TYING TOOL

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-232200 filed on December 27, 2024. The entire content of the priority application is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The art disclosed herein relates to a tying tool.

BACKGROUND ART

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-035504 describes a tying tool configured to tie a tying target with a wire. The tying tool includes a housing that defines a housing space for housing a reel and supports the reel housed in the housing space such that the reel is rotatable about a predetermined reel rotation axis, wherein the reel includes the wire and a bobbin around which the wire is wound; a cover member attached to the housing such that the cover member is rotatable about a predetermined cover rotation axis, wherein the cover member is movable between an open position where the cover member opens the housing space and a closing position where the cover member closes the housing space; and a lock mechanism configured to lock the cover member in the closing position. The lock mechanism includes a lock member attached to the housing, wherein the lock member is movable between a lock position where the lock member interferes with the cover member when the cover member moves from the closing position to the open position and an unlock position where the lock member does not interfere with the cover member when the cover member moves from the closing position to the open position.

SUMMARY

Generally, tying tools are used with the cover member locked in the closing position by the lock member (referred to as “cover-locked state”). In contrast, for detaching, attaching, or replacing the reel, the tying tools are used with the cover member located in the open position (referred to as “cover-opened state”). For the transition from the cover-opened state to the cover-locked state, the tying tool described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-035504 requires a two-step operation including an operation of closing the cover member and an operation of moving the lock member from the unlock position to the lock position, which may reduce usability of the tying tool. The disclosure herein provides a technology allowing for improvements in usability of a tying tool.

A tying tool may be configured to tie a tying target using a wire. The tying tool may comprise: a housing that defines a housing space for housing a reel and supports the reel housed in the housing space such that the reel is rotatable about a predetermined reel rotation axis, wherein the reel comprises the wire and a bobbin around which the wire is wound; a cover member attached to the housing such that the cover member is rotatable about a predetermined cover rotation axis, wherein the cover member is movable between an open position where the cover member opens the housing space and a closing position where the cover member closes the housing space; and a lock mechanism configured to lock the cover member in the closing position. The lock mechanism may comprise: a protrusion disposed on one of the housing and the cover member; a lock member attached to another of the housing and the cover member, wherein the lock member is movable between a lock position where the lock member interferes with the protrusion when the cover member moves from the closing position to the open position and an unlock position where the lock member does not interfere with the protrusion when the cover member moves from the closing position to the open position; and a lock biasing member configured to bias the lock member toward the lock position. At least one of the protrusion and the lock member may comprise an inclined surface that is inclined relative to a direction in which the cover member moves from the open position to the closing position. When the cover member moves from the open position to the closing position, the protrusion may push the lock member via the inclined surface so that the lock member is moved from the lock position to the unlock position against a biasing force of the lock biasing member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rebar tying tool 2 according to an embodiment as viewed from the rear-upper-right side, where the rebar tying tool 2 is in a cover-locked state.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rebar tying tool 2 according to the embodiment as viewed from the front-lower-left side, where the rebar tying tool 2 is in a cover-opened state.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a reel 22 attachable to the rebar tying tool 2 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cover member 18 of the rebar tying tool 2 according to the embodiment as viewed from the lower-front-right side.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cover member 18 of the rebar tying tool 2 according to the embodiment as viewed from the lower-front-right side.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to a front-rear direction, illustrating a structure around a lock mechanism 20 when the rebar tying tool 2 according to the embodiment is in the cover-locked state.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the front-rear direction, illustrating the structure around unlocked lock mechanism 20 of the rebar tying tool 2 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the front-rear direction, illustrating the structure around the lock mechanism 20 during movement of the cover member 18 of the rebar tying tool 2 according to the embodiment from an open position toward a closing position.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the front-rear direction, illustrating the structure around the lock mechanism 20 during movement of the cover member 18 of the rebar tying tool 2 according to the embodiment from the open position toward the closing position.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a lever 52 of the rebar tying tool 2 according to the embodiment as viewed from the front-upper-left side.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a lower portion of the rebar tying tool 2 according to the embodiment as viewed from the rear-lower-right side.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the front-rear direction, illustrating a structure around a housing space 24 of the rebar tying tool 2 according to the embodiment when the rebar tying tool 2 is in the cover-opened state.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an internal structure of the rebar tying tool 2 according to the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one aspect of the present teachings, a tying tool may be configured to tie a tying target using a wire. The tying tool may comprise: a housing that defines a housing space for housing a reel and supports the reel housed in the housing space such that the reel is rotatable about a predetermined reel rotation axis, wherein the reel comprises the wire and a bobbin around which the wire is wound; a cover member attached to the housing such that the cover member is rotatable about a predetermined cover rotation axis, wherein the cover member is movable between an open position where the cover member opens the housing space and a closing position where the cover member closes the housing space; and a lock mechanism configured to lock the cover member in the closing position. The lock mechanism may comprise: a protrusion disposed on one of the housing and the cover member; a lock member attached to another of the housing and the cover member, wherein the lock member is movable between a lock position where the lock member interferes with the protrusion when the cover member moves from the closing position to the open position and an unlock position where the lock member does not interfere with the protrusion when the cover member moves from the closing position to the open position; and a lock biasing member configured to bias the lock member toward the lock position. At least one of the protrusion and the lock member may comprise an inclined surface that is inclined relative to a direction in which the cover member moves from the open position to the closing position. When the cover member moves from the open position to the closing position, the protrusion may push the lock member via the inclined surface so that the lock member is moved from the lock position to the unlock position against a biasing force of the lock biasing member.

