Charger

• US 6,218,807 B1
• Filed: 11/25/1998
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kazuhiro, Sakaue, Masaaki, Ohashi, Toshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIBBITS, PIA FLORENCE
• Application Number:
  US09/199,375
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 320/147, 320/107, 320/112, 320/113, 320/114
• US Class Current: 320/107
• 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 50/30 Arrangements for facilitating escape of gases
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A charger includes a battery pack receiving therein a plurality of batteries and having a projection provided with a contacting terminal, and a charger section having a mounting hole provided with a charging terminal, the battery pack being set on the charger section with the projection mounted into the mounting hole of the charger section for charging the batteries. The battery pack has vent ports through a wall on the side having the projection, while the charger section has blast ports at positions opposing the vent ports and a blower disposed to be on a side of the mounting hole and below the blast ports, for blowing air from the blower, through the vent ports into the interior of the battery pack, for elevating blow rate to the battery pack, battery cooling and gas discharge out of the battery pack.

Claims

1. A charger comprising:

a battery pack having an outer periphery including at least first and second side walls, the battery pack housing therein a plurality of batteries and having a projection disposed on the first side wall, a contacting terminal means disposed on the outer periphery of the pack, first vent ports formed in the first side wall, and second vent ports formed in the second side wall of the battery pack whereby the batteries are disposed between the first vent ports and the second vent ports; and

a charger section having a mounting hole receiving the projection of the battery pack, a charging terminal means engaging the contacting terminal means of the battery pack means for charging the batteries in the battery pack through the contacting and charging terminal means with the projection of the pack mounted in the mounting hole, blast ports formed at positions coinciding with the first vent ports of the battery pack, and a blower for blowing air towards the blast ports and for blasting airflow from the blower through the coinciding blast ports and first vent ports into the interior of the battery pack past the batteries, and out through the second vent ports.

2. The charger according to claim 1 wherein the charging means includes heat generating parts, and the charger section further includes a heat shielding wall disposed between the blower and the heat generating parts.

3. The charger according to claim 2 wherein the heat shielding wall has at least an airflow pass in a part disposed between the charging terminal means of the mounting hole and the blower.

4. The charger according to claim 1 wherein the charger section further has intake ports disposed at a position opposite to the blast ports, the blower being interposed between the blast ports and the intake ports.

5. The charger according to claim 1 wherein the blower in the charger section is spaced from the blast ports.

6. The charger according to claim 1 wherein the battery pack is mountable and dismountable with respect to the charger section, the first vent ports extending in the same general direction as a mounting and dismounting direction of the battery pack with respect to the charger section.

7. The charger according to claim 6 wherein the charger includes an upwardly facing top side in which the blast ports are disposed, the battery pack mounted on the top side whereby air flows upwardly through the blast ports and into the battery pack.

8. A charger comprising:

a battery pack housing therein a plurality of batteries and having a projection, a contacting terminal means disposed on an outer periphery of the pack, and vent ports formed in a side wall on which the projection is disposed; and

a charger section removably mounted to the battery pack, the charger section having a mounting hole receiving the projection, a charging terminal means engaging the contacting terminal means, means for charging the batteries in the battery pack through the contacting and charging terminal means, blast ports formed at positions coinciding with the vent ports of the battery pack, and a blower for blowing air towards the blast ports and for blasting airflow from the blower through the coinciding blast ports and vent ports into the interior of the battery pack, the blast ports of the charger section and the vent ports of the battery pack extending in the same direction as a mounting and dismounting direction of the projection of the battery pack with respect to the mounting hole of the charger section.

9. A charger comprising:

a battery pack housing therein a plurality of batteries and having a projection, a contacting terminal means disposed on an outer periphery of the pack, vent ports formed in a side wall on which the projection is disposed, and air dispersing means arranged for deflecting and dispersing airflow disposed adjacent outlet ends of the vent ports within the battery pack; and

a charger section having a mounting hole receiving the projection, a charging terminal means engaging the contacting terminal means, means for charging the batteries in the battery pack through the contacting and charging terminal means with the projection of the pack mounted in the mounting hole, blast ports formed at positions coinciding with the vent ports of the battery pack, and a blower for blowing air towards the blast ports, wherein airflow from the blower is blasted through the coinciding blast ports and vent ports into the interior of the battery pack.

