Battery pack

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a battery pack having a housing, the battery pack comprising a latching mechanism, the latching mechanism comprising a frame, a latching element engageable with the housing, an actuation element arranged to be actuated by a user, a resilient element, wherein the latching element rests against the resilient element against a spring force, and a pivotally mounted transmission element arranged to connect the actuation element and the latching element. The latching mechanism of the battery pack keeps the battery pack in mechanical and electrical connection during operation, is also easily released so that the battery pack can be removed from the power tool for recharging.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a battery pack having a housing. More specifically, this disclosure also relates to a latching mechanism for the battery pack. Background Technology

[0002] Power tools, such as electric gardening tools, can be powered by rechargeable battery packs. For example, the battery packs can be charged using a compatible charger or via USB. Therefore, the battery packs must be removable from the power tool.

[0003] Therefore, a battery latching mechanism is provided on the power tool or battery pack. The latching mechanism mechanically secures the battery pack to the power tool, while also electrically connecting the battery pack to the power tool for its intended use. The battery latching mechanism must be sufficiently strong to maintain the battery pack in both mechanical and electrical connection during operation. Additionally, the latching mechanism must be designed for easy release, allowing the battery pack to be removed from the power tool for recharging. Utility Model Content

[0004] This disclosure provides a battery pack with a housing, the battery pack including a latching mechanism. The latching mechanism includes: a frame; a latching element capable of engaging the housing; an actuating element arranged for user actuation; a resilient element, wherein the latching element resists a spring force against the resilient element; and a pivotally mounted transmission element arranged to connect the actuating element and the latching element.

[0005] The latching element is linearly movable within the frame. The latching element may include a guide element for guiding the linear movement of the latching element within the frame. A transmission element may include a rotating shaft from which a first portion and a second portion protrude. The rotating shaft may be pivotally coupled to the frame. The first and second portions may form an angle between them, said angle being 45 degrees to 100 degrees. One end of an actuating element may be coupled to the first portion. The latching element may include an opening, and the second portion is arranged to be at least partially received within the opening.

[0006] The actuating element can be a flexible strip. The actuating element can also include a ring. Attached Figure Description

[0007] In the following, the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0008] Figure 1 The battery pack is shown;

[0009] Figure 2 An internal front view of the battery pack is shown;

[0010] Figure 3Another internal view of the battery pack is shown;

[0011] Figure 4 A closer view of the latching mechanism is shown;

[0012] Figure 5 Another view of the latch mechanism is shown;

[0013] Figure 6 A side view of the latching mechanism is shown;

[0014] Figure 7 An exploded view of the latch mechanism is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Figure 1 A battery pack according to an embodiment is shown. The battery pack includes a housing 1, which can be designed for flat lithium-ion batteries or any other type of battery with a compact form and good energy density. Figure 1 In the diagram, housing 1 is shown as having a longitudinal design with an elliptical cross-section. However, other designs are possible. Housing 1 has a front end portion 4 that accommodates the latching mechanism 10. One of the longitudinal sides may include a groove 2 in which a latching hole 3 is located. The groove 2 may be longitudinal or transverse. The latching hole 3 is preferably located in the middle portion of the front end portion 4.

[0016] Figure 2 An internal front view of the front end 4 of the battery pack is shown. Figure 3 Another internal view of the front end portion 4 is shown. The front end portion 4 may include a front panel 5 having a charging port 6. The front panel 5 may also include at least one fastening hole 8 for attaching a latching mechanism 10 to the front panel 5. The latching mechanism 10 includes a frame 11 that may be disposed within the housing 1 to at least partially accommodate other components of the latching mechanism 10. The frame 11 may include two laterally projecting protrusions 12 for attaching fasteners (such as screws) to the front panel 5.

[0017] Figure 4 A closer view of a latching mechanism 10 according to one embodiment is shown. Figure 5 Another frameless view of the latching mechanism 10 is shown. Figure 6 It shows Figure 5 Side view. Figure 7 An exploded view of the latch mechanism 10 is shown.

