This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application No. 109126541, filed on Aug. 5, 2020.
The disclosure relates to a nail gun, and more particularly to a method for feeding nails in a nail gun, and a nail gun implementing the same.
Referring to
The muzzle member 11 is adapted to receive one of the nails 10 pushed by the pushing rod 12. The striking pin 13 is adapted to strike the one of the nails 10 out of the nail gun 1. The piston 14 is configured to be driven by air pressure to drive movement of the pushing rod 12. After the striking pin 13 strikes the one of the nails 10 and starts moving away from the muzzle member 11, the piston 14 moves toward the muzzle member 11 at a relatively slow speed and drives the pushing rod 12 to push another one of the nails 10′ into the muzzle member 11. As such, the striking pin 13 that is moving away from the muzzle member 11 does not interfere with the nail 10′ that is entering the muzzle member 11.
However, although the moving speed of the piston 14 toward the muzzle member 11 is relatively slow, the nail 10′ entering the muzzle member 11 is at risk of interfering with movement of the striking pin 13 since the nail 10′ is disposed proximate to the muzzle member 11. As a result, the nail 10′ entering the muzzle member 11 may become skewed, and the following nail-striking process may be affected, thereby leading to malfunction of the nail gun.
In another conventional nail gun disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,276,798B2, the nail-feeding structure is configured to move in the opposite direction (i.e., away from the muzzle member) during the nail-striking process, therefore eliminating the above-mentioned interference problem. However, such configuration keeps the nail-feeding structure at a position far away from the muzzle member for a longer period of time, and may result in higher power consumption.
Therefore, the object of the disclosure is to provide a method for feeding nails in a nail gun, and a nail gun implementing the same that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.
According to one aspect of the disclosure, a method for feeding nails in a nail gun is disclosed. The nail gun includes a gun body, a muzzle unit, a nail-feeding unit, a nail-striking unit and a control unit.
The muzzle unit is connected to the gun body. The nail-feeding unit is connected to the muzzle unit, is used for loading the nails, and includes a pushing member that is configured to perform a nail-feeding operation which feeds one of the nails to the muzzle unit, and a nail-feeding solenoid valve that is configured to drive the pushing member to perform the nail-feeding operation when being electrically energized. The nail-striking unit is mounted in the gun body, is configured to perform a nail-striking operation which strikes the one of the nails out of the muzzle unit, and includes a nail-striking solenoid valve that is configured to drive the nail-striking unit to perform the nail-striking operation when being electrically energized. The control unit is mounted in the gun body, and is electrically connected to the nail-feeding solenoid valve and the nail-striking solenoid valve for controlling the nail-feeding unit and the nail-striking unit to implement the method.
The method includes the following steps: energizing the nail-striking solenoid valve of the nail-striking unit to perform the nail-striking operation on the one of the nails; de-energizing the nail-striking solenoid valve of the nail-striking unit, and simultaneously starting to count a predetermined delay time period in idle; and upon elapse of the delay time period, energizing the nail-feeding solenoid valve of the nail-feeding unit to drive the pushing member to perform the nail-feeding operation on another one of the nails.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, a nail gun includes a gun body, a muzzle unit, a nail-feeding unit, a nail-striking unit and a control unit.
The muzzle unit is connected to the gun body, and has a muzzle mouth. The nail-feeding unit is connected to the muzzle unit, is adapted for loading a plurality of nails, and includes a pushing member and a nail-feeding solenoid valve. The pushing member is configured to perform a nail-feeding operation which feeds one of the nails to the muzzle unit, and in which the pushing member is movable relative to the muzzle unit between a nail-engaging position that is distal from the muzzle unit, and a nail-releasing position that is proximate to the muzzle unit. The nail-feeding solenoid valve is configured to drive the pushing member to perform the nail-feeding operation when being electrically energized. The nail-striking unit is mounted in the gun body, and includes an impact member and a nail-striking solenoid valve. The impact member is configured to perform a nail-striking operation which strikes the one of the nails out of the muzzle mouth of the muzzle unit, and in which the impact member is movable relative to the muzzle mouth from a nail-striking starting position that is distal from the muzzle mouth, to a nail-striking finishing position that is proximate to the muzzle mouth. The nail-striking solenoid valve is configured to drive the impact member to perform the nail-striking operation when being electrically energized. The control unit is mounted in the gun body, and is electrically connected to the nail-feeding solenoid valve and the nail-striking solenoid valve for controlling the nail-feeding unit and the nail-striking unit, such that the nail-striking operation and the nail-feeding operation are separated by a predetermined delay time period.
