Bolt holder for electric screwdriver

Abstract

To enhance durability even if a bolt holder for an electric driver is made of a material that repeats elastic deformation every time the same is used.SOLUTION: A bolt holding socket 1 made of silicon is mounted on a tip part 31a of a driver bit 31 of an electric driver and holds a bolt 40. The bolt holding socket includes: a cylindrical mounting portion 10 that is attached to a tip part 31a of the driver bit 31 by insertion of the tip part 31a; and an approximately cylindrical holding portion 20 that tightens and holds a head part 41 of the bolt 40 by its being elastically deformed by insertion of the head part 41. The holding portion 20 is formed so as to be concentric with the mounting portion 10 and at either axial end of the mounting portion 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bolt holder for an electric screwdriver that is attached to the tip of a driver bit of the electric screwdriver to hold a bolt. [Background technology]

[0002] When tightening a bolt using an electric screwdriver, the typical technique is to hold the electric screwdriver in your dominant hand, insert the Phillips (or Flathead) tip of the driver bit into the Phillips (or Flathead) groove formed in the head of the bolt which is being held in your non-dominant hand, and then operate the electric screwdriver to screw the bolt into the target object (the part to be tightened).

[0003] However, such a general method has the following problems. That is, if the bolt is small and difficult to support with the hand, it is difficult to keep the tip of the driver bit in the groove of the bolt, which may reduce work efficiency. Also, if the tightening area is in a narrow place, it is difficult to support the bolt, and there is a risk that the hand (fingers) holding the bolt will be injured by the edge, or that the bolt will fall into a gap.

[0004] For this reason, a commonly used method has been to permanently magnetize the tip of a driver bit and hold the bolt using magnetic force, thereby keeping the tip of the driver bit fitted into the groove of the bolt without having to support the bolt with the hand.

[0005] However, this method of using magnetic force to hold a bolt has the problem that it is difficult to apply in the first place to devices in which the tightening portion is sensitive to magnetic fields or to non-magnetic bolts.

[0006] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an attachment-type screw member holder for a screwdriver, which is made of a material having elastic properties, is composed of a holding portion and a tool attachment portion, and has in the holding portion an engagement groove for holding a screw member (bolt) and an attachment / detachment mechanism for releasing the screw member from the engagement groove. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-120217 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] According to the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the bolt is held in place by utilizing its elastic properties, so that even if the bolt is non-magnetic, it can be screwed into the tightening portion without having to support the bolt with the hand and without the bolt falling out.

[0009] However, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the elastic properties of silicon or the like are utilized to hold the bolt. In other words, the holding portion is repeatedly deformed each time the screw-fitting member holder is used. This causes the holding portion to deteriorate relatively quickly, and therefore requires the screw-fitting member holder to be replaced frequently.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and its object is to provide a bolt holder for an electric screwdriver, which is made of a material that undergoes repeated elastic deformation each time it is used. The present invention also aims to provide a technology for improving durability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, in the bolt holding device for an electric screwdriver of the present invention, the holding portion that tightens and holds the head of the bolt is formed at both axial ends of the mounting portion that is attached to the tip of the driver bit.

[0012] Specifically, the present invention is directed to a silicon bolt holder for an electric screwdriver that is attached to the tip of a driver bit of the electric screwdriver to hold a bolt.

[0013] The bolt holder for an electric screwdriver includes a cylindrical mounting portion into which the tip end of the driver bit is inserted and attached to the tip end, and a substantially cylindrical holding portion into which the head of the bolt is inserted and elastically deforms to fasten and hold the head, the holding portion being formed concentrically with the mounting portion and at both axial ends of the mounting portion. The holding portion has a truncated cone-shaped holding hole in its center which expands in diameter from the tip of the bolt holder for an electric screwdriver toward the center in the axial direction, and the diameter of the holding hole is set smaller than the outer diameter of the head of the bolt to be held at the tip end of the bolt holder for an electric screwdriver, while the diameter of the holding hole is set larger than the outer diameter of the head of the bolt at the end of the bolt holder for an electric screwdriver toward the center in the axial direction, and the opening edge of the tip end of the holding portion and its peripheral portion elastically deform to come into contact only with the side of the head of the bolt, thereby tightening and holding the head of the bolt. It is characterized by the above.

