Abstract:
A holder for replaceable tools and having a body with an opening along a longitudinal axis for snugly and individually receiving various tools. Two balls are on the body for engagement with the tools, and there is a projection into the opening for contacting the tool in a location diametrically opposite the location of the balls. A sleeve member is slideable on the body, and has two sets of camming ramps and cylindrical surfaces extending radially over the balls for controlling the radially location of the balls relative to the tool. The tool has a surface for abutting the body projection to thereby hold the tool free of radial deviation relative to the holder axis.

Description:
This invention relates to holders for replaceable tools, such as tool chucks. The holder may be an adapter which is releasably connected to and driven by a conventional driver, such as a hand-rotated handle. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The prior art is already aware of tool holders, including adapters, which are intended for radially and axially stabilizing replaceable and rotatable tools. Further, there are holders which utilize a spring-urged ball or balls for the tool stabilizing effect. In those occurrences, the balls exert the radial forces against the tool, and the holder tool-receiving curvature defining the holder bore provides the reaction for radially forcing onto the tool. Thereby, the holding effort on the tool is limited to the holding action of the balls and the curvature of the holder body bore, and thus the holding action is limited in its precision. 
     The present invention improves upon the prior art in that it is precise in holding the various tools which are inserted into the holder. Those tools themselves may be imprecise in their configuration and therefore difficult to hold in radial and axial accuracy and consistency, and this invention avoids those problems. Both radial and axial play are avoided. 
     Further, this invention can be reduced to an actual construction which produces a precise, efficient, and both a radial and axial holding construction. This invention overcomes the tendency for the tool to be inadvertently pulled out of the holder even though the holder is set in its holding mode. 
     Still further, this invention provides for the manufacture of the holder in a precise and feasible manner for including the herein-mentioned features which render precise holding, as mentioned. Also, the holder is actuated in a manner at least similar to that of the popular prior art holders which have a sliding sleeve-type control member on the holder for producing the holding and release of the inserted tools. So no new and different familiarizing by the user is required. In this regard, the sliding control member includes both the tool holding and the tool release features. Further, the holder can be arranged with its sliding control member which slides in an axial direction for enhancing the axial holding force on the tool and thereby avoid inadvertent forceful release of the tool from the holder. 
     Also, this holder can be made in an efficient manner to produce its uniqueness without elaborate manufacturing procedures. The precision herein achieved is important for holders used in the medical arts. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of this invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment of this invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the assembly of that shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 4 , and  5  are enlarged perspective views of a part shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a side elevation view of the part shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a section view taken along a plane designated by the line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a longitudinal sectional view taken on a plane designated by the line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 1  when assembled, and with the tool added thereto. 
         FIG. 9  is a longitudinal sectional view like  FIG. 8  but with parts in positions slightly different from  FIG. 8 . 
         FIGS. 10 and 11  are perspective views of the tool which can be held by the holders of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         FIG. 12  is an enlarged perspective view of a part shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 13  is an enlarged section view taken along a plane designated by the line  13 - 13  of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 14  is an enlarged section view taken along a plane designated by the line  14 - 14  of  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The invention is shown in two embodiments, as seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In  FIG. 1 , there is a cylindrical and elongated body  10  having a central axis A. A conventional driving member  11  can be suitable arranged and connected to the body  10  and, in turn, a conventional but unshown driver can be connected to the member  11  for rotating the body in the operation of the entire shown holder. Likewise,  FIG. 2  shows a driving member  13 . Somewhat like the  FIG. 8  embodiment, the  FIG. 2  embodiment has an elongated and cylindrically shaped body  14  which receives the tool  12  and all is rotated by the member  13  and about the longitudinal axis A. For both embodiments,  FIGS. 8-11  show the work tool  12  which is insertable into the bodies  10  and  14  at the respective body opening ends  16 , though the tool is not shown in  FIG. 2  but it will be understood to be there. The effect is to rotationally drive the tool  12  and to hold it axially and radially in both embodiments. 
     Both bodies  10  and  14  both have two longitudinal interior openings  17  and  18  in axial alignment with each other and both openings snugly slideably receive the tool  12 . The members  11  and  13  present an abutment  19  at the end of the opening  18 . The inserted tool  12  will contact the abutment  19  and thereby limit the Insertable axial movement of the tool in each embodiment, and rightward as seen in  FIGS. 2 and 9 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  best show that both bodies  10  and  14  each have two holes  21  and  22  extending therethrough and to the opening  18 . Two detents, in the form of two balls  23  and  24 , are respectively disposed in and are radially movable in the holes  21  and  22 , in the usual manner. Also, in the usual manner, the holes  21  and  22  are restricted adjacent the opening  18  to keep the balls from fully passing into the opening  18 , and the balls move toward the axis A no closer than that shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     Each body  10  and  14  has a cylindrical member  26  axially slideably thereon, though the member  26  faces in axially opposite directions between the two embodiments. As shown, the bodies respectively have cylindrical outer surfaces  27 , and the member  26  has an inner cylindrical surface  28  which is snugly slideable on the respective body surfaces  27 . The member  26  extends over the balls  23  and  24  for restraining the balls against radial outward movement. 
