DE29911042U1 - Operating handle - Google Patents

Description

No. 35 777

14 June 1999

ROBERT BOSCH GmbH, 70442 Stuttgart

Operating handle

The invention relates to an operating handle for machines, in particular for machine tools, with two half-shells adapted to a hand, which are positioned at a predetermined distance from each other and thereby form a handle circumference corresponding to a hand size.

Operating handles for machines are known which are attached to the machine in order to guide it by hand or to switch the machine on and off. Operating handles are preferably used with power tools, for example circular saws, drills, etc. These operating handles are usually ergonomically designed based on an average European man's hand. Such operating handles can be designed in the manner of a pistol grip with a front and a rear half shell which are connected to one another via a fastening means.

The use of an operating handle with a fixed grip circumference can be a disadvantage, particularly if there is an operating switch in the area of the front half-shell that is to be operated with the index finger. If the operating handle of the machine is used by users with different hand sizes, as is the case with women and men, Asians and Europeans, for example, this means that the switch or a safety button is difficult to operate when the ball of the hand is resting against the rear half-shell. As a result, safe and fatigue-free work is not possible for users with different hand sizes.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an operating handle for machines which enables safe and fatigue-free work even for users with particularly small or large hands.

The present object is achieved according to the invention by the features of patent claim 1. According to this, the handle circumference can be adjusted by changing the distance between the assembled half shells.

According to the invention, it has been recognized that the operating handle can be easily adjusted to the size of a hand by changing the distance between the half-shells. The operating handle is formed by at least two half-shells, the mutual distance between which, for example the distance between their centers of gravity, can be easily changed. The first half-shell forms an outer handle circumference against which one or more fingers of a hand rest. The second half-shell forms a further handle circumference against which the ball of the user's hand rests. By changing the distance between the half-shells combined to form the operating handle, the entire handle circumference is enlarged or reduced according to the user's hand. This means that the operating handle can be easily adjusted to different hand sizes. The machine can therefore also be used with particularly small or large hands.

Preferably, one half-shell forms the front and the other half-shell the rear area of the handle circumference. In the simplest case, each half-shell is formed as half of a hollow cylinder cut lengthwise made of plastic. It can be provided that the front half-shell is made somewhat larger and has a recess in the rear area into which the rear half-shell can be inserted. Alternatively, the two half-shells could be made essentially solid. When assembled, both half-shells form a dust-tight and water-repellent cavity in which a mechanism for changing the distance between the two half-shells is provided.

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The two half shells are preferably connected to one another via a fastening means, by means of which the predetermined distance between the half shells can be adjusted. The first half shell is connected directly to the second half shell via the fastening means. Alternatively, each half shell could also be attached separately to the machine and mounted there so that it can be adjusted within a guide rail of the housing. In both cases, the half shells can be adjusted in their distance from one another so that the outer grip circumference of the operating handle is increased or reduced.

There is also a spacer between the two half-shells. The fastening device is connected to both half-shells and works together with the spacer. In the simplest case, the fastening device is a clamping screw that holds the half-shells in their intended position relative to each other when it is tightened. When the clamping screw is loosened, the distance between the two half-shells can be adjusted. Once the distance between the half-shells has been set to suit the respective hand size, the clamping screw is tightened again. The fastening device then clamps the two half-shells against the spacer. This has a special mechanism so that a certain distance is set between the half-shells. The fastening device has the function of fixing the two half-shells in their position and thus adjusting the half-shells to the required grip circumference.

The fastening means can also comprise a bolt with a metal part perpendicular to its longitudinal axis. The bolt can then be fastened to the rear half-shell, for example, and the metal part snaps into a groove provided in the other half-shell when the bolt is rotated about its longitudinal axis. This also allows the rear half-shell to be fixed in its position relative to the front half-shell.

The spacer is preferably designed as a stepped support surface on one half-shell, on which webs of the other half-shell rest. For example, the front half-shell can have a step-like support surface, which ensures that the distance between the half-shells increases or decreases when the rear half-shell is moved in the direction of the increasing or decreasing steps.

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In a preferred embodiment, the rear half-shell has two internal webs that rest on two corresponding step-like spacers, so that the half-shells are arranged parallel to one another when the distance is adjusted. Instead of the step-like spacer, this can also be designed as an inclined plane with or without ribbing, so that the distance between the two half-shells can also be changed and fixed by a clamping screw. According to the invention, the spacer and/or the fastening means are provided between the two half-shells. In this way, the grip circumference of the operating handle can be adjusted particularly easily and the operating handle can be designed to be compact.

