Battery Pack Connection System for Multi-Capacity Blind Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery-powered appliances often require battery packs with a common size and shape to connect properly, leading to larger packs for lower power capacities and inconvenient user experiences, especially for portable devices where battery swapping is cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack connection system featuring a battery receptacle with elongate passages and guide rails that accommodate both high and low power capacity packs, allowing for 'blind' insertion and swapping without removing the appliance, enabling the use of packs with different widths and power capacities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If battery packs are made with a common size and shape to ensure proper connection, then connection compatibility is improved, but lower power capacity packs become larger than necessary
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is divided into two distinct components: a standardized connection interface (receptacle with guide rails and electrical contacts) and a variable power capacity module (battery cells). This segmentation allows the connection portion to remain uniform while the battery portion can vary in size, resolving the contradiction between connection compatibility and pack size optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery receptacle is designed as a universal interface that can accommodate multiple battery pack configurations. The guide rails and electrical connector rail provide universal alignment and connection functionality, while the elongate passage accommodates varying battery pack lengths and widths, enabling one receptacle design to serve multiple power capacity requirements.
2Reliability
If battery packs require precise alignment with the battery receptacle and electrical contacts, then connection reliability is improved, but user convenience deteriorates when removing the appliance for battery swapping
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rails are positioned to engage with guide slots on the battery pack before the electrical connector engages with the electrical contacts during insertion. This preliminary engagement pre-aligns the battery pack, ensuring that subsequent electrical connection occurs automatically without requiring manual alignment, thus maintaining connection reliability while simplifying the user operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rails act as an intermediary mechanism between the user's insertion action and the final electrical connection. They mediate the alignment process by providing mechanical guidance that automatically positions the battery pack correctly, eliminating the need for visual alignment while ensuring reliable electrical contact.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the battery receptacle is designed to accommodate larger battery packs, then high power capacity packs are supported, but the receptacle becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The receptacle design extends the passage in the longitudinal dimension to accommodate varying battery pack lengths, rather than increasing width or height. This dimensional approach allows the same receptacle structure to accommodate both compact and extended battery packs, supporting different power capacities without proportionally increasing overall receptacle complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery pack connection system includes a first battery pack, a second battery pack, and a battery receptacle. Each of the first and second battery packs includes a first guide slot, a second guide slot, and an electrical connector slot. The second battery pack has a power capacity and a width greater than the first battery pack. The battery receptacle defines an elongate passage sized and shaped to separately receive each of the first and second battery packs therein. The battery receptacle includes an electrical connector rail, a first guide rail sized and shaped to cooperatively engage the first guide slot of each of the first and second battery packs, and a second guide rail sized and shaped to cooperatively engage the second guide slot of each of the first and second battery packs.