JP2018073663A - Battery pack - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery pack which can switch an output voltage by turning over a cell pack.SOLUTION: A housing for housing a cell pack having two pairs of cell units is formed by an upper case 910 and a lower case 901. Output terminals cell 958a and 959a from each cell unit are provided on a longitudinal direction side surface of a cell pack 650, and each output terminal is distributed into a front side and a rear side while having a distance different from a center point of the longitudinal direction side surface of the cell pack. In the lower case 901, a plurality of power-receiving terminals for being selectively contacted to any one of the plurality of output terminals is provided. By vertically reversing and housing a cell pack 950 in the lower case 901, a contact portion of the plurality of output terminals and the power-receiving terminals are switched, and a connection configuration of the cell unit is switched into a parallel connection and a serial connection.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 47

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery pack that supplies power such as a motor and lighting. In particular, the output voltage of the battery pack can be easily switched by changing the connection of a secondary battery set. Another object is to prevent damage to electrical equipment due to voltage switching mistakes.

  Electric tools and electric devices that use commercial power sources are driven by battery packs that use secondary batteries such as lithium ion batteries, and cordless electric tools and electric devices are being promoted. For example, in a hand-held power tool that drives a tip tool with a motor, a battery pack containing a plurality of secondary battery cells is used, and the motor is driven with electric energy stored in the battery pack. The battery pack is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the electric tool body. When the voltage drops due to discharge, the battery pack is removed from the electric tool body and charged using an external charger.

  Cordless power tools and electrical devices are required to have a predetermined operating time and a predetermined output, and higher output and higher power have been achieved along with the performance improvement of the secondary battery. In addition, battery packs with various voltages have been prepared as electric devices using battery packs as power sources have been developed. Usually, the output voltage of the battery pack is fixed. However, in Patent Document 1, a plurality of battery units are provided in a housing that accommodates the battery, and the connection means determines whether to output them as a series connection or a parallel connection. There has been proposed a power supply device for an electric device that can be selected and adapted to devices of different voltages.

JP 2014-17554 A

  It is cumbersome for a user to prepare a plurality of types of battery packs when using a plurality of electric tools and electric devices, and a battery that is easy to use corresponding to electric tools and electric devices having different voltages by switching the voltage. Realization of the pack is desired. Moreover, it has been desired to realize a voltage switching type with a battery pack that can be easily attached to an electric device, rather than a power supply device that is separate from the electric device main body as in Patent Document 1.

The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack that can switch output voltages and can be shared between electrical devices having different voltages.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack that can easily set a voltage according to a corresponding electric device and can effectively prevent a voltage setting error.

The characteristics of representative ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be described as follows.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the cell pack includes a cell pack having a plurality of cell units in which a plurality of cells are connected in series, and a housing that accommodates the cell pack and has a mounting portion for an electrical device. The output terminals from each cell unit are provided on the side surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the cell pack, and the respective output terminals are arranged at different distances from the center point on the side surface in the longitudinal direction of the cell pack and distributed on the front side and the rear side. On the other hand, the housing is provided with a plurality of power receiving terminals for selectively contacting any one of the plurality of output terminals, and accommodated in the housing in a state where the orientation of the cell pack with respect to the housing is changed, and the plurality of output terminals and The connection form of the cell unit can be switched by changing the contact point with the power receiving terminal. The switching of the connection mode is, for example, switching between a low voltage output by parallel connection of a plurality of cell units or a high voltage output by serial connection. Further, signal terminals for transmitting signals from the cell pack to the outside are provided in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal side surface and the central region in the vertical direction. If a plurality of signal terminals are provided concentrically, the position of the signal terminal does not change even if the orientation of the cell pack is changed and accommodated in the housing. Furthermore, a cell pack is formed by stacking the cylindrical cells so that their axis lines are parallel and opposite to each other in the opposite direction, and are formed on one side of both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the cell pack. A plurality of positive output terminals (plus output terminals) were provided, and a plurality of negative output terminals (minus output terminals) were provided on the other side.

  According to another feature of the present invention, the housing is formed by an upper case in which a mounting portion for an electrical device is formed and a lower case that accommodates the cell pack, and the opening and closing that allows the upper case to be opened and closed. A mechanism is provided so that the cell pack can be removed from the battery pack housing when the upper case is opened relative to the lower case. The terminal board for fixing the terminal connected to the power receiving terminal and the terminal on the electrical equipment side is fixed to the upper case side, and the upper case and the lower case can be rotated around the rotation axis. The upper end and the lower case are fixed by a latch mechanism on the free end side away from the end. The switching of the connection mode is switching between a low voltage output by parallel connection of a plurality of cell units or a high voltage output by serial connection, and the first cell unit and the second cell unit as cell units. The high voltage output was twice that of the low voltage output.

  According to still another feature of the present invention, the cell pack is provided with an uneven portion for preventing reverse connection, and the housing is provided with an uneven portion corresponding to the uneven portion for preventing reverse connection so that the mounting direction of the cell pack to the housing is improved. When it is different, the cell pack cannot be installed in the housing. The cell pack is provided with a voltage identification protrusion, and the housing is provided with a movable piece that can be moved by the protrusion. The installation of the battery pack to the device body was hindered. The movable piece is held by the housing in a state of being biased by a spring, and when the cell pack is positioned on the low voltage output side, the engagement state between the protrusion and the movable piece is canceled, and the movable portion in the mounting portion of the housing is movable. The protruding state of the piece is eliminated.

  According to still another feature of the present invention, characters, figures, or colors indicating voltage are displayed on opposite surfaces of the cell pack, respectively, and an output is provided when the cell pack is mounted with a window provided in a part of the housing. The character or graphic display corresponding to the voltage was made visible from the outside through the window.

  According to still another feature of the present invention, the lower case and the upper case forming the housing are configured to be attachable in the first direction and the second direction opposite to each other in the front-rear direction, and the cell is formed from the upper case side. A first terminal set extending to the side wall of the pack and engaging one of the output terminals of each cell unit in the first direction, and engaging another output terminal of each unit in the second direction When the upper case is mounted in the first direction with respect to the lower case, the first terminal set is used as the output of the parallel connection of the cell pack, and the upper case is connected to the lower case. When attached in the second direction, the second terminal set was used as the output of the series connection of the cell packs.

  According to the present invention, since the orientation in which the cell pack is accommodated with respect to the housing can be changed, and the connection configuration between the output terminal and the power receiving terminal is changed according to the orientation of the cell pack, the connection configuration of the cell unit can be switched. It was possible to switch between a low-voltage parallel connection circuit and a high-voltage series connection circuit, and an easy-to-use battery pack that could be adapted to electrical devices with different voltages was realized. In addition, the mounting direction of the upper case with respect to the lower case can be reversed horizontally, and the connection mode of the cell unit is switched by changing the connection mode between the output terminal and the power receiving terminal according to the mounting direction of the upper case. A person can easily perform voltage switching setting.

It is a figure for demonstrating the mounting condition to the electric tool of the battery pack which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the shape of the battery pack mounting part 10 of the electric tool main body 1 of FIG. It is a figure which shows electric tool main body 30A, Comprising: (1) is a side view in the state electrically fed from the power cord 90, (2) is a bottom view of the battery pack mounting part 40, (3) is a power supply It is a figure which shows the shape of the code | cord | chord 90 and the connector part 93. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a drive control system of a motor 35. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the connection condition of the power cord 90 to the electric tool main body 30, Comprising: (1) is an example of a connection in the electric tool main body 30A shown in FIG.3 and FIG.4, (2) and It is a figure which shows the example of a connection which concerns on the modification of (3). (1) is a circuit block diagram of the drive control system of the electric tool main body 30B, and (2) is a circuit block diagram of the drive control system of the electric tool main body 30C. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance shape of the battery pack 100 of a 1st Example. 2A and 2B are views showing a cell pack 150 housed in the battery pack 100, wherein FIG. 1A is a perspective view, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the cell pack 150 viewed from the axial direction of the cell 151; (1) is a figure which shows the state of the terminal part 20A vicinity at the time of mounting the battery pack 100 to the electric tool main body of rating 36V, (2) is the connection circuit diagram. (1) is a figure which shows the state of the terminal part 80 vicinity at the time of mounting the battery pack 100 in the electric tool main body of rated 108V, (2) is the connection circuit diagram. It is a perspective view which shows the shape of the battery pack 200 which concerns on 2nd Example, and the terminal part connected to it, (1) shows the state at the time of connecting to the electrical equipment of rating 36V, (2) is rated The state at the time of connecting to the 108V electric equipment is shown. FIG. 12 is a connection circuit diagram of the battery pack 200 of FIG. 11. It is a figure which shows the shape of the terminals 231-235 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the state when the battery pack 200 is mounted | worn in the terminal parts 270 and 280, (1) is a 36V output state, (2) is a 108V output state. It is a figure for demonstrating the circuit diagram of the battery pack 200A only for 108V which concerns on the modification of 2nd Example, (1) shows the case where the same terminal part 280 as FIG.11 and FIG.12 is used, (2 ) Shows a case where the terminal portion 280A of the modified example is used. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the shape of the battery pack 300 which concerns on the 3rd Example of this invention, and the terminal parts 370 and 380 with which it is mounted | worn. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the components of the voltage switching mechanism 320 disposed in the battery pack 300 of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the voltage switching mechanism 320 using the movable guide members 330 and 340 and the terminals 351-354, (1) is a figure which shows the accommodation position in the battery pack 300 of the voltage switching mechanism 320, (2) is a developed view seen from the upper surface of the voltage switching mechanism 320, and (3) is a cross-sectional view of the CC section of (1). It is explanatory drawing about the connection state of the cell pack by the voltage switching mechanism 320 when connecting with the electrical equipment of rating 18V, (1) is a state before mounting | wearing the battery pack 300 with the terminal part 370, (2) is. It is a figure which shows the state after mounting | wearing. It is explanatory drawing about the connection state of the cell pack by the voltage switching mechanism 320 when connecting with the electrical equipment of rated 36V, (1) is a state before mounting | wearing the battery pack 300 with the terminal part 380, (2) is. It is a figure which shows the state after mounting | wearing. It is a perspective view of the battery pack 400 which concerns on a 4th Example, (1) shows the state at the time of output 18V, (2) is a figure which shows the state at the time of output 36V. It is a perspective view which shows the shape of 1 A of electric tool main bodies which are an example of the electric equipment of rating 18V. It is a perspective view which shows the shape of the electric tool main body 480 which is an example of the electrical equipment of rating 36V. FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the battery pack 400 with the upper case 410 (see FIG. 21) removed, where (1) is the case where the operation lever 452 is in the first position, and (2) is the case where the operation lever 452 is the second. Is in the position of. It is a circuit diagram which shows the connection state of the battery pack 400 at the time of 18V output and 36V output of the battery pack 400 which concerns on a 4th Example. It is a figure which shows the shape of the contact terminals 461-465 of the switch mechanism 450. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a switch case 451. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the switch case 451 when the switching element 455 is moved from the state of FIG. 27, and it is set as a 36V output state. It is a modification of the fourth embodiment, and is a view showing a power tool main body 480A in which a battery pack 400 set to a low voltage cannot be mounted on a high-voltage electric device main body. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of 18V output of the battery pack 500 which concerns on the 5th Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of 36V output of the battery pack 500 which concerns on the 5th Example of this invention. 7 is a top view of a battery pack 600 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state in which the terminal parts 650 and 680 and the battery pack 600 were connected by attaching the battery pack 600 to an electric equipment main body, (1) shows the connection state at the time of 18V output, (2) The connection state at the time of 36V output is shown. It is a figure which shows the shape of the battery pack cover 640 with which the battery pack 600 is mounted | worn in the state which is not mounted | worn with the electric equipment main body. It is a top view of battery pack 600A which concerns on the modification of the 6th Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state by which terminal part 650,680A was connected by mounting battery pack 600A to an electric equipment main body, (1) shows the connection state at the time of 18V output, (2) is the time at the time of 36V output Indicates the connection status. It is a perspective view which shows the external shape of the battery pack 700 which concerns on the 7th Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which connected the battery pack 700 to the conventional electrical equipment main body (electric tool main body) of the rating 18V, (1) is a circuit diagram at the time of connection, (2) is the upper surface of the positive electrode terminals 712 and 713 (3) is a side view of the terminal portion 720, and (4) and (5) are a front view and a perspective view of the terminal portion 720. It is a figure which shows the state which connected the battery pack 700 to the electrical equipment main body (electric tool main body) of rating 36V, (1) is a circuit diagram at the time of connection, (2) is a top view of the positive electrode terminals 712 and 713. (3) is a side view of the terminal portion 730, and (4) and (5) are a front view and a perspective view of the terminal portion 730. It is a figure for demonstrating the shape of the terminal part 750 which concerns on the modification 1 of a 7th Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the shape of the terminal part 770 which concerns on the modification 2 of a 7th Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the shape of the terminal part 790 which concerns on the modification 3 of a 7th Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the shape of the terminal part 800 which concerns on the modification 4 of a 7th Example. It is a figure which shows the modification 5 which changed the shape of the positive electrode terminal pair and negative electrode terminal pair by the side of the battery pack of a 7th Example. FIG. 45 is a diagram showing a sixth modification in which only the 36V terminal unit 750 is changed from the fifth modification in FIG. 44. FIG. 45 is a diagram showing a modified example 7 in which only the 36V terminal unit 770 is changed from the modified example 5 of FIG. 44. It is a side view of the battery pack 900 which concerns on the 8th Example of this invention, The inside of a lower case and a part of upper case are shown with sectional drawing. It is a figure for demonstrating the internal structure of the cell pack 950 of FIG. (3) is a top view, (1) and (5) are its right side view and left side view, and (2) and (4) are the side support plates removed from (1) and (5). It is the right view and left view which show a state. FIG. 48 is a diagram illustrating a wiring state of the battery pack 900 of FIG. 47. It is a figure explaining the wiring state of the battery pack 1000 which concerns on the modification 1 of an 8th Example. It is a top view of the cell pack 1050 accommodated in the battery pack 1000 of FIG. FIG. 51 is a diagram (1) a top view and (2) a cell pack 1050 mounted in a lower case 1001 of the battery pack 1000 of FIG. 50. It is the figure which mounted the cell pack 1050 in the lower case 1001, (1) is a top view, (2) is sectional drawing of GG part. It is a wiring diagram of the battery pack which concerns on the modification 2 of an 8th Example.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description is omitted. Further, in this specification, description will be made assuming that the front / rear / left / right and up / down directions of the electric power tool body, the mounting direction of the battery pack, and the front / rear / left / right and up / down directions viewed from the battery pack alone are directions shown in the drawing. . Furthermore, the mounting direction of the battery pack will be described based on the situation in which the battery pack is moved without moving the power tool main body and the electric device main body for convenience of description.

  FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a mounting state of a battery pack according to the present embodiment to an electric tool. An electric tool that is one form of electric equipment is a tool that has a battery pack and fastens bolts, nuts, screws, and the like with a tip tool such as a bit, and is called a so-called impact tool. The electric power tool main body 30 is a tool that performs tightening work such as bolts and nuts (not shown) by applying rotational force and axial striking force to a tip tool such as a socket wrench (not shown). These power tool main bodies 1 and 30 are provided with housings 2 and 32 which are outer frames forming an outer shape, and handle portions 3 and 33 are formed in the housing 2, and an operator grips with one hand or one hand. The power tool main bodies 1 and 30 are held while the other hand is attached to perform the work. The power tool main bodies 1 and 30 drive a motor (not shown) housed in the housings 2 and 32 using a direct current supplied from the battery pack 15 or 100 as a power source. Trigger-like operation switches 4 and 34 are provided in the vicinity of the handle portions 3 and 33 where the index finger hits when the operator grips the battery pack 15 and the battery packs 15 and 33 are provided below the handle portions 3 and 33. Battery pack mounting portions 10 and 40 for mounting 100 are formed.

  The electric tool body 1 is an electric device that uses a battery pack 15 having a rated voltage of 36V. Accordingly, the battery pack 15 can be mounted on the battery pack mounting portion 10 of the 36V-compatible electric device (power tool main body 1) as in the combination of arrows a. On the other hand, the power tool main body 30 requires a high voltage equivalent to a commercial voltage of a rated voltage of 108V, and the battery pack 100 capable of outputting 108V is mounted on the battery pack mounting portion 40 as indicated by an arrow b1. In the battery pack 100 capable of outputting a high voltage, 30 lithium ion battery cells with a rating of 3.6 V are accommodated. As described above, in the power tool main bodies 1 and 30, it is normal to install the dedicated battery packs 15 and 100 corresponding to the rated voltage, but in this embodiment, the battery pack 100 is configured to support a plurality of voltages, By enabling output at a low voltage, the battery pack 100 can be attached to the 36V-compatible power tool body 1 as indicated by an arrow b2. In order to allow the battery pack 100 to be mounted on the power tool main bodies 1 and 30 having different voltages as indicated by arrows b1 and b2, the battery pack mounting portions 10 and 40 have substantially the same shape. It is important to be able to switch 100 voltages. In addition, when the set voltage of the battery pack 100 does not correspond to the voltage of the electric device or power tool to be mounted, it is important that the battery pack 100 cannot be mounted.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the shape of the battery pack mounting portion 10 of the electric power tool body 1. Not only the electric tool but also all electric devices using a battery pack are formed so that a battery pack mounting portion 10 is formed in accordance with the battery pack to be mounted, so that an incompatible battery pack cannot be mounted. In the battery pack mounting portion 10, rail grooves 11a and 11b extending in parallel in the front-rear direction are formed in inner wall portions on both the left and right sides, and a terminal portion 20 is provided therebetween. The terminal portion 20 is manufactured by integral molding of a non-conductive material such as synthetic resin, and there are three metal terminals, that is, a positive input terminal 21, a negative input terminal 22, and an LD terminal 23 (abnormal signal terminal). It is firmly fixed by being cast. The terminal portion 20 includes not only a vertical surface 20a that serves as an abutting surface in the mounting direction (front-rear direction) but also a horizontal surface (upper surface when viewed from the terminals 21 to 23) 20b. This surface slides on the surface 115 (described later in FIG. 3). On the front side of the horizontal plane 20b, a curved portion 12 that contacts the raised portion 132 of the battery pack 100 is formed, and a protruding portion 24 is formed near the left and right center of the curved portion 12. The protrusion 24 is a boss for screwing the housing of the electric power tool main body 1 </ b> A formed in two parts in the left-right direction, and is fixed by screws 26 and nuts from the left-right direction. The protrusion 24 also serves as a stopper that restricts relative movement of the battery pack 100 in the mounting direction. The width S1 in the left-right direction of the protrusion 24 is a width corresponding to a stopper portion (described later) formed on the battery pack 100 side.

  3A and 3B are views showing another power tool main body 30A compatible with 108V, in which FIG. 3A is a side view in a state where power is supplied from the power cord 90, and FIG. (3) is a diagram showing the shapes of the power cord 90 and the connector section 93. The electric tool main body 30A is a brushless motor whose motor is used with an AC 100V equivalent specification, for example, a brushless DC motor driven by an inverter circuit (described later in FIG. 3). Therefore, the direct current 108V output from the battery pack 100 is input to the inverter circuit, or a commercial power supply such as an alternating current 100V (60 Hz) is rectified by a rectifier circuit described later and then input to the inverter circuit. As described above, by increasing the output voltage of the battery pack 100 to the same level as the commercial voltage, it is possible to realize the AC / DC combined high-power electric power tool body 30A that operates with both the battery pack and the commercial voltage. The power cord 90 attached to the power tool main body 30A has two terminals 92a and 92b on one side of the connection cord 94, and has a plug portion 91 to be attached to an outlet of a commercial power source. A connector portion 93 connected to the power tool main body 30A is formed. In the present embodiment, the place where the connector portion 93 is connected is arranged in the battery pack mounting portion 40 after the battery pack 100 is removed. That is, when connecting the power cord 90 to the power tool main body 30A, it is necessary to remove the battery pack 100 from the power tool main body 30A. Conversely, when attaching the battery pack 100 to the power tool main body 30A, the power cord 90 Need to be removed.

  FIG. 3B is a view of the battery pack mounting portion 40 of the electric power tool main body 30A as viewed from below, and is a view taken in the direction of arrow A in FIG. This figure shows a state in which both the battery pack 100 and the power cord 90 are removed. The battery pack 100 is mounted on the battery pack mounting portion 40 such that the battery pack 100 is slid from the rear side to the front side (right to left in the figure). Therefore, an opening is formed on the mounting surface 40a on the upstream side in the mounting direction, and two rail grooves 48a and 48b are formed on the side. Further, a recessed portion 40b formed so as to be recessed upward is formed on the upstream side (rear side portion) from the opening portion. A terminal portion 41 connected to the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of the battery pack 100 is provided near the center of the portion sandwiched between the rail grooves 48a and 48b of the mounting surface 40a. In this embodiment, an AC socket 49 is provided at a portion slightly rearward of the terminal portion 41. The AC socket 49 is formed with a pin-shaped first terminal 49a, second terminal 49b, and third terminal 49c in the circumferential direction.

  FIG. 3 (3) is a diagram showing the shape of the connector portion 93 of the power cord 90. The left side is a view of the connector portion 93 as viewed from the outside in the longitudinal direction, and the right side is the entire power cord 90 including the connector portion 93. It is a side view which shows a shape. A male screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the connector main body 93a, and a cylindrical fixing screw 93b is relatively rotatable on the outer peripheral side of the male screw and is held in a state where the amount of movement in the axial direction is limited. The outer shape of the connector portion 93 is circular, and three female terminals, a first terminal 95a, a second terminal 95b, and a third terminal 95c are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral portion. Here, in order to supply commercial power, only the first terminal 49a and the second terminal 49b need to be connected, and the third terminal 49c may be in a non-wiring state within the electric power tool main body 30A or grounded. It may be used as a line. The fixing screw 93b holds the power cord 90 so that it does not fall out of the electric power tool body 30A. The female screw portion on the inner peripheral side of the fixing screw 93b is screwed with the male screw portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the AC socket 49. Match. In this way, after the connector main body 93a is inserted into the AC socket 49, the power supply cord 90 can be fixed so as not to come off from the electric tool main body 30A by tightening the fixing screw 93b and screwing it with the male screw on the AC socket 49 side. .

  Next, the configuration and operation of the drive control system of the motor 35 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the drive control system of the motor 35. In the electric power tool of the present embodiment, a brushless motor 35 is generated by generating an excitation current from the DC supplied from the battery pack 100 using an inverter circuit 70 and flowing the excitation current to a predetermined coil of the motor 35 while switching the excitation current. Rotate. Input from the battery pack 100 is input via a positive electrode input terminal 81 connected to the positive electrode terminal 161 of the battery pack 100 and a negative electrode input terminal 82 connected to the negative electrode terminal 162 of the battery pack 100. The motor 35 can be, for example, an inner rotor type, and includes a rotor (rotor) 35a including a plurality of sets (two sets in this embodiment) of permanent magnets (magnets) including N poles and S poles. In order to detect the rotational position of the stator 35b composed of three-phase stator windings U, V, and W connected in a star connection and the rotational position of the rotor 35a, the stator 35b is arranged at predetermined intervals, for example, at an angle of 60 °. The three rotational position detecting elements (Hall elements) 65 are provided. These outputs are converted into a pulse train by the rotational position detection circuit 53 and output to the calculation unit 51. The rotation speed detection circuit 54 detects the rotation speed of the motor 35 using the output of the rotation position detection circuit 53 and outputs it to the calculation unit 51. The calculation unit 51 determines the energization direction and time for the stator windings U, V, and W using these outputs.

  The control signal output circuit 52 forms a drive signal for switching predetermined switching elements Q1 to Q6 in accordance with an instruction from the calculation unit 51 based on the output signals of the applied voltage setting circuit 58 and the rotational position detection circuit 53, and the drive The signal is output to the inverter circuit 70. Inverter circuit 70 includes six switching elements Q1 to Q6 such as IGBTs connected in a three-phase bridge format. Each gate of the switching elements Q1 to Q6 is connected to the control signal output circuit 52, and each emitter or each collector is connected to the stator windings U, V, and W connected in a star connection. Thus, the six switching elements Q1 to Q6 perform a switching operation by the switching element drive signals (drive signals such as H1 to H6) input from the control signal output circuit 52, and are applied to the inverter circuit 70. 100 DC voltages are applied to the stator windings U, V, and W as three-phase (U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase) voltages Vu, Vv, and Vw.

  The calculation unit 51 sets whether or not the trigger 34A (or the operation switches 4 and 34 in FIG. 1) for operating the operation switch 56 is operated by the switch operation detection circuit 57, and changes depending on the amount of operation (stroke). The pulse width (duty ratio) of the PWM signal is changed based on the signal from the applied voltage setting circuit 58 to drive each gate of the six switching elements Q1 to Q6 via the control signal output circuit 52. By this drive control, the power supply amount to the motor 35 is adjusted, and the start / stop of the motor 35 and the rotation speed are controlled. Here, the PWM signal is supplied to any one of the positive power supply side switching elements Q1 to Q3 or the negative power supply side switching elements Q4 to Q6 of the inverter circuit 70, thereby switching the switching elements Q1 to Q3 or the switching elements Q4 to Q6 at high speed. As a result, the amount of power supplied to the stator windings U, V, W from the DC voltage of the battery pack 100 is controlled.

  Although not shown, the calculation unit 51 is configured to include a microcomputer for outputting a drive signal based on a processing program and data. The calculation unit 51 includes a ROM for storing processing programs and control data, a RAM for temporarily storing data, a timer, and the like. The voltage across the capacitor 61 is detected by the voltage detection circuit 59 as the voltage of the input power supply and output to the calculation unit 51.

  The power source of the power tool main body 30A can be supplied not only with the battery pack 100 but also with the power cord 90, and the first terminal 49a and the second terminal of the AC socket 49 for AC input provided on the power tool main body 30A. 49 b is connected to the input side of the diode bridge 60. The diode bridge 60 is a rectifier circuit that allows full-wave rectification using four rectifier diodes so that current flows only in one of them, and converts an AC voltage into a DC voltage. The output of the diode bridge 60 is connected to the inverter circuit 70. Since the output of the diode bridge 60 is a pulsating current, a smoothing circuit may be interposed between the diode bridge 60 and the inverter circuit 70. The magnitude of the current flowing through the inverter circuit 70 is measured by the current detection circuit 55 using the shunt resistor 62, and the value is fed back to the calculation unit 51 so that the set drive power is applied to the motor 35. To be adjusted.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a connection state of the power cord 90 to the power tool main body 30A. (1) is an example of connection in the power tool main body 30A, and modifications of (2) and (3) are shown. It is a figure which shows the example of a connection which concerns on an example. FIGS. 2 (2) and 3 (3) are views showing electric power tool bodies 30B and 30C according to modifications of this embodiment. In the embodiment of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, since the AC socket 49 (see FIG. 3) is provided in the battery pack mounting portion 40, the power cord 90 cannot be mounted when the battery pack 100 is mounted. . Further, the battery pack 100 must be removed when the power cord 90 is attached. As described above, since the AC socket 49 for the power cord 90 is provided at a position that cannot be accessed when the battery pack 15 is mounted, the power supply from the battery pack 100 and the power supply from the power cord 90 are reliably distinguished from each other without error. be able to. In addition, since the brushless motor having a rated input voltage of 100 V or more is mounted on the power tool main body 30, it can be driven by a commercial AC power source or driven by the battery pack 100. An electric tool was realized.

  The power cord 90 may be long enough to allow the operator to act while holding the handle portion 33 of the power tool body 30A with one hand. In the temporary work, if the power cord 90 is removed and the battery pack 100 is attached, the work can be performed in the same way without worrying about a decrease in the output of the power tool main body 30A. In addition, the power cord 90 is connected to the power tool main body 30A in the form shown in FIG. 5A in order to remove the battery pack 100 when working with an AC power source, so that the weight of the power tool main body 30A is reduced. There is an advantage. Furthermore, when switching from the power cord 90 to the operation using the battery pack 100, the battery pack 100 cannot be attached unless the power cord 90 is removed, so that it is possible to reliably prevent forgetting to remove the power cord 90. Further, since the AC socket 49 is not exposed to the outside when the battery pack 100 is mounted, the risk of the AC socket 49 being exposed to dust, water, or the like can be greatly reduced, and a cover that covers the AC socket 49 can also be installed. Can be omitted.

  FIG. 5 (2) shows a power tool body 30B according to a modification of the power tool body 30A shown in FIG. 1 (1), where the AC socket 49A is positioned on the lower surface of the housing of the power tool body 30A. Thus, the battery pack 100 is formed on the front side. If arranged in this way, the power cord 90 can be connected with the battery pack 100 mounted. In this embodiment, since the output voltage of the battery pack 100 is 108 V when DC is connected and the commercial AC power is 100 V to 120 V, the power tool body 30 </ b> B can be driven using both inputs arbitrarily. . However, when both power sources can be used, it is preferable to use commercial AC power supplied from the power cord 90 because the discharge of the battery pack 100 can be prevented. Therefore, in the electric power tool main body 30B according to FIG. 5 (2), when the battery pack 100 and the commercial AC power are both available, an automatic input switching unit is provided that uses the commercial AC power side.

  FIG. 6 (1) is a circuit block diagram of the drive control system of the electric power tool main body 30B shown in FIG. 5 (2). Although basically the same as the circuit shown in FIG. 4, a semiconductor switching element 66 such as an IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) is interposed in the middle of the positive input line from the battery pack 100. The gate signal of the switching element 66 is connected to the control signal line 66a from the calculation unit 51, and the calculation unit 51 controls connection or disconnection between the source and drain terminals of the switching element 66. Further, a battery voltage detection circuit 67 that monitors the voltage of the battery pack 100 and a commercial power supply detection circuit 68 that monitors the presence or absence (or voltage) of an AC voltage are provided, and their outputs are input to the calculation unit 51. When the commercial power source 99 is in a usable state, the computing unit 51 shuts off the input circuit from the battery pack 100 by turning off the gate signal of the switching element 66. On the other hand, when the commercial power supply 99 becomes unusable, the calculation unit 51 turns off the gate signal of the switching element 66 so that the input circuit from the battery pack 100 is connected. With such a circuit configuration, when the battery pack 100 is connected to the power tool main body 30B, a direct current of 108V (rated) is supplied. When power is supplied and the power cord 90 is removed, the driving is automatically switched to the battery pack 100, so that the user-friendly power tool body 30B can be realized. In addition, since it is not necessary to worry about the attachment / detachment of the battery pack 100 and the connection state of the power cord 90, particularly forgetting to remove the other when one is connected, it is easy to handle the attachment and removal of the battery pack 100.

  Returning again to FIG. FIG. 5 (3) shows a power tool main body 30C according to another modification of the present embodiment. The power tool main body 30C is the same as (1) and (2) in the figure in that both the battery pack 100 of DC 108V and AC drive via the power cord 90 are possible. The power cord 90 is connected via 75. Here, the connection adapter 75 is a so-called dummy case for connecting the two output lines from the power cord 90 to the positive input terminal 81 and the negative input terminal 82 for the battery pack 100. A battery cell is not accommodated in the connection adapter 75. An AC socket having the same shape as the AC socket 49 shown in FIG. 3B is provided on the lower surface of the connection adapter 75. The first terminal 49a of the AC socket 49 is connected to the positive input terminal 81 through the power line 76a. The two terminals 49b are connected to the negative input terminal 82 by the power line 76b. In this case, the input path of the battery pack 100 is changed in the block diagram shown in FIG. 4 so that the battery pack 100 is connected to the inverter circuit 70 via the diode bridge 60 even when the battery pack 100 is used. This circuit is shown in FIG.

  Here, the positive terminal 161 and the negative terminal 162 of the connection adapter 75 are attached to the input terminals 81 and 82 of the diode bridge 60. Since the battery pack 100 has a direct current of 108 V, there is no problem even if it is connected via the diode bridge 60. Further, even if the positive electrode terminal 161 and the negative electrode terminal 162 of the connection adapter 75 are attached, the alternating current is rectified by the diode bridge 60, so that the motor 35 can be driven by operating the inverter circuit 70 in the same manner. In this embodiment, the brushless DC motor is driven via the direct current input of 108V DC and the inverter circuit 70, but the type of the motor to be used is not limited to the brushless motor, and is driven at about 100 to 120V AC. Another motor, for example, an AC commutator motor may be used. With this configuration, an electric tool using an AC commutator motor can be driven by the battery pack 100, and an AC / DC shared electric tool can be easily realized.

  Next, the battery pack 100 in which the output voltage can be switched between 36V and 108V will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the external shape of the battery pack 100. The casing of the battery pack 100 is formed by a lower case 101 and an upper case 110 that are divided in the vertical direction and are fixed by four screws (not shown). The upper case 110 is formed with a mounting portion in which two rails 138 a and 138 b are formed to be attached to the battery pack mounting portion 40. The rails 138 a and 138 b are formed to be parallel to the mounting direction of the battery pack 100 and parallel to the left and right side surfaces of the upper case 110. The rails 138a and 138b are formed corresponding to the rail grooves 48a and 48b (see FIG. 3B) formed in the battery pack mounting portion 40 of the electric power tool body 30, and the rails 138a and 138b are formed in the rail grooves 48a and 48b. The battery pack 100 is fixed to the electric power tool body 30 by operating the latch mechanism in the state of being fitted. A flat lower step surface 111 is formed on the front side of the upper case 110, and an upper step surface 115 formed higher than the lower step surface 111 is formed near the center. A connection portion between the lower step surface 111 and the upper step surface 115 becomes a step portion 112 formed in a step shape, and a region on the front side of the upper step surface 115 from the step portion 112 becomes a slot group arrangement region 120 (see FIG. 7B). In the slot group arrangement region 120, a plurality of slots (121 to 124) extending rearward from the front stepped portion 112 are formed. Here, the positive terminal insertion port 121 is disposed on the side closer to the left rail 138b, and the negative terminal insertion port 122 is formed on the side closer to the right rail 138a. A low voltage switching member insertion port 123 and a high voltage switching member insertion port 124 are formed at a portion sandwiched between the positive terminal insertion port 121 and the negative terminal insertion port 122. Inside the positive electrode terminal insertion port 121 and the negative electrode terminal insertion port 122, a metal positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal which are not visible in the drawing are arranged. In addition, voltage switching means (to be described later) is arranged in a portion overlapping the positions of the low voltage switching member insertion port 123 and the high voltage switching member insertion port 124 (internal space of the upper case 110). In FIG. 7, the slot group arrangement region 120 is shown to have only four slots (121 to 124), and no slots other than the four slots are shown. A slot may be formed. Further, as described above, since terminals and voltage switching means (for example, switching terminals) are arranged in the internal space of the upper case 110 where the slot group arrangement area 120 is located, the slot group arrangement area 120 becomes a terminal arrangement area.

  On the rear side of the upper surface 115, a raised portion 132 formed so as to be raised is formed. The outer shape of the raised portion 132 is raised above the upper surface 115, and a recessed stopper portion 131 is formed near the center. The stopper portion 131 serves as an abutting surface when the battery pack 100 is mounted on the protruding portion 24 (see FIG. 2) of the battery pack mounting portion 10, and the protruding portion 24 on the power tool main body 1 side is the stopper portion 131. If it is inserted until it contacts, a plurality of terminals 21-23 (refer to Drawing 2) arranged in electric tool main part 1 and a terminal group arranged in battery pack 100 will be in contact, and will be in a conduction state. Inside the stopper portion 131, a slit 134 serving as a cooling air intake port connected to the inside of the battery pack 100 is provided. In addition, the latching portion of the latch 141 of the battery pack 100 protrudes outward in the vertical direction below the rails 138a and 138b by the action of a spring, and engages with recesses (not shown) formed in the rail grooves 48a and 48b of the power tool body 30. By combining, the battery pack 100 is prevented from falling off. In a state where the battery pack 100 is mounted on the electric power tool body 1, the slit 134 is covered so that it cannot be seen from the outside. The slit 134 is a wind window used to forcibly flow cooling air into the battery pack 100 when the battery pack 100 is connected to a charger (not shown) to perform charging. When the cooling air intake port 134 is attached to the cooling air inlet 30, the cooling air intake port 134 is closed.

  In FIG. 7 (1), the terminal part 20A on the side of the electric power tool main body 1 driven at 36V is obtained by fixing a positive electrode input terminal 21 made of metal and a negative electrode input terminal 22 with a terminal mounting part made of synthetic resin. is there. Here, a switching protrusion 24A for switching the output of the battery pack 100 to the low voltage side is further formed. The switching protrusion 24A is a switching element formed integrally with the base portion of the terminal portion 20A, and is made of synthetic resin. The switching protrusion 24A itself only moves the rotary terminal base 171 (see FIG. 9), and is not used as a terminal for transmitting electric power or signals. Alternatively, the base portion may be integrally formed of the same insulating material.

  FIG. 7 (2) shows a state in which the terminal 80 is mounted on the power tool main body 30 side driven at 108V. The terminal portion 80 has a metal positive electrode input terminal 81 and a negative electrode input terminal 82 fixed on a base portion made of synthetic resin. Here, a switching projection 84 for switching the output of the battery pack 100 to the high voltage side is further formed. The switching protrusion 84 is a member formed integrally with the base portion of the terminal portion 80 and is made of synthetic resin. According to this embodiment, the external shape of the battery pack 100 is the same for both 36V output and 108V output. An operator does not care about the setting of the output voltage of the battery pack 100, and simply attaches it to the electrical equipment body for 36V or the electrical equipment body for 108V. The optimum output voltage for the selected electrical device body is selected (switched).

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a cell pack 150 that is accommodated in the battery pack 100 and in which a plurality of cells 151 are stacked and combined into one pack. FIG. 1A is a perspective view, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the cell 151 viewed from the axial direction. Here, a total of 30 cells 151 made of secondary batteries called 14500 size and having a diameter of 14 mm and a length of 50 mm that can be charged and discharged a plurality of times were stacked. The cells 151 each consisted of 10 cells, and three cell units 156 to 158 were formed. In each cell unit 156 to 158, the cells 151 are stacked such that the axis lines A1 of the cells 151 are parallel to each other, and the adjacent cells 151 are disposed so that the directions of the adjacent cells 151 are alternately reversed. A terminal and a negative electrode terminal are connected by a metal thin plate 159 to form 10 serial connections. The outermost cylindrical portion of the stacked cells 151 is covered with a synthetic resin separator 152 serving as an insulator, so that the cells 151 are held so as not to move with respect to the separator 152. When a lithium ion battery (single rated output 3.6 V) is used as the cell 151, each cell unit 156 to 158 can output a rating of 36 V, so that the + output (plus output) of the cell units 156 to 158 , The positive terminal) and the negative output (negative output, negative terminal) are connected in parallel, and the output from the battery pack 100 can be taken out to be used as a 36 V large capacity power source. On the other hand, when the + output and -output of the cell units 156 to 158 are connected in series, the cell units 156 to 158 can be used as a high-voltage power supply of 108V.

When 30 14500-size cells 151 are stacked, the length in the axial direction is 50 mm, the width direction perpendicular to the axial direction is 124.8 mm, and the height direction perpendicular to the axial direction is 57.3 mm. Further, since the unit weight of the cell 151 is about 23 g, the total weight of the cell 151 is 690 g. In terms of volume, the volume occupied by the cell 151 was 230,907 mm ³ , the volume occupied by the separator 152 was 67,392 mm ³ , and the total volume was 298,299 mm ³ . Therefore, the entire weight of the battery pack 100 can be kept below 800 g or 2 lb (pound). Currently, a lithium ion battery widely used in battery packs for electric tools is a so-called 18650. The 18650 size is 18 mm in diameter and 65 mm in length, and slightly exceeds twice the volume of 14500 cells by volume. In terms of weight, it is 46 g, twice that of a 14500-size cell. If 30 cells of 18650 size are stacked in order to obtain DC 108V, the weight of the cell alone is 1380 g, and the weight of the battery pack itself becomes heavy, so that the operator can work while holding it with one hand. In such a power tool, the size and weight are not practical.

  According to the experiments by the inventors, it has been found that the upper limit at which an operator can work comfortably with one hand is within 2 kg or 5 lb in terms of the total weight of the electric tool after the battery pack is mounted. Therefore, when an output of 108 V is obtained using 30 cells of 18650 size, it is difficult to realize a portable electric tool that can be operated with one hand. In this example, a high-voltage electric tool could be realized while maintaining portability by stacking lithium ion batteries of the same size as a so-called AA dry battery of 14500 size. In the battery pack 100 of the present example, an output voltage equal to or higher than 100V equivalent to that of the AC power source can be reliably ensured, and the cell weight of the cell pack 150 can be suppressed to 0.69 kg. Since a current of about 15 A can be obtained from this lithium ion battery, the power weight ratio as a battery pack is 100 V × 15 A / 0.69 kg = 2173 W / kg or more, and 100 V / 0.69 kg = 144 V / kg or more. Was able to clear.

  FIG. 9 (1) is a diagram showing a state when the battery pack 100 is mounted on a power tool body or an electric device body having a rating of 36V. The battery pack 100 includes a voltage switching mechanism 170 for switching whether the outputs of the cell units 156 to 158 are connected in parallel or connected in series. The voltage switching mechanism 170 includes a rotary terminal base 171 that is pivotally supported by a swing shaft 172 fixed on the substrate 160. The rotary terminal base 171 is positioned on the inner peripheral side of the connection terminals 173a to 173d by installing a plurality of rectangular bar-shaped connection terminals 173a to 173d on a member extending in two directions from the swing shaft 172. It is a member for short-circuiting or opening a plurality of contacts and contacts located on the outer peripheral side. The rotary terminal base 171 is made of synthetic resin, and is formed by casting two metal connection terminals 173 a to 173 d at intervals on one side and the other side of the swing shaft 172. On the side close to the negative electrode terminal 162, the connection terminals 173a and 173b are arranged so as to expose one side facing the substrate 160, and on the side close to the positive electrode terminal 161, the connection terminals 173c and 173d face the substrate 160. It arrange | positions so that a side surface may be exposed.

  The substrate 160 fixes the positive electrode terminal 161 and the negative electrode terminal 162, and a plurality of electrodes (contact points) 176a to 176j used to establish or change an electrical connection path from these terminals to the cell units 156 to 158. Used to place A plurality of contacts 176a to 176j are provided in an upper part of the substrate 160 and partially overlap with a rotation area of the rotary terminal base 171 and are exposed on the lower surface of the rotary terminal base 171. When the connection terminals 173a to 173d are in contact with any one of the contact points 176a to 176j, the electrical connection path from the positive terminal 161 to the negative terminal 162 is changed. In the electric tool body 1 for 36V, the switching protrusion 24A is formed on the terminal portion 20A. Therefore, when the battery pack 100 is mounted on the electric tool body, the switching protrusion 24A is rotated at the position of the arrow 25. By pushing the terminal base 171, the rotary terminal base 171 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the top, and reaches the position shown in FIG. 9 (1). In this state, it can be understood that the connection terminal 173a short-circuits the electrodes (contacts) 176d and 176b, and the connection terminal 173b short-circuits the electrodes (contacts) 176e and 176c. Similarly, it can be seen that connection terminal 173c shorts contacts 176i and 176g and connection terminal 173d shorts contacts 176j and 176h.

  FIG. 9B shows a connection state in a state where the rotary terminal base 171 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above by the switching protrusion 24A as shown in FIG. The + side output of the cell unit 156 is directly connected to the positive terminal 161. The + side output of the cell unit 157 is connected to the contact point 176b, and the + side output of the cell unit 158 is connected to the contact point 176g. The negative output of the cell unit 156 is connected to the contact 176e, the negative output of the cell unit 157 is connected to the contact 176j, and the negative output of the cell unit 158 is directly connected to the negative terminal 162. In this state, contacts 176d and 176b, contacts 176e and 176c, contacts 176i and 176g, and contacts 176j and 176h are connected. As a result, the cell units 156 to 158 are connected in parallel, and a DC voltage of 36V is output between the positive terminal 161 and the negative terminal 162.

  FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating a state when the battery pack 100 is mounted on a power tool body or an electric device body having a rating of 108V. In the power tool rated at 108V, the switching projection 84 is formed on the terminal portion 80, and no projection is formed at the position of the switching projection 24A of the terminal portion 20 of the 36V equipment. When the battery pack 100 is attached to the electric tool body or the electric device body in this state, the positive electrode input terminal 81 and the positive electrode terminal 161 are in contact with each other, and the negative electrode input terminal 82 and the negative electrode terminal 162 are in contact with each other. By making contact with one arm of the movable terminal base 171 as indicated by an arrow 84a, the rotary terminal base 171 is rotated clockwise in top view. By this rotation, the connection relationship between the connection terminals 173a to 173d of the rotary terminal base 171 and the contacts 176a to 176j is switched. FIG. 2B shows the connection state after switching. Here, when the position of the rotary terminal base 171 is switched from FIG. 9 (2) to FIG. 10 (2), the contacts 176d and 176a, the contacts 176e and 176b, the contacts 176i and 176f, and the contacts 176j and 176g are connected. It becomes a state. As a result, the cell units 156 to 158 are connected in series, and a positive current of 108 V is output from the positive terminal 161 and the negative terminal 162. It should be noted that a click mechanism or a latch mechanism is provided on the swing shaft 172 of the rotary terminal base 171 that is the swing member, so that a rotation torque greater than a predetermined value is not applied to the swing member by the switching protrusion 24A or the switching protrusion 84. It is good to be constructed so as not to swing. Further, since the contacts 176a and 176f are electrodes that are not connected anywhere, the risk of a short circuit between adjacent electrodes at the time of switching can be increased by eliminating these contacts and increasing the distance between the contacts 176b and 176c and the contacts 176g and 176h. May be reduced.

  According to the present embodiment, even in a cordless electric tool, a high voltage equivalent to that of a commercial power source-driven electric tool can be obtained from the battery pack 100, and a high-power portable electric tool or electric device can be realized. Even if the number of cells is increased in order to increase the voltage, 30 lithium cells of 14500 size are used instead of 18650 size cells, so that although it is high output, it is small and light weight, power weight The ratio can be increased. Furthermore, since the battery pack 100 of the present embodiment enables the output switching between 36 V and 108 V by switching the connection of the cell units 156 to 158 using the voltage switching mechanism 170, the battery pack 100 having a widely used rating of 36 V is used. Electric tools and electrical equipment can be operated.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a battery pack 200 is provided in which the output voltage can be switched between two levels of 36 V on the low voltage side and 108 V on the high voltage side. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the shape of the battery pack 200 and the terminal portion connected to the battery pack 200. FIG. The state when connected to is shown. The external shape of the battery pack 200 is basically the same as that of the battery pack 100 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 except for a part (the shape in the vicinity of the slot group arrangement region). .

  The battery pack 200 accommodates 30 cells 151 of 14500 size lithium ion batteries in a housing formed by joining the lower case 201 and the upper case 210. If the housing is allowed to be large, the 18650 size may be used as the cell, or cells of other shapes and sizes may be used. The upper case 210 of the battery pack 200 is provided with a mounting mechanism for mounting on the power tool main body 1 or the power tool main body 30 side. The configuration and shape of the battery pack 200 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The shape of the pack 100 is almost the same. The upper case 210 is formed with a lower step surface 211 for guiding the terminal portion on the electric equipment side, and an upper step surface 215 disposed on the upper step surface 215. A plurality of terminal insertion slots (slots) are formed. Rail portions 238a and 238b that fit into the electric equipment main body side groove rail grooves are formed on the left and right side edges of the upper surface 215. Here, five terminal insertion openings are illustrated in the left-right direction, but the number of terminal insertion openings arranged is arbitrary and may be further increased. A raised portion 240 is formed on the upper surface 215, and latch portions 241 are provided on the left and right sides of the raised portion 240. The latch portion 241 is interlocked with the latch claw 241a.

  FIG. 11 (1) shows a case where it is connected to a 36 V rated electric device main body, the electric power tool main body 1 and the like. The terminal portion 270 provided on the electric device main body 1 side has a narrow width in the left-right direction, and the battery pack 200 is inserted into the two terminal insertion ports 222 and 224 where the positive electrode input terminal 271 and the negative electrode input terminal 272 are closer to the center. To be moved. FIG. 11 (2) shows a case where it is connected to a 108 V rated electric device main body, electric tool main body 30 and the like. The terminal portion 280 provided on the electric device main body 130 side is such that the terminal portion 280 of the electric power tool main body 30 has a wide width in the left-right direction with respect to the terminal portion 270, and a positive input terminal 281 disposed near both left and right ends. A connecting element 283 is formed at the approximate center in the left-right direction, having a negative input terminal 282. When the battery pack 200 is attached to the electric tool main body 30, the positive electrode input terminal 281 and the negative electrode input terminal 282 are inserted into the terminal insertion ports 221 and 225, and the connection element 283 is inserted into the terminal insertion port 223.

  FIG. 12 is a connection circuit diagram of the battery pack 200. Three cell units 156 to 158 are accommodated in the battery pack 200. The cell units 156 to 158 are formed as the cell pack 150 shown in FIG. 8 and are held by the separator 152, and 10 cells 151 of 14500 size lithium ion batteries are connected in series. Note that in FIG. 12, 10 cells are collectively shown as one battery. In the terminal insertion ports 221 to 225, 1 to 4 connection terminals are arranged in the insertion direction of the terminal portions 270 and 280, respectively. A set of the terminal insertion port 222 and the terminal insertion port 224 corresponds to the terminal portion 270 for 36V, and the positive input terminal 271 is mounted so as to be in contact with each of the terminal group 232, and the negative input terminal 272 is the terminal group. 234 is mounted in contact with each of 234.

  The pair of terminal insertion port 221 and terminal insertion port 225 corresponds to the terminal portion 280 for 108V, and the positive input terminal 281 is mounted so as to be in contact with the terminal 231 and the negative input terminal 282 is in contact with the terminal 235. It is attached to. A connection element 283 for switching the output voltage is further provided at the left and right center of the terminal unit 280. The connection element 283 is inserted into the terminal insertion port 223. The connecting element 283 has a conducting portion 283a on the front end side (the side close to the battery pack 200 in the figure) and a conducting portion 283c on the rear end side, and an insulator 283b is disposed between the conducting portions 283a and 283c. As a result, the conducting portion 283a and the conducting portion 283c are electrically disconnected. The purpose of the conducting portions 283a and 283c is to short-circuit predetermined terminals in the terminal group 233, and there is no need to wire from the conducting portions 283a and 283c on the electric equipment body side. Therefore, the connection element 283 is manufactured by casting a metal plate forming the conductive portions 283a and 283c into a connection element base made of a non-conductor formed integrally with the terminal portion 280, or connected by a non-conductor. It is good to manufacture by sticking a metal plate on the outer peripheral surface of the element base or conducting the conductive treatment on the outer peripheral surface by metal plating or the like.

  FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the shapes of the terminals 231 to 235, wherein FIG. 13A is a top view, and FIG. Here, the terminals 231 and 235 and the terminals 232a, 233a, and 234a have the same shape as the terminals that have been widely used in the past, and the flat plate is bent into a U shape, with both side surfaces in the vicinity of the opening end facing inward. The narrowest portion formed by the convex portion is formed so as to be in contact with both surfaces of the plate-like terminal on the terminal portion side. The terminals 231, 235, 232 a, 233 a, and 234 a have a shape in which the rear side is closed because the metal terminal on the terminal portion side to be fitted does not penetrate to the rear side. On the other hand, the other terminal groups, that is, the terminals 232b, 232c, 233b to 233d, 234b, and 234c are fitted not only in the front side but also in the state where the metal terminals on the side of the contacted portion are passed through from the front to the rear. An opening is also formed on the rear side. The specific shape is shown in the side view of (2). The terminal 232a is closed near the rear of the upper end (arrow 236a), but the terminals 232b and 232c are not only the front side but also the rear side (arrow 236b). 236c and the vicinity) are open. For this reason, when the terminal portion 270 as shown in the figure is inserted in the direction of the arrow 265, the positive electrode input terminal 271 and the three terminals 232a to 232c are brought into contact with each other at the same time, so that each becomes electrically conductive. This connection state also applies to the negative input terminal 272 and the three terminals 234a to 234c. Thus, in one terminal insertion port, a plurality of terminals are arranged in the same direction (parallel direction) as the mounting direction, and the connection states of the cell units 156 to 158 in the battery pack 200 are connected in parallel using the electrode plate of the terminal portion. And can be set to either in series.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a state when the battery pack 200 is mounted on the terminal portions 270 and 280, where (1) is a 36V output state and (2) is a 108V output state. The terminal unit 270 at 36V output shown in (1) has a positive input terminal 271 and a negative input terminal 272. The positive input terminal 271 is brought into conduction by contacting the terminals 232a, 232b, and 232c. The terminal 232a is connected to the positive terminal (positive electrode) of the cell unit 156, the terminal 232b is connected to the positive terminal of the cell unit 157, and the terminal 232c is connected to the positive terminal of the cell unit 158. Therefore, the positive electrode input terminal 271 is connected to the + terminals of the three cell units 156 to 158. Similarly, the negative input terminal 272 is brought into conduction by contacting the terminals 234a, 234b, and 234c. The terminal 234a is connected to the negative terminal of the cell unit 156, the terminal 234b is connected to the negative terminal of the cell unit 157, and the terminal 234c is connected to the negative terminal of the cell unit 158. Therefore, the negative input terminal 272 is connected to the negative terminals of the three cell units 156 to 158. Since nothing is connected to the terminal group 233, the terminals 233a to 233d are opened. As a result, the cell units 156 to 158 are connected in parallel, that is, a direct current of 36V is output to the positive input terminal 271 and the negative input terminal 272.

  FIG. 14 (2) is a diagram showing a state when the battery pack 200 is attached to the terminal unit 280. The terminal unit 280 at the time of 108V output has a positive input terminal 281, a negative input terminal 282, and a connection element 283. The positive input terminal 281 contacts only with the terminal 231 connected to the + terminal of the cell unit 156. Similarly, the negative input terminal 282 contacts only the terminal 235 connected to the negative terminal of the cell unit 158. Further, the connection element 283 (connection terminal) is inserted so as to be in contact with the four terminal groups (series terminal elements 233a to 233d). With this connection element 283, the terminals 233a and 233b are short-circuited by the conducting portion 283a (see FIG. 12), and the terminals 233c and 233d are short-circuited by the conducting portion 283c (see FIG. 12). Here, the terminal 233b and the terminal 233c are kept in a non-conductive state by an insulator 283b (see FIG. 12) formed in the connection element 283. Since the terminal 233a is connected to the negative terminal of the cell unit 156 and the terminal 233b is connected to the positive terminal of the cell unit 157, a serial connection state between the cell units 156 and 157 is established. Similarly, since the terminal 233c is connected to the negative terminal of the cell unit 157 and the terminal 233d is connected to the positive terminal of the cell unit 158, a series connection state between the cell units 157 and 158 is established. As a result of these conductive states, the cell units 156 to 158 are connected in series, and a direct current of 108 V is output to the positive terminal 231 and the negative terminal 235. Note that the terminals of the terminal group 232 and the terminal group 234 are opened.

  As described above, the battery pack 200 capable of switching between 36V and 108V can also be realized by the second embodiment. At this time, by setting the terminal portion 270 or 280 on the electric device main body side such as the electric power tool main body to the shape shown in the figure, the output voltage from the battery pack 200 side is automatically set only by mounting the battery pack 200. Switch. Therefore, the operator need not pay attention to the switching operation of the battery voltage, and there is no possibility of damaging the electric device main body due to a setting voltage error. Furthermore, when the battery pack 200 is removed, the three cell units 156 to 157 are brought into an open state (non-connected state), so that an optimal state can be obtained during storage or transportation.

  The structure of the battery pack 200 using the second embodiment is not limited to the voltage switching type battery pack but can be effectively applied to a fixed voltage battery pack. FIG. 15 shows the structure of such a battery pack. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a circuit diagram of a battery pack 200A dedicated to 108V. Here, the structure is the same as that shown in FIG. 14B with the terminal groups 232 and 234 removed, and the terminal insertion ports 222 and 224 formed at the insertion positions of the terminal groups 232 and 234 (both see FIG. 11) are closed. Is done. The electric device main body for 108 V uses a terminal portion 280 having a positive input terminal 281, a negative input terminal 282, and a connection element 283. The structure of the terminal portion 280 is the same as that shown in FIG. 12, and the connection element 283 has a leading end side conducting portion 283a and a trailing end side conducting portion 283c, and the conducting portions 283a and 283c are insulated from each other. The body 283b is electrically connected in a nonconductive state. As described above, when the terminal unit 280 is connected using a plurality of terminal groups, the serial connection state of the cell units 156 to 158 is established. Therefore, when the battery pack 200A is not attached to the electric device, it is removed. Since the three cell units 156 to 157 are not connected to each other, the optimum state can be obtained during storage and transportation.

  FIG. 15B is a circuit diagram showing a battery pack 200B of another modification. (2) is obtained by dividing the connection element 283 of (1) into two in the left-right direction and dividing it into a first connection terminal 285 and a second connection terminal 286. Along with this division, the terminals 233a to 233d are arranged in the horizontal direction. The first connection terminal 285 is a metal plate for short-circuiting the terminal 233 a connected to the + terminal side of the cell unit 157 and the terminal 233 b connected to the − terminal side of the cell unit 156. Similarly, the second connection terminal 286 is a metal plate for short-circuiting the terminal 233a connected to the positive terminal side of the cell unit 157 and the terminal 233b connected to the negative terminal side of the cell unit 156. This modification can provide the same effect as (1) and is advantageous in mounting on an existing battery pack because the installation space for the terminals 233a and 233b, 223c and 233d is small. In the modification of FIG. 15 (2), if six rows of terminal insertion openings are provided in the horizontal direction, the terminal groups 232 and 234 for 36V output (see FIG. 13) are arranged in the configuration of (2). Thus, a battery pack in which the length of the terminals in the front-rear direction is shortened can be realized.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The battery pack 300 according to the third embodiment is common in that the output voltage of the battery pack can be switched between two stages of a low voltage side and a high voltage side as compared with the first and second embodiments. However, in the third embodiment, the voltage ratio is not switched by 3 times like 36V and 108V, but the voltage ratio is switched by 2 times like 18V and 36V. FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view showing the shape of the battery pack 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention and the terminal portions 370 and 380 attached thereto. There are two types of electrical devices that can be attached to the battery pack 300: a rated 18V device having a terminal portion 370 and a rated 36V device having a terminal portion 380. The terminal portions 370 and 380 are respectively provided with device-side power terminals such as positive input terminals 371 and 381 and negative input terminals 372 and 382. These terminal portions 370 and 380 are provided in the battery pack mounting portion on the electric device main body side. The positive electrode input terminals 371 and 381 and the negative electrode input terminals 372 and 382 are formed of a metal plate-like member, and the base portion for fixing them is formed of a non-conductive molded product such as synthetic resin.

  The battery pack 300 shown here is a schematic diagram, and a plurality of slits 321 to 324 are formed from the stepped portion 312 between the lower step surface 311 and the upper step surface 315 to the rear side. The shape of the upper side of the battery pack 300 including the slits 321 to 324 may be substantially the same as the shape of the battery pack 100 shown in FIG. Yes. The terminal portion 370 for 18V is configured to be narrow in the left-right direction, and the terminal portion 380 for 36V is configured to be wide in the left-right direction. In accordance with the difference in the widths of these terminal portions 370 and 380, the interval between the positive electrode input terminal 371 and the negative electrode input terminal 372 is formed narrow, and the interval between the positive electrode input terminal 381 and the negative electrode input terminal 382 is formed wide. The region occupied by the terminal set (371, 372) is arranged so as to be included in the range occupied by the high-voltage terminal set (381, 382). The positive input terminal 371 and the negative input terminal 372 are inserted into the slit 322 and the slit 323, respectively. The positive input terminal 381 and the negative input terminal 382 are inserted into the slit 321 and the slit 324, respectively. The positions of these terminals and slits are appropriately guided by rail grooves formed in the battery pack mounting portion on the power tool body side and rail portions (not shown here) formed in the battery pack 300. The In this way, 18V and 36V products in which two patterns of slits for inserting clips (positive input terminals 371, 381 and negative input terminals 372, 382) on the terminal side of the electric device main body are provided, and the widths of the clip of the terminal part are different. The output can be switched by attaching. An operator can obtain an appropriate output voltage from the battery pack 300 simply by attaching the battery pack 300 to an electric device main body such as an 18V electric tool or an electric device main body for 36V.

  FIG. 17 shows the components of the voltage switching mechanism 320 arranged inside the battery pack 300, particularly behind the stepped portion 312 (see FIG. 17) and in the vicinity of the positions of the slits 321 to 324 (terminal arrangement region). FIG. The voltage switching mechanism 320 is a changeover switch means, and has two movable guide members 330 and 340 made of synthetic resin in which a metal terminal member is cast. These battery packs are biased by a biasing means such as a spring 348. 300 are urged so as to be separated from each other in a direction crossing the mounting direction of the main body 300 of the electric device. Four contact terminals (351 to 354) are provided in the vicinity of the left and right sides of the movable guide members 330 and 340 and on the rear side near the center. Terminal mounting portions 331 and 341 for inserting the positive electrode input terminal 371 and the negative electrode input terminal 372 are formed in the movable guide members 330 and 340. The left side of FIG. 17A shows the positions of the movable guide members 330 and 340 when the battery pack 300 is not attached to the main body of the electric device. In this state, the positive input terminal 371 and the negative input terminal 372 are connected. The terminal mounting portions 331 and 341 can be inserted as they are. On the other hand, as shown in the diagram on the left side of FIG. When the battery pack 300 is moved relative to the positive electrode input terminal 381 and the negative electrode input terminal 382, the positive electrode input terminal 381 comes into contact with the inclined portion 332 of the movable guide member 330 and the negative electrode input terminal 382 is inclined to the inclined portion of the movable guide member 340. 342 is contacted. This is because the parallel surfaces 333 and 343 of the movable guide members 330 and 340 are stopped at a position wider than the distance between the positive input terminal 381 and the negative input terminal 382 by the action of the spring 348.

  When the terminal portion 380 is pushed in as indicated by an arrow 349 while the positive electrode input terminal 381 is in contact with the inclined portion 332 and the negative electrode input terminal 382 is in contact with the inclined portion 342, that is, the positive electrode input terminal 381 and the negative electrode input terminal 382 are When inserted into the slits 321 and 324 (see FIG. 17), the movable guide members 330 and 340 move inwardly in the directions of arrows 336 and 346 (directions approaching each other) while compressing the spring 348. In the description of the present embodiment, the meaning of the arrow 349 illustrated to bring the terminal unit 380 closer to the battery pack 300 only means that the distance from the battery pack 300 side is reduced, and the direction is set for convenience. It is only shown and includes both the case where the battery pack 300 side is moved to the fixed electric device main body side and the case where the electric device main body side is moved to the battery pack 300 side. In the present embodiment, for ease of understanding, these relative movements have been described on the assumption that the terminal unit 380 moves to the battery pack 300 side as indicated by an arrow 349, but the state after mounting is the same regardless of which side is moved. is there.

  When the terminal portion 380 is further inserted while the movable guide members 330 and 340 move in the directions of the arrows 336 and 346, the spring 348 is further compressed and the movable guide members 330 and 340 further approach each other. 381 enters between the parallel surface 333 on the outside (right side) of the movable guide member 330 and the first + terminal (first positive terminal) 351, and the negative input terminal 382 is parallel on the outside (left side) of the movable guide member 340 in the same manner. It enters between the surface 343 and the second terminal (second negative terminal) 354. When the battery pack 300 is moved to a predetermined position in the direction of the arrow 349 in the inserted state, the battery pack 300 is attached. By the movement of the movable guide members 330 and 340, the positions of the intermediate terminals 335 and 345 are also moved at the same time, and their closest points are changed from the “non-contact” state to the “contact” state and become conductive. Furthermore, the contact state between the movable guide members 330 and 340 and the terminals 351 to 354 changes, and as a result, a direct current of 36 V is output to the terminal portion 380.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining a voltage switching mechanism 320 using movable guide members 330 and 340 and terminals 351 to 354. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing the accommodation position of the voltage switching mechanism 320 in the battery pack 300. FIG. In FIG. 1A, the voltage switching mechanism 320 is behind the step portion 312 formed by the lower surface 311 and the upper surface 315 of the battery pack, and has a plurality of slits 321 to 324 (see FIG. 17) when viewed from above. ) In the position overlapping with the arrangement position. The movable guide members 330 and 340 are movable members that move in the left-right direction on the terminal board 360 (see FIG. 18 (3)), and the four contact terminals (351 to 354) are fixed to the terminal board 360 and do not move. It is a non-movable member.

  FIG. 18 (2) is a developed view seen from the upper surface of the voltage switching mechanism 320, and is shown separated from each other so that the configuration of each component can be understood. In FIG. 2B, the movable guide member 330 has a basic shape in which a square member and a triangular member are connected in a top view, and the basic shape portion is made of a synthetic resin such as plastic. A metal intermediate terminal 335 is cast into the synthetic resin portion, and these are firmly fixed. The intermediate terminal 335 is formed with two contacts 335c and 335d on the rear side and extends between the terminal mounting portion 331 and the front side to contact the positive input terminal 371 of the terminal portion 370. A contact 335a that is bent convexly outward is formed, and the inner part (the left side of the movable guide member 330 in the figure) is in contact with the contact 345b of the intermediate terminal 345 on the other movable guide member 340 side. A child 335b is formed. The movable guide member 340 and the intermediate terminal 345 cast therein are formed symmetrically with the movable guide member 330 and the intermediate terminal 335. The intermediate terminal 345 has two contacts 345c and 345d formed on the rear side, and extends between the terminal mounting portion 341 so as to extend forward and contact the negative input terminal 372 of the terminal portion 370. A contact 345a that is bent in a convex shape from the outside to the outside is formed, and a contact 345b that contacts the contact 335b of the other intermediate terminal 335 is formed on the inner part (the right side of the movable guide member 340 in the figure) Is done. The contacts 335a and 345a are low voltage terminal sets that output a low voltage, and constitute a first power supply terminal. A spring 348 (not shown in FIG. 18 (2)) is cast between the movable guide members 330 and 340, and the movable guide members 330 and 340 are connected via an elastic body at the time of molding. The spring 348 is a metal compression coil spring.

