CN212350140U - Crimping tool - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application relates to a crimp tool comprising a crimp ring, a driver and a male member. The crimp ring has free ends that are movable relative to each other. The driver has a drive end configured to drive the crimp ring by the drive end engaging a free end of the crimp ring. The male member is movably connected to or fitted in one of the free end portion and the driving end portion and is engageable with a recess provided on the other of the free end portion and the driving end portion. The male member is shaped such that the driver can drive the crimp ring at an angle relative to a plane in which the crimp ring lies.

Description

Crimping tool

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a crimping tool, and more particularly to a crimping tool for crimping, for example, a fitting.

Background

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Pipes are common components in transportation systems for transporting fluids such as water, oil, etc. When joining pipe fittings, a crimping tool is often used to crimp and lock the pipe fitting interface. The crimping tool includes a crimp ring for crimping the fitting and a driver for driving the crimp ring. When the fitting is crimped, the driver engages the crimp ring and drives the crimp ring closed.

Typically, after the driver is engaged with the crimp ring, the driver is restricted from movement relative to the crimp ring, particularly from swinging in the direction of the central axis of the crimp ring. Therefore, in a limited operation space, the operation of the driver is limited.

Even if the driver is able to move within a small range relative to the crimp ring in some crimp tools, sliding friction may be generated. The wear of the driver and the crimp ring is severe and the frictional wear is large.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

It is an object of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure to provide a crimping tool that is flexible to handle and reduces friction loss.

It is another object of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure to provide a crimping tool that is structurally simplified and/or cost-effective.

To achieve one or more of the above objects, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a crimp tool including a crimp ring, a driver, and a male member. The crimp ring has free ends that are movable relative to each other. The driver has a drive end configured to drive the crimp ring by the drive end engaging a free end of the crimp ring. The male member is movably connected to or fitted in one of the free end portion and the driving end portion and is engageable with a recess provided on the other of the free end portion and the driving end portion. The male member is shaped such that the driver can drive the crimp ring at an angle relative to a plane in which the crimp ring lies.

According to the crimping tool of the present disclosure, since the engagement of the male member with the female portion during crimping enables the driver to drive the crimp ring at an angle with respect to the plane in which the crimp ring is located (i.e., at a position inclined with respect to the plane in which the crimp ring is located), the operation of the crimping tool (particularly, the operation of the driver) becomes flexible, increasing the operable space.

Furthermore, since the male member is movable, e.g., rolled or rotated, friction losses can be significantly reduced during operation of the crimping tool, thereby improving the working efficiency of the crimping tool.

In some examples, the cam has an at least partially spherical outer surface. The spherical male member facilitates engagement with the female portion at different angular positions. Moreover, the spherical male member is easy to manufacture.

In some examples, the male member is connected to the free end of the crimp ring via a connector, and the female portion is disposed on the drive end of the driver.

The male member has a central through hole allowing the connector to pass through.

In some examples, each of the free ends includes opposing lugs extending therefrom, and apertures are provided in the opposing lugs for receiving the connectors. The male part may be located between the lugs, whereby space may be saved.

In some examples, the crimping tool further comprises a retainer for retaining the connector on the lug. For example, the retainer may be a snap ring. In this way, the male member may be detachably connected to the crimp ring, which facilitates replacement of the male member.

In some examples, the connector is a pin provided with a groove at each end thereof, and the snap ring engages the groove outside the lug.

In some examples, the free end of the crimp ring is provided with a receiving portion for receiving the male member. By providing a receptacle, a well-stabilized positioning of the male part is possible and thereby facilitating alignment between the drive end of the driver and the free end of the crimp ring. Furthermore, the connection structure of the male member to the driver or the crimp ring can be simplified.

In some examples, the crimping tool further comprises a retaining device for retaining the male member within the receptacle.

In some examples, the retaining device is annular and has an inner diameter that is less than an outer diameter of the boss.

In some examples, the crimping tool further comprises a fastener for securing the retaining device to the free end.

