The invention primarily relates to a portable tool according to the features of the preamble of claim 1. The invention further relates to a portable expanding apparatus according to the features of the preamble of claim 2, a hydraulic piston/cylinder arrangement according to the features of the preamble of claim 3 and a method for operating a portable tool according to the features of the preamble of claim 4.
Portable tools of such kind, also having the hydraulic piston/cylinder assemblies described, are already known in many different forms. For example, WO 99/19947 A and U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,790 B2, U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,515 B2, U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,186 B1, or U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,542 B1, WO 02/062504 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,065,995 B2, WO 03/084719 A2 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,254,982 B2, U.S. Pat. No. 7,412,868 B2, or U.S. Pat. No. 7,421,877 B2 and EP 2 011 605 A2 and US 2009/0008118 A1 may be cited as examples of the prior art. In this context, the cited documents WO 02/062504 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,065,995 B2 relate to an expanding apparatus, but the apparatus is of a kind in which expansion is effected by compressing an elastic rubber expansion element.
An expanding apparatus that is powered by an electric motor and actuated hydraulically, in which spreading segments actuated by an expanding mandrel are provided is also known from DE 102 47 549 B3.
A threaded device in which a screw-in spindle is introduced into a working head is known from EP 1170093 A2. The screw-in spindle is provided with a screwdriver bit at the tip.
On the basis of the prior art as outlined in the preceding, the invention is concerned with the task of suggesting a portable tool, in particular a portable expanding apparatus that is actuated hydraulically and/or by an electric motor, and with an improved design. More generally, the invention is also concerned with the task of suggesting an advantageous hydraulic piston/cylinder arrangement and/or a method for operating a portable tool.
One possible solution to the task is realized according to a first inventive concept of the invention with a portable tool based on the fact that the working head is rotatable together with the working part hydraulically and/or by the action of the motor. Thus, a portable tool is described in which not only is it possible to displace the working part in a displacement direction by the even application of force, but the working head is also rotatable, optionally together with the working part, by the application of a hydraulic or immediately motor force. Various circumferential angle positions of the working head may easily be achieved. Optionally, the motorized movement of the working part and the rotation of the working head may be achievable by the action of said motor and/or of the overall hydraulic medium in the portable tool.
For the purposes of the present application, a portable tool is understood in particular to be a hand tool that is moved by the external force, hydraulically.
Regarding a portable expanding apparatus, another possible solution to the task consists in that the segments are movable in the circumferential direction of the circular arrangement by the application of force by hydraulic medium or a motor, optionally a geared motor. Thus, the segments may not only be spread by the action of such a force, but are also moved in the circumferential direction. Moreover, since there are always interspaces associated with segments, or transitions between individual segments, in which transitions the expansion causes inconsistencies at a corresponding inner surface of the pipe or pipe end, such a displacement of the segments in a circular direction may bring them to another position with which such irregularities may be compensated.
With regard to a hydraulic piston/cylinder arrangement of a more general nature, another possible solution to the task consists in that the first hydraulic cylinder is rotatable in the mounting, that a second hydraulic cylinder is provided with a second piston, and that rotation about the longitudinal axis thereof may be effected by the action of the second piston on the first hydraulic cylinder. In this context, the second hydraulic cylinder and the second hydraulic piston may also be arranged in the same mounting, or in a mounting that is attached or attachable to the first mounting.
Regarding the method, a solution to the problem is achieved in that when displacement of the working part is initiated a rotation of the working head together with the working part is effected without further intervention by the user.
In the method described, but also in the other portable tools described in the preceding text, the working head preferably rotates relative to a grip section, by which the user holds the portable tool. The user can therefore also apply the requisite counter-torque against the rotation. This is particularly significant in the case of an expanding apparatus in the narrower sense, because in this case the rotation preferably takes place when a certain expanding pressure is still being exerted by the working part or the expanding mandrel, on an inner surface of a pipe end, for example.
