ADAPTOR, ASSEMBLY OF BATTERY PACK AND ADAPTOR, AND ELECTRIC TOOL WITH THE SAME

• US 20090108806A1
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi KOKI Company Limited (Koki Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi KOKI Company Limited (Koki Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kawano, Yoshikazu, Konuma, Yuuichi, Niyada, Masateru, Ishimaru, Kenro, Nakayama, Eiji, Funabashi, Kazuhiko, Takano, Nobuhiro, Yoshimizu, Chikai
• Granted Patent: US 8,237,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/112
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/02 Construction of casings, bodies or handles B25F5/006, B25F5/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

When a battery pack having an output voltage of 14.4 V that is connectable to an electric tool in a sliding manner is used as a power supply source for the electric tool that is connectable to a battery pack in an insertion manner and has a rated voltage of 12 V, the electric tool and the battery pack are connected to each other with an adaptor interposed therebetween. The adaptor has an FET that is switched at a predetermined duty of a predetermined frequency. The battery pack and the electric tool are connected or disconnected to or from each other by the switching operation, thereby dropping the output voltage of the battery pack. The voltage from the battery pack is detected. When the detected voltage is out of a predetermined value range, it is judged that the overcurrent or overdischarge has occurred. Then, the FET is turned off to stop the electric tool.

Claims

1. An assembly of an adaptor and a battery pack,

the adaptor comprising:

a first terminal;

a second terminal that is electrically connectable to an electric tool; and

an effective voltage converting unit for converting an effective value of a voltage inputted from the battery pack through the first terminal and outputting the voltage to the second terminal,

the battery pack comprising;

a third terminal that is electrically connectable to the first terminal;

an abnormality detecting unit for detecting abnormality of the supply of electric power to the adaptor; and

a first stopping unit for stopping the supply of electric power to the adaptor when the abnormality detecting unit detects the abnormality.

2. The assembly of the adaptor and the battery pack according to claim 1, the effective voltage converting unit comprising:

a switching unit that is connected between the first terminal and the second terminal; and

a switching control unit for controlling the time to turn on or off the switching unit,

wherein the first stopping unit turns off the switching unit when the abnormality is detected by the abnormality detecting unit.

3. The assembly of the adaptor and the battery pack according to claim 1, the adaptor comprising:

a battery voltage detecting unit for detecting a voltage of the battery pack; and

a second stopping unit for stopping the supply of electric power to the effective voltage converting unit when the voltage detected by the battery voltage detecting unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

4. The assembly of the adaptor and the battery pack according to claim 1, the effective voltage converting unit further comprising:

a switching unit that is connected between the first terminal and the second terminal;

a temperature detecting unit for detecting a temperature of the switching unit; and

a switching control unit for turning off the switching unit when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit is equal to or more than a predetermined value.

5. A connecting apparatus comprising:

a first terminal that is connected to a power supply source;

a second terminal that is connected to an electric apparatus;

a converting unit for converting electric power supplied from the power supply source; and

a cutting-off unit for cutting off the converting unit when the power supply source is abnormal.

6. The connecting apparatus according to claim 5, the power supply source comprising:

a battery group formed of one or more element cells; and

an abnormality detecting unit for detecting abnormality of the battery group,

wherein the cutting-off unit is cut off on the basis of a signal from the abnormality detecting unit.

7. The connecting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a voltage detecting unit for detecting a voltage of the power supply source,

wherein the cutting-off unit is cut off when abnormality of the power supply source is detected by the voltage detecting unit.

8. The connecting apparatus according to claim 5, the power supply source comprising:

a battery group formed of one or more element cells;

an abnormality detecting unit for detecting abnormality of the battery group; and

a voltage detecting unit for detecting a voltage of the power supply source,

wherein the cutting-off unit is cut off on the basis of a signal from at least one of the abnormality detecting unit and the voltage detecting unit.

9. The connecting apparatus according to claim 5, the power supply source comprising:

a battery group formed of one or more element cells; and

an abnormality detecting unit for detecting abnormality of the battery group,

a voltage detecting unit for detecting a voltage of the power supply source,

wherein the cutting-off unit is cut off on the basis of a signal from the voltage detecting unit regardless of a signal from the abnormality detecting unit.

10. An electric tool comprising:

an electric motor;

a switch that is connected to the electric motor in series;

a battery pack that serves as a driving source for the electric motor;

an adaptor that has a first terminal electrically connectable to the battery pack and a second terminal electrically connectable to the electric motor;

an effective voltage converting unit for converting an effective voltage inputted from the first terminal and outputting the voltage from the second terminal; and

a cutting-off unit for cutting off a closed circuit between the electric motor and the battery pack when the battery pack is abnormal.

11. An adaptor comprising:

a first terminal that is electrically connectable to a battery pack;

a second terminal that is electrically connectable to an electric tool; and

a voltage converting unit for converting the voltage of the battery pack inputted through the first terminal into a predetermined voltage and outputting the converted voltage from the second terminal.

13. The adaptor according to claim 11, further comprising:

a constant-voltage unit for supplying a constant voltage to the switching control unit.

14. The adaptor according to any one of claims 11, further comprising:

a power supply unit for supplying a power voltage to the constant-voltage unit in accordance with an operation of a switch provided in the electric tool.

15. The adaptor according to claim 11, further comprising:

a power supply maintaining unit, to which the constant voltage is supplied from the constant-voltage unit, for maintaining the supply of the power voltage from the power supply unit.

16. The adaptor according to claim 15, wherein the power supply maintaining unit monitors the supply of the power voltage from the power supply unit and cuts off the power supply unit depending on whether the electric tool is connected to the second terminal or not.

