IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0913144
(2010-10-27)
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등록번호 |
US-8286722
(2012-10-16)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Leimbach, Richard L.
- Adams, Shane
- Clark, Thomas W.
- Petrocelli, Michael V.
- Petrocelli, legal representative, Teresa A.
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
1 인용 특허 :
8 |
초록
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A portable linear fastener driving tool is provided that drive staples, nails, or other linearly driven fasteners. The tool uses a gas spring principle, in which a cylinder filled with compressed gas is used to quickly force a piston through a driving stroke movement, while a driver also drives a fa
A portable linear fastener driving tool is provided that drive staples, nails, or other linearly driven fasteners. The tool uses a gas spring principle, in which a cylinder filled with compressed gas is used to quickly force a piston through a driving stroke movement, while a driver also drives a fastener into a workpiece. The piston/driver is then moved back to its starting position by use of a rotary-to-linear lifter, and the piston again compresses the gas above the piston, thereby preparing the tool for another driving stroke. The driver has protrusions along its edges that contact the lifter, which lifts the driver during a return stroke. A pivotable latch is controlled to move into either an interfering position or a non-interfering position with respect to the driver protrusions, and acts as a safety device, by preventing the driver from making a full driving stroke at an improper time.
대표청구항
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1. A fastener driving tool, comprising: (a) a housing that contains a prime mover, and a system controller;(b) a fastener driving mechanism that includes: (i) a hollow cylinder having a movable piston therewithin, said hollow cylinder having a first end and a second, opposite end, said hollow cylind
1. A fastener driving tool, comprising: (a) a housing that contains a prime mover, and a system controller;(b) a fastener driving mechanism that includes: (i) a hollow cylinder having a movable piston therewithin, said hollow cylinder having a first end and a second, opposite end, said hollow cylinder containing a displacement volume created by a stroke of said piston, said displacement volume being initially charged with a pressurized gas;(ii) a guide body that is substantially adjacent to the second end of said cylinder, said guide body having a receiving end, an exit end, and a passageway therebetween, said receiving end being proximal to said second end of the cylinder, said guide body being configured to receive a fastener that is to be driven from said exit end;(iii) an elongated driver member that is in mechanical communication with said piston, said driver member having a driving surface that is sized and shaped to push a fastener into an external workpiece, wherein said passageway of the guide body allows said driver member to pass therethrough toward said exit end during a driving stroke, and allows said driver member to pass therethrough away from said exit end during a lifting interval; (A) said driver member having a first longitudinal edge;(B) said driver member having a first plurality of spaced-apart protrusions along said first longitudinal edge; and(iv) a lifter member that exhibits an outer shape that defines a perimeter of said lifter member's surface: (A) said lifter member being movable, under command of said system controller, by said prime mover;(B) said lifter member having a discontinuous contact surface that, at predetermined locations along said discontinuous contact surface, makes contact with said first plurality of spaced-apart protrusions of said driver member such that, under first predetermined conditions, said lifter member is moved in a first direction and thereby causes said driver member to be moved from its driven position toward its ready position; and(C) said lifter member being positionable by said prime mover, under second predetermined conditions, such that said discontinuous contact surface of the lifter member does not mechanically interfere with said first plurality of spaced-apart protrusions along said first longitudinal edge of the driver member during said driving stroke, in which said driver member moves from its ready position toward its driven position;(c) a safety contact element that extends to said exit end of the guide body, and which is movable between an actuated position when said safety contact element is pressed against said external workpiece, and a non-actuated position when said safety contact element is not pressed against said external workpiece;(d) a trigger actuator that is user-actuated;(e) a trigger position sensor; and(f) a safety contact element position sensor;wherein said cylinder and piston act as a gas spring, under said second predetermined conditions, to move said driver member from its ready position toward its driven position, using said pressurized gas acting on said piston, while said driver member's driving surface contacts a fastener and moves the fastener toward said exit end of said guide body. 2. The fastener driving tool as recited in claim 1, further comprising a user-actuated selector switch as an input to said system controller, which controller then operates to drive said fastener in either one of a “bottom firing mode” and a “restrictive firing mode”; wherein:(a) if said restrictive firing mode is selected, said tool will operate if said safety contact element position sensor determines that said safety contact element has been actuated before said trigger position sensor determines that said trigger actuator has been operated; and(b) if said bottom firing mode is selected, said tool will operate if both: (i) said trigger position sensor determines that said trigger actuator has been operated, and(ii) said safety contact position sensor determines that said safety contact element element has been actuated,in either sequence. 3. The fastener driving tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said system controller includes error correction capability. 