Abstract: An energy source monitoring system evaluates the state of an energy source and responsively controls a power tool or other device. The energy source may be a power tool battery pack that includes multiple individual battery packs connected in series. The energy source monitoring system may be incorporated into a power tool, screwdriver, flashlight, audio and/or video player, or any other device. The energy source monitoring system intelligently exercises control over the power applied to the device. In one implementation, the energy source monitoring system detects when voltages in the energy source have fallen below a cutoff level, yet allows the device to continue running until the operator finishes the current device operation.

Abstract: An energy source monitoring system evaluates the state of an energy source and responsively controls a power tool or other device. The energy source may be a power tool battery pack that includes multiple individual battery packs connected in series. The energy source monitoring system may be incorporated into a power tool, screwdriver, flashlight, audio and/or video player, or any other device. The energy source monitoring system intelligently exercises control over the power applied to the device. In one implementation, the energy source monitoring system detects when voltages in the energy source have fallen below a cutoff level, yet allows the device to continue running until the operator finishes the current device operation.

Abstract: A table saw such as a chop saw, a miter saw, compound miter saw or a sliding compound miter saw that is provided with a laser arbor alignment system. An opaque shield or transparent shield having an opaque mask blocks the laser beam from being projected into a range of normal operator eye positions. One or more openings in the shield or opaque mask provide a sight line on a workpiece initially. As the saw is moved into engagement with the workpiece, the shield is pivoted away from the workpiece and a solid laser line is projected on the workpiece.

Abstract: An energy source monitoring system evaluates the state of an energy source and responsively controls a power tool or other device. The energy source may be, for example, a power tool battery pack that includes multiple individual battery packs connected in series. The energy source monitoring system may be incorporated into a power tool, screwdriver, flashlight, audio and/or video player, or any other device. The energy source monitoring system intelligently exercises control over the power applied to the device (e.g., to the motor in the device). In one implementation, the energy source monitoring system detects when voltages in the energy source have fallen below a cutoff level, yet allows the device to continue running until the operator finishes the current device operation (e.g. a miter saw cut, or playback of a song).

Abstract: An energy source monitoring system evaluates the state of an energy source and responsively controls a power tool or other device. The energy source may be, for example, a power tool battery pack that includes multiple individual battery packs connected in series. The energy source monitoring system may be incorporated into a power tool, screwdriver, flashlight, audio and/or video player, or any other device. The energy source monitoring system intelligently exercises control over the power applied to the device (e.g., to the motor in the device). In one implementation, the energy source monitoring system detects when voltages in the energy source have fallen below a cutoff level, yet allows the device to continue running until the operator finishes the current device operation (e.g. a miter saw cut, or playback of a song).

Abstract: A battery-operated power tool includes housing, a motor disposed in the housing, a battery, a light source, a driver circuit, and first and second physical switches. The driver circuit includes a transistor configured as a switch connecting the battery to the light source. The driver circuit further includes a capacitor arranged to form a timer. The first physical switch is arranged such that its assertion connects the battery to the light source for a predetermined period of time. The second physical switch is separate from the first physical switch and is arranged such that its assertion connects the battery to the motor.

Abstract: A tool safety system minimizes the likelihood of injury by detecting when a body part is in close proximity to a moving part of the tool. Upon detecting, a control system can provide one or more of moving the tool, disabling the moving part, or producing a warning signal.

Abstract: A battery-operated power tool includes housing, a motor disposed in the housing, a battery, a light source, a driver circuit, and first and second physical switches. The driver circuit includes a transistor configured as a switch connecting the battery to the light source. The driver circuit further includes a capacitor arranged to form a timer. The first physical switch is arranged such that its assertion connects the battery to the light source for a predetermined period of time. The second physical switch is separate from the first physical switch and is arranged such that its assertion connects the battery to the motor.

Abstract: A table saw such as a chop saw, a miter saw, compound miter saw or a sliding compound miter saw that is provided with a laser arbor alignment system. An opaque shield or transparent shield having an opaque mask blocks the laser beam from being projected into a range of normal operator eye positions. One or more openings in the shield or opaque mask provide a sight line on a workpiece initially. As the saw is moved into engagement with the workpiece, the shield is pivoted away from the workpiece and a solid laser line is projected on the workpiece.

