Battery-operated work machine with cooling air ducting

Abstract

The invention relates to a hand-guided battery-operated work tool with a tool housing (1), an electric drive motor (2) in the tool housing (1), a battery compartment (3) in the tool housing (1) for accommodating a removable battery pack, and a cooling air guide (5) in the tool housing (1), the cooling air guide comprising an inlet-side air guide section (6) extending from a housing inlet (7) in the battery compartment (3) to an air outlet (19) from the battery compartment (3) and an outlet-side air guide section (9) leading from the air outlet (19) of the battery compartment (3) to the drive motor (2) and from there to the housing outlet. The tool according to the invention has a filter element (10) which is arranged in the cooling air guide (5) in a manner accessible via the battery compartment (3). The invention is used, for example, in hand-guided electric gardening and forestry tools.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a hand-guided, battery-operated power tool according to the preamble of claim 1 . Background Art

[0002] Such a working device comprises an instrument housing, an electric drive motor in the instrument housing, a battery compartment (Schacht) in the instrument housing for accommodating a removable battery pack, and a cooling air guide in the instrument housing, the cooling air guide comprising an air guide section on the inlet side extending from the housing inlet into the battery compartment to an air outlet from the battery compartment and an air guide section on the outlet side that further guides from the air outlet of the battery compartment to the drive motor and from there to the housing outlet. The battery pack is used for energy supply to the drive motor, and the drive motor can be cooled by cooling air guided through the cooling air guide. Optionally, the battery pack can also be cooled by cooling air.

[0003] Publication EP 2 431 134 A2 discloses a power saw of this type, which has a fan wheel fixed to the motor shaft of the drive motor for sucking in a cooling air flow, which is used to cool the drive motor and the electronic control device. When the battery pack is inserted, it is guided by guide tabs on the wall sides facing each other, wherein a gap is left between the wall and the battery pack, so that cooling of the battery pack is also provided by suitable air guidance of the cooling air flow.

[0004] Utility model document CN 205993049 U discloses another power saw of this type, in which the cooling air guide comprises a fan which is arranged upstream of the drive motor at the air outlet from the battery compartment.

[0005] Publication US 2018 / 0131058 A1 discloses a battery-operated work tool in the form of a portable angle grinder or a portable drilling machine, in which a battery pack can be connected to the end side of the tool housing, for which the battery pack can be pushed up in a direction roughly parallel to the end side, and a cooling air guide portion includes a first and a second air guide path, which extend parallel to the flow technology in the section on the inlet side and merge in the section on the outlet side and lead to a common air outlet at the housing. The first air guide path leads to the connected battery pack via the air inlet on the battery pack side on the inlet side, guides through the battery pack and leads to the relevant immediately following air guide section via the air outlet on the battery pack side. The second air guide path leads into the housing via the air inlet on the housing side and extends parallel to the air guide section of the first air guide path in terms of flow technology until the merging point. At least one of the two air guide paths is guided via an electronic component and a drive motor, wherein a fan is arranged downstream of the drive motor.

[0006] Patent document JP 6252778 B2 discloses a battery-operated angle grinder, which has an elongated cylindrical instrument housing, an electric drive motor in the instrument housing, a battery pack that can be connected to the instrument housing, and a cooling air guide in the instrument housing. The instrument housing has a grinding tool at the first end side and a fixing device for releasably installing the battery pack on the other end side. Adjacent to the fixing device, the cooling air guide has a lateral housing inlet into the instrument housing, where a filter element can be positioned, which can be removably engaged in a receiving portion at the instrument housing for this purpose. The battery pack connected to the instrument housing fixes the filter element to prevent it from being removed from its filter receiving portion, that is, in order to install and remove the filter element, the battery pack is removed from the instrument housing accordingly in advance. In particular, the filter element can be placed in its receiving portion parallel to the longitudinal axis of the instrument housing and can be removed from the receiving portion, while the battery pack is pushed to the relevant end of the instrument housing perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the instrument housing or removed again. Summary of the invention

[0007] Based on this object, the present invention is based on the object of providing a hand-guided, battery-operated power tool of the type mentioned in the introduction, which is further improved compared to the above-mentioned prior art, in particular with regard to the cooling air guidance.

