EP4613433A1

EP4613433A1 - Electric tool

Info

Publication number: EP4613433A1
Application number: EP24161719.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Frank Fritsch; Krzysztof WILK
Original assignee: Hilti AG
Current assignee: Hilti AG
Priority date: 2024-03-06
Filing date: 2024-03-06
Publication date: 2025-09-10
Also published as: WO2025185948A8; WO2025185948A1

Abstract

The present invention provides an electric tool, which has a plurality of action modes. The electric tool comprises a lighting unit, which irradiates light to the outside of the electric tool, wherein the lighting unit comprises a working light mode that is activated when the electric motor acts and an ambient light mode that is activated when the electric motor does not act. A setup switch, which is configured to switch the settings of the plurality of action modes, and is further configured to activate and/or disable the ambient light mode of the lighting unit. Thus, the turning on and turning off the ambient light mode of the electric tool of the present invention are realized by a shared setup switch configured to switch action modes, without the need to separately provide another switch.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a power tool, and in particular to an electric tool having a plurality of action modes and a lighting unit.

BACKGROUND ART

It is known that an electric tool driven by an electric motor has a lighting unit lighting up an area in front of the tool. In such an electric tool, the lighting unit is turned on when the main switch is operated on, and the lighting unit is turned off after a first given time from the moment when the main switch is operated off. Such a working light is usually activated as the electric motor of the electric tool is running and responds to the pressing of the trigger of the electric motor. Thus, when the tool is used to perform operations, the electric motor and the working light will be turned on at the same time.
Besides the previously mentioned working light mode, some electric tools have an ambient light mode. In the ambient light mode, when the electric tool does not perform any operation, the lighting unit is turned on independently to provide illumination for an area in front of the electric tool or for the surrounding environment of the electric tool. However, how to turn on or off the ambient light, independent of the start of the electric motor of the electric tool, is complicated and difficult to operate. It is even possible that the user is unaware of the function of the ambient light mode possibly because of not knowing how to turn on the ambient light. In addition, turning off of the ambient light mode of a prior art lighting unit is limited to automatic turning off after a given time or turning off after the ambient light mode is switched to the working light mode, causing a waste of electricity energy and making operations complicated to a certain extent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of the present invention is to provide an electric tool having a lighting unit, wherein the ambient light mode of the lighting unit can simply and conveniently be activated and disabled.
The present invention provides an electric tool, which has a plurality of action modes and comprises a housing and a front-end tool, an electric motor for driving the front-end tool being provided in the housing; A main switch, which allows the electric motor to act when it is turned on and allows the electric motor to stop when it is turned off. A lighting unit, which irradiates light to the outside of the electric tool, wherein the lighting unit comprises a working light mode that is activated when the electric motor acts and an ambient light mode that is activated when the electric motor does not act. A setup switch, which is configured to switch the settings of the plurality of action modes, and is further configured to activate and/or disable the ambient light mode of the lighting unit. Thus, a single setup switch is concurrently configured to switch between the settings of the action modes and activate and disable the ambient light mode of the lighting unit. Thus, the turning on and turning off the ambient light mode of the electric tool of the present invention are realized by a shared setup switch configured to switch action modes, without the need to separately provide another switch. The switch configuration space is saved, and the complexity of wiring is reduced to avoid a larger electric tool and to lower the cost.
The ambient light mode and the plurality of action modes are configured to be sequentially and cyclically switched each time the setup switch is operated. The ambient light mode is activated after the setup switch sequentially switches to at least one of the plurality of action modes of the electric tool. In the present invention, the setup switch is configured to sequentially switch to a plurality of action modes and/or the ambient light mode. Thus, a simple and easy-to-identify operation realizes the enabling or disabling of the ambient light mode of the lighting unit.
After the ambient light mode is activated, if it is switched to any of the plurality of action modes through the setup switch, the ambient light mode will be disabled. Since the setup switch in the present invention is configured to sequentially switch to a plurality of action modes and the ambient light mode, when the electric tool is switched to the ambient light mode through the setup switch, if the setup switch is switched again, the electric tool will be switched to one of the plurality of action modes. Thus, the present invention realizes the disabling of the ambient light mode in a simple and convenient way.
After the ambient light mode is activated, if the setup switch is not switched to any of the action modes and the main switch is not switched on, the ambient light mode will be disabled after a first given time. One way of disabling the ambient light mode is provided here, that is, the lighting unit is automatically turned off if the electric tool is not operated for a certain time.
After the ambient light mode is activated, if the setup switch is not switched to any of the action modes and the main switch is turned on briefly and is turned off within a first given time, the first given time will be recounted. Therefore, with the ambient light mode activated, if the main switch is turned on shortly, the lighting unit will not be switched from the ambient light mode to the working light mode, and only if the main switch is continuously on, the lighting unit will be switched from the ambient light mode to the working light mode.
In addition, the ambient light mode may be further activated by switching on the setup switch and the main switch and keeping them on for a second given time. The other way of enabling the ambient light mode is provided here, and it may be used as an alternative solution to the previously mentioned way of enabling.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the lighting unit comprises a light source mounting on the housing, and the working light mode and the ambient light mode are realized through one light source. Thus, the structural configuration of the lighting unit is helpful to minimize of the electric tool and the reduction of the cost.
Alternatively, according to a further embodiment of the present invention, the lighting unit comprises two or more light sources mounted on the housing, and the working light mode and the ambient light mode are realized through different light sources. Thus, the lighting unit comprises a plurality of light sources so as to provide different lighting requirements. For example, the light source for the working light may be mounted on the housing near the front-end tool to light up the work area, and the light source for the ambient light may be mounted on the side and/or at the rear end of the housing to light up the environment around the electric tool.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the setup switch is a mechanical switch which is on when operated by the user and off when not operated by the user, and sequential switching between the plurality of action modes and the ambient light mode is implemented each time the user operates the setup switch. Traditional setup switches configured to only switch between action modes include but are not limited to mechanical switches such as state switching button and state switching lever. In the present invention, an ambient light mode is added to the switching settings of a traditional setup switch. Thus, the operation habits of users are followed while the switch setting is kept simple.
The electric tool further has a display unit, which displays the currently set action mode or ambient light mode according to the switching of the setup switch. Thus, from the display unit, a user can directly learn the action mode which the electric tool is in and whether the ambient light is on.
Through the setup switch configured to switch between a plurality of action modes and concurrently configured to turn on and turn off the ambient light of the lighting unit, it is extremely simple, convenient and easy to master the operations of enabling and disabling the ambient light mode of the electric tool of the present invention. Thus, the convenience of use of the electric tool by a user is greatly improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a 3-D view of the appearance of the electric tool in a schematic embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is partial view of the electric tool shown in Fig.1.
Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the method of switching between the settings of action modes and lighting modes of the electric tool of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Fig. 1 shows an electric tool 1 designed as an impact drill in a schematic embodiment of the present invention. Although the schematic embodiment shown is an impact drill, it should be understood that the present invention may include any proper type of electric tools having a plurality of action modes.
As shown in Fig. 1, the electric tool 1 in the present embodiment comprises a housing 2 and a battery pack. The housing 2 is formed by assembling the left and right semi-housings, and a handle portion 3 extends from the housing 2. The battery pack (not shown) is detachably mounted at the lower end of the handle portion 3. A main switch 5 is provided on the front side of the upper end of the handle portion 3. A user can operate the main switch 5 to actuate on or off the electric tool 1 when holding the handle portion 3. It should be noted that electric tools in the present invention could also be powered by AC power.
An electric motor (not shown) used as a driving source of the electric tool 1 is provided in the housing 2, and a gear reduction mechanism and a hammering mechanism (both not shown) are provided in the front of the electric motor. In addition, a output shaft protruding from the front end of the housing 2 is provided and is configured to mount a front-end tool (for example, a driving drill bit), which is not shown in the figure, to the front end of the housing. The rotation of the electric motor is transmitted to the output shaft after being reduced in speed by the gear reduction mechanism, and based on the rotational force, the hammering mechanism creates intermittent impact on the output shaft in the rotational direction thereof.
In addition, the electric tool is further provided with a lighting unit 6. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the lighting unit 6 comprises a lamp 7 mounted on the housing 2, and preferably, the lamp 7 is an LED lighting ring mounted at the front end of the housing and is configured to irradiate light to the front of the electric tool 1. When a user operates the main switch 5 to actuate the electric motor, the lamp 7 is turned on, thus, the working light mode of the lighting unit 6 of the present invention is turned on. In addition, the lamp 7 can be used as an ambient light for lighting up the surrounding environment, that is, when the electric motor is not actuated and the lamp 7 is still on, thus the ambient light mode of the lighting unit 6 of the present invention is turned on. Preferably, the lamp 7 may emit light in different colours or with different illuminations when used as an ambient light mode and a working light mode.
