WO2025188220A1

WO2025188220A1 - A hand-held electrically powered equipment with a front handle with vibration suspension at one end and rigidly or pivotably attached to the body at the other end

Info

Publication number: WO2025188220A1
Application number: PCT/SE2025/050100
Authority: WO
Inventors: Torbjörn ALMQVIST; Pär CARLSSON
Original assignee: Husqvarna AB
Current assignee: Husqvarna AB
Priority date: 2024-03-08
Filing date: 2025-02-10
Publication date: 2025-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 2026-09-08
Also published as: WO2025188220A8; SE2450271A1

Abstract

Hand-held electrically powered equipment (100, 500) comprising a main body (110) extending in a longitudinal direction (L), a saw blade arrangement (120) supported by the body (110), an electric motor (170), and a receptacle for receiving and holding a replaceable battery (150) or a battery adapter, where the equipment (100, 500) is arranged to be guided at least in part by a front handle (130) attached to the body (110), where the front handle (130) comprises an elongated member (310) extending transversally across the body (110) from a first end (131) to a second end (132), where the front handle (130) is attached to the body (110) via a vibration suppression arrangement (160) at the first end (131) and attached rigidly or pivotably to the body (110) at the second end (132).

Description

TITLE

A HAND-HELD ELECTRICALLY POWERED EQUIPMENT WITH A FRONT HANDLE WITH VIBRATION SUSPENSION AT ONE END AND RIGIDLY OR PIVOTABLY ATTACHED TO THE BODY AT THE OTHER END

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to hand-held construction equipment for processing hard materials such as concrete and stone. The disclosure also relates to handles with a vibration suppression function, handles comprising vibration sensors, and associated construction equipment. Aspects of the disclosure are also applicable in forestry equipment such as chain saws.

BACKGROUND

Hand-held powertools for cutting concrete and stone, often referred to as power cutters or cut-off tools, have traditionally been powered by internal combustion engines. Battery powered power-cutters are, however, becoming increasingly common. It is not always straight forward to convert a combustion engine powered tool into a battery powered tool, since the required battery is often quite large and heavy.

Vibration generated during use of hand-held powertools may be harmful to an operator of the tool. Vibration suppression systems are known that mitigate harmful effects of vibration in, e.g., the handles of the tool. There is a desire to provide less complex and more cost efficient vibration suppression systems.

SUMMARY

It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide improved construction equipment and electrically powered work tools. This objective may at least in part be obtained by hand-held electrically powered equipment having the technical features set out in the appended claims. Many of the aspects discussed herein are also applicable in forestry equipment such as chain saws for cutting wood and other materials.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to hand-held electrically powered construction equipment comprising a main body extending in a longitudinal direction between first and second lateral sides, a saw blade arrangement supported by the body, an electric motor, and a receptacle for receiving and holding a replaceable battery or a battery adapter. The battery receptacle may also be referred to as a battery compartment. The equipment is arranged to be guided by an operator at least in part by a front handle attached to the body, and the saw blade arrangement comprises at least two parallel saw blades with a drive mechanism interleaved between the saw blades. The electric motor is arranged to drive the saw blade arrangement by the drive mechanism. An outer saw blade of the saw blade arrangement extends in an outer saw blade plane flush with the first lateral side of the construction equipment.

Flush cutting refers to a cutting operation where a cut is placed immediately adjacent to or at least close to a wall, a ceiling, or some other obstacle. The hand-held electrically powered construction equipment disclosed herein allows for flush cutting in an efficient manner since the battery does not extend laterally out from the machine past the saw blade arrangement to prevent flush cutting. A relatively large battery may nevertheless the installed in the machine, since the battery can be received in the receptacle in a laterally offset manner, as will be described in more detail in the following. The receptacle may for instance comprise a battery compartment that extends laterally through the body away from the first lateral side of the construction equipment. The battery compartment may be open on both lateral sides of the construction equipment, i.e., formed as a through-hole battery compartment, or closed on one of the lateral sides of the construction equipment. In both cases an efficient ventilation of the battery can be provided, which is an advantage since the battery can then be cooled in use. An efficiently cooled battery suffers less risk of overheating.

The front handle of the equipment can be arranged to extend laterally out from the main body in the same direction as a battery received in the receptacle by a lateral handle extension distance. The replaceable battery when received in the receptacle then preferably extends out from the main body by a distance that is within 10% of the lateral handle extension distance, and preferably within 5% or even within 1 %. This means that the battery extends out laterally from the main body of the equipment by approximately the same distance as the front handle, such that the battery is at least partly protected by the front handle. According to other examples the front handle extends out from the main body by a longer distance than the battery does. Equipment placed on a ground surface with the battery downwards is then at least partly supported by the front handle, which is an advantage.

According to some aspects, a mass center of the replaceable battery, when received in the receptacle, is offset away from the first lateral side of the construction equipment relative to a center plane of the equipment. This offset promotes balance of the equipment during flush cutting. The mass center of the battery may be approximately aligned with the lateral center of the front handle of the equipment, which promotes balance in use.

The front handle of the equipment advantageously comprises a vibration suppression arrangement configured to suppress vibration from the equipment that propagates into the front handle, e.g., from the saw blade arrangement as it engages a work object. The front handle can for instance comprise an elongated member, such as a curved handlebar, which extends transversally across the body from a first end to a second end. The front handle is attached to the body via the vibration suppression arrangement at the first end and attached rigidly to the body at the second end or at least attached at the second end by an attachment member that is significantly more rigid than the vibration suppression arrangement at the first end. This is a cost-effective way to implement vibration suppression in a front handle, since only one vibration suppression element is necessary. According to some aspects the front handle is attached pivotably to the main body at the second end.

The aspects related to the vibration suppression arrangement are also applicable in forestry equipment such as chain saws.

The vibration suppression arrangement may for instance comprise a resilient member, such as a spring or resilient material bushing. The attachment at the second end, if not rigid, may be a plastic part or a hard rubber part. According to a preferred embodiment, the vibration suppression arrangement at the first end comprises a coil spring, such as a steel spring, which extends from a first coil end to a second coil end, where a flexible non-extensible center member extends inside the coil spring from the first coil end to the second coil end. This type of vibration suppression arrangement used at the first end of the front handle together with a rigid or at least a stiff attachment at the second end of the front handle has been shown to give good results in terms of vibration suppression. It is an advantage that only a single coil is required since this reduces the cost of the vibration suppression arrangement.

