Cordless power system

• US 20060087283A1
• Filed: 10/14/2005
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Francis, Jeffrey J., Carrier, David A., Brotto, Daniele C., Phillips, Steven J., Seman, Andrew E. Jr., White, Daniel J., Yahnker, Christopher R., Watson, James B., Trinh, Danh T.
• Application Number:
  US11/251,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20060087283A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/114
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/00 Details or components of portable power-driven tools not particularly related to the operations performed and not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/02 Construction of casings, bodies or handles B25F5/006, B25F5/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/247 specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/296 characterised by terminals of battery packs terminals of batteries H01M50/543
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/42 Grouping of primary cells into batteries H01M6/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00711 with introduction of pulses during the charging process
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 : of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A cordless system has cordless system components that include a cordless device, such as a cordless power tool, a battery pack and a charger. The battery pack is mated with either the cordless device to provide power to operate the cordless device or to the charger to charge the battery cells in the battery pack. In an aspect, the cordless system has an identification and communication system by which the battery pack identifies and communicates information about the battery pack to the cordless device or to the charger to which the battery pack is mated. In an, the battery pack of the cordless system is capable of multiple modes, such as controlling the cordless device and controlling the charger. In an aspect, the battery pack validates the cordless device or charger to which it is mated in an aspect of the invention, the cordless system uses any of a wired interface, radio frequency interface, an optical interface or a magnetic interface to communicate information between the battery pack and the cordless device or charger to which the battery pack is mated. In an aspect, female terminals are used in a terminal block of the battery pack to protect against foreign objects contacting the terminals. In aspect, the terminals in the terminal block of the battery pack are staggered or scattered to reduce the likelihood of a short circuit. In an aspect of the invention, the battery pack has a trap door that closes when the battery pack is not mated to a cordless device or charger to protect the terminal block of the battery pack. In an aspect of the invention, multi-spring, split contact terminals are used in the terminal block of at least one of the cordless system components. In an aspect of the invention, the battery cells are Lithium Ion battery cells.

Claims

1. A battery pack for a cordless power tool, comprising a housing having a terminal block with female terminals.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including Lithium Ion battery cells disposed in the housing.

3. A battery pack for a cordless power tool, comprising a housing having a terminal block with terminals of opposite polarity staggered or scattered in the terminal block.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the terminals are female terminals.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 including Lithium Ion battery cells disposed in the housing.

6. A battery pack for a cordless power tool, comprising a housing having a terminal block therein, an opening through which mating terminals of the cordless power tool extend to the terminal block of the battery pack when the battery pack is mated to the cordless power tool, and a trap door that is urged closed by a resilient member when the battery pack is not mated with the cordless power tool and is urged open when the battery pack is mated with the cordless power tool.

7. A battery pack for a cordless power tool, comprising a housing having battery cells disposed therein and a terminal block having power terminals and data terminals, the power terminals including a common terminal and the data terminals including a common terminal that is a different terminal than the common terminal of the power terminals.

8. A battery pack for a cordless power tool, comprising a housing having a terminal block therein, the terminal block having first and second power terminals, each power terminal having a contact including first and second pairs of opposed tulips vertically spaced from each other, the first and second pairs of opposed tulips extending horizontally from a vertical member of the spring contact.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein each power terminal includes a second contact horizontally spaced from the first spring contact, the second contact including first and second pairs of horizontally opening opposed tulips vertically spaced from each other, the first and second pairs of opposed tulips of the second contact extending horizontally from a vertical member of the second contact.

10. A battery pack for a cordless power tool, comprising a housing having a terminal block therein, the terminal block having first and second power terminals, each power terminal having first and second contacts spaced horizontally from each other, each contact including a vertical member and a pair of horizontally opening opposed tulips extending horizontally from the vertical member.

11. A cordless power tool system including a cordless power tool and a battery pack mated to the cordless power tool, the battery pack having a housing with a terminal block with female terminals that mate with male terminals of a terminal block of the cordless power tool.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the battery pack includes Lithium Ion battery cells disposed in the housing of the battery pack.

13. A cordless power tool system including a cordless power tool and a battery pack mated to the cordless power tool, the battery pack having a housing with a terminal block and the cordless power tool having a housing with a terminal block, the terminals of opposite polarity staggered or scatter in each of the terminal blocks.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the battery pack includes Lithium Ion battery cells disposed in the housing of the battery pack.

15. A cordless power tool system including a cordless power tool and a battery pack mated to the cordless power tool, the battery pack having a housing with a terminal block and the cordless power tool having a housing with a terminal block, the housing of the battery pack including an opening through which terminals of the terminal block of the cordless power tool extend and a trap door that is urged closed by a resilient member when the battery pack is not mated with the cordless power tool.

16. A cordless power tool system including a cordless power tool and a battery pack mated to the cordless power tool, the battery pack having a housing with a terminal block and the cordless power tool having a housing with a terminal block, each terminal block including power terminals and data terminals, the power terminals including a common terminal and the data terminals including a common terminal that is a different terminal than the common terminal of the power terminals.

17. A cordless power tool system including a cordless power tool and a battery pack mated to the cordless power tool, the battery pack having a housing with a terminal block and the cordless power tool having a housing with a terminal block, the terminal block of the battery pack having first and second power terminals, each power terminal in the battery pack terminal block having a contact including first and second pairs of opposed tulips vertically spaced from each other, the first and second pairs of opposed tulips extending horizontally from a vertical member of the spring contact.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein each power terminal in the terminal block of the battery pack includes a second contact horizontally spaced from the first spring contact, the second contact including first and second pairs of horizontally opening opposed tulips vertically spaced from each other, the first and second pairs of opposed tulips of the second contact extending horizontally from a vertical member of the second contact.

19. A cordless power tool system including a cordless power tool and a battery pack mated to the cordless power tool, the battery pack having a housing with a terminal block and the cordless power tool having a housing with a terminal block, the terminal block of the battery pack having first and second power terminals, each power terminal in the battery pack terminal block having first and second contacts spaced horizontally from each other, each contact including a vertical member and a pair of horizontally opening opposed tulips extending horizontally from the vertical member.