Socket

Abstract

To provide a socket capable of shortening a time until engagement, suppressing damage of a bolt or a nut and the socket itself, and improving workability.SOLUTION: The socket 10 has a socket hole 13 for engaging a head part of a bolt or a nut, and an inclined plane part 14 inclined toward the other opposed end part by passing through the axis 12 from one end part to a vertical surface to the axis 12, is arranged in a tip side outer peripheral end part of the socket hole 13. As a result, the vertex portion at the one end portion or the other end portion comes into contact with the head portion of the bolt or the nut and rotates, so that a trigger for displacement can be given to the bolt or the nut, and the axis of the bolt or the nut and the axis 12 of the socket 10 can be automatically aligned with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a socket for tightening a bolt or a nut. [Background technology]

[0002] In various manufacturing processes, for example, a bolt or a nut may be tightened using a socket provided with a socket hole into which the head of the bolt or the nut is engaged. In this tightening process, for example, the bolt or the nut is temporarily placed at the fastening location, the socket is moved axially, the head of the bolt or the nut is engaged with the socket hole, and the socket is rotated to tighten the bolt or the nut.

[0003] However, when a bolt or nut is temporarily placed at a fastening location, the amount of threading and phase are not determined, so the bolt or nut may be tilted. In this case, the head of the bolt or nut does not engage with the socket hole, causing the socket to spin freely, making it impossible to tighten the bolt or nut. For this reason, in the past, it was necessary to assign personnel to deal with the problem of a socket spinning freely, and the defective bolt was discarded, resulting in waste.

[0004] Tightening devices have been known in the past that allow a bolt head or a nut to engage with a socket hole even when the axes of the bolt or the nut are misaligned when the socket is pressed against the head or the nut. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a tightening device in which the tip surface of the socket is formed with a spiral slope that runs approximately around the socket and a cliff that connects the lowest and highest parts of the slope and faces in the opposite direction to the tightening rotation direction of the socket. Patent Document 2 also describes a tightening device in which a step is provided on the tip surface of the socket and the tip surface is inclined toward the bottom of the step from the direction opposite to the socket rotation. In these tightening devices, the cliff or step provided on the tip surface of the socket triggers displacement of the bolt or the nut, thereby engaging the bolt head or the nut with the socket hole.

[0005] However, in the fastening devices described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, the cliff or step portion that triggers the bolt or nut to displace is a stepped convex portion, which means that the contact surface with the bolt or nut is small and the time required to guide the bolt or nut is short, resulting in a long engagement time. There is also the problem that the stepped convex portion may damage the bolt or nut when it comes into contact with the bolt or nut. Furthermore, there is the problem that stress may concentrate in the concave portion of the cliff or step portion, which may cause cracks or chips in the socket itself. In addition, there is also the problem that the shape is complex and difficult to process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-237054 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-256529 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been made in response to these problems, and aims to provide a socket that can shorten the time until engagement, suppress damage to the bolt or nut and the socket itself, and further improve processability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The socket of the present invention is used to tighten bolts or nuts, and has a socket hole for engaging the head of the bolt or nut, and the outer peripheral end of the tip side of the socket hole is provided with an inclined flat portion that is inclined from one end through the axis to the opposite other end with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the outer peripheral edge of the tip of the socket hole is provided with an inclined flat portion that slopes from one end through the axis to the opposite other end, so that the apex of one or the other end abuts against the head of the bolt or nut and rotates, triggering displacement of the bolt or nut and automatically aligning the axis of the bolt or nut with the axis of the socket. This eliminates the need for personnel to deal with socket slippage and reduces the amount of defective bolts that are discarded.

[0010] Furthermore, since the tip outer peripheral edge is gradually changed by the inclined surface, the time required to guide the bolt or nut can be extended and the time until engagement can be shortened. Furthermore, damage to the bolt or nut can be suppressed, and stress concentration on the socket can be suppressed, thereby suppressing socket damage. In addition, the tip outer peripheral edge of the socket hole has a simple shape that is inclined from one end to the other, making it easy to process.

[0011] Furthermore, if the inclination angle of the inclined flat surface is set to be between 1 degree and 4 degrees with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis, the axis of the bolt or nut can be more easily aligned with the axis of the socket. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a socket according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the socket illustrated in FIG. 1 as viewed from the tip side. [Figure 3] 2A to 2C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the socket shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] (One embodiment) 1 and 2 show the configuration of a socket 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 explains the operation of the socket 10. The socket 10 is used to tighten bolts or nuts, and is attached to a tightening device, for example. The socket 10 has a main body 11 that extends in one direction, for example. The main body 11 has, for example, a substantially cylindrical external shape and is rotated with its longitudinal direction as the direction of an axis 12.

[0015] A socket hole 13 is provided at the tip end in the longitudinal direction of the main body 11, into which, for example, the head of a bolt or a nut is engaged. The tip end is the side into which a bolt or a nut is inserted. At least the tip end of the socket hole 13 is preferably formed, for example, in the shape of a hexagonal prism. The six inner surfaces 13A of the hexagonal prism of the socket hole 13 may be flat, or may be curved so as to protrude radially, as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 2, for example. This allows the side of the head of a bolt or the side of a nut to engage with the inner surfaces 13A of the socket hole 13, allowing the bolt or nut to be rotated by the socket 10.

