JP2024004816A - Battery pack and electrical apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the strength and wear resistance of a latch mechanism of a battery pack.

SOLUTION: A metal reinforcing member (plate 70) is provided at a part of a hook component 60 which is a component constituting a latch mechanism of a battery pack and is formed by integrally molding a synthetic resin. The hook component 60 includes: a hook part 65 to be engaged with an electric apparatus body; an operation part 61 to be operated for moving the hook part 65; and a connection part 63 and a coupling part 64 for coupling the hook part 65 and the operation part 61. The second member 70 reinforcing the first member is manufactured by bending a metal plate into a predetermined shape by press working and casting it into a synthetic resin.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a battery pack and an electric device.

In recent years, the lineup of products such as battery packs with higher capacity and higher output battery cells, and higher output and larger electric equipment such as power tools has been increasing. Patent Document 1 describes a battery pack that has a latch mechanism to prevent the battery pack from falling off from an electrical equipment main body.

JP2014-38720A

As the output of products increases, the vibrations transmitted to battery packs increase, and as products become larger and heavier, the impact force on battery packs increases when dropped, increasing the risk of damage to battery pack components. The challenge is to increase the strength of Hook parts that engage power tools are particularly susceptible to the above concerns, as vibrations can wear out the engaging surfaces of the hook parts, allowing the battery pack to move to undesigned positions, causing damage to the product and the battery pack. If the current-carrying parts are separated from each other, it will cause malfunction. Furthermore, since the impact from a certain direction is concentrated on the engagement surface of the hook component, there is a risk that the hook component will not be able to withstand the impact and break.

The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object thereof is to provide a battery pack and an electric device in which wear and damage of the latch mechanism are suppressed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack and an electrical device having a latch mechanism with improved strength and wear resistance by using an improved hook component without changing the structure or size of the latch mechanism. It is in.

Representative features of the invention disclosed in this application are as follows.
According to one feature of the present invention, a battery pack includes a battery cell, a case that houses the battery cell, and a latch mechanism that is movable with respect to the case and that engages with an electrical device main body, the battery pack comprising: The mechanism includes a hook part that engages with the electrical device main body, an operating part that operates the hook part, and a connecting part that connects the hook part and the operating part. In the latch mechanism, the hook part, the operating part, and the connecting part are composed of a first member, and the hook part and the connecting part include a second member for reinforcing the first member, unlike the first member. Established. The battery pack is configured to be attached by sliding it in a first direction with respect to the main body of the electrical device, and the hook portion is located on the front side in the first direction and has a hook portion configured to slide the battery pack in the first direction. located on the front side outer surface that contacts the electrical equipment main body when the battery pack is attached to the electrical equipment main body, and on the rear side in the first direction, and prevents the battery pack from falling off from the electrical equipment main body when the battery pack is attached to the electrical equipment main body. A rear outer surface is formed to engage the electrical device body. The second member serving as a reinforcing material is provided on the front outer surface and the rear outer surface.

According to another feature of the present invention, the connecting portion of the latch mechanism is configured to extend from the operating portion in a direction intersecting the first direction so as to be able to contact the electrical device main body, and the second member is configured to be able to contact the case. provided at the contact part of the connecting part. The first member is a resin, and the second member is a member having higher strength or wear resistance than the resin, for example, a metal. The second member is cast into the first member by insert molding. The second member is preferably provided partially at the hook portion and the connecting portion.

According to still another feature of the present invention, a board is provided above the battery cells of the battery pack, and a board is connected to a battery-side terminal that is connected to a device-side terminal of the electrical equipment main body, and the latch mechanism is arranged above the board. Located on the upper side. The hook portion and the connecting portion provided above the substrate and facing the substrate are mainly composed of a first member, and a second member is provided above the first member. In this way, an electrical device is constructed that includes a battery pack and an electrical device main body that has a battery pack mounting portion to which the battery pack can be mounted.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a battery pack and an electric device in which wear and damage of the latch mechanism are suppressed. Further, by using the improved hook component without changing the structure or size of the latch mechanism, it is possible to provide a battery pack and an electric device having a latch mechanism with improved strength and wear resistance. In addition, in order to reduce the wear of the hook parts as much as possible, we can increase the wear and strength of the hook parts by interposing highly wear-resistant parts such as metal plates in the hook part of the latch mechanism and its vicinity. can. Furthermore, intervening parts with high wear resistance are effective in preventing wear of the hook engagement surface and breakage of the hook engagement shape when the product is installed. If the hook component is located close to a current-carrying component such as a circuit board and the entire hook component is made of metal, the hook component may move and approach the circuit board component when disengaging from the electrical equipment body. However, in the present invention, a metal plate or the like is cast into the resin material to prevent short circuits even if the resin material comes into contact with a current-carrying component such as a board due to the hook component. It can be configured as follows. If the hook component has a structure in which there is a distance from the claw shape that engages with the product to the operating section, it can be expected that the strength of the arm shape between the claw shape and the operating section will be increased.

1 is a perspective view showing the shape of a battery pack mounting portion 10 of an electrical equipment main body 1 to which a battery pack 20 of the present invention is mounted. 2 is a part of a right side view showing a state in which the battery pack 20 according to the present embodiment is attached to the electrical device main body 1 of FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a battery pack 20 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a hook component 60 of the battery pack 20 of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the hook component 60 of FIG. 4 at a vertically central position. 5 is a perspective view showing the shape of a plate 70 that is cast into the hook component 60 of FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an engaged state and a disengaged state between the hook component 60 of the battery pack 20 and the electrical equipment main body 1 side of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of engagement between the hook component 60 and the electrical equipment main body 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Example of this invention, and is a partial sectional view which shows the state when the hook component 60 and the rail part 14 of the electrical equipment main body 1A side are engaged and released. It is a figure which shows the 3rd Example of this invention, and is a partial sectional view which shows the state when the hook component 260 and the rail part 214 of the electrical equipment main body 201 side are engaged and released. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the shape of a hook component 160 of a conventional battery pack.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. In the following figures, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted. Further, in this specification, the front, back, left, right, and up and down directions are described as directions shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the shape of a battery pack mounting portion 10 of an electrical equipment main body 1. As shown in FIG. The electrical equipment main body 1 is a device for operating load units that consume power, such as a motor, a light source, an audio device, a heat source, etc., using a battery pack 20 (described later in FIG. 2 and subsequent figures) as a power source. The electrical equipment main body 1 has a housing 2 that accommodates a load section. The electrical device main body 1 in FIG. 1 is an impact driver, and is provided with a handle portion extending downward from the body portion of the housing 2, and a battery pack mounting portion 10 is formed below the handle portion. A trigger switch 4 is provided on the handle portion. An anvil (not shown) serving as an output shaft is provided on the front side of the housing 2, and a tip tool holder 5 for mounting a tip tool 6 is provided at the tip of the anvil. Here, a Phillips screwdriver bit is attached as the tip tool 6.

Not limited to power tools, but in general electrical equipment using battery packs, a battery pack mounting portion 10 is formed to correspond to the shape of the battery pack to be mounted. In the electrical device main body 1 of FIG. 1, a battery pack mounting portion 10 for mounting a battery pack 20 is formed in a part of the housing 2. In the battery pack mounting portion 10, rail portions 12 and 14 are formed on inner wall portions on both the left and right sides and extend in parallel in the front-back direction. The lengths of the rail parts 12 and 14 in the front-rear direction, the width (vertical length), and the shape of the rail parts are formed to be compatible with the battery pack 20 that can be installed, and are configured so that battery packs that are not compatible cannot be installed. Ru. A hollow portion 12d for weight reduction is provided in the inner portion of the rail portion 12. Since the formation of the hollow portion 12d is not essential, it is not necessary to provide the hollow portion 12d. Although not visible in the figure, a hollow portion 14d (see FIG. 7(d) described later) is similarly provided in the inner portion of the rail portion 14.

A terminal section 16 is provided between the rail sections 12 and 14. The terminal part 16 is manufactured by integrally molding a non-conducting material such as synthetic resin, and has a plurality of metal terminals thereon, such as a device side positive terminal 17, a device side negative terminal 18, and an LD terminal (abnormal signal terminal) 19. to be molded. The terminal portion 16 is formed with a vertical surface 16a that serves as an abutting surface in the mounting direction (front-back direction) and a horizontal surface 16b, and the horizontal surface 16b is adjacent to an upper surface 34 (described later in FIG. 3) when the battery pack 20 is mounted. , will be the facing surface. A protrusion 10a that engages with a recess 36 (described later in FIG. 3) of the battery pack 20 is formed on the front side of the horizontal surface 16b.

FIG. 2 is a part of a right side view showing a state in which the battery pack 20 according to the present embodiment is attached to the electrical device main body 1 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 2, a battery pack mounting part 10 formed at the lower part of the handle part of a known impact tool is partially illustrated. The battery pack 20 can be mounted on the electrical equipment main body 1 by moving it from a predetermined direction relative to the electrical equipment main body 1 in the mounting direction along the rail portion. In this specification, a state in which the battery pack 20 is attached to the electrical device main body 1 is referred to as an "electrical device," but the electrical device main body 1 in a state in which the battery pack 20 is removed may also be referred to as an "electrical device." When the battery pack 20 is attached to the electrical device main body 1 to a predetermined position in the battery pack attachment direction (in this specification, the direction of the arrow 25 is referred to as the "first direction"), the latch mechanism is activated. Thus, the battery pack 20 is fixed so as not to fall off from the electrical equipment main body 1. When removing the battery pack 20 from the electrical device main body 1, press the operation parts 51 (see FIG. 3) and 61 of the latch mechanism, and then move the battery pack 20 in the battery pack removal direction (main direction) opposite to the battery pack mounting direction 25. In the specification, the direction of this arrow 26 is referred to as the "second direction").

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the battery pack 20. The housing of the battery pack 20 is made of non-conductive synthetic resin, and is formed by a lower case 21 and an upper case 30 that are vertically divisible. Two rail grooves 42 and 46 are formed in the upper case 30 to fit into the rails 12 and 14 (see FIG. 1) formed in the battery pack mounting part 10 of the electrical equipment main body 1. The rail grooves 42 and 46 are formed so as to be parallel and continuous in the front-rear direction, and the surface that connects the upper side of the space between them is the upper stage surface 34. A flat lower step surface 32 is formed on the front side of the upper case 30, the lower step surface 32 and the upper step surface 34 are formed in a step shape, and the connecting portion thereof is a stepped portion 33 having a vertical surface lowering in a step shape from the upper step surface. It becomes. A slot group arrangement region 40 is formed from the stepped portion 33 to the upper step surface 34, and a plurality of slots cut out from the front to the rear are formed in the slot group arrangement region 40. The plurality of slots are cut out portions having a predetermined length in the battery pack mounting direction so as to extend rearward from the stepped portion 33, and each of the slots is a portion in which an electrical device is formed in the cutout portion. A plurality of battery-side terminals (not shown) that can be fitted with device-side terminals of the main body 1 or an external charging device (not shown) are provided.

A raised portion 35 is formed on the rear side of the upper stage surface 34 . The raised portion 35 has an outer shape that bulges upward from the upper surface 34, and the space inside thereof becomes a space for the latch components 50, 60 to slide. A recessed portion 36 is formed near the center of the raised portion 35 . The recessed portion 36 is a surface that abuts against the protrusion 10a (see FIG. 1) of the battery pack mounting portion 10 when the battery pack 20 is mounted on the battery pack mounting portion 10, and is located on the electrical equipment main body 1 side. When the protrusion moves relatively to the position where it contacts the recess 36, the plurality of terminals (equipment side terminals) disposed on the electrical device body 1 and the plurality of connection terminals disposed on the battery pack 20 come into contact. Becomes conductive. At the same time, the operating parts 51, 61, the hook parts 55 (not visible in the figure), and the hook parts 65 of the hook parts 50, 60 of the battery pack 20 move in the left-right direction within the recesses of the rail grooves 42, 46 by the action of a spring (not shown). By popping out and engaging with the recesses 13 and 15 formed in the rail parts 12 and 14 of the electrical equipment main body 1, the battery pack 20 is prevented from falling off from the electrical equipment main body 1.

The rail groove portion 42 is a portion formed in a concave shape from the right side wall surface of the battery pack 20 toward the left-right center point, and is continuously formed from the front to the rear of the battery pack 20. Similarly, the rail groove portion 46 is a portion formed in a concave manner from the upper end of the left side wall surface of the battery pack 20 to the left side in a direction orthogonal to the left side wall surface, and is formed in a straight line from the front to the rear of the battery pack 20. The front end portions of the rail grooves 42 and 46 are open ends, and the rear end portions are closed ends connected to the front wall surface of the raised portion 35. The rail groove portions 42 and 46 and the hook portions 55 and 65 that fit into the recesses of the rail portion on the electrical equipment main body 1 side form the fixing portion of the latch mechanism. When removing the battery pack 20 from the electrical equipment main body 1, by pressing the operating parts 51 and 61 of the latch mechanism on both the left and right sides, the latch hook parts 55 and 65 (not visible in the figure) are attached to the electrical equipment main body 1 side. Since the fitted state with the recessed part of the rail part is released, the battery pack 20 is moved in this state to the side opposite to the mounting direction.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the hook component 60 of the battery pack 20 of the present invention. Hook component 60 has two main parts. One is a hook portion 65 that engages with a recess 15 formed in the rail portion 14 of the electrical equipment main body 1, and the other is an operating portion 61 that is operated by the operator to move the hook portion 65. be. In order to connect these two main parts, a connecting part 64, a front connecting part 63, and a rear connecting part 62 are formed. The operating portion 61 is a portion that is pressed by the operator's fingers, and a large number of small grooves 61a extending in parallel in the vertical direction are formed in the portions that the operator's fingers touch to prevent slippage. The outer end of the spring 39 (the left end on the hook component 60 side) is connected to the back side of the operating section 61, so that the repulsive force of the compressible spring 39 moves the operating section 61 to the left-right center position of the battery pack 20. Force outward (to the left) from The spring 39 is arranged such that the inner end of the spring 39 comes into contact with a wall surface (contact surface) 37 formed inside the upper case 30 . The latch mechanism including the hook components 50, 60, spring 39, etc. is fixed to the upper case 30 side when the upper case 30 and lower case 21 of the battery pack are removed. Note that the shapes of the spring 39 and the wall surface 37 are arbitrary, and the shapes shown in FIG. 4 are schematically shown to explain the operation of the hook component 60. The hook component 60 can be moved inward (to the right in the case of the hook component 60 on the left side) by pushing by the operator, and when the pushing operation is released, the hook component 60 is moved outward (to the left) by the repulsive force of the spring 39. ). The outward movement of the hook component 60 stops at a restricted position where it comes into contact with a part of the wall surface of the upper case 30. Note that the mechanism that guides the sliding movement of the hook component 60, the mechanism that defines the limit position of the leftward movement of the hook component 60, etc. may be the same as the conventional latch mechanism, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The connecting portion 64 is a portion that extends from the front connecting portion 63 of the operating portion 61 toward the front side (first direction side) and holds a hook portion 65 that is configured to be able to contact the electrical equipment main body 1 . The hook portion 65 has a surface (a rear outer surface 65c, which will be described later in FIG. 5) that intersects (for example, perpendicularly) with the outer surface 64a of the connecting portion 64. When the operating section 61 moves in the pressing direction 49b, the hook section 65 also moves to the right as the operating section 61 moves. For comparison, the shape of a hook component 160 of a conventional battery pack will be described using FIG. 11. In FIG. 11, the hook component 160 was manufactured by integral molding of synthetic resin. As is obvious when comparing the conventional hook component 160 shown in FIG. 11 and the hook component 60 of this embodiment shown in FIG. Only. The metal plate 70 is provided to reinforce the hook component 60, and is particularly provided on the surface that comes into contact with the recess 15 of the rail portion 14 of the electrical equipment main body 1.

A portion of the plate 70 is also provided to extend from a portion of the connecting portion 64 extending rearward from the hook portion 65 . In this way, by interposing a highly wear-resistant part (plate 70) formed of a metal plate or the like in the hook part 65, wear of the hook part 65, which is a easily damaged part of the hook part 60, can be minimized. Can be done. The hook component 60 can be manufactured by casting the plate 70 (using insert molding) during injection molding of the conventional hook component 160 manufactured from synthetic resin. In addition, the shape of the plate 70 is not a simple planar shape, but a shape that follows the shape of the hook portion 65, and is configured so that the outer edge shape of the hook portion 65 can maintain the same shape as before by the outer surface of the plate 70. Ru. Therefore, by replacing the conventional hook component 160 shown in FIG. 11 with the hook component 60 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the battery pack 20 to which the present invention is applied can be easily realized.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view seen from below) of the hook component 60 of FIG. 4 at a vertically central position. In this specification, each part of the hook component 60 will be referred to as shown in FIG. The portion shown by the hatched portion above the two-dot chain line is referred to as an operation portion 61. The operating portion 61 is a portion that is pressed by an operator, and is a portion that protrudes outward from the inner opening of the through hole 48 (see FIG. 1) of the upper case 30. Here, the hook portion 65 is a portion that protrudes outward from a vertical plane passing through the outer surface 64a of the connecting portion 64, that is, a portion shown by a hatched line on the outside (left side) of the dashed-dotted line. The hook portion 65 is a portion that engages with the target device to be mounted, that is, the electrical device main body 1, and is a portion that engages with the recess 15 in which the rail portion 14 of the electrical device main body 1 is formed. The hook part 65 and the operating part 61 are connected by a connecting part 64, and as the operating part 61 moves (here, in the left-right direction), the battery pack 20 is moved from the upper case 30 into the rail groove 46 (see FIG. 3). Move to a protruding position and a non-protruding position. The hook part 65 is located on the front side (first direction side) of the hook component 60, and is the front outer surface that comes into contact with the electrical device main body 1 first when the battery pack 20 is slid in the first direction. 65a, and a rear outer surface 65c that is located on the rear side of the front outer surface 65a and acts to prevent the battery pack 20 from falling off from the electrical equipment main body 1 when the battery pack 20 is attached to the electrical equipment main body 1. and a curved surface 65b between the front outer surface 65a and the rear outer surface 65c. In this specification, the front outer surface 65a and the curved surface 65b may be collectively referred to as a "front outer surface" in a broad sense, and this "front outer surface" refers to the part that is paired with the rear outer surface 65c. There is.

The connecting portion 64 is located inside (on the right side) of the dashed line in FIG. 5 . The connecting portion 64 is a portion extending in the front-rear direction of the battery pack 20, and connects the hook portion 65 and the operating portion 61 so as to be separated by a certain distance. The front connecting portion 63 is a part that fills the space between the connecting portion 64 and the operating portion 61, and serves as a guide surface for adjusting the left-right position of the operating portion 61 with respect to the connecting portion 64, and for guiding the movement of the hook portion 65. Become. The rear connecting portion 62 serves as a guide surface that guides the movement of the hook portion 65, and together with the front connecting portion 63 located opposite to the front side, the rear connecting portion 62 serves as a wall portion that separates a space that accommodates the spring 39 (see FIG. 4). becomes. The rear connecting portion 62 is formed with a rib-shaped stopper portion 62a that protrudes rearward. The outer surface of the stopper portion 62a and the rear portion of the outer surface 64a of the connecting portion 64 abut against the wall portion of the upper case 30, thereby causing the hook component 60 to protrude from the through hole 48 (see FIG. 3) of the upper case 30. restrict movement.

The plate 70 is placed in the portion shown in black in FIG. In this embodiment, the plate shape is such that the outer surface of the hook portion 65 on the outside of the claw portion matches the outer surface of the plate 70, and the plate 70 is cast in resin. The plate 70 extends from near the front end of the hook portion 65 toward the rear along the outer surface of the hook portion 65 and is disposed so as to cover more than half of the outer surface (left side surface) of the connecting portion 64 . The plate 70 is provided to reinforce the synthetic resin (first member) that constitutes the hook component 60, and is made of a second member different from the first member. Here, metal is employed as the second member and is cast into the first member.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the shape of the plate 70 provided on the hook component 60 of FIG. 4. FIG. The plate 70 is made of a strong and wear-resistant metal plate, such as a stainless steel alloy. Here, a stainless steel plate of a predetermined thickness is cut out by press working and bent into the shape shown. The plate 70 is formed in a vertically symmetrical shape so that it can be commonly used for the right hook component 50 and the left hook component 60. The plate 70 is formed of two main parts: a part (71a to 71c, 72, 73a, 73b) that runs along the outer surface of the hook part 65, and a part (74 to 75) that runs along the outer surface of the connecting part 64. In FIG. 6(c), a vertical plane 71a, a curved surface 71b, and a vertical plane 71c are formed from the front side on the side surface of the hook part 65, and these form the front outer surface of the hook part 65. 65 on the front outer surface 65a (see FIG. 5). A rear outer surface 72 extending in the vertical and horizontal directions is formed on the rear surface of the hook portion 65, and is disposed on the rear outer surface 65c of the hook portion 65 (see FIG. 5). The size of the rear outer surface 72 in the vertical direction is approximately equal to the size of the corresponding portion of the hook portion 65 (the rear outer surface 65c) in the vertical direction. On the other hand, the vertical size of the front outer surface (vertical plane 71a, curved surface 71b, vertical plane 71c) is smaller than the vertical size of the corresponding portion of the hook portion 65 (front outer surface 65a). The purpose of reducing the size of the front outer surface in the vertical direction is to improve the fixing stability of the plate 70 during casting. Therefore, if there is no problem with strength or durability, the front outer surface of the plate 70 may be formed to have the same vertical size as the corresponding portion of the hook portion 65.

In FIG. 6B, a portion of the connecting portion 64 along the outer surface is formed by a curved portion 74 and an extended flat portion 75. As can be understood from FIG. 4, the positional relationship between these parts and the hook component 50 is less than half the size of the connecting portion 64 in the vertical direction. This is because the outer surface of the connecting portion 64 does not come into contact with the upper case 30, so there is no need to increase wear resistance. In addition, by narrowing the width in the vertical direction, the upper and lower edges of the connecting portion 64 and the extending plane portion 75 are cast in synthetic resin, thereby fixing the plate 70 more stably. As described above, the reason why the plate 70 is provided with the curved portion 74 and the extended flat portion 75 in this embodiment is to stably cast the plate 70 disposed on the hook portion 65 into a resin member and increase the strength of the plate 70. It's to make the most of it. Furthermore, in order to stabilize the fixation by casting into resin, through holes 76a, 76b, 77a, and 77b are formed in the plate 70, and the synthetic resin that is the main component of the hook component 60 is filled therein.

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view showing an engaged state and a disengaged state between the hook component 60 of the battery pack 20 and the electrical equipment main body 1 side of the first embodiment. These cross-sectional views are horizontal cross-sections passing near the vertical center of the hook component 60 located on the left side of the battery pack 20, viewed from below. 7(a) shows the state immediately before the battery pack 20 is moved in the first direction (front side) and attached to the electrical equipment main body 1, and FIG. 7(b) shows the battery pack 20 in the first direction (front side). ) shows the state in which the battery pack 20 has been moved to the main body 1 of the electrical device and is attached to the main body 1, and (c) shows the battery pack 20 slightly moved in the second direction (backward) without releasing the latch. Indicates the condition.

The hook component 60 is arranged so that the operation part 61 projects to the outside from the through hole 48 formed in the upper case 30 of the battery pack 20, and the hook part 65 projects from the latch hole 47 of the rail groove part 46. . This position of the hook component 60 is because it is biased by a spring 39 (not shown). In this state, the rail groove portion 46 of the battery pack 20 is aligned with the rail portion 14 of the electrical device main body 1, and is relatively moved so as to approach the electrical device main body 1. Then, the front outer surface (mainly the curved surface 71b) having the tip corner of the hook portion 65 of the hook component 60 comes into contact with the inner corner 14b of the rail portion 14 of the electrical equipment main body 1. Since both the curved surface 71b and the inner corner 14b are formed obliquely with respect to the mounting direction of the battery pack 20, the hook component 60 is moved inward (to the right in the case of the hook component 60) by their contact. The force acts and the hook portion 65 moves inward from the position shown in FIG. 7(a). Then, since the right end surface of the hook portion 65 is located inside the inner corner portion 14b of the rail portion 14, the interference state between the hook portion 65 and the rail portion 14 with respect to the mounting direction of the battery pack 20 is released, and the battery pack 20 is As shown in FIG. 7(b), it can be inserted to a predetermined position in the first movement direction.

The position of the battery pack 20 in the mounting direction is limited, for example, by a portion of the upper case 30 coming into contact with the tip 14a of the rail portion 14. At this time, since the front end of the hook part 65 is located in a region that fits into the recess 15 formed in the rail part 14, the hook part 60 moves outward (to the left) by the action of a spring (not shown), and as shown in FIG. The state is as shown in (b). It should be noted that the front-back direction of the battery pack 20 (as shown in FIG. 7) and the front-back direction of the electrical device main body 1 (as shown in FIG. 1) are opposite directions. In the state shown in FIG. 7, the hook portion 65 is located inside the recess 15, so even if a force is applied to move the battery pack 20 in the second direction, the hook portion 65 is located behind the plate 70 provided on the hook portion 65. Since the side outer surface 72 contacts the front surface 15a of the recess 15 as shown in FIG. 7(c), it is possible to prevent the battery pack 20 from falling off from the electrical device main body 1.

The outward movement of the hook component 60 due to the biasing force of the spring 39 shown in FIG. limited by contact with Two parallel guide ribs 38 extending from the upper wall portion of the upper case 30 are formed on the inner surface of the hook component 60, and the guide ribs 38 can come into contact with the front connecting portion 63 and the rear connecting portion 62. The positional relationship will be like this. Further, a spring 39 (see FIG. 4) is arranged in a space closed by the two guide ribs 38, the front connecting portion 63, the rear connecting portion 62, and the operating portion 61.

As can be understood from FIG. 7, wear of the hook portion 65 can be effectively prevented by casting an intervening component (plate 70) on the surface of the hook portion 65 that becomes the engagement surface with the electrical device main body 1. Further, in the battery pack 20, the battery pack 20 can be installed by simply pushing the battery pack 20 in the first direction without operating the operating part 61 into the electrical equipment main body 1, in which the plate 70 according to the present embodiment is molded. By making the hook part 65 curved, it is possible to prevent wear of the part of the hook part 65 that comes into contact first when pushing in, and to suppress an increase in the battery pack installation load due to deterioration of the claw-shaped surface, resulting in a long-life battery pack 20. can be realized.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the engagement between the hook component 60 and the electrical equipment main body 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a vertical cross-sectional view passing through the vicinity of the center of the connecting portion 64 of the hook component 60 in the front-rear direction. ing. This vertical section is a surface extending in the left-right and up-down directions of the battery pack 20. Five battery cells are housed in the battery pack 20, and the second battery cell 92 from the front is arranged in the cross-sectional position of FIG. A plurality of battery cells, such as the battery cells 92, are arranged in such a manner that their longitudinal directions are oriented in the left-right direction by the insulators 80 made of synthetic resin. A circuit board 90 is fixed above the insulator 80 and between it and the upper wall of the upper case 30. A circuit pattern is formed on the circuit board 90, and electronic elements such as a microcomputer, a resistor, and a capacitor (not shown) are mounted on the circuit board 90, and electrical connections are made by engaging with equipment-side terminals formed on the electrical equipment main body 1. The battery-side terminal (not visible in the diagram) that establishes this is fixed. Both side terminals of the series connection of a plurality of battery cells are connected to the circuit board 90 with connection tabs (not shown), and are connected to battery side terminals (not shown) (+ terminal, - terminal) via a wiring pattern (not shown) of the circuit board 90. ) is supplied with power. The operating portion 61 of the hook component 60 has a shape that protrudes to the left side of the upper case 30, and the lower end positions of the hook portion 65 (not visible in the figure) and the connecting portion 64 are approximately equal to the lower end position of the circuit board 90. in position.

FIG. 8(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the operating portion 61 is pushed inward (to the left and right center side of the battery case) from the state in FIG. Being pushed. Here, as can be seen by comparing the position of the connecting part 64 of the hook component 60 in FIGS. Since there is no vertical wall forming the bottom of the groove, the connecting portion 64 moves to the inside of the groove. The hook portion 65 (see FIG. 7), which is not visible in the figure, is retracted inside the upper case 30 to the point where it does not protrude beyond the bottom surface of the rail groove portion 46. As described above, in the hook component 60, the engagement state between the hook portion 65 (see FIG. 7) and the electrical equipment main body 1 is released when the operator pushes in the operating portion 61.

Above, in the explanation of FIGS. 3 to 9, the hook component 60 located on the left side of the battery pack 20 has been explained, but the hook component 50 located on the right side is also symmetrical in shape. They have the same structure. As described above, according to this embodiment, the hook parts 50 and 60 of the battery pack 20 can be significantly strengthened, so that the vibration transmitted to the battery pack 20 increases as the output of the electrical equipment main body 1 increases. It has also become possible to cope with the phenomenon in which the impact force on the battery pack 20 increases, such as when it is dropped, as the battery pack 20 itself becomes larger and heavier. Furthermore, since the hook parts 50 and 60 can be reinforced with the metal plate 70, it is possible to greatly suppress wear and damage (breakage) of the engagement surface of the hook part 65 that engages with the electrical equipment main body 1. It is possible to avoid a phenomenon in which the battery pack 20 moves to an undesigned position with respect to the electrical equipment main body 1. If the battery pack 20 moves to an undesigned position, malfunction may occur due to separation of the device-side terminals of the electrical equipment main body 1 and the connection terminals of the battery pack 20, and this malfunction may occur. The hook members 50 and 60 of this embodiment are effective in preventing this. In the first embodiment, the hook parts 50 and 60 are reinforced with metal plates 70, but the rail parts 12 and 14 on the electrical equipment main body 1 side are reinforced with metal plates. It is also possible to configure An example will be explained using FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a latch mechanism showing a second embodiment of the present invention. Here, the configuration on the battery pack 20 side is the same as in the first embodiment, and the hook component 60 is the same component as in FIGS. 4 to 7. Reinforcement was provided by providing a metal plate 170 near the tip of the rail portion 14 and the recess 15 of the electrical device main body 1A. The plate 170 is basically made of the same material and manufactured by the same method as the plate 70 shown in FIG. 6 except for its shape, and is formed by cutting out a thin metal plate into a predetermined shape by press working and bending it. The plate 170 is fixed by being cast into the rail portion 14 during insert molding of the synthetic resin housing 2 (see FIG. 1). The plate 170 is provided at a location where it contacts the hook portion 65 or where a strong force is applied due to contact with the hook portion 65. Here, a portion of the tip 14a of the rail portion 14, an inner corner portion 14b of the tip, and a portion of the front surface 15a and side surface 15b of the recess 15 are covered with the plate 170. The vertical size of the plate 170 may be the same as the height of the rail portion 14, or the height direction of the plate 170 may be smaller than the height of the rail portion 14.

The plate 170 is insert-molded together with the resin forming the rail portion 14 so as to be exposed on the outer surface of the rail portion 14 so as to come into contact with the plate 170 on the hook component 60 side. The shape of the plate 170 is such that left and right vertical surfaces 171, inclined surfaces 172, front and rear vertical surfaces 173, left and right vertical surfaces 174, and front and rear vertical surfaces 175 are combined from the front side. The connecting portion from the left and right vertical surfaces 174 to the front and rear vertical surfaces 175 has a curved shape along the front surface 15a of the recess 15 and the side surface 15b. In addition, in FIG. 9, only the shape of one rail part 14 side formed in the electrical equipment main body 1A was explained, but the shape of the other rail part 12 is also the same, and the shape of the left rail part 12 of the electrical equipment main body 1A is explained. The shape is bilaterally symmetrical to that in FIG. In the second embodiment, the metal plates 70, 170 are provided on both the hook parts 50, 60 side and the rail parts 12, 14 side at the parts where they come into contact with each other, so the strength is further increased and the wear resistance is improved. improves.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the hook component 260 and the rail portion on the electrical equipment main body 201 are engaged and released. The battery pack mounting portion of the third embodiment has a different shape from the battery pack mounting portion 10 of the electrical equipment main bodies 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments. A hook part 260 protrudes from the upper surface of the battery pack 220 for the electrical equipment main body 201 to which it is attached, so that it engages with the latch recess 215 formed in the battery pack mounting surface 214 of the electrical equipment main body 201 and locks the battery pack 220. Limit movement. Here, the hook component 260 is a movable member that can slide vertically relative to the battery pack 220. FIG. 10(a) is a diagram showing a state immediately before mounting the battery pack 220, and FIG. 10(b) is a diagram showing a state in the middle of mounting (a state in which the hook component 260 is lowered in the direction of arrow 281). c) is a diagram showing a state in which the battery pack 220 has been completely attached to the electrical device main body 201 (a state in which the latch mechanism is activated).

In FIG. 10(a), the latch mechanism of the battery pack 220 includes a hook component 260 that is movable in the vertical direction. The hook component 260 is formed near the rear end of the top surface of the battery pack 220 and near the center of the left and right sides. Also, unlike the first and second embodiments, the number of hook components 260 used is one. The hook component 260 is made of synthetic resin and includes an operating section 261 and a hook section 265. The operating section 261 and the hook section 265 are connected by a connecting section 264. A metal plate 270, which is a reinforcing member, is provided on the outer surface of the hook portion 265 of the hook component 260. That is, the slope 271 of the plate 270 is formed on the slope on the front side of the hook portion 265, and the vertical surface 27 of the plate 270 is formed on the vertical surface on the rear side. A slight horizontal surface 272 is formed between the slope 271 and the vertical surface 273 of the plate 270. The plate 270 has a shape that follows the outer surface of the hook portion 265, and is manufactured by being cast during molding of the synthetic resin (first member). The plate 270 extends not only to a portion located inside the latch recess 215 but also to a portion located inside the battery pack 220, that is, a portion located at arrows 274 and 275 in FIG. 10(b). Since the portion of the plate 270 indicated by the arrow 275 is bent at right angles to the plane extending from the arrows 273 to 274, the strength of the plate 270 can be greatly increased.

A recess 215 is formed on the electrical equipment main body 201 side corresponding to the hook portion 265 of the hook component 260. The shape of the vertical cross section passing through the left-right center position of the recessed portion 215 corresponds to the shape of the hook portion 265, as can be seen from FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b). In the recess 215, vertical planes 215a and 215d are formed between the front and rear, and a slope 215b extends obliquely upward from the upper end of the vertical plane 215a. A narrow horizontal surface 215c is formed.

When the battery pack 220 is moved in the first movement direction (installation direction) from the position shown in FIG. Since the corner portion 214a and the slope 271 are both inclined surfaces, and the hook component 260 is movable downward, the latch component moves in the direction of the arrow 281 as shown in FIG. 10(b). As a result of this movement, the interference between the upper end of the hook portion 265 and the lower end of the corner portion 214a is released, so that the battery pack 220 can be further moved in the first direction. Normally, the impact that occurs when the corner 214a and the slope 271 strongly hit causes a force that distorts the hook component 260, but in this embodiment, the portions of the plate 270 indicated by arrows 273 to 275 are bent at right angles. Therefore, the reaction force transmitted to the side opposite to the first direction can be effectively received by the plate 270, and the strength of the hook component 260 can be significantly increased.

When the battery pack 220 is further moved in the first direction from the state shown in FIG. The hook portion 265 moves upward as shown at 282 and enters the inside of the recess 215 . At this time, since the portion that contacts the inner surface of the recess 215 contacts the plate 270, wear of the resin portion of the hook portion 265 can be effectively suppressed. As described above, in this embodiment, the hook portion 265, the operation portion 261, and the connecting portion 264 are made of the first member (synthetic resin), and the hook portion 265 and the connecting portion 264 have a structure for reinforcing the first member. Since the second member (for example, the metal plate 270) is used to reinforce the latch mechanism, a latch mechanism with increased strength and wear resistance can be realized.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the shapes of the hook parts 60 and 260 are arbitrary, and the shapes of the claw portion (hook portion) and the connecting portion and the shape of the reinforcing member (second member) cast therein can be configured freely. Furthermore, the type of electrical equipment main body is arbitrary, and any electrical equipment main body can be combined with the battery pack 20, 220 as long as it is compatible with the battery pack 20, 220 to be attached.

1, 1A Electrical equipment body 2 Housing 4 Trigger switch 5 Tip tool holding part 6 Tip tool 10 Battery pack mounting part 10a Projection part 12 Rail part 13 Recessed part 14 Rail part 14a Tip part 14b Inside corner part 14c Tip inner surface part 14d Hollow part 15 Recess 15a (of the recess) Front surface 15b (of the recess) Side surface 15c Rear surface (of the recess) 16 Terminal section 16a Vertical surface 16b Horizontal surface 17 Positive electrode terminal on the device side 18 Negative electrode terminal on the device side 19 LD terminal 20 Battery pack 21 Lower case 23a ~23d Screw hole 25 Battery pack installation direction (first direction)
26 Battery pack removal direction (second direction) 30 Upper case 32 Lower surface 33 Step portion 34 Upper surface 35 Protrusion 36 Recess 37 Wall surface 38 Guide rib 39 Spring 40 Slot group arrangement area 42, 46 Rail groove portion 47 Latch hole 48 Through hole 49b Pressing direction 50 Hook part 51 Operation part 55 Hook part 60 Hook part 61 Operation part 61a Groove 62 Rear connection part 62a Stopper part 63 Front connection part 64 Connection part 64a External surface 65 Hook part 65a Front side (of the hook part) Outer surface 65b Curved surface 65c (of the hook portion) Rear outer surface (of the hook portion) 70 Plate (second member)
71a Vertical plane 71b Curved surface 71c Vertical plane 72 Rear outer surface 73a Upper wall 73b Lower wall 74 Curved section 75 Extended plane section 76a, 76b, 77a, 77b Through hole 80 Insulator 90 Circuit board 92 Battery cell 160 Hook component (first 170 Plate 171 Left and right vertical surfaces 172 Inclined surface 173 Front and rear vertical surfaces 174 Right and left vertical surfaces 175 Front and rear vertical surfaces 201 Electrical equipment body 214 Battery pack mounting surface 214a Corner 215 Recessed portion 215a Vertical plane 215b Slope 215c Horizontal surface 215d Vertical plane 220 Battery pack 260 Hook part 261 Operation part 264 Connecting part 265 Hook part 270 Plate (second member) 271 Slope 272 Horizontal surface 273 Vertical surface (upper side) 274 Vertical surface (lower side) 275 Connecting part upper surface

Claims (8)

battery cells;
a case that accommodates the battery cell;
a latch mechanism that is movable relative to the case and engages with the electrical device body;
A battery pack comprising:
The latch mechanism includes a hook part that engages with the electrical device main body, an operating part that operates the hook part, and a connecting part that connects the hook part and the operating part,
The hook portion, the operating portion, and the connecting portion are composed of a first member,
A second member that is different from the first member and that reinforces the first member is provided in the hook portion and the connecting portion.
A battery pack characterized by: The battery pack according to claim 1,
configured to be installed by sliding it in a first direction with respect to the main body of the electrical device,
The hook portion is
a front outer surface that is located on the front side in the first direction and comes into contact with the electrical equipment main body when the battery pack is slid in the first direction;
a rear outer surface located on the rear side in the first direction and engaged with the electrical equipment main body to prevent the battery pack from falling off from the electrical equipment main body when the battery pack is attached to the electrical equipment main body; ,
has
The second member is provided on the front outer surface and the rear outer surface,
A battery pack characterized by: The battery pack according to claim 2,
The connecting portion is configured to extend from the operating portion in a direction intersecting the first direction and to be able to contact the electrical equipment main body,
the second member is provided at a contact portion of the connecting portion that can contact the case;
A battery pack characterized by: The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The first member is a resin, and the second member is a member having higher strength or wear resistance than the resin.
A battery pack characterized by: The battery pack according to claim 4,
the second member is made of metal and is cast into the resin;
A battery pack characterized by: The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
the second member is partially provided at the hook portion and the connecting portion;
A battery pack characterized by: The battery pack according to claim 6,
A board is provided above the battery cell to which a battery side terminal connected to a device side terminal of the electrical equipment main body is connected,
the latch mechanism is located above the substrate;
The hook portion and the connecting portion facing the substrate are composed of the first member, and the second member is provided above the first member.
A battery pack characterized by: The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
an electrical equipment main body having a battery pack mounting part to which the battery pack can be mounted;
An electrical device characterized by being equipped with.

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