In some examples, the drive end of the driver is provided with a receiving portion for receiving the male member.

In some examples, the receptacle has a rim for retaining the male member within the receptacle, the rim being formed by a shrinking process after the male member is fitted in the receptacle. In this example, only the edge of the receiving portion needs to be processed to be small in size, and thus a holder, a connecting member, and the like can be omitted, making the structure simpler.

In some examples, the crimping tool further includes a nut for retaining the male member in the receptacle, the nut being threadably engaged with the receptacle. Through the nut, make crimping tool's dismouting simpler.

In some examples, the nut has a cylindrical portion and a stop. The cylindrical portion is provided with an internal thread. The stopper portion extends radially inward from one end of the cylindrical portion to retain the male member in the receiving portion. The accommodating portion is provided at an edge thereof with an external thread engaged with the internal thread of the cylindrical portion.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the specific examples and embodiments described in this section are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Drawings

The drawings described in this section are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

Fig. 1A to 1C are a perspective view, a cross-sectional view, and a partially exploded view, respectively, of a crimping tool according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the crimp ring and the driver are in an unengaged, uncrimped state.

Fig. 2A and 2B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of a crimping tool according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the crimp ring and the driver are in an engaged but un-crimped state.

Fig. 3A and 3B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of a crimping tool according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the crimp ring and the driver are in an engaged and crimped state.

Fig. 4A-4C illustrate different operating positions of the driver of the crimp tool relative to the crimp ring, respectively, according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5A to 5C are a perspective view, a cross-sectional view, and a partially exploded view, respectively, of a crimp tooling according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the crimp ring and driver are in an unengaged, uncrimped state.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional schematic view of a crimp tool according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the crimp ring and driver are in an unengaged, uncrimped state.

Fig. 7A-7C are schematic diagrams illustrating edge shaping of the receptacle of the actuator of fig. 6.

Fig. 8A and 8B are a partial cross-sectional view and an exploded schematic view, respectively, of a variation of the drive end of the driver of fig. 6.

Detailed Description

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, like reference numerals indicate like or identical parts or features.

A crimping tool 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to fig. 1A to 4C. Fig. 1A to 1C show the structure of a crimping tool 10; fig. 2A to 3B show a state in which the driver 10B is engaged with the crimp ring 10A and drives the crimp ring 10A; fig. 4A-4C illustrate different operating positions of the driver 10B relative to the crimp ring 10A.

As shown in fig. 1A to 1C, the crimping tool 10 includes a crimp ring 10A and a driver 10B. The crimp ring 10A is configured to crimp workpieces such as pipe fittings together. The driver 10B is configured to drive the crimp ring 10A closed for crimping.

The crimp ring 10A includes an annular body 110 having a central axis a 1. The annular body 110 lies substantially in a plane P perpendicular to the central axis a 1. Thus, the plane P refers to the plane in which the crimp ring 10A lies. The annular body 110 comprises three arcuate segments 111, 112 and 113. The arcuate section 111 is pivotably connected to the arcuate section 112 via a pivot 114, and the arcuate section 112 is pivotably connected to the arcuate section 113 via a pivot 115. The free end 111a of the arc-shaped section 111 and the free end 113a of the arc-shaped section 113 constitute both free ends of the crimp ring 10A.

The free ends of the crimp ring 10A may move relative to each other. The free end 111a of the arcuate segment 111 is movable away from the free end 113a of the arcuate segment 113, thereby opening the crimp ring 10A to receive or remove a workpiece, and movable toward the free end 113a of the arcuate segment 113, thereby closing the crimp ring 10A to crimp the workpiece.

The driver 10B includes a first driving arm 131 and a second driving arm 133. The first drive arm 131 and the second drive arm 133 are connected together by an intermediate member 132. The first drive arm 131 is pivotably connected to the intermediate member 132 via a pivot 134, and the second drive arm 133 is pivotably connected to the intermediate member 132 via a pivot 135. When the driver 10B drives the crimp ring 10A, on the opposite side of the intermediate member 132 from the crimp ring 10A, a driving roller (not shown) moves between the first and second driving arms 131 and 133 toward the crimp ring 10A, so that the first and second driving arms 131 and 133 rotate about the pivot shafts 134 and 135, respectively, thereby driving the free end portions of the crimp ring 10A to close.

