Device for Installing Inserts

Description

2 inserts to screw into place and to drive in the rods. However, a number of shortcomings can be pointed out in the existing solutions. For example, no means are provided to guide or limit the rotation of certain types of devices, which can lead to a rod being driven in at an angle instead of straight, causing the rod to bend. This is very detrimental to the quality of the final installation. 5

[0006] In CN202162773U, a self-locking mounting tool with rods is presented, which contains a positioning sleeve. At one end of the positioning sleeve is provided an inner hole, which is used to make a connection with the self-locking screw with key to be installed. A keyway that communicates with the inner hole is provided on the end surface of the positioning sleeve where the inner hole is located. The tool also contains cylindrical blades, which at the end of the The positioning sleeve is placed opposite the connection interface and serves as a handle for turning the tool.

[0007] Patent US6704985 Conveys a threaded insert tool that correctly aligns a threaded insert and inserts it into a tapped bore and simultaneously protects the locking rods against damage. During the installation process, the threaded insert is slid onto a protruding guide of the tool and the locking rods on the insert are engaged in corresponding keyways of the tool on the tool housing. The lower end of the insert is then inserted into the bore and screwed. Next, the tool is lifted out of the insert to release the locking rods from the key slots of the tool. Next, the body of the tool is used to insert the upper ends of the rods into the rod holders. Next, a suitable impact tool is used to apply an impact force to the impact end of the tool that is sufficient to drive the locking rods into the tapped bore.A two-step approach is therefore followed to drive the bars into their final position. Therefore, improvements in terms of efficiency of the installation may be desirable. The solution proposed in US6704985B further has the disadvantage that when the bars are driven in at an angle, this can lead to the bars (keys) bending. This naturally jeopardizes the overall quality of the installation.30

[0008] Consequently, there is a need for an improved tool for mounting inserts. Summary of the invention BE2024 / 5936 3

[0009] It is an objective of the implementation of the present invention to provide a device that overcomes one or more of the above-mentioned disadvantages of state-of-the-art solutions. More specifically, according to the invention, the device overcomes the disadvantage that rods tend to bend when they are struck into the surface.5

[0010] The above objective is achieved by a device as described below.

[0011] In one aspect the invention relates to a device for installing an insert, provided with one or more rods, comprising -a housing with an inner body attached thereto, where said housings and said inner body have the same central longitudinal axis and where the inner body has a striking surface at one end, -an outer body at least partially outside said housing, comprising a central projection for positioning said insert, where said central projection is centered around the central longitudinal axis, where the outer body is movable in the direction of the central longitudinal axis and comprises an outer surface provided with at least one hole for receiving one of the rods.The device is characterized by the fact that it comprises further conductive means between the said outer body and the said inner body, arranged with an axis parallel to the said 20 central longitudinal axes to align with the said rod when the said rod is received in the said hole, such that when an impact force is applied to the said impact surface, the inner body drives the said rod to its final position in the surface via the said further conductive means. 25

[0012] With the proposed solution it is indeed possible to drive a key of the insert into the surface without risk of damage as a result of bending the key. The other guiding devices are provided between the inner and outer body, oriented parallel to the central longitudinal axis and aligned with the key when said key is received in a hole of the outer surface of the outer body. The positioning of the other guiding devices thus ensures that the key can only move in the same direction as the other guiding devices.BE2024 / 5936 4

[0013] It is an advantage of the invention that one or more rods of the insert can be hammered at the correct angle, thereby completely preventing bending of the rod(s) or misalignment.

[0014] It is an advantage of the invention that the device can guarantee correct installation of the insert without any risk of damage.5

[0015] It is an advantage of the invention that the device can perform installations of threaded inserts with repeatable high quality. The success rate of the installation can be very high, even up to 100%.

[0016] In an economical design, the further conductive device comprises at least two pins.10

[0017] In a preferred design, the further conductive device has a T-shaped end near the said inner body. This fixes the further conductive device and prevents movement.

[0018] In an economical design, the outer body comprises a central conductive device that extends from the outer body to the inner body and15 is centered around the central longitudinal axis.

[0019] In a preferred design, the central guide device has a T-shaped end near the said inner body. This shape prevents rotation of the device.

[0020] In a preferred design, the housing is provided with a recess in which a screw is fixed in the outer body. The freedom of movement of the outer body in the direction of the central axis is thus limited in accordance with the freedom the screw has to move in the recess.

