Charger of battery pack for electric tool

Abstract

A charger of a battery pack for an electric tool comprises a shell assembly and at least one charging terminal. A charging circuit electrically connected to the charging terminal; the controller is configured to at least control the electric energy output of the charging circuit; the controller is specifically configured to: control the charging circuit to charge a battery pack coupled to the charging terminal with a first charging current at a constant current; under the condition that a first charging limit condition is achieved in the process of constant-current charging with the first charging current, the charging circuit is controlled to charge the battery pack with a second charging current in a constant-current mode, and the second charging current is larger than the first charging current.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of power tool technology, and for example to a charger for a battery pack for power tools. Background Technology

[0002] Power tools such as circular saws, chainsaws, pruning machines, and lawnmowers are widely used in various industrial and household applications. Thanks to technological advancements, the power tool industry is currently trending towards lithium-ion batteries and intelligent operation. Most of these power tools are powered by battery packs, and their design must balance the needs of both the tool and the battery. One key challenge is ensuring the battery pack's endurance during continuous operation, which relates to the charging capabilities of these battery packs.

[0003] This section provides background information related to this application, which is not necessarily prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application addresses or at least mitigates some or all of the aforementioned problems. Therefore, this application provides a charger for a battery pack used in power tools.

[0005] A charger for a battery pack used in power tools includes: a housing assembly; at least two battery pack mounting portions formed on the housing assembly and accommodating at least some charging terminals; a charging management assembly housed within the housing assembly, including: a charging circuit electrically connected to the charging terminals; and a controller configured to at least control the power output of the charging circuit; specifically configured to: satisfy the charging needs of a first battery pack coupled to a first charging terminal based on the charger's maximum charging capacity; and satisfy the charging needs of a second battery pack coupled to a second charging terminal based on the charger's remaining charging capacity.

[0006] In some embodiments, the charger further includes a mode selection device configured to operably select a charging mode of the charger.

[0007] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to, when the mode selection device is operated to select a first charging mode, satisfy the charging requirements of the first battery pack coupled to the first charging terminal based on the maximum charging capacity of the charger; and satisfy the charging requirements of the second battery pack coupled to the second charging terminal based on the remaining charging capacity of the charger.

[0008] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine a first charging terminal and a second charging terminal among the charging terminals accommodated in at least two battery pack mounting portions in response to settings made by the mode selection device.

[0009] In some embodiments, the charger also has at least a second charging mode and a third charging mode.

[0010] In some embodiments, the mode selection device includes one or more of a mode selection button, a touch screen, an IoT component, and a wireless communication component.

[0011] In some embodiments, charging requirements include values ​​for charging current and / or charging power.

[0012] In some embodiments, the relationship between the charging current and / or charging power of the first charging terminal and the second charging terminal is not fixed.

[0013] In some embodiments, the charging current and / or charging power of the first charging terminal are greater than or equal to those of the second charging terminal.

[0014] A charger for a battery pack for power tools includes: a housing assembly; at least two battery pack mounting portions formed on the housing assembly and accommodating at least a portion of charging terminals; a charging management assembly housed within the housing assembly, including: a charging circuit electrically connected to the charging terminals; and a controller configured to at least control the power output of the charging circuit. Specifically, the controller is configured to: when at least two battery packs are connected to the charger, control the charging circuit to fully charge the battery pack with the lower initial charging capacity and output the remaining power to charge the battery pack with the higher initial charging capacity; and then, when the current capacities of the battery packs are substantially the same, control the charging circuit to charge the at least two battery packs at relatively equal rates so that the at least two battery packs are substantially simultaneously fully charged.

[0015] In some embodiments, the charger further includes a mode selection device configured to operably select a charging mode of the charger.

[0016] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to, when the mode selection device is operated to select a first charging mode and the initial charging capacity of the first battery pack coupled to the first charging terminal is lower than that of the second battery pack coupled to the second charging terminal, control the charging circuit to charge the first battery pack at full power and output the remaining power to charge the second battery pack.

[0017] A charger for a battery pack for power tools includes: a housing assembly and at least one charging terminal; a charging circuit electrically connected to the charging terminal; and a controller configured to at least control the electrical energy output of the charging circuit. The controller is specifically configured to: control the charging circuit to charge the battery pack coupled to the charging terminal at a constant current with a first charging current; and, if a first charging limit condition is met during the constant current charging process with the first charging current, control the charging circuit to charge the battery pack at a constant current with a second charging current greater than the first charging current.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first charging current is greater than or equal to 4A, or the first charging current is greater than or equal to 1C.

[0019] In some embodiments, the second charging current is greater than or equal to 12A, or the second charging current is greater than or equal to 3C.

[0020] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to control the charging circuit to charge the battery pack at a constant current with a third charging current when the current voltage of the battery pack is greater than or equal to a first voltage threshold.

[0021] In some embodiments, the third charging current is less than the second charging current and greater than or equal to the first charging current.

[0022] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to control the charging circuit to charge the battery pack at a constant voltage when the current voltage of the battery pack is greater than or equal to a second voltage threshold.

[0023] In some embodiments, the charging cutoff current during constant voltage charging of the battery pack is greater than or equal to 0.2A.

[0024] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to control the current value of the first charging current output by the charging circuit based on the starting charging voltage or starting charging capacity of the battery pack when the initial temperature of the battery pack is less than or equal to a first temperature threshold and greater than or equal to a second temperature threshold.

[0025] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine, at least based on the temperature of the battery pack, whether to switch to constant current charging of the battery pack with a second charging current during constant current charging with a first charging current.

[0026] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine, during constant current charging of the battery pack with the first charging current, whether to switch to constant current charging of the battery pack with the second charging current, based on the current temperature and voltage or temperature and capacity of the battery pack when the initial temperature of the battery pack is less than 55°C and greater than 40°C.

[0027] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine, based on the current temperature of the battery pack, whether to switch to constant current charging of the battery pack with a second charging current during the process of constant current charging with a first charging current when the initial temperature of the battery pack is approximately 55°C.

[0028] A charging method for a battery pack for power tools, the battery pack including a battery casing and a power supply terminal capable of being electrically connected to the tool terminal of the power tool; the charging method includes: charging the battery pack with a first charging current at a constant current; and, if a first charging limit condition is reached during the constant current charging with the first charging current, charging the battery pack with a second charging current at a constant current, wherein the second charging current is greater than the first charging current.

[0029] A charger for a battery pack for power tools includes: a housing assembly and at least one charging terminal; a charging circuit electrically connected to the charging terminal; and a controller configured to at least control the electrical energy output of the charging circuit. The controller is specifically configured to: control the charging circuit to charge the battery pack at a constant current with a first charging current when the capacity of the battery pack coupled to the charging terminal is less than or equal to a first capacity threshold; and control the charging circuit to charge the battery pack at a constant current with a second charging current when the capacity of the battery pack is greater than the first capacity threshold and less than a second capacity threshold, wherein the first charging current is less than the second charging current.

[0030] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to control the battery pack to be charged at a substantially constant temperature when the battery pack capacity reaches a second capacity threshold.

[0031] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to control the charging circuit to charge the battery pack at a constant current with a third charging current when the current voltage of the battery pack is greater than or equal to a first voltage threshold, and the third charging current is less than the second charging current.

[0032] In some embodiments, the temperature of the battery pack is less than or equal to 50°C during the essentially constant-temperature charging process.

[0033] In some embodiments, the first charging current is greater than or equal to 4A or greater than or equal to 1C, and the second charging current is greater than or equal to 12A or greater than or equal to 3C.

[0034] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to control the charging circuit to perform constant voltage charging on the battery pack when the current voltage of the battery pack is greater than or equal to a second voltage threshold, and the charging cut-off current during the constant voltage charging process is greater than or equal to 0.2A.

[0035] A battery pack charger includes: a main body configured as a control body for the battery pack charger; at least two battery pack mounting parts configured to mount battery packs; each battery pack mounting part includes at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet, with a battery cooling airflow channel for cooling the battery packs formed between the air inlet and the air outlet; the airflow direction entering from the air inlet and the airflow direction exiting from the air outlet have a non-zero angle.

[0036] In some embodiments, the airflow for heat dissipation of the main body is not mixed with the airflow in the battery heat dissipation airflow channel.

[0037] In some embodiments, at least two battery pack mounting portions are disposed on the same side of the main body.

[0038] In some embodiments, at least two battery pack mounting portions are disposed on different sides of the main body.

[0039] In some embodiments, at least two battery pack mounting sections each have independent battery heat dissipation airflow channels.

[0040] In some embodiments, at least one battery pack mounting section is provided with a battery cooling fan.

[0041] In some embodiments, at least two battery pack mounting sections are each provided with a battery cooling fan.

[0042] In some embodiments, at least one battery cooling fan is configured to switchably operate in a first direction or a second direction.

[0043] In some embodiments, at least one battery cooling fan is configured to operate in a first direction to blow airflow in the battery cooling airflow channel toward the battery pack side.

[0044] In some embodiments, at least one battery cooling fan is configured to operate in a second direction to draw airflow from the battery pack side into the battery cooling airflow channel.

[0045] In some embodiments, the fan speed of at least one battery cooling fan is adaptively adjusted based on the current temperature of the battery pack charger.

[0046] In some embodiments, the airflow direction entering from the air inlet is substantially perpendicular to the airflow direction exiting from the air outlet.

[0047] In some embodiments, a heat dissipation inlet and a heat dissipation outlet are respectively provided on two opposite sides of the main body.

[0048] In some embodiments, the heat dissipation inlet and the air inlet are connected or are the same inlet.

[0049] In some embodiments, heat dissipation inlets and heat dissipation outlets are respectively provided on two non-opposite sides of the main body.

[0050] In some embodiments, the battery pack mounting portion at least partially accommodates charging terminals; the main body includes a charging circuit and a controller, the charging circuit being electrically connected to the charging terminals, and the controller being configured to at least control the power output of the charging circuit.

[0051] A battery pack charger includes: a main body configured as a control body for the battery pack charger; at least two battery pack mounting parts configured to mount battery packs; each battery pack mounting part includes at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet, with a battery cooling airflow channel for heat dissipation between the air inlet and the air outlet; the airflow direction entering from the air inlet and the airflow direction exiting from the air outlet have a non-zero angle, and the airflow for heat dissipation of the main body and the airflow in the battery cooling airflow channel do not mix.

[0052] A charger for a battery pack for power tools includes: a housing assembly; at least two battery pack mounting portions configured to allow at least two battery packs to be mounted and connected; a charging management component including: a charging circuit configured to transmit electrical energy to the battery packs for charging; and a controller configured to control at least the electrical energy output of the charging circuit; wherein the controller is specifically configured to: when the battery parameters of at least one battery pack are greater than a preset parameter threshold, set the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack based on the proportion of the battery parameters of any battery pack in the total battery parameters of all battery packs connected to the battery pack charger.

[0053] In some embodiments, battery parameters include the capacity and / or voltage of the battery pack.

[0054] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to set the current charging current of the battery pack based on the battery pack's charging requirements and the maximum rechargeable current.

[0055] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to calculate the ratio of the remaining rechargeable capacity of any battery pack to the total remaining rechargeable capacity of all battery packs connected to the battery pack charger; and to set the product of the ratio and the maximum charging current that the battery pack charger can provide as the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack.

[0056] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to dynamically adjust the maximum rechargeable current of each battery pack during the charging process of the battery pack.

[0057] A charger for a battery pack for power tools includes: a housing assembly; at least two battery pack mounting portions configured to allow at least two battery packs to be mounted and connected; a charging management component including: a charging circuit configured to transmit electrical energy to the battery packs for charging; and a controller configured to control at least the electrical energy output of the charging circuit; wherein the controller is specifically configured to: when the capacity of at least one battery pack is greater than a preset capacity threshold, set the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack based on the capacity of any one battery pack.

[0058] In some embodiments, the capacity of the battery pack includes the current capacity of the battery pack and / or the remaining rechargeable capacity of the battery pack.

[0059] A charger for a battery pack for power tools includes: a housing assembly; at least two battery pack mounting portions configured to allow at least two battery packs to be mounted and connected; a charging management component including: a charging circuit configured to transmit electrical energy to the battery packs for charging; and a controller configured to control at least the electrical energy output of the charging circuit; wherein the controller is specifically configured to: set the charging current of the battery packs using different current setting methods based on the relationship between the battery pack capacity and a preset capacity threshold.

