Battery pack including an electric harness and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

A battery pack including an electric coupling assembly. The battery pack includes a top housing, a bottom housing, a cell pad, a plurality of battery cells, a harness, and a circuit board. The harness includes a frame and electric coupler assembly having a plurality of internal and external electric couplings. The internal and external electric couplings include cell couplings and circuit board couplings. The internal and external couplings are held in place during manufacturing by links which are cut after the electric coupler assembly is molded into the frame.

1 . A harness for a battery pack, comprising:
 a frame; and   an electric coupler assembly fixed to the frame, the electric coupler assembly including a plurality of cell couplings, a plurality of circuit board couplings, and a plurality of links, the links being cut after the electric coupler assembly is fixed to the frame, the electric coupler assembly providing individual electrical connections to a plurality of battery cells via the plurality of cell couplings and the plurality of circuit board couplings following cutting of the links.   
   
   
       2 . The harness of  claim 1 , wherein the electric coupler assembly includes a first external electric coupling and a second external electric coupling, the first and second electric couplings sized to support a current drawn by a power tool. 
   
   
       3 . The harness of  claim 1 , wherein the electric coupler assembly connects the battery cells in a series configuration. 
   
   
       4 . The harness of  claim 1 , wherein the battery cells are attached to the electric coupler assembly after the links have been cut, the electric coupler assembly being the only structure the battery cells are physically attached to. 
   
   
       5 . A method of manufacturing a battery pack including a top housing, a bottom housing, a frame, a cell pad, a plurality of battery cells, a circuit board, and an electric coupler assembly having a plurality of links, a plurality of cell couplings, and a plurality of circuit board couplings, the method comprising:
 molding the electric coupler assembly into the frame;   severing the plurality of links;   attaching the battery cells to the plurality of cell couplings after the links have been severed; and   attaching the circuit board to the plurality of circuit board couplings;   wherein the circuit board is electrically connected to each battery cell individually.   
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising supporting the battery cells by the cell pad. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising enclosing the frame, the electric coupler assembly, the cell pad, the plurality of battery cells, and the circuit board in the top and bottom housing. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising stamping the electric coupler assembly from a single piece of flat material. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising bending the plurality of circuit board couplings in a first direction substantially 90 degrees from a plane formed by the flat material. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising bending the plurality of cell couplings in a second direction substantially 90 degrees from the plane of the flat material, the second direct opposite the first direction. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the attaching of the battery cells to the cell couplings includes one of welding and soldering. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising supporting the battery cells by the frame, the electric coupler assembly, the cell pad, and the lower housing to prevent movement of the battery cells. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising supporting the circuit board on the frame. 
   
   
       14 . A power tool battery pack, comprising:
 a bottom housing;   a cell pad positioned in the bottom housing;   a plurality of battery cells supported by the cell pad;   an electric harness coupled to the plurality of battery cells, the electric harness including
 a frame, and 
 an electric coupler assembly fixed to the frame, the electric coupler assembly including a plurality of cell couplings, a plurality of circuit board couplings, and a plurality of links, the links being cut after the electric coupler assembly is fixed to the frame, the electric coupler assembly providing individual electrical connections to the plurality of battery cells via the plurality of cell couplings and the plurality of circuit board couplings following cutting of the links; 
   a circuit board supported on the frame; and   a top housing secured to the bottom housing, the top and bottom housings substantially enclosing the cell pad, the plurality of battery cells, and the electric harness.   
   
   
       15 . The power tool battery pack of  claim 14 , wherein the top housing is operable to be removably received by a power tool. 
   
   
       16 . The power tool battery pack of  claim 14 , wherein the electric harness, the cell pad, and the bottom housing confine the plurality of battery cells preventing movement of the battery cells. 
   
   
       17 . The power tool battery pack of  claim 14 , wherein the electric coupler assembly is formed by stamping from a flat piece of metal and bending a plurality of circuit board couplers 90 degrees in a first direction and a plurality of cell couplings 90 degrees in a second direction, the second direction opposite the first direction. 
   
   
       18 . The power tool battery pack of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of battery cells are attached exclusively to the cell couplings. 
   
   
       19 . The power tool battery pack of  claim 14 , wherein the cell pad includes a plurality of channels. 
   
   
       20 . The power tool battery pack of  claim 19 , wherein the plurality of channels are substantially V-shaped, and each of the plurality of battery cells is supported in one of the plurality of channels.