JP2008154402A - Charging device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging device capable of maintaining a preferable charging state and preventing deformation and breakage due to improper attachment of a battery pack when the battery pack is housed in a battery housing part of a charger in a normal direction in the charging device constructed of the battery pack and the charger. <P>SOLUTION: The battery pack B has a terminal plate 2 having terminals 2a to 2c at one edge part, and a bottom plate 3 at the other terminal edge part. On both the terminal edge parts of the terminal plate 2, protruding corner parts 4 which form corners are provided on a surface side which becomes an outside when the battery pack is housed in the normal direction to the battery housing part H, and relief parts 5 with the corners removed are provided on the backside. The battery housing part H of the charger C includes contactors 9a to 9c which are mated with the terminals 2a to 2c of the battery pack B, and an overhang part 10 for partially covering the contactors of the housing area, and a protruding part 11 which is brought into contact with the protruding corner parts 4 of the housed battery pack B is provided on the back surface of the overhang part 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery pack charging device used as a power source for various electronic devices such as video cameras and mobile phones.

  Conventionally, as a charging device as described above, a battery pack that is a secondary battery and a charger having an insertion portion of the battery pack are provided, and a concave portion is provided at the bottom of the battery pack, and a bottom portion of the insertion portion of the charger is provided. When the battery pack is inserted in the correct orientation, a convex portion that engages with the recess when the battery pack is inserted in the normal direction and is not engaged with the recess when the battery pack is erroneously inserted is provided. There is one that prevents contact between terminals of the battery pack and the charger (Patent Document 1).

Further, in the conventional charging device, as a means for preventing the erroneous insertion of the battery pack, the shape of the battery pack is made asymmetrical in the vertical and horizontal directions or partly deformed, and the shape of the battery storage part of the charger Corresponds to the shape of the battery pack, and the battery pack can be inserted or accommodated only in a normal direction.
JP-A-9-98541

  By the way, in recent years, along with the reduction in size and weight of electronic devices, various improvements have been made in battery packs used as a power source, and as one of them, thinning of battery packs has been realized. However, the thinned battery pack inevitably has a mechanical strength slightly lower than that of a battery pack having a sufficient thickness.

  For this reason, in the conventional charging device, the battery pack is prevented from being erroneously inserted as described above. However, when the battery pack is made thinner, the battery pack is stored in the battery storage portion of the charger. The battery pack may be mounted in the wrong direction due to partial or total deformation of the pack. And, if the battery pack firmly fitted in the battery storage part is forcibly taken out, the battery pack may be damaged. Therefore, in the conventional charging device, the battery as described above is accompanied with the thinning of the battery pack. It has been a problem to solve the erroneous mounting of the pack and the problems caused thereby.

  In addition, in order to deal with the erroneous mounting of the battery pack as described above, a battery that has been mounted incorrectly is provided by providing a space in the battery storage portion of the charger and always providing a gap between the battery storage portion and the battery pack. Although it is conceivable to avoid deformation and destruction of the pack, in this case, there is a possibility that a contact failure of the terminal may occur because a gap is generated even when the battery pack is stored in a normal orientation in the battery storage portion.

  The present invention has been made in view of the conventional situation as described above, and is particularly suitable for a thin battery pack in a charging device including a battery pack and a charger. When the battery pack is stored in a normal orientation with respect to the unit, the battery pack can be stably held to maintain a good charge state, and deformation and destruction due to incorrect battery pack installation can be prevented. It aims at providing the charging device which can do.

  The charging device of the present invention is a charging device including a flat battery pack that is a secondary battery and a charger that includes a flat concave battery storage portion that stores the battery pack. A terminal plate having a terminal at the end, a bottom plate at the other end, and corners formed on the outer side of the terminal plate when stored in a normal orientation with respect to the battery storage portion The battery housing portion of the charger includes a contact corresponding to the terminal of the battery pack and a contact portion of the battery housing portion. In addition to providing a protruding portion that partially covers the contactor side of the storage space, the back surface of the protruding portion is provided with convex portions that respectively contact the protruding corners on both sides of the stored battery pack. It is a means to solve the conventional problems with the configuration

  When the battery pack having the above configuration stores the battery pack in a normal orientation with respect to the battery storage portion of the charger, the front-side protruding corners at both ends of the terminal plate are formed on the protrusions provided on the back surface of the protruding portion. The contact portion of the battery pack and restraining the end of the battery pack on the terminal plate side (restraining the movement of the battery pack in the thickness direction), the contact of the charger and the terminal of the battery pack contact, Since the battery pack is prevented from rattling by the contact between the protruding corner and the convex portion, a good contact state between the contact and the terminal, that is, a good charged state is maintained.