According to the configuration above, when the cover member of the tying tool in the cover-opened state is moved from the open position to the closing position, the lock member is thereby moved past the unlock position and over the protrusion and then is moved to the lock position by the biasing force of the lock biasing member. As a result, the tying tool transitions to the cover-locked state. Thus, the configuration above allows the tying tool to transition from the cover-opened state to the cover-locked state by a single operation of moving the cover member from the open position to the closing position. This improves the usability of the tying tool.

In one aspect of the present teachings, the protrusion may be disposed on the housing. The lock member may be attached to the cover member.

To shift the tying tool from the cover-locked state to the cover-opened state, a user moves the cover member toward the open position while maintaining the lock member in the unlock position. According to the configuration above, the lock member is attached to the cover member, and thus the lock member moves integrally with the cover member. This allows the user to move the cover member toward the open position with one hand, while maintaining the lock member in the unlock position with the same hand. Thus, the user can shift the tying tool from the cover-locked state to the cover-opened state with one hand, which improves the usability of the tying tool.

In one aspect of the present teachings, the tying tool may further comprise a grip configured to be gripped by a user. A front direction may be defined as a direction from the tying tool toward the tying target when the tying tool ties the tying target. A rear direction may be defined as a direction from the tying target toward the tying tool when the tying tool ties the tying target. A left-right direction may be defined as a direction orthogonal to both the front-rear direction and a direction in which the grip extends. The reel rotation axis may extend along the left-right direction.

The dimension of the reel in the direction of the reel rotation axis is smaller than the dimension of the reel in the radial direction of the reel rotation axis. According to the configuration above, the reel rotation axis extends along the left-right direction, and thus the dimension of the reel in the left-right direction is smaller. This allows for a reduction in the dimension of the housing in the left-right direction, which houses the reel therein.

In one aspect of the present teachings, the lock mechanism may further comprise a lever configured to rotate about a predetermined lever rotation axis. The lever may comprise: a manipulation piece configured to be manipulated by the user; and a lock piece located on an opposite side to the manipulation piece with respect to the lever rotation axis, wherein the lock piece functions as the lock member. When the cover member is in the closing position, the lever rotation axis may extend along the left-right direction.

A manipulation piece elongated in a direction orthogonal to the lever rotation axis requires a smaller force for the user to push the manipulation piece to move the lock piece. However, such an elongated manipulation piece may be a cause of an irregular shape of the housing or the cover member to which the lever is attached. The housing or the cover member generally has a shape conforming to the shape of reel to house the reel therein. Thus, the shape of the housing or the cover member generally has a smaller dimension in the extension direction of the reel rotation axis (i.e., in the left-right direction) and larger dimensions in the directions orthogonal to the reel rotation axis (i.e., in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction). According to the configuration above, the lever rotation axis extends in the left-right direction. Thus, the manipulation piece, even when elongated in the directions orthogonal to the lever rotation axis (i.e., in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction), does not require a significant change in the shape of the housing or the cover member because the dimensions of the housing or the cover member in these directions are originally large. Therefore, the manipulation piece does not become a cause of an irregular shape to the housing or the cover member even when it is elongated in the directions orthogonal to the lever rotation axis. Thus, the above configuration allows for a reduction in a force required to push the manipulation piece, while preventing an irregular shape of the housing or the cover member.

In one aspect of the present teachings, the tying tool may further comprise a battery attachment part disposed on a lower portion of the grip and configured to detachably receive a battery pack. The battery pack may be configured to supply power to the tying tool. The manipulation piece may be located frontward of the battery pack attached to the battery attachment part.

A space may exist around the battery pack to attach it to and detach it from the tying tool. According to the configuration above, the manipulation piece is located frontward of the battery pack. This allows the user to place his/her finger(s) in the space around the battery pack when the user manipulates the manipulation piece. Thus, interference between the user's finger(s) and the tying tool can be prevented when the user manipulates the manipulation piece.

In one aspect of the present teachings, the cover rotation axis may lie on a plane parallel to the front-rear direction.

