Operating mode detection system for rotary hammer

A rotary hammer operable in a first mode in which only a hammering operation to reciprocate a tool bit along a drive axis is performed and a second mode in which the tool bit is rotationally driven about the drive axis, the rotary hammer comprising:

• a housing;
• a sensor coupled to the housing and configured to provide a parameter signal indicative of a measured parameter of the housing about the drive axis;
• a mode selection dial supported in the housing and movable among a plurality of positions indicative of the first mode and the second mode, the mode selection dial including a cam;
• a motor supported in the housing, the motor providing a rotational output;
• a transmission supported in the housing and configured to receive the rotational output from the motor, the transmission configured to selectively provide a rotational transmission output to the tool bit;
• a linkage supported in the housing and moveable between a first position and a second position in response to engagement by the cam;
• a controller including a loss-of-control detection system configured to receive the parameter signal and compare the parameter signal to a parameter threshold, the controller operable to disable the motor upon the parameter signal exceeding the parameter threshold;
• and
• an operating mode detection system including:
• a magnet coupled to the linkage and movable therewith, and
• a Hall-effect sensor coupled to the housing, the Hall-effect sensor providing an output signal indicative of a position of the magnet,
• wherein the loss-of-control detection system is disabled upon disabling of the rotational transmission output to the tool bit.

A rotary hammer comprising:

• a housing;
• a mode selection dial supported in the housing and rotatable among a plurality of positions indicative of a plurality of modes including a first mode in which only a hammering operation to reciprocate a tool bit along a drive axis is performed and a second mode in which only a drilling operation to rotate the tool bit about the drive axis is performed, the mode selection dial including a cam;
• a motor supported in the housing and providing a rotational output;
• an impact mechanism supported in the housing and configured to receive the rotational output from the motor and transfer the rotational output to successive reciprocations thereby performing the first mode, the impact mechanism selectively activatable by the mode selection dial;
• a linkage supported in the housing and moveable between a first position and a second position based upon engagement by the cam;
• a controller including a loss-of-control detection system configured to disable the motor upon acceleration of the housing exceeding an acceleration threshold;
• and
• an operating mode detection system including:
• a magnet coupled to the linkage and moveable therewith, and
• a Hall-effect sensor coupled to the housing, the Hall-effect sensor providing an output signal to the controller indicative of a position of the magnet,
• wherein the Hall-effect sensor is closer to the magnet when the linkage is in the second position than when the linkage is in the first position.