JP2018174144A - Power supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a housing case (plastic case) of an electric power tool with a housing case corresponding to multiple stacking, which is made to be able to be carried as one body by being vertically stacked in steps and joined to each other, and also to provide a power supply device having the housing case in which battery packs are housed in the present invention though the housing case corresponding to the multiple stacking is conventionally utilized as a case housing the electric power tool therein.SOLUTION: Disclosed is a power supply device P in which, a plurality of chargeable battery packs 10 used as a power supply of an electric power tool are housed in a housing case 1 having a case body 2 and a lid part 3, and a power supply output part 12 is provided which is for outputting power of a plurality of housed battery packs 10 to the outside.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply device used as a power supply for an electric tool such as a screw tightener.

  A power tool such as a screw tightener can be carried in a dedicated storage case together with accessories such as a tip tool and a battery. This storage case is a resin hard case and is generally called a plastic case. Conventionally, various technologies related to this type of storage case are disclosed in the following patent documents. As disclosed in these patent documents, the storage case includes a case body that is open upward and a lid that opens and closes the case body. The closed state of the lid is locked by a latch (lock member). The user can open the lid by operating the latch to the open side, and can lock the lid to the closed state by operating the latch to the close side.

  Conventionally, various devices have been applied to this type of storage case. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a device for improving the convenience of conveyance or handling when stacking a plurality of storage cases vertically is made.

JP 2013-226622 A JP2013-193174A JP 2011-131357 A

  However, the stackable storage case is used mainly for storing at least the electric tool, and peripheral accessories other than the electric tool such as a battery pack are only stored as accessory parts. There wasn't. An object of the present invention is to provide an unprecedented and new power supply device by effectively utilizing a storage case used for storing a power tool.

  Said subject is solved by each following invention. According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of rechargeable battery packs used as a power source for an electric tool are stored in a storage case having a case main body and a lid for opening and closing the case main body, and the power of the plurality of stored battery packs is stored. It is a power supply device provided with the power supply output part for outputting outside. According to the first invention, the storage case can be used as a case for storing a plurality of battery packs, and can also be used as a power supply device for supplying power to an external device. The convenience of the case can be enhanced.

  A second invention is a power supply device according to the first invention, wherein the storage case includes a carrying handle. According to the second invention, it is possible to improve convenience when carrying the power supply device.

  A third invention is a power supply apparatus according to the first or second invention, wherein the power tool can be stored in the storage case in addition to the battery pack. According to the third aspect, the convenience of the storage case can be further enhanced.

  A fourth invention is a power supply device according to any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the storage cases can be stacked vertically and provided with a coupling means to another storage case on the upper stage side or the lower stage side. . According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the power supply device can be handled in the same manner as a power tool storage case that can be stacked, and in this respect, the power supply device can be further handled.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the power supply device includes a power supply control device that switches an output voltage of the power supply output unit. According to the fifth aspect, power can be supplied to external devices having different rated voltages, and in this respect, the convenience of the storage case and the versatility of the external device can be further enhanced.

  A sixth invention is the invention according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the power output unit connects a plurality of types of connection devices that can be arbitrarily selected as connection means for external power output and can be connected to an external device. It is a possible power supply. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to connect external devices having different power supply connection forms. In this respect, the convenience of the storage case and the versatility of the external device can be enhanced.

  7th invention is a storage case which has a case main body and the cover part which opens and closes a case main body, Comprising: The storage case provided with the battery holding part for hold | maintaining the battery pack used as a power supply of an electric tool in an outer surface It is. According to the seventh aspect, the outer surface of the storage case can be used effectively, and the convenience of carrying the battery pack can be enhanced in addition to the articles stored in the storage case.

  According to an eighth invention, in the seventh invention, the battery holding portion is a storage case provided with a rail portion for attaching the battery pack by sliding it downward and removing it by sliding it upward. According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the battery pack can be easily attached to the battery holding part in the area above the battery holding part and in the area where there is no obstructive part such as the floor surface or work table on which the storage case is installed. Since the battery pack can be removed and attached while being slid downward, the battery pack can be prevented from being inadvertently dropped due to vibration or the like.

  In a ninth aspect based on the eighth aspect, the lid portion has an engaging portion with which the lock claw portion of the battery pack held by the battery holding portion is engaged, and is closed with respect to the case main body. Then, the lock claw portion is engaged with the engaging portion to lock the holding state of the battery pack with respect to the battery holding portion, and the case main body is opened to release the locked state. According to the ninth invention, the engagement of the lock claw portion with the engaging portion of the lid portion can prevent the battery pack held by the battery holding portion from falling off, and this locked state can be achieved by opening the lid portion. It is released and the battery pack can be quickly removed from the battery holding portion. In this respect, the operability and convenience at the time of attaching and removing the battery pack can be enhanced.

1 is an overall perspective view of a power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure has shown the state which closed the cover part of the storage case. 1 is an overall perspective view of a power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure has shown the state which opened the cover part of the storage case. 1 is an overall perspective view of a power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure has shown the state which removed all the battery packs. It is a figure which shows attachment operation of the battery pack with respect to a battery attachment part. It is a perspective view of a battery pack simple substance. It is the figure which looked at the battery pack single-piece | unit from the arrow (VI) direction in FIG. It is the top view which looked at the battery pack single-piece | unit from the arrow (VII) direction in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which stacked the power supply device which concerns on embodiment of this invention on the upper side of another storage case. It is a whole perspective view of a storage case. This figure has shown the state which attached all the battery packs to the external attachment part. It is a whole perspective view of a storage case. This figure has shown the state which removed all the battery packs from the external attachment part.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the power supply device P of the present embodiment has a configuration in which a large number of battery packs 10 are stored in the storage case 1. The storage case 1 includes a case body 2 that is open upward and a lid 3 that opens and closes the case body 2. The case main body 2 and the lid 3 are each manufactured by molding a synthetic resin, and the storage case 1 is a so-called hard case.

  The lid portion 3 is coupled to the rear portion of the case body 2 via a hinge portion 4 so as to be rotatable up and down. A carrying handle 9 for carrying is provided on the upper surface of the lid 3. The carrying handle 9 is supported so as to be pivotable up and down, and can be stored at a position that does not protrude from the upper surface of the lid 3 as shown in FIG. On the left and right side portions of the lid portion 3, belt hook portions 3 d and 3 d are provided. By hanging a shoulder belt (not shown) between the left and right belt hanging portions 3d, the user can carry the storage case 1 on the shoulder.

  The lid 3 is locked at the closed position shown in FIG. 1 by lock members (latches) 5 to 8 provided at a total of four locations. A total of four lock members 5 to 8 are arranged on the front left and right sides and on the left and right side rear portions. Each lock mechanism including the four lock members 5 to 8 is similarly configured. Hereinafter, the lock mechanism will be described by taking the lock member 5 on the left side of the front surface as an example. On the left side of the front surface of the case body 2, two upper and lower body side recesses 2 a and 2 d are provided. The lock member 5 is supported in the upper main body side upper concave portion 2a among the upper and lower main body side concave portions 2a and 2d. The lock member 5 is supported so as to be vertically displaceable and tiltable back and forth in the main body-side upper recess 2a. The lock member 5 is a resin molded part having a substantially flat plate shape. When the lock member 5 is tilted to the rear lock position, the lock member 5 is housed in the main body upper concave portion 2a and does not protrude forward.

