Patent Application
20160023330
1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to clamps, and more particularly, to a clamp with ratchet device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A clamp usually has a configuration including a fixed part and an active part, wherein the active part is allowed to be moved toward or away from the fixed part, thereby clamping a target object and achieving different operational demands.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,025,275 discloses a single hand operated ratchet clamp, comprising a slide rail, a sliding arm, a fixed arm, a lever element, and a pressure plate. When clamping an object, user grips the slide rail with one hand and uses the lever element to move the sliding arm toward the fixed arm with the other hand. When the target object is to be clamped, through deflecting the lever element, the pressure plate rapidly pushes and presses the target object, achieving a one-hand operation. However, when the pressure plate pushes and presses the target object, the user is unable to make the pressure plate further exert additional pressure upon the target object through the lever element, failing to meet the requirement of tightly and stably clamping the target object.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,025,279 also discloses a ratcheting C-clamp, comprising a main body, a threaded rod, an actuator, a ratchet mechanism, and a gear assembly. The thread rod is movably connected to the main body, and the actuator is mechanically connected to the thread rod through the ratchet mechanism, whereby the thread rod is able to axially move toward or away from a target object. Furthermore, the ratchet mechanism is further connected to the thread rod through the gear assembly which comprises external teeth that couple to external threads on the rod. Therefore, with the actuator as a handgrip, user is able to make the thread rod move toward or away from the target object by operating the handgrip with only one hand. However, the rod needs to be rotated by the lever on one end of the rod, whereby the clamping force of the C-clamp is exerted upon the target object, facilitating the mechanical operation of the clamp and stably clamping the target object on the main body. However, in a narrow operational environment, exerting the clamping force by use of the lever is inconvenient, and the clamping force exerted might be insufficient. Also, an exposed spring is disposed between the handle and the main body; as a result, other objects may be accidentally hooked, causing the handle to be malfunctioned.
For improving issues aforementioned, the present invention discloses a clamp with ratchet device, wherein a thread rod thereof reciprocates through a ratchet device, whereby the clamp is allowed to be operated in a narrow space for clamping a target object.
The present invention provides a clamp with ratchet device for clamping a target object, comprising:
a clamp body, provided with a fixed part and a corresponding installation part;
a thread rod, movably disposed on the installation part and having a first end and a second end;
a clamping member, disposed on the second end of the thread rod; and
a ratchet device, combined to a first end of the thread rod, and being operated between an idling position and a driving position, wherein the ratchet device is able to drive the thread rod to rotate and move toward and away from the fixed part at the driving position, or otherwise idle against the thread rod at the idling position.
With such configuration, the clamp is allowed to be operated in a narrow space.
Further, the ratchet device of the present invention is provided with a main body. The main body has a head part and a grip part extending from the head part. The first end of the thread rod has a ratchet part, while the main body is pivotally provided with a ratchet block for engaging the ratchet part. Also, the ratchet block is allowed to swing between a first position and a second position, facilitating the ratchet device being operated between the idling position and the driving position.
Further, the ratchet device has a positioning mechanism for positioning the ratchet block at the first position and the second position, while the positioning mechanism comprises a pushing member resiliently pushing the ratchet block, whereby the ratchet block is optionally positioned at the first position or the second position.
Therefore, user operates the ratchet device for driving the thread rod to reciprocate, facilitating the usage of the present invention in a narrow space. Also, during the driving process, force is efficiently exerted on the thread rod for enhancing the clamping effect, providing an acceleration of operation and an easiness of force exertion.
The aforementioned and further advantages and features of the present invention will be understood by reference to the description of the preferred embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings where the components are illustrated based on a proportion for explanation but not subject to the actual component proportion.
Referring to
The clamp body 10 is in an L shape, having a fixed part 11, and a slide rail 12 disposed on one end of the fixed part 11, while the fixed part 11 and the slide rail 12 are integrally formed.
One end of the installation part 20 mounts around the slide rail 12, wherein the installation part 20 is able to slidingly move along the slide rail 12.
The thread rod 30 is movably disposed on the other end of the installation part 20, wherein the thread rod 30 is provided with a first end having a ratchet part 31 and a second end having a ball member 32 installed thereon through a fixing pin 33.