[0008] The invention solves this problem by providing a hand-guided, battery-operated power tool having the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims, the terms of which are hereby incorporated by reference into the description.

[0009] In the work machine according to the invention, the measures of placing the battery pack in the battery compartment in the machine housing and introducing the cooling air into the battery compartment and from there further guided in the machine housing are advantageously combined with the measures of arranging the filter element in the cooling air guide accessible via the battery compartment and filtering the cooling air guided in the cooling air guide by means of the filter element. Such positioning of the filter element, i.e. its accessibility via the battery compartment, has the advantage that on the one hand the filter element is accessible (e.g. for cleaning purposes) when the battery pack is not located in the battery compartment, and on the other hand the battery pack protects or conceals the filter element from harmful external influences when it is inserted into the battery compartment. In this way, the filter element can be positioned without problems at a location that is not visually visible during operation of the work machine with the battery pack inserted into the battery compartment and can therefore be designed independently of the desired requirements for the design of the outer housing.

[0010] Here, in an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the air guide section of the inlet side of the cooling air guide extends immediately adjacent to its housing inlet into the battery slot completely or in any case in one of a plurality of parallel air guide paths in the portion of the battery slot without a battery pack, that is, in the area of ​​the battery slot that is not occupied by the battery pack when the battery pack is inserted into the battery slot. The cooling air guided in this area between the battery pack and the boundary of the battery slot then flows over the battery pack or along one or more outer walls of the battery pack and does not pass through the battery pack. As a result, the battery pack inserted into the battery slot can be sufficiently cooled without the cooling air having to be forcibly guided through the battery pack.

[0011] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the device housing is sealed in a targeted manner so that the cooling air guided in the cooling air duct reaches the device housing approximately only at the housing inlet into the battery compartment. With such a housing seal, it is thus possible to provide a defined guidance of the cooling air through the cooling air duct provided for this purpose, wherein the cooling air reaches at the housing inlet into the battery compartment, from there to the air outlet from the battery compartment and then to the drive motor and further to the fan outlet, without this targeted guidance of the cooling air flow being disturbed by appreciable amounts of external air reaching the device housing at other locations.

[0012] In a development of the invention, the filter element is arranged at the air outlet of the battery slot or in the interior of the battery slot before the air outlet of the battery slot in the direction of air flow. In the case of this positioning, the filter element can be directly approached via the battery slot and can thus be removed from the battery slot by the user via the battery slot if the battery pack has previously been removed from the battery slot. In the case of positioning the filter element at the air outlet of the battery slot, the battery slot can also be configured independently of the presence of the filter element according to the needs of the battery pack. Alternatively, it can be advantageous for the corresponding application to position the filter element in the interior of the battery slot before the air outlet of the battery slot in the direction of air flow, for example in the form of a filter ring, which is located flow-technically between the housing inlet of the cooling air guide into the battery slot and the air outlet and through which the battery pack can be inserted when the battery pack is pushed into the battery slot.

[0013] In a further development of the invention, the filter element is arranged in the device housing, that is to say in the interior of the device housing and / or at the side wall of the battery compartment facing the drive motor. Due to the positioning in the device housing, the filter element is protected by the device housing against external influences. In the case where the filter element is positioned at the side wall of the battery compartment facing the drive motor, the filter element is easily accessible and the cooling air can be directed from the filter element to the drive motor over a relatively short path.

[0014] In a further development of the present invention, the filter element can be removed via the battery compartment. With this measure, the filter element can be removed by the user when necessary, for example for cleaning purposes or for replacement with a new filter element, in a simple manner via the battery compartment and can also be put back in contrary to the disassembly process.

