Wrench

Abstract

To prevent deformation and damage of a handle while reducing the weight of a wrench.SOLUTION: A wrench includes a head 10 provided on its tip, and a handle 30 gripped by a user, wherein the handle 30 has a lightening part 31, and a residual part 32 around the lightening part 31, and the residual part 32 has a first inclined frame 321 crossing an extension direction of the handle, and a second inclined frame 322 which crosses an extension direction Y of the handle 30, and also crosses the first inclined frame 321.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wrench. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art As shown in Patent Document 1, a conventional wrench has a weight-reducing portion formed by passing a handle that is gripped by an operator through the wrench in order to reduce its weight.

[0003] Here, an analysis of the stress applied to a wrench without any hollowing during operation revealed that there are no areas of stress concentration on the handle, and the force applied by the worker's hand is dispersed, as shown in Figure 8. In Figure 8, the whiter the area, the greater the stress applied.

[0004] However, depending on the position and size of the above-mentioned hollowed-out portions, there is a possibility that stress concentration points may occur in the handle, which may cause the handle to deform or break.However, if there is a risk of the handle deforming or breaking, it may not be possible to achieve sufficient weight reduction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Actual Publication Showa 52-150094 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to prevent deformation or breakage of the handle while reducing the weight of the wrench. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In other words, the wrench of the present invention comprises a head provided at the tip and a handle to be gripped by a user, the handle having a hollowed-out portion and a remaining portion around the hollowed-out portion, and the remaining portion having a first inclined bone that intersects with the extension direction of the handle and a second inclined bone that intersects with the extension direction of the handle and also intersects with the first inclined bone.

[0008] With a wrench configured in this way, the weight can be reduced by forming the lightening portion, and the force applied to the handle from the operator's hand can be dispersed by the first and second diagonal bones that intersect with each other, making it possible to prevent deformation or damage to the handle. Specific analysis results regarding the stress applied to the handle will be described later.

[0009] A more specific embodiment is one in which the handle further has a frame bone that forms an outer frame, and the root portions on the tip side and the rear side of each of the first diagonal bone and the second diagonal bone are connected to the frame bone. In this way, by intersecting the first and second inclined bones inside the frame bone and removing weight from around these inclined bones, it is possible to provide a wide range of removed weight areas, making the wrench lighter.

[0010] As described above, the remaining portion distributes the force applied by the worker's hands and suppresses stress concentration on the remaining portion, so the remaining portion may be thinner than the surrounding frame. Therefore, it is preferable that the distance between the surface of the remaining portion facing away from the fastening target and its back surface is shorter than the distance between the surface of the frame bone facing away from the fastening target and its back surface. This prevents deformation or damage to the handle due to the above-mentioned force dispersion, while making the distance between the surface of the remaining part facing away from the object to be fastened and its back surface shorter than the distance between the surface of the frame facing away from the object to be fastened and its back surface, which creates a step between the remaining part and the frame, making it possible to leave the forged surface on the remaining part, for example, and highlight the shape of the remaining part.

[0011] The hollowed portion is surrounded by the frame bone, the first tilt bone, and the second tilt bone, and is wider on the tip side than on the base side. This makes the handle wider at the tip end than at the base end, making it easier to grip.

[0012] It is preferable that one or both of the first tilt bone and the second tilt bone have a root portion on the rear end side longer than a root portion on the tip end side. With this configuration, the base portion at the rear end, which is closer to the part that is gripped by the operator, is long, so the force from the gripping hand can be received and distributed over a wider area, further reducing the concentration of stress on the handle.

[0013] When using a wrench, for example, one may hold the head and turn it quickly under low load, but if the weight is reduced by using the hollowed-out section described above, the wrench may be somewhat less stable when gripping the head than a heavier wrench. Therefore, it is preferable that the head has a tapered surface formed between the surface facing away from the object to be fastened and the outer surface. This can improve the ease of gripping the head.

[0014] It is also preferable that the head has at least three flat outer surfaces that constitute the outer surface. This makes it easier to keep the head held horizontally when spinning quickly as described above, further improving stability.

