Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an improved power tool driver, in particular to a power tool that is adapted to accommodate a plurality of tools and the change of tools can be done in a convenient and safe way. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Most commonly, a power tool driver has a key used for tightening or loosening a tool used with the power tool driver. But tightening and loosening operation of the key can often be time-consuming and laborious. Further, it would be very inconvenient if the key were lost. 
         [0005]    To mitigate this problem, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,913,524 to Barton and 6,007,071 to Middleton disclose a chuck of keyless type. Unfortunately, a disadvantage of this chuck is that the chuck held by hand can rub against the hand when tightening to or loosening the tool from the chuck. 
         [0006]    The present invention is, therefore, intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in the prior art. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    Accordingly, the present invention includes a power tool driver that is adapted to accommodate a plurality of tools and the change of tools can be done in a convenient and safe way. 
         [0008]    The power tool driver includes a driving mechanism and a tool magazine housed inside the power tool driver. The tool magazine includes a tube, a cap and a cartridge which is selectively turnable and has a plurality of slots for accommodating a plurality of tools respectively. A chuck is connected to an end of the tube. The power tool driver may further comprise a clutch mechanism selectively engagable with the chuck such that the chuck can be prevented from rotation when the clutch mechanism is engaged with the chuck. 
         [0009]    It is one aspect of the present invention that one of the tools moves out of the allocated slot, passes the cap and through the tube, and held in the chuck when the power tool driver is tilted downward. 
         [0010]    It is another aspect of the present invention that the cartridge defines a plurality of voids that correspond to the plurality of slots and that each void permits a user to see a portion of tool received in each slot. 
         [0011]    It is still another aspect of the present invention that the cartridge has a portion disposed outside the power tool driver such that the void permits the portion of the tool to be viewable. 
         [0012]    There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    For the present disclosure to be easily understood and readily practiced, the present disclosure will now be described in conjunction with the following figures, wherein; 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a power tool driver in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, with the power tool driver includes a housing and a trigger shown in phantom. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the power tool driver of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a side view, partially in section, of the power tool driver of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a side, partially in section, of the power tool driver of  FIG. 1 , with the power tool driver being tilted downward and with a tool inside the power tool driver being moved toward a chuck of the power tool driver. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a side, partially in section, of the power tool driver of  FIG. 1 , with the tool being disposed in the chuck of the power tool driver. 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a side, partially in section, of the power tool driver of  FIG. 1 , with the tool being secured in the chuck of the power tool driver. 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a power tool driver in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, with the power tool driver includes a housing and a trigger shown in phantom. 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of the power tool driver of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is a side view, partially in section, of the power tool driver of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is a side, partially in section, of the power tool driver of  FIG. 9 , with the tool being disposed in the chuck of the power tool driver. 
           [0026]      FIG. 13  is a side, partially in section, of the power tool driver of  FIG. 9 , with the tool being secured in the chuck of the power tool driver. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0027]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 8 , a power tool driver  1  in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention includes a housing for accommodating a driving mechanism  10  and a tool magazine  20 , and a chuck  30  connected thereto and disposed outside the housing. The driving mechanism  10  serves to operably power the power tool driver  1 . In this embodiment, the driving mechanism  10  includes a motor  1  and a shaft  111  extended therefrom to connect to a gear  12 . The motor  11  may be an electric motor. Alternatively, the motor  11  may be a pneumatic motor. The driving mechanism  10  may further include a lubricated support  112  for facilitating movement of the shaft  111 . 
         [0028]    The tool magazine  20  is disposed adjacent to a side of the driving mechanism  10  and includes a tube  21  being supported by lubricated supports  211  and  212  and coupled to a gear reduction mechanism. In this embodiment, the gear reduction configuration includes a gear  24  disposed on the outer periphery thereof circumferentially, and with the gear  24  being passively driven by the gear  12 . However, the gear reduction mechanism is not limited to such a configuration. The tool magazine  20  further includes a preferably disc-shaped cap  22  having a first hole  221  disposed in the center thereof and a second hole  222  eccentrically disposed. The tool magazine  20  further has a cartridge  23  having a first protrusion  231  centrally disposed and pivotally received in the hole  221  of the cap  22  and a second protrusion  232  centrally disposed and pivotally fitted in the housing. In this embodiment, the second protrusion  232  has a diameter larger than that of the first protrusion  231  so that the second protrusion  232  will not be mistakenly disposed in the hole  221 . The cartridge  23  further includes a plurality of slots  233  that are eccentrically disposed and that partially receive a plurality of tools  25 , respectively. Specifically, the shank of the tool  25  is received in the slot  233  and the head of the tool  25  is disposed outward of the slot  233  and the head can be viewable through a void  234  and since the cartridge  23  is not completely disposed in the housing the void  234  can allow the head of the tool to be viewable outside the housing. 