[0014] According to this configuration, the driver bit is provided with a holding portion that tightens and holds the head of the bolt by elastically deforming, so that even when it is difficult to support the bolt with the hand or the bolt is a non-magnetic bolt, the tip of the driver bit can be kept fitted into the groove of the bolt, making it possible to reliably screw the bolt into the tightening portion without dropping it.

[0015] In addition, because there is no need to support the bolt with the hand, even if the tightening area is in a narrow place, the hand (fingers) holding the bolt can be prevented from being injured by edges, etc., thereby improving safety. Furthermore, because there is no need to support the bolt with the hand and the tightening area is not blocked by the hand, in other words, there is visibility, so the condition of the tightening area can be visually confirmed while working, thereby reducing the occurrence of bolt tightening errors.

[0016] In addition, by forming the retaining portion at both axial ends of the attachment portion that is attached to the tip of the driver bit, it becomes possible to use both retaining portions. This makes it possible to double the durability of the silicon bolt retainer for electric screwdrivers, which deteriorates relatively quickly due to repeated elastic deformation each time it is used. Effect of the Invention

[0017] As described above, according to the bolt holder for an electric screwdriver according to the present invention, durability can be improved even when the bolt holder is made of a material that undergoes repeated elastic deformation each time it is used. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing a bolt retaining socket according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a diagram seen in the axial direction, and FIG. 1B is a diagram seen in the direction perpendicular to the axis. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a typical manner in which a bolt-holding socket is used, where (a) shows the socket attached to the tip of a driver bit, and (b) shows the socket holding a bolt. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a bolt tightening operation using an electric screwdriver, in which (a) shows a case where a bolt-holding socket is used, and (b) shows a case where a bolt-holding socket is not used. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] -Bolt Retaining Socket Configuration- Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a bolt-retaining socket 1 according to this embodiment, where Fig. 1(a) is a diagram seen in the axial direction, and Fig. 1(b) is a diagram seen in the direction perpendicular to the axis. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a typical usage of the bolt-retaining socket 1, where Fig. 1(a) shows a state where the socket is attached to the tip 31a of a driver bit 31, and Fig. 1(b) shows a state where the socket holds a bolt 40. In Fig. 2, in order to make the diagram easier to see, the diameter of the mounting hole 11, whose hole wall is in close contact with the driver bit 31, is drawn larger than the outer diameter of the driver bit 31.

[0021] This bolt holding socket (bolt holder for electric screwdriver) 1 is attached to tip 31a of driver bit 31 of electric screwdriver 30 (see FIG. 3) when tightening a bolt using the electric screwdriver 30, and holds bolt 40. This bolt holding socket 1 is made of translucent silicone, and includes an attachment portion 10 and a holding portion 20, as shown in FIG.

[0022] The mounting portion 10 is a cylindrical portion made of silicon, and has a mounting hole 11 with a circular cross section that penetrates its center, as shown in Fig. 1(a). The mounting hole 11 is formed so that its diameter is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of a driver bit 31 in an electric screwdriver 30. As a result, as shown in Fig. 2(a), when a tip portion 31a of a driver bit 31 is inserted into the mounting hole 11, the hole wall of the mounting hole 11, which has a diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the driver bit 31, tightens the driver bit 31, and the mounting portion 10 is attached (fixed) to the tip portion 31a of the driver bit 31.

[0023] In this way, by attaching the mounting portion 10 to the tip portion 31a of the driver bit 31, when the electric screwdriver 30 is driven, the bolt holding socket 1 rotates together with the driver bit 31. Note that the mounting portion 10 will not come off the driver bit 31 when the electric screwdriver 30 is used for normal bolt fastening work, but its hardness and the diameter of the mounting hole 11 are adjusted so that it will easily come off the driver bit 31 when the worker pulls the bolt holding socket 1 in the axial direction.