[0015] Another way to use a wrench is to hold it by the neck and turn it quickly under medium load, and even though the weight is reduced by the hollowed-out section mentioned above, the wrench may be somewhat less stable when gripping the neck than a heavier wrench. Therefore, it is preferable that the outer surface of the neck portion connecting the head and the handle is a surface parallel to the rotation axis of the head. This can improve the ease of gripping the neck portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention configured in this manner, it is possible to prevent deformation and damage to the handle while achieving a reduction in weight. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a wrench according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the wrench of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the head of the wrench according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the handle of the wrench according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 shows analysis data of stress applied to the wrench of the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a wrench according to another embodiment. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing the configuration of a wrench in another embodiment. [Figure 8] Analysis data for the stress applied to a normal wrench. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a wrench according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0019] The wrench according to this embodiment is a tool used for tightening or loosening a tightening object such as a bolt. Note that, although a ratchet handle is used as an example of a wrench, various tools such as a wrench, a box wrench, or an adjustable wrench may also be used.

[0020] 1 and 2, this wrench 100 has a head 10, a neck 20, and a handle 30 arranged in that order from the tip to the rear end, and is configured so that the tightening direction can be switched between clockwise and counterclockwise. However, it is not necessarily required to be able to tighten in both directions, and it may be possible for the tightening direction to be only one-way.

[0021] The head 10 engages with an object to be fastened directly or via a separate member such as a socket, and is the part that is gripped by a user in low-load work, for example.

[0022] 3, the head 10 of this embodiment has a tapered surface 13 formed between a surface 11 (hereinafter also referred to as the upper surface 11) facing away from the object to be fastened and the outer surface 12. This tapered surface 13 is a flat surface inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the rotation axis X of the head 10, and is formed continuously along the outer edge of the upper surface 11.

[0023] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 3, the head 10 has at least three flat outer flat surfaces 121 constituting the outer surface 12. The outer flat surfaces 121 are flat surfaces along the rotation axis X of the head 10, in other words, surfaces parallel to the rotation axis X of the head 10. The outer flat surfaces 121 are provided at positions corresponding to the sides of a polygon when viewed from above. In this example, the outer flat surfaces 121 are provided at positions corresponding to five of the six sides of a hexagon, and adjacent outer flat surfaces 121 are smoothly connected by curved surfaces 122 interposed between them.

[0024] The neck portion 20 is interposed between the head 10 and the handle 30 to connect them, and is specifically a narrowed portion located at the rear end of the head 10, which is the part that is gripped by the user when working under medium load, for example.

[0025] 1 and 2, in order to improve gripping ease, at least a portion of the outer surface 21 of the neck 20 of this embodiment is a flat surface along the rotation axis X of the head 10. This outer surface 21 is partially curved and partially flat along the direction from the front end to the rear end of the wrench 100.

[0026] The handle 30 is a part that is gripped by a user when performing high load or final tightening operations.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the handle 30 of this embodiment has a rounded shape at part A that is gripped by the palm, and part B that is placed with the thumb is a flat plane along the rotation axis X of the head 10, in other words, a plane parallel to the rotation axis X of the head 10.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, the handle 30 is formed with a hollowed-out portion 31 and a remaining portion 32 around the hollowed-out portion 31.

[0029] More specifically, the handle 30 has a frame 33 that forms an outer frame, and hollowed-out portions 31 are formed in multiple locations inside this frame 33, with remaining portions 32 provided to separate these hollowed-out portions 31.

[0030] The cutout portion 31 is a through-hole that penetrates the handle 30 from a surface 34 (hereinafter also referred to as the upper surface 34) of the handle 30 facing away from the object to be fastened to the back surface 35. However, part or all of the cutout portion 31 may be a recess that is recessed to form a bottom without penetrating the handle 30.

[0031] The remaining portion 32 is formed thinner than the frame ribs 33. In other words, the distance between the upper surface 34 and the back surface 35 of the remaining portion 32 is shorter than the distance between the upper surface 34 and the back surface 35 of the frame ribs 33. This creates a step between the remaining portion 32 and the frame ribs 33. In this configuration, for example, the appearance (color, gloss, etc.) of the frame ribs 33 when viewed from above may be made different from the appearance (color, gloss, etc.) of the remaining portion 32 when viewed from above.

[0032] The remaining portion 32 has a first tilt bone 321 that intersects with the extension direction Y of the handle 30, and a second tilt bone 322 that intersects with the extension direction Y of the handle 30 and also intersects with the first tilt bone 321.

