Electrical equipment system

Abstract

To perform priority connection control when pairing is registered for interlocking work in a battery pack that has wireless communication means.SOLUTION: A battery pack 1 includes a battery cell 5, a control unit 50 connected to the battery cell, a wireless communication unit 70 connected to the control unit and configured to perform wireless communication with an external device by the control unit, and the wireless communication unit 70 is wirelessly connected to electric equipment 200 having a motor 203 or information terminal 300 as the external device to be connected. At this time, the device is configured to be connect to the electrical equipment 200 that is capable of performing wireless connection by performing priority connection control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery pack, and more particularly to a battery pack that can be operated in conjunction with any other electrical device using wireless communication. The present invention also relates to an electrical device system using the battery pack.

Background Art

[0002] A system has been proposed in which a proximity wireless communication device is mounted on a power tool, which is an electrical device, to enable information exchange with another electrical device or to control the drive of another electrical device. For example, when connecting an electrical device and a dust collector with a dust collection hose in order to suck dust generated during work using an electrical device such as a circular saw or a jigsaw with another electrical device such as a dust collector, the start and stop on the circular saw side are transmitted to the other electrical device side via wireless communication. In such an interlocking operation, another electrical device (for example, a dust collector or a blower fan) on the slave side is prepared for the electrical device (for example, a circular saw or a jigsaw) on the master side, and the slave side electrical device is operated in conjunction with the operation of the master side electrical device (Patent Document 1).

[0003] In order to use proximity wireless communication, it is necessary to mount a proximity wireless communication device on both electrical device bodies. However, existing electrical device bodies cannot perform interlocking operations using proximity wireless communication. Therefore, a system is considered in which a proximity wireless communication device is mounted on the battery pack side so that an electrical device body without wireless communication means can also perform an interlocking operation with other electrical devices, information terminals, etc.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When a battery pack equipped with wireless communication means performs wireless communication with another electrical device main body (for example, a dust collector, an information terminal device), it is necessary to establish a so-called one-to-one (1:1) communication path that establishes a communication path only with a partner registered through a predetermined procedure and set it to a connected state. When there are a plurality of electrical device main bodies in a state where wireless communication is possible nearby during the trial state of establishing the connection of this communication path (so-called pairing), there has been a problem that it is not known which device has been connected. In other words, when there are a plurality of electrical device main bodies, there has been a problem that it is not known to which device main body the connection is made.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object thereof is to provide a battery pack and an electrical device system that can be connected to a target electrical device when establishing a communication path for linked operations using wireless. Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack and an electrical device system that perform priority connection control when establishing a communication path for linked operations. Still another object of the present invention is to store information for performing priority connection control in advance in a battery pack that can be on the peripheral side or the central side when establishing a communication path for linked operations.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The typical features of the invention disclosed in the present application will be described as follows. In the present invention The electrical equipment system is configured to include a battery pack that houses a secondary battery, an electrical equipment main body to which the battery pack is attached, a control unit that controls charging or / and discharging of the battery pack, and a wireless communication unit that is connected to the control unit and configured to perform wireless communication with an external device by the control unit. The battery pack includes a battery cell, a control unit connected to the battery cell, and a wireless communication unit connected to the control unit and configured to perform wireless communication with an external device by the control unit. The battery pack has an information terminal as an external device and an electric device having a load unit as an external device. When they are in a state where they can be wirelessly connected to the battery pack (wireless communication unit), the battery pack (wireless communication unit) prioritizes establishing a wireless connection with the electric device over the information terminal. The battery pack has a first operation unit for switching to a wireless connection standby state. The external device has a second operation unit for switching to a wireless connection standby state. When the information terminal is in a wireless connection standby state within the wireless communication range with the battery pack (wireless communication unit), and the electric device is switched to the wireless connection standby state by operating the second operation unit within the wireless communication range with the battery pack (wireless communication unit), the battery pack (wireless communication unit) establishes a wireless connection with the electric device without establishing a wireless connection with the information terminal. When the electric device is not within the wireless communication range, it connects to the information terminal. When both the electric device and the information terminal are within the wireless communication range, the battery pack preferentially connects to those it has connected to in the past.

[0008] According to another feature of the present invention, the battery pack includes a battery cell, a control unit connected to the battery cell, and a wireless communication unit connected to the control unit and controlled to perform one-to-one wireless communication with an external device by the control unit. The wireless communication unit is configured to connect to external devices in descending order of the priority of the external devices to be connected. The external device is an electric device having a load unit or an information terminal, and it prioritizes connecting to the electric device over the information terminal. Also, the battery pack has an operation unit for instructing the wireless connection of the wireless communication unit, and the operation of the operation unit is used to establish a connection path with the external device. Further, when establishing the connection path, the battery pack is configured to change the connection conditions with the external device according to the elapsed time since the operation unit was operated.

[0009] According to another feature of the present invention, the connection conditions include at least one of the following: a first connection condition that permits connection to a part of the external device until a first predetermined time elapses after operating the operation unit; a second connection condition that permits connection to another part of the external device from the elapse of the first predetermined time until the elapse of a second predetermined time; and a third connection condition that permits connection to still another part of the external device from the elapse of the second predetermined time until timeout. The battery pack is provided with a non-volatile storage device, and a list indicating the connection conditions is stored in the storage device in advance.

[0010] According to still another feature of the present invention, if the battery pack cannot connect to the external device from the start of the connection path establishment procedure until the timeout time, which is later than the second predetermined time, the battery pack returns to the standby state before operating the operation unit. The connection conditions include a manufacturer code, and the battery pack is configured not to connect to an external device whose manufacturer code does not match or does not correspond to a specific code. Further, the connection conditions include target device information and target function information. First, permission or non-permission of connection is determined based on the target device information. If not permitted, permission or non-permission of connection is determined based on the target function information. As described above, an electric device system is constructed by a battery pack having a wireless communication unit and an external electric device having a wireless communication unit. do not

Effect of the Invention

Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, when there are a plurality of connectable external devices, it is possible to surely connect to the target external device. In addition, since the battery pack can determine which external device should be preferentially connected, it is possible to first connect to the optimal connection partner. Further, when there is no preferential connection partner, control is performed so that even an external device with a lower priority can be connected, so that it is also possible to connect to a portable terminal that monitors the state of the battery pack. In addition, information for performing preferential connection can be stored in the battery pack.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Example

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following figures, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations are omitted. In this specification, as an example of an electric device, an electric tool operating with a battery pack will be used for explanation.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wireless interlocking system for an electric device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wireless interlocking system is configured as an electric device system by electric devices (in the example of FIG. 1, a dust collector 200 and an information terminal 300) that cooperate with an electric device main body (here, a circular saw 100) to which a battery pack 1 is attached.

