JP6922438B2 - tool - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tool provided with a light source for notifying the state of a machine.

Conventionally, a tool provided with a light source such as an LED for notifying the state of a machine is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

For example, the remaining amount of consumables is notified by turning on or blinking the light source. Specifically, in order to prevent blank hitting of fasteners and interruption of work, a tool that notifies when the remaining amount of fasteners falls below a certain number is known.

In addition, the remaining amount of the battery is notified by turning on or blinking the light source. Specifically, there are known tools that prevent interruption of work by notifying the necessity of charging when the remaining amount of the battery becomes a certain number or less.

Further, by turning on or blinking the light source, an abnormality of the machine is notified. Specifically, there are known tools that notify an abnormal state when the machine becomes hot or the motor locks. Since the user can be warned of the abnormal state by this notification, it is possible to reduce the risk of the machine breaking down by continuing to use the machine in the abnormal state.

JP-A-2009-184075

However, since such a light source is mounted on a substrate, the direction in which the light source emits light is naturally limited. For this reason, it has been difficult to provide a light source at a position within the user's field of view during work. If the position of the light source is out of the user's field of view, the user may not notice the lighting or blinking of the light source and may continue the work as it is.

In addition, since it is difficult to visually recognize the lighting and blinking of the light source in direct sunlight, there is a high possibility that the work will be continued without noticing the notification.

If the user continues the work without noticing the notification, the consumables and the battery will run out during the work and the work must be interrupted, which causes a decrease in work efficiency. Further, if the user continues the work without noticing the notification of the abnormality of the machine, the continuous use in the abnormal state may cause a failure.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tool capable of relatively freely setting the light emitting direction of the light source and realizing a notification with good visibility for the user.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the light source of the housing, the light source arranged inside the housing and controlled to be lit to notify the state of the machine, and the light of the light source. The light guide portion includes a light guide portion for guiding light, and the light guide portion includes an incident portion facing the light source inside the housing and a rod-shaped emitting portion extending from the incident portion. Is exposed on the surface of the housing along the longitudinal direction of the grip so as to face the grip .

The present invention is as described above, and includes a light source that is arranged inside the housing and is controlled to be lit to notify the state of the machine, and a light guide portion that guides the light of the light source, and has an exit portion . It is placed along the surface of the housing. According to such a configuration, by extending the emitting portion along the surface of the housing, the direction in which the light source emits light can be set relatively freely even when the arrangement of the light source is restricted. It is possible to realize notification with high visibility for the user. Further, since it is possible to emit light in a wide range without increasing the number of light sources such as LEDs, the structure of the light emitting portion can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

It is a perspective view which looked at the tool diagonally from the front. It is a perspective view which looked at the tool diagonally from the rear. It is sectional drawing of a tool. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of a light guide part. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB shown in FIG. 4 (part). It is a perspective view which looked at the tool which concerns on modification 1 from an oblique rear view. It is a perspective view which looked at the tool which concerns on modification 2 from an oblique rear view.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, as the tool 10, a driving tool for ejecting a fastener (a U-shaped staple needle in the present embodiment) from the injection port 20a will be described as an example. However, the driving tool is only an example of the tool 10, and the present invention can be applied to various well-known tools 10.

The type of tool 10 that can be applied is not particularly limited, but a portable power tool is suitable for the present invention. Further, it is desirable to have a power source for lighting the light source 28, which will be described later, and the tool 10 having the battery pack 26 attached to and detached from the tool body will inevitably be provided with a power source. The tool 10 according to the present embodiment is an electric tool in which an operator holds the grip 21, the battery pack 26 is attached to and detached from one side of the grip 21, and an output unit 20 is provided on the other side of the grip 21. It is a rechargeable tool. In such a tool 10, the line of sight of the operator is directed toward the output unit 20, and if the light source 28 is arranged around the battery pack 26 which is a power source, the light source 28 may be out of the operator's field of view. One of the features of the present invention is that the visibility of the light source 28 can be improved even in such a case.

Specifically, the tool 10 according to the present embodiment is covered with a housing 11 as shown in FIG. The tool 10 includes an output unit 20, a grip 21, a magazine 23, a motor accommodating unit 24, and a battery mounting unit 25.

The output unit 20 is a portion that houses a driver (not shown) for punching out the fastener. The driver is slidable in the longitudinal direction of the output unit 20. An injection port 20a is opened at the tip of the output unit 20, and a fastener before launching stands in front of the injection port 20a. When the trigger 22 described later is operated and the driver slides in the direction of the injection port 20a, the fastener waiting in front of the injection port 20a is ejected from the injection port 20a by the driver and is driven into the material to be driven. ing.

