Power Tool Battery Pack Assembly With Modular Water-Draining Core Packs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power tool systems face challenges in efficiently assembling battery packs, particularly with manual application of battery straps, which can lead to incorrect placement and safety concerns, as well as issues with water management and cell failure in high-capacity battery packs.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of injection molded battery straps within a cell holder, a battery terminal with a punched bead for secure contact, a printed circuit board with drain holes for water management, and a modular core pack design to minimize waste and enhance assembly efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual application of battery straps is used, then assembly flexibility is maintained, but incorrect placement occurs leading to safety concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The battery straps are pre-formed and pre-positioned within the cell holder during manufacturing, ensuring correct placement before the battery cells are installed. This preliminary action eliminates the risk of incorrect strap placement during manual assembly while maintaining assembly flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The cell holder serves as an intermediary component that integrates both the battery straps and battery cells in a pre-assembled unit. This intermediary structure ensures proper strap placement and simplifies the overall assembly process by reducing the number of discrete assembly steps.
2Quantity of substance
If high-capacity battery packs are designed, then energy storage is increased, but water management issues and cell failure risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
Drain holes are incorporated into the printed circuit board to extract and remove water that may accumulate within the battery pack. This extraction mechanism prevents water-related cell failure while maintaining high battery capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cell holder is designed with specific structural features at critical locations to direct water away from the battery cells. This localized quality enhancement provides targeted protection against water damage without compromising the overall high-capacity design.
3Productivity
If modular core pack design is implemented, then assembly efficiency is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is divided into modular core packs, each containing a standardized set of battery cells, straps, and housing components. This segmentation enables independent manufacturing and testing of modules, improving assembly efficiency while managing manufacturing complexity through standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple battery cells are combined into integrated core pack modules that function as unified units. This merging approach simplifies the overall assembly process by reducing the number of individual components to be assembled while maintaining manufacturing flexibility through modular design.
4Adaptability or versatility
If battery packs with different capacities are used in the same system, then versatility is improved, but compatibility issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack design incorporates universal mechanical and electrical interfaces that are consistent across different capacity variants. This universality allows battery packs with different capacities to be used in the same power tool system without requiring different tool interfaces, thereby improving versatility while managing system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A power tool system that includes a power tool having a receptacle for receiving a battery pack, the receptacle including a mechanical interface for mating with a battery pack, a first battery pack having a battery pack housing, the first battery pack housing including a mechanical interface for mating with the power tool, the first battery pack housing having a first width dimension in a direction generally perpendicular to a direction in which the first battery pack mates with the power tool and a second battery pack having a battery pack housing, the second battery pack housing including a mechanical interface for mating with the power tool, the second battery pack housing having a second width dimension in a direction generally perpendicular to a direction in which the second battery pack mates with the power tool, wherein the second width dimension being at least about 1.5 times the first width dimension.