Patent Publication Number: US-2019176280-A1

Title: Knurling edge driving tool

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to a tool for rotating components with knurling. 
     Knurling is a patterning placed on an outer diameter of a component to allow fingers to grip the component. Various off the shelf components are made with knurling on an outer diameter, where the component is mounted or removed by turning the component. 
     SUMMARY 
     To achieve the foregoing and in accordance with the purpose of the present disclosure, a tool for driving a component with a knurling pattern around an outer surface of the component is provided. A shaft, with a first end, is in the form of at least a partial cylinder, where the at least partial cylinder has a first inner diameter that is less than an outer diameter of the knurling pattern. Serrations in the shaft have a pattern that matches the knurling pattern, which allow the serration in the shaft to engage with the knurling pattern so that when the shaft is rotated, the component is rotated. 
     These and other features of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below in the detailed description of the disclosure and in conjunction with the following figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  are schematic perspective views of a tool used in an embodiment and a component with a knurling pattern. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic perspective view of the tool being used to drive a component with a knurling pattern in a tight space. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view of a second end of the tool engaging a threaded bayonet component. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic end view of a handle of a tool in another embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to a few preferred embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present disclosure may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps and/or structures have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present disclosure. 
     A component with a knurling pattern is typically a cylindrical component with knurling around an outer surface around an outer circumference of the component. A couple of common knurling patterns may be a linear knurl or diamond knurl. A linear knurl may provide lines or ridges that extend parallel to a central axis of the cylindrical component. A diamond knurl would be formed by two sets of parallel lines that are angled with respect to each other to form a criss-cross pattern. One of the purposes of knurling is to make the component easier to grasp by hand to twist around the central axis of the cylinder. The knurling also makes it easier to grasp by the use of pliers for rotation around the central axis of the cylinder. 
     Many off the shelf items come with knurling. A difficulty occurs if an off the shelf component with a knurling pattern is placed in a small space that does not allow room for fingers to grasp the knurling pattern. In such cases, pliers may be used to reach smaller spaces. However, pliers may not work if the spaces are too small. In addition, pliers may damage items surrounding the component with the knurling pattern. 
     To facilitate understanding,  FIG. 1A  is schematic perspective view of a tool  100  used in an embodiment and a component  104  with a knurling pattern  108  at a first end. The tool  100  has a shaft  112  with a first end. The shaft  112  forms a partial cylinder, in that the shaft is a cylinder shape with one side cut away. The shaft  112  has serrations  116  at a first end of the shaft  112 . The serrations  116  match the knurling pattern  108 , in that bumps in the serration  116  match dips in the knurling pattern  108  and dips in the serration  116  match bumps in the knurling pattern  108 .  FIG. 1B  is a schematic perspective view of the tool engaged with the component  104 . Bumps in the serration  116  are placed into dips in the knurling pattern  108 . The engagement of the serration  116  with the knurling pattern  108  causes the component  104  to turn when the tool  100  is rotated around an axis of rotation at a central axis of the at least partial cylinder forming the shaft  112 . The at least partial cylinder forming the shaft  112  has an inner diameter  114  that is less than the outer diameter  110  of the knurling pattern  108 . If the shaft  112  did not have an inner diameter  114  that was less than the outer diameter  110  of the knurling pattern  108 , then the serration  116  would not engage with the knurling pattern  108 . In this embodiment, the serration  116  is beveled, so that at the first end of the shaft  112 , the inner diameter  115  is slightly larger than the outer diameter  110  of the knurling pattern  108  and at an end of the serration  116  away from the first end the shaft has an inner diameter  114  that is less than the outer diameter  110  of the knurling pattern  108 . The bevel providing an inner diameter  115  that is greater than the outer diameter  110  of the knurling pattern  108  and an inner diameter  114  less than the outer diameter  110  of the knurling pattern  108  allows the tool  100  to drive components with knurling patterns of different outer diameters, providing a tolerance for different outer diameters of knurling patterns. 