  Four terminals 351 to 354 are arranged on the rear side of the intermediate terminals 335 and 345. Disposed closer to the center in the left-right direction are a second terminal (second positive terminal) 352 connected to a positive terminal (positive terminal) of the first cell unit and a negative terminal (negative terminal) of the first cell unit. 1st terminal (first negative electrode terminal) 353 connected to. The second + terminal 352 is formed with contacts 352a and 352b that are bent in a convex shape on the front side and arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The first 1-terminal 353 is bent in a convex shape on the front side and aligned in the left-right direction. The contacts 353a and 353b arranged in the above are formed. The contact 335c selectively contacts either of the contacts 352a and 352b, and the contact 345c alternatively contacts either of the contacts 353a or 353b.

  A first + terminal (first positive terminal) 351 is disposed on the right side of the intermediate terminal 335, and a second terminal (second negative terminal) 354 is disposed on the left side of the intermediate terminal 345. The first + terminal 351 is a member bent in a substantially L shape when viewed from above, and has one end located on the front side outside to contact the positive input terminal 381 (see FIG. 17) of the terminal portion 380. A contact 351a bent inward from the inner side is formed, and the other end located at the rear is contacted in a convex shape toward the front to contact the contact 335d of the intermediate terminal 335. A child 351b is formed. The second terminal 354 has a symmetrical shape with the contact 351b, and is bent at one end located on the front side in a convex shape so as to contact the negative input terminal 382 (see FIG. 17) of the terminal unit 380. The contact 354a thus formed is formed, and a contact 354b bent in a convex shape is formed at the other end located rearward so as to contact the contact 345d of the intermediate terminal 345. The contacts 351a and 354a are a high voltage terminal set that outputs a high voltage and constitute a second power supply terminal.

  FIG. 18 (3) is a cross-sectional view taken along a line CC in FIG. 18 (1). The upper side of the movable guide member 330 is covered by the upper case 310 of the battery pack 300, and the lower side is held by the terminal board 360 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction. A guide rail 361 is formed on the upper surface of the terminal board 360 so as to protrude upward and linearly extend in the left-right direction. In addition, a guide rail 316 is formed on the inner wall of the upper step surface 315 of the upper case 310 so as to extend linearly in the left-right direction. On the other hand, a guide groove portion 334a formed continuously in the left-right direction is formed on the upper side surface of the movable guide member 330, and a guide groove portion 334b formed continuously in the left-right direction is formed on the lower side surface. Note that in the drawings other than FIG. 18 (3), the guide groove portion 334a of the movable guide member 330 and the guide groove portion provided on the movable guide member 340 side are not shown.

  Thus, the guide groove 334 b is guided by the guide rail 361, and the guide groove 334 a is guided by the guide rail 316, so that the movable guide member 330 can move in a direction intersecting with the mounting direction of the battery pack 300. Similarly, a guide groove portion and a guide rail are formed on the movable guide member 340 side, and the movable guide member 340 is smoothly slid in a direction (left-right direction) intersecting the mounting direction of the battery pack 300 by being guided by them. It will be movable and will not move in the same direction (front-rear direction) as the mounting direction. Since the intermediate terminal 335 is fixed to the movable guide member 330, the intermediate terminal 335 is disposed so as not to be in contact with the terminal substrate 360. In the second + terminal 352, a fixing pin portion 352 c is fitted into the terminal board 360, and a connecting pin penetrates the terminal board 360 and is soldered. Note that the pin portion 352c may be soldered without separating the pin portion 352c and the pin.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, a plurality of cell units are arranged in parallel on the upper surface of the terminal board 360 by the plurality of movable guide members (330, 340) movable in the direction intersecting the mounting direction of the battery pack 300. Since it is possible to switch between connection and series connection, it is possible to realize the battery pack 300 that realizes an automatic voltage switching mechanism. In this embodiment, the moving direction of the movable guide member 330 is set to be orthogonal to the mounting direction of the battery pack 300. However, the moving direction is not necessarily limited to an intersection angle of 90 degrees, and only a predetermined angle from 90 degrees. You may increase / decrease and move so that it may cross | intersect diagonally. As described above, in the third embodiment, the movable guide members 330 and 340 are arranged in the arrangement area of the terminals 351 to 354, 335 and 345 (area where the slits 321 to 324 are arranged) in the mounting direction of the battery pack 300. Therefore, the voltage can be switched without increasing the size of the battery pack.

  Next, the connection state of the cell unit by the voltage switching mechanism 320 when it is connected to the electric device main body having a rating of 18 V will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 19 shows a state before (1) attaches the terminal portion 370 to the battery pack 300. FIG. 2B shows the state after mounting, and shows a connection state from the four terminals 351 to 354 to the cell units 356 and 357 as a circuit diagram. Two cell units 356 and 357 are accommodated in the battery pack 300. Each of the cell units 356 and 357 is an assembly in which five lithium ion battery cells 161 are connected in series, and its output is rated at 18V. The positive output (positive output) of the cell unit (first cell unit) 356 is wired to the first + terminal 351 by a lead wire, and the negative output (minus output) is wired to the first 1-terminal 353 by a lead wire. Similarly, the + output of the cell unit (second cell unit) 357 is wired to the 2+ terminal 352 by a lead wire, and the − output is wired to the second terminal 354 by a lead wire.

  When the terminal portion 370 is not mounted, the movable guide members 330 and 340 are urged away from each other by the spring 348. In this state, the contact 335b and the contact 345b are separated from each other and are in a non-contact state. When the terminal portion 370 is mounted from the state of FIG. 19A, the positive input terminal 371 of the terminal portion 370 is inserted into the terminal mounting portion 331 through the slit 322 (see FIG. 17) as shown in FIG. As a result, the contact 335b and the positive input terminal 371 come into contact with each other. Similarly, the negative electrode input terminal 372 is accommodated in the terminal mounting portion 341 via the slit 323 (see FIG. 17), and as a result, the contact 345b and the negative electrode input terminal 372 come into contact with each other. However, since the movable guide members 330 and 340 do not move in the same direction as the arrow 349 or in a direction (right and left direction or up and down direction) perpendicular to the arrow 349, the contact relationship between the intermediate terminals 335 and 345 and the four terminals 351 to 354 is changed. Absent. In this state, the contacts 335d and 351b are in contact, the contacts 335c and 352a are in contact, the contacts 345c and 353a are in contact, and the contacts 345d and 354b are in contact. As a result of the contact of these contacts, a connection path from the positive input terminal 371 to the positive output (positive output, positive terminal) of the cell units 356 and 357 is established, and the negative output (positive output of the cell units 356 and 357 from the negative input terminal 372) The connection path to the negative output and the negative terminal is established, and the two cell units 356 and 357 are connected in parallel, and the output, that is, the rated 18 V direct current is output from the battery pack 300.

  FIG. 20 shows a state before (1) the terminal portion 380 is attached to the battery pack 300, and (2) shows a state after the attachment, from the four terminals 351 to 354 to the cell units 356 and 357. The connection state is shown in a circuit diagram. As shown in FIG. 20A, when the terminal portion 380 is not attached, the movable guide members 330 and 340 are urged so as to be separated from each other by the spring 348. In this state, the contact 335b and the contact 345b are separated from each other and are in a non-contact state. When the terminal portion 380 is attached from the state of FIG. 1A, the positive electrode input terminal 381 contacts the inclined portion 332 through the slit 321 (see FIG. 17), but the terminal portion 380 is pushed in while being in contact (or When the battery pack 300 is moved to the terminal part 380 side), the inclined part 332 moves so as to escape to the inside of the positive electrode input terminal 381, so that the movable guide member 330 compresses the spring 348 in the direction of the arrow 336. Moving. Similarly, when the negative electrode input terminal 382 is pushed in contact with the inclined portion 342 via the slit 324 (see FIG. 17), the inclined portion 342 moves so as to escape inside the positive electrode input terminal 381, so that the movable guide The member 340 moves while compressing the spring 348 in the direction of the arrow 346. When the movable guide member 330 moves inward, the positive electrode input terminal 381 enters between the parallel surface 333 located on the side of the inclined portion 332 and the first + terminal 351, and the state (FIG. 20) due to the bias of the spring 348. The positive electrode input terminal 381 is in good contact with the contact 351a of the first + terminal 351. Similarly, when the movable guide member 340 moves inward, the negative input terminal 382 enters between the parallel surface 343 located on the side of the inclined portion 342 and the second terminal 354, and the state ((2 The negative input terminal 382 is in good contact with the contact 354a of the second terminal 354.

  When the movable guide members 330 and 340 move inward, the contact relationship of other contacts also changes. First, when the contact 335b of the intermediate terminal 335 and the contact 345b of the intermediate terminal 345 come into contact with each other, the intermediate terminals 335 and 345 are brought into conduction. Further, the contact with the contact 335c of the intermediate terminal 335 is switched from the contact 352a as shown in FIG. 20A to the contact 352b as shown in FIG. 20B, and the contact 335d of the intermediate terminal 335 is changed. And the connection state between the first + terminal 351 and the contact 351b are eliminated. Similarly, the contact with the contact 345c of the intermediate terminal 345 is switched from the contact 353a as shown in FIG. 1A to the contact 353b as shown in FIG. The connection state between the child 345d and the contact 354b of the second terminal 354 is eliminated. As a result of switching the contact state of these contacts, a connection path from the positive electrode input terminal 381 to the positive output (positive output, positive electrode terminal) of the cell unit 356 is established, and the negative output of the cell unit 356 (negative output, negative electrode terminal). A connection path from the negative output of the cell unit 357 to the negative input terminal 382 is established. This connection is a series connection of two cell units 356 and 357, and a DC voltage of 36V is output from the battery pack 300. Since the movable guide members 330 and 340 of the voltage switching mechanism 320 are biased by the spring 348, when the terminal portion 380 is removed from the state of FIG. 20 (2), the original state of FIG. Therefore, the serial connection state of the cell units 356 and 357 is automatically canceled and the parallel connection state is restored.

  As described above, by realizing the voltage switching mechanism 320 using the movable guide members 330 and 340, the operator simply attaches the battery pack 300 to either the electrical device body rated 18V or the electrical device body rated 36V. By doing so, it is possible to obtain an optimum output voltage for the electric device main body. The third embodiment described above can also be realized in a battery pack that switches other voltages, for example, 54V / 108V, as long as the voltage ratio is double. Further, by using three movable guide members, a switching mechanism in which the switching voltage ratio is tripled may be realized.

  Next, a battery pack 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the battery pack 400, where (1) shows the state when the output is 18V, and (2) shows the state when the output is 36V. In the fourth embodiment, the output voltage of 18V and 36V is manually switched by the operator using the changeover switch. Therefore, an operation lever (operation unit) 452 of a changeover switch is provided in a part on the upper side of the battery pack 400. The other basic configuration was configured to be compatible with the 18V battery pack used conventionally. On the upper side of the battery pack 400, a battery pack mounting mechanism having rail portions 438a and 438b, a plurality of slot groups, and connection contact terminals is provided. The upper side of the rail portions 438a and 438b arranged on the left and right sides is an upper step surface 415, and the boundary of the upper step surface 415 with the lower step surface 411 on the front side is a step portion 412, and the rear side from the step portion 412 A terminal arrangement region 420 in which a plurality of slots are formed is provided. Further, a raised portion 432 protruding upward from the upper surface of the upper step surface 415 is provided in a substantially U shape when viewed from above, and the operation lever 452 is disposed in a region surrounded by the raised portion 432. Yes. In the terminal arrangement area 420, eight slots are formed, and various signals are output in addition to + output and -output. A stopper portion 431 that is the same surface as the upper step surface 415 and is a recessed portion for disposing a vent hole into the housing is formed in the vicinity of the center of the raised portion 432 in the left and right directions.

An operation lever 452 is provided at a position that does not impair compatibility with a battery pack used in a conventional 18V power tool. Since it is important that the operation lever 452 is mounted on an electric device so that the operation lever 452 cannot be operated during energization, in this embodiment, the operation lever 452 is located on the rear side of the upper stage surface 415 of the battery pack 400 and includes the rail portion 438a, An operation lever 452 of the switch mechanism is provided in the range of the distance L on the rear side from 438b. The position where the operation lever 452 is provided is in a space used as the stopper portion 431 and in a region overlapping with the latch mechanism having the latch 441 in the front-rear direction. A cutout portion 435 for securing the movable range is formed around the operation lever 452, and a slit 434 for taking in cooling air is formed in the left portion of the hollow portion so as to avoid the cutout portion 435. (1) shows a state at the time of 18V output. In this state, the width W ₁ of the right side portion including the operation lever 452 is set to be the same as the width W _{3 of the} left side portion, and the width S of the stopper portion 431 in the left-right direction. ₂ may be the same as a battery pack for 18V that has been commercially available. To achieve the width W ₁ of the right side portion, the width W ₂ of the ridge 432 of the right side portion is formed slightly smaller than before. As a result of such a configuration, the battery pack 400 according to the present embodiment can be mounted on a conventional 18V electric device as it is.

FIG. 21 (2) shows a state when the output voltage of the battery pack 400 is set to 36V. In the case of 36V output, the oscillating operation lever 452 is moved in the direction of the arrow 471 to be positioned at the second position. When returning the voltage to 18 V, the operation lever 452 is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow 471 from the state (2). This second position is such that the operating lever 452 protrudes into a substantially rectangular space formed near the left and right center of the raised portion 432. By utilizing the protrusion phenomenon of the operation lever 452 into the stopper portion 431, the left and right directions of the stopper portion 431 are set when the operation lever 452 is protruded to the second position, that is, set to 36V output. The width of S is limited to be as small as S ₁ to S ₂ . This means that if the battery pack 400 is set at 36V, it cannot be attached to the battery pack mounting portion of the 18V electric device. As described above, when the operation lever 452 is set to the 36V side by devising the mounting position of the voltage switching switch, it cannot be attached to the 18V electrical device. Further, the installation position of the operation lever 452 is in a position where it cannot be operated while the battery pack 400 is mounted on the electric device body side, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the voltage from being switched during operation of the electric device. it can.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing the shape of an electric power tool 1A that is an example of an electric device rated at 18V. The electric power tool main body 1A is an impact driver, and has a handle portion 3 that extends downward from the substantially cylindrical body portion 2, and a battery pack mounting portion 10A is formed below the handle portion 3. A part of the battery pack mounting part 10 </ b> A is formed with a protrusion 44 for positioning the battery pack in order to inhibit relative movement in the mounting direction of the battery pack 400, and the protrusion 44 is formed on the stopper part 431. The battery pack 400 is mounted so as to abut. Here protrusions 44, sometimes also serves as a boss for screwing the housing of the electric tool main body 1A to be formed in two split in the left-right direction, and configured to have a predetermined width S ₁ in the lateral direction ing. Therefore, when the operation lever 452 is set to the 18V mode side, the battery pack 400 can be smoothly attached to the electric tool main body 1A. On the other hand, when the operation lever 452 is set to the 36V mode side, the operation lever 452 protrudes to the inside of the stopper portion 431 and the width in the left-right direction of the stopper portion 431 is S ₂ (see FIG. 21 (2)). Therefore, the battery pack 400 cannot be mounted on the electric power tool main body 1A. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the battery pack 400 from being mounted while the voltage setting different from that of the electric power tool main body 1A targeted by the operator is set.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing the shape of an electric power tool main body 480 which is an example of an electric device having a rating of 36V. In realizing the switchable battery pack 400 for 18V and 36V in this embodiment, the shape of the battery pack mounting portion 481 of the 36V electric power tool main body 480 is substantially the same as the battery pack mounting portion 481 shown in FIG. The However, only the width of the protrusion 484 is formed as small as S ₂ (<S ₁ ), and the battery pack 400 is attached to the electric tool body even when the operation lever 452 is on the 36V side and protrudes to the left. It can be attached to 480.

  24 is a perspective view of the battery pack 400 with the upper case 410 (see FIG. 21) removed. The switch mechanism 450 is a switch for switching two sets of cell units in which five cells 151A are connected in series to each other in parallel connection or series connection. The cell 151A is a 18650-size lithium ion battery, and accommodates a total of ten cells in five stages, two in the upper and lower stages. The cell 151A is disposed in the lower case 401 while being accommodated in a synthetic resin separator 152A. A terminal substrate 470 for fixing the plurality of terminals 421 to 427 is disposed on the upper side of the separator 152A, and a switch mechanism 450 is provided on the rear side of the terminal substrate 470. The switch mechanism 450 extends from the inside of the switch case 451 and has four contacts (461, 462 and 464, 465 described later in FIG. 25) to be soldered to the terminal board 470. Here, the switch case 451 is an inner case when viewed from the battery pack 400, and the contact member in the switch mechanism 450 is accommodated in the inner case. The switch mechanism 450 is disposed obliquely so that the longitudinal center line C1 of the switch case 451 has a predetermined angle with the mounting direction line B1 of the battery pack 400. This is a limitation between the upper case 410 and the lower case 401. This is because the switch mechanism 450 is accommodated within the specified range. The switch mechanism 450 is disposed between the pair of rail portions 438a and 438b (see FIG. 21) when viewed in the left-right direction (direction intersecting the mounting direction), and the rail portion 438a when viewed in the front-rear direction (mounting direction). 438b on the rear side.

  Among the plurality of terminals 421 to 427, the terminal 422 is a + output terminal (positive terminal), and the terminal 426 is a − output terminal (negative terminal). FIG. 24 (2) shows that the operator switches the operation lever 452 from the first position to the second position by swinging the operation lever 452 in the direction of the arrow θ, and the circuit of the switch mechanism 450 is changed from the parallel connection side to the series connection side. That is, it is a diagram showing a state where the output is set from the 18V side to the 36V side. When the operation lever 452 is set to the position, ten accommodated cells 151A are connected in series, and a direct current having a rated voltage of 36 V is output from the terminals 422 and 426.

  FIG. 25 is a circuit diagram showing a connection state of the battery pack 400 at the time of 18V output and 36V output. The battery pack 400 accommodates a first cell unit 356 and a second cell unit 357 in which five cells 151A are connected in series, and the + output (+ terminal) of the cell unit 356 is connected to the positive terminal 422. The -output (-terminal) of the cell unit 357 is connected to the negative terminal 426. Six contact points 461a, 462a, 463a, 463b, 464, and 465 are provided in the switch mechanism 450, and the connection state thereof is changed by a switching element 455 that is moved by an operation lever 452 (see FIG. 24). The swing fulcrum side of the switching element 455 is connected to connection terminals 464 and 465. The connection terminal 464 is connected to the -output (-terminal) of the cell unit 356, and the connection terminal 465 is connected to the cell unit 357 + output (+ terminal). Further, the + output (+ terminal) of the cell unit 356 is connected to the contact 461a, and the − output (− terminal) of the cell unit 357 is connected to the contact 462a. Further, the contact 463a and the contact 463b are connected by a connection terminal 463 for short-circuiting (see FIG. 26 described later). In the 18V output state shown in (1), the connection terminal 464 and the contact 462a are connected by the switching element 455, and the connection terminal 465 and the contact 461a are connected. With these connection relations, the + outputs (+ terminals) of the cell units 356 and 357 are connected to the positive terminal 422, and the − outputs (− terminals) of the cell units 356 and 357 are connected to the negative terminal 426. That is, two sets of cell units 356 and 357 are connected in parallel, and the rated 18 V is output from the battery pack 400.

  When the switch mechanism 450 is switched to 36V output as shown in FIG. 25 (2), the contact connected to the switching element 455 is changed, the connection terminal 464 is connected to the contact 463a, and the connection terminal 465 is connected to the contact 463b. Connected to. That is, the contacts 463a and 463b are short-circuited by the connection terminal 463 (see FIG. 26 described later). Connected. On the other hand, the contacts 461a and 462a are both opened. In this way, the cell units 356 and 357 are connected in series, the + output thereof is connected to the positive terminal 422, and the − output is connected to the negative terminal 426.

  FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating the shapes of the contact terminals 461 to 465 in the switch case 451. The contact terminals 461 to 465 are made of a metal member and are accommodated inside the switch case 451, and a part of the contact terminals 461, 462, 464, and 465 excluding the connection terminal 463 is exposed outside the switch case 451 for wiring. To do. Note that in order to show the shapes of the contact terminals 461 to 465, the description of the switching element 455 described later in FIGS. 27 and 28 is omitted here. The switch mechanism 450 is a two-circuit two-contact switch in which four terminals exposed to the outside of the switch case 451 are formed. A part of the contact terminals 461 and 462 extend to be connected to the terminal board 470 (see FIG. 24), and the connection terminals 464 and 465 are connected to the minus output (−terminal) of the cell unit 356 and the + of the cell unit 357 by the power line. Connected to the output (+ terminal). On one side of the short side of the switch case 451, four contact points 462a, 463a, 464a, 464b having a substantially square shape are arranged at a predetermined interval. Here, latch claws 462b, 463c, 463d, and 464c bent in a semi-cylindrical shape are formed on the opening side in the horizontal direction of the contacts 462a, 463a, 464a, and 464b. The latch claws 462b, 463c, 463d, and 464c are easily moved by the spring force of the metal member when the connection terminal 463 described later is positioned on either the contact 462a and the contact 464a side or the contact 463a and the contact 464b side. It acts as a so-called latch mechanism that prevents the contact state from being eliminated. Here, either one of the contact 462a and the contact 464a or the contact 463a and the contact 464b is short-circuited. Four contacts 461a, 463b, 465a, and 465b formed in a planar shape are arranged on the other of the short sides of the switch case 451 with a predetermined interval. Here, either the contact 461a and the contact 465a or the contact 463b and the contact 465b are short-circuited.

  FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the switch case 451. The switching element 455 is also shown in comparison with FIG. The switching element 455 is configured to be swingable within a predetermined range around the swing shaft 453, and holds U-shaped curved metal members 456 and 457 for short-circuiting between the respective contacts. An operation piece 454 for fixing the operation lever 452 (see FIG. 24) is formed on the opposite side of the switching element 455 with respect to the swing shaft 453. In FIG. 27, the shape of the operation piece 454 is illustrated in a planar shape, but as shown in FIG. 24, a lever-like operation is formed so as to cover the opening of the cutout portion 435 (see FIG. 21) and extend upward. It may be formed integrally with the part (operation lever 452). The operation piece 454, the switching element 455, the operation lever 452, and the swing shaft 453 can be manufactured by integral molding of synthetic resin. Since the switching element 455 is for the purpose of connecting the contacts arranged in the vertical direction, the metal members 456 and 457 are fixed or cast into a synthetic resin molded product, or are urged and fixed by a spring or the like. You may do it. The metal members 456 and 457 are metal plate members bent in a U shape in a top view, and are arranged so that the U-shaped curved portion faces the contact side. Since the switching element 455 shown in FIG. 27 is swung around the swing shaft 453, the metal member 456 short-circuits the contacts 462a and 464b, and the metal member 457 short-circuits the contact 461a and the contact 465a.

  FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the switch case 451 when the switching element 455 is swung to output 36V. In the position of the switching element 455 shown in FIG. 28, the outer metal member 456 short-circuits the contact 463a and the contact 464b when viewed from the swing shaft 453, and the inner metal member 457 short-circuits the contact 463b and the contact 465b. As a result of switching by the switching element 455, a series output of the cell units 356 and 357 as shown in the circuit diagram of FIG. 25 (2) is obtained. In the fourth embodiment, the switch mechanism 450 is turned, so that the switching operation is stabilized, and it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the contact operation due to dust or the like. Moreover, it becomes possible to suppress the damage of an electric equipment by comprising so that the low voltage electric equipment cannot be mounted | worn at the time of the setting of a high voltage. Further, by making the output switching a manual switch type, it is possible to improve the appeal of the switching mechanism. Furthermore, by providing the case of the switching mechanism, it is possible to suppress the inflow of dust and the like into the contact portion, and it is possible to suppress contact failure.

  As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the battery pack 400 in which the voltage can be manually switched using the switch mechanism 450 can be realized. Moreover, by changing the width of the protrusion 44 (see FIG. 2) or the protrusion 484 (see FIG. 23) on the electric device main body side, the battery pack set on the high voltage side is mounted on the electric device main body on the low voltage side. It is possible to prevent mistakes that are made. Further, the switch mechanism 450 is arranged in a range overlapping with the latch receiving area when viewed in the mounting direction, in other words, rearward of the rail portions 438a and 438b (see FIG. 21) when viewed in the mounting direction. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the lateral dimension of battery pack 400. Furthermore, by disposing the switch mechanism 450 in an area surrounded by the raised portion 432, the switch mechanism 450 is not exposed to the outside when the battery pack 400 is mounted on the electric tool body. It should be noted that there is no actual harm even if the battery pack 400 set to 18V is attached to the 36V electric tool body. This is because even if a rated 18V direct current is attached to a 36V device, the battery pack becomes lower than the usable lower limit voltage (for example, 24V) and the electric tool does not operate. At such a low voltage, it is difficult to drive the motor of the electric tool, but it is possible to operate the arithmetic unit of the electric tool. Therefore, a buzzer or other means is provided on the side of the power tool body, and a warning sound is generated to notify a battery voltage setting error when an attempt is made to mount the changeover switch in a low voltage state on an electric equipment body that conforms to a high voltage. You may do it. This alarm is not limited to sound, but an alarm display by blinking light using an LED lamp may be performed, or an artificial vibration is generated by slightly driving a motor and transmitted by vibration. Alternatively, other notification means may be used.

  FIG. 29 is a modification of the fourth embodiment and is a diagram showing a configuration in which the battery pack 400 set to 18 V cannot be attached to the high-voltage electric device body 480A. Here, a second projecting portion 485 is provided adjacent to the projecting portion 484 formed in the battery pack mounting portion 481 on the side of the electric power tool main body 480A, which is an electrical device for 36V. The shape of the second protrusion 485 is a substantially triangular shape when viewed in the upward direction from the lower side. The position of the front vertex of the protrusion 485 is formed to coincide with the position of the operation lever 452 of the battery pack 400 when set to 18V, and the battery pack 400 cannot be mounted if the operation lever 452 remains at 18V. By configuring in this way, it is possible to effectively prevent a mounting mistake of the battery pack 400. The above-described erroneous mounting prevention mechanism is designed to notice an error when the battery pack 400 is mounted. In this modification, a display window 490 that shows the switching state of the output voltage is further provided on a part of the battery pack side. It is provided so that the operator can see the set voltage at a glance. The display window 490 is a window made of a cut-out opening or a transparent material, and the display mode associated with the movement of the operation lever 452 of the switch mechanism 450 is switched inside. The position where the display window 490 is formed is preferably a position that is easy for the operator to see when the battery pack 400 is mounted, for example, on the rear wall surface in the vicinity of the space between the latches 441 provided on the left and right at the upper rear side. Here, when the battery pack 400A is set to 18V, it is displayed in red as shown by an arrow 491, and when the battery pack 400A is set to 36V, it is displayed in another color as shown by an arrow 492. I made it. However, changing the display form in the display window 490 is not limited only to the color, and the display window 490 is further enlarged to display “18V” or “36V” as characters inside the display window 490. It may be switched so as to be displayed, or a combination of other characters, figures or colors may be displayed. By configuring as described above, it was possible for the operator to understand the state of the battery voltage at a glance.

  Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the battery pack 500 of the fifth embodiment, 18V and 36V can be switched by a changeover switch as in the fourth embodiment, but the battery pack 500 is not manually switched by an operator. When mounted on the electrical equipment body, it is configured to automatically switch to the output voltage corresponding to the rated voltage on the body side. Here, the switch switch mechanism is operated by automatically moving the two switch levers 572 and 577 corresponding to the width of the projecting portion (24 in FIG. 2 and 44 in FIG. 23) on the electric power tool body side to operate the electric switch. The connection state of the circuit is changed.

  FIG. 30 (1) is a top view (partial cross section) of a battery pack 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and (2) is a circuit diagram in the state of (1). A latch 141 that moves in the left-right direction is formed on the raised portion 432 of the battery pack 500 (see FIG. 21). The latch 141 is a member having a latch claw on the front side, and is biased so as to protrude outward by a spring 142. In this embodiment, a switch mechanism having movable switch levers 572 and 577 is provided in the inner portion of the two latches 141. The switch levers 572 and 577 are accommodated by the respective switch housings 571 and 576, and hold the switch levers 572 and 577 so as to be movable in the left-right direction of the battery pack 500. A spring 573 is interposed between the switch housing 571 and the switch lever 572 and urges the switch lever 572 to approach the inside of the battery pack. Similarly, the same urging means, that is, a spring 578 is interposed between the switch housing 576 and the switch lever 577 to urge the switch lever 577 so as to approach the inside of the battery pack.

  The positions of the switch levers 572 and 577 shown in FIG. 30 (1) are in a state where the switch levers 572 and 577 are pushed outward by coming into contact with the left and right side surfaces of the protrusion 44 when inserted into the protrusion 44 on the power tool body 1A side. is there. Here, when the switch levers 572 and 577 are inserted in the insertion direction of the electric power tool main body 1A (FIG. 22), the corners of the projections 44 indicated by dotted lines come into contact with the switch levers in the outer direction perpendicular to the mounting direction. 572 and 577 were extruded. In order to facilitate the movement in the pushing direction, slope portions 572a and 577a are formed in the vicinity of the contact portions of the switch levers 572 and 577 so as to be inclined inward from the front to the rear. When the battery pack 500 is completely attached to the electric tool main body 1 </ b> A, the tip positions of the switch levers 572 and 577 move until they are substantially the same as the inner wall surface of the raised portion 432. A slider 572 b for holding the insulated terminal 541 is formed on the front side of the switch lever 572. Similarly, a slider 577 b for holding the insulating terminal 542 and the short-circuit terminal 544 is formed on the front side of the switch lever 577. The insulated terminals 541 and 542 are molded articles made of synthetic resin such as plastic, and enter between the contact terminal pairs 531 and 532 facing each other, and the terminals in contact with each other are separated to be electrically cut off. The short-circuit terminal 544 is a metal thin plate and is fixed only to the switch lever 577 side. Here, the insulating terminals 541 and 542 are formed integrally with the switch levers 572 and 577 by molding a synthetic resin, and the short-circuiting terminal 544 is firmly fixed to the slider 577b by casting a metal plate during the molding. The

  FIG. 30 (2) is a circuit diagram showing a connection state when the battery pack 500 is attached to the electric power tool main body 1A shown in FIG. Each of the contact terminal pairs 531 and 532 is composed of two short-circuit terminals, and the wiring is connected in a state where the short-circuit terminals are in contact with each other in the middle of the wiring, and the two short-circuit terminals are separated to be in a non-contact state. When it becomes, turn off the wiring. In a state where the electric power tool main body 30 is not mounted, the two short-circuit terminals of the contact terminal pairs 531 and 532 are in contact and in a connected state. The non-contact terminal pair 534 is composed of two separated metal terminals, and is connected to a series connection wiring that connects the -output (-terminal) of the cell unit 356 and the + output (+ terminal) of the cell unit 357. The wiring is brought into a connected state by a conductive metal member, that is, a short-circuit terminal 544 interposed between the two metal terminals. In the state of FIG. 30, the insulated terminals 541 and 542 are separated from the contact terminal pairs 531 and 532, and the short-circuited terminal 544 is separated from the non-contact terminal pair 534. As a result, the parallel circuit of the two cell units 356 and 357 is obtained. Is formed, and a direct current of 18 V is output from the positive output terminal 521 and the negative output terminal 522.

FIG. 31 (1) is a diagram showing a state when the battery pack 500 is mounted on the 36V battery pack mounting portion power tool main body 480 (FIG. 23). The width of the protruding portion 484B formed in the battery pack attachment portion 481 of tool body 480 here, and the S ₃ and narrower in the lateral direction. The width _{S 3,} by forming smaller than the width _{S 1} shown by the width _{S 2} and 23 shown in FIG. 22, when mounted to the battery pack 500 to the electric power tool main body 480 for 36V, projection The portion 484B is not in contact with the switch levers 572 and 577. That is, the state of each terminal set in FIG. 31 (1) shows a state in which the battery pack 500 is attached to the 36V electric power tool main body 480 and a state in which the battery pack 500 is removed from the electrical equipment or the like. ing. In this state, as shown in the circuit diagram of (2), the insulated terminals 541 and 542 are inserted between the contact terminal pairs 531 and 532, and the electrical continuity is released. Between the pair 534, a short-circuit terminal 544 is inserted, and electrical conduction is established. Accordingly, the parallel connection state of the cell units 356 and 357 is eliminated, and the cell units 356 and 357 are connected in series, and a direct current of 36 V is output from the positive output terminal 521 and the negative output terminal 522. In the fifth embodiment, the changeover switch mechanism is arranged in a range L2 that overlaps the latch accommodating area L1 when viewed in the mounting direction. This position is arranged on the rear side of the rail portions 538a and 538b (not shown in FIG. 31) when viewed in the mounting direction. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the lateral dimension of the battery pack 500. Furthermore, since the changeover switch mechanism is arranged so as to partially overlap with the region surrounded by the raised portion 432, the changeover switch mechanism is not exposed to the outside when the battery pack 500 is mounted on the power tool body.

  As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, it is possible to easily switch the output voltage of the battery pack if the basic state is a series circuit configuration and the output form after switching by the switch mechanism is a parallel circuit configuration. Become. Further, the basic shape of the battery pack used in the present configuration can be changed corresponding to the present embodiment while maintaining the same size as the 18V battery pack used in the past. According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the different voltage switching structure can be simplified as compared with the prior art, the number of parts is small, and an increase in cost can be suppressed when the structure of the present embodiment is adopted. Furthermore, compared with the conventional battery pack, there is an advantage that it does not become large in size, and an effect that compatibility with the conventional battery pack, which has been a problem, can be achieved.

  Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 32 and 33. FIG. FIG. 32 is a top view of the battery pack 600 according to the present embodiment. The external shape of the battery pack 600 is almost the same as that of the battery pack 100 shown in FIG. 7, and the shape of the rail portion, the shape of the lower step surface 611 and the upper step surface 615 are the same. The upper stage surface 615 is provided with a plurality of slot portions. Here, in addition to the positive terminal slot 621 and the negative terminal slot 622, a series-parallel switching element slot 623 serving as a third slot is formed as the slot portion. The positive terminal slot 621 is a slot for accommodating the positive output terminal 661 (positive terminal), and the negative terminal slot 622 is a slot for accommodating the negative output terminal 662 (negative terminal). In a portion sandwiched between the positive terminal slot 621 and the negative terminal slot 622, a serial-parallel switching element slot 623 is disposed. Here, a slot that has not been assigned any terminal in the conventional battery pack and is vacant is assigned to the slot 623 for the serial switching element.

  A parallel connector pair 663 including two parallel connectors 663a and 663b and a series connector 664 are arranged in the serial-parallel switching element slot 623 from the entrance side (front side). The parallel connector 663a includes a connector (conductor) connected to the + output (positive electrode) of the cell unit 356 and a connector (conductor) connected to the + output (positive electrode) of the cell unit 357. Consists of child pairs. Similarly, the parallel connector 663b includes a connector (conductor) connected to the -output (negative electrode) of the cell unit 356, and a connector (conductor) connected to the -output (negative electrode) of the cell unit 357. It is comprised by the connector pair (conductor pair) which consists of. In other words, the parallel connectors 663a and 663b are each composed of a pair of connectors that are connected to the same polarity (+ output or -output) of each cell unit and arranged adjacent to each other. The parallel connectors 663a and 663b are respectively constituted by conductor pairs separated in the left-right direction, and in a normal state, the conductor pairs are in contact as shown in the figure. The series connector 664 is constituted by a pair of conductors separated in the left-right direction. In a normal state, the pair of conductors on the left and right are separated and in a non-contact state as illustrated. The series connector 664 includes a connector (conductor) connected to the + output (positive electrode) of the cell unit 356 and a connector (conductor) connected to the-output (negative electrode) of the cell unit 357. It is constituted by a child pair (conductor pair). In other words, the series connector 664 is composed of a pair of connectors that are connected to the different polarities (+ output and −output) of each cell unit and arranged adjacent to each other. Note that the series connector 664 may have a positional relationship that takes a distance in the mounting direction of the battery pack 100 in order to increase the distance between the terminals of the separated conductor pairs.

The length of the mounting direction of the positive electrode terminal slot 621 and the negative electrode terminal slots 622 and other slot is L _S, the mounting direction of the length L _S1 of the serial-parallel switching element slot 623 for these are approximately doubled Long formed. This is because three pairs of conductors of parallel connectors 663a and 663b and a series connector 664 are arranged in series in the mounting direction in the serial-parallel switching element slot 623. Here, the positive electrode output terminal 661 and the negative electrode output terminal 662 (collectively these are power supply terminals) are arranged apart from each other in a direction intersecting the mounting direction, and a region where these power supply terminals are arranged (specifically, Specifically, a parallel connector pair 663 serving as a voltage switching element is provided in a region from the step portion 612 to the length L _S1 or L _S2 (described later in FIG. 35), more specifically, a region of length L _{S in} the mounting direction. And a series connector 664 is arranged. In other words, the voltage switching element is arranged in the region where the slot portion is provided.

  FIG. 33 is a diagram showing a connection circuit of the cell unit when the battery pack 600 is connected to the electric device main body, and (1) shows a state where the battery pack 600 is connected to the electric device main body for low voltage (for example, 18V). (2) is a figure which shows the state connected to the electric equipment main body for high voltages (for example, 36V). The 18V electric device main body has the same shape of the terminal portion 650 as that conventionally used. That is, a positive input terminal 651 and a negative input terminal 652 are provided. The terminal portion 650 may be provided with an input terminal (for example, an LD terminal) other than that shown in the figure, but here, only the part related to the characteristic configuration of the present embodiment will be described, and the description of the other input terminals. Is omitted.

  The lower circuit diagram of FIG. 33 (1) is a diagram showing a state in which the terminal portion 650 and the output terminal group of the battery pack 600 are connected by mounting the battery pack 600 on the electric device main body. The battery pack 600 includes cell units 356 and 357 in which five lithium ion battery cells are connected in series. In the state (1), the positive output and the negative output of the cell units 356 and 357 are connected in parallel to the positive output terminal 661 and the negative output terminal 662. That is, the positive terminal of the cell unit 357 in which five cells are connected in series is connected to the positive output terminal 661, and the negative terminal is connected to the negative output terminal 662 through the parallel connector 663b. On the other hand, the positive terminal of the cell unit 356 in which five cells are connected in series is connected to the positive output terminal 661 through the parallel connector 663a, and the negative terminal is connected to the negative output terminal 662. Here, the series connector 664 connecting the negative terminal of the cell unit 356 and the positive terminal of the cell unit 357 is in an open state (non-conductive state).

  The upper part of FIG. 33 (2) is a diagram showing the terminal shape of the terminal portion 680 of the 36V electric device main body. Here, in addition to the positive electrode input terminal 681 and the negative electrode input terminal 682 having the same shape as those used in the related art, a series / parallel switching terminal 683 is formed. The series / parallel switching terminal 683 has two functions. When the battery pack 600 is mounted, the tip side portion that first contacts the voltage switching element (parallel connector pair 663, series connector 664) is conductive by the conductor. A terminal 683b is formed, and a rear end side portion is formed as a non-conductive blocking terminal 683a. The terminal portion 680 has a base portion formed by integral molding of synthetic resin, and a metal plate-like positive electrode input terminal 681 and negative electrode input terminal 682 are cast therein. In the series / parallel switching terminal 683, the blocking terminal portion 683a is formed of a non-conductive material integrally with the terminal portion 680, and a metal conductive terminal 683b is formed by casting at a part of the tip. Here, when the battery pack 600 is not attached, the blocking terminal 683a enters between the parallel connectors 663a and 663b that are in a contact state (conductive state), thereby blocking the conductive state of the parallel connector 663a, and the parallel connector 663b. The purpose is to cut off the conductive state. Conversely, when the battery pack 600 is not attached, the conduction terminal 683b enters between the series connectors 664 that are in a non-contact state (blocking state), thereby establishing a conduction state of the series connector 664 by short-circuiting each other. With the goal. Therefore, the conduction terminal 683b may be a simple metal plate and does not need to be connected to the substrate on the power tool main body side.

  The lower circuit diagram of FIG. 33 (2) is a diagram illustrating a state where the terminal unit 680 and the output terminal group of the battery pack 600 are connected to each other when the battery pack 600 is attached to the electric device main body. In the state (2), a connection circuit to the positive output terminal 661 and the negative output terminal 662 is established with the + output of the cell unit 356 and the − output of the cell unit 357 connected. The positive terminal of the cell unit 357 in which five cells are connected in series is connected to the positive output terminal 661, and the negative terminal is connected to the cell unit 356 via the connection of the serial connector 664 that is short-circuited by inserting the conduction terminal 683b. Connected to the + terminal of the. The negative terminal of the cell unit 356 is connected to the negative output terminal 662. Here, the parallel connectors 663a and 663b forming the parallel connector pair 663 are brought into a non-conductive state because the blocking terminal 683a is interposed between the two contact points, so that the cell unit as shown in (1) While the parallel connection state of 356 and 357 is eliminated, the serial connection state is established.

  As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, it is possible to appropriately switch the output voltage of the battery pack 600 only by changing the shape of the terminal portions 650 and 680 on the power tool main body side. Moreover, since the shape of the terminal portion 650 is the same as that of the conventional electric tool at the time of 18V output widely used in the past, the battery pack 600 according to the present embodiment is a commercially available 18V electric power tool main body, It can be used in the same manner by being mounted on the electric device body. On the other hand, if the shape of the terminal part 680 is configured as shown in FIG. 33 (2) in the electric tool main body that requires a rating of 36V or the electric device main body, the rating from the battery pack 600 can be achieved only by mounting the battery pack 600. A direct current of 36V can be obtained. At this time, since there is no complicated switch mechanism, it was possible to realize a battery pack of a voltage automatic switching type with good durability while suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost. In addition, since the voltage switching element is disposed in the region where the power supply terminals (the positive output terminal 661 and the negative output terminal 662) are disposed in the mounting direction, the voltage can be easily switched simply by mounting the battery pack on the electric device body. did it. In particular, since the voltage switching element is arranged between the power supply terminals in the direction crossing the mounting direction, it is possible to mount the existing electric device body without increasing the size of the battery pack.

  FIG. 34 is a diagram showing the shape of the battery pack cover 640 that is attached when the battery pack 600 is not attached to the electric device main body. The battery pack cover 640 is manufactured from, for example, a non-conductive material such as vinyl chloride resin or other plastic material, and covers the lower step surface 611, the step portion 612, and the upper step surface 615 of the battery pack 600. Attached. The battery pack cover 640 has a crank-like cross section as viewed from the side, in which an upper step portion 643 that is a first flat portion and a lower step portion 641 that is a second flat portion are connected by a vertical surface 642. Three vertical ribs 646 to 648 are formed so as to straddle the upper stage portion 643 and the vertical surface 642 of the battery pack cover 640. The vertical ribs 646 to 648 are formed at substantially the same position and size as the positive input terminals 651 and 681, the negative input terminals 652 and 682, and the series / parallel switching terminal 683, respectively. However, the plate thickness of the lower part on the front end side of the vertical ribs 646 to 648 is formed slightly thin so that it can be easily mounted. By attaching the battery pack cover 640 to the battery pack 600, the cell unit 356 and the cell unit 357 are electrically completely independent. For example, when each of the cell unit 356 and the cell unit 357 has an electric energy of 54 Wh (= voltage 18 V × capacity 3.0 Ah), the cell unit 356 and the cell unit 357 are connected in parallel without the battery pack cover 640 and the electric energy 108 Wh. (= Voltage 18 V × capacity 3.0 Ah). Usually, when the amount of power exceeds 100 Wh in a lithium ion battery pack, it is subject to transportation restrictions. However, by attaching the battery pack cover 640, it is handled as two 54 Wh batteries, and is not subject to transportation regulations, and can be handled in a normal transportation form, and the packaging material and transportation cost can be greatly reduced. it can.

