Rotary hammer

1. A rotary hammer adapted to impart axial impacts to a tool bit, the rotary hammer comprising:

a motor;

a spindle coupled to the motor for receiving torque from the motor;

a piston at least partially received within the spindle for reciprocation therein;

an anvil received within the spindle and positioned between the piston and the tool bit, the anvil imparting axial impacts to the tool bit in response to reciprocation of the piston;

a synchronizing assembly operable in a first configuration in which the motor is drivably coupled to the piston for reciprocating the piston, and a second configuration in which the piston is decoupled from the motor; and

an actuator operable for switching the synchronizing assembly from the second configuration to the first configuration in response to depressing the tool bit against a workpiece.

2. The rotary hammer of claim 1 , wherein the synchronizing assembly includes

a first clutch ring coupled to the motor for continuous rotation therewith when the motor is activated, and

a second clutch ring which, during a transition phase from the second configuration of the synchronizing assembly to the first configuration, is engaged with the first clutch ring for co-rotation therewith and, in the second configuration of the synchronizing assembly, is substantially disengaged from the first ring and non-rotatable with the first ring.

3. The rotary hammer of claim 2 , wherein one of the first and second clutch rings includes an exterior conical surface, wherein the other of the first and second clutch rings includes a corresponding interior conical surface engaged with the exterior conical surface when the synchronizing assembly is in the transition phase.

4. The rotary hammer of claim 2 , wherein the second clutch ring is axially movable relative to the first clutch ring when the synchronizing assembly is actuated between the first and second configurations.

5. The rotary hammer of claim 2 , further comprising:

a pinion coupled to an output shaft of the motor, the pinion and the motor output shaft being coaxial with respect to a first axis; and

a gear meshed with the pinion for rotation about a second axis offset from the first axis, wherein the first clutch ring is coupled to the gear for co-rotation therewith.

6. The rotary hammer of claim 5 , wherein the first clutch ring is interference fit to the gear.

7. The rotary hammer of claim 2 , further comprising:

a crank shaft including a hub and an eccentric pin coupled to the hub; and

a connecting rod interconnecting the piston and the eccentric pin.

8. The rotary hammer of claim 7 , wherein the crank shaft receives torque from the first and second clutch rings when the synchronizing assembly is in the first configuration.

9. The rotary hammer of claim 8 , wherein the synchronizing assembly further includes a shift sleeve coupled to the hub of the crank shaft for axial movement relative to the hub between a first position coinciding with the first configuration of the synchronizing assembly, and a second position coinciding with the second configuration of the synchronizing assembly.

10. The rotary hammer of claim 9 , wherein the shift sleeve directly engages the first clutch ring when in the first position to maintain the synchronizing assembly in the first configuration.

11. The rotary hammer of claim 10 , wherein the synchronizing assembly further includes a detent arrangement for maintaining the shift sleeve in at least one of the first and second positions.

12. The rotary hammer of claim 11 , wherein the synchronizing assembly further includes a synchronizer hub coupled for co-rotation with the crank shaft hub, and wherein the shift sleeve is positioned around the synchronizer hub.

13. The rotary hammer of claim 12 , wherein the detent arrangement is supported by one of the shift sleeve and the synchronizer hub.

14. The rotary hammer of claim 10 , wherein the actuator interconnects the spindle and the shift sleeve.

15. The rotary hammer of claim 14 , wherein the spindle is axially movable from an extended position to a retracted position in response to depressing the tool bit against the workpiece.

16. The rotary hammer of claim 15 , wherein axial movement of the spindle from the extended position to the retracted position causes the shift sleeve to move from the second position to the first position.

17. The rotary hammer of claim 16 , wherein the spindle is axially movable between the extended and retracted positions along a first axis, and wherein the shift sleeve is axially movable between the first and second positions along a second axis oriented substantially normal to the first axis.

18. The rotary hammer of claim 16 , further comprising a housing in which the spindle and the shift sleeve are at least partially received, wherein the actuator is pivotably coupled to the housing.

19. The rotary hammer of claim 18 , wherein the actuator includes a first arm coupled to the spindle and a second arm coupled to the shift sleeve, and wherein the first and second arms share a common pivot relative to the housing.

20. The rotary hammer of claim 16 , further comprising a biasing member for biasing the spindle toward the extended position.

21. The rotary hammer of claim 9 , wherein the second clutch ring is disengaged from the first clutch ring when the shift sleeve is in the first position to maintain the synchronizing assembly in the first configuration.