Battery pack interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12576504-B2
Application number	US-202418621979-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2024
Priority date	Dec 16, 2016
Publication date	Mar 17, 2026
Grant date	Mar 17, 2026

Abstract

An interface for a battery pack and an electrical combination. The interface may include a battery-receiving portion configured to receive a battery pack and including a cavity. The cavity is defined by a pair of sidewalls with rails defining a groove between the rails and a lower surface of the cavity. The rails are stepped or angled along a battery insertion axis and are configured to guide the sliding engagement of a battery pack within the battery-receiving portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An ejector for an electrical combination, the electrical combination including a battery pack and an electrical device, the ejector comprising:
an ejection member engageable between the battery pack and the electrical device; a biasing member operable to bias the ejection member toward an ejecting position in which a force is applied to disengage the battery pack and the electrical device; and a switch operable with the ejection member, the switch deactivating at least a portion of the electrical device as the ejection member moves toward the ejecting position.

2 . The ejector of claim 1 , wherein the ejection member is movable to a retracted position, opposite the ejecting position, the switch activating at least a portion of the electrical device as the ejection member moves toward the retracted position.

3 . The ejector of claim 1 , wherein the switch is configured to be activated to permit power to be transferred to a portion of the electrical device in response to the battery pack being inserted into a battery receiving portion.

4 . The ejector of claim 1 , wherein the ejector is supported on an end wall.

5 . The ejector of claim 4 , wherein, in the ejecting position, the ejection member protrudes through the end wall.

6 . The ejector of claim 4 , wherein the electrical combination further includes a battery receiving portion.

7 . The ejector of claim 6 , wherein, in response to the battery pack being attached to the battery receiving portion, the ejection member is pushed into the end wall to compress the biasing member.

8 . The ejector of claim 6 , wherein the ejection member is configured to exert a force F on the battery pack to push the battery pack out of engagement with the battery receiving portion.

9 . The ejector of claim 1 , wherein a stiffness of the biasing member is based on a characteristic of the electrical device.

10 . An electrical combination comprising:
an electrical device including a device housing providing a device support portion, and a circuit supported by the device housing; a battery pack including a battery pack housing providing a pack support portion for engagement with the device support portion, a battery cell supported by the housing, power being transferrable between the battery cell and the circuit when the battery pack is connected to the electrical device; and an ejector including:
an ejection member engageable between the battery pack and the electrical device,
a biasing member operable to bias the ejection member toward an ejecting position, in which a force is applied to disengage the battery pack and the electrical device, and
a switch operable with the ejection member, the switch deactivating at least a portion of the electrical device as the ejection member moves toward the ejecting position.

11 . The electrical combination of claim 10 , wherein the ejection member is movable to a retracted position, opposite the ejecting position, the switch activating at least a portion of the electrical device as the ejection member moves toward the retracted position.

12 . The electrical combination of claim 10 , wherein:
the electrical device further includes a device terminal; the battery pack further includes a pack terminal electrically connectable to facilitate transfer of power between the electrical device and the battery pack; and when the battery pack is connected to the electrical device, the switch inhibits power transfer between the battery pack and the electrical device before the device terminal and the pack terminal are electrically disconnected.

13 . The electrical combination of claim 10 , wherein the electrical device includes a first power tool including a first tool housing providing a first tool support portion, and a first motor supported by the first tool housing, the pack support portion being engageable with the first tool support portion, the battery cell being operable to power the first motor when the battery pack is connected to the first power tool, the biasing member having a first stiffness selected based on a characteristic of the first power tool, and wherein the electrical combination further comprises:
a second power tool including a second tool housing providing a second tool support portion, and a second motor supported by the second tool housing, the pack support portion being engageable with the second tool support portion, the battery cell being operable to power the second motor when the battery pack is connected to the second power tool; and a second ejector including:
a second ejection member engageable between the battery pack and the second power tool,
a second biasing member operable to bias the second ejection member toward an ejecting position in which a force is applied to disengage the battery pack and the power tool, the second biasing member having a second stiffness selected based on a characteristic of the second power tool, the second stiffness being different than the first stiffness.

14 . An electrical combination comprising:
an electrical device including a device housing providing a battery-receiving portion having a plurality of battery contacts and an end wall, and a circuit supported by the device housing; a battery pack receivable in the battery-receiving portion, the battery pack having a battery pack housing and a battery cell supported by the housing, the battery cells coupled to battery contacts supported by the battery pack housing; and an ejector including
an ejection member engageable between the battery pack and the electrical device,
a biasing member operable to bias the ejection member toward an ejecting position in which a force is applied to disengage the battery pack and the electrical device, and
a switch operable with the ejection member, the switch deactivating at least a portion of the electrical device as the ejection member moves toward the ejecting position.

15 . The electrical combination of claim 14 , wherein device contacts are supported on the end wall and are configured to mechanically and electrically interface with the battery contacts to transfer electrical power therebetween.

16 . The electrical combination of claim 14 , wherein, in response to the ejection member being in the ejecting position, the ejection member forces the battery pack to a position in which the battery contact and the device contacts become mechanically and electrically disengaged.

17 . The electrical combination of claim 14 , wherein, in response to the battery pack being fully inserted into the battery-receiving portion, the ejection member is in a compressed position in which the ejection member is pushed into the end wall and the biasing member is compressed.

18 . The electrical combination of claim 14 , wherein the battery-receiving portion includes a cavity defined by a lower surface, a pair of sidewalls, and a second end wall and having an open end opposite the end wall.

19 . The electrical combination of claim 18 , wherein the end wall is an upper end wall extending above the second end wall proximate the cavity.

20 . The ejector of claim 9 , wherein the characteristic is a weight, a mass, or a size of the biasing member.

Assignees

• Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp

Inventors

• Radovich Kyle J
• Schulz Cameron R
• Carlson Mitchell
• Marx John G
• Rossetto Paul
• Schwalbach David M

Classifications

• H01M2220/30

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

• H01M10/46

  Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus (circuits for charging H02J7/00) · CPC title

• H01M10/4257

  Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries · CPC title

• B23B2260/024

  Batteries · CPC title

• B23B45/02

  driven by electric power · CPC title