Methods of discharge control for a battery pack of a cordless power tool system, a cordless power tool system and battery pack adapted to provide over-discharge protection and discharge control
In a cordless power tool system, a battery pack which may removably attachable to a cordless power tool and to a charger may include at least one battery cell and a power limiting device. The power limiting device may be arranged in series with the at least one battery cell for limiting power output of the battery pack based on the component that is connected to the pack. Current and hence power out of the battery pack may be controlled as a function of total internal impedance in the battery pack, which may be adjusted depending on the component that is connected to the pack.
This application claims domestic priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to the following related U.S. Provisional patent applications filed in the United States Patent & Trademark Office: U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/507,955, filed Oct. 3, 2003, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/510,125, filed Oct. 14, 2003, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/540,323, filed Feb. 2, 2004. The entire contents of the disclosures for each of these provisional applications are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods of discharge control for rechargeable batteries, to a cordless power tool system adapted to provide over-discharge protection and discharge control for an attached battery pack, and to a battery pack including discharge control and over-discharge protection circuits and components.
2. Description of Related Art
Over the past few years, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have begun replacing nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH), and lead-acid batteries in low-voltage, portable electronic devices such as notebook-type personal computers. As compared to NiCd and NiMH batteries, Li-ion batteries are lighter but have a larger capacity per unit volume. For this reason, the Li-ion batteries have been typically suitable to low-voltage devices that are preferably light and which are required to endure continuous use for a long time. In an over-discharged state, however, the Li-ion batteries deteriorate rapidly, thus Li-ion batteries require over-discharge protection.
A battery pack used in a portable electronic device typically has a plurality of battery cells connected in series. The maximum number of battery cells connected in series in one battery pack is determined by the relationship between the output voltage of the battery pack and a power source voltage supplied from outside at the time of charging. For instance, the typical output voltage of one NiCd battery cell or one NiMH battery cell is 1.2 V, and the power source voltage supplied at the time of charging is approximately 1.7 V. Assuming that an 18V output voltage from a battery pack is suitable for most general purpose electronic devices, the maximum number of NiCd or NiMH battery cells connected in series in the battery pack is 15. On the other hand, the typical output voltage of one Li-ion battery cell is approximately 3.6 V. Accordingly, the maximum number of Li-ion battery cells connected in series in one fictional 18V Li-ion battery pack would be 5.
Unlike a NiCd battery pack and a NiMH battery pack, the Li-ion battery pack may include functionality to protect against fault conditions inside and outside the Li-ion battery pack. This prevents cells in the Li-ion battery pack from deteriorating and shortening useful life of the pack. For instance, if a fault condition such as short-circuiting occurs inside or outside the Li-ion battery pack, a fuse may be provided to cut off an over-discharging current or an overcharging current, if the discharging current or charging current becomes larger than a given current level.
Charge/discharge control and over-discharge protection for secondary batteries such as Li-ion batteries may be described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,492,791 to Saeki et al.
The electronic device 11 includes a DC-DC converter 12, a device main body 13, a voltage monitor circuit 14, a regulator 15, a main switch 16, and a reset switch 17. The DC-DC converter 12 is connected to the power source terminal 105 of the battery unit 1, and converts the voltage supplied from the battery unit 1 to a desired voltage. The DC-DC converter 12 is also connected to the regulator 15, and converts the voltage supplied from the regulator 15 to a desired voltage.
The voltage converted by the DC-DC converter 12 is supplied to the device main body 13 via the main switch 16. The main switch 16 is turned on to supply the voltage converted by the DC-DC converter 12 to the device, main body 13. The main switch 16 is interlocked with the reset switch 17, so that when the main switch 16 is turned on, the reset switch 17 is also turned on.
The overcharge monitor circuit 101a includes a comparator 121 that compares the voltage of the battery cell E1 with a reference voltage Vref1 generated by a reference power source e1a. If the voltage of the battery cell E1 is higher than the reference voltage Vref1, the comparator 121 outputs “1”. If the voltage of the battery cell E1 is lower than the reference voltage Vref1, the comparator 121 outputs “0”. Here, “1” indicates that the output of a comparator is at the high logic level, and “0” indicates that the output of a comparator is at the low logic level. Similarly, for cell E2, comparator 122 outputs a “1” if voltage of the battery cell E2 is higher than reference voltage Vref1 generated by reference power source e1b, else it outputs a “0”. Further, comparator 123 compares the voltage of battery cell E3, and outputs “1”, or “0”, depending on whether the voltage of battery cell E3 is higher or lower than the reference voltage Vref1 generated by reference power source e1c.
The outputs of the comparators 121, 122, and 123 are subject to an OR operation at an OR gate 124, which supplies a result of the OR operation to the gate of the FET 103. If any of the outputs of the comparators 121, 122, and 123 is “1”, i.e., if any of the battery cells E1, E2, and E3 is in an overcharged state and the signal supplied from the OR gate 124 to the gate of the FET 103 is “1”, the FET 103 is switched off so as to prevent overcharge.
The over-discharge monitor circuit 101b includes a comparator 111 that compares the voltage of the battery cell E1 with a reference voltage Vref2 generated by the reference power source e2a. If the voltage of the battery cell E1 is higher than the reference voltage Vref2, the comparator 111 outputs “0”. If the voltage of the battery cell E1 is lower than the reference voltage Vref2, the comparator 111 outputs “1”. Similarly, comparator 112 compares the voltage of the battery cell E2 with a reference voltage Vref2 generated by the reference power source e2b. If the voltage of the battery cell E2 is higher than the reference voltage Vref2, the comparator 112 outputs “0”. If the voltage of the battery cell E2 is lower than the reference voltage Vref2, the comparator 112 outputs “1”. The functions of comparator 113 are also similar; the comparator 113 outputs “0” if voltage of the E3 cell is higher than Vref2 generated by reference power source e2c, else comparator 113 outputs “1”.
The outputs of the comparators 111, 112, and 113 are subject to an OR operation at an OR gate 114, which supplies a result of the OR operation to the gate of the FET 104. If any of the outputs of the comparators 111, 112, and 113 is “1”, i.e., if any of the battery cells E1, E2, and E3 is in an over-discharged state and the signal supplied from the OR gate 114 to the gate of the FET 104 is “1”, the FET 104 is switched off so as to prevent over-discharge of the battery unit 1.
The discharge control circuit 2 includes a flip-flop 5 that has a set terminal and a reset terminal. The output of the flip-flop 5 is set at “1” when its set terminal is set at “1”. The output of the flip-flop 5 is reset at “0” when its reset terminal is set at “1”. The set terminal 3 is connected to the set terminal of the flip-flop 5, and the output of an OR gate 6 is supplied to the reset terminal of the flip-flop 5.
The OR gate 6 is supplied with a reset signal applied to the reset terminal 4 and the output of a comparator 8 so as to perform an OR operation on the reset signal and the output of the comparator 8. The comparator 8 detects a voltage between the source and the drain of the charge control FET 103. If the voltage between the source and the drain is higher than a threshold value, the comparator 8 outputs a high-level signal. If the voltage between the source and the drain is lower than the threshold value, the comparator 8 outputs a low-level signal. In this manner, the comparator 8 judges whether the charging voltage is higher than a predetermined level or not from the voltage between the source and the drain of the charge control FET 103, thereby resetting the flip-flop 5.
When the flip-flop 5 is set and the discharge control FET 104 is OFF before charging, the comparator 8 also detects electrification from the voltage between the source and the drain of the charge control FET 103. If electrification is detected, the flip-flop 5 is reset, the output of the flip-flop 5 becomes “low”, and the discharge control FET 104 is turned on.
When the set terminal 3 becomes “1”, the flip-flop 5 outputs “1”. When the output of the reset terminal 4 or the output of the comparator 8 becomes “1”, the flip-flop 5 outputs “0”. The output of the flip-flop 5 is supplied to an OR gate 7. The OR gate 7 is supplied with the output of the over-discharge control circuit 101b as well as the output of the flip-flop 5. The OR gate 7 performs an OR operation on the output of the flip-flop 5 and the output of the over-discharge control circuit 101b.
The output of the OR gate 7 is supplied to the discharge control FET 104. The discharge control FET 104 is OFF when the output of the OR gate 7 is “1”, and is ON when the output of the OR gate is “0”. In other words, when the flip-flop 5 is set, the discharge control FET 104 becomes “1” and is turned off. When the flip-flop 5 is reset and outputs “0”, the discharge control FET 104 is turned on or off depending on the output of the over-discharge control circuit 101b.
The above-described battery unit with charge/discharge control and over-discharge protection is designed primarily for low-voltage portable electronic devices such as notebook-type personal computers, cellular phones, etc., which require voltage generally on the order of 2 to 4 volts. Such devices are characterized by using battery packs composed of cells (such as Li-ion, NiCd, NiMH cells) that provide a maximum output voltage of about 4.2 volts/cell.
However, much higher voltages than described above are required for higher-power electronic devices such as cordless power tools. Accordingly, higher-power battery packs may be in the process of being developed for cordless power tools. Such “high-power” battery packs may provide higher voltage outputs than conventional NiCd and NiMH battery packs (and substantially higher power than conventional Li-ion packs used for PCs and cell phones), and at a much reduced weight (as compared to conventional NiCd or NiMH battery packs used as power sources in conventional cordless power tools). A characteristic of these battery packs is that the battery packs may exhibit substantially lower impedance characteristics than conventional NiCd, NiMH and/or even the lower power Li-ion packs.
However, as this battery technology advances the introduction of lower impedance chemistries (such as lithium-ion chemistry) and construction styles to develop secondary batteries generating substantially higher output voltages then about 4.2 volts/cell may possibly create compatibility issues with existing cordless power tools. As total internal pack impedance drops, the pack can supply substantially higher current to an attached electronic component, such as a power tool. As current through a tool motor of the attached tool increases, demagnetization forces (e.g., the number of armature turns of the motor times the current, ampere-turns) could substantially increase beyond a desired or design limit in the motor. Such undesirable demagnetization could thus potentially burn up the tool motor.
For example, a lower impedance electrical source could cause damage to a tool's motor when the tool is held at stall condition. During motor stall, the motor and battery impedances are the only mechanisms to limit the current since there is no back-EMF created by the motor. With a lower impedance pack, the currents would be higher. Higher currents through the motor might cause a stronger de-magnetization force than what the tool's permanent magnets were designed to withstand. Additionally, start-up of the tool could produce excessive starting currents and cause demagnetization of the motor. Thermal overload could also be a result of using a low impedance electrical source in an existing power tool, as the new batteries may be designed to run longer and harder than what the original cordless tool system was designed. Accordingly, over-discharge and/or other current limiting controls may need to be in place before these developing lower-impedance batteries may be used with existing cordless power tools, for example.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn general, exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to a cordless power tool system, battery pack and to method of providing discharge control in the system and/or battery pack. In an exemplary cordless power tool system, a battery pack, which may removably attachable to a cordless power tool and to a charger of the system, may include at least one battery cell and a power limiting device. The power limiting device may be arranged in series with the at least one battery cell for limiting power output of the battery pack based on the component that is connected to the pack. Current and hence power out of the battery pack may be controlled as a function of a total internal impedance of the battery pack, which may be adjusted depending on the component that is connected to the pack.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are represented by like reference numerals and prime and multiple prime notation indicates similar elements in alternate embodiments, which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not limitative of the present invention.
With general reference to the drawings, a system of cordless power tools constructed in accordance with the teachings of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is illustrated. Exemplary cordless power tools of the system are shown to include, by way of examples, a circular power saw 10 (
With continued reference to the drawings, the removable power source which may be embodied as a battery pack 40. In the exemplary embodiments illustrated, the battery pack may be a rechargeable battery pack 40. Battery pack 40 may include a plurality of battery cells connected in series, and/or a plurality of serially-connected strings of cells, in which the strings are in parallel with one another. For purposes of describing the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, battery pack 40 may be composed of cells having a lithium-ion cell chemistry. As the exemplary embodiments are directed to the cordless power tool environment, which requires power sources having much higher voltage ratings than conventional low voltage devices using Li-ion battery technology, (such as laptop computers and cellular phones) the nominal voltage rating of the battery pack 40 may be at least 18V.
However, pack 40 may be composed of cells of another lithium-based chemistry, such as lithium metal or lithium polymer, or other chemistry such as nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel metal hydride (NiMH) and lead-acid, for example, in terms of the chemistry makeup of individual cells, electrodes and electrolyte of the pack 40.
