JP3833488B2 - Power tool handle - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a handle suitable for an electric tool such as a hedge clipper called a hedge trimmer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, the hedge trimmer has two handles on the front side and the rear side of the main body, and grips the front handle on the front side with one hand and the main handle on the rear side with the other hand. The main switch built in the main body is turned on only when the switch levers provided at the same time are turned on at the same time, and the main body is activated, thereby preventing inadvertent malfunctions.
FIG. 7 shows a state where the upper part of the front handle 30 is gripped by one hand H. In general, the front handle 30 includes a fixed lever 31 fixed to the main body and a movable lever 32 that tilts forward and backward with respect to the fixed lever 31. With one hand H, the fixed lever 31 and the movable lever 32 are provided. The movable lever 32 is turned on by tilting the movable lever 32 to the fixed lever 31 side (to the right in FIG. 7) by gripping both of them. Although not shown, a compression spring is interposed between the fixed lever 31 and the movable lever 32, so that the movable lever 32 is spring-biased in a direction away from the fixed lever 31.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such a front handle 30, a conventional user does not bite the skin S (meat) of the hand H gripped between the movable lever and the fixed lever when the movable lever is tilted to the fixed lever side. Therefore, the conventional front handle 30 is not easy to operate. FIG. 7 shows a state where the skin S of the hand H holding the front handle 30 is bitten in the gap D between the fixed lever 31 and the movable lever 32.
The present invention is a handle for an electric power tool, and in a handle in which the movable lever is tilted with respect to the fixed lever, there is a risk that the skin of the hand may be caught in the gap between the fixed lever and the movable lever during the tilting operation. As a result, an object is to provide a handle with excellent operability.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
For this reason, the present invention is a handle having the structure described in the above claims.
According to the handle of the first aspect, the mouth shape of the gap formed between the edge of the fixed lever and the opposing surface of the movable lever is bent into a waveform in which a large number of irregular shapes are repeated in a short cycle. When the handle is gripped and the movable lever is tilted, the skin of the gripped hand is less likely to be bitten into the gap, and the user can operate the handle without worrying about biting of the skin. The operability of the handle can be improved.
According to the handle of the second aspect, it is possible to prevent the biting of the skin more efficiently than the case where the uneven shape has a gentle curved shape.
According to the handle of the third aspect, the skin biting prevention function can be exhibited most effectively.
[0005]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a hedge trimmer as an example of an electric tool. Since the basic configuration of the operation mechanism of the hedge trimmer does not require any change compared to the conventional configuration, the description thereof is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 1, the hedge trimmer 1 includes a main body 2, a main handle 3 provided at the rear of the main body 2, a front handle 4 provided at the front of the main body 2, and a front portion of the main body 2. The blade 5 is provided so as to protrude forward. The main handle 3 includes an upper handle 3 a extending rearward from the upper rear surface of the main body 2 and an annular lower handle 3 b extending rearward from the lower rear surface of the main body 2. An upper switch lever 3c is disposed on the lower surface side of the upper handle 3a, and a lower switch lever 3d is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the lower handle 3b. The upper switch lever 3c is turned on by tilting with the hand holding the upper handle 3a, and the lower switch lever 3d is turned on by tilting with the hand holding the lower handle 3b. A power cord 3e is taken in at the rear end of the upper handle 3a.
[0006]
The front handle 4 includes a fixed lever 10 that is fixed to the lower front portion of the main body 2 and a movable lever 11 that can be tilted back and forth on the rear side of the fixed lever 10. The fixing lever 10 is substantially U-shaped as shown in the drawing, extends obliquely upward from one lower side of the front surface of the main body 2, and is on the other lower side of the front surface of the main body 2 (hidden in the main body 2 in FIG. 1). Has reached.
The movable lever 11 is also substantially U-shaped and is disposed substantially along the fixed lever 10 and is supported so as to be tiltable with its lower end side as the center of tilting. The movable lever 11 is spring-biased in a direction away from the fixed lever 10 (leftward in FIG. 2). The fixed lever 10 and the movable lever 11 (front handle 4) are gripped with one hand, and the movable lever 11 is turned on by tilting it toward the fixed lever 10 (forward) against the spring biasing force. Thus, the fixed lever 10 and the movable lever 11 both having a U-shaped frame shape each have an upper horizontal frame portion along the width direction of the hedge trimmer 1 and two left and right vertical frame portions along the vertical direction. is doing.
