Electric working machine

Abstract

The present invention realizes an electric working machine and an electric working machine system, which automatically performs pairing registration and is simple and easy to use. An electric working machine (circular saw (10)) is provided with a wireless communication unit for wirelessly communicating with other electric working machines (dust collector (50)). By switching a switch, the control unit can switch between a linkage mode in which the electric working machine operates in conjunction with other electric working machines and a single-action mode in which the electric working machine operates independently. When the switch of the electric working machine (circular saw (10), dust collector (50)) is switched from the single-action mode to the linkage mode, the control unit of the electric working machine (circular saw (10), dust collector (50)) automatically searches for other electric working machines with which it can communicate. If other electric working machines with which it can communicate are detected and pairing registration can be performed, the control unit switches to the linkage state. If other electric working machines with which it can communicate are not detected, the search continues.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric working machine, and in particular, to a plurality of electric working machines that can be easily operated in linkage by utilizing wireless communication. Background Art

[0002] A linkage system has been realized, wherein the electric working machine is connected to the dust collector by a dust collection hose in order to absorb dust generated when working with an electric working machine such as a circular saw or a jigsaw through another electric working machine such as a dust collector, and the other electric working machines are driven in linkage with the drive of one electric working machine. In such a linkage operation, for an electric working machine (such as a circular saw or a jigsaw) on the master side, another electric working machine (such as a dust collector or a blower) is prepared to be a slave side, so that the electric working machine on the slave side is operated in linkage with the operation of the electric working machine on the master side. In this way, in the linkage system, as a method of linking the electric working machine on the slave side with the electric working machine on the master side, as shown in Patent Document 1, a structure is set in which the power cord of the electric working machine on the master side (circular saw) is connected to the electric working machine on the slave side (dust collector), and the driving power of the electric working machine on the master side is supplied by the electric working machine on the slave side. When the electric working machine on the slave side outputs power, it is determined that the electric working machine on the master side has been driven, thereby also operating itself.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-155302 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] In the structure of Patent Document 1, a power cord is required to transmit the driving information of the electric working machine on the master side to the electric working machine on the slave side, and there is a problem that it cannot be applied to a battery-driven electric working machine that does not have a power cord. Therefore, in recent years, for the linkage operation of battery-driven electric working machines, a method of using wireless communication to transmit the operation information of the electric working machine on the master side to the electric working machine on the slave side has been proposed. However, in the case of linkage using wireless communication, it is necessary to set up and register the electric working machine on the master side and the electric working machine on the slave side, and there is a problem that the registration operation (pairing) of these electric working machines is cumbersome. In addition, in the case where there are multiple electric working machines on the master side and the slave side, there is a concern that registration is performed with an unexpected combination of electric working machines.

[0008] The present invention is an invention made in view of the above background, and its purpose is to provide an electric working machine and a wireless linkage system for an electric working machine that improve the operability in pairing registration for linkage operation using wireless. Another purpose of the present invention is to provide an electric working machine that can easily re-register pairing for linkage operation. Another purpose of the present invention is to provide an electric working machine that reduces the number of button operations required for linkage operation.

[0009] Technical means of solving problems

[0010] The representative features of the invention disclosed in this application are described as follows. According to one feature of the present invention, an electric working machine has a motor, a working machine operated by the driving force of the motor, and a control unit that controls the rotation of the motor, and is provided with a communication unit that wirelessly communicates with the control unit of other electric working machines, and as operation modes, a linkage mode that operates in linkage with other electric working machines and a single-action mode that operates independently without linkage with other electric working machines are provided. In addition, it is configured as follows: a switch that switches the linkage mode and the single-action mode is provided on the electric working machine, and the control unit changes to a search state for searching other electric working machines that can communicate using the communication unit when the switch is switched from the single-action mode to the linkage mode, and changes to the linkage state when other electric working machines that can be linked are detected in the search state, and when other electric working machines that can be linked are not detected in the search state, the search state is continued to continue to search for other electric working machines that can be linked. Furthermore, when the switch is in the linkage mode and the control unit is operated in the search state for searching other electric working machines that can be linked, if other electric working machines that can be linked are detected, the control unit changes to the linkage state.

[0011] According to another feature of the present invention, when the switch is set to the linkage mode when the power is turned on, and when the communication line set is disconnected while operating in the linkage mode while being linked with other electric working machines, the control unit changes to a search state for searching for external electric working machines that can communicate, and reconnects with any of the other electric working machines that have been detected. In addition, it is configured in the following manner: it is defined in advance whether the electric working machine is linked and controlled by the communication unit as a master device of other electric working machines, or as a slave device of other electric working machines, and the electric working machine on the master device side only searches for the external electric working machine on the slave device side that can be linked, and the electric working machine on the slave device side only searches for the external electric working machine on the master device side that can be linked. Furthermore, it is configured in the following manner: in the linkage mode in the linkage state, the control unit stores the identification information of the other electric working machines that are linked and maintains the linkage state. If it changes from the linkage state to the search state during the setting process of the linkage mode, the identification information is deleted and the re-search of the other electric working machines that can be linked is started.

[0012] According to another feature of the present invention, if the switch is switched from the linkage mode to the single-action mode in the linkage state, the identification information of the electric working machine on the other side being linked is deleted and the connection with the other side is released. In addition, it is configured as follows: a detachable battery pack that supplies power to the motor is provided in the electric working machine, and when the battery pack is removed in the linkage state, the connection with the external electric working machine that is communicating is released, and when other battery packs are installed, the re-search of other electric working machines that can be linked is started. That is, in the case of an electric working machine whose power supply cannot be maintained by replacing the battery pack, if the power is restored from the cut-off state, other electric working machines that can be linked are automatically searched for and connected. In addition, the communication unit can also be provided in a detachable battery pack instead of inside the electric working machine body. In this case, it is sufficient to transmit the action of the electric working machine to other electric working machines via the communication unit in the battery pack. As described above, in the present invention, a wireless linkage system of electric working machines is realized by including an electric working machine on the master device side and one or more electric working machines on the slave device side, which can easily control the opening / closing of the electric working machine on the slave device side by linking with the opening or closing of the electric working machine on the master device side.

[0013] Effects of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, a wide range of linkage operations between electric working machines and dust collectors can be easily performed, and the operability in the linkage operations between electric working machines and dust collectors can be improved. In particular, the operator can automatically perform pairing registration simply by switching the mode from the single-action mode to the linkage mode, so the operator does not need to long-press the mode switching switch to perform pairing. In addition, there is no need to set a dedicated operation button for pairing that is different from the mode switching switch in order to perform pairing, so an electric working machine with a simple operation panel and easy to use can be realized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing a wireless linkage system for an electric working machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A side view (partial cross-sectional view) of a circular saw 10 is shown.

[0017] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic circuit block diagram of a circular saw 10 is shown in FIG.

[0018] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A front view of the dust collector 50.

[0019] Figure 5 yes Figure 1A schematic circuit block diagram of the dust collector 50 is shown in FIG.

[0020] Figure 6 Yes means Figure 1 FIG. 2 is a diagram of an operating panel 27 of a circular saw 10 .

[0021] Figure 7 Yes means Figure 4 FIG. 5 is a diagram of the operation display unit 60 of the dust collector 50 .

[0022] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing the operating timing of each electric working machine (circular saw 10, dust collector 50) in the wireless linkage system of this embodiment.

[0023] Fig. 9 It is a diagram showing the state transition of the operation mode of each electric working machine (circular saw 10, dust collector 50).

