GB2580886A - A power tool system - Google Patents

Abstract

A power tool system comprising a power tool 100 with two or more motor handles 200, 300. The control trigger of one of the motor handles can control that motor handle and each of the other motor handles. Preferably a switch 240 on each motor handle allows a user to select a mode allowing that handle to control or be controlled by the other motor handles. The motor handles may be attached to a tool such that one can be rotated relative to another about a shared or different axis.

Description

A power tool system [1] The present invention relates generally to a power tool system and finds particular, although not necessarily exclusive, utility in portable handheld power tools.

[2] Multi-purpose power tools are known whereby a required utility device can be attached and changed as required. EP3062969B1 describes a device whereby one of a selection of interchangeable tools may be attached to the motor handle body portion by sliding.

[3] EP3062969B1 describes single tools being attached to single motor handle bodies. Generally, power tools and systems employing a single handle, or motor handle, and battery arrangement are predominantly held in one hand which can limit the amount of power they may be able to provide without the handle, or motor handle, body and battery becoming too large and cumbersome to use easily, and too heavy to hold comfortably with one hand.

[4] Accordingly, it is desirable to be able to provide more power by attaching more than one (multiple) motor handles to a tool, which may achieve one or more tool outputs, in such a way that the combination may be held easily with two hands.

[5] In a first aspect, the invention may provide a power tool system comprising one of a variety of tools each of which may be equipped with more than one (multiple) drive connection and attachment means for, for instance, two to two hundred motor handles, each motor handle including a motor, a drive shaft, a drive connection means, which may include a clutch means, a lock means, and an attachment mechanism configured for attaching, interchangeably, the said motor handles onto the said tool so that it can be driven by the said motor handles, the type of motor handles and attachment means may be, for example, as fully described in EP3062969B1.

[6] The power tool may be configured for the sliding, of the motor handles onto the various tools, in a direction substantially non-parallel to the axis of the motor handle drive shaft.

[7] The power tool may further be configured so that one motor handle may be attached onto each tool, in front of, or behind, at least a second motor handle, in an inline (tandem) or staggered arrangement.

[8] The receiving attachment means on the tools may further be arranged so that one motor handle may be rotated (twisted) relative to another about a co-dependent axis in order to enable the user to achieve a comfortable grip on two motor handles with two hands and good balance and stability of the entire power tool. The rotatable arrangement being lockable or clampable with a locking or clamping means so as to fix the relative positions of the radially located motor handles relative to each other. It is envisaged that the angle between the two attached motor handles, relative to each other about a common axis, may be adjustable from zero degrees to at least 180 degrees.

[9] The input drive from each motor handle into the various tools may be arranged to power one or more tool output/s.

[10] In a second aspect, the invention provides a power tool system according to the first aspect with motor handles attached to a tool thereto.

[11] In an alternative embodiment, the various tools may be arranged to receive the attachment of the motor handles in a way that is not in line or staggered. The tools may be formed from a central hub arrangement such that the motor handles may each be attached radially on one plane, their number being determined by the number of attachment means that can be accommodated by the number of sides and their size and how many attachment means are included on each side. For example, a four sided hub, which may be square in section, may have four attachment means on its sides, each arranged such that the motor handles, when attached, radiate outwards from the central shared output shaft.

[12] In a further embodiment, motor handles may be attached side by side on one or more plane or feature of a tool, not in a fore and aft inline arrangement. The number of power tools may be, for example, from 1 or 2 to 100.

[13] Further embodiments may include attachment of the motor handles on the ends of various tools in addition to, or instead of, perpendicularly, in a way that is in line so that their drive shafts are essentially concentric or have an essentially parallel offset compared to the tool's output shaft. In this way power tools, such as formed in EP3062969B1, may be provided with an additional motor handle, and thereby, potentially double their power input.

