Adapters and Electrical Equipment

Abstract

The present invention makes it possible for a battery pack 150 that cannot be installed directly to be installed in an electric apparatus body 1, and furthermore enables communication. Provided is an adapter 200 that is interposed between the battery pack 150 and an electric apparatus body 1, the adapter 200 having a first installation part 210 in which the battery pack 150 can be installed, and a second installation part 250 that can be installed in the electric apparatus body 1. The first installation part 210 has a first communication terminal that can be connected to a communication terminal of the battery pack 150, and the second installation part 250 has a second communication terminal that can be connected to a communication terminal of the electric apparatus body 1. A control unit is provided to the adapter 200. On the basis of an input signal inputted from one of the first and second communication terminals, a signal is outputted by the control unit to the other of the first and second communication terminals.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an adapter for attaching different types of battery packs to an electrical device body, and to an electrical device using the adapter. [Background technology]

[0002] So-called cordless electric devices, which use a removable secondary battery (battery pack) as a power source, are widely used in electric tools driven by motors, lighting, audio, and thermal equipment that operate by electricity. In cordless electric devices, battery packs of different shapes are used by different manufacturers, and even the same manufacturer has developed and sold various types of battery packs due to diversification of battery voltages and increase in battery capacity. In order to attach such in-house battery packs of different specifications and different types to the main body of another in-house electric device, an invention has been proposed in which an adapter is interposed between the main body of the electric device and the battery pack. Such a well-known technology is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 below. In Patent Document 1, an adapter is interposed between the main body of the electric device and the battery pack, and a mounting part that can be structurally directly connected to the battery pack mounting part of the main body of the electric device is formed in the adapter. Since the adapter is formed with a battery pack mounting part shaped to correspond to the battery pack, the battery pack can be mounted on the adapter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-178278 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the adapter described in the cited document 1 is used, it becomes possible to connect a battery pack having a different battery pack attachment mechanism to the main body of the electrical device. However, when a battery pack having a communication terminal capable of communicating with the main body of the electrical device is used, there is a risk of a problem that communication between the main body of the electrical device and the battery pack cannot be performed due to differences in the specifications of the communication terminal. In addition, since the specifications and shapes of battery packs differ depending on the manufacturer, for example, a battery pack made by another manufacturer (a different manufacturer) cannot be attached to the main body of the electrical device made by the user's own company. If a battery pack made by another manufacturer is to be attached to the main body of the electrical device, even if an adapter is used to connect the battery pack, there is a problem of how to ensure compatibility between the standards of the different communication terminals.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object of the present invention is to provide an adapter that enables communication between an electrical device main body and a battery pack that cannot be directly connected to the electrical device main body, for example, made by another company, and an electrical device using the adapter. Another object of the present invention is to provide an adapter that can convert a communication signal from a battery pack into a signal that can be processed by the electrical device main body, and an electrical device using the adapter. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an adapter that enables a battery pack that is not compatible with (cannot be directly connected to) the battery pack connection part of the electrical device main body to be connected to the electrical device main body, and an electrical device using the adapter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Representative features of the invention disclosed in this application are as follows. According to one feature of the present invention, an adapter connected between a battery pack and an electric device main body includes a first attachment section having a first communication terminal connectable to a communication terminal of the battery pack and allowing the battery pack to be attached thereto, a second attachment section having a second communication terminal connectable to a communication terminal of the electric device main body and allowing the battery pack to be attached to the electric device main body, and an adapter control section connected to the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal and configured to output an output signal to the other of the first or second communication terminal based on an input signal input from one of the first communication terminal or the second communication terminal. The first attachment section and the second attachment section have different shapes, and are configured so that a battery pack corresponding to the first attachment section can be attached to the electric device main body corresponding to the second attachment section. In addition, the first attachment section and the main body side attachment section of the electric device main body have different shapes, and the battery pack can be directly attached to the first attachment section, but cannot be directly attached to the main body side attachment section.

[0007] According to another feature of the present invention, the first mounting portion is formed with a pair of first rail mechanisms extending substantially parallel to each other, and the second mounting portion is formed with a pair of second rail mechanisms extending substantially parallel to each other, and the first rail mechanisms and the second rail mechanisms are formed to have different shapes. The adapter is configured in a divided form with a first housing and a second housing, one side of the first rail mechanism is provided on the first housing side, and the other side is provided on the second housing. Also, one side of the second rail mechanism is provided on the first housing side, and the other side is provided on the second housing, and the first and second housings are divided in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the first rail mechanism and the second rail mechanism. Furthermore, the adapter control unit is configured to output an output signal different from the input signal or an output signal corresponding to the input signal to the other of the battery pack or the electrical device body, in response to an input signal input from one of the battery pack or the electrical device body.

[0008] According to yet another feature of the present invention, the adapter has a battery-side power terminal connected to the power terminal of the connected battery pack and an equipment-side power terminal connected to the power terminal of the electrical equipment body, and the battery-side power terminal and the equipment-side power terminal are connected directly or without an adapter control unit. The adapter control unit is provided on a substrate, and the first and second communication terminals are connected to the adapter control unit via the substrate, while the battery-side power terminal and the equipment-side power terminal are connected to each other without an adapter control unit. Furthermore, the adapter control unit is composed of an arithmetic circuit using a logic operation circuit or a microcomputer, and the adapter has a power supply circuit that supplies an operating voltage to the arithmetic circuit from the power supplied from the battery-side power terminal.

[0009] According to still another aspect of the present invention, an electric device is configured by using the above-mentioned adapter and a battery pack, and by including an electric device main body having a battery pack mounting section to which the adapter can be connected and a load section. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, by using an adapter that converts communication signals transmitted from the battery pack to the electrical device body or from the electrical device body to the battery pack, it is possible to use battery packs manufactured by the same company or by other companies that have different structures for the battery pack mounting section. Furthermore, communication is possible between the battery pack and the electrical device body. Furthermore, since the adapter has a control unit, the communication signal output from the battery pack can be converted into a communication signal that can be processed by the electrical device body and transmitted to the electrical device body. As a result, even if a different battery pack that is not compatible with the electrical device body (cannot be directly connected) is used, optimal discharge control based on the state of the battery pack is possible. Furthermore, when the electrical device body is a charging device, optimal charge control based on the state of the battery pack is possible. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an electric device main body 1 and a battery pack 150 are connected (attached) via a first adapter 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a first adapter 200 and a battery pack 150 are removed from the state shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is an exploded perspective view of the state of FIG. 2 as seen from a different angle. [Figure 4] 2 is an exploded perspective view of the first adapter 200 shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 2A and 2B are vertical cross-sectional views of the first adapter 200 shown in FIG. 1, where (A) is a cross-sectional view in the left-right direction, and (B) is a cross-sectional view in the front-rear direction. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram when a battery pack 100 manufactured by the same company is attached to the electric device main body 1 of FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a circuit diagram when a battery pack 150 made by another company is attached to the electric device main body 1 of FIG. 1 via a first adapter 200. FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a waveform diagram of input and output signals of an adapter control section in first adapter 200 in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 13 is an exploded perspective view showing how a battery pack 100 manufactured by the same company is attached to an electric device body 401 manufactured by another company using a second adapter 300. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a part of a circuit diagram when a battery pack 100 manufactured by the same company is attached to an electric device main body 401 manufactured by another company in FIG. 9 via a second adapter 300. [Figure 11] 11 is a waveform diagram of input and output signals of an adapter control section in second adapter 300 in FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 9 is a waveform diagram showing a modified example of FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS EXAMPLES

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as an example of an electric device, an electric tool that uses a battery pack as a power source to drive a motor and perform tightening work such as tightening screws will be described. In the following drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals and repeated explanations will be omitted. In addition, in this specification, the front-rear and left-right directions of the battery packs 100, 150 and the adapters 200, 300 are as shown in Figures 2, 4, and 5, and it should be noted that they are opposite to the front-rear and left-right directions of the electric device main body 1 (see Figures 1 and 2).