As used hereafter, the term ‘lower-impedance battery pack’ may be defined as a battery pack which is intended to supplement or replace existing, conventional battery packs in a cordless power tool system. A lower-impedance battery pack, such as the aforementioned Li-ion battery pack, may occasionally be referred to as a ‘first’ battery pack hereafter, and may be applicable for the pack 40 in any of the exemplary cordless power tool systems illustrated in
The lower impedance battery pack may produce at least a similar output voltage (and/or preferably higher voltages) but has lower internal pack impedance as compared to the standard battery pack. This lower internal impedance is designed to allow the use of higher charge and discharge currents with less voltage drop and thermal heating of the pack, then possible with standard battery packs currently used in cordless power tool systems. Accordingly, the lower impedance battery pack may provide higher current and hence higher power, due to its lower total internal pack impedance to power a cordless power tool, as compared to its counterpart standard battery pack.
The term ‘new tool’ (occasionally also referred to also as a ‘first power tool’) may be defined as a cordless power tool that is designed for and capable of operating with the aforementioned lower-impedance battery packs as part of a cordless power tool system as shown in the exemplary
The existing cordless power tool system may consist of a charger, standard battery pack for a cordless power tool (i.e., NiCd, NiMH, etc.) and various power tools that meet each other components' design specifications and capabilities. The power tools for the existing cordless power tool system may be occasionally referred to as an ‘old’ or ‘second’ power tool for purposes of clarity and distinction from the new or first power tool.
The second power tool hence is designed to operate with the standard battery pack at lower currents, which thus may output lower current and hence power, due to its higher total internal pack impedance than the first battery pack. Conversely, the first battery pack may thus be characterized as providing a higher current and a higher power, because of its lower internal impedance, than the second, standardized battery pack that is designed to operate with the conventional, second power tool.
Several solutions may be possible to allow use of these new lower-impedance battery packs. Firstly, the new lower-impedance battery packs could be locked out from an existing power tool base, perhaps by reconfiguring the pack to tool interface so as to prevent use with existing tools. Secondly, an upgrade kit could be sold for integration with the tool motor or tool electronics, so as to provide a mechanism for enabling the existing power tool to withstand the new lower-impedance battery pack's more extreme capabilities. An exemplary upgrade kit might include a new or replacement tool motor with thicker magnets to handle the higher magnetic fields that are produced at stall when using a lower-impedance battery pack.
Another alternative may be to limit the peak current out of the lower-impedance battery pack and/or to increase the effective impedance of the battery pack so that it matches today's design capabilities for the standard battery pack and existing cordless power tool system. Limiting the peak current out of a lower-impedance battery is designed to prevent excessive currents during heavy loading or start-up conditions.
Other damage to an attached tool may occur by the excessive power capability of the lower-impedance battery pack. At a given current, i.e., 40 amps, a lower-impedance battery pack will have less voltage drop inside the pack than a standard battery pack. While the standard battery pack may have an output voltage of 12 volts (from a no-load voltage of 18 volts), the lower-impedance battery pack (with at least half the internal impedance of the standard battery pack) would have an output voltage of about at least 15 volts under the same 40 Amp discharge current. A tool motor powered by a standard battery pack is controlling about 480 watts of input power, while the same motor powered by a lower-impedance pack would be controlling about at least 600 watts of input power.
Obviously, in this example, the second or old power tool should be able to handle the higher power capability, if it is to be used with the lower-impedance battery pack. With this in mind, it is thus desirable to limit the power that the lower-impedance battery pack can deliver for existing old tools that have not been designed for the higher power levels. In an aspect, following disclosure may detail how peak current out of the lower-impedance battery pack may be limited, and/or how the effective internal impedance of the battery pack may be raised so that the lower-impedance battery pack may be used with both existing and developing, higher power output tool systems.
The standard pack 400 may further include a temperature sensor 440. The temperature sensor 440 may communicate the temperature inside the battery pack 400 to a connected charger or tool (not shown), for example. As such temperature sensors are known in the art, a detailed explanation of functional operation is omitted for purposes of brevity.
Battery pack 450 depicted in
Pack 450 may be comprised of a plurality of serially-connected cells 410 (five shown for simplicity, pack 450 could have greater than five cells or may be composed of serial strings of cells with the serial strings in parallel with each other). In an example, battery pack 450 may be comprised of at least five serially-connected cells having a Li-ion cell chemistry and so configured that pack 450 may have a nominal voltage rating of at least 18 volts and/or may have a maximum power output of at least 385 Watts. However, pack 450 may be embodied as a pack having another lithium-based chemistry, or as a nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride and/or lead-acid pack, for example, in terms of the chemistry makeup of individual cells, electrodes and electrolyte of the pack 450.
Five (5) terminals are illustrated for the pack 450 in
In addition to the Pack ID and temperature sensor described above, the lower-impedance battery pack 450 may contain a discharge control circuit 460 capable of monitoring battery voltage (via a voltage monitor circuit 415), battery current (through a current sensor 470), and battery temperature (via temperature sensor 440). Current sensor 470 may be embodied as known components for current sensors, such as a shunt resistor, current transformer, etc. which may provide a signal representing sensed current in pack 450 to discharge control circuit 460. Voltage monitor circuit 415 may be embodied by any known voltage monitor circuit, for example, and may be configured to sense individual cell voltage and/or sense total pack voltage of the string of cells 410 (‘stack voltage’) to provide a signal representing the individual cell or stack voltage to discharge control circuit 460.
Discharge control circuit 460 may be an intelligent device embodied in hardware or software as a digital microcontroller, a microprocessor such as a Pentium microprocessor chip, an analog circuit, a digital signal processor or by one or more digital ICs such an application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), for example. Pack 450 may also be configured for communicating and sensing information from the attached tool (not shown) through communication terminals 480. In an example, if pack 450 is operatively connected to the first power tool or a power tool configured with intelligence (such as a microprocessor) or other electronic processor, the discharge control circuit 460 of pack 450 may be able to receive, via terminal 480, information related to one or more of a power limit, current limit and/or voltage limitation for the first power tool.
Using combinations of this data, the discharge control circuit 460 may act to place restrictions of the maximum power and current through the battery 450. The discharge control circuit 460 may accomplish this by controlling a power limiting device 490 placed in series with the battery cells 410. The power limiting device 490 may limit current in the battery pack 450 and hence, power out. Power limiting device 490 may also be understood as, and/or occasionally referred to as, one or more of a current limiting means, device or circuit, and/or an impedance matching means, device or circuit. Hereafter, various configurations for providing discharge control for the lower-impedance battery pack 450 are described in further detail.
