Black Decker Inc.

Christopher Wade Shook

Wong Kun Ng

Steven J Phillips

Oleksiy P Sergyeyenko

Kevin Wenger

John D Cox

Fugen Qin

Keith D Flaharty

Jason K Leh

Joseph B Cooper

Barak N Gohn

Marcell E Coates

Wing Lin

David Keith Wheeler

Brian E Poole

Joshua M Sheffer

Jason D McKillican

Philip John Martinez

Daniel Puzio

Matthew J Velderman

Daniele C Brotto

Craig Alan Schell

Christopher J Murray

James B Watson

Andrew E Seman, Jr

Joseph Patrick Kelleher

Jason Carl McRoberts

Scott J Eshleman

Michael Varipatis

Kevin Stones

Madhur M Purohit

Joshua M Lewis

Marco Alessandro Mattucci

Alastair Valentine

Keith E McQuaid

Jonathan Priestley

Lyle Matson

Timothy A Smith

Marco A Mattucci

Shaun Lovelass

David Miller

Stephen J Phillips

Dale W Boswall

Jason Mcroberts

Wong Kung Ng

A drill system including a drill and a secondary computing device. The drill includes a housing, a controller, a wireless transceiver, a motor, and a chuck. The motor, the controller and the wireless transceiver are housed in the housing. The chuck is selectively driven by the motor. The secondary computing device includes a wireless transceiver which allows wireless communication between the drill and the secondary computing device. The secondary computing device further includes a user interface configured to allow an operator to change operating parameters of the drill. The operating parameters are configured to be automatically reset.

Remote programming of a power tool

A hand-held power tool is configured to receive an input indicative of a clutch setting for an electronic clutch from the tool operator, where the clutch setting is selectable from a drill mode, an automated drive mode and one or more user-defined drive modes. Each of the user-defined drive modes specifies a different value of torque at which to interrupt transmission of torque to the output spindle. In an automated drive mode, the controller interrupt torque to the output spindle in an automated manner when a fastener being driven reaches a desired stopping position. In a selected one of the user-defined drive modes, the controller sets a value of a maximum current threshold in accordance with the selected one of the user-defined drive modes and interrupts torque to the output spindle when current measures exceeding the maximum current threshold.

Power tool having multiple operating modes

A system is provided with a set of removable battery packs and a set of power tools each including a motor, a controller, and a battery receiving portion. For each power tool, the controller is configured to identify a type of battery pack coupled to the battery receiving portion and set a conduction band associated with phases of the motor or an advance angle by which phases of the motor are shifted based on the identified type of the battery pack.

Power tool receiving different capacity battery packs

An electronic module for controlling a motor includes a module housing including a bottom surface, walls, and an open face, a printed circuit board (PCB) arranged along a plane within the module housing; a plurality of power terminals; and a plurality of power switches mounted on the PCB to switchably connect a supply of electric power from a power source to the plurality of power terminals. The plurality of power terminals includes first portions projecting outside the module housing through one of the walls along a direction substantially parallel to the plane for coupling to a plurality of wires couplable to the motor, and second portions extending substantially perpendicularly to the plane and electrically contacting the PCB.

Electronic power module

A power tool system includes a power tool having a tool housing. The tool housing includes a battery pack receptacle having a set of tool terminals. A brushless motor includes an output shaft operably coupled to drive a tool element, a stator having an outer diameter of approximately 60 mm to approximately 80 mm, and a stack length of approximately 75% to approximately 125% of the outer diameter of the stator. A controller is operably connected to the set of tool terminals and to the brushless motor to control power delivery to the brushless motor. A battery pack includes a battery pack housing connectable to the battery pack receptacle on the tool housing and a set of battery cells. The set of battery cells includes at least 15 battery cells each having a nominal voltage of approximately 3.6V and an impedance of approximately ≤13 mΩ. A set of battery pack terminals is connectable to the set of tool terminals. The battery pack has a nominal voltage of at least approximately 54V and the brushless motor is operable under load to output a power of between approximately 3000 W and approximately 5000 W.

