BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system for coupling an electrical supply unit with a charging device using a flexible coupling
FIG. 1
a is an enlargement of a section of the mechanical coupling shown in FIG. 1
FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration of an electrical supply unit that has been separated from the electrical device
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a system for coupling an electrical supply unit with a charging device using a slide-in, rear-engagement seat
FIG. 4 shows the system in FIG. 3, in a decoupled state
FIG. 5 is a top view of the charging device with contact elements
FIG. 5
a is an enlargement of a section of the charging device in FIG. 5 in the region of the contact elements.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an inventive electrical supply unit 10, 10′ for cordless electrical devices 30 includes a housing 11 for mechanically coupling with a charging device 20. Housing 11 includes at least one guide rail 12 in the front region and an actuating element 14, 14′ in the rear region.
As also shown in FIG. 1, electrical supply unit 10 is connected with an electrical device 30 during the mechanical coupling with charging device 20. Electrical device 30 is shown as an example in FIG. 1, i.e., electrical supply unit 10 could also be integrated permanently in electrical device 30. Electrical supply unit 10, 10′ can be used for mobile, portable devices such as power tools designed as cordless drills, cordless screwdrivers, gardening devices, etc.
FIG. 2 shows a supply unit 10′ that has been separated from electrical device 30, with two guide rails 12 located in the front region, an actuating element 14′ located in the rear region of supply unit 10′, and electrical contacts 16, via which supply unit 10′ can be contacted electrically with charging device 20 during a charging procedure. For cordless operation, associated electrical device 30 can be connected electrically with supply unit 10′ via electrical connections 16.
As also shown in FIG. 1, an inventive charging device 20 includes—for mechanical coupling with electrical supply unit 10, 10′—a recess 24, on the one end of which a receiving device 22 is located, in which the at least one guide rail 12 of electrical supply unit 10, 10′ engages for mechanical coupling. A spring 26 that is designed, e.g., as an electrical contact spring, is located on the opposite end of receiving device 22. Actuating element 14, 14′ located in the rear region of electrical supply unit 10, 10′ therefore acts on spring 26 such that electrical supply unit 10, 10′ is held in an end position in charging device 20 via spring contact force 28 of spring 26.
As also shown in FIG. 1, inventive system 1 includes—for mechanical coupling—at least one guide strip 12 that is located in the front region of housing 11 of electrical supply unit 10, 10′, and corresponding receiving device 22 located on charging device 20. In order to mechanically couple electrical supply unit 10, 10′ with charging device 20, guide rail 12 engages in corresponding receiving device 22; the combination of the at least one guide rail 12 and receiving device 22 functions as a flexible coupling 23. Flexible coupling 23 allows a swiveling motion to be carried out from a starting position downward into an end position, and from the end position upward into the starting position. The two possible swiveling directions are indicated in FIG. 1 as double arrow 3.
To mechanically couple electrical supply unit 10, 10′ with charging device 20, the at least one guide rail 12 is inserted using a sliding motion in the direction of arrow 2 into corresponding receiving device 22, thereby resulting in starting position shown in FIG. 1. Supply unit 10, 10′ is then pressed downward into the end position via the swiveling motion defined by flexible coupling 23. The end position is reached when a housing base 13 of supply unit 10 strikes a surface of recess 24 in charging device 20. Electrical supply unit 10, 10′ is held in the end position by spring contact force 28 of spring 26. In the end position, electrical supply unit 10, 10′ and charging device 20 are in electrical contact with each other via spring 26, which also serves as an electrical contact spring, thereby ensuring that the batteries (not shown) of electrical supply unit 10, 10′ can be charged.
FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a system for coupling an electrical supply unit with a charging device using a slide-in, rear-engagement seat 29. The elements and components that are identical to those in the previous figures are labeled with the same reference numerals. Supply unit 10 in FIG. 1 is shown. Supply unit 10 includes guide rail 12 in the front region that engages in receiving device 22 of charging device 20. Guide rail 12 and receiving device 22 are designed such that guide rail 12 can engage with receiving device 22 only by being slid into it. To this end, supply unit 10 or its housing 11 are placed on a surface 31 of charging device 20 and is then slid along on plane 31 in the direction of arrow 32 so that guide rail 12 is slid into receiving device 22.
