Ratchet screwdriver
OwnerChiung-Chang Tsai, Chung-Yu Tsaiinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ratchet screwdriver includes a mounting seat, a fixing ring, a control member, a driving shaft, two pawls, two springs, a fixing ring, a control member, a bead, a positioning spring and a bolt. The mounting seat has a front with a first slot, a second slot, a first extension slot, a second extension slot, a passage, a first hole and a second hole. The driving shaft has a ratchet portion. Each pawl is biased by one spring so as to be engaged with the ratchet portion. The control member is rotatably mounted to the mounting seat and the driving shaft to pivot the pawls to engage or disengage with the ratchet portion.
Claims10
A ratchet screwdriver comprising:
- a mounting seat having a front portion defined in a front side thereof;
- a first slot, a second slot, a first extension slot and a second extension slot being recessed from a front end of the front portion;
- the first and second slots being located symmetrically in opposite directions to each other;
- the first and second extension slots being located symmetrically in opposite directions to each other;
- the first slot and the second slot respectively having a first hole and a second hole defined in an inner portion thereof;
- the first and second holes being located symmetrically in opposite directions to each other;
- a pivotal portion protruding from a central area of the front end of the front portion;
- a fixing rod protruding from the front end of the front portion and locating at a lateral side of the pivotal portion with a distance;
- a passage being defined through the mounting seat and coaxially extending through the pivotal portion;
- a reception hole being defined in an outer periphery of the front portion;
- a driving shaft having a rear end defined a circular receiving space therein;
- the receiving space being for receiving the front portion;
- a ratchet portion with multiple teeth being circularly distributed on an inner periphery of the receiving space;
- a pivotal hole being recessed from a bottom of the receiving space for pivotably receiving the pivotal portion;
- a screwed hole being recessed from a bottom of the pivotal hole;
- a function end being defined on a front end of the driving shaft;
- two pawls being respectively located in the first and second slots and being located symmetrically in opposite directions to each other with respect to the mounting seat;
- a front end of each pawl having an engaging portion with multiple teeth for engaging with the teeth of the ratchet portion;
- each pawl having a cylindrical pivot with two ends protruding from two lateral sides of a rear end of each pawl;
- each pawl having a contact portion;
- one end of the cylindrical pivots of the two pawls being respectively pivotably inserted into the first and second holes so that the engaging portions of the two pawls are rotatable to engage with the ratchet portion;
- the engaging portions of the two pawls being respectively located in the first and second slots, and the contact portions of the two pawls being respectively located in the first and second extension slots;
- two springs being respectively located in the first and second slots for providing elastic forces to pivot the two pawls to engage with the teeth of the ratchet portion by the teeth of the engaging portions;
- one spring in the first slot being biased between an inside of the first slot and one pawl corresponding thereto, and the other spring in the second slot being biased between an inside of the second slot and the other pawl corresponding thereto;
- a fixing ring having a through hole, two apertures and a positioning hole;
- the fixing ring being connected to the front side of the mounting seat and fixedly mounted on the pivotal portion;
- the other ends of the cylindrical pivots of the two pawls being pivotably inserted into the two apertures respectively;
- the positioning hole being engaged with the fixing rod;
- a ring shaped control member being rotatably mounted on an outer periphery of the front portion and having a mounting hole defined therethrough;
- the mounting hole being for the front portion penetrating;
- at least one push portion extending from an inner wall of an inner space of the mounting hole;
- the inner wall of the inner space having three positioning slots defined thereon;
- wherein when the control member being rotated clockwise with respect to the mounting seat from a second position to a first position, the at least one push portion pivoting the pawl in the second slot to compress one spring and remove the teeth of the engaging portion of one pawl in the second slot from the teeth of the ratchet portion so that the driving shaft being freely rotated counter clockwise relative to the mounting seat;
- wherein when the control member being rotated counter clockwise with respect to the mounting seat from the second position to a third position, the at least one push portion pivoting the pawl in the first slot to compress the other spring and removes the teeth of the engaging portion of the pawl in the first slot from the teeth of the ratchet portion so that the driving shaft is freely rotated clockwise relative to the mounting seat;
- wherein when the control member being at the second position with respect to the mounting seat, the teeth of the engaging portions of the two pawls engaging with the teeth of the ratchet portion so that the driving shaft is rotatable clockwise and counter clockwise together with the mounting seat;
- a bead being axially and movably located in the reception hole;
- a positioning spring being located in the reception hole to elastically push the bead outward to engage with the three positioning slots respectively so as to position the control member at the first, second and third positions with respect to the mounting seat respectively, and
- a bolt being inserted into the passage;
- one end of the bolt defined a screwed portion thereon to be screwed with the screwed hole of the driving shaft so as to restrict the driving shaft from being separated from the mounting seat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.