Spring latching connectors

A spring latching electrical connector comprising:

• a housing having a bore therethrough and two open ends;
• a piston located in said bore by moving the piston relative to the housing in a first direction, said piston comprising a solid piston body such that no fluid can flow through the piston, a tapered insertion end, and a planar end surface extending across a lengthwise axis of the piston at the insertion end;
• a housing groove formed in said housing bore and a piston groove formed on an exterior of said piston, the housing groove and the piston groove being axially abutted in an axially abutted relationship by a radial canted coil spring in a latched state to eliminate axial play;
• the radial canted coil spring, disposed in the housing and piston grooves for latching said piston and housing together in a latched position, comprising a plurality of coils each with a major axis, a minor axis, and a coil wire diameter sized for cooperating with the housing groove and piston groove, the housing and piston grooves being sized and shaped for controlling, in combination with a spring configuration, a connect force to connect said piston to said housing and a disconnect force to remove said piston from said housing;
• opposing surfaces in the housing and piston grooves simultaneously contacting and positioning a point of spring to piston contact to create an axial load on the plurality of coils of the radial canted coil spring for enabling the radial canted coil spring to maintain the axially abutted relationship between the housing groove and the piston groove in the latched position;
• wherein the connector is made from a material configured for electric current flow through the housing, the radial canted coil spring, and the piston;
• wherein the piston groove and the housing groove each comprises a tapered surface, relative to a lengthwise axis of the piston, that is sized and shaped to permit separation of the piston from the housing when the piston is moved in a second direction opposite the first direction;
• wherein the piston groove comprises a second tapered surface that is tapered relative to the lengthwise axis of the piston;
• and
• wherein the radial canted coil spring is located along an axial position in the housing groove prior to latching the piston to the housing and after separating the piston from the housing or the radial canted coil spring is located along an axial position in the piston groove prior to latching the piston to the housing and after separating the piston from the housing.

A spring latching electrical connector comprising:

• a housing having a bore therethrough and two open ends;
• a piston having a solid piston body such that no fluid can flow through the piston, said piston being slidably received in said bore by moving the piston relative to the housing in a first direction so that a tapered insertion end lifts a radial canted coil spring in moving in the first direction to be in said bore, said tapered insertion end comprises a planar end surface extending across a lengthwise axis of the piston;
• a housing groove comprising a tapered surface formed in said housing bore and a piston groove comprising two tapered surfaces having an apex or a bottom wall in between the two tapered surfaces, the two tapered surfaces being tapered relative to the lengthwise axis of the piston formed on an exterior of said piston, the housing groove and the piston groove sized and shaped to permit disconnection of the piston from the housing;
• the radial canted coil spring, which comprises a plurality of canted coils each with a major axis and a minor axis, is disposed in the housing groove and the piston groove and simultaneously contacts both the housing groove and the two tapered surfaces of the piston groove to latch said piston and housing together in a latched position, the housing and piston grooves being sized and shaped for controlling, in combination with a spring configuration, a connect force to connect said piston to said housing and a disconnect force to disconnect said piston from said housing, whereupon said radial canted coil spring deflects from a first canted angle to a second canted angle to enable separation of said piston from said housing when said piston moves in a second direction opposite the first direction;
• the piston groove, the housing groove, and the spring being shaped and oriented so that the disconnect force is higher than the connect force;
• wherein the connector is made from a material configured for electric current flow through the housing, the radial canted coil spring, and the piston;
• and
• wherein the piston comprises a shoulder abutting a side of the housing to restrict movement of the piston in the first direction following the latched position.

A method of retaining a spring in a connector comprising:

• providing a housing with a bore having housing groove and two open ends;
• providing a piston with a solid body such that no fluid can flow through the piston, said piston being elongated and having a tapered insertion end, a planar end surface extending across a lengthwise axis of the piston at the insertion end, and a piston groove having two tapered surfaces having an apex or a bottom wall in between the two tapered surfaces, the two tapered surfaces being tapered relative to a lengthwise axis of the piston on an exterior of the piston and positioning the piston in said bore of said housing by moving the piston in a first direction relative to the housing;
• securing a radial canted coil spring by simultaneously contacting a plurality of coils with the housing groove and the two tapered surfaces of the piston groove to bias the radial canted coil spring at a first canted angle against both the housing groove and the piston groove in a latched configuration so that electrical flow can flow across the housing, the piston, and the radial canted coil spring;
• the housing and piston grooves being sized and shaped for controlling, in combination with a spring configuration, a connect force to connect said piston to said housing and a disconnect force to disconnect said piston from said housing, whereupon said radial canted coil spring deflects to enable separation of said piston from said housing;
• separating the piston from the housing by moving the piston in a second direction opposite the first direction and by canting the plurality of coils from their first canted angle in the latched position in which the plurality of coils simultaneously contact the housing groove and the piston groove to a further canting angle and then removing the piston from the housing;
• and
• wherein the housing groove and the piston groove being axially abutted in an axially abutted relationship by the radial canted coil spring in a latched state to eliminate axial play.

A method for latching a piston to a housing of a connector using a spring and unlatching the piston from the housing, said method comprising:

• providing a housing comprising a housing bore defining a lengthwise housing axis;
• providing a piston with a solid body such that no fluid can flow through the piston, said piston being elongated and having a piston longitudinal axis, a piston insertion end comprising a tapered surface relative to the piston longitudinal axis, and a planar end surface extending across the piston longitudinal axis at the piston insertion end;
• placing a radial canted coil spring inside the housing bore to permit latching and unlatching, said radial canted coil spring comprising a plurality of coils each comprising a major axis, a minor axis, and a wire diameter sized to cooperate with the piston and the housing;
• moving the piston in a first direction relative to the housing into the housing bore to capture and bias the radial canted coil spring in a common groove defined by a piston groove of the piston and a housing groove of the housing to latch the piston to the housing;
• said common groove comprising two tapered surfaces, including a first tapered surface of the piston groove and a second tapered surface of the housing groove, that are tapered relative to the piston longitudinal axis and the radial canted coil spring simultaneously contacting the common groove, including the two tapered surfaces, in a latched position to create a biasing load on the radial canted coil spring between the housing bore and the piston;
• wherein the tapered surface of the piston insertion end lifts the plurality of coils during insertion of the piston in the first direction into the housing bore, said movement in the first direction produces a connect force and movement of said piston in a second direction opposite the first direction so that at least one of said two tapered surfaces lifts the plurality of coils to separate said radial canted coil spring from the common groove produces a disconnect force;
• wherein the radial canted coil spring is located along an axial position in the housing groove prior to latching the piston to the housing and after separating the piston from the housing or the radial canted coil spring is located along an axial position in the piston groove prior to latching the piston to the housing and after separating the piston from the housing;
• and
• wherein the first tapered surface of the piston groove is part of a V-groove of the piston groove.