JP2000048786A - Battery case - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the cost while maintaining the water proof performance, and to easily change a battery. SOLUTION: A plurality of protrusions 23 having a slope protruding downwardly in a diagonal direction are formed on a side surface of a case body 2 on an upper surface of which a recess 21 for storing a battery is formed. A plurality of flexible leg plates 32 extended from a peripheral edge of a cover plate 31 integratedly therewith along the side surface are formed on the cover plate 31 to close the recess 21, an engagement hole 33 to be engaged with the protrusions 23 is formed in each leg plate 32 at the position corresponding to the protrusions 23, and in the engaged condition, a battery cover 3 is sufficiently sealed by compressing an O-ring 4 by the reaction force to be received from the protrusions 23. A screw is dispensed with thereby, the cost is reduced, and the battery can be easily changed in one operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a battery case used for a keyless entry transmitter or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A battery case is used, for example, in a keyless entry system of a vehicle. In the keyless entry system, the driver carries the transmitter, operates the switch of the transmitter, and transmits the signal to the vehicle, thereby locking / unlocking the door, etc. wirelessly. A battery for supplying power to an electronic board (communication circuit board) on which a communication circuit is formed is stored. The battery case in this case is usually
It is modular so that the communication circuit board can be stored.

FIG. 4 shows a cross section of an example of such a modularized battery case, FIG. 5 (A) shows an upper surface of the battery case, and FIG. 5 (B) shows a state in which a battery cover is removed. A concave portion 72 for storing a battery is formed on the upper surface of the case main body 71 of the battery case 7. The concave portion 72 is closed by storing the battery 8 in the concave portion 72 and then closing the lid plate 73 with the case main body 71.
By tightening a plurality of screws 74.

A battery case used in the keyless entry system or the like is required to have waterproof performance because it is assumed to be used in rain. Then, the case body 7
An O-ring 75 of a waterproof elastic body is provided between the base plate 1 and the cover plate 73, and the O-ring 75 is compressed by screwing the cover plate 73, and the peripheral wall 76 of the case main body 71 surrounding the recess 72. Is sealed between the end surface 76a and the cover plate 73.

[0005]

The case body 71 is generally made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin material that is easy to mold and is suitable for mass production. It is necessary to insert-mold a nut 77 to be screwed with the screw 74 inside the resin material so as to maintain the waterproof performance of 75. For this reason, in addition to the necessity of screw tightening, the component configuration and the manufacturing process are complicated, and there is a problem in cost. In addition, it is not always easy for a user to replace a battery, for example, by preparing a screwdriver at the time of battery replacement or taking care not to lose screws.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a battery case in which cost can be reduced while maintaining waterproof performance and the battery can be easily replaced.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of inclined surfaces protruding downward in an inclined direction are provided on a side surface of a case body having a concave portion for storing a battery formed on an upper surface. Having a convex portion. A plurality of flexible leg plates extending from the peripheral edge of the lid plate and extending along the side surface of the case body are formed integrally with the lid plate for closing the concave portion, and each leg plate is provided at a position corresponding to the convex portion. An engagement hole for engaging with the projection is formed.

By simply engaging the above-mentioned convex portion of the case main body with the engaging hole of the leg plate, the concave portion in which the battery is stored can be closed with one touch, and care must be taken in preparing tools and losing parts. Battery replacement is easy because there is no battery.

Also, the O-ring compresses due to the reaction force that the leg plate receives from the convex portion of the case main body, and seals between the end face of the peripheral wall of the case main body surrounding the concave portion and the lid plate. In addition, since the engaging holes are formed in the leg plate among the engaging projections and the engaging holes, undercutting does not occur in the injection molding of the lid plate and the leg plate, and the configuration of the mold is simple. Also, a hard resin material can be used. Therefore, the reaction force that the leg plate receives from the convex portion of the case main body is not absorbed by the resin material, and the O-ring is sufficiently compressed and deformed to adhere to the end surface of the peripheral wall and the lid plate to exhibit high waterproof performance. .

[0010] Moreover, since no screws or nuts to be insert-molded are required, the component configuration and the manufacturing process are simplified,
Cost can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the projection is formed in an elongated shape extending in the circumferential direction of the case body.

Since the engaging portion between the convex portion and the engaging hole is widened in the circumferential direction, the uniformity of the pressing force of the cover plate against the O-ring is improved without increasing the number of additional components, and the waterproof performance is further improved. Obtainable.

