Percussion blow added manually operable drilling tool

• US 6,044,918 A
• Filed: 09/20/1996
• Issued: 04/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft (Hilti Martin Family Trust)
• Original Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft (Hilti Martin Family Trust)
• Inventors: Noser, Otto, Bourgund, Ulrich, Miescher, Stefan, Schad, Hanspeter, Hoop, Alexander, Schweizer, Edwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Calve, James P.
• Application Number:
  US08/716,925
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 173/2, 173/7, 173/8, 173/176, 173/180, 173/181, 173/182, 173/179, 173/201, 173/217, 173/200, 173/178, 173/1, 408/12, 408/9, 73/862.29, 73/862.31
• US Class Current: 173/176
• CPC Class Codes: B25D 16/00 Portable percussive machines with superimposed rotation , the rotational movement of the output shaft of a motor being modified to generate axial impacts on the tool bit combined percussion and rotary drilling adapted for earth drilling E21B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25D 2211/068 Crank-actuated impulse-driving mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B25D 2216/0023 Tools having a percussion-and-rotation mode
• CPC Class Codes: B25D 2250/205 for torque
• CPC Class Codes: B25D 2250/221 Sensors

Abstract

A percussion blow added manually operable drilling tool, such as a hammerdrill, has a housing (2) containing an electric motor for rotating a tool bit chuck (9) about its axis, a control device (C) for controlling the rpm of the chuck (9) operated by the electric motor (3) which is activated by a switch (5) located on the exterior of the housing (2), and a percussion blow mechanism for periodically applying axially directed blows to a bit (10) secured in the chuck (9). The electric motor (3) is coupled to a device (12) for measuring the reaction torque. The control device (C) is connected to an evaluation unit (E) which is connected to the device (12) for measuring the reaction torque so that the rpm of the chuck can be regulated from maintaining the measured reaction torque at a maximum.

Claims

1. A percussion blow added manually operable drilling tool, comprising a housing (2), a drill bit chuck (9) having an axis of rotation and mounted on said housing (2), an electric motor (3) within said housing for rotating said chuck (9) about said axis of rotation, means for measuring rpms of said chuck, a suspension (13, 14) connecting said electric motor (3) to said housing, a percussion blow mechanism (5) for applying percussion blows periodically at selected translation angles to a bit secured in said chuck, means located within said housing for detecting and measuring reaction torque values between said electric motor and said housing based on a range of rpms in accordance with a selected translation angle and for evaluating the measured reaction torque values and comparing the measured reaction torque values to measured rpms of said range of rpms of said chuck for identifying the measured rpm corresponding to a detected highest measured reaction torque value for regulating and maintaining the chuck rpm at the rpm corresponding to the detected highest measured reaction torque so that during drilling tool operation the reaction torque value measured at said electric motor corresponds to the detected highest measured reaction torque value, said means for detecting and measuring reaction torque values comprising a control device (C) located within said housing for controlling measured rpms of said chuck, a switch (S) located on said housing for operating said electric motor and activating said control device, a measuring device (12) positioned in said suspension (13, 14) between said housing and said electric motor for measuring reaction torques of said electric motor, said control device (C) being connected to an evaluation unit (E) and the evaluation unit being connected to said measuring device (12) for regulating the rpm of said chuck, and a memory unit for storing ranges of rpm values corresponding to each of the selected translation angles, wherein the control device consecutively retrieves said ranges of rpm values from the memory unit, controls the rotation of the chuck so that a reaction torque value is measured for each rpm value within the range, stores the measured values in the memory unit, and compares the measured reaction torque values within the range of rpm values and among the rpm ranges to determine the rpm with the highest measured reaction torque value, whereby the reaction torque measured by said measuring device at said electric motor (3) during operation of said tool is thereafter maintained by said control device at said highest measured reaction torque value.

2. A drilling tool, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said measuring device (12) comprises one of wire strain gages and load cells positioned at a suspension (13), (14), of said electric motor (3) within said housing (2).

3. A drilling tool, as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein said evaluation unit (E) is connected to said memory unit (M) within said housing (2) in which different rpm ranges correspond to the selected translation angle are stored, said control device is arranged so that according to the evaluation unit (E) the rpm ranges are automatically adjusted in accordance with increasing rpms, wherein for each adjusted rpm the corresponding reaction torque value is determined and stored in said memory unit (M) and subsequently regulation proceeds towards an rpm of said chuck (9) corresponding to the highest value of the measured reaction torque.

4. A drilling tool, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the rpm ranges stored in said memory unit (M) correspond to the selected translation angles of 37°

to 39°

, 46°

to 50°

, 61°

to 65°

, and 91°

to 98°

.

5. A drilling tool, as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein said evaluation unit (E) is connected to a memory unit (M) within said housing (2) in which different ideal rpms are stored, and the ideal rpms are automatically adjusted and the rpm of the chuck (9) can be varied respectively within a range of ±

10% by the control device (C) in accordance with the evaluation unit (E), whereby associated reaction torque values measured and stored in the memory unit (M), and subsequently the rpm of the chuck (9) can be regulated to the rpm at which the highest reaction torque value was observed.

6. A drilling tool, as set forth in claim 5, wherein the ideal rpms correspond to the selected translation angles of 38°

, 48°

, 63°

, and 95°

with a tolerance of ±

1°

.

7. A drilling tool, as set forth in claim 6, wherein said evaluation unit (E) includes a microprocessor (P) for periodically monitoring the adjustment of the rpm of said chuck (9) in accordance with the measured reaction torques values and, if necessary, causes a correcting regulation.