Power tool communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10967489-B2
Application number	US-202016747389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2020
Priority date	Oct 21, 2013
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

A power tool communication system including an external device including a first controller configured to transmit, via wireless communication to a power tool, configuration data including a work light duration parameter value and a work light brightness parameter value. The power tool includes a housing, a brushless direct current (DC) motor, a trigger, a work light, a wireless communication circuit configured to wirelessly communicate with the external device to receive the configuration data, and a second controller configured to control a work light duration of the work light based on the work light duration parameter value, and control a work light brightness of the work light based on the work light brightness parameter value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. 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 a first received input at a user interface of the external device, a work light duration parameter value,
set, based on a second received input at the user interface of the external device, a work light brightness parameter value, and
transmit, via wireless communication to a power tool, configuration data including the work light duration parameter value and the work light brightness parameter value;

the power tool including
a housing having a handle and a 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 housing and having a rotor and a stator,
a trigger configured to be actuated to activate the brushless DC motor,
a work light,
a wireless communication circuit configured to wirelessly communicate with the external device to receive the configuration data, and
a second controller including a second electronic processor and a second memory, the second controller coupled to the wireless communication circuit to receive the configuration data and configured to
control a work light duration of the work light based on the work light duration parameter value, and
control a work light brightness of the work light based on the work light brightness parameter value.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface includes a touchscreen, and wherein at least one selected from the group of the work light duration parameter value and the work light brightness parameter value is adjustable via a slider on the touchscreen.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second controller is configured to communicate power tool data to the external device via the wireless communication circuit.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the configuration data includes one or more other parameter values that affect operation of the power tool and that are set by the first controller based on one or more additional inputs received at the user interface, wherein the operation of the power tool includes at least one selected from the group of a speed of the brushless DC motor, a fastening torque of the power tool, and an impacting duration of the power tool.

5. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the housing includes an upper main body,
wherein the handle is connected to the upper main body and to the device receiving portion, and
wherein the brushless DC motor is located within the upper main body.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second controller is configured to control a switching network to drive the brushless DC motor in response to the trigger being actuated.

7. A method of controlling a power tool, the method comprising:
setting, with a first controller of an external device and based on a first received input at a user interface of the external device, a work light duration parameter value, the first controller including a first electronic processor and a first memory;
setting, with the first controller and based on a second received input at the user interface of the external device, a work light brightness parameter value;
transmitting, from the external device via wireless communication to the power tool, configuration data including the work light duration parameter value and the work light brightness parameter value;
receiving, with a second controller of the power tool via a wireless communication circuit of the power tool, the configuration data from the external device, the second controller including a second electronic processor and a second memory, and the power tool including
a housing having a handle and a 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 housing and having a rotor and a stator,
a trigger configured to be actuated to activate the brushless DC motor, and
a work light,

controlling, with the second controller of the power tool, a work light duration of the work light based on the work light duration parameter value; and
controlling with the second controller of the power tool, a work light brightness of the work light based on the work light brightness parameter value.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the user interface includes a touchscreen, and wherein at least one selected from the group of the work light duration parameter value and the work light brightness parameter value is adjustable via a slider on the touchscreen.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising transmitting, from the second controller via the wireless communication circuit, power tool data to the external device.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the configuration data includes one or more other parameter values that affect operation of the power tool and that are set by the first controller based on one or more additional inputs received at the user interface, wherein the operation of the power tool includes at least one selected from the group of a speed of the brushless DC motor, a fastening torque of the power tool, and an impacting duration of the power tool.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising receiving the battery pack at the device receiving portion, wherein the device receiving portion is connected to the handle, which is further connected to an upper main body housing of the housing the brushless DC motor.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising controlling, with the second controller, a switching network to drive the brushless DC motor, in response to the trigger being actuated, using power from the battery pack.

13. A power tool comprising:
a housing having a handle and a 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 housing and having a rotor and a stator;
a trigger configured to be actuated to activate the brushless DC motor;
a work light;
a wireless communication circuit configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device to receive configuration data including a work light duration parameter value and a work light brightness parameter value; and
a controller including an electronic processor and a memory, the controller coupled to the wireless communication circuit to receive the configuration data and configured to
control a work light duration of the work light based on the work light duration parameter value, and
control a work light brightness of the work light based on the work light brightness parameter value.

14. The power tool of claim 13 , wherein the work light duration parameter value and the work light brightness parameter value are adjustable via a user interface of the external device before being received by the wireless communication circuit.

15. The power tool of claim 14 , wherein the user interface includes a touchscreen, and wherein at least one selected from the group of the work light duration parameter value and the work light brightness parameter value is adjustable via a slider on the touchscreen.

16. The power tool of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to communicate power tool data to the external device via the wireless communication circuit.

17. The power tool of claim 13 , wherein the configuration data includes one or more other parameter values that affect operation of the p

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

• B25D2216/0015

  Tools having a percussion-only mode · CPC title

• B25D2250/005

  Adjustable tool components; Adjustable parameters · CPC title

• B25D2216/0038

  Tools having a rotation-only mode · CPC title