Quick lock connector for connecting a capillary to a fluidic conduit of a fluidic component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9784720-B2
Application number	US-201214376386-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2012
Priority date	Feb 1, 2012
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A fitting for providing a fluid connection between a capillary and a fluidic conduit of a fluidic component, wherein the fitting comprises a capillary reception configured for receiving the capillary, a force applicator configured for being operable to apply a fixing force for fixing the capillary within the fitting, a force limitation mechanism configured for limiting the fixing force being applicable by the force applicator to the capillary, a force splitter configured for splitting the fixing force into an advance force component for advancing the capillary received in the capillary reception towards the fluidic component and into a clamping force component for clamping the capillary received in the capillary reception within the fitting, and a biasing mechanism particularly arranged between the force applicator and the force splitter and configured for biasing the force splitter against the capillary.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fitting for providing a fluid connection between a capillary and a fluidic conduit of a fluidic component, the fitting comprising:
a fitting housing comprising a housing end with an opening;
a force applicator configured for applying a fixing force for fixing the capillary within the fitting, the force applicator comprising a shaft connecting the force applicator to the fitting housing for pivoting the force applicator relative to the fitting housing, wherein the capillary is disposed through the opening;
a force limitation mechanism configured for limiting the fixing force being applicable by the force applicator to the capillary;
a force splitter configured for splitting the fixing force into an advance force component for advancing the capillary towards the fluidic component and into a clamping force component for clamping the capillary within the fitting;
a biasing mechanism arranged between the force applicator and the force splitter, and the biasing mechanism disposed between the housing end and the force splitter, the biasing mechanism configured for biasing the force splitter against the capillary; and
a coupling piece arranged as a separate member between the shaft and the biasing mechanism.

2. The fitting according to the claim 1 , wherein the force applicator has a lever operable by a user.

3. The fitting according to the claim 2 , wherein the shaft comprises an eccentric shaft rigidly coupled to the lever so that pivoting the lever pushes the eccentric shaft towards the biasing mechanism to thereby apply the fixing force.

4. The fitting according to claim 1 , wherein the force limitation mechanism has a first abutment member forming part of the force applicator and has a second abutment member forming part of a fitting housing, wherein the first abutment member and the second abutment member are configured so as to abut to one another for inhibiting continued operation of the force applicator thereby inhibiting exceeding of the fixing force.

5. The fitting according to claim 1 , wherein the force splitter comprises a collet at least partially circumferentially surrounding at least a part of the capillary and comprises a first ferrule being biased against the collet by the biasing mechanism, wherein the collet and the first ferrule are shaped at mutual abutting surfaces so as to be slanted relative to an extension direction of the capillary, for splitting the fixing force into the advance force component and the clamping force component.

6. The fitting according to claim 5 , wherein the first ferrule is an annular disk with a tapering through hole.

7. The fitting according to claim 5 , wherein the collet is a slitted tube with a tapering end section.

8. The fitting according to claim 1 , wherein the biasing mechanism is selected from the group consisting of: a spring assembly, a spring assembly comprising a plurality of plate washers, and a spring assembly comprising one or more concave plate washers and one or more convex plate washers.

9. The fitting according to claim 1 , wherein the shaft is a pivotable eccentric shaft, and the fitting further comprises a coupling piece arranged between flail the pivotable eccentric shaft of the force applicator and the biasing mechanism and having a curved coupling surface coupled to the eccentric shaft and a planar coupling surface coupled to the biasing mechanism.

10. The fitting according to claim 1 , wherein the fitting housing comprises a first housing piece and a second housing piece, the first housing piece is rotatable relative to the second housing piece in the absence of a fixing force applied by the force applicator, and the first housing piece is fixed relative to the second housing piece when the force applicator is operated to apply the fixing force.

11. The fitting according to claim 10 , wherein the second housing piece has a connection section, particularly an external screw, configured for being connected to a cooperating connection section, particularly an internal screw, of the fluidic component.

12. The fitting according to claim 1 , further comprising a fluidic planar structure reception gap configured for clampingly receiving a fluidic planar structure as the fluidic component having integrated therein the fluidic conduit.

13. The fitting according to claim 12 , wherein the fluidic planar structure reception gap is configured for receiving the fluidic planar structure in an insertion direction which is perpendicular to an extension direction of the capillary reception.

14. A fluidic device for conducting a fluidic sample, the fluidic device comprising:
a fluidic component having a fluidic conduit;
a capillary; and
a fitting according to claim 1 for providing a fluid connection between the capillary when received in the fitting and the fluidic conduit of the fluidic component when connected to the fitting for conducting the fluidic sample through the fluidic device.

15. The fitting according to claim 1 , wherein the force applicator is positioned proximate to the housing end.

16. The fitting according to claim 1 , wherein the biasing mechanism is configured for receiving the capillary therethrough such that the capillary is insertable from the housing end into the capillary reception, through the biasing mechanism, and into the force splitter.

17. A method of fluidically coupling a capillary with a fluidic conduit of a fluidic component by a fitting having a fitting housing, the method comprising:
receiving the capillary in an opening of a housing end of the fitting housing;
operating a force applicator of the fitting to apply a fixing force for fixing the capillary within the fitting, the force applicator comprising a shaft connecting the force applicator to the fitting housing for pivoting the force applicator relative to the fitting housing, wherein the capillary is disposed through the opening;
limiting the fixing force being applicable by the force applicator to the capillary by a force limitation mechanism of the fitting;
splitting the fixing force, by a force splitter of the fitting, into an advance force component for advancing the capillary towards the fluidic component and into a clamping force component for clamping the capillary within the fitting; and
biasing the force splitter against the capillary by a biasing mechanism of the fitting, the biasing mechanism arranged between the force applicator and the force splitter, and the biasing mechanism disposed between the housing end and the force splitter,
wherein the fitting has a coupling piece arranged as a separate member between the shaft and the biasing mechanism.

18. The method according to claim 17 , comprising receiving the capillary such that the capillary is inserted into the force splitter via the biasing mechanism.

Assignees

• Zeko Darijo
• Mora-Fillat Jose-Angel
• Agilent Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Zeko Darijo
• Mora-Fillat Jose-Angel

Classifications

• F16L19/0206

  the collar not being integral with the pipe · CPC title

• G01N30/6004 Primary

  end pieces · CPC title

• G01N30/6039

  in series · CPC title

• F16L37/08

  in which the connection between abutting or axially overlapping ends is maintained by locking members (F16L37/22 - F16L37/26 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16L49/00

  Connecting arrangements, e.g. joints, specially adapted for pipes of brittle material, e.g. glass, earthenware · CPC title