CN111817363A - Electric working machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides an electric working machine, which can reduce power consumption when the electric working machine is not used. An electric working machine according to an aspect of the present invention includes a driving unit that is driven using electric power from a power supply, and includes a control unit, a power supply for the control unit, and an operation state determination unit. The power supply for the control unit includes a first switching power supply and a second switching power supply. The power supply for the control unit is configured to: the control unit is configured to transition to a first transition state when the operation state determination unit determines that the operation state of the control unit is the control operation state, and to transition to a second transition state when the operation state determination unit determines that the operation state of the control unit is the low power operation state. The second switching state is a switching state in which the voltage switching of the first switching power source is stopped and the control unit is supplied with electric power by using at least the second switching power source.

Description

Electric working machine

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electric working machine.

Background

As an electric working machine, there is an electric working machine including a driving unit driven by power supply from a battery (power supply) (patent document 1). The electric working machine includes: a control unit that controls a drive unit (e.g., a motor, a heater, etc.); and a power supply for the control unit that converts the voltage of the electric power from the battery and supplies the electric power to the control unit. The electric working machine can suppress zero power consumption of the control unit and the power supply for the control unit by cutting off the power supply of the power supply for the control unit in order to suppress over-discharge of the battery when not in use.

Further, when the power supply of the power supply for the control unit is cut off, the following phenomenon may occur: (1) when the power supply is cut off, communication between the electric working machine and the external device becomes impossible, (2) a time lag occurs between when the trigger is operated again and when the motor is operated, and the feeling of use is reduced.

In contrast, when the electric working machine is not used, it is conceivable to use a method in which the control unit is shifted to a low-power operation state (so-called sleep mode) instead of cutting off the power supply of the power supply for the control unit. For example, it is conceivable to use a control unit configured to: the operating state of the control unit can be changed to a control operating state for controlling the drive unit when the user operates the electric working machine, and a low-power operating state for reducing power consumption of the control unit. That is, the control unit is configured to: the battery can be shifted to a low power operation state to suppress overdischarge of the battery.

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2006 and 341325

Disclosure of Invention

However, in the above-described electric working machine, although the power consumption of the control unit can be reduced by shifting the operating state of the control unit to the low-power operating state, there is a possibility that the power consumption in the power supply for the control unit cannot be reduced because the power supply for the control unit performs the power conversion operation.

For example, in the case where a linear regulator is used as the power supply for the control section, when the output voltage (power supply voltage) of the battery becomes high, the loss Ls (Vin-Vout) × Io) in the linear regulator becomes large. Further, Vin is an input voltage (in other words, an output voltage of a battery) to the linear regulator, Vout is an output voltage from the linear regulator, and Io is an output current of the linear regulator. That is, in the normal operation, power consumption associated with the loss Ls occurs in the control unit power supply in response to an increase in the power supply voltage.

In order to suppress an increase in power consumption due to an increase in the power supply voltage, it is conceivable to use a switching regulator such as a DC-DC converter as a power supply for the control unit. However, since these switching regulators themselves generally consume a large operating current, even when the control unit shifts to the sleep mode, the operating current of the switching regulator is large, and it is difficult to achieve low power consumption as a whole.

That is, even if the control unit shifts to the sleep mode when the electric working machine is not used and the power consumption of the control unit can be reduced, the power of the battery (power supply) is consumed because there is power consumption in the power supply for the control unit.

Therefore, in one aspect of the present invention, it is desirable to provide an electric working machine capable of reducing power consumption when the electric working machine is not used.

One aspect of the present invention is an electric working machine including a driving unit driven by power from a power supply, the electric working machine including a control unit, a power supply for the control unit, and an operation state determination unit.

The control unit is configured to control the drive unit. The power supply for the control unit is configured to: the power supply from the power supply is voltage-converted, and the voltage-converted power for the control unit is supplied to the control unit. The control unit is configured to be switchable to a plurality of operating states. The plurality of action states includes at least: the control operation state of the control drive unit and the low power operation state having lower power consumption than the control operation state.

The power supply for the control unit includes a first switching power supply and a second switching power supply. The first conversion power supply is configured to: when voltage conversion is performed on power supply power from a power supply, a control-time maximum current can be supplied as a maximum current consumption in a control unit in a control operation state. The second switching power supply is configured to: when voltage conversion is performed on power supply power from a power supply, a low-power maximum current, which is the maximum current consumption in a control unit in a low-power operating state, can be supplied, and the maximum output current is smaller than the control maximum current.

The operating state determination unit is configured to: it is determined whether the operating state of the control unit is the control operating state or the low power operating state.

The power supply for the control unit is configured to: the control unit is configured to transition to a first transition state when the operation state determination unit determines that the operation state of the control unit is the control operation state, and to transition to a second transition state when the operation state determination unit determines that the operation state of the control unit is the low power operation state.

The first switching state is a switching state in which the control unit is supplied with electric power by using at least the first switching power source. The second switching state is a switching state in which the voltage switching of the first switching power source is stopped and the control unit is supplied with electric power by using at least the second switching power source.

In this electric working machine, when the control unit is in the low-power operating state, the first switching power supply is not used when the control unit performs voltage conversion using the power supply, and therefore power consumption in the first switching power supply can be suppressed. Therefore, when the operating state of the control unit is changed from the control operating state to the low-power operating state when the electric working machine is not used, not only the power consumption in the control unit but also the power consumption in the first switching power supply can be reduced, and therefore, the power consumption amount when the electric working machine is not used can be reduced.

Next, in the electric working machine, the power supply for the control unit may be configured to: when a user operates the electric working machine, the operation state is changed to a first conversion state.

That is, when the electric working machine is operated by the user while the operating state of the control unit power supply is in the second transition state, the control unit power supply changes the operating state of the control unit power supply from the second transition state to the first transition state. Thus, the control unit can receive supply of the maximum current at the time of control necessary in the control operation state, and can perform control of the drive unit. Further, the operation of the electric working machine by the user may be, for example, an operation of a trigger switch by the user.

Next, the electric working machine may further include a first reverse current suppressing unit that suppresses a reverse current from flowing into the output unit of the first switching power supply. The electric working machine can suppress the current output from the second switching power supply from flowing into the output part of the first switching power supply. The first reverse current suppressing unit may be configured by using a switching element such as a diode or an FET connected in series to the first conversion power supply, for example.

Next, in the electric working machine, the power supply for the control unit may include a first current path and a second current path. The first current path is a part of a current path from the power supply to the control unit, and is a current path including a first switching power supply. The second current path is connected in parallel with the first current path and includes a second switching power supply.

The first conversion power supply and the second conversion power supply are respectively configured as follows: the control unit power can be supplied by converting the power supply power voltage to a control unit voltage lower than the power supply voltage output by the power supply.

The first switching state of the power supply for the control unit may be a state in which the power for the control unit is supplied to the control unit via at least the first current path and using the first switching power supply. The second switching state of the power supply for the control section may be a state in which the voltage switching of the first switching power supply is stopped and the power for the control section is supplied to the control section using the second switching power supply via at least the second current path.

In this electric working machine, when the control unit is in the low-power operation state, the power supply for the control unit shifts to the second switching state, and the voltage switching using the first switching power supply is stopped. Therefore, when the operating state of the control unit is changed from the control operating state to the low-power operating state when the electric working machine is not used, not only the power consumption in the control unit but also the power consumption in the first switching power supply can be reduced, and therefore, the power consumption amount when the electric working machine is not used can be reduced.

The electric working machine may further include a second reverse current suppressing unit. The second reverse current suppressing unit is configured to: the reverse current is suppressed from flowing to the output portion of the second switching power supply between the second switching power supply and the control portion in the second current path.

The electric working machine can suppress a current output from the first switching power supply from flowing to the output portion of the second switching power supply as a reverse current. The second reverse current suppressing unit may be configured by using a switching element such as a diode or an FET connected in series to the second switching power supply, for example.

In addition, in the above-described electric working machine, the output voltage of the first switching power supply and the output voltage of the second switching power supply may have the same voltage value. The electric working machine can maintain the applied voltage applied to the control unit to be constant in both the case of using the first switching power supply and the case of using the second switching power supply, and can suppress an operation failure of the control unit due to a fluctuation of the applied voltage when switching between the first switching power supply and the second switching power supply.

In the electric working machine, the operation state determination unit may be configured to: the control device is capable of receiving the first state notification signal and the second state notification signal, and determines that the operating state of the control unit is the control operating state when the first state notification signal is received, and determines that the operating state of the control unit is the low power operating state when the second state notification signal is received. The first state notification signal is a notification signal indicating that the operation state of the control unit is the control operation state. The second state notification signal is a notification signal indicating that the operating state of the control unit is a low power operating state. In the electric working machine, the operating state determination unit may determine the operating state of the control unit based on the first state notification signal and the second state notification signal.

In the electric working machine, the power supply for the control unit may include a third current path, a bypass current path, and a common current path. The third current path is a part of a current path from the power supply to the control unit, and is a current path including the first switching power supply. The bypass current path is a current path connected in parallel with the third current path. The common current path is a current path connected in series to the third current path and the bypass current path, respectively, and provided with the second switching power supply.

The first conversion power supply is configured to: the power supply power voltage is converted into intermediate power supply power, and the intermediate power supply power after voltage conversion can be supplied. The intermediate power supply power is power supplied at an intermediate power supply voltage lower than the power supply voltage output by the power supply.

The second switching power supply is configured to: the power supply power or the intermediate power supply power voltage is converted into the control unit power, and the voltage-converted control unit power can be supplied. The control unit power is supplied at a control unit voltage lower than the intermediate power supply voltage.

The first switching state of the power supply for the control unit is a state in which the power supply for the control unit is supplied to the control unit via at least the third current path and the common current path by using the first switching power supply and the second switching power supply. The second switching state of the power supply for the control unit is a state in which the voltage switching of the first switching power supply is stopped and the electric power for the control unit is supplied to the control unit using the second switching power supply via at least the bypass current path and the common current path.

In this electric working machine, when the control unit is in the low-power operation state, the power supply for the control unit shifts to the second switching state, and the voltage switching using the first switching power supply is stopped. Therefore, when the operating state of the control unit is changed from the control operating state to the low-power operating state when the electric working machine is not used, not only the power consumption in the control unit but also the power consumption in the first switching power supply can be reduced, and therefore, the power consumption amount when the electric working machine is not used can be reduced.

In the electric working machine, the operation state determination unit may be configured to: it is determined whether or not a bypass current flowing through the bypass current path is larger than a predetermined operation reference value. The operation state determination unit may determine that the operation state of the control unit is the control operation state when the bypass current is greater than the operation reference value, and determine that the operation state of the control unit is the low power operation state when the bypass current is equal to or less than the operation reference value. In the electric working machine, the operating state determination unit may determine the operating state of the control unit based on a result of comparison between the bypass current and the operating reference value.

In the electric working machine, the operation state determination unit is configured to: the control unit may be configured to receive the first state notification signal and the second state notification signal, and determine that the operating state of the control unit is the control operating state when the bypass current is greater than the operation reference value or the first state notification signal is received, and determine that the operating state of the control unit is the low power operating state when the bypass current is equal to or less than the operation reference value and the second state notification signal is received. The first state notification signal is a notification signal indicating that the operation state of the control unit is the control operation state. The second state notification signal is a notification signal indicating that the operating state of the control unit is a low power operating state. In this electric working machine, the operating state determination unit may determine the operating state of the control unit based on the first state notification signal and the second state notification signal, in addition to the comparison result between the bypass current and the operating reference value.

In the electric working machine, the power supply may include a plurality of battery packs and a plurality of voltage output units for outputting different voltages, and the first switching power supply and the second switching power supply may each perform voltage conversion of an output voltage of one of the plurality of voltage output units.

That is, the power supply is configured to include a plurality of battery packs, and the maximum voltage that can be output can be increased according to the number of battery packs. This allows the electric working machine to perform an operation with a larger output based on a larger voltage.