  On the outer peripheral side of the battery pack cover 640 and in the vicinity of the longitudinal center line, an edge 644 and a rib 645 extending in the thickness direction (vertical direction) are formed by integral molding to enhance rigidity. When the vertical ribs 646 to 648 are attached to the battery pack cover 640, the vertical ribs 646 are inserted into the positive electrode terminal slots 621 and fitted into the positive electrode input terminals 651, and the vertical ribs 647 are inserted into the negative electrode terminal slots 622. Thus, the vertical rib 648 is inserted into the serial-parallel switching element slot 623 and is fitted to the parallel connectors 663a and 663b and the series connector 664. The battery pack cover 640 is held so as not to fall out of the battery pack 600 using spring properties such as the positive electrode input terminal 651, the negative electrode input terminal 652, the parallel connectors 663a and 663b.

As described above, in the battery pack 600 shown in FIGS. 32 to 34, the parallel connector pair 663 including two sets of parallel connectors 663a and 663b and the series connector 664 including a pair of open contacts are switched in series and parallel. The element slots 623 are arranged side by side in the mounting direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 32, the length L _S1 in the mounting direction of the serial-parallel switching element slot 623 is longer than the length L _S of the other slots. When the region for the length L _{S1 of the} series-parallel switching element slot 623 becomes long, there is a possibility that a space cannot be secured for mounting on the battery pack 600. In such a case, all of the serial connectors 664 and the parallel connectors 663a and 663b are not arranged in one slot (series-parallel switching element slot 623), but may be distributed in two slots. good. 35 and 36 are top views of the battery pack 600A showing the configuration (modified example of the sixth embodiment).

FIG. 35 is a top view of a battery pack 600A according to a modification of the sixth embodiment. Among the external shapes of the battery pack 600A, the first slot 623A and the second slot 624A for the series-parallel switch are changed. The upper surface 615 is provided with a plurality of slot portions. However, the slot portion for signal transmission used is changed to secure a second slot 624A for a series-parallel switch. In the first slot 623A, a parallel connector 673a is disposed on the side close to the opening on the lower surface 611 side (mounting direction entrance side), a series connector 674 is disposed on the back side, and these contact terminal pairs are connected in series. I arranged them. On the other hand, in the second slot 624A, a parallel connector 673b is arranged on the back side portion away from the lower step surface 611. The series connector 674 and the parallel connectors 673a and 673b are each composed of a pair of conductors separated in the left-right direction. When the battery pack 600A is not attached, the parallel connectors 673a and 673b The body pair is in contact, and the series connector 674 is in a non-contact state with the left and right conductor pairs separated. With this arrangement, the length of the first slot 623A and the second slot 624A in the mounting direction can be set to L _S2, and therefore the length L of the serial-parallel switching element slot 623 shown in FIG. Since it can be configured shorter than _S1 minutes, it is advantageous in terms of mounting. In addition, although not shown in the drawings, a signal connection connector, for example, a V terminal indicating the output of the battery, which is not illustrated, can be disposed as it is on the opening side of the second slot 624A. There is no loss of compatibility when power tools are connected.

  FIG. 36 is a diagram showing a cell unit connection circuit when a battery pack 600A according to a modification of the sixth embodiment is connected to an electric device body. (1) shows a state connected to an electric device main body for low voltage (for example, 18V), and (2) shows a state connected to an electric device main body for a high voltage (for example, 36V). Compared to the configuration shown in FIG. 33, the shape of the terminal portion 650 of the electric device for low voltage (18V) is the same, but the shape of the terminal portion 680A of the electric device for high voltage (36V) is different. In the terminal unit 680 shown in FIG. 33, the series-parallel switching terminal 683 is composed of one, but in the modified terminal unit 680A, the first series-parallel switching terminal 693 and the second series-parallel switching terminal are used as the series-parallel switching terminals. The terminals 694 are arranged separately. The first series / parallel switching terminal 693 is formed such that a leading end side portion that first contacts the parallel connector 673b when the battery pack 600A is mounted is formed as a conductive terminal 693b made of a conductor, and a rear end side portion is a blocking terminal 693a made of a non-conductive body. Formed as. On the other hand, the second series-parallel switching terminal 694 is all manufactured as a non-conductive blocking terminal. Here, the base portion of the terminal portion 680A is formed by integral molding of synthetic resin, and a metal plate-like positive electrode input terminal 681 and negative electrode input terminal 682 are cast therein. The blocking terminal 693a of the first series / parallel switching terminal 693 and the second series / parallel switching terminal 694 may be made of synthetic resin integrally with the base portion.

  The lower circuit diagram of FIG. 36 is a diagram showing a state in which the terminal portions 650 and 680A are connected to the output terminal group of the battery pack 600A by mounting the battery pack 600A on the electric device main body. In the state (2), the positive output of the cell unit 356 and the negative output of the cell unit 357 are connected in series, and are connected to the positive output terminal 661 and the negative output terminal 662. The + terminal of the cell unit 357 in which five cells are connected in series is connected to the positive output terminal 661, and the − terminal is connected to the + of the cell unit 356 via the series connector 674 that is short-circuited by insertion of the conduction terminal 693b. Connected to the terminal. The negative terminal of the cell unit 356 is connected to the negative output terminal 662. Here, the parallel connectors 673a and 673b forming the parallel connector pair 673 are in a non-conducting state because the blocking terminal 693a and the second series-parallel switching terminal (cutting terminal) 694 are interposed between the two contacts. The parallel connection state between the cell units 356 and 357 as shown in (1) is eliminated. Here, the position seen in the mounting direction of the parallel connector 673a is provided adjacent to the series connector 674, and is not adjacent to the parallel connector 673b. This is to make it possible to arrange a signal transmission terminal conventionally used on the inlet side of the parallel connector 673a. Note that the parallel connectors 673a and 673b may be arranged together on the first series-parallel switching terminal 693 side, and the series connector 674 may be arranged on the second series-parallel switching terminal 694 side. However, if the first series / parallel switching terminal 693 is broken and detached from the terminal portion 680A and only the series connector 674 is connected by the action of the second series / parallel switching terminal 694, there is a possibility of short circuit. It is more advantageous to arrange like this.

  As described above, the advantage of the modification shown in FIGS. 35 and 36 is that the length in the longitudinal direction of the first series-parallel switching terminal 693 can be suppressed, and the length of the first slot 623A can be similarly reduced. It is. It is also possible to maintain a signal transmission terminal conventionally by casting a metal terminal on the base side of the second series-parallel switching terminal 694. Further, since the terminal portion 650 of the electric device main body for low voltage (18V) is not required to be modified, the battery pack according to the present invention can be applied to the conventional electric device main body as it is. In this embodiment, an example of a battery pack that outputs 18V and 36V with 5 cells as one cell unit for low voltage and high voltage has been described. However, the output voltage can be arbitrarily set and is doubled. If the potential difference is, another combination, for example, a battery pack that switches between 54 V (low voltage side) and 108 V (high voltage side) using 15 cells as one cell unit can be realized.

  Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the battery pack 700 of the seventh embodiment, 18V and 36V can be automatically switched in accordance with the terminal shape on the electric power tool main body side as in the fifth embodiment. That is, when the battery pack 700 is mounted on the electric tool main body or the electric device main body, the output voltage automatically switches to the output voltage corresponding to the rated voltage on the main body side. FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing the external shape of the battery pack 700. This shape is compatible with a conventional battery pack 15 for a rating of 18V (see FIG. 1). In the battery pack 700, a plurality of slot portions are formed in a stepped shape at the boundary between the lower step surface 111 and the upper step surface 115, and a plurality of output terminals and signal terminals are arranged inside the slot portions. The slot portion is notched not only in the direction parallel to the mounting direction but also in the vertical direction so that the terminal on the power tool main body side can be inserted from the lower step surface 111 side. In addition, an opening 709 that is continuously open in the lateral direction is formed on the lower side of the lower step surface 111 below the slot portion. Of the plurality of slots formed in the front region of the upper surface 115, the slot 701 accommodates a terminal pair for transmitting a positive output on the battery pack side, and the slot 704 is a terminal for transmitting a negative output on the battery pack side. A pair is accommodated, and a slot 707 accommodates a series connection terminal pair in which a negative output from one cell unit and a positive output from the other cell unit are arranged adjacent to each other in a non-contact state. In addition, the battery pack 700 includes an LD terminal that outputs an overdischarge protection signal by a battery protection circuit (not shown) included in the battery pack 700, and battery temperature information by a temperature sensing element (not shown) provided in contact with the cell. LS terminal for outputting, V terminal for inputting a control signal from the charging device, T terminal for outputting a signal serving as identification information of the battery pack 700 to the electric tool body or the charging device, + for charging Slots such as C + terminals are formed as terminals, and the terminals arranged in these slots play the same role as the conventional battery pack 15 (see FIG. 1).

  FIG. 37 (2) is a circuit diagram in the battery pack 700. Inside the battery pack 700, two sets of cell units 356 and 337 are accommodated in which five lithium ion battery cells such as 14500 or 18650 are connected in series. The + output of the cell unit 356 is connected to the positive terminal 712, and the + output of the cell unit 357 is connected to the positive terminal 713. The positive terminals 712 and 713 are fixed to the terminal board 711 adjacent to each other, and fixed so as to be positioned in the slot 701. Similarly, the negative output of the cell unit 357 is connected to the negative terminal 715, and the negative output of the cell unit 356 is connected to the negative terminal 716. The negative terminals 715 and 716 are fixed to the terminal substrate 714 adjacent to each other and fixed so as to be positioned in the slot 704. Further, in this embodiment, the series connection terminal 718 connected from the + output of the cell unit 357 and the series connection terminal 719 connected from the − output of the cell unit 356 are arranged in the slot 707 as a series connection terminal pair. Is done.

  When the battery pack 700 is not attached to the power tool body or the charger, as shown in the circuit diagram of FIG. 37 (2), the positive terminals 712 and 713 are in a non-contact state, and the negative terminals 715 and 716 are In a non-contact state, the series connection terminals 718 and 719 are in a non-contact state. The series connection terminals 718 and 719 are used as a pair, and are fixed to the terminal board 717 adjacent to each other. Note that the terminal boards 711, 714, and 717 may be an integrated board or may be used as a protection circuit board provided with a battery protection circuit. The positive terminals 712 and 713, the negative terminals 715 and 716, and the series connection terminals 718 and 719 form a switching terminal group, the positive terminals 712 and 713 form a positive terminal pair or a parallel positive terminal group, and the negative terminal 715 and 716 constitute a negative electrode terminal pair or a parallel negative electrode terminal group, and the series connection terminals 718 and 719 constitute a series connection terminal group.

  FIG. 38 is a diagram showing a state in which the battery pack 700 is connected to a conventional electric tool having a rating of 18V, and (1) is a circuit diagram at the time of connection. Here, the positive input terminal 721 on the power tool body side contacts the positive terminals 712 and 713, and the negative input terminal 722 contacts the negative terminals 715 and 716, thereby forming a parallel connection circuit of the cell units 356 and 357. . (3) is a side view of the positive terminals 712 and 713 and the shape of the positive input terminal 721 of the terminal portion 720 on the power tool side for a rated 18V attached to the positive terminals 712 and 713, and (2) is the upper surface of the positive terminals 712 and 713. FIG. Here, the positive electrode input terminal 721 of the terminal portion 720 has the same shape as a conventional electric tool, and is a metal plate having a height H. The region where the positive terminals 712 and 713 are in contact with the positive input terminal 721 is formed by an elongated plate-like member whose height in the vertical direction is H / 2 or less. The positive terminal 712 extends upward from the terminal substrate 711 on the side farther from the positive input terminal 721 (opposite the opening of the slot), and on the positive input terminal 721 side (opening of the slot) above the positive terminal 713. Extending towards. On the other hand, the positive terminal 713 has a shape such that the upper part of the conventional positive terminal is cut off and shortened, and the positive terminals 712 and 713 are provided so as not to contact each other. The positive electrode input terminal 721 is formed of a metal plate cast into a synthetic resin terminal portion 720 on the power tool main body side.

  The positive electrode terminal 712 has a shape in which a flat plate is bent into a U shape, folded back at the opening end, and the folded end contacts to close the opening end. Similarly, the positive electrode terminal 713 also has a shape in which a flat plate is bent into a U shape, folded at the opening end, and the folded portion contacts to close the opening end. The positive electrode terminal 713 is configured so that the front-rear length thereof is shortened to almost half of the positive electrode terminal 712, but the shape of the front portion L in a top view is the same as the corresponding portion of the positive electrode terminal 712. When the battery pack 700 is attached to the battery pack mounting portion of the electric power tool body, the positive electrode input terminal 721 is fitted and press-fitted so as to expand the open ends of the positive electrode terminals 712 and 713, and the positive electrode input terminal 721. A partial region on the upper side of the electrode contacts the positive electrode terminal 712, and a partial region on the lower side contacts the positive electrode terminal 713. As a result, the positive electrode terminals 712 and 713 are short-circuited by the positive electrode input terminal 721. The terminal structures shown in FIGS. 38 (2) and (3) are the same in the negative terminals 715 and 716 as well. That is, the negative electrode terminal 715 has the same shape as the positive electrode terminal 712, the negative electrode terminal 716 has the same shape as the positive electrode terminal 713, and the negative electrode input terminal 722 has the same shape as the positive electrode input terminal 721. Accordingly, by attaching the battery pack 700 to the terminal portion 720 on the power tool body side, the positive electrode input terminal 721 and the negative electrode input terminal 722 are connected to the positive electrode terminal pair and the negative electrode terminal pair, respectively, so that the cell units 356 and 357 are connected. It will be connected in parallel and its rated output will be 18V.

  FIG. 38 (4) is a front view showing the shape of the terminal portion 720 on the electric power tool main body side, and (5) is a perspective view of the terminal portion 720. The terminal portion 720 is manufactured by integral molding of a non-conductive material such as synthetic resin, and is solidified by casting three metal terminals, that is, a positive input terminal 721, a negative input terminal 722, and an LD terminal 723 therein. Fixed to. As can be seen from (5), the LD terminal 723 is configured to be larger than the positive electrode input terminal 721 and the negative electrode input terminal 722, which is for stably holding the battery pack 700 to be mounted. The terminal portion 720 has not only a vertical surface 720b as an abutting surface in the mounting direction but also a horizontal surface (upper surface when viewed from the terminals 721 to 723) 720a. The horizontal surface 720a faces the upper step surface 115 when the battery pack 700 is mounted. And become a sliding surface.

  FIG. 39 is a view showing a state in which the battery pack 700 is connected to a new power tool body with a rated rating of 36 V, and (1) is a circuit diagram at the time of connection. Here, the positive electrode input terminal 731 on the power tool main body side with a rating of 36 V is brought into contact with only the positive electrode terminal 712 and not to the positive electrode terminal 713. Similarly, the negative input terminal 732 contacts only the negative terminal 715 and does not contact the negative terminal 716. On the other hand, by inserting a metal conduction terminal 734 provided in addition to the terminal portion 730 between the series connection terminals 718 and 719, the series connection terminals 718 disposed in a non-contact state, 719 will be short-circuited. As a result of this short circuit, the negative output of the cell unit 356 and the positive output of the cell unit 357 are connected. As can be understood from the circuit diagram of FIG. 1A, the positive input terminal 731 and the negative input terminal 732 have the cell unit 356 and 357 series outputs are connected. The terminal shape on the battery pack 700 side, that is, the shape of the positive terminals 712 and 713 and the shape of the negative terminals 715 and 716 of the same type in FIG. Absent. However, the terminal shape of the terminal portion 730 has been devised. On the right side of (3), the metal portion of the positive input terminal 731 of the terminal portion 730 corresponding to the positive terminal 712 is exposed, but is the portion corresponding to the positive terminal 713 replaced with an insulating terminal material? Alternatively, a plate-like insulating terminal 735 is formed by covering a part of the positive electrode terminal 713 with an insulating material. As a result, the positive electrode input terminal 731 conducts only to the positive electrode terminal 712, but does not conduct to the positive electrode terminal 713, so that the positive output of the cell unit 356 is connected to the positive electrode input terminal 731 on the power tool body side. The + output of the cell unit 357 is not connected (shown by a dotted line in FIG. 39 (1) because it is not connected). The negative electrode input terminal 732 on the power tool body side is also formed in the same terminal shape as the positive electrode input terminal 731 as shown in FIGS. As described above, when the terminal unit 730 is attached to the battery pack 700, the negative input terminal 732 and the negative terminal 716 do not conduct. Therefore, although the negative output of the cell unit 357 is connected to the negative electrode input terminal 732 on the power tool main body side, the negative output of the cell unit 356 is not connected.

  FIG. 39 (4) is a front view showing the shape of the terminal portion 730 on the power tool main body side, and FIG. 39 (5) is a perspective view of the terminal portion 730. The terminal unit 730 has a vertical direction so that the positive input terminal 731 and the negative input terminal 732 are in contact with only the positive terminal 712 and the negative terminal 715 disposed on the upper side as compared with the terminal unit 720 shown in FIG. It is characterized by a narrow width. Further, an insulating terminal 735 made of a synthetic resin is formed in a lower part from the positive input terminal 731, and a blocking terminal 736 made of a synthetic resin is formed in a lower part from the negative input terminal 732. The insulating terminals 735 and 736 can be formed by integral molding with the terminal portion 730, respectively, and the rear end side is connected to the vertical surface 730b. Here, by forming the plate-like insulating terminals 735 and 736 to be thicker than the positive electrode input terminal 731 and the negative electrode input terminal 732, when molding the synthetic resin portion of the terminal portion 730 including the insulating terminals 735 and 736, The lower half of the positive electrode input terminal 731 and the negative electrode input terminal 732 can be made insulative by casting into synthetic resin.

  Further, a conduction terminal 734 is added to the terminal unit 730. The position where the conduction terminal 734 is provided is arbitrary, but here, the serial connection terminals 718 and 719 are provided by utilizing an empty slot portion (slot 707 in FIG. 37) which is not used in the conventional 18V battery pack. From the relationship, the conduction terminal 734 is located next to the positive electrode input terminal 731. The conduction terminal 734 is a metal plate, and some of the positive electrode input terminal 731, the negative electrode input terminal 732, and the LD terminal 733 have wiring connection portions 731a, 732a, and 733a for wiring in the electric device body. On the other hand, the conduction terminal 734 does not require a wiring connection. This is because the conduction terminal 734 is used only for short-circuiting the series connection terminals 718 and 719. In addition, you may comprise so that signal transmission may be performed using the conduction | electrical_connection terminal 734, and it is good to form the connection part for wiring in that case. The wiring connection portions 731a, 732a, and 733a are disposed so as to be offset inward from the positions of the positive electrode input terminal 731, the negative electrode input terminal 732, and the LD terminal 733 when viewed in FIG. This is because the metal plate forming the positive electrode input terminal 731, the negative electrode input terminal 732, and the LD terminal 733 is bent in a crank shape so as to have a step, and the bent portion is cast with a synthetic resin.

  In the seventh embodiment, the output voltage from the battery pack 700 can be changed by simply changing the shape of the terminal portion on the power tool body side to the shape of FIG. 38 (terminal portion 720) or the shape of FIG. 39 (terminal portion 730). It can be easily changed from 18V to 36V. In addition, since a movable member such as a switch means is not used in the battery pack 700, a battery pack having a simple structure and high durability can be realized. Further, since the positive terminals 712 and 713, the negative terminals 715 and 716, and the series connection terminals 718 and 719 can be mounted in the existing slot portion of the battery pack for 18V, the voltage switching type is compatible with the conventional size. A battery pack can be realized. Although the structure of the seventh embodiment has been described with reference to FIGS. 38 and 39, various modifications can be made to these structures, particularly the terminal shape.

  FIG. 40 is a diagram illustrating a first modification in which only the terminal portion of the electric tool body for 36V is changed. In FIG. 40, only the shape of the terminal portion 750 is different, and the blocking terminal as shown in FIG. 39 is not provided on the lower side of the positive electrode input terminal 751, and nothing is brought into contact with the positive electrode terminal 713 when the battery pack is mounted. . As can be seen from FIGS. 3 (3) and 4 (4), the blocking terminal is not provided below the negative input terminal 752. The shapes of the conduction terminal 754 and the LD terminal 753 are the same as those in FIG. Even with the terminal portion 750 as described above, the same effect as in FIG. 39 can be obtained.

  FIG. 41 is a diagram illustrating a second modification in which only the terminal portion of the 36V electric tool is changed. The basic configuration is the same as in FIG. 40, and the positive terminals 712 and 713 are arranged side by side so as not to contact in the direction intersecting the insertion direction of the battery pack 700, in this case, the vertical direction. The terminal portion 770 for 36V is formed with a positive electrode input terminal 771 having a vertical width suitable for contacting only the positive electrode terminal 712, and horizontally so as to contact the lower edge of the positive electrode input terminal 771. An insulating plate 775 extending in the direction is formed. The insulating plate 775 enters between the vertical gap 777 between the positive electrode terminal 712 and the positive electrode terminal 713 when the battery pack 700 is mounted. This has the effect of almost completely preventing the risk of the above, and keeps the insulation state between the positive terminal 712 and the positive terminal 713 good. The shape of the negative input terminal 772 is exactly the same as that of the positive input terminal 771, and as shown in (3), the negative input terminal 772 has a predetermined width in the horizontal direction when viewed in a direction parallel to the battery pack insertion direction. An insulating plate 776 is formed. The shapes of the conduction terminal 774 and the LD terminal 773 are not changed. In the diagram of (4), the lower side insulating plates 775 and 776 of the positive electrode input terminal 771 and the negative electrode input terminal 772 are connected to the vertical surface 770b of the terminal portion 770. The width in the left-right direction of the insulating plates 775 and 776 is preferably a width that extends to the vicinity of the boundary with the adjacent slot, but may be smaller than that. Here, the insulating plates 775 and 776 can be manufactured integrally with the terminal portion 730. In this case, the positive input terminal 771 and the negative input terminal 772 are fixed by casting.

