Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation

Maxwell L Merget

Troy Charles Thorson

Douglas R Fieldbinder

Jonathan E Abbott

Jacob Paul Schneider

Timothy Ryan Obermann

Benjamin R Suhr

Richard A Ryer

Michael R Sande

Nicholas C Mantych

Jessie L Bernitt

Gareth J Mueckl

Jeffrey M Wackwitz

John Stanley Dey, Iv

Alex Huber

Ian A Duncan

Nathan Bandy

Michael Halverson

Carter H Ypma

Jingyuan Liang

Tyler L Graham

Adam A Ostrowski

Justin A Evankovich

Caleb Nathaniel Hille

Lucas A Rutowski

GuoPeng Chen

Manyi Zhou

Zhiyong Zhou

Haineng Ye

Shane Mccue

Xiaobing Guo

John S Dey

A trigger assembly for a power tool includes a housing, a moveable plunger extending from a surface of the housing, the movable plunger includes a first end disposed externally from the housing and a second end disposed internally within the housing. The trigger assembly further includes a trigger shoe coupled to the first end of the moveable plunger, and an arm including a first side that is moveably connected to the second end of the moveably plunger and a second side that is coupled to a magnet. The trigger assembly also includes a sensor configured to sense a magnetic field of the magnet. Movement of the trigger shoe rotates the magnet, and alters the magnetic field sensed by the sensor.

Contactless trigger with rotational magnetic sensor for a power tool

Systems and methods for detecting and acting on bind-up conditions of a power tool. The power tool includes a housing, a motor, a battery pack, and a motion sensor configured to sense rotational motion of the housing. An electronic controller is connected to the motor, the battery pack, and the motion sensor. The electronic controller is configured to determine whether a battery fetting event is occurring and adjust a rotational motion threshold used to determine a bind-up event based on the battery fetting event. The electronic controller is further configured to receive, from the motion sensor, a first signal associated with a rotational motion of the housing, compare a value based on the signal to the rotational motion threshold, and initiate, in response to the value being greater than or equal to the rotational motion threshold, a protective operation.

Anti bind-up control for power tools

A power tool including a housing, a brushless direct current (DC) motor, an impact mechanism including a hammer and an anvil, an output drive device, a position sensor, and a controller. The position sensor is adjacent to a relief feature, which may be a recessed relief feature or a raised relief feature, and is configured to generate an output signal indicative of a position of the anvil. The controller is configured to calculate a drive angle based on the determined position of the anvil, and control the brushless DC motor based on the drive angle of the anvil.

Systems and methods for detecting anvil position using a relief feature

A power tool including a housing, a brushless direct current (DC) motor, an impact mechanism including a hammer and an anvil, an output drive device, a position sensor, and a controller. The power tool also includes a target positioned on a shaft, a magnetic shield positioned on the shaft between the target and the anvil, and a position sensor. The position sensor includes an inductive sensor, a first transmitting circuit trace, and a first receiving circuit trace. The controller is configured to calculate a drive angle based on the determined position of the anvil, and control the brushless DC motor based on the drive angle of the anvil.

Systems and methods for detecting anvil position using an inductive sensor

A rotary power tool includes a housing having a motor housing portion and a handle portion extending therefrom. An electric motor is positioned within the motor housing portion. The rotary power tool further includes a trigger switch configured to activate and deactivate the motor. The rotary power tool further includes a non-contact speed selector switch that is separate from the trigger switch and configured to adjust a rotational speed of the motor. The non-contact speed selector switch is positioned in a foot of the handle portion opposite the motor housing portion.

Non-contact speed selector switch in rotary power tool

Kickback control methods for power tools. One power tool includes a movement sensor configured to measure an angular velocity of the housing of the power tool about the rotational axis. The power tool includes an electronic processor coupled to the switching network and the movement sensor and configured to implement kickback control of the power tool. To implement the kickback control, the electronic processor is configured to control the switching network to drive the brushless DC motor, receive measurements of the angular velocity of the housing of the power tool from the movement sensor, determine that a plurality of the measurements of the angular velocity of the housing of the power tool exceed a rotation speed threshold, and control the switching network to cease driving of the brushless DC motor in response to determining that the plurality of the measurements of the angular velocity exceed the rotation speed threshold.

Kickback control methods for power tools

A power tool including a housing, a motor having a rotor and a stator, at least one grip sensor configured to generate a grip parameter, and a switching network electrically coupled to the brushless DC motor. An electronic processor is connected to the switching network and the at least one grip sensor and configured to implement kickback control of the power tool. The electronic processor is configured to determine a kickback threshold based on the grip parameter, control the switching network to drive the motor, receive a signal related to a power tool characteristic, determine, based on the power tool characteristic being greater than or equal to the kickback threshold, that a kickback event of the power tool is occurring, and control, in response to determining that the kickback event is occurring, the switching network to cease driving of the motor.

Kickback control methods for a power tool including a force sensor

A rotary power tool including a gear case, an output shaft extending from the gear case, and a drive mechanism configured to provide torque to the output shaft, causing the output shaft to rotate. The rotary power tool further includes a clutch mechanism between the output shaft and the drive mechanism. The clutch mechanism includes a compression spring and is configured to limit the amount of torque provided by the output shaft. The rotary power tool further includes a sensor positioned on a neck portion of the gear case subject to strain imparted by the compression spring, and an electronic control unit configured to receive an output signal from the strain gauge and determine a torque setting of the clutch mechanism based on the output signal.

Powered screwdriver including clutch setting sensor

A power tool that includes a motor and a printed circuit board ('PCB'). The motor includes a rotor and a stator. The stator includes a plurality of stator terminals. The PCB is electrically connected to the stator. The PCB includes a switch and an embedded busbar. A first end of the embedded busbar is electrically connected to the switch. The embedded busbar extends away from the PCB. A second end of the embedded busbar electrically connects to a stator terminal of the plurality of stator terminals for providing power to the motor using the switch. The embedded bus bar is embedded between two layers of the printed circuit board.

Power tool printed circuit board including embedded busbars

A rotary power tool includes a housing having a motor housing portion and a handle portion extending therefrom. An electric motor is positioned within the motor housing portion. The rotary power tool further includes a trigger switch configured to activate and deactivate the motor. The rotary power tool further includes a non-contact speed selector switch positioned in the housing. The non-contact speed selector switch is configured to adjust a rotational speed of the motor. The non-contact speed selector switch is separate from the trigger switch.

Kickback control methods for power tools. One power tool includes a movement sensor configured to measure an angular velocity of the housing of the power tool, and an orientation sensor configured to measure an orientation of the housing. The power tool includes an electronic processor coupled to a switching network and a trigger. To implement the kickback control, the electronic processor is configured to receive measurements of the angular velocity of the housing, receive measurements of the orientation of the housing, determine a binding condition of the power tool based on the measurements of the angular velocity and the measurements of orientation, and control the switching network to cease driving of the brushless DC motor.

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Fayetteville, AR, United States of America

Maxwell L Merget