Mobile electric appliance with charge status indicator and battery for it

• US 8,901,887 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft (Hilti Martin Family Trust)
• Original Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft (Hilti Martin Family Trust)
• Inventors: Sever, Eduard, Vedder, Joachim, Huber, Franz, Ziegler, Bernd, Ljubojevic, Dragomir
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robbins, Jerry D.
• Application Number:
  US13/290,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20120112689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107
• US Class Current: 320/122
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2878 Dual-powered vacuum cleaners, i.e. devices which can be operated with mains power supply or by batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• 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 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A mobile electric appliance is disclosed. The mobile electric appliance includes at least one battery bay for accommodating a battery with at least one voltage-generating cell and a battery-side charge status indicator, an electrical consumer, a power connector, as well as a charging device for charging the at least one battery. In addition, the mobile electric appliance includes means for detecting the charge status of the at least one battery and a device-side charge status indicator arranged on the mobile electric appliance. The battery may also include an interface, which is prepared to relay the charge status determined to an external processing unit.

Claims

1. A mobile electric appliance, comprising:

an appliance housing including a battery bay;

a battery with a voltage-generating cell and a battery-side charge status indicator receivable in the battery bay;

an electrical consumer;

a power connector;

a charging device;

means for detecting a charge status of the battery;

a device-side charge status indicator disposed on the mobile electric appliance; and

a controller, wherein the device-side charge status indicator is de-activated by the controller when the mobile electric appliance is operated by an external power supply system.

2. The mobile electric appliance according to claim 1, wherein the means for detecting the charge status of the battery is a device-side electronic circuit disposed in the mobile electric appliance which is electrically connected to the voltage-generating cell.

3. The mobile electric appliance according to claim 1, wherein the means for detecting the charge status of the battery is an interface to the battery, wherein the battery includes a battery-side electronic circuit for determining a charge status of the voltage-generating cell, and wherein the charge status is receivable by the interface.

4. The mobile electric appliance according to claim 1, wherein the device-side charge status indicator is activated by the controller when the electric appliance is operated by the battery.

5. The mobile electric appliance according to claim 1, wherein the device-side charge status indicator is de-activated by the controller when the electric appliance is off.

6. The mobile electric appliance according to claim 1, wherein the mobile electric appliance is a vacuum cleaner.

7. A mobile electric appliance, comprising:

an appliance housing including a battery bay;

a battery with a voltage-generating cell and a battery-side charge status indicator receivable in the battery bay;

an electrical consumer;

a power connector;

a charging device;

a detector, wherein a charge status of the battery is detectable by the detector;

a device-side charge status indicator disposed on the mobile electric appliance; and

a controller, wherein the device-side charge status indicator is de-activated by the controller when the mobile electric appliance is operated by an external power supply system.

8. The mobile electric appliance according to claim 7, wherein the detector is a device-side electronic circuit disposed in the mobile electric appliance which is electrically connected to the voltage-generating cell.

9. The mobile electric appliance according to claim 7, wherein the detector is an interface to the battery, wherein the battery includes a battery-side electronic circuit for determining a charge status of the voltage-generating cell, and wherein the charge status is receivable by the interface.

10. A mobile electric appliance, comprising:

an appliance housing including a battery bay;

an electrical consumer;

a power connector;

a charging device;

a detector, wherein a charge status of a battery disposed in the battery bay is detectable by the detector;

a device-side charge status indicator disposed on the mobile electric appliance and coupled to the detector; and

a controller, wherein the device-side charge status indicator is de-activated by the controller when the mobile electric appliance is operated by an external power supply system.

11. The mobile electric appliance according to claim 10, wherein the detector is a device-side electronic circuit disposed in the mobile electric appliance which is electrically connectable to a battery disposed in the battery bay.

12. The mobile electric appliance according to claim 10, wherein the detector is an interface to a battery disposed in the battery bay and wherein a charge status determinable by the battery is receivable by the interface.