Pneumatic tool

A pneumatic tool includes: a main body; an air passage disposed in the main body for air to flow in; an air exhaustion passage disposed in the main body, one end of the air exhaustion passage communicating with the air passage, the other end of the air exhaustion passage being an air exhaustion end; a flow way disposed in the main body, a rear end of the flow way communicating with the air passage, a front end of the flow way being positioned at one end of the main body; and a control mechanism disposed in the main body and connected with the air exhaustion passage. The pneumatic tool provides both blowing and sucking effects. An operator need not replace the tool. Instead, the operator can use the pneumatic tool to blow dust or take an article.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a pneumatic tool, and more particularly to a pneumatic tool having both blowing and sucking effects.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is known that there are various pneumatic tools used in various sites. For example, a dust blower is operated with high-pressure air as the power source. After processing a work piece, the dust blower serves to blow off the dust or the chips accumulating on a working table face, enabling a user to conveniently clean up the working table face.

In addition, it is dangerous to take articles in many manufacturing sites. For example, it is dangerous to place an article to be processed into a mold or take a product out of a mold. Therefore, an operator needs a grasping tool for taking and moving the article without directly using his hand to take the article. In this case, the operator is protected from being clamped by the mold and the danger of injury of the operator can be avoided.

It can be known from the above that both the dust blower and the grasping tool are auxiliary tools often used in many sites, especially in manufacturing sites. However, no conventional tool can provide integrated dust blowing and article taking functions. As a result, an operator needs to respectively use two kinds of tools to blow dust and take the article. It is quite inconvenient for the operator to use the tools.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic tool, which can provide both dust blowing and article sucking/taking effects.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide the above pneumatic tool, which can be easily operated to switch between a sucking mode and a blowing mode.

The pneumatic tool of the present invention includes:a main body;an air passage disposed in the main body, whereby an air source can flow into the air passage to form a fast airflow;an air exhaustion passage disposed in the main body, one end of the air exhaustion passage communicating with the air passage, the other end of the air exhaustion passage being for exhausting air out of the main body;a flow way disposed in the main body, the flow way having an inner end and an outer end, the inner end of the flow way communicating with the air passage, the outer end of the flow way being positioned at one end of the main body, the position where the flow way communicates with the air passage is positioned between the rear end (air intake end) of the air passage and the front end (air exhaustion end) of the air passage; anda control mechanism disposed in the main body and connected with the air exhaustion passage. The control mechanism is operable between an open position and a close position. When the control mechanism is positioned in the open position, the air exhaustion passage is in a free state. When the control mechanism is positioned in the close position, the control mechanism blocks the air exhaustion passage.

Preferably, the pneumatic tool further includes a sucker. The outer end of the flow way is connected with the sucker, whereby the air in the sucker can flow through the flow way to the air passage.

Accordingly, by means of the control mechanism, the pneumatic tool can be switched between an article sucking/taking mode and a dust blowing mode. When the air exhaustion passage is in the free state, the air in the tool is exhausted from the air exhaustion passage, and the air in the flow way flows toward the air exhaustion passage, a sucking effect is achieved. When the air exhaustion passage is blocked, the air is exhausted from the outer end of the flow way, a blowing effect is achieved. Both the blowing and sucking effects occur in the flow way.

The pneumatic tool of the present invention has integrated dust blowing and article sucking/taking functions. Therefore, it is unnecessary for an operator to replace the tool. Instead, the operator simply needs to easily operate the control mechanism to switch the use mode of the pneumatic tool. Accordingly, the pneumatic tool can be more conveniently used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer toFIGS. 1 to 3. According to a first embodiment, the pneumatic tool10of the present invention includes a main body20having a connector21disposed at a rear end of the main body20for connecting with a high-pressure air supply. A receiving space24is formed in the main body20. A rear end of the receiving space24communicates with a front end of an air intake passage22. In this embodiment, a front end of the receiving space24passes through the main body20to a front end of the main body20. An air exhaustion passage25is disposed in the main body20. The air exhaustion passage25includes an air exhaustion passageway26. A front end of the air exhaustion passageway26communicates with the receiving space24. A rear end of the air exhaustion passageway26is an air exhaustion end for exhausting air out of the main body. A valve hole28is formed under a bottom face of the main body20and positioned between the receiving space24and the air exhaustion passageway26. In this embodiment, the valve hole28communicates with the air exhaustion passageway26.

An air passage34and a flow way41are formed in the main body20. The air passage34and the flow way41together with the air exhaustion passage25form an airflow way of the pneumatic tool for operation. The air passage34and the flow way41will be further described hereinafter.

