Battery pack

• US 5,224,870 A
• Filed: 01/11/1991
• Issued: 07/06/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Creditanstalt-Bankverein (Unicredit SPA)
• Original Assignee: Physio-Control Incorporated (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Weaver, Robert J., Basta, Joseph C., Brittingham, Dennis C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradley, Paula A.
• Application Number:
  US07/640,072
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 439/152, 439/153, 439/157, 439/159, 439/160, 439/500, 439/909, 439/923, 429/96-100, 128/419 D, 128/419 PS
• US Class Current: 439/157
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack (10) is disclosed for use with a medical instrument (12). The battery pack includes a housing (14), defined by a case (16) and cover (18). The housing includes a storage section (22), for receiving batteries (78 and 80), and a connector section (24) on one side of the storage section for cooperating with a latch assembly (110), ejection spring (142), and electrical connectors (108) provided adjacent a battery tray (98) on the instrument. Specifically, the connector section includes an aligned latch surface (64), ejection surface (62), and electrical connectors (86) that cooperatively engage the latch assembly, ejection spring, and connectors on the instrument. As a result, the battery pack can be quickly, easily, and effectively attached to the instrument, in spite of the side-mounted nature of the connector section. Further, the relative weight and alignment of the battery pack and instrument are such that the center of mass of the instrument, with a battery pack inserted into the tray, is aligned with the instrument'"'"' s handle (96).

Claims

1. A battery pack, having a center of mass, for use with a medical instrument including a latch, an ejector, and an electrical connector, said battery pack comprising:

energy storage means for storing electrical energy;

latch engagement means, physically coupled to said energy storage means, for engaging said latch;

ejector engagement means, physically coupled to said energy storage means, for engaging said ejector; and

connector engagement means, physically coupled to said energy storage means, for engaging said connector, said latch engagement means, ejector engagement means, and connector engagement means being substantially aligned in a plane offset from the center of mass of said battery pack.

2. A battery pack, for use with a medical instrument having a handle and a battery tray constructed for receiving said battery pack, said instrument further including latch means, positioned adjacent one side of the battery tray, for releasably engaging said battery when introduced into the tray and ejection means, positioned adjacent the one side of the tray, for applying a resistive force to said battery pack when introduced into said tray, said battery pack comprising:

a housing including a battery storage section and a connector section, said battery storage section including a front surface, back surface, first side, and second side, said connector section being positioned adjacent said first side of said battery storage section and including a recess formed, in part, by a latch surface and an ejection surface, said housing being receivable in the battery tray, said latch surface being for cooperatively engaging the latch means, said recess being for at least partially receiving the ejection means when said battery pack is introduced into the tray, and said ejection surface being for cooperatively engaging the bias means when said battery pack is introduced into the tray;

at least one battery, received within said battery storage compartment; and

connection means, at least partially housed by said connector section, for allowing said battery to be electrically connected to the instrument, said battery pack being generally constructed so that when said battery pack is introduced into said tray the center of mass of the instrument is substantially aligned with the handle of the instrument.

3. A battery pack for use with an instrument equipped with a latch and an ejection mechanism, said battery pack comprising:

a storage compartment, shaped roughly like a parallelepiped and having a top, bottom, front, back, first side, and second side;

storage means, received within said storage compartment, for storing energy for discharge to the instrument;

a connector compartment, provided on said first side of said storage compartment, said connector compartment having a connector surface, a latch surface, and a ejection surface, each of which is substantially parallel to said front of said storage compartment, said connector surface of said connector compartment being spaced apart from the plane of said front of said storage compartment by a first distance, said latch surface of said connector compartment being spaced apart from the plane of said front of said storage compartment by a second distance that is greater than said first distance, and said ejection surface of said connector compartment being spaced apart from the plane of said front of said storage compartment by a third distance that is greater than said second distance, said latch surface of said connector compartment being for cooperatively engaging the latch of the instrument, said ejection surface of said connector compartment being for cooperatively engaging the ejection mechanism of the instrument; and

electrical connection means, physically coupled to said connector surface of said connector compartment and electrically connected to said storage means, for providing an electrical connection to the instrument.

4. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein said connector surface, latch surface, and said ejection surface are symmetrically dividable by a referential center plane.

5. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein said connector compartment is roughly L-shaped in cross section.

6. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein said storage compartment includes recesses provided in said top of said storage compartment adjacent said first and second sides.

7. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein said storage compartment includes alignment recesses provided in the bottom of said storage compartment.

8. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein said battery pack is further for use with a recharger, said connector compartment further comprising a recharger connection surface substantially parallel to said front of said storage compartment and spaced apart therefrom by a fourth distance that is greater than said third distance.

9. The battery pack of claim 3, further comprising recharger connection means, physically coupled to said recharger connection surface of said connector compartment and electrically connected to said storage means, for providing an electrical connection to said recharger.

10. A method of connecting a battery pack to a medical instrument comprising the steps of:

introducing the battery pack into a tray provided on the medical instrument;

electrically coupling a connector provided on the battery pack with a mating connector provided on the instrument;

mechanically engaging a latch surface provided on the battery pack with a latch provided on the medical instrument; and

contacting an ejection surface provided on the battery pack with an ejector provided on the instrument, said steps of electrically coupling, mechanically engaging, and contacting being performed in substantial alignment to allow the battery pack to be easily connected to the instrument.

11. A medical instrument, for use with a battery pack, said medical instrument comprising:

a housing;

handle means, coupled to said housing, for allowing said medical instrument to be carried by a user;

battery stowage means, provided in said housing of said instrument, for receiving the battery pack, said battery stowage means being positioned so that the center of gravity of said medical instrument is substantially aligned with said handle of said instrument when a battery pack is received by said battery stowage means;

latch means, coupled to said housing adjacent said battery stowage means, for releasably engaging a battery pack when the battery pack is received by the battery stowage means;

ejection means, coupled to said housing adjacent said battery stowage means and aligned with said latch means, for applying a force to a battery pack when the battery pack is received by said battery stowage means; and

electrical connection means, coupled to said housing adjacent said battery stowage means, and aligned with said ejection means, for electrically connecting the battery pack to said instrument.

12. The medical instrument of claim 11, wherein said latch means comprises a biased, depressible latch, said ejection means comprises a spring, and said electrical connection means comprises a plurality of electrical connectors, said latch, spring, and plurality of electrical connectors being positioned about a common centerline.