In such an electric working machine, when the control unit is in the low-power operation state, the first switching power supply is not used when the control unit performs voltage conversion with the power supply, and therefore, power consumption in the first switching power supply can be suppressed, and power consumption when the electric working machine is not used can be reduced.

In the electric working machine, the second switching power supply may be connected to a voltage output unit having the smallest output voltage among the plurality of voltage output units. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of voltage change in voltage conversion in the second conversion power supply, and to reduce the power loss associated with voltage conversion compared to the case where the amount of voltage change is large.

In the electric working machine, the first switching power source may be connected to a voltage output unit of the plurality of voltage output units, the voltage output unit having an output voltage greater than an output voltage of the voltage output unit to which the second switching power source is connected. As a result, the amount of electric power that can be output from the first switching power supply is larger than the amount of electric power that can be output from the second switching power supply, and the first switching power supply can supply sufficient electric power to the control unit as compared with the second switching power supply.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an electric working machine according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the electric working machine of the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a timing chart showing a relationship between switching of an operation state in the control unit and a current consumption in the power supply for the control unit in the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the electric working machine of the second embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a timing chart showing a relationship between switching of an operation state in the control unit and a current consumption in the second control unit power supply according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the electric working machine according to the third embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a timing chart showing a relationship between switching of an operation state in the control unit of the third embodiment and a consumption current in the power supply for the third control unit.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the electric working machine according to the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a timing chart showing a relationship between switching of an operation state in the control unit of the fourth embodiment and a current consumption in the power supply for the fourth control unit.

Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an electric working machine according to a fifth embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an electric working machine according to a sixth embodiment.

Description of the symbols:

1 … electric working machine, 9 … trigger operation unit, 21 … second electric working machine, 23 … third electric working machine, 25 … fourth electric working machine, 27 … fifth electric working machine, 29 … sixth electric working machine, 61 … motor, 62 … control unit, 63 … motor drive unit, 64 … control unit power supply, 65 … first switching power supply, 67 … first switching unit, 69 … first reverse current suppression unit, 71 … second switching power supply, 73 … second reverse current suppression unit, 75 … operation state determination unit, 81 … constant voltage supply line, 91 … second control unit power supply, 93 … third switching power supply, 95 … fourth switching power supply, 97 … brushless motor, 99 … motor driver, 100 … battery pack, 102 … multi-output power supply, 111 … third control unit power supply. 113 … reverse current suppressing unit, 115 … bypass current determining unit, 121 … fourth control unit power supply, 131 … second bypass current determining unit, 141 … fifth control unit power supply, 151 … sixth control unit power supply.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and may take various forms as long as it falls within the technical scope of the present invention.

[1. first embodiment ]

[1-1. Overall Structure ]

The electric working machine 1 shown in fig. 1 is configured as a rechargeable impact drill, for example. The rechargeable impact drill is driven by electric power supplied from a battery pack 100 described later. The rechargeable impact drill is used to rotate a fastening member such as a screw or a bolt. The rechargeable percussion drill is composed of: by applying an impact in the rotational direction in accordance with the load when rotating the fastening member, a large torque can be generated in the rotational direction.

As shown in fig. 1, an electric working machine 1 of the present embodiment includes a main body 2 and a battery pack 100. The battery pack 100 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the main body 2.

The main body 2 includes a housing 3. The casing 3 includes two split casings 3a and 3b split into left and right parts, and is configured by combining these split casings 3a and 3 b. The housing 3 may be, for example, an injection molded part containing resin.

The main body 2 includes a first housing portion 5, a handle portion 6, and a second housing portion 7. The first housing portion 5 is provided with a grip sleeve 8, an LED10, and a rotational direction switching operation portion 11. The LED10 irradiates light to the outside of the electric working machine 1. The handle portion 6 extends from the first housing portion 5. The second receiving portion 7 extends from the grip portion 6. The second housing portion 7 is provided with a battery mounting portion 7a, and the battery pack 100 is attached to and detached from the battery mounting portion 7 a.

The battery pack 100 includes a secondary battery (not shown) that can be repeatedly charged and discharged. The secondary battery may be, for example, a lithium ion battery, or may be a type of secondary battery different from the lithium ion battery. The output voltage VB of the battery pack 100 (hereinafter also referred to as battery voltage VB) is 36V.

When the user of the electric working machine 1 uses the electric working machine 1, the grip portion 6 is held by the user. The handle portion 6 is provided with a trigger operation portion 9. The user can pull the trigger operation portion 9 with a finger (trigger on operation) while holding the grip portion 6.

[1-2. electric Structure of electric working machine ]

An electric configuration of the electric working machine 1 will be described with reference to fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows an electrical configuration of electric working machine 1 in which battery pack 100 is attached to main body 2.

As shown in fig. 2, the electric working machine 1 includes a motor 61, a control unit 62, a motor drive unit 63, a control unit power supply 64, and an operating state determination unit 75. Electric working machine 1 includes motor conducting path LM, voltage converting path LC, first current path LC1, and second current path LC 2.

The motor current-carrying path LM is a current-carrying path from the positive electrode of the battery pack 100 to the negative electrode of the battery pack 100 via the motor 61 and the motor driver 63. The voltage conversion path LC has a first end connected to the first branch point P1 of the motor conducting path LM, and a second end connected to the control unit power supply 64 (specifically, the second branch point P2). The first current path LC1 and the second current path LC2 are provided in the control unit power supply 64.

The motor 61 is a brushed motor. The motor 61 is driven by current conduction using electric power supplied from the battery pack 100 through the motor conduction path LM.

The motor drive unit 63 is configured to: the motor drive circuit includes a switch unit (such as FET) connected in series to a motor conduction path LM. The motor drive unit 63 can switch the switch unit to the conductive state (on state) or the non-conductive state (off state) and can switch the motor conductive path LM to the conductive state or the non-conductive state based on the motor drive command Smd from the control unit 62.

The control unit 62 is configured to: the microcomputer includes a CPU, a recording unit (ROM, RAM), a signal input/output unit, and the like. The controller 62 receives power supply via a constant voltage supply line 81 described later. The control unit 62 executes various processes by the CPU executing various programs stored in the recording unit. Examples of the various processes include a motor control process for controlling the motor 61 in accordance with the motor drive command Smd, an abnormality determination process for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the electric working machine 1, and an operating state switching process for switching the operating state of the control unit 62 to any one of a plurality of operating states.

The plurality of operating states include at least a control operating state and a low-power operating state. The control operation state is an operation state in which the motor control process, the abnormality determination process, and the like can be executed. In the control operation state, the control unit 62 performs AD conversion on measurement signals from various sensors (not shown) that measure the states (motor temperature, motor current, and the like) of the respective units in the electric working machine 1, and executes abnormality determination processing and the like. In the case of controlling the operation state, the constant voltage Vcc supplied from the constant voltage supply line 81 becomes the reference voltage for AD conversion, and therefore high voltage accuracy is required to reduce the voltage error. The low-power operating state is an operating state in which power consumption is lower than that in the control operating state. The low-power operating state is a so-called sleep state, and is an operating state in which power consumption in the control unit 62 is reduced. The control unit 62 does not perform AD conversion or the like in the low power operation state, and does not perform comparison processing between the reference voltage (constant voltage Vcc) and the measurement signals of the various sensors. In the low-power operation state, the constant voltage Vcc supplied from the constant voltage supply line 81 is not used as the reference voltage for AD conversion, and therefore the required voltage accuracy becomes lower than that in the control operation state. The maximum current consumption (the control-time maximum current ICmax) of the control unit 62 in the control operation state is 100mA, and the maximum current consumption (the low-power maximum current ISmax) of the control unit 62 in the low-power operation state is 50 μ a.

The control unit 62 is configured to: when the state in which the user does not perform an operation (such as an operation of the trigger operation unit 9) continues for a predetermined sleep determination time Ts (for example, 5 minutes), the operation state of the control unit 62 is changed from the control operation state to the low-power operation state.

The control unit 62 is configured to: the state notification signal Smo corresponding to the state of the action being performed is output. That is, the control unit 62 outputs a state notification signal Smo (hereinafter, also referred to as a first state notification signal Smo1) indicating that the state is the control operation state when the state is shifted to the control operation state, and the control unit 62 outputs a state notification signal Smo (hereinafter, also referred to as a second state notification signal Smo2) indicating that the state is the low power operation state when the state is shifted to the low power operation state. The control unit 62 outputs the state notification signal Smo to at least the control unit power supply 64 (specifically, a first reverse current suppressing unit 69 described later) and the operating state determining unit 75.

The trigger operation unit 9 is configured to: when the user performs a pulling operation, a trigger signal Str is output. The trigger operation unit 9 outputs a trigger signal Str having the same potential as the ground potential during the pulling operation by the user. The trigger signal Str is output to at least the control unit 62 and the operating state determination unit 75.

The operating state determination unit 75 is configured to: it is determined whether the operating state of the control unit 62 is the control operating state or the low-power operating state. The operating state determination unit 75 receives the state notification signal Smo and the trigger signal Str as input, and outputs the energization command signal Sc1 in accordance with the states of the state notification signal Smo and the trigger signal Str.

The operating state determination unit 75 is configured to: when the first state notification signal Smo1 or the trigger signal Str is input (in other words, the user is performing the pulling operation), it is determined that the operation state of the control unit 62 is the control operation state. The operating state determination unit 75 is configured to: when the second state notification signal Smo2 is input and the trigger signal Str is not input (in other words, the user does not perform the pulling operation), it is determined that the operating state of the control portion 62 is the low-current operating state. The operating state determination unit 75 is configured to: the energization command signal Sc1 corresponding to the determination result is output.

[1-3. Power supply for control section ]

The control unit power supply 64 converts the battery voltage VB from the battery pack 100 into a voltage, and outputs the voltage-converted constant voltage Vcc to the constant voltage supply line 81. The constant voltage Vcc is supplied to each part (the control unit 62 and the like) of the electric working machine 1 via a constant voltage supply line 81. In the present embodiment, the constant voltage Vcc is 5[ V ]. The electric power supplied from the control unit power supply 64 through the constant voltage supply line 81 is used as the electric power for operating the control unit 62 and the like, for example.

The control unit power supply 64 includes a first switching power supply 65, a first switch 67, a first reverse current suppressing unit 69, a second switching power supply 71, a second reverse current suppressing unit 73, a first current path LC1, and a second current path LC 2.

The first current path LC1 is a part of a current path from the battery pack 100 to the control unit 62, and is a current path including the first switching power supply 65. The second current path LC2 is a current path connected in parallel to the first current path LC1 and provided with the second switching power supply 71. The first end of the first current path LC1 and the first end of the second current path LC2 are connected to the second branch point P2 and to the voltage conversion path LC, respectively. The second terminal of the first current path LC1 and the second terminal of the second current path LC2 are connected to the third branch point P3 and the constant voltage supply line 81, respectively.

In the first current path LC1, the first switch unit 67, the first switching power supply 65, and the first reverse current suppressing unit 69 are arranged in this order from the second branch point P2 to the third branch point P3.

The first conversion power supply 65 includes a DC-DC converter that converts a DC voltage and outputs the converted voltage. The first conversion power supply 65 converts the voltage of the battery voltage VB input to the input unit 65a, and outputs the voltage-converted constant voltage Vcc from the output unit 65 b. The first switching power supply 65 outputs 5V as a constant voltage Vcc. The constant voltage Vcc is supplied to each part (the control unit 62 and the like) of the electric working machine 1 via a constant voltage supply line 81. The first switching power supply 65 has a capability of outputting a maximum output current of 100mA or more when performing voltage switching, and is configured to be able to supply a maximum consumption current (control maximum current ICmax) in the control unit 62 for controlling the operation state. The amount of power consumption required for voltage conversion in the first conversion power supply 65 is an amount of power consumption corresponding to a consumption current of the order of mA.

