Stamped housings to facilitate assembly and related methods
Connector housings and connector assemblies for mechanically connecting a pin to a housing with or without electrical conductivity. A connector housing can be formed by attaching two housing sections together with one or both housing sections formed at least in part by a stamping process. The connector housing can have an outer contour, such as an outer perimeter, with one or more sides and with a joining section connecting two adjacent sides together. The two or more sides can be used for handling, aligning, and/or assembling of the connector housing to a cavity.
1. A connector housing comprising:
a first housing section comprising a body having a wall with an exterior surface, an opposed interior surface, an outer perimeter with two or more sides with a joining section located between two adjacent sides, an inner perimeter through the exterior and interior surfaces defining an opening, and a contoured structure having a wall formed by stamping and having the inner perimeter located therein or thereon;
a second housing section joined to the first housing section, said second housing section comprising a body having an exterior surface, an opposed interior surface, an outer perimeter with two or more sides with a joining section located between two adjacent sides, an inner perimeter through the exterior and interior surfaces defining an opening, and a contoured structure having a wall formed by stamping and having the inner perimeter located therein or thereon;
a spring groove formed by the two contoured structures having a canted coil spring located therein;
wherein the interior surfaces of the two housing sections contact one another adjacent the outer perimeter of each housing section and having a seam therebetween and wherein the wall of the contoured structure of the first housing section is located on a first side of the seam and the wall of the contoured structure of the second housing section located on a second side of the seam and spaced from the wall of the contoured structure of the first housing section; and
wherein the openings of the two housing sections define a bore and the two outer perimeters define a housing perimeter.
2. The connector housing of claim 1 , further comprising a pin located in the bore.
3. The connector housing of claim 1 , further comprising a flange section adjacent the contour section of the first housing section and wherein notches or holes are provided in the flange section.
4. The connector housing of claim 1 , wherein the housing perimeter has four sides and four joining sections.
5. The connector housing of claim 1 , wherein the first housing section comprises a first section attached to a second section along the outer diameter of the second section.
6. The connector housing of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the joining sections is a corner tab extending outwardly from one of the sides.
7. The connector housing of claim 6 , wherein the corner tab is attached to a fitment corner.
8. The connector housing of a claim 1 , wherein the canted coil spring is a radial canted coil spring or an axial canted coil spring.
9. A method of manufacturing a connector housing comprising:
forming a first housing section by stamping, said first housing section comprising a body having an exterior surface, an interior surface, an outer perimeter with two or more sides with a joining section located between two adjacent sides, an inner perimeter defining an opening, and a contoured structure;
forming a second housing section by stamping, said second housing section joined to the first housing section, said second housing section comprising a body having an exterior surface, an interior surface, an outer perimeter with two or more sides with a joining section located between two adjacent sides, an inner perimeter defining an opening, and a contoured structure;
attaching the first housing section to the second housing section to form a spring groove from the two contoured structures;
positioning a canted coil spring between the first housing section and the second housing section at the spring groove;
wherein the interior surfaces of the two housing sections contact one another adjacent the outer perimeter of each housing section; and
wherein the openings of the two housing sections define a bore and the two outer perimeters define a housing perimeter.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising placing a pin into the bore.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising removing the pin from the connector housing.
12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of forming a corner tab by extending a structure from one of the sides.
13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising attaching a first section to a second section to form the first housing section.
14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising forming one or more notches or one or more holes in the flange section of the connector housing.