JP7587482B2 - Variable angle spanner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an adjustable angle wrench that allows the combination angle between the hook portion and the grip portion to be changed.

A wrench is a tool used to tighten and fix objects or to loosen and remove objects by turning bolts or nuts (tightening and loosening work). A wrench has a mouth opening that is the same width as the bolt head or nut to be tightened or loosened, and a gripping part that is held by the operator.

A wrench has a specified length to tighten a bolt or nut with the correct torque. However, when tightening or loosening work is performed in a narrow space, a wrench with a specified length is not easy to use. For this reason, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an angle-adjustable wrench in which the hook part and the grip part are connected by a rotating shaft.

JP 2010-284751 A

When replacing the coil of a linear expansion valve installed in the outdoor unit of an air conditioner, the nut that secures the coil is tightened and loosened. At this time, the piping and other equipment around the linear expansion valve interfere, so the tightening and loosening work must be done in an extremely narrow space where the angle at which the wrench can be used is limited or there is insufficient space to rotate the wrench.

Conventionally, when replacing the coil of the linear expansion valve described above, multiple wrenches with different cap angles were prepared and tightening/loosening work was performed while changing the wrench multiple times, or a homemade wrench with a cap angle that was not commercially available was used to tighten/loosen the coil, but this was difficult to do.

When replacing the coil of the linear expansion valve, for example, it is possible to use a ratchet wrench to tighten or loosen the coil. However, this can be difficult to do because the ratchet's play is sometimes larger than the angle at which the ratchet can rotate.

Furthermore, when replacing the coil of the linear expansion valve described above, it is possible to use a wrench with a serrated opening that can be inserted from multiple directions to tighten or loosen the coil. However, such a wrench can only make surface contact with the nut that secures the coil, making it difficult to tighten with the correct torque, resulting in poor workability.

The object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable angle wrench that can improve the ease of tightening and loosening in very narrow spaces where the angle at which the wrench can be used is limited or there is insufficient space to rotate the wrench.

The variable-angle wrench of the present invention is a variable-angle wrench that can change the combination angle between the hook portion and the grip portion, and is characterized in that a gear is fixed to the hook portion, an opening is formed in the grip portion, and teeth that mesh with the teeth of the gear are formed around the opening, and the combination angle of the hook portion relative to the grip portion is changed by changing the angle of the gear relative to the opening and fitting the gear into the opening.

In the variable angle wrench according to the present invention, a gear is rotatably supported in the hook portion, and a first recess and a second recess are formed, and a first pin hole and a second pin hole are formed in the gear, and it is preferable that the first position where the gear is fixed to the hook portion by inserting a pin into the first pin hole and the first recess is shifted by 1/2 the pitch of the gear tooth profile from the second position where the gear is fixed to the hook portion by inserting a pin into the second pin hole and the second recess.

The variable angle wrench according to the present invention preferably includes a case that covers the opening and the gear together with the gear fitted into the opening.

The variable angle wrench of the present invention allows the combination angle between the hook portion and the grip portion to be changed in small increments, improving the ease of tightening and loosening in very narrow spaces where the angle at which the wrench can be used is limited or there is insufficient space to rotate the wrench.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an adjustable angle spanner according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of an adjustable angle spanner according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a gear of an adjustable angle spanner according to another embodiment.

An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. In the following description, the specific shapes, materials, directions, values, etc. are examples to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and can be changed as appropriate according to the application, purpose, specifications, etc.

The configuration of an adjustable angle wrench 10, which is an example of an embodiment, will be described using Figures 1 and 2.

The variable-angle wrench 10 is a wrench that allows the combination angle between the hook portion 11 and the grip portion 12 to be changed. The variable-angle wrench 10 allows the combination angle between the hook portion 11 and the grip portion 12 to be changed in small increments, improving the ease of tightening and loosening in very narrow spaces where the angle at which a normal wrench can be used is limited or where there is insufficient space to rotate a normal wrench. The variable-angle wrench 10 is effectively used, for example, in replacing the coil of a linear expansion valve installed in the outdoor unit of an air conditioner.

The variable angle wrench 10 has a hook portion 11 that is opened to the same width as the bolt head or nut width to be tightened or loosened, a grip portion 12 that is held by the operator, and a case 13 that integrally covers the opening 27 and the male gear 15 when the male gear 15, which will be described later, is fitted into the opening 16 of the grip portion 12.

The combination angle of the hanging part 11 relative to the grip part 12 can be changed, and it is fixed at a predetermined combination angle relative to the grip part 12. The hanging part 11 has a Y-shaped main body 14 and a male gear 15 as a gear fixed to the base end of the main body 14.

A mouth portion 14A is formed at the tip of the main body 14 to fit into the bolt head or nut to be tightened or loosened. The mouth portion 14A opens to the same width as the bolt head or nut to be tightened or loosened. A male gear 15 is fixed to the base end of the main body 14. The base end of the main body 14 is also formed in an arc shape.

The male gear 15 is fitted into the female gear in the opening 16 of the gripping part 12, which will be described later. The pitch of the teeth of the male gear 15 is the number obtained by multiplying the entire circumference by the minimum change angle. The minimum change angle is the smallest combination angle that the hanging part 11 can change relative to the gripping part 12.

The gripping portion 12 is rectangular and is held by the operator while fixing the hanging opening portion 11 at a predetermined combination angle. An opening 16 is formed at the tip of the gripping portion 12. A female tooth profile is formed in the opening 16 so that the male gear 15 meshes with it. A hollow hemispherical protrusion 17 that engages the case 13 is formed on the side of the base end of the gripping portion 12.

