Fastener-driving tool having a superconductor power source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12285849-B2
Application number	US-202318488291-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2023
Priority date	Nov 23, 2016
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure provides various embodiments of a fastener-driving tool that includes a battery-charged supercapacitor as a power source. The fastener-driving tool includes first and second spaced-apart, conductive rails and a partially conductive piston slidably mounted on the rails. The rails and the piston are electrically connected to one another. The supercapacitor is electrically connected to the first rail. When the supercapacitor discharges electrical current, the electrical current flows from the supercapacitor, into the first rail, through the piston into the second rail, and from the second rail. The electrical current induces magnetic fields in the rails and the piston, and the combination of the electrical current and the magnetic fields induce a Lorentz force that acts on the piston to move the piston toward a nosepiece to drive a fastener.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a fastener-driving tool including a housing, a piston supported by the housing, a winding supported by the housing, capacitors supported by the housing and electrically connected to the winding, and a discharge switch supported by the housing and electrically connected to the capacitors, said method comprising:
causing a power source to charge the capacitors;
controlling, via the discharge switch, when electrical current is discharged from the capacitors, and which includes opening the discharge switch responsive to the piston reaching a firing position; and
discharging, via the discharge switch, the electrical current from the capacitors into the winding to induce a Lorentz force on the piston to cause an actuation of the piston.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the capacitors have different capacities.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the capacitors are supercapacitors.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the capacitors are of different sizes.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fastener-driving tool includes a charge switch supported by the housing, and which includes electrically connecting the power source to the capacitors when the charge switch is closed and not electrically connecting the power source to the capacitors when the charge switch is open.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the fastener-driving tool includes a power source management system supported by the housing and operably connected to the charge switch, and a sensor supported by the housing and configured to detect charge levels of each of the capacitors.

7. The method of claim 6 , which includes causing the power source management system to: (a) monitor the charge levels of the capacitors; (b) cause the charge switch to open responsive to the charge levels of the capacitors reaching a first threshold based on a first determination by the sensor; and (c) afterwards, causing the charge switch to close responsive to the charge levels of the capacitors falling to a second threshold based on a second determination by the sensor, wherein the second threshold is lower than the first threshold.

8. The method of claim 7 , which includes closing the discharge switch to complete a discharge circuit and cause the electrical current to discharge from the capacitors.

9. The method of claim 8 , which includes: (a) in a first operating mode, causing the discharge switch to close responsive to a first actuation event followed by a second actuation event; and (b) in a different second operating mode, causing the discharge switch to close responsive to only the second actuation event.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fastener-driving tool includes a battery management system supported by the housing, and which includes causing the battery management system to monitor charge levels of the capacitors and automatically control whether the power source is electrically connected to the capacitors based on the charge levels of the capacitors.

11. The method of claim 10 , which includes causing the battery management system to electrically connect the power source to the capacitors responsive to the charge levels falling below a first threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 , which includes causing the battery management system to electrically disconnect the power source from the capacitors responsive to the charge levels reaching a different second threshold.

13. The method of claim 10 , which includes causing the battery management system to cause: (a) while no actuations of the piston are occurring, charging of the capacitors until each capacitor reaches its capacity; and (b) while the actuation of the piston is occurring, charging or not charging the capacitors.

14. A method of operating a fastener-driving tool including a housing, a piston supported by the housing, a spring supported by the housing and compressible by the piston, a winding supported by the housing, a capacitor supported by the housing and electrically connected to the winding, and a discharge switch supported by the housing and electrically connected to the capacitor, said method comprising:
causing a power source to charge the capacitor;
controlling, via the discharge switch, when electrical current is discharged from the capacitor, and which includes opening the discharge switch responsive to the piston reaching a firing position;
discharging, via the discharge switch, the electrical current from the capacitor into the winding to induce a Lorentz force on the piston to cause an actuation of the piston; and
causing the spring to cause a return of the piston after the actuation of the piston.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the capacitor is a supercapacitor.

16. The method of claim 14 , which includes closing the discharge switch to complete a discharge circuit and cause the electrical current to discharge from the capacitor.

17. The method of claim 16 , which includes opening the discharge switch responsive to compression of the spring by the piston.

18. The method of claim 16 , which includes: (a) in a first operating mode, closing the discharge switch responsive to a first actuation event followed by a second actuation event; and (b) in a second operating mode, closing the discharge switch responsive to only the second actuation event.

19. The method of claim 14 , which includes closing the discharge switch to complete a discharge circuit and cause the electrical current to discharge from the capacitor, wherein the discharge switch opens responsive to compression of the spring by the piston when the piston reaches the firing position.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Fan Chinbay Q
• Talano Patrick

Classifications

• H02J7/875

  Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation · CPC title

• H02J7/865

  Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply (H02J7/50 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02J7/345

  using capacitors as storage or buffering devices · CPC title

• B25C1/008

  Safety devices · CPC title

• B25C1/06 Primary

  operated by electric power · CPC title