Socket adapter for impact wrench

Abstract

This invention provides a sleeve adapter for preventing accidental slippage of the operating ring. The impact wrench socket adapter (10) of the present invention comprises: a body (11) having a cylindrical portion (20) having a "engagement hole (21) with an insertable angle (90)", a shaft portion (40) for attaching and detaching a socket (80), and a body portion (30) between the cylindrical portion and the shaft portion; a ball locking mechanism (50) which can switch between a "locked state in which the socket cannot be detached" and an "unlocked state in which the socket can be attached and detached" by the appearance and disappearance of the "ball (51) housed in the shaft portion", the ball locking mechanism controls the appearance and disappearance of the ball by means of an operating ring (60) which is slidably fitted into the body portion in the axial direction, and the impact wrench socket adapter has a starting resistance granting means (70) which increases the starting resistance of the operating ring when the operating ring is slid from the locked position where the ball has protruded to the unlocked position where the ball can be retracted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a sleeve adapter for installing sleeves, which is mounted at the insertion angle of an impact wrench and allows for easy installation and removal of sleeves, etc. Prior Technology

[0002] In the impact plate holder, the sleeve is installed at the "insertion angle (anvil) that becomes the drive shaft", and the connecting parts such as bolts and nuts are loosened (released) in the sleeve.

[0003] A pin insertion hole is provided at the insertion corner for locking the sleeve pin in a direction orthogonal to the axis. The pin is positioned (aligned) with the pin insertion hole already provided on the same sleeve, and the sleeve is installed at the insertion corner by inserting the pin.

[0004] Sleeves of various diameters and shapes are necessary to correspond to connecting components. However, using pin locking to install and remove the sleeve at the insertion angle is quite time-consuming and labor-intensive. Especially in high-altitude operations, this sometimes leads to the pin falling off or being lost.

[0005] In view of this, in Patent Document 1, the sleeve adapter clamp is positioned between the insertion angle and the sleeve. The sleeve adapter employs a pin locking mechanism for the insertion angle and a ball locking mechanism for the sleeve mounted at the front end.

[0006] In the ball locking mechanism, the movement of the built-in balls is controlled by sliding the "operating ring provided on the sleeve adapter" in the axial direction, and the "locked state in which the sleeve cannot be dislodged" and the "unlocked state in which the sleeve can be installed and removed" can be switched. [Previous Technical Documents] [Patent Literature]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3148876 Summary of the Invention

[0008] [The problem the invention aims to solve]

[0009] However, with sleeve adapters, due to vibrations during the locking operation or contact with obstacles, the operating ring may slip unexpectedly, potentially causing the lock to be released and the sleeve to fall off.

[0010] The purpose of this invention is to provide a sleeve adapter for impact wrenches that prevents the "operating ring used to control the ball locking mechanism" from slipping accidentally. [Solutions]

[0011] To address the aforementioned issues, the impact wrench sleeve adapter of the present invention comprises: The body has a cylindrical portion at one end with a "locking hole for mounting to an insertion angle of an impact wrench", a shaft portion at the other end for attaching and detaching a sleeve, and a body portion between the cylindrical portion and the shaft portion; The ball locking mechanism, by the movement of the balls housed within the aforementioned shaft, can switch between a locked state where the aforementioned sleeve cannot be dislodged and an unlocked state where the aforementioned sleeve can be detached. The aforementioned ball locking mechanism controls the entry and exit of the aforementioned balls by means of an operating ring that is slidably fitted into the aforementioned torso in the axial direction. The impact wrench socket adapter has a starting resistance imparting means, which causes the starting resistance of the aforementioned operating ring to increase when the aforementioned operating ring is slid from the "locked position where the aforementioned ball has protruded" to the "unlocked position where the aforementioned ball can retract".

[0012] The aforementioned starting resistance imparting means has the following characteristics: The groove is formed on the outer periphery of the aforementioned trunk; A roughly C-shaped spring coil is wound into the aforementioned groove. The aforementioned spring coil abuts against the front end of the aforementioned operating ring, which is located in the aforementioned locked position, thus becoming the starting resistance of the aforementioned operating ring.

