Counterbalance system for upper horizontal surface drilling operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017216985-A1
Application number	US-201615010580-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 29, 2016
Priority date	Jan 29, 2016
Publication date	Aug 3, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A counterbalance system employs one or more springs to support a large motor drill on an upper horizontal work surface, for example on the tops of drill jigs or bushings. The counterbalance system supports the drill above the work surface where the counterbalance system can slide across the work surface to selectively position the drill over a drill bushing through which a drilling operation is to be performed. A user of the drill supported on the counterbalance system can then push downwardly on the drill to compress the spring and perform a drilling operation. On removal of the downward directed force exerted by the user of the drill, the spring pushes the drill upwardly to disengage the drill from the work surface. The user of the counterbalance system can then slide the counterbalance system and the drill across the top of the work surface.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . A counterbalance apparatus for cutting operations on a horizontally oriented surface, the apparatus comprising:
a base plate, the base plate having a bottom surface that is flat, the bottom surface being configured to be oriented horizontally when the bottom surface is positioned on a separate work surface that is oriented horizontally; a central hole through the base plate, the central hole being configured to accommodate a locking nose of a locking power feed drill motor and a cutting bit of the locking power feed drill motor through the central hole; a top surface on the base plate, the top surface extending around the central hole; a spring on the top surface of the base plate, the spring extending upwardly from the top surface to a top end of the spring, the spring being moveable between a not compressed position of the spring relative to the top surface where the spring extends a first distance from the top surface and a compressed position of the spring where the spring extends a second distance from the top surface, the second distance being smaller than the first distance; and, a body on the top end of the spring, the body having a support surface on the body, the support surface being configured to support a cutting tool on the support surface, the spring when in the not compressed position of the spring relative to the top surface positioning and holding the body in a first position of the body relative to the base plate where the body is spaced a first distance from the base plate, and the spring when moved to the compressed position of the spring relative to the top surface in response to a downward directed load exerted on the body positioning and holding the body in a second position of the body relative to the base plate where the body is spaced a second distance from the base plate, the second distance being smaller than the first distance.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
the support surface on the body and the spring being configured to support a cutting tool on the support surface at the first position of the body relative to the base plate with the spring in the not compressed position of the spring, and the support surface and the spring being configured to support the cutting tool on the support surface at the second position of the body relative to the base plate with the spring in the compressed position of the spring in response to a downward directed load exerted on the cutting tool that exerts the downward directed load on the body.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:
an opening through the support surface of the body, the support surface being configured to support a cutting tool on the support surface with a cutting bit of the cutting tool extending downwardly from the cutting tool, through the opening in the support surface and into the central hole through the base plate where the spring in the first position of the spring relative to the base plate and the support surface of the body position the distal end of the cutting bit above the bottom surface of the base plate.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising:
the spring being one of a plurality of like coil springs that are fixed to the top surface of the base plate, each coil spring of the plurality of coil springs having a top end; and, the body being fixed to the top ends of the plurality of coil springs.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising:
the plurality of coil springs being equally spatially arranged around the central hole through the base plate and the opening through the support surface.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
the body having at least one side wall extending upwardly from the support surface, the side wall being configured to engage against a portion of a cutting tool supported on the support surface and position the cutting tool relative to the support surface.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
the side wall being configured to engage around at least half of a cutting tool supported on the support surface and position the cutting tool relative to the support surface.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
the base plate having a peripheral edge surface that is curved as the peripheral edge surface extends upwardly from the bottom surface of the base plate to a top end of the peripheral edge surface.

9 . The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising:
the plurality of coil springs having a combined spring force that, when a cutting tool is supported on the support surface and no external load is exerted on the cutting tool, the plurality of coil springs are in the not compressed positions of the coil springs and position the distal end of the cutting bit above the bottom surface of the base plate.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an alignment device fixed to the top surface of the base plate, the alignment device extending upwardly from the top surface and through the body, the alignment device extending through the body being configured to hold the body in alignment with the base plate as the body is moved toward the base plate causing the spring to move to its compressed position, and the body is moved away from the base plate by the spring moving from its compressed position toward its not compressed position.

11 . A counterbalance apparatus for cutting operations in horizontally oriented surfaces, the apparatus comprising:
a base plate, the base plate having a bottom surface that is flat, the bottom surface being configured to be oriented horizontally when the bottom surface is positioned on a separate work surface that is oriented horizontally; a central hole through the base plate, the central hole being configured to accommodate a locking nose of a locking power feed drill motor and a cutting bit of the locking power feed drill motor through the central hole; a top surface on the base plate, the top surface extending around the central hole; a guide rod on the top surface of the base plate, the guide rod extending upwardly from the top surface along a line that is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the base plate, the guide rod extending upwardly from the top surface to a top end of the guide rod; a body mounted on the guide rod for reciprocating movements of the body along the guide rod between a first position of the body relative to the base plate and a second position of the body relative to the base plate, the body being positioned a first distance from the base plate in the first position of the body relative to the base plate and the body being positioned a second distance from the base plate in the second position of the body relative to the base plate, the second distance being smaller than the first distance, the guide rod positioning and holding the body directly above the top surface of the base plate, the body having a support surface with an opening through the support surface, the support surface being configured to support a cutting tool on the support surface with a cutting bit of the cutting tool extending downwardly from the cutting tool, through the opening through the support surface and into the central hole through the base plate where the guide rod and the support surface of the body position a distal end of the cutting bit in a first position of the distal end of the cutting bit relative to the base plate above the bottom surface of the base plate; and, a biasing device on the top surface of the base plate, the biasing device positioning the body at the first position of the body relative to the base plate when no external load is exerted on the body, and the biasing device allowin

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Kraft Jerome C
• Newton Andrew P

Classifications

• B25H1/0064 Primary

  Stands attached to the workpiece · CPC title

• B23Q9/0028 Primary

  the guide means being fixed only on the machine · CPC title

• B23B2215/04

  Aircraft components · CPC title

• B23B2260/136

  Springs · CPC title

• B23B45/001

  Housing of the drill, e.g. handgrip · CPC title