The features described in the following specifically for the portable expanding apparatus are also significant for the portable tool of a more general configuration, in which it is not important whether the working head is an expanding head. Accordingly, descriptions relating to the expanding mandrel also have implications for the working part of the portable tool of a more general nature. Similarly, features that are described with reference to the working head and the working part of the portable tool may also be significant for a specific embodiment as an expanding mandrel or an expanding working head. Finally, but equally important, features that are described with respect to the rotatability of the portable expanding apparatus and/or of the motor-driven and/or hydraulically actuated portable tool, or the more specific configurations of each, may be applicable to the more specific embodiment of the hydraulic piston/cylinder arrangement of a more general type.
The portable tool may also consist of a working head that is connected, via a hose line for example, to a device that is operable by foot or by a motor to generate hydraulic pressure.
More specifically, it is preferred that the working part is movable between an operating position and a starting position, and that rotation continues while the working part is moving from the operating position to the starting position. Although in principle the rotation may initially take place independently of a movement of the working part, it is correspondingly preferable for the rotation to be linked to a movement of the working part. More specifically, it is preferred that the rotation takes place when the working part is moved back from the working position to the starting position or when it has completed said return movement. With reference to the expanding mandrel, this is a movement in which the expanding mandrel returns or has been moved from the spread position to the starting position.
The rotation of the working head, optionally also together with the working part, may initially take place in dependence on the movement of the working part. For example, this may be caused by the returning piston, optionally acting on the working part via a fixed rotating spindle, which is reversible to rotate in the opposite direction, somewhat in the manner of a ratchet gear.
In this respect, however, it is preferred that the rotation is triggered by the oil pressure falling below a given value when the portable tool or the expanding apparatus is actuated hydraulically by the action of the electric motor.
One possible configuration of such is explained later in this document.
A further preferred variant relates to the configuration of the expanding segments relative to the rotation. A segment has a largest extension in the circumferential direction by a first circumferential angular value. The rotation in the circumferential direction takes place by a second angular value, wherein it is provided that the first and second angular values are different. In this simple manner, it is possible for such a rotation, relative to a further expansion operation for example, to be performed such that the actuation takes place on a region on the inner surface of the pipe to be expanded that previously corresponded to the transition between two segments, but lies outside of the transition between two segments after the rotation.
In particular it is preferred that the second angular value is smaller than the first angular value, wherein it is particularly advantageous to provide a second angular value that is equivalent to approximately half the first angular value.
Another possible configuration is realized if there is no limit on the angle through which the working head or expanding head is able to rotate. However, it is preferable that a rotation is only ever performed through an angle that is significantly smaller than an angle equivalent to a complete revolution, i.e. 360 degrees. For example, a rotation through 15 or 30 degrees. However, it is further preferably provided that any further rotation in the same direction would be made without a limitation on the angle of rotation, that is to say the working or expanding head would have to be rotated back to enable a further rotation in the same direction.
Accordingly, it is preferred, that a rotation or sequence of rotations always occurs or is carried out in the same rotational direction.
As regards the work process, it is also particularly preferred that the rotary movement operation of the working head or expanding head is triggered without the need for any further user intervention. In this way in particular, it is possible for the triggering of a work process, e.g., a compressing or expanding operation, to initiate the rotation of the working head at the same time. In particular, it is also further preferred for the rotation to take place in a preset temporal sequence relative to the triggering of a return of the working part or actuator. The rotation may initially begin at the same time as the triggering of a work operation, that is to say it may take place approximately in parallel with the start of a movement of a (first) hydraulic piston. The rotation may also be performed so as to begin at the same time as the start of a return movement of the (first) hydraulic piston, or more generally after the work operation is completed. However, it is preferred that the rotation is not directly linked to the triggering of the return travel of the actuator, but with a certain time delay. Specifically, this time delay may also be predetermined by making it dependent on the hydraulic piston/cylinder arrangement. Since during a return travel the point in time at which the pressure falls below a certain level occurs in approximately reproducible manner, starting with the triggering of the return travel, to this extent a temporal sequence is also achieved.
As has already been described as an option several times, it is particularly preferable that the actuator and/or the rotation of the working head is set in motion by a hydraulic medium that is placed under pressure by the motor. For this purpose, one or more, possibly two hydraulic piston/cylinder arrangements are provided, in suitable manner.
