Sanding Block for Manual Use, and System Comprising a Sanding Block and an Abrasive Article

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a sanding block for manual use, in particular for manually sanding surfaces, having at least one base plate for holding an abrasive article and at least one sanding block body having a gripping region. According to the disclosure, a rechargeable-battery operated device for removing sanding dust by suction is integrated in the sanding block, said device comprising at least a dust box, a motor housing, in which a drive motor provided with an impeller is provided, and a rechargeable battery for supplying the drive motor with power without an external power supply.

Claims

1. A sanding block for manually sanding surfaces, comprising: at least one base plate configured to hold an abrasive article; at least one sanding block body having a grip region; and an accumulator-battery-operated mechanism configured to suction-off sanding dust, wherein the accumulator-battery-operated mechanism includes (i) at least one dust box, (ii) a motor housing, in which there is provided a drive motor having an impeller wheel, and (iii) an accumulator battery configured to supply electric power to the drive motor.

2. The sanding block as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dust box is configured to be detachably fixed to the motor housing and removed from the sanding block from the outside.

3. The sanding block as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accumulator battery is configured to be detachably fixed to the sanding block body and removed from the sanding block from the outside.

4. The sanding block as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accumulator battery and/or the dust box is configured to be received, at least partially, in the grip region of the sanding block.

5. The sanding block as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a control element configured to switch the drive motor on and off, wherein the control element is arranged on an outer surface of the sanding block.

6. The sanding block as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the dust box is detachably fastened to the motor housing, a first air passage opening is defined in the motor housing, the dust box has at least one second air passage opening, and a filter medium is supported on the dust box so that air passing through the at least one second air passage opening is caused to pass through the filter medium.

7. The sanding block as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base plate has at least one opening configured to suction-off sanding dust.

8. The sanding block as claimed in claim 7, wherein the base plate has an air guide element configured to suction-off sanding dust.

9. The sanding block as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a dust suction nozzle configured to suction-off sanding dust, wherein: the dust suction nozzle is arranged on the outside of the sanding block, and the dust suction nozzle is connected, by an air guide element, to the accumulator-battery-operated mechanism for suctioning-off sanding dust.

10. A system comprising: at least one sanding block as claimed in claim 1, and at least one abrasive article that is designed to be connectable to the base plate of the sanding block, wherein: the base plate and the abrasive article respectively have at least one opening for suctioning-off sanding dust.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one opening of the base plate and the at least one opening of the abrasive article are substantially congruent in a state in which the abrasive article has been connected the base plate of the sanding block.

12. The sanding block as claimed in claim 4, wherein the accumulator battery and/or the dust box is configured to be received in a handle of the sanding block.

13. The sanding block as claimed in claim 8, wherein the air guide element is in fluid communication with both the at least one opening and the accumulator-battery-operated mechanism.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0021] The invention is explained in greater detail in the following description on the basis of exemplary embodiments represented in the drawings. The drawings, the description and the claims contain numerous features in combination. Persons skilled in the art will expediently also consider them individually and combine them to form appropriate further combinations. In the figures, elements that are the same are denoted by the same references.

[0022] There are shown:

[0023] FIG. 1 a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the sanding block according to the invention;

[0024] FIG. 2 a schematic sectional representation of the embodiment of the sanding block according to the invention of FIG. 1;

[0025] FIG. 3 a schematic sectional representation of an embodiment of an alternative sanding block according to the invention.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a sanding block 10 according to the invention. The sanding block 10 for manual application, in particular for manually sanding surfaces (not represented here in greater detail), has a base plate 12 for holding an abrasive article 14. The abrasive article 14 is arranged on the base plate 12 by means of a hook-and-loop fastener, both the base plate 12 and the abrasive article 14 each having a complementary layer of material 16, in particular a layer of loops and a layer of flexible barbs, suitable for realizing a hook-and-loop connection.

[0027] The layer of material 16 suitable for realizing the hook-and-loop connection is in this case located at least on the underside, in particular at least also on the side faces, of the base plate 12. The base plate in this case is shaped, in particular, in such a manner that it realizes at least one right-angled corner, and quite particularly realizes two or four right-angled corners. By use of these right-angled corners, a workpiece can also be sanded or polished well into corners. In order to make the sanding block 10 also compatible with round abrasive articles, such as those commonly commercially available, it is provided that the layer of material 16 is also arranged on the side faces of the base plate 12. In this way, the circular segments of the round abrasive articles 14 that project from the underside (sanding side) of the base plate 12 can be folded up and fastened to the layer of material, while at the same time the right-angled corners of the underside of the base plate 12 are covered with abrasive article 14. The dimensions of the base plate 12 in this case are selected, by way of example, in such a manner that a 150 mm abrasive article 14 can be fastened to the base plate 12 without wrinkles, and the projecting circle segments can also be folded over onto the side faces of the base plate 12 without wrinkles.