[0024] Fig.10 1 is a flowchart showing the operation process of the circular saw 10 .

[0025] Fig.11 This is a circuit diagram of a connection between an electric working machine body and a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present embodiment.

[0026] Explanation of symbols

[0027] 1: Wireless linkage system

[0028] 4: Dust collection hose

[0029] 10: Circular Saw

[0030] 12: Shell

[0031] 13: Handle

[0032] 14: Battery installation

[0033] 15: Motor

[0034] 16: Motor cover

[0035] 17: Trigger switch

[0036] 17a: Trigger lever

[0037] 18: Pipe coupler

[0038] 19: Connecting pipe

[0039] 20: Base

[0040] 22: Wireless communication

[0041] 25: Saw Blade

[0042] 26: Protective cover

[0043] 27: Operation panel

[0044] 27a: switch name

[0045] 28: Switch

[0046] 29: LED

[0047] 30: Control circuit board

[0048] 31: Power circuit

[0049] 32: Control Department

[0050] 33: Inverter-Driver Circuit

[0051] 34: Wireless Communication Department

[0052] 35: UI Department

[0053] 36: Battery voltage detection circuit

[0054] 37: Trigger detection circuit

[0055] 38: Switching element

[0056] 39: Current detection circuit

[0057] 41: Tool side positive terminal

[0058] 42: Communication connection terminal

[0059] 43: Tool side trigger detection terminal

[0060] 44: Tool side LD terminal

[0061] 45: Tool side negative terminal

[0062] 50: Dust collector

[0063] 51: Head

[0064] 52: Wireless communication

[0065] 53: Clamping mechanism

[0066] 55: Motor

[0067] 56: Groove

[0068] 57: Hose installation port

[0069] 58: Casters

[0070] 60: Operation display unit

[0071] 61: Power switch

[0072] 62: Operation panel

[0073] 63: Strong and weak switch

[0074] 63a~63c:LED

[0075] 64: Remaining capacity check switch

[0076] 64a, 64b: LED

[0077] 65: Label Department

[0078] 66: Power switch label

[0079] 67: Operation Panel

[0080] 67a: switch name

[0081] 68: Switch

[0082] 69: LED

[0083] 71: Power circuit

[0084] 72: First Control Unit

[0085] 73: Inverter-Driver Circuit

[0086] 74: Wireless Communications Department

[0087] 75: UI Department

[0088] 76: Second Control Unit

[0089] 80: Trigger operation status

[0090] 90: Motor operating condition

[0091] 81, 91: Single action mode

[0092] 82, 92: Linkage mode

[0093] 83, 93: Retrieval status

[0094] 84, 94: Linkage status

[0095] 100, 100A: Battery pack

[0096] 101: Latch

[0097] 120: Monomer unit

[0098] 121~125: Single

[0099] 127: Communication switch

[0100] 129: Communication status display component

[0101] 130: Power circuit

[0102] 131: Current detection circuit

[0103] 132: Resistance

[0104] 134: Wireless Communications Department

[0105] 135: Trigger detection circuit

[0106] 136: Machine power detection circuit

[0107] 137: Overcharge detection circuit

[0108] 138: Over discharge detection circuit

[0109] 139: Single cell temperature detection circuit

[0110] 143: Battery side trigger detection terminal

[0111] 144: Battery side LD terminal

[0112] 151: Charge / discharge control unit

[0113] 152: Monomer unit protection IC

[0114] VDD, VDD2: reference voltage DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0115] Example 1

[0116] Hereinafter, embodiments of an electric working machine and a wireless linkage system for an electric working machine will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same symbols are added to the same or equivalent components, members, etc. shown in each of the drawings, and repeated descriptions are omitted as appropriate. In addition, the form of the embodiment does not limit the invention but is an example, and all the features or their combinations described in the embodiment are not necessarily the essence of the invention.

[0117] Figure 1 It is a schematic three-dimensional diagram showing a structural example of a wireless linkage system 1 for electric working machines in the present embodiment. The wireless linkage system 1 includes a combination of electric working machines that are driven in a linkage manner. Here, a circular saw 10 is used as an electric working machine on the master device side, and a dust collector 50 is used as an electric working machine on the slave device side. The circular saw 10 and the dust collector 50 are electric working machines that can be driven independently using independent drive sources. When two or more electric working machines are operated in linkage, the electric working machine that performs the start and end instructions of the action is set as the "master device" side electric working machine, and the action of the "slave device" side electric working machine is performed according to the instructions from the master device side electric working machine.

[0118] The circular saw 10 is a tool for cutting wood or other objects by rotating a disc-shaped saw blade 25 having a plurality of spire-shaped blades formed on the outer circumference thereof at high speed by a motor (not shown). The circular saw 10 is powered by a commercial power source or a battery. In the present embodiment, a detachable battery pack 100 (in the Figure 2 A handle 13 for the operator to hold is formed on the upper portion of the housing 12 of the circular saw 10. A trigger lever 17a (at the lower front portion of the handle 13) for operating the switch of the motor is provided. Figure 2 The operator presses the base 20 and the saw blade 25 against the object to be cut and pulls the trigger lever 17a, thereby cutting the object to be cut in a straight line. The upper half of the outer peripheral edge of the saw blade 25 is covered by the housing 12. A protective cover 26 is provided around the lower half of the saw blade 25, and the protective cover 26 protects the saw blade 25 in a manner that the edge of the saw blade 25 is not exposed when the saw blade 25 is not pressed against the object to be cut.

[0119] If the circular saw 10 is used to cut wood, a lot of wood chips are generated during the cutting process. The covering portion of the housing 12 on about half of the upper side of the saw blade 25 plays a function of preventing the scattering of dust such as wood chips. In addition, a duct adapter 18 can be installed on a part of the housing 12. The duct adapter 18 forms a suction channel for sucking dust generated by the cutting operation together with the surrounding air, and the connecting pipe 19 is extended radially outward from a part of the outer peripheral edge of the saw blade 25 to form an air channel from the inner part of the housing 12 to the connecting pipe 19. The end 4b of the flexible dust collection hose 4 can be connected to the connecting pipe 19.

[0120] The dust collector 50 is an electric working machine as follows: a dust collecting fan (not shown) is rotated by a motor to form a negative pressure in the dust collecting hose 4, and chips or dust generated during the cutting operation are sucked together with the air from the inner side of the pipe connector 18 connected to the front end 4a of the dust collecting hose 4, and the air and chips or dust are separated by an air filter (not shown), and only the chips or dust are recovered into the container. A main switch is provided on the operation display unit 60 of the dust collector 50, and when the main switch is turned on, the motor starts (in single-action mode). If the motor rotates, the dust collection operation starts, and dust and the like can be sucked through the dust collecting hose 4. If the operator turns off the main switch, the motor stops, and the dust collection operation also stops. The dust collector 50 can be used not only in the single-action mode of independent operation, but also in the single-action mode of independent operation. Figure 1As shown, the linkage action is performed as the slave side of other electric machines. In this case, the front end 4a of the dust collection hose 4 is installed on the connecting pipe 19 of the pipe adapter 18, and the dedicated switch (described later) of the operation display unit 60 is operated, thereby switching from the "single action mode" to the "linked mode". At this time, the circular saw 10 side of the electric machine as the master side also operates the switch of the operation panel (not visible in the figure), thereby switching from the "single action mode" to the "linked mode". If they are switched to the "linked mode", the circular saw 10 and the dust collector 50 are automatically paired and registered, and wireless linkage can be realized.