The control unit is configured for: energizing the nail-striking solenoid valve of the nail-striking unit to perform the nail-striking operation; de-energizing the nail-striking solenoid valve of the nail-striking unit, and simultaneously starting to count the predetermined delay time period in idle; and upon elapse of the predetermined delay time period, energizing the nail-feeding solenoid valve of the nail-feeding unit to perform the nail-feeding operation.
Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Referring to
The muzzle unit 3 is connected to a front end of the gun body 2, and has a muzzle mouth 31 that is adapted for each of the nails (N) to exit the nail gun (see
The nail-feeding unit 4 is connected to the muzzle unit 3, and includes a magazine 41, a pushing member 42, a nail-feeding solenoid valve 43, a torsion spring 44 and a return spring 45.
The magazine 41 is connected to the muzzle unit 3, and is adapted for loading the nails (N) in a row. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the magazine 41 is configured for loading the nails (N) that are arranged in a row which forms a roll. However, in variations of the embodiment, the magazine 41 may be configured for loading nails (N) that are arranged in a straight line.
Referring to
The nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 is configured to drive the pushing member 42 to perform the nail-feeding operation when being electrically energized. Specifically, the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 has a telescopic nail-feeding valve rod 431 that is pivotally connected to the pushing member 42, and that is changeable in length for driving movement of the pushing member 42.
The torsion spring 44 is disposed between and abutting against the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 and the pushing member 42, and is configured to bias the pushing member 42 to pivot toward the straight line of the nails (N).
The return spring 45 is mounted to the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43, and is configured to bias the nail-feeding valve rod 431 of the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 to move toward the muzzle unit 3 to move the pushing member 42 toward the nail-releasing position when the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 is de-energized.
When the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 is energized, an electromagnetic force is generated to drive the nail-feeding valve rod 431 to move away from the muzzle unit 3 to thereby move the pushing member 42 toward the nail-engaging position. When the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 is de-energized, the electromagnetic force vanishes such that the return spring 45 is allowed to drive the nail-feeding valve rod 431 to move and to cooperate with biasing force of torsion spring 44 to thereby move the pushing member 42 toward the nail-releasing position.
Referring to
The flywheel 51 is rotatably mounted to the gun body 2. The motor 52 drives rotation of the flywheel 51 by electric power. The swing arm 53 is pivotally mounted to the gun body 2, and is pivotable to become proximate to or distal from the flywheel 51.
The impact member 54 is slidably mounted to the swing arm 53, is disposed between the swing arm 53 and the flywheel 51, and has a striking pin 541 that extends in the muzzle unit 3. The impact member 54 is configured to perform a nail-striking operation which strikes the one of the nails (N) out of the muzzle mouth 31 of the muzzle unit 3, and in which the impact member 54 is movable relative to the muzzle mouth 31 from a nail-striking starting position (
The nail-striking solenoid valve 55 is configured to drive the impact member 54 to perform the nail-striking operation when being electrically energized, and has a nail-striking valve rod 551 that is movable to contact the swing arm 53 to drive pivotal movement of the swing arm 53.
The retrieving subunit 56 includes two resilient members 561 that are mounted between the gun body 2 and the impact member 54, and that are configured to bias the impact member 54 toward the nail-striking starting position.
