JP2024061746A - Adapter and Battery System - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an adapter and battery system that are difficult to detach from a battery. [Solution] An adapter 6 is attached to a battery 5. The adapter 6 includes an attachment portion 62 and a connection port 63. The attachment portion 62 is attached to the battery 5 and maintains a predetermined attachment state of the adapter 6 to the battery 5. A connection portion 91 of an electric device 9 is inserted into the connection port 63 in the connection direction. The attachment portion 62 has a movement restriction portion 69 that restricts the adapter 6 in the attached state from moving in a removal direction D22, which is the opposite direction to a connection direction D21. [Selected Figure] Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to an adapter and a battery system, and more specifically to an adapter that is attached to a battery and a battery system that includes this adapter and battery.

Patent document 1 discloses an adapter that draws power from the battery pack of an electrically assisted bicycle. The adapter described in patent document 1 has two connection terminals that are arranged to correspond to the relative positions of the two power output sockets so that it can be inserted into the two power output sockets of the battery pack.

The adapter described in Patent Document 1 further has an erroneous connection prevention unit. The erroneous connection prevention unit does not interfere with the battery pack housing when the two connection terminals are correctly inserted into the power output receptacles into which they should be inserted. The erroneous connection prevention unit also interferes with the battery pack housing when the two connection terminals are to be inserted into a receptacle other than the power output receptacle into which they should be inserted. This prevents the adapter's connection terminals from being inserted into a receptacle other than the power output receptacle into which they should be inserted.

JP 2018-081754 A

However, the adapter described in Patent Document 1 has a USB socket on the side for connecting to an external device by inserting a USB terminal. When removing the USB terminal from the USB socket, the adapter receives a force in the direction of removing the USB terminal, causing it to move and become detached from the battery pack.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an adapter and battery system in which the adapter attached to the battery is unlikely to come off from the battery.

An adapter according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an adapter that is attached to a battery. The adapter includes an attachment portion and a connection port. The attachment portion is attached to the battery and maintains a predetermined attachment state of the adapter to the battery. A connection portion of an electrical device is inserted into the connection port in a connection direction. The attachment portion has a movement restriction portion that restricts the adapter in the attached state from moving in a removal direction, which is the opposite direction to the connection direction.

A battery system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes the adapter and the battery.

The adapter and battery system disclosed herein makes it difficult for the adapter attached to the battery to become detached from the battery.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric bicycle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the battery in the above embodiment, seen from above. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the battery in the above embodiment as viewed from below. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the battery with the adapter attached in a predetermined attachment state as viewed from above in the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the adapter in the above embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 6 is a perspective view seen from above, illustrating how the adapter is attached to the battery in the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view seen from above, illustrating how the adapter is attached to the battery in the embodiment.

(Embodiment)
(1) Overview As shown in Fig. 4, the adapter 6 is attached to the battery 5. The adapter 6 includes an attachment portion and a connection port. The attachment portion is attached to the battery 5 to maintain a predetermined attachment state of the adapter 6 to the battery 5. A connection portion of an electric device is inserted into the connection port in a connection direction D21. The attachment portion has a movement restriction portion 69 that restricts the adapter 6 in the attached state from moving in a removal direction D22, which is the direction opposite to the connection direction D21.

The adapter 6 attached to the battery 5 is difficult to move in the removal direction D22 due to the movement restriction part 69, and therefore difficult to remove from the battery 5.

(2) Details The adapter 6 according to this embodiment is an adapter 6 that is attached to the battery 5 of the electric bicycle 1. Below, the electric bicycle 1, the battery 5, the adapter 6, and the battery system will be described.

(2.1) Overall Configuration Fig. 1 is a side view of an electric bicycle 1 according to this embodiment. The electric bicycle 1 has a frame 2. A drive unit 3 is attached to the frame 2. The drive unit 3 includes at least a battery device 4 and a motor unit 30.

The battery device 4 is a device that supplies power to the motor unit 30. In this embodiment, the battery device 4 includes a battery 5 and a battery mounting section 41.

The electric bicycle 1 is a bicycle that can run using electrical power. In this embodiment, the electric bicycle 1 is an electrically assisted bicycle that uses a motor to assist the user's pedaling force (sometimes referred to as "pedal force"), but in this disclosure, the electric bicycle 1 may be a bicycle that can run on its own using only the motor. In short, the electric bicycle 1 may be an electrically assisted bicycle, or a bicycle that can run on its own using only the motor. The electric bicycle 1 includes a frame 2, multiple wheels 11, a drive unit 3, a handlebar 14, a saddle 15, a crank 16, and pedals 17. The drive unit 3 includes a motor unit 30 and a battery device 4. The multiple wheels 11 include a front wheel 12 and a rear wheel 13.

In this disclosure, the direction in which the electric bicycle 1 moves is defined as the "forward direction," and the opposite direction is defined as the "rearward direction." Additionally, the direction parallel to the forward and rearward directions (both directions) is defined as the "forward/rearward direction," and the direction perpendicular to the forward/rearward direction and along the horizontal plane (both directions) is defined as the "left/right direction."