In the configuration above, the cover member can be open toward a side of the tying tool (i.e., in the left direction or in the right direction). This allows the user to easily open the cover member when the side of the tying tool is oriented toward the user.

In one aspect of the present teachings, the housing space may be located frontward of the grip.

A heavy component located rearward of the grip may make it difficult for the user to operate the tying tool with his/her hand gripping the grip. According to the configuration above, the reel, which is a heavy component, housed in the housing space is located frontward of the grip. This allows the user to easily operate the tying tool with his/her hand gripping the grip.

In one aspect of the present teachings, the tying tool may further comprise a cover biasing member configured to bias the cover member toward the closing position.

The configuration above allows for a reduction in a force required to move the cover member from the open position to the closing position with the aid of the biasing force of the cover biasing member.

Representative, non-limiting examples of the present disclosure will now be described in further detail with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the art further details for practicing preferred aspects of the present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, each of the additional features and teachings disclosed below may be utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachings to provide improved tying tools, as well as methods for using and manufacturing the same.

Moreover, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the following detailed description may not be necessary to practice the disclosure in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely to particularly describe representative examples of the disclosure. Furthermore, various features of the above-described and below-described representative examples, as well as the various independent and dependent claims, may be combined in ways that are not specifically and explicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings.

All features disclosed in the description and/or the claims are intended to be disclosed separately and independently from each other for the purpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter, independent of the compositions of the features in the embodiments and/or the claims. In addition, all value ranges or indications of groups of entities are intended to disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter.

Embodiment

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a rebar tying tool 2 is configured to tie a plurality of rebars R with a wire W. The rebar tying tool 2 comprises a body 4, a grip 6, a battery attachment part 10, and a reel holder 12. The grip 6 is a tubular member configured to be gripped by a user. The grip 6 is located on a lower rear portion of the body 4. The grip 6 is formed integrally with the body 4. A trigger 14 is attached to an upper front portion of the grip 6 to cause the rebar tying tool 2 to perform a tying operation. The battery attachment part 10 is located on a lower portion of the grip 6. The battery attachment part 10 is formed integrally with the grip 6. A battery pack B is detachably attachable to the battery attachment part 10. The battery pack B supplies power to the rebar tying tool 2. The battery pack B is, for example, a lithium-ion battery. The reel holder 12 is located on a lower front portion of the body 4. The reel holder 12 is located frontward of the grip 6. In this embodiment, during tying of the rebars R by the rebar tying tool 2, the direction from the rebar tying tool 2 toward the rebars R is defined as a front direction and the direction from the rebars R toward the rebar tying tool 2 is defined as a rear direction. Further, a direction orthogonal to both the front-rear direction and the extension direction of the grip 6 is defined as a left-right direction, and a direction orthogonal to both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction is defined as an up-down direction.

The body 4 comprises, on its upper surface, a power switch 4a for turning on/off the rebar tying tool 2, a setting switch 4b for changing settings (e.g., tying force) of the rebar tying tool 2, and a display unit 4c for displaying information on current settings of the rebar tying tool 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the reel holder 12 comprises a holder housing 16, a cover member 18, and a lock mechanism 20. The holder housing 16 is located below a front portion of the body 4 and frontward of the battery attachment part 10. The holder housing 16 defines a housing space 24 for housing a reel 22. The housing space 24 is located frontward of the grip 6. The cover member 18 is located on the left surface of the rebar tying tool 2. The cover member 18 is attached to the holder housing 16 via a shaft 26 (see FIG. 1) located above the housing space 24 such that the cover member 18 is rotatable about a cover rotation axis AX1. The cover rotation axis AX1 lies on a plane that expands in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. The cover rotation axis AX1 is angled by 10 degrees to the front-rear direction. The cover member 18 is movable between an open position where the cover member 18 opens the housing space 24 (the position in FIG. 2) and a closing position where the cover member 18 closes the housing space 24 (the position in FIG. 1). In FIG. 2, the cover member 18 is fully opened. In this fully-open state, a first contact surface 28 (see FIG. 1) of the cover member 18 is in contact with a second contact surface 30 (see FIG. 1) of the holder housing 16, which prevents the cover member 18 from being opened further. The rotation angle of the cover member 18 in the fully-open state from the closing position is 120 degrees. Hereinafter, the rotation angle of the cover member 18 from the closing position may be referred to as “open angle”.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the reel 22 comprises a bobbin 32 and the wire W wound on the bobbin 32. The bobbin 32 comprises a body 34 on which the wire W is wound, a left flange 36 expanding radially outward from the left end of the body 34, a right flange 38 expanding radially outward from the right end of the body 34, a recess 40 recessed leftward from the right surface of the body 34, and an identification protrusion 42 protruding rightward from the bottom surface of the recess 40.

