JP2005158582A - Battery holder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery holder capable of saving space while restraining a replacement cost of a pin type lithium ion battery. <P>SOLUTION: This battery holder for holding a battery having a first electrode projecting from a first end out of both ends in the longitudinal direction of an armoring can is provided with: a tubular body part 201 for holding the first end side of the battery in a form capable of being inserted and extracted in the longitudinal direction; a metal terminal part 202 and a metal terminal part 203 brought into a state connected to the first electrode and a second electrode of the battery in the inserted state and led to the outside of the body part 201; and a PTC element 205 fitted to either of the terminal part 202 and the terminal part 203 in the body part 201. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery holder, and particularly to a technique for reducing the cost required for battery replacement.

At present, electronic and communication devices are rapidly becoming portable, and there is a demand for lightness, thinness, and high energy density for batteries used in these devices.
In recent years, a pin-type lithium ion battery having a new shape has been developed as a lithium ion battery (secondary battery) that meets such a demand.
This pin-type lithium ion battery has, for example, a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter of 6 mm and a length of about 60 mm, that is, a size of a short-sized cigarette, and a pin-shaped negative electrode projects from one end face in the longitudinal direction, The cylindrical outer can also serves as the positive electrode, and has a portion constricted in the circumferential direction on the cylindrical side surface (hereinafter referred to as “necked portion”) near the end on the negative electrode side.

Further, this pin type lithium ion battery has a simple component configuration with fewer components than a conventional cylindrical lithium ion battery.
At present, a battery similar to the outer shape is not a lithium ion battery, but a lithium battery that is a primary battery includes a pin-type lithium battery that is used for an electric float or a light emitting lure.

And as a battery holder used in order to accommodate this pin type lithium battery, there is a battery holder which has a bottomed cylindrical structure and partially accommodates only the end face side with the negative electrode of the pin type lithium battery. (For example, Patent Document 1)
Although it is conceivable to apply this battery holder to a battery holder for a pin-type lithium ion battery, since the pin-type lithium ion battery is a secondary battery, a heat sensitive material such as a PTC or a thermal fuse is used to protect the battery. It is necessary to provide an element.

In the conventional lithium ion battery, since the battery itself is provided with a heat sensitive element such as a PTC or a thermal fuse, it is generally considered that the battery is provided with a heat sensitive element in a place where interference with the battery holder does not occur. .
JP 2000-157107 A

However, in the case where the pin type lithium ion battery itself is provided with a thermal element, every time the battery is replaced, the thermal element that does not need to be replaced is also replaced, which increases the cost required for replacement. is there.
In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to insert a thermal element on the power supply path led out from the battery holder, but this requires a space and a holding mechanism for providing the thermal element, and the above-described lightness, thinness, and reduction are reduced. It will go against the request.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery holder capable of saving space while suppressing the replacement cost of the battery.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by the following.
(1) A battery holder for holding a battery in which a first pole projects from a first end of both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the outer can, wherein the first end side of the battery is in the longitudinal direction. A cylindrical holding portion that is held in a state where it can be inserted and removed, and a first power feed that is connected to the first and second poles of the battery in the inserted state and led out of the holding portion And a heat-sensitive element inserted into one of the first power supply path and the second power supply path in the holding portion.

As a result, when replacing the battery, it is not necessary to replace the thermal element, and the thermal element is in the battery holder, so that it is not necessary to bother the location of the thermal element.
That is, the replacement cost of the battery can be suppressed, space saving can be achieved, and the thermal element can exchange heat with the battery when the battery is mounted, and the temperature of the battery can be detected.
(2) The second pole is on a side surface of the outer can and is in a position covered by the holding portion in the inserted state, and the first terminal that contacts the first pole in the first feeding path is The second terminal that exists at the inner bottom of the holding portion and contacts the second pole in the second power feeding path is the inner side surface of the holding portion and is located at a position facing the second pole. And the said thermal element may be located in the exterior can surface vicinity of the said battery.

As a result, heat near the surface of the outer can of the battery is easily transmitted to the thermal element.
For this reason, the temperature difference between the said heat sensitive element and the said battery and the time lag of a temperature change become small, and a heat sensitive element can be operated accurately.
(3) The battery is a cylindrical battery, and has a constricted portion on the outer periphery of the outer can in the vicinity of the first end, the second power feeding path is made of a conductive elastic body, and the second power feeding path The first portion is formed along the shape of the constricted portion in the inserted state. During the insertion, the first portion is elastically deformed with the insertion, and when the insertion is completed, the first portion is the constricted. It may be fitted into the part.