The frame 2 is a framework capable of holding at least the front wheel 12, the rear wheel 13, and the battery 5. In this embodiment, the frame 2 is made of an aluminum alloy containing aluminum as the main component. However, in this disclosure, the frame 2 is not limited to an aluminum alloy, and may be made of metals such as iron, chromium molybdenum steel, high-tensile steel, or titanium, or carbon, etc.

The frame 2 includes a plurality of pipes. In this embodiment, the frame 2 includes a lower pipe 20, a vertical pipe 21, a plurality of (two in this embodiment) chain stays 22, a plurality of (two in this embodiment) seat stays 23, a head pipe 25, and a front fork 26 as the plurality of pipes. Furthermore, the frame 2 includes a motor bracket 27.

In this disclosure, the term "pipe" refers to an elongated hollow member, and the cross-sectional shape is not particularly limited. For example, pipes include not only circular cross sections such as a regular circle or an oval cross section (including an ellipse), but also polygonal cross sections such as a square cross section, a rectangular cross section, or a hexagonal cross section.

The motor bracket 27 is a portion where at least the lower end of the down pipe 20 and the front end of the chain stay 22 are connected. In this embodiment, in addition to the down pipe 20 and the chain stay 22, the lower end of the upright pipe 21 is connected to the motor bracket 27. In this embodiment, the motor unit 30 is attached to the motor bracket 27. When the motor unit 30 is attached to the motor bracket 27, the motor bracket 27 supports the motor unit 30.

The lower pipe 20 is a pipe that connects the motor bracket 27 and the head pipe 25. The lower pipe 20 extends from the front end of the motor bracket 27 to the head pipe 25, and is inclined in its longitudinal direction so that it is positioned higher as it goes forward.

The stand pipe 21 is a pipe that holds the saddle 15. In this embodiment, the stand pipe 21 connects the motor bracket 27 and the seat stay 23. In this embodiment, the stand pipe 21 extends from the upper end of the motor bracket 27 to the seat stay 23, and is inclined in its longitudinal direction so that it is positioned higher in the rearward direction. The stand pipe 21 holds the saddle 15 so that it can move along the longitudinal direction of the stand pipe 21.

The multiple chain stays 22 are pipes that connect the motor bracket 27 and the seat stays 23. Each chain stay 22 extends from the rear end of the motor bracket 27 to the rear end of the seat stay 23. In this embodiment, there are two chain stays 22 spaced apart in the left-right direction, and the rear wheel 13 is disposed between the two chain stays 22. A bearing (not shown) to which the axle of the rear wheel 13 (rear wheel axle 131) is attached is formed at the rear end of the chain stay 22, and the rear wheel 13 is attached so that it can rotate.

The seat stays 23 are pipes that connect the upper end of the stand pipe 21 and the chain stay 22. Each seat stay 23 extends from the upper end of the stand pipe 21 to the rear end of the chain stay 22, and its longitudinal direction is inclined so that it is positioned lower as it goes rearward. The "upper end of the stand pipe 21" here means a part having a certain range from the upper tip of the stand pipe 21 to a part located a certain dimension downward along the longitudinal direction of the stand pipe 21. In this embodiment, there are two seat stays 23 spaced apart in the left-right direction, and they are connected one-to-one to the two chain stays 22.

The head pipe 25 is a pipe to which the front end of the lower pipe 20 is connected. The head pipe 25 supports the front fork 26 and the handlebars 14 so that they can rotate around the central axis of the head pipe 25.

The front fork 26 is a pipe to which the front wheel 12 is attached so that it can rotate around the axis of the front wheel 12 (front wheel axle 121). The front fork 26 has a pair of legs 261 that support the front wheel axle 121, and a steering column (not shown) that extends upward from the upper end of the legs 261 along the central axis of the head pipe 25. The front fork 26 is attached to the head pipe 25 by fitting the steering column into the head pipe 25. The handlebars 14 are attached to the upper end of the steering column. As a result, when the handlebars 14 rotate around the central axis of the head pipe 25, the front fork 26 rotates around the central axis of the head pipe 25, and the front wheel 12 rotates around the central axis of the head pipe 25.

The front wheel 12 is the front wheel 11 of the two wheels 11 aligned in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the front wheel 12 is supported by the front fork 26 so that it can rotate around the front wheel axle 121. The longitudinal direction of the front wheel axle 121 is parallel to the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the front wheel 12 is the wheel 11 that does not receive power transmission from the motor unit 30.

The rear wheel 13 is the rear wheel 11 of the two wheels 11 arranged in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the rear wheel 13 is supported by two chain stays 22 so that it can rotate around the rear wheel axle 131. The longitudinal direction of the rear wheel axle 131 is parallel to the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the rear wheel 13 has a rear sprocket 132 (here, a cassette sprocket), and is connected to the drive sprocket 32 of the motor unit 30 via a power transmission body 18 (here, a chain). This allows the power of the motor unit 30 to be transmitted to the rear wheel 13.

(2.2) Drive Unit The drive unit 3 is a device that generates electric power in the electric bicycle 1. The power generated by the drive unit 3 is transmitted to the wheel 11. The drive unit 3 has a motor unit 30 and a battery device 4.

