JP2009201324A - Portable gas alarm charger - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable gas alarm charger that allows the connection of a plurality of chargers with the same configuration and is capable of simultaneously charging a plurality of secondary batteries of portable gas alarm units, very easily achieving the connection of the chargers, and stably obtaining a predetermined performance. <P>SOLUTION: The portable gas alarm charger is configured by providing a pair of coupling members which is engaged with each other at each of one side and another side in a housing, and a plurality of chargers are connectedly configured by engaging the coupling members, wherein an aperture that exposes the formation portion of a coupled feed line formation pattern circuit in a circuit board inside the housing to the outside is formed on both sides in one surface of the housing, a cover member is detachably provided to cover the aperture, and at least two chargers with mutually contacted sides cover members removed therefrom are mechanically coupled, thereby forming an attachment member attaching section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a portable gas alarm charger.

  Various types of portable gas alarms have been proposed so far, and these portable gas alarms are normally used as a power source for driving, for example, charging a secondary battery (storage battery). The gas alarm is used repeatedly by being made by a dedicated charger.

In general, there are many cases where there are many measurement points that need to be monitored at work sites, and it is often necessary to monitor specific measurement points in a concentrated manner. A portable gas alarm is used at the same time.
Usually, the charger of the portable gas alarm device is for charging one portable gas alarm device with one charger, and in order to charge a plurality of portable gas alarm devices at the same time, what It is inconvenient because it is necessary to place the chargers side by side.

On the other hand, in order to charge the secondary batteries of a plurality of devices at the same time, the plurality of chargers are mechanically connected and integrated, and in this state, adjacent chargers are electrically connected and connected. A connected charger having a configuration in which an AC adapter is connected to a charger on the most upstream side in the direction is used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In this connection type charger, the connection structure provided on both sides of the housing is slidably engaged with the connection structure provided on the housing of another charger in a direction crossing the both sides. At the same time, the coupling terminal portions provided on both sides of the housing are coupled to and electrically connected to the coupling terminal portions provided on the housing of another charger.

  However, the structure as described above has a problem that a load is applied to the electrical connection portion when connecting a plurality of chargers, and connection failure or failure is likely to occur.

JP 2006-340449 A

  The present invention has been made based on the circumstances as described above, and the object thereof is to connect a plurality of chargers having the same configuration to each other as a driving source by using a plurality of chargers connected to each other. Provided is a charger capable of simultaneously charging the portable gas alarm device of the present invention, wherein the chargers can be extremely easily connected to each other, and the desired performance can be stably obtained. There is to do.

The charger of the portable gas alarm device of the present invention includes a housing having a mounting portion on the upper surface where the portable gas alarm device is received and mounted, and each of the one side surface and the other side surface of the housing has one side. A portable gas alarm charger having a pair of connecting members that can be engaged with each other, and a plurality of connecting members that can be connected by engaging the connecting members with each other. Because
On both sides of one side of the housing are formed openings that expose the portions of the circuit board disposed in the housing where the pattern circuit for forming the connection feeding path is formed to the outside, and block the openings. The cover member is detachably attached to the housing,
An attachment member for electrically connecting adjacent chargers is obtained by mechanically coupling at least two chargers with the side-side cover members that are in contact with each other being removed. An attachment member mounting portion to be mounted is formed.

In the portable gas alarm device of the present invention, an AC adapter mounting portion is formed on one surface of the housing,
In a state where at least two chargers are connected, it is preferable that the attachment member is attached so that the AC adapter attachment portion in the charger on the downstream side in the connection direction is blocked by the attachment member.

  The charger of the portable gas alarm device of the present invention is useful for a portable gas alarm device provided with a nickel hydrogen battery, a nickel cadmium battery, or a lithium ion battery as a driving power source.

