Valve connector
Contents
1. United States Patent van der Blom US006314985B1 US 6 314 985 B1 13 2001 10 Patent No 45 Date of Patent 54 VALVE CONNECTOR 75 Inventor Nicolaas van der Blom Birkerod DK 73 Assignee NVB International Birkerod DK Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S C 154 b by 0 days 21 Appl No 08 837 505 22 Filed Apr 18 1997 Related U S Application Data 63 Continuation in part of application No PCT DK96 00055 filed on Feb 2 1996 30 Foreign Application Priority Data Feb 3 1995 DK 0125 95 Sep 12 1995 GB 9518558 51 F16K 15 20 52 US 6 CL eet rte tetti 137 231 137 223 58 Field of Search 137 223 231 152 415 251 149 4 285 148 23 56 References Cited U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 1 492 838 5 1924 Dilweg 137 231 X 1 850 111 3 1932 Kelsey 2 025 067 12 1935 Miller 2 257 498 9 1941 Hansen 137 231 2 489 397 11 1949 Brummer 2 685 906 8 1954 Williams List continued on next page FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 2544555 7 977 DE 3819771 7 989 DE 196 01 952 Al 7 1997 DE 0125 05 8 1996 DK 0240660 10 1987 EP 2653523 4 1991 FR 231992 4 1925 GB 872246 7 1961 GB 977139 12 1964 GB 1599304 9 1981 GB 2304844 3 1997 GB WO 84 02968 8 1984 WO2. 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 connection the bushing 6 is turned around and is kept in the grooves 11 of the housing 3 by means of grip hooks 10 The gasket seals 12 and 13 are tightening against the thread types 5V2 and 8V1 The gasket seal 12 is also tightening the crossing 14 between the housing 3 and the bushing 6 when the connector is used on a Schrader valve The underside of the bushing 6 is equipped with a taper 15 FIG 2 shows a second embodiment The housing 190 is equipped with a coupling bushing 191 which freely and without friction can turn around the housing 190 because of the small space b between the sealing means 192 and the bushing 193 together with the connector bushing 191 The gasket seal 194 for the Schrader valve is placed freely in the connector bushing 191 on the thread 8V1 195 The bushing 193 with the 5V2 thread is unattached but axially moveable in a taper milling 202 in connector bushing 191 Both can be shifted parallel with the centre line of the valve The sealing means 200 is embedded in a stepped milling 201 in the housing 190 with an external part 192 which is also tightening the crossing between the housing 190 and the connector bushing 191 The bushing 193 can turn together with the connector bushing 191 as it is equipped with at least two ribs 196 which fit into corresponding grooves 19 FIG 2B in the connector bushing 191 When a Dunlop Woods or Sclave
3. WO92 22448 12 1992 WO WO 96 10903 WO 97 43570 4 1996 WO 11 1997 WO Primary Examiner John Rivell 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Price and Gess 57 ABSTRACT By a universal valve connector for inflation valves of vehicle types Sclaverand Dunlop Woods or Schrader whose con nector consists of a connector housing 368 which partly is connected to a pressure source preferably a hand or foot pump and which partly has a coupling hold 5 with a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the valve which is to be connected where the coupling hole is equipped with securing means for securing on the valve plus a sealing means against valves of different sizes This is achieved by the sealing means 366 being mounted coaxially in the connector housing 368 and being established on at least two parallel separate levels having the centre line 4 of the connector housing 368 which is coaxial to the centre line of the valve as its normal where the minor diameters of the sealing means approximately correspond to the major diam eter of the current valve dimensions on which the connector is mounted when used that the sealing means 366 closest to the opening 8 of the coupling hole 5 in the connector housing 368 has the biggest minor diameter while the sealing means 366 farthest from the opening 8 of the coupling hole in the connector housing 368 has the small est minor diameter and diameters betwe
4. 5 1 FIG 6 The cylinder 48 is directly connected to the knob 43 In the cylinder 48 there are two slits 49 50 of which one 49 is open on the opposite side of the knob 43 The two round protrusions 51 52 of the pin 40 are moving diametrically opposite each other in the slits 49 50 At both ends the slits 49 50 with the centre lines 53 54 which are parallel to the centre line 4 have two slits 55 56 57 58 which are placed diametrically opposite each other where the centre lines 59 60 61 62 lie perpendicu larly to the centre lines 53 54 The slits 55 56 57 58 end in a half circle of which the centre 63 64 65 66 lies slightly further from the closest side of the slits 49 50 than the radius of the protrusions 51 52 Moreover the protrusions 51 52 are moving in the internal thread 67 from the coupling hole 5 thread pitch 67 is so large that the turning knob 43 only has to turn approx 240 from position 44 to 45 or re versed When the knob 43 is turned the slits 49 50 55 56 57 58 push the protrusions 51 52 in the thread 67 The turning knob 43 is fastened on the housing 35 by means of grips 68 which are moving behind an internal jut 69 in the knob The above mentioned construction becomes air tight by means of a gasket seal 70 at the top of the housing 35 On the sides of the housing 35 at the positions 44 and 45 there are symbols 71 72 73 of the valve types which can be connected In FIG 8 a section o