The grip 21 is a rod-shaped portion that the operator grips when using the tool 10. The grip 21 is connected so as to be substantially orthogonal to the output unit 20. Specifically, the grip 21 is connected to the rear side of the output unit 20 when the output unit 20 is viewed in the launch direction of the fastener. The grip 21 is provided with a trigger 22 for operating the tool 10. The trigger 22 is arranged at a position where the index finger rests when the operator grips the grip 21. When the operator pulls the trigger 22, the micro switch 22a (see FIG. 3) built in the grip 21 is turned on. When the micro switch 22a is turned on, an electric signal is transmitted to the control board 27, the motor 24a is driven and controlled by the control board 27, the tool 10 is operated, and the fastener is driven.

The magazine 23 is a part for loading a fastener. In the present embodiment, the magazine 23 can be loaded with a connecting fastener in which the fasteners are connected in a rod shape. The magazine 23 is connected so as to be substantially orthogonal to the output unit 20, and is arranged substantially parallel to the grip 21. Specifically, the magazine 23 is connected to the front side of the output unit 20 when the output unit 20 is viewed in the ejection direction of the fastener. The tip of the magazine 23 communicates with the output unit 20 internally, and a fastener can be supplied to the tip of the output unit 20 (near the injection port 20a).

The motor accommodating portion 24 is provided adjacent to the magazine 23, and accommodates the motor 24a as shown in FIG. The motor 24a is a drive source for operating the tool 10, and the rotation of the motor 24a is controlled by a control board 27 described later. In the present embodiment, the rotation of the motor 24a causes the driver to perform a driving operation and the driver to return to the standby position.

The battery mounting portion 25 is a portion for making the battery pack 26 removable. The battery mounting portion 25 is provided at the lower end of the grip 21 (the end opposite to the output portion 20). In other words, the output unit 20 is connected to one end of the grip 21, and the battery mounting unit 25 is connected to the other end.

In the present embodiment, the battery pack 26 can be slid and attached / detached to the lower surface of the battery mounting portion 25. Although not particularly shown, a latch is provided on the upper surface of the battery pack 26 so as to be retractable, and the battery pack 26 is attached to the tool 10 by engaging the latch with the lower surface of the battery mounting portion 25. When the battery pack 26 is attached to the tool 10, the battery pack 26 and the tool 10 are electrically connected, and the electric power stored in the battery pack 26 can be used by the tool 10.

The battery mounting portion 25 contains a control board 27 for controlling the operation of the tool 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the front surface of the control board 27 faces the grip 21 side, and the back surface faces the battery pack 26 side. Various electronic components are mounted on the surface facing the grip 21 side, for example, a light source 28 composed of LEDs is mounted. Further, on the back surface facing the battery pack 26 side, a terminal for electrically connecting to the battery pack 26 is provided.

The light source 28 mounted on the control board 27 described above is controlled to be lit in order to notify the state of the machine.

For example, when it is detected that the number of fasteners in the magazine 23 is low, the control board 27 turns on or blinks the light source 28. This can encourage the operator to load the fastener. When using this type of tool 10, it is often the case that the material to be driven is pressed by hand for work. For this reason, if the fastener is broken during the work, it is necessary to take the hand off the material to be driven once in order to load the fastener, which causes a great decrease in work efficiency. In this regard, when it is notified that the remaining amount of the fastener is low, the operator can load the fastener in advance, so that the situation where the fastener is insufficient during the work can be avoided and the work efficiency is improved. In addition, it is possible to prevent a blank shot without noticing that the fastener has disappeared.

Further, when it is detected that the battery pack 26 is low in charge, the control board 27 turns on or blinks the light source 28. As a result, the operator can be urged to replace or charge the battery pack 26. That is, the work efficiency can be improved by preventing the work from being interrupted as much as possible.

Further, when an abnormality of the machine is detected, such as when the machine becomes hot or the motor 24a is locked, the control board 27 turns on or blinks the light source 28. As a result, the worker can be notified of the abnormality, so that the worker can grasp the state of the machine and can help prevent the machine from breaking down.

The above notification is merely an example, and other information may be notified by the light source 28.

