Air compressor

Abstract

To provide an air compressor capable of reliably stopping the use of a pneumatic tool when the air compressor is not installed.SOLUTION: An air compressor 1 capable of supplying compressed air to an external pneumatic tool connected to a coupler 6 comprises: detection means 4 for detecting a non-installation state of a compressor body (2, 10, 20) of the air compressor 1; and supply inhibition means for inhibiting the supply of the compressed air from the coupler 6 when the detection means 4 has detected the non-installation state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air compressor.

Background Art

[0002] At work sites such as construction sites, pneumatic tools using compressed air as driving energy are widely used for performing operations such as cutting, nailing, and screwing. As pneumatic tools, air drivers and nailers for driving fasteners such as staples, pins, screws, and nails are known. An air compressor supplies compressed air to such pneumatic tools.

[0003] Generally, an air compressor is configured such that the rotational motion of a motor is converted into the reciprocating motion of a piston in a cylinder via a crankshaft, and the air sucked from the intake valve of the cylinder is compressed by the reciprocating motion of the piston. The compressed air compressed in the cylinder is discharged from the exhaust valve of the cylinder through a pipe into a tank and stored in the tank. Then, the compressed air stored in the tank can be finely adjusted for pressure increase or decrease by the user operating a pressure regulating dial. The compressed air having reached the desired pressure by performing such fine adjustment is supplied from the compressed air supply port to an external pneumatic tool.

[0004] Regarding such an air compressor, for example, in consideration of safety during transportation, etc., a mechanism for stopping various functions of the air compressor has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an air compressor provided with installation detection means for detecting the installed state or non-installed state of the air compressor with respect to the installation surface. When the switch detects the non-installed state, the air compressor stops functioning as an air compressor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in the air compressor described in the above patent document, since the air compressor stops functioning after detecting that it has been lifted and is in a non-installed state, it is not possible to stop the function in advance before the compressor body is lifted and prevent the supply of compressed air to the pneumatic tool. Since it may be slow in terms of safety after the air compressor has been lifted, there has been a problem that it is desired to stop the function before lifting.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an air compressor that can surely stop the use of a pneumatic tool when the air compressor is not installed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] An air compressor according to an aspect of the present invention is an air compressor capable of supplying compressed air to an external pneumatic tool connected to a coupler, and includes a detection means for detecting a non-installed state of the air compressor, and a supply blocking means for blocking the supply of compressed air from the coupler when the detection means detects the non-installed state.

[0009] According to this aspect, it is possible to provide an air compressor that can surely stop the use of a pneumatic tool when the air compressor is not installed, and the safety for the user is improved.

[0010] In the above aspect, the air compressor further includes a handle attached to the compressor body of the air compressor and movable within a movable range including a first position, the detection means detects that the compressor body is installed when the handle is in the first position, and detects the non-installed state of the compressor body when the handle is in a second position different from the first position, and the supply blocking means may prevent the connection of the pneumatic tool to the coupler when the handle is in the second position.

[0011] According to this aspect, when the handle is moved in an attempt to carry the air compressor, the detection means can detect the non-installed state, and further the supply blocking means can prevent the connection of the pneumatic tool to the coupler.

[0012] In the above aspect, when the handle is in the second position, a part of the handle may prevent the connection to the coupler. The handle may further be provided with a driven member that moves in conjunction with the handle, and when the handle is in the second position, the driven member may prevent the connection of the pneumatic tool to the coupler.

[0013] According to this aspect, the coupler can be blocked by the handle or the driven member, and the function as an air compressor can be stopped more reliably. It becomes possible to simply and surely stop the function as an air compressor.

[0014] In the above aspect, when the handle is in the first position, the gap between the compressor body and the handle may be equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0015] According to this aspect, by making the gap between the compressor body and the handle, for example, smaller than the size of a user's finger, when the handle is in the first position, the user cannot grip the handle, and to lift the compressor, the handle must move to the second position, and the supply blocking means prevents the connection of the pneumatic tool to the coupler, so the safety is improved.

[0016] In the above aspect, the handle may be configured not to be movable from the first position when the pneumatic tool is connected to the coupler.

