Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6655183
-
Patent Number
6,655,183
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, July 16, 200222 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, December 2, 200321 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 072 149
- 072 157
- 072 158
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International Classifications
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Abstract
A lifting mechanism for a head member of a pipe bender includes a connecting block and an oil cylinder. The connecting block is fixedly connected to the head member. The oil cylinder is horizontally fitted to the main body of the pipe bender. The connecting block is equipped with a propped block on the bottom. The propped block has several spaced horizontal propped surfaces on the bottom thereof which are formed at different heights with slopes formed in between. Wheels are fitted to an outer end of the piston rod of the cylinder to prop up the propped block. Therefore, when die cylinder operates for the wheels to move relative to the propped block, the head member can be adjusted in height together with the connecting block. The piston rod stops moving when the wheels are positioned under a selected one of the horizontal propped surfaces.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lifting mechanism for a head member of a pipe bender, and more particularly a lifting mechanism for a head member of a pipe bender, which can make the head member move up and down smoothly, and eliminate the risk of undesirable downward movement of the head member caused by oil leakage or other breakdowns of the hydraulic cylinder.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Referring to
FIGS. 7 and 8
, a conventional pipe bender includes a head member
10
, a molding member
20
, a foldable hand member
30
, and a feeding element
40
. The head member
10
is tip and down movably disposed at a front end of the pipe bender. The molding member
20
, and the foldable hand member
30
are fitted to the head member
10
. Ad, the feeding member
40
is fitted on the main body of the pipe bender for feeding pipes to the head member
10
.
The head member
10
is equipped with a rear guide block
101
, a rear guide mould
102
, a guide block
103
, and a guide mould
104
. The molding member
20
consists of several decks of molding wheels
201
of different diameters. The foldable hand member
30
includes an upper clipping element
301
, and a lower clipping element
302
arranged beside corresponding molding wheels
201
.
In using such pipe bender, pipes fed to the head member
10
via the guide moulds
102
,
104
on the head member
10
are clipped by means of one of the clipping elements
301
, and
302
. Then, the clipping element
301
or
302
operate to press the pipes over the corresponding molding wheel
201
so that the pipes are bent in conformity with shapes and diameters of the molding wheel
201
.
Referring to
FIGS. 9 and 10
, the head member
10
is fitted to vertical guide rails at one side, and equipped with a lifting mechanism
50
comprising a hydraulic cylinder
501
, which is disposed under the head member
10
with a piston rod
502
propping the bottom of the head member
10
. Thus, the lifting mechanism
50
can be operated to adjust the height of the head member
10
. After the head member
10
is adjusted to a desired height, pipes fed from the feeding member
40
can be clipped by one of the clipping elements
301
,
302
that is as high as it, and then shaped in accordance with the corresponding molding wheel
201
when the clipping element is operated.
However, the lifting mechanism for head member is found to have disadvantages as followings:
1. The entire weight of the head member
10
is supported by the cylinder
501
therefore the lifting mechanism will have shortened service life. And, the head member will undesirably move down due to gravity if there is breakdown in the cylinder or leakage in the oil circuit.
2. The head member
10
is prone to vibrate because it is relatively heavy in weight. Consequently, the head member
10
will have reduced precision.
3. Because the hydraulic cylinder
501
of the lifting mechanism is disposed under the head member
10
, it is likely to interfere with bending process of pipe benders.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a lifting mechanism for a head member of a pipe bender such that the head member can be moved up and down smoothly.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lifting mechanism for a head member of a pipe bender such that an oil cylinder thereof do not have to bear the weight of the head member after the head member has been moved to desired position, eliminating the risk of undesirable downward movement of the head member caused by oil leakage or other breakdowns of the hydraulic cylinder.
The present lifting mechanism includes a connecting block, and an oil cylinder. The connecting block is joined to the head member. The oil cylinder is horizontally fitted to the main body of the pipe bender. The connecting block is equipped with a propped block on the bottom. The propped block has several horizontal propped surfaces on the bottom, which are formed at different heights with slopes formed in between. Wheels are fitted to the piston rod of the cylinder to prop up the propped block. Therefore, when the cylinder operates for the wheels to move relative to the propped block, the head member can be moved up and down. The piston rod stops moving when the wheels are positioned under one of the horizontal propped surfaces, therefore the cylinder don't have to bear the weight of the head member all the time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1
is a cross-sectional view of the lifting mechanism for a head member of a pipe bender according to the present invention.
FIG. 2
is a top view of the lifting mechanism for a head member of a pipe bender according to the present invention.
FIG. 3
is another side view of the lifting mechanism of the present invention.
FIG. 4
is a view of the lifting mechanism of the present invention under operation.
FIG. 5
is a side view of the lifting mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6
is a side view of the lifting mechanism according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7
is a perspective view of the conventional pipe bender as described in the Background.
FIG. 8
is a perspective view of the head member of the conventional pipe bender in FIG.
7
.
FIG. 9
is a front view of the head member of the conventional pipe bender.
FIG. 10
is a side view of the head member of the conventional pipe bender.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to
FIGS. 1
,
2
and
3
, a lifting mechanism according to the present invention is fitted to a main body
1
of a pipe bender, which is substantially the same as the one described in the Background. The present lifting mechanism includes an oil cylinder
2
, and a connecting block
3
.
