Power tool having an elongated housing supporting a power module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10272558-B2
Application number	US-201715622619-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2017
Priority date	Oct 14, 2015
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A power tool is provided including an elongated housing. The housing includes a motor case disposed at a front end thereof and a handle portion extending along a longitudinal axis of the housing from the motor case to a rear end of the housing. The handle portion includes two elongated walls extending from the motor case along the longitudinal axis of the housing to form a planar opening within the handle portion. A partition wall is arranged along an axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing, separating the handle portion from the motor case. An electric motor having a drive shaft is mounted within the motor case, and a module casing supporting a planar circuit board is received within the planar opening and supported by the elongated walls within the handle portion of the housing axially along the longitudinal axis of the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power tool comprising:
an elongated housing, wherein the housing includes a motor case disposed at a front end thereof and a handle portion extending along a longitudinal axis of the housing from the motor case to a rear end of the housing, wherein the handle portion includes two elongated walls extending rearwardly from the motor case along the longitudinal axis of the housing and a rear wall extending perpendicularly from ends of the two elongated walls proximate the rear end of the housing, wherein the two elongate walls and the rear wall form a planar opening therebetween within the handle portion;
a partition wall arranged along an axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing, the partition wall separating the handle portion from the motor case;
an electric motor having a drive shaft and mounted within the motor case;
a module casing supporting a planar circuit board received within the planar opening and supported by the elongated walls within the handle portion of the housing, the module casing extending axially along the longitudinal axis of the housing, the planar circuit board accommodating a motor drive circuit including a plurality of motor switches arranged to deliver power to the electric motor.

2. The power tool of claim 1 , further comprising an output shaft drivably coupled to the drive shaft of the electric motor and extending perpendicular to the drive shaft.

3. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein the partition wall is configured to support a rear bearing for the drive shaft of the electric motor and includes one or more holes that permit air flow between the motor case and the handle portion of the housing.

4. The power tool of claim 3 , wherein the partition wall includes a pocket defining an open end and a closed end, wherein the open end of the pocket faces front end of the housing and is sized to receive the rear bearing.

5. The power tool of claim 4 , further comprising one or more position sensors mounted to a position sense board, and a slot formed in the pocket and configured to receive the position sense board therein.

6. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein a rear face of the partition wall supports the module casing within the handle portion.

7. The power tool of claim 1 , further comprising a link capacitor mounted on the planar circuit board and coupled across a DC power bus receiving power from a power supply, and an auxiliary capacitor having a capacitance more than capacitance of the link capacitor and switchably coupled across the DC power bus, wherein the auxiliary capacitor is mounted in the lower section of the handle portion and at the rear end of the handle portion of the housing.

8. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein the circuit board includes a top board segment integrally interconnected by a hinge section to a bottom board segment, such that the top board segment is folded over top of the bottom board segment and the top board segment is affixed to a top surface of the module casing and the bottom board segment is affixed to a bottom surface of the module casing.

9. The power tool of claim 8 , wherein the planar opening divides the handle portion to an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the module casing is received into the planar opening from the upper portion and the heat sink is disposed within the lower portion.

10. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of motor switches are mounted along two lateral side surfaces of the module casing and further includes a heat sink mounted to each of the two lateral side surfaces of the module casing, such that the heat sink is adjacent and thermally coupled to the plurality of motor switches.

11. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein the module casing further includes side walls in contact with and supported by the elongated walls of the handle portion.

12. The power tool of claim 11 , wherein the elongated wall comprise a plurality of ribs disposed along lower axial portions thereof for supporting the side walls of the module casing.

13. The power tool of claim 1 , further comprising a first handle cover that mates with a first axial end of each of the elongated walls to encapsulate the module casing within the handle portion.

14. The power tool of claim 13 , wherein the planar opening divides the handle portion to an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the module casing is received into the planar opening from the upper portion, and the at least one handle cover is arranged over the upper portion.

15. The power tool of claim 14 , further comprising a second handle cover that mates with a second axial end each of the elongated walls and arranged over the lower portion.

16. The power tool of claim 15 , further comprising a plurality of fasteners received through a plurality of first through-holes of the first handle cover and a plurality of second through-holes of the handle portion, and fastened into a plurality of threaded holes of the second handle cover, to secure the first handle cover and the second handle cover to the elongated walls around the module casing.

Assignees

• Black & Decker Inc

Inventors

• Christophersen Kyle J
• Nace Daniel F
• Stiles Iii James H
• Moreland Iv Floyd E
• Oktavec Craig A
• Smith David J
• Privett Jr Zollie W
• Velderman Matthew J
• Crosby Colin M
• Pant Pradeep M

Classifications

• B25F5/008 Primary

  Cooling means · CPC title

• B25F5/02

  Construction of casings, bodies or handles {(B25F5/006, B25F5/008 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H02K11/33

  Drive circuits, e.g. power electronics (H02K11/38 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B24B23/028 Primary

  Angle tools · CPC title

• B24B47/10

  for rotating or reciprocating working-spindles carrying grinding wheels or workpieces · CPC title