US-20260124733-A1 - WIRELESS CONTROL OF AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT

US20260124733A1US 20260124733 A1US20260124733 A1US 20260124733A1US-20260124733-A1

Abstract

Hand-held construction equipment ( 100 ) comprising a trigger ( 110 ) arranged to activate the equipment ( 100 ) in response to actuation by a user, a trigger lockout arrangement ( 120 ) having a locked state and a released state, where the trigger lockout arrangement ( 120 ) is arranged to prevent activation of the construction equipment by the user when in the locked state, and a control unit ( 150 ) comprising a communications module arranged to communicate wirelessly ( 170 ) with auxiliary equipment, where the control unit ( 150 ) is arranged to transmit a wireless activation signal by the communications module to the auxiliary equipment in response to the trigger lockout arrangement ( 120 ) entering into the released state or in response to the trigger lockout arrangement ( 120 ) entering into the released state and remaining in the released state for a predetermined period of time.

Inventors

Par Carlsson

Assignees

HUSQVARNA AB

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20230928
Priority Date: 20221003

Claims (20)

1 . Hand-held construction equipment comprising a trigger arranged to activate the equipment in response to actuation by a user, a trigger lockout arrangement having a locked state and a released state, wherein the trigger lockout arrangement is arranged to prevent activation of the construction equipment by the user when in the locked state, and a control unit comprising a communications module arranged to communicate wirelessly with auxiliary equipment, wherein the control unit is arranged to transmit a wireless activation signal by the communications module to the auxiliary equipment in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state or in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state and remaining in the released state for a predetermined period of time.
2 . The hand-held construction equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the trigger is a trigger on a cut-off tool, and where the trigger lockout arrangement comprises a button arranged to be actuated by the palm of a user gripping a rear handle of the cut-off tool.
3 . The hand-held construction equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary equipment comprises a water tank with a pump comprising a control unit arranged to activate the pump in response to receiving the wireless activation signal, or wherein the auxiliary equipment comprises a dust extractor with a control unit arranged to activate the dust extractor in response to receiving the wireless activation signal.
4 . (canceled)
5 . The hand-held construction equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is arranged to transmit a wireless deactivation signal by the communications module to the auxiliary equipment in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the locked state or in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the locked state and remaining in the locked state for a predetermined period of time.
6 . The hand-held construction equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the trigger lockout arrangement is arranged to allow actuation of the trigger by the user when in the released state.
7 . The hand-held construction equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the released state of the trigger lockout arrangement comprises a first position and a second position, wherein the control unit is arranged to transmit the wireless activation signal in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the first position of the released state or in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the first position of the released state and remaining in the first position of the released state for a predetermined period of time, wherein the control unit is arranged to allow transition by the trigger lockout arrangement into the second position of the released state in response to receiving an acknowledgement signal from the auxiliary equipment, wherein the trigger lockout arrangement is configured to prevent activation of the construction equipment by the user in the first position of the released state and to allow activation of the construction equipment in the second position of the released state.
8 . The hand-held construction equipment according to any claim 1 , wherein the control unit is arranged to receive an acknowledgement signal from the auxiliary equipment, and to only allow actuation of the trigger by the user if an acknowledgement signal is received in response to transmitting the wireless activation signal.
9 . The hand-held construction equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is arranged to control a user interface of the construction equipment to indicate by the user interface if the trigger lockout arrangement is in the locked state or in the released state.
10 . The hand-held construction equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is associated with a paired state and an unpaired state, wherein the control unit, when in the unpaired state, is arranged to perform a pairing operation in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state or in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state and remaining in the released state for a predetermined period of time.
11 . The hand-held construction equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is arranged to respond to a repeated actuation of the trigger lockout arrangement within a time period, by performing a pre-determined function.
12 . The hand-held construction equipment according to claim 11 , wherein the pre-determined function is an un-pairing operation or a test routine configured to test wireless connectivity to the auxiliary device and function thereof.
13 . (canceled)
14 . The hand-held construction equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is arranged to activate a work light of the construction equipment in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state or in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state and remaining in the released state for a predetermined period of time.
15 . The hand-held construction equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the trigger lockout arrangement comprises a dissimilar action type mechanism.
16 . The hand-held construction equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is arranged to define a reconfigurable logical link to the auxiliary equipment prior to transmitting the wireless activation signal.
17 . (canceled)