10. The charger according to claim 9 wherein the airflow dispersing means comprises ribs for reflecting the airflow exiting the vent ports, the airflow traveling in a slanted direction from the blower toward the blast ports as caused by an inclination of vanes of the blower, the blower being offset from a direction of inlet ends of the blast ports.

11. The charger according to claim 10 wherein the first and second vent ports define air flow axes, the blower is offset laterally with respect to all of the axes.

12. The charger according to claim 9 wherein the airflow dispersing means comprises ribs provided inside the battery pack to oppose the vent ports at a position separated from the side wall in which the ports are made, for preventing the airflow from entering directly into the pack.

13. A charger comprising:

a battery pack having a case in which a plurality of batteries are housed, the case including upper and lower portions, a projection extending from a bottom wall of the lower portion of the cases, a contacting terminal means disposed on an outer periphery of the case, first vent ports formed in the bottom wall provided with the projection, and second vent ports formed in the upper portion of the case at a location above the batteries, wherein the batteries are disposed in an air flow path extending from the first vent ports to the second vent ports; and

a charger section having a mounting hole receiving the projection, a charging terminal means engaging the contacting terminal means, means for charging the batteries in the battery pack through the contacting and charging terminal means with the projection of the pack mounted in the mounting hole, blast ports disposed at positions coinciding with the first vent ports of the battery pack, wherein outlet ends of the blast ports are substantially flush with inlet ends of respective first vent ports, and a blower for blowing air towards and into the blast ports.

14. The charger according to claim 13 wherein the second vent ports in the battery pack are of a larger cross sectional area than the first vent ports.

15. A charger comprising:

a battery pack having a case in which a plurality of batteries are housed with first clearances defined between mutually adjacent batteries and second clearances defined between the case and adjacent batteries, a projection provided on a bottom wall of the case, a contacting terminal means provided on an outer periphery of the case, first vent ports formed in the bottom wall, and second vent ports formed in the case at a location above the batteries wherein the first and second clearances form portions of an air flow path extending from the first vent ports to the second vent ports; and

a charger section having a mounting hole receiving the projection, a charging terminal means engaging the contacting terminal means, means for charging the batteries in the battery pack through the contacting and charging terminal means with the projection of the pack mounted in the mounting hole, blast ports disposed at positions coinciding with the first vent ports of the battery pack, and a blower for blowing air towards and into the blast ports.

16. The charger according to claim 15 wherein the blower is disposed in the charger section at a position disposed to one side of the mounting hole and opposing internally the blast ports.

17. The charger according to claim 15 wherein a battery fixing plate is provided with the second vent ports offset at positions opposing the respective first and second clearances between the respective batteries and between the batteries and the case.

18. A charger comprising:

a battery pack housing therein a plurality of batteries and having a projection a contacting terminal means disposed on an outer periphery of the pack, and vent ports formed in a side of the pack on which the projection is provided; and

a charger section having a mounting hole receiving the projection, a charging terminal means engaging the contacting terminal means, means for charging the batteries in the battery pack through the contacting and charging terminal means with the projection of the pack mounted in the mounting hole, blast ports disposed at positions coinciding with the vent ports of the battery pack, and a blower for blowing air towards and into the blast ports to blast air through the blast ports and vent ports of the pack and into the interior of the pack;

the battery pack further having a battery fixing plate for mounting thereon the plurality of batteries and provided with vent holes for leading the blasted air into the pack to mounted side ends of the batteries.

19. A charger comprising:

a battery pack housing therein a plurality of batteries and having a projection, a contacting terminal means disposed on an outer periphery of the pack and vent ports formed in a side of the pack on which the projection is provided;

a charger section having a mounting hole receiving the projection, a charging terminal means engaging the contacting terminal means, means for charging the batteries in the battery pack through the contacting and charging terminal means with the projection of the pack mounted in the mounting hole, blast ports disposed at positions coinciding with the vent ports of the battery pack, and a blower for blowing air towards and into the blast ports to blast air through the blast ports and vent ports of the pack and into the interior of the pack; and

the battery pack further having temperature sensing means disposed in a non-ventilated space defined in a clearance between adjacent batteries for detecting a battery temperature.

20. The charger according to claim 19 wherein the temperature detecting means is enclosed in a cushion member.

21. The charger according to claim 19 wherein the non-ventilated space is defined by one of a plurality of connecting plates disposed between electrodes of adjacent pairs of the batteries, the one connecting plate closing the clearance.