[0060] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to set the charging current of each battery pack using a first current setting method when the capacity of at least one battery pack is greater than a preset capacity threshold; and to set the charging current of each battery pack using a second current setting method when the capacity of all battery packs is less than or equal to the preset capacity threshold.

[0061] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to, when the capacity of at least one battery pack is greater than a preset capacity threshold, set the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack based on the battery parameters of any battery pack, and set the current charging current of the battery pack based on the charging requirements of the battery pack and the maximum rechargeable current.

[0062] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to calculate the ratio of the remaining rechargeable capacity of any battery pack to the total remaining rechargeable capacity of all battery packs connected to the battery pack charger; and to set the product of the ratio and the maximum charging current that the battery pack charger can provide as the maximum rechargeable current of that battery pack.

[0063] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to adjust the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack based on the charging parameters of the battery pack charger for any battery pack and / or the battery parameters of any battery pack when the capacity of all battery packs is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold.

[0064] A charger for a battery pack for power tools includes: a housing assembly; at least two battery pack mounting portions configured to allow at least two battery packs to be mounted and connected; a charging management component including: a charging circuit configured to transmit electrical energy to the battery packs for charging; and a controller configured to control the electrical energy output of the charging circuit; wherein the controller is specifically configured to: adjust the charging current of the battery packs based at least on the battery parameters of the battery packs when the capacity of all battery packs is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold.

[0065] In some embodiments, battery parameters include the capacity and / or voltage of the battery pack.

[0066] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to adjust the charging current of the battery packs based at least on the differences in battery parameters between each pair of battery packs when the capacity of all battery packs is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold.

[0067] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to, at least when the battery parameter difference is greater than or equal to a first difference threshold, increase the charging current of the battery pack with lower battery parameters by a preset magnitude and decrease the charging current of the battery pack with higher battery parameters by a preset magnitude.

[0068] In some embodiments, the first difference threshold is set based on the rated voltage of the battery pack.

[0069] In some embodiments, the rated voltages of at least two battery packs connected to the charger are substantially equal.

[0070] A charger for a battery pack for power tools includes: a housing assembly; at least two battery pack mounting portions configured to allow at least two battery packs to be mounted and connected; a charging management component including: a charging circuit configured to transmit electrical energy to the battery packs for charging; and a controller configured to control the electrical energy output of the charging circuit; wherein the controller is specifically configured to: adjust the charging current of the battery packs based on at least the charging parameters of the charger when the capacity of all battery packs is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold.

[0071] In some embodiments, the charging parameters include at least one of the following: the charging terminal voltage of each charging terminal of the charger, the module voltage of each charging module in the charger, and a first voltage difference between the charging terminal voltage and the module voltage.

[0072] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to adjust the charging current of the battery pack at least based on the difference in the first voltage difference between each pair of charging terminals when the capacity of all battery packs is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold.

[0073] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to, at least if the difference of the first voltage difference is greater than or equal to a second difference threshold, increase the charging current of the battery pack with the lower charging parameter by a preset magnitude and decrease the charging current of the battery pack with the higher charging parameter by a preset magnitude. Attached Figure Description

[0074] Figure 1 This is a scene diagram of the power tools, battery pack, and charger in this application.

[0075] Figure 2A This is a perspective view of a charger as one embodiment of the present application.

[0076] Figure 2B yes Figure 2A The charger shown is a cross-sectional view from one perspective.

[0077] Figure 2C yes Figure 2A The charger shown is a cross-sectional view from another perspective.

[0078] Figure 2D yes Figure 2A The charger shown is a cross-sectional view from another perspective.

[0079] Figure 3A This is a perspective view of a charger as another embodiment in this application.

[0080] Figure 3B yes Figure 3A The charger shown is a cross-sectional view from one perspective.

[0081] Figure 3C hour Figure 3A The charger shown is a cross-sectional view from another perspective.

[0082] Figure 4A This is a perspective view of a charger as yet another embodiment of this application.

[0083] Figure 4B yes Figure 4A The charger shown is a cross-sectional view from one perspective.

[0084] Figure 5A This is a perspective view of the charger as another embodiment in this application.

[0085] Figure 5B yes Figure 5A The charger shown is a cross-sectional view from one perspective.

[0086] Figure 6A This is a schematic diagram of the electrical control of a charger as an embodiment of this application.

[0087] Figure 6B This is a schematic diagram of the electrical control of a charger, which is used as another embodiment in this application.

[0088] Figure 7 This is a time-domain diagram of the voltage and current of the battery pack under the charging control scheme of this application.

[0089] Figure 8 This is a time-domain graph showing the voltage and temperature of the battery pack under the charging control scheme of this application.

[0090] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of a charging method for a battery pack for power tools, as an embodiment of this application.

[0091] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of a charging method for a battery pack for power tools, which is another embodiment of this application.

[0092] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for charging multiple battery packs using a charger for a power tool battery pack, as one embodiment of this application.

[0093] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for charging multiple battery packs using a charger for a power tool battery pack, as another embodiment of this application.

[0094] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for charging multiple battery packs using a charger for a power tool battery pack, as another embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0095] Before explaining any implementation of this application in detail, it should be understood that this application is not limited to its application to the structural details and component arrangements set forth in the following description or shown in the above drawings.

[0096] In this application, the terms "comprising," "including," "having," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0097] In this application, the term "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this application generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "and / or" relationship.

[0098] In this application, the terms "connection," "combination," "coupling," and "installation" can refer to direct connection, combination, coupling, or installation, or indirect connection, combination, coupling, or installation. For example, a direct connection refers to two parts or components being connected together without the need for an intermediary, while an indirect connection refers to two parts or components each being connected to at least one intermediary, with the connection achieved through the intermediary. Furthermore, "connection" and "coupling" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, but can also include electrical connections or couplings.

[0099] In this application, those skilled in the art will understand that relative terms (e.g., “about,” “approximately,” “basically,” etc.) used in conjunction with quantities or conditions are to include the values ​​and have the meaning indicated by the context. For example, such relative terms include at least the degree of error associated with the measurement of a particular value, tolerances associated with the particular value due to manufacturing, assembly, use, etc. Such terms should also be considered as disclosing a range defined by the absolute values ​​of the two endpoints. Relative terms may refer to a certain percentage (e.g., 1%, 5%, 10% or more) of the indicated value. Numerical values ​​that do not use relative terms should also be disclosed as specific values ​​with tolerances. Furthermore, “basically” when expressing relative angular relationships (e.g., substantially parallel, substantially perpendicular) may refer to a certain degree (e.g., 1 degree, 5 degrees, 10 degrees or more) added to or subtracted from the indicated angle.

[0100] In this application, those skilled in the art will understand that the function performed by a component can be performed by one component, multiple components, one part, or multiple parts. Similarly, the function performed by a part can also be performed by one part, one component, or a combination of multiple parts.

[0101] In this application, the directional terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" are used to describe the orientation and positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, in the context, it should be understood that when an element is mentioned as being connected "upper" or "lower" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element "upper" or "lower," or indirectly connected through an intermediate element. It should also be understood that directional terms such as upper side, lower side, left side, right side, front side, and rear side not only represent positive orientation but can also be understood as lateral orientation. For example, "below" can include directly below, lower left, lower right, lower front, and lower rear.

[0102] In this application, the terms "controller," "processor," "central processing unit," "CPU," and "MCU" are used interchangeably. When using the unit "controller," "processor," "central processing unit," "CPU," or "MCU" to perform a specific function, unless otherwise stated, these functions may be performed by a single or multiple of the aforementioned units.

[0103] In this application, the terms "device," "module," or "unit" are used to describe devices that can be implemented in hardware or software to perform a specific function.

[0104] In this application, the terms “calculation,” “judgment,” “control,” “determine,” “identify,” etc., refer to the operation and process of a computer system or similar electronic computing device (e.g., controller, processor, etc.).

[0105] The technical solution proposed in this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0106] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a scenario where a power tool battery pack 200 powers various power tools 300. The power tools 300 powered by the battery pack 200 include various different types of power tools and different models of the same type. The power tools 300 powered by the battery pack 200 include, but are not limited to, those... Figure 1The illustrations include a ride-on lawnmower 300a, a drill 300b, a chainsaw 300c, a lawn mower 300d, a blower 300e, and an all-terrain vehicle 300f. In some embodiments, the power tool 300 powered by the battery pack 200 may include a handheld power tool, such as a pruning machine, nail gun, reciprocating saw, etc. In some embodiments, the power tool 300 powered by the battery pack 200 may also include a benchtop tool, such as a table saw, miter saw, metal cutter, etc. In some embodiments, the power tool 300 powered by the battery pack 200 may also include a push tool or a ride-on tool, such as a push lawnmower, push snow sweeper, ride-on lawnmower, standing lawnmower, etc. In some embodiments, the power tool 300 powered by the battery pack 200 may also include an outdoor wheeled tool, which may include outdoor electric vehicles such as farm vehicles, golf carts, etc. In some embodiments, the power tool 300 receiving power from the battery pack 200 may also include robotic tools, such as lawnmowers, snowplows, etc. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the power tool 300 may be a gardening tool, including a pruning machine, hair dryer, lawnmower, mower, etc. In some embodiments, the power tool 300 may be a decorating tool, including a screwdriver, nail gun, glue gun, sander, circular saw, etc. In some embodiments, the power tool 300 may be a cutting tool, including a reciprocating saw, jigsaw, circular saw, chainsaw, etc. In some embodiments, the power tool 300 may be a fastening tool, including a drill, screwdriver, hammer drill, etc. In some embodiments, the power tool 300 may be a grinding tool, including an angle grinder, sander, etc. In some embodiments, the power tool 300 may also be other tools, such as a light bulb, fan, vacuum cleaner, etc. Understandably, provided that the characteristics are not contradictory, the power tool 300 that receives power from the battery pack 200 may include more types not shown above. Different power tools 300 may have different basic components. For example, a ride-on lawnmower may include a walking assembly consisting of a walking wheel and a walking motor, and a cutting assembly consisting of a blade and a cutting motor. A chainsaw may include a guide plate and a chain supported on the outer periphery of the guide plate, and a motor that drives the chain to rotate around the guide plate for cutting. In order to be powered by the battery pack 200, the power tool 300 generally has a battery connection part for mounting the battery pack 200. The specific structure and position arrangement of the battery connection part in different power tools 300 may be different.

[0107] The battery pack 200 includes a battery casing and one or more cell modules housed within the battery casing. Each cell module includes a plurality of cells. In some embodiments, the cells in the power tool battery pack are lithium-ion cells; in other embodiments, the cells in the power tool battery pack are multi-tab cells or all-tab cells. The battery pack 200 generally also includes a battery management device, which includes a controller for monitoring and managing the charging and discharging of the battery pack 200, as well as various sensors for temperature and current measurement and other detection elements, which will not be described in detail here.

[0108] This application primarily addresses the technical problems related to charging battery packs for power tools, aiming to achieve safe, efficient, and accurate charging. It may involve the heat dissipation structure, charging mode, and charging strategy of battery packs and / or chargers for power tools. A charger and charging method for battery packs for power tools will be proposed later in this application; of course, some solutions can also be applied to battery packs for non-power tools.

[0109] refer to Figures 2A to 5B The figure illustrates a charger 100 that can serve as a power tool battery pack 200 in several embodiments of this application. As shown, the charger 100 includes a housing assembly 10, which forms the main body of the charger 100 and has an internal accommodating space. The housing assembly 10 can support, fix, and accommodate other components of the charger 100. Specifically, the battery pack charger 100 may include a main body 30 and a battery pack mounting part 20, which may each include two non-overlapping or at least partially non-overlapping parts of the housing assembly 10. In some embodiments, the division between the main body 30 and the battery pack mounting part 20 can be directly observed from the appearance of the housing assembly 10.

[0110] The main body 30 serves as the control unit of the charger 100. The charging management component of the charger 100 is housed within this main body 30. Input electrical energy, such as AC power, is converted by the charging management component at the control unit and then transmitted to the battery pack mounting section 20, and finally to the battery pack 200. In some embodiments, the housing of the main body 30 houses the charging circuit 310 and controller 320 of the charger 100. The charging management component includes the aforementioned charging circuit 310 and controller 320, which can be deployed on a circuit board assembly 350. The circuit board assembly 350 may also house other management and control-related electronic components, which can be placed horizontally or vertically within the housing of the main body 30. Figure 2B As shown, different modules in the circuit board assembly 350 can be installed in different positions within the housing assembly 10. In some embodiments, the EMS module and the power conversion module can be horizontally mounted to the upper housing, while the fast charging module can be vertically mounted to the bottom housing. Figure 6A , Figure 6B As shown, the charging circuit 310 is electrically connected to the charging terminal 210 of the charger 100, which will be described later, to transfer electrical energy to the battery pack 200 through the charging terminal 210. The charging circuit 310 is also electrically connected to the controller 320 so that the controller 320 can control the electrical energy output by the charging circuit 310. In some embodiments, the charging circuit 310 is also connected to an input power source such as mains power, and can perform one or more of the following tasks under the control of the controller 320: AC / DC conversion, buck-boost processing, current adjustment, noise reduction filtering, etc. The specific composition of the relevant circuits will not be described here. In some embodiments, the controller 320 can be an MCU (Microcontroller Unit), an ARM (Advanced Reduced Instruction Set Computing Machine), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc.