Further, the lighting and blinking modes may be changed for each information to be notified. For example, a multicolor LED may be used as the light source 28, and the emission color may be changed depending on the content of the notification. Specifically, when notifying an abnormality of a machine, it is notified by "red", and when displaying the remaining amount of the fastener or the battery pack 26, it is notified by "blue" or "green". good. At this time, as the multicolor LED, a unitized multicolor LED may be used, or a plurality of LEDs having different colors may be used in combination.

By the way, since the light source 28 described above is arranged inside the housing 11, the light does not reach the outside as it is. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the light guide unit 30 that guides the light of the light source 28 is provided.

The light guide portion 30 according to the present embodiment is formed of a transparent or translucent resin, and is capable of incident light from the light source 28 and diffuse the incident light internally so that light can be emitted on the surface. It is a member.

As shown in FIG. 2, the light guide portion 30 is arranged along the surface of the housing 11. Specifically, the light guide portion 30 is arranged on the rear surface of the motor accommodating portion 24 (the rear surface when viewed in the launch direction of the fastener). In other words, the light guide portion 30 is arranged on the surface of the housing 11 facing the grip 21. The light guide portion 30 is a rod-shaped member as shown in FIG. 5, and is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the grip 21.

As shown in FIG. 5, the light guide section 30 includes an incident section 31 and an emitting section 32.

The incident portion 31 is a portion for incident the light of the light source 28, and includes an incident surface 31a facing the light source 28. In the present embodiment, the incident portion 31 is formed in a shape with a wide hem in order to secure a wide incident surface 31a.

The emitting portion 32 is a portion for emitting the light of the light source 28, and extends from the incident portion 31 so as to be continuous with the incident portion 31. The exit portion 32 according to the present embodiment has a bent shape so as to follow the surface of the housing 11, and includes an intermediate portion 33 and a straight portion 34. The intermediate portion 33 and the straight portion 34 are each in the shape of a straight rod, and the width and the thickness are formed to be substantially constant. The intermediate portion 33 and the straight portion 34 are connected so as to form an obtuse angle. Further, an engaging portion 35 is provided on the back side of the straight portion 34 (the side facing the housing 11). The engaging portion 35 is a portion held by the housing 11 when the light guide portion 30 is assembled to the housing 11. In the present embodiment, an engaging groove 36 is provided between the engaging portion 35 and the straight portion 34 along the longitudinal direction of the engaging portion 35.

As shown in FIG. 4, the surface of the exiting portion 32 assembled to the housing 11 is exposed to the outside, and is an emitting surface 32a that emits the light incident on the light guide portion 30. The exit surface 32a is surface-treated to diffuse light. Further, a reflection groove 32b is formed inside the exit portion 32. By forming the reflection groove 32b, when light is incident on the light guide portion 30, there is a difference in brightness between the reflection groove 32b and the other portion, so that the operator can illuminate the light source 28 (light guide portion 30). It is easy to see whether or not it is. Further, if a plurality of reflection grooves 32b are provided as in the present embodiment, the number of light emitting portions can be increased, so that the light source 28 such as an LED can be easily visually recognized without increasing the number of light sources 28. Since it is easier to improve the visibility of the light guide unit 30 by refracting and diffusing the light only around the exit unit 32, the transparency of the incident unit 31 near the light source 28 (control board 27) is made as high as possible. It is desirable that all or a part of the light emitting portion 32 (for example, around the reflection groove 32b) be fogged like a slit glass.

The housing 11 according to the present embodiment is configured by combining a pair of split pieces 12 that can be split left and right. As shown in FIG. 6 and the like, the light guide portion 30 described above is assembled to the housing 11 by being held from both sides by the pair of partition pieces 12. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the light guide unit 30 is arranged along the joint surface 13a (dividing line) of the pair of dividing pieces 12.

The joint portion of the pair of divided pieces 12 has a double rib structure as shown in FIG. That is, the pair of divided pieces 12 includes two protrusions, a joint protrusion 13 and a holding protrusion 14, which face each other.

The joint protrusion 13 is provided inside the holding protrusion 14 and has a joint surface 13a for joining to each other. The pair of divided pieces 12 have a concavo-convex shape that fits each other on the joint surface 13a. That is, one divided piece 12 is formed with a concave shape 13b which is a groove formed along the longitudinal direction of the joint surface 13a, and one divided piece 12 has a convex shape 13c fitted to the concave shape 13b. It is formed. By fitting the concave shape 13b and the convex shape 13c, water and the like are prevented from entering the inside of the housing 11, and the waterproof performance on the joint surface 13a is enhanced.