[0033] The remaining portion 32 of this embodiment has a substantially X-shape in top view, and has a symmetrical shape with a center line Z along the extending direction Y of the handle 30 as the axis of symmetry.

[0034] The first inclined bone 321 and the second inclined bone 322 are each connected at their tip end root portion 323 and rear end root portion 323 to the frame bone 33, more specifically, to the inner surface 331 of the frame bone 33.

[0035] In this configuration, in the first tilt bone 321, the length L2 of the root portion 323 on the rear end side along the extension direction Y is longer than the length L1 of the root portion 323 on the tip end side along the extension direction Y. Also, in the second tilt bone 322, the length L4 of the root portion 323 on the rear end side along the extending direction Y is longer than the length L3 of the root portion 323 on the tip end side along the extending direction Y.

[0036] To explain the first inclined bone 321 and the second inclined bone 322 in more detail, each of these inclined bones consists of a shared element 324 that is located at the point where they intersect and is shared by both of them, a tip-side inclined element 325 that is further towards the tip of the shared element 324, and a rear-side inclined element 326 that is further towards the rear of the shared element 324.

[0037] The shared element 324 here extends along the extension direction Y of the handle 30, and is passed through by a center line Z along the extension direction Y of the handle 30. The remaining portion 32 of this embodiment has a bilaterally symmetrical shape with the center line Z as the axis of symmetry.

[0038] The tip-side diagonal element 325 extends from a predetermined position on the frame 33 that is further tip-side than the shared element 324 toward the tip of the shared element 324, and extends in a direction that intersects with the extension direction Y of the handle 30.

[0039] The rear end diagonal element 326 extends from a predetermined location on the frame 33 that is rearward of the shared element 324 toward the rear end of the shared element 324, and extends in a direction that intersects with the extension direction Y of the handle 30.

[0040] In this configuration, the cutout portions 31 include a first cutout portion 31a located at the tip side of the shared element 324, a second cutout portion 31b and a third cutout portion 31c located on both the left and right sides of the shared element 324, and a fourth cutout portion 31d located at the rear end side of the shared element 324.

[0041] The first hollowed-out portion 31a has a generally rectangular shape in top view, with the angle formed by the corners on the leading end side being smaller than the angle formed by the corners on the rear end side.

[0042] The second cutout portion 31b and the third cutout portion 31c are surrounded by the frame bone 33, the first inclined bone 321, and the second inclined bone 322 and are positioned to fit in the palm of the hand holding the handle 30, and here have an elongated shape when viewed from above, with the tip end being wider than the base end.

[0043] The fourth cutout portion 31d has a generally triangular shape in top view, with the apex pointing toward the tip side.

[0044] As mentioned in the Background Art section, the analysis results shown in FIG. 8 are from an analysis of the stresses applied to a wrench that is not hollowed out during operation. It can be seen that no stress concentration points appear on the handle 30, and that the force applied by the operator is dispersed.

[0045] In contrast, the analysis results shown in FIG. 5 are obtained by analyzing the stress applied to the wrench 100 of this embodiment during work. As can be seen from the analysis results, although the handle 30 has a lightening portion 31, similar to the configuration shown in Figure 8, there are no stress concentration points on the handle 30, indicating that the force applied by the operator is dispersed. In Figures 5 and 8, the whiter the area, the greater the stress applied.

[0046] With the wrench 100 configured in this manner, weight can be reduced by forming the hollowed-out portion 31, while the force applied by the operator's hand can be dispersed by the first inclined bone 321 and the second inclined bone 322 that intersect with each other, thereby preventing deformation or damage to the handle 30.

[0047] Furthermore, the root portion 323 at the tip end and the root portion 323 at the rear end of each of the first inclined bone 321 and the second inclined bone 322 are connected to the frame bone 33, and the remaining portion 32 is approximately X-shaped when viewed from above, so that the hollowed-out areas can be provided over a wide area, making the wrench 100 lighter.

[0048] Furthermore, the distance between the top surface 34 and the back surface 35 of the remaining portion 32 is shorter than the distance between the top surface 34 and the back surface 35 of the frame 33; in other words, the remaining portion 32 is thinner than the frame 33, so that deformation or damage to the handle due to dispersion of force can be prevented while further weight reduction can be achieved by making it thinner. Furthermore, by making the remaining portion 32 thinner than the frame 33, a step is created between them, which makes it possible to leave the forging surface on the remaining portion 32, for example, and to highlight the shape of the remaining portion 32.