[0111] The battery mounting section 20 is for mounting the aforementioned power tool battery pack 200 and is structurally compatible with the battery pack 200. The housing of the battery mounting section 20 contains or partially contains the charging terminal 210 of the charger 100. When the battery pack 200 is mounted to the battery mounting section 20, its positive and negative terminals will be coupled to the charging terminal 210, thereby making the battery pack 200 electrically connected to the charger 100 to achieve charging.

[0112] like Figures 2A to 5B As shown, in some embodiments, to improve the charging efficiency of the battery pack 200, the charger 100 has at least two battery pack mounting portions 20, enabling it to charge at least two battery packs 200 simultaneously. The two battery pack mounting portions 20 of the charger 100 are designated as a first battery pack mounting portion 20 and a second battery pack mounting portion 20. The charging terminal of the first battery pack mounting portion 20 is designated as a first charging terminal 211, and the battery pack coupled thereto is designated as a first battery pack 201. The charging terminal of the second battery pack mounting portion 20 is designated as a second charging terminal 212, and the battery pack coupled thereto is designated as a second battery pack 202. The above naming conventions will be used in similar scenarios thereafter.

[0113] refer to Figure 6AIn some embodiments, the charging circuit 310 may include an AC-DC module, a first power conversion module 3121, and a second power conversion module 3122. During the charging process of the battery pack 200, AC power such as mains power is converted into DC power by the AC-DC module and then transmitted to the first power conversion module 3121 and the second power conversion module 3122. The first power conversion module 3121 and the second power conversion module 3122 respectively receive instructions from the controller 320 and then perform corresponding conversions on the DC power transmitted by the AC-DC module according to the instructions. The power conversion functions involved can be referred to the preceding text. Then, the first power conversion module 3121 transmits the converted DC power to the first charging terminal 211 to charge the coupled first battery pack 201, and the second power conversion module 3122 transmits the converted DC power to the second charging terminal 212 to charge the coupled second battery pack 202.

[0114] In one alternative embodiment of this application, the heat dissipation scheme of the charger 100 of the power tool battery pack 200 is optimized from the perspective of airflow. The battery pack mounting part 20 of the charger 100 includes at least one air inlet 231 and at least one air outlet 232. A battery heat dissipation airflow channel is formed between the air inlet 231 and the air outlet 232 to dissipate heat from the battery pack 200 mounted on the battery pack mounting part 20. The airflow direction entering from the air inlet 231 and the airflow direction exiting from the air outlet 232 have a non-zero angle. At the same time, the airflow for dissipating heat from the main body 30 does not mix with the airflow in the battery heat dissipation airflow channel. Following the previous description and adapting to the basic structural composition of the battery pack charger 100, this embodiment provides heat dissipation for the main body 30 and the battery pack mounting part 20 of the charger 100. The heat dissipation of the battery pack mounting part 20 primarily serves the battery pack 200 and the terminal connections between the charger 100 and the battery pack 200. The heat dissipation of the main body 30 primarily serves the charging circuit 310 and the controller 320. For example, the aforementioned circuit board assembly 350 can be located in the airflow path of the main body 30. Specifically, both can employ air cooling. The main body 30 may contain a main body cooling fan 330, and the battery pack mounting part 20 may contain a battery cooling fan 220; or, at least the battery pack mounting part 20 employs air cooling, while the main body 30 may use one or more of the following methods for heat dissipation: air cooling, natural cooling, and liquid cooling. The aforementioned air inlets and outlets 231 and 232 are at least the air inlets and outlets for the cooling airflow of the battery pack mounting section 20. The airflow path when passing through the battery cooling airflow channel is a non-linear path. For example, the air inlets and outlets 231 and 232 can be set on different sides of the battery pack mounting section 20, while the airflow path for cooling the main body section 30 can be selected to be basically a straight path. Of course, the airflow path for cooling the main body section 30 can also be set to a non-linear path.

[0115] In some embodiments, at least two battery pack mounting portions 20 of the charger 100 each have independent battery cooling airflow channels. That is, each battery pack 200 charged using the charger 100 has an independent battery cooling airflow channel, thereby enhancing the charger 100's ability to cool the battery pack 200. Specifically, the air inlet 231 is the starting point of the airflow path within the channel, and the air outlet 232 is the ending point of the path. The path is a continuous spatial broken line (curve) segment between the starting and ending points. The two battery cooling airflow channels can be completely independent, with their starting and ending points not coinciding and their paths not intersecting. Alternatively, the two battery cooling airflow channels can be substantially independent, with the airflow paths having several intersection points, but the number of intersection points is small, approximately a few. For example, the channels can share a common air inlet 231, and / or a common air outlet 232, and / or their midpoints approximately intersect. It is understood that the airflow does not contact each other for most of the time it flows along the different battery cooling channels.

[0116] In some embodiments, the air inlets and outlets 231 and 232 of the battery heat dissipation airflow channel are located on the non-opposite side of the battery pack mounting portion 20 housing, while the heat dissipation inlets and outlets 341 and 342 of the main body heat dissipation airflow are located on the side of the main body housing 30. The aforementioned air inlets and outlets 231 and 232 and heat dissipation inlets and outlets 341 and 342 can be independent airflow ports, or the heat dissipation inlet 341 can be connected to the air inlet 231 or be the same airflow port. Continuing from the previous point, the main body heat dissipation airflow and the battery heat dissipation airflow do not mix. For example, they can share airflow from the same "source," but the main body heat dissipation airflow and the battery heat dissipation airflow separate and no longer mix after entering the charger housing. In some embodiments, one of the aforementioned air inlets 231 and outlets 232 can be located near the contact surface where the charging terminal 210 of the battery pack mounting portion 20 is coupled to the battery pack 200, and it can serve as an airflow port that is not connected to or shared with the aforementioned heat dissipation inlets and outlets 341 and 342.

[0117] In some embodiments, the airflow direction of the battery cooling airflow entering from the air inlet 231 can be substantially perpendicular to the airflow direction of the battery cooling airflow exiting from the air outlet 232, including but not limited to flowing in from the left-right or front-back direction and then flowing out from the top-bottom direction, flowing in from the top-bottom or front-back direction and then flowing out from the left-right direction, and flowing in from the top-bottom or left-right direction and then flowing out from the front-back direction. In some embodiments, the included angle of the above airflow direction can also be within a range of (90°±Δθ), where the value of θ may be related to the range of angles through which the airflow provided by the air inlet and outlet 231, 232 can pass, and the included angle of the airflow direction and the position of the air inlet and outlet may also be related to the installation method of the battery pack 200 on the charger 100. In some embodiments, the airflow path of the main body 30 can be substantially straight, and the airflow direction of the main body 30 entering from the heat dissipation inlet 341 can be substantially the same as the airflow direction of the main body 30 exiting from the heat dissipation outlet 342. In one embodiment, the aforementioned heat dissipation inlets and outlets 341 and 342 can be respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the main body 30, such as the front and rear sides. In other embodiments, the airflow path of the main body 30 can also be a broken line (curved) segment, and the aforementioned heat dissipation inlets and outlets 341 and 342 can also be respectively arranged on non-opposing sides of the main body 30. In one embodiment, the aforementioned heat dissipation inlets and outlets 341 and 342 are respectively arranged on two adjacent sides of the main body 30, such as the front side and the left side.

[0118] The number and position of the battery cooling fans 220 correspond to the number and position of the battery pack mounting portions 20 and the positions of the aforementioned air inlets and outlets 231 and 232. In some embodiments, at least one battery pack mounting portion 20 of the charger 100 is provided with a battery cooling fan 220. In some embodiments, each battery pack mounting portion 20 may have its own battery cooling fan 220; in other embodiments, only some battery pack mounting portions 20 may have a battery cooling fan 220. Different battery pack mounting portions 20 may each have independent battery cooling airflow channels, or they may have at least partially overlapping battery cooling airflow channels.

[0119] Due to the arrangement of the components in the battery pack mounting section 20, the cooling effect of the battery cooling fan 220 may differ depending on whether it blows or draws air onto the battery pack side of the charger 100. For example, the fan may have a better cooling effect when drawing air onto the battery pack side, or vice versa. In some embodiments, at least one of the battery cooling fans 220 is configured to operate in a first direction. When operating in the first direction, the battery cooling fan 220 blows air from the battery cooling airflow channel towards the battery pack 200 side after passing through the fan body. In some embodiments, the airflow port on the contact surface of the battery pack mounting section 20 of the charger 100 that couples with the battery pack 200 terminals can be an air outlet 232. In other embodiments, at least one of the battery cooling fans 220 is configured to operate in a second direction. When operating in the second direction, the battery cooling fan 220 draws air from the battery pack 200 side into the fan body. In some embodiments, the airflow port on the contact surface of the battery pack mounting portion 20 of the charger 100 that couples with the terminals of the battery pack 200 can be an air inlet 231. Specifically, the above solution can be achieved by mounting the fan in the same position facing forward or backward, or by moving the fan next to the air inlet or air outlet while maintaining the same direction.

[0120] In some embodiments, at least one of the aforementioned battery cooling fans 220 can be switched to operate in either the first or second direction, i.e., it can operate in both directions. This allows the airflow within the same battery cooling airflow channel to either blow air towards the battery pack side or draw air from the battery pack side when the fan operates in different directions, thereby flexibly improving the heat dissipation of the charger and the battery pack. The switching of the fan's operating direction can be achieved by user operation or by the controller 320 autonomously. In some embodiments, the main cooling fan 330 of the main body 30 can also adopt a similar scheme to the aforementioned battery cooling fan 220 to improve the heat dissipation of the main body 30.

[0121] In some embodiments, the airflow speed of at least one of the battery cooling fan 220 and / or the main cooling fan 330 can be adaptively adjusted based on the charger temperature. Specifically, the charger 100 may be equipped with a temperature sensing element that can sense and transmit ambient temperature, casing temperature or other relevant temperature data of the charger 100 to the controller 320. The controller 320 can then adjust the fan speed of the battery cooling fan 220 or the main cooling fan 330 based on the aforementioned temperature data, wherein the airflow speed may be positively correlated with the temperature. In some embodiments, fan speed adjustment and / or fan direction adjustment may be controlled and executed by the controller of the fan or cooling system rather than the main controller.

[0122] In some embodiments, at least two battery pack mounting portions 20 of the charger 100 may be disposed on the same side of the charger 100; in other embodiments, at least two battery pack mounting portions 20 of the charger 100 may also be disposed on different sides of the charger 100. It is understood that the battery pack mounting portions 20 may be located on the left and right sides of the charger 100, or both may be located on the rear side of the charger 100. The terms "same side" and "different sides" can be determined by whether the battery pack mounting portions 20 are located on the same side relative to the main body 30. In some embodiments, the battery pack 200 may be installed or removed from the charger 100 in a vertical direction; in other embodiments, the battery pack 200 may also be installed or removed from the charger 100 in a horizontal or front-back direction.

[0123] like Figures 2A to 2D As shown, in some embodiments, the first and second battery pack mounting portions 21 and 22 can be located on the same side of the charger 100, such as the right side. The first and second battery packs 201 and 202 can be detached and installed on the corresponding battery pack mounting portions 21 and 22 in the left-right direction (or front-back direction). The air inlets and outlets 231 and 232 of the battery heat dissipation airflow channel can be respectively located on an upper end face of the battery pack mounting portion 20 where the charging terminal 210 is located, and on a right end face (or left end face, or front / rear end face) of the battery pack mounting portion 20 relative to the main body portion 30. The battery cooling fan 220 can be arranged in the vertical direction, that is, the fan rotation axis extends in the vertical direction. The heat dissipation inlets and outlets 341 and 342 of the main body heat dissipation can be located on the front and rear end faces (or left and right end faces) in the direction of the non-battery pack mounting portion 20 relative to the main body portion 30, or they can be located on the front end face and the left end face or the rear end face and the left end face. The main body cooling fan 330 can be arranged in the front-back direction. As shown in the figure, the battery cooling airflow flows in from right to left and then flows out from bottom to top, or flows in from top to bottom and then flows out from left to right, while the cooling airflow in the main body flows in the front-to-back direction.

