Patent Application
20130259589
The present disclosure relates generally to tools and related apparatus, and in particular, to a tapping apparatus, accessory, and use thereof.
Various handheld and powered tapping tools and accessories are known in the art to tap or otherwise provide for the inner threading of a hole or bore. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,040,328; 4,799,832; 5,507,608; 5,573,357; 6,997,654; 5,209,616; 6,569,022; 5,354,154 provide examples of such tools and accessories. Tap guides are also known to provide a guide hole or tube for guiding a tap orientation or depth, such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,415,502 and 4,355,931.
Other tap-related tools have been proposed, for example, wherein a tap can be used to engage and then remove an injector sleeve from the cylinder head of a diesel engine block, such as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0095500.
While the above provide different examples of tapping tools and accessories, these tools generally suffer from one or more drawbacks, such as being difficult or cumbersome to use, particularly where speed, efficiency and/or reproducibility may be of importance; being limited in the speed at which they can be operated; providing limited stability; or again commonly resulting in misalignments and thus poor finishes, to name a few. Therefore, there remains a need for a tapping apparatus and/or accessory that overcomes some of the drawbacks of known apparatus, or at least, provides the public with a useful alternative.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the invention(s).
An object of the invention is to provide a tapping apparatus and/or accessory that overcomes some of the drawbacks of known apparatus, or at least, provides the public with a useful alternative. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a tapping apparatus for tapping a hole defined within a structure, comprising: a body defining a longitudinal cavity therein and having an alignment portion defined at an extremity thereof for engaging the structure to be tapped to align said cavity with the hole; and a tap assembly comprising opposed tapping and driving elements engaged within said cavity to rotate in longitudinal alignment therewith and to be longitudinally guided thereby; wherein, upon driving said driving element, said tapping element is driven to engage the hole through said alignment portion and thereby advance within said cavity via said engagement therewith to maintain alignment with the hole.
In accordance with another embodiment, there is provided a tapping apparatus for tapping a hole defined within a structure, comprising: a body defining a longitudinal cavity therein for longitudinal alignment with the hole; and a tap assembly comprising a tapping element and an opposed driving element for rotationally driving same, and a coupling element coupling said tapping element within said cavity to rotate in longitudinal alignment therewith and to be longitudinally guided thereby in operation.
In accordance with another embodiment, there is provided a tapping accessory for use with a drivable tap in tapping a hole defined within a structure, the accessory comprising: a body defining a longitudinal cavity therein for longitudinal alignment with the hole, and a coupling element for coupling said tapping element within said cavity to rotate in longitudinal alignment therewith and to be longitudinally guided thereby in operation.
Other aims, objects, advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of specific embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Several embodiments of the present disclosure will be provided, by way of examples only, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:
With reference to the disclosure herein and the appended figures, a tapping apparatus, accessory, and method of use thereof, will now be described, in accordance with different embodiments of the invention.
With reference to
In this embodiment, the apparatus 100 further comprises one or more coupling elements for coupling the tapping element 112 within the cavity 108. For example, one or more bearings, such as rotational bearing assembly 116, may be provided as coupling element to improve or enhance rotation of the tapping element 112 within the cavity 108. Bearing assembly 116 illustratively comprises two sealed high-speed bearings 118, longitudinally spaced apart by spacer 120 and encased within casing 122 (e.g. a Delrin™ plastic sleeve in one specific example). The tapping element 112 is effectively fitted or otherwise engaged within the bearing assembly 116, with the driving element 114 resting thereon or otherwise extending outwardly therefrom to be driven, and thereby drive the tapping element 112 to rotate smoothly via bearings 118. It will be appreciated that different bearing types and configurations may be considered herein to provide similar effects, without departing from the general scope and nature of the present disclosure.
To further improve or enhance operation, the apparatus 100 may further comprise a linear bearing 124 as a further coupling element, thus facilitating guided longitudinal displacement of the tapping element 112 within the cavity 108. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, an oil less linear bearing 124 is provided, shaped and maintained in position by two hose clamps 125, or the like, to guide longitudinal displacement of the tapping element 112 within the cavity 108 via a sliding motion of the bearing assembly casing 122 against the inner surface 127 of the oil less bearing 124. Again, different types of linear bearings may be considered herein to provide similar results, as can alternative constructions and/or materials used, without departing from the general scope and nature of the present disclosure.