     The forming the shaft from a partial cylinder allows the shaft to expand to provide a gripping force towards the center of the shaft and around the knurling pattern. In addition, a partial cylinder provides an opening to accommodate parts attached to the component  104  that may extend through an opening in the cylinder. Other embodiments may use other methods to provide additional gripping force, such as making the tool of an elastic material. If the inner diameter of the first end of the shaft is less than or only slightly larger than the outer diameter of the knurling pattern, the tool engages the end of the knurling pattern. In such an embodiment, since the tool has an inner diameter at the first end that is less than or only slightly larger than the outer diameter of the knurling pattern, the diameter of the tool allows for driving the component in tight spaces that have a diameter only slightly larger than the outer diameter of the knurling pattern. In this embodiment, the knurling pattern  108  is at the end of the component  104  so that the shaft has an inner diameter that is less than the first end of the component  104  and so that the serrations  116  engage with the edge  109  at the first end of the component  104  and the end of the knurling pattern. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the tool  100  being used to drive a component  104  with a knurling pattern in a tight space. In this example, the component is mounted in a pedestal  204  of an electrostatic chuck (ESC) for use in a plasma processing chamber. A ceramic wire separator  208  is adjacent to the component  104 . Using a tool, such as pliers, to grab the outside of the component  104  may cause the tool to rub against the ceramic wire separator  208 , which could damage the ceramic wire separator  208 . 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic view of a second end  120  of the tool  100  engaging a threaded bayonet component  308 , which may be screwed into the pedestal. In this embodiment, a second end  120  of the tool  100  has a notch  124  and has a cylinder shape with an inner diameter that is greater than the outer diameter of the threaded bayonet component  308 . In order to engage the bayonet pin  312  of the threaded bayonet component  308 , the inner diameter of the cylinder shape must be less than the sum of the outer diameter of the threaded bayonet component  308  plus the length of the bayonet pin  312 . The notch  124  on the second end  120  of the tool  100  engages the threaded bayonet component  308  to rotate the threaded bayonet component  308  to either mount or dismount the threaded bayonet component  308  into a threaded aperture in the pedestal. In this example, the threaded bayonet component  308  and the component  104  with the knurling pattern  108  are used to mount a thermal couple  128  in the pedestal. In this embodiment, the component  104  with the knurling pattern has a notch, which is able to engage with the bayonet pin  312  in order to mount the thermal couple  128 . The embodiment allows providing both pressure to compress the component  104  with the knurling  108  towards the threaded bayonet component  308  and rotation of the component with knurling, which is required to engage the component  104  with the threaded bayonet component  308 . 
     In this embodiment, a square notch  132  is placed along the central axis of the shaft. The dimensions of the square notch and inner diameter of the shaft allow an extension for a socket wrench to fit into the notch and inner diameter of the shaft. A socket wrench or torque wrench may be connected to the extension to rotate the tool and also to possibly place a measured torque on the component. For example, the threaded bayonet component  308  may require a specific torque to sufficiently tighten the threaded bayonet component  308  without damaging the pedestal  204 . The ability to drive the tool with a torque wrench allows the required torque to be applied. 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic end view of a handle  404  of a tool  400  in another embodiment. A hole  408  in the handle  404  forms a hole in the shaft. The handle  404  in this embodiment is elliptical, providing two bumps to allow the handle to be easily grasped and turned by hand. 
     In other embodiments, a slot may be provided along the axis of rotation of the shaft in order for the shaft to be rotated using a standard screw driver. In other embodiments, two slots forming a cross may be provided along the axis of rotation of the shaft in order for the shaft to be rotated using a Phillips screw driver. Other notch or bump configurations may be used to accommodate other driver devices to facilitate the rotation of the shaft around the axis of rotation of the shaft. 
     While this disclosure has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, modifications, and various substitute equivalents, which fall within the scope of this disclosure. It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatuses of the present disclosure. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, permutations, and various substitute equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure.