GB2383765A

GB2383765A - Power supply for a power tool

Info

Publication number: GB2383765A
Application number: GB0200080A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paolo Andriolo
Original assignee: DOLKING Co
Current assignee: DOLKING Co
Priority date: 2001-12-31
Filing date: 2002-01-03
Publication date: 2003-07-09
Also published as: GB0200080D0; FR2834233B3; FR2834233A3

Abstract

A power supply for a power tool comprises a battery pack 2 in a housing 3, which housing can be fastened to a waist belt, a shoulder sling or baldric 5, a knapsack or a user's leg, the battery pack being connectable to a power tool by a power cable 4. The power cable may have a rapid connection means and may be wound on spring loaded winding device 6. Pockets may be provided for other items such as spare batteries or a holster for the power tool. The battery pack may be housed in a wheeled trolley. Separating the power source from the power tool reduces the weight of the latter and prevents unauthorised use of the tool when the user is absent. The power tool may be one of a wide variety of tools such as drills, sanders, jigsaws, screwdrivers, saws, grinders, etc.

Description

POWERTOOL WITH IMPROVED POWERING SYSTEM The present invention provides a powertool, such as a drill, a sander or the like, having an improved powering system.

According to the present invention, professional, hobby and/or garden battery operated tools, such as drills, sanders, jigsaws, etc. are provided which are no longer powered by the systems currently used for cordless tools, i. e. by means of built-in bakeries or with a separate battery pack contained in a corresponding housing, said battery pack being

4 integrally fastened to the tool to power it and being removed from the tool for the battery recharge, but they are powered by means of a battery pack contained in a separate housing which can be applied to the user's body, e. g. the user's waist, and which is connected to the tool by means of a cable.

Although only some powertools are mentioned in the present specification and the drawings refer to a drill, the invention relates to all powertools, including drills, impact drills, electric screwdrivers, saws, gang saws, circular saws, multifunctional tools, scrapers, planning machines, routers, trimmers, sanders,

orbital sanders, belt sanders, lapping machines, hammers, demolition hammers, planers, piecing machines, tacking machines, polishers, grinders, electric

L grinding wheels, aspirators, etc. as well as hobby or professional garden powertools, such as rakes, mowers, rotary mowers, lawn mowers, grass shears, edge cutters, chain saws, shears, pruners, aspirators, grass trimmers, etc.

With respect to the present invention, the possibility of powering the tool by means of a battery pack contained in a separate housing, which is no longer fastened to the tool to be integral therewith, but can be worn and connected with the tool by means of a cable, provides several advantages.

As a matter of fact, the tool is more practical to use, since it is lighter than conventional built-in battery operated tools,. and it can be controlled to a greater extent, as the tool powering can be suspended when the tool is not used, thus preventing the tool from being utilized by other people.

As known, some tools such as drills, sanders, jigsaws, drivers, etc. have a self-contained battery powering system, the batteries being generally fastened to the

tool handle.

Thus the tool can be used also in all those situations in which network current is not immediately available, which happens quite often outdoors, in building yards, basements or in many other places where operators often drill, plane, mill, saw, etc.

However, the use of these self-contained battery operated tools has presented some drawbacks, mainly due to an increase in the dimensions and, above all, to a considerable increase of the weighs of he rool r : o be used with respect to a similar tool being powered by network current.

4 The increase in the tool dimensions and weight compromises the tool manageability, especially considering that it is often necessary to carry out high precision work.

This problem, which was already felt before, is increased now with present tools having a certain amount of power, such tools needing 24 Volt powering and, thus, a pack comprising several bulky batteries, generally twenty 1.2 Volt batteries.

This pack of batteries has considerable weight and, once it has been applied to the tool handle, it becomes

very heavy and bulky, especially for a person who has to work all day even in uncomfortable positions.

L Another drawback of prior art tools consists in that, even though some of them are provided with safety devices, such as those devices which prevent ehe tool from starting if il is not grasped with bol1 hands, prior art tools protect the user's safety but not other people's safety, since children or unskilled people can take the cool and use it improperly, wich all the dangerous consequences deriving therefrom.

The object of the invention is ro overcome the above mentioned drawbacks, i. e. the problems connected with the limited manageability of the cools being powered by heavy and bulky batteries and with the tool limited safety towards other people, by providing a powering system which is no longer fastened to the tool, but is separated from it and connected therewith by means of a powering cable.

According to the invention the battery pack is placed into a housing which, for instance, can be fastened to the user's belt, so that the batteries can be connected to the tool by means of a cable being preferably provided with rapid connection means, thus considerably

lightening the tool to the advantage of the tool manageability.

According to an object of the invention, the possibility of separating the batteries from the tool and connecting them therewith by means of a cable, besides making the tool much more manageable, provides greater safety against the tool's more or less accidental use by unauthorised or unskilled people.

Advantageously, if the operator has to go away from the tccl, he jus-c has to release the powering cable ; then he will take with himself the battery pack, which remains tied for example to the user's belt, and the connection plug, thus making the tool unusable by children or unskilled people, who could take the tool in their hands and scarf it accidentally, at the risk of hurting themselves and also other people.

