AU2021101978A4 - A Pin Retaining Device and Uses Thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to devices for retaining pins in housings, and in particular, devices that hold cylindrical pins with shoulders in housing that require retention against forces exerted parallel to the pin. The devices comprise a shoulder engagement portion, and a housing engagement portion, wherein when the shoulder engagement portion is capable of engaging with the shoulder of the pin and the housing engagement portion is capable of engaging with the housing simultaneously, the device is capable of retaining the pin in the housing in the presence of forces exerted parallel to the length of the pin. 10/13 15 10 20 30 ~~1 11 13 12 33 35 Figure 10

Description

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A Pin Retaining Device and Uses Thereof

[0001] The present invention relates to devices for retaining pins in housings, and in particular, devices that hold cylindrical pins in housing that require retention against forces exerted parallel to the pin.

Background of the invention

[0002] Any references to a method, apparatus or document of the prior art are not to be taken as constituting any evidence or admission that they formed, or form part of the common general knowledge.

[0003] There are many products that require pins to be retained in housing, wherein the pin is subjected to forces running parallel to the length of the pin in either direction.

[0004] Pins are often retained in housings in various types of medium to high voltage electrical connection products, which rely on couplers and adaptors with a range of connecting socket configurations. Of these, pin bolted couplers and adaptors are commonly used by the mining industry.

[0005] In order to retain a pin in the insulator housings of a coupler, it is commonplace to merely use a simple plastic snap ring (see Figure 1). This is problematic as the typical plastic snap rings used tend to fail, which renders the coupler unusable with the pin disengaged from its location in the housing.

[0006] It would be attractive, practically and commercially, to develop a device that could reliably retain a pin in a housing, and do so even when the pin is exposed to a range of forces (in any direction) and exposure to harsh conditions such as high heat and friction.

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate the above discussed disadvantages of the prior art, or at least offer a useful alternative.

Field of Invention

[0008] The present inventors have developed a retaining device for retaining a pin in a housing which allows for easy removal of the pin when servicing is required.

Summary of Invention

[0009] Accordingly, in a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a retaining device for retaining a pin inside a housing, wherein the device comprises a shoulder engagement portion, a housing engagement portion and wherein when the shoulder engagement portion engages a shoulder of the pin and the housing engagement portion engages a device engagement portion of the housing simultaneously, the device is capable of retaining the pin in the housing in the presence of forces exerted parallel to the length of the pin.

[0010] In an embodiment, the pin is cylindrical, and the device is cylindrical and comprises a hollow space capable of being occupied by the pin.

[0011] In an embodiment, the housing engagement portion comprises a discontinuous perimeter wall.

[0012] In an embodiment, the discontinuous perimeter wall is resiliently compressible.

[0013] In an embodiment, the housing engagement portion of the device comprises a discontinuous, outward-facing lip capable of reversibly engaging with the device engagement portion of the housing.

[0014] In an embodiment, the shoulder engagement portion comprises an inner facing groove capable of accepting the shoulder of the pin.

[0015] In an embodiment, the shoulder engagement portion comprises an outward facing flange.

[0016] In an embodiment, the shoulder engagement portion comprises an outward facing groove.

[0017] In an embodiment, the device engagement portion of the housing comprises at least one inner-facing ridge capable of slidably accepting the housing engagement portion of the device and reversibly locking the device into the housing.

[0018] In an embodiment, the housing engagement portion of the device comprises a discontinuous, outward-facing lip capable of reversibly engaging with at least one inner facing ridge of the device engagement portion of the housing.

[0019] In an embodiment, the device engagement portion of the housing comprises at least a proximal inner-facing ridge and an inner-facing distal ridge, separated by a distance, wherein the proximal inner-facing ridge is capable of reversibly engaging with the lip of the housing engagement portion of the device and the distal inner-facing ridge is capable of reversibly engaging with the flange of the shoulder engagement portion of the device.

[0020] In an embodiment, the inner-facing ridges are graduated and wherein the inner-most diameter of the device engagement portion of the housing at the proximal inner-facing ridge is less than that of the inner-most diameter of the device engagement portion of the housing at the distal inner-facing ridge.

[0021] In an embodiment, the device further comprises a stabilising element selected from the group consisting of shoulder engagement portion stabilising element, and a housing engagement portion stabilising element.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0022] Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may be discerned from the following detailed description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The detailed description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding summary of the invention in any way.