[0124] like Figures 3A to 3CAs shown, in some embodiments, the first and second battery pack mounting portions 21 and 22 can be located on the same side of the charger 100, such as the right side, and the first and second battery packs 201 and 202 can be detached and installed in the corresponding battery pack mounting portions 21 and 22 in the vertical direction. One of the air inlets and outlets 231 and 232 of the battery heat dissipation airflow channel can be located on the front-rear end face of the battery pack mounting portion 20 where the first and second charging terminals 211 and 212 are located, and the other can be located on the right end face of the battery pack mounting portion 20 relative to the main body portion 30. The battery cooling fan 220 can be arranged in the front-rear direction. The heat dissipation inlets and outlets 341 and 342 of the main body heat dissipation can be respectively located on the front and rear end faces, the front end face and the left end face, or the rear end face and the left end face of the main body portion 30. The main body cooling fan 330 can be arranged in the front-rear direction. As shown, the battery heat dissipation airflow flows in from right to left and then flows out in the front-rear direction, or flows in from the front-rear direction and then flows out from left to right, while the main body heat dissipation airflow flows in the front-rear direction.

[0125] like Figure 4A , Figure 4B As shown, in some embodiments, the first and second battery pack mounting portions 21 and 22 can be located on different sides of the charger 100, such as the left and right sides. The first and second battery packs 201 and 202 can be detached and installed in the corresponding battery pack mounting portions 21 and 22 in the vertical direction. One of the air inlets and outlets 231 and 232 of the battery heat dissipation airflow channel is located on the left-right end face of the battery pack mounting portion 20 where the first and second charging terminals 211 and 212 are located, and the other is located on the front-back end face of the non-terminal side of the battery pack mounting portion 20. The battery cooling fan 220 can be arranged in the left-right direction. The heat dissipation inlets and outlets 341 and 342 of the main body heat dissipation can be respectively located on the front and rear end faces of the non-battery pack mounting portion 20 relative to the main body 30. The main body cooling fan 330 can be arranged in the front-back direction. As shown, the battery heat dissipation airflow flows in from the front-back direction and flows out from the left-right direction, or flows in from the left-right direction and flows out from the front-back direction, while the main body heat dissipation airflow circulates in the front-back direction within a space isolated from the battery heat dissipation airflow channel.

[0126] like Figure 5A , Figure 5BAs shown, in some embodiments, the first and second battery pack mounting portions 21 and 22 can be located on different sides of the charger 100, such as the left and right sides. The first and second battery packs 201 and 202 can be detached and installed in the corresponding battery pack mounting portions 21 and 22 in the vertical direction. One of the air inlets and outlets 231 and 232 of the battery heat dissipation airflow channel is located on the rear end face of the battery pack mounting portion 20 where the first and second charging terminals 211 and 212 are located, and the other is located on the left-right end face of the non-terminal side of the battery pack mounting portion 20. The battery cooling fan 220 can be arranged in the front-back direction. The heat dissipation inlets and outlets 341 and 342 of the main body heat dissipation can be respectively located on the front and rear end faces of the non-battery pack mounting portion 20 relative to the main body 30. The main body cooling fan 330 can be arranged in the front-back direction. As shown, the battery heat dissipation airflow flows in from the left-right direction and flows out from the front-back direction, or flows in from the front-back direction and flows out from the left-right direction, while the main body heat dissipation airflow circulates in the front-back direction within a space isolated from the battery heat dissipation airflow channel.

[0127] In one alternative embodiment of this application, for the charger 100 of the power tool battery pack 200 having at least two battery pack mounting sections 20 described above, the charger 100 is optimized to manage the multi-battery pack charging process to better meet user needs and be more efficient. The controller 320 of the charger 100 is configured to meet the charging needs of the first battery pack 201 coupled to the first charging terminal 211 based on the maximum charging capacity of the charger 100, and then meet the charging needs of the second battery pack 202 coupled to the second charging terminal 212 based on the remaining charging capacity of the charger 100. Following the previous description, in this embodiment, different battery pack mounting portions 20 or charging terminals 210 of the charger 100 are prioritized. That is, battery packs 200 mounted to different battery pack mounting portions 20 or coupled to different charging terminals 210 are prioritized. The charging priority of the first battery pack mounting portion 20 or its first charging terminal 211, or the first battery pack 201 associated with it, is higher than the charging priority of the second battery pack mounting portion 20 or its second charging terminal 212, or the second battery pack 202 associated with it. Higher priority means that the charger 100 will prioritize meeting its charging needs within its capabilities. This priority can be effective throughout the entire charging process of the battery pack 200, or at least in the initial or final stages. The charging needs involve, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: charging power, charging current, charging voltage, capacity (SOC), temperature, charging characteristic curve, and charging strategy of the charger 100 and / or the battery pack 200.

[0128] In some embodiments, the charger 100 can confirm the charging strategy of the first battery pack 201 with higher priority through communication or detection. For example, it may include charging parameters such as the charging current and charging voltage of the first battery pack 201, or further include switching conditions and switching methods for charging parameters such as charging characteristic curves. The charger 100 can then charge the first battery pack 201 by combining its own maximum charging capacity and the above-mentioned charging strategy. Specifically, suppose that at a certain moment, the first and second battery packs 201 and 202 are respectively installed in the first and second battery pack mounting parts 21 and 22 of the charger 100, and the charger 100 knows that the first battery pack 201 wants to be charged with a constant current of 10A, the second battery pack 202 wants to be charged with a constant current of 15A, and the maximum charging capacity of the charger 100 limits the sum of the charging currents that can be provided by the first and second charging terminals 211 and 212 to be less than or equal to 20A. Based on this, the charger 100 prioritizes meeting the needs of the first battery pack 201, controlling the first charging terminal 211 to output a charging current of 10A, and uses the remaining charging capacity to meet the needs of the second battery pack 202, controlling the second charging terminal 212 to output a charging current of 10A. For more details, please refer to Table 1 below.

[0129]

[0130] Table 1

[0131] In some embodiments, the charger 100 may also independently decide the charging strategy of the battery pack mounting section 20, the charging terminal 210, or the battery pack 200 with higher priority. For example, the charger 100 may allocate higher output power, output current, etc. to high priority, or may control the high priority battery pack 200 to charge to full capacity relatively faster than the low priority battery pack 200.

[0132] Following the preceding text, in some embodiments, the relationship between the charging current and / or charging power of the first charging terminal 211 and the second charging terminal 212 may be non-fixed. In other embodiments, the relationship between the charging current and / or charging power of the first charging terminal 211 and the second charging terminal 212 may be fixed; specifically, the charging current and / or charging power of the first charging terminal 211 may be greater than or equal to that of the second charging terminal 212. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the high priority of the first battery pack 201 does not necessarily mean that it can obtain higher charging parameters such as charging current and / or charging power from the first charging terminal 211. This depends on whether the first battery pack 201 itself requires higher charging parameters than the second battery pack 202, and whether the resource allocation to the first battery pack 201 in the charger 100 strategy is reflected in the charging current or charging power.

[0133] It is understandable that a key feature of the charger 100 in this embodiment is that it has a battery pack mounting section 20 (charging terminal 210, battery pack 200) with a higher priority than other battery pack mounting sections 20 (charging terminals 210, battery pack 200). The charging control scheme emphasizes different priorities, which can refer to the priority of satisfying the charging parameters and strategies defined by the high-priority battery pack 200, or it can refer to the charger 100's own defined charging parameters and strategies giving preference to the high-priority battery pack mounting section 20 and its charging terminal 210 in terms of resources. In many scenarios, this embodiment can achieve the purpose of fast charging the first battery pack 201.

[0134] In some embodiments, the priority of the battery pack mounting portion 20 and its charging terminal 210 on the charger 100 is preset and unchanged. For example, the battery pack mounting portion 20 (charging terminal 210) with higher priority can be indicated on the housing assembly 10. In other embodiments, the priority of the battery pack mounting portion 20 and its charging terminal 210 on the charger 100 is not fixed. For example, the priority can be determined by the order in which the battery packs 200 are installed on the charger 100, with the first battery pack 200 installed on the charger 100 being the first battery pack 201 and the first charging terminal 210 coupled to the battery pack 200 terminals being the first charging terminal 211. Alternatively, the priority can be determined by the initial charging capacity of the battery packs 200, with the battery pack 200 having a lower initial charging capacity being the first battery pack 201. Furthermore, the charger 100 may have a component capable of selecting the highest priority battery pack mounting portion 20 or setting the priority of multiple battery pack mounting portions 20. In response to the user's operation on this component, the charger 100 confirms the first battery pack mounting portion 20, the first charging terminal 211, and the first battery pack 201.

[0135] In some embodiments, the charger 100 further includes a mode selection device 40, which can be operated by a user to select a charging mode for the charger 100. The charging mode of the charger 100 may include at least a first charging mode involving the aforementioned priority. The charging control scheme described above can be executed when the mode selection device 40 is operated to select the first charging mode. In some embodiments, after the mode selection device 40 is set to select the first charging mode, the charger 100 controller 320 determines the first battery pack mounting portion 20 and the second battery pack mounting portion 20 from at least two battery pack mounting portions 20, that is, determines the corresponding first charging terminal 211 and the second charging terminal 212. This includes both enabling the preset first charging terminal 211 (the charging terminal 210 may not execute the above charging control scheme in non-first charging modes) and selecting the first charging terminal 211 from multiple charging terminals 210 in response to user operation and enabling it. Of course, it is not excluded that in some embodiments, the selection of the first charging terminal 211 with the highest priority from multiple charging terminals 210 is determined by the controller 320 executing specific logic.

[0136] In some embodiments, the charging modes of the charger 100 also include a second charging mode and a third charging mode. The second or third charging mode may be a lifespan mode of shallow charging and discharging with low current, or a balanced mode that controls multiple battery packs 200 to basically achieve full charge at the same time, or a conventional mode that follows the design of the previous generation charger 100, or other unmentioned charging modes. The second or third charging mode may also be set and selected by the mode selection device 40, and the corresponding charging control scheme will be executed after the charger 100 is set to the mode.

[0137] In some embodiments, the mode selection device 40 can be disposed on the housing assembly 10 of the charger 100 via buttons, a touch screen, or other means, for user operation to select the charging mode. In other embodiments, the mode selection device 40 can also be an IoT component or other wireless communication component, which can receive the user's selection of the charging mode via communication. Specifically, a relevant APP (application) can run on an external device such as a mobile phone or tablet. After the user activates the APP, the external device sends a corresponding command to the wireless communication component of the charger 100 so that the charger 100 is selected to be set to the charging mode intended by the user.

[0138] In one alternative implementation, the controller 320 of the charger 100 is configured to, when at least two battery packs 200 are connected to the charger 100, control the charging circuit 310 to charge the battery pack 200 with a lower initial charging capacity at full power and output the remaining power to charge the battery pack 200 with a higher initial charging capacity, and then, when the current capacities of at least two battery packs 200 are substantially the same, control the charging circuit 310 to charge the at least two battery packs 200 at a relatively equal rate so that they are substantially fully charged at the same time. Following the previous description, in this embodiment, the charger 100 can allocate charging resources preferentially to the first battery pack 201 and the second battery pack 202 by combining its own defined charging parameters or strategies and the charging parameters of the battery pack 200. Specifically, in the initial stage, the first charging terminal 211 coupled to the first battery pack 201, which has a lower starting charging capacity, can receive a higher priority in terms of power supply than the second charging terminal 212 coupled to the second battery pack 202. Assuming that the first charging terminal 211 has a first charging power and the second charging terminal 212 has a second charging power, the first charging power can be the maximum charging power of the first battery pack 201, and the first charging power can be higher than the second charging power. When the current capacities of the first and second battery packs 201 and 202 reach a point of near-identical consistency, the system enters a second stage where the first and second charging terminals 211 and 212 charge the first and second battery packs 201 and 202 at a relatively equal rate. This ensures efficient and waste-free power supply to the first and second battery packs 201 and 202 during the first stage, and enables the first and second battery packs 201 and 202 to complete charging essentially simultaneously during the second stage. In some embodiments, the charger 100 determines the initial charging capacity of the battery pack 200 based on the voltage values ​​at the positive and negative terminals of the battery pack 200; in other embodiments, the charger 100 may also receive the initial charging capacity from the battery pack 200 via communication.

