FR3033865A3 - - Google Patents

Abstract

An air hose connecting device includes a first connector on a first end of the air hose connecting device, and a second connector on a second end of the air hose connecting device. air. The first connector and the second connector are in fluid communication. The air hose connecting device further comprises a third connector located on the first end. The third connector is concentrically configured with the first connector. The first connector defines a first outer diameter in a circumferential shape, and the third connector defines in a circumferential shape a third outer diameter different from the first outer diameter. Since fittings of different sizes are present on the same air pipe connection device, air pipes of different diameters can be connected to an air flow apparatus by means of the air pipe connection device. air as an adapter.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a mechanical connection device for the transmission of fluid, and in particular to an adapter / connector for connecting an air hose to an air flow apparatus. . BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many airflow devices, whether driven by electric power or a motor, use a flow of air to perform certain functions. For example, blowers and vacuum cleaners facilitate the movement of dust or debris into a work area by the air drawn in or the air ejected. Cutting devices such as circular saws and orbital sanders, on the other hand, perform a cut on a workpiece, and an air flow is used to remove the dust generated in the cutting operation as soon as possible in order to prevent dust from contaminating the environment or disturbing the user. A dust bag or an external vacuum cleaner is often connected to the cutting apparatus by means of an air hose to transfer the sucked dust to the outside of the cutting apparatus. However, in practice, there is often the case where a user has more than one type of pipe, and the pipes are made of different materials and are of different sizes. The cutting apparatus such as an orbital sander, however, has only one standard fitting designed to accept one or two types of pipe, for example those supplied by the orbital sander manufacturer itself. As a result, the user faces difficulties in connecting an existing orbital sander to different types of pipes, particularly those not originally designed for use with the orbital sander. This incompatibility often leads to a waste of existing pipe resources that users already possess, and in some cases impedes the operation of the orbital sander in certain environments where only a few choices of air hoses are provided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing context, an object of the present invention is to provide an alternative connecting device for connecting different types of air hoses to an existing fitting on an airflow apparatus. . The above object is achieved by the combination of features of the main claim; the subclaims describe additional advantageous embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate from the following description other objects of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing object statements are not exhaustive and serve only to illustrate some of the many objects of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention, in one aspect, relates to an air hose connecting device that includes a first connector located on a first end of the air hose connecting device, and a second connector located on a second end of the air hose connection device. The first connector and the second connector are in fluid communication. The air hose connecting device further comprises a third connector located on the first end. The third connector is concentrically configured with the first connector. The first connector defines in a circumferential shape a first outer diameter, and the third connector defines in a circumferential shape a third outer diameter different from the first outer diameter. Preferably, the first connector has a first circumferential side wall and the third connector has a third circumferential side wall. The first circumferential side wall is separated from the third circumferential side wall in a radial direction of the first connector by a gap. Alternatively, the first connector has a first circumferential side wall and the third connector comprises a third circumferential side wall. The first circumferential side wall is connected to the third circumferential side wall along the longitudinal direction of the air pipe connection device, such that both the third circumferential side wall and the first circumferential side wall. extend substantially along the longitudinal direction. Preferably, the first circumferential side wall and the third circumferential side wall are formed in one piece. More preferably, a step is formed at the junction of the first circumferential side wall and the third circumferential side wall. In one embodiment, the first outer diameter or the third outer diameter varies along the longitudinal direction of the air pipe connection device. In an exemplary embodiment, the air hose connecting device further includes a fourth connector located on the second end of the air hose connecting device. The fourth connector is concentrically configured with the second connector. The second connector is in a circumferential shape defining a second outer diameter. The fourth connector is in a circumferential shape defining a fourth outer diameter different from the second outer diameter. Preferably, the first outer diameter, the second outer diameter, and the third outer diameter are different from each other.