[0013] The aforementioned groove is formed with the same wire diameter as the aforementioned spring coil, or is deeper than the wire diameter.

[0014] The front end of the aforementioned spring coil has a conical surface that is inclined with its inner surface facing the front end. In the aforementioned locking position, the aforementioned conical surface abuts against the outer periphery of the aforementioned operating ring.

[0015] The aforementioned spring coil, by sliding the aforementioned operating ring toward the aforementioned unlock position, is pressed by the aforementioned conical surface of the aforementioned operating ring, causing its outer diameter to shrink.

[0016] The aforementioned ball locking mechanism has: The push rod is inserted into a through hole "opened in the axial direction at the aforementioned shaft portion and the aforementioned body portion", and can slide within the aforementioned through hole. The aforementioned balls are housed in a ball receiving hole that is "perpendicular to the aforementioned through hole from the side of the aforementioned shaft portion", and their movement in and out of the aforementioned ball receiving hole is controlled by the aforementioned push rod. The aforementioned operating ring is connected to the aforementioned push rod. The aforementioned ball locking mechanism has a spring-pushing means, which pushes the aforementioned push rod or the aforementioned operating ring in the "direction in which the aforementioned ball protrudes".

[0017] On the side of the aforementioned torso, between the aforementioned locked position and the aforementioned unlocked position of the aforementioned operating ring, a mounting pin hole is formed that extends along the axial direction to the aforementioned through hole. The aforementioned operating ring and the aforementioned push rod are connected by a mounting pin that "passes through the aforementioned mounting pin hole and can slide within the aforementioned mounting pin hole". [The effects of the invention]

[0018] According to the impact wrench socket adapter of the present invention, starting resistance is imparted to the operating ring by a starting resistance imparting means. Therefore, the operating ring is difficult to start when sliding from the locked position to the unlocked position. Thus, even if the impact wrench vibrates or comes into contact with an obstacle, the operating ring will not move from the locked position, maintaining the locked state and preventing the socket from accidentally falling off.

[0019] Once the operating ring is started from the locked position and slid to the unlocked position, the starting resistance means hardly becomes any resistance to the sliding of the operating ring. Therefore, the user can operate it with one hand to keep the operating ring in the unlocked position. In addition, the operating ring can be smoothly returned from the unlocked position to the locked position by a spring-pushing mechanism. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0020] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows the locked state after the sleeve has been installed in the sleeve adapter of one embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a cross-sectional view and (b) is a side view. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows the unlocked state of the sleeve adapter according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a cross-sectional view and (b) is a side view. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a top view of the spring coil. [Figure 4] Figure 4(a) is an enlarged view of the circled part A in Figure 1(a), and (b) is an enlarged view of the circled part B in Figure 2(a). Implementation

[0021] Hereinafter, a sleeve adapter (hereinafter referred to as "sleeve adapter") 10 for impact wrenches, one embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] Figures 1 and 2 show a sleeve adapter 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a cross-sectional view and (b) is a side view. Figure 1 shows a locked state in which the ball bearing 51 protrudes and the installed sleeve 80 (shown in Figure 1(a)) will not fall off. Figure 2 shows an unlocked state in which the ball bearing retracts and the sleeve can be installed and removed.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the sleeve adapter 10 has: a cylindrical portion 20, the base end of which can be inserted at an insertion angle 90 (shown in Figure 1(a)); and a body 11, which has a "shaft portion 40 into which a sleeve 80 (shown in the same figure) can be inserted" at the front end, and the cylindrical portion 20 and the shaft portion 40 are connected by a cylindrical body 30.

[0024] As shown in Figure 1(a), the cylindrical portion 20 on the base end side has a locking hole 21 for inserting the angular insertion angle 90 (also called an "anvil") of an impact wrench. The sleeve adapter 10 and the insertion angle 90 can be connected in a detachable manner using a pin locking mechanism 25.