[0139] Suppose that at a certain moment, the first and second battery packs 201 and 202 are respectively installed in the first and second battery pack mounting parts 21 and 22 of the charger 100, and the charger 100 knows that the starting charging capacity of the first battery pack 201 is 25% lower than the starting charging capacity of the second battery pack 202 is 50%, the maximum charging power of the first battery pack 201 is 550W, and the maximum charging capacity of the charger 100 limits the sum of the charging power that the first and second charging terminals 211 and 212 can provide to be less than or equal to 700W. Based on this, the charger 100 controls the charging circuit 310 to provide 550W of charging power to the first charging terminal 211 and 150W of charging power to the second charging terminal 212. After 10 minutes, the current capacity of the first and second battery packs 201 and 202 is approximately 62.5%, and the first and second battery packs 201 and 202 are the same type of battery pack. Then the controller 320 can control the charging circuit 310 to provide 350W of charging power to both the first and second charging terminals 211 and 212 until the first and second battery packs 201 and 202 are basically fully charged at the same time. In some embodiments, the controller 320 may allocate charging power to the first and second charging terminals 211 and 212 based on one or more of the following charging parameters: the total capacity of the first and second battery packs 201 and 202, the initial charging capacity, the actual capacity when charged to the same level, the current SOC, and the current voltage on the positive and negative terminals or the corresponding charging terminals. Alternatively, the controller 320 may allocate charging current to the first and second charging terminals 211 and 212 based on one or more of the following charging parameters: the total capacity of the first and second battery packs 201 and 202, the initial charging capacity, the actual capacity when charged to the same level, the current SOC, and the current voltage on the positive and negative terminals or the corresponding charging terminals. This allows the first battery pack 201, which has a relatively lower capacity in stage 1, to be charged to its capacity SOC1 with charging power P1 or charging current I1. The second battery pack 202 with higher capacity is charged to its capacity SOC2 with charging power P2 or charging current I2. SOC1 and SOC2 can be equal or close. The sum of P1 and P2 is equal to or less than the maximum charging power that the charger 100 can provide, or the sum of I1 and I2 is equal to or less than the maximum charging current that the charger 100 can provide. In stage 2, the first battery pack 201 is charged with charging power P1' or charging current I1', and the second battery pack 202 is charged with charging power P2' or charging current I2', until the first and second battery packs 201 and 202 are basically fully charged at the same time. Optionally, in stage 2, the charging rates of the first battery pack 201 and the second battery pack 202 are equal, and the sum of P1' and P2' does not exceed the maximum charging power of the charger 100, or the sum of I1' and I2' does not exceed the maximum charging current of the charger 100.

[0140] Similar to the previous description, this implementation can also incorporate the above-described embodiment of the mode selection device 40.

[0141] In one alternative implementation, the controller 320 of the charger 100 is configured to dynamically adjust the charging power or charging current allocated to each charging terminal 210 based on the current charging state of each battery pack 200, so that multiple battery packs 200 installed on the charger 100 at similar times or during the same period are charged substantially simultaneously. The charging state of the battery pack 200 includes fixed parameters such as its initial charging capacity and total capacity, as well as real-time parameters such as the current voltage on the positive and negative terminals of the battery pack 200 or the current voltage on the corresponding charging terminal 210, and the current SOC of the battery pack 200. Following the previous description, one way to achieve simultaneous full charging of multiple battery packs by dynamically allocating charging power or charging current is as follows: In the first stage, the capacity difference between battery packs 200 caused by their initial charging capacity is bridged, and the charging capacity of the charger 100 is maximized. The sum of the charging current or charging power can approach the upper limit of the charger 100. In the second stage, when the capacities of the multiple battery packs 200 are basically the same, the charging current or charging power is allocated within the tolerance range of the battery packs 200 in a manner such as equal charging rate, so that they are fully charged simultaneously. In other implementations, the charger 100 may also adopt a more complex charging control scheme, such as including more stages of control adjustment, involving more charging parameters, or having more judgment conditions. In some embodiments, the charger 100 also includes the mode selection device 40 described above. When the mode selection device 40 is selected to be set to the second charging mode, the above charging control scheme can be executed. This second charging mode can be referred to as the equalization charging mode.

[0142] In one alternative embodiment of this application, for the charger 100 of the power tool battery pack 200 having at least two battery pack mounting sections 20 described above, the charger 100 is optimized to manage the charging process of multiple battery packs to better meet user needs and be more efficient. The controller 320 of the charger 100 is configured to set the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack 200 based on the proportion of the battery parameters of any battery pack 200 in the total battery parameters of all battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100 when the battery parameters of at least one battery pack 200 are greater than a preset parameter threshold. In this embodiment, during a limited phase where battery packs 200 have battery parameters exceeding a preset parameter threshold, the charger 100 allocates the maximum rechargeable current to each battery pack 200 based on the proportion of its battery parameters. During this phase, there may be significant capacity differences between battery packs 200, resulting in low-capacity battery packs 200 receiving excessive charging current, while high-capacity battery packs 200 receive insufficient charging current or prematurely reach full charge. The improved strategy involves battery parameters including, but not limited to, one or more of the following: battery pack capacity (SOC), voltage, and temperature. The type of battery parameter used to determine whether to enter this phase and adopt the improved strategy (i.e., comparing whether the type of battery parameter exceeds the preset parameter threshold) can be the same as or different from the type of battery parameter used in subsequent execution of the specific strategy (i.e., calculating the proportion of each battery pack 200). For example, the former can be determined using capacity, while the latter can be based on voltage allocation, or both can use capacity parameters. The maximum rechargeable current allocated to each battery pack 200 can be positively or negatively correlated with the proportion of its battery parameter in the total battery parameters.

[0143] In some embodiments, the controller 320 of the charger 100 may use the existence of at least one battery pack 200 having a current capacity greater than a corresponding preset capacity threshold as a prerequisite for using the above strategy to set the maximum rechargeable current. In other embodiments, the existence of at least one battery pack 200 having a current voltage greater than a corresponding preset voltage threshold may also be used as a prerequisite for using the above strategy to set the maximum rechargeable current. In still other embodiments, the controller 320's determination of whether to use the above strategy to set the maximum rechargeable current may be more complex, using the existence of at least one battery parameter of at least one battery pack 200 having a calculated value exceeding a corresponding threshold as a prerequisite. For example, it may determine whether the product of the current capacity and voltage of at least one battery pack 200 is greater than a corresponding threshold. In all the above embodiments, the controller 320 will reset the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack 200 if the current capacity, voltage, or other battery parameters or their calculated values ​​exceed the corresponding threshold.

[0144] The total battery parameters of all battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100 are the sum of the battery parameters of each battery pack 200 connected to the charger 100. In some embodiments, if the battery parameters of at least one battery pack 200 exceed a preset parameter threshold, the controller 320 of the charger 100 can set the maximum rechargeable current of that battery pack 200 based on the proportion of its capacity in the total capacity of all battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100. The maximum rechargeable current of each battery pack 100 connected to the charger 100 can be set in the above manner. Of course, it is also possible that the maximum rechargeable current of some battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100 is set in the above manner, while that of some battery packs 200 is set in other ways. Specifically, the capacity parameters of a battery pack 200 may include its current capacity and its current remaining rechargeable capacity. The sum of the two capacity parameters of the same battery pack 200 is 100%. For example, if the current capacity (SOC) of a battery pack 200 is 80%, its remaining rechargeable capacity is 20%. In some embodiments, the controller 320 may calculate the ratio of the remaining rechargeable capacity of any battery pack 200 to the total remaining rechargeable capacity of all battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100, and multiply the ratio by the maximum charging current of the charger 100 as the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack 200. The maximum charging current of the charger 100 is the upper limit of the charging current it can provide, i.e., its maximum charging capacity. The sum of the charging currents provided by the charger 100 to each battery pack 200 does not exceed the maximum charging current of the charger 100. Referring to Table 2 below, the charger 100 is connected to the first and second battery packs 201 and 202. Whether the current capacity of at least one battery pack 200 exceeds a preset capacity threshold is used as a prerequisite for setting the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack 200 based on the percentage of the remaining rechargeable capacity. Assuming the preset capacity parameter threshold is 70%, and the current capacity of the first battery pack 201 is 70% with a remaining rechargeable capacity of 30%, the current capacity of the second battery pack 202 is 20% with a remaining rechargeable capacity of 80%, and the maximum charging current of the charger 100 is 20A, then the maximum rechargeable current of the first battery pack 201 is 20A * [30% / (30% + 80%)], which is 5.5A, and the maximum rechargeable current of the second battery pack 202 is 20A * [80% / (30% + 80%)], which is 14.5A. More examples are shown in Table 2.

[0145]

[0146] Table 2

[0147] In some embodiments, the controller 320 may also calculate the ratio between the sum of the current capacities of the battery packs 200 other than this battery pack 200, and the product of the number of other battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100 and the total current capacity of all battery packs 200, and multiply this ratio by the maximum charging current of the charger 100 as the maximum rechargeable current of this battery pack 200. For example, assuming that the current capacity of the first battery pack 201 is 70%, the current capacity of the second battery pack 202 is 20%, and the current capacity of some battery packs 200 exceeds a preset capacity threshold, and the maximum charging current that the charger 100 can provide is 20A, then the maximum rechargeable current of the first battery pack 201 is 20A * [20% / (70% + 20%) * 1], which is 4.4A, and the maximum rechargeable current of the second battery pack 202 is 20A * [70% / (70% + 20%) * 1], which is 15.6A. Assuming the first battery pack 201 has a current capacity of 70%, the second battery pack 202 has a current capacity of 20%, and the third battery pack has a current capacity of 60%, then the maximum rechargeable current of the first battery pack 201 is 20A * {(20% + 60%) / [(70% + 20% + 60%) * 2]}, which is 5.3A; the maximum rechargeable current of the second battery pack 202 is 20A * {(70% + 60%) / [(70% + 20% + 60%) * 2]}, which is 8.7A; and the maximum rechargeable current of the third battery pack is 20A * {(70% + 20%) / [(70% + 20% + 60%) * 2]}, which is 6A.

[0148] In other embodiments, the controller 320 of the charger 100 may also set the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack 200 based on one or more of the parameters such as capacity, voltage, and temperature of each battery pack 200 or the proportion of its calculated value Ai = f (SOCi, Ui, Ti) in the total battery parameters Ai / ΣAj (j takes 1 to n, where n is the number of battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100) Ii = Imax * Ai / ΣAj (Imax is the maximum charging current of the charger 100).

[0149] In some embodiments, the maximum rechargeable current of each battery pack 200 set by the controller 320 of the charger 100 is the upper limit of the charging current provided by the charger 100 to each battery pack 200. When the charger 100 actually transmits electrical energy to each battery pack 200, the controller 320 sets the current actual charging current of the battery pack 200 based on the aforementioned maximum rechargeable current of each battery pack 200 and its charging requirements. Specifically, the charger 100 will meet the charging requirements of the battery pack 200 within the limitation of its maximum rechargeable current. If the charging current corresponding to the current charging requirement of the battery pack 200 is less than or equal to its maximum rechargeable current, the charger 100 will supply charging to the battery pack 200 with the charging current currently required by the battery pack 200, which can meet its charging requirements; while if the charging current corresponding to the current charging requirement of the battery pack 200 is greater than its maximum rechargeable current, the charger 100 will supply charging to the battery pack 200 with the maximum rechargeable current, which does not meet its charging requirements.

[0150] In some embodiments, when the battery parameters of at least one battery pack 200 exceed a preset parameter threshold, the controller 320 of the charger 100 dynamically adjusts the maximum rechargeable current of that battery pack 200 based on its current proportion in the total battery parameters. Considering that the capacity increase rate of each battery pack 200 is different during the execution of the above strategy, a low-capacity battery pack 200 may become a high-capacity battery pack 200 after charging for a period of time. The dynamic adjustment of the maximum rechargeable current of each battery pack 200 can adapt to the changes in the real-time capacity relationship of the battery packs 200. Specifically, in addition to calculating and setting the maximum rechargeable current of each battery pack 200 after the first detection that the battery parameters of at least one battery pack 200 exceed the preset parameter threshold, the controller 320 can also periodically detect the current battery parameters of each battery pack 200 and recalculate and set the maximum rechargeable current of each battery pack 200 based on the parameter proportion during subsequent charging processes. Alternatively, the controller 320 can also adjust the maximum rechargeable current of each battery pack 200 in real time. For example, the maximum rechargeable current of each battery pack 200 is recalculated and set after a 1% change in the current capacity of any battery pack 200. In some embodiments, the frequency of dynamic adjustment of the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack 200 is approximately on the order of seconds, and the interval between two refreshes of the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack 200 is approximately several seconds to tens of seconds.

