System and method for renting, charging, and discharging battery packs

Abstract

A system includes a plurality of battery packs, a plurality of battery pack trays, and a kiosk. Each tray includes a battery charging circuit and one or more receptacles for receiving one or more of the battery packs. The kiosk includes a storage unit configured to receive and store the plurality of battery pack trays, a power module configured to deliver power to the battery pack trays, and a controller that is configured to control dispensing of the trays and the battery packs from the kiosk. Each tray is configured to be alternatively powered by the power module in the kiosk or by an external power source apart from the kiosk to enable the charging circuit in the tray to charge the battery pack that is received in each receptacle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system comprising:
 a plurality of battery packs;   a plurality of battery pack trays, each tray including a battery charging circuit and one or more receptacles for receiving one or more of the battery packs; and   a kiosk comprising a storage unit configured to receive and store the plurality of battery pack trays, a power module configured to deliver power to the battery pack trays, and a controller that is configured to control dispensing of the trays and the battery packs from the kiosk,   wherein each tray is configured to be alternatively powered by the power module in the kiosk or by an external power source apart from the kiosk to enable the charging circuit in the tray to charge the battery pack that is received in each receptacle.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the battery pack is removable from the at least one of the plurality of battery pack trays and is coupleable to a power tool to power the power tool. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of trays is electrically connectable to a power tool so that the battery pack in the tray provides power to the power tool via the tray without removal of the battery pack from the tray. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the kiosk further comprises a battery pack monitoring module configured to monitor battery packs in the trays and to control activation of the charging circuits in the trays based on the monitoring of the battery packs in the trays. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the kiosk further comprises a communications module configured to facilitate communication between the kiosk and at least one of an external computing device, a central server, and other kiosks. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the kiosk further comprises a user interface configured to receive a user input of a selection of a tray to be vended. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the storage unit comprises a plurality of receptacles, each receptacle configured to receive one of the trays. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the kiosk further comprises a display with indicia of a charge status of battery packs in each of the receptacles. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein each of the receptacles includes a power connector configured to provide electrical power to the tray in the receptacle and a communications connector configured to transmit data to or from the tray in the receptacle. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller controls dispensing of trays from the kiosk by enabling rental of the trays and battery packs from the kiosk. 
     
     
         11 . A system comprising:
 a plurality of battery packs; and   a kiosk having:
 a storage unit configured to receive and store the plurality of battery packs; 
 a battery charging unit configured to charge one or more of the plurality of battery packs; 
 a power module configured to deliver power to the battery pack charger unit; 
 a controller in the kiosk configured to control vending of the battery packs from the storage unit; and 
 a charging management unit configured to prioritize charging of the battery packs in the battery pack storage unit based upon at least one parameter of the kiosk and the battery packs received in the storage unit. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising a plurality of battery pack trays, each tray including a battery charging circuit and a receptacle for receiving one or more of the battery packs, wherein the battery pack trays are configured to be received and stored in the storage unit of the kiosk. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of available charging power in the kiosk, cost of available charging power in the kiosk, state of charge of the battery packs received in the trays, conditions of the battery packs received in the trays, and reservation schedules for the trays. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the power module includes an input line configured to be connected to an external source of electrical power and a distribution subsystem configured to distribute the electrical power to the battery packs that are received in the storage unit. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the charging management unit controls distribution of electrical power to the battery packs through the distribution system based upon the prioritization of charging of the battery packs. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the kiosk further comprises a battery pack monitoring module configured to monitor battery packs in the storage unit, wherein the charging management unit controls activation of charging circuits for the battery packs based on monitoring from the battery pack monitoring module. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the kiosk further comprises a display with indicia of a charge status of the battery packs in the storage unit. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the controller controls dispensing of the battery packs from the kiosk by enabling rental of the battery packs from the kiosk. 
     
     
         19 . A system comprising:
 a plurality of battery packs; and   a kiosk comprising a storage unit configured to receive and store the plurality of battery packs, a power module configured to deliver power to the battery pack trays, a controller that is configured to control dispensing of trays and battery packs from the kiosk, and a monitoring module configured to monitor a parameter of the battery packs in the storage unit; and   a user interface configured to allow a user to select a battery pack for rental from among the plurality of battery packs in the storage unit, wherein rental prices for the battery packs are set based upon the monitored battery pack parameter of each of the battery packs.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the battery pack parameter comprises at least one of a state of charge of the battery pack, a condition of the battery pack, and a rated voltage of the battery pack. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the rental prices are set higher for battery packs having a higher state of charge, a better condition, or a higher rated voltage. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the kiosk further comprises a charging management unit configured to control charging of the battery packs received in the storage unit. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 19 , further comprising a plurality of battery pack trays, each tray including a battery charging circuit and a receptacle for receiving one or more of the battery packs, wherein the battery pack trays are configured to be received and stored in the storage unit of the kiosk.