[0121] In this way, the two electric working machines are linked, and the main work (cutting work using the circular saw 10) is performed by the electric working machine on one side (the main device side), and the secondary work (the suction and collection work of the dust generated by the circular saw 10) is performed by the electric working machine on the other side (the slave device side). Here, the motor of the electric working machine (dust collector 50) on the slave device side is turned on or off in conjunction with the turning on or off of the trigger switch of the electric working machine (circular saw 10) on the main device side. In order to perform work in a linked manner between multiple electric working machines, a communication unit for wireless communication is provided in each electric working machine (circular saw 10 and dust collector 50), and the electric working machine (dust collector 50) on the slave device side that receives an operation instruction from the electric working machine (circular saw 10) on the main device side through wireless communication 22 and wireless communication 52 operates according to the operation instruction. Here, if the dust collector 50 is set to the linkage mode, it becomes a standby state. If the trigger switch of the circular saw 10 is turned on, an operation instruction signal is sent from the communication unit of the circular saw 10 to the dust collector 50. After receiving the operation instruction signal, the dust collector 50 starts the motor to start the dust collection operation. If the trigger switch of the circular saw 10 is turned off, the operation instruction signal from the communication unit of the circular saw 10 disappears, so the dust collector 50 stops the motor immediately or with a specified time lag, and stops the dust collection operation. In this way, in this embodiment, wireless communication is used to perform linkage operations between multiple electric working machines, so it is possible to easily realize a wireless linkage system of electric working machines without preparing the connection of power cables or signal codes for transmitting linkage signals. In addition, since wireless communication is used, linkage operations can be performed even if either or both of the electric working machines on the master device side and the slave device side are battery-driven electric working machines, so the power supply constraints of the electric working machines disappear.

[0122] Figure 2The left side view of the circular saw 10 is a partially shown cross-sectional view. The circular saw 10 is a cordless electric working machine that uses a battery pack 100 as a power source. The circular saw 10 has a housing 12 and a base 20. The base 20 is, for example, a substantially rectangular plate made of metal, the bottom surface of which serves as a sliding surface for the material to be cut, and a long hole (not visible in the figure) is formed near the left and right center in the long side direction for the saw blade 25 to pass through. The housing 12 on the main body side of the circular saw 10 is connected to the base 20 at two locations in the front and rear, and the base 20 can be tilted and moved to the left and right relative to the housing 12. The housing 12 accommodates a motor or a power transmission mechanism not shown in the figure, and a handle portion 13 is formed on the upper portion thereof, and a battery mounting portion 14 is formed on the lower rear side of the handle portion 13. A motor not shown in the figure is mounted on the left side of the housing 12, and the motor is accommodated in a motor cover 16 in a manner such that the rotating shaft extends in the horizontal direction.

[0123] The handle 13 is a grip for the user to hold the circular saw 10. A trigger switch 17 is provided inside the handle 13, and a trigger lever 17a is provided below the trigger switch 17 so as to protrude downward from the handle 13. The operator rotates the motor by pulling the trigger lever 17a (moving the trigger lever 17a upward), and stops the motor by releasing the trigger lever 17a (allowing the trigger lever 17a to return downward). The protective cover 26 is a movable covering member including a resin member, for example, and covers the lower half (the portion protruding downward from the bottom surface of the base 20) of the saw blade 25 except for a portion in front when the cutting operation is not being performed.

[0124] An operation panel 27 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 12 on the rear side of the motor. The operation panel 27 is an input member for switching between the "single action mode" and the "linked mode". Figure 6 . A control circuit substrate 30 loaded with a circuit is arranged on the lower side of the operation panel 27, and the circuit is used to control the rotation control or wireless communication of the motor of the circular saw 10. A wireless communication unit 34 is provided inside the handle portion 13 of the circular saw 10 as a characteristic structure of the present embodiment. The wireless communication unit 34 is a unit for sending and receiving prescribed information with the dust collector 50 in accordance with the wireless communication standard. In addition, the wireless communication unit 34 can be provided at any position, and can be provided at any position in the housing 12 as long as it is a position that does not block or affect the radio waves. In addition, a connector for a wireless communication unit that can load and unload the wireless communication unit 34 can also be provided in the housing 12, so that the wireless communication unit 34 can be loaded and unloaded relative to the housing 12.

[0125] A battery mounting portion 14 is provided at the lower rear end of the handle portion 13 of the housing 12, so that the battery pack 100 can be installed and removed freely. The battery pack 100 is a power source for supplying driving power to the motor 15, and contains secondary batteries such as lithium-ion batteries. A plurality of terminals (such as the tool side positive terminal 41) for electrical connection with the battery pack 100 are provided at the lower side of the battery mounting portion 14. The battery pack 100 can be installed in the housing 12 by sliding from the rear to the front side in the horizontal direction. When the battery pack 100 is installed, the terminals on the tool body side and the terminals on the battery pack side become electrically conductive. If the battery pack 100 is slid toward the rear while pressing the latches 101 provided on the left and right sides, the battery pack 100 can be removed from the housing 12.

[0126] Figure 3 : is a schematic circuit block diagram of the circular saw 10. The control unit 32 is a circuit that controls the operation of each part of the circular saw 10. The control unit 32 is composed of a one-chip microcomputer, and the microcomputer performs battery voltage detection, current detection of the motor, wireless communication control, etc. The direct current supplied from the battery pack 100 is output to the power supply circuit 31, and the power supply circuit 31 outputs a fixed low voltage (for example, 5V or 3.3V) direct current from a high voltage such as 18V, and the control unit 32 operates using the low voltage power. The output of the battery pack 100 is also input to the inverter-driver circuit 33. Among the electronic components loaded in the inverter-driver circuit 33, six switching elements such as field effect transistors (FET) or insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) connected in a three-phase bridge form are included. The switching elements connected via the bridge are connected to the stator coil U, stator coil V, and stator coil W of the motor 15 connected via star connection or delta connection. The six switching elements are controlled by a microcomputer included in the control unit 32. The inverter-driver circuit 33 performs switching actions through the switching element driving signal output from the microcomputer of the control unit 32, converts the DC voltage supplied from the battery pack 100 into an AC of three-phase (U phase, V phase and W phase) voltages Vu, Vv, Vw and supplies it to the motor 15.

[0127] The wireless communication unit 34 is a part added for the first time in the circular saw 10 of this embodiment and is used to communicate with other electric working machines (such as Figure 1The dust collector 50) performs one-way communication or two-way communication. Here, the specified information is sent and received between other electric working machines according to the existing wireless communication specifications such as the widely used Bluetooth (a registered trademark of the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.). In addition, as long as the necessary transmission distance is available, there is no restriction on the wireless communication specifications used, and Wireless Fidelity (a registered trademark of the Wireless Fidelity Alliance (Wi-Fi Alliance)) or any other short-range communication technology can also be used. In addition, not only communication using radio waves, but also infrared communication and optical communication can be used. The wireless communication unit 34 includes a single-chip dedicated integrated circuit (IC) and an antenna unit, the single-chip dedicated IC is equipped with a communication module for wireless communication, and the antenna unit is used to send and receive radio waves of the frequency band specified by the specification. The timing or content of the signal sent by the wireless communication unit 34 is indicated by the microcomputer included in the control unit 32, and the wireless communication unit 34 decodes and sends it. In addition, the radio waves received by the wireless communication unit 34 are decoded and output to the control unit 32. The control unit 32 has a detection circuit for detecting voltage or current flowing into the motor, performs rotation control of the motor 15, controls wireless communication with other electric working machines using the wireless communication unit 34, and performs other overall control including acquisition of input operation and output display.