Thereby, the said battery is fixed firmly.
(4) The first power supply path and the second power supply path located outside the holding unit may extend from the holding unit in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.
Thereby, it becomes easy to arrange | position the said battery along the upper surface of a board | substrate, or the edge of a board | substrate.
(5) The ends of the first feeding path and the second feeding path on the side where the extension is made are directly or indirectly joined to a substrate, and the battery holder and the substrate are In the inserted state, the central axis of the battery and the substrate are in a positional relationship on substantially the same plane.

Thereby, it becomes easy to arrange | position the said battery along the edge part of a board | substrate.
(6) The battery may be a pin-type lithium ion battery.
Thereby, even when the pin-type lithium ion battery is replaced, the effects described in the above (1) to (5) are exhibited.

In the battery holder according to the present invention, since a thermal element such as PTC is disposed inside the battery holder, the location of the thermal element need not be considered, and space saving can be achieved, and at the time of battery replacement The thermosensitive element remains in the battery holder, and unnecessary part replacement costs do not occur.
That is, the battery replacement cost is reduced.
In addition, since the thermal element is disposed inside the battery holder, heat transmitted from the battery inserted in the battery holder is difficult to escape, and further, the battery inserted in the battery holder is moved in the direction in which the thermal element is disposed. Therefore, the distance between the thermal element and the battery side surface is reduced, the degree of thermal coupling is increased, and the temperature of the battery can be accurately and quickly reflected on the temperature of the thermal element.

<Embodiment>
<Configuration>
Hereinafter, the battery holder in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a circuit 50 to which the battery holder 200 according to the present embodiment is applied.

The circuit 50 is built in, for example, a PDA or a personal computer.
The battery holder 200 is a battery holder that houses a pin-type lithium ion battery 80 and reversibly supplies power between the substrate 51 and the pin-type lithium ion battery 80, as shown in FIG. And includes a metal terminal portion 202 and a metal terminal portion 203 which are inserted into a slot portion 52 provided on the substrate 51, and a main body portion 201.

By inserting the metal terminal portion 202 and the metal terminal portion 203 into the slot portion 52, physical fixation and electrical connection are made between the battery holder 200 and the substrate 51.
Since the pin-type lithium ion battery 80 is disposed along one side of the substrate 51 and is located on substantially the same plane as the substrate 51, it can be regarded as a part of the substrate 51 in circuit design. It is difficult to create a spot-like space such as a so-called enclave, and the space can be used effectively.

In principle, the position of the slot 52 on the substrate 51 may be in the vicinity of any component. However, by providing the slot 52 in the vicinity of the component with the largest power consumption on the substrate 51, the slot 52 can be disposed on this component. It is possible to shorten the length of the power supply path leading to the resistance loss.
Hereinafter, the internal structure of the main body will be described.

The main body 201 has a bottomed cylindrical shape and is made of an insulating material such as polycarbonate or ABS resin having a wall thickness of about 1 mm, and the central portion of the inner bottom surface is partially depressed, and the inner wall of the cylinder Has a bent portion 201a bent inwardly.
When the pin type lithium ion battery 80 is not inserted into the battery holder 200 (hereinafter referred to as “battery not inserted state”), the top of the bent portion 201a protrudes from the inner wall surface of the main body 201 by about 1 mm. .

The inner diameter is set to be about 1 to 2 mm larger than the outer diameter of the pin-type lithium ion battery 80.
Inside the main body portion 201, as shown in FIG. 2A, one end of the metal terminal portion 202 extends to the bottom of the center of the cylindrical portion of the main body portion 201, and the metal terminal portion 203 has a cylindrical side surface. Are arranged in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the metal terminal portion 203 has a PTC element 205 inserted between a metal plate 204 having a bent portion 204a bent in a U shape and a metal plate 206 bent at a right angle. It is set up.
The PTC element 205 is an element that, when reaching a predetermined temperature, suddenly increases in resistance value and blocks the current flowing inside.

That is, by providing the PTC element 205 on the power supply path, an excessive current is prevented from flowing through the circuit 50.
The PTC element 205 is joined to the metal plate 204 and the metal plate 206 by soldering as shown in FIG.
The metal terminal portion 202 and the metal terminal portion 203 are insert-molded in the main body portion 201.

