Patent Application
20240181610
The present invention relates to a driving head-changeable tool.
A hand tool with a universal joint can be used for multi-angle rotation, and it generally includes a ball socket and a drive rod. The drive rod includes a ball head at an end thereof. The ball head is slidably and non-rotatably assembled to the ball socket. When the drive rod is pulled to move outward relative to the ball socket to be located in a swingable position, the drive rod is swingable relative to the ball socket for carrying out multi-angle rotational operation, which is easy to operate in a narrow working environment. There are needs to replace the drive rod according to various driven members of different sizes or types. However, it is necessary to replace the entire set of the ball socket and the drive rod, and thus the operation is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
The present invention is, therefore, arisen to obviate or at least mitigate the above-mentioned disadvantages.
The main object of the present invention is to provide a driving head-changeable tool to which a driving head can be stably assembled and which is easy and quick to replace.
To achieve the above and other objects, a driving head-changeable tool is provided, including: a main body, including a chamber and an assembling end connected to each other, the chamber including a plurality of concave portions and a plurality of convex portions alternatively arranged circumferentially, the chamber being configured for insertion of a polygonal ball joint, the chamber further including at least one receiving hole disposed therethrough radially, each of the at least one receiving hole receiving a blocking member; an outer sleeve, disposed around the main body, an inner wall of the outer sleeve including a recess and a projection protrusive relative to the recess, the outer sleeve being slidable between a first position and a second position relative to the main body; wherein when the outer sleeve is located in the first position, the projection urges the blocking member to project within the chamber to retain the polygonal ball joint in the chamber; when the outer sleeve is located in the second position, the recess corresponds to the blocking member, the blocking member is retractable in the recess to be not protrusive within the chamber so that the polygonal ball joint is disengageable from the chamber.
The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment(s) in accordance with the present invention.
Please refer to
The main body 1 includes a chamber 11 and an assembling end 12 connected to each other, and the chamber 11 includes a plurality of concave portions 111 and a plurality of convex portions 112 alternatively arranged circumferentially. The chamber 11 is configured for insertion of a polygonal ball joint 5, the chamber 11 further includes at least one receiving hole 13 disposed therethrough radially, and each of the at least one receiving hole 13 receives a blocking member 131. The assembling end 12 is configured to be assembled with a rotation tool.
In this embodiment, the driving head-changeable tool further includes a conical coil spring 2, the chamber 11 further includes an annular groove 14 adjacent to the bottom thereof, the conical coil spring 2 includes a large diameter end 21 and a small diameter end 22 opposite to each other, the large diameter end 21 is engaged within the annular groove 14, and the small diameter end 22 biases the polygonal ball joint 5 outwardly.
The outer sleeve 3 is disposed around the main body 1, an inner wall of the outer sleeve 3 includes a recess 31 and a projection 32 protrusive relative to the recess 31, and the outer sleeve 3 is slidable between a first position and a second position relative to the main body 1.
When the outer sleeve 3 is located in the first position, the projection 32 urges the blocking member 131 to project within the chamber 11 to retain the polygonal ball joint 5 in the chamber 11. Because the large diameter end 21 of the conical coil spring 2 is engaged within the annular groove 14, the conical coil spring 2 is retained in the chamber 11, and the polygonal ball joint 5 is biased outward by the conical coil spring 2 so that the polygonal ball joint 5 can swing effectively relative to the main body 1 for fastening operation. For replacing the polygonal ball joint 5, the outer sleeve 3 is moved toward the second position. When the outer sleeve 3 is located in the second position, the recess 31 corresponds to the blocking member 131, the blocking member 131 is retractable in the recess 31 to be not protrusive within the chamber 11 so that the polygonal ball joint 5 is disengageable from the chamber 11. The small diameter end 22 biases the polygonal ball joint 5 outwardly so that the polygonal ball joint 5 can project out from the main body 1, which is easy and convenient in use.
Specifically, an end of each of the plurality of convex portions 112 remote from a bottom of the chamber 11 includes a bevel 15, which allows smooth swinging of the polygonal ball joint 5 without affection of the convex portion 112.
The chamber 11 further includes a first stepped portion 16 near an opening thereof, and the first stepped portion 16 is next to the bevel 15. As such, it prevents the polygonal ball joint 5 from being interfered with the inner wall of the chamber 11 during rotation of the polygonal ball joint 5, thus being durable and with low noise.
Specifically, an outer circumferential surface of the main body 1 includes a large diameter section 171, a small diameter section 172 and a retainer 173. An inner circumferential surface of the outer sleeve 3 includes an inner flange 33, and the inner flange 33 is slidably restricted between the large diameter section 171 and the retainer 173. An elastic member 4 is disposed around the small diameter section 172 and abutted between the large diameter section 171 and the inner flange 33 so that the outer sleeve 3 is normally biased toward the first position to avoid disengagement of the outer sleeve 3 from the main body 1.
Preferably, a side of the inner flange 33 remote from the elastic member 4 includes a second stepped portion 331. When the outer sleeve 3 is located in the first position, the retainer 173 is received within second stepped portion 331, which prevents the retainer 173 from external colliding or impact. In this embodiment, the retainer 173 is C-shaped, which is easy to assemble/disassemble and/or replace.
An end of the inner circumferential surface of the outer sleeve 3 remote from the inner flange 33 includes a flat section 34. When the outer sleeve 3 is located in the first position, the large diameter section 171 of the main body 1 is protrusive beyond the flat section 34, and when the outer sleeve 3 is located in the second position, the large diameter section 171 of the main body 1 is non-protrusive relative to the flat section 34. In this embodiment, the at least one receiving hole 13 is disposed through the large diameter section 171, and the flat section 34 and the projection 32 have same thicknesses.
The polygonal ball joint 5 includes a working portion 51 and a polygonal ball head 52 connected to each other, and an end of the polygonal ball head 52 remote from the working portion 51 includes a circular end surface 53. The small diameter end 22 is abutted against the circular end surface 53, and the small diameter end 22 has a relatively small diametric dimension and is abuttable against the circular end surface 53, so the polygonal ball joint 5 can swing smoothly relative to the main body 1. A plurality of arcuate corner portions 54 are connected to a periphery of the circular end surface 53, the plurality of arcuate corner portions 54 extend radially, and the small diameter end 22 is free of contacting the plurality of arcuate corner portions 54. The plurality of arcuate corner portions 54 are engaged within the plurality of concave portions 111, respectively, for preventing relative rotation of the polygonal ball joint 5 and the main body 1.
In this embodiment, the assembling end 12 includes a socket portion, and the working portion 51 is a D-shaped connector. Please refer to
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.
