Itt Corporation

Itt Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.

Itt Automotive, Inc.

Itt Industries, Inc.

Alfred Teves Gmbh

General Electric Corporation Gmbh

George Szabo

Gary O Klinger

Craig Cheney

Thomas E Grooters

James D McDaniel

Robert M Davie

Duane J Pontbriand

Anthony K Carman

Tim M Dangel

Anthony Thomas

David S Malone

David L Noone

Jamie T Weinert

Michael J Andre

Brian Allen Engle

James E Ostrander

Woojin Kim

Timothy E Jackson

Gary Zelinski

Darrell Wilczynski

Shad A Kelly

Jonathan Kulevsky

Kevin Kreiner

David Noone

Andrew G McGuire

Rick C Kelley

Tom E Grooters

Joseph S Quaranta

Mitchell H Schreiber

Richard H Krentz

There is provided embodiments of a fluid fitting, and system incorporating the fluid fitting therein, which is compatible with harsh, caustic environments such as those environments found in the automotive industry. In one embodiment, the fluid fitting can comprise a conductive element with a fluid pathway for transporting a fluid, e.g., fuel. The fluid fitting can also comprise a non-conductive element that is coupled to the conductive element in a manner discharging electrons from the conductive body. The non-conductive element can comprise a cavity with an opening exposing a sensing device with a sensing element disposed on a sensing element housing. The sensing element housing can be sealed to the conductive element, but expose the sensing element to the fluid in the fluid pathway.

Device for measuring fluid properties in caustic environments

A fluid quick connector sealingly latches first and second components, one of which has a through bore and the other has a raised bead spaced from a tip end. A retainer is mountable through a transverse bore in one end of the first component and latched to the first component by projections carried on a pair of legs. A flange on the retainer is positioned to engage a surface of the first component to position the retainer on the first component. Inner disposed arms on the retainer engage a constant diameter portion of the second component and resist movement of the raised bead into or out of the bore in the housing when the retainer is in a fully latched position. The flange on the retainer is spaced from the legs of the retainer to enable the legs to be of minimal thickness for a reduced axial length for the retainer.

Low profile fluid quick connector

A quick connector includes a connector housing having a through bore adapted to mate with an endform. An electrical contact is mountable in the bore of the connector housing and includes contact members in the form of projections to provide a secure electrical connection between the endform and the connector housing when the male endform is mounted in the connector housing. In one aspect, the electrical contact is formed as the spacer or top hat in the quick connector housing.

Fluid quick connector with secure electrical contact

An electrically conductive quick connector housing is matable with a conductive male endform. A contact member is carried in the housing to provide a secure electrical connection between the male endform and the housing. In one aspect, the contact member is in the form of at least one projection integrally formed with the housing and extending radially inward into a bore in the housing for engagement with the male endform. In another aspect, the contact member is in the form of at least one longitudinally extending finger projecting unitarily into the bore in the housing. The finger engages the outer diameter of the male endform when the male endform is inserted into the housing.

Fluid quick connector with secure electrical ground contact

A quick connector includes a housing assembly for receiving one end of a conduit with an enlarged annular flange and a retainer for locking the conduit in the housing assembly. The housing assembly includes first and second housings which are rotatably and non-axially displaceably interconnected. A rigid top hat is fixedly mounted in the bore in the first housing to prevent axial displacement of the first and second housings. An annular recess in the top hat receives the flange on the conduit. The housings can also be incrementally indexable ribs on a stem of one housing fixedly and non-rotatingly engage an inner surface of a flexible conduit.

Rotatable quick connector

A release tool for a quick connector with a radially displaceable retainer has a pair of arms extending from a collar which are normally disposed on axially extending surfaces of the housing of the female component of the quick connector when the release tool is mounted on the housing. A retainer engaging surface on each of the arms is movably engageable with projections on side legs of the retainer to urge the projections and the end portions of the side legs of the retainer radially inward to a position where the projections are disengaged from lock edges on the axially extending surfaces of the housing to allow disengagement of the retainer element from the male component of the quick connector.

Quick connector release tool

A quick connector with a one-way flow valve includes a bearing cage mounted in a bore of a female component housing and supporting a tip end of a conduit lockingly held in the housing by a retainer. A projection extends from one end of the bearing cage and spaces a flow ball movably mounted in the housing bore at a first, flow permitting open position wherein flow paths between the male and female components are established around the exterior of the flow ball and between circumferentially spaced ribs formed in the housing and supporting the flow ball. The flow ball is automatically movable in response to a reverse direction acting fluid pressure differential to a second, flow-blocking position in sealing engagement with a valve seat formed in the housing bore to prevent reverse fluid flow through the connector.

