Leveling instrument

Abstract

To provide a leveling instrument that there is no risk of scratching a bubble pipe by contact with a holder even when the bubble pipe is attached to the holder and carried.SOLUTION: A leveling instrument is provided with a bubble pipe 2 in a substrate 1, and measures a horizontality or verticality using the bubble pipe 2. The substrate 1 has a protruding shank part 3 that can be fitted and inserted into a bit holder 10. The shank part 3 has a cylindrical or rectangular body part 3a with a constricted part 3b provided midway in its lengthwise direction. When the shank part 3 is fitted and inserted into the bit holder 10, a sphere 14 provided in the bit holder 10 engages with the constricted part 3b to prevent the shank part 3 from coming loose, so that the leveling instrument is suspended by the bit holder 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a portable hanging level. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1, there is a spirit level which has a hanging rod 21 made of a metal wire formed into a semi-circular shape, such as a C-shape, an arc shape, or a U-shape, at its side end, and which is configured so that the worker can carry it by hanging this hanging rod 21 on a carabiner 30 worn on the waist or the like.

[0003] However, among the conventional examples, there is also a level 20 (hereinafter referred to as the "conventional example") configured in such a way that a hanging rod 21 is provided near the vial 22, as shown in Figure 4. In the case of this conventional example, when the hanging rod 21 is attached to the carabiner 30 and carried, it will swing when the worker walks, runs, etc., and this swinging will cause the carabiner 30 to come into contact with the vial 22, causing scratches on the vial 22, causing the reference line on the surface of the vial 22 to disappear or become faint and difficult to see, and even causing the vial 22 to be damaged by impact. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-137956 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems associated with the conventional examples as described above, and has as its object to provide a level which can be easily carried around without the risk of the bubble tube being scratched or damaged by contact with the holder when attached to the holder and hung for carrying. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The gist of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0007] This spirit level has a base 1 provided with a vial 2, and uses the vial 2 to measure horizontality or verticality, and has a shank portion 3 protruding from the base 1 that can be inserted into a bit holder 10 configured as described below, and the shank portion 3 has a cylindrical or rectangular main body portion 3a with a narrowed portion 3b provided midway along the length thereof, and when the shank portion 3 is inserted into the bit holder 10, a sphere 14 provided on the bit holder 10 engages with the narrowed portion 3b, preventing the shank portion 3 from coming out, and thereby the level is held and suspended by the bit holder 10. Note The bit holder 10 comprises a holder body 11 having an insertion hole 11a into which the shank portion 3 is inserted, a sleeve 12 that is fitted onto the holder body 11 and is capable of sliding along the outer peripheral surface of the holder body 11, a biasing body 13 that biases the sleeve 12 in a predetermined direction, and a sphere 14 whose portion can be freely projected and recessed into the insertion hole 11a as the sleeve 12 moves through a through hole 11b on the outer peripheral surface of the holder body 11.

[0008] In addition, in the spirit level described in claim 1, the shank portion 3 is characterized in that an engagement portion 3c is provided at the base end of the main body portion 3a, and this engagement portion 3c is engaged with the base 1 and fixed to the base 1 so as to prevent it from coming loose.

[0009] The spirit level according to any one of claims 1 and 2 is characterized in that the shank portion 3 protrudes horizontally outward from the side end surface 1a of the base body 1. Effect of the Invention

[0010] Since the present invention is configured as described above, when the level is attached to a holder and hung for carrying, there is no risk of the vial being scratched or damaged by contact with the holder, and the level can be easily carried. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway explanatory front view of the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the embodiment in a portable state (holder attached state). [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional example in a carried state (holder attached state). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described below with reference to the drawings to illustrate the operation of the present invention.

[0013] By inserting the shank portion 3 protruding from the base 1 into the insertion hole 11a provided in the holder body 11 of the bit holder 10, a part of the sphere 14 protruding into the holder body 11 (into the insertion hole 11a) engages (fits into) the narrowed portion 3b provided in the main body portion 3a of the inserted shank portion 3, and the engagement of this sphere 14 with the narrowed portion 3b prevents the shank portion 3 from coming out, and the base 1 is held in place by the bit holder 10.

