JP7600948B2 - Bolt holder for electric screwdriver - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a bolt holder for an electric screwdriver that is attached to the tip of the driver bit of the electric screwdriver to hold a bolt.

When tightening a bolt with an electric screwdriver, the common method is to hold the electric screwdriver in your dominant hand, place the Phillips (or Flathead) tip of the screwdriver bit in the Phillips (or Flathead) groove formed in the head of the bolt that is being held in your non-dominant hand, and then operate the electric screwdriver to screw the bolt into the target (the part to be tightened).

However, this general method has the following problems. Namely, if the bolt is small and difficult to support with the hand, it is difficult to keep the tip of the driver bit in the groove of the bolt, which may reduce work efficiency. Also, if the tightening area is in a narrow place, not only is it difficult to support the bolt, but there is also a risk that the hand (fingers) holding the bolt will be injured by an edge, or that the bolt will fall into a gap.

For this reason, a commonly used method has been to make the tip of a driver bit permanently magnetized and hold the bolt with magnetic force, allowing the tip of the driver bit to remain fitted into the groove of the bolt without having to support the bolt with one's hand.

However, this method of using magnetic force to hold the bolt in place has the problem that it is difficult to apply in cases where the tightening location is a device that does not tolerate magnetic fields, or where the bolt is non-magnetic.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an attachment-type screw member holder for a screwdriver, which is made of a material with elastic properties, is composed of a holding part and a tool attachment part, and has an engagement groove for holding a screw member (bolt) and an attachment/detachment mechanism for releasing the screw member from the engagement groove in the holding part.

JP 2015-120217 A

According to the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the bolt is held in place using its elastic properties, so even if the bolt is non-magnetic, it can be screwed into the tightening part without having to support the bolt with the hand or allowing the bolt to fall out.

However, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 uses the elastic properties of silicon or the like to hold the bolt. In other words, the holding portion is repeatedly deformed each time the threaded member holder is used. This causes the holding portion to deteriorate relatively quickly, resulting in the problem that the threaded member holder must be replaced frequently.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to provide a technology that improves the durability of a bolt holder for an electric screwdriver, even when the bolt holder is made of a material that undergoes repeated elastic deformation each time it is used.

To achieve the above objective, the bolt holder for an electric screwdriver according to the present invention has a retaining portion that tightens and holds the head of the bolt, which is formed at both axial ends of the mounting portion that is attached to the tip of the screwdriver bit.

Specifically, the present invention is directed to a silicone bolt holder for an electric screwdriver that is attached to the tip of the driver bit of the electric screwdriver to hold a bolt.

This bolt holding device for an electric screwdriver comprises a cylindrical mounting portion into which the tip end of the driver bit is inserted and which is attached to the tip end, and a substantially cylindrical holding portion into which the head of the bolt is inserted and which elastically deforms to tighten and hold the head, the holding portion being formed concentrically with the mounting portion and at both axial ends of the mounting portion , the holding portion having a truncated conical holding hole in its center which expands in diameter from the tip of the bolt holding device for an electric screwdriver towards the axial center, the hole diameter of the holding hole being set smaller than the outer diameter of the head of the bolt to be held at the tip end of the bolt holding device for an electric screwdriver, and the hole diameter of the holding hole being set larger than the outer diameter of the head of the bolt at the axial center end of the bolt holding device for an electric screwdriver, the opening edge of the tip end of the holding portion and its peripheral portion elastically deform to abut only against the side of the head of the bolt to tighten and hold the head of the bolt .

This configuration includes a holding part that tightens and holds the head of the bolt by elastically deforming, so even when it is difficult to hold the bolt by hand or the bolt is a non-magnetic bolt, the tip of the driver bit can be kept fitted in the groove of the bolt, making it possible to reliably screw the bolt into the tightening part without dropping it.

In addition, because there is no need to support the bolt with the hand, even if the tightening area is in a narrow place, the hand (fingers) holding the bolt can be prevented from being injured by edges, etc., thereby improving safety. Furthermore, because there is no need to support the bolt with the hand and the tightening area is not blocked by the hand, in other words, there is visibility, so the condition of the tightening area can be visually confirmed while working, reducing the occurrence of bolt tightening errors.

By forming such a retaining portion at both axial ends of the attachment portion that is attached to the tip of the driver bit, it becomes possible to use both retaining portions. This makes it possible to double the durability of the silicone bolt retainer for electric screwdrivers, which deteriorates relatively quickly due to repeated elastic deformation each time it is used.

As described above, the bolt holder for an electric screwdriver according to the present invention can improve durability even when made of a material that undergoes repeated elastic deformation each time it is used.

1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing a bolt retaining socket according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a diagram seen in the axial direction, and FIG. 1B is a diagram seen in a direction perpendicular to the axis. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a typical manner in which a bolt-holding socket is used, in which (a) shows the socket attached to the tip of a driver bit, and (b) shows the socket holding a bolt. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a bolt tightening operation using an electric screwdriver, in which (a) shows the case where a bolt holding socket is used, and (b) shows the case where a bolt holding socket is not used.

The following describes how to implement the present invention with reference to the drawings.

