Related Application

[0001] This application is related to Chinese Utility Model Application No.: 202120371730.8 filed February 8, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference.

[0002] Additionally, the present application is related to Chinese Application No. 202110171163.6, filed February 8, 2021; Chinese Application No.: 202110180594.9, filed February 8, 2021; Chinese Utility Model Application No. 202120363754.9 filed February 8, 2021; Chinese Utility Model Application No.: 202120371838.7 filed February 8, 2021; Chinese Utility Model Application Number No. 202120367781.3, filed February 8, 2021; and Chinese Patent Application No. 202123270682.2, filed Dec. 23, 2021, the entire disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.

Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of sealing joints, and in particular to a sealing joint structure for inflation and deflation.

Background

[0004] Common inflatable products on the market, such as inflatable airbeds, inflatable tables, inflatable boats, inflatable toys, etc., are widely favored by consumers thanks to their light weight, foldability, portability, good comfort and many other advantages. They have a wide range of applications, have become one of the must-have products for people at home and traveling, and enjoy a very high market prospect. The air tightness of inflatable products is a key indicator of their quality. Whether the air tightness is high directly affects consumers’ experience of using inflatable products. Therefore, most inflatable products are subject to air tightness testing, i.e., leakage testing, before they are put on the market.

[0005] Inflatable products need to be filled with the test gas before the leakage testing. After the test is completed, the test gas needs to be recycled. However, some test gases are prone to leakage during filling or extraction, or external air may be sucked into the gas storage tank, which affects the concentration of the test gas. As a result, during inflation and deflation operations, it is usually necessary to use sealing joints to prevent gas leakage. However, most of the existing inflation-deflation joints use sealing rings to seal the gap. With multiple plugging and unplugging of the joint, the sealing ring easily becomes worn, and as a result the joint may fail or deteriorate in its sealing performance.

Summary

[0006] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a sealing joint structure for inflation and deflation of an inflatable product with a good sealing effect is provided.

[0007] In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a sealing joint structure for inflation and deflation of an inflatable product is provided. The sealing joint comprising: a guide seat having a first gas passage and a second gas passage; a gas core coupled to the guide seat, the first gas passage in the guide seat is connected to the gas core; a guide sleeve movably sleeved on the guide seat and the gas core, the guide sleeve, the guide seat, and the gas core fit with each other to form a sealed chamber, the sealed chamber is connected to the second gas passage in the guide seat; a pressure piece fixedly connected to the end of the gas core away from the guide seat; and an elastic sealing piece sleeved on the gas core, with a first end abutting on the pressure piece and a second end abutting on the guide sleeve.

[0008] In an example thereof, the sealing joint structure further comprises a sealing ring, wherein the guide seat includes a placement groove and the sealing ring is received in the placement groove to seal a gap between the guide sleeve and the guide seat.

[0009] In another example thereof, the elastic sealing piece is a silicone sleeve.

[0010] In a further example thereof, the guide seat is connected to an inflation and deflation pipe, and the first gas passage and the second gas passage in the guide seat are connected to the inflation and deflation pipe. In a variation thereof, a first connecting pipe and a second connecting pipe are provided in the inflation and deflation pipe, the first connecting pipe is connected to the first gas passage, and the second connecting pipe is connected to the second gas passage. In another variation thereof, a first solenoid valve and a second solenoid valve are also provided on the inflation and deflation pipe, and the first gas passage is selectively connected to or disconnected from the first connecting pipe through the first solenoid valve; the second gas passage is selectively connected to the second connecting pipe or the atmosphere through the second solenoid valve. In a further variation thereof, a control switch for controlling the first solenoid valve and the second solenoid valve is also provided on the inflation and deflation pipe. [0011] In a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of sealing a connection between a sealing joint and an inner side wall of a joint of an inflatable product is provided. The method comprising the steps of: inserting an end of the sealing joint into the joint of the inflatable product, the end of the sealing joint including an elastic sealing piece; communicating air through a first gas passage of the sealing joint into an interior of the inflatable product; communicating air through a second gas passage of the sealing joint to an internal chamber of the sealing joint; translating a guide sleeve of the sealing joint towards the joint of the inflatable product due to an increase in the air pressure in the internal chamber of the sealing joint; and radially expanding the elastic sealing piece to seal against the inner side wall of the joint of the inflatable product and fix the sealing joint to the joint of the inflatable product due to the translation of the guide sleeve.