The clamping member 40 has one end provided with a clamping surface 41 and the other end provided with a thread 42, wherein the ball member 32 is provided with a nut 43 for being screwed with the thread 42, whereby the clamping member 40 is rotatably disposed on the second end of the thread rod 30 and capable of rotating by different angles thereon. Therefore, the clamping surface 41 cooperates with the fixed part 11 for clamping.
The ratchet device 50 is combined to the first end of the thread rod 30 and being operated between an idling position and a driving position. Therein, at the driving position, the ratchet device 50 drives the thread rod 30 to move forward or away from the fixed part 11; at the idling position, the ratchet device 50 idles against the thread rod 30. The ratchet device further comprises a main body 51 disposed in perpendicular to the thread rod 30, a ratchet block 52, and a positioning mechanism 53. The main body 51 is provided with a head part 55 disposed on the first end of the thread rod 30 and a grip part 54 extending from the head part 55, while the grip part 54 is sleeved by a protective sleeve 56. Furthermore, the main body 51 is formed by a first shaft 511 and a second shaft 512. The first shaft 511 is peripherally provided with a combining part 513 for correspondingly containing the ratchet part 31 of the thread rod 30, with plural coupling blocks 514 equidistantly disposed on the combining part 513. The second shaft 512 has plural coupling bores 515 for being correspondingly coupled with the coupling blocks 514.
The ratchet block 52 is pivotally disposed on the main body 51 and capable of swinging between a first position and a second position for driving the ratchet device 50 to be operated between the idling position and the driving position. Therein, the ratchet block 52 has a first tooth 521 and a second tooth 522 disposed with an interval therebetween. Furthermore, a first operational part 523 and a second operational part 524 are disposed on the lateral sides of the first and second teeth 521, 522, respectively, while the first and second operational parts 523, 524 protrude on the both sides of the main body 51, respectively. When the user turns up the first operational part 523 or the second operational part 524, the ratchet block 52 correspondingly swings between the first position and the second position, whereby the first tooth 521 and the second tooth 522 alternatively engages the ratchet part 31. In addition, a first contact part 525 and a second contact part 526 are disposed on one end of the ratchet block 52 opposite to the end provided with first and second teeth 521, 522, with an angle included between the first and second contact parts 525, 526. Therefore, the first and second contact parts 525, 526 form a V shape configuration.
The positioning mechanism 53 is disposed in the main body 51 for positioning the ratchet block 52 at the first or second positions. Therein, the positioning mechanism 53 comprises a fixing member 531, a spring 532, and a pushing member 533. The fixing member 531 is fixed on the grip part 54 of the main body 51, and the fixing member 531 comprises a recess 534 for receiving the spring 532. The pushing member 533, in the embodiment of the present invention, is a steel ball, disposed in the recess 534 and pushed by the spring 532, whereby the pushing member 533 pushes toward the first or second contact parts 525, 526, alternatively, for positioning the ratchet block 52.
Especially, the ratchet block 52 and the positioning mechanism 53 are disposed between the first shaft 511 and the second shaft 512, and positioned by plural pivot pins 60. Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Furthermore, the ratchet device 50 is combined to the first end of the thread rod 30, and the section from the edge of the grip part 54 of the main body 51 to the axis of the thread rod 30 is defined as a force exertion arm. When the user grips the grip part 54 for driving the thread rod 30, the torque value for driving the thread rod 30 to rotate equals to the product of the force exerted multiplied by the length of the force exertion arm. When the force exerted by the user is greater, the torque thus produced is greater, whereby the thread rod 30 efficiently drives the clamping member 40 to push toward the target object 2, and the clamping force is increased for stably clamping the target object 2. Therefore, force exertion of the present invention is not limited by the space limitation; at the same time, the thread rod 30 is driven to rotate by the ratchet device 50, thereby triggering the clamping member 40 to slide toward the fixed part 11 for pressing the target object 2, thus stably clamping the target object 2.
Referring to
To conclude, with the operation of the ratchet device 50 of the present invention, the force is able to be efficiently exerted and the operation of the present invention is accelerated, whereby the target object is effectively clamped.
Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