(2.2.1) Motor unit The motor unit 30 generates a drive assist output when a pedal force is input from the pedal 17. Note that in this disclosure, "drive assist output" refers to a force that supplements the pedal force using a motor. In this embodiment, when a pedal force is input from the pedal 17 and the crank 16, the motor unit 30 detects the input value of the pedal force, and outputs a drive assist output to the power transmission body 18 when the input value is equal to or less than a certain value.

The motor unit 30 has a motor and a drive sprocket 32 to which the power transmission body 18 is attached. The motor operates by receiving power from the battery device 4. The drive sprocket 32 is provided to transmit power to the rear wheel 13 via the power transmission body 18. The drive sprocket 32 rotates with the rotation of the crank 16 and can receive the output of the motor. In other words, the motor unit 30 according to this embodiment is a so-called single-shaft motor unit that transmits the pedaling force transmitted via the pedal 17 and the crank 16 and the output of the motor to the drive sprocket 32, and then transmits power to the power transmission body 18. However, in the present disclosure, the motor unit may be a so-called two-shaft motor unit that transmits the pedaling force to the power transmission body 18 and the output of the motor to the power transmission body 18.

(2.2.2) Battery Device The battery device 4 is a device that supplies power to at least the motor. However, in the present disclosure, the battery device 4 may be configured to supply power to a headlight, an ON/OFF operation unit for the motor, and the like, in addition to the motor. The battery device 4 includes a battery 5 and a battery mounting unit 41.

The battery 5 is a secondary battery that stores electrical energy to be supplied to the motor. The battery 5 is held in a mounted state in the battery mounting section 41 and is electrically connected to the motor in this state. This allows the battery 5 to supply power to the motor.

The battery 5 includes a casing 50 and a plurality of cells. The casing 50 is the outer shell of the battery 5, and in this embodiment, the plurality of cells are built in. However, in this disclosure, the battery 5 may also include a single cell.

2 and 3, the casing 50 of the battery 5 is composed of an upper case 501 and a lower case 502. The up-down direction with respect to the battery 5 is defined as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The up-down direction shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 is for convenience, and for example, when the battery 5 is mounted in the battery mounting section 41 of the electric bicycle 1 as shown in FIG. 1, the up-down direction of the battery 5 is different from the up-down direction in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The longitudinal direction D1 of the casing 50 is defined as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The casing 50 of the battery 5 has a mounting section 51 at one end in the longitudinal direction D1. The casing 50 of the battery 5 has a handle section 52 at the other end in the longitudinal direction D1. The user can mount the battery 5 in the battery mounting section 41 of the electric bicycle 1 by grasping the handle section 52 and inserting the mounting section 51 into the battery mounting section 41 shown in FIG. 1. Devices are stored inside the casing 50.

A remaining power indicator 504 for the battery 5 is provided on the top surface 503 of the casing 50.

The mounting portion 51 has a protruding end surface 53 and a protruding side surface 54 adjacent to the protruding end surface 53. The mounting portion 51 is part of the casing 50. In other words, the space inside the mounting portion 51 constitutes part of the space inside the casing 50. In this embodiment, the protruding end surface 53 has a rectangular shape. The normal direction D3 of the protruding end surface 53 faces one side of the longitudinal direction D1 (the direction in which the mounting portion 51 is located in the casing 50).

The protruding end surface 53 is provided with a terminal connection portion 531 to which a terminal (not shown) of the battery mounting portion 41 is connected. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a plurality of terminal connection portions 531 are provided. The terminal connection portion 531 has a slot, and a partition wall is provided between adjacent slots. The terminal connection portion 531 has a terminal member (not shown) therein that is electrically connected to the terminal of the battery mounting portion 41 or the connection portion 91 of the electrical device 9.

The protruding end surface 53 has an end surface recess 56 formed thereon. The end surface recess 56 is formed above the terminal connection portion 531. The end surface recess 56 is formed to connect the battery 5 to the battery mounting portion 41.

The protruding side surface 54 is adjacent to the protruding end surface 53, and the normal directions D41 to D44 of the protruding side surface 54 each intersect with the normal direction D3 of the protruding end surface 53. In this embodiment, the normal directions D41 to D44 of the protruding side surface 54 each intersect approximately perpendicularly with the normal direction D3 of the protruding end surface 53. The protruding side surface 54 is made up of four faces corresponding to each side of the rectangular protruding end surface 53.

The battery 5 has a shaft portion 55 on the protruding side surface 54. The shaft portion 55 is used to connect the battery 5 to the battery mounting portion 41.

The battery 5 has a side recess 57 on the protruding side 54 (the lower protruding side 54 in this embodiment). The side recess 57 is formed to connect the battery 5 to the battery mounting section 41.

(2.3) Adapter As shown in Fig. 4, the adapter 6 is attached to the battery 5 for the electric bicycle 1 when supplying power from the battery 5 to an arbitrary electric device 9. Examples of the electric device 9 include so-called smartphones and tablet terminals, but the electric device 9 is not particularly limited.

As shown in FIG. 5, the adapter 6 has a main body 61, an attachment portion 62, and a connection port 63 (see FIG. 4). The adapter 6 also has a top and bottom defined to correspond to the top and bottom defined for the battery 5 (see FIG. 4). The adapter 6 has a casing 60 in which the device is housed, and the casing 60 has a main body 61, an attachment wall portion 65, and a side wall portion 66.

