JP7131342B2 - Nailer and motion management system for the nailer - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a portable nailing machine that operates using compressed air, and more particularly to an operation control system for a nailing machine that can manage whether or not nailing operation can be performed by means of a compressor that supplies compressed air.

2. Description of the Related Art In work sites such as construction, nailers are widely used which are powered by compressed air supplied from a compressor through a hose. In recent years, there are restrictions on continuous use time and body weight compared to pneumatic nailers that use a compressor, but for the purpose of supplementing the work of pneumatic nailers, there are no hoses or power cables in nailers. Hoseless or cordless type nailers have been implemented. Such a cordless nailer is disclosed, for example, in US Pat.

Since the nailer can drive a large number of nails in a short time, it has the advantage of greatly improving work efficiency at a construction site or the like. On the other hand, as one aspect of constructing a cordless nailing machine, in a nailing machine using an air spring, the driving force varies depending on the pressure of the filled air. Depending on the length, outside temperature, etc., it is required to adjust the optimum driving force, that is, the charging air pressure that becomes the spring pressure, and it is necessary to replenish the compressed air periodically. Also, since it is a portable, highly portable, and relatively expensive tool, the owner of the nailer, like other cordless power tools, must maintain strict control over it. For example, it is required to manage the equipment so that it will not be stolen at the work site, and it is also important to manage it so that it cannot be used if it is taken to an unintended place other than the work site. Various methods are conceivable for preventing the power tool from being stolen from the work site. In Patent Document 2, a plurality of power tools and a communication terminal are provided, and by transmitting a lock state switching request signal from the communication terminal to the power tool, use of the power tool can be prohibited when the power tool is stolen. An anomaly notification system is disclosed. However, in the configuration of Patent Document 2, a communication terminal for managing the power tool must be prepared separately, and there is also a possibility that both the communication terminal and the power tool may be stolen.

JP 2018-1336 A International Publication No. WO2015/118900

Therefore, the inventors studied how to manage the nailing machine in order to improve maintainability and to make it usable only at a predetermined place such as a work site. In the process, it was found that in the case of the method using a dedicated communication terminal, who manages the communication terminal becomes a problem. For example, a smartphone owned by a site supervisor can be used as a communication terminal, but in that case, when the site supervisor leaves the site, workers on site cannot use power tools. While studying these problems, the inventors found that equipment that is always present in a work site using a nailing machine, and that is particularly heavy and has low portability, should be used as management equipment. I thought it was. In particular, a compressor required for a pneumatic nailer is usually installed at a work site such as construction as described above, and if it is used as a management terminal, it is convenient for maintenance and management. I thought. In addition, since the compressor is normally driven by an AC power supply, it was thought to be advantageous in that the nailing machine can be managed so that it can be used only at work sites where an AC power supply can be used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and its object is to provide a nailer and an operation management system for the nailer that can improve maintainability of the nailer and easily limit the usable range of the nailer. to do.
Another object of the present invention is to pair the nailer and compressor to allow use of the nailer only if the connection is maintained (both devices are within close range). To provide a nailing machine and an operation management system for the nailing machine configured as above.
A further object of the present invention is to enable the nailer only when the compressor is connected to the AC power supply and disable the nailer when the nailer is taken alone outside the work site. To provide an operation management system for a driving machine and a nailing machine.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a nailing machine and an operation management system for the nailing machine, in which the usage status of the nailing machine can be easily collected on the management equipment side.

The typical features of the invention disclosed in the present application are as follows.
According to one aspect of the present invention, in an operation management system for a nailer having a cordless nailer having a driving mechanism using compressed air and a compressor operated by an AC power supply, the nailer and Each compressor is provided with communication means capable of two-way short-range wireless communication. The nail gun is only allowed to operate when it is ready to receive communications from the compressor and when the compressor is connected to AC power. This nailer has a battery pack, a motor driven by the battery pack, a trigger switch for starting the motor, and a microcomputer for controlling the rotation of the motor. means to perform pairing with the compressor, allow the motor to start only during the connection state in which an operation permission signal is received from the compressor, or for a short period of time (predetermined time) after the disconnection, thereby enabling the operation permission. Starting of the motor of the driving machine is prohibited after a predetermined time has passed since the signal cannot be received.

According to another feature of the invention, the compressor is operated by AC power input by the power cord and transmits an allow-to-operate signal to the paired nail gun while AC power is being supplied. In addition, the compressor has a battery pack that can operate even when the power cord is unplugged, and is configured to be driven by the battery pack. or do not send an operation permission signal to the connected nailer to allow the motor to start , or send a signal to the connected nailer to limit the operation Send. Further, the compressor resumes transmission of the operation permission signal to the paired nail driver when the power cord is reconnected from the outlet and AC power can be supplied.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the nailer has an air tank and an air valve for allowing replenishment of air from the compressor. Further, the nailer transmits a driving signal to the compressor when driving the nail by rotating the motor, and the compressor receives the driving signal and manages the driving results. The nailing machine has a storage device for storing driving operation information, and when the motor is driven to drive the nail, the driving result information is updated and stored in the storage device. When two-way wireless communication with the compressor is enabled and pairing is performed, the controller transmits the driving result information stored in the storage device. When the compressor receives the driving performance information, the compressor updates the driving performance information stored in the storage device of the compressor.