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an electric device main body (electric tool main body) 1 and a battery pack 150 are connected (attached) via a first adapter 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. An electric tool, which is one form of electric device, has a battery pack 150 attached to an electric device main body 1, and here, the first adapter 200, which is a feature of this embodiment, is interposed between the electric device main body 1 and the battery pack 150. The electric device main body 1 is a device that rotates or drives a tip tool (not shown) held by a chuck mechanism 9 via a power transmission mechanism (not shown) by rotating a motor 4 using a detachable battery pack 150 as a power source. As the power transmission mechanism (not shown), various configurations are possible, for example, a reduction mechanism only, a reduction mechanism and a clutch mechanism, a reduction mechanism and an impact mechanism, and various combinations are possible, but FIG. 1 shows an external view of a driver drill having a reduction mechanism and a clutch mechanism.

[0014] The housing 2 is composed of three main parts: a body part 2a having a substantially cylindrical shape that houses a power transmission mechanism such as a motor 4 and a clutch mechanism; a grip part 2b that extends substantially perpendicularly from the axial direction of the body part 2a and is held by an operator; and a battery pack attachment part 2c (main body side attachment part) formed at the tip of the grip part 2b (the side away from the body part 2a). The housing 2 is manufactured by integral molding of synthetic resin such as plastic so that it can be divided into two parts in the left and right direction on a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the motor 4. A trigger switch 6 (not shown in the figure; see FIG. 6 for the symbol) is provided above the grip part 2b and immediately below the body part 2a, and a trigger lever 6a for operating the trigger switch 6 is exposed from the grip part 2b to the front side. The battery pack attachment part 2c is formed to house a control circuit (not shown in the figure) for controlling the electric device main body 1, and to arrange a rail mechanism and a latch mechanism for attaching the battery pack 100 (see FIG. 9 for the symbol). An operation panel 15 is provided on the outer upper surface of the battery pack mounting section 2c, which displays the remaining battery power of the battery packs 100 (see FIG. 9), 150, and has a switch for turning on and off the illumination device 27.

[0015] Normally, a battery pack sold by the manufacturer of the electric device main body 1 (here, battery pack 100 described later in FIG. 9, hereinafter referred to as "the company's battery pack") can be directly attached to the battery pack attachment section 2c, but in this embodiment, a first adapter 200 is used to attach a battery pack 150 from another company. By interposing the first adapter 200 between the electric device main body 1 and the battery pack 150 from another company, it is possible to attach a battery pack 150 sold by a manufacturer (other company) different from the electric device main body 1 to the electric device main body 1.

[0016] The battery pack 150 (second battery pack) cannot be directly attached to the electrical device body (the first electrical device body in the electrical device body 1), and may be, for example, a different type of battery pack manufactured by the same manufacturer as the electrical device body 1, or a battery pack manufactured by a manufacturer different from that of the electrical device body 1 or by another company, and has a rated voltage corresponding to the operating voltage of the electrical device body 1. The battery pack may have a different rated voltage. The battery pack 150 can be attached to a first mounting portion 210 (see FIG. 2 for the reference numerals described later) on the lower side of the first adapter 200. A second mounting portion 250 (see FIG. 2 for the reference numerals described later) for mounting to the battery pack mounting portion 2c of the electrical device body 1 is formed on the upper side of the first adapter 200. The side shape of the first adapter 200 is made to be continuous with the side shape of the battery pack mounting portion 2c of the electrical device body 1. Similarly, the side shape of the lower side of the first adapter 200 is made to be continuous with the left and right side faces and the front face of the battery pack 150.

[0017] The battery pack 150 has two cell groups, each of which has five lithium-ion battery cells connected in series, and outputs 18V DC (rated voltage) by connecting the positive and negative poles of these two groups in parallel. By mounting the battery pack 150 to the battery pack mounting section 2c via the first adapter 200, the electric power tool shown in FIG. 1 has a shape that is longer downward than the shape in which the company's own battery pack 100 (see FIG. 9, first battery pack) that can be directly connected to the electric device main body 1 is mounted. A hook 28 for hanging the electric power tool on a waist belt or the like is attached to the side of the battery pack mounting section 2c of the electric device main body 1 with a screw 29 (see FIG. 3), and does not interfere with the mounting and removal of the first adapter 200.

[0018] When the battery pack 150 is used, the attachment that can be attached to the battery pack attachment section 2c of the electric device main body 1 is an assembly of the first adapter 200 and the battery pack 150. The first adapter 200 can be attached by sliding the battery pack 150 from the front to the rear relative to the battery pack attachment section 2c. In other words, the attachment of the first adapter 200 is the same as the procedure for attaching the company's own battery pack 100 (see FIG. 9). To remove the first adapter 200, the first adapter 200 is moved forward relative to the electric device main body 1 while pressing latch buttons 281, 283 (not visible in FIG. 1) provided on the first adapter 200 side.

[0019] To remove the battery pack 150 from the first adapter 200, the battery pack 150 is moved forward relative to the first adapter 200 while pressing the latch button 181 provided on the battery pack 150. Either the removal of the first adapter 200 from the electric device body 1 or the removal of the battery pack 150 from the first adapter 200 may be performed first. When the first adapter 200 is removed from the electric device body 1 from the attached state shown in Fig. 1, the battery pack 150 remains attached below the first adapter 200.

[0020] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the first adapter 200 and the battery pack 150 are removed. The first adapter 200 is an intermediate part that is inserted when, for example, a battery pack 150 of another company is attached to the electric device body 1 of the company. The case 201 of the first adapter 200 is divided into two parts, a right side piece 201R and a left side piece 201L, and a first attachment part 210 for attaching the battery pack 150 is formed on the lower side, and a second attachment part 250 for attaching to the electric device body 1 is formed on the upper side. The shape of the second attachment part 250 is the same as the attachment part of the company's battery pack 100 (see FIG. 9 described later), and is a shape that corresponds to (can be directly connected to) the battery pack attachment part 2c of the electric device body 1 of the company. Therefore, the first adapter 200 can be attached to and removed from the electric device body 1 in the same procedure as the battery pack 100 of the company (see FIG. 9 described later).

[0021] In the second mounting portion 250 of the first adapter 200, a lower surface 251 and an upper surface 253 are formed in a stepped shape, and three slots 261-263 are formed by cutting out the stepped portion 252 so as to extend rearward. The internal space of the portion opened by the slots 261-263 becomes a space for accommodating connection terminals (terminals 266-268 in FIG. 4 described later) which will be described later. A protruding raised portion 254 is formed behind the upper surface 253, and a recess 255 corresponding to the protrusion 26 formed on the electric device body 1 is formed in the center of the protruding portion 254.