In this particular embodiment, the apparatus 100 further comprises an alignment portion 126, in this case defined integrally at an extremity 128 of the body 106, for cooperative engagement with the structure 104. In this particular example, the body may consist of a urethane mold or the like in which the tap assembly 110 may be embedded in operative engagement. Given the generally protruding nature of structure 104, the engagement portion may be cooperatively shaped and sized for mating engagement with the structure 104 and thereby align the cavity 108 with the hole 102, i.e. align respective longitudinal axes of the cavity 108 and hole 102. In such examples, the alignment portion may comprise one or more engagement structures extending longitudinally from the body 106, such as one or more legs or walls, or again a cup-like structure, shaped and/or curved to correspond substantially with a shape and size of the structure 104. As will be appreciated by the skilled artisan, different shapes, sizes and structure profiles may be considered herein, as can different approaches to providing a mating or otherwise corresponding engagement between the apparatus' alignment portion and the structure. For example, a recessed structure may be similarly engaged by an appropriately shaped alignment portion, whereby the alignment portion provides mating engagement within the recessed structure in aligning the apparatus with a hole to be tapped defined within this recessed structure. These and other such examples are thus intended to fall within the general scope and nature of the present disclosure.
To limit a longitudinal displacement of the tap assembly 110, the cavity 108 may be capped or otherwise enclosed. In this example, a first washer 130 sized to encase the linear bearing 124, and a second washer 132 resting thereon and fitted within a corresponding opening of the body 106, both provide aligned inner openings for the free passage of the working tip of the tapping element 112 therethrough to engage the hole 102 in operation, while limiting a longitudinal travel of the tap assembly.
In operation, the alignment portion 126 of the apparatus 100 is first aligned with and moved toward the structure 104 (
As depicted by
For example, in the automotive industry, weld nuts or other such structures, which may be of a predetermined shape and size, are routinely tapped to provide for the immediate or downstream assembly of related parts and components. A specific example is the tapping of a weld nut associated with or otherwise defined in a bump stopper or the like. For example, the weld nut to be tapped may be encased within a complete body unit (CBU) frame protrusion or the like. To ensure a certain level of quality and reproducible results (e.g. to avoid over sizing the weld nut threads), all within a rigid and often fast paced time frame, the above described apparatus (a bump stopper tap alignment jig, in this specific example) may allow for greater tapping efficiency and reproducibility. In turn, this may result in a reduction of production lag times and possibly, reduction in workflow interruptions (e.g. assembly line stoppages), thus reducing overall manufacturing costs and improving overall product quality. In some aspects, embodiments of the herein described apparatus/accessory may allow for a mechanically assisted accurate tapping at a higher speed. Clearly, the apparatus as considered herein may readily be applied in other industries and/or for other applications where tapping efficiency, accuracy, and/or ease of implementation may be desired or advantageous.
Clearly, the apparatus disclosed herein can be constructed in different sizes and shapes, or of different materials, to facilitate cooperative engagement with different structures and/or components for tapping these structures or components, or again components integrally or structurally associated therewith, as will be readily appreciated by the skilled artisan. It will be further appreciated that while the above provides an example for the automotive industry, similar apparatus may be contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure for other applications, not necessarily limited to the manufacturing assembly industry, where tapping alignment, speed and/or accuracy may be required or desired.
It will further be appreciated that while the above is cast within the context of a self-contained apparatus, other embodiments may rather provide for a tapping accessory, wherein various elements of the apparatus are provided for use with an existing tap. For example, a tapping accessory kit may include body 106, having cavity 108 formed therein and optionally comprising a predefined engagement portion 126, and one or more coupling elements, such as bearing assembly 110 and linear bearing 124. These components could then be used to effectively couple an existing tap in longitudinal alignment within the cavity to be guided thereby in operation, thus providing for improved tapping efficiency, alignment and the like.
It will further be appreciated that while above provides of a driveable tapping element configured to be driven by a hand or powered socket tool or the like, other embodiments may rather allow for different driving engagements, as well as for the cooperative use of the herein described tapping apparatus and/or accessory with existing tools and devices.
While the present disclosure describes various exemplary embodiments, the disclosure is not so limited. To the contrary, the disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