  Two main body side convex portions 2b and 2b are provided at the bottom of the main body side upper concave portion 2a. Two connecting convex portions 2c and 2c are provided at the bottom of the main body side lower concave portion 2d. On the left side of the front surface of the lid portion 3, a lid-side concave portion 3 a that is continuous with the concave portions 2 a and 2 d on the case body 2 side is provided. Two lid-side convex portions 3b and 3b are provided in the lid-side concave portion 3a. The main body side convex portions 2b, 2b, the connecting convex portions 2c, 2c, and the lid side convex portions 3b, 3b, which are paired to the left and right, respectively, have block body shapes with the same dimensions, and are arranged at the same left and right intervals.

  Although difficult to see in the figure, a pair of left and right engaging recesses are provided in two stages on the rear surface of the lock member 5 (the surface facing the bottom of the main body side upper recess 2a). When the lock member 5 is slid downward and tilted to the lock side with the lid 3 closed, the main body side protrusions 2b and 2b are elastically fitted into the lower engagement recesses, Similarly, the lid-side convex portions 3b and 3b are elastically fitted into the upper-side engaging concave portion. As a result, the lock member 5 is held in the locked position, and thus the lid 3 is locked in a closed state. When the lock member 5 is tilted forward unlocked in the closed lock state, the engagement state with respect to the main body side convex portions 2b and 2b and the lid side convex portions 3b and 3b is released, and the lid portion as shown in FIG. 3 can be opened.

  The connecting projections 2c, 2c provided in the main body-side lower recess 2d function to connect the plurality of storage cases 1-1 so that they can be handled integrally when the storage cases 1 are stacked in a plurality of stages. have. When the illustrated storage cases 1 are stacked in at least two stages, when the lock member 5 is slid upward and tilted to the lock side, the lid-side protrusions 3b and 3b are elastically formed in the lower engagement recesses. The connecting convex portions 2c and 2c on the storage case 1 side, which are inserted and stacked in the upper side in the engaging concave portion on the upper stage side, are elastically fitted. By performing this operation on the four locking members 5 to 8, the storage case 1 is locked to the closed state of the lid portion 3, and is connected to and integrated with the stacked upper storage case 1 It becomes. By similarly operating the lock members 5 to 8 for the plurality of storage cases 1 stacked, the storage cases 1 to 1 stacked in a plurality of stages can be handled integrally. Can be significantly increased, and a stacked state in which the load is not easily collapsed by vibration or the like can be obtained. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the storage cases 1 are stacked in two upper and lower stages. This stacking will be further described later.

  The storage case 1 according to the present embodiment is characterized in that a large number of battery packs 10 are stored as shown in FIG. 2 instead of a hand-held power tool such as a screw tightener. In the present embodiment, ten battery packs 10 are housed as shown in FIG. The ten battery packs 10 are not only housed but also housed in a state where they are electrically connected and can output power. As shown in FIG. 2, the ten battery packs 10 are arranged in such a manner that four battery packs 10 arranged in parallel in the left-right direction are arranged in two rows in the front-rear direction, and two battery packs 10 on the rear side. Are arranged neatly in a side-by-side state. On the left side of the rear portion of the case body 2, a power control device 13 is accommodated. The power supply control device 13 is fixed at the position of the case body 2.

  FIG. 3 shows a state where all ten battery packs 10 are removed. A total of ten battery attachment portions 11 are attached to the bottom of the case body 2. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the battery pack 10 includes a plurality of cells housed in a rectangular parallelepiped battery case. In this embodiment, a lithium ion battery with an output voltage of 18 V is used. The battery pack 10 can be repeatedly used by removing it from the battery mounting portion 11 and charging it with a separately prepared charger. The battery pack 10 is a general-purpose high slide mounting type battery that is also used as a battery for other rechargeable electric tools such as an electric screw tightener and an electric drill, and is shared with other rechargeable electric tools. Can be used (recycled).