[0015] The circular saw 100 is a tool for cutting an object to be cut such as wood by rotating a saw blade 125, which is a working device having a disk shape with a plurality of spire-shaped blades formed on the outer peripheral side, at a high speed by a motor (not shown). As for the power supply of the circular saw 100, those using commercial power and those using a battery are widely known, but in this embodiment, a detachable battery pack 1 (described later with reference to FIG. 2) is used. A handle portion 113 for an operator to grip is formed on the upper part of the housing 112 of the circular saw 100. A trigger lever (not shown) for operating the switch of the motor is provided at the lower front side of the handle portion 113. By the operator pressing the base 127 and the saw blade 125 against the object to be cut and pulling the trigger lever, the object to be cut can be cut in a straight line. Approximately the upper half near the outer peripheral edge of the saw blade 125 is covered by the housing 112. A protective cover 126 is provided around approximately the lower half of the saw blade 125 to protect the blade of the saw blade 125 from being exposed when the saw blade 125 is not pressed against the object to be cut.

[0016] When the circular saw 100 performs a cutting operation on wood, a lot of wood chips are generated during the cutting process. The upper approximately half covering portion of the saw blade 125 by the housing 112 functions to prevent the scattering of dust such as wood chips. Also, a duct adapter 118 can be attached to a part of the housing 112. The duct adapter 118 forms a suction passage for sucking dust generated by the cutting operation together with the surrounding air, and a connecting pipe extends radially outward from a part near the outer peripheral edge of the saw blade 125 so that an air passage from the inner part of the housing 112 to the duct adapter 118 is formed. The tip 180a of a flexible dust collection hose 180 can be connected to the duct adapter 118.

[0017] The dust collector 200 includes a tank unit 205 and a head unit 201 that are separable from each other. The head unit 201 is detachably fixed to the upper part of the tank unit 205 by a clamp mechanism 256. A motor provided in the head unit 201 rotates a dust collection fan (not shown) to create a negative pressure in the dust collection hose 180, and sucks chips and dust generated during cutting work together with air from inside the duct adapter 207 connected to the tip 180b of the dust collection hose 180. It is an electric device that separates air from chips and dust with an air filter (not shown) and collects only chips and dust in a container. A main switch 206 is provided on the operation display unit 210 of the dust collector 200. When the main switch 206 is turned on, the motor starts (in single operation mode). When the motor rotates, the dust collection operation starts, and dust and the like can be sucked through the dust collection hose 180. When the operator turns off the main switch 206, the motor stops and the dust collection operation also stops. The dust collector 200 can be used not only in single operation mode where it operates alone, but also in interlocking operation as a slave side of other electric devices as shown in FIG. 1. In that case, the tip 180b of the dust collection hose 180 is attached to the duct adapter 207, and by operating the pairing switch 255 which is a dedicated second operation unit on the operation display unit 210, it is switched from "single operation mode" to "interlocking mode". That is, by operating the pairing switch 255, it is switched to a wireless connection standby state where wireless connection with an external device (for example, battery pack 1) is possible. At this time, the battery pack 1 on the side of the circular saw 100 which is the master side electric device also switches from "single operation mode" to "interlocking mode" by long-pressing the switch button 85 which is the first operation unit (see FIG. 2). That is, by long-pressing the switch button 85, it is switched to a wireless connection standby state where wireless connection with an external device is possible. And when both are in a state where they are within the range (Wireless communication range) where wireless connection is possible and are switched to "interlocking mode" (wireless connection standby state) with each other, the circular saw 100 and the dust collector 200 are automatically paired and registered to enter a wireless connection state, enabling interlocking using wireless.

[0018] In this way, two electrical devices are interlocked. The main operation (cutting operation by the circular saw 100) is performed by the electrical device on one side (master side), and the subordinate operation (suction and collection operation of the dust generated by the circular saw 100) is performed by the electrical device on the other side (slave side). Each electrical device (circular saw 100 and dust collector 200) is provided with a communication unit for wireless communication. In this embodiment, however, it is not the main body side of the master-side electrical device (circular saw 100) but the attached battery pack 1 that performs the wireless communication 72. Here, Bluetooth (a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc., USA), a short-range wireless means, is used. In the interlock mode, when the trigger switch of the circular saw 100 is turned on, an operation instruction signal is sent from the communication unit 70 (wireless communication unit) of the battery pack 1 to the dust collector 200. The dust collector 200 receives the operation instruction signal, starts the motor, and begins the dust collection operation. When the trigger switch of the circular saw 100 is turned off, the operation instruction signal from the communication unit 70 of the battery pack 1 disappears. Therefore, the dust collector 200 immediately or, after a predetermined time lag, stops the motor and stops the dust collection operation. In this way, in this embodiment, wireless communication is used to interlock the operation of multiple electrical devices, so it is possible to easily interlock the electrical devices without using a signal code for transmitting the operation instruction signal.

[0019] The information terminal 300 is a smartphone or a portable information terminal. In addition to the public telephone communication network and / or the Internet, the information terminal 300 is provided with a short-range wireless means (wireless communication unit) with a short communication distance. The battery pack 1 can be paired not only with the dust collector 200 but also with the information terminal 300. Here, "pairing" is an operation of performing associated registration between an electrical device (dust collector 200, information terminal 300, etc.) and the battery pack 1 side using wireless communication. By performing these registration operations (pairing), the electrical device (dust collector 200, information terminal 300, etc.) can obtain necessary information from the paired battery pack 1. The relationship between the pairing partners is such that the number of terminal devices (such as users A and B): the number of battery packs = 1:1.

[0020] The battery pack 1 is configured to output a DC current of, for example, 18V. In this embodiment, the information terminal 300 can read the information of the battery pack 1 by directly communicating with the battery pack 1. Note that the communication between the information terminal 300 and the battery pack 1 is possible not only when the battery pack 1 is attached to the electric device main body but also when it is removed from the electric device main body.

[0021] The information terminal 300 processes the information received from the battery pack 1 by wireless communication, and manages the remaining battery level, life prediction, etc. of the battery pack 1 based on the information. The information terminal 300 has a liquid crystal display 301 which is a touch-type input / output device. In addition, application software (hereinafter referred to as "app") for enabling communication with a specific type of battery pack 1 is installed in the information terminal 300. This app includes software for pairing the information terminal 300 and the battery pack 1, software for uploading the information obtained from the battery pack 1 to a support company, and software for displaying the status of the battery pack 1. The app is available from a manufacturer or the like via a telephone line or a network.

