Battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11831035-B2
Application number	US-202217688425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2022
Priority date	Oct 14, 2016
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

A battery pack and a method for connecting a battery pack to an electronic device to power to the electronic device (e.g., a headlamp, a flashlight, a flood light, a drill, a driver, etc.). The battery pack includes a generally cylindrical housing defined by an arcuate sidewall extending between a first end surface and a second end surface and defining an interior cavity configured to support at least one battery cell (e.g., a lithium-ion battery cell). The battery pack includes a first insertion alignment member engageable with a first battery alignment member of the electronic device in order to facilitate insertion into a receiving portion of the electronic device in a first direction and a second insertion alignment member engageable with a second battery alignment member of another electronic device in order to facilitate insertion into a receiving portion of the other electronic device in a second direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery pack comprising:
a housing extending along an axis;
a battery cell positioned in the housing;
battery pack terminals electrically coupled to the battery cell and operable to interface with and to electrically couple the battery cell to device terminals of each of a first electronic device and a second electronic device;
a first insertion alignment member disposed on the housing guiding insertion of the battery pack into the first electronic device in a first direction relative to the axis, the first insertion alignment member cooperating with a complementary first alignment member on the first electronic device to guide insertion of the battery pack into the first electronic device, the first insertion alignment member cooperating with a complementary second lockout member on the second electronic device to facilitate engagement of the battery pack terminals with the device terminals of the second electronic device; and
a second insertion alignment member guiding insertion of the battery pack into the second electronic device in a different, second direction relative to the axis, the second insertion alignment member cooperating with a complementary second alignment member on the second electronic device to guide insertion of the battery pack into the second electronic device, the second insertion alignment member cooperating with a complementary first lockout member on the first electronic device to facilitate engagement of the battery pack terminals with the device terminals of the first electronic device.

2. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is a radial direction relative to the axis of the battery pack.

3. The battery pack of claim 2 , wherein the second direction is an axial direction relative to the axis of the battery pack.

4. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the second direction is an axial direction relative to the axis of the battery pack.

5. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the first insertion alignment member includes a protrusion.

6. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the first insertion alignment member includes a groove.

7. The battery pack of claim 6 , wherein the housing has an axial surface, and wherein the groove of the first insertion alignment member is defined on the axial surface.

8. The battery pack of claim 7 , wherein the axial surface has opposite edges, and wherein the groove extends through at least one of the opposite edges.

9. The battery pack of claim 8 , wherein the groove extends through each of the opposite edges.

10. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the second insertion alignment member includes a protrusion.

11. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the second insertion alignment member includes a groove.

12. The battery pack of claim 11 , wherein the housing has a circumferential surface, and wherein the groove of the second insertion alignment member is defined on the circumferential surface.

13. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the second insertion alignment member includes a first groove and a second groove separated by a shoulder.

14. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the housing has a first surface, a second surface, and a sidewall extending therebetween, the first insertion alignment member being disposed on the first surface, the second insertion alignment member being disposed on the sidewall.

15. A battery pack comprising:
a housing extending along an axis;
a first insertion alignment member disposed on the housing guiding insertion of the battery pack into a first electronic device in a first direction relative to the axis, the first insertion alignment member cooperating with a complementary first alignment member on the first electronic device to guide insertion of the battery pack into the first electronic device; and
a second insertion alignment member guiding insertion of the battery pack into a second electronic device in a different, second direction relative to the axis, the second insertion alignment member cooperating with a complementary second alignment member on the second electronic device to guide insertion of the battery pack into the second electronic device.

16. The battery pack of claim 15 , further comprising:
a battery cell positioned in the housing; and
battery pack terminals electrically coupled to the battery cell and operable to interface with and to electrically couple the battery cell to device terminals of each of the first electronic device and the second electronic device,
wherein the first insertion alignment member cooperates with a complementary second lockout member on the second electronic device to facilitate engagement of the battery pack terminals with the device terminals of the second electronic device.

17. The battery pack of claim 16 , wherein the second insertion alignment member cooperates with a complementary first lockout member on the first electronic device to facilitate engagement of the battery pack terminals with the device terminals of the first electronic device.

18. A battery pack comprising:
a housing extending along an axis;
a battery cell positioned in the housing;
battery pack terminals electrically coupled to the battery cell and operable to interface with and to electrically couple the battery cell to device terminals of a first electronic device or a second electronic device;
a first insertion alignment member disposed on the housing guiding insertion of the battery pack into the first electronic device in a first direction relative to the axis, the first insertion alignment member cooperating with a complementary second lockout member on the second electronic device to facilitate engagement of the battery pack terminals with the device terminals of the second electronic device; and
a second insertion alignment member guiding insertion of the battery pack into the second electronic device in a different, second direction relative to the axis, the second insertion alignment member cooperating with a complementary first lockout member on the first electronic device to facilitate engagement of the battery pack terminals with the device terminals of the first electronic device.

19. The battery pack of claim 18 , wherein the first insertion alignment member cooperates with a complementary first alignment member on the first electronic device to guide insertion of the battery pack into the first electronic device.

20. The battery pack of claim 18 , wherein the second insertion alignment member cooperates with a complementary second alignment member on the second electronic device to guide insertion of the battery pack into the second electronic device.

Assignees

• Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp

Inventors

• Sommerfeld Steven T
• Gall Benjamin D
• Liu Hui Shu Beldon

Classifications

• H01M50/213 Primary

  adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic (H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/247

  specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers · CPC title

• H01M50/289

  characterised by spacing elements or positioning means within frames, racks or packs (spacing elements inside cells other than separators, membranes or diaphragms H01M50/471) · CPC title

• H01M50/296

  characterised by terminals of battery packs (terminals of batteries H01M50/543) · CPC title

• H01M50/543

  Terminals · CPC title