Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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Feeding device
The present invention relates to a feeding
device for upward installations, having a tubular
body and a feed rod mounted within it in such a way
that the body and the feed rod are movable in the
longitudinal direction of one another, and displacing
means for displacing the feed rod and the body relat-
ive to one another.
Various implements have been developed for the
feeding of hand drilling machines and percussion ham-
mers or the like, particularly in the drilling of
holes upwardly, the purpose of said implements being
to achieve a sufficient and uniform feed force with-
out too much effort being reguired on the part of the
driller. Such various feeding devices are known for
instance from DE-0-2 643 598, CH-465 360, US-
2,891,042 and US-4,818,155. Further, SE-459 561 dis-
closes an arrangement for feeding a percussion hammer
or equivalent in the drilling of holes downwardly.
DE-2 643 598 discloses an arrangement having
two feed tubes mounted for relative mo~ement ln their
longitudinal direction, and a spring, pneumatic cyl-
inder or equivalent provided therewithin and acting
between them. The arrangement further includes an
extension rod immovably mounted to the other rod mem-
ber by means of longitudinally successive holes and a
cotter, the drilling machine being fixed to the end
of said extension rod by means of a separate fixing
member. This solution further comprises a power unit
by means of which the spring or the piston of the
pneumatic cylinder can be pressed down to produce a
load force, whereafter the drilling maohine and ~he
auxiliary rod are raised as high as possible and
locked by means of the cotter, the force generated by
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the spriny or pneumatic cylinder then pushing the
drilling machine against the ceiling and thereby pro-
ducing a feed force. This solution is difficult and
complicated in use, and, furthermore, it requires
complex adjustment operations prior to the drilling.
The arrangement is also very expensive to realize.
CH-465 360 discloses a functionally similar
construction, having the same deficiencies as stated
in connection with the above DE publication.
US-2 819 042 discloses a solution having a cyl-
inder extensible by means of compressed air supplied
from a separate compressed-air source, and a carriage
which is movable in relation thereto and in which the
drilling machine is mounted. A chain is connected to
the piston rod of the cylinder, passing over idler
wheels provided at one end of the cylinder and again
reverting downwardly. The other end of the chain is
connected to the carriage. When compressed air is
supplied to the cylinder, the cylinder is extended
and simultaneously forces the chain to move over the
idler wheels at the cylinder end, whereupon the dril-
ling machine is displaced in the direction of exten-
sion of the cylinders twice the distance that the
cylinder itself is extended. This arrangement is very
complicated and expensive to manufacture, and further
re~uires a separate external compressed-air source
for carrying out the drilling operation.
US-4,818,155 teaches an arrangement comprising
a telescopically extensible support rod and, at the
upper end thereof, a pneumatic cylinder-piston con-
struction which is driven by compressed air supplied
from a separate compressed-air source and with which
the drilling machine is first displaced, the pneu-
matic cylinder having assumed its shortest position,
to contact the drilling surface, and the telescopic
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joint is tightened, whereafter compressed air is sup-
plied to the pneumatic cylinder and the drilling
machine is advanced by the force generated by the
cylinder. Also this arrangement requires a separate
compressed-air source, which complicates the situ-
ation. Further, it is difficult to carry out, and the
realization of the telescopic joint in a tight and
reliable way is troublesome, wherefore the arrange-
ment is rendered undependable.
SE-459 561 discloses an arrangement wherein the
feeding device is constituted by a vertical beam, an
idler wheel being mounted at one end thereof and the
drilling machine being movable relative thereto. A
cord or equivalent resilient member passes over the
idler wheel, being connected at one end thereof to a
carriage 3 displaceable along a beam, the other end
being connected to a crank-worked roller located at
the upper end of a bearing. With this arrangement,
one has endeavoured to obviate the vibrations pro-
duced by the operating of the drilling machine with
the aid of a resilient member, such as a spring,
cord, or the like. The arrangement is awkward to use,
and the separately arranged resilient member therein
is inconveniently in the way and will easily be dam-
aged. The arrangement is rather difficult to use in
upwardly directed drilling operations, also if real-
ized otherwise constructionally.