  FIG. 42 is a diagram showing a third modification in which both the terminal shape on the battery pack side for 36V and the terminal portion 790 on the electric power tool main body side are changed. The positive terminals 782 and 783 are arranged on the terminal board 781 so as to be aligned in the same direction as the insertion direction of the battery pack 700 and to keep a non-contact state. The upper portions 782a and 783a of the positive terminals 782 and 783 are arranged separately in the mounting direction as shown in the top view of (1), and the inserted positive input terminal 721 penetrates from the inlet side 787a to the outlet side 787b. It can be shaped. The lower portions 782b and 783b of the positive terminals 782 and 783 can be easily manufactured by pressing a single metal plate by forming the lower portions 782b and 783b in a U shape in which the left and right are connected.

  The shapes of the positive electrode terminal pair (782, 783) and the positive electrode input terminal 721 and the negative electrode input terminal 722 inserted into the negative electrode terminal pair of the same shape are shown in FIGS. Thus, it is not necessary to change from the shape shown in FIG. On the other hand, it is necessary to change the shape of the terminal portion 790 in a power tool having a rating of 36V. The terminal portion 790 was arranged so that the insulating plate 795 and the positive electrode input terminal 791 were aligned in the battery pack insertion direction. That is, the exposed area of the positive electrode input terminal 791 is reduced to about half of that of the positive electrode input terminal 721 as compared with the rated 18V terminal portion 720, so that the positive electrode input terminal 791 contacts only the positive electrode terminal 782 at 36V output. The positive terminal 783 is not electrically connected. The configuration on the negative input terminal 792 side is the same as that on the positive input terminal 791 side, and an insulating plate 796 is formed adjacent to the negative input terminal 792 as shown in (4) and (5). The insulating plates 795 and 796 can be integrally manufactured together with the base portion of the terminal portion 790 by synthetic resin injection molding. As described above, also in the third modification, a voltage-switching type battery pack compatible with the conventional 18V device can be realized.

  FIG. 43 is a diagram illustrating a fourth modification in which only the terminal portion 800 of the electric tool for 36V is changed. In this embodiment, the shape is such that the insulating plate 795 in the example shown in FIG. 42 is removed. The length of the positive input terminal 801 in the mounting direction is slightly shorter than half of the positive input terminal 721 for 18V (see FIG. 38). Similarly, the negative input terminal 802 is slightly shorter than the half of the 18V negative input terminal 722 in the mounting direction. The shape of the terminal portion 800 is the same as that for 18V except for the presence of the conduction terminal 804 when viewed from the rear as shown in FIG. 43 (3), but the positive input terminal 801 and the negative input terminal 802 are the other terminals. It is clear from the perspective view of FIG. 4 (4) that it is shorter in the front-rear direction than (803, 804).

  FIG. 44 is a diagram showing a fifth modification in which the shapes of the positive electrode terminal pair and the negative electrode terminal pair on the battery pack side are changed. The positive terminals 812 and 813 have a shape in which only one surface of the positive terminals 712 and 713 shown in FIG. 38 is eliminated, the positive terminal 812 forms only the right half, and the positive terminal 813 forms only the left half. Shape. When viewed in a side view as in (2), since they are separated in the vertical direction, there is no possibility that the positive electrode terminals 812 and 813 come into contact with each other when the positive electrode input terminal 721 or 731 is not inserted. Although not shown here, the shape of the negative terminal side and the shape of the series connection terminal pair can be configured in the same manner. The terminal portion 720 for 18V attached to this terminal is the same as the shape shown in FIG. 38, and the shape of the terminal portion 730 for 36V is the same as the shape shown in FIG. In the fifth modification, the weight of the positive electrode terminal, the negative electrode terminal, and the series connection terminal pair can be reduced, and the battery pack can be reduced in weight.

  FIG. 45 is a diagram showing a sixth modification in which only the 36V terminal portion 750 is changed from the fifth modification shown in FIG. The shape of the terminal portion 750 is the same as that shown in FIG. 40, and the vertical widths of the positive input terminal 751 and the negative input terminal 752 are narrowed. By forming in this way, when the terminal portion 750 for 36V is brought into contact, a series output of the cell units 356 and 357 can be obtained from the battery pack.

  FIG. 46 is a diagram showing a modification 7 in which only the terminal portion 770 for 36V is changed from the modification 5 in FIG. 44. The shape of the terminal portion 770 is the same as the shape shown in FIG. 41, and the vertical width of the positive electrode input terminal 771 is narrowed and the horizontal direction so as to contact the lower edge of the positive electrode input terminal 771. An insulating plate 775 extending in the direction is formed. The structure on the negative input terminal 772 side is the same as the structure shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the seventh embodiment, in the battery pack capable of switching the output voltage, the positive electrode terminal pair and the negative electrode terminal pair divided into a plurality of parts are provided without depending on the switching mechanism having a plurality of movable members, and two cells are provided. Since a series connection terminal pair for connecting units 356 and 357 in series is provided, a battery pack that can be easily switched in voltage simply by selecting the shape of the terminal portion side of the electric device main body for 18V or 36V realizable. Moreover, since it is not necessary to mount a complicated switch mechanism in the battery pack, the number of parts can be reduced, the assemblability can be improved, and the battery pack can be reduced in size while maintaining compatibility.

  Next, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The eighth embodiment is the same as the previous embodiment in that the output voltage of the battery pack can be switched between two stages of 18V on the low voltage side and 36V on the high voltage side, but the voltage switching method is the cell pack. The connection form from the cell unit to the power receiving terminal can be switched by changing the housing direction of the battery and changing the contact location between the plurality of output terminals formed on the cell pack and the power receiving terminal formed on the housing side. It is what I did.

  FIG. 47 is a side view of the battery pack 900, and the inside of the lower case and a part of the upper case are shown in a sectional view. (1) is a state where the upper case 910 is closed, and (2) is a state where the upper case 910 is opened. The battery pack 900 defines a housing for accommodating the cell pack 950 by combining the lower case 901 and the upper case 910. The upper case 910 of the battery pack 900 is formed with an attachment mechanism for mounting on the electric tool main body 1 or the electric tool main body 30 side, and the configuration and shape thereof are the battery of the first embodiment shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to comprise the same shape as the pack 100. That is, the upper case 910 is formed with a lower step surface 911 for guiding the terminal portion on the electric device main body side and an upper step surface 915 disposed above the upper step surface 915, and a step serving as a boundary between the lower step surface 911 and the upper step surface 915. In the portion 912, a plurality of terminal insertion holes are formed. A raised portion 932 is formed behind the upper stage surface 915, and latches 941 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the raised portion 932. A rotation shaft support portion 916 is provided on the rear short side of the upper case 910. The rotation shaft support portion 916 is a portion that is formed on the rear side of the upper case 910 so as to extend rearward from the rear surface of the lower case 901 and is supported by the rotation shaft 942. As described above, since the rotation mechanism including the rotation shaft support portion 916 and the rotation shaft 942 is provided, the upper case 910 can be opened and closed with respect to the lower case 901 with the rear side portion as an axis.

  The lower case 901 has an opening 901 a on the upper side, and the opening 901 a is closed by the upper case 910. The upper case 910 is opened and closed by moving as indicated by an arrow 943b by a rotating shaft 942, and the cell pack 950 accommodated therein can be taken out from the lower case 901 as indicated by an arrow 944. A latch mechanism for fixing or releasing the closed state of the upper case 910 and the lower case 901 is provided in the vicinity of the left and right centers of the front surfaces of the upper case 910 and the lower case 901. The latch mechanism is provided on the free end side of the upper case 910 away from the rotation shaft 942, and includes a base portion 948 fixed to the lower case 901, and the base portion 948 via the rotation shaft 947. The movable portion 946 is movable as indicated by an arrow 943a and the hooking claw 910a formed near the center of the front end of the upper case 910.

  The lower case 901 accommodates a cell pack 950 in which 10 cells 951 (described later in FIG. 48) made of 18650-size or 14500-size lithium ion batteries are stacked. The cell pack 950 has 10 cells fixed by a synthetic resin separator 952 (described later in FIG. 48), and the first plus output is provided on one side of the side surface (cell end) as viewed in the longitudinal direction of the cell 951. A terminal 958a and a second plus output terminal 959a are provided. The first plus output terminal 958a and the second plus output terminal 959a are disk-like electrodes arranged at different distances from the center of the cell pack 950 when viewed in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the cell pack 950. An LS terminal (temperature signal terminal) 961a and an LD terminal (abnormal signal terminal) 961b for signal transmission are provided concentrically at the longitudinal center of one side surface of the cell pack 950. At the bottom of the lower case 901 that accommodates the cell pack 950, three ribs 902b to 902d extending in the lateral direction (longitudinal direction of the cell) for increasing rigidity, and a high voltage instruction formed on the cell pack 950 are provided. A recess 905 is formed in which the protrusion 955e is accommodated.

  FIG. 48 is a view for explaining the internal structure of the cell pack 950. (3) is a top view, and (1) and (5) are a right side view and a left side view thereof. Moreover, (2) and (4) are views showing a state in which the side surface holding plates 953 and 954 are removed from (1) and (5). Since these figures are shown as developments based on (3), (1) and (2) are shown with the vertical direction reversed so that the direction is indicated by an arrow on the right side. Please be careful. As shown in (3), the casing of the cell pack 950 includes a separator 952 that covers an outer portion of the cylindrical surface portion of the cell 951, and side surface holding plates 953 and 954 made of synthetic resin that block the left and right openings of the separator 952. Consists of. As shown in (2) and (4), cells 951 are stacked in the separator 952 so that the respective axes are parallel. In addition, the cell units are arranged so that the directions of adjacent cells 951 are alternately reversed, and the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are connected by a metal thin plate 966 and connected in series by five. One of the outputs of the five cells 951 connected in series is drawn as an arrow 956a as + V1 and connected to the output terminal 958a, and the other of the outputs is drawn as an arrow 956b as -V1 and connected to the output terminal 958b. . Similarly, one of the outputs of another set of five cells 951 connected in series is drawn as an arrow 957a as + V2 and connected to an output terminal 959a, and the other output is drawn as an arrow 957b as -V2. Connected to output terminal 959b. The output terminals 958a and 959a are fixed to the left side surface holding plate 953. Here, as indicated by (5), the horizontal distance 2d from the center point (the center of the LS terminal 961a) to the center of the output terminal 958a is twice the horizontal distance d from the center point to the center of the output terminal 959a. Are arranged as follows. The output terminals 958b and 959b are fixed to the right side surface holding plate 954. Here, the horizontal distance 2d from the center point to the center of the output terminal 958b is arranged to be twice the horizontal distance d from the center point to the center of the output terminal 959b.

  In the left side surface holding plate 953 shown in (5), an LS terminal (temperature signal terminal) 961a and an LD terminal (abnormal signal terminal) 961b are provided in the center in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction. The LS terminal 961a is a circular terminal, and the LD terminal 961b is an annular terminal that is concentric with the LS terminal 961a and surrounds the LS terminal 961a. A C + terminal (positive terminal for charging) 962a and a T terminal (terminal for cell pack identification) 962b are provided at the center in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction of the right side surface holding plate 954 shown in (1). The C + terminal 962a is a circular terminal, and the T terminal 962b is a concentric ring with the C + terminal 962a. Although not shown here, a circuit board on which electronic elements, sensors, and the like are mounted is provided inside the separator 952 or inside the upper case 910. The LD terminal 961b, the LS terminal 961a, the C + terminal 962a, and the T terminal 962b are signal terminals used to exchange signals between the inside (circuit board) of the separator 952 and the charger on the electric device main body side or the outside. A group.

  The cell pack 950 formed in this way is accommodated in the lower case 901. At that time, the cell pack 950 is accommodated in the direction of FIG. 47 (1) and in the case of being accommodated in the direction (2). The voltage output from the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of 900 was changed. As described above, in this embodiment, it is important to change the output voltage in the horizontal direction of the cell pack 950 so that the cell pack 950 cannot be mounted due to the relationship of changing the output voltage in accordance with the accommodation direction of the cell pack 950 in the vertical direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 48 (3), the protrusions 955a to 955d for preventing the reverse assembly so that the right and left positions are correct at the upper and lower corners near the right end of the separator 952. (955b and 955c will be described later with reference to FIG. 49). In the present embodiment, the battery pack 900 set to 36V output is further provided with a protrusion 955e shown in (5) in order to operate an erroneous attachment prevention mechanism that prevents the battery pack 900 from being attached to the electric device main body for 18V. . The protrusion 955e is formed only on one side in the vertical direction, and as shown in FIG. 47 (1), at the time of 36V output, the high voltage indicator bar resists the urging force of the spring 938 that serves as the urging member. 939 protrudes upward from the front side of the raised portion 932. When the battery pack 900 is set to 18 V output, the protrusion 955 e enters the recess 905 of the lower case 901. Therefore, the high voltage indicator bar 939 is urged downward by the spring 938 and does not protrude to the upper side of the upper case 910, so that it can be attached to the 18V electric device body. The battery pack mounting portion on the 36V electric device side is formed with a recess (not shown) that avoids the high voltage indicator rod 939 so that it can be attached even if there is a protruding high voltage indicator rod 939. There is a need.

  FIG. 49 is a view for explaining the wiring state of the battery pack 900. In the battery pack 900, a plurality of power receiving terminals that are brought into contact with two sets of output terminal groups (958a and 958b, 959a and 959b) arranged on the left and right side surfaces of the cell pack 950 are provided on the inner wall surface of the lower case 901. That is, a plurality of power receiving terminals are arranged between the cell pack 950 and the lower case 901. Here, three power receiving terminals 963 a to 963 c are arranged on the left inner wall surface of the lower case 901 in the lead wire 963 for connection to the positive terminal of the battery pack 900. In addition, three power receiving terminals 964 a to 964 c are arranged on the right inner wall surface of the lower case 901 in the lead wire 964 for connection to the negative electrode terminal of the battery pack 900. Further, a lead wire 965 for series connection is provided, one end side of which is connected to the power receiving terminal 965a, and the other end side thereof is connected to the power receiving terminal 965b. Here, in the front-rear direction of the right side surface of the cell pack 950, five terminals are provided at equal intervals so as to be separated by a distance d. At this time, the lead wire 963 for connecting to the positive terminal and the terminal group connected to the lead wire 964 for connecting to the negative terminal are arranged asymmetrically and then connected to the lead wire 965 for series connection. The power receiving terminals 965a and 965b are arranged asymmetrically left and right.

  When the cell pack 950 is arranged in the direction of FIG. 49 (1), + V1 and + V2 are connected to the lead wire 963 via the power receiving terminals 963a and 963c. On the other hand, the power receiving terminal 963b is not in contact with the output terminal group. Similarly, -V1 and -V2 are connected to the lead wire 964 through power receiving terminals 964a and 964b. On the other hand, the power receiving terminal 964c is not in contact with the output terminal group. The power receiving terminals 965a and 965b on both sides of the lead wire 965 for series connection are not in contact with the output terminal group. As a result of these connection relations, a voltage of two cell units connected in parallel, that is, a rating of 18 V is output to the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the battery pack 900.

  When the cell pack 950 is turned upside down in the direction of FIG. 49 (2), the front and rear positions of the output terminals 958a and 959a are reversed and the front and rear positions of the output terminals 958b and 959b are reversed. The contact relationship changes. That is, + V2 is connected to the lead wire 963 via the power receiving terminal 963b. Here, the power receiving terminals 963a and 963c are not in contact with the output terminal group. Similarly, -V1 is connected to the lead wire 964 through the power receiving terminal 964c. On the other hand, the power receiving terminals 964a and 964b are not in contact with the output terminal group. The power receiving terminal 965a of the lead wire 965 for series connection is connected to + V1 through the output terminal 958a, and the power receiving terminal 965b is connected to -V2 through the output terminal 959b. As a result of these connection relations, a voltage of two cell units connected in series, that is, a rating of 36 V is output to the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the battery pack 900. Even if the cell pack 950 is inverted as shown in FIGS. 49 (1) to (2), the connection relationship of the signal terminal groups does not change. That is, the LS terminal 961a contacts the LS receiving terminal 968a, the LD terminal 961b contacts the LD receiving terminal 968b, the C + terminal 962a contacts the C + receiving terminal 969a, and the T terminal 962b contacts the T receiving terminal 969b.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the cell pack 950 is composed of a plurality of cell units in which a plurality of cells are connected in series, and each of the cell packs 950 is asymmetric in the front-rear direction (the longitudinal direction of the cell pack 950). The + output terminal and the − output terminal of the cell unit were provided on the side surface of the cell pack 950. And when the receiving terminal is arranged inside the side (side) of the lower case and the accommodation direction of the cell pack with respect to the lower case is changed (upside down) by devising the positional relationship of the receiving terminal, the output terminal and the receiving terminal By changing the connection status, it is possible to select whether the two cell units are connected in parallel or connected in series. The selection of the battery voltage can be performed without switching the voltage required on the electric device body side by an electronic circuit such as a power element. Therefore, the battery voltage can be completely changed between the low-voltage electric device and the high-voltage electric device. Pack compatibility can be achieved. In addition, when the cell pack 950 is taken out from the battery pack housing, the connection state between the two cell units is eliminated, so that it is easy to meet transportation regulations. In this embodiment, the cell pack is vertically inverted with respect to the lower case. However, the cell unit connection state may be changed by horizontally reversing (reversing back and forth). By arranging the output terminal and the power receiving terminal between the outer periphery of the cell pack and the inner periphery of the lower case, compatibility can be easily realized simply by changing the direction of the cell pack.

  Next, a modification of the eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In this modification, the shapes of the output terminal from the cell pack and the power receiving terminal on the lower case side are improved so that the possibility of contact failure can be almost eliminated. 47 to 49, the output terminal groups (958a and 958b, 959a and 959b) have a disk shape, and the power receiving terminal groups (963a to 963d, 964a to 964d, 965a, 965b) also have plate shapes ( A cylindrical contact terminal. These are configured so that the contact state is maintained by the surface pressure. However, since the electric tool transmits a large vibration to the battery pack due to the vibration at the time of operation, there is a possibility that an instantaneous interruption phenomenon of output due to poor contact may occur due to the relative positional relationship between the lower case 901 and the cell pack 950 being shifted. is there. Therefore, in the first modification, the output terminal group and the power receiving terminal group are configured to be fitted to each other, thereby greatly reducing the possibility of contact failure.

  FIG. 50 is a diagram illustrating a wiring state of the battery pack 1000 according to the first modification. This is the same in that a plurality of power receiving terminals are arranged at equal intervals d in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the right inner wall and the left inner wall of the lower case 1001. Although not shown in FIG. 1 (1), the connection state is the same as in FIG. 49 (1), and the power receiving terminals 1063a to 1063c are connected to the positive terminal of the battery pack 1000, and the power receiving terminals 1064a to 1064c are connected to the negative terminal. Is done. Further, the power receiving terminal 1065a and the power receiving terminal 1065b are connected by a lead wire (not shown) for series connection.

  50 (2) is a side view of the battery pack 1000, and the lower case 1001 is shown in a longitudinal sectional view. In this figure, the power receiving terminal group is arranged on the right inner wall of the lower case 1001. Illustration of the cell pack 1050 (FIG. 51) is omitted. Five power receiving terminals 1064c, 1064b, 1069a, 1065b, and 1064a arranged at equal intervals in the front-rear direction are bent when the flat plate is bent into a U-shape and the opening end is folded, and the folded portions are in contact and opened. It has a shape that closes the end. The opening is arranged so as to face upward. The power receiving terminal 1069b disposed adjacent to 1069a disposed in the center in the front-rear direction is a U-shaped metal flat plate in a side view in which the opening is disposed on the upper side. On the inner bottom surface of the lower case 1001, five reinforcing ribs 1002a to 1002e extending in the left-right direction are formed. From the power receiving terminal group to a terminal (not shown) connected to the electric device main body of the upper case is wired by a plurality of lead wires 1070.

  FIG. 50 (3) is a view of the front side from the cross-sectional position of the EE portion of (1). The reinforcing rib 1002 is formed in a concave shape in the center for stably holding the cell pack 1050. A convex portion 1003a is formed on the foremost rib 1002a of the reinforcing ribs. The convex part 1003a fits into a concave part formed in a corner part of the cell pack 1050 described later.

  FIG. 51 is a top view of the cell pack 1050 according to the first modification. Here, the shape of the separator 1052 was changed to form the cell pack 1050 in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Each of the left and right side surfaces of the cell pack 1050 is provided with two electrodes for output and two electrodes for signal transmission. In FIG. 51 (1), electrodes 1058a and 1058b are the + output terminal and − output terminal of the first cell unit, and electrodes 1059a and 1059b are the + output terminal and − output terminal of the second cell unit unit. In the center of the left side surface of the cell pack 1050 in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction), a flat metal terminal LS terminal 1061a is provided, and adjacent to one side (rear side here) in the front-rear direction. The LD terminal 1061b is provided. Similarly, at the center in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the right side surface of the cell pack 1050, a C + terminal 1062a, which is a flat metal terminal, is provided on one side (here, the rear side) in the front-rear direction. Are adjacent to each other with a T terminal 1062b. In order to cover the side surface direction of these electrode groups, cover members 1055 and 1056 bent in a U-shape when viewed from above are provided.

  The cover members 1055 and 1056 are made of synthetic resin, so that when an operator takes out the cell pack 1050 from the inside of the lower case 1001, the electrode group collides with an external one or prevents a short circuit between the electrodes. It is a protective member provided. The cover member 1055 includes a side plate 1055a extending in parallel with the side surface of the cell pack 1050 extending in the front-rear direction, a front side connecting portion 1055b serving as a surface extending perpendicularly to the side surface of the cell pack 1050 in the front side portion, and a cell in the rear side portion. The rear connecting portion 1055c is a surface extending perpendicularly to the side surface of the pack 1050. The cover member 1056 provided on the right side surface of the cell pack 1050 has the same shape as the cover member 1055. Since the inner portions of these cover members 1055 and 1056 are opened in the vertical direction, the electrode group can be seen from the upper side or the lower side as can be seen from FIG.