[0028] The sanding block 10 has a sanding block body 18 having a grip region 20, the grip region 20 in this case being shaped in the form of a knob (convex) and thus conforming particularly smoothly to the hand surrounding the grip region. The surface of the grip region 20 may be rubberized (not represented in greater detail here).

[0029] The sanding block body 18 at least substantially encloses, as a type of housing, the components of the sanding block that are necessary and/or expedient for the realization of an accumulator battery-operated means 22, integrated into the sanding block 10, for suctioning-off sanding dust, see FIG. 2. Provided between the grip region 20 and the base plate 12 is an accumulator battery holder 24, which projects, in particular axially, into the sanding block body 18. The accumulator battery receiver 24 serves to reversibly receive an accumulator battery 26, see FIG. 2.

[0030] FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional representation of the embodiment of the sanding block 10 according to the invention from FIG. 1, together with the sanding block body 18 having the grip region 20, the base plate 12, and the accumulator battery holder 24, in which, in the exemplary embodiment represented, there is an inserted accumulator battery 26. The accumulator battery 26 serves to supply energy to the accumulator-battery-operated means 22 for the suctioning-off of sanding dust. For the purpose of recharging the accumulator battery 26 or exchanging it for another accumulator battery 26, the accumulator battery 26 can be reversibly removed from the sanding block 10 from the outside, as it is detachably fixed to the sanding block body 18. The accumulator battery 26 engages, for example, only portionally in the sanding block body 18 and can therefore be received at least portionally in the grip region 20 of the sanding block 10. In particular, the accumulator battery 34 is realized in the manner of an exchangeable battery and is detachably fastened, e.g. latched, to the sanding block body 18. The accumulator battery 26 has, for example, a nominal voltage of 10.8 V with an available charge of 1.3 Ah, 1.5 Ah, 2.0 Ah or 4 Ah. To monitor a corresponding state of charge of the accumulator battery 34, the sanding block 10 may optionally have a charge-state indicator (not represented in greater detail here).

[0031] Provided inside the sanding block 10, in particular inside the sanding block body 18, there is also a dust box 28 and a motor housing 30. The dust box 28 can be detachably fixed to the motor housing 30. Arranged in the motor housing 30 are at least one impeller wheel 32 and a drive motor 34, the impeller wheel 32 being connected to the drive motor 34 in a rotationally movable manner, in particular so as to be movable about a central axis of rotation (rotation shaft). The impeller wheel 32 has a plurality of ribs (“blades”, not represented in greater detail here), which are inclined in the direction of the axis of rotation and which, upon rotation of the impeller wheel 32, accelerate air from a region close to the axis of rotation to a radially distant region (see arrows in FIG. 2). The drive motor 34, when in operation, is supplied with mains-independent electric power by the accumulator battery 26.

[0032] Arranged on a side of the grip region 20 that faces toward the user, i.e. on an outer face of the sanding block 10, there is a control element 36 for switching the drive motor 34 on and off. In this exemplary embodiment, the control element 36 is realized as a capacitive switch, which detects the presence of a hand on the grip region and, after a defined dwell time of the hand, enables the supply of power to the drive motor 34. For this purpose, the accumulator battery 34 is connected in an electrically conductive manner, via contact elements, to an electronics unit (not represented in greater detail here) that is arranged inside the motor housing 30 and connected to the control element 36 for switching the drive motor 34 on and off. The electronics unit in this case is designed at least for switching the drive motor 34 on and off upon a corresponding actuation of the operating element 36, and for controlling the drive motor 34.