It is also particularly preferred if the working head or expanding head is not movable without being acted on by a motor or by a pressurized hydraulic medium. Accordingly, without an actuation to initiate a working operation with the portable tool, and further preferably outside the specified time window during the return travel of the actuator in which working head rotates, a correspondingly preferable rigid coupling exists between the working head and the other parts of the tool.
It is also particularly preferred that the movement of the actuator and/or the rotation of the working head is effected by the movement of a hydraulic piston in a hydraulic cylinder, wherein the hydraulic piston is biased in a starting position by a return spring. In particular, a first hydraulic piston may be provided to move the actuator, and a second hydraulic piston, wherein second hydraulic piston generates the rotation. It is further preferred that the second hydraulic piston that generates the rotation is biased in its starting position by a greater biasing force than that of the first hydraulic piston acting on the actuator. This applies at least to a first section of the movement of the first hydraulic piston. Said load is calculated for a given hydraulic pressure by the effective area of the hydraulic piston on the one hand and the force of the biasing return spring on the other. In this way, a movement to a rotary starting position by the second hydraulic piston, which generates the rotation, will not take place until a time after the first hydraulic piston moves or begins to move.
In the same way, however, the hydraulic piston also returns to its starting position before the hydraulic piston acting on the actuator has reached its starting position again, so that the rotary movement of the working head, preferably generated as described from the return movement of the hydraulic piston that acts on the actuator, is completed before the hydraulic piston acting on the actuator reached its starting position again.
It is further preferred that the working head does not perform a rotary motion until the actuator has been retracted, or has been at least substantially retracted. Regarding the expanding apparatus, in this context it is particularly preferred that at the start of the rotating movement the expanding mandrel is retracted to such a point that the segments can easily be rotated in the circumferential direction within the pipe end to be expanded without the need for the user to apply increased counter-force on the expanding apparatus.
In this context as well, it is preferred that the first hydraulic piston has a return spring that has a variable spring characteristic depending on the restoring path. Specifically, on a first part of the return path it exerts a very high spring force and on another part of the return path it exerts a lower spring force. During the period in which said high restoring force of the return spring is effective, the pressure in the hydraulic medium that provides the actuating force is so high that the second hydraulic piston does not complete a return movement. Instead, it only returns when the lower spring force of the return spring on the first hydraulic piston is effective.
In the following, the invention will be explained further with reference to the accompanying drawing, which however illustrates only one embodiment. In the drawing:
Expanding head 2, in the exemplary embodiment together with expanding mandrel 3, is rotatable by a motor, that is to say it is ultimately triggered by the action of the electric motor. It rotates about a first longitudinal axis y, which also corresponds to the travel direction of expanding mandrel 3, see arrow P.
In greater detail, expanding head 2 comprises segments 4, which are movable radially outwardly by expanding mandrel 3 to expand a pipe end. Said segments 4 are arranged in a circular manner alongside one another. In the circumferential direction of such a circle K, see also
Expanding segments 4 and optionally a tip of expanding mandrel 3 when it is advanced so far, form a first free end E1 of the expanding apparatus, and particularly of expanding head 2 of the expanding apparatus. Another free end E2 is formed by rechargeable battery section 5 which here has the form of a support base. A grip section 6 of expanding apparatus 1 is conformed between first free end E1 and second free end E2, and extends at an angle away from first free end E1 of expanding head 2 between expanding head 2 and second free end E2 of the expanding apparatus. With regard to a direction of width of a user's hand holding said grip section 6, a direction of extension of the grip section is obtained that corresponds to a second longitudinal axis x of the device. Relative to a plane in which both longitudinal axes x, y lie or in which the maximum lengths thereof map each other, passing through handling section 6 and working head 2 respectively, in the case that longitudinal axes x, y do not intersect each other, it is preferred that provision is made for the drive motor, which in the embodiment is arranged inside grip section 6, to be in alignment or coaxial with second longitudinal axis x, and/or further a plug socket for rechargeable battery section 5 and the rechargeable battery section 5 itself when it is plugged in, and a gear mechanism, not shown in greater detail here, which is required for converting a rotary motion generated by the electric motor into a reciprocal motion of a pump acting on the hydraulic medium.