  In addition, when the battery pack is stored in the battery storage section in the reverse direction, that is, when it is incorrectly installed, the contact of the charger and the terminal of the battery pack are not in contact with each other, and the terminal plate The relief part of the back side in both ends corresponds. As a result, there is no restriction by the convex portion, and there is a space in the battery pack in the thickness direction of the battery pack, so that the battery pack does not fit firmly into the battery pack even if it is installed incorrectly. Therefore, a situation in which the battery pack is deformed or destroyed is prevented.

  According to the charging device of the present invention, in the charging device including the battery pack and the charger, the battery pack is stored in a normal orientation with respect to the battery storage portion of the charger even when a thin battery pack is applied. In this case, the battery pack can be stably held and maintained in a good charge state, and even if the battery pack is installed incorrectly in the reverse direction, do not hinder the storage of the battery pack, The deformation and destruction of the battery pack can be prevented.

  The charging device of the present invention includes a flat battery pack that is a secondary battery, and a charger that includes a flat concave battery housing portion that houses the battery pack.

  The battery pack in the above charging device includes a terminal plate having an appropriate number of terminals at one end and a bottom plate at the other end, and is stored in a regular orientation with respect to the electronic storage portion at both ends of the terminal plate. In this case, the front side which is the outer side has a protruding corner portion which forms a corner, and the back side has a relief portion in which the corner is removed by notching, rounding (R), chamfering or the like.

  Further, in the above charging device, the battery storage part of the charger partially covers the contact corresponding to the terminal of the battery pack (terminal on the charger side) and the contact side of the storage space of the battery storage part. In addition to including the overhanging portion, the back surface of the overhanging portion is provided with convex portions that respectively come into contact with the protruding corner portions on both sides of the stored battery pack.

  In other words, the battery charger described above avoids such a situation because the battery pack that has been forcibly mis-installed has been deformed or broken in the past, so that the protruding corners provided at both ends of the terminal plate of the battery pack are avoided. The battery pack is allowed to be erroneously mounted by the configuration of the protrusion and the escape portion and the convex portion provided on the back surface of the overhang portion of the charger.

  That is, when the battery pack is stored in a normal orientation with respect to the battery storage portion of the charger, the battery pack terminal plate side end portion is brought into contact with the protruding portion and the protruding corner portion. Restraining and maintaining good contact between the charger, the contacts and the terminals of the battery pack. In addition, if the battery pack is stored in the battery storage part in the reverse direction, that is, misinstalled, the relief part corresponds to the convex part, thereby preventing the convex part from being restrained. The battery pack is prevented from being deformed or broken without hindering the storage of the battery pack in the battery storage unit.

  As a more preferred embodiment of the charging device of the present invention, the battery pack has a flat elliptical shape in a cross section orthogonal to the direction from the terminal plate to the bottom plate, and the bottom plate has the same flat elliptical shape. It can be set as the structure which is carrying out.

  Thus, in the charging device, the battery pack is provided with relief portions in which corners are removed by rounding (R) on both the front side and the back side at both ends of the bottom plate. In other words, as described above, when the battery pack is mistakenly attached to the battery compartment of the charger in the reverse direction, the battery pack is prevented from being deformed or broken by not being restrained by the convex portion. Similarly, when the battery pack is turned backwards and forwards (the direction in which the bottom plate is stowed first), and when the battery pack is turned front and back and backwards and forwards, the battery pack is not restrained and stored. Without hindering, the battery pack can be prevented from being deformed or destroyed.

  Furthermore, as a more preferred embodiment, the charging device of the present invention can be configured such that an inclined surface extending from the open portion side of the battery storage portion to the tip of the convex portion is provided on the back surface of the overhang portion of the charger. Thereby, when storing a battery pack in a battery storage part, an inclined surface functions as a guide part of a battery pack, and can attach or detach a battery pack smoothly.

  Furthermore, as a more preferred embodiment, the charging device of the present invention is such that the size of the convex portion is within a range of removal of corners by the escape portion when the battery pack is viewed from the terminal plate to the bottom plate. It is possible to have a configuration, which prevents the battery pack from being deformed and damaged by avoiding the restraint by the convex portion and the function of stably holding the battery pack by the contact between the convex portion and the protruding corner portion. Both functions can be obtained more reliably.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a charging device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the charging device includes a flat battery pack B that is a secondary battery and a charger C including a flat concave battery storage portion H that stores the battery pack B.

  The battery pack B is formed by, for example, covering an electrode body obtained by winding or laminating belt-like positive and negative electrodes and a belt-like separator with an exterior material, and as shown in FIG. 4, one end portion of the flat barrel portion 1. In addition, a plastic terminal plate 2 having a plurality of terminals 2 a to 2 c is attached, and a plastic bottom plate 3 is also attached to the other end portion of the body portion 1.

