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US 6,039,231 AGranted
Adjustable energy control valve for a fastener driving device
AssigneeStanley Fastening Systems, L.P.
InventorBrian M. White
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pneumatic fastener driving device includes an energy control assembly constructed and arranged with respect to a passageway leading to a piston pressure chamber to be manually movable between (1) a first position wherein the passageway is opened fully to communicate a pressure reservoir with the piston pressure chamber thereby permitting the air under pressure to communicate with the piston pressure chamber to provide maximum energy to a drive piston and (2) a second position wherein the passageway is at least partially closed restricting a flow of the air under pressure from the pressure reservoir to the piston pressure chamber thereby reducing energy to the piston while the air under pressure is maintained at a predetermined pressure value.
Claims15
A pneumatic driving device to be connected with a pressure line comprising:
- a housing assembly including a main body portion defining a cylindrical drive chamber therein and a handle portion extending transversely from the main body portion for enabling a user to manually move the housing assembly in a portable fashion, said handle portion defining a pressure reservoir for storing a source of air under pressure at a predetermined pressure value from the pressure line, said housing assembly defining a fastener drive track;
- a reciprocal drive piston slidably sealingly mounted in said cylindrical drive chamber for movement through repetitive cycles each of which includes a drive stroke, during which the drive piston is moved through an entire length of said cylindrical drive chamber by a volume of the stored source of air under pressure within said pressure reservoir, and a return stroke;
- a fastener driving element operatively connected to said piston and mounted in said fastener drive track for movement therein through a fastener impacting drive stroke in response to the drive stroke of the piston and a fastener impacting return stroke in response to the return stroke of the piston;
- a magazine assembly carried by said housing assembly for receiving a supply of fasteners and feeding successive fasteners into said fastener drive track to be driven therefrom by said fastener driving element during the fastener impacting drive stroke;
- a power control assembly carried by said housing assembly for effecting the fastener impacting drive stroke of said fastener driving element;
- a piston pressure chamber communicating with an end of said drive chamber;
- a main valve disposed to seal said piston pressure chamber from said pressure reservoir and being movable during actuation of said pneumatic driving device to a position permitting said piston pressure chamber and said pressure reservoir to communicate;
- surfaces defining a passageway within said housing assembly for communicating the volume of said stored source of air under pressure in said pressure reservoir with said piston pressure chamber;
- and
- a variably adjustable energy control assembly including a movable structure separate and independently controllable from said main valve, said movable structure disposed between said pressure reservoir and said piston pressure chamber and remaining fixed during said actuation of said pneumatic driving device to form a fixed restriction in said passageway through which the volume of said stored source of air under pressure travels, said movable structure being movable prior to said actuation of said pneumatic driving device to variably adjust said restriction in said passageway prior to said actuation, said movable structure being movable with respect to said passageway between (1) a maximum energy position wherein said restriction in said passageway is opened a maximum extent to communicate the volume of said stored source of air under pressure with said piston pressure chamber to provide maximum energy to said piston during the drive stroke of the piston, (2) intermediate energy positions wherein said restriction in said passageway is at least partially closed in comparison with said maximum energy position thereby restricting a flow of the volume of said stored source of air under pressure from said pressure reservoir to said piston pressure chamber so as to provide intermediate amounts of energy to said piston during the drive stroke of the piston while the air under pressure is maintained at said predetermined pressure value, and (3) a minimum energy position wherein said restriction in said passageway is opened to a minimum extent thereby minimizing the flow of the volume of said stored source of air under pressure from said pressure reservoir to said piston pressure chamber so as to provide a minimum amount of energy to said piston during the drive stroke of the piston while the air under pressure is maintained at said predetermined pressure value,
- said energy control assembly being selectively adjustable from said maximum position to said intermediate positions and to said minimum position in instances in which maximum energy for the fastener impacting drive stroke is not required so as to 1) adjustably reduce an amount of energy absorbed by said fastener driving device during said fastener impacting drive stroke of the fastener driving element in order to prolong the life of said fastener driving device, and 2) adjustably reduce an amount of energy imparted to said fasteners during said fastener impacting drive stroke so as to reduce a depth to which said fasteners are driven into a workpiece, without requiring a change of said pressure line.