[0018] The latching mechanism 10 includes a frame 11, which may have a box-like structure with at least two open end sides. A first open end side allows movement of the transmission element 14 relative to the frame 11, and a second open end side allows movement of the latching element 13 relative to the frame 11. The first open end side may be perpendicular to the second open end side. The latching element 13 may engage with the housing 1, particularly with the latch hole 3 of the housing 1. However, the latching element 13 may also engage with other structural components.

[0019] The latching element 13 may include an inclined surface 15 that facilitates sliding the latching element 13 into the latch hole 3, while a vertical surface 16 prevents the latching element 13 from sliding out of the latch hole 3. The latching element 13 may move linearly relative to the frame 11, or the latching element may move linearly within the frame 11, or both. The latching element 13 and the sidewall 25 of the frame 11 facing the latching element 13 may include at least one guide element 17 to guide linear movement within the frame 11. The guide element 17 may be a vertical guide rail on one or both sides of the latching element 13 and a channel on one or both sidewalls 25 of the frame 11 facing the latching element 13, or vice versa. The vertical guide rail may be arranged to interconnect with and slide along the channel. More than one guide element 17 may be provided.

[0020] The latching mechanism 10 also includes a resilient element 18, wherein the latching element 13 resists a spring force against the resilient element 18. The resilient element 18 may be arranged directly below the latching element 13 such that it is located between the latching element 13 and the bottom wall 26 of the frame 11. The resilient element 18 may be any elastically deformable component, such as a coil spring. The bottom of the latching element 13 and / or the bottom wall 26 of the frame 11 facing the resilient element 18 may include a support (not shown) to hold the resilient element 18 in place. For example, the support may be a protrusion fitted inside the resilient element 18.

[0021] The latching mechanism 10 also includes a pivotally mounted transmission element 14 arranged to connect the latching element 13 to the actuating element 19. The actuating element 19 is arranged to be actuated by a user. The actuating element is preferably actuated by linear motion, such as a pulling motion along a longitudinal axis. The transmission element 14 is arranged to convert the linear motion of the actuating element 19 into linear motion of the latching element 13, which is perpendicular to the linear motion of the actuating element 18.

[0022] The transmission element 14 may include a rotating shaft 20, a first portion 21, and a second portion 22. The first portion 21 and the second portion 22 may protrude from the rotating shaft 20 and form an angle between them. This angle may be from 45 degrees to 100 degrees, preferably from 50 degrees to 80 degrees. The rotating shaft 20 may be pivotally coupled to the frame 11. The opposite sidewalls 25 of the frame 11 may include cutouts 23, such as semi-circular cutouts, into which the end of the rotating shaft 20 can slide and be snapped securely, while allowing the rotating shaft 20 to rotate. Other methods (e.g., fasteners or bearings) may be used to allow the rotating shaft 20 to be pivotally secured to the frame 11.

[0023] A first portion 21 of the transmission element 14 may be coupled to one end of the actuating element 19, which may be opposite to the end that is pulled by the user. The first portion 21 may include a connecting shaft 24, which is shorter than the rotating shaft 20 and sized to fit through the end of the first opening between and within the sidewalls 25 of the frame 11. The connecting shaft 24 may be parallel to the rotating shaft 20. For example, the end of the actuating element 19 may be attached to the connecting shaft 24 using adhesive, by clamping or wrapping the actuating element 19 at least partially around the connecting shaft 24.