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the circuit configurations of the respective electric devices (circular saw 100, dust collector 200, information terminal 300) in the wireless interlocking system of this embodiment. The battery pack 1 houses a secondary battery 5 in a case made of synthetic resin. Charging and discharging of the secondary battery 5 are controlled by a control unit 50. The control unit 50 is connected to the secondary battery 5. The control unit 50 includes a one-chip microcomputer 51 and a storage device 52. The storage device 52 stores a program in advance and stores connection condition information 510, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 6. Note that the hardware configuration of the control unit 50 is arbitrary, and as the storage device 52, a non-volatile memory built in the microcomputer 51 or provided separately from the microcomputer 51 may be used.

[0023] The microcomputer 51 is connected to the secondary battery 5 and monitors the state of the secondary battery 5, such as voltage, current, and the temperature of the battery cells. The voltage is detected by a voltage check means (voltage detection unit) described later. The current is detected by a shunt resistor 49 serving as a current detection unit connected in series with the secondary battery 5. The temperature is detected by a temperature detection unit (not shown) provided near the secondary battery 5, such as a thermistor. These detected voltage, current, and temperature are input to the microcomputer 51 of the control unit 50. When the voltage of the secondary battery 5 falls below a specified lower limit value, a discharge stop signal is sent to the control unit 150 on the circular saw 100 side via the LD terminals 48 and 148 serving as abnormal signal terminals. Further, the microcomputer 51 communicates with the circular saw 100 via the T terminals 46 and 146 serving as communication terminals. The model information (model name, rated voltage, etc.) of each other is transmitted and received via the communication terminals, and is stored as a history in the storage device 52 and the storage device 152 of the control unit 150. A communication unit 70 using Bluetooth (registered trademark) is provided in the battery pack 1. An antenna 71 is connected to the communication unit 70. The communication unit 70 is connected to the control unit 50, and the wireless communication 72 by the communication unit 70 is managed by the microcomputer 51. Incidentally, the microcomputer 51 uses the V terminal and the LS terminal serving as other communication terminals (not shown) to transmit signals to the circular saw 100 or an external charging device (not shown). It is also possible to configure a plurality of communication terminals with a single communication terminal.

[0024] The secondary battery 5 is housed in the battery pack 1. The secondary battery 5 is formed by connecting five lithium-ion battery cells with a rated voltage of 3.6V in series to supply power with a rated voltage of 18V to the positive terminal 42 and the negative terminal 47. The battery pack 1 is equipped with voltage checking means (voltage detection unit) not shown in the figure. When the switch button 85 of the voltage checking means is turned ON, during the operation, the voltage of the battery cell is applied to the voltage dividing resistors constituting the voltage checking means, and the divided voltage is applied to the A / D input port of the microcomputer 51. The microcomputer 51 calculates or measures the terminal voltage of the secondary battery 5 (the total voltage of the secondary battery 5 in which five battery cells are connected in series) by converting the voltage into a digital value. The display unit 80 is composed of a plurality of LEDs and displays the voltage (capacity) of the secondary battery 5 when the switch button 85 is operated. The microcomputer 51 divides the measured voltage into five levels (0, 1, 2, 3, 4) and controls the display unit 80 so that the number of LEDs corresponding to the level lights up. The lighting of these LEDs is maintained for about several seconds after the switch button 85 is turned ON. Since the battery pack 1 is provided with voltage checking means in this way, it is possible to check the remaining battery level when the battery pack 1 is removed from the electric device main body. Also, it is possible to transmit the voltage information measured by the communication unit 70 to other electric devices (for example, the information terminal 300).

[0025] The circular saw 100 is provided with a motor 108 that serves as a discharge load section, and drives a working device (here, the saw blade 125 shown in FIG. 1) not shown. The circular saw 100 has a control section 150 having a microcomputer. In the power path from the positive terminal 142 to the negative terminal 147, there are interposed a trigger switch 106, a motor 108, a switching element 109 that serves as a cutoff section such as an FET (field effect transistor), and a shunt resistor 160 that serves as a current detection section. The trigger switch 106 is operated by an operator for an instruction to rotate the saw blade 125, and when the trigger switch 106 is turned on, the motor 108 rotates. The type of the motor 108 to be used is arbitrary, and a brushed DC motor or a brushless DC motor can be used. The control section 150 controls the rotation of the motor 108, and when an abnormality occurs, turns off the switching element 109 to prevent (stop) the rotation of the motor 108. Further, when a discharge stop signal is transmitted from the battery pack 1 via the LD terminal 148 which is an abnormality signal terminal, the control section 150 prohibits (stops) the rotation of the motor 108 by turning off the switching element 109. Further, when the control section 150 detects that an overcurrent has flowed through the power path by the shunt resistor 160, it also turns off the switching element 109 to stop the rotation of the motor 108. As described above, since the circular saw 100 does not include a wireless communication section, communication with an external electric device (the dust collector 200 or the information terminal 300) is performed using the communication section 70 of the battery pack 1 attached to the circular saw 100.

[0026] The dust collector 200 drives the motor 203 which serves as a discharge load using the battery pack 1A. The rotational control of the discharge load by the motor 203 is performed by the control unit 250. The dust collector 200 is provided with a communication unit 270 (device-side wireless communication unit) for Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication unit 270 has an antenna 271 and performs wireless communication 72 with an external device that has been paired and registered under the control of the control unit 250. The control unit 250 includes a storage device 252, which appropriately stores information used when establishing pairing with an external device (battery pack 1) and information transmitted and received after pairing. As shown in FIG. 1, the dust collector 200 is provided with a pairing switch (SW) 255. When an operator presses the pairing switch 255, the pairing setting procedure described later in FIG. 5 is started by the control unit 250. The connection terminals of the dust collector 200 include a positive terminal 242, a negative terminal 247, and an LD terminal 248. In addition, signal transmission terminals are provided in the same way as in the circular saw 100, but the description thereof is omitted here. Further, the dust collector 200 includes a main switch 206 that is operated to drive the motor 203, a switching element 208 such as an FET that is connected in series with the motor 203 and the main switch 206 and serves as a cutoff unit, and a shunt resistor 209 that serves as a current detection unit for detecting the current flowing through the power path from the positive terminal 242 to the negative terminal 247. Since these functions are the same as those provided in the circular saw 100, detailed description thereof is omitted. Note that the main switch 206 is operated by an operator when driving in the single-actuation mode in which the dust collector 200 is driven alone. On the other hand, in the interlocking mode, it may be turned on when the pairing switch 255 is operated when switching from the single-actuation mode to the interlocking mode, or may be turned on in conjunction with wireless communication from the battery pack 1, that is, the operation of the trigger switch 106 of the circular saw 100.

