Makita Corporation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Takuya Umemura

Hitoshi Suzuki

Masaaki Fukumoto

Kosuke Ito

Nobuyasu Furui

Hitoshi Sengiku

Tatsuya Nagahama

Shuji Yoshikawa

Masafumi Noda

Tadahiko Kobayakawa

Hideyuki Taga

Yasuhiro Mori

Hironori Ogura

Toru Yamada

Takayoshi Endo

Hiroki Uesugi

Eiji Kondo

Yoshihiro Ishikawa

Mamoru Sakai

Ryuji Mitsui

Akira Naito

Shunpei Yamaji

Toshiyasu Kasuya

Hiroshi Hanai

Kana Oi

Hironori Kandori

Takaaki Ito

Shoya Takashita

A power tool includes a motor and a controller in a power tool housing. A battery pack interface is defined on and/or in the power tool housing. A receptacle is defined on and/or in the power tool housing to removably accommodate a wireless communication adapter such that the wireless communication adapter is disposed entirely within a shell of the power tool and no portion of the wireless communication adapter extends beyond an outer contour of the power tool housing. At least one communication terminal is disposed within the receptacle and is electrically connectable to the wireless communication adapter. The controller outputs to the at least one communication terminal a signal indicating a charge level of a battery pack attached to the battery pack interface, a number of hours of operation of the power tool, a power tool overheated alert, and/or a battery pack overloaded alert.

Power tool system having receptacle for wireless communication adapter

A rechargeable cleaner includes a body, a rechargeable battery, and a charger. The body is configured to generate suction power capable of sucking dust together with air using a motor. The rechargeable battery is configured to supply electric power to the motor. The charger is configured to charge the battery at a charging rate of 3 C or higher and lower than 10 C.

Rechargeable cleaner

A rechargeable cleaner includes a body, a rechargeable battery, a charger, and a body controller. The body is configured to generate suction power capable of sucking dust together with air using a motor. The rechargeable battery is configured to supply electric power to the motor. The charger is configured to charge the battery. The body controller is disposed in the body. The body controller controls at least one of a charging current and a charging voltage based on cell voltage information indicating a cell voltage, cell temperature information indicating a cell temperature, and battery identification information for identifying the battery that are acquired from the battery, and based on charger identification information for identifying the charger acquired from the charger.

Rechargeable cleaner having body controller

A power tool includes a power tool housing accommodating a motor; a battery pack interface electrically connected to the motor and being configured to be physically and electrically connected to and disconnected from a power tool interface of a battery pack; and a wireless communicator configured to be attached to or detached from the power tool housing. The wireless communicator wirelessly transmits data between the power tool and an external device using radio waves. In addition, the power tool housing includes a receptacle opening configured to accommodate the wireless communicator within the power tool housing such that no part of the wireless communicator projects or protrudes beyond an outer surface or contour of the power tool housing.

Power tool system having wireless communicator

A power supplier in one aspect of the present disclosure includes an outputter, a first pack parallel coupler, a second pack parallel coupler, an output voltage switch, and a controller. Each of the first pack parallel coupler and the second pack parallel coupler includes pack couplers. The pack couplers are configured to be coupled by battery packs. The output voltage switch is configured to switch an electrical coupling state between the second pack parallel coupler and the outputter. The controller is configured to determine an output mode of the outputter. The output mode corresponds to a magnitude of voltage to be outputted from outputter. The controller is configured to control the output voltage switch based on a result of determination.

Power supplier

A power tool system includes a hand-held power tool having a power tool housing accommodating a motor, and a battery pack interface electrically connected to the motor within the power tool housing. A battery pack includes a battery pack housing accommodating at least one battery cell and a power tool interface electrically connected to the at least one battery cell within the battery pack housing. The power tool interface is configured to be physically and electrically connected to and disconnected from the battery pack interface of the power tool. A wireless communicator is attached to or accommodated within the battery pack housing. The wireless communicator is configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device using radio waves while the power tool interface of the battery pack is physically and electrically connected to the battery pack interface of the hand-held power tool.

