METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A POWER TOOL AND POWER TOOL CONFIGURED FOR CARRYING OUT THE METHOD

Abstract

A method for controlling a power tool includes ascertaining a workpiece characteristic of the workpiece to be processed from previously acquired measured values, determining the workpiece material from the workpiece characteristic of the workpiece to be processed, specifying initial values, which are suitable for processing the workpiece made of the determined workpiece material using the power tool, for machine parameters such as feed, speed, and torque, storing the initial values for putting the power tool into operation with machine parameters set to the initial values and/or putting the power tool into operation with machine parameters set to the initial values. A cooling constant is ascertained according to the Newtonian cooling law as the workpiece characteristic of the workpiece to be processed. To ascertain the cooling constant, the ambient temperature is measured, the workpiece is heated, and the actual temperature of the workpiece is measured, whereupon the cooling constant is computed.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a power tool, for example, a drill, a miter saw, circular saw, or jigsaw, which has at least one processing tool, for example, a drill bit or a saw blade for processing workpieces made of different materials, for example, wood, metal, or plastic, comprising the following steps: ascertaining a workpiece characteristic of the workpiece to be processed from previously acquired measured values, determining the workpiece material from the workpiece characteristic of the workpiece to be processed, specifying initial values, which are suitable for processing the workpiece made of the determined workpiece material using the power tool, for machine parameters such as feed, speed, and torque, storing the initial values for putting the power tool into operation with machine parameters set to the initial values and/or putting the power tool into operation with machine parameters set to the initial values, wherein a cooling constant is ascertained according to the Newtonian cooling law as the workpiece characteristic of the workpiece to be processed, wherein, to ascertain the cooling constant, the ambient temperature is measured or specified, the workpiece is heated until a specified initial temperature is reached, and then, after passage of a specified duration, the actual temperature of the workpiece is measured, whereupon the cooling constant is computed, in particular according to the following formula: $k=\frac{1}{t}.Math.\ln \left(\frac{T_A-T_U}{T-T_U}\right),$ wherein t: is a defined point in time, k: is a cooling constant, T.sub.A: is a temperature of the workpiece at a point in time t.sub.0=0, T.sub.U: is an ambient temperature, and T: is a temperature of the workpiece at the defined point in time t.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein subsequent processing of the workpiece using the power tool with machine parameters set to the initial values, wherein the processing is either performed continuously with machine parameters set to the initial values or at least proceeding from machine parameters set to the initial values, which are re-adjustable in the course of work, however.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein temperature values are acquired in a contactless manner to ascertain the cooling constant, wherein the workpiece is heated in a contactless manner, preferably by means of a laser beam source, for example, a laser diode, until the specified initial temperature is reached.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, to determine the workpiece material, the ascertained cooling constant is compared to known and/or stored values for the cooling constants of workpieces made of different materials.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a laser flash analysis is carried out to ascertain the cooling constant, in particular by means of an IR temperature sensor operating in a contactless manner, which is used to measure its sensor temperature as the ambient temperature and the surface temperature of the workpiece, wherein a punctiform laser beam from the laser beam source, in particular the laser diode, is oriented on the workpiece to heat the workpiece.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, while the workpiece is heated, it is continuously acquired whether the specified initial temperature is reached, in particular using the temperature sensor, for example, the IR temperature sensor.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor and the laser beam source are actuated, for example, via pulse width modulation, so that they are alternately in operation.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when specifying the initial values for the machine parameters, further workpiece properties characterizing the workpiece, for example, a workpiece thickness, are taken into consideration, wherein these workpiece properties are preferably also determined from at least one additional measured value acquired by means of at least one additional sensor.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the determination of the workpiece material, in addition to the cooling constant, supplementary workpiece material properties are also incorporated, for example, a reflectivity in a specific wavelength spectrum, which is ascertained from at least one supplementary measured value acquired by means of at least one supplementary sensor.

10. A power tool, for example, a drill, miter saw, circular saw, or jigsaw, having at least one processing tool, for example, a drill bit or a saw blade for processing workpieces made of different materials, for example, wood, metal, or plastic, wherein it is configured to carry out the method according to claim 1.