According to still another feature of the present invention, the compressor is capable of simultaneously managing a plurality of nailers, and individually wirelessly communicates with each of the plurality of nailers at predetermined time intervals. , it is possible to manage connections and track record information.

According to the present invention, when the compressor is plugged in and the power is turned on, the nailer can be used, and when the compressor is turned off, the nailer cannot be used. It can be restricted by a chain of radio waves. In particular, the operation of a nailer can be performed with a compressor that satisfies three requirements: it is a device that is always found at construction sites, it is a heavy item that is not easy to take out, and it is connected to an AC power supply and has low portability. Since it is made to monitor, it becomes possible to manage to limit the usage range of the nailer. For the operator, the key to permitting the use of the nailer is "to turn on the power of the compressor", so that the use of the nailer does not require any difficult setting work and is very easy to use. Furthermore, in a cordless nailer using an air spring, since the nailer is used in an environment where a compressor exists, the operator can easily replenish air, adjust the nailing, etc. Since the nailing machine can be maintained in an environment without a compressor, there is no fear that the work will be interrupted because maintenance such as air replenishment cannot be performed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic diagram which shows the operation|movement management system 1 of the nailing machine which concerns on the Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the internal configuration of the nailing machine 10 of FIG. 1; Figure 3 is a block circuit diagram of the nailer 10 of Figure 2; 2 is a side view of the compressor 101 of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a block circuit diagram of the compressor 101 of FIG. 4; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an operation procedure of the nailing machine 10; 4 is a flow chart showing an operation procedure of the compressor 101; 4 is a diagram showing an example of a management table stored in the compressor 101; FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a nailing machine operation management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the operation range of the nailing machine is managed to be limited, and the usable range of the portable nailing machines 10-1 to 10-4 is limited to the range 2 indicated by the dashed line. . Since the conventional air-driven nailer (not shown) is configured to supply high-pressure air from the compressor 101 through an air hose, the usable range of the nailer depends on the length of the air hose. However, in recent years, a portable nailer 10 using an air spring using compressed air and an electric motor has been put to practical use, and the nailer 10 can be used anywhere. In the case of the cordless and hoseless nailing machine 10, from the standpoint of a manager who wants to manage the permitted range of use within the work site, and a manager who should manage maintenance such as air replenishment and driving force adjustment. was inconvenient. In this embodiment, the workable range of the nailers 10-1 to 10-4, which has been substantially limited by conventional air hoses, is limited by an invisible chain of radio waves emitted from the compressor 101. be. Here, short-range wireless communication is used, and the nailing machine can be used only within a range of a distance of about ten to several tens of meters. A range indicated by a dashed line 2 is a range in which close proximity wireless communication can be performed from the compressor 101 . Here, wireless communication standards with short communication distances are adopted to act as an invisible chain. For example, Bluetooth (registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. USA) can be used. The wireless communication method can function as an invisible chain with one-way transmission from the compressor 101 side to the nailer 10, but preferably two-way communication. Note that the wireless communication standard is not limited to Bluetooth (registered trademark), and may be another wireless communication standard or an original wireless communication standard.

Although the nailers 10-1 to 10-4 are illustrated as having the same appearance held by the operator, their shape is arbitrary, and they are not limited to nailers of the same type. nailers may be mixed. That is, any shape, size, and the like can be used as long as the device uses the battery pack 54 as a power source and moves the piston using compressed air to sequentially drive nails mounted in a magazine. Since compressed air does not have a direct power source, it is not necessary to connect the compressor 101 with an air hose (not shown) during nailing work. When the pressure of the air stored in the air tank drops, an air hose (not shown) can be connected to the compressor 101 to replenish the air. The nailers 10-1 to 10-4 may basically have the configuration of the known nailer 10, but in order to realize the operation management system 1 of the present embodiment, a wireless communication device 70 (described later in FIG. 2) is provided. It is necessary to provide Note that the nailers 10-1 to 10-4 do not need to be provided with pairing switches for wireless communication. This is because the nailers 10-1 to 10-4 are operable only when the pairing is completed and the wireless is in the connected state. Therefore, the nailers 10-1 to 10-3 in FIG. 1 can be used, but the nailer 10-4, which is out of the communicable range and cannot be wirelessly connected, cannot be used.

The compressor 101 is a device that compresses air, stores high-pressure air in two air tanks 112, and supplies the high-pressure air through hoses (not shown) attached to couplers 134a and 134b. Compressor 101 drives a motor, which will be described later, with electric power supplied from the outside through power cord 125 to compress air. A plug 126 is provided at the tip of the power cord 125, and is connected directly or indirectly via an extension cord to an outlet (not shown) of a commercial power supply. Since the compressor 101 is a relatively heavy device, handles 114a and 114b are provided on both front and rear sides thereof to be used for movement. An operation panel 180 is provided on a part of the upper surface of the compressor 101, and a power switch (main switch) 181 of the compressor 101 and a pairing switch 182, which will be described later, are provided there. These switches can be realized by push-type, slide-type, and rotary switches, but here they are configured by soft-touch switches. In addition, although not visible in FIG. 1, it is preferable to provide both the power switch 181 and the pairing switch 182 with an indicator lamp such as an LED that indicates the connection status. As the compressor 101, it is sufficient to add a wireless communication device 139, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 101 is used.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the nailer 10 used in this embodiment. The nailing machine 10 fills a sealed pressure chamber with air as a gas, and the pressure of the air moves the striker. The driving tool includes a cylinder 16 provided in a housing, a piston 18 movably accommodated in the cylinder 16, a driver blade 23 fixed to the piston 18, and a pressure accumulator 20 communicating with the space inside the cylinder 16. and an air valve 80 for filling air provided in the pressure accumulator container 20 . A compressor 101 provided outside the housing 11 fills the pressure accumulator 20 with compressed air through an air hose. A sealing member 22 is interposed between the cylinder 16 and the piston 18, and the sealing member 22 keeps the pressure chamber airtight.