  Further, in the battery pack B, the transverse cross section of the body portion 1, that is, the cross section orthogonal to the direction from the terminal plate 2 to the bottom plate 3 forms a flat oval shape, and the bottom plate 3 has a flat oval shape having the same size. Is made. For this reason, in the battery pack B, both sides of the body portion 1 and the bottom plate 3 are curved surfaces that allow the front and back surfaces to smoothly continue.

  Furthermore, the battery pack B has a front surface (the upper surface shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) when it is stored in the battery storage portion H of the charger C in a normal orientation as the front side. On the front side, corners 4 and 4 that form corners are provided, and on the back side of both end portions of the terminal plate 2, relief portions 5 and 5 are provided with the corners removed in a rectangular shape by notches.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the charger C includes a circuit board 7 inside the casings 6a and 6b combined vertically, and the upper casing 6a has a flat concave battery housing opened upward. Part H is provided. The battery housing portion H has an internal dimension corresponding to the outer shape of the battery pack B, and between the side wall 8a and the bottom wall 8b, as shown in FIG. A roundness (R) 8c corresponding to the surface is provided.

  In addition, the battery housing portion H partially extends over the contacts (charging terminals) 9a to 9c corresponding to the terminals 2a to 2c of the battery pack B and the contact side of the housing space of the battery housing portion H. 1 and 5, the back surface (inner surface) of the overhanging portion 10 abuts on the protruding corner portions 4 and 4 on both sides of the battery pack B stored in the normal orientation, respectively. Protrusions 11 and 11 are provided, and as shown in FIG. 5 in particular, on the back surface of the overhanging part 10, the projecting part 11 from the open part side of the battery housing part H as a guide part when the battery pack B is attached and detached. An inclined surface 12 is provided to reach the tip.

  With the above configuration, the battery storage portion H has a storage space that is larger than the thickness of the battery pack B by the protruding length of the convex portion 11 in the depth direction. Further, although the detailed structure of the contacts 9a to 9c of the charger C is omitted, the contacts 9a to 9c are elastically biased in the protruding direction, and are brought into pressure contact with the terminals 2a to 2c of the stored battery pack B. Also, it has a function of stably holding the battery pack B. Furthermore, the overhanging portion 10 has a function of not only providing the convex portion 11 but also protecting the contact portions 9a to 9c and preventing the stored battery pack B from being inadvertently detached.

  Here, the protruding portion 11 of the overhanging portion 10 of the charger C has a corner removal range by the escape portion 5 in a state where the battery pack B is viewed from the terminal plate 2 to the bottom plate 3. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), it has a size that fits within the range of the difference between the protruding corner 4 and the clearance 5 due to the notch (the range indicated by hatching), and corresponds to the protruding corner 4 and the clearance 5 It is provided in the position to do.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since both sides of the body 1 and the bottom plate 3 of the battery back B are curved surfaces, both the front side and the back side of both ends of the bottom plate 3 are rounded (R). The escape portion in the removed state is provided. Therefore, the convex portion 11 has a size that falls within the range of the difference between the protruding corner portion 4 and the relief portion 5 due to the notch as described above, and, as shown in FIG. It has a size that falls within the range of the difference from the relief portion (5) due to roundness (R) (range shown by hatching), and is provided at a position corresponding to the protruding corner portion 4 and the relief portion (5).

  When the battery charger B having the above configuration stores the battery pack B in a normal orientation (a direction in which the front side is on the upper side) with respect to the battery storage portion H of the charger C, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, The protrusions 11, 11 provided on the back surface of the overhanging portion 10 come into contact with the protruding corners 4, 4 on both sides of the terminal plate 2 to restrain the end of the battery pack B on the terminal plate 2 side. At the same time, the contacts 9a to 9c of the charger C and the terminals 2a to 2c of the battery pack B come into contact with each other.

  At this time, in the charging device, rattling of the battery pack B is prevented by the contact between the protruding corner portions 4 and 4 and the convex portions 11 and 11, so that the contacts 9a to 9c and the terminals 2a to 2c Thus, a good contact state, that is, a good charge state is maintained.

  Further, when the battery pack B is stored in the battery storage portion H with the battery pack B turned upside down, that is, when the battery pack B is stored incorrectly, the contacts 9a to 9c of the charger C and the terminals 2a to 2c of the battery pack B are not connected. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 7, the relief portions 5, 5 on the back side at both ends of the terminal plate 2 correspond to the convex portions 11, 11 of the overhang portion 10.