5. 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 of the threads are removed thereby forming two parallel secants on each side of the Sclaverand type valve a further development of the inner bushing is suggested whereby the inner bushing is running in an undercut grove in the valve housing Such Sclaverand type valve can not tighten against the sealing means and the pressurized air will try to escape through the secant openings By running in the undercut grove the bushing will tighten against this when mounting the valve connector on the valve In connection with the dis connection with only one hand the connector is provided by means of temporary thread i e created by squeezing e g a rubber cylinder against the existing valve thread of which the securing means and sealing means in a well known way consist of the bushing of a deformable material positioned in the housing prefer ably a rubber type material shaped like a H and that a piston is mounted proximally to the valve and the rubber bushing which has two extremes to establish an axial compression and release of the rubber bushing and also a lever for activating the piston where the axis of the lever is placed perpendicularly to the centre line and concentrical with this and that the lever for activating the piston is turned from a position forming an angle W with the centre line to a position almost perpendicular to the centre line where a locking mea
6. 15 20 25 35 45 12 When the valve connector is connected the activation pin will function as explained in connection with FIG 8 If a valve with a 5V2 thread is to be connected it is important that the orifices of the inner opening 404 of the sealing means 405 has a shape of a truncated cone in order to guide the threads of the valve When mounted the 5V2 valve is sealed by the sealing surface 401 and e g the 8V1 is sealed by the sealing surface 402 This embodiment could also with a washer type sealing means be used for a Schrader valve only In this case only the cylindrical space 502 just above the activation pin is necessary and the activation pin can be shorter as the piston control 503 is positioned adjacent to the sealing means 501 as shown in FIG 17 various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the invention Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications changes and combinations of elements which may be made to the present invention without strictly following the exemplary embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention What is claimed is 1 A valve connector for connecting to inflation valves of vehicle tires the valve connector comprising a housing connected to a pressure source the housing comprising a femal
7. become untight when the connected hose is turned In addition mounting is quickly accomplished without apply ing significant strength Dis Connecting of the coupling can be done using only one hand To reduce the wear of the gasket seal surface in the connector housing and also to reduce the force by means of which the rotational bushing has to be turned and further more to ensure a reliable sealing against valves with 5V2 thread a still more appropriate embodiment suggests that the innermost thread is provided by a bushing with a 5V2 thread where the bushing is embedded and slightly axially sliding in a taper milling in the rotational coupling bushing and is coupled rotational free to the coupling bush ing by means of a set of ribs which are distributed around the bushing circumference and which are geared into cor responding grooves in the coupling bushing and that the sealing means rests on a stepped milling This ensures that frictional forces do not occur between the gasket seal and the coupling bushing during the main part of its fastening and unscrewing whereas the coupling bushing is pulling the connector housing and its gasket seal against the valve when tightening Tightening occurs against the core of the valve thread and is stabilized as a result of the reduced radius of the inner part of the gasket seal In order to be able to use the valve connector on a Sclaverand type valve which is not standardized i e some
8. 14 a 366 TEN cum 2 AS 2722 r 5 zz 12 23 Ra ES US 6 314 985 Sheet 13 of 15 Nov 13 2001 U S Patent WY 22 Z i AN ZAK Y v RSS KER zi 18 Fig US 6 314 985 B1 Sheet 14 of 15 Nov 13 2001 U S Patent 16 US 6 314 985 B1 Sheet 15 of 15 Nov 13 2001 U S Patent 551555 5765 ZZ NS N me ZA Fig US 6 314 985 B1 1 VALVE CONNECTOR This is Continuation in Part of PCT DK96 00055 application filed Feb 2 1996 TECHNICAL FIELD invention concerns a valve connector for inflation through varying valves of vehicle types For reasons of clarity some of the standards used will be cited In the ISO standard No 10475 1992 E thread for tyre inflation valves of vehicles is described The most used threads are designated 5V2 DIN Vg 5 2 which has a nominal diameter of 5 2 mm and a pitch of 1 058 mm and 8V1 DIN Va 8 which has a nominal diameter of 7 7 mm and a pitch of 0 794 mm respectively These thread types are used in the valve types of Dunlop Woods Sclaverand or Schrader The last mentioned valve type is frequently used on common cars where a spring loaded pin head in the valve core must be kept down in preparation of the passage of air while pumpin
9. 15 is stopped by a terminal surface in the cylinder 303 This stops the concomitant movement of piston 304 and valve 317 and then first the sealing 314 and then shortly after wards the blind drilling 313 are levered above the piston 304 This makes it possible for the compressed air above the piston 304 to escape through the blind drillings 313 and 309 compressed air is then led to the core of the Schrader valve which is by now completely open FIG 10 shows another embodiment of the valve connec tor according to this invention in a partial longitudinal section where the piston 304 is equipped with a valve 317 which is levered by a concentric valve lever which here makes up the core pin The very valve 317 on the piston 304 is constructed as in FIG 9 and thus not described any further The piston 304 is shown in a position on its way to the core of a Schrader valve where the valve 317 on top of the piston 304 is closed The valve is opened when the core pin 318 depresses the core of the Schrader valve whereby this is opened concurrently with the opening of the valve 317 itself Through this the spring 316 is squeezed together to such an extent that the core pin 318 always can adjust itself to different limits of the core of the Schrader valve In FIG 11 the pump hose 1 is connected to the piston 76 which moves in the housing 110 by means of clamp ring 2 An elastic body 78 with coupling surfaces 79 for the Dunlop Woods and t
