Patent Publication Number: US-2017348832-A1

Title: Tool connector assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a tool connector assembly, and more particularly to a tool connector assembly applicable for various types of tools. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A tool, such as a hand tool, pneumatic tool or electric tool, has an output end provided with a connector to connect with different tool heads of different shapes, such as screwdrivers to fit with different working processes. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/256,068 disclosed a conventional tool connector. With reference to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , a conventional tool connector comprises a tubular body  60 . The body  60  has a connection hole  62  axially defined through the body  60  and having a square cross section. A tool head  70  can be inserted into the connection hole  62  to allow the tool head  70  to be rotated by the body  60 . 
     However, the connection hole  62  in the conventional tool connector can only be applied with tool heads  70  having a cross section of a particular shape and cannot be applied with different tool heads with cross sections of other shapes. Therefore, the conventional tool connector is not versatile in use. 
     To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide a tool connector assembly to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main objective of the present invention is to provide a tool connector assembly that can be applied with different types of tools. 
     The hand tool has a tool shaft, an inner sliding sleeve, an engagement module, and an outer sliding sleeve. The tool shaft has a working segment and an engaging recess formed in the working segment. The inner sliding sleeve is slidably mounted around the working segment, is selectively positioned relative to the working segment, and has a connection hole, an engaging hole, an engaging ball, and two slits. The connection hole is axially defined through the inner sliding sleeve and is rectangular in section to define two long sides each having a middle and two short sides. The engaging hole is formed through the inner sliding sleeve and selectively aligned with the engaging recess. The engaging ball is moveably mounted in the engaging hole. The two slits are defined respectively and longitudinally in the middles of the long sides of the connection hole. The engagement module is mounted around the inner sliding sleeve and has a first ring mounted around the inner sliding sleeve and a spring mounted around the inner sliding sleeve and abutting the first ring. The outer sliding sleeve is slidably mounted around the inner sliding sleeve and has an inner wall formed inside the outer sliding sleeve, an abutting block annularly formed on the inner wall of the outer sliding sleeve, a pressing surface, and a stopping surface. The pressing surface is formed on a side of the abutting block facing the inner sliding sleeve, and selectively presses the engaging ball. The stopping surface is formed in an end of the abutting block and abuts an end of the spring at a position opposite to the first ring. 
     Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a tool connector assembly in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the tool connector assembly in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged side view in partial section of the tool connector assembly in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows operational side views in partial section of the tool connector assembly in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  shows other operational side views in partial section of the tool connector assembly in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged end view of the tool connector assembly in  FIG. 1  fitted with a tool head having a hexagonal cross section; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of a tool head and a conventional tool connector; and 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged end view of the tool head and the conventional tool connector in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With the reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , a preferred embodiment of a tool connector assembly in accordance with the present invention has a tool shaft  10 , an inner sliding sleeve  20 , an engagement module  30 , and an outer sliding sleeve  40 . 
     The tool shaft  10  has an operating segment  11 , a working segment  12 , an engaging recess  13 , an engagement unit recess  14  and an engagement unit  15 . The operating segment  11  may be applied for being held by a user, or may be applied for connecting with a handle for the tool shaft  10 . The working segment  12  has a square outer cross section, and is connected with the operating segment  11 . The engaging recess  13  and the engagement unit recess  14  are recessed in the working segment  12 . The engagement unit  15  is mounted in the engagement unit recess  14  and protrudes from the engagement unit recess  14 . 
     The inner sliding sleeve  20  is slidably mounted around the working segment  12  and is selectively positioned relative to the working segment  12 . The inner sliding sleeve  20  has a connection hole  202 , an engaging hole  21 , an engaging ball  22 , an abutting hole  23 , an abutting ball  24 , a sleeve buckle  25 , and two slits  26 . The connection hole  202  is axially defined through the inner sliding sleeve  20  and is rectangular in section to define two long sides  204  each having a middle and two short sides  206 . The engaging hole  21  is formed radially through the inner sliding sleeve  20  and is selectively aligned with the engaging recess  13 . The engaging ball  22  is moveably mounted in the engaging hole  21 . When the engaging hole  21  is aligned with the engaging recess  13 , the engaging ball  22  is slid into and engaged with the engaging recess  13 , such that a position of the inner sliding sleeve  20  relative to the tool shaft  10  is fixed. The abutting hole  23  is formed through the inner sliding sleeve  20  and is adjacent to an end of the inner sliding sleeve  20 . The abutting ball  24  is moveably mounted in the abutting hole  23 . The sleeve buckle  25  is mounted around the inner sliding sleeve  20  and has a radial elasticity relative to the inner sliding sleeve  20 . The abutting ball  24  protrudes out of the sleeve buckle  25 . The sleeve buckle  25  may be an elastic ring or a spring. Preferably, the sleeve buckle  25  is an elastic ring and has a ball hole  251  formed through the sleeve buckle  25  at a position corresponding to the abutting ball  24 . The abutting ball  24  protrudes from the ball hole  251 . The two slits  26  are respectively and longitudinally defined in the middles of the two long sides  204  of the connection hole  202 . Therefore, the inner sliding sleeve  20  can be connected with a square tool head or a hexagonal tool head. 