The first switch section 67 is provided between the second branch point P2 and the first switching power supply 65 in the first current path LC 1. The first switch unit 67 is configured to: the switching unit (FET or the like) is connected in series to the first current path LC 1. The first switch unit 67 is configured to: the switch unit can be switched to an energized state (on state) or a non-energized state (off state) based on the energization command signal Sc1 from the operating state determination unit 75. The first switch unit 67 is configured to: the first current path LC1 can be switched to the current supply state or the non-current supply state with respect to the current supply from the second branch point P2 to the first switching power supply 65. Thus, the first switch unit 67 is configured to: the input state of the battery voltage VB to the first switching power supply 65 can be switched based on the energization command signal Sc 1.

The first reverse current suppressing portion 69 is provided between the first switching power supply 65 and the third branch point P3 in the first current path LC 1. The first reverse current suppressing unit 69 is configured to: the switch 69b is provided with a diode 69a connected in series with the first current path LC1 and in parallel with the diode 69 a. The diode 69a allows the passage of current from the first switching power supply 65 to the third branch point P3, and suppresses the passage of current from the third branch point P3 to the first switching power supply 65. Here, when the switch 69b is an FET, a parasitic diode that is inevitably present in the FET may be used as the diode 69 a. The first reverse current suppressing unit 69 is configured to: based on the state notification signal Smo from the control portion 62, the switching portion is switched to an energized state (on state) or a non-energized state (off state), and the first current path LC1 is switched to an energized state or a non-energized state.

Thus, the first reverse current suppressing unit 69 is in the non-energized state by the switch unit 69b, and can suppress the reverse current from flowing from the third branch point P3 to the output unit 65b of the first switching power supply 65 while allowing the current from the output unit 65b of the first switching power supply 65 to flow to the constant voltage supply line 81 via the diode 69 a. When current is supplied from the output unit 65b to the constant voltage supply line 81 through the diode 69a, the constant voltage Vcc output from the output unit 65b lowers the forward voltage (Vf) of the diode 69a, and outputs the lowered voltage to the constant voltage supply line 81. In addition, the first reverse current suppressing unit 69 is turned on by the switch 69b, and the constant voltage Vcc output from the output unit 65b of the first switching power supply 65 is output to the constant voltage supply line 81 without a voltage drop by the diode 69 a.

In the second current path LC2, the second switching power supply 71 and the second reverse current suppressing unit 73 are arranged in this order from the second branch point P2 to the third branch point P3.

The second switching power supply 71 has a series regulator that voltage-converts and outputs a direct-current voltage. The second switching power supply 71 converts the battery voltage VB input to the input portion 71a, and outputs the voltage-converted constant voltage Vcc from the output portion 71 b. The second switching power supply 71 outputs 5[ V ] as a constant voltage Vcc. The constant voltage Vcc is supplied to each part (the control unit 62 and the like) of the electric working machine 1 via a constant voltage supply line 81. The second switching power supply 71 is configured to: the maximum output current at the time of voltage conversion is 50 μ a or more, and the maximum consumption current (the low-power maximum current ISmax) in the control unit 62 in the low-power operation state can be supplied. The amount of power consumption required for voltage conversion in the second conversion power supply 71 is an amount of power consumption corresponding to a consumption current in the order of μ a. Since the second switching power supply 71 is configured such that the maximum output current is smaller than the control-time maximum current ICmax, the amount of power consumption required for voltage conversion is smaller than that of the first switching power supply 65.

The second reverse current suppressing part 73 is disposed between the second switching power supply 71 and the third branch point P3 in the second current path LC 2. The second reverse current suppressing unit 73 is configured to: the diode is connected in series with the second current path LC 2. The diode is configured as follows: the energization from the second switching power supply 71 to the third branch point P3 is permitted, and the energization from the third branch point P3 to the second switching power supply 71 is suppressed. Therefore, the second reverse current suppressing part 73 allows the voltage lowered by the amount of the forward voltage (Vf) of the diode from the constant voltage Vcc to be output from the output part 71b of the second switching power supply 71 to the constant voltage supply line 81, and suppresses the reverse current from flowing from the third branch point P3 to the output part 71b of the second switching power supply 71.

When the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating that the control operation state is input from the operation state determination unit 75, the control unit power supply 64 configured as described above is switched to a state in which the control unit power is supplied to the control unit 62 (hereinafter also referred to as a first switching state) by outputting the constant voltage Vcc using the first switching power supply 65 and the second switching power supply 71.

When the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating that the operation state is the low-power operation state is input from the operation state determination unit 75, the control unit power supply 64 stops the voltage conversion of the first conversion power supply 65, and outputs the constant voltage Vcc using the second conversion power supply 71, thereby shifting to a state in which the control unit power is supplied to the control unit 62 (hereinafter also referred to as a second conversion state).

[1-4 ] Change in consumed Current accompanying switching of operating State in control Unit ]

Next, a change in consumption current Ia in control unit power supply 64 due to switching of the operating state of control unit 62 will be described with reference to fig. 3.

Fig. 3 shows switching of the operating state of the control unit 62 and a change in the consumption current Ia with time, with the time at which the pulling operation of the trigger operation unit 9 by the user is completed being set to time t 0.

When the state in which the user does not pull the trigger operation unit 9 continues during the period from the time t0 to the time t1 after the sleep determination time Ts elapses, the controller 62 starts a process (operation state switching process) for changing the operation state from the control operation state to the low power operation state.

When the operation state switching process is started, the control section 62 first executes the following processes: the supply of electric power to various devices and various circuits provided in the electric working machine 1 is stopped. Accordingly, the consumption current Ia gradually decreases from the initial consumption current Ia0 (time t1 to t2), and the current corresponding to the amount of current consumption (first current change amount Δ Ia1) in various devices before the stop or the like is reduced, and the consumption current Ia at this time decreases to the first consumption current Ia 1.

Next, as one step in the operating state switching process, the control unit 62 executes a process of outputting the state notification signal Smo indicating that it is in the low-power operating state (time t 2). Thereby, the voltage conversion of the first conversion power supply 65 is stopped, and the current consumption amount (the second current change amount Δ Ia2) required for the voltage conversion in the first conversion power supply 65 is reduced, and the current consumption Ia at this time is reduced to the second current consumption Ia 2.

Next, as one step in the operation state switching process, control unit 62 executes a process of shifting control unit 62 itself to the low power operation state (sleep mode) (time t 3). Thus, the current corresponding to the amount of current consumption (the third current variation amount Δ Ia3) corresponding to the difference between the amount of current consumption in the control operation state and the amount of current consumption in the low power operation state in the control unit 62 is reduced, and the current consumption Ia at this time is reduced to the third current consumption Ia 3.

By executing these operations, the control unit 62 completes the operation state switching process, and maintains the low-power operation state until the user pulls the trigger operation unit 9.

When the user pulls the trigger operation unit 9 (time t4), the trigger signal Str is input to the control unit 62. Thereby, the control unit 62 itself shifts (wakes up) from the low power operation state (sleep mode) to the control operation state. Then, the wake-up control unit 62 starts an operation state switching process for changing the operation state from the low-power operation state to the control operation state. When the trigger signal Str from the trigger operation unit 9 is also input to the operating state determination unit 75 and the conduction instruction signal Sc1 from the operating state determination unit 75 is input to the control unit power supply 64, the voltage conversion of the first conversion power supply 65 is started. Therefore, the consumption current Ia gradually increases to the first consumption current Ia1 (time t4 to t5) in association with the wake-up of the control unit 62 and the voltage conversion operation of the first conversion power supply 65.

Next, as one step of the operation state switching process, the control section 62 executes a process of outputting the state notification signal Smo (first state notification signal Smo1) indicating that it is the control operation state (time t 5). Thus, the constant voltage Vcc output from the output unit 65b of the first switching power supply 65 is supplied to the constant voltage supply line 81 without causing a voltage drop.

Next, as one step in the operation state switching process, control unit 62 executes a process of sequentially starting power supply to various devices and various circuits provided in electric working machine 1 (time t 6). Along with this, the consumption current Ia increases to the initial consumption current Ia 0.

In this way, when the operating state of the control unit 62 transitions to the low-power operating state, the electric working machine 1 according to the present embodiment can reduce the current consumption Ia corresponding to the second current change amount Δ Ia2 by stopping the voltage conversion in the first conversion power supply 65.

[1-5. Effect ]

As described above, with the electric working machine 1 of the present embodiment, when the control unit 62 is in the low-power operation state, the control unit power supply 64 shifts to the second shift state, and the first shift power supply 65 is not used when performing voltage shift in the control unit power supply 64, so that power consumption in the first shift power supply 65 can be suppressed. Therefore, when the operating state of the control unit 62 is changed from the control operating state to the low-power operating state when the electric working machine 1 is not used, not only the power consumption in the control unit 62 but also the power consumption in the first switching power supply 65 can be reduced, and therefore the power consumption amount when the electric working machine 1 is not used can be reduced.

Next, in the electric working machine 1, the control-unit power supply 64 is configured to: when the user operates the electric working machine 1 (for example, pulls the trigger operating portion 9), the operation state is changed to the first switching state. That is, when the trigger operating unit 9 is operated by the user when the operating state of the control unit power supply 64 is the second transition state, the control unit power supply 64 changes the operating state of the control unit power supply 64 from the second transition state to the first transition state. Thus, the control unit 62 is supplied with the constant voltage Vcc from at least the first switching power supply 65, and can therefore receive the supply of the control-time maximum current ICmax required in the control operation state, and can realize the control of the motor 61.

Next, since the electric working machine 1 includes the first reverse current suppressing unit 69, it is possible to suppress the reverse current from flowing into the output unit 65b of the first switching power supply 65. Therefore, in the electric working machine 1, the first reverse current suppressing unit 69 can suppress the current output from the second switching power supply 71 from flowing into the output unit 65b of the first switching power supply 65 via the third branch point P3.

Next, since the electric working machine 1 includes the second reverse current suppressing unit 73, it is possible to suppress the reverse current from flowing into the output unit 71b of the second switching power supply 71. Therefore, in the electric working machine 1, the second reverse current suppressing unit 73 can suppress the current output from the first switching power supply 65 from flowing into the output unit 71b of the second switching power supply 71 via the third branch point P3.

In the electric working machine 1, the output voltage (constant voltage Vcc of 5V) of the first switching power supply 65 and the output voltage (constant voltage Vcc of 5V) of the second switching power supply 71 have the same voltage value, and the first reverse current suppressing unit 69 includes a switch 69b in parallel with the diode 69a, and the second reverse current suppressing unit 73 is formed of a diode. Therefore, when the control unit 62 is in the control operation state, and both the first switching power supply 65 and the second switching power supply 71 output voltages and the switch 69b is turned on, the voltage output from the first switching power supply 65 to the constant voltage supply line 81 and the voltage output from the second switching power supply 71 to the constant voltage supply line 81 via the second reverse current suppressing unit 73 are different values. Specifically, when the control unit 62 is in the control operation state, the voltage output from the first switching power supply 65 to the constant voltage supply line 81 is the constant voltage Vcc, whereas the voltage output from the second switching power supply 71 to the constant voltage supply line 81 via the second reverse current suppressing unit 73 is a voltage that is lower than the constant voltage Vcc by the diode forward voltage (Vf). Therefore, when the control unit 62 is in the control operation state, only the voltage output from the first switching power supply 65 is supplied to the control unit 62, and therefore, it is possible to suppress the maximum current consumption of the control unit 62 from being supplied from the second switching power supply 71 that does not have the supply capability.

In the electric working machine 1, the operation state determination unit 75 is configured to: the first state notification signal Smo1 and the second state notification signal Smo2 can be received. The operating state determining unit 75 determines that the operating state of the controller 62 is the control operating state when the first state notification signal Smo1 is received, and determines that the operating state of the controller 62 is the low power operating state when the second state notification signal Smo2 is received. That is, the operating state determining unit 75 may determine the operating state of the control unit 62 based on the first state notification signal Smo1 and the second state notification signal Smo 2.