[0049] Furthermore, since the second cutout portion 31b and the third cutout portion 31c are wider at the tip end side than at the base end side, the handle is wider at the tip end side than at the base end side, which improves the ease of gripping.

[0050] In addition, in the first inclined bone 321 and the second inclined bone 322, the root portion 323 at the rear end is longer in length along the extension direction Y of the handle 30 than the root portion 323 at the tip end, and since this root portion 323 at the rear end is closer to the point where the operator grips it, the force from the gripping hand can be received and distributed over a wider range, thereby further suppressing stress concentration on the handle.

[0051] In addition, flat surfaces are provided at various locations on the head 10 and neck 20, which improves the ease of gripping the head 10 and neck 20, and while reducing weight, it is possible to ensure stability during work under low and medium loads.

[0052] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0053] For example, in the wrench 100 according to the present invention, the remaining portion 32 may have a plurality of first inclined ribs 321 and a plurality of second inclined ribs 322, as shown in FIGS. With this configuration, the number of bracing portions formed by the first inclined bone 321 and the second inclined bone 322 increases, thereby increasing the number of force distribution paths, and more reliably preventing deformation and damage to the handle 30.

[0054] In addition, one or more cross bones 36 may be provided that are perpendicular to the extending direction Y of the handle 30 .

[0055] Furthermore, as described in the above embodiment, the lightening portion 31 may be a recess having a bottom surface 311 as shown in FIG.

[0056] Furthermore, for example, if the wrench 100 has a single-direction tightening direction, the remaining portion 32 may have an asymmetric shape with respect to the center line Z along the extension direction Y of the handle 30. An example of a specific shape in this case is a shape in which the root portion 323 on the rear end side is longer than the root portion 323 on the tip end side in only one of the first tilt bone 321 and the second tilt bone 322.

[0057] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 100 wrench 10 heads 20...Neck 30 Handle 31....Lightweight part 32...remaining part 33 Frame 321...first oblique bone 322...second oblique bone

Claims

1. A head provided at the tip; a handle to be gripped by a user; The handle A hollowed-out portion and a remaining portion around the hollowed-out portion are formed, The remaining portion is a first inclined bone intersecting the extension direction of the handle; a second inclined bone that intersects with the extension direction of the handle and also intersects with the first inclined bone; A wrench in which one or both of the first inclined bone and the second inclined bone have a longer length along the extension direction of the root portion at the rear end than the length along the extension direction of the root portion at the tip end.

2. The handle further has a frame that forms an outer frame, The wrench according to claim 1 , wherein a root portion on a tip end side and a root portion on a rear end side of each of the first and second tilt bones are connected to the frame bone.

3. 3. The wrench according to claim 2, wherein a distance between a surface of the remaining portion facing away from the object to be fastened and its back surface is shorter than a distance between a surface of the frame member facing away from the object to be fastened and its back surface.

4. 4. The wrench according to claim 2, wherein the hollowed portion is surrounded by the frame bone, the first inclined bone, and the second inclined bone, and is wider at the tip end side than at the base end side.

5. 5. The wrench according to claim 1, wherein the head has a tapered surface formed between a surface facing away from an object to be fastened and an outer surface.

6. 6. The wrench according to claim 1, wherein the head has at least three flat outer surfaces that form an outer surface.

7. 7. The wrench according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the neck connecting the head and the handle is parallel to the axis of rotation of the head.

8. A head provided at the tip; a handle to be gripped by a user; The handle A hollowed-out portion and a remaining portion around the hollowed-out portion are formed, The remaining portion is a first inclined bone intersecting the extension direction of the handle; a second tilt bone that intersects with the extension direction of the handle and also intersects with the first tilt bone; a frame that forms an outer frame, a root portion on a distal end side and a root portion on a rear end side of each of the first tilt bone and the second tilt bone are connected to the frame bone, A wrench in which the distance between the surface of the remaining portion facing away from the object to be fastened and its back surface is shorter than the distance between the surface of the frame facing away from the object to be fastened and its back surface.

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