Fastening tool having a magazine pusher position detection system
AssigneeBlack & Decker Inc.
InventorsMichael Sikora, Luke Moloznick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fastening tool having a magazine pusher position detection system that informs the tool of a dry fire state due to less than a predetermined number of fasteners in the magazine assembly. The magazine pusher position detection system includes a sensor and a sensor target having a characteristic that is sensed by the sensor. When the characteristic is interrupted by an external member on the pusher, the sensor sends a signal to the controller indicative of a “low nail” or a “low fastener” condition. This can be done magnetically or optically. The controller then initiates a dry fire lockout that prevents the tool from driving a fastener, and actuates an indicator that notifies the user of a “low nail” or “low fastener” condition.
Claims21
A fastening tool comprising:
- a housing;
- a nosepiece assembly connected to the housing and including a fastener drive track having a drive axis;
- a magazine assembly including a magazine pusher slidably disposed in the magazine assembly for feeding a number of fasteners successively along a fastener channel to the fastener drive track of the nosepiece assembly;
- a driver member provided in the housing and configured for movement along the drive axis to drive a lead fastener into a workpiece;
- a motor disposed within the housing and configured to drive the driver member along the drive axis;
- a power source providing power to the motor;
- a controller configured to control a supply of power from the power source to the motor and initiate a drive cycle;
- a first sensor target and a second sensor target operatively connected to the magazine assembly and having a sensor target characteristic;
- and
- a sensor configured to sense the sensor target characteristic of the first sensor target and send a signal to the controller in response to a change in the sensor target characteristic of the first sensor target,
- wherein when the controller receives the signal from the sensor, the controller inhibits the drive cycle.
A method of detecting the position of a magazine pusher to prevent a dry fire in a fastening tool having a nosepiece assembly including a fastener drive track having a drive axis, a magazine assembly including the magazine pusher slidably disposed in the magazine assembly for feeding a number of fasteners successively along a fastener channel to the fastener drive track of the nosepiece assembly, the magazine pusher having a projecting portion, and a controller configured to control a supply of power to the fastening tool and initiate a drive cycle, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a first sensor target and a second sensor target having a sensor target characteristic;
- and
- sensing the sensor target characteristic in a sensing zone and sending a first signal to the controller indicative of the sensor target characteristic to initiate a drive cycle;
- and
- sensing a change in the sensor target characteristic in the sensing zone and sending a second signal to the controller indicative of the change in the sensor target characteristic to inhibit the drive cycle.
A magazine pusher position detection system comprising:
- a system housing having a slot therethrough, the slot having a first side and a second side laterally opposite the second side;
- a reference magnet disposed in the housing and on a first side of the slot, the reference magnet having a north polarity and north polarity magnetic field;
- a coactive magnet disposed in the housing and on a second side of the slot opposite to the first side of the slot, the coactive magnet having a north polarity facing the north polarity of the reference magnet;
- and
- a Hall effect sensor arranged on the second side of the slot to sense the north polarity magnetic field from the reference magnet,
- wherein an interruption of the north polarity magnetic field of the reference magnet inhibits a drive cycle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.