IP Library Granted Patent US 12,097,597
Granted Patent B2
US 12,097,597 · App. 17/984,035 · Granted Sep 24, 2024

Impact rotary tool, management system, and impact rotary tool system

Inventors: Hiroaki Murakami (Mie, JP); Masanori Nakamoto (Mie, JP); Motoharu Muto (Mie, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC HOLDINGS CORPORATION
B25B23/1475B25B21/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,097,597
App. No.
17/984,035
Granted
Sep 24, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

An impact rotary tool includes a motor, an output shaft configured to hold a tip tool and configured to rotate by a motive power of the motor, an impact mechanism configured to perform an impact operation to repeatedly generate, from the motive power of the motor, impact force acting on the output shaft, and a seating detector configured to detect a seating of a fastener component which is a state where the fastener component rotated by the tip tool is just seated on a work target. The seating detector has a plurality of seating detection modes. The impact rotary tool further includes an acquirer configured to acquire information indicative of one seating detection mode selected from the plurality of seating detection modes. The seating detector is configured to detect the seating of the fastener component based on the one seating detection mode indicated by the information acquired by the acquirer.

Claims (59)

1. An impact rotary tool system, comprising:

an impact rotary tool; and

a management system for managing the impact rotary tool, wherein:

the impact rotary tool comprises:

a motor;

an output shaft configured to hold a tip tool and configured to rotate by a motive power of the motor;

an impact mechanism configured to perform an impact operation to repeatedly generate, from the motive power of the motor, impact force acting on the output shaft;

a seating detector configured to detect a seating of a fastener component which is a state where the fastener component rotated by the tip tool is just seated on a work target;

a storage unit configured to store

information for use to determine a period from a start time of a tightening operation of the fastener component with respect to the work target to a time when the fastener component is just seated, and

information for use to determine a period from the time when the fastener component is just seated to an end time of a tightening operation of the fastener component with respect to the work target; and

a communications unit configured to communicate with the management system,

the seating detector comprises a plurality of seating detection modes,

the impact rotary tool further comprises an acquirer configured to acquire information indicative of one seating detection mode selected from the plurality of seating detection modes,

the seating detector is configured to detect the seating of the fastener component based on the one seating detection mode indicated by the information acquired by the acquirer,

the storage unit being configured to store

start time information indicative of the start time when the tightening operation of the fastener component with respect to the work target starts,

seated time information indicative of a seated time when the fastener component is just seated, and

end time information indicative of the end time when the tightening operation of the fastener component with respect to the work target finishes,

at least one of the impact rotary tool or the management system is configured to perform at least one of a first determination or a second determination,

the first determination includes determining of use of a wrong fastener component when finding that a length of a period between the start time and the seated time is longer than a first threshold time or finding that the length of the period between the start time and the seated time is shorter than a second threshold time shorter than the first threshold time, and

the second determination includes determining a fastening failure when finding that a length of a period between the seated time and the end time is shorter than a third threshold time.

2. The impact rotary tool of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of seating detection modes includes an impact reference mode for detecting the seating based on a start time of the impact operation.

3. The impact rotary tool of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of seating detection modes includes a torque value reference mode for detecting the seating based on a torque value representing a tightening torque given by the output shaft.

4. The impact rotary tool of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of seating detection modes includes a torque gradient reference mode for detecting the seating based on a relationship between a torque value representing a tightening torque given by the output shaft and an angle of rotation of the output shaft.

5. The impact rotary tool of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of seating detection modes includes

an impact reference mode for detecting the seating based on a start time of the impact operation, and

a torque value reference mode for detecting the seating based on a torque value representing a tightening torque given by the output shaft.

6. The impact rotary tool of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of seating detection modes includes

an impact reference mode for detecting the seating based on a start time of the impact operation, and

a torque gradient reference mode for detecting the seating based on a relationship between a torque value representing a tightening torque given by the output shaft and an angle of rotation of the output shaft.

7. The impact rotary tool of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of seating detection modes includes

an impact reference mode for detecting the seating based on a start time of the impact operation,

a torque value reference mode for detecting the seating based on a torque value representing a tightening torque given by the output shaft, and

a torque gradient reference mode for detecting the seating based on a relationship between a torque value representing a tightening torque given by the output shaft and an angle of rotation of the output shaft.

8. An impact rotary system, comprising:

an impact rotary tool; and

a management system for managing the impact rotary tool, wherein:

the impact rotary tool includes:

a motor;

an output shaft configured to hold a tip tool and configured to rotate by a motive power of the motor;

an impact mechanism configured to perform an impact operation to repeatedly generate, from the motive power of the motor, impact force acting on the output shaft; and

a first communications unit configured to communicate with the management system,

the management system comprises:

a second communications unit configured to communicate with the first communications unit of the impact rotary tool; and

a seating detector configured to detect, based on the information acquired from the impact rotary tool through the second communications unit, a seating of a fastener component which is a state where the fastener component rotated by the tip tool held by the output shaft of the impact rotary tool is just seated on a work target, wherein:

the seating detector comprises a plurality of seating detection modes,

the management system further comprises an acquirer configured to acquire information indicative of one seating detection mode selected from the plurality of seating detection modes,

the seating detector is configured to detect the seating of the fastener component based on the one seating detection mode indicated by the information acquired by the acquirer,

at least one of the impact rotary tool or the management system includes a storage unit configured to store

information for use to determine a period from a start time of a tightening operation of the fastener component with respect to the work target to a time when the fastener component is just seated, and

information for use to determine a period from the time when the fastener component is just seated to an end time of a tightening operation of the fastener component with respect to the work target,

the storage unit is configured to store

start time information indicative of the start time when the tightening operation of the fastener component with respect to the work target starts,

seated time information indicative of a seated time when the fastener component is just seated, and

end time information indicative of the end time when the tightening operation of the fastener component with respect to the work target finishes,

at least one of the impact rotary tool or the management system is configured to perform at least one of a first determination or a second determination,

the first determination includes determining of use of a wrong fastener component when finding that a length of a period between the start time and the seated time is longer than a first threshold time or finding that the length of the period between the start time and the seated time is shorter than a second threshold time shorter than the first threshold time, and

the second determination includes determining a fastening failure when finding that a length of a period between the seated time and the end time is shorter than a third threshold time.

Assignments (2)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Aug 6, 2026
From: PANASONIC HOLDINGS CORPORATION
To: NEXRA FIELD WORKS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 075549/0031 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 23, 2023
From: MURAKAMI, HIROAKI; NAKAMOTO, MASANORI; MUTO, MOTOHARU
To: PANASONIC HOLDINGS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063067/0697 →