When the reel 22 is attached to the reel holder 12, the recess 40 receives a support cylinder 44 (see FIG. 2) located within the holder housing 16. The reel 22 is supported by the support cylinder 44 such that the reel 22 is rotatable about a reel rotation axis AX2 extending in the left-right direction. Further, when the reel 22 is attached to the reel holder 12, the left end of the body 34 contacts a support 46 (see FIG. 2) of the cover member 18.

The length of the identification protrusion 42 varies depending on the type of reel 22. Thus, the type of reel 22 can be identified based on the length of the identification protrusion 42. The types of reel 22 are, for example, classified based on the diameter of wire W, the material of wire W, whether the wire W is coated or not, and if so, the coating material, and whether the wire W has been surface-treated or not, and if so, the type of the surface treatment. The rebar tying tool 2 (see FIG. 1) comprises a reel-type detector (not illustrated) configured to detect the length of the identification protrusion 42 of a reel 22 attached to the reel holder 12 (see FIG. 1) to detect the type of the reel 22. For example, the reel-type detector is housed in the support cylinder 44 (see FIG. 2).

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the lock mechanism 20 comprises a lever 52 and a coil spring 54. The cover member 18 comprises a cover body 56 for covering the reel 22 (see FIG. 3) and a lever support 58 formed on a lower portion of the cover body 56.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the lever support 58 comprises a shaft hole 58a in which a shaft 60 is inserted and a bush hole 58b for housing a ring bush 61 fixed to the shaft 60. The shaft 60 is also inserted in a shaft hole 64 formed in the lever 52. The lever support 58 supports the lever 52 via the shaft 60 such that the lever 52 is rotatable.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the lever 52 is rotatable relative to the lever support 58 about a lever rotation axis AX3 extending in the left-right direction. The lever 52 comprises a manipulation piece 62 located rearward of the lever rotation axis AX3 and a lock piece 66 located frontward of the lever rotation axis AX3. It should be noted that FIG. 4 shows the front-rear direction, up-down direction, and left-right direction when the cover member 18 is in the closing position.

The coil spring 54 is supported by a first support protrusion 68 protruding upward from the upper surface of the manipulation piece 62 and a second support protrusion 70 protruding downward from the lower surface of the cover body 56. The coil spring 54 biases the manipulation piece 62 downward relative to the cover body 56. Thus, a moment is applied to the lever 52 that rotates the lever 52 counterclockwise about the shaft 60 in the right side view. Since the lock piece 66 is located on the opposite side to the manipulation piece 62 with respect to the lever rotation axis AX3, the lock piece 66 is biased upward by the moment applied to the lever 52. Further, the lever 52 further comprises a first contact wall 72 extending upward from the upper surface of the lock piece 66. The cover member 18 further comprises a second contact wall 74 extending downward from the lower surface of the cover body 56. Further upward movement of the lock piece 66 is prevented by the upper end of the first contact wall 72 contacting the lower end of the second contact wall 74. Thus, when the lever 52 is not manipulated by the user, the lever 52 is held by the biasing force of the coil spring 54 in a position where the upper end of the first contact wall 72 is in contact with the lower end of the second contact wall 74. In this embodiment, the position of the lock piece 66 in this state may be referred to as “lock position”.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the lock mechanism 20 further comprises an engagement protrusion 76 protruding downward from the lower surface of the holder housing 16. When the cover member 18 is in the closing position and the lock piece 66 is in the lock position, a first lock surface 78 of the lock piece 66 faces a second lock surface 80 of the engagement protrusion 76 in the left-right direction. The first lock surface 78 is a flat surface facing leftward and expands orthogonal to the left-right direction. The second lock surface 80 is a flat surface facing rightward and expands orthogonal to the left-right direction. Even if an attempt is made to move the cover member 18 in an opening direction (i.e., leftward and upward), the cover member 18 is prevented from opening further by interference between the first lock surface 78 of the lock piece 66 and the second lock surface 80 of the engagement protrusion 76. In other words, the rebar tying tool 2 is in a cover-locked state where the cover member 18 is locked in the closing position by the lock piece 66. When the user pushes the manipulation piece 62 (see FIG. 4) upward against the biasing force of the coil spring 54 (see FIG. 4) in this state, the lock piece 66 is thereby moved downward from the lock position.

As the lock piece 66 moves downward as illustrated in FIG. 7, the first lock surface 78 of the lock piece 66 and the second lock surface 80 of the engagement protrusion 76 eventually cease to face each other in the left-right direction. In this state, when the cover member 18 is moved in the opening direction, the lock piece 66 does not interfere with the engagement protrusion 76. In this embodiment, the position of the lock piece 66 in this state may be referred to as “unlock position”. When the lock piece 66 is in the unlock position, the cover member 18 can be opened to the open position.