The nailing machine 10 has a housing 11. The housing 11 includes a cylinder case 12, a motor case portion 13 continuous with the cylinder case 12, a handle portion 14 continuous with the cylinder case 12, a battery pack mounting portion 15, have The battery pack mounting portion 15 is continuous with the handle portion 14 and the motor case portion 13 .

A cylindrical cylinder 16 is provided within the cylinder case 12 . A holder 17 is provided in the cylinder case 12 and the cylinder 16 is radially positioned by the holder 17 . A piston 18 is movably arranged in the cylinder 16 . The moving direction of the piston 18 is the direction of the center line A1 of the cylinder 16 .

A pressure accumulator container 20 is provided in the cylinder case 12 . The pressure accumulator 20 has a cap-shaped cover portion 20b and a base portion 20a attached to the opening of the cover portion 20b. The base portion 20 a has an annular shape and is attached to the outer circumference of the cylinder 16 . The base portion 20a is made of metal or synthetic resin. A pressure chamber 21 is formed by the pressure accumulator container 20 .

A seal member 22 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the piston 18 , and the seal member 22 hermetically seals the pressure chamber 21 . The pressure chamber 21 is filled with a compressible gas. A driver blade 23 is attached to the tip side (injection portion 27 side) of the piston 18 . The piston 18 and driver blade 23 are movable in the first direction B<b>1 by the pressure in the pressure chamber 21 .

A holder 24 is provided in the housing 11, and the holder 24 positions the cylinder 16 in the direction of the center line A1. The holder 24 is arranged in the center line A1 direction of the cylinder 16 at a location opposite to the location where the base portion 20a is arranged. The holder 24 supports a bumper 25, and the bumper 25 is integrally molded from a rubber-like elastic body. When the driver blade 23 hits the bumper 25 , the bumper 25 dampens and reduces the impact load from the driver blade 23 .

An injection part 27 is attached to the holder 24 . The injection part 27 is arranged from the inside of the housing 11 to the outside of the housing 11 . The injection section 27 has a blade guide 28 and a cover 29 fixed to the blade guide 28 . An injection path 30 is formed between the blade guide 28 and the cover 29 . The injection path 30 is a guide hole arranged along the direction of the center line A1. The driver blade 23 can reciprocate in the injection path 30 in the direction of the center line A1. The driver blade 23 is arranged from inside the cylinder 16 over the injection path 30 .

A push rod 31 is attached to the blade guide 28 . The push rod 31 is arranged outside the housing 11 and is movable relative to the blade guide 28 in the direction of the center line A1. The tip of the push rod 31 is pressed against the workpiece W1. The push rod 31 is biased away from the bumper 25 by the force of the compression coil spring.

A housing portion 33 that is continuous with the cylinder case 12 and the motor case portion 13 is provided. The moving mechanism 34 is arranged inside the housing portion 33 . The moving mechanism 34 moves the striker 36 in a direction (second direction B2) approaching the pressure chamber 21 against the force of the pressure chamber 21 . The moving mechanism 34 has a pinwheel 35 and a drive shaft 37 . A pinwheel 35 is fixed to a drive shaft 37 . A plurality of pinions 40 are provided along the rotation direction of the pinwheel 35 .

On the other hand, a plurality of protrusions 42 are provided on the side edge of the driver blade 23 along the direction of the center line A1. The plurality of pinions 40 and the plurality of projections 42 can be independently engaged and released.

The electric motor 43 is provided inside the motor case portion 13 . An electric motor is a brushless motor having a stator and a rotor. A speed reducer 46 is provided in the motor case portion 13 , and the rotational force of the electric motor 43 is reduced by the speed reducer 46 and transmitted as the rotational force of the drive shaft 37 .

A rotation restricting mechanism is provided in the motor case portion 13 . The rotation restricting mechanism has a function of transmitting the rotational force of the speed reducer 46 to the pinwheel 35 . The rotation restriction mechanism has a function of preventing rotation of the pinwheel 35 when the force of the pressure chamber 21 is transmitted to the pinwheel 35 via the piston 18 and the driver blade 23 . The rotation of the electric motor 43 is controlled by generating an exciting current from the power of the battery pack 54 from an inverter circuit 65 (see FIG. 3). The inverter circuit 65 has a plurality of switching elements, each of which can be turned on and off, and is controlled by a microcomputer 61 of a controller 60, which will be described later.

A magazine 49 containing a plurality of fasteners 48 is provided and fixed to the housing 11 and blade guide 28 . The magazine 49 has a feeding mechanism, and the feeding mechanism feeds the stoppers 48 in the magazine 49 to the injection path 30. As shown in FIG. A well-known fastener may be used as the fastener 48, but here, it is a shaft-shaped nail having a crown that expands in the radial direction.