Receiving device 22 includes a rectangular recess 33 that accommodates guide rail 12, which is also rectangular. The dimensions of recess 33 and guide rail 12 are chosen such that housing 11 must be slid in direction of arrow 32 in order to couple housing 11 and charging device 20, or housing 11 must be slid in the direction opposite to arrow 32 to separate housing 11 and charging device 20. With this embodiment, it is therefore not possible to couple or separate housing 11 and supply unit 10 using a swiveling motion. Spring 26 that is designed, e.g., as an electrical contact spring, is located on the opposite end of receiving device 22 of charging device 20. Spring 26 acts on housing 11 of electrical supply unit 10 such that housing 11 is held in recess 33 and, therefore, against charging device 20, by guide rail 12.
FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the system in FIG. 3. In FIG. 4, the system is in a state that allows housing 11 to be detached from charging device 20. To this end, housing 11 is slid in the direction opposite to arrow 34 against spring 26, so that guide rail 12 of housing 11 moves out of recess 33 of receiving device 22, and spring 26 is deflected. When guide rail 12 is moved out of recess 33, housing 11 can be swiveled in the direction of arrow 35 in order to remove electrical supply unit 10 from charging device 20.
To insert housing 11 into charging device 20, housing 11 is placed on surface 31 of charging device 20 with its rear region at an angle 36, as illustrated by a dashed-line outline 37 of housing 11, thereby deflecting spring 26. Housing 11 is then tilted entirely onto surface 31 of charging device 20, so that guide rail 12 can be slid into recess 33 of receiving device 22.
Slide-in, rear-engagement seat 29, flexible coupling 23, and spring 26 are designed such that slide-in, rear-engagement seat 29 and flexible coupling 23 can become detached automatically. To this end, the shape and force of spring 26 are selected such that housing 11 can automatically detach from the slide-in, rear-engagement seat and/or the flexible coupling when the charging device and housing 11 are acted upon by a critical burst of force, e.g., when they are dropped onto a hard surface. To this end, spring contact force 28 of spring 26 is selected such that spring 26 can not be deflected until a certain level of force has been applied—which can also be applied intentionally, of course, by moving the housing—so that housing 11 can be detached from the charging device. Spring 26 can be deflected so far that guide rail 12 can come out of receiving device 22.
In the top view of a preferred embodiment of a charging device 20 according to FIG. 5, one can see receptacle 24 for accommodating supply unit 10, and contact elements 41, 42 provided for electrically coupling charging device 20 with supply unit 10. In the embodiment shown, four contact elements 41, 42 are provided in charging device 20. Accordingly, supply unit 10 also includes four contact elements 45, which serve as counter-contact elements. Two contact elements 41 are used for voltage supply, and two contact elements 42 are used to transmit data. Contact elements 41, 42 are located next to each other, although they can be positioned in any order. According to the present invention, contact elements 41, 42 of the charging device, and contact elements 45 of the supply unit interact such that the charging procedure takes place only when electrical supply unit 10 is in the defined end position in charging device 20. This is possible because a first contact element 41 of charging device 20 extends further outwardly than a second contact element 42 of charging device 20.
The further outward extension is shown clearly in the enlargement in FIG. 5a in particular. In the region of recess 24, contact elements 41, 42 are located in the region of side wall 43. In the embodiment shown, the two contact elements 41 for voltage supply extend further out of side wall 43 than the two contact elements 42 for data transmission. A first contact element 41 therefore projects further outwardly than a second contact element 42. At the least, the further outwardly-extending, first contact elements 41 are designed as spring contact elements. When supply unit 10 is in the end position in charging device 20, first contact elements 41 are pressed upon by corresponding first counter-contact elements 45 of the supply element so strongly, i.e., in the direction toward the side wall, that second contact elements 42 behind them are also contacted by corresponding second counter-contact elements 45 of the supply unit.
The relative positioning and/or the spring force of resilient contact elements 41 is chosen such that all four contact elements 41, 42 are in contact with particular counter-contact elements 45 of the supply unit only in the end position. The two second contact elements 42, 45 also do not come in contact with each other until the end position is reached, since, in this end position, the resilient first contact element 41 is acted upon so strongly that the distance between first contact element 41—that extends further outwardly than second contact element 42—and second contact element 42 is compensated or eliminated to the extent that particular second contact elements 42, 45 of charging device 20 and supply unit 10 come in contact with each other.
Additional mechanical coupling elements and/or guide elements 47 are depicted in FIGS. 5 and 5a, which ensure that supply unit 10 can be brought into and held in the end position easily and reliably. In the embodiment shown, the mechanical coupling elements and/or guide elements are provided in the region of recess 24, and they are designed in the shape of projections, i.e., pyramid-shaped projections in particular. They engage in not-shown recesses in housing base 13 and thereby create a form-fit connection between supply unit 10 and charging device 20.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the type described above.
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an electrical coupling system, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.
Patent Application
20070237539