[0021] Preferably, the inner body is at least partially threaded.

[0022] In some designs, the inner body is provided with a stop cap at one end.

[0023] In order to summarize the inventions and the benefits realized in relation to the state of the art, certain goals and benefits of the invention have been described above. It goes without saying that all such goals or benefits are not necessarily realized in accordance with a specific form of execution of the invention.Therefore, persons trained in this subject matter will, for example, acknowledge that the invention can be embodied or executed in a manner that realizes or optimizes one benefit or BE2024 / 5936 5 group of benefits as described herein, without necessarily realizing other purposes or benefits described or suggested herein.

[0024] The above and other aspects of the invention will be clearly stated and further explained with reference to the form(s) of execution described hereinafter5. Brief description of the drawings

[0025] The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.10

[0026] Fig. 1 illustrates a threaded insert as generally known in engineering.

[0027] Fig. 2 illustrates a form of execution of the device according to the present invention.

[0028] Fig. 3 illustrates a design of the outer body of the device.15

[0029] Fig. 4 illustrates a view of the inner body with a striking cap at one end.

[0030] Fig.5 illustrates the deposition of the pins before and after hammering.

[0031] Fig. 6 illustrates the process of inserting the locking rods into the surface by means of the device according to the invention.20

[0032] Fig. 7 illustrates the central guides with a T-shaped end.

[0033] Fig. 8 illustrates another design of the device according to the present invention.

[0034] Fig. 9 illustrates the slot and the screw fitted therein.

[0035] Fig. 10 illustrates a design of a further guide.25 Detailed description of illustrative designs

[0036] The present invention will be described with regard to specific designs and by reference to certain drawings, but the invention is not limited thereto, but is limited only by the claims.30

[0037] Moreover, the terms first, second, and so on are used in the descriptions and in the claims to distinguish between similar elements and are not necessarily used to describe a sequence, whether in time, in space, as regards BE2024 / 5936 6 interest or in any other manner. It must be understood that the terms used are interchangeable under the right circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operating in sequences other than those described or illustrated herein.

[0038] It should be noted that the term “comprehensive” as used in the 5 conclusions should not be interpreted as limited to the means specified therein; it does not exclude any other elements or steps. It should therefore be interpreted as a specification of the presence of the mentioned features, units, steps or components referred to, but it does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, units, steps or components or groups thereof.Therefore, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devices consisting only of parts A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant parts are A and B.

[0039] References in this specification to “one form” or “one form” mean that a certain property, structure or characteristic described in connection with the form is included in at least one form of the present invention. Mentions of the phrase “in one form” or “in one form” at different places in this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same form, but it is possible. Furthermore, the specific features, structures or characteristics may be combined in one or more forms in any suitable manner, as will be clear to the average skilled person from this disclosure.

[0040] In a similar manner it should be noted that in the description of sample forms of execution of the invention, various features of the invention25 are sometimes grouped into a single form, figure or description thereof in order to streamline disclosure and to facilitate understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. However, this method of disclosure should not be interpreted as an expression of an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than expressly stated in each claim. As shown in the following claims, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single previously disclosed form of execution. Therefore, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly included in the detailed BE2024 / 5936 7 description, in which each conclusion stands on its own as a separate form of execution of this invention.

[0041] Moreover, since some of the forms of execution described herein contain some, but not other, features that are included in other forms of execution, combinations of features of different forms of execution are intended to fall within the scope of the inventions to form different forms of execution, as will be understood by someone trained in this field. Thus, for example, in the following conclusions, which of the claimed forms of execution may be used in any combination.

[0042] It should be noted that the use of determinology in 10 describing certain aspects of the invention does not imply that determinology herein is redefined to be limited to any specific properties of the features or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated.

