Battery Pack Interface With Offset Contact Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs for hand-held power tools face challenges in accommodating multiple contact elements within a compact interface geometry while maintaining compatibility with both old and new interfaces, which is essential for efficient energy transfer and charging.
Innovation Solution
The battery pack incorporates a guide arrangement for positioning contact elements along a contacting direction, with at least two contact elements offset from each other, allowing for a compact interface configuration that includes additional contact elements such as coding and data contacts, ensuring compatibility with various interfaces by using different contact planes and recesses for precise contact alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If additional contact elements are implemented in the interface to exchange more information between battery pack and hand-held power tool, then the functionality and information exchange capability are improved, but the installation space necessary for the interface increases and the geometry becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by arranging contact elements on multiple contacting planes (first contacting plane and second contacting plane) instead of a single plane. This allows additional contact elements to be accommodated in the depth direction (y-axis) while maintaining a compact overall interface geometry. The guide arrangement positions contact elements at different locations along the contacting direction, enabling more contact elements without increasing the lateral footprint of the interface.
2Area of stationary object
If contact elements are arranged in a compact configuration, then the interface size is reduced, but the number of contact elements that can be accommodated is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by transitioning from a two-dimensional single-plane arrangement to a three-dimensional multi-plane arrangement. Contact elements are distributed across at least two different contacting planes along the y-axis direction, effectively utilizing the depth dimension. This allows a greater number of contact elements to be packed into a compact interface area without increasing the lateral footprint, as elements are stacked or arranged in layers along the contacting direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the contact element arrangement into multiple groups located on different contacting planes. The guide arrangement segments the interface space along the contacting direction, with each plane hosting a subset of contact elements. This segmentation allows for systematic organization of multiple contact elements in a compact configuration, making it easier to manage and connect the increased number of contacts while maintaining a small overall interface area.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack for a hand-held power tool includes at least one interface for establishing a mechanical and/or electrical connection of the battery pack to a hand-held power tool and/or a charging device, the interface having a guide arrangement for attaching the battery pack on the hand-held power tool and/or the charging device along a contacting direction y, and at least four contact elements for electrical contacting of corresponding counter-contact elements on the hand-held power tool and/or corresponding counter-contact elements on the charging device. At least two contact elements are thereby situated offset from one another in the direction of the contacting direction y.