[0022] A groove 256 is formed on the right side surface 213 of the second mounting portion 250, recessed inward (in the direction of the left-right center line) from the right side surface 213. Although not visible in FIG. 2, a groove 257 (see FIG. 4 described later) is also formed on the left side surface 214 (see FIG. 4 described later) on the left side of the second mounting portion 250. A rail mechanism is formed by a pair of grooves 256, 257 arranged on the left and right. Latch buttons 281, 283 (reference numerals will be described later in FIG. 4) are provided behind the grooves 256, 257. The latch buttons 281, 283 are release buttons for releasing a latch mechanism (lock mechanism) for maintaining or releasing the mounting state of the first adapter 200 to the electric device main body 1. The latch mechanism is composed of the latch buttons 281, 283 and latch claws 282, 284 (see FIG. 4) that move in conjunction with the latch buttons 281, 283.

[0023] The first mounting portion 210 is formed so as to correspond to the mounting portion 160 of the battery pack 150 of another company (to have the same shape as the mounting portion 160) and not to correspond to the battery pack mounting portion 2c of the electric device main body 1. The mounting portion 160 is composed of a rail mechanism consisting of a pair of grooves 167, 168 (not visible in FIG. 2) arranged on the left and right, slots 161-164, and a latch mechanism (181, 182). The battery pack 150 has an upper surface 155 and a lower surface 153, and slots 161-164 are formed by cutting rearward from the vicinity of the step between the upper surface 155 and the lower surface 153. Connection terminals that fit with a group of connection terminals (described later in FIG. 3) formed in the first mounting portion 210 of the first adapter 200 are accommodated inside the slots 161-164. When the first adapter 200 is inserted until the raised portion 254 formed on the second mounting portion 250 comes into contact with the curved wall 25 of the battery pack mounting portion 2c of the electric device body 1, a terminal disposed on the battery pack mounting portion 2c side fits into a terminal (described later in FIG. 3) disposed on the first adapter 200. When the latch button 181 formed on the battery pack 150 is pressed, the latch claw 182 moves downward (retracts inward), and when the pressing of the latch button 181 is released, the latch button 181 returns to its original position by the spring force and the latch claw 182 returns to its original position in the upward direction (the position shown in FIG. 2). In addition, latch claws 282, 284 of first adapter 200 protrude perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail portion (groove portions 256, 257) due to the action of a spring (not shown) and engage with recesses 22a, 23a (see Figure 3 described later) formed in battery pack mounting portion 2c, thereby preventing first adapter 200 from falling off.

[0024] Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the state of Fig. 2, seen from a different angle. A battery pack mounting section 2c for mounting a battery pack 100 (see Fig. 9) is formed on the lower side of the electric device body 1. The battery pack mounting section 2c is mainly formed by rails 22, 23 formed in parallel to extend in the front-rear direction on both the left and right side surfaces, and connection terminals 31-33 arranged between the rails 22, 23. The connection terminals 31-33 are composed of a positive terminal 31 and a negative terminal 32 for receiving power, and a communication terminal 33 for receiving a signal from the battery pack 150. Here, only one communication terminal 33 is formed for communication, but the number of communication terminals is not limited to one, and up to four can be formed in terms of space.

[0025] The rails 22, 23 are shaped to protrude from the side walls of the battery pack mounting section 2c toward a position approaching the dividing surface so as to face each other. The rails 22, 23 extend from the open end at the front end to the rear side beyond the connection terminals 31 to 33, and recesses 22a, 23a for engaging the hooks of the latch mechanism are formed near the front end. A terminal unit 30 is fixed between the rails 22, 23 arranged in parallel. The terminal unit 30 is formed by casting metal terminal parts into resin, and is formed by a base part 30a that is substantially rectangular and solid, and an upper wall part 30c that extends an upper part of the base part 30a to the front side in a plate shape. The positive terminal 31, the negative terminal 32, and the communication terminal 33 are each a metal plate-shaped part, cast so as to penetrate the base part 30a, and fixed so that a part of it protrudes to the front side of the base part 30a. The rear end of the plate-like part is exposed above the base portion 30a to form a connection terminal portion (not visible in the drawing), which is connected to a lead wire inside the housing 2 of the electrical device body 1.

[0026] The upper outer edge of the terminal unit 30 is provided with a groove (not shown in the figure) that is continuously formed so as to recess inward along the outer edge, and the terminal unit 30 is fixed to the housing 2 such that the groove is sandwiched between the left and right parts at the opening 24 formed in the housing 2. The upper wall 30c of the terminal unit 30 faces the upper surface 253 of the first adapter or the upper surface 104 of the battery pack 100. The vertical wall 30b of the terminal unit 30 faces the step 252 of the first adapter 200 or the step 103 of the battery pack 100. The lower surface of the base 30a of the terminal unit 30 faces the lower surface 251 of the first adapter or the lower surface 102 of the battery pack 100.

[0027] In the battery pack attachment section 2c, a curved wall 25 that curves upward is formed on the front side of the rails 22, 23, and abuts against a raised portion 254 (see FIG. 2) of the first adapter 200 or a raised portion 105 (see FIG. 9) of the battery pack 100 (see FIG. 9). The protrusion 26 is a portion that forms a screw hole and a screw boss (neither of which are visible in the figure) for screwing the right and left pieces of the housing 2 together. The protrusion 26 is located in a recess 255 (see FIG. 2) of the first adapter 200 or a recess 106 of the battery pack 100 (see FIG. 9).

[0028] The battery pack 150 is normally compatible with (can be directly connected to) an electric device of a different type from the electric device main body 1 (for example, an electric tool manufactured by the same company) (for example, a second electric device main body 401, which is an electric tool manufactured by another company and is shown in FIG. 9 described later), but here it is connected to the electric device main body 1 via a first adapter 200. A plurality of secondary battery cells, such as lithium ion batteries, are stored inside the battery pack 150, and it outputs a direct current of a rated voltage (for example, 18 V) compatible with the electric device main body 1.

[0029] First adapter 200 has first mounting section 210 formed below synthetic resin case 201 (201R, 201L) to enable battery pack 150 to be mounted. First mounting section 210 has side wall 221 that is U-shaped in bottom view and extends downward, and has rail 222 protruding inward from near the lower end of the right side of side wall 221 excluding the front portion, and rail 223 protruding inward from near the lower end of the left side. Rails 222, 223 form a rail mechanism of first mounting section 200 and correspond to grooves 167, 168 (see FIG. 2) of battery pack 150.

[0030] An upper wall surface 211 of the first mounting portion 210 is formed at the same height as the horizontal wall 230c of the terminal portion 230, and is a surface facing the upper surface 155 of the battery pack 150. Near the center of the upper wall surface 211, a mountain-shaped recess 212 is formed, which is recessed upward. The recess 212 has a shape corresponding to the latch claw 182 (see FIG. 2) of the battery pack 150. When the battery pack 150 is mounted in the first mounting portion 210 of the first adapter 200 and the ends of the rails 222 and 223 are moved until they abut against the stopper portions 154a and 154b formed at the ends of the groove portions 167 and 168 of the battery pack 150, the latch claw 182 moves upward and engages with the recess 212, and the battery pack 150 is fixed to the first adapter 200.