Quick connector with one-way check valve

A quick connector for connecting fluid lines includes a first connector having a housing for receiving a tube carrying spool. The spool sealingly engages an endform on the tube to form a metal-to-metal seal. A retainer in the form of ring having a plurality of angularly and radially extending, resilient legs extending therefrom and terminating in end pads is mountable in the housing in engagement with the spool with the end pads disposed in an annular, inward facing channel in the housing. A pop top is slidable along the tube to bias the retainer legs radially inward to allow insertion of the retainer into the bore in the housing and then is removed to allow the legs to snap radially outward bringing the end pads into engagement with housing channel. An assurance clip is mountable interiorly between the legs of the retainer and the spool to maintain the retainer legs in a radially outward position in engagement with the channel in the housing.

High pressure quick connector

A quick connector includes a housing assembly and a retainer for sealingly interconnecting first and second conduits in fluid flow communication. The housing assembly is formed of first and second housings which are rotatably and non-axially displaceably interconnected. The retainer is mountable in the second housing for locking a raised annular flange on one conduit within the housing assembly in fluid flow communication with the bore extending through the housing assembly. A plurality of latch fingers extend from one housing and rotatingly, but non-axially displaceable, engage a raised flanges on the other housing.

Quick connector with swivelable retainer housing

A Hybrid Quick Connector for releasably interconnecting fluid carrying tubular members has a housing with first and second portions which are joined together to establish a through passage for fluid communication of the tubular members. One housing portion defines a first bearing surface and a retainer for releasably engaging an end form of one of the members. The other housing portion is permanently affixed to the end form of the other member and defines a second bearing surface which is axially spaced from the first bearing surface to straddle a resilient seal. Upon insertion of the first tubing end form, a retainer locks it in assembly with the quick connector and the seal acts to block the only potential leak path. Preferably, the first housing portion is formed of injection molded thermoplastic and the second housing portion is formed of mild steel to ensure a robust and inexpensive connector configuration which is particularly well suited for automotive air conditioning and engine coolant system applications.

Hybrid quick connector

A retainer for releasably locking together the male and female component of a quick connector. The retainer is releasably insertible into a transverse bore in the female component and includes a surface slidable over a radial flange on the male component only when the male component is fully seated in an axial bore in the female component. The engagement of the surface and the radial flange on the male component permits full insertion of the retainer into the transverse bore in the female component and around the male component to lock the male and female components together. Lock projections on the retainer engage grooves in the housing to releasably lock the retainer in a partially inserted, shipping position in the transverse bore and engage exterior lock surfaces on the housing on full insertion of the retainer to prevent separation of the retainer from the female component. The projections are formed of up-turned angled hooks which are engageable with complimentary shaped, and angled recesses in the grooves in the housing or angled exterior surfaces on the housing to resist pull out of the retainer from either the partially inserted or fully inserted positions in the housing.

Quick connector with snap-on retainer having enhanced engagement

A quick connect coupling including a female connector member adapted for quick connect engagement with a male connector member. The male connector member has an annular bead defined by leading and trailing annular edges. The female connector member defines an axial bore sized to slidably receive a leading end of the male member defined forwardly of the leading annular edge of the bead and a plurality of circumferentially spaced resilient fingers adapted to snap into position behind the bead and into engagement with the trailing annular edge of the bead as the leading end of the male member moves into the bore and the leading annular edge of the bead moves into engagement with a radial seating surface defined around the entrance to the bore. The intersection between the bore and the radial seating surface is relieved or chamfered over a radial distance less than the radial height of the bead so that the leading annular edge of the bead may seat against the radial seating surface, and the resilient fingers may snap into position behind the trailing annular edge of the bead, irrespective of tolerance variations in the contour of the leading annular edge of the bead caused, for example, by normal manufacturing tolerances or by tool die wear.

Female connector member for large tolerance male member endforms

A retainer for releasably locking the male and female components of a quick connector. The retainer is releasably insertible into a transverse bore in the female component and is blocked from full insertion by a projection. An extension projects from the retainer and has an aperture sized to receive the tip end of the male component, but not a radial flange on the male component when the retainer is partially inserted into the female component. Forced insertion of the male component breaks off a ring portion of the extension thereby enabling the radial flange on the male component to fully move into the female component. The retainer can then be urged into the fully latched position locking the male and female components. Lock projections on the retainer engage grooves in the bore in the female component to releasably lock the retainer in a partially inserted, shipping position in the female component and engage exterior lock surfaces on the housing on full insertion of the retainer to lock the retainer to the female component.

Quick connector with snap-on frangible retainer

An insertion indicator for a metal quick connector assembly includes an annular base adapted to be releasably received within the mouth of a female connector component's axial bore, such that the male end form of the connector assembly's male component, including an external flange thereon, is insertable through the indicator's base into the axial bore. The indicator further includes two legs projecting both axially and radially-inwardly from its base so as to extend deeper within the female component's axial bore than the 'locking' abutment surfaces of a retainer, also disposed within the bore, when the indicator is releasably received therein. Each leg is resiliently radially yieldable so as to permit passage of an external flange or upset bead on the male component through the indicator, whereupon the free end of each leg rebounds to provide an axially-disposed surface with which the indicator may thereafter be operatively ejected through engagement with the male component's upset bead upon slight retraction of the male component from within the bore.

Growing community of inventors

Ortonville, MI, United States of America

George Szabo