[14] Furthermore, the above aspects and embodiments may be combined in part or in whole so that power tools may be formed in multiple combinations that include multiple features. For example a power tool of the first aspect may include two motor handles attached in tandem with a third motor handle attached on the end. Alternatively, a power tool may include two central hubs, each with two or more motor handles attached, the hubs being connected together in an in line or staggered arrangement, the hubs may or may not each be rotatable and clampable, and a further motor handle may be attached on the end.

[15] The motor handles, which may each include a control unit, may be arranged to include control means that enable one to control one or more other, so that the operator does not need to try to control each motor handle separately, which could be impractical.

[16] The means by which one motor handle may control another may comprise more than one speed controlling device such as potentiometers, rheostats, resistor arrays, sensor arrangements, switches, other alternatives or combinations, and may, for instance, be remotely, wherein the control trigger and switch of one motor handle may be arranged to be controlled by a user and to simultaneously control all other motor handles attached to the tool with the rest of the control triggers and switches bypassed by employing, for example, mode selector switches and control and connection arrangements such as those fully detailed in patent application number GB1819367.2.

[17] Alternatively, their controls may, for instance, be connected via wiring embedded in each applicable tool, along with suitable connector arrangements incorporated in each side of the attachment mechanisms, which may be of a type that engage automatically as each motor handle is attached to the tool, such that the controls of all attached motor handles can be linked together electrically with the control trigger and switch of one motor handle arranged to control all motor handles attached to the tool, with the rest of the control triggers and switches bypassed by employing, for example, similar throttle and switch and mode selector switches and control and connection arrangements to the remote arrangement above such as those also detailed in patent application number GB1819367.2.

[18] The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed descriptions, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. This description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings.

[19] Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a tool arranged for the inline or staggered attachment of two motor handles, shown unattached.

[20] Figure 2 is a schematic side view of a tool with two motor handles attached inline.

[21] Figure 3 is a schematic perspective end view of a tool with two motor handles attached and rotated angularly about a common axis in a staggered arrangement.

[22] Figure 4 is a schematic side view of a tool with two motor handles attached in line, being held by two hands.

[23] Figure 5 is a schematic view, which may be viewed as either a plan or side view, of a tool equipped to receive two motor handles, shown unattached, one on each side.

[24] Figure 6 is a schematic view, which may be viewed as either a plan or side view, of a tool with two motor handles attached, one on each side.

[25] Figure 7 is a schematic view, which may be viewed as either a plan or side view, of a tool with two motor handles attached, one on a plane perpendicular to the other.

[26] Figure 8 is a schematic end view of a radial mounting tool hub equipped to receive up to six motor handles, with three motor handles shown attached on three faces with three alternative positions with ghosted motor handles shown.

[27] Figure 9 is a schematic side view of a tool with two motor handles attached in line and a third motor handle attached on one end.

[28] Figure 10 is a schematic view, which may be viewed as either a plan or side view, of a tool with two central hubs, each with a motor handle attached on each side, a joining member between, and a further motor handle on one end.

[29] Figure 11 is a schematic side view of a tool shown with two motor handles attached at each end.

[30] Figure 12 is a schematic plan view of a tool shown with two motor handles attached at each end and two motor handles shown attached on one side.

[31] The present invention will be described with respect to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. Each drawing may not include all of the features of the invention and therefore should not be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

[32] Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

[33] Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

[34] It is to be noticed that the terms 'comprise', 'comprises' and comprising', 'include' and 'includes', used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; they do not exclude other elements or steps. They are thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression 'a device comprising means A and B' should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B. [35] Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term 'connected', used in the description, should not be interpreted as being restricted to direct connections only. Thus, the scope of the expression 'a device A connected to a device B' should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. 'Connected' may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other.

[36] Reference throughout this specification to 'an embodiment' or 'an aspect' means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment or aspect of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases 'in one embodiment', 'in an embodiment', or 'in an aspect' in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or aspect, but may refer to different embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics of any embodiment or aspect of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments or aspects.