Further, the holding protrusion 14 is provided outside the joining protrusion 13 so as to engage with the engaging groove 36 of the light guide portion 30. By engaging the holding protrusion 14 with the engaging groove 36, a wall is formed on the outside of the joining protrusion 13, so that it is possible to further prevent water and the like from entering the inside of the housing 11.

A dovetail groove-shaped assembling groove 15 is formed between the joining protrusion 13 and the holding protrusion 14. The assembly groove 15 is for fitting the engaging portion 35 of the light guide portion 30. When assembling the light guide portion 30 to the housing 11, the engaging portion 35 is fitted into the assembling groove 15 before joining the pair of split pieces 12, and then the pair of split pieces 12 are joined to sandwich the light guide portion 30. Fix it.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 4, the light guide portion 30 has an incident portion 31 facing the light source 28 inside the housing 11, and an emitting portion 32 attached to the surface of the housing 11 outside the housing 11. Therefore, the light guide portion 30 is attached so as to penetrate the housing 11. In other words, the housing 11 is formed with a through hole 17 for passing the light guide portion 30 through. In such a configuration, water or the like may enter the inside of the housing 11 through the through hole 17. In order to prevent this, the light guide portion 30 according to the present embodiment is provided with a seal member 39 for filling a gap with the housing 11 at a position penetrating the housing 11. The seal member 39 is assembled to the seal holding groove 16 formed on the inner surface of the through hole 17. As shown in FIG. 5, the light guide portion 30 is not provided with a groove or a protrusion for positioning the seal member 39. This is because if the groove or protrusion is provided, the light reflected in the light guide portion 30 is affected by the groove or protrusion, and such an influence is eliminated.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the light source 28 which is arranged inside the housing 11 and whose lighting is controlled to notify the state of the machine, and the light guide unit 30 which guides the light of the light source 28. , And the light source 30 is arranged along the surface of the housing 11. According to such a configuration, since the light guide unit 30 shines when the light source 28 emits light, the light inside the housing 11 can be guided to the outside of the housing 11. Further, by extending the light guide portion 30 along the surface of the housing 11, the direction, position, area, etc. of the light source 28 can be set relatively freely, so that the notification with high visibility for the user can be performed. It can be realized.

For example, in the present embodiment, if the light source 28 is turned on as it is, it will be turned on near the battery mounting portion 25. However, since the operator is working while looking at the vicinity of the output unit 20 (injection port 20a), it may be difficult to notice the light of the light source 28 that lights up at a position away from the output unit 20 (injection port 20a). .. In this regard, according to the present embodiment, the light guide unit 30 can guide the light of the light source 28 to the vicinity of the output unit 20 (injection port 20a). Moreover, since it can be turned on in a high range, the light of the light source 28 can easily enter the operator's field of view. That is, the structure can be such that even an operator who is working can easily notice the light of the light source 28.

Further, the light guide unit 30 includes an incident unit 31 having an incident surface 31a facing the light source 28 and an emitting unit 32 extending from the incident unit 31, and the incident unit 31 is a light source inside the housing 11. The exit portion 32 faces 28 and is attached to the surface of the housing 11 outside the housing 11. According to such a configuration, the light inside the housing 11 can be surely guided to the outside of the housing 11.

Further, a seal member 39 for filling a gap with the housing 11 is attached to the light guide portion 30 at a position penetrating the housing 11. According to such a configuration, the waterproof performance can be ensured even when the light guide portion 30 penetrates the housing 11.

Further, the light guide portion 30 is a rod-shaped member arranged along the longitudinal direction of the grip 21. According to such a configuration, it is possible to guide the light to a position away from the light source 28 by taking advantage of the straightness of the light. For example, the light can be guided to a position close to the output unit 20 (injection port 20a), so that the operator can easily notice the lighting or blinking of the light source 28.

Further, the housing 11 is configured by combining a pair of divided pieces 12, and the light guide portion 30 is arranged along the joint surface 13a of the pair of divided pieces 12. According to such a configuration, since the light guide portion 30 can be sandwiched and held by the pair of divided pieces 12, the light guide portion 30 can be easily assembled.

Further, the pair of divided pieces 12 has a double rib structure having two protrusions facing each other. According to such a configuration, even when the light guide portion 30 is sandwiched and held by the pair of divided pieces 12, water can be effectively prevented from entering from the held portion.