[0024] 1(a) and 1(b), the retaining portion 20 has a truncated cone-shaped retaining hole 21 in the center. The retaining portion 20 is formed integrally with the mounting portion 10 so as to be concentric with the mounting portion 10, in other words, so that the retaining hole 21 is concentric with the mounting hole 11.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 1(b), the retaining hole 21 expands in diameter from the tip of the bolt retaining socket 1 toward the center in the axial direction, and is connected to the mounting hole 11 via a stepped surface 25. As shown in Fig. 2(a), the retaining hole 21 is formed so that its hole diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the head 41 of the bolt 40 on the opening 23 side (the tip side of the bolt retaining socket 1), while being larger than the outer diameter of the head 41 of the bolt 40 on the stepped surface 25 side. As a result, when the head 41 of the bolt 40 is inserted into the retaining hole 21, the retaining portion 20 elastically deforms (the opening 23 and the hole wall expand), thereby tightening and retaining the head 41, as shown in Fig. 2(b).

[0026] In this way, head 41 of bolt 40 is held by retaining hole 21 formed so as to taper toward the tip of bolt retaining socket 1, thereby preventing bolt 40 from falling out of bolt retaining socket 1. This makes it possible for the operator to maintain the plus-shaped (or flat-headed) tip of driver bit 31 fitted into the plus-shaped (or flat-headed) groove (not shown) formed in head 41 of bolt 40, even if the operator does not support bolt 40 with his or her hand.

[0027] The retaining portions 20 configured as described above are formed on both axial ends of the mounting portion 10, as shown in Fig. 1(b). In this manner, in the bolt retaining socket 1 according to this embodiment, the retaining portions 20 that tighten and retain the head 41 of the bolt 40 by elastic deformation are formed on both axial ends of the mounting portion 10, making it possible to use both (two) retaining portions 20. This makes it possible to double the durability of the silicon bolt retaining socket 1, which deteriorates relatively quickly due to repeated elastic deformation each time it is used.

[0028] -Example of using a bolt holding socket- FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of the tightening operation of a bolt 40 using an electric screwdriver 30, where (a) shows the case where the bolt-holding socket 1 is used, and (b) shows the case where the bolt-holding socket 1 is not used.

[0029] When tightening a bolt using an electric screwdriver 30, it is common to insert the tip of driver bit 31 of the electric screwdriver 30 held in the dominant hand (right hand R in the example of FIG. 3) into a groove formed in head 41 of bolt 40 held in the non-dominant hand (left hand L in the example of FIG. 3) as shown in FIG. 3(b), and then operate the electric screwdriver 30 to screw the bolt 40 into the target object (hereinafter, this method will be referred to as the conventional method).

[0030] However, as shown in FIG. 3(b), for example, when fastening a ramp to a vehicle side step 50 with a bolt, if the above-mentioned conventional method is applied, the following problems may occur.

[0031] That is, the bolt 40 for fastening the ramp to the vehicle side step 50 is a very small stepped bolt of φ6 to φ18, so it is difficult to support the bolt 40 with the left hand L and difficult to keep the tip of the driver bit 31 fitted in the groove of the bolt 40, resulting in a problem of reduced work efficiency. Also, when fastening the ramp to the vehicle side step 50 with a bolt, the tightening portion is very narrow, making it difficult to support the bolt 40 with the left hand L, and there is also a risk that the fingers of the left hand L holding the bolt 40 will be injured by the bracket edge or the like.

[0032] Furthermore, because it is difficult to support the bolt 40 with the left hand L, the bolt 40 may fall into a gap, which may result in a decrease in production efficiency. In addition, when trying to support the bolt 40 with the left hand L, the fastening portion is hidden by the left hand L, making it difficult to carry out the work while visually checking the state of the fastening portion, which makes it easy for bolt fastening errors to occur, and because the vehicle side step is made of aluminum, if a bolt fastening error occurs, it cannot be corrected, which increases the reject rate and further reduces production efficiency.

[0033] Here, it is conceivable to make tip 31a of driver bit 31 a permanent magnet and hold bolt 40 by magnetic force, thereby maintaining the tip of driver bit 31 fitted in the groove of bolt 40. However, bolt 40 for fastening the ramp to the vehicle side step is made of a non-magnetic material (e.g., SUS304), in other words, it does not stick to a magnet, so such a method cannot be applied in the first place.

