Combination rechargeable, detachable battery system and power tool

Abstract

A cordless drive assembly for driving various orthopedic surgical instruments is described. The drive assembly is battery powered and includes tracks in the handle portion of its housing for receiving the battery. A latch locks the battery to the housing. A combination of a rechargeable, detachable battery system and a power tool. The battery slides onto the power tool through a complementary groove and flange structure.

1. A rechargeable battery adapted to be repeatably and releasably attached to an orthopedic drive assembly, the orthopedic drive assembly having elongate drive and handle portions, a battery receiving portion having a pair of tracks defining flanges, a pair of battery terminals, and a blocking member movable between latched and release positions;
 said battery comprising: 
 an autoclavable battery housing having top and bottom portions, at least one cell within the battery housing and a pair of battery contacts adjacent the top portion of the housing and situated to engage the battery terminals of the orthopedic drive assembly,  
 releasable attachment means for releasably attaching the battery to the battery receiving portion in a direction other than the direction of elongation of the handle portion,  
 said releasable attachment means comprising: 
 a) the battery having a pair of grooves adapted to receive the flanges of the tracks, and  
 b) a slot for receiving the blocking member when the blocking member is in the latched position.  
 
   
     
     
       2. A rechargeable battery according to  claim 1  wherein each of the battery terminals comprise a substantially flat plate member having opposite side surfaces, and
 each of said battery contacts comprise a pair of flexible, resilient arcuate members which are adapted to engage opposite side surfaces of a battery terminal.    
     
     
       3. A rechargeable battery according to  claim 1  wherein said battery contacts each include a first end fixedly attached to said top portion of said battery housing and a second end adapted to abut a support shoulder of the top portion of the battery housing. 
     
     
       4. A rechargeable battery according to  claim 1  wherein said battery housing comprises opposite, substantially flat front and rear walls constructed from a material suitable for protecting the cell(s) during an autoclave procedure,
 said battery comprises eight substantially cylindrical cells having longitudinal axes, said eight cylindrical cells being arranged in: 
 a) a front row of three cells substantially adjacent said front wall within the battery housing,  
 b) a rear row of three cells substantially adjacent said rear wall within the battery housing, and  
 c) a middle row of two cells between said front and rear rows wherein all eight cells are within the battery housing.  
   
     
     
       5. A rechargeable battery according to  claim 1  wherein the slot is sized and shaped to engage the blocking member to lock the battery to the battery receiving portion when the blocking member is in the latched position. 
     
     
       6. A rechargeable battery according to  claim 1  wherein the battery further includes means for automatically moving the blocking member from the latched toward the release position as the battery is mounted to the battery receiving portion. 
     
     
       7. A rechargeable battery according to  claim 6  wherein the means for automatically moving the blocking member comprises a ramped surface on the top portion of the battery housing. 
     
     
       8. A rechargeable battery adapted to be repeatably and releasably attached to an orthopedic drive assembly, the orthopedic drive assembly having elongate drive and handle portions, a battery receiving portion having a pair of tracks defining flanges, a pair of battery terminals, and a blocking member movable between latched and release positions;
 said battery comprising a battery housing having top and bottom portions, at least one cell within the battery housing, and a pair of battery contacts adjacent the top portion of the housing and situated to engage the battery terminals of the orthopedic drive assembly when the battery is fully received by the orthopedic drive assembly,    releasable attachment means for releasably attaching the battery to the battery receiving portion, said releasable attachment means comprising: 
 a) the battery having a pair of grooves adapted to receive the flanges of the tracks, and  
 b) a slot for receiving the blocking member when the blocking member is in the latched position, wherein the slot is sized and shaped to engage the blocking member to lock the battery to the battery receiving portion when the blocking member is in the latched position.  
   
     
     
       9. A rechargeable battery according to  claim 8  wherein the battery further includes means for automatically moving the blocking member from the latched toward the release position as the battery is mounted to the battery receiving portion. 
     
     
       10. A rechargeable battery according to  claim 9  wherein the means for automatically moving the blocking member comprises a ramped surface on the top portion of the battery housing. 
     
     
       11. A rechargeable battery according to  claim 8  wherein each of the battery terminals comprise a substantially flat plate member having opposite side surfaces, and
 each of said battery contacts comprise a pair of flexible, resilient arcuate members which are adapted to engage opposite side surfaces of a battery terminal.    
     
     
       12. A rechargeable battery according to  claim 8  wherein said battery contacts each include a first end fixedly attached to said top portion of said battery housing and a second end adapted to abut a support shoulder of the top portion of the battery housing. 
     
     
       13. A powered device with a detachable, rechargeable battery comprising:
   a housing having an electric motor associated therewith, an elongate handgrip portion, and a battery receiving portion attached to a bottom end of the handgrip portion, the battery receiving portion including battery terminals, the battery terminals being electrically connected to the electric motor via a power switch for delivering electric power to the electric motor;        a battery comprising a battery casing, at least one rechargeable battery cell housed inside of the battery casing, and battery contacts adapted to contact the battery terminals formed on the housing when the battery is attached to the housing, the at least one rechargeable battery cell being electrically connected to the battery contacts; and        wherein one of the housing or the battery casings has a pair of flange formed thereon, and the other of the housing or the battery casing has a pair of mounting grooves formed thereon which engage the pair of flanges in a direction of engagement other than the general direction of elongation of the handgrip portion when the rechargeable battery is mounted to the housing; and        wherein the handgrip portion does not house any part of the electric motor.      
     
     
       14. The tool of  claim 13  wherein a drill chuck is operatively connected to the electric motor to drive a drill.  
     
     
       15. The tool of  claim 13  further comprising means for releasably securing the battery to the battery receiving portion.  
     