4. The fastener driving tool as recited in claim 3, wherein said system controller is capable of recovering from a jam condition of the driver member, without having to completely disable said fastener driving tool. 5. The fastener driving tool as recited in claim 1, further comprising a lifter member position sensor that determines if said lifter member has substantially completed a rotation to a predetermined position, and if so, said controller halts said prime mover which stops the rotation of said lifter member. 6. The fastener driving tool as recited in claim 5, wherein said trigger position sensor, said safety contact element position sensor, and said lifter member position sensor comprise at least one of: an electromechanical limit switch,a magnet sensing proximity switch,a magnet position moving sensor,a metal sensing proximity switch,an optical position sensor, andan inductive sensing switch. 7. The fastener driving tool as recited in claim 1, further comprising: (a) a latch actuator that is energized when desired under the control of said system controller;(b) a pivotable latch member that has a catching surface and a sliding surface, said latch member being spring-loaded; and(c) a second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions along a second longitudinal edge of said driver member;wherein:(d) under third predetermined conditions, said latch member is forced by said latch actuator into a non-catching position such that its catching surface does not interfere with said second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions along said second longitudinal edge of said driver member, thereby allowing said driver member to move in a first direction from its ready position to its driven position;(e) under fourth predetermined conditions, during which said driver member is being moved in a second direction from its driven position to its ready position, said latch actuator releases said latch member so that the latch member is not forced into a non-catching position, said latch member is pivotally directed, under spring-loading, toward a catching position, however, said sliding surface of the latch member allows said second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions of the driver member to slide along the latch member without being stopped so long as the driver member remains moving in the second direction; and(f) under fifth predetermined conditions, if said driver member moves in said first direction, and said latch actuator is not forcing said latch member into said non-catching position, then said latch member is free to engage its catching surface against one of said second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions along said second longitudinal edge of said driver member, thereby preventing said driver member from further movement in said first direction. 8. The fastener driving tool as recited in claim 7, wherein: if said latch member prevents said driver member from further movement in said first direction under said fifth predetermined conditions, said system controller determines that the driver member is in a jam condition, and will not allow said lifter member to move said driver member further in the second direction until said tool has been reset, to allow a user to clear the jam condition. 9. The driving mechanism as recited in claim 1, further comprising a fastener magazine for holding a plurality of fasteners, and for serially supplying said plurality of fasteners through an opening of the guide body to a position that is coincident with the path of said driver member during said driving stroke. 10. The driving mechanism as recited in claim 1, further comprising a drive shaft that rotates said lifter member, under first predetermined conditions, wherein said drive shaft is in mechanical communication with said lifter member, and said drive shaft is ultimately driven by said prime mover. 11. The driving mechanism as recited in claim 1, further comprising a main storage chamber that is in fluidic communication with said displacement volume of the cylinder, wherein said main storage chamber and said displacement volume are both initially charged with said pressurized gas. 12. The driving mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein said discontinuous contact surface of the lifter member comprises a plurality of extensions that protrude from said surface. 13. The driving mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein said system controller comprises a processing circuit, a memory circuit, and an input/output circuit. 14. The driving mechanism as recited in claim 13, wherein said input/output circuit comprises: (a) a first output that sends a first signal to said prime mover that, if desired by said system controller, causes said movable lifter member to rotate, which: (i) under said first predetermined conditions, causes said driver member to be moved away from said exit end during said lifting interval; and(ii) under said second predetermined conditions, allows said driver member to move toward said exit end during said driving stroke;(b) a second output that sends a second signal to a latch actuator that, if desired by said system controller, causes a mechanically-biased latch member to move so that a catching surface of the latch member does not interfere with movements of said driver member;(c) a first input that receives a third signal from said trigger position sensor;(d) a second input that receives a fourth signal from said safety contact element position sensor;(e) a third input that receives a fifth signal from a user-actuated mode control selector switch; and(f) a fourth input that receives a sixth signal from a lifter member position sensor that detects a position of a movable lifter member. 15. The driving mechanism as recited in claim 14, wherein said prime mover comprises an electric motor, and a latch actuator comprises a solenoid. 