TWI867988B - Durable torque tool - Google Patents

Abstract

A torque tool includes a tubular handle, a hollow head, a rod and a rotating unit. The hollow head includes a tubular portion for receiving a section of the tubular handle. The rod includes a middle section pivotable in the tubular handle, a terminal section extending in the tubular portion, an extensive portion extending from the terminal section, and a concave portion located next to the extensive portion. The extensive and concave portions are located in the hollow head. The rotating unit includes a lever pivotable in the hollow head, a long protuberance extending from the lever, and a cutout located next to the long protuberance. The cutout receives the extensive portion. The long protuberance extends in the concave portion. The abrasion-resistant element includes a first portion in contact with the extensive portion and a second portion in contact with the long protuberance.

Description

Improved structure of torque wrench

The present invention relates to the field of torque tools, and in particular to a torque wrench, which is an improvement of a part of the structure.

As shown in FIG. 7 , Taiwan Patent No. I457207 proposes a torque wrench 90 , including: an adjustment mechanism 86 , a tube 91 , a shaft 92 , a head 93 , a rod 95 , and a brake assembly 97 .

The head 93 has a fitting section 94 extending from the outside, and the fitting section 94 is fitted on the tube mouth of the tube body 91. The shaft 92 passes through the fitting section 94 and the tube body 91. The head 93 fixes the tube body 91, and the two cannot swing relative to each other. An arc head 96 is formed at one end of the rod 95, and the other end is inserted into the tube body 91. The shaft 92 passes through the rod 95, so that the arc head 96 extends out of the tube body 91 and enters the head 93. The adjustment mechanism 86 is installed in the tube body 91 and pushes against the rod 95 to penetrate into the end of the tube body 91.

The brake assembly 97 includes an operating member 88 and a detent rod (not numbered). The detent rod is mounted on the head 93. A deflection portion 98 extends from the side of the detent rod, and a driving arc groove 99 is formed on the surface of the deflection portion 98 to receive the arc head 96. The operating member 88 determines that the brake assembly 97 is combined with a workpiece, such as a screw, a nut or other screw-connecting element, through the detent rod.

When in use, the tube 91 receives a force, and the product of the force and a distance from the head 93 is regarded as a moment (also called torque), which is sufficient to tighten or loosen the workpiece. When tightening or loosening, a reaction force of the workpiece is output to the deflection portion 98, driving the rod 95 to push the adjustment mechanism 86 away, hitting the tube 91 to emit a sound, reminding a user operating the torque wrench 90 to pay attention to the maximum critical value of the torque.

However, the driving arc groove 99 sinks into a concave surface and contacts a convex surface protruding from the arc head 96. The concave and convex surfaces generate a friction force to offset the torque of the torque wrench 90. Moreover, the friction causes structural wear of the concave and convex surfaces, reduces the accuracy of the arc head 96 and the deflection portion 98, and seriously affects the degree of tightening or loosening of the workpiece.

In view of this, how to overcome partial structural damage and ensure the accuracy of the use of the torque tool has become an urgent problem to be solved by the present invention.

Therefore, the inventor of this case has designed a torque wrench to improve the mechanical structure and provide a smaller contact area, which can not only reduce the wear rate but also ensure the accuracy of the use of the torque tool, effectively solving the shortcomings of the previous technology and achieving the purpose of the invention.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the torque wrench of the present invention includes: a tube body, which has two tube openings; a head, a sleeve section extending from the side of which can be sleeved on and fixed to one of the tube openings of the tube body; a rod, a part of which is inserted into the tube body to maintain a pivotal relationship, and the rest of the rod is exposed from the tube body and enters the head, one end of the rod has a convex part and a concave part adjacent to each other, and the convex part and the concave part are located in the head; a brake assembly, which is arranged on the head, the brake assembly has a deflection part, the deflection part has a groove, a long arm protrudes from the side of the groove, the long arm is inserted into the concave part, and the groove receives the convex part; and a wear-resistant unit, so that the long arm and the convex part maintain a mechanical linkage relationship.

Preferably, an edge of the protrusion forms a notch, and the wear-resistant unit is embedded in the notch to contact an inner side of the long arm.

Preferably, a notch is formed on an inner side of the long arm, and the wear-resistant unit is embedded in the notch to contact an edge of the protrusion.