  According to the charger of the present invention, basically, a plurality of chargers having the same configuration are mechanically coupled by engaging the coupling member and electrically connected by the attachment member. As a result of being integrated, it is possible to supply power to all chargers as long as power is supplied to a single charger, so work such as routing of the power cable becomes unnecessary. The installation work can be easily performed, and the attachment member is used and the electrical connection part is configured independently of the mechanical connection part. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a connection failure or failure, and the power supply function is attached to the attachment. Since the structure attached to the member, that is, the structure in which the attachment member includes the connector member, it is not necessary to provide a member such as a plug or jack for electrical coupling in the charger body. The structure can be simplified within a range that does not hinder the use alone, and the cost can be reduced.

  In addition, the attachment member mounting portion is formed by connecting the at least two chargers in a state where the side-side cover members that are in contact with each other are removed, so that the attachment member In addition to being able to be mounted very easily, the attachment member can be mounted integrally with the charger main body, so the load due to external force acting on the attachment member can be reduced and electrical It is possible to protect the connection part and reliably prevent a connection failure or failure. Also, the electrical connection portion can be protected by adopting a structure in which the electrical connection portion is not exposed to the outside.

  Furthermore, in a state where at least two chargers are connected, the attachment member is attached so that the AC adapter attachment portion in the charger on the downstream side in the connection direction is blocked by the attachment member. Since the attachment of the AC adapter to the charger on the downstream side in the connection direction is hindered, the charger to which the AC adapter is to be attached can be easily specified, and a desired connection state can be reliably obtained.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The battery charger of the present invention has, for example, a high-capacity (AAA size) nickel-hydrogen (NiMH) battery, nickel-cadmium (NiCd) battery, lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, or the like as a driving power source. For example, for example, a secondary battery having a rated voltage of 1.2 V and a capacity of 800 mA is used, and the secondary battery of a portable gas alarm device having a generally box shape and having a size that can be held and held by hand. Are used alone, or a plurality of units are connected to each other.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an example of a charger according to the present invention. For convenience, the lower side in FIG. 1 is referred to as “front”.
The charger 10 is provided with a housing 11 having a substantially box-like shape and having a mounting portion 12 formed of a recess opening upward, on which a portable gas alarm is received and mounted. The mounting portion 12 is provided with a power supply terminal 41 that is brought into an electrical connection state by contacting a charging terminal provided in the portable gas alarm device.

On both sides of the front surface of the housing 11, a part of the flat circuit board 30 disposed inside the housing 11 so as to extend along the upper surface and the bottom surface of the housing 11, specifically, the connection in the circuit board 30. An opening 13 is formed to expose the region where the power supply path forming pattern circuit 31 is formed to the outside. A cover member 20 is detachably provided on the housing 11 so as to close the opening 13.
The cover member 20 has a substantially L-shaped plate shape, and is formed by a frame-shaped outer edge portion 15 formed on a side portion of the front surface of the housing 11 and a front portion of both side surfaces continuous with the front portion. The plate-like engagement claw portion 21 is engaged with the cover member engagement hole 14 formed on the front surface of the housing 11 in a state of being positioned in the space. Here, the outer edge portion 15 of the housing 11 is projected from the side surface of the rear side portion.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 42 indicates an AC adapter mounting portion, 43 indicates a pilot lamp that displays the state of charging operation by light emission when a portable gas alarm is mounted, and 44 locks to the portable gas alarm. The locking claw portion 45 is a plate-like holding member that is elastically deformed to hold the portable gas alarm.

Each of the both side surfaces of the housing 11 in the charger 10 is provided with a pair of connecting members configured such that the other can be engaged with the other.
One connecting member (on the right side in FIG. 1) 25A is, for example, a U-shaped block having a cross-sectional shape, and in the space formed by the outer edge portion 15 in the housing 11, its upper side. At the position and the lower position, the groove portions are provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction, with the postures facing upward and downward, respectively.
The other connecting member (on the left side in FIG. 1) 25B is a plate-like member that can be engaged with one connecting member 25A, and in the space formed by the outer edge portion 15 in the housing 11, The upper end position and the lower end position are provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction in a posture that extends upward and downward so that a gap is formed between the housing 11 and the side surface.

