WO2019144265A1

WO2019144265A1 - Multifunctional battery pack charger

Info

Publication number: WO2019144265A1
Application number: PCT/CN2018/073780
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yong Min LI; Yong Rui Zheng; Hei Man Raymond LEE
Original assignee: Tti (Macao Commercial Offshore) Limited
Priority date: 2018-01-23
Filing date: 2018-01-23
Publication date: 2019-08-01
Also published as: TWM584567U

Abstract

A battery charger including a first electrical interface and a second electrical interface. The battery charger is configured such that there is allowed an electrical energy flow between the first and second electrical interfaces. Provided by the subsidiary interfaces is the flexibility in the application of the battery charger that it can be used to charge personal devices equipped with USB type charging port and/or wireless charging functions.

Description

MULTIFUNCTIONAL BATTERY PACK CHARGER

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a battery charger, and in particular to battery charger suitable for charging battery packs for power tools.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Cordless power tools are equipped with battery packs which provide sufficient electric power (e.g. 18V, 36V) to the power tool for carrying out desired operations. The battery packs are usually charged using separate battery chargers that are designed to match the form factor of the battery pack. When the power tool is not in use, the battery pack is detached from the power tool and put into the battery charger which is in turn connected to a wall socket to receive AC electricity in order to recharge the battery pack.

However, conventional battery chargers have limited functions in that they are designed to work only with the battery pack. On the other hand, users of power tools often have one or more personal devices such as mobile phones or smart watches. To keep the continuous operation of these personal devices the user has to carry along dedicated chargers for each of these personal devices besides the power tool battery pack charger.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In the light of the foregoing background, it is an object of the present invention to provide an alternate battery charger which eliminates or at least alleviates the above technical problems.

The above object is met by the combination of features of the main claim; the sub-claims disclose further advantageous embodiments of the invention.

One skilled in the art will derive from the following description other objects of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing statements of object are not exhaustive and serve merely to illustrate some of the many objects of the present invention.

Accordingly, the present invention, in one aspect, is a battery charger including a first electrical interface and a second electrical interface. The battery charger is configured such that there is allowed an electrical energy flow between the first and second electrical interfaces.

Preferably, the first electrical interface contains battery terminals suitable for connecting to a battery pack.

According to one variation of the preferred embodiments, the first electrical interface is adapted to supply electric power from a battery pack connected to the first electrical interface to the second electrical interface.

According to another variation of the preferred embodiments, the first electrical interface is adapted to supply electric power obtained from the second electrical interface to a battery pack connected to the first electrical interface.

In one specific implementation, the second electrical interface is a USB Type-C port or a wireless charging module.

In another specific implementation, the battery charger further contains an AC power inlet which is adapted to connect to a mains electricity supply to provide electrical power to the first electrical interface and/or the second electrical interface.

There are many advantages to the present invention. For example, besides the basic battery charging interface that includes metal terminals and the receptacle on the housing, the batter pack according to embodiments of the present invention also contains subsidiary /peripheral interfaces for charging other devices such as USB Type-C port and wireless charging coils. Provided by these subsidiary interfaces is the flexibility in the application of the battery charger that it can be used to charge personal devices equipped with USB type charging port and/or wireless charging functions. No separate chargers for these personal devices are needed but the user only need to carry the battery pack charger.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the battery pack charger according to some embodiments of the present invention allow the personal devices be charged not only from AC electricity but also from the stored electric power in the battery pack. In the latter case the battery pack is connected to the battery charger and the battery pack then becomes a source to provide electric power to the USB Type-C port and/or the wireless module. As such, the battery charger greatly expands the usage of the power tool battery pack in that the battery pack can be used as a mobile power supply to support other electronic devices where the mains electricity is not available. In a reversed way, some embodiments of the present invention also allow the battery charger to charge the power tool battery pack using electrical power from external devices such as mobile power supply or notebook power adapter through USB Type-C port and/or the wireless module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

The foregoing and further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments which are provided by way of example only in connection with the accompanying figures, of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a power tool battery charger according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the power tool battery charger in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the power tool battery charger in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows the internal structure of a battery charger including its input /output interfaces, and the illustration of power flow in one working mode according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows the battery charger in Fig. 4 with the illustration of power flow in another working mode.

Fig. 6 shows the battery charger in Fig. 4 with the illustration of power flow in another working mode.

In the drawings, like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

As used herein and in the claims, “couple” or “connect” refers to electrical coupling or connection either directly or indirectly via one or more electrical means unless otherwise stated.

Terms such as “horizontal” , “vertical” , “upwards” , “downwards” , “above” , “below” and similar terms as used herein are for the purpose of describing the invention in its normal in-use orientation and are not intended to limit the invention to any particular orientation.

