Electric power tool

• US 8,981,680 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2012
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Makita Corporation
• Original Assignee: Makita Corporation
• Inventors: Suda, Hidekazu, Kusakawa, Takuya, Ota, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUNEH, ZEMENAY T
• Application Number:
  US13/624,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 318/3, 318/39, 318/161, 315/314, 173/47
• US Class Current: 318/3
• 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: B25F 5/021 with guiding devices guiding devices for hand tools on stands or supports B25H1/0078

Abstract

An electric power tool of the present invention includes: a lighting unit; a motor that drives a tool element; a setting switch that is turned ON/OFF to change an operation mode setting and a lighting mode setting; a setting switching unit that changes the operation mode setting and the lighting mode setting corresponding to a manner of operation provided to the setting switch; a motor control unit that controls the motor according to a control method for one of the operation modes currently set by the setting switching unit; and a lighting control unit that controls the lighting unit corresponding to one of the lighting modes currently set by the setting switching unit. When the setting switch is turned on, the setting switching unit changes one of the operation mode setting and the lighting mode setting corresponding to a duration time of an ON state of the setting switch.

Claims

1. An electric power tool having a plurality of operation modes, the electric power tool comprising:

a lighting unit that radiates light;

a motor that generates rotational driving force so as to drive a tool element;

a setting switch that is turned ON/OFF so as to change a setting of the operation modes and a setting of lighting modes, the lighting modes indicating whether or not the lighting unit is turned on;

a setting switching unit that changes the setting of the operation modes and the setting of the lighting modes corresponding to a manner of operation provided to the setting switch;

a motor control unit that controls the motor according to a control method for one of the operation modes currently set by the setting switching unit; and

a lighting control unit that controls whether or not the lighting unit is turned on corresponding to one of the lighting modes currently set by the setting switching unit,

wherein, when the setting switch is turned on, the setting switching unit changes either the setting of the operation modes or the setting of the lighting modes depending on a duration time of an ON state of the setting switch.

2. The electric power tool according to claim 1, wherein, when the setting switch is turned on, the setting switching unit changes the setting of the operation modes if the duration time of the ON state is shorter than a predetermined period of time, and changes the setting of the lighting modes if the duration time of the ON state is equal to or longer than the predetermined period of time.

3. The electric power tool according to claim 2, wherein, when the setting switch is turned on, the setting switching unit changes the setting of the lighting modes at an instant when the duration time of the ON state reaches the predetermined period of time.

4. The electric power tool according to claim 2, wherein the setting switching unit changes the setting of the lighting modes when the setting switch is turned on, when the duration time of the ON state reaches the predetermined period of time, and after the setting switch is turned off.

5. The electric power tool according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of the operation modes includes at least two types of rotational speed setting modes each having different rotational speed of the motor, and

wherein the motor control unit controls the motor, when the setting of the operation modes is set to one of the rotational speed setting modes, such that rotational speed of the motor corresponds to the rotational speed predetermined in the one of the rotational speed setting modes.

6. The electric power tool according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of the operation modes includes at least two types of rotational torque setting modes each having different rotational torque of the motor, and

wherein the motor control unit controls the motor, when the setting of the operation modes is set to one of the rotational torque setting modes, such that rotational torque of the motor corresponds to the rotational torque predetermined in the one of the rotational torque setting modes.

7. The electric power tool according to claim 1, further comprising:

a start-up switch operated so as to rotate the motor; and

a torque detection unit that detects rotational torque of the motor,

wherein the plurality of the operation modes includes at least;

a basic mode in which the motor is rotated while the start-up switch is on; and

a clutch mode in which, when the motor is started to rotate by the start-up switch being turned on and the rotational torque detected by the torque detection unit becomes equal to or larger than a predetermined torque threshold, the rotation of the motor is stopped even if the start-up switch is on.

8. The electric power tool according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that shows one of the plurality of the operation modes that is currently set,

wherein the setting switch and the display unit are disposed on a single surface among externally exposed surfaces of the electric power tool.

9. The electric power tool according to claim 1,

wherein, when the setting switch is turned on, the setting switching unit changes the setting of the lighting modes when the duration time of the ON state of the setting switch is shorter than a predetermined period of time, whereas the setting switching unit changes the setting of the operation modes when the duration time of the ON state is equal to or longer than the predetermined period of time.

10. The electric power tool according to claim 1,

wherein the lighting modes include at least:

a light-out mode in which the lighting unit is not turned on; and

a light-up mode in which the lighting unit is turned on, and

wherein the light-up mode includes at least two types of light-up modes in each of which an intensity of the lighting unit is different from each other.

11. The electric power tool according to claim 1, further comprising a start-up switch operated so as to rotate the motor,

wherein the setting switch is a single switch distinctive from the start-up switch.