Preferably, the wear-resistant unit is a cylinder.

Preferably, the wear-resistant element is a metal ball.

Preferably, the wear-resistant unit is selected from a harder alloy material, such as SUJ2 bearing steel or an alloy steel with similar hardness.

In order to make the purpose, features and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, one or more preferred embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Next, the embodiments of the present invention are described in conjunction with the attached drawings. In the attached drawings, the same reference numerals are used to represent the same or similar structures or units. It is foreseeable that the embodiments described are only examples of some of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Other embodiments can be derived based on the examples described, or structures that are modified or changed as needed are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

In the following description, directional terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "inner", "outer" and "side" are only used to refer to the directions of the attached drawings. The use of directional terms is for better and clearer description and understanding of the present invention, and does not express or imply that the device or component described must have a specific orientation, structure and operation, so it should not be understood as a limitation on the technical content of the present invention.

Unless otherwise specified and clearly defined, in the following description, "installed", "connected", "connected" or "provided on" should be understood in a broad sense, such as fixed connection, detachable connection, integral connection, mechanical connection, direct connection, indirect connection or connection between two components. For those skilled in the art, the above terms in various embodiments and even the specific meanings of this case can be understood by ordinary knowledge or experience.

Unless otherwise specified, in the following description, "plurality" means two or more.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the first embodiment of the present invention shows a torque tool 10 including: a tube 11, a shaft 12, a head 13, a rod 20, a brake assembly 30 and an adjustment mechanism.

In this embodiment, the head 13 is a hollow shell. In some embodiments, the head 13 is a ring, and a cover plate is respectively combined on the upper and lower parts of the ring (see Taiwan Patent No. I457207).

In addition, a sleeve section 14 extends from the side of the head 13 and can cover one of the two pipe openings of the tube body 11. The shaft 12 passes through the sleeve section 14 and the tube body 11, so that the head 13 is combined with the tube body 11 to form a whole. The tube body 11 fixes the head 13, and the two cannot swing relative to each other, which can also avoid the disadvantage of unnecessary wear. The tube body 11 is a straight tube, and the adjustment mechanism is installed inside the straight tube.

In the present embodiment, the shaft 12 is a rivet. In some embodiments, the shaft 12 includes, but is not limited to: a screw, a bolt, a nut (also known as a nut), a stud, a self-tapping screw, a washer, a retaining ring (also known as a retaining ring), a pin or a combination thereof.

As shown in FIG. 5 , in this embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 40 is installed in the tube body 11. The adjustment mechanism 40 includes: a contact member 42, a seat body 43 and an elastic member 44. The contact member 42 is a polygonal body. The seat body 43 reciprocates in the tube body 11. The elastic member 44 is a compression spring, which pushes the seat body 43 to drive the contact member 42 toward the head.

As shown in FIG. 6 , in some embodiments, the tube 11 is equipped with a clack-type adjustment mechanism 41. In addition to the base 43 and the elastic member 44, the clack-type adjustment mechanism 41 also has two rollers 45, one of which is pivotally connected to the base 43. The elastic member 44 pushes the base 43 to drive the rollers 45 toward the head.

Referring back to Figures 1 and 2, the rod 20 is inserted into the tube 11 and passed through by the shaft 12. One end of the rod 20 penetrates into the tube 11 and abuts against the contact member 42 of the adjustment mechanism 40 (see Figure 5) to maintain an immobile state. Alternatively, one end of the rod 20 penetrates into the tube 11 and pivots to another roller 45 of the syllable adjustment mechanism 41 (see Figure 6), and the two rollers 45 roll and contact, so that the rod 20 can still not swing relative to the tube 11.

Secondly, the other end of the rod 20 entering the head 13 includes: a convex portion 21, a concave portion 22, a notch 24 and a wear-resistant unit 25. The concave portion 22 is located on the side of the end of the rod 20. Except for the concave portion 22, the rest of the same end of the rod 20 is regarded as the convex portion 21. In other words, the end of the rod 20 is divided into two parts, the convex portion 21 and the concave portion 22, and the convex portion 21 and the concave portion 22 are located in the head 13.