Longitudinal axes of x, y may also be provided in a linear extension that deviates from a right angle, particularly at an obtuse angle.
As may also be seen in
A stop face 7 is conformed at the rear of the protruding area of segments 4 and is arranged vertically and in circular manner to surround segments 4. It serves to prevent segments 4 from penetrating too far into a pipe end that is to be expanded.
Inside head part 8, which also forms stop face 7, as may be seen in
Expanding mandrel 3 is acted upon by a first hydraulic piston 9, which is arranged in a first hydraulic cylinder 10. Both expanding mandrel 3 and hydraulic piston 9 move along the first longitudinal axis y. In the embodiment, and preferably, wherein this is also significant for the tool in general and/or for the hydraulic piston/cylinder arrangement per se, the first hydraulic cylinder 10 together with the hydraulic piston 9 located movably therein, and the working part, in this case expanding mandrel 3 and the working head 2 as a whole is arranged rotatably.
For this purpose, first hydraulic cylinder 10 is preferably rotatably mounted in a mounting head 11. In greater detail in the embodiment, a first, larger, pot-shaped recess 12 is conformed in mounting head 11, the dimension of which recess in any case exceeds an internal diameter, but preferably also an outer diameter of first hydraulic cylinder 10. It is further preferred to provide a second recess 13, also coaxial with first longitudinal axis y and preferably has a smaller diameter, in mounting head 11, inside which second recess a tapered shaft of first hydraulic cylinder 10 is accommodated. A seal is preferably also provided only in the region of said tapered shaft 14, in the embodiment having the form of an O-ring 15 that seals said region by reason of an insertion groove. Incidentally, this also makes it possible to ensure that recess 12 remains free of hydraulic medium.
A second hydraulic piston 16 is provided, preferably aligned with second longitudinal axis x, and operates in a second hydraulic cylinder 17. This second hydraulic piston 16 is preferably provided solely to generate the rotational movement of the first hydraulic piston 10 and the working head 2.
Both the first hydraulic piston 9 and the second hydraulic piston 16 are preferably subjected to pressure from the same hydraulic medium. The same hydraulic pressure is preferably present at both hydraulic pistons 9, 16.
To this extent, a hydraulically parallel line 19, indicated in outline here, is provided outside of the load-bearing surface 18 of second hydraulic piston 16 for the hydraulic medium, which flows into recess 13 and is forwarded through a hole 20 in the tapered shaft portion 14 of the first hydraulic cylinder 10 to act on the load-bearing surface 21 of the first hydraulic piston 9.
In the direction of second longitudinal axis x, subsequently to mounting head 11, viewed in the direction of arrow R, hydraulic expanding apparatus 1 has the same construction as for example the hydraulic system known from the cited documents WO 03/084719 A2 (or U.S. Pat. No. 7,254,982 B2, U.S. Pat. No. 7,412,868 B2 or U.S. Pat. No. 7,412,877 B2). This means that a pump is connected to a return valve, preferably in a parallel arrangement, which pump is acted upon by a gear mechanism to which is then connected an electric motor, preferably located in grip section 6 as described previously, and finally a plug socket for the rechargeable battery and the rechargeable battery.
Regarding the rotating force of working head 2 and specifically of first hydraulic cylinder 10, more details are evident by referring first to
As may be seen in the embodiment in
A follower 26 is connected to the second hydraulic piston 16, and when hydraulic piston 16 is extended, that is to say when it is under pressure, in which operating state the working part or the expanding mandrel also extends, the follower moves in a latching progression over teeth 23 one after the other in circumferential direction U1, see also
Like the first hydraulic piston 9, the second hydraulic piston 16 is biased towards its starting position by a second return spring 30, see
In further detail, follower 26 is connected, preferably rotatably, to the second hydraulic piston 16 via a pivot pin 31. More preferably, it is biased toward an outwardly pivoted position shown in
When the hydraulic medium has reached a maximum pressure, predetermined for the embodiment, during a compression or working movement of the working part, that is to say expanding mandrel 3, the return valve opens and both the first hydraulic piston 9 and the second hydraulic piston 16 return to their starting positions, because the counterpressure of the hydraulic medium decreases correspondingly.