[0015] In a further development of the invention, the housing inlet and the housing outlet of the cooling air guide are located on substantially mutually opposite sides of the device housing. This measure has advantages in terms of cooling air technology. It is thus possible to prevent the heated cooling air flowing out of the housing outlet from being immediately sucked back into the device housing at the housing inlet. Furthermore, the housing inlet can be arranged at a location of the device housing that is not subject to severe contamination in order to prevent the cooling air sucked into the device housing from being undesirably contaminated.

[0016] In a further development of the invention, a heat sink structure of an electronic component accommodated in the device housing is arranged in the outlet-side air guide section. As a result, the electronic component can also be cooled by the cooling air flow guided through the cooling air guide.

[0017] In a further development of the invention, the cooling air guide comprises a fan arranged downstream of the drive motor. This measure offers advantages for the respective application with regard to the arrangement of the fan and the guidance of the air flow. Due to the positioning of the fan downstream of the drive motor, the drive motor is located in the suction area of ​​the fan and the fan can be coupled to the drive motor with relatively little effort in terms of drive technology.

[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, the fan has a fan housing that expands in a funnel shape toward the fan outlet, wherein the fan outlet forms the housing outlet of the cooling air guide. This is an advantageous embodiment of the guidance of the cooling air flow in the fan region. The cooling air flow guided by the cooling air guide flows out of the device housing as an air flow that expands in a funnel shape, whereby the air flow can flow out at a relatively low speed and the noise emission can be kept low.

[0019] In a further development of the invention, the battery well is enclosed and joined at least in a partial region on the well inlet side by a housing which is removably mounted on the rest of the device housing. This measure has the advantage that the user can remove the housing and thus the battery well as a whole or at least a part of its inlet side from the rest of the device housing when necessary, thereby facilitating access to, for example, the filter element and possibly other device components arranged in the battery well region.

[0020] In one embodiment of the invention, the housing is closed on the periphery. Accordingly, in this case the battery compartment is designed as a whole or at least in part of the inlet side to be closed on the periphery, which can have design advantages and / or advantages with regard to the cooling air guidance in the battery compartment area and / or with regard to the placement of the battery pack in the battery compartment.

[0021] In a development of the invention, according to an advantageous application, the power tool is designed as a hand-held, battery-operated motor saw. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings. These and other embodiments of the present invention are described below. Among them:

[0023] Figure 1 A perspective view of a hand-guided battery-operated work tool is shown, toward a housing region having a battery compartment and a battery pack accommodated therein,

[0024] Figure 2 A detailed perspective view of the battery well area is shown without a battery pack inserted therein.

[0025] Figure 3 Shows Figure 1 A longitudinal section view of the instrument area,

[0026] Figure 4 Shown along Figure 3 A cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of

[0027] Figure 5 The fan region of the device is shown in a side view without the outer housing cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] exist Figures 1 to 5 The work tool shown in the figure comprises a tool housing 1, an electric drive motor 2 in the tool housing 1, a battery compartment 3 in the tool housing 1 for accommodating a removable battery pack 20, a cooling air duct 5 in the tool housing 1, and a filter element 10 arranged in the cooling air duct 5 and accessible via the battery compartment 3. The work tool shown can be configured in particular as a hand-held battery-operated motor saw. In alternative embodiments, the work tool according to the invention is implemented as another hand-guided battery-operated gardening or forestry work tool, for example as a lawn mower, a lawn mower, an angle grinder, a drill or the like.

[0029] The cooling air guide 5 includes an air guide section 6 on the inlet side and an air guide section 9 on the outlet side. The air guide section 6 on the inlet side extends from the housing inlet 7 into the battery compartment 3 to the air outlet 19 out of the battery compartment 3. The air guide section 9 on the outlet side leads from the air outlet 19 of the battery compartment 3 to the drive motor 2, so that the drive motor 2 can be cooled by the cooling air flow guided by the cooling air guide 5. Optionally, the battery pack 20 is also cooled by the cooling air flow. The air guide section 9 on the outlet side further guides from the drive motor 2 to the housing outlet 8.