[0023] Specific embodiments of the present invention are described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0024] Figure 1 is an top view of an existing pin retaining device;

[0025] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional exploded view of a retaining device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0026] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the retaining device and pin of Figure 2;

[0027] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the retaining device;

[0028] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the retaining device;

[0029] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the retaining device;

[0030] Figure 7 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the retaining device;

[0031] Figure 8 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the retaining device;

[0032] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the retaining device in use;

[0033] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional exploded view of a retaining device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0034] Figure 11 is an exploded view of a retaining device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention using stabilising elements;

[0035] Figure 12 is a perspective view of the retaining device of Figure 11 assembled; and

[0036] Figure 13 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention in use in a pin bolted coupler.

Detailed Description

[0037] Figure 1 depicts an example of the closest prior art, being a plastic snap ring (1) associated with a pin (20) wherein the pin shoulder (21) is retained within a housing (30). In the event the plastic snap ring (1) snaps and a pushing or pulling force is exerted in the direction of the arrow, the pin (20) is disengaged from the housing (30).

[0038] Figure 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the invention. A retaining device (10) comprising a shoulder engagement portion (11) and a housing engagement portion (12) is received on a pin (20) comprising a pin shoulder (21) such that the shoulder engagement portion (11) of the device (10) is adjacent to the pin shoulder (21) and retains the device (10) from movement towards further along the pin (20). The pin (20) is further adapted to be retained within a housing (30) comprising a device engagement portion (31).

[0039] Figure 3 illustrates the device (10) received on the pin (20), highlighting that the device (10) and pin (20) have three-dimensional cylindrical conformations. A cylinder includes any shape, be it hollow or solid or combinations thereof, wherein the shape has a length with a circular, spherical or ovoid cross-section having a diameter, wherein the length is defined by a perimeter wall. The cylindrical shapes may be irregular in that the diameter of the circular, spherical or ovoid cross-section may vary along the length of the cylinder.

[0040] The device (10) comprises a shoulder engagement portion (11) with a greater cross-sectional diameter than the housing engagement portion (12). In use, the device

(10) is sliding received by the pin (20) until the shoulder engagement portion (11) of the device (10) is seated adjacent to the pin shoulder (21). A person skilled in the art would appreciate that the device (10) is removably placed on the pin (20).

[0041] The housing engagement portion (12) comprises a perimeter wall with an outward facing lip (13) along the terminating end of the housing engagement portion (12). The perimeter wall is discontinuous in that the perimeter wall has cut-away sections (22) that extend along a portion of the housing engagement portion (12) adapted to be compressed by forces exerted on the inner wall of the housing engagement portion (12). Such compression reduces the cross-sectional diameter of the device (10) along the housing engagement portion (12) and allows the device (10) to more tightly grip the pin (20).

[0042] When there is no force applied to the permitter wall, the cross-sectional diameter of the device (10) returns to a decompressed state. A person skilled in the art would appreciate that when forces are applied to the perimeter wall, the perimeter wall exerts a force against being compressed.

[0043] Figure 4 depicts a cross-sectional view of a device (10), wherein the shoulder engagement portion (11) of the device (10) comprises an inner facing groove (14) adapted to have a complementary shape to the shoulder of the pin (21), such that the groove (14) receives the shoulder of the pin (21). The shoulder engagement portion (11) comprises an outward-facing flange (15), which is adapted to engage with the device engagement portion (31) of the housing (30) when the device (10) is in use. While the cylinder is irregular, the housing engagement portion (12) of the device (10) is relatively uniform along the length of this section of the cylinder.

[0044] Figure 5 depicts a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the device (10), wherein the shoulder engagement portion of the device (11) comprises an inner facing groove (14) and an outward-facing flange (15). The device (10) further comprises a housing engagement portion projection (16) which projects from the outward facing flange (15) along a portion of the housing engagement portion (12) and is adapted to sit within the housing (30).

[0045] Figure 6 depicts a cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of the device (10) wherein the shoulder engagement portion of the device (11) comprises an inner facing groove (14) and an outward-facing flange (15). The device (10) further comprises an outward facing groove (18). The outward facing lip (13) of the housing engagement portion (12) comprises a lip chamfered edge (17) and the outward-facing flange (15) comprises an outward-facing flange chamfered edge (19).

[0046] In both devices of Figures 4 and 6, the cylinder is irregular and the housing engagement portion has cross-sectional diameter that decreases with distance from the shoulder-engagement portion (11), before increasing again at the outward facing lip (13). In contrast, the device (10) of Figure 5 has a constant cylinder diameter along the housing engagement portion (12).