[0043] The description given here sets out numerous specific details15. However, it is understood that implementation forms of the invention can be developed without these specific details.In other cases, well-known methods, structures, and techniques were not presented in detail so as not to hinder understanding of this description. 20

[0044] The present invention relates to a device(100) that assists in the installation of a threaded insert with one or more bars. The insert usually looks like the one shown in Fig. 1. Conventionally, the insert contains two or four locking bars. In the context of the present invention, bar locking inserts are considered which are not limited to a specific number of bars. An insert may have one, two or four bars, or another number of bars ('keys'). The device of the invention is preferably implemented as a hand tool. However, the concept on which the device is based can easily be adapted to be mounted on an electric tool, possibly a portable electric tool. More details are given later in the description.30

[0045] A design of a device(100) according to the present invention is shown in Fig.2. The left part of the figure shows an external view of the device and the right part a cross-section along the line AA. The device contains a housing (10). BE2024 / 5936 8 The housing contains an inner body (20). The housing and the inner body share the same longitudinal axis, corresponding to the line AA in the figure. In preferred designs (for example, as shown in Fig. 2), the housing is nearly cylindrical, but the invention is by no means restricted to this. The outer shape of the housing can have any suitable shape. In some cases, for example, it may be desirable for the tool housing to be rectangular or octagonal in shape or to have a positioning indentation. The inner body contains a striking surface (24) at one end.

[0046] Outside the housing there is an outer body(30). The outer body can be seen as a plunger. The outer body contains a central projection(2). The insert is positioned on this central projection during installation.In this design, the outer body further encloses central guides (5), which extend from the outer body to the inner body. The central guides maintain a fixed position relative to the rest of the outer body. The central guides are attached, for example, by gluing to the rest of the outer body. The central projection (2) and the central guides (5) are centered around the same central longitudinal axis as the housing (1) and the inner body (20). The outer body can move a certain distance in the direction of that central axis. The outer body has an outer surface (32) in which at least one hole (34) is provided. In preferred designs, the outer surface contains two or four holes. The outer surface can be seen as the insert end of the device and is also the surface from which the cylindrical central element (2) (sometimes also called a pilot) protrudes, on which the insert must be placed during installation.It is at least one drilled keyway for a rod of the insert. One of the rods of the insert can be placed in each hole.25

[0047] As already mentioned, in economical designs the outer surface can have two holes, through which two rods can be received. This is illustrated in Fig. 2. The centers of the two holes are then preferably 180° apart, that is to say that the holes are positioned on either side of the central projection. Also, in preferred designs, the outer body is cylindrically shaped.30 Fig. 3 provides an illustration in top views and in cross-section of the outer body with the central projection and two holes for receiving insert rods. However, the invention is by no means limited to a cylindrical outer body, and other cylindrical BE2024 / 5936 9 Shapes can also occur. There is not even a strict necessity that the outside of the body has the same shape as the casing.In economical designs, however, the housing and the outer body have essentially the same or similar shape.

[0048] The outer diameter of the central projection(2) corresponds to the internal thread diameter of the threaded insert, and the length of the central projection preferably corresponds approximately to the length of the insert. The distance from the said central longitudinal axis to the nearest edge of a hole corresponds to the radius of the top surface of the external thread on the threaded insert, so that one or more rods can be accommodated in the respective holes when the insert is placed on the central projection.

[0049] To solve the problem of rod bending during the installation process, the device, according to the invention, includes further guides(4) between the outer body and the inner body with a axis parallel to the central longitudinal axis. The other guiding devices are positioned so that they lie in line with the one or 15 rods incorporated into the holes. In the design of Fig.2 The further guiding means are designed as two pins, corresponding to the two holes present in that design. The holes (34) in the outer surface are shaped so that the further guiding means (4), that is to say the pins, can pass through them. In other words, the holes extend to the surface opposite the outer surface. 20 Since the pins are thus aligned with the rod when it is placed in the hole, the pin drives the rod into the surface in which the insert is to be installed when an impact force is applied to the striking surface of the device, for example by striking with a hammer.

[0050] In an implementation with four holes in the outer surface of the outer body, naturally a maximum of four rods can be inserted into the respective holes at the same time. The further guiding means(4) consist of four pins, positioned around the central projection and preferably at a distance of 90° from each other.

[0051] In preferred designs, the inner body is at least partially threaded.Thanks to the threaded part(25), the inner body can be screwed into the housing and the other guiding devices can be held in place. Fig. 2 illustrates the thread of the inner body. BE2024 / 5936 10

[0052] In some designs, the housing is made slightly wider near the impact surface and the end of the inner body. This is also the case in Fig. 2. This provides the advantage that an impact cap(3) with a widened impact surface is obtained, making it easier to apply a suitable impact force to the inner body. Fig. 4 illustrates the inner body with impact cap. The central length is indicated. 5 A bottom view is shown at the top of the figure.