  FIG. 51 (2) is a left side view of the cell pack 1050. When viewed from the left side, the electrode group cannot be seen by the cover member 1055, but here, it is indicated by a dotted line so that the position of each electrode can be seen. In addition, at the four corners of the separator 1052 on the left side surface, recesses 1052a to 1052d for preventing reverse assembly are formed. These recessed portions 1052a to 1052d are fitted to the convex portions 1003a and 1003e shown in FIG. 50, so that the cell pack 1050 is reversed left and right, that is, the + output terminal (arranged on the left side) and the −output terminal of the cell unit. It cannot be accommodated in the lower case 1001 in the left-right inverted state with the (arranged on the right side) reversed. FIG. 51 (3) is a rear view of the cell pack 1050 as viewed from the rear side. In the terminal group, the output terminal from the cell unit, the LS terminal 1061a, and the C + terminal 1062a are flat electrodes protruding in the left-right direction and having a surface extending in the vertical direction. On the other hand, the LD terminal 1061b and the T terminal 1062b are substantially rectangular parallelepiped metal members protruding in the left-right direction.

  FIG. 52 (1) is a top view of battery pack 1000 in the first modification. The outer shape of the battery pack 1000 is similar to the battery pack 200 of FIG. 11 shown in the second embodiment. A terminal arrangement region (slit arrangement region) 1120 is arranged at a step portion of the upper step surface 1015 of the lower step surface 1011. In this embodiment, a voltage window 1072 of the cell pack 1050 can be visually recognized by providing a transmissive window 1014 at substantially the center of the lower surface 1011. Therefore, the operator can determine at a glance whether the set voltage of the battery pack 1000 is the low voltage side (18V) or the high voltage side (36V). In the first modification of FIGS. 50 to 51, the high voltage indicator 939 provided to protrude upward at the time of 36V output as shown in FIG. 47 is not shown, but the battery pack set to 36V is not shown. It is preferable to equip a mechanism for limiting 1000 so that it cannot be mistakenly attached to the main body of an 18V electric device.

  FIG. 52 (2) is a diagram in which the cell pack 1050 is installed in the lower case 1001. Here, the state is shown in which the battery pack 1000 is inverted so as to output 18V from the state shown in FIG. Show. 51, the electrode 1058a (+ output terminal of the first cell unit) and the electrode 1059a (second cell unit) are in contact with the power receiving terminal group of the lower case 1001 on the left side surface. + Output terminal). Similarly, on the right side are 1058b (-output terminal of the first cell unit) and 1059b (-output terminal of the second cell unit). Here, the electrodes 1058a and 1059a are in contact with the power receiving terminals 1063c and 1063a, and the electrodes 1058b and 1059b are in contact with the power receiving terminals 1064b and 1064a, thereby forming a connection circuit between the first and second cell units. The pack 1000 outputs a direct current of 18V rating. There is no change in the contact state of the signal voltage path, and the contact position of the LD terminal 1061b and the T terminal 1062b is moved from the rear side to the front side with respect to the LS terminal 1061a and the C + terminal 1062a. There is no change.

  FIG. 53 is a diagram in which the cell pack 1050 is mounted in the lower case 1001. Here, the cell pack 1050 is further inverted from the state of FIG. 52 so that the output 36V is output from the battery pack 1000. Indicates the state. 52, the electrode 1058a (the + output terminal of the first cell unit) and the electrode 1059a (the second cell) are arranged on the left side surface among the electrodes in contact with the power receiving terminal group of the lower case 1001. The contact position of the + output terminal of the unit is the power receiving terminals 1063b and 1065a, and the contact between the electrode 1058b (-output terminal of the first cell unit) and the electrode 1059b (-output terminal of the second cell unit) is on the right side surface. The positions are the power receiving terminals 1065b and 1064c. As a result, the path of the power receiving terminal 1063b → the first cell unit → the power receiving terminal 1065a → the lead wire for series connection → the power receiving terminal 1065b → the second cell unit → the power receiving terminal 1064c is established, and the first cell unit The second cell units are connected in series, and a series output voltage of 36 V is output. There is no change in the contact state of the signal voltage path.

  FIG. 53 (2) is a cross-sectional view of the GG portion of (1). From this figure, the cell pack 1050 is held so that the left and right direction of the cell pack 1050 is not moved in the left and right direction by the cover members 1055 and 1056, and the convex part 1003 a and the recessed part 1052 c for preventing reverse mounting in the left and right direction. You can see that they are mated. In addition, only the base side (lower side) part of the power receiving terminals 1063a to 1063c and 1064a to 1064c is fixed to the wall surface of the lower case, and the upper part forming the U-shaped opening is formed to be separated from the wall surface. Therefore, the cover members 1055 and 1056 can be interposed between the upper portions of the power receiving terminals 1063 a to 1063 c and 1064 a to 1064 c and the wall surface of the lower case 1001.

  As described above, the cell pack can be accommodated in the housing at the first position and at the second position where the orientation is changed, and the output of each cell unit is at the first position on the inner wall side of the housing. By providing a first terminal set that engages with some of the terminals and a second terminal set that engages with several other output terminals of each cell unit at the second position, and by changing the orientation of the cell pack When using the first terminal set, cell pack parallel output is used, and when using the second terminal set, cell pack serial output is used, so that a battery pack output voltage switching mechanism is realized. Can do.

  FIG. 54 is a wiring diagram of a battery pack according to Modification 2 of the eighth embodiment. In the battery pack 900 shown in FIGS. 47 to 49, the first cell unit and the second cell unit are connected in series by opening the upper case 910 from the lower case 901 and turning the internal cell pack 950 upside down. , Switched to parallel connection. In the second modification, the cell pack 1150 is not inverted, but the upper case on which the power receiving terminal is formed is configured to be removable from the lower case 1101, and the upper case is reversed in the horizontal plane and attached to the lower case 1101. By doing so, the series connection and the parallel connection of the first and second cell units are switched. In realizing this connection, the arrangement of the output terminals formed on the left side surface 1153 and the right side surface 1154 of the cell pack 1150 and the position of the power receiving terminal provided on the upper case side were changed. The casing of the cell pack 1150 is the same as that of the cell pack 950 shown in FIG. 48 except for the shape of the output terminal and the signal terminal. Further, since the cell pack 1150 can be detached from the lower case 1101, it is easy to replace only the cell pack 1150 when the cell pack 1150 reaches the end of its life.

  On the left side surface 1153 and the right side surface 1154 of the cell pack 1150, two output terminals 1158a are arranged as + V1 and two output terminals 1159a are arranged as + V2. The two output terminals 1158a are connected by a lead wire (not shown), and the two output terminals 1159a are connected by a lead wire (not shown). Similarly, an output terminal 1158b is arranged as one -V1, and an output terminal 1159b is arranged as two -V2. The two output terminals 1159b are electrically connected by a lead wire (not shown). On the power receiving terminal side, two power receiving terminals 1163 a and 1163 b are arranged on the left side of the cell pack 1150 on the lead wire 1163 connected to the positive electrode terminal. In addition, two power receiving terminals 1164 a and 1164 b are arranged on the right side of the cell pack 1150 on the lead wire 1164 connected to the negative electrode terminal. Furthermore, a lead wire 1165 for series connection is provided, a power receiving terminal 1165a is connected to one end, and a power receiving terminal 1165b is provided to the other end. The power receiving terminals 1163a to 1163b, 1164a to 1164b, and 1165a to 1165b are disposed so as to extend downward from a base formed on the upper case side. In the second modification, since it is not necessary to turn the cell pack 1150 upside down, these power receiving terminals may be arranged near the upper end of the side surface of the cell pack 1150 or on the upper surface of the cell pack 1150. In addition, a protection circuit board equipped with a protection circuit for protecting overdischarge and overcurrent is disposed on the base formed on the upper case side, and a signal and a voltage from the power receiving terminal are input to the protection circuit.

  When the upper case is attached in one direction to the lower case 1101 containing the cell pack 950 configured as described above, a wiring path as shown in FIG. 54 (1) is obtained, and the parallel output of the two cell units is output. Is done. On the other hand, when the lower case 1101 is rotated 180 degrees in the upper case horizontal plane and attached in the other direction, a wiring path as shown in FIG. 54 (2) is obtained, and the parallel output of the two cell units is output. As described above, in the second modification, the output voltage is switched by switching the mounting direction of the upper case with respect to the lower case 1101, so by adopting a structure in which the mounting direction of the upper case and the lower case can be switched, A battery pack that can handle multiple voltages without using a complicated circuit has been realized.

  Various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, the voltage is switched between 18V and 36V, but other voltage ratios may be used. Further, the method of joining the upper kale and the lower case is not limited to the swinging structure and is fixed using a latch, but may be another known fixing method. It is not limited to the configuration in which the cell pack is inverted in the vertical direction with respect to the lower case, but may be configured in the horizontal direction (front-rear direction).

1, 1A, 30A, 30B, 30C Electric tool body 2, 32 Housing 3, 33 Handle portion 4, 34 Operation switch (trigger)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Battery pack mounting part 11a Rail groove 12 Bending part 15 Battery pack 20, 20A Terminal part 20a Vertical surface 20b Horizontal surface 21 Positive electrode input terminal 22 Negative electrode input terminal 23 LD terminal 24 Protrusion part 24A Switching protrusion 26 Screw 35 Motor 35a Rotor 35b Stator 40 Battery pack mounting part 40a Mounting surface 40b Recessed part 41 Terminal part 48a, 48b Rail groove 49, 49A AC socket 49a First terminal 49b Second terminal 49c Third terminal 51 Calculation part 52 Control signal output circuit 53 Rotation position detection Circuit 54 Speed detection circuit 55 Current detection circuit 56 Operation switch 57 Switch operation detection circuit 58 Applied voltage setting circuit 59 Voltage detection circuit 60 Diode bridge 61 Capacitor 62 Shunt resistance 66a Control signal line 66 Switching element 67 Battery Pressure detection circuit 68 Commercial power supply detection circuit 70 Inverter circuit 75 Connection adapter 76a, 76b Power line 80 Terminal part 81 Positive input terminal 82 Negative input terminal 84 Switching protrusion 90 Power cord 91 Plug part 92a Terminal 93 Connector part 93a Connector main body 93b For fixing Screw 94 Connection cord 95a First terminal 95b Second terminal 95c Third terminal 100 Battery pack 101 Lower case 110 Upper case 111 Lower step surface 112 Step portion 115 Upper step surface 120 Slot group arrangement region 121 Positive terminal insertion port 122 Negative terminal insertion port 123 Low voltage switching member insertion port 124 High voltage switching member insertion port 131 Stopper portion 132 Raised portion 134 Slit (cooling air inlet) 138a, 138b Rail 141 Latch 142 Spring 150 Cell pack 151, 151A 152, 152A Separator 156-158 Cell unit 159 Thin plate 160 Substrate 161 Positive electrode terminal 162 Negative electrode terminal 170 Voltage switching mechanism 171 Rotating terminal base 172 Oscillating shaft 173a-173d Connection terminal 176a-176j Contact 200, 200A, 200B Battery Pack 201 Lower case 210 Upper case 211 Lower step surface 212 Step portion 215 Upper step surface 221-225 Terminal insertion port 231, 235 Terminal 232, 233, 234 Terminal group 232a-232c, 233a-233d, 234a-234c Terminal 238a, 238b Rail portion 240 Bumped portion 241 Latch portion 241a Latch claw 270, 280, 280A Terminal portion 271, 281 Positive electrode input terminal 272, 282 Negative electrode input terminal 283 Connection element 283a Conducting portion 283b Body 283c Conducting portion 300 Battery pack 310 Upper case 311 Lower step surface 312 Step portion 315 Upper step surface 316 Guide rail 320 Voltage switching mechanism 321 to 324 Slit 330, 340 Movable guide member 331, 341 Terminal mounting portion 332, 342 Inclined portion 333, 343 Parallel surface 334a, 334b Guide groove 335, 345 Intermediate terminal 335a, 335b, 335c, 335d Contact 345a, 345b, 345c, 345d Contact 348 Spring 351 First + terminal 351a, 351b Contact 352 Second + terminal 352a, 352b, Contact Child 352c Pin 353 First terminal 353a, 353b Contact 354 Second terminal 354a, 354b Contact 356, 357 Cell unit 360 Terminal board 361 Guide rail 370, 380 Term 371, 381 Positive input terminal 372, 382 Negative input terminal 400, 400A Battery pack 401 Lower case 410 Upper case 411 Lower step surface 412 Step portion 415 Upper step surface 420 Terminal arrangement region 421 Terminal 422 Positive electrode terminal 426 Negative electrode terminal 431 Stopper portion 432 Raised portion 434 Slit 435 Cutout portion 438a, 438b Rail portion 441 Latch 450 Switch mechanism 451 Switch case 452 Operation lever 453 Oscillating shaft 454 Operation piece 455 Switching element 456, 457 Metal members 461-465 Contact terminals 461a, 462b, 463a, 463b 464a, 464b Contact 462b, 463c, 463d, 464c Latch claw 463, 464, 465 Connection terminal 465a, 465b Contact 470 Terminal board 480, 480A Electric tool book Body 481 Battery pack mounting part 484, 484B, 485 Projection part 490 Display window 500 Battery pack 521 Positive electrode output terminal 522 Negative electrode output terminal 531 Contact terminal pair 534 Non-contact terminal pair 538a, 538b Rail part 541, 542 Insulation terminal 544 Short-circuit terminal 571 576 Switch housing 572, 577 Switch lever 572a, 577a Slope portion 572b, 577b Slider 573, 578 Spring 600, 600A Battery pack 611 Lower step surface 612 Step portion 615 Upper step surface 621 Positive terminal slot 622 Negative terminal slot 623 Element slot 623A First slot 624A Second slot 640 Battery pack cover 641 Lower step 642 Vertical surface 643 Upper step 644 Edge 645 Ribs 646 to 648 Vertical rib 65 Terminal part 651 Positive input terminal 652 Negative input terminal 661 Positive output terminal 662 Negative output terminal 663 Parallel connector pair 663a, 663b Parallel connector 664 Series connector 673 Parallel connector pair 673a, 673b Parallel connector 674 Series connector 680, 680A terminal portion 681 positive input terminal 682 negative input terminal 683 series-parallel switching terminal 683a blocking terminal 683b conducting terminal 693 first series-parallel switching terminal 693a blocking terminal 693b conducting terminal 694 second series-parallel switching terminal 700 battery pack 701, 704, 707 Slot 709 Opening 711, 714, 717 Terminal board 712, 713 Positive terminal 715, 716 Negative terminal 718, 719 Series connection terminal 720 Terminal portion 720a Horizontal plane 720b Vertical plane 721 Positive input terminal 72 2 Negative input terminal 723 LD terminal 730 Terminal portion 730b Vertical surface 731 Positive input terminal 731a Wiring connection portion 732 Negative input terminal 733 LD terminal 734 Conductive terminals 735, 736 Insulated terminals 750, 770, 790, 800 Terminal portions 751, 771, 791, 801 Positive input terminal 752, 772, 792, 802 Negative input terminal 753, 773 LD terminal 754, 774, 804 Conductive terminal 795, 796, 775, 776 Insulating plate 812, 813 Positive terminal 770b Vertical surface 777 Gap 781 Terminal board 782 Positive terminal 782a Upper part 782b Lower part 783 Positive terminal 787a Inlet side 787b Outlet side 900 Battery pack 901 Lower case 901a Opening 902b to 902d Rib 905 Recessed part 910 Upper case 910a Latching claw 9 11 Lower step surface 912 Step portion 915 Upper step surface 916 Rotating shaft support portion 932 Raised portion 938 Spring 939 High voltage indicator rod 941 Latch 942 Rotating shaft 946 Movable portion 947 Rotating shaft 948 Base portion 950 Cell pack 951 Cell 952 Separator 953 954 Side support plates 955a to 955e Protruding portion 956a + V1 output 956b -V1 output 957a + V2 output 957b -V2 output 958a (first plus) output terminal 958b (first minus) output terminal 959a (second plus) output terminal 959b ( Second minus) Output terminal 959b Output terminal 961a LS terminal 961b LD terminal 962a C + terminal 962b T terminal 963, 964, 965 Lead wire 963a, 963b Power receiving terminal 964a-964c Power receiving terminal 965a, 965b Power receiving terminal 66 Thin plate 968a, 968b, 969a, 969b Receiving terminal 1000 Battery pack 1001 Lower case 1002a to 1002e Reinforcing ribs 1003a and 1003e Protruding portion 1011 Lower step surface 1014 Window 1015 Upper step surface 1050 Cell pack 1052 Separator 1052a to 1052d Depression portion 1055, 1056 Cover Member 1055a Side plate 1055b Front side connecting part 1055c Rear side connecting part 1058a, 1058b, 1059a, 1059b Electrode 1061a LS terminal 1061b LD terminal 1062a C + terminal 1062b T terminal 1063a, 1063b Power receiving terminals 1064a to 1064c, 1065a, 1065b Power receiving terminal 1069b Power receiving terminal 1070 Lead wire 1072 Voltage display 1101 Lower case 1120 Terminal area 1150 Cell pack 1153 Left side surface 1154 Right side surface 1158a, 1158b, 1159a, 1159b Output terminal 1163, 1164, 1165 Lead wire 1163a to 1164a, 1164b, 1165a, 1165b Power receiving terminal

Claims (18)

A cell pack having a plurality of cell units in which a plurality of cells are connected in series;
A housing in which the cell pack is accommodated and a mounting portion to an electrical device is formed;
An output terminal from each cell unit is provided on the side surface in the longitudinal direction of the cell pack, and each output terminal is arranged at a different distance from the center point of the longitudinal side surface of the cell pack and distributed on the front side and the rear side. And
The housing is provided with a plurality of power receiving terminals for selectively contacting any of the plurality of output terminals,
The battery pack is characterized in that the connection form of the cell unit can be switched by changing the direction of the cell pack to be housed in the housing and changing the contact location between the plurality of output terminals and the power receiving terminals.   2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein a signal terminal for signal transmission from the cell pack to the outside is provided at a center in a longitudinal direction and a vertical direction of the longitudinal side surface.   The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the signal terminals are provided concentrically. The cell pack is formed by stacking so that the axis of the cylindrical cell is parallel and alternately opposite to the adjacent cells,
The plurality of positive electrode output terminals are provided on one side of both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the cell pack, and the plurality of negative electrode output terminals are provided on the other side. Battery pack. The housing is formed by an upper case in which the mounting portion is formed, and a lower case that houses the cell pack,
An opening / closing mechanism is provided that allows the upper case to be opened and closed with respect to the lower case,
5. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the cell pack can be removed from the housing when the upper case is opened with respect to the lower case. 6.   A terminal board for fixing a terminal connected to the power receiving terminal and connected to the terminal of the electric device is fixed on the upper case side, and the upper case and the lower case can be rotated around a rotation axis. The battery pack according to claim 5, wherein the upper case and the lower case are fixed by a latch mechanism on a free end side away from the rotation shaft.   The switching of the connection form is switching between a low voltage output by parallel connection of the plurality of cell units or a high voltage output by serial connection. The battery pack according to any one of the above.   The battery pack according to claim 7, wherein two sets of the first cell unit and the second cell unit are provided as the cell unit, and the high voltage output is twice the low voltage output. The cell pack is provided with an uneven portion for preventing reverse connection,
By providing the concave and convex portions corresponding to the concave and convex portions for preventing reverse connection in the housing, the cell pack cannot be mounted in the housing when the mounting direction of the cell pack to the housing is different. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the battery pack is characterized.   The cell pack is provided with a voltage identification protrusion, the housing is provided with a movable piece that is movable by the protrusion, and the movable piece projects into the mounting portion at the time of output on the high voltage side. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the battery pack is configured to inhibit mounting of the battery pack on a main body of an electric device.   The movable piece is held by the housing in a state of being biased by a spring, and when the cell pack is positioned on the low voltage output side, the engagement state of the protrusion and the movable piece is canceled, and the housing The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein the projecting state of the movable piece in the mounting portion is eliminated. Characters, figures or colors indicating voltages are respectively displayed on the opposing surfaces of the cell pack,
A window is provided in a part of the housing,
The said character or figure display corresponding to an output voltage was able to be visually recognized from the exterior through the said window part when mounting the said cell pack, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Battery pack. A cell pack having a plurality of cell units in which a plurality of cells are connected in series;
A housing in which the cell pack is accommodated and a mounting portion to an electrical device is formed;
The cell pack can be accommodated at a first position inside the housing and at a second position changed in direction.
On the inner wall side of the housing, a first terminal set that engages with some of the output terminals of each cell unit during the first position, and some other several of each cell unit during the second position. A second terminal set that engages with the output terminal is provided,
By changing the orientation of the cell pack, when using the first terminal set, it becomes a parallel output of the cell pack, and when using the second terminal set, it becomes a serial output of the cell pack. A battery pack characterized by that. A cell pack having a plurality of cell units in which a plurality of cells are connected in series;
A housing for accommodating the cell pack;
The housing is formed by an upper case in which a mounting portion to an electrical device is formed, and a lower case that houses the cell pack,
The cell pack is housed in the lower case;
The lower case and the upper case are configured to be attachable in a first direction and a second direction that are opposite to each other in the front-rear direction,
A first terminal set extending from the upper case side to the side wall side of the cell pack and engaging one of the output terminals of each cell unit in the first direction, and each in the second direction Provide a second terminal set that engages with the other output terminals of the unit,
When the upper case is attached to the lower case in the first direction, using the first terminal set as an output of the parallel connection of the cell pack,
The battery pack, wherein when the upper case is attached to the lower case in the second direction, the second terminal set is used as an output of the series connection of the cell packs. A cell pack having a plurality of cell units in which a plurality of cells are connected in series;
A housing in which the cell pack is accommodated and a mounting portion to an electrical device is formed;
Provide an output terminal of each cell unit at the longitudinal end of the cell,
A battery pack, wherein a plurality of power receiving terminals for contacting the output terminal are provided between the cell pack and an inner surface of the housing. The direction in which the cell pack is accommodated with respect to the housing can be changed,
The battery pack according to claim 15, wherein a connection form between the output terminal and the power receiving terminal changes according to a direction of the cell pack, and the connection form of the cell unit is switched. The housing is formed by an upper case in which the mounting portion is formed, and a lower case that houses the cell pack,
The battery pack according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the plurality of power receiving terminals are provided between the cell pack and a side surface of the lower case. The housing is formed by an upper case in which the mounting portion is formed, and a lower case that houses the cell pack,
The mounting direction of the upper case relative to the lower case can be changed,
The battery pack according to claim 15, wherein a connection form between the output terminal and the power receiving terminal is changed according to a mounting direction of the upper case, and a connection form of the cell unit is switched.

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