[0031] Four connection terminals are cast into the terminal section 230. That is, a positive input terminal 231 and a negative input terminal 232 are arranged apart in the left-right direction as connection terminals for power. The positive input terminal 231 is inserted into a slot 161 (see FIG. 2) of the battery pack 150, and the negative input terminal 232 is inserted into a slot 162 (see FIG. 2) of the battery pack 150. A signal transmission cable is provided between the positive input terminal 231 and the negative input terminal 232. of Communication terminal 233 With The signal terminal 234 is disposed . General The signal terminal 233 is inserted into the slot 163 (see FIG. 2) of the battery pack 150. , connoisseur The signal terminal 234 is inserted into a slot 164 (see FIG. 2) of the battery pack 150 .

[0032] When the battery pack 150 is inserted into the first mounting portion 210 until the stopper portions 154a, 154b formed on the upper surface 155 of the battery pack 150 abut against the butt portions of the first adapter 200 (until the ends of the rails 222, 223 abut against the stopper portions 154a, 154b), the connection terminals 231-234 arranged on the first adapter 200 side come into contact with the connection terminals 171-174 (see FIG. 7 described later) arranged on the battery pack 150, resulting in a conductive state. In addition, the latch claw 182 of the battery pack 150 jumps out upward due to the action of a spring and engages with a recess 212 formed in the first adapter 200, thereby preventing the battery pack 150 from falling off.

[0033] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the first adapter 200 shown in FIG. 1. The case of the first adapter 200 is divided into left and right parts, and the terminal portion 230 is held by being sandwiched between the case 201 (201R, 201L). An opening 202R is provided at the bottom of the right side piece 201R of the case 201, and a groove portion 203R is formed on the upper side of the opening 202R, continuing in the outer edge direction for engaging with the outer edge portion of the right half of the terminal portion 230. Although not visible in the figure, a similar opening and groove portion are also formed at the bottom of the left side piece 201L of the case 201. The right side piece 201R and the left side piece 201L of the case 201 are fixed by two screws (not shown). Two screw holes 204 and 205 are formed in the right side piece 201R, and a screw boss with a female thread is formed at the corresponding position of the left side piece 201L.

[0034] The case 201 assembled by joining the right piece 201R and the left piece 201L has an upper side as the second mounting part 250 to be connected to the electric device main body 1, and a lower side as the first mounting part 210 for connecting to a battery pack 150 made by another company. The second mounting part 250 has grooves 256 (see FIG. 2) and 257 extending in the front-rear direction formed on the right side surface 213 and the left side surface 214, respectively. The front ends of the grooves 256 and 257 open to the upper part of the lower surface 251, and the rear part of the groove is closed by the raised part 254. Latch claws 282 (see FIG. 2 for the reference numerals) and 284 are formed near the rear ends of the grooves 256 and 257. Latch buttons 281 and 283 that move in conjunction with the latch claws 282 and 284, respectively, are also provided.

[0035] Three slots 261-263 are formed in an upper surface 253 connecting the upper edges of the right side surface 213 and the left side surface 214. The slots 261-263 are elongated rectangular shapes in a top view, and their front ends open to a step portion 252 formed between the upper surface 253 and the lower surface 251.

[0036] The terminal section 230 forms an input terminal on the first mounting section 210 side (lower side in the figure) and an output terminal on the second mounting section 250 side (upper side in the figure), and transmits or converts signals between the signal terminal on the first mounting section 210 side and the signal terminal of the second mounting section 250. The terminal section 230 has a base section 230a which is a solid part of synthetic resin, and an upper wall section 230b having the same upper surface as the base section 230a is formed so as to continue rearward. A horizontal wall 230c which holds a flat board is connected further rearward of the upper wall section 230b. The upper wall section 230b and the horizontal wall 230c may be formed separately or integrally.

[0037] A circuit board 247 is disposed above the horizontal wall 230c. A power supply unit 248, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 7, and a calculation unit 249 including a microcomputer are mounted on the circuit board 247. A positive output terminal 266, a negative output terminal 267, and a communication terminal (LD output terminal) 268 are disposed on the upper side of the base unit 230a of the terminal unit 230. These three terminals are made of metal, and a terminal cover 235 made of synthetic resin is provided around these terminals. On the other hand, four connection terminals 231 to 234 are formed on the lower side of the terminal unit 230 (only the negative input terminal 232 is visible in FIG. 4; see FIG. 3 for the rest). The four connection terminals 231 to 234 are formed of a thin metal plate and cast into the base unit 230a, which is manufactured by molding synthetic resin.

[0038] The ends of the connection terminals 231-234 are shaped so as to be exposed on the upper side of the upper wall portion 230b, and the exposed portions become connection pieces 236-239 for soldering wiring. The connection piece 236 is connected to the positive input terminal 231 (see FIG. 3 described later), and is directly connected to the connection piece extending to the rear side of the positive output terminal 266 by a thick wiring 271 without going through a control unit (circuit board 247 or calculation unit 249), and is connected to the circuit board 247 by a thin wiring 275. The connection piece 237 is connected to the negative input terminal 232, and is directly connected to the connection piece extending to the rear side of the negative output terminal 267 by a thick wiring 272 without going through a control unit (circuit board 247 or calculation unit 249), and is connected to the circuit board 247 by a thin wiring 276. The connection piece 238 Is it common? The connection piece 239 is connected to the communication terminal 234 and is connected to the circuit board 247 by a wire 274. The LD output terminal 268 is connected to the circuit board 247 by a wire 277.

[0039] FIG. 5 shows a top view and a vertical cross-sectional view of the first adapter 200. The cross-sectional position of FIG. 5(A) corresponds to the cross-section of the BB portion of FIG. 5(B). In FIG. 5(A), the case 201 of the first adapter 200 is divided into a right piece 201R and a left piece 201L, and the terminal portion 230 is held by being sandwiched between the right piece 201R and the left piece 201L of the case 201. A second mounting portion 250 is formed above the upper wall portion 230b of the terminal portion 230. The terminal portion of the second mounting portion 250 includes a positive output terminal 266, a negative output terminal 267, and an LD output terminal 268. The periphery of the terminal portion is covered by a terminal cover 235. Groove portions 256 and 257 constituting the rail mechanism of the second mounting portion 250 are formed on the right side surface 213 and the left side surface 214 of the upper surface 253. Latch buttons 281 and 283 are provided behind the grooves 256 and 257 .

[0040] Rails 222 and 223 are formed on the first mounting portion 210. Rail 222 is formed so as to protrude inward from the lower end side surface of the right piece 201R, and rail 223 is formed so as to protrude inward from the lower end side surface of the left piece 201L.

[0041] Fig. 5(B) is a cross-sectional view of part AA in Fig. 5(A). Slots 261-263 are formed on the rear side of the stepped portion 252 of the first mounting portion 210, and a positive output terminal 266, a negative output terminal 267, and an LD output terminal 268 are arranged behind the slots 261-263. The latch buttons 281, 283 are configured to be pushable from the outside to the inside, and latch claws 282, 284 are connected to the front sides of the latch buttons 281, 283.

