PLUNGE ROUTER HAVING ELECTRONIC DEPTH ADJUSTMENT
First Claim
1. A router adapted to drive a router bit and control the depth of cut of the router bit relative to a work piece, said router comprising:
- a housing assembly having a drive motor and at least a pair of operating handles, the drive motor being adapted to drive a drive shaft to which the router bit is attached during operation;
a base having a generally planar outer surface and a central opening through which the router bit can extend, and at least a pair of posts that are operatively connected to said housing assembly;
a depth adjusting assembly for controlling the depth of cut of a router bit relative to the baseline position, said depth adjusting assembly including a control motor being adapted to move the router bit in the axial direction to vary the depth of cut responsive to electrical control signals being applied thereto;
means for generating position signals indicative of the axial position of the router bit;
input means responsive to operator manipulation for generating input signals for controlling the operation of the router;
processing means adapted to receive said position and input signals and generate control signals for selectively operating said control motor to control said depth adjusting assembly and for controlling the speed of operation of the drive motor and to generate information signals relating to the operation of the router, said processing means including memory means for selectively storing control and information data relating to the operation of the router; and
, display means operatively connected to said processing means and adapted to selectively provide a visual display of information relating to the operation of the router.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A plunge-type router is disclosed which has a base and a head assembly that is vertically adjustable by an adjusting mechanism. The plunge router includes an electronic control system with a digital display and control functionality that enables the router to accurately determine a baseline or zero position for a router bit installed in the router and permits the user to input a depth of cut value or other predetermined command. The control system then automatically causes the motorized adjusting mechanism to go to the appropriate position. The electronic control system enables the storage of multiple depth settings as well as multiple step or macro operations. In this regard, macros may be run to provide incremental cutting necessary for performing multiple passes to achieve a relatively deep depth of cut.
29 Citations
22 Claims
-
1. A router adapted to drive a router bit and control the depth of cut of the router bit relative to a work piece, said router comprising:
-
a housing assembly having a drive motor and at least a pair of operating handles, the drive motor being adapted to drive a drive shaft to which the router bit is attached during operation;
a base having a generally planar outer surface and a central opening through which the router bit can extend, and at least a pair of posts that are operatively connected to said housing assembly;
a depth adjusting assembly for controlling the depth of cut of a router bit relative to the baseline position, said depth adjusting assembly including a control motor being adapted to move the router bit in the axial direction to vary the depth of cut responsive to electrical control signals being applied thereto;
means for generating position signals indicative of the axial position of the router bit;
input means responsive to operator manipulation for generating input signals for controlling the operation of the router;
processing means adapted to receive said position and input signals and generate control signals for selectively operating said control motor to control said depth adjusting assembly and for controlling the speed of operation of the drive motor and to generate information signals relating to the operation of the router, said processing means including memory means for selectively storing control and information data relating to the operation of the router; and
,display means operatively connected to said processing means and adapted to selectively provide a visual display of information relating to the operation of the router. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A router as defined in claim 22 wherein said position signal generating means comprises means for detecting the surface of the work piece.
Specification