JP3936601B2 - Battery powered power tools - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a battery-powered electric tool provided with means for illuminating a work site with a tool bit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-34565 discloses a configuration of a power tool provided with illumination means. According to this, in a power tool having a main body portion and a hand grip, a configuration is disclosed in which a battery unit is attached to the lower end of the hand grip and an illuminating means is attached to the lower portion of the battery unit. In this conventional power tool, the illumination means is configured to be rotatable between a storage position and a use position, with the attachment portion on the lower front surface of the battery unit as a rotation center. The storage position is set as a recess formed in the bottom of the battery unit. Further, the illumination means can appropriately illuminate the tip of the tool bit having a different length by being stopped and held at an arbitrary rotation angle using a holding means.
[0003]
Although the above-described conventional electric tool with illuminating means has a configuration that can correspond to different illuminating positions, the illuminating means in use has a shape protruding outward from the battery unit, There is a problem of durability that the illuminating means or the attachment portion between the illuminating means and the battery unit is likely to be damaged by accidentally hitting the power tool. Moreover, since dust such as swarf is likely to be generated in the work with the electric tool, it is necessary to pay attention to dust prevention measures at the place where the illumination means is installed on the electric tool when setting the illumination means. However, if the illumination means is embedded in the battery unit in an attempt to solve these problems all at once, the illumination means is fixedly installed in the battery unit, making it difficult to cope with different illumination positions. End up.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides an illumination technique that can cope with different illumination positions and is excellent in durability and dustproofness in a battery-driven electric tool. Objective.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in each claim is configured.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a battery-driven electric tool having a main body, a battery unit, and a light case is configured. A tool bit for performing a predetermined operation on the workpiece is attached to the main body. The battery unit is connected to the main body and supplies a drive current for driving the tool bit. The light case accommodates illumination means for illuminating the work site by the tool bit.
[0006]
“Tool bits for performing a predetermined work on a workpiece” widely include those used for battery-type drills, saws, grinders, impact drivers, impact wrenches, cutters, trimmers, circular saws, reciprocating saws, and the like. The “battery” typically corresponds to a rechargeable storage battery. As will be described later, the light case is preferably composed of a hard case such as hard plastic from the viewpoint of protecting the illumination means.
[0007]
In the battery unit described above, an accommodation space for accommodating the light case is formed. The form of “accommodating the light case” includes an aspect in which all or part of the light case is accommodated. In addition, the “accommodating space” is sufficient if an area for accommodating the light case is secured, and a form in which the accommodating space is formed as a closed space, or a part or most of the space is opened outward. Forms are also widely included.
[0008]
The light case can be tilted in the accommodation space with the attachment portion of the light case to the battery unit as a rotation center. By tilting in the storage space, the light case can efficiently illuminate a plurality of work points corresponding to the case where tool bits of different lengths are attached to the main body despite the compact structure. Can do. “Tilt within the storage space” means that the light case is widely included to tilt while maintaining the state in which the light case is stored in the storage space of the battery unit. All parts of the light case are stored in the storage space. A form that tilts in a state in which the light case is placed and a form that tilts while being partly accommodated in the accommodation space are widely included. In addition, “different tool bit lengths” are widely included not only tool bits of the same type but different dimensions, as well as different types of tool bits with different lengths to the tool tip when the power tool is installed. . It should be noted that the rotation center is preferably set at the lower end side of the light case in order to ensure a sufficient tilt angle and correspond to a large number of illumination positions.
[0009]
The light case configured as described above tilts in the accommodation space formed in the battery unit and can illuminate corresponding to a plurality of work locations. Therefore, the illumination when attaching tool bits having different lengths to the main body is provided. Convenience is secured. Further, when the light case is tilted so as to correspond to a different work location, the tilting operation is performed based on the accommodation space formed in the battery unit, so that the illumination means can be protected not only by the light case but also by the battery unit outline. In addition, when the light case attachment portion to the battery unit is set in the accommodation space, the light case attachment portion itself can be effectively protected from external force. As a result, it is possible to reduce the risk of accidentally hitting the illuminating means (or light case) during work and causing damage. In addition, since the illumination means is housed in the light case, it is possible to improve the dust resistance of the illumination means against dust such as chips generated during work.