[0017] According to this aspect, since the handle cannot be moved to operate the air compressor while the pneumatic tool is attached to the coupler, the pneumatic tool must be removed and the handle must be moved during transportation. Therefore, when the compressor body is not installed, the use of the pneumatic tool can be surely stopped. Therefore, since the pneumatic tool and the hose connected to the pneumatic tool are not connected to the compressor, it is possible to prevent the pneumatic tool or the hose connected to the pneumatic tool from falling off the compressor or being damaged by contact with a wall or the like during transportation.

[0018] In the above aspect, the air compressor further includes a handle that is attached to the compressor body of the air compressor and is movable within a movable range including a first position. The detection means detects that the compressor body is installed when the handle is in the first position, and detects the non-installed state of the compressor body when the handle is in a second position different from the first position. The supply blocking means may disconnect the connection between the coupler and the pneumatic tool and stop the supply of compressed air when the handle moves from the first position to the second position.

[0019] According to this aspect, in conjunction with the movement of the handle from the first position to the second position, the plug of the pneumatic tool is removed from the coupler, so that the use of the pneumatic tool can be surely stopped.

Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an air compressor that can surely stop the use of a pneumatic tool when the compressor body is not installed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each figure, those denoted by the same reference numerals have the same or similar configurations. The air compressor 1 according to each embodiment of the present invention is a portable air compressor that can be driven by a battery 3 (see FIG. 2). When carrying the compressor body, movable members such as a handle 4 move from a first position P1 to a second position P2 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). The air compressor 1 is characterized in that in a state where a movable member (for example, the handle 4) has moved to the second position P2, the coupler 6, which is a connection part with an external pneumatic tool, cannot be used.

[0023] The movable member functions as a detection means for detecting a non-installed state in which the air compressor 1 can be lifted. Further, the movable member also functions as a supply blocking means for blocking the supply of compressed air from the coupler 6 so that the coupler 6 cannot be used. The movable member functioning as the detection means and the movable member functioning as the supply blocking means may be the same movable member or separate movable members.

[0024] The supply prevention means may be prevention means for preventing the connection of a pneumatic tool to the coupler 6 when the detection means detects the non-installed state of the housing 2 (see FIGS. 3 to 5). Alternatively, when the detection means detects the non-installed state of the housing 2, it may be stop means for stopping the supply of compressed air from the coupler 6 (see FIGS. 6 to 9). Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of the air compressor 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the air compressor 1 includes a housing 2, a battery 3, a handle 4, a tank 5, a coupler 6, a pressure regulating dial 7, a pressure gauge 8, a power switch 9, etc. arranged on the outer surface of the housing 2. Although not shown, the battery 3 may be built into the housing 2.

[0026] The compressor main body (2, 10, 20) constituting the main part of the air compressor 1 includes, in addition to the housing 2 and the tank 5, a control unit 10 (shown in FIG. 2), a compression mechanism 20 (shown in FIG. 2), etc. to be described later. In the illustrated example, the housing 2 is formed in the shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped suitcase. When the handle 4 is pulled out to a second position P2 (shown in FIG. 3) to be described later and the grip 41 is gripped to lift the housing 2, the housing 2 can be carried with one hand.

[0027] In the illustrated example, two detachable batteries 3 are attached to the housing 2. The number of batteries 3 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be one, or three or more. The battery 3 does not necessarily have to be detachable, and may be connected to the electronic substrate built into the housing 2 by soldering or the like.

[0028] The tank 5 stores the compressed air generated by the compression mechanism 20. The coupler 6 is a supply port for high-pressure compressed air to which an external pneumatic tool is connected. In the illustrated example, two couplers 6 are provided. The number of couplers 6 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be one, or three or more.

[0029] The pneumatic tool is, for example, an air driver or a nailer that drives fasteners such as staples, pins, screws, nails, etc., and is connected to a plug 100 (shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) that can be inserted into and removed from a coupler 6 by an air hose. The coupler 6 and the plug 100 will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9.

