Hot Test Connector For Internal Combustion Engines

Abstract

A Hot Test Connector for Internal Combustion Engines to prevent inadvertent blow-off and thus danger to workers in the area in the form of an external retention ring which is mechanically locked onto a connector neck of the engine against any pressure blow-off by a manual locking motion which also provides a seal internally of the connector neck for a water tube which carries water to the engine. The device includes one embodiment for a constant pressure lock which adapts to certain connector necks and a modification for a dimensionally controlled lock for other connectors.

Description

This invention relates to a Hot Test Connector for Internal Combustion Engines and more particularly is directed to a means for providing a mechanical connection and a hydraulic connection with an internal combustion engine to permit testing of an engine prior to final assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the production of automotive vehicles, is is common to test out internal combustion engines by running them on a production line for certain times and at certain speeds to make sure that all components are in working order. This is done prior to the connection of the engine to a radiator and accordingly a coolant must be circulated through the engine to prevent damage thereto.

This coolant is circulated by water hoses which are temporarily connected to the inlet and outlet of the water cooling system of the engine. In the past it has been common to lock the water hose connection onto a connector neck of the engine by screwing a threaded shaft down on to the neck manually.

Means was then provided for sealing a pipe within the connector so that water could be turned on. This system has frequently resulted in unintentional and unexpected pressure blow-offs of the connection because the screw connector was not fastened down properly with sufficient tension or it was mislocated so that it did not lock on the connector. Any unintentional release of this connection during the test causes a dangerous condition because of the hot water that may scald workers in the area. In addition, there may be water damage to other parts in the vicinity.

The present invention contemplates a combined connector which assures an adequate mechanical connection with the connector neck which is fastened to the engine and which also, at the same time, provides an internal seal for the water pipe. The device is so arranged that one motion of a manually operated level will accomplish both sealing and locking functions, thus saving the time of an operator and assuring a proper lock at all times.

Since the connector neck device sometimes differ in shape or in manufacturing tolerances, there are occasions when a modified construction to be shown is most advantageous to permit a proper pressure by mechanical lock which will adjust itself to varying dimensions, there being a compensator in the actuation motion to permit a suitable locking and sealing to take place.

It is thus an object of the invention to provide a quick and positive mechanical connector which is merged with an internal seal actuator in such a manner that both parts are simultaneously actuated to provide a safe engagement.

Other objects and features of the invention relating to details of construction and operation will be apparent in the following description and claims.

Drawings accompany the disclosure and the various views thereof may be briefly described as:

FIG. 1, a side elevation of a hose connector and lock in assembled position.

FIG. 2, a sectional view of the device as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3, a view of the device shown in FIG. 1 in released position.

FIG. 4, a modified construction for adaptation to varying dimension hose connectors.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a hot water hose connector neck 10 is illustrated, this being a part which is fastened on an engine indicated generally at 12 and which serves in the final assembly as a hose connector for the radiator system of the engine. This connector neck has a small flange 14 at the outer end raised slightly from the surface 16 of the connector neck to facilitate the retention of the final radiator hose. This flange also will serve as a part of a mechanical lock for the system to be described.

The connector assembly includes a body portion 18 which faces the end of the connector neck 10 and this body portion has an axial projecting portion 20 which can be in the form of an annular skirt which is provided with retaining openings 22 for lock balls 24. It will be noted that the axial projecting portion 20 has a radial thickness dimension which is smaller than the diameter of the lock balls 24. The opening 22 are formed at one end to have an inner diameter slightly less than the diameter of the balls and are staked at the other end sufficiently to retain the balls while permitting the necessary radial motion.

The body portion 18 is centrally apertured to receive a pipe 30 which projects fore and aft of the body portion, the fore portion carrying a resilient ring 32 held against dislodgment by a threaded ring 34 on the end of the pipe. The aft portion of the pipe 30 carries a spring 36 which seats at its forward end in an annular recess 38 of the body portion 18 and at its aft portion in an annular recess 40 in an actuator ring 42 which is also supported on the pipe 30.

The actuator ring 42 has a forwardly extending flange 44 which overlies the body portion 18 and is movable over the balls 24 as will be described. An actuator lever 50 is pivoted at 52 on the pipe 30, this level having a seat portion 54 which bears against the rear surface of the retainer ring 42 in the position shown in FIG. 2 and which has a lock surface 56 which bears against the rear surface of retaining ring 42 in the position shown in FIG. 3.

