Abstract: In a cordless power tool system, protection methods, circuits and devices are provided to protect against fault conditions within a battery pack that is operatively attached to a power tool or charger, so as to prevent internal or external damage to the battery pack or attached tool or charger. The exemplary methods, circuits and devices address fault conditions such as over-charge, over-discharge, over-current, over-temperature, etc.

Abstract: A jigsaw comprising a debris or dust collection system is described. A shroud is arranged to encapsulate a portion of a saw blade such that debris from the blade ejected during cutting of a work-piece is captured in the shroud and entrained in an airflow provided by a vacuum source. The airflow passes along a pipe section from the shroud to the vacuum source, where the debris can be collected. The shroud is generally U-shaped and symmetrical such that it extends around other jigsaw components, such as the orbital action bell crank. As a result, the pipe can be fitted on either side of the jigsaw's shoe or footplate and engage with the shroud. The airflow in the immediate area of the cutting blade is transverse to the cut direction, thereby removing debris from the line-of-sight of the operator. The shroud is arranged such that only a portion of the blade passes through a volume defined by the shroud, footplate and work-piece.

Abstract: A shipping method including shipping specialized pallets from a factory to a distribution center, shipping specialized pallets from a distribution center to a customer, returning specialized pallets from the customer to the factory, and reusing the specialized pallets, wherein the specialized pallets separate batteries of battery packs during the shipping.

Abstract: A laser level includes a housing, a pendulum pivotably mounted to the housing, and a laser diode assembly disposed on the pendulum. A gimbal assembly is employed for pivotably mounting the pendulum to the housing. The gimbal assembly includes a frame connected to the housing, a first pair of bearings disposed on the frame, an axle extending through the first pair of bearings, a body disposed on the axle and pivotably supporting the pendulum, and a second pair of bearings disposed between the body and the pendulum. The first pair of bearings is disposed on one side of the second pair of bearings.

Abstract: A method for forming an armature for an electric motor includes securing a lamination stack having slots therein on an armature shaft. A commutator is secured on one end of the armature shaft. Magnet wires are wound in the slots in the lamination stack and ends of the magnet wires are secured to the commutator. Plastic is molded around the lamination stack, commutator and magnet wires. Excess plastic is machined off. The magnet wires can have a layer of heat activated adhesive that is activated when the plastic is molded. Slots in the lamination stack can include slot liners formed of thermally conductive plastic. A fan can be formed when the thermally conductive plastic is molded to encapsulate the magnet wires.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, an improved audio equipment is employed. The audio equipment includes a housing, audio circuitry installed within the housing, and a first protective bar flexibly connected to the housing. The audio equipment may also include a handle attached to the first protective bar, a second protective bar flexibly connected to the housing, and/or a connector assembly flexibly connecting the first protective bar to the housing. The connector assembly may include a flexible gasket preferably disposed between the first protective bar and the housing. Also disclosed herein is a method for manufacturing an audio equipment.

Abstract: An improved dust collector for a power tool is employed. The dust collector includes a body portion, a neck portion and a head portion, wherein the body portion is disposable on the power tool so that during the cutting operation the body portion will receive and direct the air, dust, and debris to the head portion via the neck portion to either be exhausted out or to be collected in a dust collection volume. Preferably, the body portion has a series of openings to allow the user to view the cutting wheel during the cutting operation. The body portion may also have an internal directional member for efficiently directing the flow of air, dust, and debris. The head portion is preferably rotatably connected to the neck portion to allow the user to rotate the head portion to a desired position.

Abstract: A battery pack with a first battery and a second battery, wherein each battery is a plurality of cells connected in series, and operable in a storage mode and a use mode, a storage mode defined by isolating the first battery from the second battery, and a use mode defined by electrically connecting the first battery to the second battery. The storage mode may include: electrically isolating said first plurality of cells from said second plurality of cells or physically isolating said first plurality of cells from said second plurality of cells.

Abstract: A portable power planer for planing the top surface of a workpiece. The portable power planer includes a base assembly, a carriage assembly disposed above the base assembly, the carriage assembly includes a cutterhead assembly, the carriage assembly being vertically movable to change distance between the base assembly and the carriage assembly, a hand crank attached to the carriage assembly for changing the distance between the base assembly and the carriage assembly, a material removal gauge disposed on the carriage assembly, a switch disposed on the carriage assembly, and a height scale disposed on the base assembly, wherein the material removal gauge, the switch and the height scale are on the front side of the power planer, and the hand crank is substantially on the front half of the power planer.