The power limiting device 490 as shown in pack 450 of
In an exemplary embodiment, raising the internal impedance of the lower-impedance battery pack 450 may be effected by utilizing passive resistance in the battery pack. For example, a series resistor (
Using a resistor in series as shown in
Further, a printed circuit board (PCB) track could be used to increase total pack impedance, as shown as
By adding impedance to the lower-impedance cells, the overall system reliability is not diminished by the lower-impedance cells' higher current and greater power capability. Accordingly, discharge control and over-discharge protection for cells of the lower-impedance battery pack may be provided by raising the internal impedance of the lower-impedance battery pack in an effort to reduce the pack's output power capability and maximum output current.
The active resistance device 600 for limiting power output may further be embodied as a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) element or a device which includes a PTC. PTC elements are known as protective elements for controlling the current which flows through circuits to be protected, since their resistance value increases as they give off heat in over-current conditions. For example, PTC thermistors have been used as an over-current protection element. When an electric circuit gets overloaded, conductive polymers of a PTC thermistor, which have PTC properties, emit heat and thermally expand to become high resistance, thereby reducing the current in the circuit to a safe, relatively small current level.
Accordingly, if a PTC device such as described above is connected in series with the battery, the impedance of the PTC device, and hence pack impedance, increases with increasing current. If substantially low impedance is needed and no commercially available single PTC can offer the desired low impedance and/or current capability, then multiple PTC's could be connected in parallel with each other to share the current. It should be readily understood that the active resistance measures described above could be combined in a battery circuit of the low impedance battery pack to dynamically raise the total pack impedance based on load conditions of a given, attached tool. By adding impedance to the lower-impedance cells, the overall system reliability is not diminished by the lower-impedance cells' higher current capability. Discharge control and over-discharge protection may thus be in place for the cells 410 of the lower-impedance battery pack 450.
In an alternative, the sensed signal (or lack thereof) may be used by the discharge control circuit 460 of the lower-impedance battery pack 450 (or other intelligent device or microprocessor in pack 450) to control impedance adding circuit 800 for adjusting (or maintaining) the total pack impedance for the battery pack 450. Controlling the impedance of the battery pack 450 allows the benefits of the pack to be maximized in a new cordless power tool base designed for use with pack 450, while preventing over-discharge conditions in the pack from occurring, which could cause corresponding overload damage to the existing or old cordless power tool base.
The sensor 810 may be embodied as a magnetic sensor or an inductive pick-up sensor, for example, which senses signals in the new tools. It is within the scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention to use radio frequency (RF) communications and optical sensing as other forms of sensing in order to distinguish whether a new line of tool (cordless power tool adapted for use with the lower-impedance battery pack 450) or older generation of tool (i.e., tool configured for use with the standard pack 400) is being attached to the lower-impedance battery pack 450, for example.
The tools (new or old) may include a motor 910, semiconductor device 920 and control circuit 930. The semiconductor device 920 in conjunction with the control circuit 930 may enable the tool to be used in variable speed modes, for example. The control circuit 930 may be embodied as a suitable intelligent device such as a microprocessor chip, for example. It is known that such a control circuit 930 in a power tool may detect a trigger switch of the power tool and create a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal that is input to the semiconductor device 920. The PWM signal may turn the semiconductor device 920 on and off rapidly ‘pulsing’ the device, to create an average voltage across the motor 910 that is lower than the applied battery voltage and proportional to the trigger setting of the power tool. In power tools without variable speed, only the motor 910 is connected to the terminals and there is no need for a semiconductor device 920 and control circuit 930.
Referring to
If the battery pack 450 is connected to an old tool, the thermistor terminal 940 is left connected only to the negative battery terminal through the thermistor 970. The voltage on the thermistor terminal 940 will be zero with respect to the battery negative terminal. In an example, the sensing circuit may be a comparator 980. The comparator 980 compares this voltage with a preset reference level 990. Since the thermistor terminal 940 voltage is lower than the reference 990, the comparator output is low (in
If the battery pack 450 were connected to a new tool as in
As discussed above, the sensing circuit 980 could be part of a discharge control circuit 460 shown in
The impedance adding circuit 1010 is another embodiment of a power limiting device 490 of
The lower-impedance battery pack 450 may include additional power contacts, if desired. For example, a system as shown in
While the previous example of the new tools shown in
For example, the terminal indicator may be embodied as a simple indicator such as an identification (ID) resistor tied to a specific polarity setting (similar to as described in the thermistor contact of
Semiconductor device 1320 is shown as an N-channel MOSFET; (FET 1320), and occasionally hereafter may be referred to as a ‘discharge FET’; however, any semiconductor device capable of passing/blocking current may be utilized for purposes of discharge control in accordance with the exemplary embodiments. In general, in one example, FET 1320 may be set (i.e., at time of manufacture) to turn ON/OFF at given currents, or may receive a control signal from the discharge control circuit 1310 to turn ON or OFF at given current(s), such as when pack current reaches a maximum current threshold.
Further, the FET 1320 may be pulsed to provide an average voltage across the tool motor. When the duty cycle (relationship between operating time and rest time of the motor) is decreased, the average voltage drops and the maximum current capability out of the pack also drops. If the duty cycle of the FET 1320 is increased, the average output voltage would increase and therefore, the maximum current capability would increase as well. In this configuration, the FET 1320 remains fully ON until the current exceeds some upper limit. The discharge control circuit 1310 could then reduce the duty cycle on FET 1320 to decrease the average output voltage provided to the tool motor. This drop in output voltage reduces the output current. The discharge control device 1310 may thus limit the current provided to the tool to some given maximum threshold current value by changing the average output voltage out of the battery pack 450. Since the discharge control can limit current and voltage out of the battery pack, it is effectively controlling the battery’ pack's total internal impedance, or ‘effective impedance’, as seen by the tool. As an example, if the discharge control circuit 1310 is sensing pack current during pack-tool operations, directly or via a signal received from a current sensing device such as current sensor 470 of
Because of the inherent inductance found in most motors, the current cannot change instantaneously when the FET 1320 is turned OFF based on an over-current condition in the pack. A recirculating diode 1330 shown in
An alternative placement of the diode 1330 in
In an effort to reduce power losses even further, the circuit in
The discharge control circuits 460/1310 have been described as including intelligence. If such intelligence is adapted to monitor the current flowing through the battery cells (via a current sensor 470 as shown in
For example, and when attached to an existing ‘old’′tool for all normal operations, the battery pack 450 could remain in low impedance mode with the FET(s) 1320 (or 1320 and 1320′) in the ON state. Only during stall and start-up conditions (when motor impedance is substantially low and currents get too high) would there be a need to change total internal pack impedance by reducing the PWM duty cycle.
