JP7735764B2 - Fastening Tools - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tightening tool.

Relatively thick cables are known for transmitting power or signals to robots, industrial equipment, etc. (hereinafter simply referred to as industrial equipment, etc.). Cable clamps are known as components for securing the ends of these cables to the housings of industrial equipment, etc. An example of such a cable clamp is a resin cable clamp made from resin.

The cable clamp is equipped with a cylindrical clamp body that is attached to the housing, and a cylindrical screw member that is used to secure the cable to the clamp body. When securing the cable to the housing, the cable is passed through the screw member and then through the clamp body. The clamp body and screw member are then tightened.

A wrench (also referred to as a spanner) is used to tighten the clamp body and the screw member. Examples of wrenches that can be used include adjustable wrenches and open-end wrenches (also referred to as double-ended wrenches), which have jaws that can adjust the width of the opening that grips the screw member. Known adjustable wrenches are metal adjustable wrenches made from high-strength metal materials. Also known open-end wrenches are wrenches made from resin materials (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 4-083572

Metal adjustable wrenches use a worm gear to adjust the jaw opening width to match the width across the screw thread. If the opening width is not adjusted properly, the screw thread can easily be damaged when tightening it into the clamp body.

For example, there was a problem in that the jaws of the adjustable wrench rubbed against the screw, easily scratching the surface of the screw. There was also a problem in that the corners of the hexagonal part of the screw were easily stripped (also referred to as "the corners being easily crushed"). Because there is a difference in the strength of the materials between a metal adjustable wrench and a plastic screw, there was an issue in that the screw was even more susceptible to damage. To avoid this problem, it was necessary to carefully adjust the opening width, which also meant that tightening using an adjustable wrench took a long time.

Resin open-end wrenches solve the problem of metal adjustable wrenches easily damaging threaded components. However, open-end wrenches are inserted into threaded components from the side. If the open-end wrench and threaded component are not properly aligned, the open-end wrench cannot be inserted into the threaded portion. This results in the problem of it taking time to align the open-end wrench and threaded component, which makes tightening time consuming.

The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a tightening tool that can shorten tightening time.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
The tightening tool of the present invention is a tightening tool made of resin used to tighten a cable clamp that secures a cable to an attachment object, and is provided with: an engaging member having a cylindrical shape with a portion of the wall cut out, and at least a portion of the inner surface of the cylindrical shape having a shape that corresponds to the outer shape of the object to be tightened by the cable clamp; a guide member that covers at least a portion of one end of the cylindrical shape of the engaging member, includes the central axis of the cylindrical shape within, has a through hole formed therein that is larger than the cable, and has an opening formed in communication with the through hole at a position corresponding to the notch in the cylindrical shape; and a protruding member that protrudes from the engaging member and is used to rotate the engaging member around the central axis.

With the tightening tool of the present invention, the engaging member can be inserted into the object to be tightened by passing the cable through the through hole via the opening and then moving the engaging member along the cable toward the object to be tightened by the cable clamp. In other words, the cable can be used as a guide when inserting the engaging member into the object to be tightened.

With the tightening tool of the present invention, the cable can be used as a guide when inserting the engaging member into the object to be tightened, which has the effect of making it easier to shorten the tightening time required to tighten the object to be tightened.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a tightening tool and a cable clamp according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a cable clamp. FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating the configuration of the tightening tool. FIG. 2 is a bottom view illustrating the configuration of the tightening tool. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a method of engaging a tightening tool with a nut member. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating tightening of a nut member using a tightening tool. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of another tightening tool having a protrusion with a different shape. FIG. FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating the configuration of the tightening tool of FIG. 7 .

A tightening tool 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the tightening tool 1 of this embodiment and the cable clamp 50 to be tightened. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the cable clamp 50.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the tightening tool 1 of this embodiment is a tool used to tighten a cable clamp 50 that secures a cable 81 that transmits power or a signal to a housing 71 of industrial equipment or the like. The cable clamp 50 is a member formed using a resin material (e.g., polypropylene, engineering plastic, etc.).

