JP2024015696A - battery cover - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a battery cover capable of securing waterproofness.SOLUTION: A battery cover 1 has: a main body part 35 that covers the outer circumference of a battery unit 17 connected with a battery post 5 of a battery 3; and a sealing member 37 formed separately from the main body part 35 and fixed to the main body part 35 to seal between the main body part 35 and the battery 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a battery cover.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a battery cover is known that includes a main body portion that covers the outer periphery of a fuse unit serving as a battery unit connected to a battery post of a battery (see Patent Document 1). In this battery cover, an opening is provided on the side of the main body where the battery post is located. If an opening is provided in the main body, water or the like may enter through the opening and cause corrosion or other negative effects on the internal fuse unit.

On the other hand, as a battery cover, one in which a protective wall is provided on the main body part in order to close the opening of the main body part is known (see Patent Document 2). In this battery cover, by closing the opening with a protective wall, it is possible to suppress infiltration of water or the like through the opening.

JP 2019-139962 Publication Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-180146

By the way, in the battery cover as disclosed in Patent Document 2, depending on the shape of the battery, the protective wall may interfere with the battery, and there is a possibility that the battery cover cannot be placed on the battery. If the battery cover is forced into position, there is a risk that the protective wall will be deformed or damaged, leading to a decrease in waterproofness.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a battery cover that can ensure waterproofness.

The battery cover according to the present embodiment includes a main body that covers the outer periphery of a battery unit connected to a battery post of a battery, and a main body that is formed separately from the main body and is fixed to the main body, and that and a sealing member for sealing between.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a battery cover that can ensure waterproofness.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the battery cover according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the battery cover according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the battery cover according to the first embodiment is placed on a battery. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view when the battery cover according to the first embodiment is placed on a battery. It is a perspective view when a battery unit is arranged in a battery. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a battery cover according to a second embodiment placed on a battery. 7 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 6. FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing another example when the battery cover according to the second embodiment is placed on a battery. FIG. 7 is a front view of a battery cover according to a third embodiment. FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view of main parts of a battery cover according to a third embodiment.

Hereinafter, the battery cover according to the present embodiment will be described in detail using the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment will be described using FIGS. 1 to 5.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a battery cover 1 according to the present embodiment is placed on a battery 3 mounted on a vehicle, for example. The battery 3 is provided with battery posts 5 having both positive and negative poles. The battery post 5 projects upward from the bottom surface 11 of the placement recess 9 formed by being depressed from the top surface 7 of the battery 3 . The arrangement recess 9 has a first wall surface 13 extending upward from the bottom surface 11 and a second wall surface 13 extending upward from the bottom surface 11 and extending in a direction orthogonal to the first wall surface 13. It has a wall surface 15. A battery unit 17 is fixed to the battery post 5 located in the placement recess 9, and the battery 3 and the battery unit 17 are electrically connected.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the battery unit 17 includes a battery terminal 19 and a fuse unit 21.

Battery terminal 19 is made of conductive material. The battery terminal 19 is provided with a post hole into which the battery post 5 is inserted. The battery terminal 19 is provided with a bolt 23 that narrows the diameter of the post hole by tightening a nut. The battery terminal 19 is fixed to the battery post 5 by inserting the battery post 5 into the post hole and fastening a nut to the bolt 23, and is electrically connected to the battery 3. A fuse unit 21 is fixed to the battery terminal 19, and a stud bolt 25 to which the fuse unit 21 is electrically connected is provided.

In the fuse unit 21, a fuse element (not shown) made of a conductive material and provided with a fuse that melts due to overcurrent is molded with synthetic resin. The fuse unit 21 is formed in an L-shape so as to be disposed in the placement recess 9 of the battery 3 and the lower side surface 27 of the battery 3. One end of the fuse unit 21 is fixed to the battery terminal 19 by inserting a stud bolt 25 into the fuse element and tightening a nut to the stud bolt 25, and is electrically connected to the battery terminal 19. A stud bolt 29 electrically connected to the fuse element is provided on the other end side of the fuse unit 21. A terminal is fixed to the stud bolt 29 by tightening a nut, and the terminal is electrically connected to the fuse unit 21 . A wire 31 electrically connected to the device is electrically connected to the terminal via the caulking portion 33, and the device is electrically connected to the battery 3 via the battery unit 17. The outer periphery of such a battery unit 17 is covered by the battery cover 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the battery cover 1 includes a main body portion 35 and a seal member 37. As shown in FIGS. Note that in FIG. 4, a nut (see FIG. 5) fastened to the bolt 23 of the battery terminal 19 is omitted.

The main body portion 35 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin, for example. The main body part 35 is fixed to the battery unit 17 via a fixing means (not shown), and is arranged in the arrangement recess 9 of the battery 3. The main body portion 35 includes an upper wall 39, a side wall 41, and an opening 43.

The upper wall 39 mainly covers the upper part of the battery terminal 19 in the battery unit 17 . The upper wall 39 is provided with an extending portion 45 extending toward the upper surface 7 of the battery 3 . The extending portion 45 is arranged so as to be spaced apart from the upper surface 7 of the battery 3 and facing the upper surface 7 in the height direction of the battery 3 with the upper wall 39 disposed in the arrangement recess 9 .

The side wall 41 is formed of a single member continuous with the upper wall 39 and includes a first side wall 47, a second side wall 49, and a third side wall 51.

The first side wall 47 mainly covers one side of the battery terminal 19 in the battery unit 17 . The first side wall 47 extends to the extension portion 45 of the top wall 39 . The first side wall 47 is placed in contact with or with a slight gap from the bottom surface 11 of the placement recess 9 when the main body 35 is placed on the battery 3 . The extended portion 45 side of the first side wall 47 is exposed from the placement recess 9 when the main body portion 35 is placed on the battery 3, and is in contact with or leaves a slight gap against the upper side surface 53 of the battery 3. It is arranged with

The second side wall 49 mainly covers the other side of the battery terminal 19 in the battery unit 17 . The second side wall 49 is shorter than the first side wall 47 and extends to the front of the extending portion 45 of the upper wall 39. Therefore, the extending portion 45 is provided across the first side wall 47 and the second side wall 49, and is formed in an L-shape as a whole. The second side wall 49 is placed in contact with or with a slight gap from the bottom surface 11 of the placement recess 9 when the main body 35 is placed on the battery 3 . The extension portion 45 side of the second side wall 49 is placed in contact with or with a slight gap from the second wall surface 15 of the placement recess 9 when the main body portion 35 is placed in the battery 3. Ru.

The third side wall 51 mainly covers the outer periphery of the fuse unit 21 in the battery unit 17 . The third side wall 51 is formed of a single member continuous with the first side wall 47 and the second side wall 49, and extends downward in the height direction of the battery 3. The third side wall 51 is exposed from the placement recess 9 when the main body 35 is placed on the battery 3, and is placed in contact with or with a slight gap from the lower side surface 27 of the battery 3. .

The opening 43 is opened on the side of the extension 45 of the upper wall 39, the first side wall 47, and the second side wall 49. The opening 43 is opened so that the bolt 23 side of the battery terminal 19 can be seen in the battery unit 17 when the main body 35 is viewed toward the inner surface of the third side wall 51. The opening 43 is arranged so that the bolt 23 side of the battery terminal 19 faces the second wall surface 15 of the placement recess 9 with a slight gap when the main body 35 is placed on the battery 3. let

When the main body portion 35 is placed on the battery 3, a gap is formed between the extension portion 45 of the upper wall 39 and the upper surface 7 of the battery 3. In the conventional battery cover, a protective wall was provided as one piece in a portion where the opening 43 was located so as to be continuous with the upper wall 39. Therefore, the opening 43 was substantially closed by the protective wall, and the waterproofness of the battery unit 17 was ensured. However, conventional protective walls may have different shapes depending on the type of battery 3, and when the main body portion 35 is placed on the battery 3, for example, the protective wall may come into contact with the top surface 7 of the battery 3. It may interfere with the second wall surface 15 of the arrangement recess 9. For this reason, if the main body 35 is forced to be placed on the battery 3, there is a risk that the protective wall will be deformed or damaged, and the waterproofness may be reduced. Therefore, a sealing member 37 is integrally fixed to the extending portion 45 of the upper wall 39 to fill the gap between the extending portion 45 and the upper surface 7 for sealing.

The sealing member 37 is formed separately from the main body portion 35 and is made of, for example, a foamed member such as sponge, or an elastic member such as rubber. The seal member 37 has a rectangular cross-sectional shape, and has an L-shape as a whole similar to the extending portion 45 . The sealing member 37 has one outer surface in the thickness direction bonded to the inner surface of the extending portion 45 with an adhesive, and is fixed integrally with the main body portion 35 . A fixing member 55 is integrally fixed to the other outer surface of the seal member 37 in the thickness direction.

The fixing member 55 is formed separately from the sealing member 37 and is made of, for example, an insulating member such as synthetic resin, or an elastic member such as rubber. The fixing member 55 is formed into a thin plate shape, and has an L-shape similar to the seal member 37 as a whole. The fixing member 55 is fixed integrally with the sealing member 37 by bonding one outer surface in the thickness direction to the outer surface of the sealing member 37 opposite to the extending portion 45 using an adhesive. On the other outer surface of the fixing member 55 in the thickness direction, a plurality of (two in this case) fixing parts 57 that protrude outward are provided. The plurality of fixing parts 57 are inserted so as to be press-fitted into a plurality of (here, two) holes 59 formed in the upper surface 7 of the battery 3 when the main body part 35 is placed in the battery 3 . By fixing the fixing portion 57 to the hole 59, the seal member 37 does not move relative to the battery 3, and waterproofness can be ensured.

The sealing member 37 fixed integrally with the fixing member 55 fills the gap between the extension part 45 and the top surface 7 and connects the main body part 35 with the battery cover 1 placed on the battery 3. Seal between the battery 3 and the battery 3. Therefore, there is no need to provide a protective wall in the opening 43, and the seal member 37 can seal between the main body 35 and the battery 3.

Such a sealing member 37 is formed separately from the main body 35 and is integrally fixed to the main body 35. Therefore, the sealing member 37 can be fixed at any position on the main body 35 in accordance with the shape of the battery 3 at a location where a gap is formed between the main body 35 and the battery 3. Therefore, for example, when placing the battery cover 1 on the battery 3, no excessive external force is applied to the sealing member 37, preventing the sealing member 37 from being deformed or damaged, and ensuring waterproofness.

Note that although the seal member 37 and the fixing member 55 having the fixing portion 57 are formed separately and fixed together, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fixing portion 57 may be provided on the seal member 37. By providing the fixing portion 57 on the seal member 37, the number of parts can be reduced. Note that by forming the sealing member 37 and the fixing member 55 separately, the fixing member 55 can be integrally fixed to any position of the sealing member 37. Therefore, the sealing member 37 can be fixed to the battery 3 by changing the design of the fixing member 55 without changing the design of the sealing member 37 in accordance with the shape of the battery 3.

Such a battery cover 1 includes a main body 35 that covers the outer periphery of the battery unit 17 connected to the battery post 5 of the battery 3, and a main body 35 that is formed separately from the main body 35 and fixed to the main body 35. and a seal member 37 that seals between the battery 3 and the battery 3.

The seal member 37 is formed separately from the main body 35 and is fixed to the main body 35. Therefore, the sealing member 37 can be fixed at any position on the main body 35 in accordance with the shape of the battery 3, where a gap is formed between the main body 35 and the battery 3. .

Therefore, in such a battery cover 1, an excessive external force is not applied to the sealing member 37, and deformation and damage of the sealing member 37 can be prevented, and waterproofness can be ensured.

Further, the sealing member 37 is provided with a fixing portion 57 that is fixed to the battery 3. Therefore, the sealing member 37 does not move with respect to the battery 3, and waterproofness can be ensured.

Further, the battery unit 17 is arranged in a placement recess 9 recessed from the top surface 7 of the battery 3 . Further, the main body part 35 includes an upper wall 39 that covers the upper part of the battery unit 17, a side wall 41 that covers the side part of the battery unit 17, and an opening that is opened toward the second wall surface 15 as a wall surface of the arrangement recess 9. 43. Further, the upper wall 39 is provided with an extending portion 45 extending from the opening 43 side toward the upper surface 7 of the battery 3 . The sealing member 37 is fixed to a portion of the extending portion 45 that faces the upper surface 7 of the battery 3, and seals between the extending portion 45 and the upper surface 7 of the battery 3.

The outer periphery of the battery unit 17 placed in the placement recess 9 is covered by the top wall 39 and side wall 41 of the main body 35 and exposed through the opening 43 of the main body 35 . The opening 43 of the main body portion 35 is opened toward the second wall surface 15 of the arrangement recess 9 . The extending portion 45 extends from the opening 43 side of the upper wall 39 toward the upper surface 7 of the battery 3 . Therefore, the gap between the extending portion 45 and the upper surface 7 is communicated with the gap between the second wall surface 15 and the opening 43. The sealing member 37 is fixed to a portion of the extending portion 45 that faces the upper surface 7 of the battery 3, and seals between the extending portion 45 and the upper surface 7 of the battery 3. Therefore, the gap between the second wall surface 15 and the opening 43 is sealed by the sealing member 37. By forming the main body portion 35 and the sealing member 37 separately, the sealing member 37 can be arranged at the minimum necessary locations, and it is possible to suppress the battery cover 1 from increasing in size.

(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment will be described using FIGS. 6 to 8.

In the battery cover 101 according to the present embodiment, a sealing member 103 is arranged to be extendable and retractable between the main body 35 and the battery 3.

Note that the same configurations as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the configuration and function descriptions will be omitted as they refer to the first embodiment, but since they have the same configurations, the functions and effects obtained will be the same. The same is true. Further, in FIGS. 6 and 8, a nut (see FIG. 5) fastened to the bolt 23 of the battery terminal 19 is omitted.

Here, when the battery cover 101 is fixed to the battery unit 17, variations may occur in the height direction of the battery 3 due to the fixing work performed by the operator. When the battery cover 101 is fixed at a high position with respect to the battery unit 17, the gap between the extending portion 45 of the main body portion 35 and the upper surface 7 of the battery 3 becomes large. Therefore, the seal member 103 is provided so as to be expandable and retractable.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the seal member 103 is made of the same material as the seal member 37 (see FIG. 2) and is formed in the same shape. A plurality of (three in this case) slits 105 are formed in the seal member 103 . The plurality of slits 105 allow the seal member 103 to expand and contract in the height direction of the battery 3.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the gap between the extending part 45 of the main body part 35 and the upper surface 7 of the battery 3 is large, the sealing member 103 extends in the height direction of the battery 3, and the extending part 45 and the upper surface 7 is sealed. Note that when the gap between the extending portion 45 and the upper surface 7 is small, the sealing member 103 contracts due to the pressure applied between the extending portion 45 and the upper surface 7, and the gap between the extending portion 45 and the upper surface 7 is small. Seal the gaps between. By making the sealing member 103 expandable and retractable, it is possible to seal between the main body 35 and the battery 3 even if the gap between the main body 35 and the battery 3 changes.

In such a battery cover 101, the sealing member 103 is arranged between the main body portion 35 and the battery 3 so as to be expandable and retractable. Therefore, even if the gap between the main body part 35 and the battery 3 changes, the gap between the main body part 35 and the battery 3 can be sealed, and waterproofness can be maintained.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment will be described using FIGS. 9 and 10.

In the battery cover 201 according to the present embodiment, the seal member 37 is provided so as to be elastically deformable, and has a first contact surface 203 and a second contact surface extending in a direction orthogonal to the first contact surface 203. 205. Further, the main body portion 35 has a first abutted surface 207 against which the first abutment surface 203 abuts, and a second abutted surface 209 against which the second abutment surface 205 abuts. The angle θ formed between the first abutted surface 207 and the second abutted surface 209 is set smaller than a right angle.

Note that configurations similar to other embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and explanations of configurations and functions will be omitted as they refer to other embodiments, but since they have similar configurations, the functions and effects obtained will be The same is true. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fixing member 55 (see FIG. 2) is omitted. Note that the sealing member 37 alone may be used to seal between the extending portion 45 and the upper surface 7 of the battery 3 without providing the fixing member 55.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the seal member 37 is made of, for example, a foamed member or an elastic member, and is elastically deformable. The seal member 37 has a first contact surface 203 and a second contact surface 205. The first abutting surface 203 abuts a first abutting surface 207 formed on the extending portion 45 of the upper wall 39 . The second contact surface 205 extends in a direction perpendicular to the first contact surface 203. The second contact surface 205 is brought into contact with a second contact surface 209 formed on the second side wall 49 .

The first contact surface 207 is sloped upward from the tip of the extension portion 45 toward the second side wall 49 . The second abutted surface 209 is an end surface of the second side wall 49. Note that the second side wall 49 is provided with a rib 211 extending toward the first side wall 47 side, and the second abutted surface 209 also includes an end surface of the rib 211. The angle θ formed between the first abutted surface 207 and the second abutted surface 209 is set smaller than a right angle due to the inclination of the first abutted surface 207. Note that the angle θ can be adjusted by changing the inclination of the first abutted surface 207.

The seal member 37 is integrally fixed to the main body 35 with the first contact surface 203 and the second contact surface 205 in contact with the first contact surface 207 and the second contact surface 209. be done. At this time, since the seal member 37 is elastically deformable and the angle θ is smaller than the right angle, the seal member 37 is contracted. The contracted seal member 37 strengthens the contact between the first contact surface 203 and the second contact surface 205 and the first contact surface 207 and the second contact surface 209 due to the restoring force. Therefore, the adhesion between the main body part 35 and the seal member 37 is increased, and the waterproofness between the main body part 35 and the seal member 37 can be improved. In addition, by increasing the adhesion between the main body portion 35 and the seal member 37, the number of bonding locations where the main body portion 35 and the seal member 37 are bonded can be reduced. For example, either one of the first abutting surface 203 and the first abutting surface 207 or the second abutting surface 205 and the second abutting surface 209 is bonded with an adhesive. Thereby, the main body portion 35 and the seal member 37 can be fixed together.

In such a battery cover 201, the seal member 37 is provided so as to be elastically deformable, and has a first contact surface 203 and a second contact surface 205 extending in a direction perpendicular to the first contact surface 203. has. Further, the main body portion 35 has a first abutted surface 207 against which the first abutment surface 203 abuts, and a second abutted surface 209 against which the second abutment surface 205 abuts. The angle θ formed between the first abutted surface 207 and the second abutted surface 209 is set smaller than a right angle.

Since the sealing member 37 is elastically deformable and the angle θ is smaller than a right angle, the first abutting surface 203 and the second abutting surface 205 are the same as the first abutting surface 207 and the second abutting surface 209. The sealing member 37 is contracted in a state in which it is in contact with. The contracted seal member 37 strengthens the contact between the first contact surface 203 and the second contact surface 205 and the first contact surface 207 and the second contact surface 209 due to the restoring force. Therefore, the adhesion between the main body portion 35 and the seal member 37 is increased, and the waterproofness between the main body portion 35 and the seal member 37 can be improved. In addition, by increasing the adhesion between the main body part 35 and the seal member 37, the number of fixing points between the main body part 35 and the seal member 37 can be reduced, and the ease of assembling the seal member 37 to the main body part 35 can be improved. Can be done.

Although this embodiment has been described above, this embodiment is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of this embodiment.

For example, in this embodiment, the sealing member is disposed between the main body and the top surface of the battery, but the sealing member is not limited thereto. The sealing member may be placed at any position between the main body and the battery, and may be fixed to the main body according to the shape of the battery.

Further, the shape of the sealing member is not limited to the L-shape, and the sealing member may be molded to match the shape of the portion of the main body to which the sealing member is fixed, or the shape of the space between the main body and the battery.

1,101,201 Battery cover 3 Battery 5 Battery post 7 Top surface 9 Arrangement recess 15 Second wall surface (wall surface)
17 Battery unit 35 Main body parts 37, 103 Seal member 39 Upper wall 41 Side wall 43 Opening part 45 Extension part 57 Fixed part 203 First contact surface 205 Second contact surface 207 First contact surface 209 Second contact surface Tangent surface θ angle

Claims (5)

a main body portion that covers the outer periphery of the battery unit connected to the battery post of the battery;
a sealing member formed separately from the main body and fixed to the main body to seal between the main body and the battery;
Battery cover with. The battery cover according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is provided with a fixing portion that is fixed to the battery. The battery unit is arranged in a placement recess depressed from the top surface of the battery,
The main body portion has an upper wall that covers an upper portion of the battery unit, a side wall that covers a side portion of the battery unit, and an opening that is opened toward a wall surface of the placement recess,
The upper wall is provided with an extending portion extending from the opening side toward the upper surface of the battery,
The battery cover according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sealing member is fixed to a portion of the extending portion facing the upper surface of the battery, and seals between the extending portion and the upper surface of the battery. The battery cover according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sealing member is extendably arranged between the main body portion and the battery. The seal member is provided to be elastically deformable, and has a first contact surface and a second contact surface extending in a direction perpendicular to the first contact surface,
The main body portion has a first abutted surface against which the first abutment surface abuts, and a second abutted surface against which the second abutment surface abuts,
The battery cover according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an angle formed between the first abutted surface and the second abutted surface is set to be smaller than a right angle.