The injection unit 27 is provided with a pressing sensor 68 and a rotation angle sensor 67 shown in FIG. The pressing sensor 68 is turned on when the push rod 31 is pressed against the workpiece W1, and turned off when the push rod 31 is separated from the workpiece W1. A rotation angle sensor 67 detects the rotation angle of the pinwheel 35 and outputs a signal.

A trigger switch is provided on the handle portion 14, and the operator operates the trigger lever 52 while gripping the handle portion 14 by hand. A trigger switch 51 (described later in FIG. 2) is turned on when an operating force is applied to the trigger lever 52, and turned off when no operating force is applied to the trigger lever 52. FIG.

A battery pack 54 is attached to the battery pack mounting portion 15 . The battery pack 54 can be attached to and removed from the battery pack attachment portion 15 . The battery pack 54 supplies DC power to the electric motor 43 and has a plurality of battery cells such as lithium ion batteries inside. A control circuit board 56 is provided in the battery pack mounting portion 15 . The control circuit board 56 is provided with a later-described controller 60 and other electric circuits. A wireless communication device 70 is provided adjacent to the control circuit board 56 . The wireless communication device 70 is a known communication unit for Bluetooth (registered trademark). It has a wireless communication controller 71a for transmitting and receiving wireless signals, and a wireless antenna 71b for transmission and reception. Whether the radio antenna 71b is integral with or separate from the radio communication controller 71a and where they are provided inside the housing 11 are arbitrary, and are limited to the positions shown in the examples. is not.

Next, a control example and a usage example of the nailing machine 10 will be described. The controller stops the electric motor 43 when the pressing sensor is turned off and the trigger switch is turned off. The striker 36 is urged toward the bumper 25 by the air pressure in the pressure chamber 21 . Further, the pinion 40 and the projection 42 are engaged with each other, and the biasing force received by the striker 36 is transmitted to the pinwheel 35 . When a rotational force is applied to the pinwheel 35 by the pressure in the pressure chamber 21, the rotation restriction mechanism prevents the pinwheel 35 from rotating. Therefore, the striker 36 is stopped at a position where the driver blade 23 is separated from the bumper 25 . That is, the striker 36 is stopped at the standby position.

The controller rotates the electric motor 43 when the pressing sensor is turned on and the trigger switch is turned on. The rotational force of the electric motor 43 is transmitted to the pinwheel 35 via the speed reducer 46, and the pinwheel 35 rotates. The rotational force of the pinwheel 35 is transmitted to the striker 36 via the pinion 40 and the convex portion 42, the striker 36 moves from the standby position toward the top dead center in the second direction B2, and the air pressure in the pressure chamber 21 increases. Rise. When the piston 18 moves from the bottom dead center toward the top dead center, the pressure inside the cylinder 16 and the pressure chamber 21 increases.

The pinion 40 is released from the projection 42 after the striker 36 reaches the top dead center. When the pinion 40 is released from the projection 42, the pressure in the pressure chamber 21 causes the striker 36 to move toward the bottom dead center in the first direction B1. Then, the driver blade 23 hits the stopper 48 in the injection path 30, and the stopper 48 is driven into the driven material W1.

Further, when the driver blade 23 drives the stopper 48 into the driven material W1, the driver blade 23 collides with the bumper 25, and part of the kinetic energy of the striker 36 is absorbed by the bumper 25.

The controller continues to rotate the electric motor 43 even after the driver blade 23 strikes the stopper 48 . Therefore, the pinion 40 is engaged with the projection 42, and the striker 36 moves in the second direction B2 from the bottom dead center toward the top dead center. The controller stops the electric motor 43 when the striker 36 reaches the standby position from the bottom dead center. The controller can determine the timing to stop the electric motor 43 from the rotation angle of the pinwheel 35 .

A mechanism for maintaining and adjusting the pressure in the pressure chamber 21 will be described. The set pressure, which is the target pressure of the pressure chamber 21 , is set according to the target driving force of the nailing machine 10 . The target driving force is determined by the usage conditions of the nailing machine 10, such as the length of the fastener 48 and the hardness of the workpiece W1. Then, the pressure chamber 21 is filled with air from the compressor 101 so that the actual pressure in the pressure chamber 21 becomes the set pressure. An air valve 80 is provided on the base portion 20a. The air valve 80 connects a pressure regulator 185 of a hose attached to the compressor 101 , and compressed air can be supplied from the compressor 101 to the pressure chamber 21 via the air valve 80 . The air valve 80 has a check valve (not shown) inside, and when the pressure regulator 185 is removed, the check valve closes the port to isolate the pressure chamber 21 from the outside. When using the nailer 10, the air valve 80 is closed and the pressure chamber 21 is maintained at the set pressure. The air valve 80 is provided with a cap 81 that can be attached and removed.

Next, a control block diagram of the nailing machine 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The inverter circuit 65 is a circuit that generates a three-phase alternating current (exciting current) for driving the electric motor 43 from the direct current from the battery pack 54 . (See FIG. 2). The inverter circuit 65 has six switching elements (not shown) connected to the stator-side coils of the electric motor 43 , and ON/OFF of the plurality of switching elements is controlled by a controller (control section) 60 . The controller 60 controls the rotation of the electric motor 43 when the stopper 48 is struck, and also controls the rotation of the pressure chamber 21 using the electric motor 43 when the pressure chamber 21 is pressurized. The controller 60 includes a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as “microcomputer”) 61 . The electric motor 43 is provided with a magnetic detection element 63 such as a Hall IC for detecting the rotational position of a rotor (not shown) using a permanent magnet. The microcomputer 61 can obtain the rotational position of the rotor and the number of revolutions of the electric motor 43 based on the signal from the magnetic detection element 63 .

