US-20260124707-A1 - POWER TOOL ADAPTIVE CONTROL BASED ON MULTI-DIRECTION FORCE SENSOR GRIP

US20260124707A1US 20260124707 A1US20260124707 A1US 20260124707A1US-20260124707-A1

Abstract

A power tool system and method including a multi-direction force sensor and a power tool, the power tool having a motor, a trigger, and an electronic controller coupled to the multi-direction force sensor and the trigger. The electronic controller receives a trigger signal from the trigger; receives a force signal from the multi-direction force sensor; determines a directional force applied to the power tool by a user based on the force signal and the trigger signal; and controls the motor based on the directional force.

Inventors

Andrew J. Paskov

Assignees

Milwaukee Tool Electric Corporation

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251104

Claims (20)

1 . A method for controlling a power tool, the method comprising: receiving, via a trigger on the power tool, a trigger signal; receiving, via an electronic processor, a force signal from a multi-direction force sensor of a handle of the power tool; determining, based on the force signal and the trigger signal, a directional force applied to the power tool by a user; and controlling a motor of the power tool based on the directional force.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-direction force sensor comprises more than one force sensor.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the force signal comprises: a first force value; and a second force value, the first force value opposite from the second force value.
4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising: comparing the first force value to the second force value to determine the directional force, wherein controlling the motor of the power tool based on the directional force comprises: causing the motor to turn in a counter-clockwise direction when the first force value is greater than the second force value, and causing the motor to turn in a clockwise direction when the second force value is greater than the first force value.
5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the first force value indicates a push force and the second force value indicates a pull force, and wherein the force signal further comprises: a third force value indicating a leftward force; and a fourth force value indicating a rightward force.
6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising: comparing the third force value to the fourth force value to determine the directional force; and detecting that the power tool is bound in a material based on the comparison, wherein controlling the motor of the power tool based on the directional force comprises: stopping movement of the motor in response to detecting that the power tool is bound in the material.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the directional force is at least one of a push force, a pull force, a leftward force, or a rightward force.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, via the electronic processor, a baseline force value from a force sensor of the multi-direction force sensor; setting a zero threshold for the force sensor based on the baseline force value; and determining whether a force amount of the directional force exceeds the zero threshold, wherein controlling the motor of the power tool is further based on determining that the force amount of the directional force exceeds the zero threshold.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein controlling the motor of the power tool includes increasing a speed, a torque, or both a speed and torque of the motor.
10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: comparing the force signal to one or more predetermined threshold values; and determining that the directional force is a push force or a pull force based on the comparison.
11 . A power tool multi-direction force sensor system, the system comprising: a multi-direction force sensor; a power tool comprising: a motor; a trigger; and an electronic controller including a processor and coupled to the multi-direction force sensor, the motor, and the trigger, the electronic controller configured to: receive a trigger signal from the trigger; receive a force signal from the multi-direction force sensor; determine a directional force applied to the power tool by a user based on the force signal and the trigger signal; and control the motor based on the directional force.
12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the multi-direction force sensor comprises more than one force sensor; and wherein the force signal indicates at least two of a push force, a pull force, a leftward force, or a rightward force.
13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the force signal comprises: a first force value from a first force sensor of the multi-direction force sensor; a second force value from a second force sensor of the multi-direction force sensor; and a third force value from a third force sensor of the multi-direction force sensor, wherein the first, second, and third force sensors are spaced apart from one another by more than 100 degrees around a handle of the power tool.
14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the multi-direction force sensor comprises at least one of a force sensitive resistor (FSR), a strain gauge, an inductive sensor, or a capacitive pressure sensor.
15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the force signal comprises: a first force value; and a second force value, the first force value opposite from the second force value.
16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the force signal further comprises: a third force value; and a fourth force value, the third force value opposite from the fourth force value and perpendicular to the first force value.