It is the object of the invention to provide a
feeding device that is simple and easy to realize and
is reliable and secure in operation. A further object
of the invention is to provide a feeding device that
can be used, apart from drilling, also in other ins-
tallation work, such as advancing boards against a
ceiling in connection with the installation thereof.
The feeding device of the invention is charac-
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terized in that the feed rod has an elongated dis-
placing member in its longitudinal direction, being
installed substantially immovably in its longitudinal
direction and disposed in the space between the body
and the feed rod, that a deflecting sprocket contact-
ing with the displacing membe~ is pivotally attached
to the body, for connecting non~slidably therewith,
and that a feed lever is connected to the deflecting
sprocket for rotating said sprocket wheel, the rotat-
ing movement of said deflecting sprocket moving thedisplacing member and thereby the feed rod relative
to the body in the longitudinal direction thereof.
An essential idea of the invention is that a
chain or a corresponding elongated feed member is
installed in the feed rod immovably in the lon-
gitudinal direction thereof and on a level with the
surface thereof, and thus the feed rod and the body
can be mounted slidably to nest one within the other.
Further, an essential idea of the invention is that
the displacing means are disposed outside the tubular
body, so that the sprocket wheel or the like, which
constitutes part of said displacing means, ~extends
through the body to the displacing member, and thus
the feed rod can be displaced relative to the tubular
body in its longitudinal direction by rotating the
sprocket wheel.
The invention will be explained in more detail
in the accompanying drawings, wherein
Fi~ure 1 is a schematic view of a feeding
device of the invention to which a drilling machine
is fixed,
Figure 2 shows a feeding device of the inven-
tion as a cross-section taken on line A-A,
Figure 3 shows the displacing means of a feed-
ing device of the invention as a cross~section taken
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on line B-s of Figure 2,
Figure 4 shows the foot of a feeding device of
the invention in connection with ordinary drilling,
Figure 5 shows the foot of a feeding device of
the invention in connection with drilling holes
adJacent a wall or other corresponding obstruction,
and
Figure 6 i5 a partial cut-away view of the feed
lever of a feeding device of the invention.
Figure 1 shows a feeding device for a drilling
machine, comprising a foot 1, a body 2 fixed thereto,
a feed rod 3 wi~hin said body, movably mounted in its
longitudinal direction, and further a drilling
machine 4 fixed to the end of the feed rod 3 for
drilling. A displacing mechanism 5 is mounted to the
side of the body 2, including a feed lever 6 and also
a locking latch 7. To facilitate the moving of the
apparatus, wheels 8 are fixed to the lower side of
the foot 1. Similarly, to facilitate the use of the
apparatus, a socket 9 is fixed to the body, a conduc-
tor 10 going out from said socket for the supply of
current to the feeding device. To facilitate the
drilling, a handle 11 is fixed adjacent the socket 9,
which can be held by the driller when the feed lever
6 is turned.
Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the device of
Figure 1 taken on line A-A. In this case, the body 2
is constructed of a square steel tube constituting a
tubular body. A housing for a feed mechanism is fixed
to the side of the tubular body 2, and a hole is pro-
vided in the tubular body 2 at the location of the
housing. A displacing mechanism is provided within
the housing: a sprock~t wheel 5a rotatably journalled
by means of an axle 5b in relation to the h~using and
thereby to the tubular body 2. Further, a feed lever
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6 is connected to ~he axle 5b; this feed lever is
most advantageously a pawl rod of the generally known
type, having a dogging mechanism allowing the turning
of the rod in one direction without for axle 5b to
turn. The lever 6 can then be turned within a speci-
fic easily operable angular area to produce a feed in
one direction, and after the feeding step the rod can
be returned to the position from which the feeding
step started and the feeding continued further. Also
the feed rod 3 is most advantageously manufactured of
a s~uare steel profile, a groove or slot 3a being
provided on one side thereof by means of a U-shaped
steel tube or in another manner. A displacing means
having the longitudinal direction of the feed rod is
mounted in the groove 3a; in its simplest realization
said displacing means is a chain 3b secured immovably
at its one end by means of a normal mortice and tenon
joint or otherwise, and at its other end fixed by
means of an adjustable bolt and nut joint so as to
render it suitably taut. The groove 3a is dimensioned
in relation to the chain 3b in such a way that at its
outermost portion, the chain 3b is disposed on a
level with the outer surface of the feed rod 3 at the
most, so as to allow ready sliding of the feed rod 3
within the tubular body 2. The sprocket wheel 5a ex-
tends through the opening provided in the tubular
body 2 to the chain, and thus the feed rod 3 can be
cause~ to move in the desired direction relative to
the tubular body 2 by rotating the sprocket wheel
with the feed lever.