The first drive arm 131 has a drive end 131a for driving the free end 111a of the press ring 10A. The second drive arm 133 has a drive end 133a for driving the free end 113a of the press ring 10A. As the first and second drive arms 131 and 133 rotate about the pivot shafts 134 and 135, respectively, the drive end portions 131a and 133a can move away from each other to release the crimp ring 10A and can move toward each other to drive the crimp ring 10A closed.

To facilitate driving and operation of the crimping tool 10, a male member 150 is provided between the driving end 131a and the free end 111a and between the driving end 133a and the free end 113 a. The male member 150 is configured to: allowing the driver 10B to drive the crimp ring 10A at different operating angles relative to the plane P (i.e., the plane perpendicular to the central axis a 1) and also roll or rotate to reduce friction losses when crimped.

Conventional crimping tools allow the driver to drive the crimp ring only in plane P (i.e., at an angle of 0 relative to plane P). In contrast, the present crimping tool 10 also allows the driver 10B to drive the crimp ring 10A at an angle relative to the plane P (i.e., at an oblique position relative to the plane P).

In the example shown in fig. 1A-4C, the male member 150 is connected to or mounted at the free end 111A of the arcuate segment 111 and the free end 113a of the arcuate segment 113 of the crimp ring 10A. The driving end portion 131a of the first driving arm 131 and the driving end portion 133a of the second driving arm 133 are respectively provided with a concave portion 136 engageable with the convex member 150. When crimping a workpiece, the female portions 136 of the driving end portions 131a, 133a engage the male members 150 at the free end portions 111a, 113a, respectively, thereby driving the free end portions 111a, 113 a.

Since the structures at the two free end portions 111a and 113a are the same, only one free end portion 111a will be described below.

The free end portion 111a of the crimp ring 10A has lugs 166 extending outward from both axial end faces, respectively. The male member 150 is connected between the lugs 166 of the free end 111a by means of the pin 152 as a connecting member.

The male member 150 may have a spherical or partially spherical outer surface. The recess 136 may have a partially spherical inner surface for engaging the outer surface of the male member 150. The inner diameter of recess 136 may be equal to or greater than the outer diameter of male member 150.

The male member 150 may also have a central through hole 1502 for receiving the pin 152. An aperture 167 is provided in the lug 166 for receiving the pin 152. The male member 150 is attached to the free end 111a of the crimp ring 10A by inserting the pin 152 into the central through hole 1502 of the male member 150 and the aperture 167 of the lug 166.

To secure or retain pin 152 to lug 166, a snap ring 154 may be provided as a retainer. The end of the pin 152 may be provided with a groove 1522 that engages the snap ring 154. After inserting pin 152 into aperture 167 of lug 166 and central through-hole 1502 of male member 150, snap ring 154 is engaged in groove 1522 on the outside of lug 166, thereby preventing pin 152 and male member 150 from falling out of crimp ring 10A.

After male member 150 is mounted to free end 111a of crimp ring 10A, male member 150 can be rotated relative to pin 152, and/or pin 152 can be rotated relative to lug 166.

The operation of the crimping tool 10 is described below with reference to fig. 2A to 3B. Fig. 2A and 2B show the crimp ring 10A and the driver 10B in a state of engagement ready for crimping; fig. 3A and 3B show a state in which the driver 10B drives the crimp ring 10A to close to complete crimping.

Prior to crimping, the crimp ring 10A and driver 10B are in an unengaged position. At this time, the crimping ring 10A is opened by the action of the torsion springs at the pivots 114 and 115 to receive the workpiece to be crimped. Accordingly, the driving ends 131a and 133a of the driver 10B are also distant from each other.

