STAMPED HOUSINGS TO FACILITATE ASSEMBLY AND RELATED METHODS

• US 20200132102A1
• Filed: 12/20/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bal Seal Engineering Incorporated (Kaman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bal Seal Engineering Incorporated (Kaman Corporation)
• Inventors: Ghasiri, Majid
• Granted Patent: US 11,204,054 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 21/186 external, i.e. with contracting action

Abstract

Connector housings and connector assemblies for mechanically connecting a pin to a housing with or without electrical conductivity. A connector housing can be formed by attaching two housing sections together with one or both housing sections formed at least in part by a stamping process. The connector housing can have an outer contour, such as an outer perimeter, with one or more sides and with a joining section connecting two adjacent sides together. The two or more sides can be used for handling, aligning, and/or assembling of the connector housing to a cavity.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a connector comprising:

forming a first housing section by stamping, said first housing section comprising a body having an exterior surface, an interior surface, an outer perimeter with two or more sides with a joining section located between two adjacent sides, an inner perimeter defining an opening, and a contoured structure;

forming a second housing section by stamping, said second housing section joined to the first housing section, said second housing section comprising a body having an exterior surface, an interior surface, an outer perimeter with two or more sides with a joining section located between two adjacent sides, an inner perimeter defining an opening, and a contoured structure;

attaching the first housing section to the second housing section to form a spring groove from the two contoured structures;

positioning a canted coil spring between the first housing section and the second housing section at the spring groove;

welding the two housing sections together along at least part of the outer perimeters of the two housing sections to form a joined housing; and

wherein the openings of the two housing sections define a bore and the two outer perimeters define a housing perimeter.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing a pin into the bore.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the pin comprises a pin groove and the canted coil spring is biased against the pin groove.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a corner tab by extending a structure from one of the sides.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising attaching a first section to a second section to form the first housing section.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming one or more notches or one or more holes in the flange section of the connector housing.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising removing the pin from the connector housing.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the connector is made of metallic materials for use as an electrical connector.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the joined housing has an active side comprising at least one of a slot, a corner tab, a fitment corner tab, a tab, teeth, and a curved surface.

10. A method of manufacturing a connector comprising:

providing a tubing section having a body with a bore, a first end, and a second end and a first length measured between the first end and the second end;

cold working the tubing section by shorting the first length to a second length and forming a spring groove between the first end and the second end; and

placing a canted coil spring in the groove.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the spring groove is formed entirely by cold working to produce two sidewalls and a bottom wall therebetween.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first end has a first exterior dimension and the second end has a second exterior dimension and wherein an exterior dimension at the spring groove is larger than the first exterior dimension and the second exterior dimension.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the canted coil spring is a radial canted coil spring.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising placing a pin into the bore.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pin comprises a pin groove and wherein the canted spring is biased against the pin groove.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the tubing section is made from a soft metal material.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the soft metal material is at least one of copper, brass, or alloys thereof.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the tubing section is plated or cladded with a different metallic layer, internally, externally, or both.

19. A method of manufacturing a connector comprising:

attaching two plates each with an outside perimeter and an inside perimeter defining an opening to a cylinder section to form a groove;

wherein the cylinder section has an inside diameter and wherein the two openings of the two inside perimeters are smaller than the inside diameter of the cylinder section;

placing a canted coil spring in the groove; and

placing a pin in contact with the canted coil spring.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the canted coil spring has an inside diameter and wherein the inside diameter of the canted coil spring is smaller than the two inside perimeters.