The controller 60 receives signals from an off switch 66 that detects completion of driving the fastener 48 and a magnetic sensor 69 that detects whether or not the driver blade 23 has reached the bottom dead center. The controller 60 processes signals input from the magnetic detection element 63 to estimate the position of the piston 18 in the cylinder 16 in the direction of the center line A1. The trigger switch 51 is a switch mechanism that is turned on and off by an operator operating a trigger lever 52 (see FIG. 1). A signal from the trigger switch 51 is input to the controller 60 . Furthermore, a pressing sensor 68 is provided to detect whether or not the push rod 31 (see FIG. 2) is pressed against an object, and its output signal is input to the controller 60 . The controller 60 controls the rotation, stop, number of rotations, and direction of rotation of the electric motor 43 based on the signals from these switches and sensors.

The wireless communication device 70 is a known Bluetooth (registered commercial) communication unit, and as shown in FIG. 4)). The radio communication device 70 has therein a radio communication controller 71a and a radio antenna 71b for transmission and reception. The radio antenna 71b for transmission and reception may be configured separately from the radio communication controller 71a and arranged at a position separated from the radio communication controller 71a.

FIG. 4 is a side view of compressor 101 of FIG. Compressor 101 is driven by a motor and has two air tanks 112 which are spaced apart in the horizontal direction on frame 111. Legs 113 are attached to the lower surface of each air tank 112 near both ends. Handles 114a and 114b are provided at both ends of the frame 111 in the front-rear direction, and the compressor 101 is gripped by an operator when the compressor 101 is moved.

A motor rotating shaft 117 is attached to the rotor of the motor 116 and drives a compressed air generator 130 as a driven member via the motor rotating shaft 117 . The compressed air generating section 130 generates compressed air by driving two pistons (not shown) arranged therein by the motor 116 . Two cylinders (not shown) are attached to the compressed air generator 130 with a phase shift of 180 degrees in the rotational direction, and pistons (not shown) axially reciprocate in the respective cylinders. A cooling fan 131 is attached to one end of the motor rotating shaft 117 . Since the air compression mechanism using the compressed air generation unit 130 is well known, the description thereof is omitted here. When the motor 116 drives the compressed air generator 130 , the compressed air discharged from the high-pressure side piston is stored in the air tank 112 .

A cover 133 is attached to the frame 111 to cover the compressed air generator 130, the motor 116, the cooling fan 131, and the like. A control circuit board 132 is arranged inside the cover 133 . A controller (control unit) 150 mounted on the control circuit board 132 mainly controls the driving of the motor 116 and the air compression operation in the compressed air generation unit 130 . These controls are performed by a microcomputer 151 included in the controller 150.

Couplers 134a and 134b are provided above the ends of the air tanks 112 in order to supply the compressed air stored in each air tank 112 to the outside. A pressure reducing valve 135 is provided on the air tank 112 to adjust the pressure of the compressed air discharged from the couplers 134a and 134b, and a pressure gauge 136 is a meter indicating the pressure after pressure reduction.

The power cord 125 is for supplying commercial alternating current power, and has a plug 126 at its tip to be connected to an outlet (not shown). The battery pack 140 is used to supplement commercial AC power (main power supply) to improve output, or is a secondary power supply device for temporarily replacing the main power supply. As the battery pack 140, one or a plurality of 18V or 36V battery packs widely used in power tools are mounted. Compressor 101 is provided with battery pack mounting portion 145, and battery pack 140 can be mounted downward from above. To remove the battery pack 140, the battery pack 140 can be moved upward while pressing the latch buttons 141 on both the left and right sides. It should be noted that the attachment of the battery pack 140 is not essential, and the compressor 101 can be operated by the AC power even if the battery pack 140 is not attached.

A wireless communication device 139 is provided adjacent to the control circuit board 132 . The wireless communication device 139 is a known Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication unit. It has a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving a radio signal, and has an antenna for transmitting/receiving. The position where the antenna is provided or the position where the wireless communication device 139 including the antenna is provided is arbitrary, and is not limited to the positions illustrated. For example, the wireless communication device 139 may be provided at a position away from a noise source such as a power factor correction circuit (PFC) or an inverter circuit (not shown).

FIG. 5 is a block circuit diagram of compressor 101. As shown in FIG. The controller 150 controls the entire compressor 101 , and controls the rotation of the brushless DC motor 116 by controlling the inverter 160 . The controller 150 controls the entire compressor 101 and includes a microcomputer 151 and a storage device 152 . The motor 116 is provided with three Hall ICs 156 for detecting the rotational position of the rotor. There are two power sources for the compressor 101, and a commercial AC power source 120 supplied via a power cord 125 serves as the main power source. The supplied commercial power supply 120 is rectified via a bridge diode 161 and output via a smoothing circuit including a coil 162 for boosting voltage, a switching element 163 , a diode 164 and a capacitor 165 . A relay switch 176 is provided between the smoothing circuit and the inverter 160 for connecting or disconnecting the main power supply (commercial power supply 120) and the inverter. A relay switch 176 is provided to create a closed circuit for use with commercial power 120 only.