[0053] The process of installing the threaded insert with the tool of the present invention is now described.The threaded insert is slid onto the central projection(2), brought to the outer surface(32) of the outer body(30) and simultaneously positioned so that the 10 locking rod(s)(9) on the insert is / are received in the corresponding opening(s)(34) on the outer body. The lower end of the threaded insert is then inserted into the bore and screwed. This can be done manually or with the aid of the device of the invention. The insert is screwed until the insert is fully screwed into the bore. The upper ends of the one or more rods protrude above the surface and must still be driven into the surface. This is done with the device of the invention. The outer body is in a position as shown in the left part of Fig. 5. Note that for reasons of clarity the insert with the locking rod(s) is not shown in this figure. A design is shown again in which the outer body encompasses two holes and the 20 further guiding means (4) consist of two pins.In this design, pins are positioned at the point to be inserted into the holes (i.e., the round bores). When an impact force is applied to the device, more specifically to the striking end of the device, the inner body together with the housing moves forward in the direction of the outer body, whereby the pins are pushed through the holes and the underside of the outer body touches the housing. This is shown in the right part of Fig. 5. The impact force can be applied by hand (for example, tapping or punching) or by striking the striking surface with a suitable tool such as a hammer, a semi-automatic or automatic device, or the like.

[0054] The effect of the impact is illustrated in more detail in Fig. 6, in which an external body is again considered with two holes in the outer surface and thus two pins. In the left part of the figure, the device is placed in the correct position to drive the partially protruding rods into the surface of the workpiece. As can be seen in the figure, the pins are aligned with the respective rods.The right part of the figure shows the situation after the rods have been struck into the surface. As a result of the impact, the inner body together with the housing is moved downwards towards the surface, causing the upper ends of the locking rods to be pressed down into the bore until they are flush with the upper edge of the 5 threaded insert.

[0055] In some designs, the central conductor(5) is shaped so that the outer end has a T-shape near the inner body. An illustration is given in Fig. 7. The figure shows two side views as well as a top view. As the figure illustrates, the central conductor has a collar of suitable shape on the T-shape to secure the conductors. For example, this shape is square or rectangular, without being limited to this. By using central conductors with such a T-shaped end, rotation of the device during use is avoided.

[0056] In some designs the further guide device(4) is shaped so that at the ends near the inner body it has a T-shape. Here too the collar can for example15 have a square or rectangular shape in order to prevent movement of the further guide devices.

[0057] An alternative to the design of the device(100) according to Fig.2 is shown in Fig.8. This design is very similar to that of Fig.2, but the main difference is that there are no central conductive devices. Furthermore, only a limited part of the outer body(30) comes outside the housing. Specifically, the outer surface(32) and the central projection(2) are always located outside the housing(10). The rest of the outer body (each plunger) is usually largely inside the housing in this design. This depends on the movement made during the installation process.25

[0058] The outer surface(32) of the outer body still contains at least one hole(34) for receiving one of the rods.The one or more holes in the outer surface extend to the surface of the outer body opposite the outer surface, so that the other guiding devices (in other words, the pins) can pass through them. The design of Fig. 8 also exhibits the previously mentioned 30 characteristics of the inner body, which is at least partially threaded, and the slight widening of the inner body near the striking surface. BE2024 / 5936 12

[0059] Fig. 9 illustrates an economical design in which a recess (slot)(17) is provided in the housing containing a sliding screw(19). This is screwed into the outer body(30). In this way, it is prevented that the outer body would fall out of the housing. The slot has a main direction parallel to the central axis, as can also be seen in the figure (axisBB). The length of the slot determines the distance over which the screw (and the outer body connected to it) can move. In other words, the limited range of motion of the screw in the slot limits the distance over which the outer body can move in the direction of the central axis.

[0060] The installation process as previously described remains predominantly applicable. The positioning remains as set out above. When an impact force is applied10 to the device of the invention, the inner body, together with the housings and pins, moves forward in the direction of the outer body, whereby the pins are pushed through the holes. Since the pins are aligned with the respective rods, the ends of the locking rods are pressed downwards into the bore as previously described.15

[0061] Fig. 10 shows a possible design of a further guiding device in side views and top view. In the design as shown in Fig. 8, the shape of the collar is no longer of importance. In Fig. 10 a round collar is shown, but a collar as shown in 10 is equally possible.