Abstract: A new touch screen is based upon the mapping of coordinates from an equipotential space defined by a simple set of screen electrodes to some other, more useful coordinates, such as Cartesian. The key idea is that unique coordinate mapping can be achieved with each sensing pair of electronic readings. A new sensor is described with a band of intermediate conductivity framing the sensor area. This sensor can be used advantageously either as a standalone with uniform equipotential distributions or in connection with the mapping concepts discussed herein with non-uniform distributions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adapting an acoustic touchscreen controller to the operating frequency requirements of a specific touchscreen are provided. The adaptive controller can either utilize look-up tables to achieve the desired output frequency or the it can use a multi-step process in which it first determines the frequency requirements of the touchscreen, and then adjusts the burst frequency characteristics, the receiver circuit center frequency, or both in accordance with the touchscreen requirements. In one embodiment, the adaptive controller compensates for global frequency mismatch errors. In this embodiment a digital multiplier is used to modify the output of a crystal reference oscillator. The reference oscillator output is used to control the frequency of the signal from the receiving transducers and/or to generate the desired frequency of the tone burst sent to the transmitting transducers.

Abstract: An assembly of a connection end of a heating element and a connector matable therewith includes a heating element having side-by-side-rod sections, a ground strap mounted to the rod elements and a connector mountable to a frame of an electronic device. The connector includes at least two power terminals and at least one ground terminal. The power terminals are receptacles and the rod sections of the heating element include an integral male lead dimensioned to be directly connected to respective receptacle terminals. The ground strap is disposed over the rod sections and is adapted to mate with the ground terminal in the connector.

Abstract: A card reader 10 includes a base 14 and a cover 60 securable together to define a card-receiving cavity 90 and a plurality of right angle terminals 102 therein disposed in a terminal housing 12. The base 14 defines a terminal-receiving section 32 of the terminal housing 12 and the cover 60 defines a terminal-securing section 74 of the terminal housing 12, the two sections together defining terminal-receiving passageways 79 within which the bodies of the terminals 102 extend. Upon assembling the base 14 and cover 60 together, the terminals 102 are secured in position in the terminal-receiving passageways and the terminal contact surfaces 106 extend into the cavity 90 proximate the cover 60, and a card 170 can be inserted into the cavity 90 with the contact pads 172 facing the cover 60.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an electrical connector assembly having a connector housing for terminating wires from a shielded cable. The cable has shielding therearound. A grounding clip commons the shielding from the cable. The ground clip has an opening through which the cable extends with tabs therein to provide electrical connection to the shielding of the cable and electrical engagement tabs to provide engagement with an adjacent structure. An overmolded housing is molded over the cable and the grounding clip, wherein the electrical engagement tabs extend above and below the overmolded housing.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly (10) for mounting to a panel (80) includes a connector (12) having a housing (14) divided into forward and rearward portions (16, 22) by a peripheral flange (20), a plurality of electrical terminals (78), each terminated to a respective wire (76) and disposed in respective terminal-receiving passageways (40), each wire (76) extending to a wire-receiving face (24) on the rearward portion (22); and a cover (50) configured to be disposed over and surround the rearward housing portion (22) in a closely fitting relationship. A side wall (26) of the rearward housing portion (22) includes a wire-receiving recess 28) extending from the wire-receiving face (24) to the flange (20) and the cover (50) includes a cooperating a wire-receiving recess (60) that together define a wire-receiving passageway (62) proximate the housing flange (20) when the cover (50) is disposed over the rearward portion (22).

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly having one-piece intermediate member (24, 24') and method of forming thereof are disclosed. In one embodiment, the one-piece intermediate member (24, 24') includes insulation-piercing serrations that provide for electrical conductivity between two electrical conductors. In another embodiment, the one-piece intermediate member (24, 24') provides for electrical conductivity between an insulated conductor and an uninsulated conductor. Intermediate member (24) includes movable sections (41) located inwardly from cable-engaging sections (40), with piercing serrations (46) extendable outward through slots (48) of the cable-engaging sections so as to penetrate the cables' insulation. In another embodiment, the electrical conductivity between the two electrical conductors is provided by a C-shaped receptacle element of the connector assembly. In all embodiments, the piercing serrations rigidly fix the electrical connection of the electrical conductors.

Abstract: A plurality of interface modules (200,300,400,500) having identical first mating interfaces (202,302) for mating with the mating face (100) of a cable tap connector (10), to enable interconnection therewith at second mating interfaces by different types of electrical conductors. A set of contacts in each module have identical first contact sections (212,318) along the first mating interface, and the contacts are secured in the module housing (206,306) under an insulative retention plate (210,360) that assuredly secures the contacts in proper position for accurate positioning of the first contact sections. The insulative plate (210,360) also protects the first contact sections during handling of the module.

Abstract: A connector for detachable fastening to a rail comprises at least one modular electric or electronic housing having at least one movable latching means and at least one lever arm for detachable fastening of the housing to the rail, where the latching means can be moved from a first locking position to a second unlocking position by a lever movement of a lever arm, and where the latching means has a spring with a free end which engages with a holding region of the housing in such a way that the latching means moves back from the second unlocking position into the first locking position upon release of the lever arm, and the lever arm has an abutment which cooperates with a side wall of the housing and is arranged at about half the distance between a joint for connecting to the latching means and an actuating region for actuating the lever arm.