TWM673694U - One-way ratchet wrench - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention provides a one-way ratchet wrench comprising a wrench body, a ratchet head, and a rotating assembly. The wrench body comprises a head and a handle connected to the head, with the head forming a through-hole extending therethrough. The ratchet head comprises a socket extending through the top and bottom surfaces, and the ratchet head is inserted into the through-hole in the head of the wrench body. The rotating assembly is disposed between the head of the wrench body and the ratchet head. The rotating assembly comprises a ratchet portion and an actuating portion connected to the ratchet portion. The actuating portion is disposed between the ratchet portion and the head of the wrench body. The ratchet head can rotate in a single direction relative to the wrench body based on the displacement of the actuating portion relative to the ratchet portion. Thus, the one-way ratchet wrench can achieve the function of one-way rotation with a simplified structure, and has the advantages of simple assembly and low manufacturing cost.

Description

One-way ratchet wrench

This invention is about the structure of a ratchet wrench, specifically a one-way ratchet wrench. The ratchet wrench is composed of a wrench body, a ratchet head, and a rotating assembly. The overall structure is simple and easy to assemble.

When working within complex mechanical structures, operators often face limited space or obstacles near the workstation, limiting their ability to continuously rotate the wrench to smoothly tighten or loosen nuts. This often results in significant time-consuming work. A ratchet wrench's unique ability to rotate in one direction while idling in the opposite direction allows operators to complete the task with a consistent, consistent motion even in tight spaces.

To increase the convenience of ratchet wrenches, most are designed for bidirectional use. The user simply operates the ratchet wrench's knob to change the engagement position between the ratchet block and the ratchet wheel, switching the ratchet wrench's rotational direction. Republic of China Patent Publication No. I807712 discloses a ratchet wrench structure comprising a body, ratchet, teeth, a steering assembly, a limiting member, and a first ring. The limiting member is assembled with the body, teeth, and steering member. The user changes the ratchet wrench's rotational direction by turning the steering member. Republic of China Patent Publication No. I865327 discloses a double-toothed one-way ratchet wrench structure consisting of a wrench body, a braking unit, and a ratchet. The design of a first and second toothing member in the braking unit enhances the actuation accuracy of the first and second toothing members, thereby achieving a small-angle gear change drive function.

However, these two-way switchable ratchet wrenches all require complex structural designs, which not only makes processing difficult, but also presents difficulties in assembling tiny parts. Therefore, how to provide a ratchet wrench with a simplified structure is the direction the creators have been thinking about.

In view of the many shortcomings of the above-mentioned existing ratchet wrenches, the main purpose of this invention is to provide a one-way ratchet wrench, which has a rotating group set between the wrench body and the ratchet head, eliminating the complex switching structure. The rotating group can limit the rotation direction of the ratchet head. In this way, the one-way ratchet wrench can achieve the function of single-direction rotation with a simplified structure.

To achieve the aforementioned primary objectives, the present invention provides a one-way ratchet wrench comprising a wrench body, a ratchet head, and a rotating assembly. The wrench body comprises a head and a handle connected to the head, with the head forming a through-hole extending therethrough. The ratchet head comprises a socket extending through the top and bottom surfaces, and the ratchet head is inserted into the through-hole in the head of the wrench body. The rotating assembly is disposed between the head of the wrench body and the ratchet head. The rotating assembly comprises a ratchet portion and an actuating portion connected to the ratchet portion. The actuating portion is disposed between the ratchet portion and the head of the wrench body. The ratchet head can rotate in a single direction relative to the wrench body based on the displacement of the actuating portion relative to the ratchet portion.

Thanks to the aforementioned technical features, the rotating assembly is installed between the wrench body and the ratchet head. The modular structure of the rotating assembly makes the entire assembly process extremely convenient and quick, allowing the ratchet head to achieve unidirectional rotation through the rotating assembly. The actuator of this invention's rotating assembly only moves when the ratchet head rotates in a specific direction. When the ratchet head is not rotating in that direction, the actuator and the ratchet become locked and unable to actuate, thus limiting the direction of rotation of the ratchet head. This allows the user to smoothly complete the task of locking or loosening the nut even in limited space. Furthermore, this invention's simple structure can effectively reduce manufacturing costs.

Preferably, the inner circumference of the wrench body's head also forms a stopper section, surrounding the ratchet head and abutting the side surface of the rotating assembly against the stopper section. Consequently, when the ratchet head is inserted through the wrench body's head, one end of the ratchet head protrudes past the stopper section, exposing the engaging structure formed around the socket to engage the nut. The stopper section, in turn, limits the position of the rotating assembly, ensuring smooth operation.