Power tool system and battery pack therefor having wireless communicator

An electrically-driven working apparatus in one aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a battery; an abnormality detection unit; a power supply path; a first disconnection unit; a second disconnection unit; and a control unit. The control unit activates the first disconnection unit to disconnect the power supply path if either of an overload or an over discharge of the battery is detected by the abnormality detection unit, and subsequently determines whether discharge from the battery has stopped after activating the first disconnection unit, and activates the second disconnection unit to disconnect the power supply path if discharge from the battery has not stopped.

Electrically-driven working apparatus and method for protecting battery of electrically-driven working apparatus

A power tool system includes a hand-held power tool having a power tool housing accommodating a motor, and a battery pack interface electrically connected to the motor within the power tool housing. A battery pack includes a battery pack housing accommodating at least one battery cell and a power tool interface electrically connected to the at least one battery cell within the battery pack housing. The power tool interface is configured to be physically and electrically connected to and disconnected from the battery pack interface of the power tool. A communicator is attached to or accommodated within the battery pack housing. The communicator is configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device.

A battery pack () is configured to couple to a power tool () by sliding in a sliding direction and it contains a plurality of cells (). A pair of battery-side, electric-power terminals () and a battery-side signal terminal () can be electrically connected to a pair of tool-side, power-supply terminals () and a tool-side signal terminal (), respectively, which are provided on the power tool (). The pair of battery-side, electric-power terminals () and the battery-side signal terminal () are disposed in parallel adjacently in a direction that intersects the sliding direction.

Battery pack

A method for recharging a battery pack (') includes attaching a portable charger () to a user, which portable charger comprises or is attached to a self-contained power supply () and wherein a first charging port () of the portable charger is disposed, e.g., on a belt () worn by the user, hanging the battery pack on the belt while the battery pack is physically engaged and in electrical communication with a power tool (&#x2032;), and initiating a transfer of power from the charger to the battery pack when the first charging port is at least proximal to a second charging port () that is in electrical communication with at least one battery cell () of the battery pack. A portable charging system capable of performing this method, as well as an adapter for use in performing this method, are also disclosed.

Portable battery pack charging system, method for recharging a battery pack, and adapter therefor

A device body in one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a motor, a current path, a positive terminal, a negative terminal, a device-side signal terminal, a temperature information detector, a current detector, and a correction unit. The correction unit is configured to correct temperature information based on a current value of a conducting current, so as to reduce an influence given to the temperature information by the conducting current.

Power tool for the use with a detachable battery pack that detects the temperature of the battery pack

A charge control device of one example of the present invention comprises a temperature detection unit, a storage unit, and an upper limit setting unit. The storage unit stores a reference current characteristic and at least one of a first current characteristic and a second current characteristic as a charging current characteristic, and stores a reference voltage characteristic and at least one of a first voltage characteristic and a second voltage characteristic as a charging voltage characteristic. The upper limit setting unit selects a characteristic used to set upper limits of a charging current and a charging voltage to the battery from among a plurality of the charging current characteristics and a plurality of the charging voltage characteristics stored in the storage unit.

Charge control device, battery pack, and charger capable of setting limits of charging characteristics

A power tool system includes a hand-held power tool having a motor or a solenoid that drives a tool, and a first memory that stores at least one pass code. A battery pack is detachably attached to, and supplies current to, the power tool and has a second memory that stores at least one pass code. An electronically-actuatable lock and a first controller are provided in the power tool and/or in the battery pack. The first controller reads the pass codes from the first and second memories when the battery pack is attached to the power tool, directly compares the pass codes from the first memory and the second memory, and causes the first electronically-actuatable lock to prohibit or impair operation of the power tool when the pass codes do not match or otherwise correspond in a predetermined manner.

Growing community of inventors

Anjo, Japan

Takuya Umemura