When the nail-striking solenoid valve 55 is energized, an electromagnetic force is generated to move the nail-striking valve rod 551 in the gun body 2 so as to move the swing arm 53 and the impact member 54 toward the flywheel 51, and then once the impact member 54 contacts the flywheel 51, the impact member 54 is driven by the rotation of the flywheel 51 to move from the nail-striking starting position toward the nail-striking finishing position.
The control unit 6 is mounted in the gun body 2, is electrically connected to the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 and the nail-striking solenoid valve 55, and is configured to energize the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 and the nail-striking solenoid valve 55. Specifically, the control unit 6 includes a trigger subunit 61, a trigger switch 62, a safety subunit 63, a safety switch 64 and a control panel subunit 65.
The trigger subunit 61 is pivotally mounted to the gun body 2, and is manually operable. The trigger switch 62 is mounted to the gun body 2, and is configured to be activated by pivotal movement of the trigger subunit 61 to transmit a trigger signal (S1).
The safety subunit 63 is slidably mounted to the muzzle unit 3, and is manually operable. The safety switch 64 is mounted to the gun body 2, and is configured to be activated by sliding movement of the safety subunit 63 to transmit a safety signal (S2).
The control panel subunit 65 is electrically communicatively connected to the trigger switch 62, the safety switch 64, the motor 52, the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 and the nail-striking solenoid valve 55, and is configured to drive the motor 52 to rotate the flywheel 51 to a predetermined speed based on one of the trigger signal (S1) and the safety signal (S2), and then to energize the nail-striking solenoid valve 55 for a predetermined nail-striking time period to perform the nail-striking operation based on the other one of the trigger signal (S1) and the safety signal (S2).
The control panel subunit 65 is further configured to count a predetermined delay time period (T) in idle and, upon elapse of the delay time period (T), to energize the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 for a predetermined nail-feeding time period to perform the nail-feeding operation.
Referring to
Once the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 is energized by the control panel subunit 65, the nail-feeding valve rod 431 of the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 drives the pushing member 42 to move from the nail-releasing position towards the nail-engaging position. During this movement, the pushing member 42 contacts a corresponding one of the nails (N) and is pushed thereby to pivot away from the straight line of the nails (N) against the biasing force of the torsion spring 44. Then, one of the ridge portions 421 of the pushing member 42 slides past the corresponding one of the nails (N), such that the receiving groove 422 of the pushing member 42 is engaged with the corresponding one of the nails (N). At the same time, the pushing member 42 reaches the nail-engaging position, and the control panel subunit 65 is actuated to de-energize the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 to release the nail-feeding valve rod 431, so that the nail-feeding valve rod 431 is biased by the return spring 45 to return to the nail releasing position, thereby moving the corresponding one of the nails (N) into the muzzle unit 3.
Referring to
Once the nail-striking solenoid valve 55 is energized by the control panel subunit 65, the nail-striking valve rod 551 of the nail-striking solenoid valve 55 drives the swing arm 53 to pivot toward the flywheel 51, such that the impact member 54 is brought into contact with the flywheel 51 and is urged by the rotation of the flywheel 51 to move from the nail-striking starting position toward the nail-striking finishing position. When the impact member 54 reaches the nail-striking position and the striking pin 541 of the impact member 54 finishes striking the corresponding one of the nails (N) out of the muzzle unit 3, the control panel subunit 65 is actuated to de-energize the nail-striking solenoid valve 55.
It should be noted that the above-mentioned nail-feeding and nail-striking operations have been disclosed in the prior art of the field. Since they are not the main feature of the present disclosure and should be appreciated by those familiar with the art based on the description above, further details thereof will not be provided hereinafter.
Referring to
Step 70: The control panel subunit 65 of the control unit 6 controls the nail-striking unit 5 to perform the nail-striking operation on one of the nails (N).
Step 80: The control panel subunit 65 de-energizes the nail-striking solenoid valve 55 of the nail-striking unit 5 after the nail-striking operation, and simultaneously starts to count a predetermined delay time period (T) in idle. In the present embodiment, the delay time period (T) ranges from 0.001 second to 1 second, preferably from 0.001 second to 0.01 second.