[0047] Figure 7 illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein the device (10) comprises a housing engagement portion (12) with large cut away sections (22) that extend along the housing engagement portion (12) until they reach the shoulder engagement portion (11).

[0048] Figure 8 depicts a further embodiment of the device (10) wherein the housing engagement portion (12) comprises a discontinuous perimeter wall defining four cut out portions (22) which extend along the housing engagement portion (12) until they reach the shoulder engagement portion (11).

[0049] Figure 9 is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the device (1) in use. The device (10) is received by the pin (20) such that the housing engagement portion (12) is seated on the pin (20) and the shoulder engagement portion (11) is seated adjacent to the pin shoulder (21) such that the pin (20) is retained and cannot slide any further into the housing (30) when the pin shoulder (21) and shoulder engagement portion (11) meet. The device (10) is received in the housing (20) by the device engagement portion (31) which is predominantly complimentary in shape to the device (10).

[0050] Figure 10 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention where the device (10) is in use with a pin (20) and housing (30). The housing (30) comprises a device engagement portion (31) that may have any configuration that is capable of engaging with the housing engagement portion (12) of the device (10), as well as the outward-facing aspect of the shoulder engagement portion (11) of the device (10). The device engagement portion (31) of the housing (30) comprises a plurality of inner-facing ridges (35) about the inner diameter of the circular void of the housing. The ridges (35) are graduated and increase in diameter from the proximal inner-facing ridge (32) to the distal inner-facing ridge (33). When the pin (20) is inserted into the housing (30) with the device (10), the perimeter wall of the housing engagement portion (12) of the device (10) resiliently compresses as the device (10) slides into the device engagement portion (31).

The outward-facing lip (13) of the device (10) engages with the proximal inner-facing ridge (32), while the outward-facing flange (15) of the device engages with the distal inner facing ridge (33), thereby retaining the pin (20).

[0051] Figure 11 is an exploded view of an alternate embodiment of the invention wherein the device (10) further comprises a shoulder engagement portion stabilising element (16), and housing engagement portion stabilising elements (17). In the depicted embodiment, the elements (16, 17) are plastic and/or metal rings, but the elements (16, 17) may be made of any suitable material and may be elastic or rigid. The shoulder engagement portion stabilising element (16) is a size appropriate for sitting in the outward-facing groove (18) of the shoulder engagement portion of the device. The elements (16, 17) are adapted to retain the device (10) further in place on the pin (20). The elements (16, 17) are further adapted to absorb shock. A person skilled in the art would appreciate that any number of stabilising the elements (16, 17) may be used.

[0052] Figure 12 is an assembled view of the invention of Figure 11, where the shoulder engagement portion stabilising element (16) is located on the outward facing groove (18) and a housing engagement portion stabilising element (17) is located on the pin (20) above the outward facing lip (13) along the terminating end of the housing engagement portion (12). The housing engagement portion stabilising element (17) retains the device (10) from movement along the pin (20) away from the pin shoulder (21).

[0053] Figure 13 depicts an embodiment of the invention wherein the device (10) is used to retain a metal pin (20) in a 800A 11kV pin bolted coupler. The main-phase pin (20) is assembled with a retaining device (10) into insulator housings (30) as shown in (v). In the depicted embodiment, the shoulder engagement portion stabilising element (16), and the housing engagement portion stabilising elements (17) are small O-rings mounted onto the pin.

[0054] In use, the subassembly depicted in (iv) is subjected to cyclical compressive forces ranging from 150N to 450N with each cycle lasting 40 seconds, and the device (10) is able to retain the pin (20) in the housing (30).

[0055] The pin (20) may by any pin (20) of any length that requires retention in a housing (30), wherein the pin (20) is subjected forces along and parallel to its length. These forces may be twisting, pulling or pushing forces exerted on either end of the pin (20) or along the length of the pin (20), either directly on the pin (20) or via the pin's (20) association with other components in the housing (30). The pin (20) may be hollow or solid or partially hollow/solid and may be made of any material. In the described embodiments of the invention, the pin (20) is a metal pin that is being retained in an insulated housing.

[0056] By retained (or "retaining" or "retention" or the like) is meant that the pin (20) resists movement when subjected to forces when the device (10) is in use. While the pin (20) may move when retained, any movement is negligible and/or not significant and/or does not result in the pin (20) disengaging from the housing.