[0030] The battery pack 20 can preferably be inserted into the battery slot 3 and can be removed from the battery slot 3 via the relevant slot opening 4. The housing inlet 7 of the inlet-side air guide section 6 into the battery slot 3 is preferably located on the same side of the battery slot 3 as the slot opening 4 in this case (as in the example shown). In a preferred embodiment, the housing inlet 7 of the inlet-side air guide section 6 into the battery slot 3 is formed by the part of the slot opening 4 that is not occupied by the inserted battery pack 20. Starting from the slot opening 4, the battery slot 3 preferably extends into the device housing 1 as in the example shown, that is, the slot longitudinal direction along which the battery pack 20 is inserted is not parallel to the relevant surface of the device housing 1 and extends into the interior of the device housing 1. In an alternative embodiment, the battery slot 20 extends along the side of the device housing 1.

[0031] In the corresponding embodiment, an air gap is left on at least one side between the boundary wall of the battery slot 3 and the inserted battery pack 20 as part of the inlet-side air guide section 6. In the example shown, such an air gap exists at all four peripheral surfaces between the square battery pack 20 and the corresponding cavity structure of the battery slot 3, so that the cooling air guided in the inlet-side air guide section 6 flows around the battery pack 20 inserted into the battery slot 3 over the entire periphery from the housing inlet 7 to the air outlet 19 out of the battery slot 3. Such an air gap is also left at the bottom surface 3a of the battery slot 3, wherein in the example shown, a spring tongue 24 is arranged there, which moves the battery pack 20 inserted into the battery slot 3 and fixed by means of a locking device a little further away from the battery slot 3 after the locking is released, thereby making it easier to remove the battery pack 20 from the battery slot 3.

[0032] The accessibility of the filter element 10 via the battery slot 3 means that the filter element 10 is accessible to the user when the battery pack 20 is not located in the battery slot 3. This accessibility allows the user to clean the filter element 10, for example, via the battery slot 3. When the battery pack 20 is placed in the battery slot 3, the battery pack protects and hides the filter element 10.

[0033] In an advantageous embodiment, the filter element 10 is arranged at the air outlet 19 of the battery compartment 3, as in the example shown. The entire interior of the battery compartment 3 thus remains free of the filter element 10. In an alternative embodiment, the filter element 10 is arranged in the interior of the battery compartment 3 at a certain distance in the air flow direction before the air outlet 19 of the battery compartment 3 (that is, upstream of the air outlet 19). This may be advantageous, for example, if the air outlet 19 of the battery compartment 3 is not easily accessible via the battery compartment 3 or if air flow technical reasons suggest that the filter element 10 be arranged in the battery compartment 3 at a distance from the air outlet 19. The filter element 10 can be designed, in particular, as shown, as a flat, planar filter element that extends approximately in one plane.

[0034] In a corresponding embodiment, the filter element 10 is arranged in the instrument housing 1 at the side wall 11 of the battery compartment 3 facing the drive motor 2, as in the example shown. In an alternative embodiment, the filter element 10 is arranged in the instrument housing 1 as an alternative and / or it is not arranged at the side wall 11 of the battery compartment 3 facing the drive motor 2, but at another side wall of the battery compartment 3 and is accordingly arranged in or at the instrument housing 1.

[0035] In an advantageous embodiment, the filter element 10 can be removed via the battery slot 3, as in the example shown. In this case, the filter element 10 is not only accessible to the user via the battery slot 3, but can also be removed by the user via the battery slot 3, so that, for example, the filter element can be cleaned outside the device housing or replaced by a new filter element in the case of maintenance. For this purpose, the filter element 10 is preferably arranged releasably in the device housing 1, preferably in the battery slot 3 or at the relevant side wall 11 of the battery slot 3, for example by means of corresponding conventional clamping connections, snap connections, latching connections or screw connections. Accordingly, the filter element 10 can then also be inserted again via the battery slot 3 and fixed at the place of use.

