초록 ▼

A control system for use in conjunction with a primary power system and operable to control a pneumatically powered hand-held tool broadly comprises an air delivery assembly operable to communicate with a pressurized air source; a control assembly including an exhaust line from the primary power sys

A control system for use in conjunction with a primary power system and operable to control a pneumatically powered hand-held tool broadly comprises an air delivery assembly operable to communicate with a pressurized air source; a control assembly including an exhaust line from the primary power system and to the control assembly, a spool valve in fluid communication with the supply line and the exhaust line, and a control line in fluid communication with the spool valve and the hand-held tool; a tool assembly comprising the hand-held tool for performing delicate hand working operations; and a housing for at least partial storage of the air delivery assembly and the control assembly. The primary power system and the control system operate in conjunction with each other to both power and precisely control a pneumatically powered hand-held tool.

대표청구항 ▼

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following: 1. A control system for use in conjunction with a primary power system, the primary power system operable to power a hand-held tool, and the

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following: 1. A control system for use in conjunction with a primary power system, the primary power system operable to power a hand-held tool, and the control system operable to control the amount of power to the tool, the control system comprising: an air delivery assembly including a first supply line of pressurized air in fluid communication with the primary power system; a control assembly including— an exhaust line from the primary power system and to the control assembly, a spool valve having a spool containment body, a spool housed within the body and operable to move freely along at least a portion of a length of the body, and a compression spring housed within the body, wherein a location of the spool within the body determines formation of a control chamber, a load chamber, and a reference chamber within the body, said spool valve being in fluid communication with the first supply line and the exhaust line, and a control line in fluid communication with the spool valve and the hand-held tool, wherein the first supply line is fed to the control chamber of the spool valve, and the exhaust line is fed to the load chamber of the spool valve; and a second supply line of pressurized air in fluid communication with the primary power system and the hand-held tool. 2. The control system of claim 1, wherein pressurized air is fed through the second supply line and operates to power the hand-held tool, and pressurized air is fed through the control line and operates to control the hand-held tool. 3. The control system of claim 2, wherein the primary power system operates to exhaust pressurized air so as to power the hand-held tool, and further wherein the exhausted air is fed through the exhaust line and to the spool valve of the control system so as to assist in control of the hand-held tool. 4. The control system of claim 1, wherein pressurized air is fed through the first supply line and to the control chamber of the spool valve, and pressurized air is fed through the exhaust line and to the load chamber of the spool valve. 5. The control system of claim 4, wherein the spring of the spool valve is housed within the reference chamber, and further wherein any air fed to the reference chamber is vented to atmosphere. 6. The control system of claim 5, wherein the body further includes a metering slot in a general location of the load chamber, such that air input into the load chamber can be exhausted out of the body upon alignment of the load chamber with the metering slot. 7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the pressurized air fed to the control chamber operates to expand the volume of the control chamber, which consequently forces the spool against the spring and allows the load chamber to align with the metering slot. 8. The control system of claim 4, wherein the pressurized air in the control chamber is operable to be exhausted out of the control chamber via the control line. 9. The control system of claim 8, wherein the hand-held tool is operable to be controlled by a user by selectively expelling the pressurized air in the control chamber via a control point on the hand-held tool that is in fluid communication with the control line. 10. A system for powering and controlling a piston-actuated power tool having a piston, the system comprising: a primary power system including a first supply line in fluid communication with the tool, the primary power system operable to provide pressurized air to the tool so as to actuate the piston based upon a rate of exhausted pressurized air from the primary power system; and a control system for providing pressurized air to the tool so as to control the tool, the control system including— an exhaust line in fluid communication with the primary power system and the control system so as to supply the exhausted pressurized air from the primary power system and to the control system, a second supply line in fluid communication with a pressurized air source and the control system for supplying pressurized air to the control system, a spool valve in fluid communication with the exhaust line and the second supply line and including a metering slot, wherein the pressurized air from the pressurized air source is supplied to the spool valve via the second supply line, and wherein exhausted pressurized air from the primary power system is supplied to the spool valve via the exhaust line and exhausted out of the metering slot, and a control line in fluid communication with the second supply line and the power tool, wherein pressurized air supplied by the second supply line and to the spool valve is expelled from the spool valve via the control line by a user selectively expelling the pressurized air from the power tool, and wherein the selective expulsion of the pressurized air from the spool valve directly affects the amount of exhausted pressurized air exhausted from the metering slot of the spool valve. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the spool valve includes a spool containment body, a spool housed within the body and operable to move freely along at least a portion of a length of the body, and a compression spring housed within the body. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein a location of the spool within the body determines formation of a control chamber, a load chamber, and a reference chamber within the body. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second supply line is fed to the control chamber of the spool valve, the control line is fed from the control chamber and to the tool, and the exhaust line is fed to the load chamber of the spool valve.