[0025] More specifically, as shown in Figure 1(a), the pin locking mechanism 25 is constructed as follows: a pin insertion hole 91, orthogonal to the axis of the insertion angle 90, is aligned with a pin insertion hole 22, orthogonal to the engagement hole 21 of the sleeve adapter 10, and the sleeve adapter 10 is locked at the insertion angle 90 by inserting the pin 26. To prevent the pin 26 from falling off, an O-ring 27 is embedded in a circumferential groove 23 passing through the open end of the pin insertion hole 22 on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 20. A retraction groove 24 is recessed on the side of the circumferential groove 23, allowing the O-ring 27 to be offset and retracted towards the retraction groove 24 when the pin 26 is attached or detached.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1(a), the sleeve 80 can be attached to and detached from the front end of the sleeve adapter 10. The sleeve adapter 10 has a ball locking mechanism 50 and can be configured to have a "detachable sleeve 80".

[0027] The ball locking mechanism 50 is a mechanism that detachably holds the sleeve 80 by means of a ball 51 that can move out of the shaft portion 40. The sleeve 80 has a locking hole 81 into which the ball 51 can be inserted. The locking hole 81 can be shared with a pin insertion hole into which the pin 26 of the pin locking mechanism 25 can be inserted when the sleeve 80 is directly installed at the insertion angle 90.

[0028] The sleeve adapter 10 has a through hole 41 extending from the shaft portion 40 toward the body portion 30 in the axial direction. On the side of the shaft portion 40, a ball receiving hole 42 is provided that is perpendicular to the through hole 41 and reaches the through hole 41. A ball 51 is received in the ball receiving hole 42, and a portion of the ball 51 can exit outward from the ball receiving portion 42 through the reduced-diameter edge.

[0029] The push rod 52 is slidably received in the through hole 41. The push rod 52 controls the entry and exit of the ball 51. The push rod 52 has a "deep unlocking groove 53" and a "shallow locking groove 54" with stepped grooves on its side. In the illustrated embodiment, the unlocking groove 53 is recessed at the base end of the push rod 52, and the locking groove 54 is recessed at the front end.

[0030] Then, as shown in Figure 1(a), when the push rod 52 has moved to the locking position at the base end of the through hole 41, the shallow locking groove 54 abuts against the ball 51, and a portion of the ball 51 protrudes from the ball receiving hole 42, thus becoming a locked state that cannot be retracted. In the locked state, since the ball 51 has entered the locking hole 81 of the sleeve 80, the sleeve 80 becomes unable to detach from the sleeve adapter 10.

[0031] Furthermore, if the push rod 52 is moved to the front end of the through hole 41 as shown in Figure 2(a), the deep unlocking groove 53 will be opposite to the ball 51, thus creating an unlocked state in which the ball 51 can retract toward the ball receiving hole 42. In the unlocked state, the ball 51 retracts toward the ball receiving hole 42, allowing the sleeve 80 to fall out.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1(a) and 2(a), the aforementioned push rod 52 is equipped with a longitudinally penetrating mounting pin 57 at its base end. Furthermore, a guard portion 55 is formed further forward than the mounting pin 57, and a spring-loaded means 56 is provided between this guard portion 55 and a stage portion 32 formed in opposition to the through hole 41. The spring-loaded means 56, for example a compression spring, springs the push rod 52 toward the base end. That is, in an unloaded state, as shown in Figure 1(a), the push rod 52 can be held in the position where the locking groove 54 abuts against the ball bearing 51.

[0033] Both ends of the mounting pin 57 of the push rod 52 are inserted into the mounting pin holes 31 formed on the side of the body 30. The mounting pin holes 31 can be formed into the shape of round holes, elongated holes, etc. The mounting pin holes 31 are formed on the side of the body 30 along the axial direction of the sleeve adapter 10 and have a length that allows the push rod 52 to slide between the locked position and the unlocked position.

