Arrangement for connecting a rod end to a headed pin and method of manufacture
OwnerGregory Ruhlanderinventor
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Abstract
An arrangement and method of manufacture for providing a connection between one end of a control rod and a headed pin includes a hard plastic housing having a pin receiving cavity defined therein, the housing overmolded over the rod end and a soft elastomeric vibration isolator to hold the same together without assembly clearances or subjecting the vibration isolator to direct pressure from the pin to avoid excessive lash in the connection. Retention prongs are integrally molded and configured to engage the head of the pin when inserted in the cavity to be deflected to allow assembly and thereafter resist extraction, with the insertion forces much lower than the extraction force.
Claims20
An arrangement for connecting a one end of a control rod to a headed pin to enable driving of said pin by motion of said control rod, in combination with said control rod and said headed pin, comprising:
- a housing made of a hard plastic and defining a pin receiving cavity, with one or more retention features projecting into said cavity and engaging said headed pin when inserted therein so as to be retained therein;
- a vibration isolator made of an elastic material softer than said housing, said vibration isolator fit over said one end of said control rod;
- and
- said housing overmolded onto said vibration isolator join together said housing, said one end of said rod, and said vibration isolator.
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A method of constructing a driving connection between one end of a control rod and a headed pin, comprising the steps of:
- molding a hard plastic housing to extend over said one end of said control rod;
- forming a cavity in our within said housing offset from said one end of said rod and configured to receive said headed pin;
- forming at least one feature within said cavity engaging said headed pin upon insertion therein to retain the same;
- interposing an elastomeric vibration isolator softer than said hard plastic housing between said hard plastic housing defining said cavity and said one end of said rod and overmolding said housing onto said vibration isolator when molding said housing to thereby join together said housing, said one end of said rod and said vibration isolator.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.