- Bolt Retaining Socket Configuration -
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the bolt-retaining socket 1 according to this embodiment, where Fig. 1(a) is a diagram viewed in the axial direction, and Fig. 1(b) is a diagram viewed in the direction perpendicular to the axis. Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the use of the bolt-retaining socket 1, where Fig. 2(a) is a diagram showing a state where the socket is attached to the tip 31a of a driver bit 31, and Fig. 2(b) is a diagram showing a state where the socket holds a bolt 40. In Fig. 2, in order to make the diagram easier to see, the diameter of the mounting hole 11, whose hole wall is in close contact with the driver bit 31, is drawn larger than the outer diameter of the driver bit 31.

This bolt-holding socket (bolt holder for electric screwdriver) 1 is attached to the tip 31a of the driver bit 31 of the electric screwdriver 30 (see Figure 3) when tightening a bolt using the electric screwdriver 30, and holds the bolt 40. This bolt-holding socket 1 is made of translucent silicone, and as shown in Figure 1, has an attachment portion 10 and a holding portion 20.

The mounting part 10 is a cylindrical part made of silicon, and as shown in FIG. 1(a), has a mounting hole 11 with a circular cross section that passes through its center. The mounting hole 11 is formed so that its diameter is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the driver bit 31 in the electric screwdriver 30. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2(a), when the tip 31a of the driver bit 31 is inserted into the mounting hole 11, the hole wall of the mounting hole 11, which has a diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the driver bit 31, tightens the driver bit 31, and the mounting part 10 is attached (fixed) to the tip 31a of the driver bit 31.

In this way, by attaching the attachment portion 10 to the tip portion 31a of the driver bit 31, the bolt holding socket 1 rotates together with the driver bit 31 when the electric driver 30 is driven. Note that the attachment portion 10 will not come off the driver bit 31 when the electric driver 30 is used for normal bolt fastening work, but its hardness and the diameter of the attachment hole 11 are adjusted so that it can be easily removed from the driver bit 31 when the worker pulls the bolt holding socket 1 in the axial direction.

The retaining portion 20 is a generally cylindrical portion made of silicon, and has a truncated cone-shaped retaining hole 21 in its center, as shown in Figs. 1(a) and (b). The retaining portion 20 is formed integrally with the mounting portion 10 so as to be concentric with the mounting portion 10, in other words, so that the retaining hole 21 is concentric with the mounting hole 11.

As shown in FIG. 1(b), the retaining hole 21 expands in diameter from the tip of the bolt retaining socket 1 toward the axial center, and is connected to the mounting hole 11 via a stepped surface 25. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the retaining hole 21 is formed so that its hole diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the head 41 of the bolt 40 on the opening 23 side (the tip side of the bolt retaining socket 1), but larger than the outer diameter of the head 41 of the bolt 40 on the stepped surface 25 side. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the retaining portion 20 is elastically deformed (the opening 23 and the hole wall expand) when the head 41 of the bolt 40 is inserted into the retaining hole 21, thereby tightening and holding the head 41.

In this way, the head 41 of the bolt 40 is held by the retaining hole 21, which is formed so as to narrow toward the tip of the bolt retaining socket 1, so that the bolt 40 does not fall out of the bolt retaining socket 1. This makes it possible for the operator to maintain the plus-shaped (or minus-shaped) tip of the driver bit 31 fitted into the plus-shaped (or minus-shaped) groove (not shown) formed in the head 41 of the bolt 40 without having to support the bolt 40 with his or her hand.

The retaining portions 20 configured as described above are formed on both axial ends of the mounting portion 10 as shown in FIG. 1(b). In this manner, in the bolt retaining socket 1 according to this embodiment, the retaining portions 20 that tighten and hold the head 41 of the bolt 40 by elastic deformation are formed on both axial ends of the mounting portion 10, making it possible to use both (two) retaining portions 20. Therefore, the durability of the silicon bolt retaining socket 1, which deteriorates relatively quickly due to repeated elastic deformation each time it is used, can be doubled.

-Example of using a bolt holding socket-
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of the tightening operation of a bolt 40 using an electric screwdriver 30, in which (a) shows the case where the bolt-retaining socket 1 is used, and (b) shows the case where the bolt-retaining socket 1 is not used.

When tightening a bolt using an electric screwdriver 30, the general method is to hold the electric screwdriver 30 in the dominant hand (right hand R in the example of FIG. 3) with the tip of the driver bit 31 in the electric screwdriver 30 fitted into a groove formed in the head 41 of a bolt 40 held in the non-dominant hand (left hand L in the example of FIG. 3), as shown in FIG. 3(b), and then drive the electric screwdriver 30 to screw the bolt 40 into the target object (hereinafter, this method will be referred to as the conventional method).

However, as shown in FIG. 3(b), when bolting a lamp to a vehicle side step 50, for example, if the above-mentioned conventional method is applied, the following problems may occur.

