Charger with an interface

Abstract

The invention relates to a charger for charging a battery pack (3) with a device housing (9) comprising a first housing side (40) and a second housing side (41, 42, 43, 44, 45). A first interface (30) for displaying the operating status and / or for operating the charger (1) is provided, as well as a charging port (5) for connecting the battery pack (3) to the charger (1). The charging port (5) and the first interface (30) are arranged on the first housing side (40) of the device housing (9). The charger (1) has a second interface (33) for displaying the operating status and / or for operating the charger (1). The second interface (33) is arranged on the second housing side (41, 42, 43, 44, 45) of the device housing (9), so that it is accessible from the second housing side (41, 42, 43, 44, 45).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a charger for charging a battery pack, comprising a device housing with a first housing side and at least a second housing side, as well as a charging port for connecting the battery pack to the charger. The charging port is designed to be electrically or mechanically connected to the battery pack in such a way that the battery pack can be charged via the charging port using the charger. A first interface for displaying the operating status and / or for operating the charger is also provided, with the charging port and the first interface being located on the first housing side. They can be visually detected and / or operated from the first housing side.

[0002] Such chargers are generally known and feature an interface consisting of at least several visual indicators that show, for example, the charging process, the charge level of the connected battery pack, charging readiness, and / or the charging process itself. They may also include controls for starting the charging process, selecting a charging mode, or similar functions. This operating interface is located on the side of the charger housing where the charging port for the battery pack being charged is also located.

[0003] The invention is based on the objective of improving a charger of the generic type.

[0004] The problem is solved by providing the charger with a second interface for displaying its operating status and / or for operating the charger, with this second interface located on the other side of the housing. The second interface is accessible visually and / or manually from the other side of the device housing. This improves the handling of the charger in different operating positions.

[0005] Furthermore, the charger can be adapted with an additional interface or used to charge battery packs of different sizes and / or capacities. Even if a large battery pack is connected to the charging port and its size completely or partially obscures the operating indicator and / or control interface on the side of the charging port, the user still has easy access to an optically and / or manually accessible operating indicator and / or control interface. For smaller battery packs, this could be the first interface on the front of the housing, or for larger battery packs, the second interface on the back of the housing.

[0006] Advantageously, the first and second interfaces are at least partially identical. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the first and second interfaces are completely identical. The identical design of the first and second interfaces allows for a smaller number of different modules in the construction of the charger, so that each module can be used as both the first and the second interface.

[0007] In one embodiment of the invention, the first and / or the second interface are configured as a display unit. This unit serves as a simple optical indicator of the operating modes. To simplify the charger's design, it can be advantageous to optically couple the interface display units to a light source located in the device housing. A further advantageous embodiment of the invention can consist of optically transmitting the display of a first display unit of a first interface to the display of a second display unit of a second interface via an optical fiber. This eliminates the need to electronically control only one display unit.

[0008] In a further embodiment of the invention, the first and / or the second interface is designed as a control unit. The control unit allows, for example, the charging current and / or the charging mode to be selected and / or set.

[0009] Preferably, the first and / or second interface is configured as a combined display and control unit. In a further development of the invention, the first and / or second interface is configured as a screen unit, in particular as a touchscreen. A screen unit enables, on the one hand, a simple display of the operating modes and, on the other hand, serves as a control unit for the charger. The screen unit is compact, takes up little space, and can be easily installed manually.

[0010] The charger's housing comprises a front panel, a bottom panel, and side panels connecting the front panel to the bottom panel. In one embodiment of the invention, the front panel is located on the first side of the housing. The bottom panel of the housing is located on the second side. The charger can thus be plugged into a battery pack and operated via the second interface from the side of the housing opposite the battery pack. This is particularly advantageous for large-volume or large-format battery packs. It can also be advantageous for one of the side panels to be located on the second side of the housing.

[0011] In a further development of the invention, the charger can include at least a third interface for displaying the operating status and / or for operating the charger. The third interface is preferably arranged on a third side of the device housing. This third side is a side wall of the device housing. In this embodiment, the charger is easy to monitor and / or operate in different operating positions.

[0012] Further features of the invention will become apparent from the individual claims, the following description, and the drawing. The features disclosed in the claims, the description, and the drawing can be combined with one another as desired to implement the basic concept of the invention. The drawing shows: Fig. 1. Perspective view of a charger for charging a battery pack, Fig. 2 a view of the bottom wall of the charger after Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a schematic section through the charger according to Fig. 1 with a battery pack connected to the charging port of the charger.

[0013] The in Fig. 1. Charger shown for charging a battery pack 3 ( Fig. 3) has a device housing 9. The device housing 9 has a front wall 10, a bottom wall 11, and side walls 12, 13, 14, and 15 connecting the front wall 10 to the bottom wall 11. The device housing 9 thus has several housing sides 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45. In the illustrated embodiment, the front wall 10 rests on a first housing side 40. The bottom wall 11 preferably rests on a second housing side 41 ( Fig. 2) It may be advantageous for one of the side walls 12, 13, 14, 15 to be located on one of the second housing sides 42, 43, 44 or 45 of the device housing 9.

[0014] Charger 1 has a first interface 30 for displaying the operating status and / or for operating charger 1. As the Fig. 1 and Fig. Figure 3 shows that the first interface 30 and a charging port 5 are located on a common housing side 40 of the charger 1. The front panel 10 of the device housing 9 is also located on this first housing side 40.

