Transport system for battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10978746-B2
Application number	US-202016924625-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2020
Priority date	May 18, 2014
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A battery pack and transport coupler for enabling the battery pack to reduce the pack power capacity. The battery pack include at least two strings of battery cells and a coupler provided at least partially inside the housing. The coupler is moveable between a first position, which causes the string of battery cells to be electrically connected inside the housing, and a second position, which causes the strings of battery cells to be electrically disconnected inside the housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A removable, secondary battery pack for providing electrical power to an electrical device, the battery pack comprising:
a housing configured to mechanically mate with a receiving portion of the electrical device;
a first string of battery cells housed within the housing;
a second string of battery cells housed within the housing;
at least one switching element;
a coupler provided at least partially inside the housing and movable between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the coupler causes the at least one switching element to electrically connect the first string of battery cells to the second string of battery cells, and in the second position the coupler causes the at least one switching element to electrically disconnect the first string of battery cells from the second string of battery cells; and
a transport lock removably mounted at least partially outside the housing, wherein the transport lock, in a mounted position, is configured to maintain the coupler in the second position.

2. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein each of the first string of battery cells and second string of battery cells comprises a plurality of battery cells connected in series, and the at least one switching element is provided to connect the first string of battery cells and second string of battery cells in series in the first position of the coupler.

3. The battery pack of claim 2 , further comprising at least one converter switch configured to switchably connect the first string of battery cells and the second string of battery cells in parallel in a third position of the coupler.

4. The battery pack of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of battery terminals oriented along a longitudinal direction of the housing, wherein the coupler comprises a portion that is at least partially accessible from an exterior of the housing at least in the second position of the coupler and is slidably moveable along the longitudinal direction of the housing.

5. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the transport lock is at least partially secured structurally and removably to the housing.

6. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the transport lock comprises a main body and at least one projection extending from the main body that engages the coupler and holds the coupler in the second position.

7. The battery pack of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of terminal housing slots corresponding to a plurality of battery terminals, wherein the transport lock is slideably mountable proximate the plurality of terminal housing slots.

8. The battery pack of claim 7 , wherein the transport lock at least partially covers the plurality of battery terminal housing slots.

9. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the battery pack is prevented from being mechanically mated with the receiving portion of the electrical device when the transport lock is in the mounted position.

10. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein when the battery pack is coupled to the electrical device, the coupler moves from the second position to the first position.

11. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the at least one switching element comprises a network of one or more switches comprising at least one of a mechanical switch, an electronic switch, or an electro-mechanical switch, or a combination thereof.

Assignees

• Black & Decker Inc

Inventors

• Velderman Matthew J
• White Daniel J
• Fitzgerald Daniel
• Klee Ryan

Classifications

• H02J7/751

  concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries · CPC title

• H02J7/575

  Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit · CPC title

• H01M50/271

  Lids or covers for the racks or secondary casings · CPC title

• H01M50/204

  Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells · CPC title

• H01M50/502

  Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing · CPC title