When the adapter 6 is attached to the battery 5 in a predetermined attachment state as shown in FIG. 4, the main body 61 faces the protruding end surface 53. As shown in FIG. 5, the adapter 6 has a terminal 64 on a surface 611 that faces the protruding end surface 53 of the main body 61. The terminal 64 is inserted (connected) into the terminal connection portion 531 of the battery 5 and is electrically connected to a terminal member (not shown) provided inside the battery 5.

The main body 61 has an end surface protrusion 612 that is inserted into the end surface recess 56. When the adapter 6 is attached to the battery 5, the end surface protrusion 612 is inserted into the end surface recess 56, making it easier for the terminal 64 to be inserted into the terminal connection portion 531 of the battery 5. In other words, the end surface protrusion 612 functions as a positioning portion when the terminal 64 is inserted into the terminal connection portion 531 of the battery 5.

A recess 613 is formed in some parts of the upper and lower surfaces of the main body 61, which is recessed more than the surrounding area. This recess 613 functions as a gripping portion for the user to grasp the adapter 6 between his/her fingers. It is preferable that the surface of the recess 613 is textured. This makes it difficult for the user's fingers to slip when grasping the upper and lower recesses 613 with their fingers.

4, a connection port 63 is formed on a surface 614 opposite to a surface 611 (see FIG. 5) facing the protruding end surface 53 of the main body 61. The connection portion 91 of the electrical device 9 is inserted into the connection port 63 in a connection direction D21. The connection port 63 is a so-called USB port in this embodiment, but is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the connection portion 91 is provided on a cord 90 connected to the electrical device 9, but since the cord 90 functions as a part of the components of the electrical device 9, the connection portion 91 does not have to be provided directly on the electrical device 9. Of course, the connection portion 91 may be provided directly on the electrical device 9. The connection direction D21 of the adapter 6 attached to the battery 5 coincides with the longitudinal direction D1 of the casing 50 of the battery 5, and the connection port 63 is located at the end of the longitudinal direction D1 of the adapter 6 attached to the battery 5 and the battery 5. For this reason, when the connection portion 91 of the electrical device 9 is connected to the connection port 63, the surface 614 on which the connection port 63 is formed cannot be placed on a horizontal surface. This prevents the adapter 6 and battery 5 from being used in an upright position with the longitudinal direction D1 vertical when the surface 614 on which the connection port 63 is formed is placed on a horizontal surface. As a result, the adapter 6 and battery 5 are prevented from falling over when they are upright with the longitudinal direction D1 vertical.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the mounting wall 65 protrudes from the main body 61 and faces the protruding side surface 54 with the mounting part 51 sandwiched between them. Two mounting walls 65 are provided. In this embodiment, two opposing mounting walls 65 are provided on the two protruding side surfaces 54 (the two protruding side surfaces 54 in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction) corresponding to the two opposing sides of the rectangular protruding end surface 53.

The side wall portion 66 faces the protruding side surface 54 (the lower protruding side surface 54) that corresponds to one of the remaining two sides of the protruding end face 53. The mounting wall portion 65 and the side wall portion 66 form a continuous wall portion. The main body portion 61, the mounting wall portion 65, and the side wall portion 66 are part of the casing 60 and are formed integrally.

The mounting wall 65 has a side convex portion 67 that is inserted into the side concave portion 57 at a portion facing the protruding side surface 54. When the adapter 6 is attached to the battery 5, the side convex portion 67 is inserted into the side concave portion 57, making it easier for the terminal 64 to be inserted into the terminal connection portion 531 of the battery 5. In other words, the side convex portion 67 functions as a positioning portion when the terminal 64 is inserted into the terminal connection portion 531 of the battery 5.

The mounting portion 62 is attached to the battery 5 to maintain a predetermined attachment state of the adapter 6 to the battery. As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the mounting wall portion 65 has, as the mounting portion 62, a shaft insertion portion 621 (recess) in which the shaft portion 55 of the battery 5 is inserted, in a portion facing the protruding side surface 54. The shaft insertion portion 621 as the mounting portion 62 is open on the inner side and the upper side of the mounting wall portion 65.

The attachment of the adapter 6 to the battery 5 will now be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the protruding end surface 53 of the attachment portion 51 of the battery 5 is opposed to the surface 611 facing the protruding end surface 53 of the body portion 61 of the adapter 6. At this time, the connection direction D21 of the adapter 6 is tilted slightly downward with respect to the longitudinal direction D1 of the battery 5. This makes it easier for the shaft portion 55 of the battery 5 to be inserted into the shaft portion insertion portion 621 serving as the attachment portion 62 of the attachment wall portion 65.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the surface 611 of the adapter 6 is brought closer to the protruding end surface 53 of the mounting portion 51 of the battery 5, and the shaft portion 55 of the battery 5 is inserted into the shaft portion insertion portion 621 as the mounting portion 62 of the mounting wall portion 65 of the adapter 6. The shaft portion 55 of the battery 5 comes into contact with the guide surface 68 (see FIG. 5). The guide surface 68 receives the shaft portion 55 and guides the adapter 6 to rotate around the shaft portion 55. The end of the shaft portion 55 of the battery 5 is arc-shaped when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction D1 and the up-down direction. Similarly, the guide surface 68 is arc-shaped so as to fit along the end of the shaft portion 55 of the battery 5. This allows the adapter 6 to smoothly rotate around the shaft portion 55 of the battery 5.