[1-6. correspondence of terms ]

Here, correspondence of terms will be described.

The electric working machine 1 corresponds to an example of an electric working machine, the motor 61 corresponds to an example of a driving unit, and the battery pack 100 corresponds to an example of a power source.

The control unit 62 and the motor drive unit 63 correspond to an example of a control unit, the control unit power supply 64 corresponds to an example of a control unit power supply, the first switching power supply 65 corresponds to an example of a first switching power supply, the second switching power supply 71 corresponds to an example of a second switching power supply, and the operation state determination unit 75 corresponds to an example of an operation state determination unit.

The first reverse current suppressing unit 69 corresponds to an example of a first reverse current suppressing unit, the second reverse current suppressing unit 73 corresponds to an example of a second reverse current suppressing unit, the first current path LC1 corresponds to an example of a first current path, and the second current path LC2 corresponds to an example of a second current path.

[2. second embodiment ]

A second embodiment will be described below with reference to a second electric working machine 21 configured by replacing a part of the components of the electric working machine 1 of the above-described embodiment (hereinafter, also referred to as the first embodiment).

As shown in fig. 4, the second electric working machine 21 is configured to: the control unit power supply 64, the motor 61, and the motor drive unit 63 in the electric working machine 1 are replaced with a second control unit power supply 91, a brushless motor 97, and a motor driver 99, respectively.

[2-1. Power supply for second control part ]

The second control unit power supply 91 is configured to: a third switching power supply 93 and a fourth switching power supply 95 are provided instead of the first switching power supply 65 in the control unit power supply 64.

The third conversion power supply 93 includes a DC-DC converter that converts a DC voltage and outputs the converted voltage. The third switching power supply 93 converts the battery voltage VB input to the input unit 93a, and outputs the second constant voltage Vdd obtained by voltage conversion from the output unit 93 b. The third switching power supply 93 outputs 15[ V ] as the second constant voltage Vdd. The third switching power supply 93 has a maximum output current of 150mA at the time of voltage conversion.

The fourth conversion power supply 95 has a series regulator that voltage-converts and outputs a direct-current voltage. The fourth switching power supply 95 converts the voltage of the second constant voltage Vdd input to the input unit 95a, and outputs the voltage-converted constant voltage Vcc from the output unit 95 b. The fourth switching power supply 95 outputs 5V as a constant voltage Vcc. The maximum output current of the fourth switching power supply 95 is 100mA when voltage conversion is performed.

That is, the second control unit power supply 91 is configured to: the battery voltage VB can be converted into the constant voltage Vcc using the third conversion power supply 93 and the fourth conversion power supply 95. The constant voltage Vcc is supplied to each part (the control unit 62 and the like) of the second electric working machine 21 via a constant voltage supply line 81. The amount of power consumption required for voltage conversion in the third conversion power supply 93 and the fourth conversion power supply 95 is an amount of power consumption corresponding to a consumption current of the order of mA.

When the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating that the control operation state is input from the operation state determination unit 75, the second control unit power supply 91 configured as described above is switched to a state in which the control unit power is supplied to the control unit 62 (hereinafter, also referred to as a first switching state) by outputting the constant voltage Vcc using the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 and outputting the constant voltage Vcc using the second switching power supply 71.

When the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating that the operation state determination unit 75 is in the low-power operation state is input to the second control unit power supply 91, the voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 is stopped, and the second switching power supply 71 is used to output the constant voltage Vcc, thereby shifting to a state in which the control unit power is supplied to the control unit 62 (hereinafter also referred to as a second switching state).

The brushless motor 97 is configured to include a three-phase brushless motor. The motor driver 99 converts the dc current from the battery pack 100 into three-phase ac currents (a U-phase drive current, a V-phase drive current, and a W-phase drive current) for driving the brushless motor 97, and outputs the three-phase ac currents to the brushless motor 97. The motor driver 99 drives the brushless motor 97 in accordance with a motor drive command Smd input from the control unit 62.

[2-2 ] Change in consumed Current accompanying switching of operating State in control Unit ]

Next, a change in the consumption current Ia in the second control unit power supply 91 due to the switching of the operating state in the control unit 62 will be described with reference to fig. 5.

Fig. 5 shows switching of the operating state of the control unit 62 and a change in the consumption current Ia with time, with the time point at which the pulling operation of the trigger operation unit 9 by the user is completed being set to time t 0.

When the state in which the user does not pull the trigger operation unit 9 continues during the period from the time t0 to the time t11 after the sleep determination time Ts elapses, the controller 62 starts a process (operation state switching process) for changing the operation state from the control operation state to the low power operation state.

When the operation state switching process is started, the control unit 62 first executes a process of sequentially stopping the supply of electric power to the various devices and various circuits provided in the second electric working machine 21. Accordingly, the consumption current Ia gradually decreases from the tenth consumption current Ia10 (time t11 to t12), and the current corresponding to the amount of current consumption (the first current change amount Δ Ia11) in various devices before the stop or the like is reduced, and the consumption current Ia at this time decreases to the eleventh consumption current Ia 11.

Next, as one step in the operating state switching process, the control unit 62 executes a process of outputting the state notification signal Smo indicating that it is in the low-power operating state (time t 12). Thereby, the voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 is stopped, and the current corresponding to the amount of current consumption (the second current change amount Δ Ia12) required for the voltage conversion in the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 is reduced, and the current consumption Ia at this time is reduced to the twelfth current consumption Ia 12.

Next, as one step in the operation state switching process, control unit 62 executes a process of shifting control unit 62 itself to the low power operation state (sleep mode) (time t 13). Thus, the current corresponding to the amount of current consumption (the third current variation amount Δ Ia13) corresponding to the difference between the amount of current consumption in the control operation state and the amount of current consumption in the low power operation state in the control unit 62 is reduced, and the current consumption Ia at this time is reduced to the thirteenth current consumption Ia 13.

By executing these operations, the control unit 62 completes the operation state switching process, and maintains the low-power operation state until the user pulls the trigger operation unit 9.

Thereafter, when the user performs a pulling operation of the trigger operation unit 9 (time t14), the trigger signal Str is input to the control unit 62. Thereby, the control unit 62 itself shifts (wakes up) from the low power operation state (sleep mode) to the control operation state. Then, the wake-up control unit 62 starts an operation state switching process for changing the operation state from the low-power operation state to the control operation state. The trigger signal Str from the trigger operation unit 9 is also input to the operating state determination unit 75, and the conduction command signal Sc1 from the operating state determination unit 75 is input to the second control unit power supply 91, so that voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 is started. Therefore, the current consumption Ia gradually increases to the eleventh current consumption Ia11 (time t14 to t15) in association with the wake-up of the control unit 62 and the voltage conversion operation of the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95.

Next, as one step of the operation state switching process, the control section 62 executes a process of outputting the state notification signal Smo (first state notification signal Smo1) indicating that it is the control operation state (time t 15). Thus, the constant voltage Vcc output from the output unit 95b of the fourth switching power supply 95 is supplied to the constant voltage supply line 81 without causing a voltage drop.

Next, as one step in the operation state switching process, the control unit 62 executes a process of sequentially starting the supply of electric power to the various devices and various circuits provided in the second electric working machine 21 (time t 16). Along with this, the consumption current Ia increases to the tenth consumption current Ia 10.

In this way, when the operating state of the control unit 62 transitions to the low power operating state, the second electric working machine 21 can reduce the consumption current Ia corresponding to the second current change amount Δ Ia12 by stopping the voltage conversion in the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95.

[2-3. Effect ]

As described above, in the second electric working machine 21 according to the second embodiment, when the control unit 62 is in the low-power operation state, the second control unit power supply 91 is shifted to the second switching state, and when the voltage of the second control unit power supply 91 is switched, the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 are not used, so that power consumption of the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 can be suppressed. Therefore, when the operating state of the control unit 62 is changed from the control operating state to the low-power operating state when the second electric working machine 21 is not used, not only the power consumption in the control unit 62 but also the power consumption in the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 can be reduced, and the power consumption amount when the second electric working machine 21 is not used can be suppressed.

[2-4. correspondence of expressions ]

Here, correspondence of terms will be described.

The second electric working machine 21 corresponds to an example of an electric working machine, the control unit 62 and the motor driver 99 correspond to an example of a control unit, the brushless motor 97 corresponds to an example of a drive unit, the second control unit power source 91 corresponds to an example of a control unit power source, and the third switching power source 93 and the fourth switching power source 95 correspond to an example of a first switching power source.

[3 ] third embodiment ]

A third embodiment will be described with reference to a third electric working machine 23 configured by replacing a part of the components of the second electric working machine 21 of the second embodiment.

As shown in fig. 6, the third electric working machine 23 is configured to: the second control unit power supply 91 in the second electric working machine 21 is replaced with a third control unit power supply 111.

[3-1. Power supply for third control Unit ]

The third control unit power supply 111 converts the battery voltage VB from the battery pack 100 into a voltage and outputs the voltage-converted constant voltage Vcc to the constant voltage supply line 81. The constant voltage Vcc is supplied to each part (the control unit 62 and the like) of the third electric working machine 23 via a constant voltage supply line 81. In the third embodiment, the constant voltage Vcc is 5V. The electric power supplied from the third control unit power supply 111 via the constant voltage supply line 81 is used as the electric power for operation of the control unit 62 and the like, for example.

The third control unit power supply 111 includes a third switching power supply 93, a first switch 67, a reverse current suppressing unit 113, a fourth switching power supply 95, a bypass current determining unit 115, a third current path LC3, a bypass current path LC4, and a common current path LC 5.

The third switching power supply 93, the first switching unit 67, and the fourth switching power supply 95 have the same configurations as the third switching power supply 93, the first switching unit 67, and the fourth switching power supply 95 of the second embodiment, respectively.

The third current path LC3 is a part of a current path from the battery pack 100 to the control unit 62, and is a current path including the third switching power supply 93. The bypass current path LC4 is a current path connected in parallel with the third current path LC 3. The common current path LC5 is a current path directly connected to the third current path LC3 and the bypass current path LC4, respectively, and provided with the fourth switching power supply 95.

A first end of the third current path LC3 and a first end of the bypass current path LC4 are connected to the fourth fulcrum P4 and to the voltage conversion path LC, respectively. A second end of the third current path LC3 and a second end of the bypass current path LC4 are connected to the fifth branch point P5 and to a first end of the common current path LC5, respectively. A second terminal of the common current path LC5 is connected to the constant voltage supply line 81.

The reverse current suppressing part 113 is provided between the third switching power supply 93 and the fifth branch point P5 in the third current path LC 3. The reverse current suppressing portion 113 is constituted by: the diode is connected in series with the third current path LC 3. The diode is configured to: the energization from the third switching power supply 93 to the fifth branch point P5 is permitted, and the energization from the fifth branch point P5 to the third switching power supply 93 is suppressed. Therefore, the reverse current suppressing unit 113 is configured to: the output of the constant voltage Vcc from the output part 93b of the third switching power supply 93 to the fifth branch point P5 is allowed, and the inflow of the reverse current from the fifth branch point P5 to the output part 93b of the third switching power supply 93 is suppressed.

Bypass current determination unit 115 is provided in bypass current path LC 4. The bypass current determination unit 115 includes a detection resistor 117 and a current determination unit 119. The detection resistor 117 includes a resistor element connected in series to the bypass current path LC4, and is configured to be able to output a detection voltage corresponding to the bypass current Ibp flowing through the bypass current path LC 4. The current determination unit 119 is configured to: the FET is provided, and outputs a current notification signal Sia corresponding to the bypass current Ibp to the operating state determination unit 75 based on the voltage across the detection resistor 117.