Intelligence in the discharge control circuit 460/1310 (or possibly in a separate battery control circuit, for example) such as a microcontroller or DSP controller) could periodically sense the current through a current sensing device such as the aforementioned current sensor 470 of
Referring to the “knee” of
Just before the knee in
The discharge control described in FIGS. 13A-D performs what is referred to as ‘current shaping’. Current shaping may be defined as using active electronic controls to change the V-I curves of a battery output. With current shaping, the battery output of
Thus,
The circuit in any of
The idea of limiting current, and hence power, may be unnecessary if, once the tool is stalled, the user should turn the trigger off before the tool will start up again. Such an example of this case may be where a circular saw binds to a stall in a piece of wood. If the trigger is held on, the tool will remain stalled and waste energy heating the motor and pack. If, however, the current is turned off once the stall threshold is reached, the user could be forced to release the trigger, remove the saw from the bind, and then re-trigger to start up again. By holding the FET 1320 in
As is known, current flow through the pack during power operations with the tool creates a magnetic field between the primary and secondary coils 1735, 1740. When the magnetic field is sufficient to activate the switch 1750, the current is diverted through the diode 1730 and secondary coil 1740 with N+turns. Because the second branch (secondary coil 1740) has more turns, it holds the switch 1750 in that position while the current decays within the battery pack through the diode 1730 and secondary coil 1740. At a second lower threshold, the current through the N+ windings of secondary coil 1740 may have decreased to a point that is not sufficient to hold the switch state of switch 1750, and it returns back to the original state, which connects the battery pack to the tool motor once again. This process thus creates a motor current limit with hysteresis.
Alternatively, if a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) relay is used (an SPDT relay is a general purpose relay for controlling high current draw devices), the same type of circuit could be employed, but with each branch of the relay coil connected to separate contacts. In this alternative embodiment, the large free-wheeling diode 1730 is no longer needed and the design could be simplified.
In
In
In
As an example of discharge control, if the current sensor 2015 senses battery power (e.g. I2/R) above a given threshold, the current sensor 2015 may send a signal to the microprocessor 2010. The microprocessor 2010 then outputs a control signal, via contact 2019 to control terminal 2017 and hence to FET 2030 such as an N-channel MOSFET), to turn off MOSFET 2030 and thus de-energize the battery pack. The control signal to the MOSFET 2030 may be a signal to turn the FET ON or OFF, as described previously in
For variable speed control, a measured variable resistance from a voltage sense device such as a potentiometer 2020 may be input to the microprocessor 2010 (with suitable A/D conversion, not shown). The microprocessor 2010 can determine the voltage value based on the variable resistance and can control speed accordingly (via a control signal that is sent to the MOSFET 2030). Similarly, based on a value sensed over the path between contacts 2023 and 2021 and sent by temperature sensor 2025, microprocessor 2010 may send a signal to turn off the MOSFET 2030 if the sensed value is outside of a given temperature range, for example. In all cases, a single MOSFET 2030 may be utilized to perform both variable speed control and discharge control.
Additional Over-Discharge Protection
Referring to
In another implementation, the fault detection circuit 2110 could communicate a fault condition to the charger using some type of data communications over the thermistor terminal 2130 or the pack id terminal or the positive terminal of the battery pack. A fault condition in the active resistance circuit 2120 could also be detected by the charger sensing that a battery pack fuse 2145 has opened when the battery is inserted into the charger.
The exemplary embodiments of the present invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as departure from the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A battery pack removably attachable to a cordless power tool and to a charger, comprising:
- at least one battery cell; and
- at least one power limiting device arranged in series with the at least one battery cell for limiting at least one of power and current output of the battery pack based on the component that is connected to the pack.
2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein
- the component is a cordless power tool, and
- the battery pack is adapted to provide a one of a first current and power to drive a first power tool that is designed to operate with the battery pack and for driving a second power tool configured to ‘operate at one of a second current and power lower than the first current or power, the second power tool designed for operation with a second battery pack.
3. The battery pack of claim 2, wherein the power limiting device is adapted to raise internal impedance of the battery pack to match an internal impedance of the second battery pack, when operatively connected and providing power to the second power tool, thereby limiting one of a maximum current within the battery pack and a maximum power that can be output by the battery pack to the second power tool.
4. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the component is a charger.
5. The battery pack of claim 1, further comprising:
- an identification device for identifying the battery pack upon connection to an external component.
6. The battery pack of claim 1, further comprising:
- a discharge control circuit for restricting at least one of a maximum power and a maximum current that can be output from the battery pack.
7. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the discharge control circuit is configured to monitor battery voltage, battery current and battery temperature.
8. The battery pack of claim 6, further comprising:
- a temperature sensor for sensing cell temperature to output a sensed signal to the discharge control circuit; and
- a current sensor for sensing battery current to output a sensed signal to the discharge control circuit.
- a voltage monitor circuit for sensing one of individual cell voltage and total pack voltage of the pack to output a sensed signal to the discharge control circuit.
9. The battery pack of claim 6, further comprising:
- at least one communication terminal for communicating information to, and sensing information from, an attached external component.
10. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein at least one cell has a lithium-ion cell chemistry.
11. A cordless power tool system, comprising:
- a power tool; and
- a battery pack removably attachable to the power tool, the pack including at least one battery cell and at least one power limiting device arranged in series with the at least one battery cell for limiting one of power output and current output from the battery pack.