During this return movement, the second hydraulic piston 16 entrains the first hydraulic cylinder 10 in circumferential direction U2 via follower 26, thereby rotating working head 2.
In the initial position with respect to rotation as shown in
The return movement of the first hydraulic piston removes the pressure from the segments and they move radially inward, as shown in
The movement is preferably synchronized temporally with an expansion operation in such manner that it is completed before segments 4 are separated from inner surface 38 of pipe 36, since the outer surface of segments 4 initially remain in contact with the inner surface 38 of pipe 36 under force as a consequence of an elastic shape recovery of pipe 36, which may vary depending on the material from which pipe 36 is made. Accordingly, the user's hand must absorb a certain restoring force generated by the device, which is made considerably easier by the arrangement of working head 2 and first hydraulic cylinder 10 in alignment with first longitudinal axis y and the alignment of grip section 6 with second longitudinal axis x.
Working head 2 is also attached interchangeably to first hydraulic cylinder 10. In this context, it is preferably attached such that expansion mandrel 3 is not replaced.
The releasable attachment is achieved in the embodiment with a threaded connection 39 between working head 2 and an outer surface of the first hydraulic cylinder 10, wherein a final position reached may be rendered secure by a set screw 40. Thus, different segments for use with different nominal diameters of pipes 36 may be brought into cooperation with expanding mandrel 3 very simply.
Alternatively, it is also possible for only an attachment 41 that supports segments 4 to be replaceable. Attachment 41 may be secured to the first hydraulic cylinder 10 in the manner described on the front of intermediate part 42 facing the first end of the device.
With reference to
In this case, it is noteworthy that a certain sequence characteristic with regard to retraction of the working part or the expanding shaft 3 and the rotation of first hydraulic cylinder 10 is observed.
Alternatively to the illustrated special configuration of the return spring associated with first hydraulic piston 9, such a result may also be achieved if necessary by changing the effective loading area of first hydraulic piston 9 in comparison to second hydraulic piston 16.
In the exemplary embodiment and preferably, first return spring 29 is formed in two parts. These are first spring part 44 and second spring part 45. Second spring part 45, which is associated with first free end E1, has greater spring force than first spring part 44. As is shown and preferred, in the embodiment. Second spring part consists of disk springs, while first spring part is a standard helical spring.
In further detail, the spring force of first spring part 44 is preferably selected with reference to the effective loading surface of first hydraulic piston 9 such that at the beginning of the return travel, that is to say from the position shown in
This ensures that the working part and, specifically in the embodiment, expanding mandrel 3, has completed its return path before the rotation of first hydraulic cylinder 10 is performed.
In further detail, it is also provided that first spring part 44 is braced on one side on a frontal inner surface of first hydraulic cylinder 10, and on the other side on an intermediate flange 47, which surrounds and is movable relative to second hydraulic piston 16. At the same time, intermediate flange 47 serves to support second spring part 45 in the direction of first free end E1.
With reference to the
Portable tool 48 is operated by pivoting handles 49 and 50. In this case, handle 49, which to this extent is attached fixedly to the working head-notwithstanding the essential here rotational mobility of the working head—may be described as a fixed handle. In contrast, handle 50 is a movable handle.
As may also be evident from
Otherwise, with regard to the working head reference is also made to the preceding description.
In the embodiment of
Terminal nut 55 provides a connection to connecting member 56, to which finally hydraulic hose 54 is attached in the usual way.
Regarding all the portable tools shown, grip sections 6 are visibly created, and in the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
All features disclosed are essential (per se) to the invention. The content of the disclosure of that associated/accompanying priority documents (transcript of the prior application) are herewith incorporated in their entirety in the present disclosure, also with the purpose of including the features of said documents in the claims of the present application. The dependent claims in their optionally coordinate version characterize independent inventive refinements of the prior art, particularly for the purpose of submitting divisional applications based on said claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2012 109 255 | Sep 2012 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2013/070038 | 9/26/2013 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2014/049035 | 4/3/2014 | WO | A |
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