JP3311538B2 - Waterproof structure of charger - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof structure of a charger for charging a battery used for an electric tool or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of charger is usually provided with a cylindrical body for inserting a battery in an upper case, a circuit board in a lower case, and a bottom part of the cylindrical body. An insertion port for inserting a charging terminal is provided, and a charging terminal provided in a standing shape on a circuit board is inserted and arranged in the cylindrical body portion through the insertion port.

[0003] In the conventional charger configured as described above,
In the case of outdoor use, rainwater may enter the case through the insertion hole of the cylindrical body, and this may adhere to the circuit board and cause a short circuit.To prevent this, conventionally, the circuit board Measures such as forming a resin shield layer on the surface have been taken. However, such measures have the problems of increasing costs and increasing the number of assembling steps. Therefore, as a waterproof structure that solves this problem, for example, a conventional Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-1311861 has been proposed.
There is a waterproof structure as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. According to this, the upper end of the drain case on the lower case side is fitted to the outer periphery of the lower end of the insertion port on the upper case side, and the charging terminal is sandwiched and fixed between the two. Since the battery insertion part formed by the insertion opening of the lower case and the drain case on the lower case side and the circuit board side are shielded, reliable waterproofing could be performed without forming a shield layer on the surface of the circuit board. .

[0004]

However, the above conventional waterproof structure has the following problems. That is,
According to the above-mentioned conventional waterproof structure, there is a problem that the charging terminal must be inserted into the insertion port through the drain hole formed at the bottom of the insertion port of the upper case, so that assembly is troublesome.

[0005] In addition, it is necessary to form a drainage hole which also serves as a charging terminal insertion at the bottom of the insertion opening having a bottomed cylindrical shape. However, there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated and the cost is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is not only possible to ensure the waterproofness of a circuit board and the like, but also to provide an advantageous charge in terms of the assemblability of the upper case and the lower case and the manufacturing cost. It is intended to provide a waterproof structure of the container.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
The upper case is provided with an insertion port for inserting a battery in the upper case, and a cylindrical body is formed on the inner surface of the upper case along the entire circumference of the insertion case, while the lower case and the bottom are drained. A housing cylinder portion for battery storage having a hole formed therein is provided, and in a combined state of the upper case and the lower case, the cylinder portion on the upper case side is inserted into an inner peripheral side of the housing cylinder portion. In addition, a charging terminal is disposed between the two with the upper portion thereof being sandwiched between the two, and is arranged inside the housing tubular body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an upper case is provided with an insertion port for inserting a battery in an upper case, and a cylindrical body is formed on the inner surface of the upper case along the entire periphery of the insertion case. On the other hand, a drainage hole is provided in the lower case, and in a combined state of the upper case and the lower case, a charging terminal is molded between the drainage hole and the cylindrical body. The battery housing cylinder is inserted with the upper case-side cylinder inserted into the inner periphery of the upper end and the lower end inserted into the inner periphery of the drain hole. It is characterized by having comprised.

[0009]

According to the structure of the first aspect, the rainwater or the like that has entered the insertion port reaches the inside of the housing cylinder on the lower case side via the cylinder body on the upper case side, and is then provided at the bottom thereof. Drained through drain holes. Since the cylindrical body portion of the upper case is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the housing cylindrical body portion of the lower case, rainwater and the like do not enter the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical body portion, that is, the circuit board side, between the two cylindrical body portions. , Its waterproofing is ensured.

In addition, since the charging terminal is arranged inside the housing cylinder on the lower case side, the cylindrical body on the upper case side need only be formed in a cylindrical shape instead of having a bottom. The shape of the cylindrical portion on the upper case side is simplified as compared with the conventional case, thereby simplifying the mold structure for manufacturing the upper case. Also,
The charging terminal only needs to be inserted between the upper case-side cylinder and the lower case-side housing cylinder. In this respect, the assemblability of the charger is improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the battery housing cylindrical body is manufactured separately from the upper case and the lower case, and in the manufacturing stage, the charging terminal is integrally incorporated by molding. Since such a tubular body is inserted with the tubular body of the upper case inserted into the inner peripheral side of the upper end thereof, and the lower end inserted into the drain hole of the lower case,
Rainwater that has entered through the insertion port is reliably prevented from entering the charger, that is, the circuit board side, through the gap between the cylinder and the cylinder on the upper case side or through the gap between the cylinder and the drain hole. Is done.