12. In a cordless power tool system including a battery pack that is removably attachable to a power tool and to a charger, a method of limiting one of power and current out of a battery pack, comprising:
- limiting one of power and current output of the battery pack as a function of the component that is connected to the pack.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein
- the component is embodied a power tool, and
- the battery pack is adapted to provide one of a first current and first power to drive a first power tool that is designed to operate with the battery pack and for driving a second power tool configured to operate at one of a second current and second power lower than the first current or power, the second power tool designed for operation with a second battery pack.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein limiting one of power and current output of the battery pack further comprises:
- raising internal impedance of the battery pack to match an internal impedance of the second battery pack, when operatively connected and providing power to the second power tool, thereby limiting one of a maximum current within the battery pack and a maximum power that can be output by the battery pack to the second power tool.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein limiting one of power and current output of the battery pack further comprises:
- maintaining internal impedance of the battery pack when operatively connected and providing power to the first power tool.
16. In a cordless power tool system having a power tool and a battery pack removably attachable to the power tool, a method of controlling discharge rate of a plurality of serially connected cells in the battery pack, comprising:
- raising total internal pack impedance of a first battery pack to match an internal impedance of a second battery pack designed for a given power tool so as to control discharge rate of the serially-connected cells in the first battery pack to prevent one or more cells in the first battery pack from reaching one of an over-discharge state and an over-current condition, when the first battery pack is operatively connected and providing power to the given power tool.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein raising total internal pack impedance includes adding a series resistance between a series connection of the cells in the first battery back and a terminal connection point of the first battery pack to increase total internal impedance of the first battery pack.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein raising total internal pack impedance includes lengthening connecting wires extending between each cell and a terminal connection point to increase total internal impedance of the first battery pack.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein raising total internal pack impedance includes modifying a cross-sectional area of battery straps that connect the cells so as to increase total impedance of the first battery pack.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein raising total internal pack impedance includes dynamically adding, as a function of power tool load on the first battery pack, a series resistance between a series connection of the cells and a terminal connection point of the first battery pack, so as to increase total internal impedance of the first battery pack.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the dynamically adding of resistance is implemented by at least one semiconductor device of the first battery pack performing a current limiting function.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein the dynamically adding of resistance is implemented by a positive temperature coefficient (PCT) element of the first battery pack.
23. A cordless power tool system, comprising:
- a power tool; and
- a battery pack removably attachable to the power tool,
- the battery pack including one or more serially-connected cells therein and at least one power limiting device in series with at least one of the serially-connected cells, the at least one power limiting device adapted to raise total internal pack impedance of the battery pack to match an internal impedance of a second battery pack that is designed for operation with the power tool, so as to control discharge rate of the serially-connected cells and prevent one or more cells from reaching one of an over-discharge state and an over-current state, when the battery pack is operatively connected and providing power to the power tool.
24. The system of claim 23, wherein
- the power tool encompasses a first power tool designed for operation with the first battery pack and a second power tool designed for operation with the second battery pack, and
- first battery pack is characterized as providing a higher current and a higher power at a lower total internal pack impedance than the second battery pack.
25. A battery pack operatively attachable to differently-rated cordless power tools, the battery pack adapted for controlling discharge rate therein, comprising:
- at least one or more serially-connected battery cells for providing one of a first current and first power to drive a first power tool that is designed to operate with the battery pack and for driving a second power tool configured to operate at one of a second current and second power lower than the first current or power; and
- at least one power limiting device for raising internal impedance of the battery pack to match an internal impedance of another, second battery pack that is designed to operate with the second power tool to control discharge rate of cells in the battery pack, so as to prevent one or more cells from reaching one of an over-discharge state and an over-current state during operation with the second power tool.
26. The battery pack of claim 25, wherein the at least one power limiting device includes a passive resistance device to raise total internal impedance of the battery pack.
27. The battery pack of claim 26, wherein the passive resistance device is a resistor placed in series with the battery cells between one of the battery cells and a terminal of the battery pack.
28. The battery pack of claim 26, wherein the passive resistance device is embodied by connecting wires extending between each cell and a terminal, the connecting wires being lengthened to increase total internal impedance of the battery pack.
29. The battery pack of claim 26, wherein the passive resistance device is embodied by modifying battery straps connecting the cells to increase total internal impedance of the battery pack.
30. The battery pack of claim 25, wherein the at least one power limiting device includes an active resistance device to increase total internal impedance of the battery pack.
31. The battery pack of claim 30, wherein the active resistance device dynamically adds a series resistance as a function of tool load between a series connection of the cells and a terminal connection point of the battery to increase total internal impedance of the battery pack.
32. The battery pack of claim 30, wherein the active resistance device is at least one semiconductor device with current limiting function in series with at least one of the one or more serially-connected cells.
33. The battery pack of claim 30, wherein the active resistance device is at least two semiconductor devices with current limiting function operating in parallel to form a parallel combination in series with at least one of the one or more serially-connected cells.
34. The battery pack of claim 30, wherein the active resistance device is a positive temperature coefficient (PCT) element.
35. The battery pack of claim 25, wherein the battery pack is a lithium-ion battery pack, and the second battery pack having an internal impedance to be matched is a nickel cadmium or nickel metal hydride battery pack.
36. A battery pack adapted to power one of a first power tool and a second power tool, the first power tool configured to operate at a higher current or power than the second power tool, the battery pack characterized as providing a higher current and a higher power at a lower internal impedance than that of a second battery pack designed for operation with the second power tool, the battery pack comprising:
- a sensor adapted to selectively add internal impedance in the battery pack based on a indicator signal indicating that the battery pack is connected to one of the first or second power tools, and
- an active resistance device for dynamically adding a series resistance to increase total internal impedance of the battery pack, depending on the indicator signal.
37. The battery pack of claim 36, wherein the active resistance device is bypassed when the indicator signal indicates that the first power tool is connected to the battery pack.
38. The battery pack of claim 36, wherein the active resistance device is activated to add internal impedance in the battery pack the indicator signal indicates that the second power tool is connected to the battery pack, facilitating raising of the internal impedance in the battery pack to match an internal impedance of the second battery pack that is designed to operate with the second power tool.
39. The battery pack of claim 36, wherein the sensor is embodied as one of an inductive pick-up sensor, magnetic sensor, radio frequency sensor and optical sensor for sensing a corresponding induction signal, magnetic signal, RF signal or optical signal that is generated based on engagement of one of the first and second power tools with the battery pack.
40. A battery pack adapted to power a first power tool configured to operate at one of a higher current and power than a second power tool, comprising:
- a positive terminal;
- a negative terminal;
- a third terminal for sensing power operation of the first or second power tool to provide a sensed signal, when the pack is attached thereto; and
- a control circuit for determining a desired internal impedance mode for the battery pack based on the sensed signal received from an attached one of the first and second power tools via the third terminal.
