Collar actuatable air valve and tensioning tool

Abstract: A collar actuatable air valve especially for air powered strap tensioning tools (100) include a collar (130) rotatably coupled to a housing (120), an air valve (10) disposed at least partially in the housing (120) and having an actuator portion (14) biased to protrude therefrom and into engagement with an actuator surface (134,136) of the collar (130). A collar biasing member (150) rotatably biases the collar (130) relative to the housing (120) to close the air valve (10), whereby the collar (130) is rotatable against the bias of the collar biasing member (150) to open the air valve (10).

Description: Powered tensioning tools are known generally and used widely to tension strap about a load. These tools comprise generally a feed wheel protruding from a gear housing of the tool for engaging and tensioning strap disposed between the feed wheel and a base plate, or foot, of the tool. The feed wheel is driven generally by an air motor disposed in a drive housing coupled to the gear housing, and a pneumatic valve controls the supply of compressed air to the air motor from an air line coupled to the drive housing. In some tensioning tools, disclosed for example in US-A-3,028,885 the pneumatic valve is actuated by depressing a button operated switch protruding from the drive housing. In other tensioning tools, disclosed for example in US-A- 3,249,131 the air motor is operated with a ring, or collar, valve actuator in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 rotatably disposed about the drive housing. The collar valve actuator is generally rotatable back and forth over a small angular interval to open and close the pneumatic valve, and thus to control the air motor. Prior art, FIG. 4 of the present patent application, illustrates more particularly the actuation of a pneumatic, or air, valve 10 in a housing 20 of a strap tensioning tool by a collar 30 rotatably coupled thereto. The collar 30 is rotatable relative to the housing 20 back and forth over some angular interval, which is limited by a pin 22 protruding radially from the housing 20 into a recess 32 of the collar. The pin 22 is engageable with stops 34 and 36 on opposing ends of the recess 32 upon rotation of the collar 30. The valve 10 includes a valve stem 16 biased by a spring 12 so that an actuator portion 14 thereof is biased to protrude from the housing 20 and into engagement with an inner portion of the collar 30. In a first position of the collar 30, illustrated in FIG. 4, the spring 12 biases the valve stem 16 into a tapered recess 38 of the collar 30 to open the supply of compressed air from an air line fitting 24 on the housing 20 to the air motor. When the collar 30 is rotated counter-clockwise relative to the housing 20, the tapered recess 38 thereof engages and depresses the actuator portion 14 of the valve stem against the bias of the spring 12 to close the supply of compressed air at the o-ring seal 19. The collar of known tensioning tools however must be rotated manually relative to the housing to actuate the valve that opens and closes the supply of compressed air. The present invention is drawn toward advancements in the art of collar actuated valve assemblies useable in powered tensioning tools. According to this invention a collar actuatable air valve comprising: a collar rotatably coupled to a housing, the collar having an actuator surface, an air valve disposed at least partially in the housing, the air valve having an actuator portion to open and close the air valve, the actuator portion biased to protrude from the housing and into engagement with the actuator surface of the collar, and the collar being rotatable relative to the housing between a first position where the air valve is opened and a second position where the air valve is closed; is characterised in that it also includes a collar biasing member having a first portion engaged with the housing and a second portion engaged with the collar, the collar biasing member biasing the collar to the second position where the air valve is closed, whereby the collar is rotatable to the first position against the bias of the collar biasing member to open the air valve. With such an arrangement the collar actuated valve assembly is biased into a position that terminates the supply of air to, for example, an air motor of a tensioning tool but which can be operated manually to open the valve to supply air. A particular embodiment in accordance with this invention will now be described with reference to the following drawings; in which:- FIG. 1 is a side view of a powered strap tensioning tool having a collar actuatable valve; FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view along lines b - b of FIG. 1 illustrating the collar of the tool rotatably biased to close the valve; FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view along lines b - b of FIG. 1 illustrating the collar of the tool rotated against a bias to open the valve; and, FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view along lines a - a of FIG. 1 illustrating a prior art collar actuatable valve in a tensioning tool. FIG. 1 is a strap tensioning tool 100 comprising generally a drive housing, or merely a housing 120 with a collar 130 rotatably coupled thereto for actuating an air valve that supplies compressed air to an air motor, not shown but known generally. The housing 120 and air motor therein are coupled to a gear housing 160 of the tool 100 for driving a feed wheel 142 protruding therefrom that engages and tensions strap, as is known generally. The exemplary tensioning tool 100 is a strap on strap type tensioning tool, but the invention is applicable more generally to any air powered strap tensioning tool, including push type tensioning tools, having a collar rotatably coupled to a housing for actuating an air valve that supplies compressed air. The present invention is applicable still more generally to any collar actuatable