[0013]

1 and 2 show a battery case according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a cross section of the battery case, and FIG.
2 shows an upper surface thereof, and FIG. 2B shows an upper surface thereof with a battery cover removed. FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is a view illustrating a state where a battery cover is removed from the state of FIG. 3A. The battery case of the present embodiment is applied to a transmitter for keyless entry, and is modularized to be able to store a communication circuit board.
The case body 2 of the battery case 1 is formed by fitting and integrating a side wall portion 201 and a cover portion 202 which are two synthetic resin molded products. is there. A button battery 5 is provided on the upper surface 1a of the case body 2.
Circular storage room (hereinafter, battery room) 21 serving as a concave portion for storing
Is formed. The bottom wall of the battery chamber 21 is
The communication circuit board 6 and the battery 5 can be directly energized.

A band-shaped recess 22 is formed from the upper surface 2a of the case body 2 to the front side and the rear side 2b in the figure, passing through the opening position of the battery chamber 21. The band-shaped concave portion 22 is formed so that the upper surface 2 a is slightly wider with the swelling portions on both sides, and the battery chamber 21 is opened at the step bottom surface of the band-shaped concave portion 22. The position of the side surface 2b of the band-shaped recess 22 is
It is formed straight in the vertical direction and has the same width.

A groove 24 is formed concentrically with the battery chamber 21 on the end face 211a of the peripheral wall 211 of the battery chamber 21, which is the stepped bottom surface of the band-shaped recess 22, and a rubber O-ring 4 for sealing is fitted into the groove 24. It is.

On the step bottom surface of the band-shaped concave portion 22, a convex portion 23 is formed at a symmetric position of each side surface 2b. The protrusion 23 is formed in an elongated shape extending in the circumferential direction of the case body 2, that is, in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the band-shaped recess 22 is formed. In addition, convex part 2
As shown in FIG. 3, reference numeral 3 denotes a wedge-shaped cross section, and has an inclined surface 23a protruding downward in an inclined direction.

The battery cover 3 is a flexible synthetic resin molded product having a U-shaped cross section and an inner surface formed along the stepped bottom surface of the band-shaped recess 22. The battery cover 3 includes a cover plate 31 for closing the battery chamber 21, and a leg plate 32 extending downward from the periphery of the cover plate 31 along the side surface 2 b of the case body 2. Each leg plate 32 is formed with an engaging hole 33 penetrating through the leg plate 32 at a position corresponding to the convex portion 23.
3.

That is, when replacing the battery, after replacing the battery 5 with a new one, the two leg plates 32 of the battery cover 3 are pushed down by aligning them with the band-shaped concave portions 22. Guided by 23a, the leg plate 32 gradually opens due to its flexibility. On the other hand, the O-ring 4 is pressed from the cover plate 31 and is compressed. Then, when the distal end of the leg plate 32 gets over the convex portion 23, the engaging hole 33 of the battery lid 3 and the convex portion 23 of the case body 2 are engaged. put it here,
The leg plate 32 is pressed against the convex portion 23 by the compression reaction force of the O-ring 4, and the battery lid 3 is fixed to the case body 2. On the other hand, the O-ring 4 is kept in a compressed state by the reaction force that the battery lid 3 receives from the projection 23 in the engagement hole 33, and the case body 2
Between the bottom surface of the groove 24 and the cover plate 31. The amount of compression of the O-ring 4 in the engaged state is set based on the depth of the groove 24 and the like.

Since the leg plate 32 of the battery cover 3 is guided and moved by the band-shaped recess 22 until the engagement hole 33 engages with the projection 23, the operation can be performed smoothly. To release the engagement, the battery cover 3 is moved upward while slightly opening both leg plates 32.

Further, the thickness of the battery cover 3 is made equal to the step of the band-shaped concave portion 22, and the surface of the battery cover 3 and the surface of the case body 2 substantially match with the battery cover 3 closing the battery chamber 21. The battery cover 3 is prevented from being accidentally detached when carrying.

The battery case 1 is not fixed to the case body by screwing, but is fixed only by pushing down the two leg plates 32 of the battery cover 3 with the band-shaped recess 22 and replacing the battery. Work is easy. Moreover, the component configuration is simple, and as a result, the manufacturing process is also simplified.