Alternatively, according to a further embodiment (not shown) of the present invention, the lighting unit 6 comprises two or more light sources of, for example, LEDs, mounted on the housing, and the working light mode and the ambient light mode are realized through different light sources. Thus, the lighting unit 6 comprises a plurality of light sources to provide different lighting requirements. For example, the light source for the working light may be the previously-mentioned LED lighting ring mounted on the housing near the front-end tool and is used to light up a work area when the electric tool works, and the light source for the ambient light may be an LED lamp or light strip mounted on the side and/or at the rear end of the housing and is used to light up the environment around the electric tool. It can be understood that the two or more light sources in the present embodiment may be combined for use. For example, in the working light mode, only the light source for lighting up a work area is turned on, and in the ambient light mode, all light sources are turned on.
Fig. 2 shows a partial view of the foot portion of the electric tool as shown in the fig.1. Refer to fig. 2, a switch panel 4 is provided on the lower side of the handle portion 3, and a setup switch 8 for a user to operate to switch among the action modes and the ambient light mode, and a display unit 9 displaying the mode set through the setup switch 8 are provided on the switch panel 4. Therefore, one setup switch 8 may be used for the electric tool 1 of the present invention to switch among the action modes and the ambient light mode of the lighting unit 6.
According to the present invention, preferably, the setup switch 8 is a mechanical switch which is on when operated by the user and is off when not operated by the user. For example, the setup switch 8 is configured as a button type operation switch, and sequential switching among a plurality of action modes and the ambient light mode is implemented each time a user presses the setup switch. Alternatively, the setup switch 8 may be configured as a state switching lever or knob. In the present invention, an ambient light mode is added to the switching settings of the setup switch. Thus, one setup switch is concurrently configured to switch the settings of action modes and activate or disable the ambient light mode of the lighting unit 6, without the need to separately provide a switch for the ambient light mode of the lighting unit 6. The switch configuration space is saved and the complexity of wiring is reduced to avoid a larger electric tool and to reduce the cost.
In the present invention, as a schematic embodiment, the electric tool 1 designed as an impact drill has three action modes: gear 1, gear 2 and gear 3, which correspond to the no-load RPM of the electric tool 1, respectively. For example, gear 1: 1800 rpm, gear 2: 2000 rpm and gear 3: 3600 rpm. The ambient light mode of the previously mentioned lighting unit 6 is set to gear 0. The three action modes of "gear 1", "gear 2" and "gear 3" and the ambient light mode of gear 0 of the lighting unit 6 are configured such that they can be selectively switched when the setup switch is operated. In addition, the above-mentioned three action modes of different rpms are only one example of the settings of a plurality of action modes of the present invention. It can be understood that the plurality of action modes of the electric tool are not limited to the three action modes of different rpms. For example, more than two or three action modes of different rpms may be set. In addition, the plurality of action modes of the electric tool are not limited to the settings of different rpms, and may be, for example, impact mode, drilling mode and tightening mode.
The electric tool 1 further comprises a control unit (not shown), and the control unit receives a current supply from the battery pack to act and makes the electric motor rotate according to the operated amount of the main switch 5. In the electric tool 1 in the present embodiment, if the user operates the main switch 5, the electric motor rotates at a set rpm corresponding to the operated amount (pulled amount) of the main switch 4 but not exceeding the maximum rpm corresponding to the set action mode. The electric motor will not immediately start to rotate when the main switch 5 is slightly pulled, and the electric motor will not rotate from the moment when the main switch starts to be pulled to the moment when the main switch is pulled to the defined operation amount (a very small amount of the pulling operation). When the amount of the pulling operation exceeds the defined amount, the electric motor starts to rotate. After that, the rpm of the electric motor increases (for example, roughly in proportion to the amount of the pulling of the switch) according to the amount by which the switch is pulled. In addition, when the main switch is pulled to a defined position (for example, completely pulled to the bottom), the rpm of the electric motor reaches the maximum rpm according to a set action mode.
The display unit 9 is connected to the control unit to display the action mode or the ambient light mode set through the setup switch 8. As an example, the display unit 9 consists of three LEDs. Referring to Fig. 3, when the tool is switched to the action mode of gear 3 through the setup switch 8, the three LEDs are all on; when it is switched to the action mode of gear 2 through the setup switch 8, two LEDs are on; when it is switched to the action mode of gear 1 through the setup switch 8, one LED is on; when it is switched to the ambient light mode of gear 0 through the setup switch 8, no LED is on, that is, the three LEDs are all off, but the lamp 7 is still on at this time. From the display unit 9, the user can directly learn the action mode which the electric tool is in and whether the ambient light is on. It can be understood that the display unit 9 is not limited to the configuration of three LEDs, and can be set to any display unit which can distinguish between and indicate the settings of different modes set through the setup switch 8 according to the requirements. For example, different action modes and the ambient light mode can be distinguished and indicated by using LEDs in different colours, or by using a display screen directly displaying numerals or words.
In addition, the control unit controls the action of the electric motor and the start and switching of the lighting unit 6 according to the turning on and turning off of the main switch 5 and the setup switch 8. The action modes and the ambient light mode of the lighting unit 6 are stored in the flash memory of the control unit. Each time the user switches the set content, the content stored in the flash memory will be updated. The control unit controls the entry of the electric motor into a set mode by referring to various setting information stored in the flash memory. Switching a plurality of action modes by operating the setup switch 8 and controlling the action of the electric motor and the enabling of the working light mode of the lighting unit 6 by operating the main switch 5 are known in the art and will not be described again here. How to activate and disable the ambient light mode of the lighting unit 6 by operating the setup switch 8 will be described in detail below.
