Metal deforming – By or with work-constrainer and/or manipulated work-forcer
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-25
2004-01-20
Tolan, Ed (Department: 3725)
Metal deforming
By or with work-constrainer and/or manipulated work-forcer
C072S453010, C072S705000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06679092
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an equipment for correcting a surface of a sheet metal material for an automobile or an automobile sheet metal surface correcting equipment adapted to push or pull a surface of a sheet metal material to correct roughness or ruggedness of the surface such as deformation thereof, strain thereof or the like, and more particularly to an automobile sheet metal surface correcting equipment which is adapted to actuate an impact wrench mechanism by means of compressed air fed from an air supply means such as, for example, an air compressor or the like thereto to retractably operate a piston arranged in a cylinder thereof, to thereby correct ruggedness of the automobile sheet metal surface.
An equipment which has been conventionally used for repairing roughness or ruggedness generated on a surface of a sheet metal material of an automobile due to a traffic accident or the like is constructed in such a manner as shown in either FIGS.
27
(A),
27
(B) and
29
or FIGS.
28
(A),
28
(B) and
30
. The conventional equipment generally designated at reference numeral
300
in FIGS.
27
(A),
27
(B) and
29
is constructed in such a manner that a handle
311
of a hydraulic pump
310
connected through a high pressure hose
303
to a cylinder
301
in which a piston
302
is movably received is operated to extend the piston
302
from the cylinder
301
, resulting in an inward projection
350
generated on a sheet metal surface of an automobile
200
being pushed out through an attachment
155
attached to a distal end of the piston
302
. The conventional equipment generally designated at reference numeral
400
in FIGS.
28
(A),
28
(B) and
30
is so constructed that a handle
311
of a hydraulic pump
310
connected through a high pressure hose
303
to a cylinder
401
having a piston
402
movably received therein is operated to retract the piston
402
into the cylinder
401
, resulting in a depression
351
generated on a metal sheet surface of an automobile
200
being forced out.
Unfortunately, the prior art encounters some important disadvantages.
More particularly, in order to smoothly carry out sheet metal working for an automobile, it is required to prepare two kinds of sheet metal surface correcting equipments or such a sheet metal surface correcting equipment as shown in
FIGS. 27 and 29
exclusively used for force out a projection on a sheet metal surface of an automobile and that as shown in
FIGS. 28 and 30
exclusively used for pulling out a depression on the sheet metal surface. This causes metal sheet operation or working to be highly troublesome and expensive because two such sheet metal surface correcting equipments must be selectively applied depending on properties of the sheet metal surface.
Another disadvantage of the prior art is that there is a likelihood of causing oil to leak from the hydraulic pump during sheet metal working, leading to contamination of the automobile with the oil.
Further, the prior art renders separation of the high pressure hose from the hydraulic pump during pressurization highly difficult, to thereby fail to move or shift the hydraulic pump, so that smooth sheet metal working may not be ensured.
Moreover, the prior art is highly laborious because of requiring two workers or one for positioning the distal end of the piston on a portion of the metal sheet surface to be corrected and the other for carrying out pressurizing operation by means of the hydraulic pump.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing disadvantages of the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automobile sheet metal surface correcting equipment which is capable of solely selectively carrying out pushing or pulling of a sheet metal surface depending on properties of the sheet metal surface.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automobile sheet metal surface correcting equipment which is capable of effectively preventing contamination of an automobile during sheet metal working.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automobile sheet metal surface correcting equipment which is capable of permitting an air hose for connecting a compressed air feed means and the sheet metal surface correcting equipment to each other therethrough to be separated from the latter in the course of advancing or retracting of a piston, to thereby facilitate correction of a site or portion of a sheet metal surface to be corrected, even when the portion requires that alignment between the piston and the portion of the surface is carried out from an inside of the metal sheet.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an automobile sheet metal surface correcting equipment which is capable of permitting only one worker to rapidly carry out both operation of positioning a distal end of a piston on a portion of a sheet metal surface to be corrected and operation of advancing or retracting the piston, resulting in facilitating sheet metal working.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an automobile sheet metal surface correcting equipment which is capable of adequately withstanding a load during sheet metal drawing operation or working which readily causes the load to be applied to a housing of the equipment.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an automobile sheet metal surface correcting equipment which is capable of being portable and compact in structure.
In accordance with the present invention, an automobile sheet metal surface correcting equipment is provided. The automobile sheet metal surface correcting equipment includes a housing having an air flow path means switchably arranged therein, an air introduction means provided therein with air introduction passages for introducing compressed air into the housing therethrough, an impact wrench mechanism arranged in the housing and actuated by means of compressed air fed through the air introduction means into the housing, a screw bolt having rotating force applied thereto from the impact wrench mechanism, and a piston mechanism including a cylinder and a piston movably arranged in the cylinder in a retractable manner in association with rotation of the screw bolt, whereby the air flow path means in the housing is changed over to retractably move the piston of the piston mechanism, resulting in a metal sheet surface being corrected.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the impact wrench mechanism includes an air motor actuated by means of compressed air fed to the housing and an impact wrench actuated by the air motor. Also, a rotation direction changing-over valve is arranged for changing over the air flow path means, to thereby change over a direction of rotation of the air motor of the impact wrench mechanism. The air flow path means includes a first air flow path and a second air flow path which are changed over by the rotation direction changing-over valve. Such construction permits a direction of rotation of the air motor to be changed over to actuate the piston of the piston mechanism, to thereby correct the sheet metal surface.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, holding bolts are arranged for mounting a cover means on each of end surfaces of the housing to close the end surface, whereby the air flow path means in the housing is changed over during actuation of the impact wrench mechanism to actuate the piston of the piston mechanism, resulting in correcting the sheet metal surface.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, holding bolts are arranged for mounting a cover means on each of end surfaces of the housing to close the end surface, whereby a direction of rotation of the air motor is changed over to actuate the piston of the piston mechanism, to thereby correct the sheet metal surface.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the air introduction means includes a handle having the air introduction passages formed therein. The handle
Star Co., Ltd.
Steinberg & Raskin, P.C.
Tolan Ed
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