Battery pack, electrical device using battery pack, and electrical device system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11205820-B2
Application number	US-201716346120-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2017
Priority date	Oct 31, 2016
Publication date	Dec 21, 2021
Grant date	Dec 21, 2021

Abstract

In an upper cell unit (2146) and a lower cell unit (2147) comprising five battery cells, positive electrode terminals (2162, 2172) are set apart and aligned vertically, and negative electrode terminals (2167, 2177) are set apart and aligned vertically. When an electrical device body is rated at 36V, device-side terminals are in contact only at the upper terminals (2162, 2167), and short circuiting of the lower terminals (2172, 2177) is effected using a short bar 2059. When the electrical device body is rated at 18V, the upper and lower terminals (2162 and 2172, 2167 and 2177) are simultaneously made to contact the device-side terminals, and the upper cell unit (2146) and the lower cell unit (2147) assume a parallel connected state. Thus, it is possible to automatically switch the output voltage when a battery pack is mounted according to the difference in terminal shape on the electrical device body side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery pack, comprising:
a plurality of cell units, including a first cell unit and a second cell unit other than the first cell unit;
a housing, housing the plurality of cell units, and having a mounting portion configured to be connected to an electrical device body forward in a front-rear direction;
a plurality of slot parts, formed on the mounting portion so as to be arranged in a left-right direction with each other, and including a slot that extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the left-right direction; and
a switching terminal group, including a first switching terminal connected to the first cell unit and a second switching terminal connected to the second cell unit, the first and second switching terminals being adjacently and separately disposed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the left-right direction in the slot, the slot being included in the plurality of slot parts arranged in the left-right direction and formed on the mounting portion, and the first switching terminal and the second switching terminal disposed in the slot are configured to directly contact a terminal of the electrical device body,
wherein the switching terminal group is configured such that, when the terminal of the electrical device body is inserted into the slot, the first and second switching terminals are short-circuited by the terminal of the electrical device body to thereby switch the connection state of the plurality of cell units from a disconnected state where the first and second cell units are disconnected with each other to a connected state where the first and second cell units are connected with each other.

2. An electrical device, comprising the battery pack according to claim 1 and a high voltage electrical device body connectable to the battery pack, wherein
the high voltage electrical device body comprises a short circuit element connecting the plurality of cell units to each other in series,
when the battery pack is connected to the high voltage electrical device body, the first and second switching terminals are connected to the short circuit element, such that the first and second cell units are connected to each other in series, and
when the battery pack is not connected to the high voltage electrical device body, the first and second switching terminals are not connected to the short circuit element, such that the first and second cell units are disconnected from each other.

3. An electrical device, comprising the battery pack according to claim 1 and a low voltage electrical device body connectable to the battery pack, wherein
the low voltage electrical device body comprises an input terminal connecting the plurality of cell units to each other in parallel,
when the battery pack is connected to the low voltage electrical device body, the first and second switching terminals are connected to the input terminal, such that the first and second cell units are connected to each other in parallel, and
when the battery pack is not connected to the low voltage electrical device body, the first and second switching terminals are not connected to the input terminal, such that the first and second cell units are disconnected from each other.

4. An electrical device system, comprising:
the battery pack according to claim 1 ;
a high voltage electrical device body connectable to the battery pack, wherein the high voltage electrical device body comprises a short circuit element connecting the plurality of cell units to each other in series, when the battery pack is connected to the high voltage electrical device body, the first and second switching terminals are connected to the short circuit element, such that the first and second cell units are connected to each other in series, and when the battery pack is not connected to the high voltage electrical device body, the first and second switching terminals are not connected to the short circuit element, such that the first and second cell units are disconnected from each other; and
a low voltage electrical device body connectable to the battery pack, wherein the low voltage electrical device body comprises an input terminal connecting the plurality of cell units to each other in parallel, when the battery pack is connected to the low voltage electrical device body, the first and second switching terminals are connected to the input terminal, such that the first and second cell units are connected to each other in parallel, and when the battery pack is not connected to the low voltage electrical device body, the first and second switching terminals are not connected to the input terminal, such that the first and second cell units are disconnected from each other.

5. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein
the battery pack comprises: a pair of rails, extending in the front-rear direction on left and right sides of the battery pack; and a first slot and a second slot, arranged in the left-right direction between the pair of rails, and
the switching terminal group comprises: a first switching terminal group, formed by adjacently disposing a plurality of positive electrode terminals connected to positive electrodes of cell units forming the plurality of cell units in the first slot; and a second switching terminal group, formed by adjacently disposing a plurality of negative electrode terminals connected to negative electrodes of the cell units forming the plurality of cell units in the second slot.

6. An electrical device, comprising the battery pack according to claim 5 and a high voltage electrical device body connectable to the battery pack, wherein
the high voltage electrical device body comprises a short circuit element connecting the plurality of cell units to each other in series,
when the battery pack is connected to the high voltage electrical device body, at least one positive electrode terminal among a plurality of positive electrode terminals forming the first switching terminal group is connected to the short circuit element, and at least one negative electrode terminal among a plurality of negative electrode terminals forming the second switching terminal group is connected to the short circuit element, such that the plurality of cell units are connected to each other in series, and
when the battery pack is not connected to the high voltage electrical device body, any one terminal among the plurality of terminals forming the first switching terminal group and the second switching terminal group is not connected to the short circuit element, such that the plurality of cell units are disconnected from each other.

7. An electrical device, comprising the battery pack according to claim 5 and a low voltage electrical device body connectable to the battery pack, wherein
the low voltage electrical device body comprises a positive input terminal and a negative input terminal connecting the plurality of cell units to each other in parallel,
when the battery pack is connected to the low voltage electrical device body, at least two positive electrode terminals among the plurality of positive electrode terminals forming the first switching terminal group are connected to the positive input terminal and are electrically short-circuited with respect to each other, and at least two negative electrode terminals among the plurality of negative electrode terminals forming the second switching terminal group are connected to the negative input terminal and are electrically short-circuited with respect to each other, such that the plurality of cell units are connected to each other in parallel, and
when the battery pack is not connected to the low voltage electrical device body, any one terminal among the plurality of terminals forming the first switching terminal

Assignees

• Koki Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hanawa Hiroyuki
• Nishikawa Tomomasa
• Kanno Shota
• Mizoguchi Toshio
• Nakano Yasushi
• Funabashi Kazuhiko
• Teranishi Takuya
• Wakatabe Naoto
• Watanabe Shinji
• Sato Junpei
• Tamura Hikaru
• Takano Nobuhiro
• Kawanobe Osamu
• Yamaguchi Hayato
• Matsushita Akira
• Hirano Masaru
• Murakami Takuhiro
• Ogura Masayuki
• Funabiki Yusuke
• Toukairin Junichi
• Takeuchi Shota

Classifications

• H02J7/751

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

• H02J7/575 Primary

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

• H01M50/244

  Secondary casings; Racks; Suspension devices; Carrying devices; Holders characterised by their mounting method · CPC title

• H01M50/262

  with fastening means, e.g. locks · CPC title

• H01M50/269

  Mechanical means for varying the arrangement of batteries or cells for different uses, e.g. for changing the number of batteries or for switching between series and parallel wiring (methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance H01M6/50, H01M10/42) · CPC title