The notch 24 is sunken into an edge 23 of the convex portion 21. In this embodiment, the notch 24 is a non-full-circle hole, and the opening of the hole is communicated with the concave portion 22.

The wear-resistant unit 25 is partially embedded in the notch 24, and the rest of the wear-resistant unit 25 protrudes from the edge 23 of the convex portion 21 and exposes the concave portion 22. In this embodiment, the wear-resistant unit 25 is a cylinder. In some embodiments, the wear-resistant unit 25 is a metal ball. The wear-resistant unit 25 is selected from a harder alloy material, such as SUJ2 bearing steel made by CNS (or JIS), or alloy steel with similar hardness.

The brake assembly 30 includes: a main body, a square column 15, a steel ball 16, an operating member 17 and a deflection portion 31. The main body adopts a combination of a ratchet and a latch arm, or the latch rod, to be installed in the head 13. The square column 15 is combined with the main body and extends out of one side (or below) of the head 13. The square column 15 is inserted into a sleeve, a connecting rod or a workpiece (such as a screw, a nut or other screw-connected element). The steel ball 16 is embedded in the square column 15 and can be partially exposed. The operating member 17 enters the square column 15 through the main body, pushes the steel ball 16 to protrude outward, and latches the sleeve, the connecting rod or the workpiece. The operating member 17 is displaced relative to the square column 15, allowing the steel ball 16 to retreat into the square column 15 and release the locking relationship.

The deflection portion 31 is inside the head portion 13, and its portion facing the sleeve section 14 is sunken into a groove 32. In this embodiment, a short arm 34 is designed as a whole with the deflection portion 31 and protrudes from the top end of the groove 32 (see Figure 2). A long arm 33 is designed as a whole with the deflection portion 31 and protrudes from the bottom end of the groove 32 (see Figure 2). In other words, the long arm 33 and the short arm 34 protrude from both sides of the groove 32 and are parallel to each other. The side of the long arm 33 facing the short arm 34 is defined as the inner side 35, and the other side of the long arm 33 is considered as the outer side and keeps a distance from the wall of the head portion 13.

The concave portion 22 receives the long arm 33. The convex portion 21 is inserted into the groove 32 and is located between the long arm 33 and the short arm 34. The wear-resistant unit 25 maintains a mechanical linkage relationship between the convex portion 21 and the long arm 33. The mechanical linkage relationship referred to herein generally refers to the inner side 35 of the long arm 33 and the wear-resistant unit 25 maintaining a line contact relationship like a cylinder, or a point contact relationship like a metal ball.

The tube 81 receives a force F and rotates together with the head 13, so the torque of the torque tool 10 can lock or loosen the workpiece. The brake assembly 30 reacts the reaction force of the workpiece to the deflection portion 31 to become a resistance P. The resistance P is greater than the force of the adjustment mechanism, and the long arm 33 moves from the solid line position to the dotted line position. The short arm 34 does not interfere with the rod 20 hitting the tube 11 to emit a sound effect, reminding a user (not shown) that the torque of the torque tool 10 has reached the maximum critical value.

In summary, the torque tool 10 of this embodiment is improved in terms of the rod 20 and the deflection portion 31 as part of the mechanical structure. After the improvement, the wear-resistant unit 25 and the long arm 33 maintain a smaller contact area, which can reduce the wear rate of the structure and ensure the accuracy of the torque tool 10.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the structure of the second embodiment of the torque tool 10 is substantially the same as the first embodiment. The difference lies in the slightly modified and improved mechanical structure. The notch 24 is moved from the protrusion 21 to the long arm 33, and the opening of the notch 24 is connected to the inner side 35 of the long arm 33. The wear-resistant unit 25 is partially embedded in the notch 24, and the rest is exposed to the inner side 35 of the long arm 33, thereby contacting the edge 23 of the protrusion 21.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the structure of the third embodiment of the torque tool 10 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. The difference is that: first, the positions of the convex portion 21 and the concave portion 22 on the rod 20 are interchanged. That is, the concave portion 22 is on the top and the convex portion 21 is on the bottom.