     For ball restraining,  FIG. 13  best shows that the member  26  has a first camming ramp  29  and it also has a cylindrical surface  31  contiguous to the ramp  29 . In the  FIG. 2  arrangement of the member  26 , the ramp faces toward the abutment  19 . The member also has a second camming ramp  32 , and it has a cylindrical surface  33 . The ramps  29  and  32  are angulated relative to the axis A but face inward toward the axis A, as shown. The foregoing can all be sequentially contiguous, and the diametrical dimensions of the two ramps and all cylindrical surfaces are such that they can contact the balls between the axial alternate positions of  FIGS. 2 ,  8 , and  9  and thereby hold the balls against the tool such as is apparent between  FIGS. 8 and 9 . The angulation of the ramp or incline  29  can be approximately 20 degrees, and that of the ramp  32  can be 45 degrees with the main holding force exerted by the ramp  29  at that radially optimum angle. 
     A spring  36  is disposed and anchored between a shoulder  37 , on the bodies  10  and  14 , and against the member  26 . So the spring exerts a force on the member  26  to cause the ramp  29  to engage the balls and thereby releasably hold the work tool  12  in the holder. In the  FIG. 2  embodiment, under the force of the spring  36 , because the ramp  29  faces the abutment  19  the balls even moreso force on the tool toward the abutment  19  for secure axial holding of the tool  12 . 
     Cylindrical control sleeves  38  and  39  extend over the members  26 , and the springs  36  and are in sliding contact with the bodies at the circular surfaces at  41  and  42 . Axial sliding movement of the sleeves  38  and  39  causes circular shoulders  43  to abut the member  26  to thereby compress the spring  36  and axially move the member  26  to thereby eventually release the balls from their locking positions with the tool  12 . For that releasing, in  FIG. 2 , the sleeve  38  is slid leftward by a likely pushing action from the operator, and, in  FIG. 8 , the sleeve  39  is slid rightward by a likely pulling action from the operator. 
     When the members  26  are initially axially moved off the holding positions of  FIGS. 2 and 8 , the ramp  29  radially releases the balls  23  and  24  but does not fully release the tool  12  because the balls will still be held in the groove  44  in the tool by the ramp  29 . Likewise, the balls are still held in the groove  44  when the member  26  is slid to have its cylindrical surface  31  over the balls. Such is the dimensioning of the diameter of the balls, the radial position of the surface  31  from axis A, and the location of the tool groove so that the tool is axially restrained. In  FIG. 8 , without holding the balls by the cylindrical surface  31 , the tool can be axially strongly pulled out of the body by virtue of the axial force on the tool being applied to the ball at the ramp  29  which can axially displace the member  26  in response to a pulling force on the tool because of the inclined orientation of the ramp  29 . With further axial movement of the member  26  toward the  FIG. 9  position, the balls will engage the second ramp  32  and be radially released, as well as having the balls adjacent the second cylindrical surface  33 , as in the  FIG. 9  position. At that mode, the tool  12  is then fully released, as shown in  FIG. 9 . Of course, the  FIG. 9  showing is also depicting the insertion of the tool into the body  10 , and for that the sleeve  39  was pulled rightwardly by the user to thereby retract the member  26  and the balls. 
     The bodies  10  and  14  have a projection  47  extending between the openings  17  and  18 , as seen in the sectional views. The projections are flat, that is, two dimensional planar, and extend both along and across the body openings, as seen in  FIGS. 2 ,  7 ,  8  and  14 . The tool  12  also can have a flat  48  disposed in full planar contact with the body projection  47 . Those flats on the bodies and the tool are diametrically and axially offset from the balls  23  and  24  which therefor force the tool downward against the projection  47 . Still further, the tool is snug in the openings  17  and  18  and therefor has radial holding forces thereagainst.  FIG. 10  shows the plurality of forces acting on the tool  12  such as the axial force B by the abutment  19 , and particularly emphasized by the  FIG. 2  embodiment; the axial and radial forces C and D, respectively, by the balls in the tool groove  44 ; the radial force E by the projection  47 ; and the radial force F from the upper portions of the circular wall defining the opening  17 . 
     To accurately and efficiently provide the projection  47 , a hole  51  is formed in the bodies down to the formation of the projection  47 . So openings  17  and  18  can be formed from respective ends of the respective bodies  10  and  14  up to the projection  47 . 
     In conformance with requirements, two embodiments are shown herein. However, it will be apparent that changes can be made in the various parts and procedures, so the inventive scope should be in accord with the following claims and the equivalents thereof.