[0128] The user interface (UI) unit 35 inputs information from the operator to the control unit 32, and outputs information from the control unit 32 to the operator. It can use input components such as trigger switches 17, push switches, and any output components such as single light emitting diodes (LEDs), multi-segment LEDs, image display panels, etc.

[0129] Figure 4 50 is a front view of the dust collector 50. The dust collector 50 has a wireless communication unit 74 (see Figure 5) This point and the accompanying improvements are the same as the conventional dust collector. The dust collector 50 includes a groove portion 56 and a head portion 51 which can be separated from each other. The head portion 51 is detachably fixed to the upper portion of the groove portion 56 by a clamping mechanism 53 as a mounting mechanism. The groove portion 56 is a bottomed cylinder with an opened upper portion, and has a hose mounting port 57 on the side (front side) for connecting the dust collecting hose 4. Inside the groove portion 56, a truncated cone-shaped filter (not shown) is provided for filtering the attracted dust. The filter not shown is airtightly clamped from above and below by the groove portion 56 and the head portion 51. If dust is accumulated due to the dust collecting operation, the groove portion 56 and the head portion 51 are separated and the dust in the groove portion 56 is discarded. At the lower portion of the groove portion 56, a plurality of casters 58 that can rotate on the installation surface are provided.

[0130] The head 51 has a motor 55 (in the inner side of the head shell) Figure 5 ), a battery pack 100 (not shown), a control unit, and a wireless communication unit 74 (not shown) Figure 5 The motor 55 is arranged in the head 51 in such a way that its output shaft (not shown) extends vertically up and down, and rotates the dust collecting fan (not shown). An operation display unit 60 is provided on the side surface of the front side of the head 51 for the user to perform input operations and display information from the control unit. The operation display unit 60 has a power switch 61 and an operation panel 62, and the details are as follows. Figure 7 To be described later.

[0131] In the dust collector 50, if the motor 55 (see below) Figure 5 ) rotates, the dust collecting fan (not shown) rotates. The rotation of the dust collecting fan creates negative pressure in the groove 56, generating suction force at the hose mounting port 57. Figure 1 ) passes through the dust collecting hose 4 (see Figure 1 ) and is sucked into the interior of the groove 56 after passing through the hose mounting port 57. Thereafter, dust and air are separated in the groove 56 by a filter (not shown), and only the filtered air is discharged to the outside of the groove 56.

[0132] Figure 5 yes Figure 1A schematic circuit block diagram of the dust collector 50. As a power source, a battery pack 100 that is the same as the power source used in the circular saw 10 is used. Two battery packs 100 can be installed and connected in parallel, thereby seeking to increase the operating time through the battery. In the dust collector 50, an inverter-driver circuit 73 is used to drive the brushless motor 55. In this embodiment, a new structure is that a wireless communication unit 74 is newly provided compared to the previous dust collector, and the UI unit 75 is also improved in conjunction with the new structure. The wireless communication unit 74 uses the same method as the circular saw 10 (refer to Figure 1 ) and other electric working machines with wireless communication units, and performs one-way communication or two-way communication. Figure 3 ) to send and receive specified information between the first and second control units. The wireless communication unit 74 is composed of a single-chip dedicated IC and an antenna unit, and the single-chip dedicated IC is equipped with a communication module for wireless communication. The timing or content of the wireless signal sent by the wireless communication unit 74 is indicated by the microcomputer of the second control unit 76. In addition, the wireless signal received by the wireless communication unit 74 is decoded and output to the second control unit 76. The second control unit 76 outputs a control signal to the power supply circuit 71 according to the received signal to control its operation, and transmits the wireless signal to the first control unit 72. In the linkage mode, the first control unit 72 to which the wireless signal is transmitted operates the inverter-driver circuit 73 according to the wireless signal, thereby controlling the drive and stop of the motor 55.

[0133] The first control unit 72 is a control unit that controls the actions of each part of the dust collector 50. The first control unit 72 mainly includes a single-chip microcomputer, which has a detection circuit for detecting the voltage or current flowing into the motor 55, performs rotation control of the motor 55, and performs other overall control including the acquisition of input operations or output display. The second control unit 76 is a sub-control unit that performs on / off control of the power supply circuit 71 and control of wireless communication, and assists the first control unit 72 that becomes the main control unit. The second control unit 76 also mainly includes a single-chip microcomputer (second microcomputer). The first control unit 72 and the second control unit 76 exchange information with each other through a signal line. In the present embodiment, the first control unit 72 and the second control unit 76 are controlled by different microcomputers due to installation, but it is also possible to combine the first control unit 72 and the second control unit 76 and control them by a microcomputer.

[0134] The DC power supplied from the battery pack 100 is connected to the power supply circuit 71 that outputs a fixed low-voltage DC power, and the first control unit 72 and the second control unit 76 are operated by the power from the power supply circuit 71. The output of the battery pack 100 is also input to the inverter-driver circuit 73. Among the electronic components loaded in the inverter-driver circuit 33, six switching elements such as FET (field effect transistor) or IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) connected in a three-phase bridge form are included. The switching elements connected by the bridge are connected to the stator coil U, stator coil V, and stator coil W of the motor 55 connected by star connection or triangle connection. Thus, the six switching elements perform switching actions by the switching element drive signal input from the driver circuit controlled by the microcomputer, so that the DC voltage supplied from the battery pack 100 becomes a three-phase (U phase, V phase and W phase) voltage Vu, Vv, Vw and is supplied to the motor 55. The motor 55 is not limited to a brushless DC motor driven by the inverter-driver circuit 73 , and a brush-type DC motor or other types of motors may be used.

[0135] The UI (user interface) unit 75 inputs information to the first control unit 72 and outputs information from the first control unit 72. It can use input components such as trigger switches and push switches, and arbitrary output components such as single LEDs, multi-segment LEDs, and eight-segment digital display LEDs.

[0136] Then, use Figure 6 The operation panel 27 of the circular saw 10 is described. Here, a switch name 27a indicating the "operation mode" is provided, and a push-button switch 28 and an LED 29 that displays according to the status of the switch 28 are provided. The switch 28 is a push-type soft touch switch, and "linked / single action" is printed on the surface. When the switch 28 is not operated, the LED 29 is in the "single action mode" in which the light is off. If the switch 28 is pressed, it switches to the "linked mode". If the single action mode is switched to the linked mode, the LED 29 becomes a flashing state, and it becomes a state (searching state) in which a wireless connection with other linked electric working machines is attempted to be established. Here, if the connection with other electric working machines (such as the dust collector 50) has been established, the LED 29 becomes a lit state, indicating a state in which pairing has been completed (linked state).