When the operating state of the control unit 62 is the control operating state in the state where the first switch unit 67 is off, the amount of power consumption in the control unit 62 and the like via the constant voltage supply line 81 increases, and the bypass current Ibp increases, so that the potential of the input unit 95a of the fourth switching power supply 95 decreases. When the operating state of the control unit 62 is the low-power operating state in the state where the first switch unit 67 is off, the amount of power consumption in the control unit 62 and the like via the constant-voltage supply line 81 is reduced, and the bypass current Ibp is reduced, so that the potential of the input unit 95a of the fourth switching power supply 95 is increased.

The current determination unit 119 is configured to: and outputs a current notification signal Sia corresponding to the bypass current Ibp. When the bypass current Ibp is larger than the predetermined operation reference value Ith (for example, 5 mA), the FET turns on, and the current determination unit 119 outputs a current notification signal Sia (hereinafter, also referred to as a first current notification signal Sia1) having the same potential as the battery voltage VB. When the bypass current Ibp is equal to or less than the operation reference value Ith, the FET is turned off, and the current determination unit 119 outputs a current notification signal Sia (hereinafter, also referred to as a second current notification signal Sia2) having a potential lower than the battery voltage VB.

That is, the bypass current determination unit 115 is configured to: it is determined whether the operating state of the control unit 62 is the control operating state or the low power operating state based on the comparison result between the bypass current Ibp and the operating reference value Ith.

When determining that the operating state of the control unit 62 is the control operating state, the current determination unit 119 outputs a first current notification signal Sia1 to the operating state determination unit 75. Thus, the operation state determination unit 75 outputs the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating that the operation state is the control operation state to the first switch unit 67, and performs voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93. At this time, the third control unit power supply 111 outputs the constant voltage Vcc using the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95, and shifts to a state in which the control unit power is supplied to the control unit 62 (hereinafter, also referred to as a first switching state).

When determining that the operating state of the control unit 62 is the low power operating state, the current determination unit 119 outputs the second current notification signal Sia2 to the operating state determination unit 75. Accordingly, the operating state determining unit 75 outputs the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating that the first switch unit 67 is in the low-power operating state, and stops the voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93. At this time, the third control unit power supply 111 outputs the constant voltage Vcc using the fourth switching power supply 95, and shifts to a state in which the control unit 62 is supplied with electric power for the control unit (hereinafter also referred to as a second switching state).

[3-2 ] Change in consumed Current accompanying switching of operating State in control Unit ]

Next, a change in the consumption current Ia of the third control unit power supply 111 caused by switching of the operating state of the control unit 62 will be described with reference to fig. 7.

Fig. 7 shows switching of the operating state of the control unit 62 and a change in the consumption current Ia with time, with the time point at which the pulling operation of the trigger operation unit 9 by the user is completed being set to time t 0.

When the state in which the user does not pull the trigger operation unit 9 continues during the period from the time t0 to the time t21 after the sleep determination time Ts elapses, the controller 62 starts a process (operation state switching process) for changing the operation state from the control operation state to the low power operation state.

When the operation state switching process is started, the control unit 62 first executes a process of sequentially stopping the supply of electric power to the various devices and various circuits provided in the third electric working machine 23. Accordingly, the consumption current Ia gradually decreases from the twentieth consumption current Ia20 (time t21 to time t22), and the current corresponding to the amount of current consumption (first current change amount Δ Ia21) in various devices and the like before the stop is reduced, and the consumption current Ia at this time decreases to the twenty-first consumption current Ia 21.

Next, as one step in the operation state switching process, control unit 62 executes a process of shifting control unit 62 itself to the low power operation state (sleep mode) (time t 22). Thus, the current corresponding to the amount of current consumption (the second current variation amount Δ Ia22) corresponding to the difference between the amount of current consumption in the control operation state and the amount of current consumption in the low power operation state in the control unit 62 is reduced, and the current consumption Ia at this time is reduced to the twenty-second current consumption Ia 22. The second current variation Δ Ia22 corresponds to the third current variation Δ Ia3 of the first embodiment and the third current variation Δ Ia13 of the second embodiment.

After that, when the bypass current determination unit 115 determines that the operating state of the control unit 62 is the low-power operating state due to the reduction in the amount of electric current consumed by the control unit 62, the operating state determination unit 75 outputs the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating that the operating state is the low-power operating state to the first switch unit 67, and stops the voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93. Thereby, the current corresponding to the amount of current consumption (the third current change amount Δ Ia23) required for the voltage conversion in the third switching power supply 93 is reduced, and the current consumption Ia at this time is reduced to the twenty-third current consumption Ia 23. The third current change amount Δ Ia23 corresponds to the second current change amount Δ Ia2 of the first embodiment and the second current change amount Δ Ia12 of the second embodiment.

By executing these operations, the control unit 62 completes the operation state switching process, and maintains the low-power operation state until the user pulls the trigger operation unit 9.

When the user pulls the trigger operation unit 9 (time t24), the trigger signal Str is input to the control unit 62. Thereby, the control unit 62 itself shifts (wakes up) from the low power operation state (sleep mode) to the control operation state. Then, the wake-up control unit 62 starts an operation state switching process for changing the operation state from the low-power operation state to the control operation state. Further, the trigger signal Str from the trigger operation unit 9 is also input to the operating state determination unit 75, and the conduction command signal Sc1 from the operating state determination unit 75 is input to the third control unit power supply 111, whereby voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93 is started. Therefore, the consumption current Ia gradually increases to the twenty-first consumption current Ia21 (time t24 to t25) along with the wake-up of the control unit 62 and the voltage conversion operation of the third switching power supply 93. Further, the consumption current Ia is changed to the twenty-fourth consumption current Ia24 by increasing the second current change amount Δ Ia22 with respect to the twenty-third consumption current Ia23 by the wake-up of the control unit 62 (time t 24). Then, the consumption current Ia is changed to the twenty-first consumption current Ia21 by increasing the third current change amount Δ Ia23 by the voltage conversion operation of the third switching power supply 93 (time t 25).

At this time, when the bypass current determination unit 115 determines that the operating state of the control unit 62 is the control operating state in accordance with an increase in the amount of electric current consumed by the control unit 62, the operation state determination unit 75 outputs the conduction instruction signal Sc1 indicating that the operating state is the control operating state to the first switch unit 67. At this time, although the voltage switching of the third switching power supply 93 is already performed in response to the trigger signal Str from the trigger operation unit 9, when the user has finished the operation of the trigger operation unit 9, the control operation state of the control unit 62 is maintained, and the voltage switching of the third switching power supply 93 is continued until the sleep determination time Ts elapses.

Next, as one step in the operation state switching process, the control unit 62 executes a process of sequentially starting the supply of electric power to the various devices and various circuits provided in the third electric working machine 23 (time t 26). Along with this, the consumption current Ia increases to the twentieth consumption current Ia 20.

In this way, when the operating state of the control unit 62 transitions to the low-power operating state, the third electric working machine 23 can reduce the consumption current Ia corresponding to the third current change amount Δ Ia23 by stopping the voltage conversion in the third switching power supply 93 based on the determination result in the bypass current determination unit 115.

[3-3. Effect ]

As described above, in the third electric working machine 23 according to the third embodiment, when the control unit 62 is in the low-power operation state, the third control unit power supply 111 is shifted to the second switching state based on the determination result by the bypass current determination unit 115, and the third switching power supply 93 is not used when the voltage of the third control unit power supply 111 is switched, so that the power consumption of the third switching power supply 93 can be suppressed. Therefore, when the operating state of the control unit 62 is changed from the control operating state to the low-power operating state when the third electric working machine 23 is not used, not only the power consumption in the control unit 62 but also the power consumption in the third switching power supply 93 can be reduced, so that the power consumption amount when the third electric working machine 23 is not used can be reduced.

[3-4. correspondence of expressions ]

Here, correspondence of terms will be described.

The third electric working machine 23 corresponds to an example of an electric working machine, the control unit 62 and the motor driver 99 correspond to an example of a control unit, the brushless motor 97 corresponds to an example of a drive unit, the third control unit power supply 111 corresponds to an example of a control unit power supply, the third switching power supply 93 corresponds to an example of a first switching power supply, and the fourth switching power supply 95 corresponds to an example of a second switching power supply.

The operating state determination unit 75 and the bypass current determination unit 115 correspond to an example of an operating state determination unit, the third current path LC3 corresponds to an example of a third current path, the bypass current path LC4 corresponds to an example of a bypass current path, the common current path LC5 corresponds to an example of a common current path, the second constant voltage Vdd corresponds to an example of an intermediate power supply voltage, and the operating reference value Ith corresponds to an example of an operating reference value.

[4. fourth embodiment ]

A fourth embodiment will be described with reference to a fourth electric working machine 25 having a configuration in which some of the components of the third electric working machine 23 according to the third embodiment are replaced.

As shown in fig. 8, the fourth electric working machine 25 is configured to: the third control unit power supply 111 and the bypass current determination unit 115 in the third electric working machine 23 are replaced with a fourth control unit power supply 121 and a second bypass current determination unit 131, respectively.

[4-1. Power supply for fourth control Unit ]

The fourth control unit power supply 121 converts the battery voltage VB from the battery pack 100 into a voltage, and outputs the voltage-converted constant voltage Vcc to the constant voltage supply line 81. The constant voltage Vcc is supplied to each part (the control unit 62 and the like) of the fourth electric working machine 25 via a constant voltage supply line 81. In the fourth embodiment, the constant voltage Vcc is 5V. The electric power supplied from the fourth control unit power supply 121 via the constant voltage supply line 81 is used as the electric power for operation of the control unit 62 and the like, for example.

The fourth control unit power supply 121 includes a third switching power supply 93, a first switch 67, a reverse current suppressing unit 113, a fourth switching power supply 95, a limiting resistor 123, a third current path LC3, a bypass current path LC4, and a common current path LC 5.

The third switching power supply 93, the first switch 67, the fourth switching power supply 95, the third current path LC3, the bypass current path LC4, and the common current path LC5 are respectively configured in the same manner as the third switching power supply 93, the first switch 67, the fourth switching power supply 95, the third current path LC3, the bypass current path LC4, and the common current path LC5 of the second embodiment.

Limiting resistor 123 is connected in series with bypass current path LC 4. The limiting resistor 123 is configured to include a resistor element, and suppresses the bypass current Ibp flowing through the bypass current path LC4 from becoming excessively large.

The second bypass current determination unit 131 includes a hysteresis comparator 133, a resistor 135, a resistor 134, and a reference voltage unit 136. The second bypass current determination unit 131 is configured to: the sixth path LC6 is electrically connected to the fifth branch point P5, and the potential of the input unit 95a of the fourth switching power supply 95 and the bypass current Ibp can be detected. The second bypass current determination unit 131 is configured to: the current notification signal Sia corresponding to the bypass current Ibp is output to the operating state determination unit 75.

As described in the third embodiment, when the first switch 67 is in the off state and the operation state of the control unit 62 is in the control operation state, the amount of power consumption in the control unit 62 and the like via the constant voltage supply line 81 increases, the bypass current Ibp increases, and the potential of the input unit 95a of the fourth switching power supply 95 decreases. When the first switch unit 67 is in the off state and the operating state of the control unit 62 is in the low-power operating state, the amount of power consumption in the control unit 62 and the like via the constant-voltage supply line 81 is reduced, and the bypass current Ibp is reduced, so that the potential of the input unit 95a of the fourth switching power supply 95 is increased.

When the bypass current Ibp is larger than the predetermined operation reference value Ith (for example, 5 mA) and the potential of the fifth branch point P5 (the input unit 95a of the fourth switching power supply 95) is lower than the determination voltage Vth, the second bypass current determination unit 131 outputs a current notification signal Sia (hereinafter, also referred to as a first current notification signal Sia1) having the same potential as the battery voltage VB. When the bypass current Ibp is equal to or less than the operation reference value Ith and the potential of the fifth branch point P5 (the input unit 95a of the fourth switching power supply 95) exceeds the determination voltage Vth, the second bypass current determination unit 131 outputs a current notification signal Sia (hereinafter, also referred to as a second current notification signal Sia2) having a potential lower than the battery voltage VB.