10. T FN 1 x N e 1 5A 2 5A 2 Fig 5B u Fig 7 US 6 314 985 Sheet 5 of 15 Nov 13 2001 U S Patent oes 2 7 27 25 O O N US 6 314 985 B1 Sheet 6 of 15 Nov 13 2001 U S Patent a 4 22 6607 KS vow vu y vary ov vuv v Y Y v NY v e 5 11 22 2 XN A S 10 6 2 o 9 un U S Patent Nov 13 2 Fig 10 0 5 Patent Nov 13 2001 Sheet 8 of 15 US 6 314 985 B1 102 Fig 11 US 6 314 985 B1 Sheet 9 of 15 Nov 13 2001 U S Patent TA NP N A AE SI Puno oe 4 12 12 12 12 12 Fig 12 US 6 314 985 B1 Sheet 10 of 15 Nov 13 2001 U S Patent Ox eX x x C e T Eee et 70 1000664 ANANAS ZI e epe Fig 12B US 6 314 985 B1 Sheet 11 of 15 Nov 13 2001 U S Patent 329 1 2 _ KK 0101 1 3 zs US 6 314 985 B1 Sheet 12 of 15 Nov 13 2001 U S Patent
11. also a control valve FIG 9 a valve connector according to FIG 8 is a seventh embodiment where the piston is equipped with a valve which is levered by an excentric valve lever FIG 10 another connector in an eight embodiment where the piston is equipped with a valve which is levered by a concentric valve lever the piston is shown in a position on the way to the core of a Schrader valve where the valve on top of the piston is closed FIG 11 universal connector in a ninth embodiment con nected to a hose of a high pressure foot pump where the connector is squeezed on the valve and a Schrader valve can be opened by means of air pressure FIGS 12A B universal connector in a tenth embodiment which is a further development of the embodiment of FIG 5 where the coupling is connected to a hose of a foot pump and where the coupling is squeezed on the valve and a Schrader valve can be opened mechanically by means of a movable pin which is in the top and bottom position respectively FIG 12C section 12A 124A according to FIG 12A resp section 12B 12B according to FIG 12B non essential details are not shown FIG 13 universal connector in a special embodiment made for the purpose of being used in vehicle wheels with a narrow opening for the connector where the connector is squeezed on the valve and a Schrader valve is opened by means of the automatically movable pin FIG 14 universal connector in a twelfth embodiment
12. cording to FIG 1 in a second embodiment where the bushing with 5V2 thread and a gasket sealing for Schrader can slide parallel to the centre line FIG 2B a rendering details of the connector according to FIG 2A section 2A 2A FIG 3 the connector according to FIG 2 in a third embodiment designed to be used on a Sclaverand valve which is not according to the ISO standard FIGS 4A B universal connector according to FIG 1 in a fourth embodiment where the coupling is screwed on the valve and a Schrader valve can be opened mechanically by means of a pin where the pin feed mechanism is constructed with a thread and where the pin is shown in the top and bottom position respectively FIGS 5A B universal connector according to FIGS 4A 4B in a fifth embodiment where the pin feed mechanism is constructed with a big thread pitch and where the pin is shown in the top and bottom position respectively FIG 6 a rendering of details of the connector according to FIG 5A section 5A 1 5A 2 and FIG 5B section 5 5 05 6 314 985 1 7 FIG 7 feed cylinder of the embodiment according to FIG 5A SB section 5 2 5 2 FIG 8 a valve connector according to FIG 1 in a sixth embodiment where the coupling is screwed on the valve and a Schrader valve can be opened automatically by means of a pin being a piston where the piston is shown in its distal position where pressurized air can pass through the piston being
13. e between the coupling bushing 331 and the other sealing means 333 FIG 4A and 4B show the connector according to FIG 1 where the pin 161 is built in in the knob 162 which is kept in a groove 160 of the housing 164 by means of grip hooks 163 The knob 162 is equipped with internal thread 165 with a large Pitch When the knob 162 is turned around the pin 161 is shifted axially on the centre line 4 of the opening 3 of the coupling hole 5 as the pin 161 is equipped with fins 166 running in slits 167 of this hole 5 Sealing is cone with one gasket seal 168 The knob 162 is made of e g elastic material The pin 161 is shown in FIG 4A in the top position 18 and in FIG 4B in the bottom position 32 In FIG 5 7 the pump hose 1 is connected to the housing 35 by means of 35 the ring clamp 2 The angle a between the centre line 36 of the ring clamp 2 and the centre line 4 of the opening 8 of the coupling hole 5 is e g 30 60 The 05 6 314 985 1 9 bushing 6 with internal thread and gasket seals is identical to that of FIG 1 The pin 40 can move along the centre line 4 of the coupling hole 5 from position 18 to position 32 when the knob 43 is turned from position 44 FIG 5A to position 45 FIG 5B and vice versa On the underside the knob 43 is equipped with radially internal rotating jut 46 surrounding a corresponding bulb 47 and it is locked pivotally in position 44 and 45 when the knob 43 catches the bulb 47 see section 5