More preferably, the first, second, third and fourth circumferential walls are arranged sequentially offset along a radially outward direction. The present invention offers many advantages. It can be seen that by virtue of the universal air pipe connections provided by the air pipe connection device, many different types of pipes, whether from the air flow apparatus manufacturer itself, are provided by the air pipe connection device. same or other manufacturers, can be connected to one end of the air hose connection device, while the other end of the connecting device 3033865 4 can be connected to the standard connection of the air flow device . The flexibility in the use of the airflow apparatus is thus significantly improved, and not only is the use of air hoses limited to a few predefined hoses, but a large number of other The air manufactured according to other specifications can also be connected via the air hose connection device. This saves the user money since existing air hoses that are not specifically designed for the airflow apparatus can also be used. Another advantage of the present invention is that the air hose connecting device makes it possible to easily move the airflow apparatus without the need to supply the specific air hose. Thus, as long as the air hose connection device according to the present invention is available, the user can only take the airflow apparatus into a work environment in which any type of air hose is provided. air is available. In other words, the user does not need to worry about not being able to find a compatible air hose for the airflow apparatus because the flow apparatus Air can be used almost anywhere as long as a standard air hose is supplied. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The foregoing and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments which are given by way of example only in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a side view of the air pipe connection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the air pipe connection device of FIG. From a direction indicated substantially by the arrow 27 in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the air pipe connection device of FIG. 1 from a direction indicated substantially by the arrow 29 on FIG. FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the air pipe connection device of FIG. 1 along the central axis of the air flow device of FIG. Figure 5 is a perspective view of an air hose connecting device which is connected at its first end to an orbital sander connector according to one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an air hose connecting device which is connected at its second end to the orbital sander connector of Fig. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following claims and in the preceding description of the invention, unless the context otherwise requires due to express language or necessary implication, the word "Understand" or variations such as "includes" or "including" are used in an inclusive sense, that is, to specify the presence of the characteristics indicated, but not to exclude the presence or addition of other features in various embodiments of the invention. Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 3, the first embodiment of the present invention is an air hose connecting device 20, which is a separate part designed to be connected to an air or air hose. Other external connectors such as those configured on the housing of the airflow apparatus. The air hose connection device is also referred to herein as the universal adapter since the single device can be connected to pipes and external fittings of different dimensions. As shown in Fig. 1, there are multiple connections configured in the air pipe connection device 20, each configured with a different outer diameter. On one end of the air pipe connection device 20, as indicated by the arrow 27 in Fig. 1, a first connection is formed by the first side wall 22. The first connector is defined in a circumferential shape by which a first opening 23 is formed to allow a flow of air to pass. On the end of the air pipe connection device 20 as indicated by the arrow 29 in FIG. 1, a second connection is formed by the second side wall 32. The second connector is defined in a circumferential shape whereby a second opening 25. As illustrated in Figure 1, the first side wall 22 and the second side wall 32 have different outside diameters.

The outer diameters mentioned above refer to the diameter of the side walls of the connector calculated from its outer surface on one side to its outer surface on another side. As will be explained below with reference to FIG. 4, all the fittings also have inner diameters that differ from the outer diameter due to the thickness of the sidewalls.

Figures 1 to 3 also show a series of other side walls, including a third side wall 24, a fourth side wall 26 and a fifth side wall 28 which, together with the first side wall 22, are arranged in a manner that cascade along the longitudinal direction (indicated by the arrows 27 and 29) of the air pipe connection device 20. All the side walls 22, 24, 26 and 28 are thus concentrically aligned. However, as clearly shown in Figure 2, only the first side wall 22 is nested in another side wall, namely the third side wall 24. The first side wall 22 and the third side wall 24 each contain at least a portion which overlaps the counterpart of the other of the first sidewall 22 and the third sidewall 24 along the longitudinal direction. However, as can be seen in Figure 2, the first side wall 22 and the third side wall 24 are separated by a gap. The first side wall 22 also projects from the third side wall 24 along the direction indicated by the arrow 29. The other side walls 24, 26 and 28 do not have such a nesting relationship.