Figure 3 shows the construction of the feeding
mechanism taken on line ~-B of Figure 2. It is
apparent from the figure in what way the tubular body
2 and the feed rod 3 are located relative to one an-
other. At the same time, the figure shows how the
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chain 3b is located in the groove 3a and the sprocketwheel 5a extends through the opening 2a provided in
the tubular body 2 to the chain 3b. Figure 3 further
shows how the latch lever 7 is coupled to retain the
sprocket wheel immovable when it is not turned by
means of the feed lever 6. The latch lever 7 is pro-
tected from above, that is, at the opening provided
in the top of the housing for the displacing mechan-
ism, with a rubber cover 12 preventing dirt and dust
from falling into the mechanism. The latch lever 7 is
journalled in the housiny for rotation about the axle
13, and the mechanism further includes~ a spring 14
biasing the latch lever 7 to turn toward the sprocket
wheel 5a so that the sprocket wheel cannot rotate
except in the direction elevating the displacing rod,
if the latch lever 7 is not turned upward separately.
As is to be seen from Figure 1, the latch lever 7 is
of such a length and is so bent that its hooked end
extends to the vicinity of the handle 9 provided on
the other side of the feed device, thus enabling the
driller to open the latch 7 with the hand grasping
the handle 9, whilst he lowers the feed rod backwards
the desired distance with his other hand.
Figure 4 shows a foot 1 for a feeding device,
having crosswise, wheeled support arms la and lb. A
separately detachable arm section lc is connected to
the support arm la, and thus one leg with its apper-
taining wheel is detachable from the foot. On the
other hand, both ends of the arm lb are bent to the
side of the detachable arm section lc in such a way
that the points of support of the wheels provided at
the ends thereof are located on the side of the
removed arm section lc relative to the body of the
feeding device. This allows the feeding device to be
stationed very close to a wall 15 or another obstruc-
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tion in accordance with Figure 5, in a situationwhere it is necessary to drill holes in such a loca-
tion.
Figure 6 shows the feed lever 6 of the feeding
device of the invention partially cut away at the
axle 5b of the sprocket wheel. There is a pawl joint
at the end of the arm 6, constituted by a ratchet
wheel 6b toothed on its outer edge and mounted within
the discoidal end 6a of the arm, and further a
spring-loaded pawl member or stop spring having a
restraining action on the teething of the ratchet
wheel 6b, said construction being generally known as
such and therefore not being more closely set forth
in this connection. In accordance with this construc-
tion, the ratchet wheel 6b can rotate in either dir-
ection in relation to the end 6a of the lever 6, but
the latch construction prevents its rotation in one
direction. Thus an axle or equivalent can be turned
by means of the lever in one direction while the
ratchet wheel remains stationary, and the lever can
be returned to its initial position while the pawl
mechanism acts so as to prevent the axle from turning
with the lever. Further, the feed lever has an aux-
iliary arm 16 attached to the arm thereof, extending
to the axle 5b of the sprocket wheel. A separate aux-
iliary wrench 17 is fixed between the auxiliary arm
16 and the end 6a of the feed lever 6 immovably rela-
tive to the auxiliary arm 16. It also includes a boss
18 flanged at both ends, extending through an opening
provided in the auxiliary arm 16 to the inside of the
auxiliary wrench 17 and being movable in the axial
direction toward the end 6a of the feed lever 6. Fig-
ure 6 illustrates a situation where the axle 5b of
the sprocket wheel is shown as pushed into the feed
lever. ~he end of the axle 5b has a portion 5c of a
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square cross-section, fitting in the square opening
provided in the ratche-t wheel 6b to allow turning of
the axle 5b by means of a reversal lever. The auxili-
ary wrench 17 has a square or hexagonal wrench socket
that is embodied using the conventional construction