[0014] In this way, in the present invention, the base body 1 can be connected and held to the bit holder 10 simply by inserting the shank portion 3 into the bit holder 10, and therefore the base body 1 can be easily suspended and carried.

[0015] Furthermore, since the base 1 is connected to the bit holder 10 by inserting the shank portion 3, the bit holder 10 does not come into contact with the base 1 or the vial 2. Therefore, unlike the conventional example, the vial 22 does not get scratched due to contact with the carabiner 30, the reference lines marked on the surface of the vial 22 do not disappear or become faint and difficult to see, and the vial 2 does not get damaged. EXAMPLES

[0016] A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] In this embodiment, a bubble tube 2 is provided on a base 1, and this bubble tube 2 is used to measure horizontality or perpendicularity.

[0018] Specifically, in this embodiment, a shank portion 3 that can be inserted into a bit holder 10 is protruded from the base 1, and by inserting this shank portion 3 into the bit holder 10, the base 1 can be connected and held to the bit holder 10 and suspended for carrying.

[0019] More specifically, the base 1 is formed by joining a pair of metal (aluminum) base halves 4, and more specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, it is formed in a rectangular shape, with a vial 2 for measuring horizontality disposed at the upper end and a vial 2 for measuring verticality (perpendicularity) disposed at one side end. Note that the base 1 is not limited to being made of metal, and may be made of synthetic resin such as plastic.

[0020] In addition, the lower surface (bottom surface) is configured as a reference surface to be abutted against the part to be measured, and further, a magnet (not shown) is provided on the inside of this reference surface so that the reference surface can be attracted and fixed to the part to be measured made of magnetic metal by the magnetic attraction action of this magnet.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the base body 1 of this embodiment is provided with a holding portion 5 for holding a shank portion 3, which will be described later.

[0022] Specifically, the retaining portion 5 is formed within the base 1 by butting together retaining portion forming recesses formed in the inner surface of each base half 4, and is configured to clamp and fix the shank portion 3 in a non-slip manner.

[0023] Moreover, the shank portion 3 is configured so as to be connectable to a known bit holder 10 that is generally sold on the market.

[0024] Specifically, the shank portion 3 is configured such that a constricted portion 3b is provided midway along the length of the main body portion 3a which is formed in a cylindrical shape, and as shown in Figure 1, is provided so as to protrude horizontally outward from the side end surface 1a of the base 1 (in this embodiment, the side end surface 1a of the side end portion where the bubble tube 2 is provided).

[0025] More specifically, the shank portion 3 is made of metal (aluminum or brass), the main body portion 3a is formed into a cylindrical rod shape with a diameter of 7 mm and has a tapered tip, and further, an engagement portion 3c is connected to the base end of the main body portion 3a, and this engagement portion 3c is configured to engage with a retaining portion 5 provided on the base 1 and to be fixed to the base 1 so as to prevent it from coming loose.

[0026] Although the shank portion 3 of this embodiment is formed in a cylindrical shape as described above, it may be formed in a prismatic (square or hexagonal) shape like the shank portion of a driver bit or the like.

[0027] Next, the bit holder 10 to which this embodiment is connected will be described.

[0028] As shown in Figure 3, the bit holder 10 comprises a holder body 11 having an insertion hole 11a into which the shank portion 3 is inserted, a sleeve 12 that is fitted onto the holder body 11 and is capable of sliding along the outer peripheral surface of the holder body 11, a biasing body 13 that biases the sleeve 12 in a predetermined direction, and a sphere 14 that is capable of protruding and retracting in the insertion hole 11a as the sleeve 12 moves through a through hole 11b on the outer peripheral surface of the holder body 11.