[0027] The battery pack 1A has a conventional configuration without a wireless communication unit and is the same as the battery pack 1 except that it does not have the communication unit 70 and the switch button 85. Since the same parts with the same configuration are labeled with the same reference numerals, repeated description is omitted. The battery pack 1A further does not have a display unit (corresponding to the display unit 80 of the battery pack 1), but a display unit may be provided.

[0028] With the above configuration, the communication unit 70 of the battery pack 1 and the communication unit 270 of the dust collector 200 can perform two-way communication (wireless communication) 72. Through the wireless communication, the dust collector 200 can receive operation signals from the battery pack 1 (a signal indicating that the motor 108 of the circular saw 100 has started, a signal indicating that the motor 108 of the circular saw 100 has stopped), and can start or stop its own motor 203.

[0029] The information terminal 300 has a control unit 310 including a microcomputer 311, and the microcomputer 311 causes the display 301 to display necessary information. The display 301 functions as an output device for displaying information and as an input device for inputting operations. The information terminal 300 is provided with a communication unit 320 (terminal-side wireless communication unit) for Bluetooth (registered trademark), and an antenna 321 is connected to the communication unit 320. Note that the wireless communication 322 among the battery pack 1, the electric device (dust collector) 200, and the information terminal 300 can be performed within a predetermined wireless communication range, and when outside the wireless communication range (for example, the distance between devices is too far, etc.), the wireless communication becomes impossible.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the battery pack 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The housing of the battery pack 1 is formed by a lower case 9 and an upper case 10 that can be divided in the vertical direction. The upper case 10 is formed with a mounting mechanism in which two rails 13a and 13b are formed for mounting on the battery pack mounting portion of the circular saw 100. The rails 13a and 13b are formed so as to extend in a direction parallel to the mounting direction of the battery pack 1 and to protrude from the left and right side surfaces of the upper case 10. The rails 13a and 13b have a shape corresponding to a rail groove (not shown) formed in the battery pack mounting portion of the circular saw 100, and the battery pack 1 is fixed to the circular saw 100 by being locked by a locking portion 36a that becomes a claw of the latch 35a in a state where the rails 13a and 13b are fitted into the rail grooves on the electric device main body side. When removing the battery pack 1 from the circular saw 100, by pushing the latches 35a and 35b on both the left and right sides, the locking portions 36a and 36b (FIG 3Then, although 36b cannot be seen), it moves inward and the locked state with the main body side of the circular saw 100 is released. In this state, the battery pack 1 is moved in the direction opposite to the mounting direction.

[0031] The lower surface 11 and the upper surface 15 of the upper case 10 are formed so that their heights are different in a stepped manner, and a slot group 20 extending rearward from their connection part is provided. Eight slots 21 to 28 are formed in the slot group 20. The slots 21 to 28 are portions cut out so as to have a predetermined length in the battery pack mounting direction. Inside this cut-out portion, a plurality of connection terminals (connection terminal group) that can be fitted to the equipment side terminals of the circular saw 100 or an external charging device (not shown) are arranged.

[0032] Among the slots 21 to 28, the slot 21 on the side closer to the rail 13a on the right side of the battery pack 1 serves as the insertion port for the charging positive terminal (C+ terminal), and the slot 22 serves as the insertion port for the discharge positive terminal (+ terminal). Also, the slot 27 on the side closer to the rail 13b on the left side serves as the insertion port for the negative terminal (- terminal). Between the positive terminal and the negative terminal, a plurality of signal terminals for signal transmission between the battery pack 1 and the circular saw 100 or an external charging device (not shown) and are arranged. Here, four slots 23 to 26 for signal terminals are provided between the power terminal groups. The slot 23 is a spare terminal insertion port, and no terminal is provided in this embodiment. The slot 24 is an insertion port for the T terminal for outputting a signal serving as the identification information of the battery pack 1 to the power tool main body or the charging device. The slot 25 is an insertion port for the V terminal for inputting a control signal from an external charging device (not shown). The slot 26 is an insertion port for the LS terminal for outputting the temperature information of the battery by a thermistor (temperature sensing element) provided in contact with the cell and not shown. On the left side of the slot 27 serving as the insertion port for the negative terminal (- terminal), a slot 28 for the LD terminal for outputting an abnormal stop signal by a battery protection circuit (not shown) included in the battery pack 1 is further provided.

[0033] On the rear side of the upper surface 15, a raised portion 32 is formed so as to bulge. A recessed stopper portion 31 is formed near the center of the raised portion 32. The stopper portion 31 serves as a butting surface when the battery pack 1 is mounted on the battery pack mounting portion on the electric device main body side. When the battery pack 1 is mounted at a predetermined position of the circular saw 100, a plurality of terminals (device-side terminals) arranged on the circular saw 100 and a plurality of connection terminals arranged on the battery pack 1 come into contact with each other to be in a conductive state.

[0034] A display portion 80 is provided on the rear slope 32a of the battery pack 1. Four display windows 81 to 84 are provided in the display portion 80, and a push-button type switch button 85 is provided on the right side of the display window 81. The switch button 85 is an operation portion operated by an operator. LEDs (light-emitting diodes) (not shown) are arranged inside the display windows 81 to 84, and the inside of the display windows 81 to 84 is lit. The entire display portion 80 is covered with a laminate film, and the display windows 81 to 84 are configured such that a part of the printed laminate film is made transparent or semi-transparent so that light can pass through. The switch button 85 is a button operated by an operator. When the switch button 85 is pressed, the display to the display windows 81 to 84 is performed according to the remaining battery level of the battery pack 1.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the established state of the wireless communication path in the battery pack 1 of FIG. 3. Here, it shows a state where one battery pack 1 is connected to an electric device A (dust collector 200) among a plurality of electric devices A and B and information terminals A and B having wireless communication means. The battery pack 1 has a communication unit 70 (see FIG. 2), and is in a state where it can be connected to any of the plurality of electric devices A and B and information terminals A and B using an antenna 71 connected to the communication unit 70. In this embodiment, the wireless communication path is premised on a one-to-one (1:1) connection. Based on the battery pack 1, in principle, the communication path is established first-come, first-served with the electric devices A and B and information terminals A and B that can be connected by Bluetooth (registered trademark). With such a one-to-one connection configuration, there are advantages such as the connection process on the battery pack 1 side becoming simple, less memory being required for connection management on the battery pack 1 side, and it being possible to be made inexpensive. In the wireless communication between the battery pack 1 of this embodiment and the electric device A or B, there is no means to confirm which partner is connected, such as a screen showing the state of the wireless communication. Therefore, if the battery pack 1 can be connected to a plurality of partner electric devices, it may cause malfunction or misuse. For example, there is a risk that the function for the battery pack 1 to cooperate with the electric device A may cause the cooperation function with the electric device B to operate instead. Also, a situation may occur where, although the power of the electric device A is turned off and it is intended to end the use of the battery pack 1 together with the electric device A, the battery pack 1 is switched to connect to the electric device B and continues to consume the power of the battery pack 1.