18 . A method performed by hand-held construction equipment where the hand-held construction equipment comprises a trigger arranged to activate the equipment in response to actuation by a user, a trigger lockout arrangement having a locked state and a released state, where the trigger lockout arrangement arranged to prevent activation of the construction equipment by the user when in the locked state, and a control unit comprising a communications module arranged to communicate wirelessly with auxiliary equipment, the method comprising transmitting a wireless activation signal by the communications module to the auxiliary equipment in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state or in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state and remaining in the released state for a predetermined period of time.
19 . The method according to claim 18 , where the control unit is associated with a paired state and an unpaired state, the method further comprising, when the control unit is in the unpaired state, performing a pairing operation in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state or in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state and remaining in the released state for a predetermined period of time.
20 . Hand-held construction equipment comprising a trigger arranged to activate the equipment in response to actuation by a user, a trigger lockout arrangement having a locked state and a released state, where the trigger lockout arrangement is arranged to prevent activation of the construction equipment by the user when in the locked state, and a control unit comprising a communications module arranged to communicate wirelessly with auxiliary equipment, where the control unit is associated with a paired state and an unpaired state with respect to the auxiliary equipment, where the control unit, when in the unpaired state, is arranged to perform a pairing operation in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state or in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state and remaining in the released state for a predetermined period of time.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to hand-held construction equipment, such as cut-off tools for cutting concrete and stone. There are disclosed methods and arrangements for controlling auxiliary devices connected to the construction equipment. BACKGROUND Hand-held construction equipment such as cut-off tools, also known as power cutters, and other work implements are commonly seen on construction work sites, where they are used for various tasks. Such tools can be supplemented by auxiliary equipment in order to add functionality to the tool. A cut-off tool used for abrasive processing of concrete can, for instance, be connected to a water tank with an integrated pump which supplies water in support of the concrete processing operation. A dust extractor can also be connected to construction equipment that generate dust during operation, such as a floor grinder, in order to capture the generated dust in a safe manner. Some auxiliary devices are battery powered, which means that there is a desire to reduce power consumption by the auxiliary devices, in order not to prematurely deplete the battery. There is a need for improved methods of communication between construction equipment and auxiliary equipment. SUMMARY It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide improved hand-held construction equipment. This objective is obtained by hand-held construction equipment comprising a trigger arranged to activate the equipment in response to actuation by a user and a trigger lockout arrangement having a locked state and a released state, where the trigger lockout arrangement is arranged to prevent activation of the construction equipment, i.e., prevent actuation of the trigger by the user, when in the locked state. The hand-held construction equipment also comprises a control unit with a communications module arranged to communicate wirelessly with auxiliary equipment. The control unit is arranged to transmit a wireless activation signal by the communications module to the auxiliary equipment in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state or in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state and remaining in the released state for a predetermined period of time. This way the trigger lockout mechanism is re-used as actuator for activating auxiliary equipment in an efficient manner. The auxiliary equipment used in combination with a given work tool can thus be changed in a convenient manner, since the wireless activation signal is not fixedly associated with specific auxiliary equipment. In other words, the wireless activation signal generated in this manner can be used to activate several different types of auxiliary equipment, which simplifies reconfiguration of the work tool set-up at the work site. A certain cut-off tool may be used together with a water tank and pump that is activated by the wireless activation signal for a first work task, and later on together with a dust extractor instead of the water tank for a second work task after a straightforward reconfiguration of the association between the wireless activation signal and the auxiliary equipment. For most auxiliary devices, the wireless activation signal is preferably transmitted immediately in response to the trigger lockout arrangement entering into the released state in order to activate the auxiliary device with minimum delay. However, in some cases a small delay in-between actuation of the trigger lockout arrangement and transmission of the wireless activation signal can be useful in order to, e.g., avoid inadvertent activation of the auxiliary equipment. It is an advantage to use the trigger lockout mechanism for this purpose since it is normally actuated some time before the trigger is depressed to activate the main operation of the equipment. This leaves some time for the auxiliary equipment to power up before the construction equipment is started, so that full functionality is obtained when the construction equipment is put to use. For instance, in case the auxiliary equipment is a water tank with a pump and a control unit arranged to activate the pump in response to receiving the wireless activation signal, the water will have some time to reach the tool before it is energized. The same is true for the case where the auxiliary equipment is a dust extractor with a control unit arranged to activate the dust extractor in response to receiving the wireless activation signal. The dust extractor may need some time in order to reach full suction performance, and it is therefore advantageous that the trigger lockout mechanism is actuated some short time before a trigger on the dust generating construction equipment is depressed. Two or more pieces of auxiliary equipment can also be connected to the construction equipment and jointly actuated by means of the trigger lockout function on the construction equipment. The techniques disclosed herein are applicable with electri