High-powered power tool system

The battery-powered backpack blower includes a back support assembly including a back plate configured to permit a user to mount the blower to the user's back, and a volute assembly including a first volute portion and a second volute portion. The backpack blower further includes a housing assembly including a battery assembly and a motor assembly therein, the housing assembly is provided intermediate to the back assembly and the volute assembly.

Battery-powered backpack blower

A system is provided with a set of removable battery packs and a set of power tools each including a motor, a controller, and a battery receiving portion. For each power tool, the controller is configured to identify a type of battery pack coupled to the battery receiving portion and limit a maximum amount of electric current drawn from the battery pack by the motor based on the identified type of the battery pack. The greater a ratio of an impedance of the motor to an impedance of the battery pack, the less the controller limits the maximum amount of electric current drawn from the battery pack such that for a given battery pack of the set of removable battery packs, the lower the impedance of the motor, the more current the motor draws from the given battery pack.

A drill system is provided. The drill system includes a drill driver and a secondary computing device. One or more descriptors for a fastening application is entered into the secondary computing device and is being received by a controller residing in the power tool. The descriptors are indicative of a fastening application to be performed by the power tool and are received via a wireless data link from the secondary computing device located remotely from the power tool. A parameter of the drill driver is changed in response to the input of the descriptor in the secondary computing device.

A method is provided for setting a fastener in a workpiece. The method includes: monitoring a parameter of the power tool during operation of the power tool, where the parameter is indicative of the placement of a fastener being driven by the power tool in relation to the workpiece; detecting, a change in the parameter, where the detected change in the parameter indicates that the power tool became disengaged with the fastener; modifying operation of the power tool in response to the detected change in the parameter; subsequently detecting a second change in the parameter; and interrupting transmission of torque to the output spindle in response the detected second change in the parameter, thereby properly setting the placement of the fastener in relation to the workpiece.

Fastener setting algorithm for drill driver

A method is provided for controlling operation of a power tool, such as a drill driver. The method begins with one or more descriptors for a fastening application being received by a controller residing in the power tool, where the descriptors are indicative of a fastening application to be performed by the power tool and are received via a wireless data link from a computing device located remotely from the power tool. The descriptors are translated into a threshold value used by a fastener setting algorithm and the threshold value is stored in a data store of the power tool. During a subsequent fastening operation performed using the tool, an operating parameter of the power tool is monitored and evaluated in accordance with the fastener setting algorithm, including the updated threshold value. Example operating parameters include current delivered to the motor and speed of the motor.

An improved technique is presented for detecting when a fastener driven by a drill driver has reaches a desired stopping position. The improved techniques generally includes: sampling periodically current delivered to the electric motor; storing a sequence of current measures most recently sampled; and determining a slope for the sequence of current measures by way of linear regression. Transmission of torque to the output spindle can be interrupted based in part on the slope of the current measures.

A method is provided for detecting an open cell tap condition in a battery pack. The method includes: applying a detection voltage across an electrical impedance that is coupled to a measurement node, where the detection voltage exceeds voltage measures at a node disposed between serially coupled battery cells of the battery pack and the measurement node is coupled by a circuit path to said node; measuring the voltage at the measurement node while the detection voltage is being applied; and detecting a break in the circuit path when the voltage measured at the measurement node is substantially equal to the detection voltage.

Systems and methods for detecting an open cell tap in a battery pack

A simplified control scheme is presented for use in a power tool. The power tool may be comprised of two or more lithium-ion battery cells connected in series and operable to drive the motor in the tool. A charging circuit is configured to receive a charging current from an AC adapter and to supply the charging current to the battery cells. A microcontroller monitors the voltage of the battery cells and terminates charging of the battery cells in accordance with the monitored voltages of the battery cells. The microcontroller does not receive power from the battery cells but is only powered by the AC adapter. Of note, each of the battery cells preferably employs an electrolyte composition comprised of a redox shuttle material. In combination with other tool components, the use of the redox shuttle material reduces or eliminates the need for expensive charge and discharge controls, thereby reducing the cost of the tool.

Charge control scheme for use in power tools

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Bel Air, MD, United States of America

Christopher Wade Shook