For example, while holding the rebar tying tool 2 by gripping the grip 6 (see FIG. 1) with the right hand, the user can open the cover member 18 to the open position by pushing the manipulation piece 62 (see FIG. 4) with the left hand and moving the cover member 18 together with the manipulation piece 62 leftward and upward. The rebar tying tool 2 is thereby transitioned from the cover-locked state to a cover-open state where the cover member 18 is opened to the open position.

To return the rebar tying tool 2 from the cover-open state to the cover-locked state, the user only needs to move the cover member 18 in a closing direction (i.e., downward and rightward) without pushing the manipulation piece 62 (see FIG. 4).

As the cover member 18 moves in the closing direction as illustrated in FIG. 8, a first inclined surface 82 of the lock piece 66 and a second inclined surface 84 of the engagement protrusion 76 come to contact each other in the left-right direction. The first inclined surface 82 is a flat surface facing rightward and upward. The first inclined surface 82 is angled relative to the direction from the open position toward the closing position of the cover member 18. Specifically, the first inclined surface 82 extends downward from left to right. The second inclined surface 84 is a flat surface facing leftward and downward. The second inclined surface 84 is also angled relative to the direction from the open position toward the closing position of the cover member 18. Specifically, the second inclined surface 84 extends downward from left to right. Thus, as the cover member 18 moves in the closing direction, the engagement protrusion 76 pushes the lock piece 66 downward via the first inclined surface 82 and the second inclined surface 84. The lock piece 66 is thereby moved against the biasing force of the coil spring 54 (see FIG. 4) from the lock position to the unlock position as illustrated in FIG. 9. As the cover member 18 further moves in the closing direction, the lock piece 66 rides over the engagement protrusion 76. As illustrated in FIG. 6, after riding over the engagement protrusion 76, the lock piece 66 is returned to the lock position by the biasing force of the coil spring 54 (see FIG. 4). The rebar tying tool 2 is thereby returned to the cover-locked state.

FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of the first lock surface 78 and the first inclined surface 82. As described above, the first inclined surface 82 converts rightward movement of the lock piece 66, which moves together with the cover member 18, into rightward and downward movement (see FIG. 8). Thus, the first inclined surface 82 can be regarded as a cam surface that converts the direction of movement of the lock piece 66.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the lever 52 is located on the lower surface of the rebar tying tool 2. The manipulation piece 62 is located frontward of the battery pack B attached to the battery attachment part 10. The front surface of the battery pack B is spaced rearward from the rear surface of the cover member 18. Thus, there is a space 86 behind the manipulation piece 62. Even if a user’s finger projects rearward beyond the manipulation piece 62 when the user pushes the manipulation piece 62, the space 86 prevents the finger from interfering with the battery pack B.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, the rebar tying tool 2 comprises a cover biasing mechanism 92 for biasing the cover member 18. The cover biasing mechanism 92 is housed in an upper portion of the housing space 24 within the holder housing 16. The cover biasing mechanism 92 comprises a shaft 94 fixed in position relative to the holder housing 16, a swing member 96 pivotally mounted about the shaft 94, and a coil spring 98 biasing the swing member 96 relative to the holder housing 16. The shaft 94 extends parallel to the cover rotation axis AX1. The swing member 96 comprises a plate portion 100 extending downward below the shaft 94. The plate portion 100 has a flat-plate shape expanding orthogonal to the left-right direction. The coil spring 98 biases the plate portion 100 leftward relative to the holder housing 16. The left surface of the plate portion 100 contacts the outer circumferential surface of a roller (not illustrated) rotatably attached to the cover member 18 via a pin 102. The roller is located on the opposite side to the cover body 56 with respect to the cover rotation axis AX1. When the cover member 18 moves in the opening direction (i.e., leftward and upward), the roller moves downward along the left surface of the plate portion 100. When the cover member 18 moves in the closing direction (i.e., downward and rightward), the roller moves upward along the left surface of the plate portion 100. The biasing force of the coil spring 98 is applied to the cover member 18 via the plate portion 100 of the swing member 96, the roller, and the pin 102.

Once the open angle of the cover member 18 exceeds 90 degrees, a reaction force applied to the cover member 18 via the plate portion 100 of the swing member 96 (i.e., the biasing force of the coil spring 98) generates a moment that rotates the cover member 18 in the opening direction. Specifically, the moment rotates the cover member 18 counterclockwise about the cover rotation axis AX1 in a front view. Thus, when the user releases the cover member 18 with its open angle exceeding 90 degrees, the biasing force of the coil spring 98 causes the cover member 18 to move toward the open position. As a result, the cover member 18 is held in the open position (specifically, the position where the first contact surface 28 of the cover member 18 is in contact with the second contact surface 30 of the holder housing 16).