     
       16. The tool of  claim 13  wherein the rechargeable battery cell comprises at least two electrically connected, individual, rechargeable, cylindrical battery cells arranged in a plurality of rows and housed inside of the battery casing.  
     
     
       17. The tool of  claim 13  wherein the pair of flanges or the pair of mounting grooves that is formed on the battery casing is at least one- third the length of a top portion of the battery casing.    
     
     
       18. The tool of  claim 13  wherein the rechargeable battery cell comprises at least five series electrically connected, individual, rechargeable, cylindrical battery cells arranged in a plurality of rows and housed inside of the battery casing; and
   the pair of flanges or the pair of mounting grooves that is formed on the battery casing is at least one - third the length of a top portion of the battery casing.      
     
     
       19. The tool of  claim 16  wherein the battery casing comprises two halves joined together, and each of the halves formed approximately a half of a top portion of the battery casing and a half of a bottom portion of the battery casing.  
     
     
       20. The tool of  claim 16  wherein the pair of flanges is a pair of parallel flanges, and the pair of mounting grooves is a pair of parallel mounting grooves.  
     
     
       21. The tool of  claim 13  wherein the housing further comprises a motor portion attached to a top end of the handgrip portion opposite the handgrip portion's bottom end, and wherein a longitudinal axis of the handgrip portion intersects the motor portion and the battery receiving portion and the battery casing when the battery is attached to the housing.  
     
     
       22. The tool of  claim 21  wherein the rechargeable battery cell comprises at least five electrically connected, individual, rechargeable, cylindrical battery cells arranged in a plurality of rows and housed inside of the battery casing.  
     
     
       23. The tool of  claim 22  wherein the pair of flanges or the pair of mounting grooves that is formed on the battery casing is formed on a top portion of the battery casing opposite a bottom portion with a generally flat bottom surface.  
     
     
       24. The tool of  claim 22  wherein the battery contacts are positioned on the top portion of the battery casing between the pair of flanges or the pair of mounting grooves that is formed on the battery casing.  
     
     
       25. The tool of  claim 13  wherein the battery casing further comprises a top portion and an opposite bottom portion, the bottom portion having a substantially flat bottom surface that is parallel to the direction of engagement, and wherein the pair of flanges or the pair of mounting grooves that is formed on the battery casing is formed on the top portion of the battery casing.  
     
     
       26. The tool of  claim 25  wherein the battery contacts are positioned between the pair of flanges or the pair of mounting grooves that is formed on the battery casing.  
     
     
       27. The tool of  claim 26  wherein the battery contacts and the battery terminals comprise a substantially flat plate member having opposite side surfaces, and resilient deflecting members which engage the opposite side surfaces of the plate member.  
     
     
       28. A powered device with a detachable, rechargeable battery comprising:
   a housing having an electric motor associated therewith, an elongate handgrip portion, and a battery receiving portion attached to a bottom end of the handgrip portion, the battery receiving portion including battery terminals, the battery terminals being electrically connected to the electric motor via a power switch for delivering electric power to the electric motor;        a battery comprising a battery casing, at least one rechargeable battery cell housed inside of the battery casing, and battery contacts adapted to contact the battery terminals formed on the housing when the battery is attached to the housing, the at least one rechargeable battery cell being electrically connected to the battery contacts; and        a drill chuck operatively connected to the electric motor to drive a drill;        wherein one of the housing or the battery casing has a pair of flanges formed thereon, and the other of the housing or the battery casing has a pair of mounting grooves formed thereon which engage the pair of flanges in a direction of engagement other than the general direction of elongation of the handgrip portion when the rechargeable battery is mounted to the housing.      
     
     
       29. The tool of  claim 28  wherein the electric motor drives a planetary gear transmission, and the planetary gear transmission drives a drive spindle adapted to mount the drill chuck.  
     
     
       30. The tool of  claim 28  wherein the rotary axis of the electric motor is parallel to the direction of engagement.  
     
     
       31. The tool of  claim 28  wherein the rechargeable battery cell comprises at least five electrically connected, individual, rechargeable, cylindrical battery cells arranged in a plurality of rows in a single plane and housed inside of the battery casing.  
     
     
       32. The tool of  claim 31  wherein the longitudinal axes of all of the battery cells are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the single plane.  
     
     
       33. A powered device with a detachable, rechargeable battery comprising:
   a housing having an electric motor associated therewith, an elongate handgrip portion, and a battery receiving portion attached to a bottom end of the handgrip portion, the battery receiving portion including battery terminals, the battery terminals being electrically connected to the electric motor via a power switch for delivering electric power to the electric motor; and        a battery comprising a battery casing, at least five electrically connected, individual, rechargeable, cylindrical battery cells arranged in a plurality of rows in a single plane and housed inside of the battery casing, and battery contacts adapted to contact the battery terminals formed on the housing when the battery is attached to the housing, the battery cells being electrically connected to the battery contacts;        wherein one of the housing or the battery casing has a pair of flanges formed thereon, and the other of the housing or the battery casing has a pair of mounting grooves formed thereon which engage the pair of flanges when the rechargeable battery is mounted to the housing.      
     
     
       34. The tool of  claim 33  wherein a drill chuck is operatively connected to the electric motor to drive a drill.  
     
     
       35. The tool of  claim 33  further comprising a saw blade mounted for reciprocating motion and driven by the electric motor.  
     
     
       36. The tool of  claim 33  wherein the pair of flanges is a pair of parallel flanges, and the pair of mounting grooves is a pair of parallel mounting grooves.