|Numéro de publication||US7225959 B2|
|Type de publication||Octroi|
|Numéro de demande||US 10/114,237|
|Date de publication||5 juin 2007|
|Date de dépôt||3 avr. 2002|
|Date de priorité||30 avr. 2001|
|État de paiement des frais||Payé|
|Autre référence de publication||US20020158102, WO2002087831A2|
|Numéro de publication||10114237, 114237, US 7225959 B2, US 7225959B2, US-B2-7225959, US7225959 B2, US7225959B2|
|Inventeurs||James Andrew Patton, Michael Anthony Lagaly, Patrick Gerald Barry, Julie Lynn Jones, Deborah Lynn Harr|
|Cessionnaire d'origine||Black & Decker, Inc.|
|Exporter la citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Citations de brevets (90), Citations hors brevets (3), Référencé par (17), Classifications (18), Événements juridiques (4)|
|Liens externes: USPTO, Cession USPTO, Espacenet|
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/286,998 filed Apr. 30, 2001, and to U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/356,755 filed Feb. 15, 2002.
1. Field of the Invention
The field of this invention is portable pneumatic tools.
2. Description of Related Art
Portable pneumatic tools such as pneumatic fastening tools, metal piercing tools and crimping tools each require a source of compressed air. Currently, almost all portable pneumatic tools rely upon external air compressors to deliver compressed air via a flexible compressed air hose. External air compressors are typically either shop models or portable models.
Shop air compressors are large, heavy compressors which are often fixed in place and not designed to be frequently moved from one work site to another. An immovable shop air compressor and compressed air hose of finite length limit the ability to take the portable pneumatic tool to where the work is to be performed. The portable pneumatic tool is, in effect, tethered to the fixed shop air compressor and its portability is thereby reduced.
In contrast, portable air compressors do have the ability to be transported from one work site to another. Still, they remain relatively heavy or bulky and awkward to transport—requiring time and manpower to move around the worksite. As with shop models, portable air compressors require a hose to bring the compressed air from the compressor to the tool. Because of the need for a compressed air hose, the portable pneumatic tool remains tethered to the portable air compressor. When the portable air compressor cannot be easily moved around the worksite, the portability of the portable pneumatic tool tethered to the compressor is in turn limited. The lightest and most portable of the portable air compressors are powered by an electric motor. However, these electric powered models then require access to an external electrical power source which is an additional limitation to the portable compressor's portability.
With either class of external air compressor-shop or portable models—the required purchase of the external air compressor to accompany the portable pneumatic tool is an additional expense which can be difficult to bear for some consumers, especially if the external air compressor will serve no other purpose than to power the portable pneumatic tool.
Also, with either class of external air compressor, a hose is required to deliver the compressed air from the external air compressor to the tool. The hose can get in the way of using the tool, can be time consuming to connect and disconnect, adds additional weight that must be carried from one work site to another, and can even be a safety hazard. The hose and required fittings are also an additional expense to the user and will eventually require maintenance or replacement.
Thus, as can be easily seen, the dependence of portable pneumatic tools upon external air compressors limits the portability of these tools, imposes additional costs and reduces their utility.
The utility of a hand-held pneumatic fastening tool, one type of portable pneumatic tool, is particularly affected by its dependence upon an external air compressor. Hand-held pneumatic fastening tools are designed to be quickly carried by hand to where a fastener is to be driven into a workpiece. As explained above, an external air compressor connected to the tool at a minimum complicates moving the hand-held pneumatic fastening tool around the work site. Also, the hose protruding from the tool can get in the way of the work to be done, and can restrict the use of the tool in confined spaces or difficult to reach places. Setup time can also be a problem. Especially when only a few fasteners are to be driven, the time required to setup and connect the external air compressor to the hand-held pneumatic fastening tool is proportionately high to the actual working time of the tool. In some cases, it may take longer to setup the external air compressor than to drive the fastener by hand. In such cases, a user will naturally resort to manually driving the fastener with a hammer.
All of the above-mentioned problems could be overcome if the portable pneumatic tool's dependence upon an external air compressor was eliminated. In the field of hand-held fastening tools, cordless, combustion-based fastening tools have been proposed and produced. One well known type of combustion-based fastening tool uses an internal combustion chamber in lieu of an external air compressor. A combustible gas and air mix in a combustion chamber in these tools. A spark plug ignites this combustible mixture to create pressure that works on a piston to drive the fastener.
While eliminating the dependence upon an external air compressor, these combustion-based fastening tools exhibit other problems. For example, these combustion-based tools require the recurring purchase of proprietary fuel cells available from the tool's manufacturer. One tool's fuel cells typically cannot be used in the tools of another manufacturer. Maintenance can also be a problem. Some of these combustion-based tools require disassembly after every 30,000 or so shots to clean the residue of the combustion. Further, the design and construction of these combustion-based fastening tools differs substantially from other hand-held pneumatic fastening tools resulting in a substantial lack of part interchangeability. Finally, these combustion-based fastening tools cannot be both a cordless fastening tool and a hand-held pneumatic fastening tool relying upon an external air compressor. The ability to be selectively powered by combustion or external compressed air would increase the adaptability of the tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,488 to Haley, U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,808 to Sollberger et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,423 to Kondo et al. each propose a hand-held fastening tool which does not rely upon an external air compressor and is not combustion-based.
The Haley patent discloses a fastening tool with a pump. The pump pumps a non-compressible fluid which forces a drive piston rearward in a cylinder. The retraction of the drive piston in turn compresses air in an accumulator. Pulling a trigger switch on the fastening tool activates the pump. At some time after the pump has been running and the air has been compressed in the accumulator, the drive piston reaches the limit of its rearward movement. This causes the separation of the drive piston from an accumulator piston, which in turn allows the compressed air to act on the drive piston. The compressed air drives the drive piston forward to drive the fastener.
The Sollberger et al. and Kondo et al. patents each disclose similar proposed fastening tools. In each of these proposed fastening tools, an electric motor drives a piston rearward in a cylinder through an arrangement of gears and linkages. Pulling the trigger on these tools causes the electric motor to be energized to move the piston rearward in the cylinder. As the piston moves rearward, the air behind the piston which is trapped in the cylinder is compressed. At a certain point, the piston is freed from the driving force of the motor and is rapidly propelled forward in the cylinder by the force of the compressed air trapped behind. As the piston is propelled forward, it strikes and drives the fastener.
In these three patents, each of the proposed designs does eliminate the hand-held fastening tool's dependence upon an external air compressor. However, each of the proposed designs would result in one or more new drawbacks. First, pulling the trigger on each of these fastening tools would not immediately result in the firing of the tool and the driving of the fastener. Rather, pulling the trigger would merely activate the motor or pump which begins the process of compressing the air. Then, after the air has been compressed, a release mechanism would automatically fire the tool and drive the fastener. The lag time between the pulling of the trigger and the firing the tool could be a safety concern. This lag time would also reduce the operating speed of the tool and would make operation of the tool less intuitive for the user.
Second, in these proposed fastening tools the maximum air pressure needed to perform an amount of work on the drive piston sufficient to drive the fastener is much greater than with standard pneumatic fastening tools. The work that the compressed air performs on the drive piston in order to drive the fastener is a result of the compressed air exerting a force on the drive piston as it travels downward in its cylinder. The pressure of the compressed air in a standard pneumatic fastening tool will remain high throughout the drive piston's travel because the compressed air is provided by an external air compressor, which is almost a constant-pressure supply source. In contrast, the pressure of the compressed air in the proposed fastening tools will linearly decrease to zero as the drive piston returns to its start position. Because of the lack of air pressure at the end of the drive piston's travel, there must be a relatively high air pressure at the beginning in order to sufficiently drive the fastener flush with the workpiece.
The necessity for high air pressure in these proposed fastening tools is a disadvantage because compressing the air to such a high pressure is energy inefficient. This can make a difference in the weight of these proposed tools if they are to be powered by batteries. A related effect is that the high pressure could generate a significant amount of heat that must be dissipated. In addition to the reduction in efficiency and increase in heat, holding the high pressure compressed air behind the piston for the relatively long period of time before these proposed fastening tools finally fire will require relatively expensive and possible maintenance-intensive seals around the drive piston.
This need for such high air pressure might be obviated if the air in the cylinder were pre-compressed so that air pressure would be maintained even when the piston is in its start position. While the air in some of the proposed fastening tools in the above patents could be pre-compressed, this would require an additional mechanism onboard the tool to maintain this pressure as the precompressed air would inevitably leak out and need recharging.
Third, each of these proposed tools relies upon new and untested mechanisms for compressing the air. These new mechanisms are not present in any present-day hand-held pneumatic fastening tools which rely upon external air compressors. The parts for these new mechanisms, especially initially, will be costly to engineer, design, and produce. Likely, these new mechanisms would not immediately be as reliable as the mature technology embodied in present-day hand-held pneumatic fastening tools.
Thus, while the proposed fastening tools disclosed in the above-described patents would not be reliant upon an external air compressor and would not possess the drawbacks of external air compressors, these proposed tools would suffer other important, and potentially more serious, drawbacks.
In one embodiment of the invention, a hand-held fastening tool for driving a fastener into a workpiece comprises a body, a chamber formed in the body, a drive piston received in the chamber for reciprocal movement therein, the drive piston reciprocating in the chamber to drive the fastener into the workpiece, an electrical power source, a compressor and an electric motor each mounted to the body, the electric motor powered by the electrical power source and the compressor powered by the electric motor, a compressed air reservoir in communication with the compressor, the compressed air reservoir storing the compressed air that is compressed in the compressor, and a trigger valve assembly operable to release stored compressed air from the compressed air reservoir into the chamber to drive the drive piston thereby driving the fastener.
In another embodiment of the invention, a method of driving a fastener into a workpiece with a hand-held fastening tool comprises the steps of drawing air from the atmosphere and compressing the air in an onboard compressor mounted to the hand-held fastening tool, the compressor powered by an electrical power source, filling a compressed air reservoir with the compressed air compressed in the onboard compressor, and actuating a valve assembly to release compressed air from the compressed air reservoir into a chamber having a drive piston reciprocally movable therein causing the drive piston to move in a chamber formed in the hand-held fastening tool thereby driving a first fastener.
In another embodiment of the invention, a method for performing a task with a hand-held pneumatic tool comprises the steps of using an electric motor mounted to the hand-held pneumatic tool to power a compressor mounted to the hand-held pneumatic tool, the compressor having a compressor piston, compressing atmospheric air with the compressor piston, storing the compressed air, actuating a trigger on the hand-held pneumatic tool so that a drive piston positioned in a chamber formed in the hand-held pneumatic tool is driven downward in the chamber by the compressed air, and driving a working mechanism for performing the task with the downward motion of the drive piston.
In another embodiment of the invention, a hand-held pneumatic tool comprises a body, a chamber formed in the body, a drive piston received in the chamber for reciprocal movement therein, a working mechanism for performing the work of the hand-held pneumatic tool, the drive piston reciprocating in the chamber to drive the working mechanism, an electrical power source, a compressor and an electric motor each mounted to the body, the electric motor powered by the electrical power source and the compressor powered by the electric motor, a compressed air reservoir in communication with the compressor, the compressed air reservoir storing compressed air that is compressed in the compressor, and a trigger valve assembly operable to release stored compressed air from the compressed air reservoir into the chamber to drive the drive piston thereby driving the working mechanism.
In another embodiment of the invention, a portable pneumatic tool system comprises a hand-held pneumatic tool having a body, a chamber formed in the body, a drive piston reciprocating in the chamber under the force of compressed air in the chamber, the reciprocating movement of the drive piston powering a working mechanism for performing a task, and a port in communication with the chamber for bringing compressed air into the chamber. The portable pneumatic tool system also comprises a portable compressor assembly adapted to be borne by a user and having an electric motor operatively connected to and powering a compressor, an electrical power source powering the electric motor, and a port in communication with the compressor for delivering compressed air from the compressor, the portable compressor assembly further having means permitting the portable compressor assembly to be borne by a user. The portable pneumatic tool system also comprises a compressed air hose connected at one end thereof to the port of the hand-held pneumatic tool and at a second end thereof to the portable compressor assembly.
In another embodiment of the invention, a method of using a portable pneumatic tool system, the system comprises a hand-held pneumatic tool having a drive piston reciprocating in a chamber under the force of compressed air in the chamber, the reciprocating movement of the drive piston powering a working mechanism for performing a task, and a port in communication with the chamber for bringing compressed air into the chamber. The system further comprises a portable compressor assembly adapted to be borne by a user and having an electric motor operatively connected to and powering a compressor, an electrical power source powering the electric motor, and a port in communication with the compressor for delivering compressed air from the compressor. The method of using the system comprises the steps of grasping the hand-held pneumatic tool with the user's hand, attaching the portable compressor assembly to some part of the user's body other than the hand or arm so that the portable compressor assembly is borne by the user, connecting a compressed air hose between the port of the compressor assembly and the port of the hand-held pneumatic tool, compressing atmospheric air in the compressor of the compressor assembly, and introducing the compressed air compressed in the compressor into the chamber of the hand-held pneumatic tool to drive the drive piston thereby driving the working mechanism and performing the task.
In another embodiment of the invention, a portable compressor assembly for providing compressed air to a hand-held pneumatic tool comprises a body, a compressor located at least partially inside the body, an electric motor operatively connected to and powering the compressor, at least one battery detachably mounted to the body, the battery providing electrical power to the electric motor, a port in communication with the compressor, the port connectable to a compressed air line for delivering compressed air to the hand-held pneumatic tool, and a control system. The control system comprises pressure sensing means for sensing the pressure of the compressed air available to the port, and control means for controlling the electric motor according to a comparison between the pressure sensed by the pressure sensing means and a predetermined pressure setting, the predetermined pressure setting being selectable by the user during use of the portable compressor unit.
In another embodiment of the invention, a portable pneumatic tool system comprises a hand-held pneumatic tool having a body, a chamber formed in the body, a drive piston reciprocating in the chamber under the force of compressed air in the chamber, the reciprocating movement of the drive piston powering a working mechanism for performing a task, and a port in communication with the chamber for bringing compressed air into the chamber. The portable pneumatic tool system also comprises a portable compressor assembly having an electric motor operatively connected to and powering a compressor, a detachably mounted battery powering the electric motor, and a port in communication with the compressor for delivering compressed air from the compressor. The portable pneumatic tool system also comprises a compressed air hose connected at one end thereof to the port of the hand-held pneumatic tool and at a second end thereof to the portable compressor assembly.
In another embodiment of the invention, a battery-powered, hand-held pneumatic fastening tool comprises a metal fastening tool body, a plastic cover mounted on the fastening tool body, and a battery detachably mounted on the plastic cover for providing electrical power to the hand-held pneumatic fastening tool.
The illustrated embodiment of the invention is a hand-held, cordless pneumatic brad nailer. It should be understood that while this specification describes the invention through reference to this specific illustrated embodiment, the invention is not limited to a cordless pneumatic brad nailer. Those skilled in the art will comprehend that the invention is equally and in a similar manner applicable to other portable pneumatic tools. Besides brad nailers, the invention is applicable to other hand-held pneumatic fastening tools such as finish nailers, framing nailers, pin nailers, staplers, riveters, etc. Thus, where reference is made to a brad, other fasteners such as nails, pins, staples, rivets, etc. may be substituted. In addition to hand-held pneumatic fastening tools, the invention is also applicable to a wider range of portable pneumatic tools such as metal piercing tools, crimping tools and impact wrenches. In general, the invention is applicable to any portable pneumatic tool requiring relatively infrequent bursts of low volume, high pressure compressed air. The invention is applicable to corded as well as cordless tools. As the energy density of batteries increases with technology advancements in the future, this invention will become more practical to apply to more and more portable pneumatic tools.
While the invention is described through reference to this detailed embodiment, not all of the details described herein are important for practicing the invention. The scope of the invention should be ascertained from and shall be measured by reference to the appended claims.
With reference to
As already stated, the invention may also be applied to other portable pneumatic tools. In general, portable pneumatic tools have a drive piston which drives a working mechanism adapted to perform a task. Throughout this specification and in the appended claims, reference will be made to a working mechanism to generically refer to any mechanism powered by a drive piston in these tools.
The compressed air for powering the brad nailer can be provided by an onboard compressor assembly 100. In this embodiment, the compressor assembly 100 is mounted to the body 10 and contained within a compressor cover 110.
The scope of the invention is not intended to be limited to any particular design for the compressor assembly. Indeed, the compressor assembly can be of any appropriate design capable of being onboard a hand-held pneumatic tool. “Onboard” means that the compressor assembly is mounted on and carried by the tool. In other words, in its ordinary course of use, the tool and its onboard compressor are moved by hand together, as a unit, from one operation to the next. “Mounted” shall be broadly construed to mean both permanent and detachable attachment of one part to another, as well as the attachment of two parts which have been jointly formed as a unitary component. The term mounted shall also include the attachment of one part to another where some degree of relative movement between the two parts is still permitted. The term mounted shall also include both the direct mounting of one part to another, or the indirect mounting of two parts via other parts. By way of example, the onboard compressor can be mounted to a tool by screws, bolts, clamps, latches, hook-and-loop type fasteners, elastic straps, or any other permanent or detachable fastening system.
The particular compressor assembly 100 in the illustrated embodiment will now be described with reference to
The compressor 130 of the illustrated embodiment is a positive displacement, piston type compressor. In particular, the compressor 130 has a bore of about 1.2 inches and a stroke of about 0.8 inches resulting in a displacement of about 0.9 cubic inches. Other types of compressors may also be used, including rotary displacement compressors and gear type compressors, as desired. The compressor 130 comprises an integral crank and counterweight 131, a connecting rod 132 and a compressor piston 133 (
Compressor 130 operates on a two-stroke cycle. During the intake stroke, suction created by the compressor piston 133 opens a reed-type intake valve 136 (normally biased to its closed position) mounted on the compressor cylinder head 135, permitting air to enter the compressor cylinder 134. During the compression stroke pressure created by the compressor piston 133 opens a spring-biased, check-type exhaust valve 137 (normally biased to its closed position), permitting the compressed air to escape the compressor cylinder 134.
The flow path of the compressed air is shown by the dashed lines and arrows in
A compressed air reservoir 210 stores the compressed air from the compressor 130 until it is used to power the drive piston to drive a brad. Many pneumatic fasteners already have a passageway formed in the handle leading from a compressed air hose coupler to the valve assembly, and the compressed air reservoir 210 may be adequately provided by such an existing passageway, or by such an existing passageway in combination with a compressed air hose. Or, the compressed air reservoir 210 may be provided by a small external tank mounted to the body 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the compressed air reservoir 210 is formed in a hollow portion of the handle portion 12, and is completely separate from the compressor 130 and the chamber formed in the head portion 11 of the body 10. A cap 200 is mounted to the handle portion 12 via screws 203 to enclose the compressed air reservoir 210. The cap 200 is sealed to the handle portion 12 by a conventional seal 201.
The onboard compressor assembly 100 is mounted to the body 10 via bracket 220. Bracket 220 is mounted to the cap 200 with screws 221. Mounting points 122 (
In alternative embodiments, the compressor assembly 100 may be mounted to the body 10 in a detachable fashion.
The compressor assembly 100 b could be used with any standard hand-held pneumatic fastening tool or other portable pneumatic tool with a coupler for connecting to a compressed air supply hose. The compressor assembly 100 b would also include a coupler for attaching a supply hose leading to the pneumatic fastener. A reservoir for storing the compressed air could be provided by the air supply hose or a small external tank.
The compressor assembly 100 b would be sufficiently small in size and light in weight to be borne by the user such as, for example, on the user's belt. The compressor assembly 100 b could also be borne by the user in other fashions. What is meant by “borne by the user” is that the compressor assembly 100 b is releasably attached to the user's body or clothing in some manner so that it can be passively carried around with the user. “Borne by the user” does not include simply carrying the compressor assembly 110 b by hand. The compressor assembly 100 b could have means permitting the compressor assembly to be borne by the user which include a belt, belt loop, shoulder straps, hooks, clips, hook-and-loop type fasteners, or any other mechanism for releasably attaching the compressor assembly 100 b to the user's body or clothing.
The embodiment in
Returning to the embodiment in
The onboard battery 300 is not the only possible electrical power source for powering the onboard compressor assembly 100, however. In another embodiment, the electrical power source may be an electric power cord which delivers electrical power from an external electrical power source. In yet another embodiment, a battery borne by the user may electrically connect to the brad nailer to power the onboard compressor assembly 100. As can be seen, there are many possible combinations for powering the compressor assemblies shown in
The compressor cover 110 can be a unitary or multipart, plastic or metal component which is shaped to fit around the compressor assembly 100 and is attached to the compressor assembly 100 or the body 10, or both. Preferably, the compressor cover 110 is attached only to the body 10 so that the compressor assembly 100 will be free to vibrate somewhat underneath the compressor cover 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the compressor cover 110 comprises two clam shell halves 110 a, 110 b each made from injection molded plastic. Plastic helps minimize the weight of the cordless brad nailer as well as insulate the heat of the compressor assembly 100 from the user's hands.
The compressor cover 110 protects the user from any exposed moving parts of the compressor assembly 100 and from any parts of the compressor assembly 100 which may become very hot during use such as the compressor cylinder head 135. The compressor cover 110 can also enhance the clean aesthetic appearance of the brad nailer. Air vents 111, 112 (
One feature of this invention is that many of the components of the cordless brad nailer are the same as traditional components for a pneumatic fastening tool. For example, the drive piston and valve system of the cordless brad nailer may be the same as those used in a standard pneumatic brad nailer. Using these standard parts is advantageous because these parts have already been field-tested and proven, ensuring their reliability. Also, a ready supply of spare parts is available to consumers should they break because these parts are already in wide spread commercial use. The cost of the cordless brad nailer is also minimized because tooling for making these parts already exists. The same ability to use standard pneumatic tool parts will apply equally when the invention is applied to other hand-held pneumatic fastening tools, or other portable pneumatic tools, because the fundamental process in these tools for using the energy of compressed air to perform the work will remain unchanged by the addition of an onboard compressor assembly.
While the purpose of this invention is to overcome a hand-held pneumatic tool's dependence upon an external air compressor, external air compressors remain advantageous in many situations. Therefore, another feature of the invention is the ability to be selectively powered by either an onboard compressor assembly or an external air compressor. In order to accommodate an external air compressor, a port 250 (
A pressure relief valve 230 (
In each of the embodiments described above, the compressor assembly may include a control system which turns the electric motor on and off according to the demand for compressed air. Of course, such a control system is not absolutely necessary because the compressor could be set to run continuously when the tool is in use while the pressure relief valve 230 relieves excessive compressed air if the supply does not match the demand. A control system may be preferable to this simple set-up, however, for several reasons set forth below in the description of possible control systems. In the description of each of the possible control systems, reference will be made to the illustrated embodiment of the invention—a cordless brad nailer. It should be understood that the described control systems may also be applied to any of the embodiments of the invention, as desirable, in a similar manner.
In one possible simple form, the control system will turn the electric motor 120 on when the pressure in the compressed air reservoir 210 is less then a first predetermined pressure and will turn the electric motor 120 off when the pressure is greater than a second predetermined pressure. The first and second predetermined pressures could be the same, if desired. The first and second predetermined pressures could be selectable by the user during use of the brad nailer, or they could be set at the factory when the brad nailer is built. In any of these possible combinations of features, the control system could simply comprise a pressure sensitive switch, or switches, which sense the pressure of compressed air in the compressed air reservoir 210 and which control the flow of electric energy to the electric motor 120. This control system will help conserve electrical power by not requiring that the compressor run continuously when the tool is in use. Conservation of electrical power is especially vital when the brad nailer is powered by an onboard battery.
This control system also makes using the tool more comfortable. The compressor assembly 100 will create noise and vibration when in use that may bother the user if the noise and vibration are continuous.
In another form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the control system could comprise a pressure transducer 241 (
In stage 3, the user pulls the trigger 30 to fire a brad. The measured pressure decreases as a result of the volume of compressed air lost to drive the brad. Because the measured pressure falls below Pmot in stage 4 the control circuitry 240 turns on the electric motor 120. When the measured pressure returns to the level of Pmax, the control circuitry 240 turns off the electric motor 120 in stage 5. In stage 6, the user pulls the trigger 30 to fire a second brad. As before, the control circuitry 240 detects that the measured pressure has fallen below Pmot and turns on the electric motor 120 in stage 7. This illustrates the logic of the control circuitry 240 in a normal operating condition.
With the proper sizing of the compressed air reservoir 210 and appropriate adjustments made to the control circuitry 240, it would be possible to fire a brad twice before the control circuitry turns on the electric motor 120 to recharge the compressed air reservoir 210. This would be advantageous because it would permit the firing of several brads in rapid succession.
The functioning of the green LED indicated in
The values of Pmax and Pmot may be selected by the user during use of the nailer. The switch 243 may be provided with several positions each corresponding to a different set of values for Pmax and Pmot. In
The ability to select the values for Pmax and Pmot allows the user to tailor the operation of the nailer to the work to be done. As the type and size of brad and the workpiece hardness varies, the minimum amount of driving force needed to completely drive the brad will also vary. Adjustment of the values for Pmax and Pmot allows the pressure of the compressed air to be held closer to the minimum pressure corresponding to the minimum amount of driving force needed.
The tailoring of the values of Pmax and Pmot has several benefits. Electrical power will be conserved because the pressure of the compressed air used to drive the drive piston will not be dramatically greater than what is needed to drive the brad. Also, the efficiency of the compressor 130 increases as the pressure of the compressed air decreases. Conservation of electrical power is particularly important if the electrical power source is a battery. Also, the running time of the compressor assembly 100 will be minimized. Use of the tool could be uncomfortable if the compressor assembly 100 runs too much.