  On the front surface of the battery pack 10, a pair of left and right rail receiving portions 10a are provided. Positive and negative terminal receiving portions 10b and 10c are provided inside the left and right rail receiving portions 10a. Between the positive / negative terminal receiving parts 10b and 10c, the connector part 10d for transmitting / receiving various control signals between chargers is arrange | positioned. A lock claw 10e is provided above the connector portion 10d. The lock claw 10e is urged in a direction protruding to the front side by a spring mounted in the battery case. As shown in FIG. 7, an unlock button 10 f is provided on the upper surface of the battery pack 10. The unlock button 10f is provided integrally with the lock claw 10e. For this reason, when the unlock button 10f is pushed down with the fingertip to the back side, the lock claw 10e can be moved in the direction of pulling downward against the spring biasing force (unlock side).

  Each battery mounting portion 11 has a similar configuration. As shown in FIG. 4, the battery mounting portion 11 includes a pair of left and right rail portions 11a. The rail portion 11a extends in the vertical direction. Positive and negative connection terminals 11b and 11c are arranged inside the rail portions 11a. An engagement recess 11d into which the lock claw 10e on the battery pack 10 side is fitted is provided on the upper part of the battery attachment portion 11. By sliding the battery pack 10 from the upper side to the lower side with respect to the battery mounting part 11, one battery pack 10 is attached to the battery mounting part 11. Conversely, when the battery pack 10 is attached, the user pushes the unlock button 10f downward with the fingertip, thereby sliding the lock claw 10e upward from the engagement recess 11d. Thus, the battery pack 10 can be removed from the battery attachment portion 11.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the removed battery pack 10 is moved downward in the direction toward the battery mounting portion 11 so that the rail portion 11 a enters the left and right rail receiving portions 10 a, whereby the battery mounting portion 11 can be attached. When the battery pack 10 is slid downward and the lock claw 10e is elastically fitted into the engagement recess 11d, the battery pack 10 is locked in a state of being attached to the battery attachment portion 11. When the battery pack 10 is attached to the battery mounting portion 11, the positive and negative connection terminals 11 b and 11 c enter the positive and negative terminal receiving portions 10 b and 10 c, and the battery pack 10 is electrically connected to the battery mounting portion 11. Connected. Note that the connector portion 10 d of the battery pack 10 is not connected to the battery attachment portion 11. This connector portion 10d is connected to a connector receiving portion on the charger side in order to output various control signals to the charger side when the battery pack 10 is attached to a separately prepared charger for charging.

  Each battery attachment portion 11 is connected to a power supply control device 13. Ten battery mounting portions 11 are connected to the power supply control device 13. The power supply control device 13 has a function of integrating each power of the ten battery packs 10 and disconnecting them to switch between 18V power supply and 36V power supply. On the upper surface of the power supply control device 13, one start button 13a for starting the device and three switch buttons 13b for switching between 18V output and 36V output are arranged.

  A power output unit 12 is provided on the left side of the case body 2. The power output unit 12 is provided with three connection connectors 12a, 12b, and 12c. A power supply of 18V or 36V is supplied from the power supply control device 13 to each connection connector 12a, 12b, 12c. The output voltage of each connection connector 12a, 12b, 12c can be switched to 18V or 36V by pressing the switching button 13b.

  Connection devices 21, 22, and 23 for connecting the external device 20 can be connected to the three connection connectors 12a, 12b, and 12c, respectively. In FIG. 2, a plug-type power cord as the connection device 21, an 18 V adapter for 18 V power output as the connection device 22, and a 36 V adapter for 36 V power output as the connection device 23 are connected to each connector 12 a of the power output unit 12. , 12b, 12c are shown connected. The connection device 21 (power cord) can be connected to a power outlet of an external device (not shown) to supply 18V power. The connection device 22 (18V adapter) is mainly composed of the same battery case as the battery pack 10 housed in the main body case 2, and can be attached to a screw tightening machine as the external device 20 to supply 18V power. The connection device 23 (36V adapter) can be attached to a battery mounting portion of a brush cutter (not shown) as an external device and supply 36V power.

