Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to rechargeable batteries and more
particularly to a simple, inexpensive, charging system whereby a
rechargeable battery of the 9 volt physical size and/or electrical
characteristics are selectively and alternatively connectible to a
charge current source for recharging of the type described in
U.S. Patent No. 4,009,429 - Mullersman dated February 22, 1977.
There is an increasing number of consumer products being
operated by rechargeable cells such as nickel-cadmium cells.
These products require cells with a plurality of physical sizes and
electrical characteristics. The variety of cell types in wide use
in the consumer market has given rise to the need to provide a
unitary charging device to accommodate the various cell types. One
such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,075 issued on May 18,
1971 and assigned to the assignee of the invention herein. While
this device provides a viable approach for charging cells of a
variety of types, it has failed to achieve widespread adoption in the
consumer market because of its complexity and cost of construction.
The system described in the above-identified U.S. Patent No.4,009,429
is useful in charging AA, C & D size batteries, but does not accept
9 volt size bat-teries.
The present invention is an improvement on the system described
in U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,429 whereby 9 volt size batteries may be charged.
The system of this invention utilizes in combination a trans-
former and 9 volt size battery which are interconnected by an adapter -
module. The adapter is designed to mechanically and electrically
join the battery to the transformer so that a highly compact system
results. Electric means such as diodes and resistors are carried by
the adapter to adapt the charger characteristics to those useful for
the 9 volt battery. Thus, the usefulness of the charger system is
expanded to include 9 volt size batteries.
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1 BRIEF DESCRIPTIOI~ OF T~,E DRAWIMGS
2 Figure 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a chzrge
3 current source, an adapter and a 9 volt battery of the present
4 invention;
Figure 2 is an exploded, perspective view oE a 9 volt
6 size battery and adapter with th~: adapter rotated 90;
7 Figure 3 is a perspective view of a 9 volt size battery
8 with portions broken away for clarity of illustra-tion;
9 Figure 4 is an end view of the battery of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of ~he adapter;
11 Figure 6 is a top plan vie~ of the adapter with certain
12 portions broken away for clarity of illustration; .
13 Figure 7 is a side elevation view of the adapter;
14 Figure 8 is a top plan view of an alternative adapter
wlth a battery alignment wall; .
.16 . ~igure 9 is a side elevation view of the adapter of
17 Figure 8 and part of a ~ volt bat~ery illustrating the ope~a~ion
18 of the alignment wall;
19 Figure 10 is a plan view of a second alternat~ve
adapter in the open position;
21 Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view takQn along line 11
22 11 in Figure 10;
23 Figure 12 is a s de elevation view of the adapter of
24 Figure 10 in ~he assem~led position;
Figures 13 and 14 are bottom and top plan views o~
26 the adapter of Figure 12;
27 . Figures 15 and 16 are bot~om and top plan views of
28 a th-ird alternative adap~er;
29 Figures 17 and 18 are cross-sectional views taken along
lines 17-17 and 18-18, respectively, in Figure 16;
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L Figure 19 is a circuit diagram o~ the charger, adapter,
2 and battery.
4 DETAILED DESCE;~IPTION
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment ir
6 many di ferent forms, there is shown in the drawings and will
7 hereinafter be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the
8 invention, and modifications thereto, with the understanding that
9 the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification
of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit
11 t~e inven~îon to the embodiments illustrated.
12 The overall sys~em 20 is shown in Figure 1. System 20
13 includes a rechargeable bat~ery 22, a source 24 and an adapter
14 2.6. Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the components
lS of the system when assembled for charging.
16
17 Tb- Char,_~SoLr_e
18 The charge current source 24 is comprised of a conven-
19 ~ional high impedance cen~er tapped transformer, which is~illus-
trated schematically in Figure 19 by block 24. Two blades 28, 30
~L are providPd in one face of the charger housing for c~nnection to .
2~ ~. source of 120 VAC. Source 24 is available commercially from
23 the assignee, General Electric Company, under the designation
24 BC3 miniature charger, and is described in tl.e above-identifi~d
U.S. Patent No. 4,009,429. ~
26 As shown in Figure 19, the source 24 comprises a trans-
27 former 32 to make available from the standard 110-120 volt cycle
28 AC line an output current of appropriate magnitude for the load
29 provided. Terminal 34 is centrally tapped to the secondary of
transforme~ 32, while terminals 3~ and 38 are end tapped to the
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1¦¦ se ndar~ of the transformer.
2 As shown in Figure 1, terminals 34, 36 and 38 are one-
3 way, snap-type "male" terminals attached to a face of source 24.
S The Rechargeable Battery
6 Rechargeable battery 22, Figure 3, includes a generally
7 rectangular shaped housing 40 which is open at one end and closure
8 end plate 42 which may be formed of an insulating plastic mate-
9 rial such as polystyrene. End plate 42 is joined to housing
40 by means of adhesive or ultrasonic welding techniques.
