the latch pin to be suspended and fall into the safety pin annular groove.
10 . The fluid coupler of claim 9 , wherein after the fluid coupler is docked and positioned with another fluid coupler, when the switch member is rotated in a direction to rotate the valve ball, the latch tongue passes through the latch tongue slot in an opposite direction and is inserted into the latch tongue receptacle of the other fluid coupler, causing the fluid coupler and the other fluid coupler to engage with each other.