[0030] The pressure regulating dial 7 is used to adjust the compressed air supplied from the coupler 6 to an arbitrary pressure. The pressure gauge 8 displays the pressure adjusted by the pressure regulating dial 7. The power switch 9 is used to cut off the power supply circuit 13 (shown in FIG. 2) described later to stop the power supply. The air compressor 1 may further include a connector (not shown), an operation panel, etc. provided on the outer surface of the housing 2.

[0031] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the air compressor 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the air compressor 1 includes a compression mechanism 20 that is driven by a motor 21 to generate compressed air, a control unit 10 that controls the drive of the motor 21, etc.

[0032] The compression mechanism 20 generates compressed air by, for example, reciprocating a piston or the like by the motor 21. The motor 21 is, for example, a three-phase brushless DC motor, and is composed of a stator having three-phase windings of U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase, a rotor having a permanent magnet, etc.

[0033] The above-described tank 5 is attached with a pressure sensor 23 that detects the internal pressure of the tank 5. The pressure sensor 23 is, for example, a piezoresistive type whose resistance value varies according to the air pressure, or a pressure sensor whose capacitance varies according to the air pressure. A coupler 6 is connected to the tank 5. The pressure regulating dial 7 operates a valve provided in the flow path from the tank 5 to the coupler 6 to adjust the pressure of the compressed air flowing into the coupler 6.

[0034] The control unit 10 is composed of, for example, an MCU 11, a current / voltage detection circuit 12, a power supply circuit 13, etc. The current / voltage detection circuit 12 is connected to the three-phase windings and the like that make up the motor 21. Since the current flowing through the windings varies according to the load of the motor 21, the current / voltage detection circuit 12 can acquire information on the load state of the motor 21. The MCU 11 includes a processor and a storage element, and controls the inverter 16 and the like of the power supply circuit 13 based on information from the current / voltage detection circuit 12, the pressure sensor 23, etc.

[0035] The power supply circuit 13 is composed of an AC / DC converter 14, a power supply switching circuit 15, an inverter 16, an on-board charger 17, etc. The AC / DC converter 14 converts the AC power supplied from a commercial power supply such as a socket (wiring plug connector) into DC power. The AC / DC converter 14 includes, for example, a rectifier circuit with a diode for converting an AC voltage into a DC voltage, a boost circuit including a switching element for controlling the voltage of the DC voltage, a smoothing circuit including a capacitor for smoothing the DC voltage, etc. The on-board charger 17 charges the battery 3 using the power supplied from the AC / DC converter 14. The on-board charger 17 may be omitted and the battery 3 may be charged with an external charger.

[0036] When the air compressor 1 is connected to a socket or the like and power is supplied from the AC / DC converter 14, the power supply switching circuit 15 supplies the power to the inverter 16. When the air compressor 1 is not connected to a socket or the like and the power supply from the AC / DC converter 14 has stopped, the power supply switching circuit 15 supplies the power of the battery 3 to the inverter 16. The inverter 16 switches the DC power supplied from the power supply switching circuit 15 and supplies it to the three-phase windings of the motor 21.

[0037] The inverter 16 is composed of switching elements such as IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) or FET (Field Effect Transistor) connected in a three-phase bridge between a power line and a ground line, for example. The MCU 11 can execute PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control by controlling the switching elements of the inverter 16. The MCU 11 compares the motor starting pressure value and the motor stopping pressure value set in the air compressor 1 with the information on the internal pressure from the pressure sensor 23, and drives the motor 21 until the internal pressure of the tank 5 reaches the motor stopping pressure value by sending a signal to the inverter 16.

[0038] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the handle 4 shown in FIG. 1 rotates and closes the coupler 6. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the handle 4 attached to the compressor body can move within a movable range including a first position P1. The first position P1 is, for example, a position where a plug 100 of a pneumatic tool can be attached to the coupler 6, and the second position P2 is, for example, the remainder excluding the first position P1 from the movable range of the handle 4.

[0039] When the handle 4 is at the first position P1, the gap Q1 between the compressor body and the grip 41 becomes a predetermined value or less such that a user cannot insert a finger into the gap Q1 and grip the grip 41. Therefore, to carry the compressor body, it is necessary to pull out the handle 4 and widen the gap between the compressor body and the grip 41 from Q1 shown in FIG. 1 to Q2 shown in FIG. 3. The air compressor 1 is configured such that when a pneumatic tool is connected to the coupler 6 shown in FIG. 1, the handle 4 interferes with the plug 100 of the pneumatic tool and cannot move from the first position P1.

