Electrical arrangement in power tools--power tool with slide switch

• US 5,544,274 A
• Filed: 11/25/1994
• Issued: 08/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walker, Andrew, Swaddle, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin, David S.
• Application Number:
  US08/345,976
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 388/825, 388/833, 388/838, 388/937, 310/139, 310/343, 310/553.4, 15/DIG. 1, 15/300.1, 15/347, 15/410, 15/412, 200/1 R, 200/61.5, 200/812, 200/61.62, 200/61.71, 200/61.72, 200/237, 200/238, 200/241, 200/243, 200/247, 200/252, 200/254
• US Class Current: 388/838
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/24 Hand-supported suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2889 Safety or protection devices or systems, e.g. for prevention of motor over-heating or for protection of the user
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 15/04 Stationary parts; Contacts mounted thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 15/06 Movable parts; Contacts mounted thereon
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 388/937 Hand tool

Abstract

A power tool such as a hand held vacuum cleaner, has a housing and nozzle. The housing mounts a motor and switch carrier. A battery pack powers the motor. The electrical arrangements comprise conductors punched from a single strip and fixed in guides formed on the carrier. Terminals of the motor and battery are pressed through slits in some conductors. The conductors pass into tracks formed on a tray of the switch. A mask is positioned on the tray to expose the conductors in discrete switch positions of slide connectors mounted in a switch slide slidably mounted on the tray. A mask (78) is positioned on the tray to expose the conductors in discrete switch positions (A, B, C) of slide connectors (68) mounted in a switch slide (64) slidably mounted on the tray.

Claims

1. A power tool comprising:

a housing;

a power source in the housing;

a motor and switch carrier member of insulating material disposed in the housing and having apertures therein and guides formed in side-by-side relation on one side of said carrier;

a motor mounted on the other side of said carrier, the motor having electrical terminals which protrude through said apertures to said one said;

a switch mounted on said carrier, said switch comprising a tray integral with said carrier and disposed substantially normally thereto, said tray including a plurality of axially extending tracks; and

first, second and roller conductors which are punched from a strip of electrically conductive material and which lie in said guides in substantially the same disposition as they lay in said strip before punching,

said motor terminals being connected to said first and second conductors, and said first conductor leading to said switch, said second conductor leading to said power source, and said third conductor connecting said switch and said power source, said first and third conductors lying in said tracks of said tray.

2. The power tool of claim 1 wherein said first and second conductors are slit and through which slits said terminals of the motor are pressed to complete the connections therebetween.

3. The power tool of claim 2 wherein the switch includes tracks on said carrier and said first and third conductors pass into said tracks and form terminals of the switch, and wherein a slide connector is disposed in the switch, which connector makes and breaks electrical connection between said first and third conductors.

4. The power tool of claim 3 further comprising a switch slide of insulating material wherein said carrier has means for slidably mounting said switch slide, and wherein said slide connector is fixed in said switch slide, said switch slide being slidable along a line generally perpendicular with the line of said first and third conductors.

5. The power tool of claim 1 wherein said power source is a pack of rechargeable batteries and in which said motor is a dc motor.

6. The power tool of claim 5 wherein a fourth conductor is provided in a further guide in the carrier and which is punched from the same strip, which conductor is disposed between the switch and an aperture in the housing for receiving terminals of a battery charger, said second conductor having a branch to said aperture, and said slide connector in a first position thereof electrically bridging said third and fourth conductors and isolating said first conductor and in a second position thereof electrically bridging said first and third conductors and isolating said fourth conductor.

7. The power tool of claim 6 wherein said second conductor leads to an end of the stack of batteries forming said pack while said third conductor leads to an intermediate point in said stack, a fifth conductor being provided in a yet further guide in the carrier and being punched from the same strip, which fifth conductor is disposed between said switch and the other end of said battery stack, the switch having a third position in which said first and fifth conductors are electrically bridged.

8. The power tool of claim 7 incorporating an auxiliary device powered by said power source and having first and second terminals, wherein there is provided a sixth conductor disposed in a still further guide in the carrier and being punched from the same strip, which conductor is disposed between said switch and said first terminal, said second terminal thereof leading to said second conductor, the switch having a fourth position in which said sixth and third conductors are electrically bridged to power said auxiliary device.