According to other aspects of the present disclosure, the construction equipment comprises a control unit arranged to control the electric motor. The control unit may, e.g., control a drive speed of the motor, in addition to starting and stopping the motor. The control unit can be arranged to detect a kick-back condition of the construction equipment and to quickly reduce a drive speed of the electric motor in response to detecting the kick-back condition. This way an operator is protected in case a kickback event occurs. An electrically powered cut-and-break tool, powered by a rechargeable battery, with a kickback protection function implemented in this manner, is both an efficient and safe tool.

The construction equipment may also comprise a vibration sensor arranged in the front handle. In this case the control unit can be arranged to monitor a vibration level in the front handle by the vibration sensor and to trigger a vibration mitigating action in response to detecting a vibration level that fails to meet a predetermined vibration level acceptance criterion. This way it can be verified that the vibration levels in the front handle are acceptable, which is an advantage. Failure of the vibration suppression arrangement in suppressing vibration can be detected, and suitable action taken, which is an advantage. The vibration sensor may comprise, e.g., an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a microphone, and/or a piezoelectric element. The vibration mitigating action can comprise, e.g., generating a warning signal to a user of the construction equipment and/or reducing a drive speed of the electric motor. The construction equipment can of course also be inactivated in case harmful levels of vibration are detected by the vibration sensor.

A similar vibration sensor can be arranged in the rear handle. In this case a first vibration sensor monitors vibration levels in the front handle while a second vibration sensor monitors vibration levels in the rear handle of the construction equipment. The control unit can apply different vibration level acceptance criteria for the front handle and the rear handle.

The control unit can also be arranged to store the monitored vibration levels in a memory device accessible via an interface, and/or statistics such as peak vibration magnitude, variation in vibration level, average vibration level, and the like. An operator or technician can then read the stored data in order to analyze usage, and make sure that operators are not subject to harmful levels of vibration.

According to a preferred aspect, the control unit determines a time period during which vibration magnitude exceeded a predetermined threshold, such as 2,5m/s². This way the control unit can monitor daily vibration exposure of a user, to make sure that the daily exposure does not exceed legislative thresholds. The control unit may also be configured to obtain personal identification data of an operator using the powertool and keep track of vibration separately for two or more operators. This way the daily exposure to vibration can be monitored for more than one operator of a given powertool.

Aspects of the disclosure also relate to a computer-implemented method performed by a control unit configured to control hand-held electrically powered construction equipment comprising a front handle with an integrated vibration sensor, and possible also a rear handle with an integrated vibration sensor. The method comprises monitoring a vibration level in the front handle by the vibration sensor, and triggering a vibration mitigating action by the construction equipment in response to detecting a vibration level that fails to meet a predetermined vibration level acceptance criterion. The vibration mitigating action can, as mentioned above, comprise generating a warning signal to a user of the construction equipment, reducing a drive speed of the electric motor, or inactivating the construction equipment. A second vibration sensor can optionally be arranged in the rear handle, to measure a vibration level in the rear handle. A vibration mitigating action can of course also be triggered in case a daily vibration exposure metric fails to meet an associated acceptance criterion. The aspects related to vibration sensor arrangements configured in the front handle and/or in the rear handle of the equipment are also applicable to forestry equipment such as chain saws for cutting wood and other materials.

There are also disclosed herein methods and various forms of construction equipment associated with the same advantages as discussed above in connection to the control units.

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc." are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated. Further features of, and advantages with, the present invention will become apparent when studying the appended claims and the following description. The skilled person realizes that different features of the present invention may be combined to create embodiments other than those described in the following, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, where:

Figures 1A-B illustrate an example hand-held powertool;

Figures 2A-B show a vibration suppression element for a powertool front handle;

Figure 3A shows a powertool front handle with a vibration suppression element;

Figure 3B shows a part of an example hand-held powertool;

Figure 3C shows a rear handle with a vibration suppression element;

Figure 4 shows a part of a hand-held powertool with a vibration suppression function;

Figure 5 illustrates an example hand-held powertool with vibration suppression;

Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating methods;

Figure 7 schematically illustrates a control unit;

Figure 8 schematically illustrates a computer program product;

Figures 9A-B show an example battery compartment; and Figures 10A-C illustrate an example rechargeable battery.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The different devices and methods disclosed herein can, however, be realized in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the aspects set forth herein. Like numbers in the drawings refer to like elements throughout.

The terminology used herein is for describing aspects of the disclosure only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Figures 1A-B show an example hand-held powertool 100. This particular example is a so-called cut- and-break tool. Cut-and-break tools are generally known, and have been described previously in, e.g., US 6,874,400 B2 and in US 7,571 ,720 B2. Cut-and-break tools comprise at least two parallel saw blades and are capable of relatively deep cuts compared to regular hand-held cut-off tools, which is an advantage.

Figure 5 shows another example hand-held powertool 500. This tool is a cut-off tool with a single abrasive saw blade, sometimes also referred to as a power cutter. The present disclosure is not limited to any particular form of construction equipment but is most advantageously applied in electrically powered cut-and-break tools and in electrically powered cut-off tools.

The tools 100,500 both comprise a main body 110 arranged to support a saw blade arrangement 120 (the saw is only schematically shown in Figure 5). A front handle 130 and a rear handle 140 are used by an operator to guide the tool 100, 500 during sawing. The front handle 130 extends at a distance from the body 1 10. There is a space or gap formed between the body 110 and the front handle 130, allowing an operator to hold the front handle without interfering with the body 110. The front handle 130 in the examples disclosed herein comprises an elongated member that extends transversally across the body 110 from a first end 131 to a second end 132 of the front handle, where the front handle 130 is distanced from the body 1 10 between its first end 131 and its second end 132. The distance between the center section 133 of the front handle 130 and the body 1 10 is on the order of a couple of centimeters, such as more than 5 centimeters.

The different technical features of the present disclosure will be discussed mainly in relation to power cutters such as the equipment 100, 500 in Figures 1A-B and in Figure 5. It is however appreciated that many features can also be applied with advantage in other types of tools, such as forestry equipment such as chain saws that also comprise a front handle 130 and a rear handle 140 similar to those illustrated in the drawings.

The saw blades on the hand-held powertools discussed herein comprise abrasive elements configured to cut hard materials such as concrete and stone. The saw blades are normally diamond saw blades. A diamond saw blade has diamond cutting segments fixed on its edge for cutting hard materials. There are many types of diamond blade, and they have many uses, including cutting stone, concrete, asphalt, bricks, glass, and ceramics. Diamond saw blades are generally known and will therefore not be discussed in more detail herein.