Step 90: Upon elapse of the delay time period (T), the control panel subunit 65 of the control unit 6 controls the nail-feeding unit 4 to perform the nail-feeding operation on another one of the nails (N).
As shown in
Referring to
Step 71: The control panel subunit 65 receives the safety signal (S2) transmitted by the safety switch 64.
Step 72: The control panel subunit 65 controls the motor 52 to start rotating the flywheel 51.
Step 73: The control panel subunit 65 receives the trigger signal (S1) transmitted by the trigger switch 62.
Step 74: The control panel subunit 65 energizes the nail-striking solenoid valve 55 to start performing the nail-striking operation. During this time, the nail-striking solenoid valve 55 constantly generates an electromagnetic force that drives the nail-striking valve rod 551 to move the swing arm 53 toward the flywheel 51. When the impact member 54 contacts the flywheel 51, it is driven by the rotation of the flywheel 51 to move from the nail-striking starting position to the nail-striking finishing position, causing the striking pin 541 to strike the nail (N) in the muzzle unit 3.
Step 75: The control panel subunit 65 de-energizes the nail-striking solenoid valve 55, releasing the nail-striking valve rod 551, and the impact member 54 is then biased by the retrieving subunit 56 to return to the nail-striking starting position.
Referring to
Step 91: The control panel subunit 65 energizes the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 to start the nail-feeding operation. During this time, the nail-feeding valve rod 431 is driven to move the pushing member 42 toward the nail-engaging position.
Step 92: The control panel subunit 65 de-energizes the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43, and the nail-feeding valve rod 431 is then biased by the return spring 45 to move the pushing member 42 toward the nail-releasing position.
It should be noted that, as shown in
It should also be noted that, in Step 70, after the nail-striking operation is completed and the control panel subunit 65 de-energizes the nail-striking solenoid valve 55, the swing arm 53 moves away from the flywheel 51. As a result, the impact member 54 is separated from the flywheel 51, and is thus allowed to be retrieved by the retrieving subunit 56 to return to the nail-striking starting position.
The above-mentioned retrieving process has been disclosed in the prior art of the field. Since it is not the main feature of the present disclosure, and should be appreciated by those familiar with the art based on the description above, further details thereof will not be provided hereinafter.
It should be noted that, the nail gun of the present embodiment is not limited to the single-firing mode as shown in
Similar to the single-firing mode, the energization of the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 always occurs after the energization of the nail-striking solenoid valve 55 in the continuous-firing mode. Since further details thereof should be appreciated by those familiar with the art based on the description above, they will not be provided hereinafter.
It should also be noted that, the nail gun of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment shown in
In sum, benefits of the present embodiment according to the disclosure are as follows.
By virtue of the design of adding the delay time period (T), and the sequence in which the nail-striking solenoid valve 55 and the nail-feeding solenoid valve 43 are energized, the nail-striking operation and the nail-feeding operation are prevented from interfering with each other, which ensures the efficiency of the operations, reduces the risk of malfunction, and increases the service life of the nail gun.
In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.
While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
109126541 | Aug 2020 | TW | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4323127 | Cunningham | Apr 1982 | A |
4928868 | Kerrigan | May 1990 | A |
5098004 | Kerrigan | Mar 1992 | A |
8276798 | Moeller et al. | Oct 2012 | B2 |
8387718 | Leimbach et al. | Mar 2013 | B2 |
20020108994 | Burke | Aug 2002 | A1 |
20080073405 | Shima | Mar 2008 | A1 |
20090095787 | Liang | Apr 2009 | A1 |
20100038394 | Hlinka | Feb 2010 | A1 |
20100038395 | Krondorfer | Feb 2010 | A1 |
20100038396 | Krondorfer | Feb 2010 | A1 |
20100237124 | Shima | Sep 2010 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
352619 | Feb 1999 | TW |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20220040836 A1 | Feb 2022 | US |