JP2003017019A - Case - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent protrusion of an adhesive to a case cosmetic face. SOLUTION: In this case, a main body part 20 is one of plural division bodies constituting the case and has a bottom-equipped box shape, while having a groove part 22 extendedly formed along the opening periphery, and step pats 26 formed in an outer wall face 25 of the groove part 22. Then applying adhesive to the groove part 22 for bonding, the step parts 26 can block a capillary phenomenon of the adhesive between the bonding faces to prevent protrusion of the adhesive to the case cosmetic face.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a case for an electric device, and more particularly to a case in which disassembly after assembly is difficult.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a case for an electric device is divided into a main body and a lid, and these divided bodies have a structure (for example, screwed) which can be appropriately disassembled in consideration of maintainability. However, for those that do not replace parts in the event of a failure, or those that may cause danger when disassembling, etc., the so-called sealed type case where the divided bodies are completely joined with an adhesive It is often said that.

A typical example of such a sealed case is a battery case. FIG. 5 is an assembly diagram of the battery case 1 for a laptop computer, although not particularly limited thereto. The battery case 1 is composed of a main body 2 and an upper lid 3, and the main body 2
The secondary battery cell 4 is housed in the battery, and the voltage of the secondary battery cell 4 is taken out from the terminal 5 to the outside (the power supply terminal of a notebook computer (not shown)).

The electromotive force per rechargeable battery cell 4 is only about several volts, but the internal resistance of the cell is extremely low. A huge current of 10 to several hundred amperes may flow, and the battery case 1 has a structure that cannot be easily disassembled from the viewpoint of accident prevention.

FIG. 6 (a) is a completed state view of the battery case 1, FIG. 6 (b) is an external view of the upper lid 3 before assembly, and FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (c) are main body parts. 2 is an assembly detailed view of 2 and the upper lid 3. FIG. In these figures, the upper lid 3 has a standing portion 3a extending along the outer periphery of the opening thereof, and the main body portion 2 has a groove portion 2a extending along the outer periphery of the opening thereof. (Arrows a to f in FIG. 6B)
The adhesive 4 is applied to the main body 2 and the upper portion 3 are fitted in the groove portion 2a in a hermetically sealed state to make it difficult to disassemble the battery case 1 after assembly. can do.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional battery case 1, as shown in FIG. 7 (c), when the groove portion 2a and the upright portion 3a are joined, an extra adhesive is used. However, there is a problem in that the battery 4 protrudes from the outer surface (that is, the appearance surface) of the main body 2, and the appearance of the battery case 1 is impaired.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent the adhesive from squeezing out to the surface of the case so as not to spoil the appearance of the case.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a case composed of a plurality of divided bodies,
In a case where one divisional body and another divisional body are joined with an adhesive to form a sealed state, the one divisional body or the other divisional body has a bottomed box shape, and the outer circumference of the opening thereof. It is characterized in that it has a groove portion extending along the groove and a step portion formed on the outer wall surface of the groove portion.

According to the present invention, when the adhesive is applied to the groove to join the one divided body and the other divided body, the capillarity phenomenon of the adhesive generated on the joint surface is prevented by the step portion.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, taking application to a battery case as an example.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a main body portion 20 of a battery case and an enlarged view of a main portion broken. The main body portion 20 replaces the main body portion 2 (see FIGS. 5 to 7) of the related art described above, and therefore, the upper lid that constitutes the battery case together with the main body portion 20 of the related art. It is the same as the one (see the upper lid 3 in FIGS. 5 to 7). Hereinafter, in this embodiment, when referring to the upper lid and its structural elements, the conventional upper lid 3 is appropriately referred to.

The main body 20 has a box shape with a bottom, and has a secondary battery cell inside (see the secondary battery cell 4 in FIG. 5).
Is housed and the voltage can be taken out from the terminal 21 to the outside.

The groove portion 22 extending along the outer circumference of the opening of the main body portion 20 is formed by the groove portion 2a (see FIG. 6,
Similar to (see FIG. 7), it is for fitting the standing portion 3a of the upper lid 3, and the both (the standing portion 3a and the groove portion 22) are fixed using an adhesive.

As described above, the groove portion 22 extends along the outer periphery of the opening of the main body portion 20, but the peculiar portions are provided at some portions on the outer periphery thereof. For example, in the illustrated example, two unique locations are provided on each of the longitudinal side surfaces of the main body 20, and one unique location is provided on each of the lateral sides of the main body 20, and the total number of unique locations is six. Hereinafter, when the respective peculiar portions are represented by reference signs A to F, the peculiar portions A to F become the application points of the adhesive when the battery case is assembled.
The upper lid 3 will be joined at six points A to F.