[0040] The air compressor 1 of this embodiment is provided with detection means for detecting the non-installed state of the compressor body. The handle 4 is an example of the detection means. When the handle is in the first position P1 shown in FIG. 1, it is detected that the compressor body is in a state of being installed on an installation surface such as the floor surface (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "installed state"). On the other hand, when the handle is in a second position different from the first position, it is detected that the compressor body is in a non-installed state (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "non-installed state") being transported. The movable member constituting the detection means is not limited to the handle 4, and may be, for example, a button protruding from the bottom surface of the compressor body.

[0041] As described above, the air compressor 1 of this embodiment is provided with supply blocking means for making it impossible to use a pneumatic tool by making it impossible to use the coupler 6 when the detection means detects the non-installed state. The supply blocking means includes at least one of prevention means and stop means.

[0042] The prevention means, for example, closes the coupler 6 with a coupler cover 42 or the like to prevent the connection of the pneumatic tool to the coupler 6. The stop means, for example, removes the plug 100 of the pneumatic tool from the coupler to stop the supply of compressed air. The stop means will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9.

[0043] The prevention means prevents connection to the coupler when the handle 4 is in the second position P2. In the illustrated example, the coupler cover 42, which is a part of the handle, closes. The coupler cover 42 is an example of the prevention means. In the illustrated example, the coupler cover 42 is provided between the rotation center 40 of the handle 4 and the grip 41. The handle 4 is an example of the movable member constituting the supply blocking means (prevention means).

[0044] FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing an example of a handle 4 that can linearly move to close the coupler. The upper half of FIG. 4 shows the state where the handle 4 is in the first position P1, and the lower half of FIG. 4 shows the state where the handle 4 is in the second position P2. As shown in FIG. 4, when the handle 4 is moved from the first position P1 to the second position P2 in an attempt to widen the gap from Q1 to Q2 to grip the grip 41, the coupler cover 42 that slides up and down is configured to close the coupler 6.

[0045] FIG. 5 is a side view schematically showing an example of a driven member 43 that can close the coupler 6 following the handle 4. The upper half of FIG. 5 shows the state where the handle 4 is in the first position P1, and the lower half of FIG. 5 shows the state where the handle 4 is in the second position P2. As shown in FIG. 5, when the handle 4 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2, instead of a part of the handle 4, the driven member 43 as shown in the figure may be configured to close the coupler 6. The driven member 43 is another example of a movable member that constitutes a supply blocking means (preventing means).

[0046] In the illustrated example, the driven member 43 is configured as a slider that is pressed against the base end portion including the rotation center 40 of the handle 4 and its vicinity and slides horizontally. The driven member 43 that moves in conjunction with the handle 4 is not limited to the illustrated example and may be a link or a lever.

[0047] FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state where a plug 100 of an air hose extending from a pneumatic tool is connected to the coupler 6. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state where the movable sleeve 61 slides and the connection between the coupler 6 and the plug 100 is released. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the coupler 6 is composed of a coupler body (inner cylinder portion) 60 incorporating a valve and the like, a sleeve (outer cylinder portion) 61 that is slidable with respect to the coupler body 60, and the like. As shown in FIG. 7, when the sleeve 61 is pushed back to the upstream side of the compressed air, the plug 100 can be removed.

[0048] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of a handle 4 provided with a connection release mechanism. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state where the handle 4 shown in FIG. 8 has moved from the first position P1 to the second position P2. In the illustrated example, when the handle 4 moves from the first position P1 shown in FIG. 8 to the second position P2 shown in FIG. 9, the connection between the coupler 6 and the plug 100 of the pneumatic tool is configured to be released. When the plug 100 is removed, the valve built into the coupler body 60 closes and the supply of compressed air stops. The connection release mechanism for removing the plug 100 from the coupler 6 is an example of a stop means.