The cable clamp 50 includes a cylindrical clamp body 51 that is attached to the housing 71, and a cylindrical nut member (corresponding to the object to be tightened) 55 that is used to secure the cable 81 to the clamp body 51.

The outer peripheral surface of the clamp body 51 is provided with a male threaded portion 52 that mates with the female threaded portion 56 of the nut member 55, and a body-side engaging portion 53 that is used for attaching the clamp body 51. The end of the clamp body 51 opposite the male threaded portion 52 may penetrate the housing 71 and protrude into the interior of the industrial equipment, etc.

The male thread portion 52 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder in a region closer to the end than the main body engaging portion 53. The main body engaging portion 53 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder in a region closer to the housing 71 than the male thread portion 52, and has a shape that protrudes outward beyond the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder. In this embodiment, the main body engaging portion 53 is described as being hexagonal, with six flat surfaces on the outer periphery.

The nut member 55 is a cap nut-shaped member with a hole through which the cable 81 is inserted. The nut member 55 may be manufactured using a 3D printer based on three-dimensional shape data created using 3D CAD.

The inner surface of the nut member 55 is formed with a female thread portion 56 that mates with the male thread portion 52 of the clamp body 51. The outer surface of the nut member 55 is provided with a nut-side engagement portion 57 used to tighten the nut member 55, and a nut-side curved surface portion 61 that covers the periphery of the hole through which the cable 81 is inserted and is composed of a convex curved surface.

In this embodiment, the nut-side engaging portion 57 is described as being formed in a hexagonal shape with six flat surfaces 58, 58, 58, 58, 58, 58. A connecting portion 59 is formed between adjacent flat surfaces 58. The connecting portion 59 may be a single flat surface, a single curved surface, a combination of multiple flat surfaces, or a combination of multiple curved surfaces; the shape is not limited.

Fig. 3 is a top view illustrating the configuration of the tightening tool 1. Fig. 4 is a bottom view illustrating the configuration of the tightening tool 1.
The tightening tool 1 is a member formed using a resin material (e.g., polypropylene, engineering plastic, etc.) and is provided with an engaging member 10, a guide member 20, and a protruding member 30, as shown in Figures 3 and 4 .

The engaging member 10 is the part that comes into contact with the nut member 55 of the cable clamp 50 and is used to tighten the nut member 55. As shown in Figure 4, the engaging member 10 has a cylindrical shape with a portion of the wall cut out, in other words, a U-shape.

The inner surface of the engaging member 10 has a tool-side engaging portion 11 shaped to correspond to the nut-side engaging portion 57 of the nut member 55. In other words, the tool-side engaging portion 11 has a shape that is the inverse of at least a portion of the concave and convex outer shape of the nut-side engaging portion 57.

In this embodiment, the tool-side engagement portion 11 is described as having four flat surfaces 12, 12, 12, and 12. A connection portion 13 is formed between each of the adjacent flat surfaces 12.

Two of the four planes 12, 12, 12, 12 are arranged in parallel, and the parallel planes 12, 12 are spaced apart by a distance Lt. The remaining two planes 12, 12 are arranged between the parallel planes 12, 12.

The guide member 20 is a member that guides the tightening tool 1 to the nut member 55 of the cable clamp 50 when the tightening tool 1 is engaged with the nut member 55. The guide member 20 is formed in a plate shape that covers at least a portion of one end of the cylindrical engaging member 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the guide member 20 has a through hole 21 and a guide portion opening (corresponding to an opening) 22. The through hole 21 is a hole formed in the guide member 20 and includes the central axis CL of the engagement member 10. The inner diameter Dt of the through hole 21 is smaller than the spacing Lt of the tool-side engagement portion 11 and larger than the outer diameter Dc of the cable 81 (see FIG. 2).

The guide opening 22 is a notch that communicates with the through hole 21 formed in the guide member 20, and is formed at a position corresponding to the cylindrical notch in the engagement member 10. In other words, it is a notch formed in the same position or direction as the U-shaped opening of the engagement member 10. The width Wt of the guide opening 22 is smaller than the spacing Lt of the tool-side engagement portion 11 and the inner diameter Dt of the through hole 21, and larger than the outer diameter Dc of the cable 81 (see Figure 2).

