Pneumatic nail gun with safety control chamber

Abstract

A pneumatic nail gun comprises a working piston connected to a driving ram that is configured to drive in a fastening means and is pressurized by air when a driving process is initiated. A hand-operated trigger and a contact sensor. Simultaneous actuation of the hand-operated trigger and contact sensor activates a first control valve and initiates the driving process if the pressure in a safety control chamber is above a given pressure threshold. A second control valve is configured to be activated upon actuation of the trigger. The safety control chamber is continuously de-aerated via a throttle and is separated from a pressurized casing interior when the second control valve is activated.

Claims

1. A pneumatic nail gun comprising: a working piston connected to a driving ram that is configured to drive in a fastening means and is pressurized by air when a driving process is initiated; a hand-operated trigger and a contact sensor, wherein a simultaneous actuation of the hand-operated trigger and contact sensor activates a first control valve and initiates the driving process if pressure in a safety control chamber is above a given pressure threshold; and a second control valve, configured to be activated upon actuation of the hand-operated trigger; wherein the safety control chamber is continuously dc-aerated via a throttle and is separated from a pressurized casing interior when the second control valve is activated, and wherein the throttle comprises an opening cross section that is dimensioned such that in operation of the pneumatic nail gun with a working pressure, the pressure in the safety control chamber falls below the given pressure threshold in a period of 0.1 seconds to 10 seconds after activation of the second control valve.

2. The pneumatic nail gun according to claim 1, wherein the safety control chamber is de-aerated via the second control valve when the hand-operated trigger is in an un actuated state.

3. The pneumatic nail gun according to claim 1, wherein the throttle is connected to a line which further connects the second control valve with the safety control chamber.

4. The pneumatic nail gun according to claim 3, Wherein the first control valve, the second control valve and the throttle are combined into a valve block.

5. The pneumatic nail gun according to claim 1, wherein the pressure in the safety control chamber acts on a safety valve piston of a safety control valve, and wherein the safety valve piston is configured to close a line Which is aerated or de-aerated when the first control valve is being activated.

6. The pneumatic nail gun according to claim 5, further comprising a spring configured to preload the safety valve piston against the pressure in the safety control chamber.

7. The pneumatic nail gun according to claim 6, further comprising a pilot valve with a control piston, wherein the control piston and the safety valve piston are arranged along a common longitudinal axis.

8. The pneumatic nail gun according to claim 7, wherein the control piston and the safety valve piston are arranged laterally to the working piston.

9. The pneumatic nail gun according to claim 1, further comprising a non-return valve, configured to allow aeration of the safety control chamber when a driving process is initiated.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained in greater detail below based on an exemplary embodiment shown in figures. In the following:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a pneumatic nail gun according to the invention in a partially sectional view;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of a detail with the main valve and pilot valve of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged view of selected elements from FIG. 1 in an operating state;

(5) FIG. 4 illustrates an enlarged view of selected elements from FIG. 1 in an operating state;

(6) FIG. 5 illustrates an enlarged view of selected elements from FIG. 1 in an operating state; and

(7) FIG. 6 illustrates an enlarged view of selected elements from FIG. 1 in an operating state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) First, the most important elements of the compressed air gun 10 will be addressed, partially in the form of an overview, with reference to FIG. 1. The pneumatic nail gun 10 has a handle 12 that is attached to a lower housing part 140 which is closed at the top by a housing cap 142.

(9) The manually-actuated trigger 14 is pivotably mounted around a pivot axis 16 on the housing of the pneumatic nail gun 10 and arranged such that it can be actuated comfortably with the index finger by a user who holds the pneumatic nail gun 10 by the handle 12. Upon this actuation, a switching surface 18 arranged on the top side of the trigger 14 comes into contact with a switching pin 20 of a second control valve 22, moves the switching pin 20 upward, and thereby controls the second control valve 22. Since the control of the second control valve 22 is immediately effectuated by the switching surface 18 securely arranged on the trigger 14, it is independent of the actuation of a contact sensor 24.

(10) The contact sensor 24 protrudes downwardly over the mouth 26 of an outlet tool 28 by a few millimeters. If the pneumatic nail gun 10 is placed onto a workpiece, the contact sensor 24 is displaced upward against the force of a spring (not shown) until it abuts the mouth 26 flush or projects just slightly above the mouth 26. The contact sensor 24 is mechanically coupled to a force transmission element 30 which also moves upward when the contact sensor 24 moves. The force transmission element 30 is movably guided on the housing of the pneumatic nail gun 10 and has a slot 32 through which a guide pin 98 is guided.

