Patent Application
20160067852
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for removing a pin from a target location and more specifically for removing a press fitted dowel pin from the target location.
Dowel pins are employed at various target locations, such as engine heads and blocks, to precisely position component parts of a structure during assembly operation. However, over a period of time, the dowel pins are worn, bent, or otherwise damaged, thereby requiring removal and replacement during the assembly operation. In order to remove the dowel pin from the target location, an appropriately formed dowel-pin removing tool is attached to the dowel pin to remove it from the target location. However, for further use of the dowel removing tool, the dowel pin needs to be disengaged from the dowel removing tool. Accordingly, for the purpose of removing the dowel pin from the dowel removing tool, a traditional hammer is employed to strike a force on a rod of the dowel removing tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,529,497 ('497 patent) describes a dowel removing tool. The dowel removing tool of the '497 patent includes a dowel gripping member which is radially contractible to grip the dowel pin and radially expands to release the dowel pin. The dowel removing tool of the '497 patent also includes a reaction means provided on the dowel removing tool in a oppositely spaced relation with respect to the dowel gripping member and an impact means slidably mounted on the dowel removing tool between the dowel gripping member and the reaction means for manually actuating reciprocal movement against the dowel gripping member to contract the same tightly about a dowel and subsequently to remove the dowel by engagement of the impact means against the reaction means. Although the '497 patent fails to disclose methods for removing the extracted dowel from the dowel removing tool, it will be understood by a person skilled in the art that the traditional hammer still needs to be employed by the operator to strike a force on the dowel removing tool for removing the extracted dowel from the dowel removing tool.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for removing a pin from a target location is provided. The apparatus includes a rod having a first end and a second end, and a clamp attached to the first end of the rod. The clamp includes a number of arms adapted to receive the pin therebetween. The apparatus also includes a sleeve coupled to the rod and adapted to move between a first position and a second position. The sleeve is engaged with the clamp in the first position and disengaged from the clamp in the second position. The arms of the clamp are pushed towards each other in the first position of the sleeve to engage with the pin. The apparatus further includes a hammer coupled to the rod and adapted to move the sleeve to the first position. The apparatus further includes a handle attached to the second end of the rod. The apparatus further includes a clip member adapted to couple to the rod for removing the pin from the clamp. The clip member includes a first arm and a second arm. Each of the first arm and the second arm has a first end and a second end. The second arm of the clip member is coupled to the first arm via a pivot member. The clip member is configured to move from a non-deflected position to a deflected position. In the deflected position of the clip member, the first end of the first arm is away from the first end of the second arm. The clip member further includes a first coupling member attached to the first end of the first arm and a second coupling member attached to the first end of the second arm. The first coupling member and the second coupling member define an opening in the non-deflected position of the clip member. The opening has an inner diameter greater than or equal to an outer diameter of the rod. Further, the first coupling member and the second coupling member together define an outer diameter less than an inner diameter of the sleeve. The clip member is coupled to the rod between the sleeve and the hammer. Furthermore, the hammer moves at least one of the first coupling member and the second coupling member towards the clamp to disengage the clamp from the sleeve and release the pin from the clamp.
Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.
Reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiment or features, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, corresponding or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or corresponding parts. Moreover, references to various elements described herein, are made collectively or individually when there may be more than one element of the same type. However, such references are merely exemplary in nature. It may be noted that any reference to elements in the singular may also be construed to relate to the plural and vice-versa without limiting the scope of the disclosure to the exact number or type of such elements unless set forth explicitly in the appended claim.
Referring to
Referring to
The sleeve 26 includes a through hole 38 such that the sleeve 26 is disposed coaxially on the rod 16 to slide along the longitudinal axis “LA” of the rod 16. The through hole 38 has an inner diameter “S” that is greater than the outer diameter D2 of the coupling member 32. Accordingly, the coupling member 32 is inserted within the through hole 38 during the removal of the pin 14 from the clamp 22. Further, the clamp 22 includes a first end 40 having an outer diameter “X” and a second end 42 having an outer diameter “Y”, the outer diameter “Y” being greater than the outer diameter “X”. In addition, the outer diameter of the clamp 22 increases linearly from the first end 40 to the second end 42 to define a taper portion between the first end 40 and the second end 42 of the clamp 22. Furthermore, the outer diameter “X” of the first end 40 of the clamp 22 is less than the inner diameter “S” of the sleeve 26.