That is, the second bypass current determination unit 131 is configured to: it is determined whether the operating state of the control unit 62 is the control operating state or the low power operating state based on the comparison result between the bypass current Ibp and the operating reference value Ith.

The second bypass current determination unit 131 includes a hysteresis comparator 133, and can set a determination voltage Vth (hereinafter, also referred to as a first determination voltage Vth1) for determining the output of the first current notification signal Sia1 and a determination voltage Vth (hereinafter, also referred to as a second determination voltage Vth2) for determining the output of the second current notification signal Sia2 to different values.

For example, when the output voltage of the reference voltage unit 136 is set to the determination voltage Vth (═ Vdd + Δ Va ═ 17[ V ]) obtained by adding a predetermined adjustment voltage Δ Va (═ 2[ V ]) to the second constant voltage Vdd and the hysteresis width of the hysteresis comparator 133 is set to 1[ V ], the first determination voltage Vth1 becomes 16[ V ] and the second determination voltage Vth2 becomes 18[ V ].

In this case, when the potential at the fifth branch point P5 (the input unit 95a of the fourth switching power supply 95) is lower than 16[ V ], the second bypass current determination unit 131 determines that the operation state of the control unit 62 is the control operation state, and starts outputting the first current notification signal Sia 1. Thereafter, while the potential at the fifth branch point P5 is not more than 18[ V ], the second bypass current determination unit 131 determines that the operating state of the control unit 62 is the control operating state, and continues the output of the first current notification signal Sia 1. When the potential at the fifth branch point P5 exceeds 18V, the second bypass current determination unit 131 determines that the operating state of the control unit 62 is the low power operating state, and starts outputting the second current notification signal Sia 2. Then, while the potential at the fifth branch point P5 is at least 16V, the second bypass current determination unit 131 determines that the operating state of the control unit 62 is the low power operating state, and continues the output of the second current notification signal Sia 2. Thereafter, when the potential at the fifth branch point P5 is lower than 16[ V ], the second bypass current determination unit 131 starts outputting the first current notification signal Sia 1.

When determining that the operating state of the control unit 62 is the control operating state, the second bypass current determination unit 131 outputs the first current notification signal Sia1 to the operating state determination unit 75. Thus, the operation state determination unit 75 outputs the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating that the operation state is the control operation state to the first switch unit 67, and performs voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93. At this time, the fourth control unit power supply 121 outputs the constant voltage Vcc using the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95, and shifts to a state in which the control unit power is supplied to the control unit 62 (hereinafter, also referred to as a first switching state).

When determining that the operating state of the control unit 62 is the low-power operating state, the second bypass current determination unit 131 outputs a second current notification signal Sia2 to the operating state determination unit 75. Accordingly, the operation state determination unit 75 outputs the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating that the operation state is the low power operation state to the first switch unit 67, and stops the voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93. At this time, the fourth control unit power supply 121 outputs the constant voltage Vcc using the fourth switching power supply 95, and shifts to a state in which the control unit power is supplied to the control unit 62 (hereinafter, also referred to as a second switching state).

[4-2 ] Change in consumed Current accompanying switching of operating State in control Unit ]

Next, a change in the consumption current Ia of the fourth control unit power supply 121 due to the switching of the operating state of the control unit 62 will be described with reference to fig. 9.

Fig. 9 shows switching of the operating state of the control unit 62 and a change in the consumption current Ia with time, with the time point at which the pulling operation of the trigger operation unit 9 by the user is completed being set to time t 0.

When the state in which the user does not pull the trigger operation unit 9 continues during the period from the time t0 to the time t31 after the sleep determination time Ts elapses, the controller 62 starts a process (operation state switching process) for changing the operation state from the control operation state to the low power operation state.

When the operation state switching process is started, the control unit 62 first executes a process of sequentially stopping the supply of electric power to the various devices and various circuits provided in the fourth electric working machine 25. Accordingly, the consumption current Ia gradually decreases from the thirtieth consumption current Ia30 (time t31 to t32), and the current corresponding to the amount of current consumption (the first current change amount Δ Ia31) in various devices before the stop is reduced, and the consumption current Ia at this time decreases to the thirty-first consumption current Ia 31.

Next, as one step in the operation state switching process, control unit 62 executes a process of shifting control unit 62 itself to the low power operation state (sleep mode) (time t 32). Thus, the current corresponding to the amount of current consumption (the second current variation amount Δ Ia32) corresponding to the difference between the amount of current consumption in the control operation state and the amount of current consumption in the low power operation state in the control unit 62 is reduced, and the current consumption Ia at this time is reduced to the thirty-second current consumption Ia 32.

After that, when the second bypass current determination unit 131 determines that the operating state of the control unit 62 is the low-power operating state in association with the reduction in the amount of electric current consumed by the control unit 62, the operating state determination unit 75 outputs the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating that the operating state is the low-power operating state to the first switch unit 67, and stops the voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93. Thereby, the current corresponding to the amount of current consumption (the third current change amount Δ Ia33) required for the voltage conversion in the third switching power supply 93 is reduced, and the current consumption Ia at this time is reduced to the thirty-third current consumption Ia 33.

By executing these operations, the control unit 62 completes the operation state switching process, and maintains the low-power operation state until the user pulls the trigger operation unit 9.

When the user pulls the trigger operation unit 9 (time t34), the trigger signal Str is input to the control unit 62. Thereby, the control unit 62 itself shifts (wakes up) from the low power operation state (sleep mode) to the control operation state. Then, the wake-up control unit 62 starts an operation state switching process for changing the operation state from the low-power operation state to the control operation state. The trigger signal Str from the trigger operation unit 9 is also input to the operating state determination unit 75, and the conduction command signal Sc1 from the operating state determination unit 75 is input to the fourth control unit power supply 121, so that voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93 is started. Therefore, the current consumption Ia gradually increases to the thirty-first current consumption Ia31 (time t34 to t35) in association with the wake-up of the control unit 62 and the voltage conversion operation of the third switching power supply 93. Further, the consumption current Ia is increased by the second current change amount Δ Ia32 from the thirty-third consumption current Ia33 to the thirty-fourth consumption current Ia34 by the wake-up of the control unit 62 (time t 34). Then, the consumption current Ia is increased by the third current variation Δ Ia33 by the voltage conversion operation of the third switching power supply 93, and becomes a thirty-first consumption current Ia31 (time t 35).

At this time, when the second bypass current determination unit 131 determines that the operating state of the control unit 62 is the control operating state in accordance with the increase in the amount of electric current consumed by the control unit 62, the operation state determination unit 75 outputs the conduction instruction signal Sc1 indicating that the operating state is the control operating state to the first switch unit 67. At this time, although the voltage switching of the third switching power supply 93 is already performed in response to the trigger signal Str from the trigger operation unit 9, when the user has finished the operation of the trigger operation unit 9, the control operation state of the control unit 62 is maintained, and the voltage switching of the third switching power supply 93 is continued until the sleep determination time Ts elapses.

Next, as one step in the operation state switching process, control unit 62 executes a process of sequentially starting power supply to various devices and various circuits provided in fourth electric working machine 25 (time t 36). Along with this, the consumption current Ia increases to the thirtieth consumption current Ia 30.

In this way, when the operating state of the control unit 62 transitions to the low-power operating state, the fourth electric working machine 25 can reduce the consumption current Ia corresponding to the third current change amount Δ Ia33 by stopping the voltage conversion in the third switching power supply 93 based on the determination result in the second bypass current determination unit 131.

[4-3. Effect ]

As described above, in the fourth electric working machine 25 according to the fourth embodiment, when the control unit 62 is in the low-power operation state, the fourth control unit power supply 121 shifts to the second switching state based on the determination result in the second bypass current determination unit 131, and the third switching power supply 93 is not used when the voltage of the fourth control unit power supply 121 is switched, so that the power consumption in the third switching power supply 93 can be suppressed. Therefore, when the operating state of the control unit 62 is changed from the control operating state to the low-power operating state when the fourth electric working machine 25 is not used, not only the power consumption in the control unit 62 but also the power consumption in the third switching power supply 93 can be reduced, so that the power consumption amount when the fourth electric working machine 25 is not used can be reduced.

[4-4. correspondence of expressions ]

Here, correspondence of terms will be described.

The fourth electric working machine 25 corresponds to an example of an electric working machine, the fourth control-unit power supply 121 corresponds to an example of a control-unit power supply, and the operating-state determining unit 75 and the second bypass-current determining unit 131 correspond to an example of an operating-state determining unit.

[5. fifth embodiment ]

A fifth embodiment will be described with reference to a fifth electric working machine 27 configured by replacing a part of the components of the second electric working machine 21 of the second embodiment.

As shown in fig. 10, the fifth electric working machine 27 is configured to: the second controller power source 91 of the second electric working machine 21 is replaced with a fifth controller power source 141, and the battery pack 100 is replaced with a multi-output power source 102.

The multi-output power source 102 includes a plurality of battery packs (first battery pack 103 and second battery pack 104), a plurality of voltage output units (first voltage output unit 102a and second voltage output unit 102b), and a reference electrode 102 c.

First battery pack 103 and second battery pack 104 are connected in series. Each of the first battery pack 103 and the second battery pack 104 includes a secondary battery (not shown) that can be repeatedly charged and discharged. The output voltage of the first battery pack 103 is 36[ V ]. The output voltage of second battery pack 104 is 36[ V ].

First voltage output unit 102a is connected to the positive electrode of second battery pack 104. The second voltage output unit 102b is connected to the positive electrode of the first battery pack 103 and the negative electrode of the second battery pack 104, respectively. The reference electrode 102c is connected to the negative electrode of the first battery 103.

The multi-output power supply 102 is configured to: the plurality of voltage output units (the first voltage output unit 102a and the second voltage output unit 102b) output different voltages with reference to the reference electrode 102 c. The multi-output power source 102 outputs a first battery voltage VB1(VB1 ═ 72[ V ]) from the first voltage output section 102a, and outputs a second battery voltage VB2(VB2 ═ 36[ V ]) from the second voltage output section 102 b.

When the first battery pack 103 enters an abnormal state such as a decrease in output voltage, the first cut-off instruction signal Sb1 is output. Second battery pack 104 outputs second shutdown command signal Sb2 when it enters an abnormal state such as a decrease in output voltage.

[5-1. Power supply for fifth control Unit ]

The fifth control unit power supply 141 converts the voltage of either the first battery voltage VB1 or the second battery voltage VB2 from the multi-output power supply 102, and outputs the voltage-converted constant voltage Vcc (Vcc 5V) to the constant voltage supply line 81.

The fifth control unit power supply 141 has the following configuration: the second switch 143 and the third switch 145 are added to the second control unit power supply 91, and the connection destination of the second current path LC2 is changed. In the following description, differences from the second control unit power supply 91 in the fifth control unit power supply 141 will be mainly described.

A first end of the second current path LC2 is connected to the second voltage output portion 102b of the multi-output power supply 102. A second end of the second current path LC2 is connected to the third branch point P3 and also connected to the constant voltage supply line 81.

The second switch 143 and the third switch 145 are provided between the input portion 71a of the second switching power supply 71 and the second voltage output portion 102b of the multi-output power supply 102 in the second current path LC 2. The second switch 143 and the third switch 145 are respectively configured to: the switching unit (FET or the like) is connected in series to the second current path LC 2.

The second switch 143 is configured to: the switch unit can be switched to an energized state (on state) or a non-energized state (off state) based on a first switching instruction signal Sb1 from first battery pack 103. The third switch portion 145 is configured to: the switch unit can be switched to an energized state (on state) or a non-energized state (off state) based on second cut-off command signal Sb2 from second battery stack 104.

The second switch 143 and the third switch 145 are configured to: the conduction from the second voltage output unit 102b to the second switching power supply 71 in the second current path LC2 can be switched to the conduction state or the non-conduction state. Thus, the second switch 143 and the third switch 145 are configured to: the input state of the second battery voltage VB2 to the second switching power supply 71 can be switched based on the first cut-off command signal Sb1 and the second cut-off command signal Sb 2.