[0016] The outer circumferential edge on the tip side of the socket hole 13 is provided with an inclined flat surface 14 that is inclined from one end to the opposing other end, passing through the axis 12, with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis 12. In this embodiment, the entire tip surface of the main body 11 forms the inclined flat surface 14. In FIG. 1 , the plane perpendicular to the axis 12 is indicated by a two-dot dashed line. It is preferable that the inclined flat surface 14 is inclined, for example, from one side 13B of the hexagonal prism toward the opposing side 13C that passes through the axis 12, with respect to the plane perpendicular to the axis 12. This is because by inclining the outer circumferential edge on the tip side of the socket hole 13 with one side 13B or the opposing side 13C as the apex, a trigger for displacement can be provided to the bolt or nut at the apex.

[0017] The inclination angle θ of the inclined flat surface portion 14 is preferably set within the range of, for example, 1 degree to 4 degrees with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis 12. If it is less than 1 degree, it becomes difficult to give the bolt or nut a sufficient impetus to displace, and if it is greater than 4 degrees, the contact time at the apex is shortened, shortening the time to guide the bolt or nut, and therefore taking a long time to engage.

[0018] This socket 10 operates, for example, as follows: First, for example, a bolt or a nut is temporarily placed at the fastening location, and while rotating the socket 10 about its axis 12, it is moved in the direction of the axis 12 toward the bolt or the nut. At this time, if the axis 12 of the socket 10 and the axis of the bolt or the nut are approximately aligned, the head of the bolt or the nut enters and engages with the socket hole 13, and the bolt or the nut rotates as the socket 10 is rotated, thereby tightening it.

[0019] On the other hand, for example, as shown in Figure 3(A), if the bolt M or nut is tilted at an angle at the fastening point and the axis 12 of the socket 10 does not coincide with the axis of the bolt M or nut, even if the socket 10 is moved in the direction of the axis 12 so as to approach the bolt or nut, the head of the bolt M or nut will not enter the socket hole 13.

[0020] According to the socket 10 of this embodiment, an inclined flat portion 14 is provided at the outer peripheral edge of the tip side of the socket hole 13, inclined from one end to the opposing other end through the axis 12, so that the apex of the inclined flat portion 14 comes into contact with the head or nut of the bolt M and rotates, thereby triggering displacement of the bolt M or nut. As a result, for example, as shown in Figures 3(B) and (C), the axis of the bolt M or nut coincides with the axis 12 of the socket 10, and the head or nut of the bolt M enters the socket hole 13, engages with it, and is tightened.

[0021] As described above, according to this embodiment, the outer peripheral edge on the tip side of the socket hole 13 is provided with an inclined flat surface 14 that is inclined from one end to the opposing other end, passing through the axis 12, so that the apex at one or the other end comes into contact with the head of the bolt or the nut and rotates, triggering displacement of the bolt or the nut, and automatically aligning the axis of the bolt or the nut with the axis 12 of the socket 10. This eliminates the need for personnel to deal with idling of the socket 10 and reduces the amount of defective bolts that are discarded.

[0022] Furthermore, since the tip outer peripheral edge is gradually changed by the inclined surface, the time required to guide the bolt or nut can be extended, thereby shortening the time until engagement. Furthermore, damage to the bolt or nut can be prevented, and stress concentration on the socket 10 can be prevented, thereby preventing damage to the socket 10. In addition, the tip outer peripheral edge of the socket hole 13 has a simple shape that is inclined from one end to the other, making it easy to process.

[0023] Furthermore, if the inclination angle of the inclined flat surface portion 14 is set to be greater than or equal to 1 degree and less than or equal to 4 degrees with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis 12, it is possible to more easily align the axis of the bolt or nut with the axis 12 of the socket 10.

[0024] (Variation) 4 shows the configuration of a modified example of the present invention. In the above embodiment, a single socket hole 13 is provided at the tip end of the main body 11. However, this modified example has the same configuration as the above embodiment, except that a plurality of socket holes 13 of different sizes are provided in a multi-stage pattern at the tip end of the main body 11. Therefore, components corresponding to those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0025] The socket holes 13 are provided in multiple stages so that their sizes decrease sequentially from the tip end. Note that FIG. 4 shows a case where two different sized socket holes 13 are provided in two stages. As in the above-described embodiment, an inclined flat surface 14 is provided on the outer peripheral end of the tip end of each socket hole 13, which is inclined from one end passing through the axis 12 to the opposing other end with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis 12. The configuration of each inclined flat surface 14 is the same as in the above-described embodiment. Even when the socket holes 13 are provided in multiple stages in this way, the same effect as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained by providing an inclined flat surface 14 on the outer peripheral end of the tip end of each socket hole 13.

[0026] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways. For example, although each component has been specifically described in the above embodiments, not all components may be included, and other components may be included. Furthermore, the requirements for each component may be different. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 10...socket, 11...main body, 12...shaft center, 13...socket hole, 13A...inner surface, 13B...one side edge, 13C...opposing side edge, 14...inclined flat portion, M...bolt

Claims

1. A socket for tightening a bolt or nut, It has a socket hole for engaging the head of a bolt or a nut, An inclined flat surface is provided at the outer peripheral end of the tip side of the socket hole, which is inclined from one end to the other end that passes through the axis and faces perpendicular to the axis. A socket characterized by:

2. 2. The socket according to claim 1, wherein the inclination angle of the inclined flat surface is between 1 degree and 4 degrees with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis.

3. 2. The socket according to claim 1, wherein at least a tip side of the socket hole is hexagonal prism-shaped, and the inclined flat surface portion is inclined from one side edge of the hexagonal prism toward an opposing side edge passing through the axis.

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