The example rear handles 140 in Figure 1 A and in Figure 5 comprise a trigger 145 and a trigger lockout device 146. The trigger lock-out device 146 prevents an operator from inadvertently actuating the trigger 145. Various trigger lock-out devices are known. This particular example requires that the operator first depresses the trigger lock-out device 146, e.g., by the palm of the hand, in order to allow the trigger 145 to be depressed by the trigger finger on the same hand.

A longitudinal symmetry plane of the rear handle 140 may be used to define a center plane C of the powertool, as illustrated in Figure 1 B. A normal to the center plane defines lateral directions of the equipment. The center plane C is aligned with the extension plane or planes of the saw blades of the equipment.

The example front handle 130 illustrated in Figures 1A-B and in Figure 5 is a bar-shaped handle that extends from a first end 131 of the handle transversally across the body 110 to a second end 132 of the handle. A center section 133 of the front handle 130 located over the center plane C of the tool is substantially perpendicular to the center plane C. This way an operator can use a left hand to hold the front handle 130 and a right hand to hold the rear handle to ergonomically guide the tool in use. A lateral midpoint of the front handle 130 is shown in Figure 1 B as the midpoint 134 of the dashdouble-dotted line.

The present disclosure is not limited to power tools of the rear handle type exemplified in Figures 1 A- B and Figure 5. Aspects of the present disclosure can also be applied with advantage in, e.g., tophandle type power tools, where the rear handle is located closer to the top of the powertool, e.g., as in the powertool described in US 2012/0102766 A1 , where the rear handle is referred to as a control portion and the front handle is referred to as a hold portion.

The powertools 100, 500 in Figures 1A-B and in Figure 5 are both battery powered hand-held powertools. A replaceable and rechargeable battery 150 is supported by the body 1 10 in use (not shown in Figure 5). According to preferred aspects of the present disclosure, the term “replaceable” means that the battery is possible to replace without special tools and without first dismantling parts of the body 110. It is appreciated that the replaceable battery 150 is not a permanently installed battery installed in the body 110 which can only be removed by first dismantling at least part of the body. An example rechargeable and replaceable battery will be discussed in connection to Figures 10A-C below.

The hand-held electrically powered construction equipment 100 illustrated in Figures 1A-B comprises a main body 1 10 that extends in a longitudinal direction L, from the rear handle 140 towards the front handle 130 along the center plane C. The main body 110 has first and second lateral sides S1 , S2 separated by the center plane C. The lateral sides S1 , S2 are joined by the top side T and the bottom side B of the equipment, as illustrated in the insert in Figure 1 B, where the equipment is seen from the front. A center plane C of the construction equipment divides the equipment along the longitudinal direction along a symmetry plane of the rear handle 140, as shown in Figure 1 B.

An upwards direction U and a downward direction D are indicated in Figure 1 A. The upwards direction U and downwards direction D are not necessarily associated with an alignment of the machine 100 in use. However, the directions may be useful when indicating relative positions of details on the machine, such as the bottom side of the machine which is the side facing in the downwards direction, and the top side of the machine, which is the side of the machine facing in the upwards direction. The top side of the machine is the side facing upwards U, and the bottom side of the machine is the side facing downwards D.

The construction equipment 100 comprises an electric motor 170 and a receptacle for receiving and holding a replaceable battery 150 to power the electric motor. A control unit 180 is arranged to control the electric motor, e.g., in dependence of an input signal from the trigger 145. The control unit 180 may perform additional functions, such as monitoring and logging vibration levels measured by vibration sensors arranged in the front handle and/or in the rear handle of the equipment 100. An example control unit will be discussed in more detail below in connection to Figure 7.

The aspects related to the vibration suppression arrangements in the front and rear handles of the equipment are also applicable in forestry equipment such as chain saws.

The aspects related to the vibration sensor arrangements in the front and rear handles of the equipment are also applicable in forestry equipment such as chain saws.

The saw blade on a chain saw corresponds to the cutting disc 120 on the power cutters discussed herein.

It is appreciated that the aspects related to flush cutting, the aspects related to vibration suppression, the aspects related to how the front handle is attached to the main body, and the aspects related to vibration sensors are not inextricably linked to each other and can be implemented separately. The receptacle may of course also hold a battery adapter for interfacing with an external energy source, such as a back-pack battery arrangement, i.e., a rechargeable battery pack arranged to be carried by an operator using, e.g., straps over the shoulders of the operator. An adapter can also be used to interface with other external energy sources, such as external battery systems, a generator, or electrical mains. A battery adapter is a device shaped like a battery, and arranged to be held in the receptacle just like a battery, where it interfaces electrically to the powertool in the same way as the battery does, and with the same type of electrical characteristics in terms of voltage etc.

A saw blade arrangement 120 is supported by the body 1 10 on the machine in Figures 1A-B. The saw blade arrangement 120 on the cut-and-brake tool in Figures 1 A-B comprises a plurality of parallel saw blades 121 , 122 with a drive mechanism interleaved between the saw blades 121 , 122. The example cut-and-break machine in Figures 1A-B comprises two parallel saw blades. The electric motor 170 is arranged to drive the saw blade arrangement 120 by the drive mechanism. The saw blade arrangement 120 extends from the main body 110 on a support arm which has the same lateral width as the saw blade arrangement 120. This enables the saw blade arrangement and a significant part of the support arm to be pushed deep into a work object such as a concrete wall or the like. This way deep cuts can be made.

The saw blade arrangement 120 on the cut-and-break tool 100 is preferably separated from a lateral center of the replaceable battery 150 when received in the receptacle by the center plane C of the construction equipment 100. The lateral center of the battery 150 is at the midpoint of the battery 150 measured in a direction normal to the center plane C. The approximate lateral center of the battery 150 in the example in Figure 1 B may, e.g., be located at the midpoint of the dash-dotted line in Figure 1 B. The mass center 156 of the battery 150 may or may not coincide with the lateral center of the battery 150.

A lateral distance indicated by reference B in Figure 1 B, between the saw blade arrangement 120 and the longitudinal center plane C of the construction equipment 100, measured in a direction normal to the center plane C, is preferably larger than a lateral distance between the lateral center of the replaceable battery 150 when received in the receptacle and the longitudinal center plane C.