[0042] FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of the electric device body 1 of FIG. 1 when a battery pack 100 that can be directly connected to the electric device body 1 (manufactured by the same company as the electric device body 1) is attached. Any type of motor can be used for the electric device body 1, but in this embodiment, a three-phase brushless DC motor is used. The brushless DC motor has a rotor 4a including a permanent magnet (magnet) including multiple sets (two sets in this embodiment) of N poles and S poles, a stator 4b having star-connected three-phase stator windings U, V, and W, and three rotational position detection elements (Hall elements) 56 arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, for example, at 60° intervals, to detect the rotational position of the rotor 4a. Based on position detection signals from these rotational position detection elements 56, the direction and time of current supply to the stator windings U, V, and W are controlled, and the motor 4 rotates.

[0043] The motor 4 is driven by an inverter circuit having six switching elements Q1 to Q6, such as FETs, connected in a three-phase bridge configuration. The gates of the six bridge-connected switching elements Q1 to Q6 are connected to a control signal circuit 51, and the drains or sources of the six switching elements Q1 to Q6 are connected to star-connected stator windings U, V, and W. As a result, the six switching elements Q1 to Q6 perform switching operations in response to switching element drive signals (drive signals such as H4, H5, and H6) input from the control signal circuit 51, and supply power to the stator windings U, V, and W by converting the DC voltage of the battery pack 100 applied to the inverter circuit into three-phase (U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase) voltages Vu, Vv, and Vw.

[0044] Of the switching element drive signals (three-phase signals) that drive the gates of the six switching elements Q1 to Q6, three negative power supply side switching elements Q4, Q5, and Q6 are supplied as pulse width modulation signals (PWM signals) H4, H5, and H6, and a switch operation detection circuit 59 detects the amount of movement (stroke) of a trigger lever 6a that operates the trigger switch 6 by a calculation unit 50, and outputs the detection signal to the calculation unit 50. The calculation unit 50 adjusts the amount of power supplied to the motor 4 by changing the pulse width (duty ratio) of the PWM signal based on the output of the switch operation detection circuit 59, thereby controlling the start / stop and rotation speed of the motor 4.

[0045] Although not shown, the calculation unit 50 includes a central processing unit (CPU) for outputting a drive signal based on a processing program and data, a ROM for storing the processing program and control data, a RAM for temporarily storing data, a timer, etc. A reference voltage VCC (e.g., +5V) for operating the calculation unit 50 is generated by a power supply unit 52 connected to the positive terminal 31 and the negative terminal 32, and is supplied to the calculation unit 50 and other electronic circuits.

[0046] The calculation unit 50 forms a drive signal for alternately switching predetermined switching elements Q1 to Q6 based on the output signal of the rotational position detection circuit 54, and outputs the drive signal to the control signal circuit 51. This alternately energizes predetermined windings of the stator windings U, V, and W, causing the rotor 4a to rotate in a set direction of rotation. The value of the current supplied to the motor 4 is measured by the current detection circuit 53 by detecting the voltage across the shunt resistor 57, and the rotation speed of the motor 4 is detected by the rotation speed detection circuit 55 using the output of the rotational position detection circuit 54, and these values ​​are fed back to the calculation unit 50, thereby adjusting the drive power to the set value.

[0047] The power supply unit 52 generates a reference voltage (e.g., 5 V) for operating the calculation unit 50 using power from the positive terminal 31 and the negative terminal 32, and is implemented as a constant voltage conversion circuit using, for example, a three-terminal regulator. A smoothing capacitor 58 is connected between the positive terminal 31 and the negative terminal 32.

[0048] Battery pack 100 is, for example, a battery pack manufactured by the company and can be directly connected to electrical device main body 1. Battery pack 100 contains battery cell group 145, for example, ten lithium ion battery cells rated at 3.6 V, and two sets of five battery cells connected in series are connected in parallel to obtain a rated output of 18 V (the parallel connection state is not shown in the figure). The positive electrode on the battery cell group 145 side is connected to positive electrode terminal 31 via positive electrode terminal 131, and the negative electrode on the battery cell group 145 side is connected to negative electrode terminal 32 via negative electrode terminal 137.

[0049] The battery pack 100 is provided with a calculation unit 140. The calculation unit 140 includes a microcomputer that measures the voltage of each battery cell and manages charging and discharging of the battery cells. When any battery cell in the battery cell group 145 is in an over-discharged state, the microcomputer of the calculation unit 140 sends a discharge inhibition signal (LD signal) via a communication terminal (LD terminal) 138 to stop use of the battery pack 100 as a whole. The communication terminal 138 is connected to a communication terminal (LD terminal) 33 on the electric device main body 1 side, and the discharge inhibition signal is transmitted to the microcomputer of the calculation unit 50.

[0050] Fig. 7 is a circuit diagram when a battery pack 150 made by another company, which cannot be directly connected to the electric device main body 1 via the first adaptor 200, is attached to the electric device main body 1 in Fig. 1. The battery pack 150 is a battery pack made by another company, and contains, for example, ten lithium-ion battery cell groups 195 with a rated voltage of 3.6 V, and two groups of five battery cells connected in series are connected in parallel to obtain a rated output of 18 V (the parallel connection state is not shown in the figure). The positive electrode of the battery cell group 195 is connected to the positive electrode input terminal 231 of the first adaptor 200 via the positive electrode terminal 171, and the negative electrode of the battery cell group 195 is connected to the negative electrode input terminal 232 via the negative electrode terminal 172.

[0051] The battery pack 150 is provided with a calculation unit 190. The calculation unit 190 includes a microcomputer that measures the voltage of each battery cell and manages charging and discharging of the battery cells. The microcomputer of the calculation unit 190 outputs a temperature signal 191 of the battery cell group 195 to the first signal terminal 173. Furthermore, when the microcomputer of the calculation unit 190 detects that any of the battery cell groups 195 is in an overload state, it outputs an overload signal 192 to the second signal terminal 174.

[0052] The first adapter 200 is formed with a positive input terminal 231, a negative input terminal 232, and communication terminals 233 and 234 on the first mounting portion 210 side. In addition, the first adapter 200 is formed with a positive output terminal 266, a negative output terminal 267, and one signal terminal (communication terminal), i.e., an LD output terminal 268, on the second mounting portion 250 side. The positive input terminal 231 and the positive output terminal 266 are directly connected by a thick wire 271. Similarly, the negative input terminal 232 and the negative output terminal 267 are directly connected by a thick wire 272.

[0053] A power supply unit 248 and a calculation unit 249 are mounted on the circuit board 247 of the first adapter 200. Power is supplied to the power supply unit 248 from the positive input terminal 231 and the negative input terminal 232 via wires 275 and 276, and the power supply unit 248 supplies a reference voltage VCC for the operation of the calculation unit 249. The power supply unit 248 is, for example, a constant voltage conversion circuit using a three-terminal regulator. The calculation unit 249 includes a microcomputer, which converts signals input from the first communication terminal 233 and the second communication terminal 234 so as to conform to the communication standard of the electric device main body 1 side. Here, a communication signal (LD signal) 268a is generated from two signals input from the first communication terminal 233 and the second communication terminal 234, and is output to the communication terminal (LD output terminal) 268. The calculation unit 249 corresponds to the adapter control unit. The adapter control unit may be configured to include a logic operation circuit or a calculation circuit using a microcomputer.