The handle circumference is preferably adjusted by loosening the fastening means and moving a half-shell in the direction of the rising or falling steps of the spacer. If the two half-shells essentially form a hollow cylinder, the handle circumference can be adjusted by moving the rear half-shell in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the hollow cylinder and, due to the step-like spacer, the distance between the half-shells is increased or decreased at the same time. For example, the webs of the rear half-shell can be moved along the increasing or decreasing steps of the spacer so that the distance between the half-shells increases or decreases perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hollow cylinder.

In a further development of the invention, one half-shell has an elongated hole in which the fastening means can be moved perpendicular to its longitudinal axis. In the other half-shell, for example, a threaded bushing is provided into which the fastening means, designed as a screw, can be screwed. If the rear half-shell is now moved in the direction of the steps of the spacer when changing the distance, the fastening means can move in the elongated hole of the rear half-shell. In the position that allows the desired grip circumference, the fastening means is then screwed tight to prevent the grip circumference from being adjusted.

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On the other hand, a half-shell can also have a longitudinally movable threaded part that can be moved when the handle circumference is adjusted. In this case, when the handle circumference is adjusted, the fastening means moves together with the movable threaded part until the fastening means is secured again.

Finally, several fastening bushings arranged next to one another can be provided in a half-shell. To adjust the grip circumference of the operating handle, first loosen the screw or bolt, then move the rear half-shell in the direction of the steps of the spacer until the desired grip circumference is reached and at the same time until the position of the fastening device matches one of the fastening bushings. To fix the grip circumference, the screw or bolt in the fastening bushing is tightened or screwed back in.

In a particularly preferred development of the invention, a switch is provided on one half-shell, in particular the front half-shell. The switch is used, for example, to switch the machine on and off or to control the rotational speed, for example in the case of a drill. It is an advantage of the development according to the invention that the switch can be operated particularly safely and without fatigue when the handle circumference is optimally adjusted.

When adjusting the half-shell, the distance between the switch and the rear half-shell is preferably also adjusted so that the switch can be operated comfortably with one of the fingers when the ball of the hand is resting on the circumference of the handle. The switch can be arranged in a fixed position in the front section of the half-shell and the distance to the rear half-shell can be changed together with the front half-shell. This means that when the distance between the two half-shells is changed, the circumference of the handle is changed and at the same time the position of the switch is adjusted so that it is in the correct position for the corresponding finger of the hand.

The two assembled half shells essentially have the shape of a pistol grip. In this design, the two half shells are ergonomically

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adapted to the shape of the hand. The special shape of the operating handle makes the machine tools particularly easy to handle during use.

Preferably, the rear half-shell is designed to support the ball of the hand. The shape of the rear half-shell is therefore adapted to the ball of the hand. The rear half-shell can be smaller in size than the front half-shell and can be inserted into a recess on the back of the front half-shell. On the other hand, the front half-shell could also be designed as a switch and inserted into a recess on the front of the rear half-shell.

In a preferred development of the invention, one half-shell overlaps the edge areas of the other half-shell. This ensures that dust and water cannot enter the cavity formed within the half-shells. A groove or a wall step can also be provided in the edge area of a half-shell, into which the edge area of the other half-shell engages.

A cover plate can be provided on the inner surface of a half-shell to prevent dust or water from entering the area of the fastening device. On the other hand, the cover plate can also be arranged in the area of the switch to seal the operating handle in the area of the switch against environmental influences.

A safety button can also be provided on the circumference of the handle. The safety button is preferably located on the side of the front half-shell and can therefore be operated with the thumb of one hand. The position of the safety button can be adjusted in relation to the rear half-shell. In particular, if the safety button is located on the front half-shell, it is also adjusted when the distance is adjusted. As a result, when the front half-shell is moved relative to the rear half-shell, both the position of the switch and the associated safety button are changed. As a result, the switch and the safety button are always optimally adapted to the given hand size.

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As already mentioned, at least one half shell can be ergonomically adjusted to fit one hand. For this purpose, grip recesses can be provided on the front half shell and the rear half shell can be ergonomically adjusted to the ball of the hand.

There are now various possibilities for designing and developing the teaching of the present invention in an advantageous manner. For this purpose, reference is made on the one hand to the subordinate claims and on the other hand to the following explanation of several embodiments. Various embodiments of the operating handle according to the invention are shown in the drawing. They show, each in a schematic representation,

Fig. 1 is an overall view of the operating handle according to a first embodiment of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a cross-section through the operating handle of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the operating handle of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 a view of the fastening means between the two half shells

according to a second embodiment of the present invention and

Fig. 5 a view of the fastening means between the two half shells

according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The operating handle 1 is attached to a machine tool and has two half-shells 2, 3 adapted to a hand. The front half-shell 2 is provided with a variable distance in relation to the rear half-shell 3. The front half-shell 2 and the rear half-shell 3 essentially have the shape of a pistol grip when assembled. When the two elongated half-shells are aligned vertically, their horizontal distance from one another can be changed by moving the rear half-shell 3 vertically downwards, the distance between the half-shells 2, 3 being increased or reduced by a special spacer 10.