With reference to
In step 401 in
If the measured pressure is less than Pmot then the electric motor 120 is turned on in step 407. The position of switch 243 is detected again in step 408 and the values for Pmax and Pmot are established. Moving to point B in
If in step 414 the measured pressure is greater than Pmax, then the electric motor 120 is turned off in step 416. The position of switch 243 is detected again in step 421 and the pressure is measured and the LEDs are turned on and off in step 422. The measured pressure is judged against Pmot in step 423. If the measured pressure is greater than Pmot then the logic returns to step 3 and then to step 416 in
If the measured pressure is less than Pmot in step 423, then the logic returns to step 2 in
It is not desirable that this cycle of slowly discharging the compressed air reservoir 210 due to leakage and then recharging be allowed to continue indefinitely. If this cycle in stage 5 were allowed to continue indefinitely, then the charge of the battery 300 would be eventually exhausted. This tool idle situation is most likely to occur when the user puts away the brad nailer without turning off the switch 243.
To prevent this undesirable cycle of slow discharging and recharging, the value of Timer 2 is judged in step 418 of
Point C in
When the measured pressure is judged less than Pmin in step 426 due to the continuing leakage from the compressed air reservoir 210, in step 427 the air pressure is measured again and the green LED is turned on to flash and the red LED is turned on to flash slowly. The flashing green and red LEDs are shown in stage 7 of
When the measured pressure is judged less than Psafe in step 428, the green LED is turned off and the red LED is turned on to flash slowly in step 429. The flashing red LED is shown in stage 8 of
Another brad is fired in stage 6 and finally the electric motor 120 stalls. The control circuitry 240 detects the stall in step 410 or 411 by detecting the voltage and current from the battery. If the battery voltage is less than a predetermined limit or if the battery current is greater than a predetermined limit, then the logic proceeds to step 1 and step 430 in
Point D in
If in step 432 the measured pressure is less than the value of Pmin, then in step 433 the pressure is again measured and the green LED is turned on to flash and the red LED is turned on. In step 434 the measured pressure is judged against the value of Psafe. If the measured pressure is greater than the value of Psafe, then the logic passes to step 7 and then to step 433 again. The logic loops between steps 433 and 434 until the measured pressure falls below the value of Psafe.
If the measured pressure is less than the value of Psafe in step 434, then in step 435 the green LED is turned off and the red LED is turned on. The logic remains at step 435 until the brad nailer is turned off. The red LED signals to the user that the nailer is in an auto shut-off procedure because the battery is exhausted.
Point E begins an auto shut-off procedure which the control circuitry 240 enters when the valve 252 is left open and the onboard compressor assembly 100 tries to recharge the compressed air reservoir 210. The disabled state of the compressor is shown by a “D” in the “Compressor” register in stage 2 of
If in step 438 the measured pressure is less than the value of Pmin, then in step 439 the pressure is again measured and the green LED and red LED are each turned on to flash. In step 440 the measured pressure is judged against the value of Psafe. If the measured pressure is less greater than the value of Psafe, then the logic passes to step 9 and then to step 439 again. The logic loops between steps 439 and 440 until the measured pressure falls below the value of Psafe.
If the measured pressure is less than the value of Psafe in step 440, then in step 441 the green LED is turned off and the red LED is turned on to flash. The logic remains at step 441 until the brad nailer is turned off. The continuing flashing of the red LED signals to the user that the nailer is in an auto shut-off procedure because the valve 252 has been left open.
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|Classification aux États-Unis||227/2, 417/234, 227/130, 227/156, 173/217, 417/223|
|Classification internationale||B25C1/06, F04B35/04, B25C1/04, F04B41/02|
|Classification coopérative||B25C1/06, F04B35/04, B25C1/04, F04B41/02|
|Classification européenne||B25C1/04, B25C1/06, F04B41/02, F04B35/04|
|12 juin 2002||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: PORTER-CABLE/DELTA, TENNESSEE
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:PATTON, JAMES ANDREW;LAGALY, MICHAEL ANTHONY;BARRY, PATRICK GERALD;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:012987/0667
Effective date: 20020315
|12 janv. 2006||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: BLACK & DECKER INC., DELAWARE
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:PORTER-CABLE CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:017006/0374
Effective date: 20041002
|6 déc. 2010||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|5 déc. 2014||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 8