Abstract: A table saw such as a chop saw, a miter saw, compound miter saw or a sliding compound miter saw that is provided with a laser arbor alignment system. An opaque shield or transparent shield having an opaque mask blocks the laser beam from being projected into a range of normal operator eye positions. One or more openings in the shield or opaque mask provide a sight line on a workpiece initially. As the saw is moved into engagement with the workpiece, the shield is pivoted away from the workpiece and a solid laser line is projected on the workpiece.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of powering a light source are provided. The apparatus includes a motor, a voltage stabilizing circuit, and a light source. The motor includes a field assembly and an armature assembly. The field assembly includes an intermediate tap on a field winding that forms a variable field winding power source. The stabilizing circuit connects to the intermediate tap and includes a voltage regulator having an output that is connected to a light source to be stabilized.

Abstract: A table saw such as a chop saw, a miter saw, compound miter saw or a sliding compound miter saw that is provided with a laser arbor alignment system. An opaque shield or transparent shield having an opaque mask blocks the laser beam from being projected into a range of normal operator eye positions. One or more openings in the shield or opaque mask provide a sight line on a workpiece initially. As the saw is moved into engagement with the workpiece, the shield is pivoted away from the workpiece and a solid laser line is projected on the workpiece.

Abstract: For a family sewing machine having the capabilities to complete a buttonhole in a single step, an arrangement is provided to permit an operator to reinitiate the buttonhole operation in the event of a thread breakage in the middle of the buttonhole, however, without necessitating stitching during that part of the buttonhole in which stitching has already been implemented. If a thread breakage takes place and after repair thereof the buttonhole may be repositioned to the initiating position and the buttonhole pattern may be reselected together with, for example, a selection of reverse feeding or any other input which is not normally selected during buttonholing. This dual selection is effective to signal the needle bar release logic to suspend endwise reciprocation of the needle bar.

Abstract: A spool pin holder for accommodating deflection of a spool pin wherein a spherical segment adjacent the ends of the spool pin is seated in a socket in a spool pin post adjacent a socket of square profile having grooves extending along the diagonals of the square beyond the square so as to accommodate therein a first pair of leaf springs in a first diagonal on either side of a spool pin end and a second pair of leaf springs in the second diagonal about the spool pin end adjacent the first pair so as to provide a restoring force to the spool pin in response to any disturbing force displacing the same.

Abstract: An electronically controlled sewing machine includes an arrangement for utilizing the feed override control to effect a feed balancing function for a pattern having both directions of feed. To effect the balancing function, those patterns which have both forward and reverse feed are "flagged" for recognition by the sewing machine control system. When such a pattern is being sewn, the function of the feed override control is changed to perform the balancing function. Accordingly, when the feed override control is enabled, a fixed increment is added to all forward feeds in the pattern and the feed override control is utilized to attenuate only the forward feeds, to effect a balanced condition.

Abstract: A linear motor is used to jog the needle bar and gate beyond the normal jogging range in order to disable a latch and separate the needle bar from the sewing machine driving means. The linear motor is driven into this abnormal excursion beyond the usual jogging motion by supplying a known needle position signal to the servoamplifier system for the linear motor and providing a separate voltage from a regulated voltage source which is summed with the specific signal in order to provide sufficient electromotive force for jogging the sewing needle beyond the normal jogging range.

Abstract: An arrangement in an electronically controlled stitch pattern sewing machine which detects when the sewing machine is operating at speeds above a predetermined speed and when this is the case, instead of utilizing the bight synchronization signal generated by the armshaft timing pulse generator, the arrangement calculates a speed dependent time interval after the feed synchronization pulse so as to begin processing the bight data at some time prior to the bight synchronization pulse.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for positioning an instrumentality over a predetermined range in response to a digitally coded position signal. To effect a controlled reduction in the instrumentality movement, an operational amplifier is provided having a feedback circuit including a fixed resistor and a controllable switch connected across the resistor. The switch is selectively controlled to short circuit the resistor at a controlled rate to effect a controlled gain reduction for the operational amplifier.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for positioning an instrumentality over a predetermined range in response to a digitally coded position signal. To effect desired adjustments between digitally achieved positions, algebraically adjustable signals are subtracted from an analog position signal obtained from the digitally coded position signal.

Abstract: In an electronically controlled sewing machine, new stitch position coordinate information is retrieved from a solid state memory and transferred to the sewing machine servo system one bit per some proportional clock period, at either a fast stepping rate or a slow stepping rate depending upon the speed of the sewing machine. By use of suitable logic gates, a low speed condition will initiate a slow stepping rate of some fraction of a predetermined clock period, whereas a high speed condition will initiate a fast stepping rate of once every clock period. The new data from the solid state memory is fed to a comparator wherein it is compared to the immediately prior stitch position coordinate information transferred to the servo system and retained in an up/down counter. The comparator determines whether the new data requires an up or a down count of the counter.