[0054] In this way, the first adapter 200 converts the terminals (171, 172) of the battery pack 150, which cannot be directly connected to the electric device main body 1, for example, made by another company or manufactured by a different company, into connection terminals (266, 267) that match the shape of the terminals (31, 32) of the electric device main body 1. Also, the calculation unit 249 of the first adapter 200 converts signals (in this example, a temperature signal and an overload signal) output from the battery pack 150 made by another company into communication signals (LD signals) that can be received by the electric device main body 1. In this way, in addition to transmitting power, the first adapter 200 converts communication signals from the battery pack 150 that cannot be directly connected to the electric device main body 1 into communication signals corresponding to the electric device main body 1 of the destination, so that it is possible to use the battery pack 150 made by another company, which cannot be directly connected to the electric device main body 1, as the power source for the electric device main body 1.

[0055] Next, the relationship between the input signal (Input) and the output signal (Output) in the calculation unit 249 of the first adapter 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The vertical axis indicates the level (high or low) of each signal, and the horizontal axis indicates the passage of time. Here, a temperature signal 191 and an overload signal 192 from the battery pack 150 are transmitted as inputs from the battery pack 150 to the first adapter 200, and an LD signal 268a is output to the LD output terminal 268 as an output from the first adapter 200 to the LD terminal 33 of the electric device main body 1.

[0056] 7 is at low level up to an allowable range (for example, less than +50° C.), and when this allowable range is exceeded, a high-level voltage is output to signal terminal 173. An overload signal 192 of battery pack 150 is at low level if the battery voltage is at or above the allowable range (for example, 12 V or higher), and when this range is exceeded, a high-level voltage is output to signal terminal 174. Alternatively, overload signal 192 may be at low level if the current flowing through battery pack 150 is below a predetermined value, and switch to high level when the current exceeds the predetermined value.

[0057] The communication signal (LD signal) 268a in the battery pack 100 becomes high level when the battery pack 100 is in an over-discharge state, that is, when any one of the battery cells drops below the lower limit voltage for use. The calculation unit 249 (see FIG. 7) of the first adapter 200 receives the temperature signal 191 and overload signal 192 output from the battery pack 150, replaces them with the LD signal of the battery pack 100, and outputs them to the communication terminal 33 (LD terminal) of the electric device main body 1.

[0058] Fig. 8(A) shows that the temperature signal 191 and the overload signal 192 are both low until time t1. In this state, the calculation unit 249 (see Fig. 7) of the first adapter 200 maintains the LD signal 268a in a low state. At time t1, the temperature of the battery rises beyond the allowable range, causing the temperature signal 191 to go high, and the overload signal 192 maintains the low state even after time t1. Then, at time t1, the calculation unit 249 (see Fig. 7) of the first adapter 200 switches the LD signal 268a to high and outputs it from the LD output terminal 268 (see Fig. 7). The transmission of this LD signal 268a prevents the operation of the power tool main body 1.

[0059] 8(B) shows a state in which temperature signal 191 and overload signal 192 are both low until time t1, and at time t1, the battery voltage falls below the allowable range and overload signal 192 goes high. Temperature signal 191 remains low even after time t1. In this case, calculation unit 249 (see FIG. 7) of first adapter 200 switches LD signal 268a to high at time t1 and outputs it from LD output terminal 268 (see FIG. 7).

[0060] 8C shows a state in which both temperature signal 191 and overload signal 192 are low until time t1, and then both temperature signal 191 and overload signal 192 become high at time t1. In this case, calculation unit 249 (see FIG. 7) of first adapter 200 switches LD signal 268a to high at time t1, and outputs it from LD output terminal 268 (see FIG. 7).

[0061] For the sake of simplicity, the waveform diagram shown in FIG. 8 is described as a simple OR output, that is, the LD signal 268a is the same as the OR operation result of the temperature signal 191 and the overload signal 192. However, based on the difference in the interface of the signal terminal between the battery pack 150 and the electric device main body 1, the calculation unit 249 (see FIG. 7) of the first adapter 200 may be configured to produce a simple logical operation result, or to perform advanced conversion processing using computer software, and then determine the LD signal 268a and output it from the LD output terminal 268 (see FIG. 7). In this embodiment, the calculation unit 249 of the first adapter 200 is equipped with a microcomputer, so that the conversion processing of the communication signal can be performed arbitrarily. Note that the microcomputer of the calculation unit 249 may be configured to select a signal to be used for determining the LD signal 268a and not use the remaining signals, instead of using all of the multiple signals input from the battery pack 150. In addition, when the levels of the input signals (temperature signal 191, overload signal 192) and output signals (LD signal 268a) to the calculation unit 249 are the same under normal and abnormal conditions, for example, when they are at a low level under normal conditions and change to a high level under abnormal conditions, one of the input signals may be output as is as the output signal.

[0062] 9 is an exploded perspective view of a battery pack 100 manufactured by the company mounted to an electric device body 401 manufactured by another company (an electric device body to which the battery pack 100 cannot be directly connected) using the second adapter 300. The electric device body 401 manufactured by another company is, for example, an impact driver, and operates at the same voltage as the electric device body 1 manufactured by the company (an electric device body to which the battery pack 100 can be directly connected). The housing 402 of the electric device body 401 has a body part 402a and a grip part 402b extending downward from the body part 402a. A battery pack mounting part 420 (main body side mounting part) is formed below the grip part 402b. The shape of the battery pack mounting part 420 is the same as the shape of the first mounting part 210 shown in FIG. 3.

[0063] The battery pack 100 corresponds to (can be directly connected to) the electric device body 1 manufactured by the company shown in FIG. 1, and contains multiple battery cells in a synthetic resin case 101. A rail mechanism for mounting the battery pack 100 to the electric device body 1, i.e., two rail grooves 125, 126 (not visible in FIG. 9), is provided on the upper part of the battery pack 100. The lower surface 102 and the upper surface 104 of the case 101 are formed in a stepped shape with different heights, and a group of eight slots 120 is formed extending rearward from the stepped portions. A plurality of connection terminals (group of connection terminals) are disposed inside the cutout portion. Of the eight slots, the second slot 122 from the right is provided with a positive terminal, the seventh slot 127 is provided with a negative terminal, and the eighth slot 128 is provided with an LD terminal. A latch mechanism (latch portion) for maintaining or releasing the mounting state with the electric device body 1 is provided behind the group of connection terminals. The right latch mechanism includes a latch button 116 and a latch claw 117 that moves in conjunction with the latch button 116. Although not visible in the figure, a latch button and a latch claw are also arranged on the left side surface of the battery pack 100 in a similar manner.

