US-12623321-B2 - Hazard detection for torque wrench

Abstract

A hydraulic torque wrench and method of operation. The wrench may include a housing supporting a drive element for engaging a fastener; a drive actuator for exerting a torque on the drive element; a sensor configured to sense movement of the housing; and a controller having an electronic processor, the controller being configured to receive a first signal from the sensor, determine, based on the signal, whether the housing is moving, and inhibit operation of the drive actuator in response to the housing of the hydraulic torque wrench moving.

Inventors

• Robin Shaw
• Andrew Dumelow

Assignees

• ENERPAC TOOL GROUP CORP.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20211015

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A hydraulic torque wrench comprising: a housing supporting a drive element configured to engage a fastener; a drive actuator configured to rotate the drive element in a first direction; wherein the hydraulic torque wrench is configured to engage a reaction surface to prevent rotation of the hydraulic torque wrench in a second direction opposite the first direction when the drive element is engaged with the fastener and the drive element is operated; a sensor configured to sense said rotation of the housing in the second direction; and a controller having an electronic processor, the controller being configured to determine that the housing is disengaged from the reaction surface and inhibit operation of the drive actuator upon receipt of a signal from the sensor indicating said rotation in the second direction.
2. 2 . The wrench of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is-includes an orientation sensor.
3. 3 . The wrench of claim 1 , wherein the drive actuator is configured to receive pressurized fluid from a hydraulic pump for exerting a torque on the drive element, and wherein the controller is configured to control operation of the hydraulic pump to in turn control said operation of the drive actuator.
4. 4 . The wrench of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to inhibit said operation of the hydraulic pump in response to receipt of the signal.
5. 5 . The wrench of claim 3 , further comprising a rotation sensor configured to sense rotation of the drive element.
6. 6 . The wrench of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to inhibit said operation of the hydraulic pump in response to receipt of the signal only when the rotation sensor senses rotation of the drive element.
7. 7 . The wrench of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to inhibit said operation of the drive actuator in response the signal only when the drive element is rotating.
8. 8 . The wrench of claim 1 , further comprising an indicator, wherein the controller is configured to activate the indicator in response to receipt of the signal.
9. 9 . The wrench of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine that the housing is moving only when the signal indicates that the housing is rotating in the second direction and that acceleration of the housing in the second direction exceeds a threshold.
10. 10 . The wrench of claim 1 , further comprising a torque sensor configured to sense an amount of torque applied by the drive element to the fastener.
11. 11 . The wrench of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to inhibit operation of the drive actuator only when said amount of torque exceeds a threshold.
12. 12 . The wrench of claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a reaction portion.
13. 13 . The wrench of claim 12 , wherein the reaction portion engages the reaction surface to prevent movement of the housing.
14. 14 . The wrench of claim 12 , wherein the reaction portion is removably attached to the housing.
15. 15 . A method of operating the hydraulic torque wrench according to claim 12 , the method comprising: receiving, by the controller, the signal; determining, by the controller, that the reaction portion is disengaged from the reaction surface based on the signal; and inhibiting, by the controller, operation of the drive actuator.
16. 16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein receiving, by the controller, the signal includes receiving, by the controller, the signal from an orientation sensor.
17. 17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising receiving, by the drive actuator, pressurized fluid from a hydraulic pump for exerting a torque on the drive element.
18. 18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising inhibiting, by the controller, operation of the hydraulic pump in response to the signal.
19. 19 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising: sensing, by a rotation sensor of the wrench, rotation of the drive element; and inhibiting, by the controller, operation of the hydraulic pump in response to the signal only while the drive element is rotating.
20. 20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising activating, by the controller, an indicator of the wrench in response to the signal only when the drive element is rotating.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is the U.S. national stage application of International Application PCT/US2021/055268, filed Oct. 15, 2021, which international application was published on Apr. 21, 2022, as International Publication WO 2022/082037. The International Application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 63/092,131, filed Oct. 15, 2020, and of U.S. Patent Application No. 63/092,188, filed Oct. 15, 2020. All of which applications are hereby incorporated by reference in entirety. FIELD The present disclosure relates to industrial tools and, particularly, to hydraulic torque wrenches. SUMMARY Industrial tools, such as hydraulic torque wrenches, use pressurized fluid to apply large torques to a workpiece (e.g., fastener, nut, etc.). In particular, application of pressurized fluid to a piston drives a socket to rotate in a first direction. In order to ensure that the torque is properly transmitted to the socket, a portion of the wrench body is positioned against a reaction surface to resist a reactionary force exerted against the wrench in a second direction opposite to the first direction. If the wrench is not properly positioned against a reaction surface prior to application of the pressurized fluid, the reaction force may cause the wrench body to rotate in the second direction upon application of the pressurized fluid. Rotation of the torque wrench body may result in damage to the operator, such as pinched fingers or broken hands, and/or to the wrench. In one independent aspect, a hydraulic torque wrench may generally include a housing supporting a drive element for engaging a fastener; a drive actuator for exerting a torque on the drive element; a sensor configured to sense movement of the housing; and a controller having an electronic processor, the controller being configured to receive a signal from the sensor, determine, based on the signal, whether the housing is moving, and inhibit operation of the drive actuator in response to the housing moving. In some aspects, the sensor may be an orientation sensor. In some aspects, the drive actuator may be configured to receive pressurized fluid from a hydraulic pump for exerting a torque on the drive element. In some aspects, the wrench may further include a rotation sensor configured to sense rotation of the drive element. In some aspects, the controller may further be configured to inhibit operation the hydraulic pump in response to the housing moving while the drive element is rotating. In some aspects, the controller may further be configured to inhibit operation the drive actuator in response the housing moving while the drive element is rotating. In some aspects, the wrench may further include an indicator, and the controller may further be configured to activate the indicator in response the housing moving. In some aspects, the controller may further be configured to determine that the housing is moving in response to the signal indicating that acceleration of the housing exceeds a threshold. In some aspects, the wrench may further include a torque sensor configured to sense an amount of torque applied by the drive element to the fastener. In some aspects, the controller may further be configured to inhibit operation of the drive actuator in response to the amount of torque exceeding a threshold. In some aspects, the housing may further include a reaction portion. In some aspects, the reaction portion may engage a reaction surface to inhibit movement of the housing. In some aspects, the reaction portion may be removably attached to the housing. In another independent aspect, a method may be provided for operating a hydraulic torque wrench. The wrench may include a housing that supports a drive element, a sensor, and a controller having an electronic processor. The method may generally include receiving, by the controller, a signal from the sensor indicative of movement of the housing; determining, by the controller, whether the housing is moving based on the signal; and inhibiting, by the controller, operation of the drive actuator in response the housing moving. In some aspects, receiving, by the controller, a signal from the sensor may include receiving, by the controller, a signal from an orientation sensor. In some aspects, the method may further include receiving, by the drive actuator, pressurized fluid from a hydraulic pump for exerting a torque on the drive element. In some aspects, the method may further include inhibiting, by the controller, operation of the hydraulic pump in response to the housing moving. In some aspects, the method further includes sensing, by a rotation sensor of the wrench, rotation of the drive element; and inhibiting, by the controller, operation of the hydraulic pump in response to the housing moving while the drive element is rotating. In some aspects, the method further includes activating, by the controller, an indicator of the wrench in response to the housing moving