[37] Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Moreover, the description of any individual drawing or aspect should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

[38] Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form yet further embodiments, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[39] In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

[40] In the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, the disclosure of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of the permitted range of a parameter, coupled with an indication that one of said values is more highly preferred than the other, is to be construed as an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter, lying between the more preferred and the less preferred of said alternatives, is itself preferred to said less preferred value and also to each value lying between said less preferred value and said intermediate value.

[41] The use of the term "at least one" may mean only one in certain circumstances.

[42] The principles of the invention will now be described by a detailed description of at least one drawing relating to exemplary features of the invention. It is clear that other arrangements can be configured according to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art without departing from the underlying concept or technical teaching of the invention, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

[43] Figure 1 shows a tool 100, viewed from the side, comprising two tongue and groove attachment arrangements, 160 and 165, each of a type fully described in patent EP3062969B1, each with a drive input shaft and connection means, 125 and 135, each connected to a gearbox, 120 and 130, each gearbox being connected to the other via a shaft 140, the gearbox 130 having an output shaft 145 shown connected to a drill chuck 150.

[44] Figure 1 also shows two motor handles, 200 and 300, unattached, each of a type fully described in patent EP3062969B1, each with a corresponding tongue and groove arrangement, 260 and 360, each configured for attachment to the tool 100 by sliding, each motor handle having a drive shaft and connection means 220 and 320, a clutch means, if required, not shown, a locking means, not shown, a motor 230 and 330, a throttle trigger 270 and 370, a control unit 250 and 350, a mode selector switch 240 and 340, one motor handle with a transmitter device 260 and the other with a receiver device 360.

[45] When the two motor handles, 200 and 300, are attached to the tool by sliding, they form a power tool with two handles, in this case a power drill, as shown assembled in Figure 2.

[46] Figure 1 further shows a tool 100 which comprises two parts, 105 and 110, a joining member 115, which may be arranged to clamp the two parts together inline, as shown, or, by loosening a suitable clamping adjuster, such as a knob, not shown, the two parts may be rotated relative to each other, about a co-dependent axis, so that they can be re-clamped in an angularly staggered configuration so that they can be held comfortably by the operator, as shown in the end-on view in Figure 3.

[47] Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4: An operator can use the assembled power tool with two hands, with selector switch 240 set to an appropriate remote control operating mode, as fully detailed in patent application GB1819367.2, by pressing trigger 270 to control the power or speed of motor handle 200 directly and simultaneously to remotely control motor handle 300, by control signals being transmitted via transmitter 260, which may be radio signals 1000, to receiver 360, which may be set to receive the signals by selector switch 340, according to an appropriate remote operating mode setting.

[48] Figure 5 refers to an alternative embodiment wherein the tool 100 comprises two tongue and groove attachment arrangements, 160 and 165, each of a type fully described in patent EP3062969B1, positioned on the tool radially and opposite each other, each with a drive input shaft and connection means, 125 and 135, each connected to a single gearbox 120 having an output shaft 145 connected to a drill chuck 150.

[49] Figure 5 also shows two motor handles, 200 and 300, unattached, each of a type fully described in patent EP3062969B1, each with a corresponding tongue and groove arrangement, 260 and 360, each configured for attachment to the tool 100 by sliding, each comprised of the same parts as the motor handles shown in Figure 1, as previously described above.

[50] An operator can use the assembled power tool, as shown in Figure 6, with two hands, one hand holding each of the two motor handles described in Figure 5, with selector switch 240 set to an appropriate remote control operating mode, as fully detailed in patent application GB1819367.2, by pressing trigger 270 to control the power or speed of motor handle 200 directly and simultaneously remotely control motor handle 300, by transmitting control signals via transmitter 260, which may be radio signals, not shown, to receiver 360, which may be set to receive the signals by selector switch 340, according to an appropriate operating mode setting.

[51] Figure 7 shows a further embodiment wherein two motor handles of a type similar to those already described above, can be arranged to attach by sliding onto a tool on two faces that may be approximately perpendicular to one another. The output from the tool may be arranged to be at any angle and in any location and of any type convenient for the application, for example, a circular saw or a chain saw.

