Electric rapid ratchet wrench and method of using the same

1. An electric rapid ratchet wrench comprising:

a body including a first end and a second end opposite to the first end;

a driving device mounted in the first end of the body and adapted to directly or indirectly drive a fastener to rotate;

a power device mounted to the second end of the body and configured to provide a torque;

a transmission device mounted between the driving device and the power device, with the transmission device rotatably mounted to the body and rotatable about a rotating axis, with the transmission device configured to transmit the torque from the power device to drive the driving device; and

a clutch device mounted between the driving device and the power device, with the clutch device including a driven member, a connecting member and a driver member, with the driven member having a first toothed portion, with the connecting member having no toothed portion with the driver member having a second toothed portion, with each of the first toothed portion and the second toothed portion having a plurality of teeth, the connection member and the driver member being arranged together to form an inner circumference with teeth only along part of the circumference, with the plurality of teeth of the second toothed portion movable in a radial direction perpendicular to the rotating axis to disengageably engage with the plurality of teeth of the first toothed portion to thereby switch the clutch device between an engaged state and a disengaged state,

wherein when a resistance smaller than the torque outputted by the power device is encountered while the driving device is driving the fastener, the clutch device is in the engaged state, the second toothed portion of the driver member engages with the first toothed portion of the driven member, the driving device rotates the clutch device and the transmission device, and the driving device is driven by the transmission device to thereby drive the fastener, and

wherein when a large resistance larger than the torque outputted by the power device is encountered at a position while the driving device is driving the fastener, the clutch device is in the disengaged state, resulting in a semi-switching phenomenon in which the second toothed portion of the driver member moves in the radial direction to repeatedly engage with and disengage from the first toothed portion of the driven member, such that the power device does not transmit the torque of the power device to the driving device, the body is manually rotatable by a torque larger than the large resistance to overcome the large resistance and to forcibly drive the fastener through the position via the driving device, and the clutch device returns to the engaged state after the fastener passes through the position.

2. The electric rapid ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 1 , with the connecting member having a sliding groove extending in the radial direction, with the driver member movably received in the sliding groove of the connecting member and movable in the radial direction to disengageably engage with the driven member.

3. An electric rapid ratchet wrench comprising:

a body including a first end and a second end opposite to the first end;

a driving device mounted in the first end of the body and adapted to directly or indirectly drive a fastener to rotate;

a power device mounted to the second end of the body and configured to provide a torque;

a transmission device mounted between the driving device and the power device, with the transmission device rotatably mounted to the body and rotatable about a rotating axis, with the transmission device configured to transmit the torque from the power device to drive the driving device; and

a clutch device mounted between the driving device and the power device, with the clutch device including a driven member and a driver member, with the driven member having a first toothed portion, with the driver member having a second toothed portion, with each of the first toothed portion and the second toothed portion having a plurality of teeth, with the plurality of teeth of the second toothed portion movable in a radial direction perpendicular to the rotating axis to disengageably engage with the plurality of teeth of the first toothed portion to thereby switch the clutch device between an engaged state and a disengaged state,

wherein when a resistance smaller than the torque outputted by the power device is encountered while the driving device is driving the fastener, the clutch device is in the engaged state, the second toothed portion of the driver member engages with the first toothed portion of the driven member, the driving device rotates the clutch device and the transmission device, and the driving device is driven by the transmission device to thereby drive the fastener, and

wherein when a large resistance larger than the torque outputted by the power device is encountered at a position while the driving device is driving the fastener, the clutch device is in the disengaged state, resulting in a semi-switching phenomenon in which the second toothed portion of the driver member moves in the radial direction to repeatedly engage with and disengage from the first toothed portion of the driven member, such that the power device does not transmit the torque of the power device to the driving device, the Body is manually rotatable by a torque larger than the large resistance to overcome the large resistance and to forcibly drive the fastener through the position via the driving device, and the clutch device returns to the engaged state after the fastener passes through the position;

with the clutch device further including a connecting member having a sliding groove extending in the radial direction, with the driver member movably received in the sliding groove of the connecting member and movable in the radial direction to disengageably engage with the driven member;

with the clutch device further including a first elastic element elastically mounted around the driver member and the connecting member, with the first elastic element providing an elastic returning force pressing a side of the driver member opposite to the second toothed portion to provide a preset torque value, wherein when the larger resistance encountered is larger than the torque outputted by the power device or the preset torque value of the first elastic element, the clutch device is in the disengaged state, and the driver member presses against the first elastic element to repeatedly and elastically deform the first elastic element.