(11) Upon an actuation of the contact sensor 24, the force transmission element 30 is displaced upward from the initial position drawn, and in so doing entrains the free end of a lever 36 by a contact pin 34 fastened to the force transmission element 30, whereby the fixed end of the lever 36 is pivotably articulated about a pivot axis 38 in the interior of the trigger 14 and close to its free end. The lever 36 is then arranged approximately parallel to a longitudinal direction of the trigger 14, and its top side functions as a switching surface 40 which, given the joint actuation of the contact sensor 24 and the trigger 14, displaces a switching pin 42 of a first control valve 44 upward and thus controls the first control valve 44.

(12) The outlet tool 28 has a receiver 46, to which a fastening means is fed from a magazine 48. From this position inside the receiver 46, the fastening means—for example a nail, a tack or a staple—is driven in by a driving tappet 50 which is connected to a working piston 52 of the pneumatic nail gun 10. To this end, the working piston 52 is guided in a working cylinder 54. Above the working cylinder 54 and sealingly closing this working cylinder, a main valve 56 is arranged, to the right thereof there being a pilot valve 58 which controls the main valve 56. Details of these elements as well as the associated function of the device will be explained with reference to the enlargement of a section in FIG. 2.

(13) The pilot valve 58 is best discernible in FIG. 2. It has a control piston 94 which is guided in a guide sleeve 96. The lower end of the control piston 94 is sealed by a lower O-ring 100 relative to the guide sleeve 96. In the initial state of the pneumatic nail gun 10, a first control line 82 which is connected to a working volume of the pilot valve 58 is deaerated, and the control piston 94 is located in the shown lower position. In this position, the control piston is retained by the force of a spring 102.

(14) The control piston 94 has, in addition to the lower O-ring 100, a central O-ring 104 and an upper O-ring 106. In the shown lower position of the control piston 94, the upper O-ring 106 seals the control piston 94 against the guide sleeve 96 and closes a connection to a deaeration opening (not shown) connected to the external air. The central O-ring 104 is not sealed, so that a main control line 110 is connected to the housing interior 64 via a radial hole 112 in the guide sleeve 96 and the annular gap 70 between the control piston 94 and guide sleeve 96 running past the central O-ring 104. The main control line 110 is connected via a connection, which is invisible in the sectional plane shown, to the space 72 that terminates in the radial hole 112. The housing interior 64 in the initial state of the pneumatic nail gun 10 is aerated, i.e. connected to a compressed air connection (not shown) and at operating pressure.

(15) The main control line 110 is connected to a space 114 above a main valve actuating member 116 of the main valve 56 such that the main valve actuating member 116 is subjected to a downward force which seals the upper edge of the working cylinder 54 by means of an O-ring 118 against the housing interior 64. Additionally, the main valve actuating member 116 is acted upon by a spring 120 with a force in the direction of the position shown, closing the working cylinder 54.

(16) A driving process is triggered by aerating the first control line 82 in that the control piston 94 is displaced upward so that the central O-ring 104 creates a seal and the upper O-ring 106 releases the seal. This blocks the connection of the main control line 110 to the housing interior 64, and a connection between the main control line 110 and a deaeration opening (not shown) is established. The space 114 above the main valve actuating member 116 is deaerated via the deaeration opening, and the main valve actuating member 116 is displaced upward counter to the force of the spring 120 by the pressure which is present on its lower outer annular surface 122 and which prevails in the housing interior 64. As a result, compressed air flows out of the housing interior 64 into the working cylinder 54 above the working piston 52 and drives the working piston 52 downward. With this downward movement, the driving tappet 50 connected to the working piston 52 drives in a fastening means.

(17) Below the pilot valve 58 in FIG. 1, there is a safety valve 124 with a safety valve piston 126 that interacts with a safety control chamber 62 and a throttle 60. Details of these elements as well as the associated function of the device will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

(18) The manually-actuatable trigger 14 with the lever 36 mounted therein and the switching surface 18 is easily discernible in FIG. 3. The switching pin 20 of the second control valve 22 is guided in a sleeve 66 of the second control valve 22 that is inserted in the housing against which it is sealed. A second control line that cannot be seen in the sectional planes in the figures connects a radial hole 68 in the sleeve 66 to the safety control chamber 62. A top O-ring 74 of the second control valve 22 does not provide a seal so that the radial hole 68 is connected to the housing interior 64. The safety control chamber 62 is therefore aerated in the initial state shown in FIG. 3.

(19) Moreover, a throttle 60 is connected to the second control line (not shown) and connects the second control line, and hence the safety control chamber 62, to outside air. In the initial state, air continuously flows outward through the throttle 60 which causes an operating noise that is perceptible to a user.