16. A fastener driving tool, comprising: (a) a housing that contains a prime mover, and a system controller;(b) a fastener driving mechanism that includes: (i) a hollow cylinder having a movable piston therewithin, said hollow cylinder having a first end and a second, opposite end, said hollow cylinder containing a displacement volume created by a stroke of said piston, said displacement volume being charged with a pressurized gas during all portions of an operating cycle;(ii) a guide body that is substantially adjacent to the second end of said cylinder, said guide body having a receiving end, an exit end, and a passageway therebetween, said receiving end being proximal to said second end of the cylinder, said guide body being configured to receive a fastener that is to be driven from said exit end;(iii) an elongated driver member that is in mechanical communication with said piston, said driver member having a driving surface that is sized and shaped to push a fastener into an external workpiece, wherein said passageway of the guide body allows said driver member to pass therethrough toward said exit end during a driving stroke, and allows said driver member to pass therethrough away from said exit end during a lifting interval; (A) said driver member having a first longitudinal edge;(B) said driver member having a first plurality of spaced-apart protrusions along said first longitudinal edge; and(iv) a lifter member that exhibits an outer shape that defines a perimeter of said lifter member's surface: (A) said lifter member being movable, under command of said system controller, by said prime mover;(B) said lifter member having a discontinuous contact surface that, at predetermined locations along said discontinuous contact surface, makes contact with said first plurality of spaced-apart protrusions of said driver member such that, under first predetermined conditions, said lifter member is moved in a first direction and thereby causes said driver member to be moved from its driven position toward its ready position; and(C) said lifter member being positionable by said prime mover, under second predetermined conditions, such that said discontinuous contact surface of the lifter member does not mechanically interfere with said first plurality of spaced-apart protrusions along said first longitudinal edge of the driver member during said driving stroke, in which said driver member moves from its ready position toward its driven position;(c) a safety contact element that extends to said exit end of the guide body, and which is movable between an actuated position when said safety contact element is pressed against said external workpiece, and a non-actuated position when said safety contact element is not pressed against said external workpiece;(d) a trigger actuator that is user-actuated;(e) a trigger position sensor; and(f) a safety contact element position sensor;wherein said cylinder and piston act as a gas spring, under said second predetermined conditions, to move said driver member from its ready position toward its driven position, using said pressurized gas acting on said piston, while said driver member's driving surface contacts a fastener and moves the fastener toward said exit end of said guide body. 17. The fastener driving tool as recited in claim 16, further comprising a lifter member position sensor that determines if said lifter member has substantially completed a rotation to a predetermined position, and if so, said controller halts said prime mover which stops the rotation of said lifter member. 18. The fastener driving tool as recited in claim 17, wherein said trigger position sensor, said safety contact element position sensor, and said lifter member position sensor comprise at least one of: an electromechanical limit switch,a magnet sensing proximity switch,a magnet position moving sensor,a metal sensing proximity switch,an optical position sensor, andan inductive sensing switch. 19. The fastener driving tool as recited in claim 16, further comprising: (a) a latch actuator that is energized when desired under the control of said system controller;(b) a pivotable latch member that has a catching surface and a sliding surface, said latch member being spring-loaded; and(c) a second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions along a second longitudinal edge of said driver member;wherein:(d) under third predetermined conditions, said latch member is forced by said latch actuator into a non-catching position such that its catching surface does not interfere with said second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions along said second longitudinal edge of said driver member, thereby allowing said driver member to move in a first direction from its ready position to its driven position;(e) under fourth predetermined conditions, during which said driver member is being moved in a second direction from its driven position to its ready position, said latch actuator releases said latch member so that the latch member is not forced into a non-catching position, said latch member is pivotally directed, under spring-loading, toward a catching position, however, said sliding surface of the latch member allows said second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions of the driver member to slide along the latch member without being stopped so long as the driver member remains moving in the second direction; and(f) under fifth predetermined conditions, if said driver member moves in said first direction, and said latch actuator is not forcing said latch member into said non-catching position, then said latch member is free to engage its catching surface against one of said second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions along said second longitudinal edge of said driver member, thereby preventing said driver member from further movement in said first direction. 20. The fastener driving tool as recited in claim 19, wherein: if said latch member prevents said driver member from further movement in said first direction under said fifth predetermined conditions, said system controller determines that the driver member is in a jam condition, and will not allow said lifter member to move said driver member further in the second direction until said tool has been reset, to allow a user to clear the jam condition.
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