The adapter 6 rotates around the shaft 55 of the battery 5, resulting in the attached state shown in Figure 4.

4 and 5, the mounting portion 62 has a movement restriction portion 69 that restricts the movement of the adapter 6 in the attached state in the removal direction D22. In this embodiment, the movement restriction portion 69 is a wall portion formed at the end of the mounting wall portion 65 on the tip side of the mounting portion 62 in the connection direction D21. As shown in FIG. 4, when the connection portion 91 of the electrical device 9 is connected to the adapter 6 in the attached state and the connection portion 91 is pulled out in the removal direction D22, the adapter 6 receives a force in the removal direction D22. When the adapter 6 receives a force in the removal direction D22, it tries to move in the removal direction D22, but the movement restriction portion 69 is caught by the shaft portion 55 and does not move. This prevents the adapter 6 from moving in the removal direction D22 and falling off the battery 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, the shaft insertion portion 621 (mounting portion 62) has a protrusion 70 that contacts the shaft 55 to provide a clicking sensation. As shown in FIG. 6, the shaft 55 is cylindrical and has a recess inside. By providing the protrusion 70, a clicking sensation is provided just before the adapter 6 rotates around the shaft 55 of the battery 5 to enter the attached state, making it easier for the user to confirm that the adapter 6 is in the attached state.

The side convex portion 67 also has a step at the portion facing the side concave portion 57. That is, the upper surface of the side convex portion 67 has a low portion 671 at the tip side in the connection direction D21 and a high portion 672 at the tip side in the removal direction D22. By providing such a step, just before the adapter 6 rotates around the shaft portion 55 of the battery 5 to enter the attached state, the high portion 672 begins to come into contact with the side concave portion 57, providing a clicking sensation, and allowing the user to easily confirm that the adapter 6 is in the attached state.

As shown in FIG. 5, the side wall portion 66 has a water drainage hole 661. The water drainage hole 661 is formed at the end of the side wall portion 66 near the mounting wall portion 65. When the adapter 6 is attached to a battery 5 whose upper surface 503 is wet due to rainwater or the like, rainwater running down the upper surface 503 falls downward from the portion of the upper surface 503 facing the mounting wall portion 65. Therefore, since the water drainage hole 661 is formed at the end of the side wall portion 66 near the mounting wall portion 65, water is easily drained through the water drainage hole 661.

The main body 61 also has a protruding wall 71 that protrudes to surround the terminal 64. This prevents water adhering to the surface 611 that faces the protruding end surface 53 of the main body 61 from moving toward the terminal 64 and adhering to the terminal 64, or from entering the inside of the main body 61 through a gap formed between the terminal 64 and the surface 611.

As shown in FIG. 4, the connection port 63 is formed in a position offset to one side rather than in the center when viewed in the longitudinal direction D1. As a result, even if the mounting wall 65 is damaged and the connection portion 91 is pulled, causing the adapter 6 to move in the removal direction D22, the adapter 6 is likely to rotate around one of the mounting wall portions 65 rather than move linearly in the removal direction D22. As a result, the adapter 6 is less likely to fall off the battery 5 even if it is pulled in the removal direction D22.

The battery system also includes the adapter 6 and the battery 5 described above. Even in this battery system, the adapter 6 is prevented from moving in the detachment direction D22 and falling off the battery 5.

(3) Modifications The embodiment is merely one of various embodiments of the present disclosure. Various modifications of the embodiment are possible depending on the design, etc., as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Modifications of the embodiment are listed below. The modifications described below can be applied in appropriate combination.

In the electric bicycle 1 according to the embodiment, the power output from the motor unit 30 is transmitted to the rear wheel 13, but in the present disclosure, the power output from the motor unit 30 may also be transmitted to the front wheel 12.

In the embodiment, the power transmission body 18 is a chain, but this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the power transmission body 18 may be a belt, a wire, etc.

In the embodiment, the battery device 4 is attached to the down pipe 20, but in the present disclosure, the battery device 4 may be attached to, for example, the upright pipe 21, and the pipe to which the battery device 4 is attached is not particularly limited.

The protruding end surface 53 of the mounting portion 51 does not have to face one side of the longitudinal direction D1 of the casing 50. The protruding end surface 53 does not have to be rectangular.

The directions D41 to D44 of the normals of the protruding side surfaces 54 do not have to be substantially perpendicular to the direction D3 of the normals of the protruding end surfaces 53.

The protruding side surface 54 does not have to consist of four surfaces.

The connection port 63 may be for receiving data from the battery 5, rather than for receiving power from the battery 5. Examples of data include, but are not limited to, information on the remaining battery charge and the temperature history of the battery 5.

In addition, the movement restriction portion 69 may not be provided, and the connection port 63 may be formed on the surface 614 opposite the surface 611 facing the protruding end surface 53.

Also, it may not have a movement restriction portion 69 and may have a guide surface 68.

Alternatively, it may not have the movement restricting portion 69 and may have the protrusion portion 70.

Also, it may not have a movement restricting portion 69, but may have a side recess 57 and a side protrusion 67.

Alternatively, the movement restricting portion 69 may not be provided, the protruding end face 53 may be rectangular, the protruding side face 54 may be made up of four faces corresponding to each side of the protruding end face 53, and the adapter 6 may have two mounting wall portions 65 facing the two protruding side faces 54, and a side wall portion 66 facing the protruding side face 54 corresponding to one of the remaining two sides of the protruding end face 53.

(4) Aspects As described above, the adapter 6 according to the first aspect is an adapter 6 that is attached to the battery 5. The adapter 6 includes an attachment portion 62 and a connection port 63. The attachment portion 62 is attached to the battery 5 to maintain a predetermined attachment state of the adapter 6 to the battery 5. The connection port 63 is adapted for receiving the connection portion 91 of the electric device 9 inserted in the connection direction D21. The attachment portion 62 has a movement restriction portion 69 that restricts the adapter 6 in the attached state from moving in the removal direction D22, which is the direction opposite to the connection direction D21.

According to the first aspect, the adapter 6 is prevented from moving in the detachment direction D22 and falling off the battery 5.

The second aspect is realized by combining with the first aspect. In the second aspect, the battery 5 has a mounting portion 51 having a protruding end surface 53 with a terminal connection portion 531 and a protruding side surface 54 adjacent to the protruding end surface 53. The adapter 6 has a main body portion 61 facing the protruding end surface 53, and two mounting wall portions 65 that protrude from the main body portion 61 and face the protruding side surface 54 while sandwiching the mounting portion 51. The adapter 6 has a terminal 64 on a surface 611 facing the protruding end surface 53 of the main body portion 61.

According to the second aspect, the attachment portion 51 is sandwiched between two mounting walls 65, so that the adapter 6 is stably attached to the battery 5.

The third aspect is realized by combining with the second aspect. In the third aspect, the mounting wall 65 has, as the mounting portion 62, a shaft insertion portion 621 in the portion facing the protruding side surface into which the shaft 55 of the battery 5 on the protruding side surface 54 is inserted.

According to the third aspect, the adapter 6 can be attached to the battery 5 by fitting the shaft portion 55 and the shaft portion insertion portion 621 (mounting portion 62).

The fourth aspect is realized by combining with the third aspect. In the fourth aspect, the shaft insertion portion 621 has a guide surface 68 that receives the shaft 55 and guides it to perform a rotational movement around the shaft 55 when it is attached to the battery 5 and in the mounted state.

According to the fourth aspect, the adapter 6 can smoothly rotate around the shaft 55 of the battery 5.

The fifth aspect is realized by combining with the third or fourth aspect. In the fifth aspect, the shaft insertion portion 621 has a protrusion 70 that contacts the shaft 55 to provide a clicking sensation.

The fifth aspect makes it easy for the user to confirm that the adapter 6 is attached.

The sixth aspect is realized by combining with any one of the second to fifth aspects. In the sixth aspect, the battery 5 has a side convex portion 67 at the portion facing the protruding side surface 54, which is inserted into the side concave portion 57 that the battery 5 has on the protruding side surface 54.

According to the sixth aspect, the side convex portion 67 functions as a positioning portion when the terminal 64 is inserted into the terminal connection portion 531 of the battery 5, making it easier for the terminal 64 to be inserted into the terminal connection portion 531 of the battery 5.

The seventh aspect is realized by combining with the sixth aspect. In the seventh aspect, the side convex portion has a step portion in the portion facing the side concave portion.

According to the seventh aspect, the user can easily confirm that the adapter 6 is attached.

The eighth aspect is realized by combining with any of the second to seventh aspects. In the eighth aspect, the battery 5 has a rectangular protruding end face and protruding side faces each consisting of four faces corresponding to each side of the protruding end face. The adapter 6 has two mounting walls 65 facing the two protruding side faces corresponding to the two opposing sides of the protruding end face, and a side wall 66 facing the protruding side face corresponding to one of the remaining two sides of the protruding end face.

According to the eighth aspect, in addition to the two mounting walls 65 fitting along the protruding side surface 54, the side wall 66 also fits along the protruding side surface 54, so that the adapter 6 can be stably attached to the battery 5.

The ninth aspect is realized by combining with the eighth aspect. In the ninth aspect, the side wall portion 66 has a drainage hole 661.

According to the ninth aspect, water is easily drained through the drainage hole 661.

The tenth aspect is realized by combining with any one of the second to ninth aspects. In the tenth aspect, the main body has a protruding wall 71 that protrudes so as to surround the terminal.

According to the tenth aspect, water is prevented from moving toward the terminal 64 and adhering to the terminal 64, or from entering the inside of the main body 61 through gaps.

The eleventh aspect is realized by combining with any one of the second to tenth aspects. In the eleventh aspect, the battery 5 has an end face recess 56 on the protruding end face 53. The main body 61 has an end face protrusion 612 that is inserted into the end face recess 56.

