Adapter for power tool devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10131043-B2
Application number	US-201815868116-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2018
Priority date	Oct 21, 2013
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

An adapter for a power tool including a housing, a tool-side connector, and a battery-side connector in electrical communication with each other. The tool-side connector is configured to couple to a power tool, and the battery-side connector is configured to couple to a battery pack. The adapter also includes a communication interface configured to couple with an external device, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine a state of the power tool, operate in a data transmission mode when the power tool is in the idle state, operate in a pass-through mode when the power tool is in the active state, and switch between the data transmission mode and the pass-through mode based on the state of the power tool.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power tool comprising:
a housing having an upper main body, a handle, and a device receiving portion, wherein the handle is connected to the upper main body and to the device receiving portion, wherein the device receiving portion is configured to receive and couple to a battery pack;
a brushless direct current (DC) motor within the upper main body and having a rotor and a stator;
a trigger configured to be actuated to activate the brushless DC motor;
a mode selection pad located on an upper surface of the device receiving portion and including a push button; and
a controller including an electronic processor and a memory and configured to
control a switching network to drive the brushless DC motor in response to the trigger being actuated,
receive first information corresponding to a first mode of operation of the power tool, the first information including a first value of an operational parameter from an external device, the power tool receiving the first information from the external device via wireless communication, wherein the first value is adjustable via a user interface on the external device before being received by the controller,
store the first information corresponding to the first mode in the memory,
receive second information corresponding to a second mode of operation of the power tool, the second information including a second value of the operational parameter from the external device, the power tool receiving the second information from the external device via wireless communication, wherein the second value is adjustable via the user interface on the external device before being received by the controller,
store the second information corresponding to the second mode in the memory,
control the power tool to operate in accordance with the first mode in response to the trigger being actuated,
receive an input from the push button to select the second mode, and
control the power tool to operate in accordance with the second mode in response to receiving the input from the push button and in response to the trigger being actuated, wherein the first value of the operational parameter of the first mode is different than the second value of the operational parameter of the second mode.

2. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein the operational parameter is a speed of the brushless DC motor.

3. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein the operational parameter is one selected from the group of a fastening torque of the power tool and an impacting duration of the power tool.

4. The power tool of claim 1 , further comprising a work light, wherein the operational parameter is at least one selected from the group of a work light brightness and a work light duration.

5. The power tool of claim 1 , further comprising the battery pack coupled to the power tool, wherein status information of the battery pack is transmitted to the external device.

6. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein power tool operation statistics are transmitted to the external device.

7. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein the mode selection pad includes a plurality of mode indicators and the controller receives, from the external device, an indication that the first mode is assigned to a first mode indicator and the second mode is assigned to a second mode indicator;
wherein the controller is configured to receive a second input from the push button to cycle through modes of operation of the power tool and select the first mode such that the controller controls the power tool to operate in accordance with the first mode in response to the trigger being actuated.

8. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein information corresponding to an unassigned mode of power tool operation is stored on at least one selected from the group of the memory of the power tool, a memory of the external device, and a memory of a remote server capable of communicating with the external device.

9. A power tool communication system comprising:
an external device including a first controller including a first electronic processor and a first memory, wherein the first controller is configured to
set, based on received input at a user interface on the external device, a first value of an operational parameter of a first mode of operation of a power tool and a second value of the operational parameter of a second mode of operation of the power tool, wherein the first value and the second value of the operational parameter is different, and
transmit, via wireless communication to the power tool, first information corresponding to the first mode including the first value of the operational parameter and second information corresponding to the second mode including the second value of the operational parameter;

the power tool including
a housing having an upper main body, a handle, and a device receiving portion, wherein the handle is connected to the upper main body and to the device receiving portion, wherein the device receiving portion is configured to receive and couple to a battery pack,
a brushless direct current (DC) motor within the upper main body and having a rotor and a stator,
a trigger configured to be actuated to activate the brushless DC motor;
a mode selection pad located on an upper surface of the device receiving portion and including a push button, and
a second controller including a second electronic processor and a second memory and configured to
receive the first information and the second information from the external device,
store the first information corresponding to the first mode and the second information corresponding to the second mode in the second memory,
control the power tool to operate in accordance with the first mode in response to the trigger being actuated,
receive a second input from the push button to select the second mode, and
control the power tool to operate in accordance with the second mode in response to receiving the second input from the push button and in response to the trigger being actuated.

10. The power tool communication system of claim 9 , wherein the operational parameter is a speed of the brushless DC motor.

11. The power tool communication system of claim 9 , wherein the operational parameter is one selected from the group of a fastening torque of the power tool and an impacting duration of the power tool.

12. The power tool communication system of claim 9 , wherein the power tool includes a work light and the operational parameter is at least one selected from the group of a work light brightness and a work light duration.

13. The power tool communication system of claim 9 , further comprising the battery pack coupled to the power tool, wherein the external device receives status information of the battery pack from the power tool.

14. The power tool communication system of claim 9 , wherein the external device receives power tool operation statistics from the power tool.

15. The power tool communication system of claim 9 , wherein the mode selection pad includes a plurality of mode indicators and the second controller receives, from the external device, an indication that the first mode is assigned to a first mode indicator and the second mode is assigned to a second mode indicator;
wherein second controller is configured to receive a third input from the push button to cycle through modes of operation of the power tool and select the first mode such that the second controller controls the power tool to operate in accordance with the first mode in response to the trigger being actuated.

16. The power tool communication system of claim 9 , wh

Assignees

• Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp

Inventors

• Mergener Matthew J
• Stampfl Burtrom Lee
• Monteleone Michael
• Conrad Cole A
• Matson Stephen
• Hollis Robert R

Classifications

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• H02J7/575

  Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit · CPC title

• B25D2250/221

  Sensors · CPC title

• B23B47/00

  Constructional features of components specially designed for boring or drilling machines; Accessories therefor (working-spindles, bearing sleeves therefor B23Q1/70; for machine tools in general B23Q) · CPC title

• B25F5/00

  Details or components of portable power-driven tools not particularly related to the operations performed and not otherwise provided for · CPC title