[0137] When disconnecting with other electric working machines (such as dust collector 50), the switch 28 is pressed from the state of the interlocking mode in which LED 29 is lighting or flashing, thereby switching to the single-action mode. When switching to the single-action mode, LED 29 turns off. In addition, in the electric working machine of this embodiment, the setting of the single-action / interlocking mode is not cleared by cutting off the power supply, and the mode setting when the power supply is cut off can be maintained when restarting. The main switch of the circular saw 10 is not provided with a dedicated switch, but is turned on by the initial operation of the trigger lever 17a, and is automatically turned off by the passage of a prescribed time after the operation is completed. When the power of the circular saw 10 is turned on by pulling the trigger lever 17a again from the closed state, the setting of the single-action / interlocking mode when the power supply is turned off is maintained. Therefore, if the power of the circular saw 10 is turned off in the state of the interlocking mode in which LED 29 is lighting, when the circular saw 10 is restarted, there is no operation of the switch 28 and it automatically becomes the interlocking mode, and attempts to establish a wireless connection with other electric working machines in interlocking. The LED 29 is in a blinking state when attempting to establish the wireless connection, and is in a lighting state when pairing with another electric working machine is established.

[0138] Figure 7 This is an enlarged view of the operation display unit 60 of the dust collector 50. The operation display unit 60 is provided with a power switch 61 and an operation panel 62. The power switch 61 is the main switch of the dust collector 50. By turning it on, the first control unit 72 and the second control unit 76 of the dust collector 50 are started, and the motor 55 is started. The operation panel 62 is provided with a drive mode of the dust collector 50, a remaining battery display of the installed battery, and a switch for switching the operation mode. In addition, in a part of the operation panel 62 and below the power switch 61, an explanation (power switch label 66) for indicating the power switch 61 is displayed. In addition, although in Figure 7 Although omitted, the model number or trademark of the product may be displayed on the label portion 65.

[0139] The driving mode of the dust collector 50 is operated by a strong and weak switch 63, which is used to switch the strength of the attraction force by switching the rotation speed of the motor. Three LEDs 63a to 63c of different sizes are arranged on the upper side of the strong and weak switch 63, and the attraction force is displayed as "weak (the rotation speed of the motor is low)", "medium (the rotation speed of the motor is medium)" or "strong (the rotation speed of the motor is high)" in the order of the number of LEDs displayed from the left side of the LEDs 63a to 63c.

[0140] The remaining amount check switch 64 is a push-button switch for checking the remaining amount of the installed battery. By pressing the remaining amount check switch 64, the LED 64a and LED 64b, each having three segments, are lit only for a fixed time. Two battery packs 100 can be installed in the dust collector 50. The LED 64a displays the voltage corresponding to the first battery pack 100, and the LED 64b displays the voltage corresponding to the second battery pack 100. Each voltage corresponds to the number of LED lightings. When there is no remaining amount, the LED does not light up. When the remaining amount is low, only one segment of the LED lights up. When the remaining amount is medium, only two segments of the LED light up. When the fully charged state, all three segments of the LED light up.

[0141] The operation panel 67 has Figure 6 The same function as the operation panel 27 shown in . Here, a switch name 67a indicating the "operation mode" is provided, and a push-button switch 68 and an LED 69 that is displayed according to the status of the switch 68 are provided. The switch 68 is a push-type soft touch switch, and "linked / single action" is printed on the surface. When the switch 68 is not operated, the LED 69 is in the "single action mode" in which the light is off. If the switch 68 is pressed, it switches to the "linked mode". If the single action mode is switched to the linked mode, the LED 69 becomes a flashing state, and automatically attempts to establish a wireless connection with other linked electric working machines. Here, if the pairing with other electric working machines (such as the circular saw 10) has been established, the LED 69 becomes a lit state.

[0142] When the connection with other electric working machines (such as the circular saw 10) is released, the switch 68 is pressed from the state of the interlocking mode in which the LED 69 is flashing or lit, thereby switching to the single-action mode, and the LED 69 turns off. In addition, in the electric working machine of the present embodiment, the single-action / interlocking mode will not be cleared even if the power is turned off. The selected mode is stored when the power switch 61 is turned off, and when the power switch 61 is turned on again, the stored mode is used. For example, if the main switch of the dust collector 50 is turned off in the state of the interlocking mode in which the LED 69 is lit, when the dust collector 50 is restarted, the interlocking mode is automatically set without the operation of the switch 68, and the state (search state) of trying to establish a wireless connection (pairing) with other electric working machines that are interlocked is set. At this time, the LED 69 is in a flashing state, and if the wireless connection with the other electric working machine has been established, the LED 69 is in a lit state (interlocking state). By configuring as described above, both the electric working machine on the master side and the electric working machine on the slave side can easily execute the interlocking mode.

[0143] Figure 8 1 is a diagram showing the operating timing of each electric working machine (circular saw 10, dust collector 50) in the wireless linkage system of this embodiment. Figure 8 (A) in the figure shows the trigger operation state 80 of the electric working machine (circular saw 10) on the main equipment side. Figure 8 (B) in the figure shows the operating condition 90 of the motor 55 of the electric working machine (dust collector 50) on the slave side. Figure 8 (A) and Figure 8 The horizontal axis of (B) in the figure is time (unit: seconds), and the respective horizontal axes are shown synchronously. In the wireless linkage system of the present invention, the electric working machine (dust collector 50) on the slave device side operates in response to the trigger operation of the electric working machine (circular saw 10) on the master device side. If the trigger lever 17a of the circular saw 10 is pulled at time t1, the trigger switch 17 changes from the closed state of arrow 80a to the open state of arrow 80b, and the motor 15 of the circular saw 10 rotates. The rotation control of the motor 15 is performed by the control unit 32 (refer to Figure 3 ) is performed. The cutting operation performed by the operator lasts only T1. If the operator releases the trigger lever 17a at time t2, the motor 15 stops due to the trigger closure as shown by arrow 80c. Similarly, if the trigger lever 17a is pulled at time t4, the trigger switch 17 becomes turned on as shown by arrow 80d. If the trigger lever 17a is released at time t5, the motor 15 stops due to the trigger closure as shown by arrow 80e.

[0144] If Figure 8 When the circular saw 10 is operated as in (A) in FIG. 1 , a signal (interlocking signal) indicating the trigger operation of the circular saw 10 is transmitted to the paired dust collector 50. The second control unit 76 (refer to FIG. 1 ) of the dust collector 50 that receives the interlocking signal Figure 5 ) At time t1 (strictly speaking, there is a slight time lag, but it is negligible), the switch of the motor 55 is switched from the off state (stop state) as shown by arrow 90a to the on state (rotation state) as shown by arrow 90b. Here, if the operator releases the trigger lever 17a of the circular saw 10 at time t2 (refer to Figure 2), a linkage signal indicating this situation is transmitted to the dust collector 50 by wireless. The second control unit 76 of the dust collector 50 transmits the linkage signal to the first control unit 72 to stop the motor 55. At this time, the first control unit 72 can stop the motor 55 immediately at time t2, but there is a fixed delay time α here, and the motor 55 is stopped at time t3 as shown by arrow 90c. The reason is that after the operation of the circular saw 10 is completed, the dust collection operation of the delay time α is added, so that the dust collection from the saw blade 25 after cutting or the cut object is fully completed. The delay time α can be set to any time greater than 0, and it can be set in advance in the second control unit of the dust collector 50 as one of the parameters. Similarly, if a linkage signal indicating the trigger operation of the circular saw 10 is transmitted to the dust collector 50 at time t4, the motor 55 of the dust collector 50 rotates as shown by arrow 90d, and if a linkage signal indicating the end of the trigger operation of the circular saw 10 is transmitted to the dust collector 50 at time t5, the first control unit 72 of the dust collector 50 stops the motor 55 at time t6 after a delay time α from time t5 as shown by arrow 90e.