  According to the power supply device P of the present embodiment described above, a large number of battery packs 10 can be stored in the storage case 1 and used as a large-capacity power supply device that outputs these powers as an 18V or 36V power supply. it can. With such a power supply device P, a rechargeable electric tool such as a screwing machine or a gardening tool such as a brush cutter or a lawn mower that requires relatively large power can be used continuously for a long time.

  The power supply device P of this embodiment can be handled integrally with the storage case 30 of another power supply device P or another power tool in a stacked state. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the power supply devices P of the present embodiment are stacked on the upper side of the power tool storage case 30. The lower storage case 30 has the same configuration as the storage case 1 of the power supply device P of the present embodiment illustrated above. Similar members and structures are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The upper storage case 1 and the lower storage case 30 are integrally coupled to each other by lock members 5 to 8 provided in the lower storage case 30. Since the upper power supply device P and the lower storage case 30 are integrally coupled to each other, they can be handled as a single unit. Therefore, it is possible to carry the power supply device P and the storage case 30 (external device 20) at a time by grasping the carrying handle 9 of the power supply device P on the upper stage side, and handleability of the power supply device P and the storage case 30 is improved. And portability is increased.

  Even when the power supply device P and the storage case 30 are stacked upside down, they can be integrally connected to each other by using the lock members 5 to 8 of the lower power supply device P. Further, in addition to or instead of the storage case 30, the illustrated power supply device P can be coupled in another stacked state. By stacking the illustrated power supply devices P in upper and lower two stages or three or more stages and coupling them to each other, a large amount of power can be handled integrally.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the power supply device P that houses 10 18V output battery packs 10 is illustrated, but the power supply device that accommodates more battery packs 10 by making the storage case 1 larger. Can do. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which accommodates a battery pack of a low output or a high output in addition to or instead of the battery pack 10 of 18V output. For example, the present invention can be applied to a battery pack with 5V, 7.2V, 10.8V, 24V or 28V output. When a 5V output battery pack is accommodated, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) output terminal can be provided in the power output section.

  In addition, a charging function (charger) for charging the stored battery pack 10 can be provided in the storage case 1. In this case, as a power source for supplying power to the charging function, for example, a commercial 100V power source can be supplied via a power cord.

  In the power supply device P described above, a configuration in which ten battery packs 10 are accommodated in the case main body 2 is illustrated. However, the battery pack can be held outside the case main body 2 and can be carried. FIG. 9 shows an embodiment in which two battery packs 10 can be held on the left and right sides of the storage case 40. The storage case 40 includes the same members and configurations as the storage cases 1 and 30 illustrated above. Similar members and structures are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The case body 2 can mainly store a hand-held rechargeable power tool and its peripheral devices.

  As shown in FIG. 10, two battery holding portions 41 are provided on the left and right sides of the case body 2. Each battery holding part 41 has a pair of rail parts 41a. The pair of rail portions 41a are formed with the same spacing and shape as the rail portions 11a of the battery mounting portion 11 described above. The battery pack 10 can be held in the battery holding portion 41 by sliding the battery pack 10 downward from the upper side with respect to the battery holding portion 41 and engaging the rail receiving portion 10a with the rail portion 41a. it can.

  As described above, when the battery pack 10 is slid downward and held in the battery holding portion 41, the lock claw portion 10 e is elastically engaged with the engaging recess 42 provided on the side portion of the lid portion 3. The spring-biased lock claw portion 10e enters the engagement recess 42 and is elastically engaged, whereby the battery pack 10 is held in the holding state with respect to the battery holding portion 41.

  In order to remove the battery pack 10 from the battery holding portion 41, it is only necessary to push down the respective unlock buttons 10f with the fingertips to retract the lock claw portions 10e from the engaging recesses 42. Further, by rotating the lid 3 upward to release it, the engagement state of each lock claw portion 10e with respect to the engagement recess 42 is released, so that it is not necessary to bother to depress each unlock button 10f. The four battery packs 10 can be quickly removed from the battery holding part 41.