In the present invention, a shielding cover that shields the space portion is disposed for the space portion formed between the light case tilting in the accommodation space and the battery unit. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce as much as possible the risk of dust or the like generated during work entering the space formed between the battery unit and the light case and adversely affecting the operation of the equipment.
[0010]
(Invention of Claim 2)
The main body of the battery-driven electric tool includes a motor housing in which a tool bit is attached and a motor for applying rotational torque to the tool bit and a hand grip having an upper end connected to the motor housing. Is preferred. The battery unit is preferably detachably connected to the lower end side of the hand grip. In this case, the “lower end side of the handgrip” does not need to be the lower end of the handgrip itself, and is intended to encompass the lower region of the handgrip. The light case is preferably configured to be tiltably accommodated in an accommodation space formed on the side of the battery unit facing the tool bit. By configuring in this way, a plurality of work points can be provided for an electric tool having a shape in which the motor housing and the handgrip are connected in a crossing manner, such as a battery-driven electric screwdriver, impact driver, impact wrench, etc. It is possible to illuminate and to obtain a rational configuration that ensures the durability and dustproofness of the illumination means or light case.
[0011]
(Invention of Claim 3)
Further, it is preferable that the light case further accommodates the control board of the illumination means and the energization switch. As a result, various equipment for operating the illumination means can be collectively accommodated in the light case and the portion exposed to the outside can be reduced as much as possible, so that the dustproofness can be further improved.
[0012]
(Invention of Claim 4 )
Furthermore, in the battery-powered electric tool, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which a locking means for detachably holding the light case at a predetermined tilting position is set. With this configuration, when the light case tilts in the storage space of the battery unit, the light case can be held at an arbitrary tilt position, that is, an arbitrary illumination angle position using the locking means. Therefore, the convenience of adjusting the illumination angle during work is improved.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an electric screwdriver 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an electric screwdriver 100 according to the present embodiment. The electric screwdriver 100 is mainly composed of a main body 101 including a motor housing 103 and a hand grip 105, and a battery unit 121. In the motor housing 103, a motor 107, a speed reduction mechanism portion 108, and a spindle 109 are housed, and a bit mounting chuck 111 and a driver bit 113 are disposed at the tip portion of the spindle 109. The driver bit 113 is an example of the “tool bit” in the present invention.
[0014]
The bit attachment chuck 111 can be attached with driver bits 113 having different lengths (or different types). In FIG. 1, the short-sized driver bit 113 is indicated by reference numeral 113S, and the long-sized driver bit 113 is indicated by reference numeral 113L. A trigger switch 115 is provided on the upper end side of the hand grip 105, and a battery unit 121 is attached on the lower end side.
[0015]
The overall configuration of the battery unit 121 according to the present embodiment is shown in FIGS. The battery unit 121 houses a battery 123 for driving the motor 107 (see FIG. 1), and is detachably latched and held at the lower end portion of the handgrip 105 via a hook 122.
[0016]
The battery unit 121 has a light case housing portion 125 on the side surface (the left side surface in FIG. 2) on the side facing the driver bit 113 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, a light case housing space 125 a that is open in the vertical direction and forward (left direction in FIG. 3) is formed in the light case housing portion 125 constituted by a pair of protruding pieces from the battery unit 121. The light case 141 is accommodated in the light case accommodation space 125a.
[0017]
The side part of the light case 141 is shown in FIG. The light case 141 has a sealed internal space formed by overlapping the outer and inner case constituent members 141a and 141b, and the LED 143 and the control board 145 are arranged in this internal space. Control board 145 is electrically connected to an illumination power source (battery 123 in the present embodiment) by electric wire harness 146. The LED 143 is connected to the control board 145 via the Zener diode 144 and is controlled to be illuminated based on ON / OFF of the switch 147. The switch 147 has a dustproof / dripproof structure covered with a soft rubber material 147a, and ensures the dustproof property of the light case 141. The member for performing the illumination control of the LED 143 or the LED 143 corresponds to the “illuminating means” in the present invention.
