Pneumatic motor trigger actuator

• US 7,124,837 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2004
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Martin, Scott A, Blankenship, Thomas O, Morrison, James L
• Primary Examiner(s): Gerrity, Stephen F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DURAND, PAUL R
• Application Number:
  US10/787,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20050189127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 173/221, 173/9, 173/2, 173/15, 173/13, 173/18, 173/169, 173/218, 173/1, 408/14, 408/17, 408/130
• US Class Current: 173/1
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 45/003 Attachments
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 47/00 Constructional features of components specially designed for boring or drilling machines; Accessories therefor working-spindles, bearing sleeves therefor B23Q1/70; for machine tools in general B23Q

Abstract

A pneumatic motor trigger actuator includes a trigger housing adapted to engage a pneumatic motor trigger of a pneumatic tool. A top plate is coupled to the trigger housing. A primary valve is coupled to the top plate and has an open configuration and a closed configuration. The primary valve is pneumatically coupled to the trigger housing such that air flow through the primary valve, when the primary valve is in the open configuration, enters the trigger housing and causes a plug to physically engage the motor trigger with sufficient force to move it to is fully engaged position. The primary valve includes a primary switch and an automatic stop switch. The primary switch is engagable by an operator to configure the primary valve in the open configuration. The automatic switch is engagable by an object to move the primary valve to the closed configuration when a predetermined condition is met.

Claims

1. A method for controlling on/off actuation of a pneumatic tool comprising:

providing a compressed fluid to the pneumatic tool;

diverting the compressed fluid through a valve assembly;

actuating the valve assembly to a first condition such that the compressed fluid actuates an on/off trigger on the pneumatic tool to turn the pneumatic tool on, including actuating a switch on the valve assembly to activate the valve assembly to the first condition; and

actuating the valve assembly to a second condition such that the compressed fluid does not actuate the on/off trigger on the pneumatic tool to turn the pneumatic tool off.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the operation of actuating the valve assembly to the second condition includes actuating a switch on the valve assembly.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a stop switch to automatically actuate the valve assembly to the second condition when predefined conditions are met.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

using a pneumatic drill for the pneumatic tool; and

establishing a predefined drill depth for the predefined conditions.