In a first aspect the invention relates to the field of power tools such as for example pistol tools or other handheld tools for assembly lines and industrial applications. In a second aspect the invention also relates to the field of power tools in general even for hobby and building related applications.
The manufacturing and application of power tools such as pistol tools has certain challenges especially in industrial environments such as for example assembly factories. Such factories typically have electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and electrostatic discharge (ESD) standards that need to be followed and fulfilled. If they are not fulfilled problems with workers, for instance workers who have a pacemaker, or problems with sensitive equipment in general and sensitive assembly components can occur. In view of these EMC and ESD standards, power tools are today grounded via a cable if they are cable connected tools or they are grounded when connected to a controller that is close to the assembly area, which controller has ground level and therewith provides the same ground level to the tool. One issue that thereby occurs is that the tools or power tools do not have the same ground level across the entire tool due to the extensive use of plastic materials in the actual tool, which plastic electrically isolates several parts, such as for example the motor and the battery adapter, from one another leading to different ground levels in one and the same tool. Especially the handle part of the tool is widely made of plastic and therewith the motor unit and the battery adapter and the battery do not have the same ground level, which leads to problems with EMC and ESD standards since it is not entirely sure what kind of ground level the different parts of the tool have. One solution for this has been to introduce two metal plates into the shell of the handle on both inner sides of it, whereby the metal plates extend from the battery adapter to the motor unit. These metal plates are however cumbersome to install since they need to be bent at the edges and otherwise adapted and they are also difficult to assemble when the tool is produced and therewith make the tool expensive due the following:
Up to today the printed circuit boards (PCB), the controller, the buttons in particular the control button that controls the tool, the cables, the antennas and other components are pressed into one of two handle-shells and then the other handle shell is just pressed onto the first handle shell and screwed tight. The handle shells are typically left and right handle shells. One can imagine that this leads to quite some challenges and uncertainty as to where the actual components are placed once the handle is closed. These challenges are further increased when each handle shell needs to house a metal plate for providing the same ground level across the entire tool. In addition, it is cumbersome and expensive to provide metal plates that fit into the handle shells and do not destroy any other components such as cables or antennas. The assembly of the components within one shell of the handle makes it also very difficult to repair the power tool and replace components. Usually, the entire handle has to be disassembled, the component replaced and then the handle reassembled, which takes time and therewith leads to long down times of such power tools or pistol tools.
Another shortcoming with prior art power tools is that the connection or interface between handle and battery adapter and battery, respectively is rather rigid and stiff. When the power tool thus gets an impact, for example due to falling to the ground, it tends to break at the interface or intersection battery adapter and battery, respectively, and handle.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved power tool.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a power tool such as a pistol tool that is reliable, robust and easy to assemble.
The inventor of the present invention has discovered that the above-described challenges and problems with prior art power tools such as pistol tools can be overcome by providing a power tool having a battery unit, a handle unit and a motor unit, whereby the handle unit comprises a frame that interconnects the battery unit with the motor unit. The frame is thereby made of an electrically conductive material that is strong and robust, such as for example aluminum or conductive fiber, such as metal fiber, reinforced plastic. The advantage of such as solution is that the PCBs, the controller, the cables, the antenna, the communication unit and other components can be assembled to the frame and not into a handle shell. This leads to a cleanly assembled power tool that has the same ground level over the entire tool. By providing an adapter between the frame and the battery unit, which adapter is capable of absorbing shocks and impacts, whereby the adapter is also made of an electrically conductive material such as aluminum, steel or metal fiber, reinforced plastic, it is further possible to make the power tool resistant to destruction at the handle-battery unit interface. The inventor has further realized that this resistance to destruction can further be increased when inner handle covers and outer handle covers with different amounts of glass fibers embedded in plastic are provided, whereby the inner handle covers are made less stiff than the outer handle covers.
Disclosed herein is a power tool for example a pistol tool or any other hand held power tool comprising a motor unit comprising a motor and a drive axle connected to the motor, a battery unit configured to receive a battery and a handle unit interconnecting the motor unit and the battery unit, the handle unit comprising:
In such an embodiment the frame provides a basis for the mounting of all other components in the handle and at the same time the frame provides one and the same ground level across the entire tool from the motor unit to the battery unit and the battery when the battery is coupled. Thus the frame serves as mounting platform for the other components in the handle unit.
Since the frame provides the basis for mounting the components one of the outer handle cover can be removed and all the components stay cleanly and neatly in place, which facilitates maintenance and repair of the pistol tool.
In an embodiment the frame may be made of a metal such as aluminium, steel or titan or of an electrically conductive fiber reinforced plastic.
All of these materials are electrically conductive and therefore they enable the grounding of the entire power tool.
In an embodiment the handle unit may further comprise an adapter that is connected to the frame and the battery unit, whereby the adapter is electrically conductive and designed to have shock absorbing capabilities.
The adapter may be integrally formed with the frame or the battery unit or both. The adapter helps to reduce the risk of a pistol tool breaking at the interface handle unit-battery unit in case of a fall for instance.