[0018]
Now, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the light case 141 configured as described above is attached to the battery unit 121 via the attachment portion 142 in the light case accommodation space 125 a in the light case accommodation portion 125. Further, the light case 141 can be tilted in the light case housing portion 125 (light case housing space 125a) with the mounting portion 142 as a rotation center. In the light case 141 shown in FIG. 2, the LED 143 is set so as to illuminate the screw tightening work portion at the tip of the short-sized driver bit 113S (see FIG. 1). In FIG. Is set so as to illuminate the screw tightening work portion at the tip of the long-sized driver bit 113L (see FIG. 1).
[0019]
As shown well in FIG. 4, a large number of stepped portions 175 are formed on the side of the lightcase housing portion 125 facing the lightcase 141, and from both sides of the lightcase 141, the stepped portions 175 are formed. A lockable protrusion 173 is formed to protrude. When the protrusion 173 is appropriately engaged with the stepped portion 175, the light case 141 can be locked and held in multiple steps at a plurality of inclined positions during the tilting operation. That is, the light case 141 (LED 143) is irradiated in multiple stages between the position where the short-sized driver bit 113S shown in FIG. 2 is illuminated and the position where the long-sized driver bit 113L shown in FIG. 4 is illuminated. Setting is possible. Of course, the number of the latch holding positions can be adjusted as appropriate depending on the number of the step portions 175.
[0020]
In the light case housing part 125, a shielding cover 161 is provided between the light case 141 that tilts and the battery unit 121, and the dust-proof property of the space 162 surrounded by the battery unit 121, the light case 141, and the shielding cover 161. Is secured.
[0021]
The structure of the shielding cover 161 is shown in FIG. The shielding cover 161 is mainly composed of an accordion-shaped portion 163 that can be expanded and contracted, a clip-shaped light case mounting portion 165, and a battery unit mounting portion 167. As shown in FIG. 4, when the light case 141 tilts around the mounting portion 142, the bellows-like portion 163 extends according to the tilting operation, and maintains the dustproof property of the space portion 162.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the electric screwdriver 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. When the operator operates the trigger switch 115 shown in FIG. 1, the motor 107 is rotated by being supplied with a drive current from the battery 123 housed in the battery unit 121. The rotational motion of the motor 121 is transmitted to the spindle 109 while being decelerated by the speed reduction mechanism unit 108. When the spindle 109 is rotationally driven, the driver bit 113 (113S to 113L) attached to the bit attaching chuck 111 at the tip of the spindle 109 is rotationally driven, thereby performing a screw fastening operation on the workpiece. .
[0023]
When using the electric screwdriver 101 to illuminate the screw tightening work site at the tip of the driver bit 113, the illumination direction is appropriately set according to the different length dimension (or type) of the driver bit 113 being used. There is a need to adjust. In the present embodiment, appropriate illumination corresponding to the driver bits 113 having different lengths is realized by appropriately tilting the light case 141 disposed in the light case housing portion 125 of the battery unit 121.
[0024]
When illuminating a relatively short size driver bit 113S, as shown in FIG. 2, the light case 141 is tilted so as to be close to the battery unit 121 so that the LED 143 illuminates in the direction of the driver bit 113S. At this time, the light case 141 is in surface contact with the battery unit 121 at the contact portion 181. Accordingly, positioning for illumination can be easily performed, and the light case 141 can be stably supported in the light case housing portion 125.
[0025]
On the other hand, when the relatively long driver bit 113L is illuminated, the light case 141 in the state shown in FIG. 2 is tilted about the mounting portion 142 and set at the position shown in FIG. By tilting the light case 141 in a direction away from the battery unit 121, the LED 143 can be illuminated toward the long-sized driver bit 113. At this time, since the bellows-like portion 163 of the shielding cover 161 extends in accordance with the tilt of the light case 141, the dust resistance of the space 162 formed between the battery unit 121 and the light case 141 is maintained well. .
[0026]
In the state shown in FIG. 4, the light case 141 is in surface contact with the battery unit 121 at the contact portions 182a and 182b. This facilitates positioning and enables stable support of the light case 141 in the light case housing portion 125.
