Children's ride-on vehicle charging assemblies with back feed protection

• US 7,568,538 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Michalak, Stephen J., Drosendahl, Steven Robert, Reynolds, Jeffrey W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis; Christopher P
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEYER, JACOB B
• Application Number:
  US11/344,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20060170187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/68.5, 320/134, 320/149, 320/155, 320/124, 320/136, 439/188, 439/97, 439/123, 446/454, 446/457, 446/90
• US Class Current: 180/65.1
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 2204/00 Adaptations for driving cycles by electric motor for driving electrically assisted bicycles B62M6/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 9/00 Children's cycles toy vehicles A63H17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Battery charging assemblies for children'"'"'s ride-on vehicles, and children'"'"'s ride-on vehicles that include the same. The charging assemblies may include a power adapter that is adapted to be electrically connected to a power source, a charger cord, and a charging connector that is adapted to electrically interconnect with the rechargeable battery of the ride-on vehicle. The battery charging assemblies further include at least one protective element to prevent or significantly reduce backflow current from the battery into the battery charging assembly. The protective element may be located in the charging probe or at any point along the charger cord of the battery charging assembly. The protective element may include any suitable current-limiting or current-interrupting device. Examples of such current limiting devices include, without limitation, a fuse, a circuit breaker, an anti-backflow diode, and a resettable fuse such as a positive temperature coefficient resistor (PTC resistor).

Claims

1. A children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle assembly, comprising:

a children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle, comprising;

a body having at least one seat sized for a child;

a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the body, wherein the plurality of wheels includes at least one driven wheel and at least one steerable wheel;

a steering assembly comprising a steering mechanism adapted to receive steering inputs from a child sitting on the at least one seat, and a steering linkage adapted to convey the steering inputs to the at least one steerable wheel;

a drive assembly adapted to selectively drive the rotation of the at least one driven wheel, wherein the drive assembly comprises;

a motor assembly comprising at least one electric motor,

a speed control assembly, and

a battery assembly adapted to selectively energize the motor assembly and including at least one rechargeable battery and

a charging connection electrically connected to the at least one rechargeable battery; and

a battery charging assembly, comprising;

an adapter body configured to convert a source current to a charging current suitable to charge the at least one battery;

a charger cord extending from the adapter body and terminating within a charging connector housing, wherein the charging connector housing is configured to directly engage the charging connection of the battery assembly to establish an electrical connection between the adapter body and the at least one battery; and

at least one protective element configured to reduce backflow current from the battery assembly in the entirety of the charger cord, wherein the at least one protective element is enclosed within the charging connector housing.

2. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the adapter body includes a rectifier to convert an AC source current to a DC charging current.

3. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective element comprises a plurality of protective elements electrically connected in series.

4. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective element comprises a plurality of protective elements electrically connected in parallel.

5. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective element enclosed within the charging connector housing is a first protective element, the battery charging assembly includes a protective element housing disposed on the charger cord intermediate the adapter body and the charging connector housing, and a second protective element is disposed within the protective element housing.

6. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective element comprises a fuse.

7. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective element comprises a circuit breaker.

8. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective element comprises a diode.

9. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective element comprises a resettable fuse.

10. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective element comprises a PTC resistor.

11. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective element is adapted to prevent backflow current from the battery assembly from passing through the protective element.

12. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective element is adapted to interrupt backflow current from the battery assembly if the backflow current exceeds a predetermined threshold current.

13. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective element is adapted to interrupt backflow current from the battery assembly if the backflow current exceeds a predetermined threshold current for at least a predetermined time period.

14. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein the charging connection comprises a socket configured to receive the charging connector housing therein.

15. The vehicle assembly of claim 14, wherein the socket is keyed to receive the charging connector housing such as to establish a suitable polarity between the charging assembly and the battery.

16. The vehicle assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the charger cord includes a positive conductor and a negative conductor;

the charging connector housing includes a positive contact and a negative contact;

the positive and negative conductors terminate at respective ones of the positive and negative contacts;

the at least one protective element disposed within the charging connector housing is adapted to electrically disconnect at least one of the positive and negative conductors from the respective one of the positive and negative contacts; and

the electrical disconnect between the positive conductor and the positive contact is within the charging connector housing.

17. A children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle assembly, comprising:

a children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle, the vehicle comprising;

a body with a seat adapted to receive a child;

a rechargeable battery disposed in the body, the battery comprising positive and negative terminals; and

a charging connection comprising positive and negative contacts in electrical communication with the respective positive and negative terminals of the battery; and

a battery charging assembly adapted to deliver a charging current to the battery, wherein the battery charging assembly comprises;

a charging probe comprising positive and negative contacts configured to directly engage the corresponding positive and negative contacts of the charging connection;

an adapter body housing a transformer;

a charger cord electrically connecting the transformer to the positive and negative contacts of the charging probe, the charger cord extending from the adapter body and terminating within the charging probe; and

at least one protective element configured to reduce backflow current from the battery in the entirety of the charger cord, wherein the at least one protective element is enclosed within the charging probe.

18. The vehicle assembly of claim 17, wherein the at least one protective element enclosed within the charging probe is a first protective element, and a second protective element is disposed on the charger cord intermediate the adapter body and the charging probe.

19. The vehicle assembly of claim 17, wherein the at least one protective element is interposed into a conductor that is electrically connected to the positive contact of the charging probe.

20. The vehicle assembly of claim 17, wherein the at least one protective element comprises a resettable fuse.

21. The vehicle assembly of claim 17, wherein the at least one protective element comprises a PTC resistor.

22. The vehicle assembly of claim 17, wherein the protective element is adapted to prevent backflow current from the battery from passing through the protective element.

23. The vehicle assembly of claim 17, wherein the protective element is adapted to interrupt backflow current from the battery if the backflow current exceeds a predetermined threshold current.

24. The vehicle assembly of claim 17, wherein the protective element is adapted to interrupt backflow current from the battery if the backflow current exceeds a predetermined threshold current for at least a predetermined time period.

25. The vehicle assembly of claim 17, wherein the charger cord includes a positive conductor and a negative conductor;

the positive and negative conductors terminate at respective ones of the positive and negative contacts of the charging probe;

the at least one protective element enclosed within the charging probe is adapted to electrically disconnect at least one of the positive and negative conductors from the respective one of the positive and negative contacts of the charging probe; and

the electrical disconnect between the positive conductor and the positive contact of the charging probe is within the charging probe.

26. A children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle assembly, comprising:

a children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle, the vehicle comprising;

a body with a seat adapted to receive a child;

a rechargeable battery disposed in the body, the battery comprising positive and negative terminals; and

a charging connection comprising positive and negative contacts in electrical communication with the respective positive and negative terminals of the rechargeable battery; and

a battery charging assembly adapted to deliver a charging current to the rechargeable battery, wherein the battery charging assembly comprises;

an adapter body configured to convert a source current to a charging current suitable to charge the rechargeable battery;

a charger cord extending from the adapter body and terminating within a charging connector housing, wherein the charging connector housing is configured to directly engage the charging connection to establish an electrical connection between the adapter body and the rechargeable battery; and

a protective element configured to interrupt backflow current from the rechargeable battery in the entirety of the charger cord if the backflow current exceeds a predetermined threshold current and to permit forward-flow current from the adapter body to the rechargeable battery after an event in which the backflow current exceeds the predetermined threshold current, wherein the protective element is enclosed within the charging connector housing.