air valve assembly. FIG. 2 illustrates the collar 130, which is rotatably coupled to the housing 120, having an inner portion 132 defining an actuator surface thereof, the operation of which is discussed more fully below. FIG. 2 also illustrates an air valve 10 disposed at least partially in the housing 120. The air valve 10 includes an actuator portion 14 biased to protrude from the housing 120 and into engagement with the actuator surface of the collar 130 to open and close the air valve 10 upon rotation of the collar 130 relative to the housing 120. The collar 130 is rotatable relative to the housing 120 and generally about an axial dimension thereof over a small angular range in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions between first and second positions. The actuator surface of the collar 130 is located on the inner portion 132 of the collar and is configured to cooperate with the actuator portion 14 of the air valve 10 so that the air valve is opened when the collar is rotated to the first position, and so that the air valve is closed when the collar is rotated to the second position. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, the actuator surface of the collar 130 includes a collar recess 134 and a tapered portion 136. When the collar 130 is rotated in the clockwise direction from the second position illustrated in FIG. 2 to the first position illustrated in FIG. 3, the actuator portion 14 of the air valve is allowed to protrude into the recess 134 of the collar 130 to open the air valve 10, as is known generally. When the collar is rotated in the counter-clockwise direction from the first position illustrated in FIG. 3 to the second position illustrated in FIG. 2, the tapered portion 136 of the actuator surface engages and depresses the actuator portion 14 of the air valve 10 against its bias to close the air valve. The cooperative interaction between the actuator surface of the collar 130 and the actuator portion 14 of the air valve 10 to open and close the air valve discussed immediately above is known generally and is illustrated also in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 further illustrates the actuator portion 14 of the air valve 10 disposed on a valve stem 16 thereof, which is biased by a spring member 12 so that the actuator portion 14 thereof protrudes from the housing as discussed above. In FIG. 4, a narrowed portion 17 of the valve stem allows air to flow from an air inlet passage 25 of the air line fitting 24 to the air motor when the actuator portion 14 of the air valve 10 is biased to protrude sufficiently from the housing, as is known generally. In FIG. 2, a widened portion 18 of the valve stem 16 engages a seal 19 to block the flow of air from the air line fitting when the actuator portion 14 of the air valve 10 is engaged and depressed by the actuator surface of the collar 130, as is known generally. According to the present invention, generally, a collar biasing member is disposed between the collar 130 and the housing 120 to bias the collar to the second position in which the air valve 10 is closed. The collar 130 is however rotatable against the bias of the collar biasing member to the first position to open the air valve 10. This aspect of the invention may be viewed as a safety feature that requires an operator of the tool to maintain a grip on the collar rotatably positioned against the bias of the biasing member in order to open the valve 10 and maintain the supply of compressed air for the operation thereof. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, the collar biasing member is generally a compressed resilient member disposed in a biasing member recess 140 formed partially in the drive housing 120, forming a housing engagement surface 142 therein. The biasing member recess 140 is also formed partially in the collar 130, forming a collar engagement surface 144 therein. The housing engagement surface 142 and the collar engagement surface 144 are disposed generally radially relative to the housing 120 so that the collar biasing member may be retained and compressed therebetween. A first portion of the compressed collar biasing member is thus engaged with the housing engagement surface 142 and a second portion of the compressed collar biasing member is engaged with the collar engagement surface 144 to rotatably bias the collar 130 to the second position where the air valve is closed, as illustrated in FIG. 2. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, the collar biasing member is a compression coil spring 150 having a first end portion 152 engaged with the housing engagement surface 142 and an opposing second end portion 154 engaged with the collar engagement surface 144 to compress the spring 150 therebetween. The compression coil spring 150 is under compression so that the collar 130 is rotatably biased to the second position illustrated in FIG. 2 to close the air valve 10. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the housing engagement surface preferably includes a pin 146 protruding therefrom, and the first end portion 152 of the compression coil spring 150 is disposed about the pin 146 to facilitate insertion of the compression coil spring 150 in the biasing member recess 140 during assembly of the tool. In an alternative embodiment, the collar biasing member is a resilient material, formed for example of a urethane or some other suitable material, having a first end portion and an opposing second end portion. A first end portion of the resilient material is engaged with the housing engagement surface and a second end portion of the resilient material is engaged with the collar engagement surface to compress the resilient member therebetween. The compressed resilient material thus biases the collar to the second position where the air valve is closed, whereby the collar is rotatable against the bias thereof to open the air valve, as discussed above in connection with the compressed spring member.