of tool wrenches so as to allow the end 5c of the
axle 5b to be pushed into it, while the notches of
the toothed groove match the shape of the axle end 5c
and are seated a~ its corners, preventing it from
rotating relative to the auxiliary wrench 17. When
the drilling machine or equivalent is advanced in the
normal way, the boss 18 is depressed, the end of the
axle 5b extending only to the edge of the ratchet
wheel 6b, and thus the axle 5b is not under the
action of the auxiliary wrench 17. In that situation,
the axle 5b can be rotated in the manner set forth
previously by turning the lever 6 in one direction,
so as to make the ratchet wheel 6b rotate about the
lever, thereby turning the axle 5b, and correspond-
ingly the lever 6 can be returned to its initialposition, so that the ratchet wheel 6b rotates rela-
tive to the lever 6 while the axle 5b remains immov-
able. When one wishes to reverse the feed rod downw-
ardly, the feed lever 6 is pushed toward the axle 5b,
upon which the end 5c of the axle 5b is pushed into
the auxiliary wrench 17 to be locked thereby, and
when the locking latch 7 is simultaneously opened,
the eed rod can be turned by moving the lever 6
towards its normal initial position, without the
ratchet wheel 6b rotating relative to the arm 6.
After the reversing movement, the lever 7 is rel-
eased, and by grasping the arm 6 and depressing the
boss 18 in relation to the arm 6, the arm 6 is moved
from the position shown in Figure 6 in the direction
of the axle 5b, and the auxiliary wrench 17 is dis-
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placed outside the axle 5b, again allowing a feedmovement. The feed lever 6 further has an enlarged
handle portion 6c, which is easy to hold, and a boss
19 rotating about its longitudinal axis relative to
the feed lever 6, and said feed lever serves as a
crank when rotated at the boss, thus facilitating the
performing of longitudinal movements and presetting.
In the foregoing specification and drawings,
the invention has been explained by way of example,
and the invention is in no way restricted thereto.
The body 2 and the feed rod 3 may be mounted the
other way round, in which case the body located on
top of the feed rod protects the chain from dust and
other falling dirt. However, in such a solution the
feed lever moves with the body, and therefore it is
more inconvenient to use, wherefore the embodiment
shown in the figures is more desirable and a better
solution from the practical point of view. The body
and the feed rod may be of different cross-sections
and constructions, as long as they realize the char-
acteristic features defined in the claims. The groove
or slot for the chain may naturally also be formed in
the body either entirely or in part, the chain then
correspondingly being entirely or partly disposed on
the feed rod on the outer surface thereof. The groove
or slot for the chain can also be provided by welding
for instance on an outer surface of a tube of a cer-
tain shape additional profiles of either flat or
other configuration, so that room for a chain remains
therebetween. Likewise, instead of a chain and
sprocket, a rack and pinion may in principle be used,
but these are significantly more expensive in prac-
tice. Apart from drilling, the feeding device can be
used in connection with the installation of e.g.
boards to the ceiling of a buiIding, in which case a
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board holder is mounted to the end of the feed rod 3,
instead of adapters or holders for fixing the dril-
ling machine. The feed rod can be, apart from the
kind shown in the figures and specification, also of
another kind, for instance merely a stationarily
mounted crank construction. When the body and the
feed rod are disposed in accordance with Figure 1 so
that the feed rod is movable within the body and is
located above it, it is advantageous to mount a pro-
tective bag of cloth or other material to extend fromthe upper portion of the feed rod to the top of the
body, said bag being tightly attached to the end of
each of these, and allowing the feed rod to move
relative to the body simultaneously as it protects
the construction between them from dust and dirt.