According to the eleventh aspect, the end surface convex portion 612 functions as a positioning portion when the terminal 64 is inserted into the terminal connection portion 531 of the battery 5, making it easier for the terminal 64 to be inserted into the terminal connection portion 531 of the battery 5.

The twelfth aspect is realized by combining with any one of the first to eleventh aspects. In the twelfth aspect, the battery system includes an adapter 6 and a battery 5 of any one of the first to eleventh aspects.

According to the twelfth aspect, the adapter 6 is prevented from moving in the removal direction D22 and falling off the battery 5.

The adapter 6 according to the thirteenth aspect is an adapter 6 that is attached to a battery 5. The adapter 6 includes an attachment portion 62 and a connection port 63. The attachment portion 62 is attached to the battery 5 to maintain a predetermined attachment state of the adapter 6 to the battery 5. The connection port 63 is inserted into the connection portion 91 of the electrical device 9 in the connection direction D21. The connection port 63 is formed on a surface 614 opposite to a surface 611 that faces the protruding end surface 53 of the main body portion 61.

According to the thirteenth aspect, the surface 614 on which the connection port 63 is formed is placed on a horizontal surface, and the adapter 6 and battery 5 are prevented from being used in an upright position with the longitudinal direction D1 vertical. As a result, the adapter 6 and battery 5 are prevented from falling over when they are upright with the longitudinal direction D1 vertical.

The adapter 6 according to the fourteenth aspect is an adapter 6 to be attached to a battery 5. The adapter 6 includes an attachment portion 62 and a connection port 63. The attachment portion 62 is attached to the battery 5 to maintain a predetermined attachment state of the adapter 6 to the battery 5. The connection port 63 is inserted with the connection portion 91 of the electrical device 9 in the connection direction D21. The battery 5 includes an attachment portion 51 having a protruding end surface 53 and a protruding side surface 54 adjacent to the protruding end surface 53, and a terminal connection portion 531 is provided on the protruding end surface 53. The adapter 6 includes a main body portion 61 facing the protruding end surface 53, and two attachment wall portions 65 that protrude from the main body portion 61 and face the protruding side surfaces while sandwiching the attachment portion 51. The adapter 6 includes a terminal 64 on a surface 611 facing the protruding end surface 53 of the main body portion 61. The mounting wall 65 has, as the mounting portion 62, a shaft insertion portion 621 in the portion facing the protruding side surface into which the shaft 55 of the battery 5 is inserted. The shaft insertion portion 621 has a guide surface 68 that receives the shaft 55 and guides it to rotate about the shaft 55 when it is attached to the battery 5 and in an attached state.

According to the fourteenth aspect, the adapter 6 can smoothly rotate around the shaft 55 of the battery 5.

The adapter 6 according to the fifteenth aspect is an adapter 6 to be attached to a battery 5. The adapter 6 includes an attachment portion 62 and a connection port 63. The attachment portion 62 is attached to the battery 5 to maintain a predetermined attachment state of the adapter 6 to the battery 5. The connection port 63 is inserted with the connection portion 91 of the electrical device 9 in the connection direction D21. The battery 5 includes an attachment portion 51 having a protruding end surface 53 and a protruding side surface 54 adjacent to the protruding end surface 53, and includes a terminal connection portion 531 on the protruding end surface 53. The adapter 6 includes a main body portion 61 facing the protruding end surface 53, and two attachment wall portions 65 protruding from the main body portion 61 and facing the protruding side surface 54 with the attachment portion 51 sandwiched therebetween. The adapter 6 includes a terminal 64 on a surface 611 facing the protruding end surface 53 of the main body portion 61. The mounting wall 65 has a shaft insertion portion 621 in the portion facing the protruding side surface 54 into which the shaft 55 of the battery 5 is inserted. The shaft insertion portion 621 has a protrusion 70 that comes into contact with the shaft 55 to provide a clicking sensation.

According to the fifteenth aspect, the user can easily confirm that the adapter 6 is attached.

The adapter 6 according to the sixteenth aspect is an adapter 6 that is attached to a battery 5. The adapter 6 includes an attachment portion 62 and a connection port 63. The attachment portion 62 is attached to the battery 5 to maintain a predetermined attachment state of the adapter 6 to the battery 5. The connection port 63 is inserted with the connection portion 91 of the electrical device 9 in the connection direction D21. The battery 5 includes an attachment portion 51 having a protruding end surface 53 and a protruding side surface 54 adjacent to the protruding end surface 53, and includes a terminal connection portion 531 on the protruding end surface 53. The adapter 6 includes a main body portion 61 that faces the protruding end surface 53, and two attachment wall portions 65 that protrude from the main body portion 61 and face the protruding side surface 54 while sandwiching the attachment portion 51. The adapter 6 includes a terminal 64 on a surface 611 that faces the protruding end surface 53 of the main body portion 61. The mounting wall 65 has, as the mounting portion 62, a shaft insertion portion 621 in the portion facing the protruding side surface 54 into which the shaft 55 of the battery 5 on the protruding side surface 54 is inserted. The mounting wall 65 has, as the mounting portion 62, a side protrusion 67 in the portion facing the protruding side surface 54 into which the side recess 57 of the battery 5 on the protruding side surface 54 is inserted.