In contrast, once the open angle of the cover member 18 becomes less than 90 degrees, the reaction force applied to the cover member 18 via the plate portion 100 of the swing member 96 (i.e., the biasing force of the coil spring 98) generates a moment that rotates the cover member 18 in the closing direction. Specifically, the moment rotates the cover member 18 clockwise about the cover rotation axis AX1 in a front view. Thus, when the user releases the cover member 18 with its open angle being less than 90 degrees, the biasing force of the coil spring 98 causes the cover member 18 to move toward the closing position. The cover member 18 is thereby closed to a position where at least the first inclined surface 82 of the lock piece 66 is in contact with the second inclined surface 84 of the engagement protrusion 76 (e.g., the position in FIG. 8). When the user releases the cover member 18 with its open angle being relatively large (e.g., the open angle of 88 degrees or more), the lock piece 66, by that action alone, rides over the engagement protrusion 76, and the rebar tying tool 2 returns to the cover-locked state (the state in FIG. 6). This is because, as the open angle of the cover member 18 increases, the coil spring 98 is compressed more and the restoring force of the coil spring 98 increases, so that when the user releases the cover member 18, the cover member 18 closes with greater force.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the rebar tying tool 2 comprises a feed mechanism 132, a guide mechanism 134, a cutting mechanism 136, a twisting mechanism 138, a feed motor 140, and a twisting motor 142.

The feed mechanism 132 is housed within the lower front portion of the body 4. The feed mechanism 132 comprises a feed roller 144. The feed roller 144 is connected to the feed motor 140 via a speed reducer (not illustrated). When the feed motor 140 rotates, the feed roller 144 rotates. By rotating in the forward direction, the feed roller 144 feeds the wire W out from the bobbin 32 and passes it frontward and upward toward the guide mechanism 134. By rotating in the reverse direction, the feed roller 144 draws the wire W back toward the bobbin 32.

The guide mechanism 134 is located at a front portion of the body 4. The guide mechanism 134 comprises an upper curl guide 146 and a lower curl guide 148. Upon tying, the rebars R are arranged between the upper curl guide 146 and the lower curl guide 148. The wire W fed by the feed roller 144 is first guided into the upper curl guide 146 and passes through the upper curl guide 146 from rear to front. While the wire W passes through the upper curl guide 146, a downward curl is imparted to the wire W by the upper curl guide 146. After passing through the upper curl guide 146, the wire W is guided into the lower curl guide 148 and passes through the lower curl guide 148 from front to rear. Thereafter, the wire W moves rearward and upward. The wire W is thereby wound around the rebars R.

The cutting mechanism 136 is housed within a lower portion of the body 4. The cutting mechanism 136 comprises a cutter (not illustrated) for cutting the wire W extending from the feed mechanism 132 to the guide mechanism 134. The cutter cuts the wire W in cooperation with the twisting mechanism 138, which is detailed below.

The twisting mechanism 138 is housed within the body 4. The twisting mechanism 138 comprises a sleeve unit 150 and a grip unit 152. The sleeve unit 150 is connected to the twisting motor 142 via a speed reducer (not illustrated). When twisting motor 142 rotates, the sleeve unit 150 moves in the front-rear direction or rotates about a rotation axis extending in the front-rear direction. The grip unit 152 is located at a front portion of the twisting mechanism 138. When the sleeve unit 150 moves frontward, the grip unit 152 grips a first portion of the wire W around the rebars R. When the sleeve unit 150 moves further frontward, the grip unit 152 grips a second portion of the wire W around the rebars R that is closer to the proximal end than the first portion is. When the sleeve unit 150 rotates in the forward direction after the wire W is cut by the cutting mechanism 136, the grip unit 152 rotates integrally with the sleeve unit 150, thereby twisting the wire W by the grip unit 152. As a result, the rebars R are tied with the wire W. When the sleeve unit 150 rotates in the reverse direction, the grip unit 152 releases the wire W and the sleeve unit 150 moves rearward.

Each time the trigger 14 is operated, the rebar tying tool 2 performs a tying operation in which the feed mechanism 132 feeds the wire W out from the bobbin 32, the guide mechanism 134 winds the wire W around the rebars R, the twisting mechanism 138 grips the first portion of the wire W, the feed mechanism 132 draws the wire W back toward the bobbin 32, the twisting mechanism 138 grips the second portion of the wire W, the cutting mechanism 136 cuts the wire W, and the twisting mechanism 138 twists the wire W.

Variants

The rebar tying tool 2 may be used to tie a tying target other than the rebars R (e.g., metal pipes).

(See FIG. 6.) The engagement protrusion 76 may be located on the cover member 18, the lever support 58 may be located on the holder housing 16, and the lever 52 and the coil spring 54 may be attached to the holder housing 16.

