Black Decker Inc.

Schroeder, Jim D.

Paul K Trautner

James D Schroeder

Dennis A Bush

Philip T Miller

Gregg L Sheddy

Erik A Ekstrom

Jason R Melvin

Kevin S Agan

David E Scheerer

Yaping Yang

Junyi Xie

Daniel Puzio

Craig Alan Schell

Joseph Patrick Kelleher

Paul S White

William F Gallagher

Craig A Oktavec

Michael C Doyle

Earnest N Copeland, Jr

Paul J Wisniewski

Phillip T Miller

Edward J Grasso

Jim D Schroeder

Earnest Copeland

The present invention is directed toward a shield assembly for a handheld tool device such as an angle grinder. The shield assembly is selectively repositionable with respect to the cutting tool. A lock mechanism secures the shield assembly in discrete rotational positions relative to the cutting tool. The shield assembly includes a guard member and a bumper member, and an alignment feature configured to align the relative positions of guard member and the bumper member, thereby positing the members in a predetermined relative orientation. With this configuration, the shield assembly is selectively repositionable via a 'hands-free' mechanism that permits a user to adjust the position of the shield assembly by simply contacting the shield assembly against a work surface.

Shield assembly for a power tool

A drill includes a housing and a motor coupled to an output member by a transmission. The transmission can selectively couple the output member to an output spindle through a low speed output gear or a high speed output gear for rotating the output spindle at a first speed or a second speed, respectively. Alternatively or additionally, a low speed mode can be provided by actuating an electronic switch that limits the speed of the motor. A rotatably fixed hammer member and a rotatable hammer member can be mounted around the output spindle. A mode collar can be rotatably mounted on the housing and around the output member for movement to positions that correspond to various mode of operation, including a low speed mode, a high speed mode, and a hammer-drilling mode. In the hammer-drilling mode, the transmission operates in the high speed mode.

Multi-mode drill with mode collar

An angle grinder is provided including a radial fan assembly. The radial fan assembly is configured to direct exhaust radially outwardly and axially away from a user of the angle grinder. Brush card assemblies for an angle grinder are also provided. The brush card assemblies provide for the securing of brush cards to a field case of the angle grinder by the interface between the field case and brush cards. Additionally, a spindle lock mechanism and a safety mechanism for an angle grinder are provided.

Large angle grinder

The present invention is directed to an airflow generation and particle dispersion arrangement for a power tool (e.g., an angle grinder). The arrangement includes a motor, an airflow generation assembly, and a particle dispersion assembly. The airflow generation assembly includes a fan driven by the motor. When engaged, the driven fan generates an airstream that is drawn through the power tool. The particle dispersion assembly includes a passive fan that is not driven by the motor, but instead is driven by the airstream. In operation, the passive fan generates centrifugal and mechanical forces sufficient to remove particles from intake air passing through the particle dispersion assembly.

Airflow arrangement for a power tool

A drill includes a housing with a motor coupled to an output spindle via a transmission. A mode collar can be rotatably mounted on the housing for movement that corresponds to different modes of operation. The mode collar can be coupled to an electronic switch to operate a movable member thereof. The coupling can include a switch housing including a slide member, an actuation spring member and a return spring member. The mode collar can have a cam surface and a cam follower in the form of a shift pin that moves the slide member, causing actuation of the switch. The actuation spring member provides a biasing force that is sufficient to overcome a biasing force of a switch spring member to move the movable member into the actuated position. The mode collar can also enable and disable contact between a fixed hammer member and a movable hammer member mounted around the output spindle.

Multi-mode drill with an electronic switching arrangement

A multi-mode drill can include a transmission to transfer torque from an output member of a motor to an output spindle. A transmission housing encloses the transmission in an interior cavity formed by a gear case shell and a cover plate. The cover plate can be coupled to the outer shell via screws. A static shift rod can be supported at one end by the cover plate. A shift bracket can be mounted on the shift rod and biased to a mode position by a biasing member exerting a force between the shift bracket and the cover plate. A shift pin can be supported adjacent one end by the cover plate and biased to a mode position by a biasing member exerting a force between the shift pin and the cover plate. A spindle biasing member can bias the output spindle against the cover plate. The shift pin can actuate an electronic switch. A motor housing can be coupled to the transmission housing with fasteners so that the cover fasteners are not accessible.

Multi-mode drill and transmission sub-assembly including a gear case cover supporting biasing

A power tool can include a gear case, a motor having first and second sets of lead wires, a housing assembly, and a field case. The field case may include a front portion configured for engaging the gear case and a rear portion. The housing assembly may include first and second generally symmetrical housing segments configured for engaging the field case and forming a mid-handle grip. The first set of lead wires may be routed through the front portion of the field case directly to a trigger switch assembly. A method for assembling a mid-handle power tool is also provided and may include routing lead wires through a ventilation path between the field case and trigger assembly.

Mid-handle drill construction and assembly process

A multi-speed drill includes a housing with a motor including an output member. A constant mesh parallel axis transmission can be disposed in the housing and can include a high speed and low speed gears. A clutch member can be associated with the low speed gear. A conical spring can bias the low speed gear and the clutch member together for torque transfer up to a predetermined torque level. Above the predetermined level, cam surfaces between the low speed gear and the clutch member move them apart, thereby limiting torque transfer to the output spindle. In the high speed mode the torque transfer between the input pinion and the output spindle bypasses the clutch member. The maximum torque level capable of being generated at the output spindle in the high speed mode can be less than the predetermined torque level.

Multi-speed drill and transmission with low gear only clutch

A drill housing supports an output spindle comprising a material that is relatively soft. The non-rotating hammer member can be mounted around the output spindle, adjacent its forward end, and adjacent the relatively soft material of the drill housing. The non-rotating hammer member can include support slots located along its edge. Support rods that are made of a relatively hard material can extend through the support slots to support the non-rotating hammer member. A plurality of recesses can be provided in the relatively soft material of the drill housing to support the non-rotating hammer member. A hammer mode shift mechanism can be configured to move the non-rotating hammer member along the support rods between a first position corresponding to a non-hammer mode and a second position corresponding to a hammer mode. The relatively hard support rods support the non-rotating hammer member to thereby resist damage to the relatively soft material of the housing member.

Hammer drill with hard hammer support structure

A shift bracket can be mounted on a shift rod for movement between a first, high-speed drilling mode and a second, low-speed drilling mode. Cooperating shift lock surfaces can be associated with the shift bracket and the shift rod, respectively. For example, a groove in the can create a shift lock surface on the shift rod. The shift bracket can be moved into a locked configuration where the cooperating shift lock surfaces can engage each other preventing movement of the bracket out of the high-speed drilling mode. The hammer mode can correspond to the high-speed drilling mode, but not to the low-speed drilling mode. A spring member can bias the bracket toward the locked position. An actuation member can be coupled to the shift bracket to overcome the biasing member and to rotate or perpendicularly move the bracket into an unlocked position. The actuation member can also move the shift member from the first mode to the second mode.

Growing community of inventors

York, PA, United States of America

Paul K Trautner