Coupling assemblies having frangible portions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12092138-B2
Application number	US-202217716569-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2022
Priority date	Apr 8, 2022
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

A coupling assembly for coupling a first component to a second component, the coupling assembly includes a pin and a housing. The pin includes a shaft and a pin frangible portion formed in the shaft. The housing includes a hollow body and a housing frangible portion formed in the hollow body. The housing is configured to receive the pin such that the shaft of the pin is received within the hollow body. When the pin is received in the hollow body the pin frangible portion aligns with the housing frangible portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A coupling assembly configured to couple a first component to a second component, the coupling assembly comprising:
a pin comprising a shaft and a pin frangible portion formed in the shaft, the pin frangible portion includes a bore; and
a housing comprising a hollow body and a housing frangible portion formed in the hollow body, the housing frangible portion includes an aperture, the housing configured to receive the pin such that the shaft of the pin is received within the hollow body, when the pin is received in the hollow body an axis of the bore of the pin frangible portion aligns with an axis of the aperture of the housing frangible portion.

2. The coupling assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the pin and the housing are configured to couple the first component to the second component such that a second surface of the first component interfaces with a first surface of the second component along a contact plane, and
when the pin and the housing couple the first component to the second component, the pin frangible portion and the housing frangible portion are positioned along the contact plane.

3. The coupling assembly of claim 2 , wherein:
the housing further comprises a crown having a contact surface, the shaft extends from the contact surface of the crown,
when the pin and the housing couple the first component to the second component, the contact surface of the crown contacts a first surface opposite the second surface of the first component, and
a distance between the contact surface of the crown and the housing frangible portion is equal to a distance between the first surface and the second surface of the first component.

4. The coupling assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the pin comprises a plurality of pin frangible portions including the pin frangible portion, each of the plurality of pin frangible portion includes comprises a bore; and
the housing comprises a plurality of housing frangible portions including the housing frangible portion, each of the plurality of housing frangible portion includes comprises an aperture.

5. The coupling assembly of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of pin frangible portions comprises a first pair of pin frangible portions and a second pair of pin frangible portions, each axis of each bore of the first pair of pin frangible portions concentrically surrounds a first lateral axis, each axis of each bore of the second pair of pin frangible portions concentrically surrounds a second lateral axis, the first lateral axis extending transverse to the second lateral axis.

6. The coupling assembly of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of housing frangible portions comprises a first pair of housing frangible portions and a second pair of housing frangible portions, when the pin is received in the hollow body each axis of each aperture of the first pair of housing frangible portions concentrically surrounds the first lateral axis, and each axis of each aperture of the second pair of housing frangible portions concentrically surrounds the second lateral axis.

7. The coupling assembly of claim 6 , wherein the first lateral axis and the second lateral axis intersect at a central axis, the central axis being circumferentially surrounded by the hollow body of the housing.

8. The coupling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pin frangible portion comprises a pin groove, and the housing frangible portion comprises a housing groove.

9. The coupling assembly of claim 8 , wherein the pin groove extends along a circumference of the shaft of the pin, and the housing groove extends along a circumference of the hollow body of the housing.

10. The coupling assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the pin further comprises a locating projection extending from a circumference of the shaft,
the housing further comprises a slot formed in the hollow body, and
when the pin is inserted into the housing, the locating projection is positioned within the slot to align the pin frangible portion with the housing frangible portion.

11. The coupling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pin and the housing are formed of plastic.

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Lynch Joshua S
• Downing Corey J

Classifications

• F16B31/021

  by means of a frangible part (F16B31/025, F16B31/028 take precedence; break members in torque limiters or torque indicators in wrenches or screwdrivers B25B23/1415) · CPC title

• F16B2200/63

  Frangible connections · CPC title

• F16B2019/1018

  hollow or single-part rivets fastened by a drive pin · CPC title

• F16B19/1081 Primary

  fastened by a drive-pin (F16B19/109 takes precedence) · CPC title