Screw-feeding apparatus and screw-tightening apparatus with screw-feeding apparatus

A screw-feeding apparatus comprising:

• a base casing configured to be mounted on a screw-tightening apparatus;
• a feeder casing mounted on the base casing such that the feeder casing is movable relative to the base casing in a front-rear direction;
• a wheel rotatably mounted within the feeder casing such that its rotational axis extends in a left-right direction, which is perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and configured such that, when the wheel is rotated in a first rotational direction, the wheel advances a screw strip;
• a wheel forward-direction rotating mechanism configured to rotate the wheel in the first rotational direction for advancing the screw strip and to block rotation of the wheel in a second rotational direction that is opposite of the first rotational direction;
• and
• a wheel-release mechanism configured to temporarily disable the wheel forward-direction rotating mechanism to permit rotation of the wheel in the second rotational direction;
• wherein the rotational axis of the wheel intersects a release button of the wheel-release mechanism.

A screw-feeding apparatus comprising:

• a base casing configured to be mounted on a screw-tightening apparatus;
• a feeder casing mounted on the base casing such that the feeder casing is movable relative to the base casing in a front-rear direction, which is a longitudinal direction of a screw;
• a wheel rotatably mounted inside the feeder casing such that its axial direction extends in a left-right direction, which is perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and configured such that, when the wheel is rotated in a forward direction, the wheel advances a screw strip, which has a plurality of the screws coupled by a connecting strip;
• a wheel forward-direction rotating mechanism configured to rotate the wheel in the forward direction and restrict rotation of the wheel in a reverse direction that is opposite of the forward direction;
• and
• a wheel-release mechanism configured to release the restriction placed by the wheel forward-direction rotating mechanism on rotation of the wheel in the reverse direction;
• wherein the wheel-release mechanism is aligned with the wheel in an up-down direction that is perpendicular to the left-right direction and the front-back direction.