Counterbalance system for upper horizontal surface drilling operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9789577-B2
Application number	US-201615010580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2016
Priority date	Jan 29, 2016
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

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 having a bottom surface that is flat;
a central hole through the base plate, the central hole is configured to receive a cutting bit of a cutting tool therethough;
a spring extending upwardly from the base plate, the spring being moveable between a not compressed position where the spring extends a first distance from a top surface of the base plate and a compressed position 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 spring, the body having a support surface configured to support the cutting tool, wherein when the spring is in the not compressed position, the spring positions and holds the body in a first position relative to the base plate where the body is spaced a first distance from the base plate, and wherein when the spring is moved to the compressed position in response to a downwardly directed load exerted on the body, the spring positions and holds the body in a second position 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, wherein;
the base plate bottom surface is configured to slide over tops of drill bushings when the body is in the first position; and,
the central hole is configured to have the cutting tool inserted therethrough to lock the cutting tool to a drill bushing when the body is in the second position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the support surface and the spring are configured to support the cutting tool on the support surface at the first position of the body with the spring in the not compressed position of the spring, and the support surface and the spring are configured to support the cutting tool on the support surface at the second position of the body with the spring in the compressed position of the spring in response to a downwardly directed load exerted on the cutting tool that exerts the downwardly directed load on the body.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:
an opening through the support surface of the body, the support surface being configured to support the cutting tool on the support surface with the cutting bit extending downwardly through the opening in the support surface and into the central hole through the base plate, where the spring in the not compressed 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 , wherein:
the spring being one of at least three like coil springs that are fixed to the top surface of the base plate, each coil spring of the at least three coil springs having a top end; and,
the body being fixed to the top ends of the at least three coil springs.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein:
the at least three 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 , wherein:
the body having at least one side wall extending upwardly from the support surface, the side wall is 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 without being attached to the cutting tool.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
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 , wherein:
the base plate having a peripheral edge surface that is curved upwardly from the bottom surface of the base plate to a top end of the peripheral edge surface.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein:
the at least three 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 at least three coil springs are in the not compressed positions of the at least three 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 , wherein:
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 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 the compressed position of the spring, and the body is moved away from the base plate by the spring moving from the compressed position of the spring toward the not compressed position of the spring.

11. A counterbalance apparatus for cutting operations in horizontally oriented surfaces, the apparatus comprising:
a base plate, having a bottom surface that is flat;
a central hole through the base plate, the central hole is configured to receive a cutting bit of a cutting tool therethrough;
a guide rod extending upwardly from the base plate along a line that is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the base plate;
a body mounted on the guide rod for reciprocating movements along the guide rod between a first position of the body 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 and the body being positioned a second distance from the base plate in the second position of the body, 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 the cutting tool with the cutting bit 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 base plate, the biasing device positioning the body at the first position of the body when no external load is exerted on the body, and the biasing device allowing the body to move from the first position of the body to the second position of the body in response to a external load exerted downwardly on the body, wherein;
the base plate bottom surface is configured to slide over tops of drill bushings when the body is in the first position; and,
the central hole is configured to have the cutting tool inserted therethrough to lock the cutting tool to a drill bushing when the body is in the second position.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
the guide rod being one of at least three guide rods that are fixed to the top surface of the base plate, the at least three guide rods being parallel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein:
the at least three guide rods being equally spatially arranged around the central hole through the base plate.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein:
the biasing device comprising at least three coil springs that are spatially arranged around the central hole through the base plate and the opening through the support surface.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
the body havin

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Kraft Jerome C
• Newton Andrew P

Classifications

• B25H1/0064 Primary

  Stands attached to the workpiece · CPC title

• B23B2215/04

  Aircraft components · CPC title

• B25H1/0078

  Guiding devices for hand tools · CPC title

• B23Q9/0028 Primary

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

• B23B45/001

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