Coupling device for fluid lines

Abstract

A coupling device for fluid lines includes a female part having a rotatable locking arm with a cam, and a male part defining a longitudinal channel and a circumferential groove on its external surface. The male part is inserted into the female part by rotating the locking arm to its unlocked position, aligning the longitudinal channel with the cam, and sliding the cam within the longitudinal channel. The male part is locked into the female part by rotating the cam within the circumferential groove away from the longitudinal channel, and rotating the locking arm into its locked position so that the cam protrudes further into the circumferential groove. Even when the locking arm is rotated to its unlocked position, the cam engages the circumferential groove to retain the male part within the female part unless the cam is rotated within the circumferential groove into alignment with the longitudinal channel.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A coupling device for coupling a first fluid line to a second fluid line, said device comprising:
 (a) a female part comprising:
 (i) a line end for sealably connecting to the first fluid line; and 
 (ii) a female mating end comprising a cylindrical annular wall with an aperture; 
 (iii) at least one locking arm comprising a cam, said arm rotatably connected to the female mating end and rotatable between a locked position wherein the cam protrudes through the aperture to a locked position, and an unlocked position wherein the cam protrudes through the aperture to an unlocked position; 
   (b) a male part comprising:
 (i) a line end for sealably connecting to the second fluid line; and 
 (ii) a male mating end comprising a cylindrical annular wall, comprising an outside surface with a circumferentially formed groove and defining a longitudinally formed channel extending from the end of the male mating end into the groove; 
   wherein the cam in either the locked or unlocked position engages the male cylindrical annular wall within the groove to retain the male mating end in the female mating end, unless the male part is rotationally positioned relative to the female part such that cam is aligned with the channel, in which case the male part is releasable from the female part.   
     
     
         2 . The coupling device of  claim 1  wherein the female part has two locking arms, the male mating end has two channels and the angular separation between the two locking arms is equal to the angular separation between the two channels. 
     
     
         3 . The coupling device of any one of  claims 1  to  3 , further comprising a stop that interrupts the groove from extending along the entire circumference of the male mating end. 
     
     
         4 . The coupling device of  claim 4  wherein the angular separation between the stop and the immediately adjacent channel is substantially equal in both the clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. 
     
     
         5 . The coupling device of any one of  claims 1  to  4  further comprising markings on one or both of the male part or the female part to indicate when the cams is aligned with the channel or when the cam is not aligned with the channel.