Battery Pack Communication Terminal Multi-Potential Signal Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs cannot detect when an electric power tool body is coupled without the trigger switch being turned ON, leading to inefficiencies in preparing for discharge or charge, and increasing the number of terminals to achieve this results in size increases of both the battery pack and the power tool body.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack with a communication terminal that receives and distinguishes between signals indicating uncoupling, ON, and OFF states using different potentials, allowing detection without increasing the number of terminals, and includes a potential generator to generate these potentials based on the battery's positive electrode or ground potential, along with a constant current device to maintain consistent current consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the number of terminals is increased to allow output of a greater number of signals from the electric power tool body to the battery pack, then the battery pack can detect more signals (coupling, ON, OFF states), but the size of the circuit board and battery pack increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple signal transmission functions (coupling detection, ON state detection, OFF state detection) into a single communication terminal. The external device outputs multiple signals (first signal for uncoupling, second signal for ON, third signal for OFF) through one terminal, and the battery pack uses a single detector to receive all these signals, thereby eliminating the need for multiple terminals while maintaining full signal detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication terminal is designed with multi-functionality, serving as a universal interface that handles multiple different signal types (uncoupling signal, ON signal, OFF signal) through a single channel. The detector at the battery pack side is configured to universally detect any of these signals by determining the potential at the communication terminal, making the terminal and detector multi-functional components that replace what would traditionally require separate dedicated terminals and detectors for each signal.
2Loss of time
If the number of terminals is increased to allow output of a greater number of signals, then the battery pack can recognize coupling earlier, but the size of the electric power tool body also increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple signal output functions into a single communication terminal at the electric power tool body. The external device uses this one terminal to output all necessary signals (first signal indicating uncoupling, second signal indicating ON, third signal indicating OFF) to the battery pack, thereby achieving early detection of coupling and switch states without requiring multiple terminals that would increase the tool body size.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication terminal at the electric power tool body is designed as a multi-functional component that can output multiple different signal types through a single interface. This universal terminal handles coupling detection, switch ON detection, and switch OFF detection functions simultaneously, enabling the battery pack to recognize coupling earlier while keeping the tool body compact.
3Device complexity
If a single communication terminal is used to transmit multiple signals with different potentials, then the number of terminals is reduced, but the complexity of signal detection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses parameter changes, specifically potential changes, to encode different signal meanings in a single communication channel. The first signal has a first potential, the second signal has a second potential, and the third signal has a third potential, where all three potentials are different from one another. The detector determines which signal is being transmitted by measuring the potential at the communication terminal, thereby simplifying the detection process to a single potential measurement that automatically distinguishes between different signal types.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack in one aspect of the present disclosure includes a communication terminal and a detector, and supplies electric power to an external device. The communication terminal receives a first signal, a second signal, and a third signal. The first signal has a first potential, the second signal has a second potential, and the third signal has a third potential. The first potential, the second potential, and the third potential are different from one another. The detector determines a potential at the communication terminal, to thereby detect the first signal, the second signal, or the third signal in accordance with the determined potential.