The tool can thus be used only when the operator comes back.

Further features and details of the invention can be better understood from the following description, given by way of non restrictive examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

t4 Cally * figure 1 schematically shows one of the tools which

can be connected to the self-contained battery powering system of the invention, said batteries being contained in a support 1 : 0 be applied to the operator's belt; * figure 2 schematically shows a tool powered by a system according to the invention wirh self-contained

S14 batteries being held in a sling support ; * figures 3-5 schematically show some employments of the tool of the invention ; * figure 6 is a sectional view of a possible embodiment of the coiler of the tool powering cable.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, numeral 1 indicates a tool such as a drill, a jigsaw, a sander or any other battery operated tool.

According to the invention the tool 1 is powered by a battery pack 2 which is no longer contained in the tool handle or body, but in a housing 3 which can be fastened for example to the user's belt, so that the batteries are connected with the tool by means of a cable 4 having rapid connection means.

Therefore, to use the tool it is sufficient to tie up to the user's belt the housing 3 containing the battery pack 2 and to connect the plug of the cable 4 with the

outlet on the tool.

Then the use of the drill or the sander or any other tool being provided with such a powering system will be much easier, since the whole weight of the powering unit is supported by tieing said unit to the operator's body, thus considerably lightening the tool to the advantage of the tool manageability.

In particular, in case of the tool professional use, the fact of transferring the weight from the user's hand to the human body provides considerable advantages not only with regard to the tool manageability.

As a matter of fact, applying the batteries to the user's body and no longer incorporating them in the tool means transferring considerable weight from the end of a disadvantageous lever (human arm) to a position (human body) where weight becomes negligible. This provides advantages with regard to the muscular strength which is necessary to operate the tool and the prevention of possible pathologic consequences for a professional operator, such as tendinitis, inflammations, arthrosis or the like.

Preferably the battery housing will be provided with connectors for the connection with a recharge unit, so

as to be able to disconnect the battery pack from the tool and recharge the battery pack while work goes on by using a second battery pack.

Advantageously the powering cable 4 can also be wound up on an automatic winding device 6 being provided with elastic automatic return means, as shown in figure 6.

Here the cable 7 is wound up on a coller 3 which is subject to the action of a spring 9 which tends to wind it up again. Prior art locking means (not shown) are also provided which permit to lock the cable in the desired position when-ehe cable is partially extracted.

This provides considerable advantages wish respect to the devices fed by network current, since the cable winding mechanism permits use of the device without the cable hindering the operations, with greater comfort and, above all, with greater safety.

For the battery pack different supports can be provided. For example, besides a suitable belt to be worn around the user's waist, a housing can be fastened at the user's leg, or a knapsack housing can be carried on the user's back, or a shoulder support can be carried slung across the user's shoulder.

As shown in figure 2, the support fcr the battery pack

can also consist of a special sling 5 which can be provided with some pockets or seats to receive for example the tool attachments, the tips, the spare batteries, and possibly also a holster for holding the tool.

As can be noted, and as already mentioned before, the possibility of separating rhe batteries from the tool and connecting them therewith by means of the cable 4, besides making the tool much more manageable, provides greater safety against the tool use by unauthorised or unskilled people.

In the professicnal field it is also possible to provide a powering battery having dimensions adequate to the work load, said battery being set up on a wheeled trolley or the like and being connected with the tool by means of a detachable cable.

Those skilled in the art can then provide several modifications at least with regard to the configuration of the battery support which can have any shape and be provided with any kind of tieing means and pockets.

Similarly several kinds of rapid connection means can be applied both on the tool and on the powering unit, or in any other suitable position, even along the

powering cable.

All these possible variations and alternative solutions fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS 1) A cordless powertool having an improved powering system, characterized in that it comprises'a battery pack contained in a housing which can be fastened to the user's belt or in any other suitable position, said batteries being connected with the tool by means of a powering cable.
2) A powertool with an improved powering system according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said powering cable is wound up on an automatic winding device having automatic elastic return means.
3) A powertool with an improved powering system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said powering cable is provided with rapid connection means.
4) A powertool with an improved powering system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a support for the battery pack is provided which comprises a belt support.
5) A powertool with an improved powering system according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a support for the battery pack is provided which comprises a baldric-wise support.

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6) A powertool with an improved powering system according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a support for the battery pack is provided which comprises a knapsack support.
7) A powertool with an improved powering system according to any of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a support for the battery pack is provided which comprises a support to be fastened to the user's leg.
8) A powertool with an improved powering system according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that a support for the battery pack is provided which comprises a sling provided with several pockets or seats for receiving the tool attachments, such as the tips, the spare batteries, and optionally also a holster for holding the tool.
9) A powertool with an improved powering system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a powering battery having dimensions adequate to the work load, said battery being set up on a housing and being connected to the tool by means of a detachable cable.
10) A powertool with an improved powering system according to claim 9, wherein said housing is a wheeled trolley.
11) A powertool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.