41. The battery pack of claim 40, wherein the battery pack is adapted to a higher current and a higher power at a lower total internal pack impedance than a second battery pack that is designed to operate with the second power tool.
42. The battery pack of claim 41, wherein
- the third terminal is a thermistor contact terminal that is open when the pack is connected to the second power tool, and
- the control circuit sets a high impedance mode based on lack of receipt of the sensed signal, adding resistance to raise the internal impedance of the pack to match an internal impedance of the second battery pack that is designed to operate with the second power tool.
43. The battery pack of claim 42, wherein
- the thermistor contact terminal senses a signal from the first power tool when the pack is connected to the first power tool, and
- the control circuit sets a low impedance mode based on the received sensed signal.
44. The battery pack of claim 41, wherein
- the third terminal is an additional power contact terminal, and
- the control circuit is a current limiting device configured to selectively add resistance to raise total internal pack impedance based on connective engagement of the additional power contact terminal with a corresponding power contact terminal on one of the first and second power tools.
45. The battery pack of claim 44, wherein
- only the first power tool has a corresponding power contact terminal, and
- the current limiting device maintains a low impedance mode based on a signal received via the corresponding power contact terminal of the first power tool.
46. The battery pack of claim 44, wherein the current limiting circuit selects a high impedance mode for adding resistance to raise the internal impedance of the pack to match an internal impedance of the second battery pack designed to operate with the second power tool, only when the battery pack is connected to the second power tool.
47. A battery pack adapted to power a first power tool configured to operate at one of a higher current and power than a second power tool, the first and second power tools including a motor, semiconductor device and control circuit, the semiconductor device and control circuit adapted for providing variable speed control in the motor of the first or second power tool, the battery pack comprising:
- a positive terminal;
- a negative terminal;
- a third terminal for receiving an indicator from the semiconductor device of one of the first and second power tools; and
- a current limiting device connected to the third terminal and configured to select a desired impedance mode to selectively add resistance to raise internal impedance of the battery pack, based on the received indicator.
48. The battery pack of claim 47, wherein the battery pack is configured to provide a higher current and a higher power at a lower internal impedance than a second battery pack that is designed to operate with the second power tool.
49. The battery pack of claim 48, wherein lack of receipt of the indicator signal when the second power tool is attached causes the current limiting device to select a high impedance mode for adding resistance, raising the internal impedance of the pack to match an internal impedance of the second battery pack.
50. The battery pack of claim 47, wherein receipt of the indicator signal causes the current limiting device to select a low impedance mode for the pack, maintaining internal impedance of the pack.
51. The battery pack of claim 50, wherein the indicator generated by the semiconductor device of the first power tool is embodied as one of a given resistance value, polarity setting, torque value, speed, temperature and motor field strength value of the first power tool.
52. A cordless power tool having a positive terminal, negative terminal, motor, semiconductor device and control circuit, the cordless power tool designed to operate with a battery pack having a positive terminal, negative terminal and a third terminal, the cordless power tool comprising:
- a third terminal sending an indicator generated by the semiconductor device to the corresponding third terminal of the battery pack indicating an impedance mode to be selected for the cordless power tool.
53. The cordless power tool of claim 52, wherein the indicator is embodied as one of a given resistance value, polarity setting, torque value, speed, temperature and motor field strength value of the cordless power tool.
54. In a cordless power tool system having a power tool and a battery pack removably attachable to the power tool, a method of controlling discharge rate of one or more serially-connected cells in the battery pack to protect the cells from an over-current condition, comprising:
- controlling at least one semiconductor device in the pack in series with at least one of the one or more serially-connected cells so as to selectively control total internal battery pack impedance.
55. The method of claim 54, wherein controlling further includes controlling at least two semiconductor devices operating in parallel to form a parallel combination that is in series with at least one of the one or more serially-connected cells.
56. The method of claim 55, further comprising:
- sensing current in the pack during power tool operations,
- wherein controlling further includes maintaining the at least one semiconductor device energized until sensed current meets or exceeds a given maximum current threshold, pulse width modulating the at least one semiconductor device to raise an effective internal pack impedance, as seen by the power tool, until the sensed current has dropped below the given threshold.
57. A cordless power tool system, comprising:
- a power tool, and
- a battery pack having a plurality of serially-connected cells and removably attached to the power tool, the pack including a discharge control circuit controlling at least one semiconductor device so as to selectively control the average voltage applied to the tool motor so as to control at least one of power and current output from the battery pack.
58. The system of claim 57, wherein the at least one semiconductor device is a field effect transistor in series with at least one of the plurality of serially-connected cells.
59. The system of claim 57, wherein the battery pack includes at least at least two field-effect transistors operating in parallel to form a parallel combination that is in series with at least one of the serially-connected cells.
60. The system of claim 57, wherein
- the battery pack includes a current sensor between a terminal of the pack and at least one of the cells for sensing battery current and for outputting a sensed signal to the discharge control circuit, and
- as the pack is providing power to a tool motor of the power tool, the discharge control circuit controls the duty cycle of the at least one semiconductor device to selectively control the average voltage applied to the tool motor so as to control at least one of power and current output from the battery pack.
61. The system of claim 60, wherein
- the at least one semiconductor device is a pulse width modulated field-effect transistor (FET), and
- as sensed current approaches a maximum current threshold during pack-tool operations, the discharge control circuit pulse width modulates the FET to selectively reduce the voltage applied to the tool motor so as to cause a gradual drop in voltage and current out-of the pack.
62. The system of claim 61, wherein the gradual reduction in output voltage causes a drop in motor RPM which changes motor noise, informing a user of the tool that the tool is approaching one of a stall and overload condition.
63. The system of claim 60, wherein the discharge control circuit controls the duty cycle of the at least one FET so that the FET remains energized until pack current reaches a maximum current threshold, whereupon the FET is de-energized and current flow, forced by an inductive nature of the tool motor, is returned back to the motor by a recirculation path in one of the battery pack and the power tool.
64. The system of claim 63, wherein the recirculation path is in the battery pack and includes a diode blocking current when the at least one FET is energized but allowing current to pass from a negative terminal of the battery pack to a positive terminal of the pack.
65. The system of claim 63, wherein the recirculation path is in the power tool and includes a diode blocking current when the at least one FET is energized but allowing current to pass from a negative terminal of the power tool to a positive terminal of the power tool.