14. e centre line 36 of the ring clamp 2 At the opening 8 of the coupling hole 5 the housing 110 is equipped with a cone 15 which facilitates the mounting of the universal connector 05 6 314 985 1 FIG 12A 12B 12 show the embodiment which is a combination of the connector of FIG 11 and the construc tion of the pin of FIG 5A and FIG 5B In FIG 12A the pin 142 is shown in its top 18 position and in FIG 12B in its bottom 32 position The construction of pin 142 and the way it works is the same as in FIG 5 except that it is mounted on piston 138 by means of an edge 135 on the lower 35 end of the cylinder 136 The construction of the pin becomes air tight by means of a gasket seal 139 between the piston 138 and the cylinder 136 The turning knob 140 is equipped with a line 141 indicating the knob 110 position The valve corresponds to the position 32 of the pin 142 resp The turning knob 140 is fixed at the valve symbols 71 72 73 when the piston fits in a recess 145 FIG 12C in the knob 140 with a bulb 144 see section 12A 124A in FIG 12A and section 12B 12B in FIG 12B resp Here too the opening 8 of the coupling hole 5 has the centre line 4 FIG 13 shows an universal connector in a special embodiment made for the purpose of being used in vehicle wheels with a narrow opening for the connector where the connector is squeezed on the valve and a Schrader valve is opened by means of the automatically moveable pin In
15. e coupling hole and are established in at least two parallel discrete levels with the centre line of the housing as their normal where the sealing means inner diameter approximately correspond to the outer diameter of the current valve size to which the coupling is connected when used that the sealing means which is closest to the opening of the coupling hole in the housing has the largest inner diameter whereas the sealing means farthest from the opening of the coupling hole in the housing has the smallest inner diameter and the diameters between the extremes are in corresponding discrete dis tances between these extremes The coupling place on a valve which is to be connected is positioned against a sealing surface on the sealing means in the coupling hole of the concerned valve The connector has only one coupling hole The use of it is therefore simple even without a user manual and loose nipples are superfluous Therefore a connection can always be established in only one operation In an appropriate embodiment of the invention it is suggested that the securing means is a rotational bushing mounted on the housing which is equipped with a thread in the coupling hole which fits on the respective valves and which is sealed with the sealing means against the connector housing which is farthest from the coupling hole in the connector housing The connector can be positioned here on the valve with an airtight connection which does not
16. e coupling portion having a central axis and an inner diameter approximately correspond ing to the outer diameter of the inflation valve to which the valve connector is to be connected wherein the female coupling portion has at least one securing thread for securing the valve connector onto the inflation valve an inflation valve sealing means for sealing the valve connector onto inflation valves of various types and or sizes wherein said sealing means comprises a first portion and a second portion the valve connector further comprising a bushing rotatably and perma nently attached to the housing and configured to allow rotation around the central axis said bushing sealed to the housing by said second portion of the inflation valve seal such that coupling movement of the inflation valve terminates at the second portion of the inflation valve seal and or the housing said bushing also con taining said securing thread and said first portion of the inflation valve seal
17. ed for to opening the valve Inflation can therefore be done with an ordinary bicycle pump As a means for automatic sliding the activating pin in the housing from a passive to an active position the activating pin is constructed as a piston equipped with a suitable securing means and a piston rod which can slide in is the cylinder shaped housing and which without any physical load is held in a sealing longitudinal position against the cylinder wall so that the sliding of the piston after the connection of the valve connector occurs by means of the compressed air which is transported from the pressure source and so that the piston in the position farthest from the wheel valve seals less than 100 against the cylinder wall With a valve connector according to claim 1 equipped with such automatic sliding activating pin it is possible to mount the valve connector equipped with a valve to a compressor hose which can be available to the public known e g from bicycle shops etc There it is not neces sary to fasten the valve connector to the valve as the user excerts the pressure necessary to secure an airtight connec tion With such valve connector inflating tyres without the user having to identify the valve type and functioning has become possible The operation conveniency has also increased significantly and it will now be easier for the user to inflate the tyre to the correct pressure which in general eases the driving and reduce
18. eference to differ ent valve diameters it is necessary that auxiliary equipment nut 6 is screwed onto or out of the valve thread to reduce or increase the internal diameter in advance to ensure the establishment of a connection from the valve connector to other valve diameters Loose parts can disappear and can be loosened when used if the pump hose is turned so that the connection is no longer air tight The disadvantage of this connector type is that the user has to apply much strength when using the lever It is necessary to use both hands to stabilize the dis connection GB B 15 99 304 shows a universal valve connector which can be screwed on all valve types The thread 4 corre sponding to 8V1 also keeps the bushing 26 in position The bushing 26 has an internal thread 30 corresponding to 5V2 for Sclaverand or Dunlop Woods valves The core pin of the Schrader valve is opened mechanically by means of a stationary pin indicated with 12 The disadvantage of this connector type is that the bushing 26 with a 5V2 thread has to be removed before connecting to a Schrader valve and 10 15 25 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 also that the bushing 26 must be mounted again before connecting to a Dunlop Woods or Sclaverand valve Also in this case loose parts are used They can disappear and loosen when used if the pump hose is turned resulting in an untight connection From DE B 38 19 771 an universal connec