[0145] Fig. 9 The diagram shows the state transition of the operation mode in the paired electric working machine (circular saw 10 and dust collector 50). Fig. 9 The figure shown on the left side is the state transition of the circular saw 10, and the figure shown on the right side is the state transition of the dust collector 50. In the two electric working machines, the same mode setting is prepared, and the single-action mode 81, single-action mode 91 and the linkage mode 82, linkage mode 92 are set. In the linkage mode 82, linkage mode 92, there are two states, a retrieval state 83, retrieval state 93 for retrieving the object to be paired, and a linkage state 84, linkage state 94 in which the pairing is completed. When the circular saw 10 on the master device side and the dust collector 50 on the slave device side are both in the linkage state 84, linkage state 94, the two can be linked to perform the following operations. Figure 8 In linkage mode 82 and linkage mode 92, the search state 83 and search state 93, which are in the middle of the pairing operation, are states in which the linkage preparation using the wireless connection is not completed. Therefore, if the circular saw 10 is operated in this state, it will be operated in a non-linked state in the same manner as in the single-action mode 81. Even if the circular saw 10 is operated, the dust collector 50 will not operate. In the search state 83 and search state 93, the LED 29 (refer to Figure 6 ), LED 69 (refer to Figure 7 ) is in a flashing state, so the operator can easily recognize that "the linkage mode is selected, but the pairing is not completed."

[0146] The transition from the single action mode 81, single action mode 91 to the linkage mode 82, linkage mode 92 is shown by arrows 85, 95, and can be achieved by pressing the switch 28 (see Figure 6 )、switch 68 (refer to Figure 7 ) to switch. Then, the circular saw 10 and the dust collector 50 are both switched to the search state 83 and the search state 93. If the electric working machine (dust collector 50 and circular saw 10) on standby can be connected in the search state 83 and the search state 93, which can also be called the standby mode, the linkage state 84 and the linkage state 94 are switched as shown by arrows 86 and 96. The operator uses the LED 29 (refer to Figure 6 ), LED 69 (refer to Figure 7 ) becomes a lighting state, and it can be recognized that it has changed to the linkage state 84 or linkage state 94. When the wireless connection is interrupted for some reason during the linkage operation or the operation stop in the linkage state 84 or linkage state 94, it returns to the search state 83 or search state 93 as shown by arrows 88 or 98. In the search state 83 or search state 93, the paired electric working machine is searched again, and if the pairing is completed, it changes to the linkage state 84 or linkage state 94 as shown by arrows 86 or 96.

[0147] When the flashing state of LED 29 and LED 69 continues for a long time in the search state 83 and the search state 93, and the operator determines that the linkage between the plurality of electric working machines cannot be performed, the operator presses the switch 28 as shown by the arrow 89 and the arrow 99 (see Figure 6 )、switch 68 (refer to Figure 7 ), thereby switching to single-action mode. If the single-action mode is switched, LED 29 and LED 69 are turned off, so the operator can easily judge that the mode has been switched.

[0148] In the linkage state 84 and the linkage state 94, the operator presses the switch 28 as shown by the arrow 87 and the arrow 97 (see Figure 6 )、switch 68 (refer to Figure 7 ), thereby can switch to single action mode, and make linkage action end. If change to single action mode, then LED29, LED 69 lights out, so the operator can easily judge that mode has been switched.

[0149] Fig.10 1 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the pairing process performed by the controller of the circular saw 10 . Fig.10The series of processes shown in the figure can be executed by software through a program stored in advance in the microcomputer of the control unit 32. The pairing process is used to mutually identify the electric working machine (circular saw 10) on the master side and the (dust collector 50) on the slave side when performing a linkage operation using multiple electric working machines, and to perform a linkage process from the circular saw 10 on the master side to the dust collector 50 on the slave side according to the result of the identification. The battery pack 100 is installed in the circular saw 10, and the trigger lever 17a is first pulled, thereby starting the microcomputer of the control unit 32 and performing Fig.10 In addition, these controls are processed simultaneously with other processes performed by the microcomputer of the control unit 32, and are repeated until the microcomputer is shut down.

[0150] First, the microcomputer of the control unit 32 determines whether the switch 28 of the linkage mode is on. Figure 6 ) is pressed and turned on ("interlocking mode") (step 201). If the switch is not pressed, no interlocking operation with other electric working machines (dust collector 50, etc.) is performed, so the electric working machine is operated in "single-action mode" (step 212). At this time, LED 29 ( Figure 6 ) is in the lights-off state (step 213), and returns to step 201 again.

[0151] When the switch 28 (refer to Figure 6 ) is turned on ("interlocking mode"), the action of the interlocking mode is started (step 202), and first a search is performed to find the electric working machine to be paired with to establish a wireless connection (step 203). The "pairing" described in this embodiment refers to a state in which interlocking operation can be performed between the circular saw 10 and the dust collector 50. The electric working machine on one side of the interlocking operation (here, the circular saw 10) sends a request signal to the electric working machine on the other side (here, the dust collector 50), thereby searching for the connection object (other electric working machine) that responds to the request signal (step 203). In the search state, the LED 29 (refer to Figure 6) becomes flashing, and reports to the operator that a connection object is being retrieved (step 204). In the search, if a connection object can be detected, a connection is made to the first connectable electric working machine that responds to the request signal (step 205, step 206). When Bluetooth (registered trademark) is used, the pairing process can be performed in accordance with its specifications. In the present embodiment, the electric working machine on the requesting side first maintains the inherent identification information of a specific machine that becomes a connection object, and it is not necessarily performed if there is inherent identification information of a connection object at the time of connection, and an automatic connection is made to the first electric working machine that responds to the request signal. However, the request signal contains type identification information for identifying the type of electric working machine (for example, the model of the electric working machine), so it is not possible to connect to any other electric working machine. For example, the electric working machine that can be linked to the circular saw 10 is only the dust collector 50 or other dust collectors. Whether it is possible to connect to this model can be defined as one of the parameters and stored in advance in the control unit 32 on the circular saw 10 side. Therefore, connection with a model that cannot be linked with the electric working machine, such as a speaker using Bluetooth (registered trademark), is not performed.

[0152] Pairing is performed in step 206, and if the connection is successful (step 207), the linkage operation starts. In the linkage state, the control unit turns on the LED 29 (refer to Figure 6 ) is turned on, and the operator is informed that the connection with the electric working machine linked by pairing is completed (step 208). In addition, the control unit temporarily stores the identification information of the other electric working machine linked in the memory of the microcomputer. In the linked state, the operator pulls the trigger lever 17a, thereby rotating the motor 15, and the circular saw 10 is operated, and as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the dust collector 50 is also driven in a linkage manner. In addition, the rotation control process of the motor 15 or the transmission of the linkage signal from the circular saw 10 to the dust collector 50 in coordination therewith is performed by executing Fig.10 In addition, when the trigger lever 17a is pulled between steps 202 to 208, the circular saw 10 operates independently (the same operation as the single action mode).

[0153] The linkage signal includes drive state identification information (e.g., motor rotation speed), which is information indicating the drive state of the motor of the electric working machine, and switches the control at the start of driving the dust collector 50. Specifically, the drive state identification information is information corresponding to the drive state of the motor on the circular saw 10 side, and changes the start time from the start of driving the motor on the circular saw 10 side to driving the dust collector 50 at the working speed. The first control unit 72 of the dust collector 50 switches the start time corresponding to the drive state identification information, and the start time is the time from the start of driving the external electric working machine or the start of power supply to the motor of the dust collector 50 to the supply power to the motor of the dust collector 50 reaching the actual working voltage. In addition, the first control unit 72 of the dust collector 50 changes the length of the start time or the delay time α when stopping according to the type of the circular saw 10 included in the drive state identification information.