66. The system of claim 60, wherein
- the at least one semiconductor device includes first and second pulse width modulated field-effect transistors (FETs), the second FET operating synchronously with the first FET, and
- as sensed current approaches a maximum current threshold during pack-tool operations, the discharge control circuit pulse width modulates the first and second FETs to selectively reduce the voltage applied to the tool motor so as to cause a gradual drop in voltage and current out of the pack.
67. The system of claim 66, wherein the discharge control circuit controls the duty cycle of the first and second FETs so that the first FET remains energized and the second FET de-energized until pack current reaches a maximum current threshold, whereupon the first FET is de-energized and the second FET is energized so that current flow, forced by an inductive nature of the tool motor, is returned back to the motor by a recirculation path in the battery pack, the recirculation path including the second FET.
68. The system of claim 67, wherein the first FET reverts to an energized state and the second FET is de-energized once sensed current in the pack drops below the current threshold.
69. In a cordless power tool system having a power tool and a battery pack removably attachable to the power tool, the battery pack including one or more serially-connected cells, a discharge control circuit, comprising:
- a current controlled relay arranged in a current path of the pack to provide a current limiting function with hysteresis that limits current out of the pack to a motor of the tool.
70. The system of claim 69, wherein the current controlled relay further comprises:
- a primary coil having N turns,
- a switch, the switch and primary coil in series between a negative terminal of the pack and at least one cell of the pack,
- a secondary coil having first and second ends, at least N+1 turns, the first end of the secondary coil magnetically connected to the switch, and
- a diode connected between a positive terminal of the pack and the second end of the secondary coil,
- wherein the switch has a first state which connects the battery pack to a motor of the tool and a second state which interrupts current to the tool.
71. The system of claim 70, wherein
- current flow through the pack during power operations with the tool creates a magnetic field between the primary and secondary coils, and
- as current increases in the pack to a given maximum current threshold for power tool operations, the magnetic field generated activates the switch to the second state, interrupting current to the tool.
72. The system of claim 70, wherein the additional turns of the secondary coil enable the secondary coil to hold the switch in the second state to enable current within the pack to decay through the secondary coil and diode, until the current drops to a second threshold at which the magnetic field is unable to hold the switch in its second state, the switch returning to the first state to connect the pack to the tool.
73. A cordless power tool system, comprising:
- a power tool including a tool motor, and
- a battery pack having a plurality of cells and removably attached to the power tool for providing power to the motor, wherein a control signal related to speed control information for the motor of the tool is an input for controlling the current output from the cells for powering the tool.
74. The system of claim 73, wherein discharge control for current out of the pack and speed control for controlling speed of the tool resides in the battery pack.
75. The system of claim 73,
- wherein the battery pack further includes: a positive terminal, a negative terminal, a control terminal, at least one semiconductor device between the negative terminal and at least one cell for providing variable speed control for the tool motor, a discharge control circuit operatively connected to the positive terminal and control terminal, and operatively connected to the semiconductor device for controlling the semiconductor device,
- wherein the power tool further includes: a pair of power terminals, one power terminal connected to the positive terminal and the other to the negative terminals of the pack, a voltage sense device between the power terminals for sensing a voltage value corresponding to a given tool motor speed to generate the control signal, and a third terminal connecting the voltage sense device to the control terminal of the pack, and as the voltage sense device sends the control signal via the third terminal and control terminal to the discharge control device, the discharge control device controls the semiconductor device based on the control signal to control current out of the pack and speed of the tool motor.
76. A cordless power tool system, comprising:
- a power tool having a tool motor and means for variable speed control of the tool motor, and
- a battery pack having a plurality of cells and removably attached to the power tool, the pack including a discharge control device controlling a semiconductor device so as to selectively raise internal battery pack impedance for limiting current out of the cells of the pack.
77. A cordless power tool system, comprising:
- a power tool including a tool motor, and
- a battery pack having a plurality of cells and removably attached to the power tool for providing power to the motor, wherein discharge control for controlling current out of the pack and speed control for controlling speed of the tool resides in the power tool.
78. The system of claim 77, wherein the tool includes a microprocessor for controlling discharge rate of the cells in the battery pack and for controlling speed of the tool motor.
79. The system of claim 78,
- wherein the battery pack includes: a current sensor for communicating a signal representing sensed current in the pack to the microprocessor, and a semiconductor device in operative communication with the microprocessor in the power tool and operable to interrupt current in the battery pack, and
- wherein the microprocessor is operable to send a control signal to de-energize the semiconductor device in the battery pack to interrupt current, based on the sensed current signal received from the current sensor in the battery pack.
80. The system of claim 79, wherein the semiconductor device in the battery pack is further controllable by the microprocessor in the power tool to provide variable speed control for the tool motor.
81. In a cordless power tool system including a battery pack that is removably attachable to a power tool and to a charger, a method of communicating a fault in the battery pack to the charger, comprising:
- detecting a fault in the battery pack, and
- communicating the fault to the charger upon pack engagement with the charger.
82. A cordless power tool system, comprising:
- a charger; and
- a battery pack removably attachable to the charger for receiving a charge current and to a power tool of the system for powering the tool, the battery pack including a fault detection device detecting a fault in the battery pack and communicating the fault to the charger upon pack engagement with the charger.
83. The system of claim 82, the battery pack further including:
- a positive terminal,
- a negative terminal,
- an active resistance circuit for limiting charge current in the battery pack, the fault detection circuit configured to monitor the active resistance circuit for a fault therein, and
- a third terminal operatively attached to the fault detection circuit, wherein the fault detection circuit drives the third terminal to a high or low electrical state if it detects a fault in the active resistance circuit.
84. The system of claim 83, the charger further including a microcontroller in operative communication with the third terminal upon pack to charge engagement to sense the electrical state indicating the fault, so as to prevent the battery pack from being charged.
85. The system of claim 83, wherein the third terminal is a thermistor terminal or a pack identification terminal.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 1, 2004
Publication Date: Apr 7, 2005
Inventors: David Carrier (Aberdeen, MD), Bhanuprasad Gorti (Abingdon, MD), Danh Trinh (Parkville, MD), R. Bailey (New Park, PA), Andrew Seman (White Marsh, MD), Daniele Brotto (Baltimore, MD), Fred Watts (New Freedom, PA)
Application Number: 10/954,222