In an embodiment the adapter may also be made of a metal such as aluminium, steel or titan or electrically conductive fiber reinforced plastic.
This helps that the conductivity is established from motor unit to the battery unit.
In another embodiment the adapter may comprise a longitudinal web and at least one arch-shaped element connected to the longitudinal web and the adapter may comprise an electrically conductive adapter-battery unit fastening mechanism and an electrically conductive adapter-frame fastening mechanism.
The above design of the adapter helps to improve the shock absorbing properties of the adapter and ensures a good and reliable connection to the handle unit and the battery unit, respectively.
The adapter may comprise two arch-shaped elements and one web or two webs and two arch-shaped elements for improved stability and reliability.
In an embodiment the frame may comprise a frame-motor unit fastening mechanism and a frame-adapter fastening mechanism, wherein the frame-motor unit fastening mechanism and the frame-adapter fastening mechanism are electrically conductive, said mechanisms being used for connecting the frame to the motor unit and the adapter and therewith the battery unit.
These fastening mechanisms provide a reliable and strong connection between handle unit and motor unit and handle unit and battery unit and adapter, respectively. At the same time the fastening mechanisms are electrically conductive for providing one and the same ground level across the entire pistol tool.
In an embodiment the handle unit further may further comprise a pair of inner handle covers configured to be arranged around the frame and printed circuit board and configured to be arranged on an inner side of the pair of outer handle covers.
The pair of inner handle covers are made of glass fiber reinforced plastic comprising 20% to 30% by weight glass fibers and wherein the pair of outer handle covers are made of glass fiber reinforced plastic comprising 25% to 35% by weight glass fibers.
The pair of inner handle covers may further improve the shock resistance of the pistol tool. In particular if the amount of glass fibers is chosen to be less in percentage by weight as in the pair of outer handle covers, then the distribution of the shock or load is improved in case of an impact, since the pair of inner handle covers are allowed to be deformed with less force or shock than the pair of outer handle covers which leads to an optimized load distribution and therewith a higher shock resistance.
In an embodiment the frame may further comprise a bolt opening configured to receive a bolt for fastening the printed circuit board and the pair of inner handle covers, the bolt being made of electrically conductive material and configured to physically touch the printed circuit board.
The bolt may be advantageous for a clean and robust assembly at the same time it may provide grounding to the printed circuit board. This grounding may alternatively be provided via an electrically conductive sleeve that is arranged around the bolt.
In an embodiment at least one of the pair of inner handle covers comprises a channel for receiving and embedding cables.
This will lead to a better and safer arrangement of the cables and therewith to a more durable pistol tool.
In an embodiment the frame may comprise a receiving cavity for mounting the control button.
Such a receiving cavity facilitates the replacement of the control button in case it breaks. The control button and its trigger, respectively, may be fastened via a splint or the like in a trigger adapter, which is embedded via a spring in the receiving cavity. Removing the splint will allow to easily replace the control button. Other solutions may of course be used but the receiving cavity also facilitates assembly of the control button.
In an embodiment the handle unit may further comprise an insulation and protection element that is connected to the frame in between the frame and the printed circuit board.
This insulation and protection element may be made of an electrically insulating and rather soft material so that it can protect the printed circuit board and other sensitive electric components from electric discharges or shocks or the like.
In an embodiment the outer handle cover may extend from the motor unit to the battery unit.
This provides for a stable covering of the handle unit.
Electrically conductive and strong material—Herein the term “electrically conductive and strong material” generally means either some type of metal such as aluminium, steel, titan or an alloy thereof or fiber reinforced plastic, whereby the fibers may be electrically conductive carbon fibers or metal fibers.
Fastening mechanism—Herein the term “fastening mechanism” refers generally to thread, bolt, hole and screw combinations for fastening components to one another. Other fastening mechanisms such as form fit or force fit connections and even adhesive induced connections or electrically conductive adhesive induced connections are covered by this term.
The present invention will now be described, for exemplary purposes, in more detail by way of an embodiment(s) and with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:
Turning now to
The frame 18 illustrated in
Turning now to
The antennas 86 are configured to be attached to the battery housing 70 on either side of the adapter 30. The pair of antennas 86 can thereby be directly connected to circuit board 20 of the pistol tool 1 or via the cables 36.
The frame has been illustrated as a plate-like element it is however clear the it can have another design and structure such as a truss or framework design or it may contain multiple holes for optimizing weight.
The invention has now been described and disclosed and its advantages have been explained according to an embodiment illustrated in the figures. Solutions that fall within the basic idea of providing an electrically conductive structure within a power tool or in particular a pistol power tool, which electrically conductive structure provides the same grounding level across the entire tool are herewith covered by the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2130126-2 | May 2021 | SE | national |
This application is a National Stage Patent Application (filed under 35 § U.S.C. 371) of PCT/EP2022/059453, filed Apr. 8, 2022, of the same title, which, in turn claims priority to Swedish Patent Application No. 2130126-2 filed May 10, 2021, of the same title; the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2022/059453 | 4/8/2022 | WO |