EP0234569A2

EP0234569A2 - Device for making metal wire fastenings, particularly for use in the field of building

Info

Publication number: EP0234569A2
Application number: EP87102663A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nerio Capilupi; Renzo Gazzoli
Original assignee: ASPE Srl
Current assignee: ASPE Srl
Priority date: 1986-02-28
Filing date: 1987-02-25
Publication date: 1987-09-02
Also published as: IT8618103A0; IT1189778B; IT8618103A1; EP0234569A3

Abstract

The device comprises a magazine (1) which is adapted for being supported by the body of the operator. The magazine (1) contains a power supply battery and an electric motor, which can be connected by means of a flexible shaft, housed in a sleeve (6) to a rotatable tool (7). Also housed in the magazine (1) is a space for containing a reel (12) of metal tie wire intended to be unwound as required by the operator.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for making metal wire fastenings, particularly for use in the field of building.
It is known that in many fields of activity it is necessary to couple two or more elements by means of a fastening or tie, made of metal wire: in the field of building, this is the case of, e.g., the steel rods which form the reinforcements for steel reinforced concrete castings.
One widespread fastening method consists of bending a metal wire around the joint to be fastened, then tightening it by twisting its ends with the help of pliers or wire- cutters.
In order to improve the working conditions of the operators, a device has been proposed featuring a pair of rotating tongs propelled by a pneumatic motor which is accommodated in the handle of the tongs, which however has some disadvantageous characteristics, the main ones being its excessive size, which does not allow an operator to reach every position in which it is necessary to work, as often occurs in the case of junctions inside reinforcements for reinforced concrete; its heavy weight which causes an operator to become fatigued very quickly; and its independence in movement is also rather limited.
A second fastening method is also practised, by using previously prepared tie-wires produced according to a configuration which provides a straight portion of metal wire with loops at the two ends: the tie-wires are placed on the joint to be fastened by bending the previously straight portion so as to have the two end loops join, and at this point the tie-wires are tightened by using a manually operated tool comprising a hook which is inserted in the two adjacent loops, arranged at the end of a straight stem with helical grooves on its surface, movable with a helical motion within a handle in which it is retained by a spring; the operator grips the handle of the tool and, after inserting the hook in the adjacent loops, moves the handle so as to rotate the hook and accordingly twist together the ends of the tie-wire by virtue of torsion.
Neither is this method, free from disadvantages, which are mainly constituted by the heavy manual labour required of the operator, with consequent quick fatigue, and the large space which must be available for the movements of the tool which often is not available proximate to the ties or fastenings to be formed.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a device for making metal wire fastenings, particularly for use in the field of building, which allows one to obtain fastenings both in simple metal wire and with previously prepared tie wires having end loops.
Within the above aim, an object of the invention is to ; provide a device which affords optimum conditions of access to any position where a tie of fastening is required.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device for making metal wire fastenings which can be used without burdening the operator with a weight which quickly leads to fatigue.
Another object of the invention is to provide a perfectly independent device, so as to allow the operator the maximum freedom of movement.
A not least object is to provide a device for making metal wire fastenings or ties in which the metal wire is very simply provided to the operator.
The above-cited aim and objects, as well as other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a device for providing fastenings in metal wire, particularly for use in the field of building, according to the invention, characterized in that it comprises a magazine, supportable by the body of an operator, containing motor means and associated power supply means, said motor means being connected to kinematic transmission means, in turn connected to a rotatable tool, adapted for being gripped by an operator and for making metal wire fastenings, within said magazine there being provided a containment space for at least one reel of metal wire intended to be uncoiled and fed to said rotatable tool in order to make metal wire fastenings.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of two preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the invention, illustrated by way of non-limitative example only in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device according to a first aspect of the invention, illustrating the rotatable tool, operated by an operator for fastening together reinforcement rods for reinforced concrete by means of metal wire ties;
Fig. 2 is a perspective detail view of the rotatable tool visible in figure 1; and
Fig. 3 illustrates the device, provided with a rotatable tool according to another aspect of the invention.