11. The power tool according to claim 10, wherein a machine controller, configured to ascertain the cooling constant of the workpiece to be processed from previously acquired measured values, to determine the workpiece material from the ascertained cooling constant, to specify initial values, which are suitable for processing the workpiece made of the determined workpiece material using the power tool, for machine parameters such as feed, speed, and torque, and to store the initial values for putting the power tool into operation with machine parameters set to the initial values and/or to put the power tool into operation with machine parameters set to the initial values.

12. The power tool according to claim 10, wherein an electronics unit and/or a number of actuators to set the initial values.

13. The power tool according to claim 10, wherein at least one temperature sensor which operates in a contactless manner, for example, an IR temperature sensor, which is suitable for measuring its sensor temperature and the surface temperature of the workpiece.

14. The power tool according to claim 10, wherein a laser beam source, for example, a laser diode, suitable for orienting a punctiform laser beam onto the workpiece.

15. The power tool according to claim 10, wherein that the temperature sensor and/or the laser beam source is/are attached at or on the power tool so that it or they can be oriented or aligned onto a point located in front of the processing tool in the processing direction of the processing tool.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing wherein:

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a schematic sketch of the tool sensor system on a workpiece to be processed.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0031] The Newtonian cooling law reads as follows in its notation according to solved differential equation

[00002]$k=\frac{1}{t}.Math.\ln \left(\frac{T_A-T_U}{T-T_U}\right),$

wherein
t: is a defined point in time,
k: is a cooling constant,
T.sub.A: is a temperature of the workpiece at a point in time t.sub.0=0,
T.sub.U: is an ambient temperature, and
T: is a temperature of the workpiece at the defined point in time t.

[0032] In the scope of the invention, an arrangement and/or a method is proposed to determine the cooling constant of a body or workpiece in a contactless manner and to determine therefrom the material of which the workpiece consists. For this purpose, firstly the ambient temperature is measured by an IR temperature sensor 1. It is assumed for this purpose that the sensor temperature per se is equal to the ambient temperature T.sub.U. The IR temperature sensor 1 is capable both of determining its sensor temperature and also the temperature of another object which is not in contact with the sensor. A punctiform laser beam is oriented by a laser diode 2 onto a workpiece 3 to be determined, in order to heat it. The IR temperature sensor 1 measures in this case the temperature of the workpiece.

[0033] To prevent damage to the IR temperature sensor 1 or influencing of the measured values by reflected laser radiation, the laser diode 2 and the IR temperature sensor 1 are actuated via pulse width modulation, inter alia, i.e., the laser diode 2 and the IR temperature sensor 1 are never simultaneously in operation, but rather always only in succession. If the desired initial temperature T.sub.A is reached, which naturally has to be below a temperature which damages a spot of the workpiece 3 in a punctiform manner, the laser diode 2 is turned off and the temperature T of the workpiece 3 is repeatedly measured after a defined time span t by the IR temperature sensor 1.

[0034] A microcontroller or microprocessor, which forms at least a part of a machine controller, and via which the measured values of the IR temperature sensor 1 are acquired and stored and via which the IR temperature sensor 1 and the laser diode 2 are regulated, then computes the cooling constant k and, via an algorithm, in the simplest case a lookup table, the material of which the workpiece 3 consists.

[0035] The above-described material acquisition, which operates in a contactless manner, is implemented (not shown explicitly) in a power tool, predominantly in one which can process various materials and/or types of material, for example, a drill or a miter saw, circular saw, or jigsaw.

[0036] In use, the power tool is firstly moved by the user in the direction toward the workpiece 3 to be processed. The described temperature sensor 1 points in this case in the same direction as the processing tool of the power tool, for example, a drill bit or saw blade, as does the described laser diode 2. Both are accordingly attached at or on the power tool. The described contactless material sensor determines the material properties of the workpiece 3 to be processed, for example, whether the workpiece 3 to be processed is metal, wood, or rock. The power tool thus configures itself before the beginning of the processing of the workpiece 3 itself, i.e., for example, feed, speed, and torque of the processing tool of the power tool are adapted to the material properties of the workpiece 3 electronically or by corresponding actuators.

[0037] Alterations and modifications of the embodiment shown are possible without leaving the scope of the invention.

[0038] It is understood that the foregoing description is that of the preferred embodiments of the invention and that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.