The sleeve 26 is adapted to move between a first position “P1” and a second position “P2”. The sleeve 26 is moved around the clamp 22 to engage with the clamp 22 in the first position “P1” and is moved away from the clamp 22 to disengage from the clamp 22 in the second position “P2”. In the first positon “P1” of the sleeve 26, the arms 24 of the clamp 22 are pushed radially in an inward direction towards each other to engage with the pin 14.
The coupling member 32 of the clip member 12 includes a first coupling member 58 and a second coupling member 60. The first coupling member 58 is attached to the first end 50 of the first arm 44 and the second coupling member 60 is attached to the first end 54 of the second arm 46. In the non-deflected position, the first coupling member 58 rests against the second coupling member 60 and, in the deflected position, the first coupling member 58 is away from the second coupling member 60. Furthermore, in the non-deflected position, the first coupling member 58 and the second coupling member 60 define the opening 36 therebetween.
Although the clip member 12 includes the pair of arms 34, it will be understood by one skilled in the art that the clip member 12 can include only one arm with a coupling member. In one example, the second end 52 of the first arm 44 and the second end 56 of the second arm 46 can have a rounded-end, similar to ends of a pair of scissors. Various embodiments disclosed herein are to be taken in the illustrative and explanatory sense, and should in no way be construed as limiting of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure relates to the apparatus 10 for removing the pin 14 from the target location 62.
The method 64 includes engaging the pin 14 with the clamp 22 of apparatus 10. The handle 30 of the apparatus 10 is held by one hand of the operator and the hammer 28 is moved towards the handle 30 in an upward direction 68. The hammer 28 is further moved towards the sleeve 26 in a downward direction 70 to strike the sleeve 26 with the first desired force. Due to the first desired force, the sleeve 26 is pushed towards the clamp 22 in the first position “P1”, thereby pushing the arms 24 of the clamp 22 in the radial inward direction towards each other. As such, the arms 24 of the clamp 22 engage with the pin 14. Once the operator has struck a particular number of strokes on the sleeve 26, the hammer 28 is moved in the upward direction 68 to disengage the pin 14 from the engine crankcase 66.
Further, the clip member 12 is coupled to the apparatus 10 in such a way that the clip member 12 is located between the hammer 28 and the sleeve 26. Further, the clip member 12 is moved in the downward direction 70, so that the coupling member 32 is received in the sleeve 26. During the pin removal process, since the inner diameter “S” of the sleeve 26 is greater than the outer diameter “D2” of the coupling member 32 of the clip member 12, the coupling member 32 rests against the first end 40 of the clamp 22 when the coupling member 32 is inserted in the sleeve 26. Further, the outer diameter “X” of the first end 40 of the clamp 22 is greater than the inner diameter “D1” of the coupling member 32. With such an arrangement, the coupling member 32 rests against the first end 40 of the clamp 22. Further, the hammer 28 is reciprocated in the downward direction 70 and the upward direction 68 with a second desired force striking each time on the clip member 12.
Due to the second desired force struck each time, the clip member 12 is pushed in the downward direction 70. Since the coupling member 32 rests against the first end 40 of the clamp 22, the second desired force applied on the clip member 12 is transmitted to the clamp 22. As such, the clamp 22 is pushed further in the downward direction 70. With such pushing of the clamp 22 in the downward direction 70, the clamp 22 is disengaged from the sleeve 26. The disengagement of the clamp 22 from the sleeve 26 allows the arms 24 of the clamp 22 to radially expand, thereby releasing the pin 14 in the hollow cylindrical body 76 of the support fixture 74, as shown in
Therefore, the clip member 12 of the apparatus 10 assists the operator to support the apparatus 10 in one hand while striking the desired forces by the other hand. Additionally, owing to the presence of the clip member 12 and the second desired force being struck on the clip member 12, the pin 14 can be disengaged from the clamp 22 without any extra effort from the operator. In other words, the clip member 12 cooperates with the hammer 28 to disengage from the pin 14 from the clamp 22, thereby eliminating need of striking a force by a traditional hammer. Accordingly, any ergonomic risk to the operator's hand is eliminated.
While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof.