  As described above, the charger of the present invention is configured so that a plurality of units having the same configuration can be connected, and one connecting member in one charger and the other connecting member in the other charger. Are engaged and mechanically coupled, and an attachment member having a specific configuration is used to achieve electrical connection between the chargers to form a unit. Hereinafter, the connection method of the charger will be specifically described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2, the cover member 20 is removed from one side surface (right side surface) of one charger 10 </ b> A as a “master unit” to which an AC adapter (not shown) is connected. In a state where the cover member 20 on the other side surface (left side surface) of the other charger 10B as the “slave device” is removed, the one charger 10A and the other charger 10B are relatively moved in the front-rear direction. 3 and FIG. 4, with the side surfaces of the outer edge portion 15 in the housing 11 in contact with each other, the one connecting member 25A in one charger 10A and the other in the other charger 10B The connecting member 25B is engaged, whereby the two chargers 10A and 10B are mechanically connected. In this state, a substantially quadrangular columnar space portion 16 is formed between the side surfaces of the two chargers 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B, specifically, between the frame-shaped outer edge portion 15, and the outer edge portion including the space portion 16. The two chargers include a space defined by 15, a cover member engaging hole 14 formed in the housing 11 of each charger 10 </ b> A, 10 </ b> B, and an opening 13 for exposing the circuit board 30 to the outside. An attachment member mounting portion 17 to which an attachment member 35 for electrically connecting 10A and 10B is mounted is formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the attachment member 35 includes a substantially plate-like base 36, a quadrangular columnar positioning projection member 37 provided on the inner surface side of the base 36, and a circuit in each of the chargers 10A and 10B. A connector member for electrically connecting each of the pattern circuits 31 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) for forming a connected feeding path formed on one surface of the substrate 30 and the housing 11 of each charger 10A, 10B. And a pair of plate-like engaging claws 38 that are engaged with the cover member engaging holes 14 of the connector member, and the projecting member 37 is inserted into the space portion 16 of the attachment member mounting portion 17 so that the connector A member is connected to the circuit board 30 in each charger 10A, 10B, and an engaging claw member 38 is formed in the housing 11 of each charger 10A, 10B. Engaged by being attached to the over member engaging hole 14.
As shown in FIG. 5, the connector member in the attachment member 35 has one plate-shaped pole 39A having a substantially U-shaped planar shape and the other plate-shaped pole 39B having a substantially U-shaped planar shape. The circuit board 30 is sandwiched and held by one pole 39A and the other pole 39B. Then, a voltage of, for example, 12 V is applied from one AC adapter to the other pole 39A that electrically connects the connection power supply path forming pattern circuit 31 in each circuit board 30 to form a connection power supply path via the jack 42A. At the same time, the other pole 39B is grounded. One structural example of one pole 39A and the other pole 39B is shown in FIG.

  In the state where the attachment member 35 is mounted, as shown in FIG. 7, the AC adapter mounting portion of the other charger (located on the right side in FIG. 7) 10 </ b> B is blocked by the base body 36 of the attachment member 35. Thus, the attachment of the AC adapter to the other charger 10B is hindered, and the charger to which the AC adapter is to be attached can be easily identified, and the desired connected state can be reliably obtained. it can.

  In the charger unit in which the two chargers 10A and 10B are connected, one charger in a state where the portable gas alarm device is received and attached to the attachment portion 12 in each of the chargers 10A and 10B. When the AC adapter is connected to 10A, each of the chargers 10A and 10B is put into operation, the pilot lamp 43 is turned on, and the secondary battery built in the portable gas alarm device is simultaneously charged. .