Further, a battery mounting unit 25 for attaching and detaching the battery pack 26 is provided, a control board 27 on which the light source 28 is mounted is built in the battery mounting unit 25, and the light guide unit 30 is a battery mounting unit. It extends from the inside of 25 to the outside. According to such a configuration, the battery pack 26 is directly connected to the control board 27 and the light source 28 such as the LED is mounted directly on the control board 27 without arranging the power supply board and the LED board at different positions. Can be done. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced and the machine can be miniaturized. Further, even when the configuration is simplified in this way, since the light guide portion 30 extends from the battery mounting portion 25, the light emitting position can be freely set.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the light guide unit 30 is arranged so as to face the operator holding the tool 10. Therefore, the structure can be made so that even an operator who is working can easily notice the light of the light source 28.

Note that FIG. 7 is a diagram relating to a modification 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, an eaves portion 40 that incompletely covers the light guide portion 30 may be provided. By providing the eaves portion 40 in this way, it is possible to easily notice the lighting and blinking of the light source 28 even in direct sunlight. That is, by providing the eaves portion 40, a place where the light guide portion 30 is not exposed to sunlight is created (that is, a shadow is formed), so that the lighting and blinking of the light source 28 can be easily visually recognized.

Further, FIG. 8 is a diagram relating to a modification 2 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the light guide portion 30 may be provided at a location other than the back surface of the motor accommodating portion 24. For example, the light guide unit 41 may be provided on the upper surface of the output unit 20 (the surface opposite to the surface to which the grip 21 is connected). Further, the light guide portion 42 may be provided on the back surface of the tool 10 (the surface on the front side when viewed in the driving direction of the fastener).

As shown in the light guide unit 45 of FIG. 1, the light guide unit 45 may be arranged so as to emit light toward the tip of the tool 10. In other words, even if the light guide portion 45 is arranged so as to illuminate the tip of the tool 10 (the portion that comes into contact with the member to be constructed. In the case of a driving tool as shown in FIG. 1, the portion where the injection port 20a is provided). good. At this time, the light guide portion 45 may be arranged so as to illuminate not only the tip of the tool 10 but also the surface of the member to be constructed. With this configuration, since the operator is always gazing at the tip of the tool 10, it is possible to realize a notification that is easily recognized by the operator. Further, the light guide unit 45 may be used not only for notifying information but also for irradiating the working portion at the tip of the tool 10. At this time, if the light guide portion 45 is used to illuminate the tip from a wide range, the surface of the member is less likely to be shaded, so that the work location can be easily seen.

10 Tool 11 Housing 12 Divided piece 13 Joint protrusion 13a Joint surface 13b Concave shape 13c Convex shape 14 Holding protrusion 15 Assembly groove 16 Seal holding groove 17 Through hole 20 Output part 20a Injection port 21 Grip 22 Trigger 22a Micro switch 23 Magazine 24 Motor Part 24a Motor 25 Battery mounting part 26 Battery pack 27 Control board 28 Light source 30 Light guide part 31 Incident part 31a Incident surface 32 Exit part 32a Exit surface 32b Reflection groove 33 Intermediate part 34 Straight part 35 Engagement part 36 Engagement groove 39 Seal Member 40 Eaves 41 Light guide 42 Light guide 45 Light

Claims (8)

With the housing
A light source arranged inside the housing and controlled to be lit to notify the state of the machine,
A light guide unit that guides the light of the light source and
With
The light guide portion includes an incident portion facing the light source inside the housing and a rod-shaped emitting portion extending from the incident portion.
A tool , wherein the exiting portion is exposed to the surface of the housing along the longitudinal direction of the grip so as to face the grip. The tool according to claim 1, wherein an engaging portion held by the housing is provided on the emitting portion along the longitudinal direction of the emitting portion. The tool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a reflection groove is formed inside the emitting portion. The one according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a seal member for filling a gap with the housing is attached to the light guide portion at a position penetrating the housing. tool. The housing is composed of a combination of a pair of divided pieces.
The tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the rod-shaped emitting portion is arranged along a joint surface of the pair of divided pieces. The tool according to claim 5 , wherein the pair of divided pieces has a double rib structure having two protrusions facing each other. Equipped with a battery mounting part to make the battery pack removable
A control board on which the light source is mounted is built in the battery mounting portion.
The tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the light guide portion extends from the inside of the battery mounting portion to the outside. The tool according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the light guide portion is arranged so as to face the operator holding the tool.

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