ELECTRICAL CONTACT ASSEMBLIES WITH CANTED COIL SPRINGS
First Claim
1. An electrical contact assembly comprising:
- a housing defining a bore having an internal groove formed therein;
an axial canted coil spring comprising a plurality of spring coils, each spring coil having a spring coil length, the plurality of spring coils disposed in said internal groove comprising a groove width with a width dimension;
wherein at least one spring coil comprises a minor axis length that is greater than the groove width dimension; and
an insertion object sized for insertion into the bore of the housing;
wherein a clamping force of said axial canted coil spring retains the insertion object within the bore; and
wherein the axial canted coil spring provides an electrical conductive path between the insertion object and the housing that is less than 50% of the spring coil length.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electrical contact assembly including a housing defining a bore having an internal groove formed therein; an axial canted coil spring having a plurality of spring coils, each spring coil having a spring coil length, the plurality of spring coils disposed in the internal groove with a groove width having a width dimension; wherein at least one spring coil comprises a minor axis length that is greater than the width dimension. An insertion object sized for insertion into the bore of the housing; wherein a clamping force of the axial canted coil spring retains the insertion object within the bore; and wherein the axial canted coil spring provides an electrical conductive path between the insertion object and the housing that is less than 50% of the spring coil length
60 Citations
30 Claims
-
1. An electrical contact assembly comprising:
-
a housing defining a bore having an internal groove formed therein; an axial canted coil spring comprising a plurality of spring coils, each spring coil having a spring coil length, the plurality of spring coils disposed in said internal groove comprising a groove width with a width dimension;
wherein at least one spring coil comprises a minor axis length that is greater than the groove width dimension; andan insertion object sized for insertion into the bore of the housing; wherein a clamping force of said axial canted coil spring retains the insertion object within the bore; and wherein the axial canted coil spring provides an electrical conductive path between the insertion object and the housing that is less than 50% of the spring coil length. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. An electrical contact assembly comprising:
-
a housing defining a bore comprising an internal groove having a first side wall, a second side wall and a bottom wall located therebetween; at least one of an axial canted coil spring and a radial canted coil spring disposed in said internal groove, the canted coil spring having a spring coil having a spring coil length that contacts at least one of said side walls at a first contact point; and an insertion object sized for insertion into the bore; wherein the canted coil spring contacts the insertion object at an insertion object contact point to retain the insertion object within the bore, and wherein an electrical path length between the first contact point and the insertion object contact point is less than 30% of the spring coil length. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A method of connecting an electrical contact assembly comprising:
-
providing a housing comprising a groove having a first side wall, a second side wall, and a bottom wall; positioning a canted coil spring in said internal groove; inserting an insertion object into the housing to create an electrical path length extending from a first contact point between at least one of the side walls and the canted coil spring and a second contact point between the insertion object and the canted coil spring, the electrical path length between the first contact point and the second contact point being less than half of a length of a spring coil of the canted coil spring. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
-
Specification