         [0029]    Figures also show that the cartridge  23  includes a plurality of indentations  235  corresponds to the plurality of slots  233  with respect to quantity as well as position and a detent  26  that can selectively dispose in one of the plurality of slots  233 . In this embodiment, the detent  26  is comprised of a steel ball  261  and a spring  262 . However, the detent  26  is not limited to such a configuration. When the detents  26  are received in one of the indentations  235 , the corresponding slot  233  is in communication with the second hole  222  of the cap  22  and the inside of the tube  21 . 
         [0030]    The chuck  30  includes a body  36  connected to and moved by the tube  21 . The body  36  has passageways that can accommodate jaws  35 . Each jaw  35  is equally separated. The axes of the passageway and the jaws  35  are angled with respect to the chuck axis and can intersect the chuck axis at a common point ahead of the body  36 . Each jaw  35  has a tool engaging portion (not numbered), which is substantially parallel to the axis of the body, and threads on its opposite or outer surface. Further, the engaging portion of each jaw  35  may include a magnet  351  that can cooperate with a magnet  251  included in the tool  25  and that provides the jaw  35  enhanced grips on the tool  25 . The chuck  30  further includes a nut  33  in the shape of a ring and the nut  33  includes threads for mating with threads on the jaws  35 . Therefore, as the body  36  is rotated by the tube  21 , the jaws  35  will be caused to advance or retract with respect to the body  36 . The chuck  30  further includes a bearing  34  in the shape of a ring, a sleeve  32  and an outer shell  31  to house the sleeve  32 , the nut  33 , the bearing  34 , jaws  35  and the body  36 . In addition, a forward seal cap  37  and a rearward seal cap  38  are provided at the forward end and the rearward end of the outer shell  31 . 
         [0031]    In use of the power tool driver  1 , the power tool driver  1  is tilted downward (as shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  7  and  8 ) to allow the selected tool  25  to move out of the associated slot  233 , pass the second hole  222 , and through the tube  21  automatically and be held by the engaging portions of the jaws  35  magnetically. The jaws  35  would then be gradually advanced (as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 ) to securely clamp the tool  25  between the jaws  35 . The advance of the jaws  35  are advanced by pressing a trigger  2  of the power tool driver  1 . When finish using the tool  25 , the jaws  35  could then be gradually retracted to allow the tool  25  to be released from the jaws  35 . Then, the tool  25  could be pushed into the tube  21  and by tilting the power tool driver  1  upward, the tool  25  can be automatically moved into its originally allocated slot  233 . When using another tool  25 , the cartridge  23  is rotated, and the above procedure is repeated. Further, although not shown but it should be appreciated that one of ordinary skill would understand that the power tool driver  1  of the present invention is adapted to receive the tool  25  externally. 
         [0032]      FIGS. 9 through 13  show a power tool driver  1  in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is similar to the prior embodiment except that it includes a clutch mechanism  40  that is adapted to selectively engage with the chuck  30  such that the chuck  30  can be prevented from rotation when the clutch mechanism  40  is engaged with the chuck  30 . The clutch mechanism  40  includes a magnet winding  41 , a switch  42  electrically connected between the magnet winding  41  and the motor  11 , a piston  43  axially movable by the magnet winding  41  and a current sensor  44  electrically connected to the motor  11 . Further, the embodiment includes a rearward seal cap  38 ′ that has a plurality of recesses. Preferably, the plurality of recesses are equally spaced and the axes of the recesses are parallel with rearward seal cap axis. 
         [0033]    Switch  42  could not only be used to control the magnet winding  41  but to actuate the motor  11  and to cause the motor  11  to change direction of rotation. 
         [0034]    Piston  43  includes a plurality of protrusions that can engage with the recesses of the rearward seal cap  38 ′, respectively, when the clutch mechanism  40  is engaged with the chuck  30 . Alternatively, the piston  43  may includes a plurality of recesses while the rearward seal cap  38 ′ may include a plurality of protrusions. 
         [0035]    Current sensor  44  could cause the cutoff of the current if the sensor  44  detects an instant build up of the current, which is likely to occur when the tool  25  is securely clamped between the jaws  35  and an instant decrease of the current, which is likely to occur when the tool  25  is released from the jaws  35 . 
         [0036]    While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of invention and the scope of invention is only limited by the scope of accompanying claims.

Technology Category: 4