11 Battery 22 is sized for 9 volt usage in its physical
12 dimensions and includes 6 rechargeable nickel cadmium cells 44
13 having a nominal voltage of 1.25 V.D.C. The cells 44 are con-
14 nected in series by conductive straps 46 (only two are illus-
trated).
16 The first cell 44 is connected to a female one-way
17 &nap terminal 48 carried on end plate 42 by conductive strip 50.
18 The last cell 44 of the series is connected to a male one-way
19 ~nap terminal 52 by conductive strap 54 to complete the electri-
cal circuit of the battery, as shown in Figure 19.
21 Since battery 22 is rechargeable and of the physical
22 size of ordinary non-rechargeable 9 volt batteries, i~ is pre-
23 ferred to have security means on the battery which cooperate
24 with adapter 26 to permit only rechargeable battery to be used
therewith. To this end an aperture 56 is provided in end plate 42
26 between the terminals 48 and 52, see Figure 4. As described
27 below, this aperture 56 allows battery 22 to be attached to
28 adapter 26, but not ordinary batteries.
29
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1 The Adap~er
2 Adapter 26 is the bridging element betweer. source 24
3 and battery 22 and serves two functions; namely, physically
4 attaching or mounting the battery and electrically connectin~
5 ~he terminals 36 and 38 of the charger to terminals 48 and 52
6 of the batter~J.
7 To these ends, adapter 26 inclu,des a pair of one-way
8 emale snap terminals 60, 62 attached to one surface of housing
9 64, see Figure 5, which interconnect with charger terminals 36
10 and 38, and on an opposite surface a second set of one~way snap
11 terminals, a male terminal 66 and female terminal 68, Figure 6,
12 which interconnect with battery terminals 48 and 52, respectively~
13 The one-way snap type te~inal not only provides electrical
14 contact but also mechanical gripping to support the battery or~
lS the charger.
16 Electrical circuitry is ca ried by the adapter to pro- "
17 vide suitable conditioning of the source ~o battery characteris- ¦
18 tic by current and voltage control. To this end rectifying meansl '
19 particularly a hai~-way rectifier 70, such as a diode, is con~
20 nected between terminals 60 and 66 and a resis~or 72 is connected
21 between terminal 62 and 68 to produce the clrcuit shown in
22 Pigure 19. It will be appreciated b~ those skilled in the art
23 that other arrangements o-.F electrical components may also be
24 ~tilized to provide suitable conditioning of the source to the
25 battery. -
26 Adapter housing 64 is preferably of a molded plastic
27 construction and may be rabricated in a n~mber of m~thods and
28 configurations as described herein. The adapter hollsing shown
29 in Figures 5-7 has a fully enclosed structure formed by a housing~
30 portion 64a and closure portion 64b. ~or~ion 64a and 64b may b~ ¦
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1 separately molded pieces or integrally joined by a hin~e 64c.
2 Housing portion 64a includes a contoured bottom sur- I
3 ~ace. Bottom surface as use~ herein refers ~o the surface which ¦
4 abuts against the charger, and top surface refers to the surface
of the adapter which abuts against the battery when the system
6 components are assembled for chargin~, Figure 1. The contoured
7 bottom) Figure 5, contains a flat portion 80 and a recessed por- i
8 tion 82 wherein terminals 60 and 62 are located. Recessed por-
9 tion 82 also includes a clearance area 83 to receive terminal 34
therein when the adapter 26 is positioned on charger 24. Side
11 walls 84 extend upwardly from bottom surface 80 to define an
12 internal cavity for receipt of diode 70 and resistor 72.
13 Closure portion 64b has a generally flat surface and
14 carries terminals 66 and 68 thereon. Portion 64b is joined to
portion 64a by the use of adhesive or ultrasonic bonding tech-
16 niques.
17
18 Finger Grips
19 A pair of laterally extending finger grips 86 are pro-
vided at the top edge of portion 64a. Grips 86 are positioned
21 such that their centers, shown by line C, are offset from the
22 center line of terminals 60 and 62. In this manner, when the
23 grips 86 are manually grasped and pulled, a momellt or torque
24 about terminals 60 and 62 is produced to facilitate removai of
the adapter from the charger terminals 36 and 38.
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27 Adapter Safety Interface
28 As discussed above, only recharg2able batteries can be
29 l.tilized in the system. To cooperate with the aperture 56 in end i
plate 4~ of the battery, an index means or key in the form OL an
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upwardly e~tending projection 90 is provided on adapter 26
2 between terminals 66 and 68.