When it is desired to crimp a workpiece, the driver 10B is moved toward the crimp ring 10A and the female portions 136 of the driving ends 131a and 133a of the driver 10B are engaged with the male members 150 at the free ends 111a and 113a of the crimp ring 10A, respectively, as shown in fig. 2A and 2B.

After the concave portions 136 of the driving ends 131a and 133a are engaged with the convex member 150, a force is applied to the first driving arm 131 and the second driving arm 133 of the driver 10B to rotate them about the pivots 134 and 135, respectively, i.e., to move the driving ends 131a and 133a toward each other. The free ends 111a and 113a of the crimp ring 10A are also moved toward each other to crimp the workpiece under the drive of the drive ends 131a and 133 a. Normally, when the free end portions 111a and 113A are driven to abut against each other, that is, when the crimp ring 10A is completely closed, the crimping work is completed, as shown in fig. 3A and 3B.

During crimping, the arcuate segments of crimp ring 10A close about central axis a 1. Because male member 150 according to the present disclosure may be rotatable relative to crimp ring 10A, for example, male member 150 may be rotated relative to pin 152, or male member 150 and pin 152 may be rotated together relative to crimp ring 10A, friction wear may be significantly reduced and thus the operating efficiency of crimp tool 10 may be improved. In this way, the life of male member 150 may be extended. In some instances, the male member 150 may also rotate relative to the female portion 136 to some extent, again reducing frictional wear therebetween and increasing the operating efficiency of the crimping tool 10.

According to the crimp tooling 10 of the present disclosure, since the male member 150 has a spherical outer surface, the driver 10B can be operated at different positions relative to the crimp ring 10A. Different operating positions of the driver 10B are described below with reference to fig. 4A to 4C. In fig. 4A, the driver 10B is tilted or swung toward the inside of the paper with respect to the crimp ring 10; in fig. 4B, driver 10B is substantially in the same plane (i.e., plane P) as crimp ring 10; in fig. 4C, the driver 10B is tilted or swung outward in the paper with respect to the crimp ring 10.

The spherical recess 136 of driver 10B is engageable with the spherical male member 150 at a position where driver 10B is at an angle relative to a plane perpendicular to the central axis a1 (plane P as shown in fig. 1A). When the angle is 0, the driver 10B is coplanar with the crimp ring 10A, i.e., both in plane P, as shown in fig. 4B. If the angle is greater than 0 but equal to or less than 90 degrees, the driver 10B is inclined in one direction with respect to the plane P, for example, as shown in fig. 4C. If the angle is less than 0 but equal to or greater than-90 degrees, the driver 10B is tilted in the opposite direction with respect to the plane P, for example, as shown in fig. 4A. It will be appreciated that the angle may be set as desired.

As described above, since the driver 10B can swing left and right with respect to the crimp ring 10A during operation, the operation of the driver 10B becomes flexible. In other words, the driver 10B can engage the crimp ring 10A at a desired angle relative to the crimp ring 10A and drive the crimp ring 10A. In this way, the driver 10B is no longer limited to operating in the plane P, which is particularly advantageous for certain confined spaces.

A crimping tool 20 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to fig. 5A to 5C. The crimp tooling 20 includes a crimp ring 20A and a driver 20B. The crimp ring 20A has free ends 211a and 213a that are movable relative to each other. The driver 20B has driving ends 231a and 233a movable relative to each other. When the crimping tool 20 crimps the workpiece, the female portions 236 of the driving ends 231a and 233a engage the male members 250 fitted over the free ends 211a and 213a and thereby drive the crimp ring 20A closed.

The driver 20B of the crimping tool 20 is identical in structure to the driver 10B of the crimping tool 10 and therefore the driver 20B of the crimping tool 20 will not be described again.

The crimp tooling 20 differs from the crimp tooling 10 in the configuration of the free end of the crimp ring and the male member. The structure of the crimping tool 20 different from that of the crimping tool 10 will be described below.