In addition, since the charging terminal is preliminarily incorporated into the cylindrical body at the stage of manufacturing the cylindrical body, it is not necessary to assemble the charging terminal at the stage of assembling the charger. It is sufficient to interpose in such a state, and the assembling property is improved.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to surely waterproof the inside of the charger without increasing the cost due to the complexity of the mold structure or deteriorating the assemblability. it can.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above effects, the assemblability of the charger can be further improved.

[0015]

Next, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this first embodiment,
This is an example of an integrated type of a battery housing cylinder. As shown in the figure, the case of the battery charger 1 in the present embodiment is composed of an upper case 2 and a lower case 3 which are divided into upper and lower parts.
On the upper surface of the upper case 2, an insertion port 2 a for the battery B is provided.
Are formed. A cylindrical body 2b is integrally formed on the inner surface of the upper case 2 along the entire circumference of the insertion port 2a.

Pressing projections 2c are formed on the side of the cylindrical body 2b so as to correspond to mounting positions of charging terminals 4 described later. The distance between the pressing protrusion 2c and the cylindrical body 2b is determined by the charging terminal 4 attached to the upper end of the housing cylindrical body 3a, which will be described later, in a hooked manner.
It is set to a size that can be pinched by 2c.

On the other hand, the insertion port 2a of the lower case 3
Is formed integrally with a housing cylinder 3a for housing the battery B. This cylindrical portion 3a
Is the cylindrical portion 2 of the upper case 2 in the case assembled state.
b is formed at such a height that it can be inserted into the inner peripheral side. Also,
A small-diameter drainage hole 3b is formed at the bottom of the cylindrical portion 3a.

Further, concave portions 3c for positioning the three charging terminals 4 to 4 at predetermined positions are formed at the upper end surface of the housing cylindrical portion 3a at 90 ° intervals in the circumferential direction of the upper end surface. It is formed in three places. As shown in FIG. 2, the recess 3 c has a width that allows the charging terminal 4 to be fitted therein and has a depth substantially equal to the thickness of the charging terminal 4.

Each of the charging terminals 4 to 4 has a substantially U-shaped bent portion 4a so as to sandwich the upper portion of the housing cylinder 3a as shown in the figure, and enters the inner peripheral side of the housing cylinder 3a. An energizing portion 4b that is in contact with an energizing portion (not shown) of the battery B is formed at an end of one of the bending sides in a substantially “H” shape.

A circuit board C is disposed on the lower case 3 on the side of the housing cylinder 3a, but the circuit board C is not particularly required to be changed, so that the description is omitted. Although not shown, each terminal 4 and the circuit board C are of course electrically connected.

According to such a configuration, the upper case 2 and the lower case 3 are assembled as follows. First, the three charging terminals 4 to 4 are set such that the upper part of the housing cylinder 3a is sandwiched between the bent portions 4a. At this time, each charging terminal 4 is fitted into the concave portion 3c and positioned as shown in FIG. After the charging terminals 4 to 4 have been set in this way, the lower case 3 is assembled so as to cover the upper case 2. At this time, the tubular body 2b is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the housing tubular body 3a. Thereby, each terminal 4
The bent portion 4a is sandwiched between the two cylindrical portions 2b and 3a and between the holding protrusion 2c and the housing cylindrical portion 3a, and the charging terminals 4 are fixed. In this fixed state, the conducting part 4b of each charging terminal 4 is arranged at a predetermined position on the inner peripheral side of the housing cylinder part 3a. The dimensions of each part of the charging terminal 4 are set so that the charging terminal 4 is fitted into the recess 3c and the upper surface is almost pressed down on the upper case 2, so that the width direction (left and right in FIG. Direction) and without vertical play.

According to the charger 1 configured as described above,
The inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side, that is, the side on which the circuit board C is disposed, are shielded by the cylindrical body portion 2b on the upper case 2 side and the housing cylindrical body portion 3a on the lower case 3 side.
Rainwater or the like that has entered from a does not enter the circuit board C side, and reliable waterproofing is performed.

Further, the charging terminals 4 to 4 are sandwiched and fixed between the cylindrical portion 2b on the upper case 2 side and the housing cylindrical portion 3a on the lower case 3 side (this point is the same as the conventional one). However, in the case of this example, the housing cylinder 3a is formed deep, and the charging terminals 4 are arranged downward (in the battery insertion direction) from the upper end of the housing cylinder 3a. Therefore, it is sufficient that the cylindrical body portion 2b on the upper case 2 side is not a bottomed shape as in the conventional case but a simple cylindrical shape, so that the structure of the molding die for manufacturing the upper case 2 is simplified.

Further, when assembling the upper case 2 and the lower case 3, the terminals 4 to 4 only need to be fitted in the concave portions 3c provided in the upper portion of the housing cylindrical portion 3a and arranged in a hooking manner. Easy to assemble.