According to some aspects, the construction equipment 100 comprises a control unit 180 arranged to control the electric motor 170, i.e., to activate and inactivate the motor in response to a signal from the trigger 145. The control unit is normally also configured to control the axle speed of the electric motor towards a desired axle speed in dependence of how much the trigger 145 is depressed. The control unit 180 can be arranged to detect a kick-back condition of the construction equipment 100, e.g., by monitoring the motor currents of the electric motor 170 in operation and/or by monitoring an output signal from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) arranged on the equipment in a known manner. The control unit 180 can then be arranged to reduce a drive speed of the electric motor 170 in response to detecting the kick-back condition, and preferably halt the electric motor 170 quickly. Kick- back detection and mitigation systems are described in detail in, e.g., WO2021107842 A1 and in WO2022086382 A1 and will therefore not be discussed in more detail herein. It is an advantage to combine the kickback detection and motor brake arrangements in WO2022086382 A1 with the electrically powered cut-and-break tool in Figures 1A-B since the saw blade arrangement 120 on a cut-and-break tool is relatively light weight and can therefore be stopped quickly by the control unit 180 controlling the electric motor 170 in the event of a kickback.

An outer saw blade 121 of the saw blade arrangement 120 in the cut-and-break tool in Figures 1A-B extends in an outer saw blade plane 125 that is flush with the first lateral side S1 of the construction equipment 100. Here “flush” is to be construed as substantially aligned with the first lateral side S1 , meaning that there is no part of the construction equipment that extends beyond the outer saw blade plane by more than 20 mm, and preferably not more than 10 mm, and even more preferably not at all. This allows the cut-and-break tool to be used for flush cutting close to walls and floors.

With reference to Figure 1 B, the construction equipment 100 comprises a right-hand lateral side S1 that is substantially planar and aligned with the right-most saw blade 121 of the saw blade arrangement 120. This means that the cut-and-break machine 100 can engage a work object to make a cut very close to, e.g., a wall, a ceiling, a floor or some other obstacle, since the lateral side S1 of the machine 100 can be held tightly against the obstacle (such as a wall or a ceiling) while the saw blade arrangement 120 cuts into the work object.

Note that the front handle 130 extends from a position on the first lateral side S1 transversally across the body 110 and to a position on the second lateral side S2. The bar-shaped front handle 130 is attached to a position close to the bottom side B of the tool 100, which means that an operator can hold the front handle 130 in a convenient manner even if the first lateral side S1 is held tightly against the floor on a work site. Some of the front handles discussed herein are fastened by brackets under the machine, as will be discussed in more detail below in connection to Figure 3B.

According to some aspects, the receptacle comprises a battery compartment 155 that extends laterally through the body 110 away from the first lateral side S1 of the construction equipment 100. The battery compartment 155 may be open on both lateral sides S1 , S2 of the construction equipment 100 to form a through-hole battery compartment, or on just one side of the body to form a battery receiving cavity. According to other aspects the battery compartment is a cavity that extends down into the body from the top side (T) of the machine in use. Some aspects of the construction equipment disclosed herein may also comprise a battery compartment 155 that is closed on one of the lateral sides S1 , S2, forming a cavity or shaft into which the battery may be inserted from the open side of the battery compartment.

According to some aspects, the front handle 130 extends out from the second lateral side S2 of the cut-and-break tool 100 by a lateral handle extension distance D indicated in Figure 1 B. The distance D may correspond to the distance D* the battery 150 extends out from the second lateral side S2 (also indicated in Figure 1 B). This way the front handlebar provides some protection for the battery 150. According to some aspects the replaceable battery 150, when received in the receptacle, extends out from the main body 1 10 by a distance D* within 10% of the lateral handle extension distance D.

A mass center 156 of the replaceable battery 150, when received in the receptacle, can be arranged offset away from the first lateral side S1 of the construction equipment 100, relative to the center plane C of the equipment 100. By shifting the battery to one side in this manner, away from the saw blade arrangement, more precisely towards the second lateral side S2 as shown in Figure 1 B, flush cutting is enabled despite having a battery of large volume and large weight. Having a large volume rechargeable battery is an advantage since it extends the operating time of the construction equipment 100. According to some aspects, the mass center 156 of the replaceable battery 150 is located to the left of the center plane C, seen from the top side T of the construction equipment 100. In other words, the battery 150, when installed in the construction equipment 100, is asymmetrically placed relative to the center plane C, and offset away from the outer saw blade plane 125 in direction of the second lateral side S2.

The lateral midpoint 134 of the front handle 130 (indicated in Figure 1 B) is preferably aligned with the mass center 156 of the battery 150 when received in the receptacle 155.

According to some aspects, the receptacle 155 is configured to receive the battery 150 from the second lateral side S2. This means that the battery 150 is inserted in its insertion direction into the receptacle 155 from the second lateral side S2, and also removed from the battery compartment from the second lateral side S2. This is an advantage, e.g., since the construction equipment 100 may be placed in a resting position on a floor with the first lateral side S1 facing downwards and the battery 150 is then conveniently lifted upwards out of the battery compartment.

According to some aspects, the battery compartment 155 is closed on one of the lateral sides S1 , S2 of the construction equipment 100, preferable the first lateral side S1. In this case the battery compartment is not a through-hole battery compartment but a cavity or shaft that is closed at its sides and bottom and only open at one end, into which a battery may be inserted in an insertion direction. According to one example geometry of the cut-and-break tool, the front handle 130 is configured to extend out from the main body 1 10 by a lateral handle extension distance D, measured in a direction normal to the center plane C. The replaceable battery 150 when received in the receptacle is then configured to extend out from the main body 110 by a distance D* (shown in Figure 1 B) that is within 10% of the lateral handle extension distance D. The distance D* and the distance D are preferably equal or at least approximately equal.

According to a preferred embodiment, the mass center 156 of the battery 150 when received in the receptacle is located laterally within 5 cm of the lateral midpoint 134 of the front handle 130, measured from the center plane C. This way the equipment can be guided in a balanced manner since the operator can hold the front handle at an approximate lateral mass center of the battery 150.

According to another example geometry of the cut-and-break tool exemplified in Figures 1A-B, the front handle 130 is arranged so as to extend out from the main body 110 by the lateral handle extension distance D, while the replaceable battery 150 extends out from the main body 110 by a distance D* that is smaller than the lateral handle extension distance D, such as less than 5 cm smaller.