[0036] In this embodiment, when a plurality of electrical devices / information terminals are in a connection trial state, control is performed so that it becomes clear which electrical device / information terminal the battery pack 1 should be connected to (or whether it is to be connected). Here, there are three points. First, a priority is set for connection targets, and connection is made starting from the target with the higher priority. Second, once the connection procedure of the battery pack 1 is started, it enters a connection trial state. After transitioning to the connection trial state, it is only possible to connect to targets with a priority of "high" for a predetermined time. After the predetermined time has elapsed, it is possible to connect to targets with a priority of "medium" or higher. After an additional predetermined time has elapsed, it is possible to connect to all targets. Third, the priority is set higher for electrical devices and lower for information terminals, and it is set during the design and development of the battery pack 1 and stored in advance in the internal memory of the battery pack 1.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure at the time of establishing a communication path in the dust collector 200 or the information terminal 300 of FIG. 1. The series of procedures shown in FIG. 5 can be executed software-wise in accordance with a program pre-stored in the microcomputers 251 and 311 included in the control units 250 and 310 of the dust collector 200 or the information terminal 300, and is executed when in a state where wireless communication is possible. Hereinafter, FIG. 5 will be described as being executed by the control unit 250 of the dust collector 200.

[0038] First, the microcomputer 251 of the dust collector 200 determines whether the communication unit 270 (see FIG. 2) connected to the control unit 250 has established a connection path (communication path) using wireless communication with any external electrical device (step 501). If the communication path has been established here, the procedures shown in steps 502 to 505 after Do not execute the procedure and wait. This is because the wireless communication path in this embodiment assumes a 1:1 connection. In the case of an n:1 connection, steps 501 to 505 may be executed until the upper limit value of n is reached. In step 501, if the communication path has not been established, determine the information required for connection received from the battery pack 1 that is a connection candidate (the "connection condition information 510" described later in FIG. 6), and determine whether the company code 520 among the codes included in the information corresponds to a predetermined company (step 502). The company code 520 is a type of code for identifying the counterpart device. In the case of electrical devices such as power tools and battery packs, it is the identification code of the manufacturing company. Here, the "connection condition information" is held by the transmitting device (battery pack 1) that makes a connection request and is transmitted to the receiving side at the time of connection attempt. When the receiving device (dust collector 200, information terminal 300, etc.) receives the connection condition information 510, it determines whether to send a connection request according to the connection determination procedure of this flow. If the connection is possible, it returns a connection response signal for the connection request. If the connection is not possible, that is, if it does not correspond to the connection target device, it does not return a connection response signal for the connection request.

[0039] Here, the details of the connection condition information 510 held by the transmitting device will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the connection condition information 510 stored in the battery pack 1 of FIG. 3. The connection condition information 510 is composed of a 16-bit company code 520, a 32-bit connection permission device code 530, and a 16-bit connection permission function code 540 from the beginning, and uses a total of 64 bits (8 bytes) of information. The connection condition information 510 is information that is pre-stored in the storage device 52 included in the control unit 50 by the manufacturer during the manufacturing and assembly of the product. The connection condition information 510 is transmitted by the transmitting device (battery pack 1) of the connection request to the receiving device (dust collector 200) when establishing the wireless communication path. The receiving device (dust collector 200) determines whether the connection is possible according to a predetermined determination procedure from the received connection condition information 510, and if the connection is possible, transmits a connection response signal to the transmitting device (battery pack 1).

[0040] Enterprise code 520 is identification information (manufacturer code) assigned to each manufacturing manufacturer, and stores the manufacturer codes of the electrical equipment (dust collector 200) having the communication unit 270 shown in FIG. 2 and the information terminal (information terminal 300) having the communication unit 320. The receiving device that has received the connection condition information 510 can determine whether the transmitting device is its own product or a product of another company based on the enterprise code 520. In addition, in the case where the transmitting device is an information terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PC (Personal Computer), instead of transmitting the enterprise code of the terminal itself, the code of the company that created the software (so-called app) stored in the information terminal may be stored.

[0041] The connection permission device code 530 is information indicating the target device to which the transmitting device (battery pack 1) that has made a connection request is to connect. When the receiving device (dust collector 200) receives a connection request together with the connection permission device code 530, it determines whether it (dust collector 200) is included in the connection permission device code 530, and the receiving device determines whether it is the connection target. Here, the details of the connection permission device code 530 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The connection permission device code 530 is information held by the battery pack 1, and here, three types of information, conditions A to C for connection, are confirmed. These conditions A to C are information for setting the connection priority. Condition A531 indicates the connection group with the highest priority. The bit string 536 “111000000···” described later indicates whether each device (target device) corresponding to each bit is a connection target (= bit “1”) or a non-connection target (= bit “0”). The bit string 536 “111000000···” of condition A531 means that the target devices corresponding to the first to third bits are connected (bit “1”), but the target devices after the fourth bit are not connected (bit “0”). Condition B532 (bit string 537) means that the target devices corresponding to the first to fourth bits are connected, but the target devices after the fifth bit are not connected (bit “0”). Condition C533 (bit string 538) means that the target devices corresponding to the first to fifth bits are connected, but the target devices after the sixth bit are not connected (bit “0”). Also, for example, in the case of condition C533, when the electrical devices (dust collectors A and B, lighting A and B) of bits 0 to 3 are not within the wireless communication range, they are connected to the information terminal 300 of bit 4. The load part corresponds to the motors of dust collectors A and B and the lighting parts of lighting A and B.