17. The adaptor according to claim 16, wherein the power supply maintaining unit counts a power supply time of the power supply unit and cuts off the power supply unit after a predetermine time.

18. The adaptor according to claim 11, further comprising:

a third terminal to which a signal indicative of a state of the battery pack is inputted;

a protective unit for cutting off the connection between the first terminal and the second terminal on the basis of the signal inputted to the third terminal.

19. The adaptor according to claim 18, wherein the protective unit includes a switching unit that is connected between the first terminal and the second terminal and the protective unit is cut off by an overdischarge signal or an overcurrent signal inputted to the third terminal.

12. The adaptor according to claim 12, the voltage converting unit including:

a switching unit that is connected between the first terminal and the second terminal; and

a switching control unit for controlling a switching operation of the switching unit by changing a switching frequency and a switching duty of the switching unit.

20. An assembly of a battery pack and an adaptor,

the battery pack comprising:

a battery group that is formed of a plurality of element cells; and

a first terminal that is electrically connectable to an electric tool,

the adaptor comprising;

a second terminal that is electrically connectable to the first terminal;

a third terminal that is electrically connectable to the electric tool; and

a voltage converting unit for converting the voltage of the battery pack inputted through the second terminal into a predetermined voltage and outputting the converted voltage from the second terminal.

21. The assembly of the battery pack and the adaptor according to claim 20, the voltage converting unit including:

a switching unit that is connected between the second terminal and the third terminal; and

a switching control unit for controlling a switching operation of the switching unit by changing a switching frequency and a switching duty of the switching unit.

22. The assembly of the battery pack and the adaptor according to claim 20, the adaptor further comprising:

a constant-voltage unit for supplying a constant voltage to the switching control unit.

23. The assembly of the battery pack and the adaptor according to any one of claim 20, the adaptor further comprising:

a power supply unit for supplying a power voltage to the constant-voltage unit in accordance with an operation of a switch provided in the electric tool.

24. The assembly of the battery pack and the adaptor according to any one of claim 23, the adaptor further comprising a power supply maintaining unit, to which the constant voltage is supplied from the constant-voltage unit, for maintaining the supply of the power voltage from the power supply unit.

25. The assembly of the battery pack and the adaptor according to claim 24, wherein the power supply maintaining unit monitors the supply of the power voltage from the power supply unit and cuts off the power supply unit depending on whether the electric tool is connected to the third terminal or not.

26. The assembly of the battery pack and the adaptor according to claim 25, wherein the power supply maintaining unit counts a power supply time of the power supply unit and cuts off the power supply unit after a predetermine time.

27. The assembly of the battery pack and the adaptor according to claim 20, the battery pack further comprising:

a first protective unit for monitoring a state of the battery group; and

fourth terminal from which the signal inputted from the first protective unit is outputted,

the adaptor further comprising;

fifth terminal that is electrically connected to the fourth terminal; and

a second protective unit for cutting off the connection between the second terminal and the third terminal on the basis of the signal inputted to the fifth terminal.

28. The assembly of the battery pack and the adaptor according to claim 27, wherein the second protective unit includes a switching unit that is connected between the second terminal and the third terminal, and

wherein the first protective unit monitors occurrence of overdischarge or overcurrent in the battery group and cuts off the second protective unit when an overdischarge signal or an overcurrent signal is outputted from the fourth terminal.

29. An electric tool comprising:

an electric motor;

a switch that is connected to the electric motor in series;

a battery pack that serves as a driving source for the electric motor; and

an adaptor, comprising

a first terminal that is electrically connectable to the battery pack;

a second terminal that outputs a voltage, inputted from the first terminal, to the electric motor; and

a voltage converting unit for converting the voltage of the battery pack inputted through the first terminal into a predetermined voltage and outputting the converted voltage from the second terminal.

30. The electric tool according to the claim 29, the voltage converting unit including:

a switching unit that is connected between the first terminal and the second terminal; and

a switching control unit for controlling a switching operation of the switching unit by changing a switching frequency and a switching duty of the switching unit.

31. The electric tool according to claim 29, further comprising a constant-voltage unit for supplying a constant voltage to the switching control unit.

32. The electric tool according to claim 31, further comprising:

a power supply unit for supplying a power voltage to the constant-voltage unit in accordance with an operation of a switch provided in the electric tool.

33. The electric tool according to claim 32, further comprising:

a power supply maintaining unit, to which the constant voltage is supplied from the constant-voltage unit, for maintaining the supply of the power voltage from the power supply unit.

34. The electric tool according to claim 33, wherein the power supply maintaining unit monitors the supply of the power voltage from the power supply unit and cuts off the power supply unit depending on whether the electric tool is connected to the second terminal or not.

35. The electric tool according to claim 34, wherein the power supply maintaining unit counts a power supply time of the power supply unit and cuts off the power supply unit after a predetermine time.

36. The electric tool according to claim 29, the battery pack further comprising:

a battery group that is formed of a plurality of element cells;

a first protective unit for monitoring a state of the battery group; and

a third terminal from which the signal inputted from the first protective unit is outputted,

the adaptor further comprising;

fourth terminal that is electrically connected to the third terminal; and

a second protective unit for cutting off the connection between the second terminal and the third terminal on the basis of the signal inputted to the fourth terminal.

37. The electric tool according to claim 36, wherein the second protective unit includes a switching unit that is connected between the first terminal and the second terminal, and

wherein the first protective unit monitors occurrence of overdischarge or overcurrent in the battery group and cuts off the second protective unit when an overdischarge signal or an overcurrent signal is outputted from the third terminal.