[0029] Specifically, the holder body 11 has a ring body 15 at its tip, and is configured so as to be suspended via this ring body 15 for portability.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the sleeve 12 is provided with a ball pushing portion 12a at the rear of the inner circumferential surface thereof, which pushes the ball 14 (steel ball) toward the insertion hole 11a so that a part of the ball protrudes into the insertion hole 11a through a through hole 11b provided in the holder body 11, and a retracting storage portion 12b in which the ball 14 is retracted and stored is provided at the front side of the ball pushing portion 12a (the opening side of the insertion hole 11a), and the ball 14 is urged toward the opening side of the insertion hole 11a by a biasing body 13 disposed at the rear side of the ball pushing portion 12a. The bit holder 10 is configured such that the sleeve 12 is biased by the biasing body 13. By sliding the sleeve 12 toward the back against the force of 13, the sphere 14, part of which protrudes into the insertion hole 11a, moves to the retreat storage section 12b, and the sphere 14 no longer protrudes into the insertion hole 11a, making it possible to insert the shank portion 3 into the insertion hole 11a. After the shank portion 3 is inserted, the sleeve 12 is returned to its original position, and the sphere 14 is again pushed by the sphere pushing section 12a to protrude into the insertion hole 11a, and the part of the sphere 14 protruding into the insertion hole 11a fits into the narrowed section 3b of the shank portion 3, preventing the shank portion 3 from coming out.

[0031] The configuration of the bit holder 10 is not limited to the above. For example, in the configuration of the sleeve 12, the positional relationship between the spherical pushing portion 12a and the retractable storage portion 12b may be reversed from that in this embodiment (the spherical pushing portion 12a is on the front side (opening side) of the insertion hole 11a, and the retractable storage portion 12b is on the back side), and the shank portion 3 can be inserted by sliding the sleeve 12 towards the front.

[0032] Since this embodiment is configured as described above, by inserting the shank portion 3 into the insertion hole 11a of the bit holder 10, the shank portion 3 is connected and held by the bit holder 10, and the base body 1 can be suspended from the bit holder 10 and carried around.

[0033] Furthermore, even if the bit holder 10 is swung by the worker (user) walking, running, or other actions while connected to the bit holder 10, this swinging motion will not cause the bit holder 10 to come into contact with the bubble tube 22, so there is no problem, as in the conventional example, where the bubble tube 22 is scratched due to contact with the carabiner 30 and the reference lines marked on the surface of the bubble tube 22 disappear or become faint and difficult to see.

[0034] In addition, as shown in Figure 3, this embodiment is carried in a form in which it is suspended straight down from the bit holder 10, and when the sleeve 12 is released from the engagement of the sphere 14 with the narrowed portion 3b, the shank portion 3 comes out of the insertion hole 11a due to its own weight, and can be removed from the bit holder 10, so that the bit can be attached and detached from the bit holder 10 with a single hand.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the shank portion 3 is configured so that it can be connected to a known bit holder 10 that is generally sold on the market. Therefore, if a bit holder 10 is already owned, there is no need to purchase a new bit holder 10, and it can also be carried by hanging it together with other tools such as driver bits and drill bits.

[0036] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and the specific configuration of each component can be designed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1 Base 1a Side end surface 2 Vial tube 3 Shank 3a Main body 3b Neck 3c Mating part 10 Bit Holder 11 Holder body 11a Insertion hole 11b Through hole 12 Sleeve 13. Forced body 14 Sphere

Claims

1. A spirit level having a bubble tube attached to a base body and using this bubble tube to measure horizontality or verticality, wherein a shank portion protruding from the base body is capable of being inserted into a bit holder having the following configuration, wherein the shank portion has a constricted portion provided midway along the length of a cylindrical or rectangular main body portion, and when the shank portion is inserted into the bit holder, a sphere provided on the bit holder engages with the constricted portion, preventing the shank portion from coming out, thereby allowing it to be held and suspended by the bit holder. Note The bit holder comprises a holder body having a fitting hole into which the shank portion is inserted, a sleeve fitted onto the holder body and arranged to slide freely along the outer peripheral surface of the holder body, a biasing body which biases the sleeve in a predetermined direction, and a sphere having a portion which can be freely protruded and recessed into the fitting hole as the sleeve moves through a through hole provided on the outer peripheral surface of the holder body.

2. 2. The spirit level according to claim 1, wherein the shank portion has a fitting portion provided at a base end of the main body portion, and the fitting portion is fitted into the base body and fixed to the base body so as to prevent it from coming off.

3. 3. The spirit level according to claim 1, wherein the shank portion is provided so as to protrude horizontally outward from a side end surface of the base body.

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