A battery pack 140 serving as a sub-power supply is connected to an inverter 160 via two relay switches 171a and 171b. These relay switches 171a and 171b function as switches that create a closed circuit when the commercial power source 120 and the battery pack 140 form a series circuit. Here, a coil 172 and a switching element 173 for boosting the voltage of the battery pack 140, a diode 174 for preventing reverse current, and a capacitor 175 for suppressing voltage fluctuation are provided.

An operating voltage is supplied to the controller 150 from an AC/DC converter 153, which is a low voltage circuit. Therefore, when the plug 126 of the power cord 125 is connected to an outlet, power is supplied to the controller 150 and the microcomputer 151 is activated. At this time, when the power switch 181 is turned on, the microcomputer 151 shifts from the sleep state to the active state, and executes a program for operating the compressor 101 including the control of flowcharts in FIGS. 6 and 7, which will be described later. The controller 150 is connected to a wireless communication device 139 comprising a wireless communication controller 139a and a wireless antenna 139b.

Next, the control on the nailing machine 10 side will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. The flowchart in FIG. 6 is a control for determining whether nailing is permitted or not permitted (prevented) on the nailing machine 10 side, and is the key to the operation of the nailing machine 10. Procedure. A series of procedures shown in FIG. 6 are controlled by the microcomputer 61 executing a program stored in the storage device 62 of the nailing machine 10 in advance. First, when the battery pack 54 is attached to the nailing machine 10 and the main switch (not shown) is turned on, or when the trigger lever 52 is first pulled to activate the microcomputer 61, the flow chart of FIG. 6 is executed. be done.

First, the microcomputer 61 searches through proximity wireless communication whether or not there is a pairing partner device, here a connectable compressor 101, which is a management device for transmitting the key of the nailing machine 10 (step 301). When the compressor 101 to be paired is detected (step 302), connection is established with the compressor 101 (step 303). In this embodiment, the identification information (pairing information) of the mating device (compressor 101) may be registered on the side of the nailing machine 10 for which pairing has been completed to facilitate the second and subsequent connections. However, the pairing information may be discarded each time the microcomputer 61 of the nailing machine 10 is shut down, and pairing may be performed each time the microcomputer 61 is restarted.

In step 302, if there is no partner device to be paired (for example, the compressor 101 made by the same manufacturer), the microcomputer 61 maintains the power-on prohibited state (step 312). It is determined whether or not a predetermined time (timeout time) has elapsed from the first state that was present, and if it has not elapsed, the process returns to step 301 (step 313). If the device cannot be paired with the nailing machine 10, such as a compressor manufactured by a different manufacturer than the nailing machine 10, or other Bluetooth-enabled device, the process proceeds from step 302 to step 312. In step 313, when the search operation for the pairing destination is performed for a predetermined time and times out, the microcomputer 61 shuts down by turning off its own power (step 314).

In step 302, if the partner device (compressor 101) to be paired is found, the device is connected to the compressor 101 (step 303). This connection procedure may be performed in accordance with a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), so a detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Next, when the microcomputer 61 receives specific operation permission information (unlocking key) from the management device, it switches to a mode in which the driving operation is permitted (step 304). The mode switching in step 304 can also be a simple method. For example, when the microcomputer 61 is connected to the compressor 101, which is the management device, by short-range wireless communication, it "permits driving", and when it is not connected, it "prohibits driving". In other words, instead of exchanging a special signal of "operation permission information", the state of being connected by Bluetooth (registered trademark) is treated equivalently to "receipt of operation permission information".

Next, the microcomputer 61 determines whether or not the connected communication state has been disconnected (step 305). When the connection is maintained in step 305, the microcomputer 61 determines whether or not the operator has operated the trigger (step 306), and if the trigger has been operated, the nail is driven (step 307). There are various operations of the nailing machine 10 from when the trigger lever 52 (see FIG. 2) is pulled until the nail is driven. . When one nail driving operation is completed, the microcomputer 61 records the driving record information in the storage device 62. - 特許庁It is optional how detailed the driving record information is collected, and detailed information such as the date and time of driving, the type and length of the nail, and the continuous operation time may be stored. is counted up (step 308). The nailing machine 10 then transmits the driving information to the compressor 101 and returns to step 305 (step 309). In addition, in step 309, instead of transmitting to the management device (compressor 101) for each driving operation, batch transmission may be performed at predetermined time intervals or for each predetermined number. The point is that the storage and transmission frequency of management information should be determined according to the management level required on the management device side.

At step 305 , if the connection is in a broken state, proceed to step 310 . Here, the disconnection occurs when the microcomputer 61 shuts down due to a voltage drop in the battery pack 54 of the nailer 10 or removal of the battery pack 54, and the nailer 10 and the control device (compressor 101) are disconnected. , the power of the compressor 101 is turned off, the pairing switch 182 of the compressor 101 is turned off, the hardware of the nailer 10 or the compressor 101 is turned off. It is the deterioration of the radio wave condition caused by the hardware failure or noise. In step 310, measure the duration after the disconnection state, and if it has not reached the timeout time (for example, a preset time of about 10 seconds to 60 seconds), proceed to step 306 to determine the timeout time. After the time has elapsed, the microcomputer 61 changes the nailing machine 10 from the "drive-in permitted state" to the "drive-inhibited state" and then returns to step 301 (step 311). In this way, by setting the timeout period, even if the radio waves are interrupted slightly or the radio wave condition is poor, the driving operation can be continued within the timeout period. can be suppressed. It should be noted that the length of the timeout period is arbitrary, and the timeout period may be set to 0, or may be set to be extended to a length in units of minutes.