The front handle 130 of the construction equipment 100, 500 preferably comprises a vibration suppression arrangement 160 configured to suppress vibration in the front handle 130, thus preventing an operator from being inconvenienced or harmed by vibrations generated at the saw blade arrangement 120 and/or by the electric motor 170. The front handle 130 optionally comprises an elongated bar-shaped member 310 as shown in Figure 3A that is bent to extend transversally across the body 110 from the first end 131 to the second end 132 as described above. The front handle 130 can be attached to the body 110 via the vibration suppression arrangement 160 at the first end 131 and attached rigidly or at least stiffly to the body 110 at the second end 132. In other words, the front handle 130 is only devibrated by means of a vibration suppressing element at one end and not at the other end. The devibrated end is the end which is normally closest to the hand of the operator gripping the front handle 130 in use, i.e., the end of the front handle 130 that is closest to the center section 133 of the front handle 130. This asymmetric vibration suppression arrangement has been found to give satisfactory vibration suppression for the type of construction equipment illustrated in Figures 1A-B and in Figure 5. It is an advantage that the vibration suppression arrangement 160 is localized to the first end 131 of the front handle 130, since this gives the front handle 130 and the overall construction equipment 100 a better stability during a cutting operation.

Figure 3B shows a part of an example hand-held powertool 100, seen from below, i.e., seen from the side facing the ground in normal use. In this case the second end 132 of the front handle 130 extends laterally across the tool and is attached by brackets 320. The front handle 130 is held by fastening elements extending through the holes 330 seen in Figure 3A (which are covered by the brackets 320 in Figure 3B). The holes 330 may be formed slightly larger than the fastening elements. This, in combination with the brackets, allows the front handle 130 to pivot relative to the axis A, which mitigates some of the vibration. Thus, the second end does not have to be totally rigidly attached at the second end, but pivotably attached to allow rotation of the second end about rotation axle A. Generally, the attachment at the second end 132 can be configured to allow pivoting about an axis A transversal to the powertool. In this case the attachment 132 at the second end prevents lateral motion of the front handle, i.e., the front handle cannot be pulled out from the tool in the lateral direction, or moved along the axis of rotation A. The front handle 130 may be stiffly attached to the body in direction of the axis of rotation A, but pivotably attached to allow rotation about the axis A.

The pivotable attachment exemplified in Figure 3B may be used also on other equipment, such as on forestry equipment like chain saws for cutting wood and other materials. The pivotable attachment can be used as a stand-alone feature and is not inextricably linked to any other features disclosed herein. Figure 3B illustrates hand-held electrically powered equipment comprising a body 1 10, a front handle 130 and a rear handle 140, where the front handle 130 comprises an elongated member 310 extending transversally across the body 1 10 from a first end 131 (not shown in Figure 3B) to a second end 132, where the front handle 130 is distanced from the body 110 between its first end 131 and its second end 132, and where the front handle 130 is pivotably attached to the body 110 at the second end 132 to allow pivoting about an axis A extending transversally across the body 1 10. This pivotable attachment mitigates vibration that propagates into the front handle. The pivotable attachment is transversal to the longitudinal direction of the equipment, and therefore does not hamper maneuverability of the equipment. The front handle is preferably fixed to the equipment in the lateral direction, i.e., along the axis A, which means that the front handle cannot be moved along the axis A.

It is appreciated that the second end does not have to be totally rigidly attached at the second end 132. It can also be attached by an attachment member that is significantly more rigid than the vibration suppression arrangement 160 at the first end 131 , with the same or similar technical effect. In other words, the second end can be stiffly attached at the second end 132, where stiffly means that the attachment at the second end is significantly less resilient compared to the attachment at the first end. The attachment at the first end 131 may, e.g., comprise the type of coil spring 200 illustrated in Figures 2A-B, while the attachment at the second end 132 may comprise a plastic member or a stiff rubber or silicone bushing.

It has also been found that this type of asymmetric vibration suppression system works particularly well during flush cutting operations, where the part of the machine that is tightly held against, e.g., a floor or a wall is vibrationally decoupled from the front handle (at the first end 131 ). The opposite side of the machine, i.e., the second lateral side S2 which faces away from the floor or wall does not transmit as much vibration into the second end 132 of the front handle 130. By rigidly or stiffly connecting the second end 132 of the front handle 130 to the second lateral side S2 of the body 1 10 an increased overall stability and improved usability of the machine 100 is obtained.

The vibration suppression arrangement 160 can be attached to the main body 1 10 at its first lateral side S1 .

The vibration suppression arrangement 160 at the first end 131 is, in the illustrated examples, located closer to a hand of an operator in use compared the front handle attachment to the main body 110 at the second end 132.

The example vibration suppression arrangement 160 illustrated in the drawings extends substantially parallel to the outer saw blade plane 125. The vibration suppression arrangement 160 also preferably extends parallel to a center plane C of the construction equipment 100, and at an angle a (indicated in Figure 1A) in the longitudinal forward direction of the construction equipment. The angle a is an acute angle, preferably on the order of 5-45 degrees.

The vibration suppression arrangement 160 at the first end 131 can also be offset upwards from a vertical mass center of the main body 1 10 in a normal operating position of the construction equipment 100.

According to some aspects, the front handle 130 extends laterally out from the main body 1 10 at the second end 132 along a normal to the outer saw blade plane 125, i.e., essentially perpendicular to the outer saw blade plane 125. This attachment direction gives some stability to the front handle in use, and also helps to reduce vibration that propagates into the front handle from its second end 132.

The vibration suppression arrangement 160 may for instance comprise a resilient member, such as a spring or resilient material bushing. Figures 2A-B illustrate an example vibration suppression arrangement 160 that comprises a coil spring 200 extending from a first coil end 210 to a second coil end 220. The vibration suppression arrangement 160 in Figures 2A-B attaches to the handlebar at the first end 240, and to the body 1 10 at the second end 250. Figure 2A shows a perspective view while Figure 2B shows a cross-section view. A flexible non-extensible center member 230 extends inside the coil spring from the first coil end 210 to the second coil end 220. The flexible non-extensible center member 230 may for instance be a steel wire or a piece of non-elastic cord which bends easily but resists being stretched out from a nominal length of the center member 230. An example of this flexible non-extensible center member 230 can be seen in Figure 2B. The vibration suppression arrangements 160 discussed herein are applicable with the cut-and-break machine 100 and also with the cut-off tool 500 in Figure 5, which may also comprise a front handle 130 that is vibrationally decoupled from the main body 1 10 at a first end 131 and rigidly attached to the main body at a second end of the front handle 130 (not shown in Figure 5).

It is appreciated that a vibration suppressing element, such as the coil spring 200, can be arranged in the rear handle 140. In this case a section of the rear handle is removed and replaced by the coil spring element. This mitigates vibration in the rear handle 140. An example rear handle 140 with a vibration suppressing element (in this case a coil spring 200) is illustrated in Figure 3C.

