Multi-stage engagement assemblies and related methods
AssigneeBal Seal Engineering, Inc.
InventorDerek Changsrivong
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A progressive release or multi-point engagement device according to aspect of the present disclosure includes a first component and a second component connected to the first component with a canted coil spring. The first component is movable relative to the second component and latch by moving the canted coil spring to a second common groove. Alternatively, a second spring is used to move the second component and relative to a third component. When a second engagement position is desired, a relatively higher a force may be necessary to move the relevant component.
Claims27
A device with multi-stage engagement comprising:
- a shaft having a centerline;
- a housing having a bore extending along the centerline of the shaft and receiving the shaft;
- a retaining groove having a bottom wall and two sidewalls extending from the bottom wall;
- a first groove and a second groove transitioning from the first groove in the bore of the housing or on the shaft;
- a canted coil spring biased against the retaining groove and pressing against a flat bottom wall of the first groove having a surface that is generally parallel to the centerline of the shaft in a first latched position when a first axial force is applied on the shaft or on the housing and pressing against the retaining groove and a bottom wall of the second groove in a second latched position when a second axial force is applied on the shaft or on the housing, the second axial force being higher than the first axial force;
- and
- wherein the flat bottom wall of the first groove and the bottom wall of the second groove and have different depths relative to the centerline of the shaft.
A device with multi-stage engagement comprising:
- a shaft having a centerline;
- a housing having a bore aligned along the centerline having the shaft received therein;
- a first groove and a second groove in the bore of the housing or on the shaft and a single groove on the other one of the housing or the shaft;
- a canted coil spring captured in the single groove and positioned against a flat bottom wall of the first groove in a first latched position and against a flat bottom wall of the second groove in a second latched position, the canted coil spring being slidable along the flat bottom walls of the first groove and the second groove.
A device with multi-stage engagement comprising:
- a first groove and a second groove in a bore of a housing each having a flat bottom wall surface separated from one another by an interior dividing wall, which has a smaller wall inside diameter than a wall inside diameter of the bottom wall surface of the first groove, a wall inside diameter of the bottom wall surface of the second groove, or both the bottom wall surfaces of the first and the second grooves;
- a shaft located in the bore of the housing, said shaft comprising a shaft groove, the shaft groove having a bottom wall;
- a spring located in the shaft groove and the first groove in a first latch position and located in the shaft groove and the second groove in a second latch position, the spring being compressed between the bottom wall surfaces of the first groove and the bottom wall of the shaft groove in the first latch position, the spring being compressed between the bottom wall surface of the second groove and the shaft groove in the second latch position, the spring being slidable along the flat bottom wall surfaces in the first latch position and the second latch position;
- and
- wherein the first groove and the second groove both have side wall surfaces that are tapered relative to a centerline of the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.