Power tool user interfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10418879-B2
Application number	US-201615172193-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2016
Priority date	Jun 5, 2015
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

A hand-held power tool is provided that includes a housing assembly to support a motor. An output spindle protrudes from an output end of the housing assembly such that the output spindle rotates in response to a rotation of the motor. A user interface is located at the housing assembly opposite the output spindle. The user interface is configured to select one of a plurality of modes of operation of the hand-held power tool to regulate power supplied to the motor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hand-held power tool comprising:
a housing assembly supporting an electric motor having a rotor configured to rotate when the electric motor is supplied with power;
an output spindle protruding from an output end of the housing assembly;
wherein the output spindle is functionally coupled to the rotor such that the output spindle rotates in response to a rotation of the rotor;
a motor endbell located on the housing assembly adjacent the electric motor and opposite the output spindle;
a user interface located on the motor endbell opposite the output spindle;
wherein the user interface is configured to select one of a plurality of modes of operation of the hand-held power tool to regulate the power supplied to the electric motor;
wherein the user interface includes a control knob accessible from exterior of the housing assembly;
wherein the control knob is rotatable about a knob axis to a plurality of mode positions that controls a plurality of operation modes;
wherein the control knob includes a lever that is configured to be pivoted by a hand;
wherein the motor endbell further includes piloting features located adjacent to and interact with the control knob to guide rotation of the control knob relative to the housing assembly about the knob axis to the plurality of mode positions;
wherein the piloting features include an arcuate guide about which the control knob rotates such that the control knob cooperatively defines the shape of the arcuate guide;
wherein the motor endbell further includes indexing features located on the arcuate guide as a plurality of selective stops;
wherein each of the plurality of selective stops is configured to interact with at least one arm on the control knob to provide haptic feedback when the control knob is rotated to each of the plurality of selective stops to define the plurality of mode positions which indicate positional states of the control knob corresponding to the plurality of operation modes;
wherein the control knob includes an arcuate exterior wall that extends at least partway around the knob axis and is connected to first and second interior walls, wherein an inner surface of the arcuate exterior wall is also connected to an outer surface of the first interior wall, and to an outer surface of the second interior wall, wherein opposite ends of the arcuate exterior wall extend radially inward toward the knob axis to connect to the outer surfaces of the first and second interior walls, respectively, and wherein the inner surface of the arcuate exterior wall is spaced apart from and positioned radially outward of the outer surfaces of the first and second interior walls between the opposite ends of the arcuate exterior wall.

2. The hand-held power tool of claim 1 , wherein the at least one arm is a plurality of arms.

3. The hand-held power tool of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of selective stops are a plurality of detents.

4. The hand-held power tool of claim 1 , wherein the motor endbell is configured to position the rotor relative to a stator of the electric motor.

5. The hand-held power tool of claim 1 , wherein the arcuate guide of the motor endbell further includes two rotational stops with the plurality of selective stops located between the two rotational stops.

6. The hand-held power tool of claim 3 , wherein the arcuate guide is circular.

7. The hand-held power tool of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of detents interconnects with and extends radially outward from the knob axis, and wherein the plurality of detents are spaced apart from each other.

8. The hand-held power tool of claim 6 , wherein the arcuate guide includes a reduced radius section with respect to the knob axis at a location adjacent the plurality of detents.

9. The hand-held power tool of claim 4 , wherein the knob axis is located parallel to an axis of rotation of the motor.

10. The hand-held power tool of claim 4 , wherein the knob axis is located coincident to an axis of rotation of the rotor.

11. The hand-held power tool of claim 1 , wherein the control knob is also located adjacent to a cap configured to shroud an interior space at an end of the hand-held power tool opposite the output end, wherein the control knob is rotatable relative to the cap to the plurality of mode positions.

12. The hand-held power tool of claim 1 , wherein the control knob is rotatable to select one of the plurality of operation modes to regulate a maximum power supplied to the electric motor when a trigger, spaced apart from the control knob, is depressed.

13. The hand-held power tool of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of operation modes are selected from a group consisting of a first power level, a second power level that is greater than the second power level, a third power level which is greater than the second power level, and a fourth power level that is greater than the third power level.

14. The hand-held power tool of claim 1 , wherein the control knob further includes an interior cavity, wherein the piloting and indexing features of the endbell are received in the interior cavity.

15. The hand-held power tool of claim 1 , wherein the at least one arm are first and second arms, each configured to engage one of the selective stops that define the plurality of mode positions for the control knob to provide feedback indicating the positional state of the control knob at one of the plurality of operation modes.

16. The hand-held power tool of claim 15 , wherein the first and second arms are cantilevered arms coupled to the control knob and extend radially inward therefrom toward the knob axis, wherein when the control knob is rotated to one of the plurality of mode positions, wherein interference causes the first and second arms to be deflected radially outward away from the knob axis such that the deflection is detectable by the hand touching the control knob, which provide the haptic feedback indicating the positional state of the control knob.

17. A hand-held power tool comprising:
a housing assembly supporting an electric motor having a rotor configured to rotate when the electric motor is supplied with power;
an output spindle protruding from an output end of the housing assembly;
wherein the output spindle is functionally coupled to the rotor such that the output spindle rotates in response to a rotation of the rotor;
a motor endbell located on the housing assembly adjacent the electric motor and opposite the output spindle; and
a user interface located on the motor endbell opposite the output spindle;
wherein the user interface is configured to select one of a plurality of modes of operation of the hand-held power tool to regulate power supplied to the electric motor;
wherein the user interface includes a control knob having a knob axis and accessible from exterior of the housing assembly; and
wherein the control knob includes an arcuate exterior wall that extends at least partway around the knob axis and is connected to first and second interior walls, wherein an inner surface of the arcuate exterior wall is also connected to an outer surface of the first interior wall, and to an outer surface of the second interior wall, wherein opposite ends of the arcuate exterior wall extend radially inward toward the knob axis to connect to the outer surfaces of the first and second interior walls, respectively, and wherein the inner surface of the arcuate exterior wall is spaced apart from and positioned radially outward of the outer surfaces of the first and second interior walls between the opposite ends of the arcuate exterior wal

Assignees

• Ingersoll Rand Co

Inventors

• Bartoszek Jason Christopher
• Madineni Vikram
• Johnson Joshua Odell
• Ely Sean C
• Leavitt Douglas Fornell

Classifications

• B25F5/001

  Gearings, speed selectors, clutches or the like specially adapted for rotary tools · CPC title

• B25F5/02

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

• H02K7/145 Primary

  Hand-held machine tool · CPC title