[0034] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, an operating ring 60 is installed on the torso 30 to allow the push rod 52 to slide from the locked position to the unlocked position. The operating ring 60 has an operating portion 61 on its circumferential surface for easy finger operation. In the figures, the operating portion 61 is located at the front end of the operating ring 60, forming a shape where its circumferential surface protrudes slightly outwards. On the operating ring 60, a mounting hole 62 is formed facing each other on the end side closer to the operating portion 61, through which the aforementioned mounting pin 57 passes and engages. A groove 63 is formed on the circumferential surface of the torso 30, through which the opening end of the mounting pin 57 passes. An anti-pin-dislodgement member 64 is embedded in the groove 63 to prevent the mounting pin 57 from falling off the operating ring 60. The anti-pin-dislodgement member 64 is shown as a coiled spring, but it could also be a ring-shaped leaf spring, an O-ring, or a similar clasp.

[0035] By means of spring-pushing means 56 that springs the push rod 52, the operating ring 60 is pushed to the locked position at the base end (cylinder 20 side) in an unloaded state, as shown in FIG1. ​​If the user presses the operating part 61 toward the front end from this state, the operating ring 60 will move against the spring-pushing force of means 56.

[0036] Since the spring-pushing mechanism 56 pushes the operating ring 60 toward the locked position with a certain spring-pushing force, if the spring-pushing force is too weak, the operating ring 60 will easily move toward the unlocked position due to vibration from the impact wrench or collision with obstacles. Therefore, the spring-pushing mechanism 56 requires a large spring-pushing force.

[0037] However, the operating ring 60 must be pressed by the user's fingers during the loading and unloading of the sleeve 80. If the spring-pushing force of the spring-pushing means 56 is large, the user must press the operating ring 60 continuously with greater force. In addition, when loading and unloading the sleeve 80, one hand (single hand) must be held on the sleeve 80 being loaded or unloaded. For this reason, the user has to hold the operating ring 60 and the impact wrench with one hand and continuously press the operating ring 60 with their fingers. Therefore, if a large spring-pushing force is continuously applied to the operating ring 60, the operability will be reduced.

[0038] In view of this, a structure is desired that avoids the frequent application of strong spring-like force to the operating ring 60, and that prevents the operating ring 60 from sliding easily only during the initial movement from the locked position to the unlocked position. The operating ring 60 is required to have the following structure: once past the initial movement, it can slide smoothly and can be pressed with a light force in the unlocked position.

[0039] In view of the above reasons, the present invention is equipped with a starting resistance granting means 70 for "increasing the starting resistance of the operating ring 60". The starting resistance granting means 70 is constructed such that in the starting part of the operation of the operating ring 60 from the locked position to the unlocked position, a large starting resistance is applied (granted) to the operating ring 60, and once the starting part is passed, it hardly becomes the sliding resistance of the operating ring 60.

[0040] As one embodiment of the starting resistance granting means 70, as shown in FIG1(a), a groove 33 is recessed around the torso 30 at the front end of the operating ring 60 in the locked position, and a spring coil 71 is wound around the groove 33. The spring coil 71, for example, is a C-shaped spring, which, as indicated by the arrow in FIG3, has a restoring force in the "outward expansion direction".

[0041] As shown in Figure 1(a) and Figure 4(a) (enlarged view of the selected portion A in Figure 1(a)), the groove 33 is formed at a position overlapping the front end of the operating ring 60 when the operating ring 60 is in the locked position. The depth of the groove 33 is the same as or greater than the wire diameter of the spring coil 71. As shown in Figure 2(a) and Figure 4(b) (enlarged view of the selected portion B in Figure 2(a)), the spring coil 71 can be pushed back into the groove 33 by pressing its outer circumferential surface.

[0042] The operating ring 60, in order to press the spring coil 71 to retract inward, as shown in Figures 1(a) and 4(a), has an inclined conical surface 65 formed on the inner surface of the front end side in a manner that expands towards the front end.

[0043] Then, as shown in Figure 1(a) and the enlarged Figure 4(a), the spring coil 71 is installed in the groove 33 in a state of "resisting the restoring force and pressing inward," and the operating ring 60 is installed on the body 30 with its front conical surface 65 facing the spring coil 71 and the groove 33. In the locked position, the outer circumferential surface of the spring coil 71 protrudes from the groove 33 and abuts against the conical surface 65 of the operating ring 60. The operating ring 60 abuts against the spring coil 71, and its movement to the unlocked position is prevented. Therefore, with the sleeve 80 installed, the ball 51 is embedded in the locking hole 81 of the sleeve 80, and the sleeve 80 remains in a state where it will not fall off.