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The operating handle 1 has a grip circumference which is formed by the circumference of the front half-shell 2 and the rear half-shell 3. The grip circumference of the operating handle 1 can be increased or decreased by changing the distance between the front half-shell 2 and the rear half-shell 3. The operating handle 1 is suitable for users with large hands if the grip circumference is large, while the operating handle 1 is suitable for users with small hands if the grip circumference is small.

The front half-shell 2 essentially comprises the longitudinally cut half of a hollow cylinder. In the rear area of the front half-shell 2 there is a recess into which the rear half-shell 3 can be inserted. When assembled, the two half-shells 2, 3 form the operating handle 1. For this purpose, the outer surface can be ergonomically designed and adapted to the shape of a hand. In the present embodiment, the front half-shell 2 is slightly larger than the rear half-shell 3. As a result, the rear half-shell 3 is inserted into the recess 4 of the half-shell 2 on the back.

The front half-shell 2 has a switch 5 for operating the machine tool and/or for controlling the rotation speed of the machine tool. A safety button 6 is provided on the side of the front half-shell 2 in order to switch off the machine tool in an emergency. On the other hand, a button for locking the switch 5 can also be provided. When adjusting the handle circumference, the longitudinal distance between the switch 5, the safety button 6 and the support for the palm of the hand is adjusted at the same time.

As can be seen in Fig. 2, the front half-shell 2 has a greater wall thickness than the rear half-shell 3. In the rear section, the front half-shell 2 has a wall step 7 so that the rear half-shell 3 can be placed there and, with the operating handle 1 held vertically, can be moved in a horizontal direction. This makes it possible to adjust the distance between the front half-shell 2 and the rear half-shell 3.

In Fig. 3, the fastening means 8 can be seen, which holds the front half-shell 2 and the rear half-shell 3 together. The fastening means 8 is designed as a clamp

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screw 9. When the clamping screw 9 is tightened, the distance between the front half-shell 2 and the rear half-shell 3 cannot be adjusted. When the clamping screw 9 is loosened, the rear half-shell 3 can be moved in several directions in relation to the front half-shell 2.

The front half-shell 2 has a spacer 10 on its inner side. The spacer 10 consists of two separate spacer elements 11 and 12, each of which has one or more steps 13. Webs 14, which are connected to the rear half-shell 3 on the inside, are supported on these steps 13. Depending on which steps 13 of the two spacer elements 11 and 12 of the spacer 10 the webs 14 of the rear half-shell 3 rest on, a corresponding distance between the front half-shell 2 and the rear half-shell 3 is set. The distance between the two half-shells 2 and 3 in the direction lengthwise to the clamping screw 9 can therefore be adjusted by first loosening the clamping screw 9 and moving the rear half-shell 3 lengthwise and crosswise to the clamping screw 9 so that the webs 14 rest on a higher or lower step 13. The clamping screw 9 must then be tightened again so that an adjustment of the half-shells 2, 3 relative to each other and thus an adjustment of the distance between the half-shells 2, 3 is prevented.

The rear half shell rests on the step-like spacer 10 in the front half shell 2. The spacer 10 enables the half shells 2, 3 to be aligned in several positions relative to one another. The positions differ in the horizontal distance between the half shells 2, 3 and in the vertical position of the rear half shell 3 relative to the front half shell 2. The half shells 2, 3 are connected to one another by the clamping screw 9, which must be loosened for adjustment.

As can be seen in Fig. 4, the fastening means 8 can be screwed into a fixed threaded bushing 15 according to a further embodiment, which is arranged in the front half-shell 2. When the position of the rear half-shell 3 is shifted when the distance between the two half-shells 2, 3 is changed, the screw head 16 of the clamping screw 9 can slide back and forth within an elongated hole 17. The elongated hole 17 is arranged in the rear half-shell 3 in order to

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to enable easy adjustment of the distance between the two half-shells 2 and 3. A cover plate 18 is provided on the inside of the rear half-shell 3 to prevent moisture or dust from penetrating into the interior of the operating handle 1. An annular groove 19 is provided on the shaft of the clamping screw 9, on which two spring bars 20 of the cover plate 18 are supported and thereby pre-tension the cover plate 18 against the inner wall of the rear half-shell 3. The elongated hole 17 is provided to enable the longitudinal adjustment of the rear half-shell 3 relative to the front half-shell 2.

Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of the fastening means 8 according to the invention, in which a longitudinally displaceable threaded part 21 is provided, so that the clamping screw 9 can be displaced together with the threaded part 21 when the distance is adjusted transversely to the longitudinal direction of the clamping screw 9. The clamping screw 9 is loosened to adjust the distance between the front half-shell 2 and the rear half-shell 3. When the rear half-shell 3 is displaced transversely to the longitudinal axis of the clamping screw 9, it moves together with the threaded part 21 in the direction of the steps 13 of the spacer elements 11 and 12. After setting the desired distance between the two half-shells 2, 3, the clamping screw 9 is then tightened again. In this way, the grip circumference of the operating handle 1 can be advantageously adjusted.

Of course, several threaded bushings can also be arranged next to one another in the front half-shell 2, so that a special threaded bushing is provided for each step 13 of the spacer 10. The clamping screw 9 is then completely loosened for each adjustment and, after the distance has been adjusted, screwed back into the corresponding thread of the front half-shell 2. The threaded bushings can be in one plane or can also be stepped according to the adjustment steps. In the latter case, the clamping screw 9 can therefore be made shorter.

Claims (19)

1. Operating handle for machines, in particular for machine tools, with two half-shells ( 2 , 3 ) adapted to a hand, which are positioned at a predetermined distance from one another and thereby form a handle circumference corresponding to a hand size, characterized in that the handle circumference is adjustable by changing the distance between the assembled half-shells ( 2 , 3 ). 2. Operating handle according to claim 1, characterized in that one half-shell ( 2 ) forms the front region and the other half-shell ( 3 ) forms the rear region of the handle circumference. 3. Operating handle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a spacer ( 10 ) is provided between the two half-shells ( 2 , 3 ), by means of which the predetermined distance between the half-shells ( 2 , 3 ) can be adjusted. 4. Operating handle according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a fastening means ( 8 ) connects the two half-shells ( 2 , 3 ) and cooperates with the spacer ( 10 ) in adjusting the distance. 5. Operating handle according to claim 4, characterized in that the fastening means ( 8 ) is a bolt with a vertically projecting metal part for locking into a groove or a screw ( 9 ). 6. Operating handle according to claim 4, characterized in that the spacer ( 10 ) has stepped spacer elements ( 11 , 12 ) on one half-shell ( 2 ), on which webs ( 14 ) of the other half-shell ( 3 ) rest. 7. Operating handle according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the handle circumference is adjustable by loosening the fastening means ( 1 ) and by moving a half-shell ( 3 ) in the direction of the rising or falling steps ( 13 ) of the spacer ( 10 ). 8. Operating handle according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that a half-shell ( 3 ) has an elongated hole in which the fastening means ( 8 ) can be displaced perpendicular to its longitudinal axis. 9. Operating handle according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that a longitudinally displaceable threaded part ( 21 ) is provided in a half-shell ( 2 ), which can be moved when the handle circumference is adjusted. 10. Operating handle according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that a half-shell ( 2 ) has several fastening bushings arranged next to one another, in particular with a thread, in which the fastening means ( 8 ) can be fastened in the corresponding position. 11. Operating handle according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a switch ( 5 ) is provided for operating the machine. 12. Operating handle according to claim 11, characterized in that the switch ( 5 ) is provided on the front half-shell ( 2 ). 13. Operating handle according to one of claims 11 or 12, characterized in that when adjusting the half-shells ( 2 , 3 ) the distance between the switch ( 5 ) and the rear half-shell ( 3 ) is also adjustable, so that the switch ( 5 ) can be conveniently operated with one of the fingers when the ball of the hand rests against the circumference of the handle. 14. Operating handle according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the two assembled half-shells ( 2 , 3 ) have substantially the shape of a pistol grip. 15. Operating handle according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the rear half shell ( 3 ) is provided for supporting the ball of the hand. 16. Operating handle according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that one half-shell ( 2 , 3 ) overlaps the edge regions of the other half-shell ( 3 , 2 ). 17. Operating handle according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that a cover plate ( 18 ) is provided on the inner surface of a half-shell ( 2 , 3 ), which protects against the ingress of dust or water in the region of the fastening means ( 8 ). 18. Operating handle according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that a safety button ( 6 ) or locking button is additionally provided on the handle circumference, the position of which is adjustable in relation to the rear half-shell ( 3 ). 19. Operating handle according to one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that at least one of the half shells ( 2 , 3 ) is ergonomically adapted to a hand.