It will be noted that the position of the surface 56 in FIG. 3 places most of its surface below the pivot axis 52 but a portion also above and the same is true of the surface portion 54 when in the lock position shown in FIG. 2. In shifting the lever, the corner 57 will act as a cam against the ring 42 to move it forward to a locking position. In the non-locking position or the locking position, the overcenter condition will stabilize the lever.

Referring to FIG. 3, it will be seen that the device is being moved on to the connector neck 10 in the release position shown. The balls 24 are free to move out in the projecting portion 20 so that they will override the retaining flange 14.

When the body portion 18 is slipped on the pipe to the point that it contacts the end of the connector neck, it will be seen that the resilient ring 32 is inserted inside the connector neck. At this point, the lever 50 can be moved from the position shown in FIG. 3 to compress the spring 36 and move the actuator ring 42 so that the flange portion 44 rides over the balls 24 to move them radially inward toward the outer surface of the connector ring to lie generally against this surface, thus positioning them inward of the outward diameter of the flange 14. The leading edge of the flange 44 has a tapered portion 58 which rides over the balls and cams them inwardly.

At the same time that the lever is moving the actuating ring 42 forward, it is also pulling back on the resilient ring 32 by reason of the ring 34 so that the ring 32 is expanded to connect with the inner diameter of the connector neck 10 as well as to compress on to the pipe 30. Thus, the pipe 30 is sealed with respect to the connector neck. When the lever 50 is moved to the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spring 36 exerting pressure against it along the surface 54 which extends above and below the pivot point 52 will prevent release of the assembly until manual actuation of the lever to the release position so there is accordingly a positive mechanical lock of the assembly on the connector neck at the same time that a hydraulic seal is accomplished with the neck. It is to be noted also that the actuation of the lever requires a pressure on the entire assembly tending to move it on and hold it on the connector. Thus, because of the spring resistance to the lever motion, a seating pressure is inevitably applied to the assembly to insure the proper seating of the lock ball behind the flange 14.

It will be noted, as illustrated in FIG. 2, that the balls 24 are riding on the cylindrical surface inside the flange 44 having moved from the cam surface 58 to the inner cylindrical surface 60. Thus, the balls are positively locked against displacement until the flange 44 is retracted. This can be accomplished when the dimensions of the connector neck are maintained within certain limits.

In FIG. 4, a modified construction is shown wherein a connector neck 70 has a shallow flange 72 at its outer end; but in this particular construction, it may be that the manufacturing tolerances are such, due to the method of manufacture such as casting, that the neck 70 is not consistent in its dimension and the flange 72 is relatively shallow in its projection from the surface of the connector neck 70.

In this system, essentially the same parts are used in the form of the body 18 having the projecting retention skirt 20 and the balls 24 together with the resilient ring 32 and the retention ring 34. The spring 36 backs up against an actuator 74 which has a slightly different configuration in that the extending flange 76 is thicker and the tapered surface or cam surface 78 has a greater radial and axial length. Behind the ring 74 is a compressible ring of resilient material 80 backed by a metal retaining plate 82, the lever 50 having the same configuration as previously described. In this case, the pivotal point 84 is spaced rearwardly from the location in the previous embodiment.

With the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the actuation of the lever 50 exerting pressure against plate 82 will move the retaining ring 74 forward to cam the balls 24 inwardly against the outer surface of the connector neck 70; but in this case the balls never leave the cam surface 78. At the same time, of course, the resilient ring 32 is expanded outwardly to provide the necessary seal between the interior of the connector neck 70 and the exterior of the pipe 30 and the resilient ring 80 permits the necessary overtravel for the lever 50 while maintaining the pressure on the balls 24. Thus, again there is a positive lock against the connector neck with a satisfactory motion to obtain the water seal without undue strain on the metallic parts, but the device is adaptable to varying dimensions without adjustment for each installation.

In each embodiment, the parts are dimensioned so that the rear wall of body portion 18 is essentially in contact with actuator ring 42 or 74 so the parts are positively engaged to limit the motion of the actuating flange relative to the balls.

The device is so designed that the seal rings within the connector necks 10 and 70 are aligned for relatively straight in and out movement and cocking of the assembly on the connector necks is eliminated. As a consequence, the seal rings have a much longer life.