As described above, the case 13 integrally covers the opening 16 of the grip portion 12 and the male gear 15 with the male gear 15 fitted into the opening 16. The case 13 is formed in a box shape with the base end and tip end open, and is configured to allow the grip portion 12 to slide in the short direction. A locking portion 18 that locks with the protrusion 17 of the grip portion 12 is provided on the side of the case 13. The locking portion 18 is formed in a hemispherical shape so as to fit onto the outside of the protrusion 17.

The case 13 prevents the male gear 15 from coming out of the opening 16, and prevents the hook portion 11 from coming off the grip portion 12 during tightening or loosening operations. In addition, the case 13 allows the opening 16 and male gear 15 to be exposed simply by sliding, making it easy to change the combination angle of the angle-adjustable wrench 10.

Here, we will explain how to change the angle of the variable-angle wrench 10. First, the case 13 that is engaged with the grip 12 is slid toward the base end of the grip 12. Next, the male gear 15 of the hook portion 11 is removed from the opening 16 of the grip 12, and the male gear 15 is fitted into the opening 16 so that the hook portion 11 and grip 12 are at the desired combination angle. Then, the case 13 is slid toward the tip of the grip 12 to cover the male gear 15 and opening 16 together.

The configuration of an angle-adjustable spanner 20, which is another example of an embodiment, will be described using Figure 3.

The variable-angle spanner 20 is a spanner in which the combination angle between the hook portion 21 and the grip portion, which will be described later, can be changed. The variable-angle spanner 20 is an example of the variable-angle spanner 10 described above, which adds a configuration in which a gear 25 is rotatably supported by the hook portion 21 and the gear 25 is fixed by a pin 30.

The variable angle spanner 20 allows the combined angle between the hook portion 21 and the grip portion to be changed at an angle smaller than the minimum change angle (the minimum angle to which the hook portion 21 can be changed relative to the grip portion by the gear 25) in the variable angle spanner 10 described above. This improves the workability of tightening and loosening operations in very narrow spaces where the angle at which a normal wrench can be used is limited or where there is insufficient space to rotate a normal wrench.

Below, we will explain the additional configuration of the variable angle spanner 20 compared to the variable angle spanner 10 described above, and will omit a description of the configuration that is the same as the variable angle spanner 10 described above.

The variable-angle wrench 20, like the variable-angle wrench 10 described above, has a hook portion 21 that opens to the same width as the bolt head or nut width to be tightened or loosened, a gripping portion (not shown) that is held by the operator, a case (not shown) that covers the opening and the gear 25 together with the gear 25 fitted into the opening of the gripping portion, and a pin 30 that secures the gear 25 to the hook portion 21.

A gear 25 is supported rotatably in the hook portion 21 of the variable angle wrench 20. The hook portion 21 is also formed with a first recess 21A into which the pin 30 is inserted, and a second recess 21B into which the pin 30 is inserted. The gear 25 is formed with a first pin hole 25A through which the pin 30 passes, and a second pin hole 25B through which the pin 30 passes. Note that the pin 30 may be configured to be screwed into the first recess 21A or the second recess 21B.

The first position where the gear 26 is fixed to the hanging portion 21 by inserting the pin 30 into the first pin hole 25A and the first recess 21A is a position shifted by 1/2 pitch of the tooth profile of the gear 25 from the second position where the gear 26 is fixed to the hanging portion 21 by inserting the pin 30 into the second pin hole 25B and the second recess 21B.

This allows the combination angle between the hook portion 21 and the grip portion to be changed at an angle smaller than the minimum change angle determined by the number of teeth of the gear 25. As a result, the combination angle between the hook portion 21 and the grip portion can be changed at an angle smaller than that of the variable angle spanner 10 described above. In normal use, the gear 25 is fixed to the hook portion 21 by inserting the pin 30 into either the first pin hole 25A or the second pin hole 25B.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and its variations, and various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the claims of this application.

10 variable angle spanner, 11 hanging mouth portion, 12 grip portion, 13 case, 14 main body,
14A mouth portion, 15 male gear (gear), 16 opening portion, 17 protrusion portion, 18 locking portion, 20 angle variable spanner, 21 hook portion, 21A first pin hole, 21B second pin hole,
25 Gear, 25A First recess, 25B Second recess, 30 Pin

Claims (2)

An angle-adjustable spanner capable of changing the combination angle of a hook portion and a grip portion,
A gear is fixed to the hanging port,
The grip portion has an opening formed therein,
A tooth profile that meshes with the tooth profile of the gear is formed around the opening,
changing an angle of the gear relative to the opening to fit the gear into the opening and change the combination angle of the hook portion relative to the grip portion ;
The gear is rotatably supported by the hanging port, and a first recess and a second recess are formed in the hanging port.
The gear is formed with a first pin hole and a second pin hole,
a first position where the gear is fixed to the hook portion by inserting a pin into the first pin hole and the first recess is a position shifted by ½ pitch of a tooth profile of the gear from a second position where the gear is fixed to the hook portion by inserting a pin into the second pin hole and the second recess.
Variable angle spanner. An angle-adjustable spanner capable of changing the combination angle of a hook portion and a grip portion,
A gear is fixed to the hanging port,
The grip portion has an opening formed therein,
A tooth profile that meshes with the tooth profile of the gear is formed around the opening,
changing an angle of the gear relative to the opening to fit the gear into the opening and change the combination angle of the hook portion relative to the grip portion;
a case that covers the opening and the gear together in a state where the gear is fitted into the opening,
Variable angle spanner.

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