Preferably, the one-way ratchet wrench further includes a positioning plate and a positioning buckle. A first positioning groove is formed on the outer circumference of the positioning plate, and a second positioning groove is formed on the inner circumference of the head portion of the wrench body. After the ratchet head is inserted into the through-hole, the positioning plate is sleeved over one end of the ratchet head and abuts against the side of the rotating assembly. The positioning buckle is positioned in the first and second positioning grooves to restrict the position of the ratchet head and the rotating assembly in the through-hole. In this way, the positioning buckle is simultaneously embedded in the positioning plate and the wrench body. One end of the ratchet head is surrounded by the positioning plate, leaving the clamping structure formed around the sleeve hole exposed to engage the nut, thus allowing the one-way ratchet wrench to be used on both sides.

Preferably, the ratchet portion of the rotating assembly has a plurality of ratchets disposed on the outer circumference of the ratchet head. The actuating portion has a plurality of rolling elements and a plurality of elastic elements, with one elastic element disposed on each ratchet and one rolling element disposed on one end of each elastic element. The rolling elements may or may not abut the adjacent ratchet and the head of the wrench body. In this manner, the rolling elements and elastic elements of the actuating portion move along the outer shape of the ratchet teeth of the ratchet portion, allowing the ratchet head to actuate only when it is rotated in a specific direction, thereby achieving single-directional restriction.

Preferably, the rollers of the actuator are of large and small sizes, with one large roller paired with one small roller at one end of each elastic member. This arrangement of two roller sizes enhances braking force, making it more difficult for the ratchet head to rotate in an unintended direction and preventing reverse rotation due to roller wear.

The detailed structure, features, assembly, and usage of the one-way ratchet wrench provided by this invention will be described in the detailed description of the implementation method that follows. However, those skilled in the art will understand that such detailed description and the specific embodiments listed for implementing this invention are merely for the purpose of illustrating this invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the patent application for this invention.

The applicant first explains that in the embodiments and drawings to be introduced below, the same reference numbers represent the same or similar elements or their structural features. It should be noted that the elements and structures in the drawings are drawn for illustrative purposes only and are not drawn according to actual proportions and quantities. Moreover, if practical, the features of different embodiments can be applied interchangeably. Secondly, when it is stated that one element is disposed on another element, it means that the aforementioned element is directly disposed on the other element, or the aforementioned element is indirectly disposed on the other element, that is, one or more other elements are disposed between the two elements. When it is stated that an element is "directly" disposed on another element, it means that no other elements are disposed between the two elements.

1 to 3 , the one-way ratchet wrench 10 of the present invention mainly includes a wrench body 20 , a ratchet head 30 and a rotating assembly 40 .

The wrench body 20 can be, for example, a one-piece structure having a head 21 and a handle 22. One end of the handle 22 is connected to the head 21. A through hole 23 is formed in the head 21, penetrating the top and bottom surfaces of the head 21. A stopper 24 and a second positioning groove 25 are also formed at the location of the through hole 23, i.e., on the inner circumference of the head 21. The stopper 24 and the second positioning groove 25 are respectively located at the opposite ends of the head 21.

The ratchet head 30 is cylindrical and hollow. It has a socket hole 31 extending through the top and bottom surfaces of the ratchet head 30. A snap-fit structure is formed around the socket hole 31. The snap-fit structure, such as a hexagonal or dodecagonal shape, conforms to the shape of most nuts. The one-way ratchet wrench 10 can be inserted into various nuts to perform locking or loosening operations.

The rotating assembly 40 includes a ratchet portion 41 and an actuating portion 42. The ratchet portion 41 includes a plurality of ratchets 411. When the rotating assembly 40 is coupled to the ratchet head 30, the ratchets 411 are disposed on the outer circumference of the ratchet head 30 and are arranged equidistantly around the ratchet head 30. The actuating portion 42 includes a plurality of rollers 421 and a plurality of elastic members 422. The rollers 421 can be, for example, rollers or balls, and are divided into two sizes. The elastic members 422 can be, for example, springs. Each ratchet 411 of the ratchet portion 41 is formed with a receiving groove 412, and the elastic member 422 is received and fixed in the receiving groove 412. A large-sized roller 421 and a small-sized roller 421 are provided at the unfixed end of the elastic member 422.