The guide member 20 is further provided with a guide-side curved surface portion 23. The guide-side curved surface portion 23 is formed in a region of the guide member 20 that faces the interior of the cylindrical shape of the engaging member 10. Specifically, it is formed in a region that faces the nut-side curved surface portion 61 of the nut member 55. The guide-side curved surface portion 23 has a shape that corresponds to the outer shape of the nut-side curved surface portion 61. In other words, it has a shape composed of a concave curved surface.

The engaging member 10 and the guide member 20 may be manufactured using the three-dimensional shape data created for the nut member 55. Specifically, three-dimensional shape data for a tool may be created by inverting the concaves and convexes of the three-dimensional shape data for the nut member 55, and the engaging member 10 and the guide member 20 may be manufactured using a three-dimensional printer based on the three-dimensional shape data for the tool.

This allows the shapes of the engagement member 10 and guide member 20 to easily match with the shape of the nut member 55. In other words, the four flat surfaces 12, 12, 12, 12 of the tool-side engagement portion 11 and the three connection portions 13 can come into contact with the nut-side engagement portion 57. This ensures that the force applied when tightening is evenly distributed, making it easier to prevent damage to the nut member 55.

The protruding member 30 is a component used when rotating the engaging member 10 to tighten the nut member 55 onto the clamp body 51. The protruding member 30 is a single, elongated component extending from the outer surface of the engaging member 10 in a direction intersecting the central axis CL. The protruding member 30 is preferably provided at a position opposite the location of the notch in the engaging member 10. The protruding member 30 preferably has a cross-sectional shape and thickness that are easy for the user to grip.

Next, we will explain how to tighten the nut member 55 using the tightening tool 1 configured as described above. Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating how to engage the tightening tool 1 with the nut member 55.

First, before tightening using the tightening tool 1, the clamp body 51 is attached to the housing 71 as shown in Figure 2. The end of the cable 81, through which the nut member 55 is inserted, is inserted into the clamp body 51. The operator rotates the nut member 55 by hand, lightly tightening it onto the clamp body 51.

Then, as shown in Figure 5, the tightening tool 1 is engaged with the nut member 55. Specifically, the tightening tool 1 is brought close to the cable 81, which is separated from the nut member 55. The cable 81 passes through the guide opening 22 and enters the through-hole 21.

The tightening tool 1 is brought close to the nut member 55 along the cable 81. At this time, the tightening tool 1 is guided toward the nut member 55 by the cable 81 and the through hole 21. If the tightening tool 1 is moved in a direction different from that of the nut member 55, the inner surface of the through hole 21 comes into contact with the cable 81, and the direction of movement is corrected toward the nut member 55. Note that because the protruding member 30 is located opposite the guide opening 22, it is unlikely that the cable 81 will protrude from the guide opening 22 in a direction different from that of the nut member 55 described above.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the tightening of the nut member 55 using the tightening tool 1. As shown in FIG.
6, the tightening tool 1 is engaged with the nut member 55 from the cable 81 side to tighten the nut member 55. In other words, the tightening tool 1 is rotated in the tightening direction around the nut member 55.

When the tightening tool 1 has been rotated the desired amount, it is moved along the cable 81 in a direction away from the nut member 55. The tightening tool 1 is then rotated the desired amount around the cable 81 in the direction opposite to the tightening direction, and the tightening tool 1 is again engaged with the nut member 55 from the cable 81 side, thereby tightening the nut member 55.

The above process is repeated until the nut member 55 is tightened to the clamp body 51 with the specified torque. An example of the specified torque is a torque that will not damage the nut member 55 or the clamp body 51, and will not loosen the nut member 55 when used with industrial equipment, etc.