9. The power tool of claim 8 wherein said switch comprises six tracks, the second track receiving said fourth conductor, the third track receiving said third conductor and the fourth track receiving said first conductor, said slide connector bridging three tracks, a mask being laid over the tracks and exposing or masking the conductors so that in a first position of the slide connector said third and fourth conductors are electrically bridged, while in said second position said first and third conductors are electrically bridged, and wherein said sixth conductor is laid in the first track, said slide connector in said second and/or third positions electrically bridging said sixth and third conductors.

10. The power tool of claim 9 wherein two separate and electrically isolated slide connectors are mounted in said switch slide, the first slide connector bridging the first, second and third tracks and the second at least the fourth and fifth tracks, the first conductor extending into said fifth track and said third conductor extending into said fourth track, both of them in the second and/or third positions of the switch, whereby in said second and/or third positions of the switch, said first and third conductors are electrically bridged by the second slide connector.

11. The power tool of claim 6 wherein said second and third conductors lead to opposite ends of the stack of batteries forming said pack, a fifth conductor being provided in a yet further guide in the carrier and being punched from the same strip, which fifth conductor is disposed between said switch and an intermediate point in said battery stack, the switch in said second position thereof electrically bridging said first and fifth conductors while in a third position thereof electrically bridging said first and third conductors.

12. The power tool of claim 11 incorporating an auxiliary device powered by said power source and having first and second terminals, wherein there is provided a sixth conductor disposed in a still further guide in the carrier and being punched from the same strip, which conductor is disposed between said switch and said first terminal, said second terminal thereof leading to said second conductor, the switch in said third position electrically bridging said sixth and third conductors to power said auxiliary device, and wherein said power tool is a hand held vacuum cleaner and said auxiliary device is an electrically powered, motor driven brush mounted on the end of a nozzle of the vacuum cleaner.

13. The power tool of claim 11 wherein said switch comprises six tracks, the second track receiving said fourth conductor, the third track receiving said third conductor and the fourth track receiving said first conductor, said slide connector bridging three tracks, a mask being laid over the tracks and exposing or masking the conductors so that in a first position of the slide connector said third and fourth conductors are electrically bridged while in said second position said first and third conductors are electrically bridged.

14. The power tool of claim 13 in which said fifth conductor is laid in the sixth track, said slide connector in said second position bridging said first and fifth conductors and in said third position bridging the first and third conductors.

15. The power tool of claim 14 wherein two separate and electrically isolated slide connectors are mounted in said switch slide, the first slide connector bridging the first, second and third tracks and the second at least the fourth and fifth tracks, the first conductor extending into said fifth track and said third conductor extending into said fourth track, both of them in the second and/or third positions of the switch, whereby in said second and/or third positions of the switch, said first and third conductors are electrically bridged by the second slide connector, and wherein said sixth conductor lies in said first track, said fourth conductor lies in said second track, said third conductor lies in said third track, and extends into the fourth track in the third position of the switch, said first conductor lies, in at least the second switch position, in the fourth track, and at least in the second and third switch positions, in the fifth track, and said fifth conductor lies in the sixth track, the six tracks lying side by side in their numbered order and two separate and electrically isolated slide connectors being mounted in said switch slide, the first connector bridging the third and fourth conductors in the first switch position, and the third and sixth conductors in the third, and optionally second, switch positions, and the second connector bridging the first and fifth conductors in the second position and the first and third conductors in the third position.

16. The power tool of claim 14 wherein two separate and electrically isolated slide connectors are mounted in said switch slide, the first slide connector bridging at least the second and third tracks and the second slide connector bridging the fourth, fifth and sixth tracks, the first slide connector bridging the third and fourth conductors in said first position of the switch and being isolated in other positions, while the second slide connector in said first position is isolated, in said second position bridges said fifth and first conductors and in said third position bridges said third and first conductors which, in this position of the switch, extend into the fourth and fifth tracks of the switch respectively.

17. The power tool of claim 1 which is a hand held vacuum cleaner wherein the housing has a handle and mounts a nozzle having an opening at one end in communication via a filter with a fan impellor driven by the motor, the nozzle including collecting means to receive and retain dust debris or liquid drawn through the nozzle position.