Claims

I claim:

1. A quick release hot test connector for internal combustion engines utilizing a hose connector neck having an external retention flange thereon which comprises: a conduit or a liquid with one end adapted to be generally axially received within the connector neck from the flange end thereof, retainer means carried on the exterior of said conduit adjacent said one end of said conduit, a ring of a resilient sealing material received on the exterior of said conduit and adapted to bear on said retainer means, said ring of resilient material being adapted in its natural state to be generally axially slidably received within the connector neck without providing a seal therewith from the flange end thereof when said conduit is received within the connector neck, a locking means carried by said conduit and moveable to a first position to overlie the connector neck on the outside thereof to engage with the flange thereof to restrain generally axial movement of said conduit with respect to the neck in at least one direction and to a second position to disengage and clear the flange of the connector neck so that said conduit can be removed generally axially from the neck, a first means carried by said conduit for relative generally axial movement thereon with respect to said retainer means to a first position to urge said ring of resilient material against said retainer means and expand said ring generally radially outward into sealing engagement with an interior surface of the connector neck when said one end of said conduit is received in the connector neck and to a second position axially spaced from said first position to allow said ring of resilient material to radially contract to its normal position, and second means operably connected to said locking means and said first means and having a single actuator quickly movable to a first position to shift said locking means and said first means to their respective first positions to to retain said conduit within the neck and provide a seal between the interior of the connector neck and said conduit and quickly moveable to a second position to shift said locking means and said first means to their respective second positions to release said conduit from the connector neck and to disengage the seal from the interior of the connector neck.

2. The hot test connector for internal combustion engines as defined in claim 1 in which said second means comprises bias means yieldably urging said first and locking means into their respective first positions.

3. The hot test connector for internal combustion engines as defined in claim 1 in which said first means comprises a collar mounted on said conduit for generally sliding movement to first and second axially spaced positions thereon, said collar having a portion adapted to bear on said ring of resilient sealing material to radially expand said ring of resilient material into sealing engagement with an interior surface of the connector neck when said collar is in said first position.

4. The quick release hot test connector for internal combustion engines as defined in claim 1 in which said locking means comprises at least two retainer balls and also an actuator ring mounted on said conduit for movement to first and second axially spaced positions, said actuator ring having a generally axially extending flange with a cam surface thereon to move said balls generally radially inward into abutment with the flange of the connector neck when said actuator ring is moved to said first position.

5. The hot test connector for internal combustion engines as defined in claim 4 in which said axially extending flange of said actuator ring has a cylindrical inner surface which rides over said balls to retain them in fixed dimensional position when said retainer ring is in said first position.

6. The hot test connector for internal combustion engines as defined in claim 5 in which said first means comprises a collar received within said axial flange of said actuator ring and mounted on said conduit for generally sliding movement to first and second axially spaced positions thereon, said collar having a portion adapted to bear on said ring of resilient sealing material to radially expand said ring of resilient material into sealing engagement with an interior surface of the connector neck when said collar is in said first position.

7. The hot test connector for internal combustion engines as defined in claim 6, in which said second means comprises a lever pivotally carried by said conduit and having cam means thereon bearing on said actuator ring to shift said actuator ring and said collar to said first and second positions thereof in response to movement of said lever to first and second pivotal positions, and bias means interposed between said actuator ring and said collar to yieldably urge said actuator ring into engagement with said cam means of said lever.

8. The hot test connector for an internal combustion engine as defined in claim 7 in which said second means comprises bias means interposed between said cam means of said lever and said actuator ring and yieldably urging said locking means and said first means into their respective first positions.

9. A quick release hot test connector for internal combustion engines utilizing a hose connector neck having an external retention flange thereon which comprises: a retention ring having a body portion to face the flange end of a connector neck and an axial projection portion to overlie the flange end of the neck, said axial projection portion having recesses to receive at least two retainer balls, means outside said retention ring to move said balls inwardly to lock against said connector neck behind said flange, sealing means positionable inside said connector neck and generally radially expansible to seal peripherally in said connector neck, means to move said last two means into locking and sealing position comprising a tube passing through said retention ring and into said connector neck to introduce a liquid into said connector neck with said sealing means carried by said tube on the outside thereof and receivable in said connector neck, retainer means adapted to bear on said sealing means, and a lever pivoted on said tube and movable from a release position to a locking position, said lever bearing against said means outside said retention ring to shift said means outside said retention ring axially toward said retention ring when said lever is moved to said locking position, said means outside said retention ring comprising an actuator ring portion surrounding said tube and having an axially extending portion adapted to overlie said balls in a locking position and having a cam surface to actuate said balls toward the outer surface of said tube, and a resilient means interposed between said lever and said actuator ring wherein full motion can be attained from said lever when moved to said locking position to provide relative motion between said retention ring and said retainer means to generally radially expand said sealing means and seal it against the inside of said connector neck and the outside of said tube, while maintaining a locking pressure on said walls.