[0049] In the illustrated example, an inclined surface 44 that functions as a connection release mechanism is formed near the rotation center 40. The inclined surface 44 is inclined so as to press the sleeve 61 toward the housing 2 side as it goes toward the second position P2. The connection release mechanism is not limited to the illustrated example. For example, when the handle 4 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2, it may be configured to push back the sleeve 61 with a lever, a link, or the like.

[0050] According to the air compressor 1 of each embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, since the plug 100 cannot be connected to the coupler 6 when the compressor body is not installed, the use of the pneumatic tool can be surely stopped. The embodiments described above are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and are not for limiting the interpretation of the present invention. Each element included in the embodiments, as well as its arrangement, material, conditions, shape, size, etc. are not limited to those illustrated and can be changed as appropriate. Also, it is possible to partially replace or combine the configurations shown in different embodiments.

[0051] For example, the movable members used in the detection means, supply prevention means, etc. are not limited to the handle. For example, an exterior member that slides down below the bottom surface of the compressor body when lifted from the installation surface may be attached to the compressor body to replace the handle. The detection means may detect the non-installed state from the relative positions of the compressor body and the exterior member. The prevention means may be configured such that when the compressor body is lifted to carry the air compressor, the exterior member moves to block the coupler. The mechanism for moving the exterior member is not particularly limited. The exterior member may be slid down by gravity, or the exterior member may be moved by the biasing force of a spring.

[0052] For example, the stop means may be configured such that when the handle moves from the first position to the second position, the control unit stops the electric motor to stop the supply of compressed air. For example, the stop means may include a mechanism that can mechanically operate the on-off valve without passing through the control unit, and may be configured to close the on-off valve in conjunction when the handle moves to the second position. Alternatively, the stop means may further include a solenoid valve capable of blocking the inflow of compressed air into the coupler, and the stop means may be configured such that when the handle moves from the first position to the second position, the control unit closes the solenoid valve to stop the supply of compressed air to the pneumatic tool.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0053] 1... Air compressor, 2... Housing, 3... Battery, 4... Handle (an example of a movable member constituting the detection means, an example of a movable member constituting the supply prevention means), 5... Tank, 6... Coupler, 7... Pressure regulating dial, 8... Pressure gauge, 9... Power switch, 10... Control unit, 11... MCU, 12... Current / voltage detection circuit, 13... Power supply circuit, 14... AC / DC converter, 15... Power supply switching circuit, 16... Inverter, 17... On-board charger, 20... Compression mechanism, 21... Motor, 23... Pressure sensor, 40... Rotation center, 41... Grip, 42... Coupler cover, 43... Driven member (an example of a movable member constituting the supply prevention means), 44... Inclined surface (an example of the connection release mechanism), 60... Coupler body, 61... Sleeve, 100... Plug, P1... First position, P2... Second position, Q1, Q2... Gap.

Claims

1. An air compressor capable of supplying compressed air to an external pneumatic tool connected to a coupler, detection means for detecting a non-installed state of the air compressor, supply blocking means for blocking the supply of the compressed air from the coupler when the detection means detects the non-installed state, a compressor body, a handle attached to the compressor body, and comprising, the handle is configured to be movable between a first position and a second position, the detection means detects that the compressor body is in the non-installed state when the handle is in the second position, the supply blocking means prevents the connection of the pneumatic tool to the coupler, an air compressor.

2. The supply blocking means stops the supply of the compressed air from the coupler. The air compressor according to claim 1.

3. The supply blocking means disconnects the connection between the coupler and the pneumatic tool. The air compressor according to claim 1.

4. When the handle is in the second position, the supply blocking means prevents the connection of the pneumatic tool to the coupler by a part of the handle covering at least a part of the coupler. The air compressor according to claim 1.

5. The supply blocking means has a driven member that moves in conjunction with the handle, and when the handle is in the second position, the driven member covers at least a part of the coupler to prevent the connection to the coupler. The air compressor according to claim 1.

6. When the handle is in the first position, the gap between the compressor body and the handle becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value. The air compressor according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The handle is configured not to be movable from the first position to the second position when the pneumatic tool is connected to the coupler. The air compressor according to claim 1.

Images