[0024] The second portion 22 of the transmission element 14 may extend radially from the rotation shaft 20 along a longitudinal axis. The distal end of the second portion 22 may be narrower than the distance between the two side walls 25 of the frame 11. Furthermore, the latching element 13 may include an opening 27, and the second portion 22 may be arranged to be at least partially received within the opening 27. For example, the opening 27 may be a through-hole or a chamber. When the actuating element 19 pulls the first portion 21, the first portion 21 rotates about the rotation shaft 20, and the second portion 22 also rotates at the same angular velocity. The second portion 22 is arranged to resist spring force pressing against the opening 27 of the latching element 13, which in turn releases the latching element 13 from the latch hole 3 of the housing 1. The opening 27 may have a rectangular shape. The distal end of the second portion 22 may be loosely fitted within the opening 27 to allow the second portion 22 to tilt. The distal end of the second portion 22 may be at least partially rounded so that the distal end can easily slide against the opening surface during tilting, downward pressing of the latching element 13 and tensioning of the elastic element 18.

[0025] When the user releases the actuator 19 or pushes the battery pack to make mechanical and electrical connection with the power tool, the spring force of the elastic element 18 pushes the latching element 13 upward and through the latching orifice 3 to latch the battery pack to the power tool in the correct position.

[0026] The actuating element 19 may be partially located outside the housing 1 through the front panel aperture 28, such that a portion of the actuating element 19 is located outside the housing 1 and another portion is located inside the housing 1. The front panel aperture 28 may be a slit as wide as or slightly wider than the actuating element 19 and located in the center of the front panel 5. The actuating element 19 is movable through this slit. The actuating element 19 may be a flexible band, such as one made of woven fabric, rubber, silicone, or plastic. The actuating element 19 may bend at an angle greater than 10 degrees, and preferably greater than 40 degrees. The front panel aperture 28 may maintain the actuation motion of the transmission element 14 as a linear motion (e.g., longitudinal motion), even if the user actuates the actuating element 19 from other directions (e.g., diagonally).

[0027] The actuating element 19 may also include a ring 29 to allow a user to grasp the ring. The ring 29 may be wider than the average finger, allowing the user to hook their finger through the ring 29 and use the ring 29 to pull the actuating element 19.

[0028] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the concepts of this disclosure can be implemented in various ways as technology advances. This disclosure and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above, but can be varied within the scope of the claims.

[0029] Figure Labels

[0030] 1. Shell

[0031] 2 grooves

[0032] 3 latch holes

[0033] 4. Front end

[0034] 5 front panel

[0035] 6 charging ports

[0036] 8 fastening holes

[0037] 10 latching mechanisms

[0038] 11 Framework

[0039] 12 protrusions

[0040] 13 latching elements

[0041] 14 Transmission Components

[0042] 15 Inclined Surface

[0043] 16 vertical surfaces

[0044] 17 guiding elements

[0045] 18 elastic elements

[0046] 19 Actuating Elements

[0047] 20 Rotating Shaft

[0048] 21 Part 1

[0049] 22 Part Two

[0050] 23 incisions

[0051] 24 connecting shafts

[0052] 25 sidewalls

[0053] 26 bottom wall

[0054] 27 openings

[0055] 28 front panel holes.

Claims

1. A battery pack with a casing, characterized in that, The battery pack includes a latching mechanism, the latching mechanism comprising: frame; A latching element capable of engaging with the housing; An actuating element, the actuating element being arranged to be actuated by a user; A resilient element, wherein the latching element resists a spring force against the resilient element; and A pivotally mounted transmission element, the transmission element being arranged to connect the actuating element and the latching element.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The latching element is capable of linear movement within the frame.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, characterized in that, The latching element includes a guide element for guiding linear movement of the latching element within the frame.

4. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission element includes a rotating shaft, wherein a first portion and a second portion protrude from the rotating shaft.

5. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that, The rotating shaft is pivotally connected to the frame.

6. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first portion and the second portion form an angle between them, the angle being 45 degrees to 100 degrees.

7. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that, One end of the actuating element is connected to the first part.

8. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that, The latching element includes an opening, and the second portion is arranged to be at least partially received within the opening.

9. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The actuating element is a flexible strip.

10. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The actuating element includes a ring.

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