In addition, the engaging portion including the engaging hole and the convex portion
An engagement hole 33 is formed in the battery lid 3, and the projection 2 is formed in the case body 2.
3, the following effects are obtained. That is, contrary to the present battery case, when a convex portion is formed on the leg plate and an engagement hole is formed on the side surface of the case body, the convex portion is formed on the inner surface of the leg plate. Since the battery lid has a U-shaped cross section including the lid plate and the two leg plates, when the battery lid is manufactured by injection molding, the undercut is formed by an amount corresponding to the amount of protrusion of the projection. For this reason, in a mold having a simple configuration, a hard resin material cannot be used for the battery lid. As a result, the resin material absorbs the reaction force that the battery lid receives from the convex portion in the engagement hole, and the O-ring cannot be sufficiently compressed, and there is a limit in improving the waterproof performance of the O-ring. It suffices if the undercut can be reduced, that is, the amount of protrusion of the convex portion can be reduced, but there is a possibility that the engagement of the engaging portion may be released by mistake and reliability is lacking.

On the other hand, in the present battery case 1, the battery cover 3 is not undercut because the engagement hole 33 is formed and the projection is not formed. Therefore, a hard resin material can be used for the battery cover 3 even if the configuration of the mold is simple. Since the convex portion 23 forming the engaging portion is formed on the side surface 2b of the case body 1, a sufficient amount of protrusion can be obtained.

As described above, in the present battery case 1, a hard resin material is used for the battery lid 3, and the projecting amount of the convex portion 23 constituting the engaging portion can be made sufficient.
Can be sufficiently compressed and deformed to enhance the adhesion to the bottom surface of the groove 24 of the case body 2 and the battery lid 3, thereby obtaining high waterproof performance, and improving the reliability of the engaging portion.

In the conventional structure shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 in which the cover plate is fixed to the case body by screwing,
In order to obtain a high waterproof performance, a large number of screws are required to uniformly apply a pressing force from the cover plate to the O-ring.
On the other hand, in the present battery case 1, the engagement holes 3
3 and the convex portion 23 are formed in a slender shape extending in the circumferential direction, so that the width of the engaging portion is changed in the circumferential direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1), that is, in the direction in which the battery cover 3 straddles the O-ring 4 (up and down in FIG. Direction), and the pressing force of the lid plate 31 against the O-ring 4 can be dispersed in this direction.
The pressing force can be evenly applied from the cover plate 31 to the O-ring 4 without complicating the configuration. Therefore,
When the O-ring 4 is sufficiently compressed and deformed, the peripheral wall 211 of the battery chamber 21
The adhesion to the end surface 211a and the lid plate 31 is enhanced,
High waterproof performance can be obtained.

In this embodiment, the leg plate 3 of the battery lid 3 is used.
2 are provided at two locations symmetrically on the side surface 2b of the case body 2, but are not necessarily limited to two locations and may be more. For example, three leg plates are provided radially from the periphery of the lid plate.

Further, although one engaging hole is formed in each leg plate, a plurality of engaging holes may be formed. In this case, the plurality of engagement holes are arranged in the circumferential direction so that the pressing force of the battery cover uniformly acts on the O-ring in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the battery cover straddles the O-ring. Is good.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a battery case according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a top view of the battery case,
(B) is a top view of the battery case with the battery cover removed.

FIG. 3A is a sectional view of a main part of the battery case,
(B) is a sectional view of an essential part of the battery case with a battery cover removed.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of one conventional battery case.

FIG. 5A is a top view of the battery case,
(B) is a top view of the battery case with the battery cover removed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery case 2 Case main body 2a Upper surface 2b Side surface 21 Battery chamber (recess) 211 Peripheral wall 211a End surface 22 Band-shaped concave portion 23 Convex portion 23a Inclined surface 3 Battery cover 31 Cover plate 32 Leg plate 33 Engagement hole 4 O-ring 5 Battery

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A case body having a concave portion for storing a battery formed on an upper surface thereof, and a cover plate for closing the concave portion, and an O for sealing between an end surface of a peripheral wall of the case body surrounding the concave portion and the cover plate.
In the battery case provided with a ring, on the side surface of the case body, at a plurality of locations, a convex portion having an inclined surface protruding downward in an inclined direction is formed, and the lid plate is integrally formed with the convex portion. A plurality of flexible leg plates extending from the periphery of the lid plate and along the side surface of the case body are formed, and each leg plate has an engagement hole for engaging with the convex portion at a position corresponding to the convex portion. Characteristic battery case. 2. The battery case according to claim 1, wherein the projection is formed in an elongated shape extending in a circumferential direction of the case body.