Please refer toFIGS. 3 and 4. A valve body30is airtight received in the receiving space24of the main body20via airtight members. An annular recessed section31is formed on an outer circumference of the valve body30. An annular air chamber32is defined between the annular recessed section31and a wall face of the receiving space24. The front end of the air exhaustion passageway26communicates with the annular air chamber32.

The air passage34is disposed in the valve body30. A rear end of the air passage34is an air inlet end in communication with the connector21via the air intake passage22. A fast airflow can be created in the air passage34such as by, but not limited to, a nozzle. In this embodiment, the air passage34is only an example for illustrating the airflow way. In practice, any design or structure that can create a fast airflow in the air passage34is applicable to the air passage34of the present invention.

At least one, for example, two or four flow guide holes39are formed in the valve body30substantially in a radial direction of the valve body. Inner ends of the flow guide holes39communicate with the front end of the air passage34. (The front end of the air passage is an air outlet end of the air passage). Outer ends of the flow guide holes39communicate with the annular air chamber32as shown inFIG. 3. The air exhaustion passageway26, the annular air chamber32and the flow guide hole39together form the air exhaustion passage25.

Please refer toFIGS. 3 and 4. A cylindrical end piece40is airtight received in the front end of the receiving space24of the main body20and positioned in front of the valve body30. A rear end of the end piece40has a protrusion section42. An annular cavity43is defined between the protrusion section42and the wall face of the receiving space24. The end piece40is formed with a passage46inward extending from a front end of the end piece40. At least one communication hole44is radially formed on the protrusion section42. A rear end of the passage46communicates with the annular cavity43via the communication hole44. The first embodiment of the present invention further includes a tube body47. A rear end of the tube body47is mounted in the passage46of the end piece40. The tube body47is formed with an internal passage48in communication with the passage46. The internal passage48is an extension of the passage46. In this embodiment, the valve body30is formed with at least one, for example, four guiding holes49inward longitudinally extending from the front end of the valve body30. A rear end491of the guiding hole49communicates with the air passage34. As shown inFIG. 3, the position where the guiding holes49communicate with the air passage34is positioned between the front and rear ends of the air passage. Front ends of the guiding holes49communicate with the annular cavity43as shown inFIG. 3. According to such structure, the passage46, the communication hole44, the annular cavity43and the guiding holes49communicate with each other to form the flow way41. The passage46is the front end of the flow way41. The rear end of the flow way, (that is, the rear ends491of the guiding holes49), communicate with the air passage34. The position where the air exhaustion passage25connects with the air passage34, (that is, the position where the flow guide holes39connect with the air passage34), is positioned in front of the position where the rear end of the flow way41connects with the air passage34, (that is, the position where the guiding holes49connect with the air passage34).

A sucker50is disposed at the front end of the tube body47, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 5. The sucker50has a conic sucker body52, a holding member54, a flexible tray body55and a hollow connection member56. The tray body55is made of rubber or silicone material. The connection member56passes through the holding member54, the tray body55and the sucker body52to assemble the three components with each other. The holding member54and the tray body55are positioned on an inner surface of the sucker body52. A sleeve59is disposed on the sucker body52. The sleeve59of the sucker50is fitted on one end of the tube body47. The connection member56is formed with an internal passageway58extending in an axial direction of the sucker50through the sucker body52, the holding member54and the tray body55to communicate with the passage46. The sucker mounted on the pneumatic tool10is not limited to the sucker50of this embodiment.

The sleeve59of the sucker50is not limited to a straight tubular body. Alternatively, the sleeve59can have the form of a bent tube as shown inFIG. 7. In this case, an angle is contained between the sucker face of the sucker50and the longitudinal direction of the pneumatic tool.

Please refer toFIG. 3. A control mechanism60is disposed on a circumferential face, such as the bottom face, of the main body20. The control mechanism60includes a valve member62, an elastic member64and a control member66. The control member66is a trigger and will be referred to as the trigger hereinafter. The valve member62is disposed in the valve hole28of the main body20and is operable along the valve hole between an open position and a close position. The elastic member64is a spring disposed in the valve hole28to elastically abut against the valve member62. In normal state, the elastic member64makes the valve member62move downward to the open position to keep the air exhaustion passage25open. The trigger66is pivotally disposed under the bottom face of the main body20and is swingable. When shifting the trigger66, the trigger66can touch and move the bottom end of the valve member62to drive the valve member62to move toward the close position. Another elastic member (not shown) can be additionally disposed between the main body20and the trigger66to elastically abut against the trigger66. In this case, when free from any pressing force, the trigger66keeps in an outward stretching state.