[0012] Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] The foregoing aspects and many of the intended advantages of this disclosure will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0014] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a sealing joint of the present disclosure;

[0015] Fig. 2 is an exploded schematic diagram of the sealing joint of Fig. 1 ;

[0016] Fig. 3 is an exploded schematic diagram of the sealing joint of Fig. 1; and

[0017] Fig. 4 is a section view of the sealing joint of Fig. 1.

[0018] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of various features and components according to the present disclosure, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the disclosure, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner. Detailed Description

[0019] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principals of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, which are described below. The embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings. It will be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. The disclosure includes any alterations and further modifications in the illustrative devices and described methods and further applications of the principles of the disclosure which would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates.

[0020] In the description, it should be noted that the terms upper, lower, inner, outer, top/bottom, etc. indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation shown in the drawings are only for the convenience of simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the pointed device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure. In addition, the terms first and second are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. [0021] The terms “couples”, “coupled”, “coupler”, and variations thereof are used to include both arrangements wherein two or more components are in direct physical contact and arrangements wherein the two or more components are not in direct contact with each other (e.g., the components are “coupled” via at least a third component, but yet still cooperates or interact with each other).

[0022] The present disclosure is related to the following applications which are incorporated by reference herein.

[0023] Exemplary methods of testing for air leakage from an inflatable product with test covers are provided in PCT Patent Application No. (unknown), filed same day as the present application, titled A GAS LEAKAGE DETECTION METHOD FORAN INFLATABLE PRODUCT, docket IRC-0144-01 -WO and Chinese Application No.: 202110171163.6, filed February 8, 2021, the entire disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.

[0024] Exemplary gas leakage testing devices having a plurality of test covers in a test frame, a loading workstation, and unloading workstation and methods of operation are provided in PCT Patent Application No. (unknown), filed same day as the present application, titled GAS LEAKAGE TESTING DEVICE FOR INFLATABLE PRODUCT, docket IRC-0145-01-WO and in Chinese Application No.: 202110180594.9 and Chinese Utility Model Application No.: 202120363754.9 both fded February 8, 2021, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. Additional exemplary gas leakage testing devices are provided in PCT Patent Application No. (unknown), fded same day as the present application, titled FEEDING MECHANISM, FEEDING AND DISCHARGE STRUCTURE FOR PERFORMANCE DETECTION DEVICE FOR INFLATABLE PRODUCT, docket IRC-0149-01 -WO and in Chinese Application No.: 202123270682.2, fded Dec. 23, 2021, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein.

[0025] Exemplary test cover replacement structures for swapping out test covers in a gas leakage detection device having at least a test frame and a loading workstation are provided in PCT Patent Application No. (unknown), fded same day as the present application, titled A TEST COVER REPLACEMENT STRUCTURE FOR AN AIR LEAKAGE DETECTION DEVICE OF INFLATABLE PRODUCTS, docket IRC-0146-01- WO and in Chinese Utility Model Application No.: 202120371838.7 fded February 8, 2021, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein.

[0026] Exemplary test covers are provided in PCT Patent Application No. (unknown), fded same day as the present application, titled AIR LEAKAGE DETECTION STRUCTURE AND TEST COVER STRUCTURE FOR INFLATABLE PRODUCT, docket IRC-0147-01-WO and Chinese Utility Model Application Number: 202120367781.3, fded February 8, 2021, the entire disclosures of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

[0027] Referring to Figs. 1-4, a sealing joint for inflation and deflation is shown. The sealing joint comprising a guide seat 20, a gas core 30, an elastic sealing piece 40, a guide sleeve 50 and a pressure piece 60. The guide seat 20 is provided with a first gas passage 21 and a second gas passage 22. The gas core 30 is connected to the guide seat 20. The first gas passage 21 in the guide seat 20 is connected to the gas core 30. The guide sleeve 50 is movably sleeved on the guide seat 20. The gas core 30, the guide sleeve 50, the guide seat 20 and the gas core 30 fit with each other to form a sealed chamber 70 (see Fig. 4). The sealed chamber 70 is connected to the second gas passage 22 in the guide seat 20. The pressure piece 60 is fixedly connected to the end of the gas core 30 away from the guide seat 20. The elastic sealing piece 40 is sleeved on the gas core 30, with one end abutting on the pressure piece 60 and the other end abutting on the guide sleeve 50.

[0028] When in use, the guide seat 20 is connected to a gas source, and one end of the gas core 30 is connected to a gas receiver (for example, an inflatable product), and then the gas in the gas source will enter the gas receiver through the sealing joint structure. The gas in the gas source will enter the first gas passage 21, the gas core 30 and then the gas receiver.

