Method of and apparatus for preventing accidents during working with hand-held tools with a rotatable working tool

• US 6,111,515 A
• Filed: 12/01/1999
• Issued: 08/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft (Hilti Martin Family Trust)
• Original Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft (Hilti Martin Family Trust)
• Inventors: Hellmann, Peter, Schaer, Roland, Mayr, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US09/452,302
• Time in Patent Office: 272 Days
• Field of Search: 340/680, 340/683, 340/679, 340/686.1, 340/689, 340/665, 340/686.5, 408/6, 173/12, 360/60
• US Class Current: 340/680
• CPC Class Codes: B25D 2211/003 Crossed drill and motor spindles
• CPC Class Codes: B25D 2250/221 Sensors
• 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: Y10T 408/14 Responsive to condition of Tool or tool-drive

Abstract

A method of and an apparatus for preventing accidents caused by blockage of a rotatable tool when working with a hand-held tool including the rotatable tool (8), a drive motor (7) for driving the rotatable tool (8), and means (5, 6) for interrupting transmission of a drive torque from the drive motor (7) to the rotatable tool (8) dependent on an operational condition of the hand-held tool, with the method including determining the operational condition of the hand-held tool by measuring displacement of the hand-held tool in space in at least two points of the hand-held tool spatially spaced from each other and spaced from a tool axis; subtracting two obtained displacement measurement variable (a₁, a₂) from each other; and thereafter, calculating an actuation signal that actuates the interrupting means (5, 6); and with the apparatus including sensors and an evaluation circuit for implementing the method.

Claims

1. A method of preventing accidents caused by blockage of a rotatable tool when working with a hand-held tool including the rotatable tool (8), a drive motor (7) for driving the rotatable tool (8), and means (5, 6) for interrupting transmission of a drive torque from the drive motor (7) to the rotatable tool (8) dependent on an operational condition of the hand-held tool, the method comprising the steps of determining the operational condition of the hand-held tool by measuring displacement of the hand-held tool in space in at least two points of the hand-held tool spatially spaced from each other and spaced from a tool axis;

subtracting two obtained displacement measurement variables (a₁, a₂) from each other, and thereafter, calculating an actuation signal that actuates the interrupting means (5,

     6).

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least two points, in which the displacement of the hand-held tool in space is measured, are spaced from the tool axis at different distances.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the operational condition determining step comprises measuring acceleration of the hand-held tool in space in the at least two points, so that the two displacement measurement variables (a₁, a₂) represent acceleration measurement variables.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3, comprising the steps of calculating in advance, after subtraction of the two acceleration measurement variables, based on a rotational acceleration variable obtained as a result of the subtraction, and on a predetermined time constant, an expected twist angle (φ

) of the hand-held tool; and

actuating the interrupting means as soon as the calculated to-be-expected twist angle exceeds a predetermined maximum allowable twist angle.

5. An apparatus for preventing accidents caused by blockage of a rotatable tool when working with a hand-held tool including the rotatable tool (8), a drive motor (7) for driving the rotatable tool (8), and means (5, 6) for interrupting transmission of a drive torque from the drive motor (7) to the rotatable tool (8) dependent on an operational condition of the hand-held tool, the apparatus comprising at least two sensors located in a hand-tool housing and which are spatially spaced from each other and from a tool axis for measuring displacement of the hand-held tool in space in two points at which the sensors are located;

and an electronic evaluation device (3) for processing displacement measurement variables (a₁, a₂) generated by the least two sensors and including a subtraction stage for subtracting the generated displacement measurement variables (a₁, a₂) from each other before calculating an actuation signal for actuating the interrupting means.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the at least two sensors are acceleration measuring sensors (1a, 1b) so that the generated displacement measurement variables (a₁, a₂) represent acceleration measurement variables.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the acceleration measuring sensors are formed as linear acceleration sensors.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein at least one of the acceleration sensors generates, during a normal operational condition of the hand-held tool, a maximum output signal characterizing acceleration in a respective point of the hand-held tool.