[0036] In an advantageous embodiment, the housing inlet 7 and the housing outlet 8 of the cooling air guide 5 are located on substantially mutually opposite sides 12, 13 of the instrument housing, as in the case of the example shown. In the example shown, the two opposite instrument housing sides 12, 13 are upper or lower housing sides in the horizontal position of the working instrument. The arrangement of the housing inlet 7 and the housing outlet 8 of the cooling air guide 5 on two opposite instrument housing sides prevents the heated cooling air blown out from the housing outlet 8 from being undesirably sucked back into the housing inlet 7. In an alternative embodiment, the housing inlet 7 and the housing outlet 8 of the cooling air guide 5 can be located at the same instrument housing side or at two adjacent mutually adjacent sides of the instrument housing 1. In either case, it can be ensured, if necessary, that the housing inlet 7 is located as far away as possible from the area of ​​the potential burden of contamination of the working instrument. Thus, for example, the housing inlet 7 of the cooling air guide 5 can be arranged at the upper side of the instrument housing 1, if it can be expected that possible contamination will form mainly at the bottom of the working instrument during the operation of the working instrument.

[0037] In a corresponding embodiment, as in the example shown, a cooling body structure 14 for an electronic component 15 accommodated in the device housing 1 is arranged in the air guide section 9 on the outlet side. This enables the electronic component 15 to be cooled by the cooling air flow guided in the cooling air guide 5. The cooling body structure 14 may, for example, include an arrangement of pin coolers (as shown) and / or surface cooling ribs, etc. The electronic component 15 may, for example, be an electronic component for the electronic control of the drive motor 2 and / or an electronically controllable component that is additionally present depending on the working device. In the example shown, the cooling body structure 14 for the electronic component 15 is located in the air guide section 9 on the outlet side of the cooling air guide 5 upstream of the drive motor 2. This Figure 4 It can be seen in FIG. 5 by means of air flow arrows 23 representing the cooling air flow, which illustrate the course of the air flow in the outlet-side air guide section 9 of the cooling air guide 5 .

[0038] In a corresponding embodiment, the cooling air guide 5 comprises, as in the example shown, a fan 16 which is arranged downstream of the drive motor 2. The fan 16 is an active element for guiding cooling air through the air guide sections 6, 9 on the inlet side and the outlet side. The fan 16 can preferably be driven by the drive motor 2 and in a corresponding embodiment, as in the example shown, is located on the same drive shaft 21 of the drive motor 2 as the working tool of the work apparatus driven by the drive motor 2 (e.g. the saw chain of a motor saw). Figure 4 , a sprocket 22 for such a saw chain is shown in this regard, which is located on the side of the drive motor 2 that is opposite the fan 16 .

[0039] Since the fan 16 is arranged downstream of the drive motor 2, the entire inlet-side air guide section 6 and the outlet-side air guide section 9 up to the fan 16 are located in the suction area of ​​the fan 16, that is, the battery pack 20, the filter element 10 and the drive motor 2 and the optional cooling body structure 14 of the electronic component 15 are located in the cooling air suction flow generated by the fan 16. In an alternative embodiment, the fan 16 is positioned at a location in the outlet-side air guide section 9 that is placed upstream of the drive motor 2 or is already positioned in the inlet-side air guide section 6.

[0040] In an advantageous embodiment, the fan 16 has a fan housing 17 which expands in a funnel-like manner toward a fan outlet 16a, as in the example shown, wherein the fan outlet 16a forms the housing outlet 8 of the cooling air duct 5. In alternative embodiments, the fan housing 17 has another shape toward the fan outlet 16a, for example with a constant or reduced air passage cross section, and / or the fan outlet 16a is located at a location spaced upstream from the housing outlet 8 of the cooling air duct 5.