The feature of this embodiment lies in the structure of the peculiar portions A to F. The structures of the peculiar portions A to F are the same, and the characteristic of the peculiar portion A will be described as a representative. The first characteristic point is located on the inner side of the main body portion 20 on both wall surfaces of the groove portion 22. The notch 24 is formed in the wall surface 23 (hereinafter referred to as “inner wall surface”), and the second characteristic point is that the wall surface 25 located on the outer side of the main body 20.
The step 26 is formed in the vicinity of the upper part (hereinafter referred to as “outer wall surface”).

The notch portion 24 is formed by cutting the inner wall surface 23 into the main body portion 2.
It is formed so as to be cut out in the bottom direction of 0, and the step portion 26 is formed such that the vicinity of the upper portion of the outer wall surface 25 is recessed.

In such a structure, the main body portion 20 and the upper lid 3 are connected to each other by the standing portion 3 of the upper lid 3 as in the prior art.
There are two methods: a method of applying an adhesive to a (first method) and a method of applying an adhesive to the unique portions A to F of the main body 20 (second method). There is one.

First, the method (second method) peculiar to this embodiment will be described first. FIG. 2 shows a peculiar portion A of the main body 20.
It is a state diagram in which the adhesive is applied to ~ F. In this figure, the tip of an adhesive ejection nozzle (hereinafter simply referred to as “nozzle”) 30 is aligned with the adhesive application point of the main body 20. The application point is a cutout portion 2 of a peculiar portion A (or BF; hereinafter represented by "A").
It is on the groove portion 22 in the vicinity of 4. When the adhesive 31 is ejected from the nozzle 30 with the nozzle 30 aligned, the groove portion 22 at the application point is filled with the adhesive 31. However, in the present embodiment, the ejection amount of the adhesive 31 can be set to be large. it can. This is because the surplus of the adhesive 31 gets over the notch 24 having a shorter height than the outer wall surface 25 and flows out to the inside of the main body 20.

Therefore, according to this method, since the cutout portion 24 allows the surplus portion of the adhesive 31 to positively flow out to the inner side of the main body portion 20, in other words, the outer side of the main body portion 20. Since it is possible to prevent the battery case from overflowing (that is, on the side of the appearance surface), it is possible to obtain a particular effect that the appearance of the appearance surface of the battery case is not spoiled.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the following effects due to the step portion 26 can be obtained. FIG. 3A is a state diagram when the upright portion 3a of the upper lid 3 is fitted into the groove portion 22 of the main body portion 20,
FIG. 3B is a state diagram when the fitting is completed. Groove 2
When the standing portion 3a is fitted into the groove 2, when the viscosity of the adhesive 31 filled in the groove 22 is low (when the fluidity is high), the adhesive 31 rises up the gap between the groove 22 and the standing portion 3a. Capillary phenomenon occurs.

However, in this embodiment, since the step portion 26 is provided near the upper portion of the outer wall surface 25 of the main body portion 20,
A space 27 formed by the step portion 26 (see FIG.
By (b), it is possible to prevent the capillarity phenomenon, and it is also possible to prevent the adhesive 31 from overflowing to the outside (that is, the surface side of the body) of the main body 20 due to the phenomenon. Therefore, also in this respect, it is possible to obtain a particular effect that the appearance of the appearance of the battery case is not impaired.

As described above, according to the second method, since the two characteristic elements, that is, the cutout portion 24 and the step portion 26 are provided, the surplus adhesive 31 is outside the main body portion 20. It does not leak to the side (face side) and does not spoil the appearance of the case face. Further, since the excess amount of the adhesive 31 can be positively flown out to the inside of the main body portion 20, it is not necessary to strictly control the discharge amount of the adhesive 31, and the manufacturing process can be simplified. it can. Further, since the rising of the adhesive 31 due to the capillary phenomenon can be prevented by the step portion 26, the adhesive 31 having high fluidity can be used, and the clogging of the nozzle 30 can be prevented.

Further, in this second method, as is clear from FIG. 2, the adhesive discharge nozzle 30 can be used with the nozzle facing downward. On the other hand, the direction of the nozzle in the prior art is multidirectional in the horizontal plane (arrow a in FIG. 6B).
In case of mechanizing the bonding process (using a robot), a four-axis robot is required in the conventional example, but a simpler three-axis robot may be used in the second method of the present embodiment. There is also an advantage that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The above-mentioned structure (the notch portion 24 and the step portion 2)
6) is a best mode embodiment. In this best mode, as described above, even if a low-viscosity adhesive is used and the discharge amount thereof is increased, it is possible to prevent the adhesive 31 from leaking to the case appearance surface. If the viscosity of the agent can be increased (if the fluidity can be decreased), there is less concern about capillary action, and therefore the cutout portion 24 alone may be used, or if the adhesive discharge amount can be optimized, a stepped portion can be formed. It may be configured with only 26.

