Conductive Charging Pad With Terminal Constellations for Dirty Contacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conductive charging technologies face challenges in harsh environments due to dirty contacts and the inability to efficiently charge higher voltage and capacity power tool batteries, as they require higher voltage differentials and additional circuitry, which are not supported by traditional small ball tips and charging pads.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a constellation/dots style conductive charging system with multiple terminal constellations that provide redundancy and voltage/amperage division, allowing for reliable charging in dirty environments and enabling higher voltage batteries by duplicating dot sets and dividing current, thus reducing the risk of faulty charging and maintaining safety through lower voltage surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If traditional small ball tips and charging pads are used for conductive charging, then safety is maintained through lower voltage surfaces, but the system cannot efficiently charge higher voltage and capacity power tool batteries due to limited contact area and insufficient voltage differential
Solution Approach 1:
The charging system divides the contact interface into multiple small ball tips arranged in constellations rather than using a single large contact. This segmentation allows the system to handle higher voltage and capacity batteries by distributing the electrical load across multiple contact points, while each individual ball tip maintains safety through lower voltage surfaces. The multiple contact points also provide redundancy in dirty environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different properties to different parts of the charging system. The ball tips are made with conductive materials optimized for electrical contact, while the charging pad surface maintains lower voltage characteristics for safety. This local differentiation allows the system to achieve high power transmission where needed while maintaining safety standards elsewhere.
2Reliability
If multiple terminal constellations are implemented to provide redundancy and voltage division, then charging reliability improves in harsh environments, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal interface is segmented into multiple constellations of ball tips rather than using a single complex contact mechanism. This segmentation provides redundancy and fault tolerance—if one contact point becomes dirty or fails, other points can maintain the charging connection—while keeping each individual contact point simple in design.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple identical constellations of ball tips are created as copies of each other. These replicated contact arrangements provide redundancy without requiring complex unique designs for each contact point. The repeating pattern simplifies manufacturing and assembly while improving reliability through multiple identical functional units.
3Power
If ball tips are made larger to conduct higher voltage differential and amperage, then charging capability for high voltage batteries improves, but the risk of user injury increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using one large ball tip that would present a safety hazard, the system segments the contact interface into multiple smaller ball tips. Collectively, these small tips can handle high voltage and amperage through parallel conduction paths, while each individual tip remains small enough to minimize injury risk if contacted by a user.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple small ball tips are combined to function collectively as a high-power contact interface. The electrical currents from multiple low-voltage contacts are merged to achieve the total power transmission needed for high-voltage battery charging, distributing the electrical load and safety risk across multiple points.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system ensures reliable charging of higher voltage and capacity batteries in harsh environments by providing redundancy and voltage division, reducing the risk of faulty connections and maintaining safety through lower voltage surfaces, while also increasing durability and portability by integrating a power supply within the charging pad.
Implementation Method 1
constellation/dots style conductive charging system with multiple terminal constellations that provide redundancy and voltage/amperage division
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for charging battery packs is provided. The system may include a charging pad comprising a power supply, a charging pad surface, and a microcontroller unit. The power supply may provide charging power. The charging pad surface may include a first charging region and a second charging region. The microcontroller unit may control delivery of charging power to the first charging region and the second charging region such that a device placed in contact with the first charging region is given a higher charging priority than a device placed in contact with the second charging region.