The one-way ratchet wrench 10 of this invention further includes a positioning plate 50 and a positioning buckle 60. The positioning plate 50 is a hollow ring-shaped structure with a first positioning groove 51 formed on its outer peripheral surface. The positioning buckle 60 can be, for example, a C-shaped buckle, and its size must be able to be exactly embedded in the first positioning groove 51 of the positioning plate 50 and the second positioning groove 25 of the head 21 of the wrench body 20.

During assembly, the rotating assembly 40 is first coupled to the ratchet head 30. The rotating assembly 40 can be directly mounted on the outer circumference of the ratchet head 30 and is located in the middle of the ratchet head 30. Since the height of the rotating assembly 40 is less than the height of the ratchet head 30, the two ends of the ratchet head 30 protrude from the two ends of the rotating assembly 40, and the rotating assembly 40 and the ratchet head 30 are in a linked state. Next, the ratchet head 30, with the rotating assembly 40 assembled therewith, is inserted into the through hole 23 of the wrench body 20. The side surface of the rotating assembly 40 abuts against the stop section 24 on the inner side of the head portion 21 of the wrench body 20. One end of the ratchet head 30 extends beyond the stop section 24 and is surrounded by it, exposing the engaging structure around the socket hole 31. Thus, the position of one end of the ratchet head 30 and the rotating assembly 40 is restricted by the stop section 24. At this time, the rotating assembly 40 is disposed between the head 21 of the wrench body 20 and the ratchet head 30. The actuating portion 42 of the rotating assembly 40 is disposed between the ratchet portion 41 and the inner circumference of the head 21 of the wrench body 20. When the ratchet head 30 is not rotating, the rolling members 421 abut against the adjacent ratchet 411 and the inner circumference of the head 21 of the wrench body 20.

Next, the positioning buckle 60 is inserted into the second positioning groove 25 of the head 21 of the wrench body 20, and the positioning plate 50 is installed. The positioning plate 50 is mounted on the other end of the ratchet head 30 and abuts the side of the rotating assembly 40. At the same time, the positioning buckle 60 is inserted into the first positioning groove 51 of the positioning plate 50. At this time, the outer side of the positioning buckle 60 is inserted into the second positioning groove 25, and the inner side is inserted into the first positioning groove 51. In this way, the one-way ratchet wrench 10 is assembled. The head portion 21 of the wrench body 20 and the positioning plate 50 are fixed to each other via a positioning buckle 60. The positioning plate 50 and positioning buckle 60, together with the stopper 24 of the wrench body 20, limit the position of the ratchet head 30 and the rotating assembly 40 within the through hole 23, preventing the ratchet head 30 and the rotating assembly 40 from easily dislodging from the through hole 23.

Please refer to FIG. 4 . In actual operation, the user sleeves the snap-fit structure of the ratchet head 30 of the one-way ratchet wrench 10 onto the nut and starts to rotate the one-way ratchet wrench 10 to tighten or loosen the nut. When the ratchet head 30 rotates relative to the wrench body 20, it drives the rotating assembly 40 to rotate together. The two rollers 421 of the actuator 42, which originally abutted against the head 21 of the wrench body 20, are now pushed against by the head 21 of the wrench body 20. Simultaneously, the elastic member 422 connected to the rollers 421 is compressed with one end provided on the ratchet 411 as a fulcrum. The two rollers 421 now move along the inclined surface of the ratchet teeth 411 of the ratchet portion 41. This creates a gap between the rollers 421 and the inner circumference of the head 21 of the wrench body 20, allowing the ratchet head 30 to rotate smoothly.

The above description uses a single range of ratchet teeth 411, rollers 421, and elastic members 422. However, in actual operation, the user generally rotates the one-way ratchet wrench 10 continuously. All rollers 421 of the actuating portion 42 of the rotating assembly 40 simultaneously compress the elastic member 422, creating a full circle of clearance between the rotating assembly 40 and the inner circumference of the head portion 21 of the wrench body 20. This allows the ratchet head 30 to rotate smoothly in a specific direction until the user completes the task of tightening or loosening the nut. However, if the user turns the nut in the opposite direction, the large and small rollers 421 of the rotating assembly 40 will simultaneously abut against the ratchet 411 and the inner circumference of the head 21 of the wrench body 20, and will be forced to clamp the rotating assembly 40, causing it to be stuck and unable to move. In addition, the ratchet head 30 cannot rotate, thereby achieving the purpose of the one-way ratchet wrench 10 being able to rotate in only one direction, allowing the user to smoothly complete the action of locking or loosening the nut even when there is insufficient space.