  As a result, the charging device is not constrained by the convex portions 11, 11, and there is room in the battery pack B in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the battery pack B, so that the battery pack B is stored. There is no hindrance. In particular, in the charging device according to this embodiment, since the roundness (R) 8c is provided between the side wall 8a and the bottom wall 8b in the battery housing portion H, the protruding corner portions 4, 4 which are on the lower side due to incorrect mounting are provided. And the roundness 8c interfere with each other so that the battery pack B is shifted upward on the terminal plate 2 side, and the battery pack B does not fit firmly into the battery housing portion H even if it is incorrectly installed. A situation in which the battery pack H is deformed or broken is prevented.

  Further, in the charging device, the battery pack B is provided with relief portions (5) in which corners are removed by rounding (R) on both the front side and the back side at both ends of the bottom plate 3. Even if the battery pack B is erroneously attached to the battery storage portion H in the reverse direction so that the bottom plate 3 comes first, as shown in FIG. , 11 is not performed, and storage of the battery pack B is not hindered. Therefore, the battery pack B is not firmly fitted into the battery storage portion H. Destruction can be prevented.

  As described above, the charging device described in the above embodiment is provided with the protruding corner portions 4 and the escape portions 5 at both end portions of the terminal plate 2 of the battery pack B, and protrudes from the back surface of the protruding portion 10 of the charger C. The portion 11 is provided, and at this time, the size of the convex portion 11 is set so as to be within the corner removal range by the relief portion 5 shown in FIG. More reliable both the function of stably holding the battery pack B in a normal state and the function of preventing the deformation and breakage of the battery pack B that has been mismounted Can get to.

  It is to be noted that this type of charging apparatus generally includes a display of characters and symbols indicating the correct storage direction of the battery pack B, a charge lamp that is turned on during charging, and the like. Even if it is attached, it is possible to quickly determine this, and it is also possible to provide means for determining erroneous attachment. In addition, even if the charging device is left in the wrong mounting state, there is no fear of contact between terminals and deformation or destruction of the battery pack, so that the charging device is extremely useful in terms of preventing troubles. It is.

  Furthermore, the configuration of the charging device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and details of the configuration can be changed as appropriate. For example, the protruding corner portion and the escape portion of the battery pack and the battery Regarding the configuration of the convex part of the storage part, it is not impossible to provide it between the side (short side) of the terminal plate of the battery pack and the battery storage part, but in this case, the battery pack and the battery Since the gap between the storage portion and the side wall of the storage portion is created to impair the stability of the stored battery pack, the configuration in which the protruding corner portion is provided on the front side of the battery pack and the escape portion is provided on the back side as in the above embodiment It is a form.

  Furthermore, the configuration of the protruding corner portion and the relief portion of the battery pack and the convex portion of the battery storage portion in the charging device is also applied between the battery pack and the battery storage portion of an electronic device that uses the battery pack as a power source. Is fully possible.

It is sectional drawing explaining the accommodating part of a battery pack in one Embodiment of the charging device of this invention. It is a perspective view explaining a charger. It is a perspective view explaining a battery pack and a charger. It is a perspective view explaining a battery pack. It is side part sectional drawing of the accommodating part of the battery pack shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing (a) (b) which shows the relationship between the protrusion corner part and escape part of a battery pack, and the convex part of a charger, respectively. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which misattached the battery pack with the battery storage part in the reverse direction. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which misattached the battery pack with respect to the battery accommodating part in the front-back reverse direction.

Explanation of symbols

  B ... Battery pack, H ... Battery storage part, C ... Charger, 2 ... Terminal plate, 2a-2c ... Terminal, 3 ... Bottom plate, 4 ... Exit corner, 5 ... Escape part, 9a-9c ... Contact, 10 ... overhang, 11 ... convex, 12 ... inclined surface.

Claims (4)

A charging device comprising a flat battery pack which is a secondary battery and a charger having a flat concave battery storage for storing the battery pack,
The battery pack includes a terminal plate having a terminal at one end and a bottom plate at the other end, and is outside when the battery pack is stored in a normal orientation at both ends of the terminal plate. The front side has a corner that forms a corner, and the back side has a relief portion with the corner removed,
The battery storage part of the charger includes a contact corresponding to the terminal of the battery pack, and an overhang part that partially covers the contact side of the storage space of the battery storage part, and on the back surface of the overhang part. A charging device comprising protrusions that respectively contact the protruding corners on both sides of the stored battery pack. 2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the battery pack has a flat elliptical shape in a cross section orthogonal to a direction from the terminal plate to the bottom plate, and the bottom plate has a similar flat elliptical shape. The charging device described. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein an inclined surface is provided on the back surface of the overhang portion of the charger from the open portion side of the battery housing portion to the tip of the convex portion. 2. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein the size of the convex portion is a size that fits in a corner removal range by the escape portion when the battery pack is viewed in a direction from the terminal plate to the bottom plate. .

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