In other words, the bolt 40 used to fasten the lamp to the vehicle side step 50 is a very small stepped bolt with a diameter of φ6 to φ18, making it difficult to support the bolt 40 with the left hand L and difficult to keep the tip of the driver bit 31 fitted in the groove of the bolt 40, resulting in a problem of reduced work efficiency. In addition, when fastening the lamp to the vehicle side step 50 with a bolt, the tightening area is very narrow, making it difficult to support the bolt 40 with the left hand L, and there is also a risk that the fingers of the left hand L holding the bolt 40 will be injured by the bracket edge, etc.

Furthermore, because it is difficult to support the bolt 40 with the left hand L, the bolt 40 may fall into a gap, which may reduce production efficiency. In addition, when trying to support the bolt 40 with the left hand L, the fastening portion is hidden by the left hand L, making it difficult to perform the work while visually checking the condition of the fastening portion, which makes it easier for bolt fastening errors to occur. Furthermore, because the vehicle side step is made of aluminum, if a bolt fastening error occurs, it cannot be corrected, which increases the defect rate and further reduces production efficiency.

It is possible to permanently magnetize the tip 31a of the driver bit 31 and hold the bolt 40 by magnetic force, thereby keeping the tip of the driver bit 31 fitted in the groove of the bolt 40. However, the bolt 40 used to fasten the ramp to the vehicle side step is made of a non-magnetic material (e.g. SUS304), in other words, it does not stick to a magnet, so this method cannot be applied in the first place.

In response to these problems, as shown in FIG. 3(a), by using the bolt-retaining socket 1 of this embodiment, the lamp can be safely bolted to the vehicle side step without reducing work efficiency or production efficiency.

More specifically, when the bolt-retaining socket 1 is used, as shown in FIG.
By holding the head 41 of the bolt 40 with driver bit 31, the worker can maintain the tip of the driver bit 31 fitted in the groove formed in the head 41 of the bolt 40 without having to support the bolt 40 with his left hand L, thereby performing a one-handed operation.As a result, the tightening work time can be reduced to two-thirds compared to conventional methods, and work efficiency can be improved.

In addition, because the head 41 of the bolt 40 is held by the retaining hole 21, there is no need to insert the left hand L into the very narrow tightening area to support the bolt 40, so there is no risk of the fingers of the left hand L being injured by the bracket edge, etc., and it is possible to prevent gloves from getting caught in the rotating driver bit 31 or fingers from getting pinched between the tightening area and the bolt 40, which significantly improves safety compared to conventional methods.

Furthermore, by holding the head 41 of the bolt 40 with the retaining hole 21, which is formed so as to taper towards the tip, the bolt 40 will not fall out of the bolt retaining socket 1, and it is possible to reliably prevent the bolt 40 from falling into a gap. Also, since there is no need to support the bolt 40 with the left hand L, and the tightening area is not blocked by the left hand L, in other words, there is visibility, so work can be performed while visually checking the condition of the fastening area, thereby reducing the occurrence of bolt tightening errors. These combined features make it possible to prevent a decline in production efficiency.

In addition, since the retaining portions 20 are provided at both axial ends of the mounting portion 10, the durability of the bolt-retaining socket 1 can be doubled by using both retaining portions 20, thereby reducing the number of times the bolt-retaining socket 1 needs to be replaced due to deterioration, and contributing to reduced manufacturing costs.

Other Embodiments
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and can be embodied in various other forms without departing from the spirit or main characteristics thereof.

In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied when fastening a non-magnetic bolt, but the present invention is not limited to this and may also be applied when fastening a magnetic bolt.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the retaining portions 20 are formed at both axial ends of the mounting portion 10 in the same shape, but this is not limited thereto. For example, retaining portions of different shapes may be formed at both axial ends of the mounting portion 10 so that it is possible to hold bolts with heads that differ greatly in size.

As such, the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted in a limiting manner. Furthermore, all modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can improve durability even when elastic deformation is repeated each time it is used, making it extremely useful when applied to a bolt holder for an electric screwdriver that is attached to the tip of the screwdriver to hold a bolt.

1. Bolt holding socket (bolt holder for electric screwdriver)
10: mounting portion 20: holding portion 30: electric driver 31: driver bit 31a: tip portion 40: bolt 41: head

Claims (1)

A silicon bolt holder for an electric screwdriver that is attached to the tip of a driver bit of the electric screwdriver to hold a bolt,
A cylindrical attachment portion into which the tip portion of the driver bit is inserted and attached to the tip portion;
a substantially cylindrical retaining portion into which the head of the bolt is inserted and elastically deformed to fasten and retain the head,
The holding portion is formed concentrically with the mounting portion and at both axial ends of the mounting portion ,
The holding portion has a truncated cone-shaped holding hole in its center, the diameter of which increases from a tip of the bolt holder for an electric screwdriver toward a center in the axial direction,
The diameter of the retaining hole is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the head of the bolt to be retained at the tip end of the bolt holder for an electric screwdriver, while the diameter of the retaining hole is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the head of the bolt at the axial center end of the bolt holder for an electric screwdriver,
A bolt holder for an electric screwdriver, characterized in that the opening edge and its peripheral portion at the tip end of the holding portion elastically deform to abut only against the side of the head of the bolt, thereby tightening and holding the head of the bolt .

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