[0034] In contrast, as shown in FIG. 3(a), by using the bolt holding socket 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to safely fasten a lamp to a vehicle side step with a bolt without reducing work efficiency or production efficiency.

[0035] More specifically, by using the bolt retaining socket 1, as shown in FIG. By holding the head 41 of the bolt 40 with the driver bit 31, the tip of the driver bit 31 can be kept fitted in the groove formed in the head 41 of the bolt 40 without the worker having to support the bolt 40 with the left hand L, thereby performing a one-handed operation. As a result, the tightening work time can be reduced to two-thirds compared to the conventional method, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0036] Furthermore, since the head 41 of the bolt 40 is held by the retaining hole 21, there is no need to insert the left hand L into the very narrow tightening area to support the bolt 40, so there is no risk of the fingers of the left hand L being injured by the bracket edge, etc., and it is possible to prevent gloves from getting caught in the rotating driver bit 31 and fingers from getting pinched between the tightening area and the bolt 40, thereby significantly improving safety compared to conventional methods.

[0037] Furthermore, by holding the head 41 of the bolt 40 with the retaining hole 21 formed so as to taper towards the tip, the bolt 40 will not fall out of the bolt retaining socket 1, and it is possible to reliably prevent the bolt 40 from falling into a gap. Also, since there is no need to support the bolt 40 with the left hand L and the tightening portion is not blocked by the left hand L, in other words, there is visibility, so the work can be performed while visually checking the state of the fastening portion, thereby reducing the occurrence of bolt tightening errors. These combined features make it possible to prevent a decrease in production efficiency.

[0038] In addition, since retaining portions 20 are provided at both axial ends of the mounting portion 10, by using both retaining portions 20, the durability of the bolt retaining socket 1 can be doubled, thereby reducing the number of times the bolt retaining socket 1 needs to be replaced due to deterioration, and contributing to reduced manufacturing costs.

[0039] (Other embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and can be embodied in various other forms without departing from the spirit or main characteristics thereof.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the case where a non-magnetic bolt is fastened, but the present invention is not limited to this and may also be applied to the case where a magnetic bolt is fastened.

[0041] In addition, in the above embodiment, the retaining portions 20 are formed with the same shape at both axial ends of the mounting portion 10, but this is not limited thereto, and retaining portions with different shapes may be formed at both axial ends of the mounting portion 10, for example, so as to be able to hold bolts with head sizes that differ greatly.

[0042] As such, the above-described embodiment is merely illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as limiting. Furthermore, all modifications and variations within the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0043] According to the present invention, durability can be improved even when elastic deformation is repeated each time the device is used, and therefore the present invention is extremely useful when applied to a bolt holder for an electric screwdriver that is attached to the tip of the electric screwdriver to hold a bolt. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 Bolt holding socket (bolt holder for electric screwdriver) 10 Mounting part 20 Holding part 30 Electric screwdriver 31 Driver Bit 31a Tip 40 Volts 41 Head

Claims

[Claim 1] A silicon bolt holder for an electric screwdriver that is attached to the tip of a driver bit of the electric screwdriver to hold a bolt, A cylindrical attachment portion into which the tip portion of the driver bit is inserted and attached to the tip portion; a substantially cylindrical retaining portion into which the head of the bolt is inserted and elastically deformed to fasten and retain the head, The holding portion is formed concentrically with the mounting portion and at both axial ends of the mounting portion, The holding portion has a truncated cone-shaped holding hole in its center, the diameter of which increases from a tip of the bolt holder for an electric screwdriver toward a center in the axial direction, The diameter of the retaining hole is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the head of the bolt to be retained at the tip end of the bolt holder for an electric screwdriver, while the diameter of the retaining hole is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the head of the bolt at the axial center end of the bolt holder for an electric screwdriver, A bolt holder for an electric screwdriver, characterized in that the opening edge and its peripheral portion at the tip end of the holding portion elastically deform to abut only against the side of the head of the bolt, thereby tightening and holding the head of the bolt.

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