The electric tool 1 is usually in a sleeping state when it is used for the first time or after the last operation. In this case, it is often necessary to briefly trigger the main switch 5 to activate the electric tool. Only when the electric tool 1 is in the activated state, the setup switch 8 will be activated. That is, if the electric tool 1 is in a sleeping state, it will not be switched to any action mode by switching the setup switch 8.
After the electric tool 1 is activated, the control unit reads the setting of the setup switch 8 stored in the flash memory of the control unit after the last operation. For example, if the setup switch 8 is set to gear 0, namely, the ambient light mode, after the last operation, then the ambient light mode of the lighting unit 6 is directly activated and the lamp 7 is turned on after the electric tool 1 is activated. If the setup switch 8 is set to gear 2 after the last operation, then depending on the action mode required for the current operation to be performed by the user, the user operates the setup switch 8 to sequentially switch among the previous three action modes and the ambient light mode. For example, if the action mode for the current operation is gear 3, then it is necessary to operate the setup switch 8 to switch the action mode. When the setup switch is switched for the first time, gear 2 is switched to gear 1; when the setup switch is switched for a second time, gear 1 is switched to gear 0, and the ambient light mode of the lighting unit 6 is activated at this time, and the lamp 7 is turned on; then, the setup switch is switched for a third time, and gear 0 is switched to gear 3 and the ambient light mode of the lighting unit 6 is disabled at this time, the lamp 7 is immediately turned off, and the electric tool has been switched to the expected action mode of gear 3. If the defined amount of main switch 5 is triggered, the electric motor starts to rotate. The working light mode of the lighting unit 6 is activated and the lamp 7 is turned on at this time. After that, the rpm of the electric motor increases according to the pulled amount of the main switch. When the main switch 5 is pulled to the defined position, the rpm of the electric motor reaches the maximum 3600 rpm corresponding to the set action mode gear 3. During the operation of the electric tool 1, the lamp 7 is always on. After the operation is completed, the main switch 5 is turned off. The lamp 7 will continuously be on for a given time, for example, 4s, and after that, the working light mode is automatically disabled and the lamp 7 is turned off.
If the user is not ready for the current operation or needs to view the surrounding environment after the electric tool 1 is activated, the user can operate to switch the setup switch 8. As mentioned previously, if the setup switch 8 is set to gear 3 from the last operation, gear 3 is switched to gear 2 when the setup switch is switched for the first time; gear 2 is switched to gear 1 when the setup switch is switched for a second time; gear 1 is switched to gear 0 when the setup switch is switched for a third time, and the ambient light mode of the lighting unit 6 is activated and the lamp 7 is turned on at this time. When wanting to turn off the ambient light, the user can switch the setup switch 8 again. At this time, gear 0 is switched to gear 3, the ambient light mode is disabled and the lamp 7 is turned off.
In addition, the ambient light mode may further be automatically disabled. In the activated state, if the user performs no operation in a first given time, for example, 2 minutes, the lamp 7 will automatically be turned off. In this case, if the electric tool 1 is activated next time, the ambient light mode is directly activated because the setting of the setup switch 8 is gear 0. If the user only briefly turns on the main switch 5 in the activated state (in this case, the main switch 5 cannot be continuously on, because no action mode is selected), the first given time, for example, 2 minutes, will be recounted. Therefore, with the ambient light mode activated, if the main switch is briefly turned on, the ambient light mode of the lighting unit 6 will not be switched to the working light mode. Only when the main switch 5 is pulled to the defined position and is continuously on, the ambient light mode will be switched to the working light mode.
Thus, it can be seen that the action modes and/or ambient light mode are sequentially and cyclically switched each time the setup switch 8 is operated and switched. The cycle is a one-way cycle: gear 3 → gear 2 → gear 1→ gear 0 → gear 3 → gear 2... This is especially favourable for the setup switch 8 which is a mechanical switch which is on when operated by the user and is off when not operated by the user. A simple and easy-to-identify operation realizes the enabling or disabling of the ambient light mode of the lighting unit 6. In addition, the one-way cyclic switching among the action modes and the ambient light mode may greatly simplify the complexity of the electronic control system.
Furthermore, the ambient light mode may be further activated by switching on both the setup switch 8 and the main switch 5 and keeping them on for a second given time (for example, 3s). The other way of enabling the ambient light mode is provided here, and it may be used as an alternative solution to the previously mentioned enabling way.
In summary, the enabling and disabling of the ambient light mode is realized in a concise and clear way by adding one setting of enabling and disabling the ambient light mode of the lighting unit to the setup switch configured to switch between a plurality of action modes, without the need to add additional switch settings. Thus, the convenience of the operation of the electric tool is greatly improved.
Embodiments of the present invention are described above. Embodiments of the present invention are not limited to any of above-mentioned embodiments. Of course, various embodiments can be adopted within the technical scope of the present invention.