[0154] In addition, the driving state identification information includes mode setting information indicating whether the rotation speed of the motor is changed according to the load of the work performed by the electric working machine. The mode setting information includes information indicating the setting of the electric working machine specified according to the driving state of the motor, such as an automatic mode or a normal mode. The automatic mode maintains the rotation speed of the motor in a manner that is less than the specified rotation speed when the load on the front end tool (saw blade 25) of the electric working machine (circular saw 10) is less than the specified threshold, and then increases the rotation speed of the motor in a manner that is greater than the specified rotation speed when the load on the front end tool is greater than the specified threshold. The normal mode increases the rotation speed of the motor at a fixed speed until it reaches the specified rotation speed regardless of the load on the front end tool.

[0155] As described above, if the linkage mode is established in step 207, the linkage mode continues until the communication is disconnected for some reason or the operator presses the linkage mode switch 28 (see Figure 6 ) to switch to "single action mode" (step 209, step 210). In step 209, it is determined whether the communication has been disconnected. If it has been disconnected, the identification information is deleted and the process returns to step 201. The steps after step 202 are implemented to re-search the electric working machine that can be linked. As an example of communication being disconnected, the following situation is: in the electric working machine on the other side, the linkage mode switch (for example Figure 7The switch 68 of the control unit 32 is pressed to switch to the "single action mode", thereby disconnecting the communication from the electric working machine on the other side. If the communication is not disconnected in step 209, the microcomputer of the control unit 32 determines whether the state of the switch 28 on the local side is still the "interlocking mode". If it is still the interlocking mode, it returns to step 209 (step 210). In step 210, if the "interlocking mode" is released and the "single action mode" is turned on, the communication with the electric working machine on the other side is disconnected (step 211), and it returns to step 201.

[0156] In step 204, the situation where the electric working machine on the object side to be linked cannot be detected is equivalent to, for example, a situation where the electric working machine on the object side, such as a dust collector, is not within the connectable range, or even if it is within the connectable range, the main power is not turned on and has not been set to the "linkage mode". In this case, return to step 202 and continue the search state of searching for the electric tool on the object side. At this time, no pause is set in the search time of the electric working machine on the object side, and the search for the electric working machine on the object side continues while the LED is flashing. Therefore, in the search state, if the connectable machine model is switched to the linkage mode within the range where wireless connection can be performed, pairing registration can be performed immediately.

[0157] In the method of this embodiment, as long as the two electric working machines performing linkage operations are switched to linkage mode within the range where wireless communication is possible, pairing can be easily performed. In addition, no pause time is set in the search state when pairing is performed, so even if the timing of switching to linkage mode is staggered in the two electric working machines, it will not have any effect. In addition, even if there are multiple connectable electric working machines within the range where wireless communication is possible, for example, if there are two dust collectors, it is impossible to connect to the model that has been paired in linkage mode from the circular saw side, so it will not be a particular problem. In addition, in the case of being connected to other unexpected models (for example, the third dust collector), the circular saw 10 can be connected to the desired dust collector (the first dust collector) only by disconnecting the power of the other unexpected models (the third dust collector) or pressing the switch 68 of the linkage mode of the other models (the third dust collector) to switch to the single-action mode. Therefore, the pairing can be easily restored in a simple process, and the operator can use the wireless linkage system extremely easily.

[0158] Example 2

[0159] exist Figures 1 to 10In the embodiment, linkage is performed between electric working machines each having a wireless communication unit. However, linkage cannot be performed with an electric working machine that does not have a wireless communication unit. For example, it is desired to make a new dust collector 50 with a wireless communication unit linked with a conventional cordless circular saw that does not have a wireless communication unit. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is configured as follows: a wireless communication unit 134 is provided in the battery pack, and linkage with the electric working machine (dust collector 50) from the device side can be achieved via the wireless communication unit 134.

[0160] Fig.11 1 is a circuit diagram of the connection between the electric working machine body (circular saw 10) and the battery pack 100A. Fig.11 As shown, the circular saw 10 has: a tool side positive terminal 41; a trigger switch 17 for supplying power supplied from the battery pack 100A to the motor 15; a tool side trigger detection terminal 43 for detecting that power is being supplied from the battery pack 100A; the motor 15 for driving the circular saw 10; a tool side negative terminal 45; and a tool side laser diode (LD) terminal 44 for outputting the voltage value of the electric working machine. The circular saw 10 further has a battery voltage detection circuit 36, a power supply circuit 31, a trigger detection circuit 37, a current detection circuit 39, a control unit 32, a communication connection terminal 42, and a wireless communication unit 34.

[0161] The battery voltage detection circuit 36 ​​is a detection component for measuring the voltage supplied from the battery pack 100A, and its output is connected to the analog / digital (A / D) converter of the microcomputer of the control unit 32. The control unit 32 inputs a digital value corresponding to the detected battery voltage from the A / D converter, compares the input digital value with a predetermined value set in advance, and when the remaining battery level is less than the predetermined value, that is, when it has become an over-discharged state, the switch element 38 is turned into a blocking state, that is, the gate signal of the FET is turned into a low state, thereby temporarily making the motor 15 non-rotating, and protecting the battery pack 100A in a manner that does not over-discharge.

[0162] The power circuit 31 is a power circuit for generating an operating voltage for the control unit 32. When the power of the control unit 32 is not turned on, when the trigger lever 17a is pulled to turn on the trigger switch 17, a voltage is supplied from the power circuit 31 to the control unit 32, so that the microcomputer of the control unit 32 is started, and a power supply holding signal is continuously output from the control unit 32 to the power circuit 31, so that even if the trigger switch 17 is restored, the power supply to the control unit 32 is only maintained for a fixed time, and the microcomputer of the control unit 32 continues to operate.

[0163] The trigger detection circuit 37 is a circuit for detecting that the trigger switch 17 is closed, and outputs a signal indicating that the trigger switch 17 is closed to the control unit 32. The current detection circuit 39 is a circuit for detecting the current flowing in the circuit (the current flowing into the motor 15). The current detection circuit 39 detects the voltage across the shunt resistor R2, and a digital value corresponding to the current value detected by the current detection circuit 39 is input to the A / D converter of the control unit 32.

[0164] The control unit 32 mainly includes, for example, a microcomputer, and controls various parts of the circular saw 10. The communication connection terminal 42 is a connection terminal for the control unit 32 to communicate with the charge / discharge control unit 151 of the battery pack 100A to send and receive various control information. The wireless communication unit 34 is a circuit for communicating with an external device (for example, the dust collector 50) in accordance with wireless communication standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). However, when using a battery pack 100A with a wireless communication unit 134, the wireless linkage system of the present invention can be realized even if the electric working machine body does not have a structure with a wireless communication unit 34.

[0165] The battery pack 100A includes a monomer unit 120, the rated output voltage of which is 18V, and includes five monomers 121 to 125. The charge / discharge control unit 151 is a circuit including a central processing unit (CPU) that outputs a drive signal according to a program and data, a read-only memory (ROM) that stores programs and data, a random access memory (RAM) that temporarily stores data, and a timer, and monitors the charging and discharging actions of the battery pack 100A. The battery pack 100A has a battery-side trigger detection terminal 143 for connecting to the tool-side trigger detection terminal 43, and a trigger detection circuit 135 for detecting that the battery-side trigger detection terminal 143 is receiving power from the electric working machine.