Despite the vibration suppression arrangement 160 on the front handle 130 of the construction equipment 100, 500, there may be a residual vibration magnitude which is unacceptably strong in some use cases. Certain aspects of the present disclosure relates to construction equipment comprising one or more vibration sensors 420 arranged in the front handle 130, as schematically illustrated in Figure 4. The one or more vibration sensors 420 are fixed along the bar-shaped front handle 130, preferably on an inside of the bar-shaped front handle 130 to measure vibration in real time. Each vibration sensor 420 feeds a signal or some type of data back to the control unit 180 which is indicative of the measured amount of vibration. The vibration data may, e.g., comprise vibration magnitude, vibration frequency, or a frequency spectrum with vibration magnitudes over a frequency range. The vibration data may also comprise information about a duration of time of the measured vibration.

The control unit 180 can be arranged to monitor a vibration level in the front handle 130 by the at least one vibration sensor 420 and to trigger a vibration mitigating action in response to detecting a vibration level that fails to meet a predetermined vibration level acceptance criterion. A vibration mitigating action may also be triggered if vibration above a given vibration magnitude is measured for a duration of time that exceeds a threshold time duration.

The vibration level acceptance criterion may be configured in dependence of a requirement imposed on the equipment 100, 500 in some standard, or be configured by practical experimentation and/or computer simulation of vibration in the front handle 130. The vibration level acceptance criterion may comprise a threshold against which a vibration magnitude is compared. The threshold may be frequency dependent, such that vibration at different frequencies are associated with different acceptance levels.

The vibration level acceptance criterion may also be time dependent, such that the vibration mitigating action is triggered if strong vibration is measured for an extended period of time. Different thresholds can be imposed on integrated vibration magnitude over different time windows. This way both short term effects and long term effects of vibration on a user can be handled by the equipment 100, 500 in an efficient manner.

The vibration mitigating action may comprise generating a warning signal to a user of the construction equipment 100 or reducing a drive speed of the electric motor 170. According to some aspects the control unit 180 may inactivate the equipment 100 and prevent further use by the equipment if the measured vibration is too strong. A message may be generated to a user of the equipment as part of the vibration mitigating action, such as a message in a display or an activated of a lamp or light emitting diode (LED).

The vibration mitigating action may also comprise inactivating the equipment 100, preferably in combination with a message to the user informing him or her about the dangerous levels of vibration that have been detected by the control unit 180.

The vibration sensor 420 may comprise any of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), i.e., an accelerometer, a microphone, and/or a piezoelectric element. These sensors may be connected to the control unit 180 by electrical wire 410 arranged inside the bar-shaped front handle 130, which is often a hollow bar-shaped handle.

A second vibration sensor 147, exemplified in Figure 5, can be arranged in the rear handle to measure a vibration level in the rear handle, as a complement to the vibration level measured in the front handle. Separate or the same vibration level acceptance criteria can be applied by the control unit for the vibration levels in the two handles.

The control unit may also be arranged to record one or more monitored vibration levels over time in a storage medium 730 accessible via an interface 720 of the control unit. This allows inspection of the vibration level history of the work tool, which is an advantage. The control unit 180 can also be arranged to determine one or more statistics of the monitored vibration levels, such as a variance of the vibration, an average of the vibration, or some other statistic, and to store the statistics in a storage medium 730 accessible via an interface 720 of the control unit. The stored data may, e.g., be formatted according to a predetermined format, allowing the data to be extracted from the tool via wire or wirelessly, and analyzed. One example of such statistics is a daily vibration exposure metric indicative of an accumulated vibration above a magnitude threshold that an operator has been subject to during a time period. Another example is time duration data that indicates for how long vibrations of a certain magnitude have been recorded.

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 are a set of regulations created under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which came into force in Great Britain on 6 July 2005. Similar regulations are in place elsewhere in the world. The regulations place a duty on employers to reduce the risk to their employees’ health from exposure to vibration whether this is caused by the use of hand-held or hand-guided power equipment, holding materials which are being processed by machines or which is caused by the sitting or standing on industrial machines or vehicles. The regulations require employers to make an assessment of exposure in order to identify whether the 'exposure action value' or the 'exposure limit value' is likely to be exceeded. The 'exposure action value' is the daily level, after which employers are required to take action to control exposure. The 'exposure limit value' is the maximum amount that an employee can be exposed to in a day. The values are measured using a formula which works out the average (A) exposure over an 8-hour day. The values are therefore written as A(8). The rate of vibration of a tool or piece of machinery is then measured in meters (m) per second (s) and written as m/s². The control unit 180 may be configured to compare the measured vibration to this type of regulatory requirements, and to verify that, e.g., A(8) requirements are met. If the requirements are not met, then a warning can be triggered, and the machine can even be inactivated.

According to an example, the control unit detects when the vibration in the front handle exceeds 2.5m/s² and determines the time period during which this level of vibration is measured. The control unit may thus determine if an A(8) criteria has been met.

According to some aspects, the control unit 180 is arranged to adjust a motor current of the electric motor 170 in case a monitored vibration level fails to satisfy an associated acceptance criterion. The motor current can for instance be adjusted to reduce a drive torque, to reduce a drive speed, or in some other manner such that the vibration levels are reduced to a point where the acceptance criterion is met.

Figure 6 is a flow chart which illustrates a computer-implemented method performed by a control unit 180 configured to control hand-held electrically powered construction equipment 100, 500 as disclosed herein, i.e., equipment 100, 500 that comprises a front handle 130 with one or more integrated vibration sensors 420. The method comprises monitoring Sx1 a vibration level in the front handle 130 by the vibration sensor 420 and triggering Sx2 a vibration mitigating action by the construction equipment 100, 500 in response to detecting a vibration level that fails to meet a predetermined vibration level acceptance criterion.

The method is advantageously performed in construction equipment of the type discussed above where the front handle 130 is attached to the body 110 via a vibration suppression arrangement 160 at the first end 131 and attached rigidly to the body 1 10 at the second end 132. According to some aspects, the vibration mitigating action comprises generating Sx21 a warning signal to a user of the construction equipment 100, and/or reducing Sx22 a drive speed of the electric motor 170. The vibration mitigating action may also comprise inactivating Sx23 the equipment 100.

According to some aspects, the method also comprises recording data Sx3 associated with the monitored vibration in a storage device 730.

It is appreciated that the sensor 420 can also be used for one or more secondary purposes, such as detecting a kickback condition. A sudden strong movement by the sensor 420 can be taken as an indication of kickback. The control unit can then brake the motor to mitigate the danger associated with the kickback event.