Thus, the third side wall 24, the fourth side wall 26 and the fifth side wall 28 are connected in a head-to-tail manner along the longitudinal direction of the air pipe connecting device, so that that the third side wall 24, the fourth side wall 26 and the fifth side wall 28 extend substantially along the longitudinal direction. The side walls 24, 26 and 28 are preferably made in one piece. Between two adjacent side walls of the walls 24, 26 and 28, a step 31 is formed at the junction of the two adjacent side walls. The step 31 extends from one side wall to the other side wall and is in the form of an inclined face due to the difference between the outer diameters of the two adjacent side walls. The side walls 24, 26 and 28 all have different outside diameters. At the end of the fifth side wall 28 near the second side wall 32, there is also a peripheral flange 34 with an outer diameter slightly greater than that of the fifth side wall 28. As best shown in FIG. on the other side of the air pipe connection device 20, there are further connections each of which is formed by a respective side wall. The second sidewall 32 described above is nested in a sixth sidewall 30, between which a gap is formed. The sixth sidewall 30 is further nested in the fifth sidewall 28 described above. However, the openings of the fifth side wall 28, the sixth side wall 15 and the second side wall 32 are not aligned at the same position along the longitudinal direction of the air pipe connection device 20. Thus, the end of the second sidewall 32 protrudes from all other sidewalls along the direction shown by the arrow 27, then the sixth sidewall 30, and then the second sidewall 32. All the side walls 22, 24, 26, 30, 32 and 28 are concentrically aligned. Referring now to FIG. 4, in the cross-sectional view, it can be seen that the first opening 23 and the second opening 25 are in fluid communication, so that the flow of air entering the connecting device The air pipe 20 from the first opening 23 or the second opening 25 can freely exit from the other of the first opening 23 and the second opening 25. As such, the flow of air from the airflow device can be transferred to the air pipe, or vice versa. It can also be seen that the side walls 22, 24, 26, 32 and 30 are arranged in a radially offset manner along the air pipe connection device 20. In other words, each pair of side walls 22 , 24, 26, 32 and 30 which are adjacent along the radial direction extend in opposite directions. For example, while the second side wall 32 extends along the direction indicated by the arrow 27, the first side wall 22 which is the side wall adjacent to the second side wall 32 along the radial direction s extends in an opposite direction indicated by the arrow 29. Next, the sixth side wall 30 which is the side wall 5 adjacent to the first side wall 22 along the radial direction extends again in the direction indicated by the arrow 27. Such an offset configuration continues to the fourth side wall 26, where there is no other adjacent wall in the radial outward direction. Although the fifth side wall 28 is at another outer position along the radial direction with respect to the fourth side wall 26, these two walls do not overlap in part and are not separated by a gap, but are rather linked in a head-to-tail manner, as mentioned above. As can be seen in FIG. 4, there are also similarly configured side walls which are connected to the second side wall 32 in a head-to-tail manner and which extend all along the direction longitudinal. The side walls which are connected to the second side wall 32 are not described in detail here for the sake of brevity. In FIG. 4, for the side walls 22, 32, 24 and 30, it can be seen that their outer diameters vary along the longitudinal direction of the air pipe connection device 20. This is due to the variation of the the thickness of each of the sidewalls 22, 32, 24 and 30. Also, the inside diameters of the sidewalls 22, 32, 24 and 30 also vary along the longitudinal direction. The different outer diameters and inner diameters of the side walls of the fittings facilitate tight and reliable engagement of the outer fitting or air hose and the connector in the air hose connecting device 20.