As shown in fig. 5A-5C, the crimp ring 20A of the crimp tooling 20 includes three arcuate segments 211, 212, and 213. The two ends of the arc-shaped section 212 are pivotally connected to the arc-shaped sections 211 and 213, respectively. The free end 211a of the arc segment 211 and the free end 213a of the arc segment 213 constitute the two free ends of the crimp ring 20A. The free ends of the crimp ring 20A may be moved relative to each other to open and close the crimp ring 20A.

The free ends 211a and 213a of the crimp ring 20A include radially outwardly extending protrusions 2112 and 2132, respectively. The protrusions 2112 and 2132 are each provided with a receiving portion 2114 for receiving the male member 250. Preferably, the receptacle 2114 may have an inner surface that mates with an outer surface of the male member 250.

The male member 250 is a ball having a spherical outer surface, such as a steel ball. Since steel balls are common parts, the cost of the male member can be reduced. When the male member 250 is placed in the receptacle 2114, the male member 250 protrudes above the surface of the protrusions 2112 and 2132 to engage the recess 236 of the drive 20B.

To retain the male member 250 in the receptacle 2114, a retainer ring 252 may be provided as a retaining means. The retainer ring 252 has an inner diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the male member 250 to retain the male member 250 in the receiving portion 2114.

The crimping tool 20 may also include screws 254 as fasteners for securing the retainer ring 252 to the protrusions 2112 and 2132. Accordingly, a through hole 253 for passing the screw 254 is provided in the retainer ring 252, and a screw hole 2116 for receiving the screw 254 is provided in the protruding portions 2112 and 2132.

The crimping tool 20 has similar operations and advantages to the crimping tool 10 and will not be described in detail herein. In addition, the male members of the crimping tools 10 and 20 described above are each removably attached to or received on the free end of a crimp ring. Thus, the male members of the crimping tools 10 and 20 are easy to remove and install. For example, male member 150 or 250 may be easily replaced when worn severely.

A crimping tool 30 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to fig. 6 to 7C. The crimp tooling 30 differs from the crimp tooling 20 in that the male member is received in the drive end of the driver and the retainer ring is omitted. The structure of the crimping tool 30 different from that of the crimping tool 20 will be described below. The same parts of the crimping tool 30 as the crimping tool 20 will not be described again.

In the example shown in fig. 6, the driving ends 331a and 333a of the driver 30B of the crimping tool 30 are each provided with an accommodating portion 3114 for accommodating the convex piece 350. The male member 350 is received and held in the receiving portion 3114. The free ends 311a and 313a of the crimp ring 30A of the crimp tooling 30 are each provided with a recess 336 that engages the male member 350 during the crimping operation.

Fig. 7A to 7C illustrate a process of forming the receiving portion 3114 of fig. 6. First, the driving end 331a of the driver 30B is processed to form the accommodating portion 3114, as shown in fig. 7A. The receiving portion 3114 may optionally have a partially spherical inner surface. In fig. 7A, the male member 350 has not yet been placed in the receiving portion 3114. Then, the convex piece 350 is placed in the accommodating portion 3114, as shown in fig. 7B. In fig. 7B, the diameter of the edge 3116 of the receptacle 3114 is equal to or greater than the diameter of the male 350 so that the male 350 can be placed in the receptacle 3114. To retain the protrusion 350 in the receiving portion 3114 without falling out of the receiving portion 3114, in fig. 7C, an edge 3116 of the receiving portion 3114 is treated to shrink the edge 3116 until the diameter of the edge 3116 is less than the diameter of the protrusion 350. For example, the edge 3116 of the receptacle 3114 can be creased and then flattened, thereby reducing the size of the edge 3116.

The driving end 333a has the same structure and forming process as the driving end 331a, and will not be described in detail herein.

The crimping tool 30 has similar operations and advantages to the crimping tools 10 and 20 and will not be described in detail herein. In addition, the crimping tool 30 is simpler in structure and easier to manufacture.

