Power tool with heat sink assembly

• US 6,552,904 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fung, George CH
• Primary Examiner(s): CHERVINSKY, BORIS LEO
• Application Number:
  US09/928,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20030030984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 361/704, 361/707, 361/709, 361/710, 361/717-720, 174/16.1, 174/16.3, 165/80.2, 165/80.3, 165/80.4, 165/185, 165/104.33, 310/50, 310/52, 310/53, 173/217
• US Class Current: 361/704
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/008 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2009/065 Battery operated hand tools in which the battery and the switch are directly connected
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/061 enclosing a continuously variable impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/52 Cooling of switch parts cooling of contacts H01H1/62

Abstract

A power tool such as a drill has an activation switch which energizes a motor which, in turn, drives an output. The switch includes a field effect transistor coupled to a heat sink to dissipate heat from the transistor. The heat sink is positioned at a free end of the handle remote from the switch.

Claims

1. A power tool, comprising:

a housing, said housing having a motor portion and a handle portion;

a motor in said housing;

an output coupled with said motor;

an activation member coupled with said motor, for energizing said motor for driving said output;

a power source coupled with the motor and said activation member;

a heat generating component coupled with said actuation member; and

a heat sink coupled with said heat generating component and said heat sink discrete from said activation member, said heat sink portion positioned on a shelf in said handle portion of said housing near a bottom of said handle portion.

2. The power tool according to claim 1, wherein said power source being a battery.

3. The power tool according to claim 1, wherein said heat sink is remotely positioned away from said activation member.

4. The power tool according to claim 1, wherein the power tool being a drill.

5. A power tool, comprising:

a housing having a motor portion and a handle portion;

a motor in said housing;

an output coupled with said motor;

an activation member in said housing, said activation member coupled with said motor for energizing said motor for driving said output;

a battery coupled with said motor and said activation member, said battery supported on said housing adjacent said handle portion;

a heat generating component coupled with said actuation member; and

a heat sink coupled with said heat generating component and said heat sink discrete from said activation member, said heat sink positioned on a shelf in said handle portion of said housing near the bottom of the housing near said battery.

6. The power tool according to claim 5, wherein said activation member being a switch.

7. The power tool according to claim 5, wherein said housing handle portion includes rails on its free end for receiving said battery.

8. The power tool according to claim 5, wherein said heat sink has an overall truncated conical tetrahedron shape.

9. The power tool according to claim 5, wherein said heat sink being positioned remote from said switch.

10. The power tool according to claim 5, wherein said handle portion of said housing includes openings for enabling cooling of said battery and said heat sink, said openings positioned adjacent said shelf.

11. The power tool according to claim 5, wherein said heat sink includes at least one large planar surface for dissipating heat.