Patent Publication Number: US-2007103263-A1

Title: Snap ring for holding solenoid in housing

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for holding vehicle solenoids in housings.  
     II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Modern vehicles have many control systems in which a controller, in response to sensor signals, actuates vehicle components to control the vehicle. As one illustration, a gear shifter might be prevented by the operation of a solenoid from moving out of “park” unless the brake is depressed. Solenoids may also be used in vehicle sensors.  
      Regardless of the application, it is usually the case that a solenoid must be advanced into a housing during assembly. To hold the solenoid in the housing, a clip or bracket can be used, but as critically recognized herein, each has drawbacks. In the case of a clip, assemblers can find it difficult to force the assembly together, whereas a bracket requires a bolt that must be installed at a design torque, complicating assembly. With these critical observations in mind, the invention herein is provided.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      A snap ring to hold a solenoid in a housing such as a sensor or actuator housing has a body configured in a circular shape with opposed first and second ends that are spaced from and that face each other. First and second elongated, substantially straight ears at each end extend away from the plane defined by the body.  
      In some implementations the ears extend parallel to each other in the same direction. The preferred body is biased to a first configuration, wherein the circular shape of the body defines a relatively larger radius, and is deformable to a second configuration, wherein the circular shape of the body defines a relatively smaller radius. When in the circular shape the body defines a cylindrical inner-facing surface and a non-cylindrical outer-facing surface that may have, e.g., a curvilinear transverse cross-section.  
      In another aspect, an assembly for a vehicle includes a solenoid and a vehicle sensor housing or vehicle actuator housing. A snap ring interconnects the solenoid and housing without any clip or bracket being used to interconnect the solenoid and housing.  
      In still another aspect, a method for engaging a vehicle sensor component or actuation component with a housing includes sliding a snap ring around the component, and advancing the component into the housing with the snap ring deformed to a first configuration. The component is advanced until the snap ring is juxtaposed with a groove in the housing to allow the snap ring to expand into the groove to a second configuration larger than the first. No clip or bracket need be used to hold the component on the housing.  
      The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the snap ring;  
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the snap ring;  
       FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the snap ring inside a housing, with the solenoid removed for clarity;  
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view showing the snap ring around the solenoid and being advanced into the housing; and  
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view showing the snap ring around the solenoid after having been fully advanced into the housing. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      The present invention is intended for application in automotive vehicle transmission systems and will be described in that context. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention could also be successfully applied in many other applications.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a snap ring  10  is shown for holding a component such as but not limited to a solenoid in a housing, such as but not limited to a valve housing or a sensor housing. As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the snap ring  10  includes a body  12  that is configured in a circular shape, but that is not a complete circle. Accordingly, the body  12  has opposed first and second ends  13 ,  14 , with the ends being spaced from and facing each other. First and second elongated, substantially straight ears  16 ,  18  respectively extend away from the plane defined by the body  12  as shown, and each ear  16 ,  18  extends from a respective end  13 ,  14 . The ears  16 ,  18  may be formed integrally with the body  12 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the ears  16 ,  18  extend parallel to each other in the same direction. The ears  16 ,  18  establish an angle a with respect to the plane of the body  12 , with the angle a being a right angle or, as shown, an oblique angle such as a sixty degree angle.  
      It may now be appreciated that the body  12  of the snap ring  10  is biased to a first configuration, wherein the circular shape of the body defines a relatively larger radius, and that the body  12  may be deformed in accordance with disclosure below to a second configuration, wherein the circular shape of the body defines a relatively smaller radius.  
      When the body  12  is in the circular shape, the body  12  defines a cylindrical inner-facing surface  20  and a non-cylindrical outer-facing surface  22 . That is, by “cylindrical” is meant a surface that would be flat, were the body  12  to be laid out in a straight line, and by “non-cylindrical” is meant a surface that would not be flat, were the body  12  to be laid out in a straight line. In the embodiment shown, the outer-facing surface  22  has a curvilinear transverse cross-section, and more particularly has a semi-circular cross-section, although shapes conducive to sliding the snap ring  10  into the below-described body may be used. For instance, the outer-facing surface  22  may have a triangular transverse cross-section.  
      In cross-reference to  FIGS. 3-5 , the snap ring  10  can be used to hold a component such as a sensor solenoid or actuator solenoid  24  in a housing  26  such as a sensor housing or actuator body such as a valve housing or gear shift locking mechanism housing, without any clip or bracket being used to interconnect the solenoid and housing. As shown, the solenoid  24  is surrounded by the snap ring  10 , and the housing  26  surrounds the snap ring  10 . As best shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the housing  26  is formed with a circular groove  28  for receiving the snap ring  10 . The groove  28  may be tapered in cross-section, e.g., it may be semi-circular in cross-section or have another other shape as long as it is appropriately configured for receiving the outer-facing surface  22  of the snap ring  10 . Also, a circular groove  30  may be formed in the solenoid  24  to receive the inner-facing surface  20  of the snap ring  10 , with the groove  30  preferably having a parallelepiped-shaped transverse cross-section to securely hold the snap ring  10  therein.  
      In operation, the snap ring  10  is slid around the solenoid  24  until the inner-facing surface  20  is in the snap ring groove  30 . The solenoid  24  is advanced into the housing  26 , causing the snap ring  10  to be deformed to a smaller diameter configuration as shown in  FIG. 4 , in which the inner-facing surface  20  is more or less bottomed in the snap ring groove  30 . When the snap ring  10  is juxtaposed with the housing groove  28 , owing to its material bias the body  12  of the snap ring  10  springs to a larger diameter configuration, into the housing groove  28  as shown in  FIG. 5 . In the larger diameter configuration, the snap ring  10  remains captured in the solenoid groove  30  but is not bottomed in the solenoid groove  30 . No clip or bracket need be used to hold the solenoid  24  on the housing  26 .  
      As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the snap ring  10  is oriented with the ears  16 ,  18  extending outwardly from the housing  26 . Accordingly, to disengage the solenoid  24  from the housing  26 , the two ears  16 ,  18  are grasped by hand or by a tool and are pinched toward each other to cause the snap ring  10  to deform away from the larger diameter configuration, clearing the housing groove  28 . The solenoid  24  is then retracted from the housing  26 .  
      If desired,  FIG. 3  shows that the housing  26  may be formed with a snap ring stop  32  that is located between the ears  16 ,  18  when the snap ring  10  is properly oriented, to prevent rotation of the snap ring  10  beyond the space between the ears.  
      While the particular SNAP RING FOR HOLDING SOLENOID IN HOUSING as herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the above-described objects of the invention, it is to be understood that it is the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention and is thus representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the present invention, that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more”. It is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. Absent express definitions herein, claim terms are to be given all ordinary and accustomed meanings that are not irreconcilable with the present specification and file history.