[0064] The second adapter 300 has a first mounting section 310 formed on the lower side corresponding to the battery pack 100, and a second mounting section 350 formed on the upper side corresponding to the electric device main body 401. The shape of the first mounting section 310 is compatible with the shape of the battery pack mounting section 2c shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The shape of the second mounting section 350 is compatible with the shape of the mounting section 160 of the battery pack 150 shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The basic configuration of the second adapter 300 is the same as that of the first adapter 200 shown in Fig. 4, and a rail mechanism and a latch mechanism are formed by a left and right split case 301 (301R, 301L), and a terminal section (not shown in the figure) is clamped. The shape of the terminal section is set according to the shapes of the first mounting section 310 and the second mounting section 350 and the arrangement of the connection terminals. Fig. 10 shows a part of a circuit diagram (near the communication terminal) when the battery pack 100, the second adapter 300, and the electric tool main body 401 are connected. Other structures are omitted because they are the same as those in Fig. 6 or 7. As shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, the first mounting part 310 is provided with a positive input terminal connected to the positive terminal 131 of the battery pack 100, a negative input terminal connected to the negative terminal 137 of the battery pack 100, and a communication terminal (LD terminal) 301 connected to the communication terminal (LD terminal) 138 of the battery pack 100. The second mounting part 350 is formed with slots 361 to 364 in which the connection terminals are accommodated. The second adapter 300 is also provided with a calculation part 304 including a microcomputer, and as described later, the calculation part 304 mediates communication signals between the battery pack 100 (calculation part 140) and the electric device main body 401 (calculation part 413).

[0065] A positive output terminal connected to the positive input terminal is accommodated in slot 361. A negative output terminal connected to the negative input terminal is accommodated in slot 364. A first signal terminal (communication terminal) 302 connected to a first signal terminal 410 to which a first signal (temperature signal) 370 of an electric device body 401 is input is accommodated in slot 362. A second signal terminal (communication terminal) 303 connected to a second signal terminal 411 to which a second signal (overload signal) 380 of an electric device body 401 is input is accommodated in slot 363.

[0066] A signal 110 output from the battery pack 100 (calculation unit 140) is input to the second adapter 300 (calculation unit 304) via the communication terminals 138 and 301. 04 When an abnormality signal (discharge inhibition signal, LD signal) indicating an abnormal state is input as signal 110 to the calculation unit 340, the calculation unit 340 switches at least one of the first signal (temperature signal) 370 and the second signal (overload signal) 380 from a normal state to an abnormal state and outputs it to the power tool main body 401 (calculation unit 412) via each communication terminal.

[0067] 11 is a waveform diagram of the input signal 110 and the output signals 370, 380 of the adapter control unit 412 in the second adapter 300 of FIG. 9. The vertical axis indicates the level (high or low) of each signal, and the horizontal axis indicates the passage of time. As an input from the battery pack 100 to the second adapter 300, an abnormality signal 110 from the battery pack 100 is transmitted. As an output from the second adapter 300 to the first signal terminal 410 of the electric device main body 401, a first signal (temperature signal) 370 is output to the first signal terminal 302. As an output from the second adapter 300 to the second signal terminal 411 of the electric device main body 401, a second signal (overload signal 380) is output to the second signal terminal 303.

[0068] The signal output from the calculation unit 140 of the battery pack 100 is switched from a low level indicating a normal state to an abnormality signal 110 at a high level indicating an abnormal state when the calculation unit 140 of the battery pack 100 determines that any of the following has occurred: the battery pack 100 or any one of the battery cells has dropped below the non-operating lower limit voltage, the current flowing through the battery pack 100 has reached or exceeded the overcurrent threshold, or the temperature of the battery pack 100 has exceeded the pack allowable range.

[0069] When the abnormality signal 110 is input, the calculation unit 304 of the second adapter 300 switches at least one of the first signal 370 and the second signal 380 from a low level indicating a normal state to a high level indicating an abnormal state.

[0070] 11A, the signal 110 is in a low state until time t1, and therefore the first and second signals 370 and 380 are also in a low state. That is, the calculation unit 304 of the second adapter 300 maintains the first and second signals 370 and 380 in a low state. At time t1, the signal 1 When the signal 10 becomes high indicating an abnormal state, the calculation unit 304 of the second adapter 300 switches the second signal 380 to high while keeping the first signal 370 low, and outputs it from the second signal terminal 303. The operation of the power tool main body 401 is prevented (stopped or prohibited) by the transmission of the second signal 380 indicating the abnormal state.

[0071] FIG. 11B is the same as FIG. 11A up to time t1. At time t1, the signal 1 When signal 10 becomes high indicating an abnormal state, the calculation unit 304 of the second adapter 300 switches the first signal 370 to high while maintaining the second signal 380 in a low state, and outputs it from the first signal terminal 302. The operation of the power tool main body 401 is prevented (stopped or prohibited) by the transmission of the first signal 370 indicating the abnormal state.

[0072] FIG. 11C is the same as FIG. 11A up to time t1. At time t1, the signal 1 When the signal 10 becomes high indicating an abnormal state, the calculation unit 304 of the second adapter 300 switches the first and second signals 370, 380 to high and outputs them from the first and second signal terminals 301, 302, respectively. The operation of the power tool main body 401 is prevented (stopped or prohibited) by the transmission of the first signal 370 indicating an abnormal state.

[0073] The calculation unit 412 of the electric power tool main body 401 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the battery pack 100 when at least one of the signals input via the first and second signal terminals 410, 411 indicates an abnormal state (high). This makes it possible to prevent the operation of the electric power tool main body 401.