The third conversion power supply 93 includes a DC-DC converter that converts a DC voltage and outputs the converted voltage. The third switching power supply 93 voltage-converts the first battery voltage VB1[ VB1 ═ 72[ V ] ] input to the input section 93a, and outputs the voltage-converted second constant voltage Vdd from the output section 93 b. The third switching power supply 93 outputs 15[ V ] as the second constant voltage Vdd. The third switching power supply 93 has a maximum output current of 150mA at the time of voltage conversion.

When the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating that the control operation state is input from the operation state determination unit 75, the fifth control unit power supply 141 configured as described above is switched to a state in which the control unit power is supplied to the control unit 62 (hereinafter, also referred to as a first switching state) by outputting the constant voltage Vcc using the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 and outputting the constant voltage Vcc using the second switching power supply 71.

When the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating the low-power operation state is input from the operation state determination unit 75, the fifth control unit power supply 141 stops the voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95, outputs the constant voltage Vcc using the second switching power supply 71, and shifts to a state in which the control unit power is supplied to the control unit 62 (hereinafter also referred to as a second switching state).

Then, the fifth controller power supply 141 stops the input of the second battery voltage VB2 to the second switching power supply 71 by setting the second switch unit 143 or the third switch unit 145 to the non-energized state based on the first cut-off command signal Sb1 from the first battery pack 103 or the second cut-off command signal Sb2 from the second battery pack 104. That is, the fifth control unit power supply 141 is configured to: when at least one of the first battery pack 103 and the second battery pack 104 becomes abnormal, the input of the second battery voltage VB2 to the second switching power supply 71 is stopped, and the output of the constant voltage Vcc by the second switching power supply 71 is stopped.

The fifth control unit power supply 141 may include a power supply holding circuit 147. The power holding circuit 147 is connected between the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 in the first current path LC 1. The power holding circuit 147 includes a resistor 147a, a diode 147b, and a capacitor 147 c.

The power holding circuit 147 is configured to: the capacitor 147c is charged via the resistor 147a when the capacitor 147c is charged, and is discharged via the diode 147b when the capacitor 147c is discharged. Thus, the power supply holding circuit 147 can prevent the second constant voltage Vdd from decreasing due to a rush current when the capacitor 147c starts to be charged, and can quickly discharge when the capacitor 147c is discharged.

By providing the power holding circuit 147, the second constant voltage Vdd or the constant voltage Vcc can be maintained by the charge charged in the capacitor 147c of the power holding circuit 147 during a certain period after the third switching power supply 93 turns off the output of the second constant voltage Vdd, and the control unit 62 can be driven. Therefore, even when the multi-output power source 102 is suddenly taken out or the output (power source) from the multi-output power source 102 is lost due to some abnormality, the second constant voltage Vdd or the constant voltage Vcc is maintained by the discharge of the capacitor 147c, and the control section 62 can appropriately perform the shutdown processing. The shutdown processing includes, for example, processing for writing various history information and various setting states into the nonvolatile memory.

[5-2. Effect ]

As described above, in the fifth electric working machine 27 according to the fifth embodiment, when the control unit 62 is in the low-power operation state, the fifth control unit power supply 141 shifts to the second switching state, and the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 are not used when the voltage of the fifth control unit power supply 141 is switched, so that power consumption of the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 can be suppressed. Therefore, when the operating state of the control unit 62 is changed from the control operating state to the low-power operating state when the fifth electric working machine 27 is not used, not only the power consumption in the control unit 62 but also the power consumption in the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95 can be reduced, and therefore the power consumption amount when the fifth electric working machine 27 is not used can be suppressed.

Further, the fifth electric working machine 27 uses the multi-output power source 102 provided with a plurality of battery packs as a power source, and can perform an operation of a larger output based on a larger voltage than a configuration using a single battery pack. Further, the multi-output power source 102 is configured to include a plurality of battery packs, so that the maximum voltage that can be output can be increased according to the number of battery packs.

Next, in the fifth electric working machine 27, the second switching power source 71 is not connected to the first voltage output unit 102a having the largest output voltage among the plurality of voltage output units (the first voltage output unit 102a and the second voltage output unit 102b), but is connected to the second voltage output unit 102b having the smallest output voltage. That is, the second switching power supply 71 is configured to: instead of converting the first battery voltage VB1(VB 1-72 [ V ]) output from the first voltage output section 102a into a constant voltage Vcc (Vcc-5 [ V ]), the second battery voltage VB2(VB 1-36 [ V ]) voltage is converted into a constant voltage Vcc.

Thus, the second switching power supply 71 can reduce the amount of voltage change of the voltage conversion in the second switching power supply 71, as compared with the case where the first battery voltage VB1 voltage is converted to the constant voltage Vcc. Therefore, the fifth electric working machine 27 can reduce the power loss associated with the voltage conversion as compared with the case where the voltage variation amount is large, with respect to the power loss associated with the voltage conversion in the second conversion power source 71.

In the fifth electric working machine 27, the "third switching power source 93 and the fourth switching power source 95" (corresponding to an example of the first switching power source) are connected to the first voltage output unit 102a, and the output voltage (VB 1-72V) of the first voltage output unit 102a is larger than the output voltage (VB 2-36V) of the second voltage output unit 102b connected to the second switching power source 71 among the plurality of voltage output units of the multi-output power source 102. Accordingly, the amount of electric power that can be output from the "third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95" is larger than the amount of electric power that can be output from the second switching power supply 71, and the "third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95" can supply sufficient electric power to the control unit 62 as compared with the second switching power supply 71.

[5-3. correspondence of terms ]

Here, correspondence of terms will be described.

The fifth electric working machine 27 corresponds to an example of an electric working machine, the multi-output power source 102 corresponds to an example of a power source, the fifth control unit power source 141 corresponds to an example of a control unit power source, and the third switching power source 93 and the fourth switching power source 95 correspond to an example of a first switching power source.

[6 ] sixth embodiment ]

A sixth electric working machine 29 will be described as a sixth embodiment, and the sixth electric working machine 29 is configured by changing a part of the components of the third electric working machine 23 of the third embodiment.

As shown in fig. 11, the sixth electric working machine 29 is configured to: the third control unit power supply 111 in the third electric working machine 23 is replaced with a sixth control unit power supply 151, and the battery pack 100 is replaced with a multi-output power supply 102.

The multi-output power supply 102 has the same configuration as the multi-output power supply 102 of the fifth embodiment, and therefore, description thereof is omitted here.

[6-1. Power supply for sixth control part ]

The sixth control unit power supply 151 converts the voltage of either the first battery voltage VB1 or the second battery voltage VB2 from the multi-output power supply 102, and outputs the voltage-converted constant voltage Vcc (Vcc 5V) to the constant voltage supply line 81.

The sixth control unit power supply 151 is configured by adding a fourth switch 153 and a fifth switch 155 to the third control unit power supply 111 and changing the connection destination of the bypass current path LC 4. In the following description, differences from the third control unit power supply 111 in the sixth control unit power supply 151 will be mainly described.

A first end of the bypass current path LC4 is connected to the second voltage output portion 102b of the multi-output power supply 102. A second end of the bypass current path LC4 is connected to the fifth branch point P5 and to a first end of the common current path LC 5.

The fourth switch 153 and the fifth switch 155 are provided between the bypass current determination unit 115 in the bypass current path LC4 and the second voltage output unit 102b of the multi-output power supply 102. The fourth switch 153 and the fifth switch 155 are configured to: each of the switches includes a switch (FET, etc.) connected in series with the bypass current path LC 4.

The fourth switch 153 is configured to: the switch unit can be switched to an energized state (on state) or a non-energized state (off state) based on a first switching instruction signal Sb1 from first battery pack 103. The fifth switch unit 155 is configured to: the switch unit can be switched to an energized state (on state) or a non-energized state (off state) based on second cut-off command signal Sb2 from second battery stack 104.

The fourth switch 153 and the fifth switch 155 are configured to: the passage of current from the second voltage output unit 102b to the fourth switching power supply 95 via the bypass current determination unit 115 in the bypass current path LC4 can be switched between a passage state and a non-passage state. Thus, the fourth switch 153 and the fifth switch 155 are configured to: the input state of the second battery voltage VB2 to the fourth switching power supply 95 via the bypass current determination unit 115 can be switched based on the first cut-off command signal Sb1 and the second cut-off command signal Sb 2.

The third conversion power supply 93 includes a DC-DC converter that converts a DC voltage and outputs the converted voltage. The third switching power supply 93 voltage-converts the first battery voltage VB1(VB1 ═ 72[ V ]) input to the input unit 93a, and outputs the voltage-converted second constant voltage Vdd from the output unit 93 b. The third switching power supply 93 outputs 15[ V ] as the second constant voltage Vdd. The third switching power supply 93 has a maximum output current of 150mA at the time of voltage conversion.

In the sixth control unit power supply 151 configured as described above, when the first current notification signal Sia1 is output from the current determination unit 119 to the operating state determination unit 75, the conduction command signal Sc1 indicating that the operating state is controlled is output from the operating state determination unit 75 to the first switch unit 67, and the voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93 is performed. At this time, the sixth control unit power supply 151 converts the first battery voltage VB1 into the constant voltage Vcc using the third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95, and outputs the constant voltage Vcc, thereby shifting to a state in which the control unit electric power is supplied to the control unit 62 (hereinafter, also referred to as a first switching state).

In the sixth control unit power supply 151, when the second current notification signal Sia2 is output from the current determination unit 119 to the operating state determination unit 75, the conduction instruction signal Sc1 indicating that the operating state is the low power operating state is output from the operating state determination unit 75 to the first switch unit 67, and the voltage conversion of the third switching power supply 93 is stopped. At this time, the sixth control unit power supply 151 converts the second battery voltage VB2 into the constant voltage Vcc by using the fourth conversion power supply 95, outputs the constant voltage Vcc, and shifts to a state in which the control unit electric power is supplied to the control unit 62 (hereinafter, also referred to as a second conversion state).

Then, sixth control unit power supply 151 sets fourth switch 153 or fifth switch 155 to the non-energized state based on first cut-off command signal Sb1 from first battery pack 103 or second cut-off command signal Sb2 from second battery pack 104, thereby stopping input of second battery voltage VB2 to fourth switching power supply 95 via bypass current path LC 4. That is, when at least one of the first battery pack 103 and the second battery pack 104 becomes an abnormal state, the sixth control unit power supply 151 stops the input of the second battery voltage VB2 to the fourth switching power supply 95 via the bypass current path LC4, thereby stopping the output of the constant voltage Vcc from the fourth switching power supply 95 via the bypass current path LC 4.

[6-2. Effect ]

As described above, in the sixth electric working machine 29 according to the sixth embodiment, when the control unit 62 is in the low-power operation state, the sixth control unit power supply 151 shifts to the second switching state, and the third switching power supply 93 is not used when the voltage of the sixth control unit power supply 151 is switched, so that the power consumption of the third switching power supply 93 can be suppressed. Therefore, when the operating state of the control unit 62 is changed from the control operating state to the low-power operating state when the sixth electric working machine 29 is not used, not only the power consumption in the control unit 62 but also the power consumption in the third switching power supply 93 can be reduced, so that the power consumption amount when the sixth electric working machine 29 is not used can be reduced.

Furthermore, the sixth electric working machine 29 uses the multi-output power source 102 including a plurality of battery packs as a power source, and can perform an operation of a larger output based on a larger voltage than a configuration using one battery pack.

In the sixth electric working machine 29, the fourth switching power supply 95 is not connected to the first voltage output unit 102a having the highest output voltage among the plurality of voltage output units (the first voltage output unit 102a and the second voltage output unit 102b), but is connected to the second voltage output unit 102b having the lowest output voltage. That is, the fourth switching power supply 95 converts the voltage of the second battery voltage VB2(VB2 is 36[ V ]) into the constant voltage Vcc, instead of converting the voltage of the first battery voltage VB1(VB1 is 72[ V ]) outputted from the first voltage output unit 102a into the constant voltage Vcc (Vcc is 5[ V ]).