(See FIG. 8.) The lock piece 66 may not comprise the first inclined surface 82. While the cover member 18 is moved from the open position to the closing position, a side of the lock piece 66 may contact the second inclined surface 84 of the engagement protrusion 76. Even in this case, the engagement protrusion 76 presses the lock piece 66 to the unlock position via the second inclined surface 84, allowing the rebar tying tool 2 to be returned to the cover-locked state by the single operation of moving the cover member 18 to the closing position. Alternatively, the engagement protrusion 76 may not comprise the second inclined surface 84. While the cover member 18 is moved from the open position to the closing position, a side of the engagement protrusion 76 may contact the first inclined surface 82 of the lock piece 66. Even in this case, the engagement protrusion 76 presses the lock piece 66 to the unlock position via the first inclined surface 82, allowing the rebar tying tool 2 to be returned to the cover-locked state by the single operation of moving the cover member 18 to the closing position.

(See FIG. 4.) The lever 52 is not limited to being rotatably attached to the cover member 18 but may be slidably attached to the cover member 18. Thus, the lock piece 66 may be configured to slide between the lock position and the unlock position. The sliding direction of the lock piece 66 may be the up-down direction or the front-rear direction. In this case, the orientation of the first inclined surface 82 and/or the orientation of the second inclined surface 84 may be varied depending on the sliding direction of the lock piece 66.

(See FIG. 2.) The reel rotation axis AX2 may not extend in the left-right direction. For example, the reel rotation axis AX2 may extend in the front-rear direction or in the up-down direction.

(See FIG. 1.) When the cover member 18 is in the closing position, the lever rotation axis AX3 may not extend in the left-right direction. For example, when the cover member 18 is in the closing position, the lever rotation axis AX3 may extend in the front-rear direction or in the up-down direction.

(See FIG. 11.) The manipulation piece 62 may not be located frontward of the battery pack B attached to the battery attachment part 10. For example, the lever 52 may be located on the front surface of the cover member 18, and thus the manipulation piece 62 may be located in the lower front portion of the rebar tying tool 2. In this case, the position of the engagement protrusion 76 may be varied depending on the position of the lever 52 (specifically, the lock piece 66).

(See FIG. 2.) The housing space 24 may be located at any position other than frontward of the grip 6 (e.g., it may be located rearward and upward of the grip 6).

(See FIG. 12.) The rebar tying tool 2 may not comprise the cover biasing mechanism 92. Thus, the moment that rotates the cover member 18 about the cover rotation axis AX1 in a predetermined direction may not be applied to the cover member 18.

Features of Embodiment

In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying tool 2 (an example of tying tool) comprises: the holder housing 16 (an example of housing) that defines the housing space 24 for housing the reel 22 and supports the reel 22 housed in the housing space 24 such that the reel 22 is rotatable about the predetermined reel rotation axis AX2, wherein the reel 22 comprises the wire W and the bobbin 32 around which the wire W is wound; the cover member 18 attached to the holder housing 16 such that the cover member 18 is rotatable about the predetermined cover rotation axis AX1, wherein the cover member 18 is movable between the open position where the cover member 18 opens the housing space 24 and the closing position where the cover member 18 closes the housing space 24; and the lock mechanism 20 configured to lock the cover member 18 in the closing position. The lock mechanism 20 comprises: the engagement protrusion 76 (an example of protrusion) disposed on the holder housing 16 (an example of one of the housing and the cover member); the lock piece 66 (an example of lock member) attached to the cover member 18 (an example of another of the housing and the cover member), wherein the lock piece 66 is movable between the lock position where the lock piece 66 interferes with the engagement protrusion 76 when the cover member 18 moves from the closing position to the open position and the unlock position where the lock piece 66 does not interfere with the engagement protrusion 76 when the cover member 18 moves from the closing position to the open position; and the coil spring 54 (an example of lock biasing member) configured to bias the lock piece 66 toward the lock position. The engagement protrusion 76 and the lock piece 66 comprise the inclined surface 82 and the inclined surface 84 that are inclined relative to the direction in which the cover member 18 moves from the open position to the closing position, respectively. When the cover member 18 moves from the open position to the closing position, the engagement protrusion 76 pushes the lock piece 66 via the inclined surfaces 82, 84 so that the lock piece 66 is moved from the lock position to the unlock position against the biasing force of the coil spring 54.

According to the configuration above, when the cover member 18 of the rebar tying tool 2 in the cover-opened state is moved from the open position to the closing position, the lock piece 66 is thereby moved past the unlock position and over the engagement protrusion 76 and then is moved to the lock position by the biasing force of the coil spring 54. As a result, the rebar tying tool 2 transitions to the cover-locked state. Thus, the configuration above allows the rebar tying tool 2 to transition from the cover-opened state to the cover-locked state by a single operation of moving the cover member 18 from the open position to the closing position. This improves the usability of the rebar tying tool 2.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement protrusion 76 is disposed on the holder housing 16. The lock piece 66 is attached to the cover member 18.