[0042] Fig. 7(B) is a more detailed illustration obtained by further expanding the content (bit strings 536 to 538) of conditions A531 to C533 in Fig. 7(A). Here, it shows which bit 534 it is in the vertical direction and the target device 535 corresponding to each bit 534. Here, the combination of bit 534 and target device 535 is set by the manufacturer of the receiving device (dust collector 200 or information terminal 300) or the app creator that can be connected to the transmitting device (battery pack 1) and stored separately in each control unit. In the bit string 536 of condition A531 in Fig. 7(B), if it is a connection target for each target device 535, it is indicated by "○", and if it is not a connection target, it is indicated by a blank. When this "○" is replaced with bit "1" and the blank with bit "0", the bit string "111000000···" is obtained from top to bottom, which has the same content as the bit string 536 in Fig. 7(A). The same applies to the bit string 537 of condition B532 and the bit string 538 of condition C533 in Fig. 7(B). This means that the manufacturer of the receiving device (dust collector 200 or information terminal 300) or the app creator that can be connected to the transmitting device (battery pack 1) can pre-assign ○ or × (blank) to the devices for priority connection as shown in Fig. 7(B) and convert it into a bit string like 536 to 538 in Fig. 7(A) and store it in the control unit of the transmitting device (battery pack 1).

[0043] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing details of the connection permission function code 540 of FIG. 6, and (A) is a diagram showing an example of data to be stored. The connection permission function code 540 is information regarding the target functions held by the battery pack 1, and here, the three types of connection conditions A541 to C543 are stored in bit strings 546 to 548 similar to the bit strings 536 to 538 included in the connection permission device code 530. The condition A541, the condition B542, and the condition C543 are information for setting the priority order of functions. The condition A541 indicates the function group with the highest priority. The bit string "1100···" described later indicates whether each function corresponding to each bit is a function connection target (= bit "1") or a non-connection target (= bit "0"). The bit string "1100···" of the condition A541 means that the functions corresponding to the first to second ones are connected (bit "1"), but the functions after the third one are not connected (bit "0"). The condition B542 means that the functions corresponding to the first to third ones are connected. The condition C543 means that it is connected (bit "1") to the one corresponding to the first to fourth ones function means to connect (bit "1").

[0044] FIG. 8(B) is a diagram that further expands and clearly illustrates the contents (bit strings 546 to 548) of the conditions A541 to C543 in FIG. 8(A). Here, it shows which bit 544 in the vertical direction, and shows the target function 545 corresponding to each bit 544. Here, the combination of the bit 544 and the target function 545 is set by the manufacturer of the transmitting device (battery pack 1) connectable to the receiving device (dust collector 200 or information terminal 300) or the creator of the application, and is separately stored in each control unit. The target function is, for example, "dust collection linkage" for operating the dust collector 200 in conjunction with the operation of the circular saw 100, "lighting linkage" for lighting another lighting device (not shown) in accordance with the operation of a driver drill (not shown), "application (execution) A" for linking with the application software A to be executed on the information terminal 300 on the receiver side along with the operation of an electrical device (not shown), "application (execution) B" for linking with the application software B to be executed on the information terminal 300 on the receiver side along with the operation of an electrical device (not shown), etc.

[0045] "Dust collection interlock" refers to an operation mode in which when the operation ON information (such as discharge current) of the main body of the electrical device to which the battery pack 1 is connected is detected, an interlock operation signal is wirelessly transmitted to the paired counterpart electrical device. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, when the battery pack 1 and the circular saw 100 are connected and the trigger switch 106 is operated (turned on), a discharge current flows from the battery pack 1 through the power supply path. This discharge current is detected by the shunt resistor 160 serving as a current detection unit, and the detection signal is input to the control unit 150. When the control unit 150 receives the signal of the discharge current, that is, the start (drive) information of the circular saw 100, it transmits the information that the circular saw 100 has been driven to the control unit 50 of the battery pack 1 via the communication T terminals 146 and 46. When the control unit 50 receives the signal from the control unit 150, it transmits an interlock operation signal to the dust collector 200 via the communication units 70 and 270. Alternatively, since the shunt resistor 49 is also provided in the battery pack 1, the battery pack 1 (control unit 50) itself may detect the discharge current to transmit the interlock operation signal, or the interlock operation signal may be transmitted when the drive signal from the circular saw 100 is input and the battery pack 1 itself detects the drive (discharge current). The paired dust collector 200 turns on the motor 203 (see FIG. 2) when it receives the interlock operation signal, and turns off the motor 203 when the interlock operation signal disappears and no operation signal is received for a predetermined time (about several seconds to several tens of seconds). "Lighting interlock" means that when the power ON information (which may also be operation ON information) of the main body of the electrical device to which the battery pack 1 is connected is detected, a lighting interlock signal is wirelessly transmitted to a lighting fixture (an example of an electrical device) not shown in the figure. The paired lighting fixture turns on the lighting when it receives the lighting interlock signal, and turns off the lighting when the signal disappears and no lighting interlock signal is received for a predetermined time (about several tens of seconds to several minutes). "App A" has a connection priority set higher than that of "App B" and has an automatic connection function that is set. The automatic connection function is, for example, a function that automatically performs a scan without user operation and establishes a communication path when the app is launched in a state where this function is enabled and a connectable target is found. "App B" has a connection priority lower than that of App A. It does not have an automatic connection function or it is not set.

[0046] Figure 8(B) is a data table showing the target functions indicated by the data to be stored. Here, in condition A541, for each target function 545, if it is a connection target, it is indicated by "○ (circle)", and if it is not a connection target, it is indicated by a blank. If this "○" is replaced with bit "1" and the blank with bit "0", a bit string "1100···" is obtained from top to bottom, which is the same information as the column of bit string 546 in Figure 8(A). The same applies to condition B542 and condition C543 in Figure 8(B). This means that the manufacturer of the transmitting device (battery pack 1) or the creator of the application that can be connected to the receiving devices (dust collector 200 and information terminal 300) can pre-assign ○ or × (blank) to the target functions for determining connection availability based on the functions of the receiving devices as shown in Figure 8(B), and store it in the control unit 50 (see Figure 2) of the transmitting device (battery pack 1) in the form of a bit string such as 546 to 548 in Figure 8(A). That is, it is not necessary to store it in a table format like Figure 7(B) or Figure 8(B), and it can be coded and set in a bit string like Figure 7(A) or Figure 8(A). After the battery pack 1 output is loaded, no code update is assumed as shown in Figure 7(A) or Figure 8(A). However, since it has wireless communication means, it is also possible to configure the battery pack 1 so that the connection condition information 510 (see Figure 6) can be updated via the information terminal 300.

