Electric power tool, control unit and recording medium

• US 20090051306A1
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Makita Corporation
• Original Assignee: Makita Corporation
• Inventors: Matsunaga, Yutaka, Yamamoto, Hirokatsu, Kusakawa, Takuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,179,069 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/434
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/00 Details or components of portable power-driven tools not particularly related to the operations performed and not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/08 Arrangements for controlling the speed or torque of a single motor H02P6/10, H02P6/28 take precedence

Abstract

An electric power tool includes a direct current motor, at least one switching device, a trigger switch, a control unit, and a drive unit. The control unit sets a driving duty ratio for PWM controlling the direct current motor so as to increase the driving duty ratio in a stepwise manner in accordance with an operation continuation time of the trigger switch during a period from when an operation of the trigger switch is started until when a predetermined start-up time has elapsed.

Claims

1. An electric power tool, comprising:

a direct current motor that is rotated by electric power supplied from a direct current power source and drives a tool bit;

at least one switching device that is provided on a current path from the direct current power source to the direct current motor;

a trigger switch operated by a user;

a control unit that sets a driving duty ratio for PWM controlling the direct current motor so as to increase the driving duty ratio in a stepwise manner in accordance with an operation continuation time of the trigger switch during a period from when an operation of the trigger switch is started until when a predetermined start-up time has elapsed; and

a drive unit that turns on/off the at least one switching device in accordance with the driving duty ratio set by the control unit to thereby rotate the direct current motor.

2. The electric power tool according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the driving duty ratio in accordance with an operation amount of the trigger switch when the start-up time has elapsed since the operation of the trigger switch is started.

3. The electric power tool according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets a driving duty ratio for activating which is required to transfer the direct current motor from a stopped state to a rotating state during a period from when the operation of the trigger switch is started until when an activating time shorter than the start-up time has elapsed.

4. The electric power tool according to claim 3, wherein the control unit determines whether or not the operation amount of the trigger switch is equal to or more than a lower limit operation amount predetermined in accordance with the driving duty ratio for activating when the activating time has elapsed since the operation of the trigger switch is started, and performs an intermittent control to intermittently supply current to the direct current motor through the drive unit when the operation amount of the trigger switch is smaller than the lower limit operation amount.

5. The electric power tool according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether or not a first driving duty ratio set in accordance with an operation continuation time of the trigger switch is larger than a second driving duty ratio set in accordance with an operation amount of the trigger switch during a period from when the operation of the trigger switch is started until when the start-up time has elapsed, and outputs the second driving duty ratio when the first driving duty ratio is larger than the second driving duty ratio.

6. The electric power tool according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether or not a power source voltage of the direct current power source is lower than a predetermined lower limit voltage when the trigger switch is being operated, and detects an abnormality of the direct current motor when the power source voltage is lower than the lower limit voltage.

7. The electric power tool according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one switching device is a plurality of switching devices, the plurality of switching devices forming a bridge circuit on the current path, and

wherein the drive unit turns on/off the plurality of switching devices.

8. A control unit comprising:

an operation detecting section that detects an operation of a trigger switch operated by a user; and

a duty ratio setting section that sets a driving duty ratio for PWM controlling a direct current motor so as to increase the driving duty ratio in a stepwise manner in accordance with an operation continuation time of the trigger switch during a period from when the operation detecting section detects the operation of the trigger switch until when a predetermined start-up time has elapsed.

9. A recording medium readable by a computer, the recording medium recording a program for causing the computer to execute:

an operation detection step of detecting an operation of a trigger switch operated by a user; and

a driving duty ratio setting step of setting a driving duty ratio for PWM controlling a direct current motor so as to increase the driving duty ratio in a stepwise manner in accordance with an operation continuation time of the trigger switch during a period from when the operation of the trigger switch is detected in the operation detection step until when a predetermined start-up time has elapsed.