As described above, by performing the control shown in FIG. 6, the operator can use the nailing machine 10 if there is a management device (compressor 101) that is connected to an AC power supply and turned on. In addition, when the microcomputer 61 of the nailing machine 10 is activated, the procedures for pairing and connection establishment are automatically performed, so the operator does not need to be particularly conscious of pairing, and a simple management system (power-on compressor 101 The nailing machine 10 can be used only in the close range of ) can be realized.

Next, the control on the compressor 101 side will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. A series of procedures shown in FIG. 7 can be executed by software using a program pre-stored in the storage device 152 included in the controller 150 of the compressor 101 . This flowchart is executed by the microcomputer 151 when the power switch 181 of the compressor 101 is turned on. First, the microcomputer 151 determines whether the pairing switch 182 is on (step 351). When the pairing switch 182 is off, the compressor 101 operates independently as a normal compressor without managing the nailing machine 10 (step 361).

If the pairing switch 182 is turned on in step 351, a search is made as to whether or not the candidate device to be the pairing destination exists within the communicable range (step 352), and the candidate device to be the pairing destination does not exist. Alternatively, if the nailer 10 exists but the power is off (the microcomputer 61 of the nailing machine 10 is not activated), the process proceeds to step 361 (step 353). Here, the process proceeds to step 361 because pairing cannot be established with a driving machine manufactured by another company that cannot be paired with the compressor 101 or with a Bluetooth device other than the driving machine. In step 353, if there is a candidate device to be paired with, communication is made with the nailing machine 10 and the identification information of the partner device is read (step 354). Here, the identification information may be manufacturer information, and it may be possible to connect only to devices manufactured by the same manufacturer. In addition, connectable makers of the company and other companies may be registered in advance in the storage device 152 of the compressor 101 and checked against it. Furthermore, in addition to manufacturer information, product identification information such as model number and specific information such as product manufacturing number may be added and managed in detail.

Next, the microcomputer 151 determines whether the read identification information of the partner device has already been registered in a management table 190 (described later in FIG. 8) in the storage device 152, or whether the partner device (step 354). If the counterpart device is not the target device for pairing, the process returns to step 352 to search for another new candidate device (step 355).

In step 355, if the counterpart device is the target of pairing, the pairing procedure is executed to establish connection (step 356). At this time, if the information of the counterpart device is not registered in the management table 190 (described later with reference to FIG. 8), it is newly added. Next, the microcomputer 151 of the compressor 101 transmits an "operation permission signal" to the nailing machine 10 (step 357). The microcomputer 61 of the nailing machine 10 permits the driving operation by confirming the "operation permission signal". It should be noted that any signal can be used as the "operation permission signal", and a specific code may be transmitted, or an encryption unlocking key may be transmitted.

Next, the microcomputer 151 confirms whether the connection with the nailing machine 10 is continued (step 358), and if it is connected, receives management information from the nailing machine 10 (step 309 in FIG. 6). , update the driving record information 194 in the management table 190 (described later in FIG. 8) in the storage device using the management information, and return to step 357 (steps 359 and 360). In step 358, when the connection with the nailing machine 10 is interrupted, the connection is retried for a certain period of time, and the process is terminated when the time-out occurs (step 362). Although not shown in the flowchart, if the pairing switch 182 on the side of the compressor 101 is turned off during execution of the flowchart of FIG. 7, interrupt processing is started and the processing of FIG. 7 ends.

FIG. 8 is a management table showing the contents of the identification information of the counterpart device managed by the compressor 101. As shown in FIG. The management table 190 is stored in the storage device 152 (see FIG. 5) within the controller 150 . Here, a state in which six counterpart devices are registered is shown. The manufacturer information 191 is information indicating the manufacturer of the counterpart device, and here, products of ABC Company and products of its affiliated company DEF Company are registered. The model information 192 is identification information for specifying the product of the manufacturer, and stores information beginning with NV or CH indicating the nailer. The product number 193 is information uniquely managed for each product. The placement record information 194 stores the information received in step 359 of FIG. The data table shown in FIG. 8 is merely an example, and the compressor 101 may manage the driving result information 194, or may manage more detailed information. Moreover, it is also possible to simply control whether or not to allow connection by close proximity wireless communication without managing the driving results. Only the manufacturer information 191 may be retained for simple management that only determines whether or not the connection (pairing) of the partner device is possible using connection information (antenna unique number) of Bluetooth or the like.