8 more elements
A pneumatic fastener driving device to be connected with a pressure line, comprising:
- a housing assembly including a main body portion defining a cylindrical drive chamber therein and a handle portion extending transversely from the main body portion for enabling a user to manually move the housing assembly in portable fashion, said handle portion defining a pressure reservoir for storing a source of air under pressure at a predetermined pressure value from the pressure line, said housing assembly defining a fastener drive track;
- a reciprocal drive piston slidably sealingly mounted in said cylindrical drive chamber for movement through repetitive cycles each of which includes a drive stroke, during which the drive piston is moved through an entire length of said cylindrical drive chamber by a volume of the stored source of air under pressure within said pressure reservoir, and a return stroke;
- a fastener driving element operatively connected to said piston and mounted in said fastener drive track for movement therein through a fastener impacting drive stroke in response to the drive stroke of the piston and a fastener impacting return stroke in response to the return stroke of the piston;
- a magazine assembly carried by said housing assembly for receiving a supply of fasteners and feeding successive fasteners into said fastener drive track to be driven therefrom by said fastener driving element during the fastener impacting drive stroke;
- a piston pressure chamber communicating with an end of said drive chamber;
- a power control assembly carried by said housing assembly including a main valve assembly movable during actuation of said pneumatics driving device from a closed position preventing communication between said pressure reservoir and said piston pressure chamber and an open position permitting communication between said pressure reservoir and said piston pressure chamber for effecting the fastener drive stroke of said fastener driving element;
- surfaces defining a passageway within said housing assembly for communicating the volume of said stored source of air under pressure in said pressure reservoir with said piston pressure chamber;
- and
- a variably adjustable energy control assembly disposed within said passageway so as to be generally between said piston pressure chamber and said main valve assembly, said energy control assembly including a movable structure which is separate and independently controllable from said main valve, said movable structure being disposed between said pressure reservoir and said piston pressure chamber and remaining fixed during said actuation of said pneumatic driving device to form a fixed restriction in said passageway through which the volume of the stored source of air travels, said movable structure being movable prior to said actuation of said pneumatic driving device to variably adjust said restriction in said passageway prior to said actuation, said movable structure being movable with respect to said passageway between (1) a maximum energy position wherein said restriction in said passageway is opened a maximum extent to communicate the volume of said stored source of air under pressure with said piston pressure chamber to provide maximum energy to said piston during the drive stroke of the piston, (2) intermediate energy positions wherein the restriction in said passageway is at least partially closed in comparison with said maximum energy position thereby restricting a flow of the volume of said stored source of air under pressure from said pressure reservoir to said piston pressure chamber so as to provide intermediate amounts of energy to said piston during the drive stroke of the piston while the air under pressure is maintained at said predetermined pressure value, and (3) a minimum energy position wherein said restriction in said passageway is opened to a minimum extent thereby minimizing the flow of the volume of said stored source of air under pressure from said pressure reservoir to said piston pressure chamber so as to provide a minimum amount of energy to said piston during the drive stroke of the piston while the air under pressure is maintained at said predetermined pressure value,
- said energy control assembly being adjustable from said maximum position to said intermediate positions and to said minimum position in instances in which maximum energy for fastener impacting drive stroke is not required so as to 1) adjustably reduce an amount of energy absorbed by said fastener driving device during said fastener impacting drive stroke of the fastener driving element in order to prolong the life of said fastener driving device, and 2) adjustably reduce an amount of energy imparted to said fasteners during said fastener impacting drive stroke so as to control a depth to which said fasteners are driven into a workpiece, without requiring a change of said pressure line.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.