Strapping tool

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a strapping tool configured to tension metal strap around a load and, after tensioning, attach overlapping portions of the strap to one another by cutting notches into a seal element positioned around the overlapping portions of the strap and into the overlapping portions of the strap themselves.

1 . A strapping tool comprising:
 a support;   a tensioning assembly mounted to the support and pivotable relative to the support between a strap-tensioning position and a strap-insertion position; and   a trigger assembly comprising:
 a trigger comprising a trigger body and a trigger head extending from the trigger body, wherein the trigger head defines a curved slot, wherein the trigger is mounted to the tensioning assembly via a trigger pivot pin and is pivotable relative to the tensioning assembly and about the trigger pivot pin between a home position and an intermediate position and is pivotable relative to the support and about the tensioning-assembly pivot axis from the intermediate position to an actuated position to move the tensioning assembly from the strap-tensioning position to the strap-insertion position; 
   a travel pin mounted to the tensioning assembly and extending through the slot of the trigger head to constrain pivoting of the trigger relative to the tensioning assembly between the home and intermediate positions; and   a trigger gear comprising a trigger-gear head defining a stop surface, a trigger-gear arm extending from the trigger-gear head, and a trigger-gear foot connected to the trigger-gear arm and including trigger-gear teeth, wherein the trigger-gear head is rotatably mounted to the travel pin.   
     
     
         2 . The strapping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the tensioning-assembly pivot axis and the trigger pivot axis are different and parallel to one another. 
     
     
         3 . The strapping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the travel pin is at a first end of the slot when the trigger is in the home position and an opposing second end of the slot when the trigger is in the intermediate position. 
     
     
         4 . The strapping tool of  claim 3 , wherein the travel pin is at the second end of the slot when the trigger is in the actuated position. 
     
     
         5 . The strapping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the trigger assembly further comprises a trigger biasing element biasing the trigger to the home position. 
     
     
         6 . The strapping tool of  claim 5 , wherein the trigger biasing element comprises a torsion spring. 
     
     
         7 . The strapping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the trigger assembly further comprises a trigger-gear-engaging component fixedly attached to the trigger and a trigger-gear biasing element biasing the stop surface of the trigger-gear head into contact with the trigger-gear-engaging component. 
     
     
         8 . The strapping tool of  claim 7 , wherein the trigger-gear biasing element comprises a torsion spring. 
     
     
         9 . The strapping tool of  claim 7 , wherein the trigger-gear-engaging component comprises a pin. 
     
     
         10 . The strapping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the tensioning assembly comprises a tension wheel and tensioning-assembly gearing operably connected to a tension wheel to rotate the tension wheel about a tension-wheel rotational axis in a tensioning rotational direction, the strapping tool further comprising:
 a motor operably connected to the tensioning-assembly gearing to drive the tensioning-assembly gearing; and   a decoupling assembly actuatable to enable the tension wheel to rotate about the tension-wheel rotational axis in a direction opposite the tensioning rotational direction, wherein the trigger is operably connected to the decoupling assembly to actuate the decoupling assembly when pivoted from the home position to the intermediate position.   
     
     
         11 . The strapping tool of  claim 10 , wherein the decoupling assembly comprises a decoupling-assembly housing having a tubular body mounted to and rotatable relative to the tensioning assembly, the body comprising teeth extending around an outer circumference of the body. 
     
     
         12 . The strapping tool of  claim 11 , wherein the trigger assembly further comprises a trigger-gear-engaging component fixedly attached to the trigger and a trigger-gear biasing element biasing the stop surface of the trigger-gear head into contact with the trigger-gear-engaging component such that pivoting of the trigger from the home position to the actuated position causes the trigger-gear teeth to engage the teeth of the body of the decoupling-assembly housing and rotate the decoupling-assembly housing relative to the tensioning assembly. 
     
     
         13 . The strapping tool of  claim 11 , wherein the decoupling assembly further comprises:
 a decoupling-assembly shaft at least partially disposed within the decoupling-assembly housing;   a first engageable element at least partially disposed within the decoupling-assembly housing and mounted to the decoupling-assembly shaft for rotation therewith;   a second engageable element at least partially disposed within the decoupling-assembly housing and fixed in rotation relative to the tensioning assembly; and   an expandable element at least partially disposed within the decoupling-assembly housing and circumscribing at least part of the first engageable element and at least part of the second engageable element and having a first end fixed to the second engageable element and a second end fixed to the decoupling-assembly housing, wherein a the expandable element is dimensioned so when at rest the expandable element applies a compression force on the first and second engageable elements that prevents the first and second engageable elements from rotating relative to one another.   
     
     
         14 . The strapping tool of  claim 13 , wherein rotation of the decoupling-assembly housing via movement of the trigger from the home position to the intermediate position causes the second end of the expandable element to rotate relative to the first end of the expandable element, thereby causing an inner diameter of the expandable element to expand and enable the first engageable element to rotate relative to the second engageable element. 
     
     
         15 . The strapping tool of  claim 14 , wherein the expandable element comprises a torsion spring. 
     
     
         16 . The strapping tool of  claim 13 , wherein the tensioning-assembly gearing comprises a ring gear comprising external teeth, wherein the decoupling-assembly shaft comprises teeth, wherein the strapping tool further comprises intermediary gearing operably connecting the external teeth of the ring gear with the teeth of the decoupling assembly shaft, wherein the decoupling-assembly shaft and the intermediary gearing prevent rotation of the ring gear unless the decoupling assembly is actuated. 
     
     
         17 . A strapping tool comprising:
 a support;   a sealing assembly mounted to the support and comprising multiple jaws movable from respective jaw home positions to respective jaw sealing positions;   a motor comprising a motor output shaft;   a first freewheel mounted to the motor output shaft, wherein the first freewheel is configured to rotate with the motor output shaft when the motor output shaft rotates in a first rotational direction and not to rotate with the motor output shaft when the motor output shaft rotates in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction;   a belt pulley mounted to the first freewheel;   a belt operably connecting the belt pulley to the sealing assembly,   a second freewheel mounted to the support; and   an anti-rotation gear mounted to the second freewheel and drivingly engaged by the belt, wherein the second freewheel is configured to enable the belt to drive the anti-rotation gear to rotate in the first rotational direction and to prevent the belt from driving the anti-rotation gear to rotate in the second rotational direction.   
     
     
         18 . The strapping tool of  claim 17 , further comprising a tensioning assembly mounted to the support and pivotable relative to the support between a strap-tensioning position and a strap-insertion position, wherein the tensioning assembly comprises a tension wheel and tensioning-assembly gearing operably connected to a tension wheel to rotate the tension wheel, wherein the motor is operably connected to the tensioning-assembly gearing to drive the tensioning-assembly gearing. 
     
     
         19 . The strapping tool of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a third freewheel mounted to the motor output shaft, wherein the third freewheel is configured to rotate with the motor output shaft when the motor output shaft rotates in the second rotational direction and not to rotate with the motor output shaft when the motor output shaft rotates in the first rotational direction;   a second belt pulley mounted to the third freewheel; and   a second belt operably connecting the second belt pulley to the tensioning-assembly gearing.