In response to the aforementioned position change, the short arm 34 moves to the bottom of the slot 32, and the long arm 33 is replaced to the top of the slot 32. The long arm 33 and the short arm 34 are on both sides of the slot 32, the concave portion 22 still receives the long arm 33, and the convex portion 21 is also placed in the slot 32 between the long arm 33 and the short arm 34. In this way, the long arm 33 is parallel to the convex portion 21, and the wear-resistant unit 25 still contacts the inner side 35 of the long arm 33.

Without departing from the broad concept of this case, those skilled in the art can understand and make changes to the above embodiments. Therefore, this case is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, and all modifications made according to the spirit and technical scope of this case should be covered and protected by the text content defined in the scope of the patent application.

[Prior art] 86: Adjustment mechanism 88: Operating member 90: Torque wrench 91: Tube 92: Shaft 93: Head 94: Fitting section 95: Rod 96: Arc head 97: Braking assembly 98: Deflection section 99: Driving arc groove [Present invention] 10: Torque tool 11: Tube 12: Shaft 13: Head 14: Fitting section 15: Square column 16: Steel ball 17: Operating member 20: Rod 21: Protrusion 22: Concave section 23: Edge 24: Notch 25: Wear-resistant unit 30: Braking assembly 31: Deflection section 32: Groove 33: Long arm 34: Short arm 35: Inner side 40: Adjustment mechanism 41: Adjustment mechanism with reed wheel 42: Contact part 43: Seat 44: Elastic part 45: Roller F: Force P: Resistance

FIG. 1 depicts a partial structure of the first embodiment of the torque tool of the present invention. FIG. 2 cuts open the torque tool, and uses dotted lines to indicate the movement of the improved part. FIG. 3 analyzes the partial structure of the second embodiment of the torque tool of the present invention. FIG. 4 analyzes the partial structure of the third embodiment of the torque tool of the present invention. FIG. 5 depicts a preferred embodiment of the torque tool using an adjustment mechanism. FIG. 6 depicts other embodiments of the torque tool using an adjustment mechanism. FIG. 7 shows the internal structure of the torque wrench of Taiwan Patent No. I457207.

10: Torque tools

11: Tube body

12: Axis

13: Head

14: Fitting section

17: Operating parts

20: Rod

21: convex part

22: Concave part

23: Edge

24: Gap

25: Wear-resistant unit

30: Brake assembly

31: Side swing part

32: Slot

33: Long arms

34: Short arms

35:Inside

F: Force

P: Resistance

Claims (8)

An improved structure of a torque wrench comprises: a tube body (11) having two tube openings; a head (13) having a sleeve section (14) extending from the side thereof and capable of being sleeved on and fixed to one of the tube openings of the tube body (11); a rod (20) partially inserted into the tube body (11) to maintain a pivotal relationship, and the rest of the rod (20) is exposed from the tube body (11) and enters the head (13); one end of the rod (20) has a convex portion (21) and a concave portion (22) adjacent to each other, and the convex portion (21) and the concave portion (22) are located in the head (13); A brake assembly (30) is disposed on the head (13), the brake assembly (30) has a deflection portion (31), the deflection portion (31) has a groove (32), a long arm (33) protrudes from the side of the groove (32), the long arm (33) is inserted into the recess (22), and the groove (32) receives the protrusion (21); and a wear-resistant unit (25) maintains a mechanical linkage relationship between the long arm (33) and the protrusion (21). An improved torque wrench structure as described in claim 1, wherein a short arm (34) protrudes from the side of the groove (32), and it and the long arm (33) are on both sides of the protrusion (21). An improved torque wrench structure as described in claim 1, wherein an edge (23) of the protrusion (21) forms a notch (24), and the wear-resistant unit (25) is embedded in the notch (24) to contact an inner side (35) of the long arm (33). An improved torque wrench structure as described in claim 1, wherein an inner side (35) of the long arm (33) forms a notch (24), and the wear-resistant unit (25) is embedded in the notch (24) to contact an edge (23) of the protrusion (21). An improved torque wrench structure as described in claim 1, wherein the wear-resistant unit (25) is a cylinder. An improved torque wrench structure as described in claim 1, wherein the wear-resistant unit (25) is a metal ball. An improved torque wrench structure as described in claim 1, wherein the wear-resistant unit (25) is selected from a harder alloy material. The improved torque wrench structure as described in claim 7, wherein the alloy material is SUJ2 bearing steel or an alloy steel with similar hardness.

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