In this respect, in the prior art, the upper case-side cylindrical portion was formed into a bottomed shape, and the upper case-side cylindrical portion was used as a cylindrical portion for housing the battery. It is necessary to provide an insertion hole for inserting the terminal into the cylindrical body portion, and thus the structure of the molding die becomes complicated, and there is a problem that the assembling is troublesome.

Next, an embodiment according to the second aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment.
In contrast to the embodiment in which the housing cylinder is integrated, the housing cylinder is formed separately from the lower case. The description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is omitted.

The upper case 11 of the charger 10 of the present embodiment is provided with an insertion port 11a.
Along the entire circumference of the upper case 11, the inner surface of the upper case 11
b is formed, and this point is the same as in the first embodiment.
Note that the holding projection 2c in the first embodiment is not provided.

On the other hand, on the bottom surface of the lower case 12, a drain hole 12a and a pedestal portion 12b are provided, and a circuit board C is disposed. Between the drain hole 12a and the insertion opening 11a of the upper case 11, a battery housing cylinder 13 is provided.
Is interposed.

The housing cylinder 13 is manufactured separately from the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 by integral molding of a synthetic resin, and has a cylinder main body 13a and a drain cylinder 13b. . This housing cylinder 13 has three charging terminals 14
To 14 are integrally provided by insert molding.
Each of the charging terminals 14 is disposed so as to rise upward from the bottom surface of the cylindrical main body 13a, and the leading end thereof is bent in a “<” shape to form a current supply portion 14a for the battery B.

According to such a configuration, when assembling the upper case 11 and the lower case 12, the cylindrical body 11a of the upper case 11 is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical main body 13a of the housing cylindrical body 13, and The housing cylinder 13 is interposed between the upper and lower cases 11 and 12 in a state where the drainage cylinder 13b is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the drain hole 12a of the lower case 12. In addition, by making the bottom part of the cylinder main body part 13a contact the pedestal part 12b provided in the lower case 12, the housing cylinder 13 is
1a or the drain hole 12a is irremovably interposed.

The housing cylinder 13 interposed in this way also shields the battery B housing side (the inner peripheral side of the housing cylinder 13) and the side on which the circuit board C is arranged. Rainwater or the like that has entered through the circuit board 11a does not enter the circuit board C side, and the waterproofing is ensured. Rainwater or battery B that has entered through the insertion port 11a
The water adhering to the housing cylinder 13 and entering the housing cylinder 13 is drained to the outside through the drainage hole 12a via the drain cylinder 13b.

In addition, the charging terminals 14 to 14 are
3, the charging terminal 14 is not required to be assembled at the time of assembling the case, and the assembling property is not limited to the conventional structure, as compared with the first embodiment. Is getting better.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment according to the invention of claim 1,
It is a longitudinal section of the battery set part of a charger.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment according to the invention described in claim 2,
It is a longitudinal section of the battery set part of the battery charger similarly.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Charger (1st Example) 2 ... Upper case 2a ... Insertion port, 2b ... Cylindrical part 3 ... Lower case 3a ... Housing cylindrical part, 3b ... Drainage hole 4 ... Charging terminal 10 ... Charger (No. 2 Example) 12 ... lower case, 12a ... drain hole 13 ... accommodation cylinder 13a ... cylinder body, 13b ... drain cylinder 14 ... charging terminal B ... battery C ... circuit board

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An upper case is provided with an insertion port for inserting a battery in an upper case, and a cylindrical body is formed on an inner surface of the upper case along the entire periphery of the insertion case, while a lower case is formed in the lower case. A storage cylinder body for battery storage having a drain hole formed in the bottom portion, and in a state where the upper case and the lower case are combined, the upper case-side cylinder is provided on the inner peripheral side of the storage cylinder body. A waterproof structure for a charger, wherein a body portion is inserted, and a charging terminal is sandwiched between both of the body portions and disposed inside the housing tubular body portion. 2. An upper case is provided with an insertion hole for inserting a battery in an upper case of the upper and lower split cases, and a cylindrical body portion is formed on an inner surface of the upper case along the entire periphery of the insertion hole, while a lower case is formed in the lower case. A drainage hole is provided, and in a combined state of the upper case and the lower case, a charging terminal is molded between the drainage hole and the cylindrical body.
A configuration in which a cylindrical body for battery storage is inserted in a state in which the cylindrical body part on the upper case side is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the upper end part, and the lower end part is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the drain hole. The waterproof structure of the battery charger.