[0007]
The user grasps the upper handle 3a or the lower handle 3b of the main handle 3 with one hand, grasps the front handle 4 with the other hand, turns on the upper switch lever 3c or the lower switch lever 3d, When the movable lever 11 is turned on, the main switch built in the main body 2 is turned on, whereby the drive motor built in the main body 2 is activated to operate the blade 5. As described above, the use of the hedge trimmer 1 requires a two-handed operation, thereby preventing an inadvertent malfunction. Note that description of the drive mechanism including the main switch and the drive motor is omitted.
A guard plate 6 is disposed on the front side of the front handle 4 so as to shield the front of the front handle 4. The guard plate 6 prevents a broken edge, such as a hedge, scattered by the cutting operation from scattering to the hand holding the front handle 4 or the user side.
[0008]
Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the fixed lever 10 of the front handle 4 has a U-shaped cross section. When the movable lever 11 enters the inside of the U-shaped part, the movable lever 11 is illustrated in the horizontal direction shown in the figure. Tilt to. A slight gap D1 is formed between the outer peripheral edge 10a of the fixed lever 10 and the outer peripheral surface 11a (upper surface in the drawing) of the movable lever 11 facing the outer peripheral edge 10a. A slight gap D2 is also formed between the inner peripheral edge 10b of the fixed lever 10 and the inner peripheral surface 11b (the lower surface in the drawing) of the movable lever 11 facing the inner peripheral edge 10b. Yes. In the present embodiment, the outer peripheral surface 11a and the inner peripheral surface 11b correspond to the “opposing surface of the movable lever” formed in the claims.
[0009]
On the outer peripheral surface 11a of the horizontal frame portion of the movable lever 11, ridges 11c to 11c having a number of tooth shapes (trapezoidal sections) are formed. Each protrusion 11c extends in the tilting direction (left and right direction in FIG. 2) of the movable lever 11, and the protrusions 11c to 11c extend in the direction in which the horizontal frame portion of the movable lever 11 extends (in FIG. 2, orthogonal to the paper surface). Direction, the width direction of the hedge trimmer 1)) and are arranged in parallel with each other at substantially equal intervals. Due to the protrusions 11c to 11c, the upper surface of the horizontal frame portion of the movable lever 11 is formed in a continuous uneven shape (so-called jagged state).
In the present embodiment, a total of 12 ridges 11c to 11c are formed with a width of about 5 mm and an interval of about 5 mm. However, only the interval at the center is set to about 10 mm.
Corresponding to the protrusions 11c to 11c on the movable lever 11 side, a large number of convex portions 10c to 10c are formed at the rear end edge of the outer peripheral side edge portion 10a in the range of the horizontal frame portion of the fixed lever 10. Yes. Each said protrusion 11c has entered between each convex part 10c, 10c. That is, the protrusions 11c to 11c on the movable lever 11 side and the protrusions 10c to 10c on the fixed lever 10 side are in mesh with each other. Therefore, the mouth shape of the gap D1 between the outer peripheral side edge portion 10a of the fixed lever 10 and the outer peripheral surface 11a of the movable lever 11 in the horizontal frame portion is viewed from the rear as shown in FIG. It is formed in a jagged (uneven shape) waveform that bends up and down at intervals of about 5 mm (as viewed from the direction of the arrow (R)).
[0010]
According to the front handle 4 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the user grips the front handle 4 and turns on the movable lever 11 against the spring bias by strengthening the grip of the gripped hand. When operated, the skin of the hand is prevented from biting into the mouth of the gap D1.
According to the front handle 30 having the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 7, the mouth D of the gap D between the fixed lever 31 and the movable lever 32 has a substantially linear shape. It was easy. In this respect, according to the front handle 4 of the present embodiment, the mouth shape of the gap D1 between the fixed lever 10 and the movable lever 11 is formed in a waveform in which a large number of uneven shapes (jagged shapes) are repeated. As the movable lever 11 moves, the skin S of the hand H is not bitten into the mouth of the gap D1, thereby improving the operability of the front handle 4.