To shift the rebar tying tool 2 from the cover-locked state to the cover-opened state, the user moves the cover member 18 toward the open position while maintaining the lock piece 66 in the unlock position. According to the configuration above, the lock piece 66 is attached to the cover member 18, and thus the lock piece 66 moves integrally with the cover member 18. This allows the user to move the cover member 18 toward the open position with one hand, while maintaining the lock piece 66 in the unlock position with the same hand. Thus, the user can shift the rebar tying tool 2 from the cover-locked state to the cover-opened state with one hand, which improves the usability of the rebar tying tool 2.

In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying tool 2 further comprises the grip 6 configured to be gripped by the user. The front direction is defined as the direction from the rebar tying tool 2 toward the rebars R (an example of tying target) when the rebar tying tool 2 ties the rebars R. The rear direction is defined as the direction from the rebars R toward the rebar tying tool 2 when the rebar tying tool 2 ties the rebars R. The left-right direction is defined as the direction orthogonal to both the front-rear direction and the direction in which the grip 6 extends. The reel rotation axis AX2 extends along the left-right direction.

The dimension of the reel 22 in the direction of the reel rotation axis AX2 is smaller than the dimension of the reel 22 in the radial direction of the reel rotation axis AX2. According to the configuration above, the reel rotation axis AX2 extends along the left-right direction, and thus the dimension of the reel 22 in the left-right direction is smaller. This allows for a reduction in the left-right directional dimension of the holder housing 16 in the left-right direction, which houses the reel 22 therein.

In one or more embodiments, the lock mechanism 20 further comprises the lever 52 configured to rotate about the predetermined lever rotation axis AX3. The lever 52 comprises: the manipulation piece 62 configured to be manipulated by the user; and the lock piece 66 located on the opposite side to the manipulation piece 62 with respect to the lever rotation axis AX3. When the cover member 18 is in the closing position, the lever rotation axis AX3 extends along the left-right direction.

A manipulation piece elongated in a direction orthogonal to the lever rotation axis AX3 requires a smaller force for the user to push the manipulation piece 62 to move the lock piece 66. However, such an elongated manipulation piece may be a cause of an irregular shape to the holder housing 16 or the cover member 18 to which the lever 52 is attached. The holder housing 16 or the cover member 18 generally has a shape conforming to the shape of the reel 22 to house the reel 22 therein. Thus, the shape of the holder housing 16 or the cover member 18 generally has a smaller dimension in the extension direction of the reel rotation axis AX2 (i.e., in the left-right direction) and larger dimensions in the directions orthogonal to the reel rotation axis AX2 (i.e., in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction). According to the configuration above, the lever rotation axis AX3 extends in the left-right direction. Thus, the manipulation piece 62, even when elongated in the directions orthogonal to the lever rotation axis AX3 (i.e., in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction), does not require a significant change in the shape of the holder housing 16 or the cover member 18 because the dimensions of the holder housing 16 or the cover member 18 in these directions are originally large. Therefore, the manipulation piece 62 does not become a cause of an irregular shape to the holder housing 16 or the cover member 18 even when it is elongated in the directions orthogonal to the lever rotation axis AX3. Thus, the above configuration allows for a reduction in a force required to push the manipulation piece 62, while preventing an irregular shape of the holder housing 16 or the cover member 18.

In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying tool 2 further comprises the battery attachment part 10 disposed on a lower portion of the grip 6 and configured to detachably receive the battery pack B. The battery pack B is configured to supply power to the rebar tying tool 2. The manipulation piece 62 is located frontward of the battery pack B attached to the battery attachment part 10.

A space may exist around the battery pack B to attach it to and detach it from the rebar tying tool 2. According to the configuration above, the manipulation piece 62 is located frontward of the battery pack B. This allows the user to place his/her finger(s) in the space around the battery pack B when the user manipulates the manipulation piece 62. Thus, interference between the user's finger(s) and the rebar tying tool 2 can be prevented when the user manipulates the manipulation piece 62.

In one or more embodiments, the cover rotation axis AX1 lies on a plane parallel to the front-rear direction.

In the configuration above, the cover member 18 can be open toward a side of the rebar tying tool 2 (i.e., in the left direction or in the right direction). This allows the user to easily open the cover member 18 when the side of the rebar tying tool 2 is oriented toward the user.

In one or more embodiments, the housing space 24 is located frontward of the grip 6.

A heavy component located rearward of the grip 6 may make it difficult for the user to operate the rebar tying tool 2 with his/her hand gripping the grip 6. According to the configuration above, the reel 22, which is a heavy component, housed in the housing space 24 is located frontward of the grip 6. This allows the user to easily operate the rebar tying tool 2 with his/her hand gripping the grip 6.

In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying tool 2 further comprises the coil spring 98 (an example of cover biasing member) configured to bias the cover member 18 toward the closing position.

The configuration above allows for a reduction in a force required to move the cover member 18 from the open position to the closing position with the aid of the biasing force of the coil spring 98.