SCREWDRIVING TOOL HAVING A DRIVING TOOL WITH A REMOVABLE CONTACT TRIP ASSEMBLY

• US 20120090863A1
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Puzio, Daniel, Schell, Craig A., Kelleher, Joseph P., Eshleman, Scott, Seman, Andrew E. Jr., Hagan, Todd A., Stauffer, Joseph G., Wang, Will, Cox, John D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,875,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 173/2
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 21/002 for special purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 21/02 with means for imparting impact to screwdriver blade or nut socket
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/0007 Connections or joints between tool parts
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/0064 Means for adjusting screwing depth
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 3/00 Associations of tools for different working operations with one portable power-drive means; Adapters therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/003 Stops for limiting depth in rotary hand tools for drilling tools: B23B49/003
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/02 Construction of casings, bodies or handles B25F5/006, B25F5/008 take precedence

Abstract

A screwdriving tool that includes a driving tool (driver), a sensor, a sensor target and a contact trip assembly that is coupled to the driving tool and has a nose element. The driver has a housing, a motor and an output member that is driven by the motor. One of the nose element and the output member is axially movable and biased by a spring into an extended position. The sensor and sensor target are configured to cooperate to permit the sensor to provide a sensor signal that is indicative of movement of the one of the nose element and the output member. The motor is controllable in a first operational mode and at least one rotational direction based in part on the sensor signal.

Claims

1. A screwdriving tool comprising a driving tool, a contact trip assembly that is coupled to the driving tool, a sensor and a sensor target, the driving tool having a tool housing, a motor assembly and an output member that is driven by the motor assembly, the contact trip assembly having a nose element, one of the nose element and the output member being axially movable and biased by a spring into an extended position, one of the sensor and the sensor target being coupled to the tool housing, the other one of the sensor and the sensor target being coupled to the one of the output member and the nose element for axial movement relative to the one of the sensor and the sensor target, the sensor providing a sensor signal that is based upon a distance between the sensor and the sensor target, wherein the motor assembly is controllable in a first operational mode and at least one rotational direction based in part on the sensor signal.

2. The screwdriving tool of claim 1, wherein the sensor target comprises a magnet.

3. The screwdriving tool of claim 2, wherein the sensor toggles from a first sensor state to a second sensor state as the magnet is moved toward the sensor and the distance between the magnet and the sensor decreases to a predetermined distance.

4. The screwdriving tool of claim 1, wherein the contact trip assembly is removably coupled to the driving tool.

5. The screwdriving tool of claim 4, wherein a bayonet-type mount is employed to couple the contact trip assembly to the driving tool, the bayonet-type mount comprising a first mount structure, which is coupled to the tool housing of the driving tool, and a second mount structure that is coupled to a contact trip housing of the contact trip assembly, the first and second mount structures having lugs that are engagable to inhibit axial separation of the contact trip assembly from the driving tool.

6. The screwdriving tool of claim 5, wherein the second mount structure is rotatably coupled to the contact trip housing.

7. The screwdriving tool of claim 4, wherein one of the driving tool and the contact trip assembly includes a clip that is engagable to a circumferentially extending groove in the other one of the driving tool and the contact trip assembly.

8. The screwdriving tool of claim 7, wherein the clip is a hog ring.

9. The screwdriving tool of claim 7, wherein the clip comprises a manually actuateable button that is movable relative to the one of the driving tool and the contact trip assembly to deflect the clip outwardly of the croove to permit axial separation of the contact trip assembly from the driving tool.

10. The screwdriving tool of claim 1, wherein a relative spacing between the output member and the nose element is adjustable.

11. The screwdriving tool of claim 10, wherein the nose element is axially movable relative to a contact trip housing of the contact trip assembly.

12. The screwdriving tool of claim 11, wherein the driving tool comprises a planetary transmission between the motor assembly and the output member.

13. The screwdriving tool of claim 12, wherein the driving tool further comprises a rotary impact mechanism receiving rotary power from the transmission and configured to output rotary power to the output member.

14. The screwdriving tool of claim 1, wherein the motor assembly is a brushed DC motor and the screwdriving tool further comprises a motor direction switch and a direction sensing circuit, the motor direction switch being movable into first and second switch positions to alternate connection of the brushes of the DC motor to first and second terminals, the direction sensing circuit being configured to generate a first signal indicative the coupling of one of the brushes to the first terminal and a second signal indicative of the coupling of the one of the brushes to the second terminal, the first and second signals being generated when the brushed DC motor is operated for a time exceeding a predetermined amount of time.

15. The screwdriving tool of claim 1, wherein at least one sight window is formed through the nose element.

16. The screwdriving tool of claim 1, wherein the motor assembly is controllable in a second operational mode in which operation of the motor assembly is not dependent on the sensor signal.

17. The screwdriving tool of claim 16, wherein the driving tool comprises a motor direction switch, wherein the motor assembly is operated in a forward direction when the motor direction switch is in a first position and a reverse direction when the motor direction switch is in a second position, and wherein the second mode is automatically selected when the driving tool is operated in the reverse direction.

18. A screwdriving tool comprising a brushed DC motor, a motor direction switch and a direction sensing circuit, the motor direction switch being movable into first and second switch positions to alternate connection of the brushes of the DC motor to first and second terminals, the direction sensing circuit being configured to generate a first signal indicative the coupling of one of the brushes to the first terminal and a second signal indicative of the coupling of the one of the brushes to the second terminal, the first and second signals being generated when the brushed DC motor is operated for a time exceeding a predetermined amount of time.