Longitudinal canted coil spring contacts to facilitate assembly
View Patent ↗A canted coil spring includes a first section having a plurality of first canted coils generally canted at an acute first angle relative to a first direction of a centerline extending through the first canted coils, and at least a second section coupled to the first section and having a plurality of second canted coils generally canted at an acute second angle relative to a second direction of the centerline extending through the second canted coils. The second direction is opposite to the first direction when the centerline is in a linear configuration. A method of manufacturing the canted coil includes fabricating a first wire section in a canted helical configuration thereby forming the plurality of first coils, and fabricating at least a second wire section in a canted helical configuration thereby forming the plurality of second coils. The first wire section is coupled to the second wire section.
1. A canted coil spring system comprising:
an object having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side;
a canted coil spring comprising:
a first wire section comprising a plurality of first canted coils generally canted at an acute first angle relative to a first direction of a centerline extending through the first canted coils; and
a second wire section connected to the first wire section, said second wire section comprising a plurality of second canted coils comprising coils generally canted at an acute second angle relative to a second direction of the centerline extending through the second canted coils, the second direction being opposite to the first direction when the centerline is in a linear configuration; and
wherein when the canted coil spring is mounted around the object such that at least a portion of the first wire section extends along the first side of the object and at least a portion of the second wire section extends along the second side of the object, the coils in the portion of the first wire section and the coils in the portion of the second wire section are canted in generally the same direction.
2. The canted coil spring system of claim 1 , wherein the object includes a groove configured to receive at least a portion of the canted coil spring.
3. The canted coil spring system of claim 2 , wherein the groove longitudinally extends around the object in a V-shaped configuration.
4. The canted coil spring system of claim 2 , wherein the groove longitudinally extends around the object in a slanted configuration.
5. The canted coil spring system of claim 2 , wherein the groove has one of a rectangular, a V-shaped, a tapered, or a dove-tailed cross-sectional shape.
6. The canted coil spring system of claim 2 , wherein a width of the groove is greater than or less than a width of the coils of the first wire section or the second wire section.
7. The canted coil spring system of claim 1 , wherein the canted coil spring comprises at least one additional section comprising an additional plurality of canted coils generally canted at an acute angle relative to the first direction or the second direction.
8. The canted coil spring system of claim 7 , wherein when the canted coil spring is mounted on the object, the at least one additional section extends along a side of the object different from the first side and the second side.
9. The canted coil spring system of claim 1 , wherein an end of the first wire section of the canted coil spring is connected to an end of the second wire section of the canted coil spring to mount the canted coil spring on the object.
10. A method of manufacturing a canted coil spring, the method comprising:
fabricating a first wire section in a canted helical configuration thereby forming a plurality of first coils canted at an acute first angle relative to a first direction of a centerline extending through the plurality of first coils;
fabricating at least a second wire section in a canted helical configuration thereby forming a plurality of second coils canted at an acute angle relative to a second direction of the centerline extending through the plurality of second coils, the second direction being opposite to the first direction when the centerline is in a linear configuration;
providing a transition section in between the first wire section and the second wire section, the transition section being sized with a sufficient length to wrap around a shank so that the first wire section and the second wire section are disposed on opposite side of a centerline of the shank; and
wherein the first wire section is coupled to the second wire section through the transition section.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first wire section and the second wire section are continuous one-piece portions of a single wire.
12. The method of claim 10 , comprising fabricating at least one additional wire section in a canted helical configuration thereby forming a plurality of additional coils canted at an acute angle relative to the first direction or the second direction of the centerline extending through the additional coils.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first section is welded to the second section.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first section and the second section are spaced apart along the centerline.
15. A canted coil spring comprising:
a first wire section comprising a plurality of first canted coils generally canted at an acute first angle relative to a first direction of a centerline extending through the first canted coils; and
a second wire section comprising a plurality of second canted coils generally canted at an acute second angle relative to a second direction of the centerline extending through the second canted coils;
a transition section, which separates an end coil of the first wire section and an end coil of the second wire section by a length, said transition section comprising a configuration that differs from the first wire section and the second wire section;
a first wire position in which the centerline is linear and the first direction being opposite the second direction; and
a second wire position in which the centerline has a bend and the first direction or the second direction rotated to be similar.
16. The canted coil spring of claim 15 , further comprising a shank comprising a centerline and wherein the transition section crosses the centerline.
17. The canted coil spring of claim 16 , wherein the shank, the first wire section and the second wire section are disposed in a channel of a housing and wherein the plurality of first canted coils and the plurality of second canted coils are canted by the housing in the second wire position.
18. The canted coil spring of claim 15 , comprising at least an additional section comprising a plurality of additional canted coils generally canted at an acute angle relative to the first direction or the second direction.
19. The canted coil spring of claim 15 , wherein the transition section comprises a weld bead.
20. The canted coil spring of claim 15 , wherein the transition section being sized and shaped to permit the first wire section and the second wire section to wrap around a shank so that the first wire section and the second wire section are disposed on opposite side of a centerline of the shank.
21. The canted coil spring of claim 15 , further comprising a second transition section.
22. The canted coil spring of claim 15 , wherein the first wire section, the second wire section, and the transition section form a continuous one-piece section.