[0041] In a corresponding embodiment, the battery slot 3 is surrounded and engaged by a housing 18 at least in a partial area on the slot inlet side, which is removably mounted on the rest of the device housing 1. In the example shown, the housing 18 is removably mounted on the rest of the device housing 1, in particular by means of a screw connection 25, preferably using a plurality of associated screws (as shown). Removal of the housing 18 can facilitate the removal of the filter element 10 in the corresponding case or additionally facilitate its accessibility. In an alternative embodiment, the battery slot 3 is formed as a whole by a part of the device housing 1 that is non-detachably, that is, non-destructively detachably connected to the rest of the device housing 1, for example in a one-piece embodiment with an adjacent part of the device housing 1.

[0042] In an advantageous embodiment, the housing 18 is closed on the circumference, as in the example shown. The housing 18 can thus serve as an outer boundary for the inlet-side air guide section 6 on all sides, wherein the housing inlet 7 of the inlet-side air guide section 6 into the battery compartment 3 is preferably located at the open end side of the housing 18, wherein the open end side of the housing 18 provides a compartment opening 4, via which the battery pack 20 can be inserted into the battery compartment 3.

[0043] As shown and the further embodiments described above make clear, the present invention provides a hand-guided battery-operated working device with advantageous properties, in particular in view of the arrangement of the cooling air guide and the filter element in the cooling air guide. The special cooling air guide enables effective cooling of the battery pack and the drive motor and optionally other device parts to be cooled (e.g. electronic components). If necessary, the cooling air can take place in areas of the working device that are not critical in view of dirt deposits. The device housing is preferably designed to be appropriately sealed in order to ensure a defined cooling air guide. The filter element is accessible via the battery compartment, for example for cleaning purposes, and is arranged in a protected manner in the cooling air guide.

Claims

1. Hand-guided battery-operated work tools with - a device housing (1), - an electric drive motor (2) in the device housing (1), - a battery compartment (3) in the device housing (1) for accommodating a removable battery pack, and - a cooling air guide (5) in the device housing (1), comprising an inlet-side air guide section (6) extending from a housing inlet (7) into the battery compartment (3) to an air outlet (19) from the battery compartment (3) and an outlet-side air guide section (9) leading from the air outlet (19) of the battery compartment (3) further to the drive motor (2) and from there further to a housing outlet (8), and a filter element (10) which is arranged in the cooling air duct (5) so as to be accessible via the battery compartment (3), It is characterized in that The filter element (10) is arranged in the interior of the battery container (3) before the air outlet (19) of the battery container (3) in the direction of air flow, and / or The filter element (10) is arranged on the side wall (11) of the battery compartment (3) facing the drive motor (2), and / or the battery compartment (3) is surrounded and engaged by a shell (18) at least in a partial area on the compartment inlet side, and the shell is removably mounted on the rest of the device housing (1). 2 . The hand-guided, battery-operated power tool according to claim 1 , further characterized in that the filter element ( 10 ) can be removed via the battery compartment ( 3 ).

3. The hand-guided battery-operated working tool according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that the housing inlet (7) and the housing outlet (8) of the cooling air guide (5) are located on substantially mutually opposite sides (12, 13) of the tool housing (1).

4. The hand-guided, battery-operated working device according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that a cooling body structure (14) of an electronic component (15) accommodated in the device housing (1) is arranged in the air guide section (9) on the outlet side.

5. The hand-guided, battery-operated work machine according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that the cooling air guide (5) comprises a fan (16) arranged downstream of the drive motor (2).

6. The hand-guided battery-operated working tool according to claim 5 is further characterized in that the fan (16) has a fan housing (17) which expands in a funnel shape toward a fan outlet (16a) and the fan outlet (16a) forms a housing outlet (8) of the cooling air guide (5).

7. The hand-guided, battery-operated power tool according to claim 1, further characterized in that the housing (18) is closed on the circumference.

8. The hand-guided battery-operated power tool according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that it is configured as a hand-held battery-operated power saw.

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