(20) The pressure in the safety control chamber 62 acts on the bottom side of the safety valve piston 126 and holds the safety valve piston 126 in the shown top position against the force of a spring 128. The safety valve piston 126 is guided in a sleeve 80 and has a top O-ring 138 that does not provide a seal in the shown position. Consequently, the first control line 82 within which the spring 128 is arranged in FIG. 3 is connected by an annular gap 130 and a radial hole 132 in the sleeve 80 to an obliquely arranged third control line 134.

(21) The switching pin 42 of the first control valve 44 is guided in a sleeve 76 that has a radial hole 78 connected to the third control line 134. A top O-ring 90 on the valve pin 42 seals against the sleeve 76; a bottom O-ring 88 on the valve pin 42 does not provide a seal. Consequently, the radial hole 78 and hence the third control line 134 are aerated through an annular gap 84. In the shown initial position, the housing interior 64 is also separated from the radial hole 78 by the top O-ring 90.

(22) The first control valve 44, the second control valve 22 and the throttle 60 are combined in a common valve block 148.

(23) FIG. 4 shows the arrangement from FIG. 3 directly after the actuation of the trigger 14. The control pin 20 is located in a top position, and the second control valve 22 blocks the connection between the housing interior 64 and the second control line (not shown) because the top O-ring 74 seals against the sleeve 66. This blocks the inflow of air into the safety control chamber 62, and the safety control chamber 62 is slowly deaerated through the throttle 60.

(24) As an additional safety measure, the second control valve 22 has two additional O-rings 86 that both seal the control pin 20 against sleeve 66 in the two end positions of the control pin 20. The chambers outside of the two additional O-rings 86 are connected to each other by a bypass line 92 running in the interior of the control pin 20. The bypass line 92 has two radial holes and an axial hole running therebetween. The effect of this safety measure is that air flowing between the control pin 20 and sleeve 66 when there is a leak in the top O-ring 74 in the top end position cannot reach the safety control chamber 62 through the radial hole 68 but is instead guided to the outside through the bypass line 92.

(25) If, starting from the state from FIG. 4, the contact sensor 24 is actuated, the position shown in FIG. 5 results. The contact pin 34 follows the upward movement of the force transmission element 30 and the contact sensor 24 so that the switching surface 40 actuates the control pin 42 of the first control valve 44. Consequently, the top O-ring 90 stops providing a seal, and the pressure from the housing interior 64 passes through the radial hole 78 and the third control line 134 to the safety valve 124. Since the safety valve piston 126 is in its top position, i.e., the safety valve 124 is in an open position, the air flows through the radial hole 132 and the annular gap 130 further to the first control line 82. A driving process is triggered as explained in conjunction with FIG. 2.

(26) Moreover, the aeration of the first control line 82 also has the effect that, through an axial hole 136 and a radial hole 144 in the safety valve piston 126, air reaches the inside of an O-ring 146 which is inserted in a peripheral groove in the control piston 126 and forms a non-return valve that extends into the safety control chamber 62. The non-return valve opens so that the safety control chamber 62 is aerated as a result of the driving process. The time within which the additional driving processes are enabled by contact triggering starts to run again.

(27) FIG. 6 shows a locked state of the pneumatic nail gun 10 that automatically results after a certain time of inactivity starting from FIG. 4, i.e., when the trigger 14 is actuated, for example after about 4 s. During this time, the pressure in the safety control chamber 62 has decreased below the given pressure threshold due to the air escaping via the throttle 60 so that the safety control valve 126 has shifted downward under the force of the spring 128; the safety valve 124 is accordingly in a locked position in which the connection between the third control line 134 and the first control line 82 is blocked. If the contact sensor 24 is now actuated and the first control valve 44 is controlled, the aeration of the third control line 134 remains inconsequential. A driving process can only be retriggered if the pressure is reestablished in the safety control chamber 62. This can be done at any time by briefly releasing the trigger 14.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS USED

(28) Pneumatic nail gun Handle Trigger Pivot axis Switching surface Switching pin Second control valve Contact sensor Mouth Outlet tool Force transmission element Slot Contact pin Lever Pivot axis Switching surface Switching pin First control valve Receiver Magazine Driving tappet Working piston Working cylinder Main valve Pilot valve Throttle Safety control chamber Housing interior Sleeve Radial hole Annular gap Space Top O-ring Sleeve Radial hole Sleeve First control line Annular gap Additional O-ring Bottom O-ring Top O-ring Bypass line Control piston Guide sleeve Guide pin Bottom O-ring Spring Middle O-ring Top O-ring Main control line Radial hole Space Main valve actuating member O-ring Spring Annular surface Safety valve Safety valve piston Spring Annular gap Radial hole Third control line Axial hole Top O-ring Lower housing part Housing cap Radial hole O-ring Valve block