With the tightening tool 1 configured as described above, the engaging member 10 can be inserted into the nut member 55 by passing the cable 81 through the guide opening 22 and into the through-hole 21, and then moving the engaging member 10 along the cable 81 toward the nut member 55 of the cable clamp 50. In other words, the cable 81 can be used as a guide when inserting the engaging member 10 into the nut member 55. This reduces the time required to tighten the nut member 55.

Since the tightening tool 1 is made of resin, it is less likely to scratch the nut member 55, which is also made of resin, compared to when it is made of metal. Furthermore, its light weight means that the nut member 55 can be tightened with less force. Compared to an adjustable wrench, the tightening tool 1 makes it easier to complete tightening in less time.

By making the shape of at least the guide-side curved surface 23 of the guide member 20 correspond to the outer shape of the nut-side curved surface 61 of the nut member 55, it becomes easier to insert the engaging member 10 into the nut member 55. It also makes it easier to stabilize the position of the engaging member 10 when inserted into the nut member 55.

By forming the protruding member 30 as a single long piece extending from the engaging member 10, it becomes easier to apply force to rotate the engaging member 10 around the central axis CL. Furthermore, the operator can grasp the protruding member 30, making it easier to hold the tightening tool 1 stably.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of another tightening tool 1A having a different shape of protrusion, and Fig. 8 is a side view illustrating the configuration of the tightening tool 1A of Fig. 7.
7 and 8, the protruding member 30 may be two protruding members 30A, 30A arranged with the engaging member 10 sandwiched therebetween. The protruding members 30A, 30A have a flat plate shape and are arranged to extend in a direction away from the engaging member 10.

The tightening tool 1A shown in Figures 7 and 8 is used by the operator by gripping the bases of the protruding members 30A, 30A. Specifically, the operator places the thumb on one of the protruding members 30A and the middle or ring finger on the other protruding member 30A, and rotates the tightening tool 1A.

By making the protruding members 30A, 30A two components arranged with the engaging member 10 sandwiched between them, it becomes easier to make the protruding members 30A, 30A smaller. As a result, the protruding members 30A, 30A are less likely to interfere with other components when rotating the nut member 55 using the engaging member 10. For example, even if the space around the cable clamp 50 is narrow, it is less likely to be difficult to tighten the nut member 55.

Examples of cases where the space around the cable clamp 50 is narrow include cases where components other than the cable clamp 50 are placed adjacent to it, as well as cases where other cable clamps 50 are placed adjacent to it in the same housing 71.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to applications of the above-described embodiments, but may also be applied to embodiments that combine these embodiments appropriately, and is not particularly limited.

In this embodiment, the nut-side engagement portion 57 of the nut member 55 and the tool-side engagement portion 11 of the tightening tool 1 have a hexagonal engagement shape, but they may also have polygonal shapes other than hexagons, or other engagement shapes that combine flat and curved surfaces.

1, 1A...Tightening tool, 10...Engagement member, 20...Guiding member, 21...Through hole, 22...Guiding portion opening (opening), 30, 30A...Protruding member, 50...Cable clamp, 55...Nut member (object to be tightened), 81...Cable, CL...Central axis

Claims (4)

A tightening tool made of resin used to tighten a cable clamp that fixes a cable to an attachment object,
an engaging member having a cylindrical shape with a wall surface partially cut out, and at least a portion of the inner surface of the cylindrical shape having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of an object to be fastened by the cable clamp;
a guide member that covers at least a portion of one end of the cylindrical shape of the engaging member, that includes a central axis of the cylindrical shape, that has a through hole formed therein and that is larger than the cable, and that has an opening formed at a position corresponding to the notch of the cylindrical shape and that communicates with the through hole;
a protruding member provided to protrude from the engaging member and used when rotating the engaging member around the central axis;
is established ,
A tightening tool in which the width of the opening is smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole and larger than the outer diameter of the cable . The tightening tool according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the region of the guide member facing the interior of the cylindrical shape has a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the object to be tightened. The tightening tool described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the protruding member is a single, elongated member extending from the outer surface of the engaging member in a direction intersecting the central axis. The tightening tool described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the protruding members are two members arranged with the engaging member between them, and extend in a direction away from the engaging member.