GB2225178A

GB2225178A - Power connector substitutes for battery

Info

Publication number: GB2225178A
Application number: GB8824675A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William George Liston; Edward Arthur Buckley
Original assignee: Powerbank Ltd
Current assignee: Powerbank Ltd
Priority date: 1988-10-21
Filing date: 1988-10-21
Publication date: 1990-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 2008-10-21
Also published as: GB2225178B; GB8824675D0

Abstract

An electrical connector (1), for use in establishing connections between a portable electrical appliance (100) and a power supply (200) therefor, comprises a housing of electrically insulating material shaped for receipt in a battery-receiving portion of a battery-powered portable electrical appliance when there are no batteries therein, the housing carrying electrical contacts adapted and arranged to mate with associated contacts of the appliance when the connector is received in the battery-receiving portion of the appliance and to be connected to an external electric power supply device. <IMAGE>

Description

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR This invention relates to an electrical connector, and in particular an electrical connector for use in establishing connections between a portable electrical appliance and a power supply therefor.

Portable electrical appliances, for example drills and saws, are generally powered either from a mains supply by way of an appropriate lead or from an internal power supply in the form of batteries. Such battery-powered appliances have the clear advantage of being usable virtually anywhere, particularly in places where the use of a mains supply with the necessary lead is impossible. However, such battery-powered appliances suffer the disadvantages of a generally relatively low power output and limited time of use before the internal batteries must be replaced or recharged if possible.

Recently there has become available (see GB-A-2186132) a portable electric power supply device in the form of a rechargeable battery with an associated charging arangement contained in a portable housing, the device having power input and output arrangements by which the charging arrangement can be connected to a mains supply when the battery is to be recharged, and the battery can be connected to a load to be powered by the device. This device which is marketed under the trade mark POWERBANK by Powerbank Limited is capable of providing a relatively high power output for a relatively long time as compared with batteries as presently used in portable electrical appliances, and is thus well suited for use in powering such appliances.

According to this invention there is provided an electrical connector, for use in establishing connections between a portable electrical appliance and a power supply therefor, comprising a housing of electrically insulating material shaped for receipt in a battery-receiving portion of a battery-powered portable electrical appliance when there are no batteries therein, the housing carrying electrical contacts adapted and arranged to mate with associated contacts of the appliance when the connector is received in the battery-receiving portion of the appliance and to be connected to an external electric power supply device.

This invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to the invention, together with a portable batterypowered electrical appliance with which the connector is to be used; and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view through the connector of Figure 1.

As shown in the drawings, the connector to be described is for use with a portable battery-powered electrical drill 100 after removal of the batteries (not shown) therefrom. The handle 101 of the drill 100 is hollow and constitutes a battery-receiving portion, there being electrical contacts (not shown) at the inner end of the portion 101 by which connection is made to the motor of the drill. The batteries, when in place, are normally retained in the portion 101 by a hinged clip which attaches to the free end of the handle 101, but which has been removed, while leaving the mountings 102 therefor. The drill 100 is otherwise a conventional item.

The connector 1 shown in the drawing serves in establishing connections between the drill 100 and an external battery power supply device therefor, and in particular a device of the type described in GB-A-2186132.

The connector 1 comprises a housing 2 formed of two plastics material moulded parts 2A and 2B which are snap-fitted together as indicated at 3 to provide a hollow housing which is shaped for receipt in the battery-receiving portion 101 of the drill 100 when there are no batteries therein, as shown in the drawing. If necessary or desirable the housing 2 can be weighted, for example by the provision of suitable weights therein, in order to simulate the weight of the normal batteries it replaces and thus ensure that the balance and feel of the drill 100 remains the same as if the normal batteries were in use.

In order to ensure that the connector 1 is mated with the drill 100 with the correct polarity, the housing 2 is formed on one side (upper side in Figure 1) with a longitudinally extending groove 14 and on the opposite side with a longitudinally extending rib (not shown) which co-operate with the portion 101 of the drill 100 to provide polarisation.

At its outer use end (right hand end in Figure 1) the housing 2 is formed with a pair opposed circular protrusions 4 (only one visible in Figure 1) accessible when the connector 1 is received in the portion 101 of the drill 100 to facilitate removal of the connector 1 from the drill 100, which protrusions 4 locate in recesses 103 at the free end of the portion 101 when the connector 1 is received thereon. Each protrusion 4 carries a resilient, for example rubber, member 5 on which the drill 100 will rest when laid on a surface with the connector 1 received in the portion 101.

The housing 2 has integrally formed thereon a pair of resilient finger members 6 extending from the outer in use end of the housing 2 towards the other end thereof. These finger members 6 serve as latching-means which co-operate with complementary latching-means constituted by the mountings 102 on the portion 101 of the drill 100, releasably to secure the connector 1 in the portion 101.

The housing 2 carries a pair of opposed electrical contacts 7 (only one visible in Figure 1) which are adapted and arranged to mate with the contacts in the battery-receiving portion 101 of the drill 100 to provide connections to the motor of the drill 100.

An electrical lead 10 extends from the contacts 7 out of the housing 2 at the outer in use end thereof, the two parts 2A and 2B of the housing 2 being formed to grip the lead 10 when snap-fitted together, thereby to provide strain relief for the connections between the lead 10 and the contacts 7.

As shown in Figure 2 the conductors 11 and 12 of the lead 10 are terminated in the housing 2 by appropriate connector members 13 which are received on threaded posts 8 extending inwardly from the contacts 7, and are secured thereon by nuts 9. Clearly other connection arrangements can otherwise be used.

In the drawing the lead 10 is illustrated as being terminated at its end remote from the connector 1 by a connector 200 for mating with the present commercial form of the electrical power supply device described in GB-A-2186132, although it will be appreciated that any other necessary or desirable connection arrangement can otherwise be used to connect the connector 1 to a suitable external battery power supply.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, for use in establishing connections between a portable electrical appliance and a power supply therefor, comprising a housing of electrically insulating material shaped for receipt in a battery-receiving portion of a battery-powered portable electrical appliance when there are no batteries therein, the housing carrying electrical contacts adapted and arranged to mate with associated contacts of the appliance when the connector is received in the battery-receiving portion of the appliance and to be connected to an external electric power supply device.

2. A connector as claimed in Claim 1, in which the housing is formed of a plurality of parts.

3. A connector as claimed in Claim 2, in which the housing is formed of only two parts which are snap-fitted together.

4. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the housing is hollow.

5. A connector as claimed in Claim 4, in which the housing is weighted in order to simulate the weight of the batteries it replaces.

6. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the housing is provided with one or more protrusions accessible when the connector is received in the batteryreceiving portion of the appliance to facilitate removal of the connector from the appliance.

7. A connector as claimed in Claim 6, in which the or each protrusion carries a resilient member on which the appliance will rest when laid on a surface with the connector received in the battery-receiving portion of the appliance.

8. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the housing carries latching means co-operative with complementary means on the appliance releasably to secure the connector in the battery-receiving portion of the appliance.

9. A connector as claimed in Claim 8, in which the latching means are formed integrally with the housing.

10. A connector as claimed in Claim 8 or Claim 9, in which the latching means comprises a pair of resilient finger members extending from the outer in use end of the housing towards the other end of the housing.

11. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the housing is a plastics material moulding.

12. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the electrical contacts are connected to an electrical lead extending from the housing for connection to an external electric power supply device.

13. A connector as claimed in Claim 12, in which the housing is formed to grip the electrical lead to provide strain relief for the connections between the electrical lead and the electrical contacts.

14. An electrical connector substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawing.