METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR BATTERY PROTECTION

• US 20130244070A1
• Filed: 05/07/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Inventors: Johnson, Todd W., Rosenbecker, Jay J., Meyer, Gary D., Zeiler, Jeffrey M., Glasgow, Kevin L., Zick, Jonathan A., Brozek, Jeffrey M., Scheucher, Karl F.
• Granted Patent: US 9,112,248 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/91
• 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 5/008 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• 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 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• 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 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/00 Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/505 of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing manganese for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiMn2O4 or LiMn2OxFy
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• 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 50/227 Organic material
• 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: H02J 7/00 : Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 : Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 : using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 : Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 : Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 : Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00309 : Overheat or overtemperature protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 : using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0034 : using reverse polarity correcting or protecting circuits mechanical means of polarity protection H02J7/0045
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 : concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 : with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 : with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 : Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An electrical combination. The combination comprises a hand held power tool, a battery pack and a controller. The battery pack includes a battery pack housing connectable to and supportable by the hand held power tool, a plurality of battery cells supported by the battery pack housing, each of the plurality of battery cells having a lithium-based chemistry, being individually tapped and having an individual state of charge. A communication path is provided by a battery pack sense terminal and a power tool sense terminal. The controller is operable to monitor a state of charge of a number of battery cells less than the plurality of battery cells and to generate a signal based on the monitored state of charge of the number of battery cells less than the plurality of battery cells, the signal being operable to control the operation of the hand held power tool.

Claims

1. An electrical combination comprising:

a hand held power tool including

a power tool housing,

a motor supported by the power tool housing, and

a plurality of power tool terminals electrically connected to the motor, the plurality of power tool terminals including a power tool sense terminal;

a battery pack including

a battery pack housing connectable to and supportable by the hand held power tool,

a plurality of battery cells supported by the battery pack housing, each of the plurality of battery cells having a lithium-based chemistry, being individually tapped and having an individual state of charge, and

a plurality of battery pack terminals to electrically connect to the plurality of power tool terminals, the plurality of battery pack terminals including a battery pack sense terminal, a communication path being provided by the battery pack sense terminal and the power tool sense terminal; and

a controller operable to monitor a state of charge of a number of battery cells less than the plurality of battery cells and to generate a signal based on the monitored state of charge of the number of battery cells less than the plurality of battery cells, the signal being operable to control the operation of the hand held power tool.

2. The electrical combination of claim 1, further comprising a switch operable to control operation of the hand held power tool, the signal being operable to control the switch to control operation of the hand held power tool.

3. The electrical combination of claim 2, wherein the controller is supported in the battery pack housing.

4. The electrical combination of claim 3, wherein the switch is supported in the battery pack housing.

5. The electrical combination of claim 3, wherein the switch is supported in the power tool housing.

6. The electrical combination of claim 2, wherein the controller is supported in the power tool housing.

7. The electrical combination of claim 6, wherein the switch is supported in the power tool housing.

8. The electrical combination of claim 1, wherein the controller is supported in the battery pack housing.

9. The electrical combination of claim 8, wherein the controller communicates serially with the hand held power tool via the battery pack sense terminal.

10. The electrical combination of claim 1, wherein the controller is supported in the power tool housing.

11. The electrical combination of claim 10, wherein a voltage is communicated to the controller over the battery pack sense terminal and the power tool sense terminal.

12. The electrical combination of claim 11, wherein the communicated voltage includes the state of charge of the number of battery cells less than the plurality of battery cells.

13. The electrical combination of claim 1, wherein the state of charge of a number of battery cells less than the plurality of battery cells includes an individual state of charge of one of the plurality of battery cells.

14. The electrical combination of claim 13, wherein the controller is operable to monitor the individual state of charge of each of the plurality of battery cells.

15. The electrical combination of claim 14, wherein the controller is operable to communicate the signal based on the individual state of charge of each of the plurality of battery cells.

16. The electrical combination of claim 15, wherein the controller is operable to communicate the signal via the battery pack sense terminal.

17. The electrical combination of claim 1, wherein the state of charge of a number of battery cells less than the plurality of battery cells includes a state of charge of a group of more than one of the plurality of battery cells.

18. The electrical combination of claim 17, wherein the state of charge of a number of battery cells less than the plurality of battery cells includes a state of charge of a first group of more than one of the plurality of battery cells and a state of charge of a second group of the plurality of battery cells.

19. The electrical combination of claim 18, wherein the second group of the plurality of battery cells includes more than one of the plurality of battery cells.

20. The electrical combination of claim 1, wherein the plurality of power tool terminals includes at least three terminals including a power tool positive terminal, a power tool negative terminal, and the power tool sense terminal, and wherein the plurality of battery pack terminals includes at least three terminals including a battery pack positive terminal, a battery pack negative terminal, and the battery pack sense terminal.

21. The electrical combination of claim 1, wherein the lithium-based chemistry includes a lithium-ion chemistry.

22. The electrical combination of claim 21, wherein the lithium-based chemistry includes manganese.

23. The electrical combination of claim 22, wherein the lithium-based chemistry includes a spinel chemistry.

24. The electrical combination of claim 1, wherein the hand held power tool is operable to send a command to the battery pack.

25. The electrical combination of claim 24, wherein the command is to determine an average of voltage measurements of the plurality of battery cells over a period of time.

26. The electrical combination of claim 1, wherein the battery pack is operable to provide an average discharge current of 20 amps.

27. The electrical combination of claim 1, wherein the battery pack has a capacity of at least 3.0 ampere-hours.