[0151] Correspondingly, a control method for charging a multi-battery pack 200 by a charger 100 is provided, see reference. Figure 11 It may include the following specific steps: S1102, if the battery parameter of at least one battery pack 200 connected to the charger 100 is greater than a preset parameter threshold, calculate the ratio of the battery parameter of any battery pack 200 to the total battery parameter of all battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100. S1104, the product of this ratio and the maximum charging current of the charger 100 is used as the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack 200. S1106, Based on the maximum rechargeable current of any battery pack 200 and its charging requirements, set the current charging current of the battery pack 200.

[0152] Following the foregoing, in one alternative implementation, the controller 320 of the charger 100 is configured to set the maximum rechargeable current of any battery pack 200 based on its capacity when the capacity of at least one battery pack 200 exceeds a preset capacity threshold. Specific implementation details can be found in the preceding embodiments. The capacity parameters of the battery pack 200 may include its current capacity and remaining rechargeable capacity. In some embodiments, the current capacity of the battery pack 200 is compared with a preset capacity threshold, which may be greater than or equal to 50%. Further, the preset capacity threshold may be less than or equal to 85%. In one embodiment, the preset capacity threshold may be 60%, 70%, or 80%. This embodiment primarily emphasizes that the charging current shared by the multiple battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100 from the charger 100 will be recalculated and set based on the capacity of each battery pack 200 after the capacity of any one or more battery packs 200 exceeds the preset capacity threshold.

[0153] In one alternative embodiment of this application, for the charger 100 of the power tool battery pack 200 having at least two battery pack mounting sections 20 described above, the charger 100 is optimized to manage the charging process of multiple battery packs to better meet user needs and be more efficient. The controller 320 of the charger 100 is configured to adjust the charging current of the battery pack 200 based at least on the charging parameters of the charger 100 for each battery pack 200 when the capacity of each battery pack 200 is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold. In this embodiment, during the limited phase where the capacity of each battery pack 200 is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold, the charger 100 adjusts the current charging current of each battery pack 200 based on the charging parameters of the charger 100 for each battery pack 200. During this phase, from the perspective of each battery pack 200, none of them have reached the constant voltage charging stage. The charging voltage of each battery pack 200 provides a relatively clear indication of its current charging progress. However, accurately obtaining the battery parameters of each battery pack 200 generally requires cumbersome methods. Therefore, calculating the charging current of each battery pack 200 using the charging parameters of the charger 100 is a more sensible choice. It should be noted that the charging control scheme described here is not a specific charging process for a single battery pack 200 from depleted to fully charged, but rather an overall adjustment scheme for allocating charging current to each of the multiple battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100. The setting of the charging current based on the charging parameters / battery parameters differs from the current adjustment in the constant current CC and constant voltage CV charging stages of a single battery pack 200 in related technologies.

[0154] In some embodiments, the charger 100 includes one or more charging modules, which may relate to some modules in the charging circuit 310 described above that transmits electrical energy to the battery pack 200 under the control of the controller 320, such as... Figure 6A , Figure 6BAs shown, the first and second charging modules 311 and 312 may each include first and second power conversion modules 3121 and 3122, and may share the same AC-DC module. Of course, the two charging modules may also each have their own AC-DC module. Other related modules such as step-up / step-down, rectification, and filtering will not be described in detail. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned charging parameters include one or more of the charging terminal voltages of each charging terminal 210 of the charger 100, the module voltages of each charging module, and the calculated values ​​of the charging terminal voltages and / or module voltages. The module voltage of the charging module may include one or more of the input voltage, output voltage, and the difference between the output voltage and the input voltage, or the voltage difference of the current path in the charging module. The output voltage of the charging module may not be equal to the corresponding charging terminal voltage, because several electronic components or modules may be connected between them; the charging terminal voltage may also not be equal to the battery pack voltage of the battery pack 200 coupled to it, because there are also influences such as contact impedance between them. In some embodiments, there may be a corresponding relationship between the battery pack 200, the charging terminal 210, and the charging module connected to the charger 100. For example, such as... Figure 6B As shown, the electrical energy output by the first charging module 311 can be transferred to the first battery pack 201 coupled thereto through the first charging terminal 211, and the electrical energy output by the second charging module 312 can be transferred to the second battery pack 202 coupled thereto through the second charging terminal 212. In some embodiments, the charging parameter can be the difference between the charging terminal voltages of any two charging terminals, or it can be the difference between the first voltage difference between the charging terminal voltage and the module voltage of each of the two battery packs 200. Assuming the first charging terminal voltage of the first charging terminal 211 coupled to the first battery pack 201 is U1o, and the first charging terminal 211 receives electrical energy from the first charging module 311, and the module voltage of the first charging module 311 is the input voltage U1i, then the first voltage difference of the first battery pack 201 is ΔU1=U1o-U1i; the second charging terminal voltage of the second charging terminal 212 coupled to the second battery pack 202 is U2o, and the second charging terminal 212 receives electrical energy from the second charging module 312, and the module voltage of the second charging module 312 is the input voltage U2i, then the first voltage difference of the second battery pack 202 is ΔU2=U2o-U2i.

[0155] In some embodiments, when the current capacity of each battery pack 200 is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold, the controller 320 of the charger 100 can adjust the current charging current of the two battery packs 200 based on the difference of the first voltage difference between each pair of multiple charging terminals. Specifically, the controller 320 can first determine whether the difference between the first voltage difference of the two charging terminals exceeds the second difference threshold, or further determine whether the duration for which the difference between the first voltage difference of the two charging terminals exceeds the second difference threshold reaches a preset duration threshold. Then, if the difference between the first voltage difference exceeds the second difference threshold or if the difference between the first voltage difference exceeds the second difference threshold and the duration reaches the preset duration threshold, the controller increases the current charging current of the battery pack 200 with low battery parameters and / or low charging parameters, and decreases the current charging current of the battery pack 200 with high battery parameters and / or high charging parameters. For example, the controller 320 can increase the current charging current of the battery pack 200 with low battery parameters by a preset amplitude, and decrease the charging current of the battery pack 200 with high battery parameters by a preset amplitude. It is possible that the preset amplitudes used for increasing and decreasing the charging current are not equal. It should be noted that the controller 320's adjustment of the charging current of the battery pack 200 based on the first voltage difference is not a one-time operation. The controller 320 can continuously increase or decrease the charging current of the battery pack 200 by a preset amplitude until the difference between the first voltage difference and the second difference threshold is less than the second difference threshold, or until the increased or decreased charging current reaches its upper or lower limit. It can be understood that the increase in charging current applies to battery packs 200 with low battery parameters and / or low charging parameters. This means that, for the purpose of balancing the charging of multiple battery packs, battery packs 200 with lower current capacity, voltage, and other parameters should receive more energy. Conversely, the urgency for battery packs 200 with high battery parameters and / or high charging parameters to receive energy decreases. Therefore, the battery parameters / charging parameters used for indication here should not be negatively correlated parameters such as remaining rechargeable capacity. In some embodiments, a second difference threshold corresponding to the difference of the first voltage difference can be set based on the rated voltage of the multiple battery packs 200. The two can be positively correlated, that is, the higher the rated voltage of the multiple battery packs 200, the higher the voltage difference between the battery packs allowed during charging equalization in this stage.

[0156] Suppose that at a certain moment, charger 100 is connected to a first battery pack 201 with a current capacity of 40% and a second battery pack 202 with a current capacity of 60%. The current capacity of both battery packs 200 is less than a preset capacity threshold of 70%. Controller 320 adjusts the charging current of the battery packs 200 based on the current charging parameters of charger 100. It calculates the first voltage difference ΔU1 = U1o - U1i between the first charging terminal voltage U1o of the first battery pack 201 and the module voltage U1i of the first charging module, and the first voltage difference ΔU2 = U2o - U2i between the second charging terminal voltage U2o of the second battery pack 202 and the module voltage U2i of the second charging module. It compares the difference ΔU = |ΔU2 - ΔU1| between the first and second charging terminals with a second difference threshold of 0.2. When the difference ΔU between the first voltage difference and the second voltage difference exceeds the second difference threshold, the charging current of the first battery pack 201, which has lower battery parameters such as current capacity and / or lower charging parameters such as the first voltage difference, is increased by a preset amplitude. Conversely, the charging current of the second battery pack 202, which has higher battery parameters and / or higher charging parameters, is decreased by a preset amplitude until the difference ΔU between the first and second charging terminals is less than or equal to the second difference threshold of 0.2V or the charging current reaches its upper or lower limit. In one embodiment, the single change in charging current is 1A. However, it is understood that the preset capacity threshold of 70%, the second difference threshold of 0.2V, and the preset amplitude of 1A can all be adaptively adjusted based on the charging and discharging characteristics of the battery pack 200 and / or the charger 100. Furthermore, the initial values ​​of the charging current of the battery pack 200 when increasing or decreasing, as well as the interval between increasing / decreasing the charging current, are not specifically limited; they should also be adapted to the charging and discharging characteristics of the battery pack 200 and / or the charger 100.

[0157] In other embodiments, the controller 320 may also adjust the charging current of two battery packs 200 based on the difference in charging terminal voltage between each pair of multiple charging terminals when the current capacity of each battery pack 200 is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold. The specific implementation is similar to the aforementioned embodiments. When the difference in charging terminal voltage exceeds a third difference threshold, the charging current allocated to the side with the higher charging terminal voltage decreases, and the charging current allocated to the side with the lower charging terminal voltage increases.

[0158] In some embodiments, the multiple battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100 have approximately equal rated voltages, so that the above-described scheme of adjusting the charging current by voltage difference is accurate during the period when the capacity of each battery pack 200 is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold.

[0159] Correspondingly, a control method for charging a multi-battery pack 200 by a charger 100 is provided, see reference. Figure 12 It may include the following specific steps: S1202, when the capacity of each battery pack 200 connected to the charger 100 is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold, calculate the difference of the first voltage difference between each pair of multiple charging terminals, wherein the first voltage difference is the difference between the charging terminal voltage and the module voltage. S1204, determine whether the difference of the first voltage difference between the two charging terminals exceeds the second difference threshold; S1206, if the difference of the first voltage difference exceeds the second difference threshold, increase the current of the battery with the lower parameter in the two battery packs connected to the two charging terminals by a preset amplitude, and decrease the current of the battery with the higher parameter in the two battery packs by a preset amplitude.

[0160] Following the foregoing, in one alternative implementation, the controller 320 of the charger 100 is configured to adjust the charging current of each battery pack 200 based on its battery parameters when the capacity of each battery pack 200 is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold. The difference between this implementation and the previous one is that, within the limited period when the capacity of each battery pack 200 is less than or equal to the preset capacity threshold, the parameter used by the controller 320 to adjust the charging current of each battery pack 200 is changed from charging parameters to battery parameters. The battery parameters of the battery pack 200 can more intuitively reflect its charging progress. In some embodiments, when the current capacity of each battery pack 200 is less than or equal to the preset capacity threshold, the controller 320 of the charger 100 can adjust the charging current of two battery packs 200 based on the difference in battery parameters between each pair of battery packs 200. Specifically, the controller 320 can first determine whether the difference between the battery parameters such as the battery voltage of the two battery packs 200 exceeds a first difference threshold, or further determine whether the duration for which the difference between the battery parameters of the two battery packs 200 exceeds the first difference threshold reaches a preset duration threshold. If so, the controller increases the charging current of the battery pack 200 with lower battery parameters and / or charging parameters by a preset amplitude, and decreases the charging current of the battery pack 200 with higher battery parameters and / or charging parameters by a preset amplitude.