[0057] The device (10) may be made of any material, or combinations thereof, suitable for producing a device (10) of the required rigidity, hardness and/or stiffness. The device (10) may, for example, comprise a plastic that is an acrylic, polycarbonate, acetal, phenolic, nylon, styrene, carbonate, ester and/or amide polymer. In a preferred embodiment, the device (10) is made from an engineering thermoplastic, such as polyoxymethylene (acetal).

[0058] In preferred embodiments of the invention, the device (10) is made of a material that is thermally stable when exposed to temperatures up to at least 100°C, or 200°C or 300°C, chemically stable and is an electrical insulator.

[0059] The housing (30) may be made of any material, or combinations thereof, suitable for the containment required for the pin (20). In preferred embodiments of the invention, the housing (30) is made of an insulating material. The housing (30) may be of any length, and may encompass the entire length of the pin (20), or only a portion of the pin (20), or may be longer than the length of the pin (20).

[0060] The device (10) may be formed as a single piece, or may be formed in parts that assume the desired configuration when in use. In the embodiment defined in Figure 2, the device (10) is in two semi-spherical parts that come together to encompass a section of the length of the pin (20) when the device (10) is in use, though the device (10) may come in several parts. For example, the shoulder engagement portion (11) of the device (10) and/or the housing engagement portion (12) of the device (10) may be integrally formed as part of the device (10), or reversibly associated with the body of the device (10).

[0061] In general, the pin (20), device (10) and housing (30) would have complementary shapes, wherein the pin may have any elongated shape and be of any length, and the device (when in use) is of a complementary shape with a void volume that can accept section of the length of the pin (20). The housing (30), or at least the internal dimensions of the housing (30), would be a similarly elongated shape as the pin (20), with a void volume capable of accepting the pin (20) when encompassed by the device (10).

[0062] For the purposes of the invention described herein, each embodiment of the device (10), the pin (20) and the housing (30) has inner-facing and outward-facing aspects, which are defined by the axis that runs along the length of the pin (20). For the pin (20), the outward-facing aspect is the surface facing the device (10) when the device (10) is in use. The device (10) has an outward-facing aspect which faces the housing (30) when the device (10) is in use, while the inner-facing aspect the device (10) faces the pin (20) when the device (10) is in use. The housing (30) has an inner-facing aspect that faces the device (10) when the device (10) is in use.

[0063] The discontinuous perimeter wall of the housing engagement portion (12) need not have cut-away sections that extend through the entire thickness of the perimeter wall. The perimeter wall need only be capable of being compressed inwardly such that the cross-sectional diameter of the cylinder in at least the housing engagement portion of the device can be reduced, at least temporarily, when the device (10) is in use.

[0064] In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. The term "comprises" and its variations, such as "comprising" and "comprised of' is used throughout in an inclusive sense and not to the exclusion of any additional features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.

[0065] Throughout the specification and claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term "substantially" or "about" will be understood to not be limited to the value for the range qualified by the terms.

[0066] Any embodiment of the invention is meant to be illustrative only and is not meant to be limiting to the invention. Therefore, it should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications can be made to any embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (4)

1. A retaining device for retaining a pin inside a housing comprising a device engagement portion, wherein the device comprises:

a shoulder engagement portion;

a housing engagement portion; and

wherein:

when the shoulder engagement portion engages a shoulder of the pin and the housing engagement portion engages the device engagement portion of the housing simultaneously, the device is capable of retaining the pin in the housing in the presence of forces exerted parallel to the length of the pin;

the housing engagement portion of the device comprises a discontinuous, outward-facing lip capable of reversibly engaging with the device engagement portion of the housing;

the device engagement portion of the housing comprises at least one inner-facing ridge capable of slidably accepting the housing engagement portion of the device and reversibly locking the device into the housing; and

the device engagement portion of the housing comprises at least a proximal inner-facing ridge and an inner-facing distal ridge, separated by a distance, wherein the proximal inner-facing ridge is capable of reversibly engaging with the lip of the housing engagement portion of the device and the distal inner-facing ridge is capable of reversibly engaging with the flange of the shoulder engagement portion of the device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing engagement portion of the device comprises a discontinuous, outward-facing lip capable of reversibly engaging with at least one inner-facing ridge of the device engagement portion of the housing.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the inner-facing ridge(s) are graduated and wherein the inner-most diameter of the device engagement portion of the housing at the proximal inner facing ridge is less than that of the inner-most diameter of the device engagement portion of the housing at the distal inner-facing ridge.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a stabilising element selected from the group consisting of shoulder engagement portion stabilising element, and a housing engagement portion stabilising element.

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