[0015] In the exemplary embodiment, the first interface 30 is configured as a combined display unit 32 and control unit 34. The display unit 32 essentially consists of optical components 31, which can be, for example, LEDs, light bulbs, light guides, or similar light sources. The control unit 34 can include control elements 35, which can be configured as pushbuttons, touch-sensitive sensors, or the like.

[0016] In the illustrated embodiment, the combined display unit 32 and control unit 34 are designed as a screen unit 37. The screen unit 37 is specifically designed as a touchscreen. The advantage of a screen unit 37 is that it can also display variable operating parameters related to the charging process and / or the connected battery pack 3. The drawing shows an example charging current of 15.6 A.

[0017] How Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the charging port 5 is located in a housing recess 7, which is formed in the front wall 10 on the first housing side 40. To charge a battery pack 3, it is inserted into the housing recess 7 and pushed onto the charging port 5, thereby establishing electrical contact between the battery pack 3 and the charging electronics (not shown) in the device housing 9 of the charger 1.

[0018] The first interface 30 is preferably recessed into the front panel 10 of the device housing 9 on the first housing side 40. This allows the user to both visually perceive and operate the combined display unit 32 and / or control unit 34 shown on the first housing side 40. Fig. As shown in Figure 3, a large-volume battery pack 3, due to its length L, can protrude from the housing recess 7, thereby obstructing or blocking the visual perception of the display unit 32 in the direction 50 towards the first housing side 40. Furthermore, the battery pack 3 protruding from the housing recess 7 makes manual access to the control unit 34 difficult or impossible.

[0019] According to the invention, a second interface 33 is provided, which is arranged on one of the second housing sides 41, 42, 43, 44 or 45. How Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the second housing side 41 can be the bottom wall 11 of the device housing 9. The second interface 33 is held on or in this bottom wall 11, preferably being recessed into the bottom wall 11.

[0020] The second interface 33 has a second display unit 32a with optical components 31a, which can be configured, for example, as LEDs, light bulbs, or similar light sources. The second interface 33 has a second control unit 34a with control elements 35a, which in turn can be configured as pushbuttons, touch-sensitive sensors, or the like.

[0021] The second interface 33 is at least partially identical in design to the first interface 30. Preferably, the first interface 30 and the second interface 33 are identical in design, in particular, identical in design. This reduces the number of different modules required for mounting a charger 1.

[0022] The optical display units 32 and 32a can be controlled by a common light source 20 within the device housing 9, as shown schematically in Fig. Figure 3 illustrates this. The display units 32 and 32a can thus be formed by the end faces 26, 28 of light guides 22, 24, which are supplied by the common light source 20. It can also be advantageous to replicate the display unit 32 of the first interface 30 to the display unit 32a of the second interface 33 via an optical light guide 25. The optical display unit 32 of the first interface 30 is relayed to the optical display unit 32a of the second interface 33.

[0023] One of the second housing sides, on which a second interface 33' is arranged, can also be formed by one of the side walls 12, 13, 14 or 15. In Fig. 1 A second interface 33' is provided on the housing side 45, which is formed by the second side wall 15 of the device housing 9. In Fig. 3 a second interface 33" is provided on the housing side 44, which is formed by the side wall 14.

[0024] It may be advantageous to provide the charger 1 with more than two interfaces, with at least one additional interface being located on a housing side 42, 43, 44 or 45.

Claims

[1] Charger for charging a battery pack (3) with - a device housing (9) having a first housing side (40) and a second housing side (41, 42, 43, 44, 45), - with a first interface (30) for displaying the operating status and / or for operating the charger (1), and - with a charging port (5) for connecting the battery pack (3) to the charger (1), - wherein the charging port (5) and the first interface (30) are located on the first side of the housing (40), characterized by , - that the charger (1) has a second interface (33) for displaying the operation and / or for operating the charger (1), - and the second interface (33) is located on the second housing side (41, 42, 43, 44, 45) of the device housing (9). [2] Charger according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the first interface (30) and / or the second interface (33) are configured as a display unit (32). [3] Charger according to claim 2, characterized by , that the display unit (32, 32a) of an interface (30, 33) is optically connected to a light source (20) arranged in the device housing (9) via light guides (22, 24). [4] Charger according to claim 2, characterized by , that the optical display of a first display unit (32) of a first interface (30) is replicated via a light guide (25) to the optical display of a second display unit (32a) of a second interface (30). [5] Charger according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the first interface (30) and / or the second interface (33) are designed as an operating unit (34). [6] Charger according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the first interface (30) and / or the second interface (33) are designed as a screen unit (37), in particular as a touchscreen. [7] Charger according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the device housing (9) has a front wall (10), a bottom wall (11) and side walls (12, 13, 14, 15) connecting the front wall (10) to the bottom wall (11), wherein the front wall (10) is located on the first side of the housing (40). [8] Charger according to the preceding claim, characterized by , that the bottom wall (11) is located on the second side of the housing (41). [9] Charger according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the charger (1) includes at least a third interface (33', 33") for operating indication and / or for operating the charger (1), which is arranged on a third housing side (42, 43, 44, 45) of the device housing (9). [10] Charger according to the preceding claim, characterized by , that the third housing side (42, 43, 44, 45) is a side wall (12, 13, 14, 15) of the device housing (9).

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