Battery contact with a surface texture

• US 10,511,008 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2017
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TTi (Macao Commercial Offshore) Limited (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: TTi (Macao Commercial Offshore) Limited (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Inventors: Brush, James, Guo, Mao Zhen, Willey, Brent M., Miller, William S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arciero, Adam A
• Application Number:
  US15/462,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20170271645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/02 Construction of casings, bodies or handles B25F5/006, B25F5/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/296 characterised by terminals of battery packs terminals of batteries H01M50/543
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/571 Methods or arrangements for affording protection against corrosion; Selection of materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Battery contact with surface texturing. Exemplary battery contacts are located within a battery pack. The battery pack is operable to provide power to a device through a device contact of the device. The battery pack includes a battery pack housing, at least one battery cell located within the battery pack housing, and battery contacts including a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The battery contacts are configured to engage the device contact of the device and allow electric current to transfer from the battery pack to the device. The battery contacts define a surface having a surface texture. The surface texture includes raised portions for contacting the device contact to allow electric current to transfer from the battery pack to the device. The surface texture also includes recessed regions spaced away from the surface and for providing a space between the battery contacts and the device contact.

Claims

1. A battery pack operable to provide power to a device through a device contact of the device, the battery pack comprising:

a battery pack housing including a main body housing and a tower portion that extends from the main body housing, wherein the battery pack housing is configured to be supported by and removably mounted to a device housing of the device;

at least one battery cell located within the battery pack housing; and

battery contacts positioned on the tower portion and including a positive terminal and a negative terminal,

wherein the battery contacts are configured to engage the device contact of the device and allow electric current to transfer from the battery pack to the device,

wherein each of the battery contacts includes an outwardly facing first surface;

wherein the tower portion of the battery pack housing is configured to be inserted into a battery receptacle portion of the device housing along an axis parallel to the first surfaces of the battery contacts, the axis being defined by the tower portion extending upwardly from the main body housing;

wherein the device contact includes a leaf spring contact including a first leaf spring and a second leaf spring, the first leaf spring and the second leaf spring each configured to be inwardly biased toward the tower portion and each configured to expand outwardly over side surfaces of the tower portion to receive the tower portion of the battery pack housing and engage one of the first surfaces of the battery contacts when the battery pack is inserted into the device;

wherein the first surfaces of the battery contacts have a surface texture, the surface texture including

raised portions that define a contact surface for contacting the device contact to allow the electric current to transfer from the battery pack to the device, and

recessed regions spaced away from the contact surface and for providing a space between the battery contacts and the device contact.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the space between the battery contacts and the device contact allows oxides produced by fretting corrosion to accumulate away from the contact surface between the device contact and the raised portions of the battery contacts.

3. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the first surfaces of the battery contacts are parallel to each other and face in opposite directions.

4. The battery pack of claim 1, further comprising a printed circuit board electrically coupled to the battery contacts, wherein the printed circuit board is located in the main body housing and is oriented perpendicular to the first surfaces of the battery contacts.

5. The battery pack of claim 4, wherein the printed circuit board is located between the battery contacts and the at least one battery cell.

6. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the surface texturing includes at least one of knurling, dimples, and ribs.

7. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the device includes a power tool, wherein the power tool experiences vibration during operation.

8. An electrical combination comprising:

a battery pack including

a battery pack housing including a main body housing and a tower portion that extends from the main body housing,

at least one battery cell located within the battery pack housing, and

battery contacts positioned on the tower portion and including a positive terminal and a negative terminal, wherein each of the battery contacts includes an outwardly facing first surface; and

a device operable to be powered by the battery pack, the device including

a device housing configured to receive the battery pack, wherein the battery pack is supported by and removably mounted to the device housing, wherein a battery receptacle portion of the device housing receives the tower portion of the battery pack housing along an axis parallel to the first surfaces of the battery contacts, the axis being defined by the tower portion extending upwardly from the main body housing, and

a device contact for engaging the battery contacts and facilitating electric current to transfer from the battery pack to the device, wherein the device contact includes a leaf spring contact including a first leaf spring and a second leaf spring, the first leaf spring and the second leaf spring each configured to be inwardly biased toward the tower portion and each configured to expand outwardly over side surfaces of the tower portion to receive the tower portion of the battery pack housing and engage one of the first surfaces of the battery contacts when the battery pack is inserted into the device;

wherein at least one of the device contact and the first surfaces of the battery contacts include a surface texture including

raised portions that define a contact surface between the device contact and the battery contacts to allow the electric current to transfer from the battery pack to the device, and

recessed regions recessed from the contact surface and defining a space between the device contact and the battery contacts.

9. The electrical combination of claim 8, wherein the first surfaces of the battery contacts include the surface texture.

10. The electrical combination of claim 8, wherein the device contact includes the surface texture.

11. The electrical combination of claim 8, wherein the first surfaces of the battery contacts include the surface texture and the device contact includes the surface texture.

12. The electrical combination of claim 8, wherein the space between the device contact and the battery contacts allows oxides produced by fretting corrosion to accumulate away from the contact surface between the device contact and the battery contacts.

13. The electrical combination of claim 8, wherein the first surfaces are parallel to each other and face in opposite directions.

14. The electrical combination of claim 8, wherein the battery pack includes a printed circuit board electrically coupled to the battery contacts, wherein the printed circuit board is located in the main body housing and is oriented perpendicular to the first surfaces of the battery contacts.

15. The electrical combination of claim 14, wherein the printed circuit board is located between the battery contacts and the at least one battery cell.

16. The electrical combination of claim 9, wherein the surface texture includes at least one of knurling, dimples, and ribs.