Furthermore, after the ratchet head 30 is inserted through the through hole 23 of the wrench body 20, one end of the ratchet head 30 extends beyond the stop section 24, exposing the engaging structure. Furthermore, after the other end is sleeved onto the positioning plate 50, the engaging structure is also exposed. Therefore, the nut can be engaged with the engaging structure of the ratchet head 30 from either side of the one-way ratchet wrench 10. Even though the one-way ratchet wrench 10 of the present invention does not provide a mechanism for switching the rotation direction, the user can change the rotation direction of the one-way ratchet wrench 10 by flipping it over.

In summary, the one-way ratchet wrench 10 provided by this invention has at least the following advantages compared to the prior art:

1. The one-way ratchet wrench 10 of this invention mainly utilizes the combination of a wrench body 20, a ratchet head 30, and a rotating assembly 40. Compared with traditional ratchet wrenches with complex ratchet mechanisms and switching mechanisms, this invention has the advantages of simple structure and easy assembly, which can significantly reduce manufacturing costs and meet the requirements of one-way rotation of the ratchet wrench.

2. The one-way ratchet wrench 10 of this invention utilizes a rotating assembly 40 to allow the ratchet head 30 to achieve unidirectional rotation. The ratchet portion 41 of the rotating assembly 40 is driven by the ratchet head 30, and the actuating portion 42 is displaced due to the relative position of the ratchet portion 41 and the head portion 21 of the wrench body 20, thereby limiting the ratchet head 30 to rotation in a specific direction. The rotating assembly 40 can be modular in design to facilitate assembly of the one-way ratchet wrench 10.

Finally, it must be reiterated that the constituent elements disclosed in the aforementioned embodiments of this invention are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this invention. Replacements or modifications of other equivalent elements should also be covered by the scope of the patent application of this invention.

10: One-way ratchet wrench 20: Wrench body 21: Head 22: Handle 23: Through hole 24: Stop section 25: Second positioning slot 30: Ratchet head 31: Socket hole 40: Rotating assembly 41: Ratchet portion 411: Ratchet 412: Accommodating slot 42: Actuating portion 421: Rolling member 422: Elastic member 50: Positioning plate 51: First positioning slot 60: Positioning buckle

Figure 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 is a three-dimensional exploded diagram of the present invention; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention, showing the ratchet head not rotating or unable to rotate; and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention, showing the ratchet head rotating relative to the wrench body.

10: One-way ratchet wrench

20: Wrench body

21: Head

22: Handle

23: Perforation

24: Stop section

25: Second positioning slot

30: Ratchet head

31: Socket hole

40: Rotating Group

41: Ratchet part

42:Action Department

50: Positioning plate

51: First positioning groove

60: Positioning buckle

Claims (5)

A one-way ratchet wrench structure comprises: a wrench body having a head and a handle connected to the head, the head forming a through-hole extending therethrough; a ratchet head having a socket hole extending through the top and bottom surfaces, the ratchet head being inserted into the through-hole of the wrench body head; and a rotating assembly disposed between the wrench body head and the ratchet head, the rotating assembly having a ratchet portion and an actuating portion connected to the ratchet portion, the actuating portion being disposed between the ratchet portion and the wrench body head, and being capable of rotating the ratchet head in a single direction relative to the wrench body according to displacement of the actuating portion relative to the ratchet portion. As described in claim 1, the one-way ratchet wrench structure, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the head of the wrench body also forms a stop section, the ratchet head is surrounded by the stop section, and the side surface of the rotating group abuts against the stop section. The one-way ratchet wrench structure as described in claim 1 further includes a positioning plate and a positioning buckle, the outer circumference of the positioning plate forms a first positioning groove, and the inner circumference of the head of the wrench body forms a second positioning groove. After the ratchet head passes through the through hole, the positioning plate is sleeved on one end of the ratchet head and abuts against the side of the rotating group, and the positioning buckle is arranged in the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove to limit the position of the ratchet head and the rotating group in the through hole. A one-way ratchet wrench structure as described in claim 1, wherein the ratchet portion of the rotating assembly has a plurality of ratchets, the ratchets are arranged on the outer circumference of the ratchet head, the actuating portion has a plurality of rolling members and a plurality of elastic members, any one of the elastic members is arranged on any one of the ratchets, and the rolling members are arranged at one end of any one of the elastic members, and the rolling members are in contact with or not in contact with the adjacent ratchets and the head of the wrench body. As described in claim 4, the one-way ratchet wrench structure, wherein the rolling members of the actuating portion are divided into large-size and small-size specifications, and a large-size rolling member is matched with a small-size rolling member to be arranged at one end of any elastic member.