; 3 As best illustrated in Figure 2, when the terminals
4 of battery 22 are snap-fitted to the terminals of adapter 26, ~;ey
S 90 passes through aperture 56. It will be appr~ciated that the
6 combination o aperture 56 and key 90 function to allow only
7 rechargeable batteries of the type shown in Figure 4 to be ccn-
; nected since projection 90 will contact the end-plate of non-
` 9 conforming batteries and prevent their connection to the adapter.
Since terminals 66, 68 and 48, 52 are snap type, it is
11 advantageous to provide battery removal assist means to the adap-
12 ter 26. To this end, upstanding fulcrum or wall 92 is provided
13 between terminals 66 and 68. Wall 92 is equidistant and perpen-
14 dicular to the terminal centerlines and of a height such that
the battery terminal may be attached to the charger terminals
16 and the top surface of wall 92 abuts against end plate 42. In
17 this manner, when the battery is to be removed from the adapter,
18 it is pivoted in the plane of wall 92 so that one of the top end
19 edges 92a act as a fulcrum to assist in separating the battery
from the adapter.
21
22 Adapter With Battery Alignment Means
23 In order to avoid damage to t~.e terminals of the bat-
24 tery 22 and adapter 25 arising from continual interconnectior., it
is advantageous to provide means for accurately aligring the
26 respec~ive terminals prior to engagement. To this end, the
27 ~.dapter 26, Figures 8 and 9, includes a saety key 90 o~ ~he ~ -
28 type described above and an upstanding alicnment wall 98. I~Jall
29 98 is parallel to the centerline o tcrmillals 66 and 68 and
spaced therefrom a distance sufficient to contact and guide the
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l side of the battery 22 into terminal engagement The com~ a-
2 tion of key 90 and wall 98 thereby functions to accurately align ¦
3 terminals 66 and 68 with terminals 48 and 52 during mating and
4 militate against damage thereto from repeated mating.
6 Alternative Adapters
7 Figures 10-14 illustrate another form of adapter i26
8 formed of two injection mold portions; namely, a bottom portion
9 164a and a top portion 164b, which are joined by a hinge 164c.
The outer surface of bottom portion 164a, Figure 13,
11 carries charger terminals 60 and 62 and has a clearance area 183
12 for receipt of charger terminal 34. The interior surface of bot-
13 tom portion 164a includes a molded locater projection 149, which
14 mates with locater aperture 151 when the adapter is folded about
~5 hinge 164. ~
16 The outer surface of top portion 164b, Figure 14, carrie s ~ ;
17 battery terminals 66 and 68. The inner surace includes cavities ¦
18 for receipt of diode 70 and resistor 72 and energy concentrator
19 ridges 171. After the terminals, diode and resistor have been
assembled on the adapter in th~ open position, Figures lO and 11,~
21 the portion 164a is folded about hinge 164 to place the inner
22 surfaces in abutting relationship and ultrasonic welding is per-
23 ~ormed with the aid of concentrator 171 to bond t'ne adapter in
24 the folded configuration shown in Figure 12.
Ancther form of adapter 225 i5 illustrated in Fi~ures
26 15-18. Adapter 226 is a single injection molded elemen~ ~Ihich
27 is formed with contoured compartments. The one piece adapter
28 body includes a irst horizontal support element 267, which
29 carri~s terminals 60 and 62 on one surface and diode 7G and resis-~
tor 72 on t~e opposite surface. A second horizontal support
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l e~.ement 269 is spaced upwardly from elemen~ 267, see Figu~e 17,
2 and defines a gap between its end edge 271 and the end edge 275
3 of element 267, Element 269 carries terminals 66 and 6~ as well
4 as having formed thereon key 90 and fulcrum wall 92.
With particular reference to Figures 16 and 18, the
6 ~.iode 70 circuit and resistor 72 circuits are isolated by ~eans
7 of a longitudinally e~tending wall 273 on the top surface o
3 element 267. The resistor and diode are positioned and held
9 against the surfaces of wall 273 and element 267 at the corner
junction thereof. The lead wires pass through the gap between
11 end edges 271 and 275.
12 The diode 70 and resistor 72 lead wires are also separ-
13 ated on element 269 by a longitudinal wall 279, Figure 15, which
14 joins with a circular receiving wall 283 for charger terminal 34.
The entire bottom periphery OL the adapter.is sur- ¦
.16 mounted by a wall 251 and the top surface of element 267 is sur- ¦
17 mounted by a peripheral wall 283 to produce. a side enclosed adap-¦
18 ter as shown in Figure 18. Advantageously, the longi tudinal ¦
l9 sections of wall 283 taper outwardly ard are textured to faci-
litate manual grîpping.
21 These and other modifications may be made to the
22 invention without departing fro~ the scope and spiriL thereof
Z6~ as inted out in the appended claims.
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