US 12,323,010 B2
Gas engine replacement electronics modularity for feature expansion
Patrick Dennis Gallagher, New Berlin, WI (US); Timothy James Bartlett, Waukesha, WI (US); Timothy Ryan Obermann, Waukesha, WI (US); Alex Huber, Menomonee Falls, WI (US); and William Chapman, III, Delevan, WI (US)
Assigned to Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation, Brookfield, WI (US)
Filed by MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC TOOL CORPORATION, Brookfield, WI (US)
Filed on May 9, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/314,294.
Application 18/314,294 is a continuation of application No. 17/126,336, filed on Dec. 18, 2020, granted, now 11,689,081.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/951,775, filed on Dec. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0275493 A1, Aug. 31, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H02K 11/00 (2016.01); H01M 10/42 (2006.01); H02K 11/33 (2016.01)
CPC H02K 11/0094 (2013.01) [H01M 10/425 (2013.01); H02K 11/33 (2016.01); H01M 2220/20 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for expanding features of a gas engine replacement device that drives power equipment, the method comprising:
controlling, by an electronic processor of the gas engine replacement device, a power switching network to selectively provide power from a battery pack to rotate a motor of the gas engine replacement device;
receiving, by a module interface of the gas engine replacement device, a first external electronics module;
detecting, by the electronic processor of the gas engine replacement device, a first type of the first external electronics module from a plurality of types, wherein detecting the first type includes receiving, by the electronic processor of the gas engine replacement device, a first device identifier from the first external electronics module corresponding to the first type;
retrieving, by the electronic processor of the gas engine replacement device, first configuration data corresponding to the first type from a memory of the gas engine replacement device;
configuring, by the electronic processor of the gas engine replacement device, the gas engine replacement device using the first configuration data;
receiving, by the module interface of the gas engine replacement device, a second external electronics module;
detecting, by the electronic processor of the gas engine replacement device, a second type of the second external electronics module from the plurality of types, wherein the second type is different from the first type and wherein detecting the second type includes receiving, by the electronic processor of the gas engine replacement device, a second device identifier from the second external electronics module corresponding to the second type;
retrieving, using the electronic processor of the gas engine replacement device, second configuration data corresponding to the second type from the memory of the gas engine replacement device;
configuring, by the electronic processor, the gas engine replacement device using the second configuration data; and
after configuring the gas engine replacement device based on the second configuration data, communicating, by the electronic processor of the gas engine replacement device, with the second external electronics module via the module interface.