  Thus, according to the charger 10 having the above-described configuration, basically, a plurality of chargers having the same configuration are mechanically connected by engaging the connecting members 25A and 25B. In addition, since the electrical connection is made by the attachment member 35 and integrated, power can be supplied to all the chargers as long as power is supplied to one charger. Installation work can be easily performed because it is not necessary to perform operations such as routing, and the attachment member 35 is used and the electrical connection portion is configured independently of the mechanical connection portion. Thus, it is possible to prevent an external force from acting on the electrical connection portion, for example, during the connecting operation of the charger, so that it is possible to reliably prevent a connection failure or failure from occurring. In addition, the power supply function is provided to the attachment member 35, that is, the attachment member 35 includes a connector member, so that a member such as a plug or a jack for electrical connection can be provided in the charger itself. Since it is not necessary, the structure of the charger 10 can be simplified within a range that does not hinder the use of the charger 10 alone, and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, the outer edge portion 15 of the housing 11 is brought into a contact state by connecting at least two chargers in a state in which the side surface cover member 20 that is in contact with each other is removed. The attachment member mounting portion is formed by using the space defined by the outer edge portion 15 including the space portion 16, the cover member engaging hole, and the opening of the housing to form the attachment member mounting portion. In addition to being able to be performed very easily, the attachment member can be integrally attached to the charger main body, so the load due to external force acting on the attachment member can be reduced, and the electrical connection portion Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent connection failure and failure. Further, the electrical connection portion can be protected also by the fact that the electrical connection portion is not exposed to the outside.

  Furthermore, since the length of the connection power supply path between the circuit boards (pattern circuit for power supply) formed by the plate-shaped connector member in the attachment member can be shortened, the electrical resistance can be reduced, for example, It is extremely useful when charging secondary batteries for portable gas alarms where high-capacity secondary batteries such as nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries, and lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are used. It is.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, A various change can be added.
The number of units that can be connected is actually 5 or less, and the function can be exhibited for all the chargers by repeating the connection operation as necessary.
The connecting member is not limited to the shape according to the above embodiment, and may be configured integrally with the housing.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure in an example of the charger of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the connection method of the charger of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the other cover member in the other charger while removing one cover member in one charger. It is a figure for demonstrating the connection method of the charger of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view which shows the state with which one charger and the other charger were connected mechanically. It is a front view in the state where one charger and the other charger were connected mechanically. It is an explanatory perspective view showing roughly an electrical connection state of a circuit board and a connector member of an attachment member. It is a perspective view which shows one structural example of the one pole in a connector member, and the other pole. It is a figure for demonstrating the connection method of the charger of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view which shows the state in which the attachment member was mounted | worn.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Charger 10A One charger 10B The other charger 11 Housing 12 Mounting part 13 Opening 14 Cover member engagement hole 15 Outer edge part 16 Space part 17 Attachment member mounting part 20 Cover member 21 Engagement claw part 25A For one connection Member 25B Other connecting member 30 Circuit board 31 Connection feeding path forming pattern circuit 35 Attachment member 36 Base 37 Projecting member 38 Claw member 39A One pole 39B The other pole 41 Feeding terminal 42 AC adapter mounting portion 42A Jack 43 Pilot lamp 44 Locking claw part 45 Holding member

Claims (3)

A pair including a housing having an upper surface on which a portable gas alarm is received and mounted, and each of one side surface and the other side surface of the housing is configured to be engageable with the other. A portable gas alarm charger configured such that a plurality of connecting members can be connected by engaging the connecting members with each other,
On both sides of one side of the housing are formed openings that expose the portions of the circuit board disposed in the housing where the pattern circuit for forming the connection feeding path is formed to the outside, and block the openings. The cover member is detachably attached to the housing,
An attachment member for electrically connecting adjacent chargers is obtained by mechanically coupling at least two chargers with the side-side cover members that are in contact with each other being removed. A charger for a portable gas alarm, wherein an attachment member mounting portion to be mounted is formed. An AC adapter mounting part is formed on one side of the housing,
The AC adapter mounting portion of the charger on the downstream side in the connecting direction is blocked by the attachment member when the attachment member is mounted in a state where at least two chargers are connected. Portable gas alarm charger.   The portable gas alarm device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the portable gas alarm device comprises a nickel hydride battery, a nickel cadmium battery, or a lithium ion battery as a driving power source. Charger.

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