Angle drive unit

• US 3,901,098 A
• Filed: 12/17/1973
• Issued: 08/26/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Danny R. Jinkins
• Original Assignee: Danny R. Jinkins
• Inventors: Jinkins, Danny R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burke, Allan R.
• Application Number:
  US05/424,953
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 74/417,16,423,412 173/59,163 308/237,209
• US Class Current: 74/417
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 5/045 Angle drives
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 21/002 for special purposes
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2057/0221 Axial adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 55/20 for bevel gears
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19665 Bevel gear type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19688 Bevel

Abstract

An angle drive unit for working in close quarters comprising a housing having an enlarged portion at one end for detachable connection with the housing of a high speed hand-held pneumatic drive means and having a small diameter extension of length several times its diameter terminating in an angular head portion in which a tool driving spindle in journaled by ball bearings, said spindle having a spiral or Zerol bevel gear thereon meshing with a like bevel gear on the end of a drive shaft which is journaled in the housing by a ball bearing in the enlarged portion of the housing and a drawn cup needle bearing adjacent said bevel gear, said needle bearing being pressfitted in a bore in the housing adjacent said angle head thereof. The end of the drive shaft within the enlarged portion of the housing and within the ball bearing has a drive connection with the drive shaft of said pneumatic drive means. The angle drive unit herein is further characterized in that the drive shaft has spaced apart shoulders between which said needle bearing and a spacer is disposed with the aggregate length of the spacer and needle bearing being less than the space between the shoulders whereby, when the unit is assembled, the spacer constitutes a tool for pressing the needle bearing into the housing bore in a position so that the bevel pinion on the drive shaft may be axially retracted from the spindle bore of the angle head for insertion and withdrawal of the spindle and its ball bearings. The ball bearing in the enlarged portion of the housing is arranged for adjustment to eliminate backlash in the gearing and to take the axial thrust load imposed on the drive shaft as when spiral bevel gearing is employed and the rear spindle ball bearing is arranged to take up axial play in the spindle and resist axial thrust load imposed on the tool held thereby.

Claims

1. An angle drive unit comprising an elongated tubular housing of length several times its diameter and having a tubular angle head at one end of substantially the same diameter as said housing and having a radially enlarged portion at the other end adapted to be detachably secured to a power drive unit;

said housing and angle head having intersecting bores of substantially the same diameter;

an elongated drive shaft assembly in said housing adapted to be detachably coupled to a drive shaft of said power drive unit and having a bevel gear of substantially the same diameter as said housing bore extending into said angle head bore with its pitch cone vertex coinciding with the intersection of the axes of said bores;

said assembly being journaled in said housing by a ball bearing which has its respective outer and inner races engaged with shoulders in said enlarged portion and on said assembly, and by a drawn cup needle bearing pressed in said housing bore adjacent to said bevel gear but having axial clearance therewith;

said assembly having a shaft portion providing a bearing surface extending from said bevel gear through said needle bearing in direct engagement with the needles of said needle bearing;

a tool driving spindle assembly journaled in said angle head by ball bearings on said spindle assembly disposed in said angle head bore in straddling relation to said bevel gear on said drive shaft assembly;

said spindle assembly having a bevel gear thereon disposed between said spindle assembly ball bearings and of substantially the same diameter as said angle head bore and having the teeth thereof in mesh with the teeth of the bevel gear on said drive shaft assembly;

said axial clearance between said needle bearing and the bevel gear on said drive shaft assembly being of magnitude to permit axial withdrawal of said drive shaft assembly, upon disengagement of the outer race of said housing ball bearing from said shoulder in said enlarged portion, so that the teeth of said bevel gear on said drive shaft assembly cLear the angle head bore for insertion and withdrawal of said tool driving spindle assembly into and from said angle head.

2. The angle drive unit of claim 1 wherein said drive shaft assembly comprises a drive adapter secured to said shaft portion and having the shoulder which is engaged with the inner race of said housing ball bearing;

said drive adapter forming with said shaft portion another shoulder disposed within said housing bore and axially spaced from said needle bearing; and

a tubular spacer disposed in said housing bore and surrounding said shaft portion between said needle bearing and said another shoulder of said drive adapter;

said spacer being operative through said another shoulder to press said needle bearing into said housing bore to predetermined extent during insertion of said drive shaft assembly into said housing so as to provide said clearance when the shoulder of said adapter is engaged with the inner race of said housing ball bearing and when the bevel gear on said drive shaft assembly has its pitch cone vertex coinciding with the intersection of the area of said housing and angle head bores.

3. The angle drive unit of claim 1 wherein said enlarged portion is internally threaded for engagement with said power drive unit;

and wherein a lock ring screwed into said enlarged portion clamps said outer race of said housing ball bearing against the shoulder in said enlarged portion.

4. The angle drive unit of claim 2 wherein said drive adapter has a central socket of non-circular cross-section to axially slidably receive therein the drive shaft of said power drive unit when the enlarged portion of said housing is secured to said power drive unit.