Referring now to Figs. 1-3, the first embodiment of the present invention is a battery charger 20 for power tools. The battery pack and the power tool are not shown. The battery charger 20 it shown with front side, its bottom side, and its right side in Fig. 1. The battery charger 20 includes a body 22 and a substantially “U” shaped skirt 24 on the rear side of the body 22. The body 22 has a substantially rectangular shape which is designed to match that the battery pack. An AC port 23 is formed on the body 22 which allows one end of a power cord (not shown) to connect to the battery charger 20. The power cord on its other end may be connectable for example to a wall socket.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 2, at the rear side of the body 22 the skirt 24 defines a “U” shaped recess 25 for inserting the battery pack into the battery charger 20 along the direction shown by the arrow 27. The skirt 24 contains rims 29 on two sides of the “U” shape so that corresponding portions of the battery pack could be inserted and held in place by the rims 29 and the rear surface of the body 22. In the recess 25 there is further configured a connecting block 26 which contains metal terminals for coupling to respective terminals on the battery pack. As shown in Fig. 3, there are four metal terminals 30 in the connecting block 26, which form a battery pack interface of the battery charger 20. For example, these metal terminals 30 may contain voltage terminals as well as communication terminals. The metal terminals 30 are oriented to face the insertion direction 27 in Fig. 2 so that when the battery pack in properly inserted and installed, the metal terminals 30 are in firm contact with those on the battery pack. Also shown in Fig. 3 is a USB Type-C port 28 on the top end of the body 22. The Type-C port 28 allows external devices (not shown) to be connected to the battery charger 22 using a USB Type-C cable (not shown) . The body 22 also contains a wireless module (not shown) containing coils for electrical power transmission. The wireless module contains coils for generating electromagnetic inductions, and the wireless module allows power transmission from the battery charger 20 to an external device which supports wireless charging, or power transmission from an external device which could wirelessly charge other devices, to the battery charger 20. Preferably, the wireless module supports the Qi standard.

Now turning to Fig. 4, a battery charger 120 contains a power module 121 as well as four electrical interfaces, namely the AC port 123, the wireless module 134, the USB Type-C port 128 and the battery pack interface 130. These components are called electrical interfaces because they provide means for connecting to other external devices (not shown) allowing an electrical energy flow between the battery charger 120 and the external devices. There are different working modes of the battery charger 120. In the working mode shown in Fig. 4, the battery charger 120 is connected via the AC port 123 to a mains electricity supply, for example a wall socket in a house. In this way, the battery charger 120 is powered by the AC power which flows from the AC port 123 to a power module 121. The power module 121 is configured to perform necessary processing to the electrical power so that a source voltage /current may be converted to a target voltage /current. For example, if the incoming AC voltage is 220V, then the power module 121 needs to convert the AC voltage to a DC voltage of 18V for supplying to the battery pack. Additionally, the power module 121 needs to convert the AC voltage to a DC voltage of 5V for supplying to the USB Type-C Port 128. The power module 121 may also perform the function of voltage stabilization and/voltage regulation. In any event, in the working mode in Fig. 4 the power module 121 provides processed electrical power that is originally from the mains electricity to all the electrical interfaces including the wireless module 134, the USB Type-C port 128 and the battery pack interface 130. As a result, a batter pack connected to the battery pack interface 130 can be charged, personal device (s) connected to the USB Type-C Port 128, and another device coupled to the wireless module 134 in a wireless way, can all be charged using processed electrical power that is originally from the mains electricity.

Fig. 5 shows a different working mode of the battery charger 120 and for simplicity the AC port is omitted from the figure. In this working mode, there is no connection of the battery charger 120 to any mains electricity. However, a battery pack connected to the battery pack interface 130 in able to provide electrical power and such electrical power is supplied to the wireless module 134 and/or the USB Type-C port 128. Voltage conversion, stabilization and/or regulation are still performed by the power module 121 when necessary. In this way, the electrical power stored by a battery pack can be used to charge other devices through the wireless module 134 and/or the USB Type-C port 128.

Fig. 6 shows a different working mode of the battery charger 120 and for simplicity the AC port is omitted from the figure. In this working mode, there is no connection of the battery charger 120 to any mains electricity. However, a battery pack connected to the battery pack interface 130 is charged using the electrical power supplied from the wireless module 134 and/or the USB Type-C port 128. Voltage conversion, stabilization and/or regulation are still performed by the power module 121 when necessary. In this way, electrical power stored by other external devices such as mobile power supply or power adapters can be used to charge the power tool battery pack through the wireless module 134 and/or the USB Type-C port 128.

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention are thus fully described. Although the description referred to particular embodiments, it will be clear to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with variation of these specific details. Hence this invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only exemplary embodiments have been shown and described and do not limit the scope of the invention in any manner. It can be appreciated that any of the features described herein may be used with any embodiment. The illustrative embodiments are not exclusive of each other or of other embodiments not recited herein. Accordingly, the invention also provides embodiments that comprise combinations of one or more of the illustrative embodiments described above. Modifications and variations of the invention as herein set forth can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and, therefore, only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated by the appended claims.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

For example, even though in the preferred embodiments above the battery charger carries a USB-Type C port and a wireless module as peripheral electrical interfaces for charging /being charged by devices other than the power tool, one skilled in the art should realize that other types of electrical interfaces can also be configured in the battery charger. For example, connection ports made to other USB standards, IEEE 1394 and

can also be configured on the battery charger to support different types of personal devices.

Also, one skilled in the art should realize that by using the USB Type-C port as a peripheral electrical interface, it is possible to allow electrical power at different voltages to be transmitted to /from the battery charger. For example, for common smartphones the voltage at the USB Type-C port, but higher voltages e.g. 20V are also supported under the USB PD (Power Delivery) specification.

Claims

A battery charger, comprising:

a) a first electrical interface; and

b) a second electrical interface;

wherein the battery charger is configured such that there is allowed an electrical energy flow between the first and second electrical interfaces.
The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein the first electrical interface comprises battery terminals suitable for connecting to a battery pack.
The battery charger according to claim 2, wherein the first electrical interface is adapted to supply electric power from a battery pack connected to the first electrical interface to the second electrical interface.
The battery charger according to claim 2, wherein the first electrical interface is adapted to supply electric power obtained from the second electrical interface to a battery pack connected to the first electrical interface.
The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein the second electrical interface is a USB Type-C port or a wireless charging module.
The battery charger according to claim 1, further comprises an AC power inlet which is adapted to connect to a mains electricity supply to provide electrical power to the first electrical interface and/or the second electrical interface.