JP4545848B2 - Battery operated circular saw tool - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery powered circular saw (10) includes a rechargeable battery (16) removably attached to the housing (12) and an adjustable shoe (122) pivotally attached to a guard assembly for controlling a depth of cut. A locking mechanism (126) for preventing relative movement between the adjustable shoe (122) and the housing (12) includes a depth of cut strap (128) disposed adjacent a first sidewall (132) of the housing (12). A lever (134) is disposed adjacent a second sidewall (136) of the housing (12). A tightening element interconnects the depth of cut strap (128) and the lever (134). The battery powered circular saw (10) additionally includes a handle (110) extending from the housing (12). The handle (110) is disposed substantially parallel to a direction of cut and oriented horizontally above the housing (12). The rechargeable battery (16) includes a pair of laterally spaced apart guide rails (52) which cooperate with the pair of longitudinally extending grooves (54) to permit sliding movement of the rechargeable battery (16) in a direction parallel to the direction of cut. <IMAGE>

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to power tools. More particularly, the present invention relates to a battery powered circular saw tool.
[0002]
[Prior art]
It is well known to drive various tools with rechargeable batteries. For example, US Pat. No. 3,757,194 discloses a cordless power tool with a detachable battery pack. According to the illustrated embodiment, the cordless power tool is a shrub or hedge trimmer driven by a battery pack removably attached to the motor housing. An advantage over corded tools is that these battery powered tools are not limited to use within the reach of the power cord to the outlet. Furthermore, since the battery-powered tool does not have a cord, the operation of the tool is not inconvenient, and it is not accidentally cut during use.
[0003]
Although more limited, it has been proposed to drive a circular saw tool with a rechargeable battery. For example, US Pat. No. 4,555,849 discloses a portable electric circular saw tool powered by a rechargeable battery. The tool disclosed therein is provided with a rechargeable battery that can be detachably inserted into a battery chamber extending laterally. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,849 does not disclose any mechanism for fixing the base to the housing with a desired depth of cut.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Attempts to drive a circular saw tool with a removable battery have been successful to some extent, but with some drawbacks. For example, the rechargeable battery required to drive the circular saw tool is large and difficult to package. In this regard, the previously known arrangements cannot incorporate commercially desirable features such as an easily operable locking mechanism for fixing the adjustable base or shoe relative to the housing to define the depth of cut. It was. Many circular saw tools include a cut depth adjustment lever between the guard and the handle as viewed in plan view, immediately next to the saw blade guard at the rear of the saw. It is difficult to access this area to loosen or lock the lever. There is a corded saw that moves the position of this control to a more convenient position on the left rear of the saw so that it is located between the user and the handle of the saw. In known cordless saw machines, the location of the battery interferes with access to and use of this location. It would also be desirable to further improve the ergonomics of battery powered circular saw tools.
[0005]
The broad object of the present invention is to improve the battery-powered circular saw tool to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, including those mentioned above.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-operate cut depth locking mechanism for battery powered circular saw tools.
A related object of the present invention is to provide a battery-powered circular saw tool having a cutting depth lock mechanism that includes a clamping bolt that penetrates the saw body at the front of the battery and that allows the lever to be conveniently positioned on the left side of the saw. It is to provide.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an ergonomically improved battery powered circular saw tool.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention as set forth in claim 1 includes a housing having first and second side walls spaced laterally, a motor attached to the housing for rotationally driving a circular saw, A handle extending from the housing; a rechargeable battery detachably mounted on the housing immediately below the handle adjacent to the motor; and pivoting on the housing to adjust a depth of cut An adjustable shoe that is operably mounted, wherein the adjustable shoe is located on the underside of the housing, whereby the rechargeable battery is located between the handle and the adjustable shoe. And a locking mechanism for preventing relative movement between the adjustable shoe and the housing, the locking mechanism adjacent to the first side wall. And a lever provided adjacent to the second side wall, the cutting depth adjusting strap and the lever are connected to each other, and the rotation of the lever is relative to the housing. The gist of the present invention is a battery-powered circular saw tool having a connecting element that prevents movement of the strap.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1-4, a battery powered circular saw tool constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is indicated at 10. The circular saw tool 10 includes a housing 12 that houses a motor (not shown). The tool further includes a rechargeable battery pack 16 removably attached to the housing 12, as will be described in detail later. As will be apparent from the description below, the features of the present invention can also be applied to other types of battery powered tools.