Thus, the fourth converted power supply 95 can reduce the voltage variation amount of the voltage conversion in the fourth converted power supply 95, as compared with the case where the first battery voltage VB1 voltage is converted to the constant voltage Vcc. Therefore, the sixth electric working machine 29 can reduce the power loss associated with the voltage conversion as compared with the case where the voltage variation amount is large, with respect to the power loss associated with the voltage conversion in the fourth conversion power source 95.

In the sixth electric working machine 29, the "third switching power source 93 and the fourth switching power source 95" (corresponding to an example of the first switching power source) are connected to the first voltage output unit 102a, and the output voltage (VB1 ═ 72[ V ]) of the first voltage output unit 102a is larger than the output voltage (VB2 ═ 36[ V ]) of the second voltage output unit 102b to which the fourth switching power source 95 (corresponding to an example of the second switching power source) is connected among the plurality of voltage output units of the multiple output power source 102. Thus, the amount of electric power that can be output from the "third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95" is larger than the amount of electric power that can be output when the fourth switching power supply 95 is used alone, and the "third switching power supply 93 and the fourth switching power supply 95" can supply sufficient electric power to the control unit 62 as compared with the case where the fourth switching power supply 95 is used alone.

[6-3. correspondence of expressions ]

Here, correspondence of terms will be described.

The sixth electric working machine 29 corresponds to an example of an electric working machine, the multi-output power source 102 corresponds to an example of a power source, the sixth control unit power source 151 corresponds to an example of a control unit power source, "the third switching power source 93 and the fourth switching power source 95" correspond to an example of a first switching power source, and the single fourth switching power source 95 corresponds to an example of a second switching power source.

[7 ] other embodiments ]

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the scope of the present invention.

(a) In the third and fourth embodiments, the description has been given of the mode in which the state notification signal Smo output from the control unit 62 is not used, but a mode in which the state notification signal Smo is used may be changed as in the first and second embodiments. For example, in the third electric working machine 23 according to the third embodiment, the following configuration may be adopted: the state notification signal Smo (the first state notification signal Smo1, the second state notification signal Smo2) is input to the operating state determination unit 75 in addition to the current notification signal Sia output from the bypass current determination unit 115. That is, the operating state determining unit 75 may be configured to: the first state notification signal Smo1 and the second state notification signal Smo2 can be received.

When the bypass current Ibp is larger than the operation reference value Ith or the first state notification signal Smo1 is received, the operation state determination unit 75 determines that the operation state of the control unit 62 is the control operation state. When the bypass current Ibp is equal to or less than the operation reference value Ith and the second state notification signal Smo2 is received, the operation state determination unit 75 determines that the operation state of the control unit 62 is the low power operation state.

In this electric working machine, the operating state determining unit 75 may determine the operating state of the control unit 62 based on the first state notification signal Smo1 and the second state notification signal Smo2 in addition to the comparison result between the bypass current Ibp and the operating reference value Ith.

In addition, the fourth electric working machine 25 according to the fourth embodiment may also be configured such that: the state notification signal Smo (the first state notification signal Smo1, the second state notification signal Smo2) is input to the operating state determination section 75 in addition to the current notification signal Sia output from the second bypass current determination section 131.

The operation determination process performed by the operation state determination unit 75 may be replaced with an operation determination process that is an internal process of the control unit 62. For example, controller 62 may control first switch 67 by generating energization command signal Sc1 using trigger signal Str and state notification signal Smo and outputting energization command signal Sc1 to first switch 67. Alternatively, controller 62 may be configured to receive current notification signal Sia, generate conduction command signal Sc1 using trigger signal Str and current notification signal Sia, and output conduction command signal Sc1 to first switch 67, thereby controlling first switch 67.

(b) The first reverse current suppressing unit 69 is not limited to a configuration including a switching unit such as an FET, and any configuration may be employed as long as it can suppress the inflow of a reverse current and has a low voltage drop when a current flows in the forward direction, such as a schottky diode. The same applies to the second reverse current suppressing unit 73.

(c) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the constant voltage Vcc is 5[ V ], the battery voltage VB is 36[ V, and the second constant voltage Vdd is 15[ V ] has been described, but the voltages are not limited to these values, and other values may be adopted as appropriate depending on the application of the electric working machine, and the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which only the switching power supply that down-converts the voltage is provided has been described, but the electric working machine according to the present invention may be configured to include the switching power supply that up-converts the voltage. For example, in the second embodiment, the third switching power supply 93 is configured to down-convert the battery voltage VB into the second constant voltage Vdd, but as another embodiment, the third switching power supply 93 may be configured to up-convert the battery voltage VB (36V) into the third constant voltage Vee (for example, 51V), and then the fifth switching power supply (not shown) down-convert the third constant voltage Vee into the second constant voltage Vdd (15V). The third constant voltage Vee is higher than the battery voltage VB, and therefore can be used as a power source such as a high-voltage FET, for example. Further, by providing the conversion power source that performs voltage-up conversion, the second constant voltage Vdd can be generated even when the battery voltage VB is lower than the second constant voltage Vdd (15V) due to, for example, an abnormality of the battery pack 100.

(d) The electric working machine to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the rechargeable impact driver, and may be, for example, an electric hammer drill, an electric driver, an electric wrench, an electric reciprocating saw, an electric wire saw, an electric cutter, an electric chain saw, an electric trimmer, an electric nailing machine, an electric trimmer, an electric hedge trimmer, an electric lawn mower, an electric cleaner, an electric blower, an electric grinder, an electric impact driver, an electric circular saw, an electric hammer driver, or the like.

(e) The functions of one component in the above embodiments may be distributed into a plurality of components, or the functions of a plurality of components may be unified into one component. At least a part of the structure of the above embodiment may be replaced with a known structure having the same function. In addition, a part of the structure of the above embodiment may be omitted. At least a part of the structure of the above embodiment may be added to or replaced with the structure of another embodiment. All the aspects included in the technical idea defined only by the terms described in the claims are the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (13)

1. An electric working machine includes a drive unit driven by power from a power source,

the electric working machine is characterized by comprising:

a control unit configured to control the drive unit; and

a power supply for a control unit for voltage-converting the power supply power from the power supply and supplying the voltage-converted power for the control unit to the control unit,

the control unit is configured to be switchable to a plurality of operating states including at least: a control operation state for controlling the drive unit and a low power operation state having lower power consumption than the control operation state,

the power supply for the control part is provided with a first switching power supply and a second switching power supply,

the first conversion power supply is configured to: a control-time maximum current capable of supplying a maximum consumption current in the control unit as the control operation state when the power supply power from the power supply is voltage-converted,

the second switching power supply is configured to: a low-power-time maximum current that is a maximum current consumption in the control unit in the low-power operation state can be supplied when the power supply power from the power supply is voltage-converted, and a maximum output current is smaller than the control-time maximum current,

the electric working machine includes an operating state determination unit that determines whether the operating state of the control unit is the control operating state or the low-power operating state,

the power supply for the control unit is configured to: when the operating state determination unit determines that the operating state of the control unit is the control operating state, the control unit transitions to a first transition state in which the control unit power is supplied to the control unit using at least the first transition power source, and when the operating state determination unit determines that the operating state of the control unit is the low-power operating state, the control unit stops the voltage transition of the first transition power source and transitions to a second transition state in which the control unit power is supplied to the control unit using at least the second transition power source.

2. The electric working machine according to claim 1,

the power supply for the control unit is configured to: when a user operates the electric working machine, the operation state is changed to the first change-over state.

3. The electric working machine according to claim 1 or 2,

the power supply device is provided with a first reverse current suppression unit that suppresses a reverse current from flowing into the output unit of the first switching power supply.

4. The electric working machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the power supply for the control unit includes a first current path and a second current path,

the first current path is a part of a current path from the power supply to the control unit, and includes the first switching power supply,

the second current path is connected in parallel with the first current path and is provided with the second switching power supply,

the first switching power supply and the second switching power supply are respectively configured to: the control unit power for converting the power supply power voltage to a control unit voltage lower than the power supply voltage output by the power supply can be supplied with the voltage-converted control unit power,

the first switching state of the power supply for the control portion is a state in which the power for the control portion is supplied to the control portion via at least the first current path and using the first switching power supply,

the second switching state of the power supply for the control unit is a state in which the voltage switching of the first switching power supply is stopped and the power supply for the control unit is supplied to the control unit via at least the second current path using the second switching power supply.

5. The electric working machine according to claim 4,

a second reverse current suppressing unit that suppresses a reverse current from flowing to an output unit of the second switching power supply is provided between the second switching power supply and the control unit in the second current path.

6. The electric working machine according to claim 4 or 5,

the output voltage of the first switching power supply and the output voltage of the second switching power supply have the same voltage value.

7. The electric working machine according to any one of claims 4 to 6,

the operating state determination unit is configured to be capable of receiving a first state notification signal indicating that the operating state of the control unit is the control operating state and a second state notification signal indicating that the operating state of the control unit is the low-power operating state, and the operating state determination unit determines that the operating state of the control unit is the control operating state when receiving the first state notification signal and determines that the operating state of the control unit is the low-power operating state when receiving the second state notification signal.

8. The electric working machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the power supply for the control unit includes:

a third current path which is a part of a current path from the power supply to the control unit and includes the first switching power supply;

a bypass current path connected in parallel with the third current path; and

a common current path connected in series to the third current path and the bypass current path, respectively, and including the second switching power supply,

the first conversion power supply is configured to: an intermediate power supply power that converts the power supply power voltage into an intermediate power supply voltage and is capable of supplying the intermediate power supply power after voltage conversion, the intermediate power supply voltage being lower than a power supply voltage output by the power supply,

the second switching power supply is configured to: the control unit power that converts the power supply power or the intermediate power supply power voltage into a control unit voltage that is lower than the intermediate power supply voltage and that can supply the control unit power after voltage conversion,

the first switching state of the power supply for the control unit is a state in which the control unit is supplied with the electric power for the control unit by using the first switching power supply and the second switching power supply via at least the third current path and the common current path,

the second switching state of the power supply for the control unit is a state in which the voltage switching of the first switching power supply is stopped, and the electric power for the control unit is supplied to the control unit using the second switching power supply via at least the bypass current path and the common current path.

9. The electric working machine according to claim 8,

the operating state determination unit is configured to: determining whether or not a bypass current flowing in the bypass current path is larger than a predetermined operation reference value,

the operating state determination unit determines that the operating state of the control unit is the control operating state when the bypass current is greater than the operating reference value, and determines that the operating state of the control unit is the low-power operating state when the bypass current is equal to or less than the operating reference value.

10. The electric working machine according to claim 9,

the operating state determination unit is configured to: a first status notification signal and a second status notification signal can be received. The first state notification signal indicates that the operating state of the control unit is the control operating state, the second state notification signal indicates that the operating state of the control unit is the low power operating state,

the operating state determining unit determines that the operating state of the control unit is the control operating state when the bypass current is greater than the operating reference value or the first state notification signal is received, and determines that the operating state of the control unit is the low-power operating state when the bypass current is equal to or less than the operating reference value and the second state notification signal is received.

11. The electric working machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the power supply includes a plurality of battery packs, the power supply includes a plurality of voltage output units for outputting different voltages,

the first conversion power supply and the second conversion power supply each perform voltage conversion on an output voltage of any one of the plurality of voltage output units.

12. The electric working machine according to claim 11,

the second switching power supply is connected to the voltage output unit having the smallest output voltage among the plurality of voltage output units.

13. The electric working machine according to claim 11 or 12,

the first switching power supply is connected to the voltage output unit of the plurality of voltage output units, the output voltage of which is greater than the output voltage of the voltage output unit to which the second switching power supply is connected.

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