A switch is disposed in the main body20. In this embodiment, the switch is a rotary button70formed with a perforation72in communication with the air intake passage22. The rotary button70is operable between an open position and a close position. When the rotary button70is positioned in the open position, the perforation72communicates with the air intake passage22, permitting air to flow through the air intake passage22. When the rotary button70is positioned in the close position, the perforation72is perpendicular to the air intake passage22to block the air intake passage22.

The pneumatic tool10of the present invention can be used in a sucking mode and a blowing mode. In use, a high-pressure air pipeline is connected with the connector21of the main body20. Please refer toFIG. 5. When an operator desires to suck an article80to be taken, the operator rotates the rotary button70to the open position to communicate the perforation72of the rotary button with the air intake passage22. Under such circumstance, the high-pressure air can flow from the air intake passage22into the air passage34to operate the pneumatic tool. The operator holds the main body20without pressing the trigger66of the control mechanism60so that the valve member62is positioned in the open position to keep the air exhaustion passage25free. After the high-pressure air flows into the air passage34, the high-pressure air further flows from the flow guide holes39of the air exhaustion passage25into the annular air chamber32and is exhausted out of the main body20through the air exhaustion passageway26. According to Bernoulli's principle, the air in the flow way41is sucked into the air passage34, whereby the outer end of the flow way41creates sucking force, enabling the sucker50at the front end of the pneumatic tool10to suck and take the article.

The air in the air passage34flows faster with a lower pressure. In comparison with the air passage, the air in the flow way41flows more slowly with a higher pressure. Under the effect of pressure difference, the air in the flow way will flow toward the air passage to make the sucker50at the front end of the tube body47create sucking force. In this case, the pneumatic tool10can suck the article80to be taken. The air sucked from the flow way41into the air passage34is exhausted out of the main body20through air exhaustion passage25.

The pneumatic tool10can also provide sucking force in a liquid. The sucker50can be positioned in water to suck and move an article in the liquid. The present invention employs high-pressure air as the power source so that the danger of getting an electric shock can be avoided.

Please refer toFIG. 6. When the pneumatic tool is used as a blowing tool, the rotary button70is rotated to the open position for the high-pressure air to flow in. Then, the trigger66of the control mechanism60is pressed to drive the valve member62to the close position and close the valve hole28and thus block the air exhaustion passageway26. Under such circumstance, the high-pressure air cannot be exhausted from the air exhaustion passage25to instead flow out from the flow way41.

To speak more specifically, when the air exhaustion passageway26is blocked, the flow guide holes39and the annular air chamber32become a closed path and the high-pressure air in the air passage34cannot be exhausted from the air exhaustion passageway26. Under such circumstance, the high-pressure air flows into the guiding holes49of the flow way41and then flows forward to the annular cavity43to flow through the communication hole44into the passage46. Finally, the high-pressure air is exhausted from the passage58of the sucker50to provide a dust blowing effect.

Accordingly, the pneumatic tool10can blow out air to blow off the dust, cutting chips or other impurities on the working table face and achieve an effect as a conventional dust blower. In the present invention, both blow and suction of the pneumatic tool occur in the flow way.

FIGS. 8 to 10show a third embodiment, a fourth embodiment and a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The same components are denoted with the same reference numerals. These embodiments are different from the first embodiment in that different suckers are used in these embodiments. The suckers are all made of soft material. Each sucker is formed with an internal axial passage for air to flow through. InFIG. 8, the sucker50′ has a sucker body501and a cylindrical section502. The cylindrical section502of the sucker is fitted on the tube body47.

InFIG. 9, the sucker50″ also has a sucker body501and a cylindrical section502. The cylindrical section502is fixed at one end of the tube body47via a sleeve82.

InFIG. 10, the sucker′″ has a small diameter and is mounted at a front end of a slender tube body81. The tube body81is connected with the tube body47via a sleeve82. The tube body81and the sleeve82can be identical components or different components.

Please refer to the attachments, which are four films showing the operation of the pneumatic tool of the present invention. It is revealed from the films that when the pneumatic tool is used to provide sucking function, different articles made of different materials with different weights can be sucked and taken. When the function of the pneumatic tool is switched to the blowing function, the pneumatic tool can blow an article. Therefore, the structure and the technical characteristic of the present invention can truly achieve the object of the present invention and provide the use effect.

In use of the pneumatic tool of the present invention, it is unnecessary for an operator to replace the tool. Instead, the operator simply needs to press or release the trigger of the pneumatic tool to switch the use mode of the pneumatic tool between sucking and blowing. Accordingly, the pneumatic tool can be conveniently operated to achieve the dust blowing and article taking effects.