19. en the extremes are lying corresponding separate distance between these extremes The valve connector has the possibility of auto matically adjust itself to the valve in question and if needed to activate the central core of a Schrader valve Also it is possible to use the connector with existing pumps 1 Claim 15 Drawing Sheets US 6 314 985 B1 Page 2 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 4 932 451 6 1990 Williams et al 4 932 849 6 1990 Scheffer 2 716 998 9 1955 Knasko 137 231 4 938 272 7 1990 Sandy Jr et al 2 976 906 3 1961 Kamm et al 5 012 954 5 1991 Will sss 152 415 X 3 249 144 5 1966 Dobrikin 5 094263 3 1992 Hurrell II et al 3 926 205 12 1975 Gourlet 137 223 5 645 100 7 1997 Chuang et al 4 088 147 5 1978 Krechel et al 137 223 5 762 095 6 1998 Gapinski et al 4 165 760 8 1979 Guenthler 5 778 923 7 1998 Marston 4 489 855 12 1984 Boetger 5 785 076 7 1998 You 4 611 828 9 1986 Brunet 152 415 X 5 819 781 10 1998 Wu 4 662 412 5 1987 Swallert 4 712 812 12 1987 Weir 285 148 23 cited by examiner 0 5 Patent Nov 13 2001 Sheet 1 of 15 US 6 314 985 B1 US 6 314 985 B1 Sheet 2 of 15 Nov 13 2001 U S Patent 540 Fig 0 5 Patent 13 2001 Sheet 3 of 15 US 6 314 985 B1 32 Fig 4B 0 5 Patent Nov 13 2001 Sheet 4 of 15 US 6 314 985 B1 902624 70 69 RER 36 REN
20. f a valve connector according to the invention is shown in a partial longitudinal section where the piston 304 is shown in its distal position in which it presses the core of a Schrader valve to be completely open In this way air from the pressure source can pass through the cylinder 303 and e g through an central blind drilling 309 positioned axially in the pis ton 304 and in the piston rod 317 which ends in the piston rod 312 at a branched radially directed drilling 310 which ends on the other side of a piston control 308 sealed with e g an O ring 311 This arrangement of the drillings ensures a maximum pressure on the piston for the opening of the core of the Schrader valve after which an opening for air pressure is provided when the core of the Schrader valve is almost entirely open The piston 304 itself is sealed with another O ring 305 against the cylinder wall 303 which at an appropriate distance corresponding to at least the stroke of a core of a Schrader valve above the distal piston position is equipped with means 307 for reduction of the sealing This arrangement is applied in order to make it possible for the air to pass the piston 304 when it is proximally displaced at the application of the valve connec tor on other valves than Schrader type valves In this position the piston rod 312 is also displaced so much from the distal position that the blind drilling 310 is positioned above the sealed part of the cylinder wall 303 T
21. g a tyre For this purpose the valve connector must be equipped with suitable means which can serve this aim Moreover suitable means e g a contra valve or the like must be used to ensure a that loss of air is avoided when activating the valve core pin The Sclaverand valve has just like the Dunlop Woods valve the distinctive character that its core pin is solely opened by air pressure The necessary air pressure for opening a Sclaverand valve is up to 16 bar and the valve is mostly used in connection with high pressure tyres with a pressure of up to 16 bar The opening pressure for the Dunlop Woods valve is approxi mately 4 bar which ensures that it is easier to open It is commonly known from mechanical engineering that when connecting a nut to a thread the axial length of the thread T for a nut is Z0 8x the outer diameter Dy of the corresponding screw i e T 20 8xD This rule of thumb is used for highly loaded constructions where the thread is fastened with a wrench BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Well known valve connectors e g GB B 977 139 can only be connected to to the Dunlop Woods valve type and or the Sclaverand valve type or the Schrader valve type A well known connector for a Schrader valve is of the type where a rubber cylinder is tightly squeezed against the stem by means of a lever which axially compresses the rubber cylinder Consequently the rubber cylinder is squeezed radially against the stem With r
22. he Sclaverand valve and 80 for the Schrader valve is compressed by the movable piston 76 by means of a lever 102 which is pressed down from the top position 82 to the position 83 where it is parallel with the centre line 36 of the ringclamp 2 The lever 102 turns around the axis 85 which is mounted in the housing 110 and to which the axis centre 107 is perpendicular and which intersects the centre line 4 of the opening 5 of the coupling hole 5 The coupling surface 79 lies at a distance from the opening of the coupling hole 5 while the coupling surface 80 is adjacent to this The area on the elastic means 78 bears against the piston 76 The piston air supply hole 75 has a diameter which is slightly smaller than the major diameter of the external thread 5V2 so that the Sclaverand valve has a natural stop at its connection Thus the coupling place for the 5V2 thread is around the 5V2 thread When disconnecting the lever 102 is released It now automatically turns back to the rest position 82 because the elastic body 78 returns to the unstressed condition This is possible because the distance of the surface 118 from the axis centre 10 is larger than the distance of the surface 120 of the lever 102 at the top 119 of piston 76 The turn of the lever 102 stops when the plane surface 120 of the lever 102 stops against the flat top 119 of the piston The top of the lever 102 is in rest position 82 under an angle V of approx 45 with th