[0047] Return to step 502 of FIG. 5 again. The control units 250 and 310 (both refer to FIG. 2) of the receiving device (such as the dust collector 200 and the information terminal 300) receive the connection condition information 510 shown in FIG. 6. When the company code 520 included therein matches a predetermined code (YES in step 503), next, refer to the connection permission device code 530 and determine whether the receiving device itself is permitted as a connection target in the information included therein, that is, whether the target device 535 of itself is in the permitted state of ○ in the table of FIG. 7(B) (step 503). If it is permitted, proceed to step 505 and send a connection response signal indicating that connection is possible to the transmitting device (the battery pack 1) (step 505). In step 503, when the receiving device itself is not permitted as a connection target as the connection permission device code 530, next, the transmitting device (the battery pack 1) determines whether the target function 545 (refer to FIG. 8) to be executed by itself is the function specified by the information indicated by the received connection permission function code 540 (step 504). If it is included as a target function and is a target for which connection is permitted, send a connection response signal indicating that connection is possible to the transmitting device (the battery pack 1) (step 505). If it is not permitted in step 504, return to step 501.

[0048] As described above, the control units 250 and 310 (both refer to FIG. 2) of the receiving device (such as the dust collector 200 and the information terminal 300) can send a connection response signal to the transmitting device (the battery pack 1) that has received a communication signal according to the judgment flow shown in FIG. 5 when establishing a Bluetooth (registered trademark) pairing. Therefore, devices that meet the connection conditions can be connected to each other.

[0049] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the battery pack 1 when the battery pack 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is on the peripheral side (transmission side). First, the control unit 50 of the battery pack 1 determines whether it has already established pairing with a receiving device (such as the dust collector 200, the information terminal 300, etc.) and whether the communication path has been established (step 601). As described above, the battery pack 1 is set to a 1:1 connection. If the communication connection with the receiving device is not made in step 601 (if the communication path has not been established), it is determined whether the connection switch (switch button 85), which is the first operation unit for wireless communication, is on (has been turned on) (step 602). If the connection switch is off in step 602, the process returns to step 601. If the connection switch is on in step 602, the counter t for counting time is cleared to zero (step 603).

[0050] Next, the microcomputer 51 of the control unit 50 increments the counter t by 1 (step 604) and determines in which stage among the initial stage (t = 0 to A), the middle stage (t = A to B), and the subsequent stage (t = B to X) the incremented time is. For example, let X be 2 minutes, the first predetermined time A be the 1st second, and the second predetermined time B be about the 2nd to 3rd second. However, this time setting is arbitrary. In step 605, when t < A, which is the initial stage (YES in step 605), the control unit 50 is set to adopt the first connection condition A (condition A531 in FIG. 7, condition A541 in FIG. 8) (step 609). If it is not the initial stage in step 605 (NO in step 605), in step 606, when (A ≤) t < B, which is the middle stage, the control unit 50 sets the second connection condition B (condition A532 in FIG. 7, condition A542 in FIG. 8) (step 608). In step 606, when it is not the middle stage but the remaining stage (B ≤) t < X, the control unit 50 sets the third connection condition C (condition A533 in FIG. 7, condition A543 in FIG. 8) (step 607).

[0051] Next, the microcomputer 51 of the control unit 50 transmits connection condition information 510 according to the connection conditions set in steps 607 to 609 (step 610). When this connection condition information 510 is transmitted to the receiving device, the control units 250 and 311 of the receiving devices (such as the dust collector 200 and the information terminal 300) transmit a connection response signal (step 505 in FIG. 5) only when they correspond to the devices to be connected. The control unit 50 of the transmitting device (the battery pack 1) determines whether a connection response signal from the receiving device is received, and determines whether the receiving device (the dust collector 200 or the information terminal 300) is a target that meets the set connection conditions (step 611). For example, if the connection condition is determined using condition A (condition A531 in FIG. 7) in step 609, when the receiving device is the dust collector 200, it meets condition A531 and is connectable, and when the receiving device is the information terminal 300, it does not meet condition A531 and is not connectable. In step 61 1 If a receiving device that meets the set connection conditions is found, the microcomputer 51 of the control unit 50 performs a process of establishing a communication connection with the counterpart (step 614), sets the connection state to "in communication connection" ("communication established"), that is, the pairing state, and returns to step 601 (step 615).

[0052] If no receiving device that meets the set connection conditions is found in step 611, it is determined whether the counter t has reached the timeout time X of the connection control procedure (step 612). If the counter t is less than X, the process returns to step 604. If it reaches or exceeds X, it is considered a timeout, the connection state is set to "waiting", and the process returns to step 601 (step 613).

[0053] By executing the wireless connection control procedure shown in FIG. 9 in software, the battery pack 1 can preferentially connect to devices that meet condition A. Also, even for devices that only meet conditions B and C, they can be connected preferentially over devices that only meet condition C. In the receiving device (dust collector 200 or information terminal 300) according to this embodiment, it can be determined whether it is the device to be connected, and the transmitting device (battery pack 1) that has received the connection request can also appropriately determine which device to connect to. In addition, in the case where there are two receiving devices with the same priority, for example, two dust collectors, the device to which communication is first established will be connected.

[0054] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the battery pack 1 when it shifts to the connection trial state (scan) according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 9, the battery pack 1 was on the connection trial side (peripheral side), but it is possible for the dust collector 200 or information terminal 300 side to become the peripheral side and the battery pack 1 to become the receiving (central) device. The procedures when the battery pack 1 is on the central side are the same for steps 600 to 609. After steps 607 to 609, the control unit 50 receives the connection condition information 510, and at step 620, determines the connection condition information 510 received from the peripheral device (dust collector 200 or information terminal 300), and determines whether a peripheral device that meets the connection condition, that is, whether a target that meets the connection condition has been found (step 620). If found, communication connection processing is performed, and the microcomputer 51 of the control unit 50 performs the process of communicating and connecting with the other party (step 623), sets the connection state to "communication connection in progress" ("communication established"), that is, the pairing state, and returns to step 601 (step 624).