4. The electric rapid ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 3 , with the preset torque value being directly proportional to the elastic returning force of the first elastic element, with the driver member including a bottom side and a top side opposite to the bottom side, with the second toothed portion disposed on the bottom side of the driver member and extending in a circumferential direction about the rotating axis, with the driver member further including a first groove in the top side, with the connecting member including an outer periphery having a second groove intercommunicated and aligned with the first groove, with the first elastic element elastically received in the first groove and the second groove and pressing against the top side of the driver member with the elastic returning force.

5. The electric rapid ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 4 , with each of the bottom side and the top side of the driver member being a curved face having a curvature, with the curvature of the bottom side identical to the curvature of the top side, and with the driver member being an arcuate block.

6. The electric rapid ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 5 , with the transmission device including a transmission shaft rotatably mounted in the Body and rotatable about the rotating axis, with the transmission shaft including a transmission end and a driving end opposite to the transmission end along the rotating axis, with the driven member mounted on the transmission end, with the first toothed portion located on an outer periphery of the transmission end and extending in the circumferential direction about the rotating axis, and with the driving end connected to the driving device.

7. The electric rapid ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 6 , with the top side of the driver member further including a third groove extending parallel to the first groove, with the outer periphery of the connecting member further including a fourth groove intercommunicated and aligned with the third groove, with the fourth groove extending parallel to the second groove, with the clutch device further including a second elastic element elastically received in the third groove and the fourth groove, with the second elastic element providing an elastic returning force pressing against the top side of the driver member, with the elastic returning forces of the first elastic element and the second elastic element together pressing the top side of the driver member to provide the preset torque value, with each of the first elastic element and the second elastic element having an opening and having substantially C-shaped cross sections perpendicular to the rotating axis.

8. The electric rapid ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 6 , with the connecting member having a length along the rotating axis, with the first elastic element having a width along the rotating axis, wherein a ratio of the length of the connecting member to the width of the first elastic element is smaller than 4:1.

9. The electric rapid ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 6 , with the connecting member having a length along the rotating axis, with the first elastic element having a width along the rotating axis, wherein a ratio of the length of the connecting member to the width of the first elastic element is 4:1.

10. The electric rapid ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 6 , with the preset torque value being not larger than 3 newton meters, with the body including a compartment in the second end thereof, a transmission hole intercommunicated with the compartment, and a driving hole defined in the first end thereof and intercommunicated with the transmission hole, with the driving device including a driving member and a first ring gear rotatably mounted to the driving member, with the driving member rotatably mounted in the driving hole of the body and configured to directly or indirectly drive the fastener, with the first ring gear configured to drive the driving member to rotate, with the first ring gear including a side toothed portion, with the power device mounted in the compartment of the body, with the power device including a motor connected to the connecting member and a power source electrically connected to the motor, with the motor configured to be powered by the power source to drive the connecting member to rotate about the rotating axis, with the transmission device further including a gear, with the transmission shaft rotatably mounted in the transmission hole of the body and rotatable about the rotating axis, with the gear mounted to the driving end of the transmission shaft and meshed with the side toothed portion of the first ring gear, with the connecting member including a proximal end and a distal end opposite to the proximal end, with the proximal end of the connecting member connected to the motor, with the distal end of the connecting member including a connecting hole extending along the rotating axis, with the transmission end of the transmission shaft extending into the connecting hole, wherein the connecting hole is intercommunicated with the sliding groove, such that the driven member disposed an the transmission end is movable in the radial direction to disengageably engage with the driver member.

11. A method of using an electric rapid ratchet wrench, comprising:

providing an electric rapid ratchet wrench including a body, a driving device mounted to the body for directly or indirectly driving a fastener, a power device mounted to the body and configured to providing a torque, a transmission device mounted between the driving device and the power device, and a clutch device mounted between the driving device and the power device, with the transmission device rotatably mounted to the body and rotatable about a rotating axis, with the transmission device configured to transmit the torque of the power device to drive the driving device, and with the clutch device including a driven member, a connecting member and a driver member, the connection member and the driver member being arranged together to form an inner circumference with teeth only along part of the circumference, and being switchable between an engaged state and a disengaged state;

coupling the driving device to the fastener;

starting the power device to actuate the clutch device and the transmission device, with the transmission device driving the driving device to rotate the fastener;

wherein when a resistance smaller than the torque outputted by the power device is encountered while the driving device is driving the fastener, the clutch device is in the engaged state, the driving device rotates the clutch device and the transmission device, and the driving device is driven by the transmission device to thereby drive the fastener, and

wherein when a large resistance larger than 3 newton meters is encountered at a position while the driving device is driving the fastener, the driver member moves in the radial direction so that the clutch device is in the disengaged state, such that the power device does not transmit the torque of the power device to the driving device, the body is manually rotatable by a torque larger than 3 newton meters to overcome the large resistance and to forcibly drive the fastener through the position via the driving device, and the clutch device returns to the engaged state after the fastener passes through the position.