23. he distal part of the piston rod 312 is constantly guided in the piston control 308 and in order to lead air to the valve in question the piston rod 312 is here equipped with longitudinal air ducts 306 which allow the air to pass the piston rod 312 past the sealed piston control 308 with the sealing means 311 FIG 9 show another embodiment of the valve connector according to this invention in a partial longitudinal section where the piston 304 is equipped with a valve 317 which is levered by an excentric valve lever 315 Here the piston 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 valve 317 is placed on top of the piston 304 where it has a central core pin 318 on the lower side which at the passage to the valve has partly a radially directed blind drilling 313 and partly an O ring 314 which provides sealing between the valve 317 and the piston 304 The radially directed blind drilling 313 ends in a central axially directed blind drilling 309 which goes through the core pin 318 from the blind drilling 313 away from the valve 317 At the distal end of the core pin 318 an extension spring 316 is secured at the distal end of the valve rod 312 and pull to close the valve 317 when this is not subjected to other forces When the piston 304 is moving in the cylinder 303 piston 304 and valve 317 are concomitant The valve 317 can be opened when the piston comes closer to its distal position where a valve lever 3
24. he incisions thereby stressing the excerted radial forces embodiment with the lever arm is designated a bending moment free dis connection as the valve may not carry any bending moment by the dis connection Con nection to almost all valves is possible as such connector type might be able to open a core pin in such Schrader valve which is opening at an air pressure of approximately 5 6 bar air pressure in the pump hose is of the same magnitude as when a high pressure tyre provided with a Sclaverand valve is inflated This is optimally achieved by using a high pressure hand or foot operated bicycle pump There are core pin types which cannot be opened by means of air pressure of an ordinary bicycle pump e g 10 bar max Connecting can be done easily and comfortably in two ways Either the last mentioned core type is being replaced with the first mentioned one and the embodiments or the invention without a pin are being used as a connector or the core 05 6 314 985 1 5 can according to an appropriate embodiment of the invention be opened by a pin placed in continuation of and coaxially to the centre line of the connector housing which is transported by axial shifting from a position farthest from the valve FIG 4A to activate the central pin head of the core FIG 4B By this embodiment the necessary pumping force is considerably lower when a Schrader valve is to be inflated because no air pressure is us
25. here is therefore enough space for at least two thread types each with a corresponding seal ring The same applies for the squeezing connections according to the invention where the connector is squeezed to form a temporary thread The said 8V1 nut cannot pass the coupling place of the Schrader valve That is due to the fact that the major diameter of the said nut is bigger than the diameter of the biggest hole in the rubber cylinder a major diameter of external thread 8V1 The beginning of the coupling place of the 5V2 thread is at distance a from the opening of the coupling hole As the load on the connection is low it is not necessary to use the entire length of the internal thread as generally accepted rules say 0 8x of the size of the coupled external thread This rule is based on mechanical constructions which are high loaded and where the thread is fastened by a wrench It is therefore possible that the coupling place of the 5V2 thread is behind the coupling place of the 8V1 thread The invention can exist in a number of embodiments which will appear from from the dependent claims SPECIFICATION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is explained in details below by means of drawings The drawing shows in FIG 1 the universal connector in the first embodiment connected to the hose of a high pressure foot pump where the connector is screwed on the valve and a Schrader valve type can be opened by air pressure FIG 2A the connector ac
26. ns of the lever is working together with a corresponding locking means of the housing whereby the locking means of to the lever as an example is provided in the construction of the lever In a special advantageous embodiment a reaction arm is applied to absorb the reaction forces originating from the movement of the lever arm between the two positions This measure ensures a reliable securing and a simple operation With this embodiment of the connector it is possible to mount same using just one hand as the lever is taken down to its locking position by just a simple squeezing of the lever and the reaction arm parallel to the hose connection on the connector housing By this action the piston is pressed against the rubber bushing which is tightly squeezed radi ally against the concerned valve In an improved embodiment of the valve connector the rubber bushing is provided with at the least one external V shaped incision in the circumference perpendicular to the center axis close to those parts squeezing against the threads of the valve Through such incisions the rubber bushing is predetermined to excerpt the largest radial force against the thread exactly where the incisions are and the user of the valve connector will experience a soft working lever arm In order to support this purpose further and securing the valve connector on the valve even under high pressures it is suggested that a preferably torroidal shaped ring is arranged in t