The top of the bent portion 204a protrudes about 1 mm from the inner wall surface of the main body 201 when the battery is not inserted.
The metal terminal portion 203 is disposed at a position facing the bent portion 201 a of the main body portion 201.
As shown in FIG. 3, in a state where the pin type lithium ion battery 80 is inserted into the battery holder 200 (hereinafter referred to as “battery inserted state”), the negative electrode of the pin type lithium ion battery 80, that is, the tip of the pin. Contacts the tip of the metal terminal portion 202, and the bent portion 204a of the metal plate 204 fits into the constricted portion 81a of the pin-type lithium ion battery 80.

Thereby, the pin-type lithium ion battery 80 is fixed.
In the battery insertion state, the bent portion 201 a of the main body portion 201 is elastically deformed by being pushed up in contact with the side wall of the pin-type lithium ion battery 80, while the pin-type lithium ion battery 80 is disposed on the metal terminal portion 203. The PTC element 205 and the side of the pin type lithium ion battery 80 face each other, and the interval between the A parts (B part described later in the case of the pin type lithium ion battery 80) is 0 or close to 0. It is close to the value.

Thereby, the thermal resistance between the PTC element 205 and the pin type lithium ion battery 80 is reduced, that is, the degree of thermal coupling is increased, and the heat conduction between the PTC element 205 and the pin type lithium ion battery 80 is promoted. The
For this reason, the temperature change of the pin-type lithium ion battery 80 is quickly reflected in the temperature change of the PTC element 205, that is, when the time lag becomes small and it is desired to cut off the current, the current can be cut off quickly.

Further, since the PTC element 205 is disposed in the main body 201 and heat conducted from the pin type lithium ion battery 80 to the PTC element 205 is difficult to escape, the temperature of the pin type lithium ion battery 80 and the temperature of the PTC element 205 are The difference is difficult to occur.
For this reason, the temperature of the pin-type lithium ion battery 80 is accurately reflected in the temperature of the PTC element 205, and the current can be accurately interrupted at the target temperature.

Here, the internal structure of the pin-type lithium ion battery 80 will be described.
The pin-type lithium ion battery 80 is a secondary battery having a high energy density, and is used as a main power source when used in a PDA or the like, and is used as a backup power source in a personal computer or the like.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the pin type lithium ion battery 80.

In this pin-type lithium ion battery 80, a rod-shaped stainless steel pin 82 is disposed on the central axis of a bottomed cylindrical outer can 81, and the negative electrode, separator, positive electrode plate, and separator are arranged in this order. The sandwiched power generation element 90 is wound, and a cap portion 83 made of an elastic material is press-fitted into the pin 82 near the opening of the outer can 81.
The pin 82 is provided with a flange portion 82a for partitioning the cap portion 83 and the power generation element 90. The wall of the outer can 81 is inwardly positioned at a position closer to the opening side than the flange portion 82a. Are crimped, that is, for forming the constricted portion 81a.

Furthermore, the edge of the opening of the outer can 81 is bent inward.
The pin 82 has a role of collecting current from the power generation element 90 and a role of a negative electrode, and a portion B in which the cross section of the power feeding path is small is the place where heat is most easily generated.
For this reason, as described above, the arrangement position of the PTC element 205 is set on the inner wall surface of the main body 201 facing the B portion of the pin-type lithium ion battery 80 in the battery insertion state.

The outer can 81 is joined to the positive electrode plate, and the entire outer can 81 also serves as the positive electrode of the battery in addition to the role as a housing.
The following is an example of the specifications of the pin-type lithium ion battery 80 in the present embodiment.
<Specifications of pin-type lithium-ion battery>
(Size)
Total length L = 55mm
Outer diameter d = 6mm
As described above, since the battery holder in the present embodiment has a thermal element such as PTC arranged in the battery holder, the location of the thermal element need not be considered in circuit design. In addition to space saving, the thermal element remains in the battery holder at the time of battery replacement, and unnecessary part replacement costs do not occur.

  Further, since the thermal element is disposed inside the battery holder, heat transmitted from the battery inserted in the battery holder is difficult to escape, and further, the battery inserted in the battery holder is moved in the direction in which the thermal element is disposed. Therefore, the distance between the thermal element and the battery side surface is reduced, the degree of thermal coupling is increased, and the temperature of the battery can be accurately and quickly reflected on the temperature of the thermal element.

In the present embodiment, the metal terminal portions 202 and 203 are inserted into the slot portion 52, whereby the battery holder 200 and the substrate 51 are physically fixed and electrically connected. Various forms are conceivable for the shapes of the metal terminal portions 202 and 203 and the connection method and shape between the battery holder and the substrate 51.
For example, in the battery holder 100 shown in FIG. 5 (a) and FIG. 5 (b), which is an enlarged view of the local area, a resin casing 102 that covers the metal terminal portions 202 and 203 is provided.