[0027]
Further, when the driver bit 113 longer than the short-sized driver bit 113S shown in FIG. 2 and shorter than the long-sized driver bit 113L shown in FIG. 4 is illuminated, the protrusion 173 on the side surface of the light case 141 is By appropriately engaging with a large number of step portions 175 formed in the light case housing portion 125, the light case 141 can be stably locked and held so that the LED 143 faces a desired direction.
[0028]
According to the embodiment of the present invention, the light case 141 tilts in the light case housing part 125 formed in the battery unit 121, and a plurality of illumination directions can be secured. Illumination convenience when working with the bit 113 is ensured. Moreover, since the LED 143 for illumination is accommodated in the light case 141 and operated, durability of the LED 143 can be improved.
[0029]
Further, since the tilting operation of the light case 141 is performed in the space 125a in the light case housing portion 125, the design of the entire battery unit 121 to which the light case 141 is attached is improved, and the LED 143 as the illumination means and its control are controlled. The board 145 and the like can be protected not only by the light case 141 but also by the battery unit 121 outer shell. Moreover, since the attachment part 142 which tilts the light case 141 is set inside the light case accommodating part 125, the attachment part of the light case 141 can be effectively protected from external force.
[0030]
Further, since the LED 143, its control board 145, and the switch 147 are configured to be housed in the light case 141, it is possible to improve the dust resistance against dust such as cutting chips generated during the work. Further, the space portion 163 between the tilted light case 141 and the battery unit 121 is shielded by the shielding cover 161 regardless of the tilted position of the light case 141, so that a high dustproof property in the area around the light case 141 mounting portion is ensured. It became possible to do. By improving the dustproof property in this way, it is possible to prevent problems such as a decrease in illuminance due to dust, obstruction of the tilting operation of the light case 141, and damage to electrical components.
[0031]
Although the present embodiment has been described using the electric screwdriver 100 as an example, it can be configured as another battery-driven electric tool. For locking and holding the light case 141, a step 175 may be formed on the light case 141 side, and a protrusion 173 that engages with the step 175 may be formed on the light case housing 125 side.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, in a battery-driven electric tool, it is possible to provide an illumination technique that can cope with different illumination positions and is excellent in durability and dust resistance.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an electric screwdriver according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a battery unit used in the present embodiment.
3 is a plan view of the battery unit shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
FIG. 4 shows a state where the light case is tilted in the battery unit according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an internal structure of a light case used in the present embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a detailed structure of a shielding cover used in the present embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Electric screwdriver 101 Main part 103 Motor housing 105 Hand grip 113 Driver bit 121 Battery unit 122 Hook 123 Battery 125 Light case accommodation space 141 Light case 142 Attachment part 143 LED
145 Control board 147 Energizing switch 161 Shielding cover 163 Bellows-shaped part 173 Projection part 175 Step part

Claims (4)

A main body to which a tool bit for performing a predetermined work on a workpiece is attached;
A battery unit connected to the main body for supplying a driving current for driving the tool bit;
A battery-powered electric tool having a light case containing illumination means for illuminating a work location by the tool bit,
In the battery unit, an accommodation space for accommodating the light case is formed,
The light case corresponds to a case where tool bits having different lengths are attached to the main body by tilting within the accommodation space with the attachment portion of the light case to the battery unit as a rotation center. It is configured to be able to illuminate multiple work points,
A shielding cover that shields the space portion is disposed for the space portion formed between the battery case and the light case tilting in the housing space,
The shielding cover has a telescopic bellows-like portion, a clip-shaped light case attachment portion, and a battery unit attachment portion, and the space between the light case and the battery unit is shielded by the bellows-like portion. A battery-powered electric tool characterized by being attached to a battery. 2. The battery-driven electric tool according to claim 1, wherein the main body portion is attached with the tool bit, and includes a motor housing that houses a motor that applies rotational torque to the tool bit, and an upper end side of the motor housing. And a hand grip connected to the
The battery unit is detachably connected to a lower end side of the hand grip,
The battery case-driven electric tool, wherein the light case is housed in a housing space formed on a side surface of the battery unit facing the tool bit.   3. The battery-driven power tool according to claim 1, wherein the light case further accommodates a control board and an energization switch of the illumination means. 4. The battery-driven electric tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a locking means for detachably holding the light case at a predetermined tilting position. Power tool.

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