At the same time, the gas will enter the sealed chamber 70 through the second gas passage 22 and the pressure in the sealed chamber 70 will increase. Then the guide sleeve 50 is pushed to squeeze the elastic sealing piece to deform and swell. In this way, the elastic sealing piece can strengthen the sealing of the gap between the gas core 30 and the pipes connected to the gas core 30, thus effectively reducing gas leakage at the joint during inflation of a gas storage tank, or effectively preventing external air from entering a gas storage tank during deflation. [0029] In addition, to connect the sealing joint to a gas receiver, it is only necessary to insert the gas core 30 of the joint into the joint of the gas receiver, without rotation or other locking operations. After it is connected to a gas source, the gas will enter the sealed chamber 70 through the second gas passage 22, the pressure in the sealed chamber 70 will increase, and then the guide sleeve 50 is pushed to squeeze the elastic sealing piece 40 to deform and swell. The elastic sealing piece 40 deforms and swells and is in close contact with the inner side wall of the joint of the gas receiver, thus achieving firm connection between the sealing joint and the joint of the gas receiver.

[0030] Because the elastic sealing piece 40 abuts on the guide sleeve 50, the gas between the guide sleeve 50 and the gas core 30 can thus be sealed. In order to ensure air tightness of the sealed chamber 70, the guide seat 20 is provided with a placement groove 23 (see Fig. 3) around it. The placement groove 23 is provided with a sealing ring 24 for sealing the gap between the guide sleeve 50 and the guide seat 20. In embodiments, the elastic sealing piece 40 is a silicone sleeve.

[0031] In practical applications, the sealing joint structure is generally used in conjunction with an inflation and deflation pipe 10. Specifically, the guide seat 20 is connected to the inflation and deflation pipe 10, and the first gas passage 21 and the second gas passage 22 in the guide seat 20 are connected to the inflation and deflation pipe 10. This embodiment will be described by taking the application in the scenario of gas leakage detection for inflatable products as an example. [0032] In this embodiment, a first connecting pipe 11 and a second connecting pipe 12 are provided in the inflation and deflation pipe 10, the first connecting pipe 11 is connected to the first gas passage 21, and the second connecting pipe 12 is connected to the second gas passage 22. A first solenoid valve 13, a second solenoid valve 14 and a control switch 15 for controlling the first solenoid valve 13 and the second solenoid valve 14 are provided on the inflation and deflation pipe 10. Specifically, the first gas passage 21 is selectively connected to or disconnected from the first connecting pipe 11 through the first solenoid valve 13; the second gas passage 22 is selectively connected to the second connecting pipe 12 or the atmosphere through the second solenoid valve 14. Under normal conditions, the first gas passage 21 is disconnected from the first connecting pipe 11, and the second gas passage 22 is connected to the atmosphere.

[0033] Before the gas leakage detection of an inflatable product, the inflation operation is performed, and the gas in a gas storage tank is filled into the inflatable product. At this point, one end of the inflation and deflation pipe 10 can be directly and fixedly connected to the gas storage tank, and the other end can be connected to the inflatable product through the sealing joint of the present disclosure. Specifically, the gas core 30 of the sealing joint is inserted into the inflation inlet of the inflatable product, and then the control switch 15 is operated to open the first solenoid valve 13 and the second solenoid valve 14. The gas in the gas storage tank will enter the sealed chamber 70 through the second connecting pipe 12 and the second gas passage 22 and push the guide sleeve 50 to squeeze the elastic sealing piece 40 to swell to achieve sealing and firm connection between the inflatable product and the sealing joint. In embodiments, the sealing and firm connection is between the elastic sealing piece 40 and an inner side wall of the joint of the gas receiver which may be a circular tube. At the same time, the gas in the gas storage tank enters the inflatable product through the first connecting pipe 11, the first gas passage 21 and the gas core, thus performing the inflation operation of the inflatable product.

[0034] When the sealing joint is applied in an inflation or deflation operation, gas enters the sealed chamber 70 through the second gas passage 22 to increase the pressure in the sealed chamber 70, and further pushes the guide sleeve 50 to squeeze the elastic sealing piece 40 to deform by arching. Thereby the elastic sealing piece 40 can strengthen the sealing of the gap between the gas core 30 and the pipes connected to the gas core 30. Thus, effectively reducing gas leakage at the joint during inflation of an inflatable product, or effectively preventing external air from entering an inflatable product during deflation. The sealing joint among other advantages has a good sealing effect, and the sealing structure is not prone to damage, has a long service life, and is easy to operate.

