Battery configuration for gas engine replacement device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12549025-B2
Application number	US-202017114777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2020
Priority date	Dec 9, 2019
Publication date	Feb 10, 2026
Grant date	Feb 10, 2026

Abstract

Battery configuration for gas engine replacement device. One embodiment provides a gas engine replacement device (10) including a housing (14) and a first battery pack (50) and a second battery pack (50) connected to the housing (14). The gas engine replacement device (10) also includes a motor (36) within the housing (14) and a power switching network (310) coupled to the motor (36), the first battery pack (50), and the second battery pack (50) and configured to drive the motor (36). The gas engine replacement device (10) further includes an electronic processor (302) coupled to the power switching network (310) and configured to sequentially discharge the first battery pack (50) and the second battery pack (50) to the power switching network (310) to drive the motor (36).

First claim

We claim:

1 . A gas engine replacement device comprising:
a housing including a first side surface and a second side surface; a first battery receptacle and a second battery receptacle provided on the housing, wherein the first battery receptacle is defined on the first side surface along a first plane and the second battery receptacle is defined on the second side surface along a second plane that is parallel to the first plane; a first battery pack and a second battery pack, the first battery pack slidably received downward from a top surface of the housing within the first battery pack receptacle and the second battery pack slidably received downward from the top surface of the housing within the second battery pack receptacle, wherein the top surface is along a third plane, and wherein the first battery pack and the second battery pack protrude from the housing when slidably received within the first battery pack receptacle and the second battery pack receptacle; a motor within the housing; a power take-off shaft protruding from a third side surface of the housing along a fourth plane and receiving torque from the motor; a power switching network connected to the motor, the first battery pack, and the second battery pack and configured to drive the motor; and an electronic processor connected to the power switching network and configured to:
determine a first state of charge of the first battery pack,
determine a second state of charge of the second battery pack,
determine a highest state of charge between the first state of charge and the second state of charge,
select either the first battery pack or the second battery pack based upon the highest state of charge,
connect the selected first battery pack or the second battery pack to the power switching network, and
discharge the selected battery pack to the power switching network to drive the motor,
wherein the third side surface along the fourth plane is perpendicular to the first side surface along the first plane and the second side surface along the second plane and parallel to the top surface along the third plane.

2 . The gas engine replacement device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic processor is further configured to:
connect the first battery pack to the power switching network; determine whether the first state of charge of the first battery pack is below a predetermined threshold; and when the first state of charge of the first battery pack is below the predetermined threshold:
connect the second battery pack to the power switching network; and
disconnect the first battery pack from the power switching network.

3 . The gas engine replacement device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a first switch configured to connect the first battery pack to the power switching network; and a second switch configured to connect the second battery pack to the power switching network, wherein the electronic processor is further configured to control the first switch and the second switch to selectively connect and disconnect the first battery pack and the second battery pack to the power switching network.

4 . The gas engine replacement device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an on-board charging circuit configured to charge the first battery pack, wherein the first battery pack is connected to the power switching network through a discharge switch and connected to the on-board charging circuit through a charge switch.

5 . The gas engine replacement device of claim 4 , further comprising:
a power cord provided on the housing and configured to provide charging power to the on-board charging circuit.

6 . The gas engine replacement device of claim 4 , wherein the electronic processor is connected to the discharge switch and the charge switch and is further configured to:
connect the first battery pack to the power switching network to operate the motor; and connect the first battery pack to the on-board charging circuit to charge the first battery pack.

7 . The gas engine replacement device of claim 1 , wherein the first battery pack has a nominal voltage of at least 80 Volts.

8 . The gas engine replacement device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a flange provided on the side of the housing, wherein the power take-off shaft protrudes from the flange, wherein the flange includes a first bolt pattern configured to align with a second bolt pattern of a power equipment driven by the gas engine replacement device.

9 . A gas engine replacement device comprising:
a housing including a first side surface and a second side surface opposite the first side surface; a first battery receptacle and a second battery receptacle provided within the housing, wherein the first battery receptacle is defined on the first side surface along a first plane and the second battery receptacle is defined on the second side surface along a second plane that is parallel to the first plane; a first battery pack slidably received downward from a top surface of the housing within the first battery receptacle; a second battery pack slidably received downward from the top surface of the housing within the second battery receptacle, wherein the top surface is along a third plane; a motor within the housing; a power take-off shaft protruding from a third side surface of the housing along a fourth plane and receiving torque from the motor; a power switching network connected to the motor, the first battery pack, and the second battery pack; a first switch configured to connect the first battery pack to the power switching network; a second switch configured to connect the second battery pack to the power switching network; and an electronic processor connected to the first switch, the second switch, and the power switching network, the electronic processor configured to: connect, using the first switch, the first battery pack to the power switching network, determine a first state of charge of the first battery pack,
determine a second state of charge of the second battery pack, and
when the first state of charge of the first battery pack is below the second state of charge of the second battery pack: connect, using the second switch, the second battery pack to the power switching network; and disconnect, using the first switch, the first battery pack from the power switching network, wherein the third side surface along the fourth plane is perpendicular to the first side surface along the first plane and the second side surface along the second plane and parallel to the top surface along the third plane, and wherein the first battery pack and the second battery pack protrude from the housing when slidably received within the first battery pack receptacle and the second battery pack receptacle.

10 . The gas engine replacement device of claim 9 , further comprising:
an on-board charging circuit configured to charge the first battery pack, wherein the first battery pack is connected to the on-board charging circuit through a charge switch.

11 . The gas engine replacement device of claim 10 , further comprising:
a power cord provided on the housing and configured to provide charging power to the on-board charging circuit.

12 . The gas engine replacement device of claim 10 , wherein the electronic processor is connected to the first switch and the charge switch and is further configured to:
connect the first battery pack to the power switching network to operate the motor; and connect the first battery pack to the on-board charging circuit to charge the first battery pack.

13 . The gas engine replacement device of claim 9 , wherein the first batter

Assignees

• Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp

Inventors

• Sprague Connor P
• Glanzer Evan M
• Koller John E
• Gallagher Patrick D

Classifications

• H02J7/575

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

• H02J7/82 Primary

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H01M10/441

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H01M10/425

  Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00) · CPC title

• H01M2220/30

  Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop · CPC title