  The storage case 40 described above can also be handled integrally by being coupled with other storage cases 40 in a stacked state. In addition, the storage case 40 and the power supply device 1 and the storage case 30 described above can be stacked vertically and integrated.

  According to the storage case 40 exemplified above, a plurality of battery packs 10 can be held outside the case body 2. Since the battery pack 10 is configured to be held outside the case main body 2, the space for storing the battery pack in the case main body 2 can be omitted and the empty space in the case main body 2 can be effectively used.

  Further, since the battery pack 10 can be held outside the case body 2, even when a sufficient storage space cannot be secured in the case body 2, the plurality of battery packs 10 are stored in the storage case 40. And can be carried together. The plurality of battery packs 10 are used as spare batteries or, for example, two power packs are simultaneously used as a power source for an electric tool stored in the case body 2.

  Each embodiment described above can be further modified. For example, the storage case 1 and the storage cases 30 and 40 of the power supply device P are illustrated as being configured to be coupled in a stacked state by a total of four lock members 5 to 8 on the front left and right and left and right sides. The stack connection structure (the lock members 7 and 8, the connection convex part 2c, etc.) may be omitted.

  In addition, the storage case 40 has been illustrated with a configuration that can hold a total of four battery packs 10 on the left and right sides, but the number of battery packs 10 that can be held may be increased or decreased as necessary. The battery holding portion is not limited to the left and right side portions of the case body 2 but can be provided on the front surface or the rear surface. It can also be provided on the upper surface of the lid 3.

P ... Power supply device 1 ... Storage case 2 ... Case main body 2a ... Main body side upper concave portion, 2b ... Main body side convex portion, 2c ... Connection convex portion, 2d ... Main body side lower concave portion 3 ... Lid portion 3a ... Lid side concave portion, 3b ... Cover side convex part, 3c ... insertion hole, 3d ... belt hook part 4 ... hinge part 5-8 ... lock member 9 ... carrying handle 10 ... battery pack 10a ... rail receiving part, 10b, 10c ... positive / negative terminal receiving part, 10d ... Connector part 11 ... Battery attachment part 11a ... Rail part, 11b, 11c ... Positive connection terminal, 11d ... Engagement recess 11e ... Lock claw, 10f ... Unlock button 12 ... Power output part, 12a, 12b, 12c ... Connection Connector 13 ... Power supply control device, 13a ... Start button, 13b ... Switch button 21 ... Connected device (power cord)
22 ... Connected equipment (18V adapter)
23 ... Connected equipment (36V adapter)
30 ... Storage case 40 ... Storage case 41 ... Battery holding part, 41a ... Rail part 42 ... Engaging recess

Claims (9)

To store a plurality of rechargeable battery packs used as a power source for an electric tool in a storage case having a case main body and a lid for opening and closing the case main body, and to output the power of the stored battery packs to the outside The power supply device provided with the power output part. The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage case includes a carrying handle. 3. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein an electric tool can be stored in the storage case in addition to the battery pack. The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the storage cases can be stacked in a vertical direction, and includes a coupling means for other storage cases on the upper side or the lower side. 5. The power supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a power supply control device that switches an output voltage of the power output unit. The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the power output unit is a plurality of types of connection devices that can be arbitrarily selected as connection means for external power output and can be connected to an external device. Connectable power supply. A storage case having a case main body and a lid for opening and closing the case main body, the storage case having a battery holding portion for holding a battery pack used as a power source of the electric tool on the outer surface. 8. The storage case according to claim 7, wherein the battery holding portion includes a rail portion for attaching the battery pack by sliding downward and removing the battery pack by sliding upward. 9. The storage case according to claim 8, wherein the lid portion has an engaging portion with which a lock claw portion of a battery pack held by the battery holding portion is engaged, and is closed with respect to the case body. In the state, the lock claw portion is engaged with the engagement portion to lock the holding state of the battery pack with respect to the battery holding portion, and the case main body is opened to store the lock state. Case.

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