Through the above procedure, the compressor 101 functions as a management device that gives the nailing permission to the nailing machine 10 . In the flowchart of FIG. 7, the case where the number of devices to be paired is one has been described, but in reality, it is configured to manage the connection of a plurality of devices (for example, several devices). In this embodiment, the connectable model is limited to the nailing machine 10 only. However, by performing pairing with other electric tools used in the work site where the compressor 101 is installed, the operation of the electric tool can be managed in the same manner. It is also possible to configure to perform

Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the nailer 10 is not limited to those described above, but is equally applicable to nailers that use compressed air to drive nails, screws, or other fasteners. In addition to sending an operation permission signal to a tool that has been paired, a procedure for sending an operation rejection signal has been added to clearly prohibit the use of the tool on the compressor side. You can add it. The microcomputer of the driving machine that receives the operation refusal signal prohibits the execution of the driving operation until the operation refusal signal is switched to the operation permission signal. Under the operation rejection signal, the compressor can arbitrarily restrict the use of the tool.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 (nailer) operation management system 2 wireless communication range 10 nailer 11 housing 12 cylinder case 13 motor case 14 handle 15 battery pack mounting portion 16 cylinder 17 holder 18 piston 20 pressure accumulator container 20a base 20b cover Part 21 Pressure Chamber 22 Sealing Member 23 Driver Blade 24 Holder 25 Bumper 27 Injection Part 28 Blade Guide 29 Cover 30 Injection Path 31 Push Rod 33 Accommodating Part 34 Moving Mechanism 35 Pin Wheel 36 Impactor 37 Drive Shaft 40 Pinion 42 Convex Part 43 Electric Motor 46 Reducer 48 Stopper 49 Magazine 51 Trigger switch 52 Trigger lever 54 Battery pack 56 Control circuit board 60 Controller 61 Microcomputer 62 Storage device 63 Magnetic detection element 65 Inverter circuit 66 Off switch 67 Rotation angle sensor 68 Push sensor 69 Magnetic sensor 70 Wireless communication device 71a Wireless communication controller 71b Wireless antenna 80 Air valve 81 Cap 101 Compressor 111 Frame 112 Air tank 113 Legs 114a, 114b Handle 116 Motor 117 Motor rotating shaft 120 Commercial power supply (AC power supply) 125 Power cord 126 Plug 130 Compressed air generator 131 cooling fan 132 control circuit board 133 cover 134a, 134b coupler 135 pressure reducing valve 136 pressure gauge 139 wireless communication device 139a wireless communication controller 139b wireless antenna 140 battery pack 141 latch button 145 battery pack mounting portion 150 controller 151 microcomputer 152 storage device 153 AC /DC converter 156 Hall IC
160 Inverter 161 Bridge diode 162, 172 Coil 163, 173 Switching element 164, 174 Diode 165, 175 Capacitor 171a, 171b, 176 Relay switch 180 Operation panel 181 Power switch 182 Pairing switch 185 Voltage regulator 190 Management table 191 Manufacturer information 192 Model Information 193 Product number 194 Driving result information A1 Center line B1 First direction (top dead center direction) B2 Second direction (bottom dead center direction)
W1 material to be driven

Claims (11)

a cordless nailer having a driving mechanism using compressed air;
A nail gun operation management system comprising: a compressor operated by an AC power supply;
The nailing machine and the compressor are each provided with communication means capable of two-way short-range wireless communication,
A nailing operation is permitted only when the nailing machine is capable of receiving communication from the compressor and when the compressor is connected to an AC power supply. operation management system. The nailing machine has a battery pack, a motor driven by the battery pack, a trigger switch for starting the motor, and a microcomputer for controlling the rotation of the motor,
2. The operation management system for a nailing machine according to claim 1, wherein, in a state where said microcomputer is activated, activation of said motor is not permitted unless pairing with said compressor is established by said communication means. . The compressor is operated by the AC power input through a power cord, and outputs an operation permission signal to the paired nail gun to allow the motor to start while the AC power is being supplied. 3. The operation management system for a nailing machine according to claim 2, wherein the information is transmitted. The compressor has a battery pack that can operate even when the power cord is disconnected from the outlet, and when the compressor is driven by the battery pack, the paired nailer is 4. The operation management system for a nailing machine according to claim 3, wherein the operation permission signal is not transmitted or the operation refusal signal is transmitted. The compressor transmits the operation permission signal to the paired nail driver when the power cord is reconnected from the outlet and the AC power supply becomes possible. 5. The operation management system for a nailing machine according to claim 4. The nailing machine transmits a driving signal to the compressor when driving the nail by rotating the motor,
6. The operation management system for a nailing machine according to claim 5, wherein said compressor receives said driving signal and manages driving results. The nailing machine has a storage device that stores information on the nailing operation,
when driving the nail by rotating the motor, updating the driving performance information and storing it in the storage device;
when two-way wireless communication with the compressor is enabled and pairing is performed, the driving performance information stored in the storage device is transmitted;
6. The operation management system for a nailing machine according to claim 5, wherein said compressor receives said driving result information and updates the driving result information stored in said compressor. 8. The nailing machine operation management system according to claim 1, wherein said compressor is capable of simultaneously managing a plurality of said nailing machines. 9. The compressor according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the compressor can be managed by individually performing wireless communication with each of the plurality of nailers at predetermined time intervals. The operation management system for the nailer described in 1. The nailing machine used in the operation management system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, which has an air tank and an air valve for supplying replenishment air from the compressor to the air tank. A nailer comprising: 8. The compressor used in the operation management system according to any one of claims 3 to 7 , wherein it is possible to select whether or not to transmit the operation permission signal to the nailing machine. compressor.

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