Figures 9A and 9B illustrate details of an example battery compartment 155, i.e., an example receptacle for receiving and holding a replaceable battery 150, such as the battery illustrated in Figures 10A-C. A replaceable battery 150 can be inserted into the battery compartment 155 in an insertion direction 1000. Figure 9A is a view opposite to the insertion direction 1000, while Figure 9B is a view looking into the compartment 155 in the insertion direction 1000. In this example the receptacle is a through-hole formed in the main body 110.

The battery compartment 155 has a battery lock mechanism that comprises two locking members 950 operable by a button 955. The locking members comprise a leading edge portion arranged to enter a recess 1080 formed in the battery to lock the battery in position. The locking members may, generally, be arranged spring biased towards the locking position, and operable by means of a lever or push-button mechanism as in Figure 9B. It is appreciated that there may be any number of locking members arranged in the battery compartment in the way described above, i.e., anywhere from a single locking member up to a plurality of locking members.

According to some aspects, the battery compartment 155 comprises at least one resilient member 930 arranged to urge the battery into the locking position, i.e., urge the battery in a direction opposite that of the insertion direction 1000. The resilient members 940, when compressed by the battery, pushes onto the battery to repel it from the battery compartment 155. The resilient members 940 simplify removal of the battery 150 from the battery compartment 155.

According to an example, a user inserts a battery into the battery compartment in the insertion direction 1000. When the battery is inserted all the way, it contacts the resilient members 940 and the locking members 950 enter the recesses 1080 formed in the battery to lock the battery in position. The resilient members 940, when compressed by the battery, pushes back in a direction opposite to the insertion direction 1000. This pushing force from the resilient member increases a contact force between the leading edge portion of the locking members and the surface on the battery arranged to engage the leading edge portion, to hold the battery more securely in position.

Batteries for powering heavy duty cut-off tools such as the work tools discussed herein are normally quite heavy. Thus, the batteries must be held in the battery compartment 155 in a robust and reliable manner. Towards this end, the battery compartment 155 comprises a battery holding mechanism specifically adapted to support a heavy battery, i.e., weighing on the order of 2kg to 5kg, such as between 2,6kg and 5kg. The battery compartment 155 in the example illustrated in Figures 9A-B extends transversally through the construction equipment 100, where it defines a volume for receiving a battery. The volume is delimited by a rear wall Rw and a front wall Fw of the battery compartment, where the rear wall Rw is located towards the rear handle 140 on the tool 100 and the front wall Fw is located towards the front handle 130 of the tool 100. A bottom surface Bs and a top surface Fs also delimits the volume. The example volume in the example of Figures 9A-B is of a rectangular shape with rounded corners.

The battery holding mechanism comprises a supporting heel 910 arranged on a middle section of a side wall of the battery compartment, more specifically on the rear wall Rw closest to the rear handle 140. The heel 910 is elongated with an elongation direction extending transversally through the battery compartment aligned with the insertion direction 1000 of the battery 150 in the battery compartment 155. When the construction equipment 100 is held in a normal operating position, the supporting heel is parallel to ground, and therefore supports the battery against gravity. It is appreciated that the supporting heel 910 can also be arranged on the front wall, i.e., on any of the front wall and/or the rear wall of the battery compartment. The battery, which is exemplified in Figures 10A-C, comprises a corresponding groove 1010 matched to the supporting heel 910.

According to some aspects the supporting heel 910 is metal shod for increased mechanical integrity, i.e., the supporting heel 910 is optionally constructed with an outer layer metal layer for increased mechanical robustness. The supporting heel may also be formed entirely in a metal material.

According to some other aspects, the battery compartment also comprises an upper groove 920 and a lower groove 930 for supporting the battery in the battery compartment 155. The grooves are arranged to mate with corresponding ridge structures 1020, 1030 on the battery, such that the battery can be inserted into the battery compartment 155 in mating position with the grooves in the insertion direction 1000. Thus, the supporting heel 910 and the grooves 920, 930 collaborate to support the battery in the battery compartment in a safe and roust manner. The grooves 920, 930 have the function to guide the battery as it is inserted into the battery compartment 155 and prevents snagging as the battery is removed from the battery compartment 155. The grooves 920, 930 are preferably formed as dove-tail grooves. According to some aspects, the grooves 920, 930 are metal shod for increased mechanical strength, i.e., the grooves are reinforced with a lining layer of metal for increased mechanical robustness.

Contact strips 960 extending in the insertion direction 1000 are arranged in the battery compartment 155 to mate with corresponding electrical connectors 1040 configured in slots on the battery 150.

There is also disclosed herein a battery 150 as shown in Figures 10A-C for insertion into the battery compartment 155. The battery 150 has a weight between 3-7 kg and comprises a groove 1010 arranged on one side of the battery to mate with a corresponding supporting heel 910 arranged on a wall of a battery compartment 155. The groove optionally has an initial bevel to simplify mating with the supporting heel 910. The battery 150 further comprises an upper ridge structure 1020 and a lower ridge structure 1030 on an opposite side of the battery compared to the groove 1010, as shown in Figure 10B, for mating with corresponding grooves 920, 930 of the battery compartment 155. Thus, the battery 150 is configured for insertion into the battery compartment 155 discussed in connection to Figures 9A and 9B.

The battery 150 comprises at least one recess 1080 configured to receive a respective locking member 950 of a battery lock mechanism as discussed above. The locking member may comprise a leading edge portion with an arcuate form and the recess 1080 comprises a surface arranged to engage the leading edge portion of the locking member. The surface has an arcuate form to match that of the leading edge portion.

The battery 150 exemplified in Figures 10A-C also comprises one or more electrical connectors 1040 arranged protected in slots extending in the insertion direction to mate with corresponding contact strips 960 arranged in the battery compartment 155.

Optionally, the battery 150 comprises a forward face F1 facing in the insertion direction 1000 when the battery is inserted in the battery compartment 155, and a rearward face F2 opposite to the forward face. The rearward face may advantageously be formed as a handle 1050 to allow gripping by one hand.

The battery 150 also comprises electrical connectors 1040 configured in slots extending in the insertion direction to mate with corresponding contact strips 960 arranged in the battery compartment 155. The electrical connectors are thereby protected from mechanical impact.