[0035] In addition, during an inflation or deflation operation, gas enters the sealed chamber 70 and pushes the guide sleeve 50 to squeeze the elastic sealing piece to deform and swell, and the elastic sealing piece 40 deforms and swells against the frictional force generated by the inner side wall of the product joint, simultaneously sealing and blocking the ejection of the sealing joint, and thus achieving a firm connection between the sealing joint of and the joint of the gas receiver. Therefore, when the sealing joint is applied, it is only necessary to insert the sealing joint into the corresponding interface, and it is not necessary to rely on screws, snaps or other external force applying structures to perform the locking operation. The operation is convenient and simple, the connection is firm, and good sealing performance is provided. When there is a solenoid valve on the inflation and deflation pipe, after the sealing joint is inserted into the inflation and deflation port of an inflatable product, it is only necessary to operate the control switch to achieve sealing and fixation of both, and at the same time, the inflation or deflation of the inflatable product is also started. That is, the sealing joint can realize the sealing, fixing and the inflation operation by one-key operation.

[0036] Examples

[0037] Example 1 : A sealing joint structure for inflation and deflation of an inflatable product is provided. The sealing joint comprising: a guide seat having a first gas passage and a second gas passage; a gas core coupled to the guide seat, the first gas passage in the guide seat is connected to the gas core; a guide sleeve movably sleeved on the guide seat and the gas core, the guide sleeve, the guide seat, and the gas core fit with each other to form a sealed chamber, the sealed chamber is connected to the second gas passage in the guide seat; a pressure piece fixedly connected to the end of the gas core away from the guide seat; and an elastic sealing piece sleeved on the gas core, with a first end abutting on the pressure piece and a second end abutting on the guide sleeve.

[0038] Example 2: The sealing joint structure for inflation and deflation of Example 1, further comprising a sealing ring, wherein the guide seat includes a placement groove and the sealing ring is received in the placement groove to seal a gap between the guide sleeve and the guide seat.

[0039] Example 3 : The sealing joint structure for inflation and deflation of Example 1, wherein the elastic sealing piece is a silicone sleeve. [0040] Example 4: The sealing joint structure for inflation and deflation of Example 1, wherein the guide seat is connected to an inflation and deflation pipe, and the first gas passage and the second gas passage in the guide seat are connected to the inflation and deflation pipe.

[0041] Example 5 : The sealing joint structure for inflation and deflation of Example

4, wherein a first connecting pipe and a second connecting pipe are provided in the inflation and deflation pipe, the first connecting pipe is connected to the first gas passage, and the second connecting pipe is connected to the second gas passage.

[0042] Example 6: The sealing joint structure for inflation and deflation of Example

5, wherein a first solenoid valve and a second solenoid valve are also provided on the inflation and deflation pipe, and the first gas passage is selectively connected to or disconnected from the first connecting pipe through the first solenoid valve; the second gas passage is selectively connected to the second connecting pipe or the atmosphere through the second solenoid valve.

[0043] Example 7 : The sealing joint structure for inflation and deflation of Example

6, wherein a control switch for controlling the first solenoid valve and the second solenoid valve is also provided on the inflation and deflation pipe.

[0044] Example 8: A method of sealing a connection between a sealing joint and an inner side wall of a joint of an inflatable product is provided. The method comprising the steps of: inserting an end of the sealing joint into the joint of the inflatable product, the end of the sealing joint including an elastic sealing piece; communicating air through a first gas passage of the sealing joint into an interior of the inflatable product; communicating air through a second gas passage of the sealing joint to an internal chamber of the sealing joint; translating a guide sleeve of the sealing joint towards the joint of the inflatable product due to an increase in the air pressure in the internal chamber of the sealing joint; and radially expanding the elastic sealing piece to seal against the inner side wall of the joint of the inflatable product and fix the sealing joint to the joint of the inflatable product due to the translation of the guide sleeve.

[0045] Description of reference numbers in drawings

[0046] inflation and deflation pipe 10

[0047] first connecting pipe 11

[0048] second connecting pipe 12

[0049] first solenoid valve 13 [0050] second solenoid valve 14

[0051] control switch 15

[0052] guide seat 20

[0053] first gas passage 21

[0054] second gas passage 22

[0055] placement groove 23

[0056] sealing ring 24

[0057] gas core 30

[0058] elastic sealing piece 40

[0059] guide sleeve 50

[0060] pressure piece 60

[0061] sealed chamber 70.

[0062] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variation can be made in the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover the modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.