[0055] In step 620, if a target receiving device that meets the set connection conditions is not found, it is determined whether the counter t has reached the timeout time X of the connection control procedure (step 621). If the counter t is less than X, the process returns to step 604. If the counter t reaches or exceeds X, it is considered a timeout, and the connection state is set to "waiting" and the process returns to step 601 (step 622). Thus, even when the battery pack 1 is the receiving (central) device, it is possible to appropriately determine which device to connect to using the connection condition information 510.

[0056] As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, when there is an information terminal but no electrical device within the wireless communication range, it may be connected to the information terminal. Further, since the storage device 52 stores information on electrical devices and information terminals that have been wirelessly connected (paired) in the past, when there are a plurality of electrical devices and information terminals within the wireless communication range, those that have been connected in the past may be preferentially connected. When there are a plurality of devices that have been connected in the past, the priority may be determined according to the conditions in FIG. 7. In addition, although mainly electric tools or dust collectors have been described as examples of electrical devices, the battery pack may be taken as an example of an electrical device, and wireless connection may be established between battery packs. For example, in FIG. 2, if the dust collector 200 does not include the communication unit 270, a battery pack 1 including the communication unit 70 instead of the battery pack 1A may be connected to the dust collector 200. By pressing and holding the respective switch buttons 85 of the battery pack 1 connected to the dust collector 200 and the battery pack 1 connected to the circular saw 100, a wireless connection can be established between the two battery packs 1. Further, in FIG. 1, if there is a lighting device equipped with a battery pack 1 with a built-in wireless function instead of the information terminal 300, by simultaneously pressing the switch buttons 85 of both the battery pack 1 attached to the lighting device and the battery pack 1 attached to the circular saw 1 00 the dust collector 200 and the information terminal can be connected. 3It may be possible to prioritize the wireless connection between the battery packs 1 over the connection to 00. That is, it is also possible to connect by prioritizing the electrical devices between which operations for wireless connection have been performed most recently. Alternatively, after releasing the interlocking mode with the pairing switch 255 of the dust collector 200, the wireless communication between both battery packs 1 may be established by pressing the switch button 85 of the battery pack 1 attached to the lighting device or by pressing the switch buttons 85 of both battery packs 1. Or, the wireless communication may be established in accordance with the priority order shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 described above. If the priority of the wireless connection with the battery pack 1 having a built-in wireless function as an electrical device is increased, it is possible to use another electrical device that can communicate with the attached battery pack 1 such as history information and has no wireless function, so that the usability of the electrical device system can be improved. Note that since the electrical devices owned by each user and the usage frequencies of a plurality of electrical devices differ, not only the connection between the battery packs but also the priority order suitable for each user can be arbitrarily set by the user or the manufacturer side, so that the usability of the electrical device system can be further improved.

Explanation of Signs

[0057] 1…Battery pack, 5…Secondary battery, 9…Lower case, 10…Upper case, 11…Lower surface, 13a…Rail, 13b…Rail, 15…Upper surface, 20…Slot group, 21~28…Slots, 31…Stopper part, 32…Protrusion, 32a…Rear slope, 35a…Latch, 36a…Locking part, 42…Positive terminal, 46…T terminal, 47…Negative terminal, 48…LD terminal, 49…Shunt resistor, 50…Control unit, 51…Microcomputer, 52…Memory device, 70…Communication unit, 71…Antenna, 72…Wireless communication, 80…Display unit, 81~84…Display windows, 85…Switch button, 100…Circular saw, 106…Trigger switch, 108…Motor, 109…Switching element, 112…Housing, 113…Handle part, 118…Duct adapter, 125…Saw blade, 126…Protective cover, 127…Base, 142…Positive terminal, 146…T terminal, 147…Negative terminal, 148…LD terminal, 150…Control unit, 151…Microcomputer, 152…Memory device, 153…Motor, 154…Trigger switch, 160…Shunt resistor, 170…Communication unit, 171,171A…Antenna, 180…Dust collection hose, 180a,180b…Tips (of the dust collection hose), 200,200A…Dust collector, 201…Head part, 203…Motor, 205…Tank part, 206…Main switch, 207…Duct adapter, 210…Operation display unit, 242…Positive terminal, 247…Negative terminal, 248…LD terminal, 250…Control unit, 251…Microcomputer, 252…Memory device, 255…Pairing switch, 256…Clamping mechanism, 270…Communication unit, 271…Antenna, 272…Wireless communication, 300…Information terminal, 301…Display, 310…Control unit, 311…Microcomputer, 320…Communication unit, 321,321A…Antenna, 510…Connection condition information, 520…Company code, 530…Connection permission device code, 531,541…Condition A, 532,542…Condition B, 533,543…Condition C, 534,544…Bits, 535…Target device, 536,546…Bit string (Condition A), 537,547…Bit string (Condition B), 538,548…Bit string (Condition C), 540…Connection permission function code, 545…Target function, X…Timeout time, t…Counter

Claims

1. A battery pack that houses a secondary battery, An electrical device main body to which the battery pack is attached, A control unit that controls charging and / or discharging of the battery pack, A wireless communication unit connected to the control unit and configured to perform wireless communication with an external device by the control unit, An electrical device system comprising: An information terminal as the external device, and an electrical device having a load unit as the external device or a second battery pack attached to the electrical device as the external device, in a state where wireless connection with the wireless communication unit is possible, the wireless communication unit is configured to prioritize establishing a wireless connection with the electrical device or the second battery pack over the information terminal. An electrical device system characterized by that.

2. The electrical device system according to claim 1, Comprising a first operation unit that is operated to switch to a wireless connection standby state in which wireless connection with the external device is possible. An electrical device system characterized by that.

3. The electrical device system according to claim 2, In a state where the first operation unit is operated, when the information terminal is in a wireless connection standby state within a wireless communication range with the wireless communication unit, and the electrical device or the second battery pack is switched to a wireless connection standby state by operating a second operation unit of the electrical device or the second battery pack within a wireless communication range with the battery pack, the wireless communication unit is configured to establish a wireless connection with the electrical device or the second battery pack without establishing a wireless connection with the information terminal. An electrical device system characterized by that.

4. The electrical device system according to claim 3, When the electrical device or the second battery pack is not within the wireless communication range, it is characterized by connecting to the information terminal. An electrical device system.

5. The electrical device system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, When the electrical device or the second battery pack and the information terminal are within the wireless communication range, it is characterized by preferentially connecting those that have been connected in the past. An electrical device system.

6. The electrical device system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, Characterized by changing connection conditions with the external device according to the elapsed time since the first operation unit was operated. An electrical device system.

Images