17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the multi-direction force sensor comprises a first force sensor arranged in a front side of a handle of the power tool and a second force sensor arranged in a back side of the handle of the power tool; and wherein the first force value corresponds to the first force sensor and the second force value corresponds to the second force sensor.
18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the multi-direction force sensor further comprises a third force sensor arranged in a right side of the handle of the power tool and a fourth force sensor arranged in a left side of the handle of the power tool; and wherein the third force value corresponds to the third force sensor and the fourth force value corresponds to the fourth force sensor.
19 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the handle is a main handle that includes the trigger.
20 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the power tool further includes a main handle with the trigger, and wherein the handle is an auxiliary handle that is separate from the main handle.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is based on, claims priority to, and incorporate herein by reference in their entirety US Provisional Application Serial No. 63/716,989, filed November 6, 2024. SUMMARY Some embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for controlling a power tool. The method includes receiving, via a trigger on the power tool, a trigger signal; receiving, via an electronic processor, a force signal from a multi-direction force sensor of a handle of the power tool; determining, based on the force signal and the trigger signal, a directional force applied to the power tool by a user; and controlling a motor of the power tool based on the directional force. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide a power tool multi-direction force sensor system. The system includes a multi-direction force sensor and a power tool. The power tool includes a motor; a trigger; and an electronic controller including a processor and coupled to the multi-direction force sensor, the motor, and the trigger. The electronic controller is configured to: receive a trigger signal from the trigger; receive a force signal from the multi-direction force sensor; determine a directional force applied to the power tool by a user based on the force signal and the trigger signal; and control the motor based on the directional force. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain principles of the embodiments: FIGS. 1A and 1B show a power tool with multi-direction force sensors, according to some examples. FIGS. 1C-1E show diagrams of a cross section of a handle of a power tool with different force sensor spacings, according to some examples. FIGS. 2A-2H show various power tools with multi-direction force sensors, according to some examples. FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a power tool with multi-direction force sensors, according to some examples. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a process for controlling a power tool motor, according to some examples. FIGS. 5A-5B show a power tool with multi-direction force sensors and corresponding force labels, according to some examples. FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of a process for controlling a power tool motor, according to some examples. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Power tools can be used for various application in different environments. A user may apply various forces to the power tool during operation. The detection of these force can improve the performance of the tool by identifying a desired reaction of the tool in response to specific forces applied. Some embodiments described herein provide improved systems and methods for controlling a power tool using one or more multi-direction force sensors. For example, some embodiments of the disclosure provide a power tool that has multiple force sensors in the handle or grip area of the power tool. The force sensors may monitor a grip force of a user operating the power tool to indicate a directional force applied to the handle or grip area (e.g., a push force, a pull force, a rightward force, a leftward force, etc.). The power tool may sense and determine the directional force to control parameters associated with the performance of the power tool for adaptive control of the tool. FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate an example embodiment of a power tool 100 with force sensors 110a-d, according to some examples. The power tool 100 includes a handle or grip 102, a main body 104 housing a motor (not shown), a tool holder or chuck 106, and a foot 108 including a battery interface for selectively receiving a power tool battery pack. In this example, the power tool 100 is shown as a drill-driver, and the handle 102 (also referred to as the main handle 102) extends from the main body 104 towards the foot 108. Further, the tool holder 106 is in front of the main body 104. In some examples, as illustrated, the power tool 100 further includes an auxiliary handle or grip 118 that is separate from the handle 102. In FIG. 1A, the auxiliary handle 118 is attached to the main body 104 on a right side of the power tool 100. In FIG. 1B, the auxiliary handle 118 is attached to the main body 104 on a left side of the power tool 100. A first multi-direction force sensor 112 may include the force sensors 110a and 110b. In some examples, the multi-direction force sensor 112 may also be referred to as a force sensor cluster 112 or multi-direction force sensor cluster 112. In particular, the first multi-direction force sensor 112 may sense a force on the front of the handle 102 (e.g., via force sensor 110b) and a force on the back of the handle 102 (e.g., via force sensor 110a). Moreover, a second multi-direction force sensor 112 may include the force sensors 110c and 110d. The second multi-direction force sensor 114 may sense a force on the left side of the handle 102 (e.g., via force sensor 110c) and a righ