With the above configuration, when the user inserts the pin-type lithium ion battery 80 into the battery holder 100, the battery holder 100 is connected to the slot 52 without electric shock because the portion where the potential difference is generated is covered. can do.
In addition, unlike the battery holder 300 shown in FIG. 6, the metal terminal portion 301 composed of only metal terminals may be soldered on the substrate 51 without providing the slot portion 52.

  Further, as in the battery holder 400 shown in FIG. 7, instead of a simple plate-like terminal shape, a skewed metal terminal portion 401 and a metal terminal portion 402 having different heights are provided, Further, the substrate 51 is provided with a wiring pattern instead of the slot portion 52, and this portion may be sandwiched between the metal terminal portion 401 and the metal terminal portion 402 and connected to the substrate 51.

Thereby, a battery holder and the board | substrate 51 can be connected easily, without requiring a complicated structure.
Further, the dimensions of the pin-type lithium ion battery 80 are not limited to the values exemplified in the present embodiment, and the total length L is in the range of 40 mm to 70 mm and the outer diameter d is in the range of 5 mm to 10 mm. I just need it.

In this embodiment, the battery inserted into the battery holder is a pin-type lithium ion battery. However, the battery is not limited to this, and may be a battery such as a normal cylindrical battery or a square battery. .
In that case, the positional relationship between the positive electrode and the negative electrode is different. In particular, for the pole located on the side exposed from the battery holder, it is necessary to provide a new power supply path for contacting the pole.

In some cases, the length of the battery holder may be extended to be approximately equal to the total length of the battery inserted into the battery holder.
In the present embodiment, the thermosensitive element is inserted into the positive terminal, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be inserted into the negative terminal.
In the present embodiment, the PTC element is used as the temperature sensitive element. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a temperature fuse or a self-recovery breaker may be used.

  The battery holder according to the present invention is applicable to devices such as PDAs and personal computers.

It is a figure which shows the circuit to which the battery holder in this embodiment is applied. It is a figure explaining the structure of the battery holder in this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the state by which the battery was inserted in the battery holder in this embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the pin-type lithium ion battery in this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the modification 1 of the battery holder in this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the modification 2 of the battery holder in this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the modification 3 of the battery holder in this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 Circuit 51 Board | substrate 52 Slot part 80 pin-type lithium ion battery 81 Outer can 81a Constriction part 82 Pin 82a collar part 83 Cap part 90 Electric power generation element 100 Battery holder 102 Casing 200 Battery holder 201 Main part 201a Bending part 202 Metal terminal part 203 Metal Terminal part 204 Metal plate 204a Bent part 205 PTC element 206 Metal plate 300 Battery holder 301 Metal terminal part 400 Battery holder 401 Metal terminal part

Claims (6)

A battery holder for holding a battery in which a first pole protrudes from a first end of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the outer can,
A cylindrical holding part for holding the first end side of the battery in a state in which the battery can be inserted and removed in the longitudinal direction;
In the inserted state, a first feeding path and a second feeding path that are connected to the first and second poles of the battery and are led out of the holding portion;
In the said holding | maintenance part, The thermosensitive element inserted in any one on the said 1st electric power feeding path and the said 2nd electric power feeding path, The battery holder characterized by these. The second pole is on a side surface of the outer can and is in a position covered by the holding portion in the inserted state;
A first terminal in contact with the first pole in the first feeding path is present at an inner bottom portion of the holding portion;
A second terminal in contact with the second pole in the second power supply path is an inner side surface of the holding portion and is located at a position facing the second pole;
The battery holder according to claim 1, wherein the thermal element is located in the vicinity of the outer can surface of the battery. The battery is a cylindrical battery, and has a constricted portion on the outer periphery of the outer can near the first end,
The second feeding path is made of a conductive elastic body,
A first portion of the second feeding path is formed along the shape of the constricted portion in the inserted state;
3. The battery holder according to claim 2, wherein the first portion is elastically deformed with the insertion during the insertion, and the first portion is fitted into the constricted portion when the insertion is completed. 4. The battery according to claim 3, wherein the first power supply path and the second power supply path located outside the holding portion are extended from the holding portion in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. holder. The ends of the first feeding path and the second feeding path on the side where the extension is made are joined directly or indirectly to the substrate,
5. The battery holder according to claim 4, wherein the battery holder and the substrate are in a positional relationship in which the central axis of the battery and the substrate are on substantially the same plane in the inserted state. The battery holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the battery is a pin-type lithium ion battery.

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