Portable rapid and quiet drill

• US 7,824,247 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2007
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: US Government As Represented By The Director National Security Agency
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Inventors: Badescu, Mireca, Chang, Zenshea, Bao, Xiaoqi, Bar-Cohen, Yoseph, Sherrit, Stewart
• Primary Examiner(s): Eley; Timothy V
• Application Number:
  US11/756,819
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 451/1, 451/28, 451/124, 451/165, 451/358, 451/344, 451/910, 604/2, 604/22, 604/169, 433/188, 433/119, 172/35, 172/776, 408/700, 408/124, 125/28, 125/36, 175/424
• US Class Current: 451/165
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 2226/75 Stone, rock or concrete
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 2260/108 Piezoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 37/00 Boring by making use of ultrasonic energy essentially using abrasive material B24B, e.g. B24B1/04
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 45/001 Housing of the drill, e.g. handgrip
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 408/70 Cutting by use of ultrasonic energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 451/91 Ultrasonic

Abstract

A hand-held drilling device, and method for drilling using the device, has a housing, a transducer within the housing, with the transducer effectively operating at ultrasonic frequencies, a rotating motor component within the housing and rigid cutting end-effector rotationally connected to the rotating motor component and vibrationally connected to the transducer. The hand-held drilling device of the present invention operates at a noise level of from about 50 decibels or less.

Claims

1. A hand-held drilling device, comprising:

a housing constructed of materials that resist transmission or production of noise therethrough;

a transducer within the housing which operates at ultrasonic frequencies from about 20 kHz to about 30 kHz;

a rotating motor within the housing; and

,

a rigid cutting end-effector rotationally connected to the rotating motor and vibrationally connected to the transducer, wherein the hand-held drilling device operates at a noise level comprising about 50 decibels or less.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the transducer comprises multiple piezoelectric elements and electrodes.

3. The device of claim 2, comprising 2 or more piezoelectric elements and about 2 or more electrodes.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transducer is capable of operating at about 25-kHz.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the rotating motor rotates at a speed of from about 1 rpm to about 400 rpm.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the rigid cutting end-effector includes a drill bit.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the drill bit forms a thin auger on an outer surface for the removal of accumulating dust through rotation of the bit.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the drill bit forms a central borehole.

9. The device of claim 8, further comprising a gas supply communicatively connected to the formed central borehole effective for imparting positive gas pressure through the central borehole.