[0033] As an illustration, the motor housing 30 and the dust box 28 realize a vacuum-cleaner housing, which has air passage openings 38 on both the motor housing 30 and the dust box 28. In the exemplary embodiment represented, the dust box 28 is at this point (interface) detachably connected or connectable to the motor housing 30, in particular fixed to it. Arranged in the region of these air passage openings 38, preferably between the dust box 28 and the motor housing 30, is a viscoelastic seal, in particular a ring-shaped rubber sleeve (not represented in greater detail here), at least to seal the motor housing 30 and the dust box 28. This seal is preferably designed to fix a disposable filter medium 40 and/or a filter holder carrying the disposable filter medium 40 to the motor housing 30 in an airtight manner, in particular to lock it in place. This disposable filter medium 40 serves to allow an airflow from the motor housing 30 into the dust box 28 (“permeable to airflow”), but to prevent an airflow in the opposite direction, i.e. backflow. In this way, it is ensured that dust 42 already in the dust box 28 cannot return to the motor housing 30.

[0034] The dust box 28 is designed in such a manner that one side of the dust box 28 is realized as part of the surface 44 of the sanding block body 18. In this way, the dust box 28 can be received, at least portionally, in the grip region 20 of the sanding block 10. Furthermore, in this way the dust box 28 is detachably fixed to the motor housing 30 and can be removed from the sanding block 10 from the outside. For this purpose, arranged in the region between the control element 36 and the dust box 28, preferably also on a side of the sanding block 10 that faces toward the user, there is preferably a spring-loaded actuating element 46 that can be actuated to release the dust box 28 fixed to the motor housing 30. If the dust box 28 is filled with dust 42, it can be removed from the sanding block body 18, emptied and then reinserted in a particularly simple manner. In the side of the dust box 28 that is realized as the surface 44 of the sanding block body 18 there are openings, which also serve as air passage openings 38 and which are preferably at least partially covered by a, in particular fine, filter medium 48. For this purpose, a filter holder (not represented in greater detail here) that carries the filter medium 48 may be fixed in an airtight manner, in particular latched in place, inside the dust box 28. In this way, an air passage opening 38, to which the dust box 28 is detachably fixed, is realized on the motor housing 30, the dust box 28 having at least one further air passage opening 38, at which a, in particular fine, filter medium 48 can be or is arranged.

[0035] A deflection means 50 is arranged in the motor housing 30, facing the airflow opening 38, the deflection means 50 preferably being aligned obliquely in relation to the axis of rotation of the impeller wheel 32. Realized on the motor housing 30, in the region of the axis of rotation of the impeller wheel 32, there is an air guide element 52, which is designed to guide an airflow (arrows in FIG. 2) from the base plate 12 in the direction of the region of the impeller wheel 32 close to the axis of rotation. In particular, an airflow in this direction is initiated because of the rotary motion of the impeller wheel 32 (suction effect of the impeller wheel 32).

[0036] In the section of the exemplary embodiment represented in FIG. 2, the base plate 12 of sanding block 10 has 8 visible, i.e. represented, openings 54 for suctioning-off sanding dust. The openings 54 in the base plate 12 are connected to the motor housing 30 via a duct system 56 inside the base plate 12, which also constitutes an air guide element 52, and via the air guide element 52. In this way, the air guide element 52, which in particular is connected to the openings 54 and to the accumulator-battery-operated means 22 for suctioning-off sanding dust, is designed to suction-off sanding dust.

[0037] FIG. 2 furthermore shows a system comprising at least one sanding block 10 and at least one abrasive article 14 that is connected to the base plate 12 of the sanding block 10, the base plate 12 and the abrasive article 14 respectively having at least one opening 54, preferably respectively a plurality of openings 54, for suctioning-off sanding dust. The plurality of openings 54 in the base plate 12 and the plurality of openings 54 of the abrasive article 14 are substantially congruent (coincide with one another such that air passage is possible) in a state in which the abrasive article 14 has been connected to the base plate 12 of the sanding block 10.

[0038] In an alternative embodiment of sanding block 10, as represented in FIG. 3, a dust suction nozzle 58, for suctioning-off sanding dust, is arranged on the outside of sanding block 10, in particular on the outside of base plate 12. In this exemplary embodiment, no openings 54 in the abrasive article 14 and in the base plate 12 are necessary to obtain the suctioning-off effect.

[0039] During the operation of the drive motor 34, a generated negative pressure causes an airflow (arrows) to be generated, through the openings 54 or through the dust suction nozzle 58 along the air guide element 52 into the motor housing 30, which carries along dust 42, occurring on the workpiece surface, into the dust box 28. The airflow enters the dust box 28 via the deflection means 50. There, the airflow exits the sanding block 10, via the filter medium 48, as a cleaned airflow, and the dust 42 remains in the dust box 28.