In operation, the air hose connection device 20 may be connected to external pipes or fittings having different diameters. Depending on the dimensions of the openings (i.e. the inside diameter) and the diameters of the connecting end (i.e., the outside diameter), the outer pipe or fitting may be connected to the air pipe connection device 20. pushing the end of the pipe 30 or outer fitting into a fitting of the air pipe connecting device 3033865 9 20 so that the end of the pipe or outer fitting is housed in the end of the pipe fitting. air hose connection device 20. Or, if more suitable, the hose or outer fitting may be connected to the air hose connecting device 20 by pressing the air hose connection device connector 20 inside the end of the pipe or the outer fitting so that the end of the pipe or outer fitting is housed in the end of the connection of the air pipe coupling device. the side walls described above in the air pipe connection device 20 provide flexible connection for different air pipes of different diameters. To connect an air pipe to the air pipe connection device 20, the user only needs to choose a most suitable connection on the air pipe connection device 20, which corresponds to either the inside diameter , or the outside diameter of the pipe, and connect the air hose to the fitting. For the successive sidewalls 24, 26 and 28, the end of the air hose may be engaged with any of them provided that there is close and firm contact between the hose and the hose. air and the side wall. In an exemplary embodiment, the air hose connecting device can be connected to a standard fitting of an orbital sander in one of two directions. These alternative connections are illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. As shown in FIG. 5, the standard fitting comprises a dust port connector 44 and an outlet port 42 which have different outside diameters. Near the dust port connector 44, a flange 40 is also configured, which flange can be actuated by the user to connect the standard fitting to an orifice on the orbital sander housing. In Fig. 5, the standard connector is coupled to the first side wall of a first connector and the end of this first connector is housed in the outlet port 42 of the standard connector. As a result, the first side wall of the air pipe connection device, thus surrounded by the outlet port 42, is not exposed. On the other hand, in Fig. 6, it can be seen that the outlet port 42 of the standard fitting is housed rather in the second connector 32 of the air pipe connection device. In other words, depending on the connection of the air hose to the air hose connecting device 30, and in particular the end of the air hose connecting device to which the hose is connected, the The air hose connection device can then be connected to the standard orbital sander connection at its other end. Such an effect is achieved by making the outer diameters and inner diameters of the first and second couplings respectively correspond to the size of the standard fitting. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention are thus fully described. Although the description refers to particular embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with variations of these specific details. Therefore, the present invention should not be considered limited to the embodiments presented herein.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the foregoing drawings and description, these should be considered illustrative and non-restrictive in nature, it being understood that only exemplary embodiments are provided by way of example. have been shown and described and in no way limit the scope of the invention. It should be emphasized that any of the features described herein can be used with any embodiment. The exemplary embodiments are not exclusive of each other or other embodiments not mentioned herein. Accordingly, the invention also provides embodiments that include combinations of one or more of the exemplary embodiments described above. Modifications and variations of the invention as described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only those limitations which are indicated by the appended claims should be imposed. For example, the embodiment described above provides specific pipe diameters that can be connected to the universal adapter, but it is clear that the universal adapters can also be designed to have fittings in other forms. and diameters to accommodate different types of air hoses. Based on the teachings provided herein, those skilled in the art will understand how to adjust the structure and shape of universal adapters to meet different types of pipes.

In addition, the above embodiments use an orbital electric sander as an example to which the air hose is finally connected by means of the universal adapter. However, one skilled in the art will undoubtedly realize that the universal adapter according to the present invention can also be used for other types of airflow apparatus, including but not limited to power saws. table saws, circular saws, vacuum cleaners, air compressors, miter saws, and grinders. In the description of the preferred embodiments above, the designations of "first", "second", "third" and "fourth" connectors in the universal adapters serve only to facilitate its comprehension. They are not intended to designate a particular connector in the universal adapter. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, in some cases, the designations of "first, second, third, fourth ..." may be used interchangeably.

Claims (2)

REVENDICATIONS1. An air hose connecting device, comprising: a) a first connector located on a first end of said air hose connecting device; b) a second connector located on a second end of said air hose connecting device; said first connector and said second connector being in fluid communication; and c) a third connector located on said first end; said third connector being concentrically configured with said first connector; wherein said first connector is in a circumferential shape defining a first outer diameter; said third connector being in a circumferential shape defining a third outer diameter different from said first outer diameter. An air hose connecting device according to claim 1, wherein said first connector comprises a first circumferential side wall; said third connector comprising a third circumferential side wall; said first circumferential side wall being separated from said third circumferential side wall in a radial direction of said first connector by a gap. An air hose connecting device according to claim 1, wherein said first connector comprises a first circumferential side wall; said third connector comprising a third circumferential side wall; said first circumferential side wall being connected to said third circumferential side wall along the longitudinal direction of said air pipe connecting device, such that both the third circumferential side wall and said first circumferential side wall extend substantially along said longitudinal direction. An air hose connecting device according to claim 3, wherein said first circumferential side wall and said third circumferential side wall are formed in one piece. The air hose connecting device according to claim 4, wherein a step is formed at the junction of said first circumferential side wall and said third circumferential side wall. The air hose connecting device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first outer diameter or said third outer diameter varies along the longitudinal direction of said air hose connecting device. The air hose connecting device according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth connector located on said second end of said air hose connecting device; said fourth connector being concentrically configured with said second connector; wherein said second connector is in a circumferential shape defining a second outer diameter; said fourth connector being in a circumferential shape defining a fourth outer diameter different from said second outer diameter. The air hose connecting device according to any one of claims 6 or 7, wherein said first outer diameter, said second outer diameter, and said third outer diameter are different from each other. The air hose connecting device according to any one of claims 6 or 7, wherein said first, second, third and fourth circumferential walls are sequentially arranged in a staggered manner along a radial direction. outwards.