Claims

An electric tool (1), having a plurality of action modes and comprising a housing (2) and a front-end tool, an electric motor for driving the front-end tool being provided in the housing (2), a main switch (5), which allows the electric motor to act when switched on and allows the electric motor to stop when switched off, a lighting unit (6), which irradiates light to the outside of the electric tool (1), wherein the lighting unit (6) comprises a working light mode activated when the electric motor acts and an ambient light mode activated when the electric motor does not act, and a setup switch (8), which is configured to switch between the settings of the plurality of action modes, characterized in that
the setup switch (8) is further configured to activate the ambient light mode of the lighting unit (6).
The electric tool (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that
the ambient light mode and the plurality of action modes are configured to be sequentially and cyclically switched each time the setup switch (8) is operated.
The electric tool (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that,
with the ambient light mode activated, if the tool is switched to any of the plurality of action modes through the setup switch (8), the ambient light mode will be disabled.
The electric tool (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that,
with the ambient light mode activated, if the tool is not switched to any action mode through the setup switch (8), and the main switch (5) is not on, the ambient light mode will be disabled after a first given time.
The electric tool (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that,
with the ambient light mode activated, if the tool is not switched to any action mode through the setup switch (8) and the main switch (5) is shortly turned on and is then off within a first given time, the first given time will be recounted.
The electric tool (1) according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that
the ambient light mode may be further activated by switching on both the setup switch (8) and the main switch (5) and keeping them on for a first given time.
The electric tool (1) according to claim any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the lighting unit (6) comprises a light source mounted on the housing (2), and the working light mode and the ambient light mode are realized through one light source.
The electric tool (1) according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that
the lighting unit (6) comprises two or more light sources mounted on the housing (2), and the working light mode and the ambient light mode are realized through different light sources.
The electric tool (1) according to any of the above claims, characterized in that the setup switch (8) is a mechanical switch which is turned on when operated by a user and is turned off when not operated by the user, and, each time the setup switch (8) is operated, the plurality of action modes and the ambient light mode are sequentially switched.
The electric tool (1) according to any of the above claims, characterized in that the electric tool has a display unit (9), which displays the currently set action mode or ambient light mode according to the switching of the setup switch (8).