Patent ID: 9534625
Date: 2017-01-03
CPC Classifications: F16B,F16F,F16L,Y10T

Claim:
1. A connector for latching components comprising: a pin comprising an elongated body defining a pin longitudinal axis having a pin diameter, a pin insertion end comprising a planar surface extending across the longitudinal axis and a tapered surface relative to the pin longitudinal axis, and a pin groove recessed from the pin diameter; a housing comprising a housing bore with a bore diameter having the pin disposed, at least in part, therein by inserting the pin into the bore and moving the pin in a first direction relative to the housing to latch the pin to the housing in a latched position, said housing bore comprising a lengthwise housing axis, a housing groove disposed on an inside surface of said housing bore and comprising two tapered surfaces that are tapered relatively to the lengthwise housing axis, the housing groove and the pin groove structured to permit disconnection of the pin from the housing when moving the pin in a second direction relative to the housing, which is opposite the first direction; a radial canted coil spring comprising a spring inside diameter, a spring outside diameter, a plurality of coils, a major axis, a minor axis, and a wire diameter disposed inside the housing bore between the housing groove and the pin groove at a first canting angle to latch the pin to the housing with the plurality of coils simultaneously contacting and being biased by the two tapered surfaces of the housing groove and the pin groove in the latched position; wherein the connector is an electrical connector configured for electric current flow through the housing, the canted coil spring, and the pin; wherein said housing and pin grooves are sized and shaped for controlling, in combination with said canted coil spring, disconnect forces; and wherein the radial canted coil spring has a second canting angle when compressed along the minor axis, which is smaller than the first canting angle, to change the inside diameter of the radial canted coil spring to slide along the pin diameter of the pin or to change the outside diameter of the radial canted coil spring to slide through the bore diameter of the housing during movement of the pin in the second direction.