To promote cooling of the battery, there is an air inlet 1070 arranged on a bottom side of the battery which is in fluid communication with an air outlet 1060 arranged on the upper side of the battery, as seen in Figure 10C. Thus, an air stream, e.g., from a fan can be guided through the battery 150 to better cool the battery cells. The battery compartment 155 may comprise matching lower and upper air vents 970, 980 as illustrated in Figures 9A-B. The upper air vent 980 in Figure 9A is connected to the air vent 990. Figure 7 schematically illustrates, in terms of a number of functional units, the general components of the control unit 180, 700. Processing circuitry 710 is provided using any combination of one or more of a suitable central processing unit CPU, multiprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor DSP, etc., capable of executing software instructions stored in a computer program product, e.g., in the form of a storage medium 730. The processing circuitry 710 may further be provided as at least one application specific integrated circuit ASIC, or field programmable gate array FPGA.

Particularly, the processing circuitry 710 is configured to cause the equipment 100, 500 to perform a set of operations, or steps, such as the methods discussed in connection to Figure 6 and the other discussions above. For example, the storage medium 730 may store the set of operations, and the processing circuitry 710 may be configured to retrieve the set of operations from the storage medium 730 to cause the device to perform the set of operations. The set of operations may be provided as a set of executable instructions. Thus, the processing circuitry 710 is thereby arranged to execute methods as herein disclosed.

The storage medium 730 may also comprise persistent storage, which, for example, can be any single one or combination of magnetic memory, optical memory, solid state memory or even remotely mounted memory.

The control unit 180, 700 may further comprise an interface 720 for communications with at least one external device. As such the interface 720 may comprise one or more transmitters and receivers, comprising analogue and digital components and a suitable number of ports for wireline or wireless communication.

The processing circuitry 710 controls the general operation of the control unit 180, 700, e.g., by sending data and control signals to the interface 720 and the storage medium 730, by receiving data and reports from the interface 720, and by retrieving data and instructions from the storage medium 730.

Figure 8 illustrates a computer readable medium 810 carrying a computer program comprising program code means 820 for performing the methods illustrated in Figure 6, when said program product is run on a computer. The computer readable medium and the code means may together form a computer program product 800.

Claims

1 . Hand-held electrically powered equipment (100, 500) comprising a main body (1 10) extending in a longitudinal direction (L), a saw blade arrangement (120) supported by the body (110), an electric motor (170), and a receptacle for receiving and holding a replaceable battery (150) or a battery adapter, where the equipment (100, 500) is arranged to be guided at least in part by a front handle (130) attached to the body (110), where the front handle (130) comprises an elongated member (310) extending transversally across the body (1 10) from a first end (131 ) to a second end (132), where the front handle (130) is attached to the body (110) via a vibration suppression arrangement (160) at the first end (131 ) and attached rigidly or pivotably to the body (110) at the second end (132).

2. The equipment (100, 500) according to claim 1 , where the saw blade arrangement (120) comprises at least two parallel saw blades (121 , 122) with a drive mechanism interleaved between the saw blades (121 , 122), where the electric motor (170) is arranged to drive the saw blade arrangement (120) by the drive mechanism, where an outer saw blade (121 ) of the saw blade arrangement (120) extends in an outer saw blade plane (125), where the front handle (130) extends out from the main body (1 10) at the second end (132) along a normal to the outer saw blade plane (125).

3. The equipment (100, 500) according to claim 1 or 2, where the vibration suppression arrangement (160) comprises a resilient member, such as a spring or resilient material bushing.

4. The equipment (100, 500) according to any previous claim, where the vibration suppression arrangement (160) comprises a coil spring (200) extending from a first coil end (210) to a second coil end (220), where a flexible non-extensible center member (230) extends inside the coil spring from the first coil end (210) to the second coil end (220).

5. The equipment (100, 500) according to any previous claim, where the vibration suppression arrangement (160) is attached to the main body (1 10) at its first lateral side (S1 ).

6. The equipment (100, 500) according to any previous claim, where the vibration suppression arrangement (160) at the first end (131 ) is located closer to a hand of an operator in use compared the front handle attachment to the main body (1 10) at the second end (132).

7. The equipment (100, 500) according to any previous claim, where the vibration suppression arrangement (160) extends substantially parallel to the outer saw blade plane (125).

8. The equipment (100, 500) according to any previous claim, where the vibration suppression arrangement (160) extends parallel to a center plane (C) of the equipment (100, 500), and at an angle (a) in the longitudinal forward direction of the equipment.

9. The equipment (100, 500) according to any previous claim, where the vibration suppression arrangement (160) at the first end (131 ) is offset upwards from a vertical mass center of the main body (110) in a normal operating position of the equipment (100, 500).

10. The equipment (100, 500) according to any previous claim, where the front handle (130) is pivotably attached to the body (110) at the second end (132) to allow pivoting about an axis (A) extending transversally across the body (1 10).

11 . The equipment (100, 500) according to any previous claim, comprising a first vibration sensor (420) arranged in the front handle (130), where a control unit (180) of the equipment (100, 500) is arranged to monitor a vibration level in the front handle (130) by the first vibration sensor (420) and to trigger a vibration mitigating action in response to detecting a vibration level in the front handle that fails to meet a predetermined first vibration level acceptance criterion.

12. The equipment (100, 500) according to any previous claim, comprising a second vibration sensor (147) arranged in the rear handle (140), where a control unit (180) of the equipment (100, 500) is arranged to monitor a vibration level in the rear handle (140) by the second vibration sensor (147) and to trigger a vibration mitigating action in response to detecting a vibration level in the rear handle (140) that fails to meet a predetermined second vibration level acceptance criterion.

13. The equipment (100, 500) according to claim 1 1 and 12, where the first vibration sensor (420) and/or the second vibration sensor (147) comprises an inertial measurement unit, IMU, a microphone, and/or a piezoelectric element.

14. The equipment (100, 500) according to any of claims 1 1 -13, where the vibration mitigating action comprises generating a warning signal to a user of the equipment (100, 500).

15. The equipment (100, 500) according to any of claims 1 1 -14, where the vibration mitigating action comprises reducing a drive speed of the electric motor (170).

16. The equipment (100, 500) according to any of claims 1 1 -15, where the vibration mitigating action comprises inactivating the equipment (100, 500).

17. The equipment (100, 500) according to any previous claim, where the hand-held electrically powered equipment (100, 500) is construction equipment such as a power cutter or forestry equipment such as a chain saw.

18. Hand-held electrically powered equipment (100, 500) comprising a body (1 10), a front handle (130) and a rear handle (140), where the front handle (130) comprises an elongated member (310) extending transversally across the body (1 10) from a first end (131 ) to a second end (132), where the front handle (130) is distanced from the body (110) between its first end (131 ) and its second end (132), where the front handle (130) is pivotably attached to the body (1 10) at the second end (132) to allow pivoting about an axis (A) extending transversally across the body (110).