Power tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9737984-B2
Application number	US-201414534418-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2014
Priority date	Nov 7, 2013
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

It is an object of the invention to provide a technique for enhancing the operability of a power tool.
A representative screwdriver 100 is provided which has a motor 110 and a driving mechanism 120 . The driving mechanism 120 has a rotation transmitting mechanism including a driving cam 137 and a driven cam 157 , and a cam engagement state is switched by movement of the spindle 150 in a longitudinal direction of the spindle. The position of the spindle 150 in the longitudinal direction is detected by a detecting mechanism 162 that is disposed on the opposite side of the rotation transmitting mechanism from a front end region in the longitudinal direction of the spindle 150 . A controller 180 controls the rotation speed of the motor 110 based on the detection result of the detecting mechanism 162 and drives the motor 110.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power tool, which rotationally drives a tool accessory around a prescribed axial direction, comprising:
a tool body,
a rotary shaft that holds the tool accessory in a front end region of the tool body such that a tip of the tool accessory protrudes from the tool body,
a brushless motor having an output shaft,
an operating member that is manually operated by a user to drive the brushless motor, and
a rotation transmitting mechanism that transmits rotation of the output shaft to the rotary shaft, wherein:
the rotary shaft is movable between a first position on a front end region side of the tool body and a second position apart from the front end region side in the axial direction,
a detecting mechanism that detects the position of the rotary shaft in the axial direction, and
a controller that controls the rotation speed of the brushless motor according to the position of the rotary shaft detected by the detecting mechanism, wherein:
the rotation transmitting mechanism interrupts transmission of rotation of the output shaft to the rotary shaft when the rotary shaft is located at the first position, and transmits rotation of the output shaft to the rotary shaft when the rotary shaft is located at the second position,
the detecting mechanism is arranged such that the detecting mechanism and the front end region hold the rotation transmitting mechanism therebetween in the axial direction,
the controller has a first mode of controlling the rotation speed of the brushless motor to a first rotation speed when the rotary shaft is located at the first position, and a second mode of controlling the rotation speed to a second rotation speed exceeding the first rotation speed when the rotary shaft is located at the second position, and
after the operating member is operated, the controller switches between the first mode and the second mode based on the position of the rotary shaft in the axial direction and controls the rotation speed of the brushless motor.

2. The power tool as defined in claim 1 , wherein the rotary shaft is disposed in parallel to the output shaft at a position offset from the output shaft.

3. The power tool as defined in claim 1 , comprising:
a movable member that moves together with the rotary shaft in the axial direction, wherein:
the movable member has a base end connected to the rotary shaft and a tip protruding from the rotary shaft, and the tip is placed on the opposite side of the rotation transmitting mechanism from the front end region in the axial direction.

4. The power tool as defined in claim 3 , wherein:
the rotation transmitting mechanism has a driving part that is rotated by the output shaft and a driven part that can engage with the driving part,
rotation of the output shaft is transmitted to the rotary shaft by engagement between the driving part and the driven part, and
the movable member is arranged to extend through the driving part.

5. The power tool as defined in claim 3 , wherein:
the movable member has a magnet provided on the tip side, and
the detecting mechanism comprises a magnetic sensor that detects the position of the rotary shaft by detecting a magnetic field of the magnet.

6. The impact tool as defined in claim 3 , comprising:
an intervening member disposed between the movable member and the detecting mechanism, wherein:
the detecting mechanism comprises a switch that is operated by the intervening member when the intervening member is moved by movement of the movable member.

7. The power tool as defined in claim 3 , wherein the detecting mechanism is disposed in a region other than on an axis of the movable member.

8. The power tool as defined in claim 1 , comprising a first rotation speed setting member that can be manually operated by a user, wherein the first rotation speed is selectively set by the first rotation speed setting member.

9. The power tool as defined in claim 1 , comprising a second rotation speed setting member that can be manually operated by a user, wherein the second rotation speed is selectively set by the second rotation speed setting member.

10. The power tool as defined in claim 1 , wherein the power tool is configured to be capable of disabling the first driving mode.

11. The power tool as defined in claim 1 , wherein the rotary shaft is disposed on the front end region side of the rotation transmitting mechanism in the axial direction, and the detecting mechanism is disposed further apart from the front end region than the rotation transmitting mechanism in the axial direction.

12. The power tool as defined in claim 1 , wherein:
the operating member comprises a trigger, and
in the first mode, the controller changes the rotation speed based on the amount of movement of the trigger with the first rotation speed as a maximum rotation speed and drives the brushless motor.

13. The power tool as defined in claim 1 , wherein:
the operating member comprises a trigger, and
in the second mode, the controller changes the rotation speed based on the amount of movement of the trigger with the second rotation speed as a maximum rotation speed and drives the brushless motor.

14. The power tool as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first rotation speed is in a range from 0% through 100% of a rated rotation speed of the brushless motor when the rated rotation speed of the brushless motor is set to 100%.

15. The power tool as defined in claim 1 , wherein:
the detecting mechanism includes a switch, and
the power tool further includes:
a movable member that is configured to move together with the rotary shaft in the axial direction; and
a lever that is disposed to be rotatable on a fulcrum and that is configured to be rotated along with a movement of the movable member and operate the switch.

16. The power tool as defined in claim 15 , wherein the lever is configured to enlarge the movement of the movable member and transmit the enlarged movement to switch.

17. The power tool as defined in claim 16 , wherein:
the fulcrum is positioned in one end region of the lever,
the movable member is configured to come into contact with the one end region of the lever and rotate the lever when the movable member is moved, and
the lever is configured such that the other end region of the lever comes into contact with the switch and operate the switch when the lever is rotated.

Assignees

• Makita Corp

Inventors

• Yamamoto Hirokatsu
• Osada Takaaki
• Sugimoto Manabu

Classifications

• B25B23/147

  specially adapted for electrically operated wrenches or screwdrivers · CPC title

• B25B23/141

  Mechanical overload release couplings · CPC title

• B25B21/008

  with automatic change-over from high speed-low torque mode to low speed-high torque mode · CPC title

• B23B45/008

  Gear boxes, clutches, bearings, feeding mechanisms or like equipment · CPC title

• B25F5/001 Primary

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