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US 2007/0175645 A1Published application
Multispeed power tool transmission
AssigneeBlack & Decker Inc.
InventorsRodney Milbourne, Christine Potter, Todd Hagan, Michael Bowers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A portable power tool having a relatively compact multi-stage, three-speed transmission and a related method for operating a power tool with a multi-stage, three-speed transmission.
Claims21
A power tool comprising:
- a housing assembly having a handle portion and a body portion;
- a transmission assembly at least partially housed in the housing assembly, the transmission assembly including a reduction gearset assembly, an engagement assembly and a speed selector, the reduction gearset assembly having a first switching stage, a second switching stage and a fixed stage, one of the first and second switching stages being disposed between the fixed stage and the other one of the first and second switching stage with no other transmission stages being disposed between the fixed stage and the other one of the first and second switching stages, the engagement assembly including a follower and a follower spring that biases the follower into engagement with a clutch face that is formed onto a ring gear associated with the fixed stage to resist rotation of the ring gear relative to the housing, the speed selector being coupled to the reduction gearset assembly and including a switch member and an actuator that is movable in response to movement of the switch member to configure the first and second switching stages in at least three overall arrangements;
- and
- a tool holder driven by the transmission assembly, the toll holder being adapted to hold a tool;
- wherein the reduction gearset assembly operates in at least three overall speed reduction ratios, each of the at least three overall speed reduction ratios corresponding to an associated one of the at least three overall arrangements of the first and second switching stages.
2 more elements
A method for operating a power tool comprising:
- providing a power tool with a transmission assembly and a tool holder that is driven by the transmission assembly, the transmission assembly including a reduction gearset assembly and only one switch member, the reduction gearset assembly including a plurality of planetary transmission stages and being operable in three overall speed reduction ratios, at least two of the plurality of planetary transmission stages being operable in an active mode in each of the three overall speed reduction ratios, the only one switch member being coupled to the reduction gearset assembly and being movable between three positions, wherein placement of the only one switch member in each of the three positions causes the reduction gearset assembly to operate in an associated one of the three overall speed reduction ratios;
- and
- sliding the only one switch member in a first direction to change an overall speed reduction ratio of the reduction gearset assembly from a lowest one of the three overall speed reduction ratios to a highest one of the three overall speed reduction ratios.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.