JP3189446B2 - Waterproof portable light - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement for improving the safety of a waterproof portable light which is used underwater or in the rain by using a dry battery as a power source, and more particularly to an explosion-proof structure of a main body case for storing the battery. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a conventional waterproof portable light.

As shown in FIG. 3, a conventional waterproof portable light is connected in series with a front base 1 having a lens and a reflector 3 having a hemispherical portion in which a bead ball 2 is arranged in the center. A resin main body case 6 having a battery housing portion 5 for housing a plurality of dry batteries 4 therein, for example, and a switch button 7 for controlling energization between the bead ball 2 and the battery 4 Have been.

Here, the main body case 6 is formed in a trumpet shape with a widened front end, and the front base 1 to which the reflection plate 3 is attached is fitted into an opening thereof.

A switch button 7 is provided at an upper portion near the opening of the main body case 6, and a contact portion thereof is provided facing the inside of the main body case 6.

Here, O-rings 8 are mounted on the fitting portion between the main body case 6 and the front base 1 and on the mounting portion of the switch 7 of the main body case 1, respectively. At times, water is prevented from flowing into the main body case from these gaps. In addition, in the opening of the main body case 6, the reflecting plate 3 is provided with a bead ball socket 9 and a holder 11 having a lead piece 10.

Here, the holding piece 11 has a lead piece 1
0, one of which is connected to one terminal of the battery 4 housed in the battery housing 5 and the other end of which is housed in the ball socket 9 2 is connected to one terminal. The other one of the terminals has one end connected to the other terminal of the battery 4 housed in the battery housing 5, and the other end guided to a lower portion of the switch button 7. In addition, the other one has a bean ball 2 at one end.
, And the other end is guided to a lower portion of the switch button 7.

[0008] The two lead pieces guided to the lower part of the switch button 7 are arranged in parallel to face each other in a non-contact state, and constitute contact points of the switch. When the switch button 7 is pressed during use of the electric lamp, one of the lead pieces comes into contact with the other lead piece in conjunction with the operation of the button, thereby forming a closed circuit that enables the power supply between the bead ball and the battery.

[0009]

However, in a waterproof portable light using three or more batteries, for example, manganese batteries connected in series, if one battery is erroneously connected in the reverse direction, power is supplied. Only that battery is charged by another battery.

In general, a manganese dry battery uses manganese dioxide (MnO ₂ ) for the positive electrode, zinc (Zn) for the negative electrode, and an aqueous solution in which a neutral salt or an alkali salt is dissolved as the electrolyte.

When the dry battery falls into an unfavorable state of charge, electrolysis of water in the electrolyte mainly occurs,
Hydrogen gas and oxygen gas are generated in the battery at a ratio of 2: 1. Therefore, in a battery connected in the opposite direction to the other batteries, hydrogen gas and oxygen gas were filled and accumulated inside the battery.

Further, in a state where only some of the batteries are connected in the reverse direction as described above, the voltage drops below a predetermined voltage, and the bean balls are lit slightly darker, but continue to be lit. The user of the portable light may continue to use the battery without noticing that the battery has been accidentally reversely connected. If the battery is continuously used in this state, the dry battery in the reverse connection state mainly fills the inside of the battery with hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, and then leaks to the outside of the battery from a gap provided in a caulked portion of the battery. It was gradually accumulating in the lamp body case.

Further, the waterproof type portable light has a sealed structure to prevent water from entering from outside. However, this also hinders the release of gas inside the battery to the outside. Therefore, the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas leaked from the dry batteries connected in the main body case in the opposite direction are not discharged from the battery housing portion of the main body case to the outside of the case, but are fully accumulated in the main body case. In the portable light in this state, when the switch button is operated and the contact portion of the switch is repeatedly opened and closed, a spark may be generated when the contact portion is turned off, and the spark fills and accumulates inside the main body case. There was a risk of explosion by igniting gas and oxygen gas.

As a method of solving such a problem, it is conceivable to quickly discharge the gas that has been filled and accumulated in the main body of the lamp to the outside of the lamp. It is conceivable to provide a ventilation port for ventilation between the inside and the outside.

However, providing a vent in the main body case may cause water to enter the interior of the light from the vent when the portable light is used in water or in the rain, which may impair the waterproof function of the portable light. There is.

Therefore, in a waterproof portable light having a sealed structure for waterproofing, when gas, especially hydrogen gas causing an explosion, is filled and accumulated inside the light, the hydrogen gas is efficiently removed inside the light. It is desired.