[0161] In summary, under one alternative implementation of this application, the controller 320 of the charger 100 is configured to select different current setting methods to set the charging current of the battery pack 200 based on the relationship between the capacity of the battery pack 200 and a preset capacity threshold. In this implementation, the numerical relationship between the capacity of each battery pack 200 connected to the charger 100 and the preset capacity threshold is used as the stage division standard for changing the charging strategy in the multi-battery pack charging process. Different emphases are placed on charging balancing under different capacity numerical relationships. The controller 320 will adjust the charging current of each battery pack 200 using different current setting methods at different stages to ensure the accuracy and safety of the charging process. The difference in charging current setting methods at different stages can be reflected in the different types of battery parameters and / or charging parameters involved, or in the different specific algorithms used to calculate and set the charging current based on the battery parameters and / or charging parameters. In some embodiments, when the current capacity of at least one battery pack 200 is greater than a preset capacity threshold, the controller 320 of the charger 100 sets the charging current of one or more battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100 using a first current setting method; when the current capacity of each battery pack 200 is less than or equal to the preset capacity threshold, the controller 320 sets the charging current of one or more battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100 using a second current setting method.

[0162] In some embodiments, when the charging current of the battery pack 200 connected to the charger 100 is set in a first current setting mode when the current capacity of at least one battery pack 200 is greater than a preset capacity threshold, the controller 320 will set the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack 200 based on the battery parameters of any battery pack 200, and set its current charging current based on the maximum rechargeable current of the battery pack 200 and its charging requirements. In some embodiments, when the controller 320 sets the charging current of the battery pack 200 in the first current setting mode, it can calculate the proportion of any battery pack 200 in the total battery parameters, and calculate the maximum rechargeable current that the battery pack 200 can obtain from the parameter proportion and the maximum charging current that the charger 100 can provide. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned battery parameters include one or more of the following: the current capacity of the battery pack 200, the remaining rechargeable capacity, and the battery pack voltage. Other related specific implementation methods can be referred to in the previous embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0163] In some embodiments, when the charging current of the battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100 is set using the second current setting method when the current capacity of all battery packs 200 is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold, the controller 320 will dynamically adjust the charging current of the battery packs 200 based on the charging parameters of each battery pack 200 by the charger 100 or the battery parameters of each battery pack 200. In some embodiments, when the controller 320 adjusts the charging current of the battery packs 200 using the second current setting method, it can calculate and compare whether the difference between the charging parameters and / or battery parameters of each pair of battery packs 200 exceeds the corresponding difference threshold. If so, it will decrease the charging current of the battery packs 200 with high battery parameters and / or charging parameters by a preset amplitude, and increase the charging current of the battery packs 200 with low battery parameters and / or charging parameters, until the difference between the two is less than or equal to the corresponding difference threshold or the increased / decreased charging current reaches the upper or lower limit. In some embodiments, the charging parameters include the charging terminal voltage of the charging terminal, the module voltage of the charging module inside the charger, and the difference between the two. Other related specific implementations can be found in the preceding embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0164] Correspondingly, a control method for charging a multi-battery pack 200 by a charger 100 is provided, see reference. Figure 13 It may include the following specific steps: S1302, determine the numerical relationship between the current capacity of each battery pack 200 connected to the charger 100 and a preset capacity threshold; S1304, when the current capacity of at least one battery pack 200 is greater than a preset capacity threshold, the current charging current of the battery pack 200 is set using a first current setting method. S1306, when the current capacity of all battery packs 200 is less than or equal to a preset capacity threshold, the current charging current of the battery pack 200 is set using a second current setting method.

[0165] Similar to the preceding description, the above-described implementation of multiple phased variable strategy equalization charging can also be combined with the embodiments of the mode selection device 40 described above. Following the foregoing, in some embodiments, the charger 100 has at least one of the first to three charging modes, wherein the first charging mode may involve multi-battery pack priority, the second charging mode may involve multi-battery pack equalization charging, and the third charging mode may be a long-life mode for slow charging of multiple battery packs. The first and second current settings described above may differ under different charging modes. In some embodiments, the controller 320 of the charger 100, in response to the mode selection device 40 being set to the first charging mode involving multi-battery pack 200 priority, will, when the current capacity of all multi-battery packs 200 does not exceed a preset capacity threshold, satisfy the charging needs of the first battery pack 201, which is coupled to the first charging terminal 211, with higher priority, based on the charger 100's maximum charging capacity, and then satisfy the charging needs of the second battery pack 202, which is coupled to the second charging terminal 212, with lower priority, based on the charger 100's remaining charging capacity. If the current capacity of at least one battery pack 200 connected to the charger 100 exceeds a preset capacity threshold, the maximum rechargeable current of that battery pack 200 will be set based on the proportion of the battery parameters of each battery pack 200 in the total battery parameters of all battery packs 200 connected to the charger 100. Furthermore, the controller 320 can set the current charging current of each battery pack 200 based on its maximum rechargeable current and charging requirements, and can dynamically adjust it. Other related specific implementation methods can be referred to the previous embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0166] In other embodiments, the controller 320 of the charger 100, in response to the mode selection device 40 being set to a second charging mode dedicated to balanced charging of multiple battery packs, can adjust the current charging current of each battery pack 200 based on the charging parameters of the charger 100 for each battery pack 200 and / or the battery parameters of each battery pack 200, provided that the current capacity of each battery pack 200 does not exceed a preset capacity threshold. Specifically, this includes increasing the current charging current of the battery pack 200 with lower battery parameters / charging parameters by a preset magnitude and decreasing the current charging current of the battery pack 200 with higher battery parameters / charging parameters by a preset magnitude, until the difference in battery parameters does not exceed the first difference threshold and / or the difference in charging parameters does not exceed the second difference threshold, or the increased or decreased charging current reaches the upper or lower limit. If the current capacity of at least one battery pack 200 connected to the charger 100 exceeds a preset capacity threshold, the controller 320 may use the same current setting method as in the first charging mode, setting its maximum rechargeable current based on the proportion of each battery pack 200 in the total battery parameters. Other related specific implementation methods can be referred to in the preceding embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0167] In some other embodiments, the controller 320 of the charger 100, in response to the mode selection device 40 being set to a third charging mode for long-life slow charging of multiple battery packs, can always supply power to each charging terminal 210 and the battery pack 200 at a preset value of a smaller maximum rechargeable current. In one embodiment, in the third charging mode, all charging terminals 210 always supply power to the battery pack 200 coupled thereto at a maximum rechargeable current of 2A.

[0168] In one alternative embodiment of this application, the charging process of the charger 100 for power tool battery packs 200 with high initial temperatures is optimized to enable the battery pack 200 to be safely and quickly replenished with power. In this embodiment, the charger 100 may have at least one battery pack mounting portion 20 and at least one charging terminal 210. Its controller 320 is configured to control the charging circuit 310 to charge the battery pack 200 coupled to the charging terminal 210 at a constant current with a first charging current. During the constant current charging process with the first charging current, if a first charging limit condition is reached, the charging circuit 310 is controlled to charge the battery pack 200 at a constant current with a second charging current, wherein the second charging current is greater than or equal to the first charging current. That is, the charging process of the charger 100 for the battery pack 200 includes at least two constant current charging stages, and the current values ​​of these two constant current charging stages are initially low and then increase. It should be noted that in relevant scenarios, users typically use and replace multiple battery packs 200 to keep the power tool 300 running continuously. When the battery pack 200 is waiting to be charged, it is often at a high initial temperature. High temperature has a negative impact on the charging efficiency, safety, and control accuracy of the battery pack 200. If it is left idle to wait for the battery pack 200 to cool down, a lot of time is wasted, which does not meet the user's expectation that the battery pack 200 will continue to work. In this implementation method, the battery pack 200 adopts a two-stage constant current charging with a low current value followed by a high current value. This can keep the temperature within a reasonable range, avoid waiting, reduce charging time, ensure the charging efficiency and safety of the battery pack 200, and the battery pack 200 with a lower temperature rise can also play a better role in subsequent work.

[0169] Following on from the previous text, the aforementioned charging control scheme primarily aims to optimize the charging process of battery packs with high initial temperatures. In some embodiments, the controller 320 of the charger 100 will execute the charging control scheme when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 to be charged exceeds a certain lower temperature limit. For example, the relevant charging control scheme can be executed when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is greater than or equal to 40°C, or when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is greater than or equal to 35°C. Furthermore, if the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is too high and related dangers cannot be avoided, it must be reduced to a slightly lower temperature. In some embodiments, the execution of the aforementioned charging control scheme also has a temperature upper limit, for example, it can be executed when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is greater than or equal to 40°C and less than or equal to 55°C, or when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is greater than or equal to 35°C and less than or equal to 60°C, or when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is greater than or equal to 40°C and less than or equal to 65°C.

[0170] In some embodiments, the first charging current of the charger 100 in the first constant current charging phase is greater than or equal to 4A, or the first charging current is greater than or equal to 1C. In some embodiments, the first charging current can be 4A, 6A, 8A, or 10A. In some embodiments, the value of the first charging current can correspond to one or more of the initial temperature, starting charging voltage, and starting charging capacity of the battery pack 200.

[0171] In some embodiments, the second charging current of the charger 100 in the second constant current charging phase is greater than or equal to 12A, or greater than or equal to 3C. In some embodiments, the second charging current can be 12A or 20A. In some embodiments, the value of the second charging current can correspond to one or more of the initial temperature, starting charging voltage, and starting charging capacity of the battery pack 200.

[0172] In some embodiments, the controller 320 of the charger 100 is configured to control the current value of the first charging current output by the charging circuit 310 based on the starting charging voltage and / or starting charging capacity of the battery pack 200 when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is less than or equal to a first temperature threshold and greater than or equal to a second temperature threshold. Specifically, within a temperature range, the current value of the first constant current charging stage of the charger 100 charging the battery pack 200 is determined by the controller 320 based on the starting charging voltage and / or starting charging capacity of the battery pack 200. For example, if the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is within the same temperature range, the first charging current value will be different if the starting charging voltage is in different voltage ranges; or, if the starting charging capacity is in different capacity ranges, the first charging current value will be different. Furthermore, if the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is in different temperature ranges, different first charging current values ​​can also be obtained for the same starting charging voltage or the same starting charging capacity.

[0173] The division of the aforementioned temperature range, voltage range, and capacity range can be set based on the electrical characteristics of the battery pack 200. Experimental analysis reveals that in some embodiments, the internal resistance of the cells within the battery pack 200 is relatively high within a capacity range of approximately 0% to 20%, significantly impacting the temperature rise of the battery pack 200. During the initial charging phase, when the capacity of the battery pack 200 reaches 20%, the temperature may reach an extreme value. Within a capacity range of approximately 20% to 45%, the internal resistance of the cells is relatively low, having a smaller impact on the temperature rise of the battery pack 200. However, beyond the 45% capacity range, the internal resistance of the cells gradually increases, again causing heat accumulation inside the battery pack 200. To optimize the charging process, at least the charging current in the low-capacity stage can be kept relatively low, and a larger charging current can be used to effectively utilize the capacity range with lower internal resistance. Furthermore, the charging strategy can be changed in a timely manner during the high-capacity stage when the internal resistance increases, and the temperature rise of the battery pack 200 should be avoided or mitigated throughout the charging process. Referring to Table 3 below, it shows some possible interval divisions of the above charging control scheme and the corresponding charging parameters and switching strategies, where T is the temperature parameter, V is the voltage parameter, I is the current parameter, and SOC is the capacity parameter.

[0174]

[0175] Table 3

[0176] In some embodiments, the first charging limit condition for the charger 100 to switch from the first charging current to the second charging current may be related to one or more of the current temperature, voltage, and capacity of the battery pack 200. In some embodiments, one or more of the temperature, voltage, and capacity of the battery pack 200, or the calculated values ​​of one or more of them, and their corresponding threshold values ​​may be used as the first charging limit condition. Furthermore, in some embodiments, when one or more of the initial temperature, initial charging capacity, and initial charging voltage of the battery pack 200 are different, the parameter types and specific thresholds involved in the first charging limit condition adopted by the controller 320 may also be different.

[0177] In some embodiments, during the process of charger 100 charging battery pack 200 at a constant current using a first charging current, controller 320 can at least determine whether to switch to charging battery pack 200 at a constant current using a second charging current based on the current temperature of battery pack 200. For example, it can switch to the second charging current after the current temperature of battery pack 200 has fallen below a certain temperature threshold. As mentioned above, this application mainly aims to optimize the charging process of battery pack 200 with a high initial temperature. (Refer to...) Figure 7 , Figure 8The battery pack 200 is initially charged with a small first charging current under constant current conditions. This causes a slight decrease in the temperature of the battery pack 200. Once the controller 320 determines that the battery pack 200's temperature has dropped to a level sufficient for subsequent charging, it initiates a second constant current charging phase with an increased charging current. In one embodiment, when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is approximately 55°C, the first charging limit condition can be whether the current temperature of the battery pack 200 is less than or equal to 50°C. If so, the second charging current is used for constant current charging.