     The engagement module  30  is mounted around the inner sliding sleeve  20  and has a first ring  31 , a second ring  32  and a spring  33 . The first ring  31  is mounted around the inner sliding sleeve  20  at a position away from the abutting hole  23 . The second ring  32  is mounted around the inner sliding sleeve  20 . The spring  33  is mounted around the inner sliding sleeve  20  and is located between the first ring  31  and the second ring  32 . The spring  33  abuts the first ring  31  by one of two ends of the spring  33  to keep the spring  33  from detaching from the inner sliding sleeve  20 . 
     The outer sliding sleeve  40  is slidably mounted around the inner sliding sleeve  20  and has an abutting block  41 , a pressing surface  42 , a stopping surface  43  and an abutting surface  44 . The abutting block  41  is annularly formed on an inner wall of the outer sliding sleeve  40 . The pressing surface  42  is formed on a side of the abutting block  41  facing the inner sliding sleeve  20 , and selectively presses the engaging ball  22 . The stopping surface  43  is formed in an end of the abutting block  41  and abuts one of the ends of the spring  33  at a position opposite to the first ring  31 . The abutting surface  44  is formed in another end of the abutting block  41  at a position opposite to the stopping surface  43 , and selectively abuts the second ring  32 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , when the outer sliding sleeve  40  is slid relative to the inner sliding sleeve  20 , the stopping surface  43  presses the spring  33 , and the engaging ball  22  is not pressed by the pressing surface  42 . Then, the engaging ball  22  can be detached from the engaging recess  13  and protrudes out from the engaging hole  21 . Then, after the inner sliding sleeve  20  is slid relative to the tool shaft  10 , a part of the engaging ball  22  that protrudes out of the engaging hole  21  abuts the abutting surface  44 , such that the outer sliding sleeve  40  can be moved at the same time. The inner sliding sleeve  20  can be slid until the inner sliding sleeve  20  abuts a connecting junction between the operating segment  11  and the working segment  12 . The abutting block  41  is positioned between the spring  33  and the engaging ball  22 , such that the outer sliding sleeve  40  can be fixed relative to the inner sliding sleeve  20 . Therefore, the tool shaft  10  protrudes out of the connection hole  202  of the inner sliding sleeve  20 , and the engagement unit  15  is exposed. The working segment  12  can be connected with an inner square tool adapter, wherein the engagement unit  15  can tightly press the inner square tool head, such as a socket, to keep the inner square tool head from detaching from the working segment  12 . 
     With reference to a right half of  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , when the inner sliding sleeve  20  (or the outer sliding sleeve  40 ) is pulled relative to the tool shaft  10 , the inner sliding sleeve  20  and the outer sliding sleeve  40  can be moved relative to the tool shaft  10  at the same time since the inner sliding sleeve  20  and the outer sliding sleeve  40  are engaged with each other. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3 and 5 , after the inner sliding sleeve  20  is pulled relative to the tool shaft  10 , the engaging hole  21  is aligned with the engaging recess  13  and the engaging ball  22  is pressed into the engaging recess  13  by the pressing surface  42 . The abutting block  41  is pressed by the spring  33  to hold the outer sliding sleeve  40  in position relative to the inner sliding sleeve  20 . When the abutting block  41  is at a position between the first ring  31  and the second ring  32 , the position of the outer sliding sleeve  40  relative to the inner sliding sleeve  20  is fixed. Accordingly, the inner sliding sleeve  20  protrudes out of the tool shaft  10  and the inner sliding sleeve  20  can be connected with a hexagonal tool head or a square tool head. The abutting ball  24  can abut the tool adapter tightly to keep the tool head from detaching from the inner sliding sleeve  20 . 
     With further reference to  FIG. 6 , because the connection hole  202  is rectangular in section, two coroners of the hexagonal tool head can be engaged respectively with the two slits  26 . Thus, the hexagonal tool head can be securely connected with the connection hole  202 . With the long sides  204  of the connection hole  202 , the interference between the hexagonal tool head and the inner wall of the connection hole  202  can be prevented. Therefore, the tool connector assembly can be combined with different tool heads of different types and is versatile in use. 
     Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.