27. order to ease the use the lever arm 319 has a special shape and in the reaction arm 320 there is made to a grove 321 for the pressure hose FIG 14 shows an universal connector in an embodiment where the coupling is squeezed on the valve using a rubber bushing 366 with an incision 361 and a torroid ring 362 in the incision and where a Schrader valve can be opened by means of the automatically movable pin which is formed as a piston and is shown in the bottom position In order to avoid transfer of momentum forces to the vehicle valve the surface 367 can be slightly cone shaped The incision 361 weaken the rubber bushing 366 at the place shown which causes the rubber bushing to squeeze the threads on the valve precisely where it is most convenient When further torroid rings are arranged in the incisions the force excerted on the valve threads are increased FIG 15 shows an universal connector in an embodiment like the one in FIG 14 but where the automatically movable pin is self adjusting to production tolerances of the core of the Schrader valves FIG 16 shows still another embodiment to be used in connection with the well known clip on type securing means The reference numbers of FIG 8 shall where the items are not different be valid for the items in FIG 16 The valve connector is here secured to a valve by means of the known beak matching the threads of the valve thereby establishing a temporary threads 10
28. rand valve is connected the sealing means 200 is tightening on the minor diameter of the valve thread The valve is stopped at the edge 198 so that the nut of the Dunlop Woods valve is not fastening itself on the underside 199 of the 8V1 thread At the top the sealing means 200 has a radially stepped reduced diameter FIG 3 presents another connector designed to be used on a Sclaverand to valve which is not according to the ISO standard In such valve some of the threads are removed thereby forming two parallel secants on each side of the Sclaverand type valve Such Sclaverand type valve can not tighten against the sealing means 330 of the above men tioned valve connectors as the pressurized air will try to escape through the secant openings The bushing 340 is fastened to the housing 341 by means of detachable locking means 339 reaching into an external grove on the housing 341 perpendicular to the center axis The internal sealing means 330 and the external sealing means 333 are arranged between the coupling bushing 331 and the housing 341 resp the bushing 340 The coupling bushing 331 tightens against the undercut grove in the housing 341 assisted by another sealing means 333 fitting into the undercut grove When mounting the valve connector on the valve the coupling bushing is running in the undercut grove in the valve housing and if Sclaverand type valve can not tighten against the sealing means 330 the air will move into the spac
29. s of the valve in question The latter embodiments ensure a safe functioning of the valve lever because it is enclosed and only influenced by axially directed forces Also the bridge on the Schrader valve can be used for activating the piston valve Further the reaction forces from the piston is led to the air and not to the mechanical constructions 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 The Schrader valve has the biggest major diameter of the external thread thread type ISO 4570 3 8V1 ISO 10475 1992 12V1 resp and the coupling place is closest to the opening of the coupling hole The Dunlop Woods cores and the Sclaverand valves have the same thread type where the major diameter of the external thread thread type ISO 4570 2 5V2 is smaller than the minor diameter of internal thread 8V1 Therefore it is possible that the Dunlop Woods core type and the Sclaverand valve type can pass both the coupling place of 8V1 threads and 12V1 threads Consequently the coupling place of the connecting of 5V2 thread is farthest from the opening of the coupling hole The 5V2 thread of the Dunlop Woods core both the type which is DIN normed and the type which in daily language is called the ball valve is sufficiently sticking out over the nut 8V1 which is keeping the core to the stem and of which the major diameter is less than the minor diameter of the internal thread for the 12V1 thread in the bushing T
30. s tyre abrasion At the same time a contra valve function is added to the Schrader valves in that the valve only opens the core of the Schrader valve when sufficient air pressure is fed from the pressure source and air thus cannot escape from the tyre during inflation In an appropriate embodiment of the valve connector according to the invention it is suggested that the piston is constructed with a central axially sliding valve which is elastically pressed to a closing position against the piston top This provides a well defined opening zone which is not influenced by abrasion in the piston guide and the increas ing opening of the core secures the passage of compressed air from the pressure source as well As an example the central axially sliding valve on the piston can in a suitable way be activated by the fact that the piston valve is levered with a valve lever which reaches eccentricity through the piston and by the fact that a spring between the piston and its valve keeps the valve closed when the piston does not influence the core in the wheel valve Alternatively the piston valve can be levered with a core pin which concentricly reaches axially through the piston where a spring leads it to a position distally from the piston It has thus become possible to provide the piston with a reliable function within the limits established by the ISO standard as the piston with the core pin automatically adjusts its length to the limit
