Electric tool adaptor and electric tool system using same

• US 9,746,860 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2011
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakaue, Masaaki, Ikeda, Masaki, Kawai, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): NASH, GARY A
• Application Number:
  US13/813,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20130154584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,231 Days
• Field of Search: 318 17, 320112-115, 327564-566, 361142
• 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: G05F 1/46 wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is dc G05F1/625 takes precedence

Abstract

An electric tool adaptor is configured to be disposed between an electric tool and a battery pack and attached detachably with respect to the electric tool and the battery pack. This adaptor includes a DC-DC converter configured to increase or reduce a voltage of the battery pack to convert the voltage to a drive voltage of the electric tool and supply the drive voltage to the electric tool.

Claims

1. An electric tool system, comprising:

an electric tool comprising a handle and an attachment portion provided at a lower end of the handle;

a plug pack comprising a plug-in portion having terminals which corresponds to a plug-in portion having terminals of a battery pack; and

an electric tool adaptor comprising a tool connection portion configured to be directly detachably attached to the attachment portion of the electric tool and a battery connection portion which allows any plug-in portion of the battery pack and the plug pack to be inserted into, thereby being configured

to be disposed between the electric tool and the battery pack and detachably attached directly to the electric tool and the battery pack, and also

to be disposed between the electric tool and the plug pack and detachably attached directly to the electric tool and the plug pack, wherein

only the plug pack and not the battery pack has a plug configured to be connected to a commercial power source,

a diode bridge is further provided in the plug pack on an input side of the electric tool adaptor, and—

the electric tool adaptor comprises a DC-DC converter configured

to increase or reduce a voltage of the battery pack so as to convert into a drive voltage of the electric tool, and to supply the drive voltage to the electric tool when the electric tool adaptor is detachably attached directly to the electric tool and the battery pack, and also

to increase or reduce a voltage obtained through the diode bridge in the plug pack from the plug pack so as to convert into a drive voltage of the electric tool, and to supply the drive voltage to the electric tool when the electric tool adaptor is detachably attached directly to the electric tool and the plug pack.

2. The electric tool system according to claim 1, wherein

the drive voltage is a rated voltage of the electric tool, and

the DC-DC converter is a step-up/down converter.

3. The electric tool system according to claim 2, wherein the step-up/down converter is configured to convert the voltage of the plug pack to a plurality of levels of the rated voltage.

4. The electric tool system according to claim 3, wherein

any one of a plurality of types of battery packs which are different from each other can be attached to any one of a plurality of types of electric tools having different rated voltages.

5. The electric tool system according to claim 2, wherein

any one of a plurality of types of battery packs which are different from each other can be attached to the electric tool having a predetermined rated voltage.

6. The electric tool system according to claim 1, wherein

the electric tool and the battery pack are a first electric tool configured to use a first battery pack and a second battery pack for a second electric tool, respectively,

the first battery pack for the first electric tool is configured to generate a first electromotive force for driving the first electric tool while the second battery pack for the second electric tool is configured to generate a second electromotive force for driving the second electric tool, and

the first electromotive force and the second electromotive force correspond to a first drive voltage of the first electric tool and a second drive voltage of the second electric tool, respectively and are different from each other.

7. The electric tool system according to claim 1, wherein

the first and second electric tools comprise first and second attachment portions for providing attachment of the first and second battery packs to the first and second electric tools, respectively,

the first and second battery packs comprise first and second attached portions configured to be attached to the first and second attachment portions, respectively, and

the tool connection portion has a shape corresponding to the first attached portion while the battery connection portion has a shape corresponding to the second attachment portion.