[0074] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiments, the first adapter 200 and the second adapter 300 are described as examples of adapters, but it is also within the scope of the present invention to prepare a third adapter for mounting a battery pack (second battery pack) of another shape or made by another company (manufacturing company) to the electric device main body 1 (first electric device main body), and a fourth adapter for mounting a battery pack 100 (first battery pack) of the company to an electric device main body (second electric device main body) of another shape or made by another company (manufacturing company). In addition, in the above embodiments, battery packs and electric device main bodies of the company and another manufacturing company (other company) different from the company are described, but the battery packs and electric device main body are not limited to the company and the other company, and may be made by the same company (manufacturing company), and can be applied to a configuration in which the battery pack and the electric device main body cannot be directly connected due to a difference in rated voltage between the battery pack and the electric device main body. In addition, the high and low of the signal indicating an abnormality may be reversed. 8 and 11, the signal is low in the normal state and high in the abnormal state, but as shown in FIG. 12, which is a modified example of FIG. 8, the signal may be high in the normal state and low in the abnormal state. In this case, calculation unit 249 of first adapter 200 may be programmed to determine that the input signals from terminals 233 and 234 are normal when they are high and abnormal when they are low. Also, only one of the input signal and output signal of calculation unit 249 may be reversed with respect to the signal in FIG. 8, so that the input signal is normal when it is low and the output signal is abnormal when it is low. Also, the electric device main body may be not only a configuration driven by the power of a battery pack, but also a charging device for charging a battery pack. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1...electrical device body, 2...housing, 2a...body portion, 2b...grip portion, 2c...battery pack mounting portion, 4...motor, 4a...rotor, 4b...stator, 6...trigger switch, 6a...trigger lever, 9...chuck mechanism, 15...operation panel, 22, 23...rail, 22a, 23a...recess, 24...opening, 25...curved wall, 26...convex portion, 27...lighting device, 28...hook, 29...screw, 30...terminal unit, 30a...base portion, 30b...vertical wall portion, 30c...upper wall portion, 31...positive terminal, 32...negative terminal , 33... communication terminal (LD terminal), 50... calculation unit, 51... control signal circuit, 52... power supply unit, 53... current detection circuit, 54... rotational position detection circuit, 55... rotation speed detection circuit, 56... rotational position detection element, 57... shunt resistor, 58... capacitor, 59... switch operation detection circuit, 100... (first) battery pack, 101... case, 102... lower surface, 103... step portion, 104... upper surface, 105... raised portion, 106... recess, 116... latch button, 117... latch claw, 120... slot group, 122, 127, 12 8...slot, 125, 126...rail groove, 131...positive terminal, 137...negative terminal, 138...communication terminal (LD terminal), 140...calculation unit, 145...battery cell group, 150...(second) battery pack, 153...lower surface, 154a, 154b...stopper portion, 155...upper surface, 160...mounting portion, 161-164...slot, 167, 168...groove portion, 171...positive terminal, 172...negative terminal, 173...first signal terminal, 174...second signal terminal, 181...latch button, 182...latch claw, 190...calculation unit, 1 91...temperature signal, 192...overload signal, 195...battery cell group, 200...first adapter, 201...case, 201R...right side piece, 201L...left side piece, 202R...opening, 203R...groove, 204, 205...screw holes, 210...first mounting portion, 211...upper wall surface, 212...recess, 213...right side surface, 214...left side surface, 221...side wall surface, 222, 223...rail, 230...terminal portion, 230a...base portion, 230b...upper wall portion, 230c...horizontal wall, 231...positive input terminal, 232...negative input terminal, 233 …Contact communication terminal, 234 …Contactsignal terminal, 235... terminal cover, 236 to 239... connection piece, 247... circuit board, 248... power supply unit, 249... calculation unit, 250... second mounting portion, 251... lower surface, 252... step portion, 253... upper surface, 254... raised portion, 255... depression, 256, 257... groove portion, 261 to 263... slot, 266... ​​positive output terminal, 267... negative output terminal, 268... LD output terminal, 268a... LD signal, 271 to 275... wiring, 275, 276... groove portion, 281, 283... latch button, 282, 284... latch claw, 300... second adapter, 301... case, 310... first mounting portion, 350... second mounting portion, 353... upper surface, 367... rail, 401... electrical device body, 402... housing, 402a... body portion, 402b... grip portion, 420... battery pack mounting portion

Claims

1. An adapter connected between a battery pack and an electrical device body, a first mounting portion having a plurality of first communication terminals connectable to communication terminals of the battery pack and allowing the battery pack to be directly mounted; a second mounting portion having at least one second communication terminal connectable to a communication terminal of the electrical device body and directly mountable to the electrical device body; an adapter control unit connected to the plurality of first communication terminals and the at least one second communication terminal, and configured to output an output signal to the other of the plurality of first communication terminals or the at least one second communication terminal based on an input signal input from one of the plurality of first communication terminals or the at least one second communication terminal; having the adapter control unit is configured to generate one of the output signals from a plurality of signals input from a plurality of terminals included in the plurality of first communication terminals, and output the one of the output signals to a terminal included in the at least one second communication terminal; An adapter characterized in that

2. An adapter connected between a battery pack and an electrical device body, a first mounting portion having at least one first communication terminal connectable to a communication terminal of the battery pack and into which the battery pack can be directly mounted; a second mounting portion having a plurality of second communication terminals connectable to a communication terminal of the electrical device body and directly mountable to the electrical device body; an adapter control unit connected to the at least one first communication terminal and the plurality of second communication terminals, and configured to output an output signal to the at least one first communication terminal or the other of the plurality of second communication terminals based on an input signal input from one of the at least one first communication terminal or the plurality of second communication terminals; having the adapter control unit is configured to generate a plurality of the output signals from one signal input from one terminal included in the at least one first communication terminal, and output the plurality of output signals to a plurality of terminals included in the plurality of second communication terminals, respectively. An adapter characterized in that

3. 3. The adapter according to claim 1 or 2, An adapter characterized in that the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion have different shapes and are configured so that the battery pack corresponding to the first mounting portion can be mounted to the electrical device main body corresponding to the second mounting portion.

4. 4. The adapter of claim 3, An adapter characterized in that the first mounting portion and the main body side mounting portion of the electrical device main body have different shapes, and the battery pack can be directly attached to the first mounting portion but cannot be directly attached to the main body side mounting portion.

5. An adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A pair of first rail mechanisms extending substantially parallel to each other is formed on the first mounting portion, and a pair of second rail mechanisms extending substantially parallel to each other is formed on the second mounting portion, the first rail mechanism and a pair of rail mechanisms of the electrical device body corresponding to the second rail mechanism have different shapes, The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the second rail mechanism and a rail mechanism of the battery pack corresponding to the first rail mechanism have different shapes.

6. 6. The adapter of claim 5, The adapter is configured in a split form having a first housing and a second housing, one side of the first rail mechanism is provided on the first housing side, and the other side is provided on the second housing, one side of the second rail mechanism is provided on the first housing side, and the other side is provided on the second housing, The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the first and second housings are divided in a direction intersecting an extending direction of the first rail mechanism and the second rail mechanism.

7. 7. An adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a battery side power terminal connected to a power terminal of the connected battery pack; an equipment-side power terminal connected to a power terminal of the electric equipment body; The adapter, wherein the battery side power terminal and the device side power terminal are connected directly or without passing through the adapter control unit.

8. 8. The adapter of claim 7, The adapter control unit is provided on a substrate, An adapter characterized in that the first and second communication terminals are connected to the adapter control unit via the board, while the battery side power terminal and the device side power terminal are connected to each other without going through the board.

9. 9. An adapter according to claim 7 or 8, The adapter control unit is configured with a logic operation circuit or an operation circuit using a microcomputer, The adapter further comprises a power supply circuit for supplying an operating voltage to the arithmetic circuit from the power supplied from the battery-side power terminal.

10. 2. The adapter of claim 1, the plurality of first communication terminals include a temperature signal input terminal to which a temperature signal of the battery pack is input as the input signal, and an overload signal input terminal to which an overload signal of the battery pack is input as the input signal, the adapter control unit outputs the output signal to the one terminal included in the at least one second communication terminal based on the temperature signal and the overload signal; An adapter characterized in that

11. 3. The adapter of claim 2, the at least one first communication terminal includes the one terminal to which the input signal is input from the battery pack; the adapter controller is configured to convert the input signal into a temperature signal of the battery pack and an overload signal of the battery pack; the plurality of second communication terminals include a temperature signal output terminal that outputs the temperature signal and an overload signal output terminal that outputs the overload signal. An adapter characterized in that

12. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 11; A battery pack; an electrical device body having a load section and a battery pack mounting section to which the adapter can be connected; An electrical device comprising:

13. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 11; At least one of a battery pack having at least one battery cell and an electrical device body having a load section and a battery pack mounting section to which the adapter can be connected; An electrical device comprising:

14. An electrical device body to which the adaptor according to any one of claims 1 to 11 can be connected, A load section; a battery pack mounting portion to which either the adapter or the battery pack can be directly mounted; an equipment-side communication terminal connectable to the second communication terminal of the adapter and configured to input a signal from the second communication terminal or output a signal to the second communication terminal; An electrical device body comprising:

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