[0009]
One feature of the present invention is, in particular, a configuration for fixing the battery-powered circular saw tool 10 to a desired depth of cut. Another feature of the present invention is in particular the ergonomic improvement of such tools. Before describing these features of the present invention, a general description of a tool embodiment including a rechargeable battery pack 16 and an electrical interface between the battery pack 16 and the tool housing 12 will be provided.
[0010]
Referring again to FIGS. 1-4 and additionally to FIGS. 6-9, the rechargeable battery pack 16 is a housing 22, in the illustrated embodiment, a 24 volt nickel-cadmium battery. A battery 24 and a battery pack terminal block 26 are included. The housing 22 includes first and second shell-type halves 28, 30 joined by a joining line 32 extending in the longitudinal direction. The first and second shell halves 28, 30 of the housing 22 form an upper portion 34 that defines a first chamber 36 and a lower portion 38 that defines a second chamber 40. The first chamber 36 accommodates the battery pack terminal block 26, and the second chamber 40 accommodates the battery 24. In one example, the battery pack housing 22 has an overall length of about 11.5 cm, an overall width of about 9.5 cm, and an overall height of about 9.5 cm.
[0011]
In this embodiment, the first and second shell-type halves 28, 30 of the housing 22 are each made as a single piece of durable plastic or other suitable material. The first and second shell-type halves 28, 30 are joined by a threaded fixture 42. The threaded fastener 42 is inserted into the associated hole 44 formed integrally with the shell mold halves 28, 40 and the screw boss portion 46. The fixture 42 forms a thread on the screw boss portion 46. In the illustrated embodiment, the first shell half 28 of the housing 22 includes a peripheral groove 50 configured to receive a protrusion (not shown) protruding around the second shell half 30. Yes.
[0012]
In order to allow the battery pack 16 to be easily and detachably attached to the tool 10, the upper portion 34 of the housing 22 includes a pair of guide rails 52. As will be described later, the pair of guide rails 52 are slidably received in cooperating grooves 54 formed by rails 55 extending in the longitudinal direction. In order to make it easier to removably attach the battery pack 16 to the tool 10, the upper portion 34 of the housing 22 is formed with a recess 58. The recess 58 is configured to receive a latch pawl 59 (FIG. 4) attached to the housing 12 of the tool 10. The structure and operation of the latch claw 59 are the same as those of the conventional one. The latch claw 59 is biased downward by a spring and engages with the recess 58 when the rechargeable battery pack 16 is inserted. This prevents the battery pack 16 from being removed until the button 61 is manually operated to defeat the force of the spring biasing the latch claw 59. The button 61 functions in the same manner as before as far as the present invention is concerned. The rails 52 and grooves 54 associated with the pack 16 and the housing 22 form a means for removably attaching the battery pack to the housing. These associated rails and grooves are the preferred means for attachment, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that other means can be used for attachment of the pack. For example, the housing may be provided with a cavity for receiving all or part of the pack. Cooperating rails and grooves are preferred because they allow precise guide and placement of the pack within the housing.
[0013]
The battery pack terminal block 26 includes a body portion 60 and a plurality of terminals 62 made of durable plastic or other suitable material. The terminals 62 are generally flat plate terminals, each of which is substantially perpendicular to a shelf 64 (shown in FIG. 5) that forms part of the upper chamber 36 of the housing 22. It is arranged side by side in the plane. Each of the plate-like terminals 62 includes a first end portion 66 that extends downward from the main body portion 60 and is electrically connected to the battery 24 as usual. The plate-like terminal 62 further includes a second end portion 68 that extends forward. In the preferred embodiment, the second end 68 of the plate-like terminal 62 is spaced upward from the shelf 64.
[0014]
The main body 60 of the terminal block 26 is held between the shell-type halves 28 and 30 of the housing 20. According to this configuration, the terminal block 26 is first electrically attached to the battery 24 and then held between the shell-type halves 28 and 30 so that assembly is easy. The main body 60 is provided with a pair of arc-shaped grooves 70 on the bottom thereof for receiving the screw boss portions 46 of the housing 22 during assembly. Similarly, the upper surface of the main body 60 is provided with a recess 72 for accommodating the recess 58 of the housing 22. The main body 60 further includes a plurality of insulating portions 74 that are disposed between the adjacent plate-like terminals 62 and are also located outside the outermost plate-like terminals.
[0015]
In the illustrated embodiment, the battery pack terminal block 26 includes four plate-like terminals 62. Two of these plate-like terminals 62 are positive and negative terminals for the battery 24. The third terminal 62 is for monitoring the temperature of the battery 24, and the fourth terminal is for battery identification. These third and fourth plate-like terminals 62 are outside the scope of the present invention.
[0016]
10-12, the terminal block 76 attached to the tool 10 includes a body portion 80, a first terminal member or negative terminal member 82, and a second terminal member or positive terminal member 84. ing. The first terminal member 82 includes a negative male terminal 86 and a negative female terminal 88. Similarly, the second terminal member 84 includes a positive male terminal 90 and a positive female terminal 92. As will be described later, the female terminals 88 and 92 are configured to receive the positive and negative plate terminals 62 of the battery pack terminal block 26, respectively. Male terminals 86, 90 are configured to electrically attach tool 10 to a charger (not shown). As shown in FIG. 12, when the battery pack 16 is attached to the tool 10 during operation, the male terminals 86 and 90 of the tool terminal block 76 are received in a plurality of holes 96 provided in each rail 52. It is done. The male terminals 86, 90 do not perform any function electrically when the battery pack 16 is attached to the tool 10.
[0017]
As shown in cross section in FIG. 12, the body 80 of the tool terminal block 76 includes a plurality of window frames 98 that each define a window or opening 100 for receiving and guiding one of the plate terminals 62. It has. The female terminals 88 and 92 of the terminal block 76 of the tool are arranged in the window frames 98 adjacent to each other. Each window frame 98 includes a pair of legs 102 extending in the longitudinal direction. The end of each leg 102 of the frame 98 has a generally triangular shape, and forms a guide surface for introducing the insulating portion 74 into the opening 104 and introducing the plate-like terminal 62 into each opening 100. ing. The battery-powered circular saw tool 10 of the present invention further includes a handle 110 extending in the longitudinal direction. The handle 110 is a generally V-shaped member having a vertex 111 located at the center. The rear leg portion 112 of the handle 110 has a function as a rear first gripping portion. The second grip portion 114 extends forward from the front leg 115 of the V-shaped member. The second grip portion 114 has a generally cylindrical shape and is provided in the lateral direction. The handle 110 includes a trigger that operates the motor in the same manner as before. The trigger 116 is provided in an opening 117 configured to accept a tool user's index finger. In the illustrated embodiment, the handle 110 is positioned in a horizontal position above the tool housing 12 and generally parallel to the rotatable saw blade 119. The surface on which the saw blade exists defines the cutting direction. The saw blade 118 is partially covered by a saw blade protective assembly 120. The protective assembly 120 includes a fixed upper portion 120a and a movable lower portion 120b.
[0018]
When the battery pack 16 is completely installed, the battery pack 16 is disposed substantially longitudinally below the handle 110 as shown in FIGS. Further, the battery pack 16 is centered laterally under the handle 110 and is oriented at an angle of 90 ° with respect to the spindle axis of the tool 10. In the preferred embodiment, the center of gravity of the tool 10 including the battery pack 16 is located on a straight line passing through the trigger 116 in the longitudinal and lateral directions. The handle 110 effectively couples the weights of the motor and the battery pack 16 so that a fulcrum or equilibrium point is established in the vicinity of the trigger 116. As a result, when the user grips the tool 10 to perform work, the moment arm is zero or minimized, and the tool is improved from an ergonomic standpoint.
[0019]
In the illustrated embodiment, the rail 55 and the groove 58 defined thereby are oriented parallel to the handle 110. The battery pack 16 is detachably attached to the housing 56 by first engaging the rail 52 with the groove 54. Next, the battery pack 16 is moved relative to the housing 16 in a direction parallel to the cutting direction. The sliding engagement of the rail 52 and the groove 54 of the battery pack 16 allows the battery pack terminal block 26 to be roughly aligned with the tool terminal block. Precise alignment of the terminal block 26 of the battery pack 16 and the tool terminal block 76 is obtained after the guide rail 52 has advanced substantially along the groove 54. The battery-powered circular saw tool 10 further includes an adjustable shoe 122 pivotally supported by a front portion 123 of the protective assembly 120 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis X. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the shoe 122 can be adjusted to control the depth of cut. 1 and 2 show the battery-powered circular saw tool 10 with the shoe 122 adjusted to provide a relatively deep cut. FIG. 4 shows the battery-powered circular saw tool 10 adjusted to provide a shallow cut.
