Power tool having a main body and a battery pack detachably attached to the main body

• US 7,567,058 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 07/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Hidenori, Sawano, Fumiaki, Atsumi, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah; Akm E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams; Arun
• Application Number:
  US11/441,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20060268504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/107, 320112-115, 310/50, 439/155, 439/287, 439/352, 439/341, 439/929, 439/500
• US Class Current: 320/114
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/02 Construction of casings, bodies or handles B25F5/006, B25F5/008 take precedence

Abstract

A power tool includes a power tool and a battery pack detachably attached to the power tool, the battery pack having two engaging portions to be mechanically coupled to the power tool and the power tool having engaged portions respectively corresponding to two engaging portions of the battery pack respectively. Each of engaging portions of the battery pack includes an insertion restricting portion and an attachment securing portion for allowing its corresponding engaged portion to be inserted only in a direction of pressing the attaching portion of the battery pack against the attached portion of the power tool, each of the attachment securing portions being coupled to its corresponding engaged portion. At least one of said at least two engaging portions further has a hook engaging portion which is selectively secured with an engaged portion moved from its corresponding insertion restricting portion to its corresponding attachment securing portion.

Claims

1. A power tool comprising:

a power tool main body having a motor, a reduction unit and an output unit; and

a battery pack accommodating therein a battery, the battery pack being detachably attached to the power tool main body,

wherein the battery pack is provided with an attaching portion having a positive and a negative terminal for connecting the battery to the power tool main body and at least two engaging portions to be mechanically coupled to the power tool main body,

wherein the power tool main body is provided with an attached portion having a protruding engaged portion and one or more L-shaped engaged portions respectively corresponding to said at least two engaging portions of the battery pack respectively,

wherein each of the engaging portions of the battery pack includes an insertion restricting portion and an attachment securing portion for allowing its corresponding engaged portion to be inserted only in a direction of pressing the attaching portion of the battery pack against the attached portion of the power tool main body, each of the attachment securing portions being coupled to its corresponding engaged portion,

wherein at least one of said at least two engaging portions further has a hook engaging portion which is selectively secured with the protruding engaged portion moved from an insertion restricting portion of said at least one engaging portion to an attachment securing portion thereof,

wherein each of the attachment securing portions is coupled to its corresponding engaged portion by shifting the battery pack toward a direction perpendicular to the direction of pressing the attaching portion against the attached portion of the power tool main body, and

wherein each of the L-shaped engaged portions has a rib extended along said direction perpendicular to the direction of pressing the attaching portion of the battery pack against the attached portion of the power tool main body.

2. The power tool of claim 1, wherein said at least two engaging portions are separately provided at both sides of the attaching portion or entirely provided at one side thereof.

3. The power tool of claim 2, wherein the hook engaging portion is provided at a leading end portion of a rotatably supported hook, and a manipulated part for releasing an engagement between the hook engaging portion and the engaged portion is provided at a central portion of the hook.

4. The power tool of claim 2, wherein, among said at least two engaging portions, a horizontal distance between an insertion restricting portion of an engaging portion and its corresponding attachment securing portion is set differently from that between an insertion restricting portion of another engaging portion and its corresponding attachment securing portion, or a height of a horizontal part of an attachment securing portion of an engaging portion is set differently from that of a horizontal part of an attachment securing portion of another engaging portion.

5. The power tool of claim 4, wherein the horizontal distance and the height are set differently depending on a type of the battery pack, which is determined by a battery voltage.

6. The power tool of claim 1, wherein the hook engaging portion is provided at a leading end portion of a rotatably supported hook, and a manipulated part for releasing an engagement between the hook engaging portion and the engaged portion is provided at a central portion of the hook.

7. The power tool of claim 1, further comprising a switch provided at the battery pack, for selectively allowing an output of the battery to be electrically connected to the positive and the negative terminal, wherein the output of the battery is electrically connected to the positive and the negative terminal when an engaged portion is engaged with its corresponding engaging portion.