[0178] In some embodiments, during the process of charger 100 charging battery pack 200 at a constant current using a first charging current, controller 320 can at least determine whether to switch to constant current charging of battery pack 200 using a second charging current based on the current capacity of battery pack 200. For example, it can switch to the second charging current after the current capacity of battery pack 200 has risen to a certain capacity threshold. (Continuing from the previous text...) Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, the internal resistance of the battery cell, the temperature rise of the battery pack 200, and its capacity have a certain correlation. The current capacity of the battery pack 200 as its capacity increases can also serve as an indication to switch to a second constant-current charging stage with a higher current value. In one embodiment, the aforementioned first charging limit condition can be whether the current capacity of the battery pack 200 is greater than or equal to 20%; if so, it can be switched to constant-current charging with a second charging current.

[0179] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the changes in internal resistance, temperature rise, and capacity of the battery pack 200 are not significant or the corresponding relationships are unstable within certain initial temperature ranges. The controller 320 can determine whether to switch to constant current charging of the battery pack 200 with the second charging current based on the current temperature and capacity of the battery pack 200, or based on the current temperature and voltage of the battery pack 200. For example, the controller can switch to the second charging current after the current temperature of the battery pack 200 has fallen below a certain temperature threshold and the current capacity of the battery pack 200 has risen to a certain capacity threshold. In one embodiment, when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is less than 55°C and greater than 40°C, the aforementioned first charging limit condition can be whether the current temperature of the battery pack 200 is less than or equal to 50°C and the capacity is greater than or equal to 20%. If so, the controller switches to constant current charging with the second charging current.

[0180] In some embodiments, the above-described charging control scheme includes more stages after the two-stage constant current charging with the current value increasing from low to high. For example, it includes a third constant current charging stage. The controller 320 of the charger 100 is configured to, during the constant current charging of the battery pack 200 with the second charging current, if the second charging limit condition is reached, control the charging circuit 310 to charge the battery pack 200 with the third charging current. The third charging current is less than the second charging current but greater than the first charging current. That is, the charging process of the charger 100 for the battery pack 200 includes three constant current charging stages. The current value in these three stages is initially low, then increases, and then decreases again, with the initial stage having the lowest current value. Continuing from the previous point, when the capacity of the battery pack 200 increases to a higher value, the internal resistance of the cells will gradually increase, causing internal heat accumulation and temperature rise. The second charging current may cause the battery pack 200 to overheat, and the controller 320 controls the entry into the third constant current charging stage. In some embodiments, the magnitude of the third charging current output by the charging circuit 310 may correspond to one or more of the initial temperature, starting charging voltage, and starting charging capacity of the battery pack 200. In some embodiments, the third charging current may be 10A. In some embodiments, the third charging current may be greater than 1C and less than 5C, or greater than 1C and less than 3C. In some embodiments, the existence of the aforementioned third constant current charging stage depends on the initial temperature of the battery pack 200; under certain initial temperature ranges, the battery pack 200 may directly enter the constant voltage charging stage, which will be described later, after the second constant current charging stage. In some embodiments, the aforementioned second charging limit condition may be whether the current voltage of the battery pack 200 is greater than or equal to a first voltage threshold; if so, constant current charging with the third charging current may be used. In some embodiments, the first voltage threshold may be 3.81V.

[0181] In some embodiments, the above-described charging control scheme includes further stages after the two-stage constant current charging with the current value increasing from low to high. For example, it includes a constant voltage charging stage. The controller 320 of the charger 100 is configured to, during the constant current charging of the battery pack 200 with a second charging current or a third charging current, if the battery pack 200 reaches the voltage value required for the constant voltage charging stage, control the charging circuit 310 to perform constant voltage charging on the battery pack 200. That is, after the current voltage of the battery pack 200 is greater than or equal to a second voltage threshold in the second or third constant current charging stage, it enters the constant voltage charging stage. In one embodiment, the voltage value of the battery pack 200 is maintained at approximately 4.2V during the constant voltage charging stage.

[0182] In some embodiments, the cutoff current of the charger 100 during the constant voltage charging stage for charging the battery pack 200 is greater than or equal to 0.2A, for example, it can be 0.5A, 0.6A, or 0.8A. This charging cutoff current is higher than that in related technologies. During the constant voltage charging stage, the charging voltage of the battery pack 200 remains unchanged, and the charging current decreases until the battery pack 200 is fully charged. Typically, the charging cutoff current is about 0.1A to maximize the replenishment of energy to the battery pack 200. However, in this embodiment, the battery pack 200 starts charging at a relatively high initial temperature and remains at a slightly higher temperature during the charging process. If a cutoff current of 0.1A is still used for constant voltage charging, it will lead to overcharging of the battery pack 200. Adjusting the charging cutoff current to be greater than or equal to 0.2A in this embodiment can more accurately and safely achieve full charging of the battery pack.

[0183] In one alternative implementation, the controller 320 of the charger 100 is configured to, when the capacity of the battery pack 200 coupled to the charging terminal 210 of the charger 100 is less than or equal to a first capacity threshold, control the charging circuit 310 to charge the battery pack 200 at a constant current with a first charging current; and when the capacity of the battery pack 200 exceeds the first capacity threshold but is less than a second capacity threshold, control the charging circuit 310 to charge the battery pack 200 at a constant current with a second charging current. Following the preceding text, there is a certain correspondence between the internal resistance, temperature rise, and capacity of the battery pack 200. In this implementation, the charger 100 uses the numerical relationship between the current capacity of the battery pack 200 and the first and second capacity thresholds as the first charging limit condition. In the initial stage, the battery pack 200 is charged to the first capacity threshold with the first charging current, and then enters a new stage where the battery pack 200 is charged with the second charging current to increase the capacity of the battery pack 200 from the first capacity threshold to the second capacity threshold.

[0184] like Figure 7 , Figure 8As shown, in some embodiments, after the battery pack 200's capacity reaches a second capacity threshold, the controller 320 of the charger 100 can control the battery pack 200 to be charged in a basically constant-temperature manner. Specifically, it can control the charging circuit 310 to perform constant-current charging with a third charging current. This third charging current should be lower than the second charging current and higher than the first charging current; for example, it can be the rated charging current of the battery pack 200. In some embodiments, during the constant-temperature charging process where the battery pack 200's capacity increases from the second capacity threshold, the battery pack 200 can be basically maintained at a temperature of less than or equal to 50°C. Understandably, the temperature maintained by the battery pack 200 during the above-mentioned constant-temperature charging process may be affected by factors such as ambient temperature, but will not exceed 50°C. In some embodiments, when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is high, for example, when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is greater than or equal to 50°C, during the constant current charging process of the first and second charging currents, the capacity of the battery pack 200 gradually increases to the second capacity threshold, and the temperature gradually decreases to below 50°C. During the constant current charging process of the third charging current, the capacity continues to increase, and the temperature remains basically stable. In other embodiments, when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is slightly high, for example, when the initial temperature of the battery pack 200 is greater than or equal to 40°C but does not exceed 50°C, during the constant current charging process of the first and second charging currents, the capacity of the battery pack 200 gradually increases to the second capacity threshold, and the temperature gradually increases but does not exceed 50°C. During the constant current charging process of the third charging current, the capacity continues to increase, and the temperature remains basically stable.

[0185] Understandably, the numerical ranges of the first and second charging currents, the parameters and switching conditions of the third constant current charging stage, and the parameters and switching conditions of the constant voltage charging stage described in the preceding embodiments can all be combined in this embodiment, provided that the features do not conflict, and vice versa.

[0186] Correspondingly, this application also proposes a charging method for a power tool battery pack 200. Continuing from the foregoing, the battery pack 200 may include a battery casing and a power supply terminal capable of being electrically connected to the tool terminal of the power tool 300. The tool terminal of the power tool 300 may be disposed at the battery connection portion of the tool. When charging, the power supply terminal of the battery pack 200 may be electrically connected to the charging terminal 210 of the charger 100. (Reference) Figure 9 A charging method may include the following specific steps: S902, charges the battery pack 200 with a constant current using the first charging current; S904, when the first charging limit condition is achieved during constant current charging with the first charging current, the battery pack is charged with constant current with the second charging current 200, and the second charging current is greater than the first charging current.

[0187] refer to Figure 10Another charging method may include the following specific steps: S1002, when the capacity of the battery pack 200 is less than or equal to the first capacity threshold, the battery pack 200 is charged with a constant current using the first charging current. S1004, when the capacity of the battery pack 200 is greater than the first capacity threshold and less than the second capacity threshold, the battery pack 200 is charged with a constant current using a second charging current, and the first charging current is less than the second charging current.

[0188] It should be noted that the charging control scheme was mainly illustrated from the perspective of the charger. However, when the battery pack is charged by the charger or the charger is charging the battery pack, it works as a system. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned charging control scheme can be executed by the battery pack as the active party. The relevant parameters, switching conditions and other control strategies are stored in the battery pack and are provided by the battery pack to the charger for joint execution during charging.

[0189] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that the above embodiments do not limit this application in any way, and all technical solutions obtained by equivalent substitution or equivalent transformation fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A charger for a battery pack used in power tools, comprising: Housing assembly and at least one charging terminal; The charging circuit is electrically connected to the charging terminal; The controller is configured to control at least the electrical energy output of the charging circuit; Specifically, the controller is configured to: control the charging circuit to charge the battery pack coupled to the charging terminal at a constant current using a first charging current; and, when a first charging limit condition is reached during the constant current charging process using the first charging current, control the charging circuit to charge the battery pack at a constant current using a second charging current, wherein the second charging current is greater than the first charging current.

2. The charger according to claim 1, wherein, The first charging current is greater than or equal to 4A, or the first charging current is greater than or equal to 1C; and / or, the second charging current is greater than or equal to 12A or the second charging current is greater than or equal to 3C.

3. The charger according to claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to control the charging circuit to charge the battery pack at a constant current with a third charging current when the current voltage of the battery pack is greater than or equal to a first voltage threshold; the third charging current is less than the second charging current and greater than or equal to the first charging current.

4. The charger according to claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to control the charging circuit to perform constant voltage charging on the battery pack when the current voltage of the battery pack is greater than or equal to a second voltage threshold; during the constant voltage charging process, the charging cut-off current is greater than or equal to 0.2A.

5. The charger according to claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to, when the initial temperature of the battery pack is less than or equal to a first temperature threshold and greater than or equal to a second temperature threshold, control the current value of the first charging current output by the charging circuit based on the starting charging voltage or starting charging capacity of the battery pack.

6. The charger according to claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to determine, at least based on the temperature of the battery pack, whether to switch to constant current charging of the battery pack using the second charging current during the constant current charging process using the first charging current.

7. The charger according to claim 6, wherein, The controller is configured to, when the initial temperature of the battery pack is less than 55°C and greater than 40°C, determine whether to switch to constant current charging of the battery pack using the second charging current during the process of constant current charging with the first charging current, based on the current temperature and voltage or temperature and capacity of the battery pack.

8. The charger according to claim 6, wherein, The controller is configured to, during constant current charging of the battery pack at an initial temperature of approximately 55°C, determine, based on the current temperature of the battery pack, whether to switch to constant current charging of the battery pack using the second charging current.

9. A method for charging a battery pack for an electric tool, the battery pack comprising a battery casing and at least a power supply terminal capable of being electrically connected to the tool terminal of the electric tool; in, The charging method includes: The battery pack is charged at a constant current using a first charging current. If the first charging limit condition is met during constant current charging with the first charging current, the battery pack is charged with constant current with the second charging current, and the second charging current is greater than the first charging current.

10. A charger for a battery pack for power tools, comprising: Housing assembly and at least one charging terminal; The charging circuit is electrically connected to the charging terminal; The controller is configured to control at least the electrical energy output of the charging circuit; Specifically, the controller is configured to: when the capacity of the battery pack coupled to the charging terminal is less than or equal to a first capacity threshold, control the charging circuit to charge the battery pack with a first charging current at a constant current; when the capacity of the battery pack is greater than the first capacity threshold and less than a second capacity threshold, control the charging circuit to charge the battery pack with a second charging current at a constant current, wherein the first charging current is less than the second charging current.

11. The charger according to claim 10, wherein, The controller is configured to control the battery pack to be charged at a basically constant temperature when the capacity of the battery pack reaches the second capacity threshold; during the basically constant temperature charging process, the temperature of the battery pack is less than or equal to 50°C.

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