High power battery-powered system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020162007-A1
Application number	US-202016751344-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 24, 2020
Priority date	Jul 25, 2017
Publication date	May 21, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electrical combination, a motorized device system, a motor assembly, a battery pack, and operating methods. The combination may include an electrical device including a device housing, a load supported by the device housing, the load being operable to output at least about 1800 watts (W), and a device terminal electrically connected to the load; a battery pack including a pack housing, battery cells supported by the pack housing, the battery cells being electrically connected and having a nominal voltage of up to about 20 volts, and a pack terminal electrically connectable to the device terminal to transfer current between the battery pack and the electrical device; and a controller operable to control the transfer of current.

First claim

1 . A method of operating a motor, a field-effect transistor (FET) being operable to supply current to the motor, and a relay being operable to supply current to the FET, the method comprising:
in response to a signal to operate the motor, determining whether the FET is operational; and in response to the FET being operational, operating the relay to supply current through the FET to the motor.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a second FET is operable to supply current to the motor, and wherein the method further comprises, before operating the relay, in response to the signal to operate the motor, determining whether the second FET is operational.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to the FET not being operational, disabling operation of the motor.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein disabling includes temporarily disabling operation of the motor.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising after temporarily disabling, determining whether the FET is operational.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising, in response to the FET being operational after temporarily disabling the motor, operating the relay to supply current through the FET to the motor.

7 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising, in response to the FET not being operational after temporarily disabling the motor, permanently disabling the motor.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining includes turning on the FET.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein determining includes
supplying a test signal to the FET, and monitoring an output of the FET.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal includes a trigger signal.

11 . A method of operating an electrical combination, the electrical combination including an electrical device and a battery power source, the device including a device terminal, the battery source including a plurality of cells having a voltage and a battery terminal connectable to the device terminal, the method comprising:
connecting the plurality of battery cells to the battery terminal across a resistor to supply current to the device, the resistor having a first resistance; determining whether a condition has occurred; and after the condition occurs, connecting the plurality of battery cells to the battery terminal through a switch, the switch having a second resistance less than the first resistance.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein determining includes determining whether a time period has elapsed.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein determining whether a time period has elapsed includes determining whether a start-up time period has elapsed.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein connecting through a switch includes shorting the resistor with the switch.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein connecting through a switch includes connecting the plurality of battery cells to the battery terminal through a field effect transistor (FET).

16 .- 30 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp

Inventors

• Sheeks Samuel
• Boulanger Keith
• Beyerl Andrew T
• Obermann Timothy R
• Westerby Carl B
• Mergener Matthew J
• Schulz Cameron R
• Fassbender Kyle C
• Polakowski Matthew R

Classifications

• H02K1/276

  Magnets embedded in the magnetic core, e.g. interior permanent magnets [IPM] · CPC title

• H02K1/185

  to outer stators · CPC title

• H02K2203/09

  Machines characterised by wiring elements other than wires, e.g. bus rings, for connecting the winding terminations · CPC title

• H02K7/145

  Hand-held machine tool · CPC title

• H02P27/08 Primary

  with pulse width modulation · CPC title