Systems for managing an energy store at a gun

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems and techniques for managing an energy store at a gun. The gun may include an energy store management system for securing an energy store, such as a battery pack, within a cavity of the gun. The energy store management system may include a dense brace located at a lower end of the cavity, a compressible brace located at an upper end of the cavity, a lid, a gasket at the upper end of the cavity, and a hinge mechanism configured to close the lid such that the lid forms a seal with the gasket. The interior surface of the cavity may be tapered such that the frictional load between the surface of the energy store and the surface of the cavity is higher at the lower end of the cavity than at the upper end of the cavity.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A gun comprising:
 a cavity that is (i) located below a barrel of the gun when the gun is in an upright position and (ii) configured to retain an energy store, wherein the cavity includes electrical contacts that are configured to mate with complementary electrical contacts of the energy store;   a lid that facilitates a predetermined positioning of the energy store within the cavity such that the electrical contacts are touching the complementary electrical contacts of the energy store;   a gasket that is configured to produce a seal between the lid and the cavity;   an electrical interface that is configured to be coupled with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cord, wherein the electrical interface is configured to allow the USB cord to charge the energy store;   an electrical component; and   an electrical channel coupling the electrical contacts with the electrical component, wherein the electrical channel is configured to provide power to the electrical component.   
     
     
         2 . A gun comprising:
 a cavity that is (i) located below a barrel of the gun when the gun is in an upright position and (ii) configured to retain an energy store, wherein the cavity includes electrical contacts that are configured to mate with complementary electrical contacts of the energy store;   an electrical interface configured to be coupled with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cord, wherein the electrical interface allows the USB cord to charge the energy store;   an electrical component; and   an electrical channel coupling the electrical contacts with the electrical component, wherein the electrical channel is configured to provide power to the electrical component.   
     
     
         3 . The gun of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a power manager configured to charge the energy store.   
     
     
         4 . The gun of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a power manager configured to charge the energy store via the electrical interface according to a universal serial bus power delivery protocol.   
     
     
         5 . The gun of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 an ejection mechanism configured to apply force onto the energy store so as to bias the energy store away from the electrical contacts of the cavity.   
     
     
         6 . The gun of  claim 5 , wherein the ejection mechanism includes a spring configured to apply the force onto the energy store. 
     
     
         7 . The gun of  claim 2 , wherein the electrical channel is located in a trigger guard of the gun. 
     
     
         8 . The gun of  claim 2 , wherein the electrical channel is configured to provide power from the energy store to the electrical component. 
     
     
         9 . The gun of  claim 2 , wherein the electrical channel is located in a trigger guard of the gun, and wherein the electrical component is located behind a trigger when the gun is in the upright position. 
     
     
         10 . The gun of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a lid that facilitates a predetermined positioning of the energy store within the cavity such that the electrical contacts are touching the complementary electrical contacts of the energy store; and   a gasket that is configured to produce a seal between the lid and the cavity.   
     
     
         11 . The gun of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a hinge mechanism configured to manage opening and closing of the lid.   
     
     
         12 . The gun of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a force dispersion mechanism configured to facilitate an even application of force across the gasket while the lid is in a closed position.   
     
     
         13 . The gun of  claim 2 , wherein the electrical contacts are spring contacts. 
     
     
         14 . The gun of  claim 2 , wherein the energy store is a battery pack. 
     
     
         15 . The gun of  claim 2 , wherein the energy store is a battery pack including a lithium-ion battery cell. 
     
     
         16 . The gun of  claim 2 , wherein the electrical component is a processor, a flashlight, a laser sight, or a haptic motor. 
     
     
         17 . A gun comprising:
 a cavity that is (i) located below a barrel of the gun when the gun is in an upright position and (ii) configured to retain an energy store, wherein the cavity includes electrical contacts that are configured to mate with complementary electrical contacts of the energy store;   an electrical interface configured to be coupled with a cable that facilitates power delivery, wherein the electrical interface is configured to allow the cable to charge the energy store; and   a power manager configured to execute instructions for negotiating a power level for charging the energy store.   
     
     
         18 . The gun of  claim 17 , wherein the power manager is further configured to negotiate the power level by:
 receiving, over the electrical interface, an advertised power profile; and   transmitting, over the electrical interface, a request for a power profile.   
     
     
         19 . The gun of  claim 18 , wherein the power manager is further configured to:
 receive, over the electrical interface, a message indicating that the request for the power profile is accepted; and   draw power over the electrical interface according to the power profile.