With particular reference to the above mentioned figures 1 and 2, the reference numeral 1 indicates the magazine which may advantageously be supported by the body of the operator by means of the shoulder strap 2 inserted in the small plate 3 which is expediently pivoted on the wall of the magazine which is intended to rest against the body of the operator, with the possibility of rotating completely around an axis perpendicular to said wall, so as to have the maximum freedom of movement. A waist belt or strap may also be employed to complete the attachment of the small plate 3 to the body of the operator.
Inside the magazine 1, an electric motor is provided, together with its associated power supply battery, which may be for example of a known rechargeable type and thus is not illustrated in the drawing figures, in which only the attachment 4, for connecting the battery to a charger is illustrated. The magazine is connected by means of the quick-coupling attachment 5 to suitable kinematic transmission means such as a flexible shaft, advantageously contained in a sleeve 6 and adapted for operating, at its free end, the rotatable tool generally indicated by the reference numeral 7, advantageously adapted for being gripped with one hand by the operator to perform, by means of metal wire ties, the fastening together of reinforced concrete reinforcement rods, as will be specified hereinafter.
In the containment sleeve 6 of the flexible shaft, the electric cable 8 is also contained, and is connected, by means of a quick-coupling connection 9, to the power supply circuit of the electric motor contained in the magazine 1, and to the motor operating button 10, located on the tool 7 and therefore accessible by the operator with a finger of the hand holding the rotatable tool 7.
Within the magazine 1, a space is defined, which is protected by the cover 11, and adapted for containing a reel 12 of metal wire 13 which can be inserted into the conveyance conduit 14, connected to the magazine 1 by means of a quick-coupling connection 15, and advantageously contained in the sleeve 6 which encircles the flexible shaft and ends proximate to the rotating tool 7; in this manner the operator can take hold of the end of the wire 13 which projects from the end of the conduit 14, which ends proximate to the tool 7, and pull it outwards to cause a desired length of wire to uncoil from the reel 12 to make a tie or fastening, which will be better described hereinafter.
The tool 7 is now described with particular reference to figure 2, where it is illustrated in a closed and upturned position with respect to the tool 7 illustrated in Figure 1, which is instead in an open position.
Said tool 7 comprises a rod 16, extending within the handle 17, connected at one end by a connection member 16a to the flexible shaft contained in the sleeve 6 and supporting at the other outward end, a sliding collar 18 which supports in turn, two small connecting rods 19 and 20 pivoted at one end to the collar 18 by means of pins 19a and 20a, and connected at the other end to jaws 21 and 22. Said jaws are advantageously shaped at the ends 21a and 22a thereof, to define a pair of tongs and are pivotally connected to the end of the rod 16 by means of pins 21b and 22b or similar connection elements; the sliding of the collar 18 between the two extreme positions which respectively determine the opening and closing conditions of the jaws 21, 22 illustrated in figures 1 and 2 respectively, may be provided manually by acting on a lever 23, against the biasing action of a spring 24 which biases the lever towards an open position of the jaws. The lever 23 is advantageously pivoted to the handle 17 by means of a hinge- like connection 23a and is fitted at the end extending towards the collar 18 with a fork-like element 25, adapted for operating between circumferential projections 18a and 18b provided on the collar 18.
The operation of the device is evident: when it is necessary to perform a fastening such as the one between the reinforcing rods 26 and 27, the operator, who holds the tool 7 in one hand, takes hold of the end of the wire 13, which protrudes from the end of the conveyance conduit 14, located close to rotatable part of the tool 7, with the other hand, and unwinds from the reel 12 such an amount thereof as to be able to make the required wire tie 13a extending around the rods to be fastened together; the operator then brings the tool 7, with the jaws open, towards the wire tie 13a, as illustrated in figure 1, operates the lever 23 so as to determine the closing of the jaws 21a and 22a on the ends of the tie 13a, and presses the button 10 so as to actuate the electric motor, which determines the rotation of the tool 7 via the flexible shaft housed in the sleeve 6. In this manner the wire tie is twisted and thus tightened, until at a certain point, the force required to further twist the tie is greater than the breaking strain of the wire, and hence, the ends of the wire tie break, so that the thus formed wire tie will appear, when the work is over, like the adjacent wire tie 13b (see figure 1).
From what has been described, the great advantages of the invention are immediately apparent, the first of which obviously lies in the reduction in weight and dimensions with respect to the known devices, of the tool which has to be handled by the operator: accordingly, there is an increase in access to awkward positions and a lightness which greatly improves the possibilities of use of the device.
In this regard, the ease with which the metal wire becomes available to the operator is very important, and finally the independence of operation of the device, which allows the operator the maximum freedom of movement, cannot be neglected.
Figure 3 illustrates a device according to the invention, provided with a rotatable tool according to another aspect of the invention, which permits the fastening to be effected with metal wire ties composed of a straight portion provided with a loop at each end.
This tool, generally indicated with the reference numeral 28, comprises a handle 29 inside which extends a rod 30 connected at one end, (not visibile in the figure), to a flexible shaft, contained in the sleeve 31, which connects at one end, by means of the quick-coupling connection 32, to the electric motor provided inside the magazine 1, and is provided, at the other end, with a hook-like element 33.
The sleeve 31 also contains, besides the flexible shaft, the electric cable 34 which is connected by means of the quick-coupling connection 35 to the power supply circuit of the electric motor contained in the magazine 1, and reaches the button 36 for operating the power supply circuit of said motor.
To provide the fastening of the rods 37 and 38, it is sufficient for the operator to bend the initially straight portion 39 of tie wire into a U-shaped configuration, accordingly arranging side by side the two loops 39a and 39b with which the tie wire is provided; at this point the hook 33 is inserted in said loops and is made to rotate by operating the button 36 to actuate the motor, and thus transmit rotary motion to the rod 30 via the flexible shaft housed in the sleeve 31 thus achieving the torsion of the tie and effecting the desired fastening.
It should be noted that this type of tool also imparts to the invention all of the advantages described previously regarding the tool according to the first described aspect of the invention. In particular, the minimal dimensions required for the practical operation of the tool, ensured by the invention, are very important.
It should be stressed that the device according to the invention, by virtue of the presence of the above-described aspects of the tool provided and their easy interchangeability, offers the possibility of making metal wire ties or fastenings according to all the methods provided by the art in the field, i.e.; with the use of coiled tie wire or with lengths of tie wire having loops at their ends.
The invention thus described is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept; moreover, the materials employed, as well as the dimensions and shapes, may be any.