According to the sixteenth aspect, the side convex portion 67 functions as a positioning portion when the terminal 64 is inserted into the terminal connection portion 531 of the battery 5, making it easier for the terminal 64 to be inserted into the terminal connection portion 531 of the battery 5.

The adapter 6 according to the seventeenth aspect is an adapter 6 to be attached to a battery 5. The adapter 6 includes an attachment portion 62 and a connection port 63. The attachment portion 62 is attached to the battery 5 to maintain a predetermined attachment state of the adapter 6 to the battery 5. The connection port 63 is inserted with the connection portion 91 of the electrical device 9 in the connection direction D21. The battery 5 includes an attachment portion 51 having a protruding end surface 53 and a protruding side surface 54 adjacent to the protruding end surface 53, and a terminal connection portion 531 is provided on the protruding end surface 53. The adapter 6 includes a main body portion 61 facing the protruding end surface 53, and two attachment wall portions 65 protruding from the main body portion 61 and facing the protruding side surface 54 with the attachment portion 51 sandwiched therebetween. The adapter 6 includes a terminal 64 on a surface 611 facing the protruding end surface 53 of the main body portion 61. The battery 5 includes a protruding end surface 53 having a rectangular shape and a protruding side surface 54 consisting of four surfaces corresponding to each side of the protruding end surface 53. The adapter 6 has two mounting walls 65 that face the two protruding side surfaces 54 that correspond to the two opposing sides of the protruding end surface 53, and a side wall 66 that faces the protruding side surface 54 that corresponds to one of the remaining two sides of the protruding end surface 53.

According to the seventeenth aspect, in addition to the two mounting walls 65 fitting along the protruding side surface 54, the side wall 66 also fits along the protruding side surface 54, so that the adapter 6 is stably attached to the battery 5.

5 Battery 51 Mounting portion 53 Protruding end surface 531 Terminal connection portion 54 Protruding side surface 55 Shaft portion 56 End surface recess 57 Side surface recess 6 Adapter 61 Main body portion 611 Surface 612 End surface protrusion 614 Opposite surface 62 Mounting portion 63 Connection port 64 Terminal 65 Mounting wall portion 66 Side wall portion 661 Water drainage hole 67 Side surface protrusion 68 Guide surface 69 Movement restriction portion 70 Protrusion 71 Protruding wall 9 Electrical device 91 Connection portion D21 Connection direction D22 Removal direction

An adapter according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an adapter to be attached to a battery having a shaft portion . The adapter includes an attachment portion and a connection port. The attachment portion is attached to the battery to maintain a predetermined attachment state of the adapter to the battery. A connection portion of an electric device is inserted into the connection port in a connection direction. The attachment portion has a movement restriction portion that restricts the adapter in the attached state from moving in a removal direction that is the opposite direction to the connection direction, and a shaft portion insertion portion into which the shaft portion is inserted. The shaft portion insertion portion includes a guide surface that receives the shaft portion and guides it to perform a rotational movement about the shaft portion when the adapter is attached to the battery and in the attached state.

Claims (12)

An adapter to be attached to a battery,
an attachment portion attached to the battery to maintain a predetermined attachment state of the adapter to the battery;
a connection port into which a connection portion of an electrical device is inserted in a connection direction;
The attachment portion has a movement restricting portion that restricts the adapter in the attached state from moving in a removal direction that is the opposite direction to the connection direction. the battery includes a mounting portion having a protruding end surface with a terminal connection portion and a protruding side surface adjacent to the protruding end surface;
The adapter according to claim 1, further comprising: a main body portion facing the protruding end surface; and two mounting wall portions protruding from the main body portion and facing the protruding side surface while sandwiching the mounting portion, and a terminal is provided on the surface of the main body portion facing the protruding end surface. The adapter according to claim 2 , wherein the mounting wall has, as the mounting portion, a shaft insertion portion into which a shaft provided on the protruding side surface of the battery is inserted, at a portion facing the protruding side surface. The adapter according to claim 3 , wherein the shaft insertion portion has a guide surface that receives the shaft and guides it to perform a rotational movement about the shaft when the shaft insertion portion is attached to the battery and in the mounted state. The adapter according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the shaft insertion portion has a protrusion that contacts the shaft to provide a clicking sensation. The adapter according to any one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising a side convex portion at a portion facing the protruding side surface, the side convex portion being inserted into a side concave portion that the battery has on the protruding side surface. The adapter according to claim 6 , wherein the side surface protrusion has a step portion at a portion facing the side surface recess. The battery has a rectangular protruding end surface and a protruding side surface that includes four surfaces corresponding to the four sides of the protruding end surface,
The adapter according to any one of claims 2 to 7, comprising: two mounting wall portions facing two of the protruding side surfaces corresponding to two opposing sides of the protruding end face; and a side wall portion facing the protruding side surface corresponding to one of the remaining two sides of the protruding end face. The adapter of claim 8 , wherein the side wall portion has drainage holes. The adapter according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the main body portion has a protruding wall that protrudes so as to surround the terminal. the battery has an end surface recess on the protruding end surface,
The adapter according to any one of claims 2 to 10, wherein the main body portion has an end surface protrusion that is inserted into the end surface recess. A battery system comprising the adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 11 and a battery.

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