Fig. 8A and 8B show a variation of the drive end of the driver of fig. 6. As shown in fig. 8A and 8B, the driving end 431a has a receiving portion 4114 for receiving the male member 450. The male member 450 is received and held in the receiving portion 4114 by the nut 470.

The nut 470 includes a cylindrical portion 472 for connecting to the driving end 431a and a stopper portion 474 for preventing the male member 450 from falling out of the housing portion 4114. The stopper part 474 extends radially inward from one end of the cylindrical part 472 so as to have an inner diameter smaller than that of the convex member 450. The cylindrical portion 472 is provided with internal threads 4722. Accordingly, an edge 4116 of the accommodating portion 4114 of the driving end 431a is provided with an external thread 4112 that is engageable with the internal thread 4722 of the cylindrical portion 472.

After the male member 450 is placed in the receiving portion 4114 of the driving end 431a, the nut 470 is screwed onto the edge 4116 of the receiving portion 4114, thereby holding the male member 450 in the receiving portion 4114. Therefore, in this modification, the nut 470 is very simple to mount and dismount.

It should be understood that the structure of the various components of the crimping tool of the present invention is not limited to the specific examples shown in the drawings, as long as it can achieve the functions described herein. For example, the outer surface of the male member may have a curved shape other than spherical, for example, an ellipsoidal shape. The specific shape or size of the free end of the crimp ring and the drive end of the driver may be varied as desired. The crimp ring may be formed of two sections or more than three sections.

Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments described and illustrated in detail herein, and that other modifications and variations may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Various features of one embodiment may be combined with features of another embodiment without contradiction, or some of the features may be omitted. All such variations and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, all structural and functional equivalents, components or features described herein may be substituted for those described.

Claims (16)

1. A crimping tool, characterized by comprising:

a crimp ring having free ends that are movable relative to each other;

a driver having a drive end configured to drive the crimp ring by the drive end engaging a free end of the crimp ring; and

a male member movably connected to or fitted in one of the free end portion and the drive end portion and engageable with a female portion provided on the other of the free end portion and the drive end portion,

wherein the male member is shaped such that the driver can drive the crimp ring at an angle relative to a plane in which the crimp ring lies.

2. The crimping tool of claim 1, wherein the male member has an at least partially spherical outer surface.

3. Crimp tooling according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the male part is connected to the free end of the crimp ring via a connector and the female part is provided on the drive end of the driver.

4. The crimping tool of claim 3, wherein the male member has a central through hole that allows the connector to pass through.

5. The crimping tool of claim 4, wherein each of the free ends includes opposing lugs extending therefrom, and

the opposed lugs have apertures disposed therein for receiving the connectors.

6. The crimping tool of claim 5, further comprising a retainer for retaining the connector on the lug.

7. The crimping tool of claim 6, wherein the retainer is a snap ring.

8. The crimping tool of claim 7, wherein the connector is a pin provided with a groove at each end thereof, the snap ring engaging the grooves outside the lugs.

9. Crimping tool according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the free end of the crimp ring is provided with a receiving portion for receiving the male part.

10. The crimping tool of claim 9 further comprising a retaining device for retaining the male member within the receptacle.

11. The crimping tool of claim 10, wherein the retaining device is annular and has an inner diameter that is less than an outer diameter of the male member.

12. The crimping tool of claim 11, further comprising a fastener for securing the retaining device to the free end.

13. Crimping tool according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the drive end of the driver is provided with a receiving portion for receiving the male part.

14. The crimping tool of claim 13, wherein the receptacle has an edge for retaining the male member within the receptacle, the edge being formed by a shrinking process after the male member is fitted in the receptacle.

15. The crimping tool of claim 13, further comprising a nut for retaining the male member in the receptacle, the nut being threadably engaged with the receptacle.

16. The crimping tool of claim 15, wherein the nut has a cylindrical portion provided with an internal thread and a stop portion extending radially inward from one end of the cylindrical portion to retain the male member in the receptacle,

the accommodating portion is provided at an edge thereof with an external thread engaged with the internal thread of the cylindrical portion.

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