31. tor on a handpump with two coupling holes is known one for Dunlop Woods and Sclaverand valves and one for Schrader valves of which the core pin is opened mechanically The disadvantage of this wave of coupling is firstly that it cannot be fastened to a valve and secondly that it can only be used in a certain position where the coupling hole is turned almost vertically upwards and finally that the user has to find out which of the two holes to use for the valve in question This prior art has therefore no interest when it is essential that the user can use the coupling without studying the type of valve the user instructions and decide which type of valve should be used and thereafter turn the wheel with the valve to a cor rect upright position for the valve coupling in question From U S Pat No 2 025 067 a coupling is known where tubes of different diameters can be coupled to matching diameters in a tube This prior art is intended for tightening against pipes without threads and the axial displacement of each sealing is not decisive This kind of coupling is meant for a tank filling device The gaskets used for sealing the adaptor are basically mushroom shaped with the stem of the mushroom arranged between trapezoidal walls in the adaptor thereby leaving a semi circular sealing to tighten against the nozzles without threads Using a threaded tube in such a gasket would destroy the gasket after few connec tions Another well kno
32. tor operated by a lever cam is known Common to both prior art references is that they can only be used together with a Schrader valve and that neither Sclaverand type nor Dunlop Woods type valves can be served by this type of connector as the sealing means only show one diameter fitting e g the Schrader valve THE OBJECT OF THE INVENTION Inflating a tyre is a problem to many people especially if the tyres have different valve types and only one pump has 05 6 314 985 1 3 to be used This is the case in most house holds aim of the invention is to provide a valve connector which fits on all current valve types which is easy to operate is economical and which has the possibility of automatically adjusts itself to the valve in question Also it should be possible to use the connector with existing pumps According to the invention this task is solved by means of the provisions in the characterising part of claim 1 By a connector for inflation valves of vehicle tyres where the connector consists of a housing connected to a pressure source preferably a hand or foot pump and with a coupling hole with a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the valve to which it is connected where the coupling hole is equipped with a securing means for securing on the valve and sealing means against valves of different sizes the invention is provided by the fact that the sealing means are positioned coaxially in the housing behind th
33. where the coupling is squeezed on the valve using a rubber bushing with incisions and a torroid ring in each incision and where a Schrader valve can be opened by means of the automatically movable pin which is formed as a piston and is shown in the bottom position FIG 15 universal connector in a thirteenth embodiment where the coupling is squeezed on the valve using a rubber bushing with incisions and a torroid ring in each incision where the coupling is squeezed on the valve and a Schrader valve is opened by means of the automatically movable pin which is formed as a piston with a control valve and is shown in the bottom position FIG 16 the universal connector of FIG 8 in a fourteenth embodiment where the type securing means are used where the valve connector is secured to the valve by means of a beak matching the threads of the valve thereby establishing temporary threads FIG 17 the connector of FIG 16 in a fifteenth embodi ment where the activation pin can be shorter DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG 1 the pump hose 1 is mounted on the housing 3 by means of the ring clamp 2 The housing 3 is bent in an angle of e g 30 60 in relation to the centre line 4 of coupling hole 5 The bushing 6 is in the shown embodiment equipped with two ISO thread types 5V2 thread 7 starting farthest from the opening 8 of the coupling hole 5 and 8 1 thread 9 starting at the abovementioned opening At dis
34. wn universal valve type which apparently does not exist in the patent literature is of the same type as the one of the above mentioned GB B 15 99 304 This rubber cylinder consists of two adjacent parts of different diameter and length fitting on 5V2 and 8V1 threads respectively Axially proximally staggered on the centre line of the holes it is possible to mount a means which can open the core pin of a Schrader valve The disadvantage of coupling is partly that both hands must be used to stabilize the dis connection of the relevant valve types and partly that the rubber cylinder must be taken out of the housing and turned upside down to make connection to valves with different thread types possible so that the coupling place for connecting the valve is always positioned closest to the opening of the coupling hole Also the pin which mechanically opens the Schrader valve has to be turned in the above mentioned operation This is a problem for the ordinary user as both means must be positioned correctly in relation to each other in order to be able to connect the coupling to a valve combinatorily there are to four possibilities to select from which can only be done correctly if a user manual is available Apart from that the above mentioned means can be lost loosened or disappear in the said operation From WO A 92 22448 it is known to provide a sealing means which is placed in a single level and from GB B 977 139 a valve connec
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