[0166] Furthermore, the battery pack 100A has a battery-side LD terminal 144 for inputting the voltage value of the electric working machine, and a machine power supply detection circuit 136 for detecting the voltage value of the electric working machine by the battery-side LD terminal 144. A single-cell protection IC 152 for protecting the single-cell 120 is provided in the single-cell 120. An overcharge detection circuit 137 and an overdischarge detection circuit 138 using a signal of the single-cell protection IC 152 are connected, and the signals of both are output to the charge / discharge control unit 151.

[0167] Cell protection The cell protection IC 152 is used to monitor the voltage of each battery cell to prevent overdischarge or overcharge in any of the battery cells. The voltage of the battery cell rises with charging, so if charging continues and reaches the threshold voltage (charging limit voltage) for full charge, an overcharge signal is output from the overcharge detection circuit 137. Similarly, when at least one of the battery cells drops to the threshold voltage (discharging limit voltage) where there is a concern of overdischarge due to discharge, an overdischarge signal is output from the overdischarge detection circuit 138. As an example, the overcharge detection circuit 137 and the overdischarge detection circuit 138 output a high signal at the normal use voltage of the battery pack 100A, which is not overdischarged or fully charged, and output a low signal when notifying overdischarge or full charge. The cell temperature detection circuit 139 includes a temperature detection element such as a thermistor (not shown) arranged near the cell unit 120 and each battery cell constituting the cell unit 120, detects the temperature of each cell 121 to 125, and sends it to the charge / discharge control unit 151.

[0168] The power supply circuit 130 generates a reference voltage VDD for operation of the charge / discharge control unit 151 based on the voltage of the monomer unit 120, and supplies it to the charge / discharge control unit 151. The current detection circuit 131 detects the current flowing into the monomer unit 120 based on the voltage across the resistor 132 connected in series with the monomer unit 120, and outputs it to the charge / discharge control unit 151.

[0169] The wireless communication unit 134 is a newly added part in the battery pack 100A of this embodiment, and is used to communicate with other electric working machines (such as Figure 1 Here, as with the circular saw 10 or the dust collector 50, an existing wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) is used to send and receive specified information.

[0170] right Fig.11 The operation of the battery pack 100A using the wireless communication unit 134 shown in the figure is explained. The control unit 32 of the electric working machine body and the charge / discharge control unit 151 on the battery pack 100A side can communicate bidirectionally via the communication connection terminals 42 and the communication connection terminals 142. In addition, if the trigger operation is detected by the trigger detection circuit 37 on the electric working machine body side, the control unit 32 of the electric working machine body transmits the trigger operation signal to the charge / discharge control unit 151 on the battery pack 100A side via the trigger detection terminal 43 and the trigger detection terminal 143. If the charge / discharge control unit 151 receives the trigger detection signal, it transmits the trigger detection signal to the electric working machine on the slave device side (for example, the dust collector 50) via the wireless communication unit 134. Before performing the wireless linkage action, it is necessary to switch to the linkage mode on the battery pack 100A side. Therefore, the new setting and Figure 6 The battery pack 100A includes a switch similar to the switch shown in the figure, namely, a communication switch 127 for switching to a linkage mode in which linkage operation is performed wirelessly, and a communication state display component 129 such as an LED. In addition, when the battery pack 100A does not perform linkage operation with other electric working machines, or when the wireless communication unit 34 is provided on the electric working machine body side, as a single-action mode, the wireless communication unit 134 can be operated in the same manner as the conventional battery pack 100.

[0171] By using the second embodiment, even in an electric working machine without a wireless communication unit, a wireless linkage system can be easily realized by installing a battery pack 100A with a wireless communication function. In addition, in an electric working machine on the slave side (a conventional dust collector without a wireless communication unit), a wireless linkage system can also be easily realized by using the battery pack 100A.

[0172] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, as the master-side electric working machine used in the wireless linkage system 1, a circular saw 10 is exemplified, but it can also be applied to various other tools such as a wire saw, a grinder, and a hammer drill. In addition, the master-side electric working machine or the slave-side electric working machine is not limited to a cordless electric working machine, but can also be applied to an electric working machine using a commercial power supply.

Claims

1. An electric working machine comprising a motor, a working machine operated by the driving force of the motor, and a control unit for controlling the rotation of the motor, wherein: A communication unit is provided for wireless communication with a control unit of another electric working machine. As the operation mode, a linkage mode in which the operation is performed in linkage with the other electric working machine and a single-action mode in which the operation is performed independently without linkage with the other electric working machine are provided. A switch is provided for switching between the linkage mode and the single-action mode. When the switch is switched from the single action mode to the linkage mode, the control unit switches to a search state for searching for the other electric working machine that can communicate using the communication unit. When the other electric working machine capable of linkage is detected in the search state, the identification information of the other electric working machine is stored as a linkage object, and the linkage state is changed to operate in linkage with the other electric working machine. When the other electric working machine capable of being linked to the work machine is not detected in the search state, the search state is continued to search for the other electric working machine capable of being linked to the work machine. In the interlocking state, the interlocking state in which the electric working machine operates in interlocking with the other electric working machine is maintained until the wireless communication with the other electric working machine is disconnected or the switch is switched from the interlocking mode to the single-action mode. In the interlocking state, when wireless communication with the other electric working machine is disconnected or the switch is switched from the interlocking mode to the single-action mode, the identification information is deleted from the storage of the interlocking object.

2. The electric working machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the switch is in the interlocking mode and the control unit is operating in the search state for searching for other interlockable electric working machines, the control unit shifts to the interlocking state if another interlockable electric working machine is detected.

3. The electric working machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the switch is set to the interlocking mode when the power is turned on, and when the set communication line is cut off while operating in the interlocking mode while interlocking with other electric working machines, the control unit changes to the searching state for searching for an external electric working machine capable of communicating, and reconnects with any of the other detected electric working machines.

4. The electric working machine according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: It is defined in advance whether the electric working machine is to be controlled in conjunction with the communication unit as a master device of the other electric working machines or to be controlled in conjunction with the communication unit as a slave device of the other electric working machines. The electric working machine on the master side only searches for the electric working machine on the external slave side that can be linked, The electric working machine on the slave device side searches for only the electric working machine on the external master device side that can be linked.

5. The electric working machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The control unit, in the linkage mode in the linkage state, stores the identification information of the other electric working machines to be linked and maintains the linkage state. If the linkage state is changed to the retrieval state during the setting process of the linkage mode, the control unit deletes the identification information and then starts to re-search the other electric working machines that can be linked.

6. The electric working machine according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: When the control unit is in the linkage mode of the linkage state, it stores the identification information of the other electric working machine in linkage and maintains the linkage state. If the switch is switched from the linkage mode to the single-action mode in the linkage state, the control unit deletes the identification information and releases the connection with the other electric working machine that is communicating.

7. The electric working machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: A detachable battery pack is provided for supplying electric power to the motor. When the battery pack is removed in the interlocking state, the connection with the external electric working machine in communication is released, and when another battery pack is attached, a search for another interlocking electric working machine is started.

8. The electric working machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: A detachable battery pack is provided for supplying electric power to the motor. The communication unit is provided in the battery pack, The control unit wirelessly communicates with the other electric working machine via the communication unit in the battery pack.

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