[52] Figure 8 shows a further embodiment where the tool comprises a hexagonal section with at least one output 150 on at least one face, each side having a tongue and grooved attachment means, as described above, all of which can be available for motor handles to be attached onto by sliding, however, the number actually used together can be arranged to be variable and three are shown, with the remainder ghosted; the actual number of motor handles used at any one time can be according to user requirements for whatever application the power tool is being used.

[53] Figure 9 shows a power tool system with a tool 100 of the type shown in Figures 1 to 4 with motor handles 200 and 300 attached by sliding and described above, however, in this embodiment the tool is arranged so that a further motor handle 400 can be attached onto one end to further increase power, if required. The user can use the selector switches on each motor handle 240, 340 and 440, as described above, to select which motor handle's throttle trigger will control the other motor handles remotely, according to the user's requirements, the remote control means being arranged as fully detailed in patent application GB1819367.2.

[54] Figure 10 shows how another embodiment of a power tool system can be arranged to comprise one tool and a variable number of motor handles, shown as five in this example. In this case two pairs of motor handles are attached in opposite arrangements on tool parts 110 and 120, as described above and shown in Figures 5 and 6, with a joining member 140, which may be a clamping piece arranged to enable rotation and locking of one tool part relative to the other, and a further motor handle attached onto the end.

[55] In Figure 11 an embodiment of a power tool system with a tool of a different type is shown, viewed from the side, at each end of which two motor handles are attached by sliding onto two attachment means, (in this example, a total of four motor handles are shown attached) each pair may be mounted about a common axis, each pair being connected to a gearbox 120 and 130, which may be two gearboxes with an interconnecting shaft, depending on the application, each gearbox 120 and 130, or pair of gearboxes, may be connected to the other by an intermediate shaft 175, if considered advantageous. Applications where it may be considered disadvantageous to include an intermediate shaft may include belt sanders and band saws where tensioning adjustment may be achieved more easily with each pair of motor handles not being mechanically connected. However, if an interconnection shaft is felt to be advantageous to maintaining mechanical connection and synchronisation, then it may be possible to include a shaft and couplings of a known type that allow either or both longitudinal and angular adjustment.

[56] Figure 12 shows a plan view of a further embodiment of the power tool system wherein the tool includes, as an example, six attachment means of the sliding type and six motor handles attached around three faces of the tool, two motor handles to each face, side by side, each motor handle driving via a gearbox which may be a single collective unit or a number of gearbox units, for instance, from one to six, depending on design and manufacturing preferences, with the gearbox or gearboxes having one or more outputs to one or more tools. For instance, the power tool formed could be a multi-disc sander or polishing machine, with each disc separately driven or it could be a single output machine with multiple motor handle inputs, in this case six, or it could be a double or triple output machine with each output having more than one motor handle input, and so on, or it could be any combination.

[57] It should be understood that whilst the power tools shown as examples in the Figures and described above may be shown as forming power drills, it is contemplated that where applicable, any other form of power tool may be formed or may take other forms. That is to say that the drill tools may be substituted with any appropriate alternative tool considered suitable for an application. It is envisaged that any alternative tool may include but not be limited to, for instance, any other or type of tool which may include: drills; impact drivers; grinders; sanders; planers; saws; multi-tools; or any other type of suitably configurable pieces of equipment designed or adapted to be tools to which motor handles may be attached, as necessary, to operate as discussed and as desired singly or in plurality.

[58] It should also be understood that the number of motor handles shown in the Figures is for example only, and that any number of motor handles is contemplated, for instance, between 1 and 1000 motor handles attached to one tool, which may be controlled by one or more motor handles together or separately, each motor handle and tool suitably equipped with the appropriate control means required.

[59] It should further be understood that whilst the power tools formed by the power tool system and shown in the Figures may be cordless battery power tools, any other form of power tool is contemplated, including corded mains electricity powered; air powered or any other power source or medium.