[0020]
Referring to FIG. 5 in addition to FIGS. 3 and 4, the battery-powered circular saw tool 10 of the present invention is a lock for selectively securing an adjustable shoe 122 with respect to the housing 12 at a desired depth of cut. A mechanism 126 is provided. The lock mechanism 126 includes a cut depth adjusting strap 128. The cut depth adjustment strap 128 includes a pivot bracket 129 at an end 130 fixed to the adjustable shoe 122. The cut depth adjusting strap 128 has an arc shape and is disposed between the first side surface 132 of the housing 12 and the protective assembly 120.
[0021]
To fix the adjustable shoe 123 to the selected cut depth, the manual lever 134 located adjacent to the second side 136 of the housing 12 may be moved and controlled. The lever 134 is carried by a through bolt 138 that passes through a boss portion 140 formed in the housing 12. The through bolt extends through an opening or a free space provided between the battery 16 and the motor / gearbox portion 139 of the tool 10.
[0022]
In the preferred embodiment, a hollow sleeve 161 is provided between the boss portion 140 and the through bolt 138 to facilitate relative rotation when the manual lever 134 is tightened, and the first side 132 and the second side of the housing 12. The two side surfaces 136 are prevented from being pressed. The through bolt 138 has a shaft 141 having a thread on the outer surface and a head 142 at a first end 144 of the through bolt 138. The non-circular portion 146 of the through bolt 138 is slidably received within the elongated groove 148 of the strap 128 and is prevented from relative rotation. The lever 134 is fixed to the nut 150, and the nut is screwed into the second end of the shaft 141.
[0023]
When the lever 134 is moved, the through bolt 138 moves toward the nut 150 and pulls the strap 128 against the side surface 132 of the housing 12. As a result, movement of the strap 128 relative to the housing 12 is impeded, the adjustable shoe 122 is fixed relative to the housing 12, and the desired depth of cut is set.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a battery powered circular saw tool according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the battery-powered circular saw tool of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view showing a part of the battery-powered circular saw tool of the present invention equipped with a rechargeable battery.
FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of a portion of the battery-powered circular saw tool of the present invention with the adjustable shoe rotated to its maximum position.
FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a cut depth locking mechanism.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a rechargeable battery pack of the battery-powered circular saw tool of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of a rechargeable battery pack.
FIG. 8 is a front view of a rechargeable battery pack.
FIG. 9 is a left side view of a rechargeable battery pack.
FIG. 10 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a terminal block of a tool carried by the battery-powered circular saw tool of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a battery pack terminal block of a rechargeable battery pack.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an interface between the battery pack and the tool.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Battery drive type circular saw tool 12 ... Housing 16 ... Battery pack 110 ... Handle 118 ... Saw blade 122 ... Shoe 126 ... Cutting depth adjustment strap 128 ... Locking mechanism

Claims (6)

A housing having first and second side walls spaced laterally;
A motor attached to the housing for rotationally driving a circular saw;
A handle extending from the housing;
A rechargeable battery detachably attached to the housing adjacent to the motor and directly under the handle;
An adjustable shoe pivotally attached to the housing to adjust the depth of cut, the adjustable shoe being located on the underside of the housing, whereby the rechargeable battery is A shoe arranged between the handle and the adjustable shoe;
A locking mechanism for preventing relative movement between the adjustable shoe and the housing;
The locking mechanism includes a cut depth adjusting strap provided adjacent to the first side wall, a lever provided adjacent to the second side wall, the cut depth adjusting strap, and the lever. A battery-operated circular saw tool, which is connected to each other and includes a connecting element in which rotation of the lever prevents movement of the strap relative to the housing.   The battery drive according to claim 1, wherein the housing forms a motor / gearbox region, and the connecting element passes through an opening provided between the motor / gearbox region and the rechargeable battery. Type circular saw tool.   The battery-powered circular saw tool according to claim 1, wherein the housing forms a boss portion and the connecting element extends through the boss portion.   4. A battery powered circular saw tool according to claim 3, wherein the connecting element includes a threaded through bolt.   The battery-powered circular saw tool according to claim 4, further comprising a sleeve provided between the coupling element and the boss portion.   6. The battery powered circular saw tool of claim 5, wherein the through bolt comprises a non-circular portion slidably received within an elongated groove of the cut depth adjustment strap.

Images