The present invention solves such a problem. In a waterproof portable light using three or more dry batteries, one battery is erroneously connected in the reverse direction to conduct electricity.
When hydrogen gas leaks from a battery connected in the opposite direction and charged by another battery, the hydrogen gas is efficiently removed inside the electric lamp to prevent the hydrogen gas from being charged and accumulated inside the electric lamp. It is intended to provide a waterproof type portable light which can be used.

[0018]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a waterproof portable light according to the present invention is provided in a main body case having a battery accommodating portion for accommodating therein three or more dry batteries connected in series. It has a hydrogen storage alloy facing the battery housing.

[0019]

According to the waterproof portable light of the present invention, when one battery is erroneously connected to the other battery in the body case containing three or more dry batteries in the opposite direction to energize the battery. ,
Even if the battery connected in the opposite direction is charged and a large amount of hydrogen gas is generated inside the battery and leaks from the battery into the main body case, the hydrogen gas is quickly transferred to the hydrogen storage alloy provided in the main body case. And hydrogen gas does not fill and accumulate in the main body case.

Therefore, even if a spark is generated at the time of operating the switch of the portable light, the danger of igniting the hydrogen gas and exploding can be avoided.

Further, in this waterproof portable light, since the hydrogen gas is absorbed and removed inside the lamp, the sealed structure of the light is maintained without any trouble, and the waterproof function of the waterproof portable light is not impaired.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a waterproof type portable light according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged sectional view of a rear portion of a main body case.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the waterproof portable light of the present invention, the main body case 6 is made of ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer) resin, and four AA batteries are connected in series. At the bottom of the main body case 6 having a battery storage portion for storing the battery in a state of being connected to the battery storage portion, a recess 12 is provided in a part of a side wall facing the battery storage portion. 13 are stored.

Here, the hydrogen storage alloy 13 has the general formula Mm
Ni _4.5 M _0.5 (Mm (Misch metal) is La, Ce, Nd
And a mixture of 30 g of the alloy as granules having a particle size of about 1 mm and disposed in the recess 12. And this granular hydrogen storage alloy 13
A microporous sheet 14 having a large number of pores having a hole diameter of about 0.3 mm is ultrasonically welded around the concave portion 12 in order to cover the upper surface of the concave portion 12 in which the gas is stored while maintaining ventilation.

Now, in the case where four AA batteries are connected in series and stored, one battery is connected in the opposite direction to the other and energized for one hour. The battery is charged, and about 400 cc of hydrogen gas leaks from the battery into the main body case. At this time, in the waterproof portable light using the main body case of the present invention, the hydrogen storage alloy 13 is provided in the main body case.
It can absorb 00cc of hydrogen gas.

Therefore, the hydrogen gas leaked from the battery connected in the opposite direction to the inside of the main body case is quickly absorbed by the hydrogen storage alloy 13 and removed from the inside of the main body case. Then, even if a spark is generated at the time of a switch operation or the like when a hydrogen gas is charged and accumulated in the main body case due to the absorption of hydrogen by the hydrogen storage alloy, the danger of igniting the hydrogen gas and exploding is avoided. Can be.

[0028]

As described above, in the waterproof portable light according to the present invention, since the hydrogen storage alloy is provided in the main body case so as to face the battery storage portion, the user can erroneously set four batteries in the main body case. Even if one of the batteries is connected in the reverse direction and the light continues to be used without noticing it, a large amount of hydrogen gas is generated in the battery connected and charged in the reverse direction, When the hydrogen gas leaks out of the main body case, the hydrogen gas is quickly absorbed by the hydrogen storage alloy in the main body case.

Therefore, it is possible to avoid the danger that hydrogen gas is charged and accumulated inside the lamp and that a spark generated when a switch is operated ignites and explodes, and that the safety of the portable lamp during use is improved. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a waterproof portable light according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged sectional view of a rear part of a main body case of the portable light.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a conventional waterproof portable light.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 front base 2 bead ball 3 reflector 4 dry battery 5 battery housing 6 body case 7 switch 8 O-ring 9 bead ball socket 10 lead piece 11 holder 12 recess 13 hydrogen storage alloy 14 microporous sheet

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Nobuyuki Takahashi 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (56) References: Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-52323 (JP, B2) (58) Field (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F21L 4/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A main body case having a front base provided with a lens, a reflector having a bean ball disposed in the center, and a battery accommodating section for accommodating therein three or more power supply batteries connected in series; A waterproof portable light comprising a switch for controlling energization between a sphere and a battery, and a hydrogen storage alloy provided in a main body case facing the battery housing.