The oil cylinder
2
is fitted to the main body
1
of the pipe bender in a horizontal position, and has a piston rod
21
directed to an opening of the main body
1
. A pushing support
22
is connected to an outer end of the piston rod
21
at a first end thereof The pushing support
22
is equipped with wheels
23
at other end.
The connecting block
3
includes a connecting portion
32
. The connecting block
3
is associated with vertical guide rails (not shown) on the front of the main body
1
so that it can be moved up and down. The connecting portion
32
sticks out through the opening
11
of the main body
1
, and is fixedly joined to a head member of the pipe bender so that the head member can be moved together with the connecting block
3
. A propped block
31
is joined to a lower side of the connecting block
3
. The propped block
31
is formed with spaced horizontal propped surfaces
312
, and
313
at different heights. The propped block
31
further has a slope
311
formed between the propped surfaces
312
, and
313
. Thus, the wheels
23
are faced with the slope
311
, and the propped surfaces
312
,
313
.
To adjust the head member of the pipe bender in height the oil cylinder
2
is operated to move the piston rod
21
so that the wheels
23
move relative to the slope
311
. The movement of the piston rod
21
is stopped when the wheels
23
prop up the propped block
31
by means of positioning the same under a selected one of the horizontal propped surfaces
312
,
313
. Thus, the head member is stably supported at desired height together with the connecting block
3
, allowing pipes fed from the main body
1
to be pressed over a corresponding one of molding wheels disposed on the head member in the pipe bending process. The cylinder
2
operates for the piston rod
21
to retreat so that the head member is lowered, allowing pipes fed from the main body
1
to be pressed over an upper one of the molding wheels.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, a propped block
31
of the second embodiment is formed with more than two horizontal propped surfaces
312
,
313
, and
314
at different heights, and similarly slopes are formed between the propped surfaces. Thus, there are more options in adjusting height of the head member.
Referring to
FIG. 6
, in yet another embodiment of the present invention, wheels
32
are fitted to a bottom of the connecting block, and a propping block
24
is fixedly connected to the pushing support
22
, which is joined to the outer end of the piston rod
22
. The propping block
24
has several spaced horizontal propping surfaces (not numbered) on an upper side thereof. The paced horizontal propping surfaces are formed at different heights with slopes formed in between.
Therefore, when the oil cylinder
2
is operated to move the piston rod, the propping block
24
will move relative to the wheels
32
. The movement of the piston rod is stopped when the propping block
24
prop up the wheels
32
with a predetermined one of the horizontal propping surfaces being positioned under the wheels
32
. Thus, the head member is stably supported at desired height together with the connecting block
3
.
From the above description, it can be easily seen that the lifting mechanism for a head member of a pipe bender of the present invention has advantages as followings:
1. The entire weight of the head member is supported by the wheels instead of by the cylinder therefore there is no possibility of service life of the oil cylinder being shortened due to the persistent pressure from the head member. And, the head member will still be stably supported in position even if there is breakdown in the cylinder or leakage in the oil circuit.
2. With the wheels and the shaped block working together to move the bead member up and down, vibration of the head member with the present lifting mechanism is relatively little as compared with that occurring in the conventional head member. Consequently, precision of the head member will not be reduced by vibration.
3. The oil cylinder and the propping block of the lifting mechanism is disposed in the main body of the pipe bender instead of under the head member, therefore they will not interfere with bending process of pipe benders, allowing the pipe bender to operate smoothly.
Claims
- 1. A lifting mechanism for a head member of a pipe bender, comprisinga connecting block fixedly connected to a head member of a pipe bender; the connecting block being up and down movably disposed in a main body of the pipe bender with a connecting portion sticking out from the main body for connection to the head member; a propped block fixedly connected to a bottom of the connecting block; the propped block having a plurality of horizontal propped surfaces on a bottom thereof, the horizontal propped surfaces being formed at different heights with slopes formed in between; an oil cylinder horizontally fitted to the main body of the pipe bender; the oil cylinder having a piston rod; and, a pushing support connected to an outer end of the piston rod at a first end thereof; the pushing support being equipped with wheels at other end to face the slopes of the bottom of the propped block; whereby the head member can be adjusted in height together with the connecting block by means of operating the oil cylinder to move the wheels relative to the propped block to a selected one of the horizontal propped surfaces, allowing pipes fed from the main body to be shaped by a corresponding one of molding wheels on the head member in bending process.
- 2. A lifting mechanism for a head member of a pipe bender, comprisinga connecting block fixedly connected to a head member of a pipe bender; the connecting block being up and down movably disposed in a main body of the pipe bender with a connecting portion sticking out from the main body for connection to the head member; a plurality of wheels being fitted to a bottom of the connecting block; an oil cylinder horizontally fitted to the main body of the pipe bender; the oil cylinder having a piston rod; a propping block fixedly connected to an outer end of the piston rod; the propping block having a plurality of horizontal propping surfaces on an upper side thereof, the horizontal propping surfaces being formed at different heights with slopes formed in between; whereby the head member can be adjusted in height together with the connecting block by means of operating the oil cylinder to move the propping block relative to the wheels until a selected one of the horizontal propping surfaces is positioned under the wheels, allowing pipes fed from the main body to be shaped by a corresponding one of molding wheels on the head member in bending process.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4495788 |
Traub |
Jan 1985 |
A |
5263350 |
Crippa |
Nov 1993 |
A |
5950474 |
George et al. |
Sep 1999 |
A |