[0011]
Various modifications can be made to the embodiment described above. For example, the trapezoidal protrusions 11c to 11c having a trapezoidal cross section and the trapezoidal convex part 10c corresponding to this are illustrated. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the protrusions 12a to 12a having a rectangular cross section (square, square) on the movable lever 12 side. It is also possible to form the mouth shape of the gap D3 into a waveform in which a square uneven shape mainly composed of a linear component is repeated by a combination of the rectangular (rectangular) convex portions 13a to 13a on the fixed lever 13 side. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the shape of the mouth of the gap D <b> 4 is reduced by a combination of the protrusions 14 to 14 having a circular arc shape on the movable lever 14 side and the arc-shaped protrusions 15 to 15 on the fixed lever 15 side. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which arc-shaped irregularities mainly composed of curved components are formed in a repeated waveform. In the case of the gaps D3 and D4, the same effect (preventing function of biting the skin S of the gripped hand H) can be obtained by setting the concavo-convex shape to be repeated at intervals of about 5 mm to 10 mm. it can.
As shown in FIG. 6, the interval between the convex portion 16a of the fixed handle 16 and the protrusion 17a of the movable handle 17 is about 20 mm or more, and the concave and convex shape of the gap D5 is about 20 mm or more. When the waveform is repeated so that the waveform is not so-called jagged, the biting prevention function is reduced or eliminated.
[0012]
Moreover, although the structure which provides a biting prevention function in the horizontal frame part of the front handle 4 was illustrated, the same biting prevention function is provided in the left and right vertical frame parts or the vertical frame part and the horizontal frame part (almost the entire circumference of the front handle). It is good also as a structure which provides.
Further, the front handle 4 in which the movable handle 11 is located on the front side (rear side) with respect to the fixed handle 10 as viewed from the user side is illustrated, but the present invention may be applied to a handle in which the mutual positions are arranged in reverse. it can. As illustrated, the tilting direction of the movable handle relative to the fixed handle may be forward or rearward, or may be upward or downward, and may be applied to a movable handle that tilts in various directions.
Furthermore, the hedge trimmer is illustrated as an example of an electric tool, but it has a fixed handle and a movable handle that tilts with respect to the fixed handle, and tilts the movable handle toward the fixed handle by gripping both handles with one hand and strengthening the grip. The present invention can be widely applied to a power tool provided with a handle to be operated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of a hedge trimmer as viewed from an obliquely rear side.
2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line (2)-(2) in FIG. 1, and is a vertical cross-sectional view of a front handle. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a view as seen from the direction of the arrow (R) in FIG. 2, and shows another shape of a gap between the fixed handle and the movable handle.
4 is a view as seen from the direction of the arrow (R) in FIG. 2, showing another shape of the gap between the fixed handle and the movable handle. FIG.
5 is a view as seen from the direction of the arrow (R) in FIG. 2, showing another shape of a gap between the fixed handle and the movable handle. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a view showing a gap between a fixed handle and a movable handle, and showing a gap having an uneven shape with a large interval. In the uneven shape of the interval shown in this figure, the biting prevention function of the present invention is not exhibited.
FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which a conventional handle is gripped by hand. This figure shows a state in which the skin S of the gripped hand is bitten in the gap D between the fixed handle and the movable handle.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Hedge trimmer (power tool)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Main-body part 3 ... Main handle, 3a ... Upper handle, 3b ... Lower handle 4 ... Front handle 5 ... Blade 10 ... Fixed lever, 10a ... Outer peripheral side edge, 10c ... Convex part 11 ... Movable lever, 11a ... Outer peripheral surface 11c ... ridge D1 ... upper gap (gap between the outer peripheral surface 11a of the movable lever 11 and the outer peripheral side edge 10a of the fixed lever 10)
30 ... Front handle 31 having a conventional linear gap D ... Fixed lever 32 ... Movable lever H ... Gripped hands D3, D4 ... Gap D of another shape, and having a function of preventing skin biting, D5: Clearance that does not have the function of preventing skin biting

Claims (3)

The handle is provided with a fixed lever provided on the main body of the electric tool and a movable lever provided so as to be tiltable with respect to the fixed lever, and grips both the levers and tilts the movable lever toward the fixed lever. And
A plurality of protrusions extending in the tilting direction of the movable lever are arranged in parallel on the opposing surface of the movable lever that moves relative to the edge of the fixed lever in accordance with the tilting operation of the movable lever. A large number of protrusions meshing with the ridges are provided on the end edge, and the shape of the opening of the gap formed between the end edge of the fixed lever and the opposed surface of the movable lever is repeated in a short cycle. A handle that is bent into a corrugated waveform. The handle according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion has a square cross-sectional shape, the convex portion has a square shape, and the mouth shape of the gap has an uneven shape mainly composed of a linear component. The handle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mouth shape of the gap has a waveform in which the concavo-convex shape is repeated in a short cycle of 5 mm to 10 mm.

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