[0044] From this state, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, the user presses the operating part 61 toward the front end of the sleeve adapter 10, causing the operating ring 60 to move toward the unlocked position. As shown in Figure 4(a), since the outer circumferential surface of the spring coil 71 protrudes from the groove 33, the operating ring 60 must press the spring coil 71 to reduce its outer diameter in order to move the operating ring 60 to the unlocked position. This force of "pressing the spring coil 71 to reduce its outer diameter" becomes the starting resistance of the operating ring 60. This starting resistance only acts on the starting part that "moves the operating ring 60 from the locked position to the unlocked position".

[0045] Specifically, by pressing the operating ring 60 in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1(a), the conical surface 65, by its own inclination, presses the outer circumference of the spring coil 71 inward, causing the spring coil 71 to form a reduced diameter and penetrate the groove 33. At this time, the spring-pushing means 56 also applies a spring-pushing force to the operating ring 60 in the direction of "restoring the locked position".

[0046] To perform this operation, the user must apply a strong operating force to the operating ring 60 at the starting point. That is, in the event of vibration from the impact wrench or contact with an obstacle, the operating ring 60 will not move from the locked position, thus preventing the operating ring 60 from accidentally sliding to the unlocked position and causing the sleeve 80 to fall off.

[0047] Further pressing the operating ring 60 out, as shown in Figure 2(a) or Figure 4(b), once the conical surface 65 passes over the spring coil 71, the outer circumferential surface of the spring coil 71 will slide against the cylindrical inner surface of the operating ring 60. Compared to the starting resistance, this sliding resistance is very small, and the operating ring 60 actually only bears the springing force of the springing means 56 that "springs against the push rod 52". As explained above, the springing force of the springing means 56 can be achieved with a small force, so the operating ring 60 can move smoothly to the unlocked position. In this way, the operating ring 60 can be kept in the pressed state while holding the impact wrench with one hand.

[0048] In this state, the ball locking mechanism 50, since the ball 51 becomes retractable, allows the user to load and unload the sleeve 80 with just one hand.

[0049] After the sleeve 80 is installed or removed, once the operating force on the operating ring 60 is released, the operating ring 60 and push rod 52 move towards the locked position by the spring force of the spring-pushing means 56. Once the conical surface 65 of the operating ring 60 and the spring coil 71 are facing each other, the spring coil 71 abuts against the conical surface 65 by the outward expanding restoring force, and together with the spring force of the spring-pushing means 56, pushes the operating ring 60 towards the locked position. Therefore, the operating ring 60 can be reliably returned to the locked position. In this way, the ball locking mechanism 50 can maintain the locked state of "ball 51 protruding" as shown in Figure 1.

[0050] As described above, in this invention, the ball locking mechanism 50, by increasing the starting resistance of the operating ring 60 only through the starting resistance granting means 70, can control its sliding action. Therefore, it can prevent the operating ring 60 from accidentally moving due to vibration from an impact wrench or collision with an obstacle while the sleeve 80 is installed, thus preventing the sleeve 80 from falling off. Furthermore, when loading or unloading the sleeve 80, only the starting resistance of the operating ring 60 is greater, allowing subsequent sliding operations to be performed with less force. Therefore, it can be fully operated with one hand, and the loading and unloading of the sleeve 80 can be safely performed even in high-altitude work environments.

[0051] The above description is for illustrative purposes only and should not be understood as limiting the invention as described in the claims or restricting its scope. Furthermore, the various components of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0052] For example, in the above embodiment, although it is formed that "the ball locking mechanism 50 is released by pressing the operating ring 60 toward the front end side", it is also possible to form that "the ball locking mechanism 50 is released by pulling the operating ring 60 toward the base end side". In this case, the starting resistance imparting means 70 only needs to be configured to "impart starting resistance when the operating ring 60 moves toward the base end side".

