Battery charging circuit integrated inside battery pack

Abstract

Battery charging systems having battery charging circuits are described. The battery charging circuit can be located within a battery housing. Alternatively, the battery charging circuit can be located within a charging shoe housing. Also described are power source modules. In addition, various methods of charging and discharging are described.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A battery pack charging system for a power tool, the battery pack charging system comprising:
 a battery pack including:
 at least one battery cell and a housing, the housing defining an interior region; 
 a battery charging circuit including a microcontroller, the battery charging circuit disposed within the interior region of the housing of the battery pack; 
 a USB charging port disposed on the housing of the battery pack; 
   a battery source module for delivering DC power to the USB charging port of the battery pack, the power source module including an AC/DC power circuit.   
     
     
         2 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 1  wherein the power source module is separate from the battery pack. 
     
     
         3 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 1  wherein the battery pack further includes a battery terminal interface for connection with a battery charger. 
     
     
         4 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 3  wherein the battery pack further includes switching provisions to enable connection to an external component and one of the battery terminal interface and the USB charging port. 
     
     
         5 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 4  wherein the switching provisions are configured to detect which of the battery terminal interface and the USB charging port is first connected to the external component, and then disable the other of the battery terminal interface and the USB charging port. 
     
     
         6 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 4  wherein the external component is one of the power tool and the battery charger. 
     
     
         7 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 1  wherein the battery pack further includes a battery memory and provisions for data transfer between a power tool and the battery memory. 
     
     
         8 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 7 , wherein the power source module further including a memory and provisions for data transfer between the battery memory of the battery pack and the memory of the power source module. 
     
     
         9 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 8  wherein the power source module further includes a wireless connectivity component for wirelessly transfer data. 
     
     
         10 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 9  wherein the data being wirelessly transferred relates to the power tool or use of the power tool. 
     
     
         11 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 9  wherein the data is received from the battery memory. 
     
     
         12 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 9  wherein the data is wirelessly transferred to one or more host computers and/or to the cloud. 
     
     
         13 . A battery pack charging system for a power tool, the battery pack charging system comprising:
 a battery pack including a housing defining an interior region, at least one battery cell disposed within the interior region of the housing, a USB charging port accessible along an exterior region of the housing, and a battery terminal interface for connection to one of a battery charger and the power tool;   a power source module separate from the battery pack, the power source module including an AC/DC power circuit, and a USB power delivery controller for delivering power to the USB charging port of the battery pack.   
     
     
         14 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 13  wherein the battery terminal interface for connection to the battery charger is separate from the USB charging port. 
     
     
         15 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 13  wherein the power source module further includes provisions for data transfer between the battery pack and the power source module. 
     
     
         16 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 15  wherein the power source module further includes a wireless connectivity component for wirelessly transferring data received from the battery pack. 
     
     
         17 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 16  wherein the data being wirelessly transferred relates to the power tool or use of the power tool. 
     
     
         18 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 16  wherein the data is wirelessly transferred to one or more host computers and/or to the cloud. 
     
     
         19 . A battery pack charging system for a power tool, the battery pack charging system comprising:
 a battery pack including a housing defining an interior region, at least one battery cell disposed in the interior region, a battery charging circuit having a microcontroller, a USB charging port accessible along the housing, a memory, and a battery terminal interface;   a power source module for providing DC power to the USB charging port of the battery pack, the power source module including an AC/DC power circuit, a memory, and provisions for data transfer between the battery memory and the memory of the power source module;   wherein the power source module is separate from the battery pack.   
     
     
         20 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 19  wherein the battery pack further includes switching provisions to enable connection to an external component and one of the battery terminal interface and the USB charging port. 
     
     
         21 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 20  wherein the switching provisions are configured to detect which of the battery terminal interface and the USB charging port is first connected to the external component, and then disable the other of the battery terminal interface and the USB charging port. 
     
     
         22 . The battery pack charging system of  claim 19  wherein the battery terminal interface is configured to attach to one of the power tool and a battery charger.