Claims: A collar actuatable air valve comprising: a collar (13) rotatably coupled to a housing (120), the collar (130) having an actuator surface (136), an air valve (10) disposed at least partially in the housing (120), the air valve (10) having an actuator portion (14) to open and close the air valve, the actuator portion (14) biased to protrude from the housing (120) and into engagement with the actuator surface (136) of the collar (130), and the collar (130) being rotatable relative to the housing (120) between a first position where the air valve (10) is opened and a second position where the air valve is closed; characterised in that it also includes a collar biasing member (150) having a first portion (152) engaged with the housing (120) and a second portion (154) engaged with the collar (130), the collar biasing member (150) biasing the collar (120) into the second position where the air valve (10) is closed, whereby the collar (130) is rotatable to the first position against the bias of the collar biasing member (150) to open the air valve (10). A collar actuatable air valve according to Claim 1, further comprising a biasing member recess (140) formed partially in the housing (120) and forming a housing engagement surface (142) therein, and partially in the collar (130) and forming a collar engagement surface (144) therein, the collar biasing member (150) is disposed in the biasing member recess (140), the first portion (152) of the collar biasing member (150) is engaged with the housing engagement surface (142) and the second portion (154) of the collar biasing member (150) is engaged with the collar engagement surface (144). A collar actuatable air valve according to claim 2, wherein the housing engagement surface (142) and the collar engagement surface (144) are disposed generally radially relative to the housing (120) to compressibly retain the collar biasing member (150) therebetween. A collar actuatable air valve according to claim 2 or 2, wherein the housing engagement surface (142) of the biasing member recess (140) includes a pin (146) protruding therefrom, the first end portion (152) of the collar biasing member (150) is mounted on the pin. (146). A collar actuatable air valve according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the collar biasing member is a compression coil spring (150). A collar actable air valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the collar biasing member (15) is formed of resilient material having a first end portion (152) and an opposing second end portion (154). A collar actuatable air valve according to any one of the preceding claims wherein, the actuator surface of the collar (120) includes a collar recess (134) with a tapered portion (136), the actuator portion (14) of the air valve (10) is biased to protrude into the collar recess (134) when the collar (120) is rotated to the first position to open the air valve (10), and the tapered portion (136) of the actuator surface is engageable with the actuator portion (14) of the air valve (10) when the collar (120) is returned to the second position to close the air valve (10). A collar actuatable air valve according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuator portion (14) of the air valve (10) is disposed on a valve stem (18) of the air valve (10), the valve stem (18) is biased with a spring member (12) so that the actuator portion (14) of the air valve (10) protrudes from the housing (10). A strap tensioning tool comprising a collar actable air valve according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the housing houses an air motor, and wherein the actuator surface is defined on an inner portion of the collar (130). A method for operating an air powered strap tensioning tool, comprising: supplying air to an air valve disposed at least partially in a housing of the tool; biasing an actuator portion of the air valve to protrude from the housing and into engagement with an actuator surface of a collar rotatably coupled to the housing, the collar rotatable relative to the housing between a first position where the air valve is opened and a second position where the air valve is closed; biasing the collar to the second position to close the air valve, whereby the collar is rotatable to the first position against the bias to open the air valve.

Inventors: ANGAROLA BARRY R, FIGIEL JANUSZ, ANGAROLA, BARRY R., FIGIEL, JANUSZ
Applicants: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS, ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B65B13
IPC codes: F15B15, F16K31, B65B13