Next, as in the prior art, the standing portion 3 of the upper lid 3
A method (first method) of applying an adhesive to a will be described. 4 (a) is a state diagram when the adhesive 41 is applied to the standing portion 3a of the upper lid 3 as in the conventional case and the standing portion 3a is fitted into the groove portion 22 of the main body portion 20, FIG. 4 (b) is , Is a state diagram when the fitting is completed. When the standing portion 3a is fitted into the groove portion 22, when the adhesive 41 filled in the groove portion 22 has a low viscosity (when the fluidity is high), the adhesive 41 forms a gap between the groove portion 22 and the standing portion 3a. Capillary phenomenon rises.

However, in the present embodiment, since the step portion 26 (second characteristic point) is provided near the upper portion of the outer wall surface 25 of the main body portion 20, the space 27 formed by the step portion 26 causes It is possible to prevent the capillary phenomenon and prevent the adhesive 41 from overflowing to the outside (that is, the surface side of the body) of the main body 20 due to the phenomenon. Therefore, even with this method, it is possible to obtain the effect that the appearance of the battery case is not impaired.

In the configuration of FIG. 4, the first feature point (cutout portion 24) is not a particularly essential element. The adhesive 41 applied to the standing portion 3a of the upper lid 3 is
This is because the excess portion is scraped off by the inner wall surface 22 a of the groove portion 22 when it is fitted into the groove portion 22, and flows out to the inner side of the main body portion 20.

In the above description, the battery case is taken as an example, but it goes without saying that the battery case is not limited to this. The point is that it is a case for an electric device, especially if it is difficult to disassemble after assembly, for example,
It may be a case for a recording medium such as a memory card. Further, although the above-mentioned characteristic configuration (first characteristic point, second characteristic point) is provided in the main body portion 20 of the case, it may be provided in a case constituent element (eg, upper lid) other than the main body portion.

[0029]

According to the present invention, when an adhesive is applied to the groove to join one divided body and another divided body, the stepped portion prevents the capillary phenomenon of the adhesive occurring on the joint surface. To be done. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the adhesive from protruding to the surface of the case, and to prevent the appearance of the case from being spoiled.

Further, if a notch is formed on the inner wall surface of the groove, excess adhesive can be positively discharged into the case by the notch, and in this respect also, the case appearance. It is possible to prevent the adhesive from squeezing out on the surface so as not to spoil the aesthetics of the case, and also to obtain a ripple effect that strict control of the amount of adhesive applied is not required.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a main body portion 20 of a battery case and a fragmentary enlarged view of a main portion.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state where an adhesive is applied to peculiar portions A to F of the main body portion 20.

3A and 3B are a state diagram when the standing portion 3a of the upper lid 3 is fitted into the groove portion 22 of the main body portion 20 and a state diagram when the fitting is completed.

4A and 4B are a state diagram when the adhesive 41 is applied to the upright portions 3a of the upper lid 3 and the upright portions 3a are fitted into the groove portions 22 of the main body 20, and a state diagram when the fitting is completed.

FIG. 5 is an assembly diagram of a battery case 1 for a notebook computer.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a completed state of assembly of the battery case 1 and an upside down external view of the upper lid 3 before the assembly.

FIG. 7 is a detailed assembly diagram of the main body 2 and the upper lid 3.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Battery case (case), 3 ... Top lid (divided body), 20 ... Main body (divided body), 22 ... Groove portion, 23
...... Inner wall, 24 ...... Notch, 25 ...... Outer wall, 2
6 ... Step.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masayuki Nogami             6-735 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Soni             -In EMCS Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3E068 AA33 AC05 BB01 CC03 CD02                       DD27 DE05 DE13 EE34 EE40                 5H040 AA03 AA07 CC05 CC13 CC22                       LL00

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A case comprising a plurality of divided bodies,
In a case where one divisional body and another divisional body are joined with an adhesive to form a sealed state, the one divisional body or the other divisional body has a bottomed box shape, and an outer circumference of an opening thereof. A case having a groove portion extending along the groove and a step portion formed on an outer wall surface of the groove portion. 2. A case comprising a plurality of divided bodies,
In a case where one divisional body and another divisional body are joined with an adhesive to form a sealed state, the one divisional body or the other divisional body has a bottomed box shape, and the outer circumference of the opening thereof. A case having a groove portion extending along the groove and a cutout portion formed on an inner wall surface of the groove portion. 3. A case comprising a plurality of divided bodies,
In a case where one divisional body and another divisional body are joined with an adhesive to form a sealed state, the one divisional body or the other divisional body has a bottomed box shape, and an outer circumference of an opening thereof. A case having a groove portion extending along the groove, a cutout portion formed on an inner wall surface of the groove portion, and a step portion formed on an outer wall surface of the groove portion.