Claims

1. Device for making metal wire fastenings, particularly for use in the field of building, characterized in that it comprises a magazine, supportable by the body of an operator, containing motor means and associated power supply means, said motor means being connected to kinematic transmission means, in turn connected to a rotatable tool, adapted for being gripped by an operator and for making metal wire fastenings, within said magazine there being provided, a containment space for at least one reel of metal wire intended to be uncoiled and fed to said rotatable tool in order to make metal wire fastenings.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said magazine is supportable by the body of an operator by means of straps.

3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said motor means comprises an electric motor, and in that said power supply means comprise electric batteries, adapted for being selectively electrically connected to said electric motor.

4. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said kinematic transmission means comprises a flexible shaft.

5. Device according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the supporting straps of the magazine are connected to a small plate pivoted on the wall of the magazine intended to rest against the body of the operator, with the possibility of rotating completely around an axis which is perpendicular to said wall.

6. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flexible shaft is contained in a sleeve which is adapted for also containing an electric cable which reaches an operating button for the motor, located on the handle of the rotatable tool, the connections of the rotating shaft to the motor shaft and of the electric cable contained in the sleeve to the power supply circuit of the motor being provided by quick-coupling connections at the wall of the magazine intended to arrange itself to the front.

7. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotatable tool provided with a handle comprises a rod which passes inside the handle, connected to an end of the flexible shaft and ending outwards at the other end to support a collar which is slideable along the rod by means of manual operation by the operator, which supports two small counterposed connecting rods connected at one end of two jaws provided at the other end, so as to form a pair of tongs, and pivoted in an intermediate position to the end of the rod.

8. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the collar which is slideable along the rod of the rotatable tool is provided with two circumferential projections inside which a fork-like element is inserted, which fork-like element is pivoted on the handle of the tool and projects adjacent to said handle, so that it can be easily operated by the operator to give rise to the sliding of the collar, there being provided a spring interposed between the handle and the lever which keeps said lever in the position matching the opening of the jaws.

9. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the sleeve of the flexible shaft connected to a rotatable tool with jaws a conveyance conduit for the metal wire is comprised, which wire uncoils from the reel contained in the magazine, connected at one end by means of a quick-coupling connection to said magazine and ending outwards at the other end proximate to the supporting handle of the tool.

10. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotatable tool is provided with a handle, a rod which passes inside the handle, connected at one end to the flexible shaft and provided at the other end with a hook suitable for inserting in loops provided at the two ends of a metal wire previously prepared, arranged side by side as a consequence of the noose-like folding of the wire by the operator around the elements to be fastened.