[0053] 10: Sleeve Adapter 11:Ontology 20: Cylindrical section 21: Locking hole 30: Torso 33: Ditch 40: Shaft 50: Ball locking mechanism 51: Ball bearing 70: Starting resistance delivery method 71: Spring Coil 80: Sleeve 90: Insertion angle

Claims

1. A socket adapter for an impact wrench, comprising: a body having a cylindrical portion at one end and a shaft portion at the other end for attaching and detaching a socket, and a body portion between the cylindrical portion and the shaft portion, the cylindrical portion having a locking hole for mounting to an insertion angle of an impact wrench; a ball locking mechanism for switching between a locked state where the socket cannot be detached and an unlocked state where the socket can be attached and detached by the movement of a ball housed in the shaft portion; and a spring-pushing means for pushing the ball locking mechanism toward the direction in which the ball protrudes, the ball locking mechanism controlling the movement of the ball by means of an operating ring slidably fitted into the body portion in the axial direction. The aforementioned impact wrench socket adapter has a starting resistance imparting means. When the aforementioned operating ring slides from the locked position where the aforementioned ball has protruded to the unlocked position where the aforementioned ball can retract, the starting resistance of the aforementioned operating ring increases. However, once it passes the starting part, it imparts a certain sliding resistance that is smaller than the aforementioned starting resistance. When the aforementioned operating ring moves from the aforementioned unlocked position to the aforementioned locked position, the aforementioned operating ring returns to the aforementioned locked position by the spring-pushing force of the aforementioned spring-pushing means.

2. The impact wrench socket adapter as described in claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned starting resistance granting means comprises: a groove formed on the outer periphery of the aforementioned body; and a generally C-shaped spring coil wound in the aforementioned groove; the front end of the aforementioned operating ring has a conical surface formed by the inner surface of the ring being inclined towards the front end; the base end side of the aforementioned conical surface of the aforementioned operating ring has a cylindrical inner surface with a certain inner diameter within the sliding range of the aforementioned spring coil; the aforementioned spring coil abuts against the front end of the aforementioned operating ring in the aforementioned locked position, becoming the starting resistance of the aforementioned operating ring; however, once it passes the aforementioned conical surface, it slides onto the aforementioned cylindrical inner surface with a certain inner diameter, and grants a resistance smaller than the aforementioned starting resistance.

3. The socket adapter for the impact wrench as described in claim 2, wherein, The aforementioned groove is formed with the same wire diameter as the aforementioned spring coil, or is deeper than the wire diameter.

4. The socket adapter for the impact wrench as described in claim 2, wherein, The aforementioned conical surface of the aforementioned operating ring abuts against the outer periphery of the aforementioned operating ring at the aforementioned locking position.

5. The socket adapter for the impact wrench as described in claim 2, wherein, The aforementioned spring coil is reduced in outer diameter by the aforementioned conical surface of the aforementioned operating ring pressing it down as the aforementioned operating ring slides toward the aforementioned unlock position.

6. The impact wrench socket adapter as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The aforementioned ball locking mechanism includes: a push rod that is inserted into and slides within a through hole, the through hole being formed in the axial direction at the aforementioned shaft portion and the aforementioned body portion; a ball that is housed in a ball receiving hole formed orthogonal to the through hole from the side of the aforementioned shaft portion, and whose movement in and out of the ball receiving hole is controlled by the aforementioned push rod; an operating ring connected to the aforementioned push rod; and a spring-pushing means that springs the aforementioned push rod or the aforementioned operating ring toward the direction in which the aforementioned ball protrudes.

7. The socket adapter for the impact wrench as described in claim 6, wherein, A mounting pin hole is formed on the side of the aforementioned torso, which extends along the axial direction to the aforementioned through hole between the aforementioned locked position and the aforementioned unlocked position of the aforementioned operating ring. The aforementioned operating ring and the aforementioned push rod are connected by a mounting pin, which passes through the aforementioned mounting pin hole and can slide within the aforementioned mounting pin hole.

Images