JP4958472B2 - Battery pack with terminal cover - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery pack with a terminal cover provided with a terminal cover covering a connection terminal.

  The battery pack is often used as a power source for portable electric devices, for example. If the electric device is continuously used, the remaining capacity of the battery pack decreases, so the user carries the battery pack in a charged state as a spare. In carrying this spare battery pack, if the external connection terminal of the battery pack remains exposed, there is a possibility that the battery pack will be short-circuited due to contact with a metal piece or the like. Moreover, it is not preferable that dust etc. enter. Therefore, it is necessary to cover the external connection terminal portion mainly with a resin terminal cover (see Patent Document 1).

Therefore, a terminal cover that covers the portion of the battery pack where the external connection terminals are provided is fitted to the battery pack. At this time, the battery pack is provided with a depression in advance, and the terminal cover is extended to face the surface where the depression is provided, and a pair of extensions having a protrusion at the extended tip. A protruding piece is formed. By fitting this protrusion into the recess, the terminal cover is fitted to the battery pack. Thereby, the removal | desorption of the terminal cover with respect to a battery pack can be implement | achieved by a simple structure, and since a projection part and a hollow part are fitted in the mounting state, it does not usually remove | deviate.
JP 2004-355985 A

  However, even if it fits as mentioned above, there exists a possibility that a fitting part may receive an external force unexpectedly, and will come off. For example, when the fitting portion is caught by a fingertip or a pen tip while carrying the battery pack, the projection may be detached from the depression. Therefore, if the battery pack is tilted, the terminal cover is likely to come off from the battery pack as compared with the state where the fitting is maintained.

On the other hand, in order to maintain the fitting state, it is conceivable that the extension piece is made of a strong material so that it does not come off with some external force. In this case, when removing the terminal cover from the battery pack, The ease of the process will be impaired.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack with a terminal cover that can be easily attached and detached while maintaining a state in which the terminal cover is fitted to the battery pack even if a certain amount of external force is applied. And

Therefore, the present invention adopts the following configuration in order to solve the above problems.
A battery pack in which an external connection terminal is provided in a part of a storage body for storing a unit cell; and a terminal cover that is detachably fitted to the battery pack while covering the part, A concave groove is formed on the outer surface, and the terminal cover is formed with a pair of extending pieces extending to face both side walls of the concave groove when the terminal cover is fitted to the battery pack, Engaging portions are formed at opposing portions of both side wall surfaces of the concave groove, and engaged portions that engage with the engaging portions are formed on the pair of extending pieces, and the battery pack and the terminal cover are formed. A battery pack with a terminal cover having a structure that ensures that the engagement portion is elastically engaged with the engaged portion to prevent the terminal cover from coming off, and the pair of extending pieces are The structure is cross-linked by an elastically deformable arched biasing member The urging member mainly applies a force with which the protrusions are fitted into the depressions when the protrusions provided at the pair of extension parts are fitted into the depressions provided at the battery pack. It means a member set to be biased.

  The urging member has an arch shape having an outer peripheral side in a direction in which the concave groove sinks, and a thick wall in which an arch-shaped inner peripheral surface protrudes to an inner peripheral side at a substantially central portion between the extending portions. The structure which has a part is preferable.

  In the present invention, since the biasing member that is elastically deformed by being arched between the pair of extending pieces is provided, the biasing member extends in a state where the terminal cover is fitted to the battery pack. Since the protruding piece is urged to be engaged with the engaged portion provided in the battery pack, even if a slight external force is applied to the extending piece in the direction in which the engaging portion is released, the engaging portion And the engaged portion are difficult to come off. Therefore, compared with a configuration in which only the extending piece is provided and the urging member is not provided, the engaging portion is less likely to be detached from the engaged portion, and the battery pack may be tilted while carrying the battery pack. However, the problem that the terminal cover falls off from the battery pack can also be suppressed.

In particular, since the urging member according to the present invention has a structure that is bridged in an arch shape, the urging effect is greater than the case of bridging with a flat plate.
Moreover, the fitting state of an engaging part and a to-be-engaged part can be easily cancelled | released by adding operation which a user bends the said arch-shaped biasing member. Specifically, the thick part is pushed, and thereby the thick part moves in the pressing direction. Due to the elastic force due to this movement, the distance between the pair of extending pieces is reduced, and the engaging portion is disengaged from the engaged portion. When performing this step, by providing the thick part, for example, a thick part having a button shape, even if the distance between the pair of extending pieces is very small, the user can easily press. It is possible to easily release the fitting state.

  In addition, regarding the arch shape of the biasing member, if the shape is such that the direction in which the recessed groove provided in the battery pack sinks is the outer peripheral side, the terminal cover protrudes at the inner peripheral side. The area occupied by the terminal cover can be made smaller than in the case of the shape. In this case, particularly in a state where the terminal cover is fitted to the battery pack, the urging member can be stored in the concave groove region, so that the user carries the battery pack with the terminal cover fitted. In addition, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a phenomenon in which an external force is unexpectedly applied to the terminal cover due to a finger, pen, or the like being caught on the biasing member.

Hereinafter, the best mode of a battery pack with a terminal cover according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this is an example for demonstrating the characteristic in a structure and an effect | action of this invention, Comprising: This invention is not limited to this.
1. FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of a battery pack with a terminal cover according to the present embodiment. A battery pack 100 with a terminal cover includes a battery pack 1 and a terminal cover 2.
(1-1) Pack battery 1
The battery pack 1 is used, for example, as a power source for a digital camera, a portable printer, or the like, and includes a storage body 10 formed by combining two cases having openings, so-called half cases 10a and 10b. Have These cases 10a and 10b are combined by bonding or fitting, for example. A plurality of cylindrical lithium ion batteries (hereinafter simply referred to as “unit cells”) having a nominal voltage of 3.6 V, for example, are accommodated inside the battery pack 1 although not shown. For example, these unit cells are arranged in two rows, and in each row, three unit cells are connected in series, and the columns connected in series are connected in parallel.

  The storage body 10 has a shape that extends in the Y direction as a longitudinal direction, and is provided with a groove 13 on the side wall thereof. The groove 13 is formed by a bottom surface 13a and a side surface 13b that rises in a direction substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface 13a. A pair of depressions 14 is provided at a position spaced from the end on the side of one end face 12 of the side face 13b. The storage body 10 has a configuration in which the groove 13 is formed from the one end face 12 to the other end face (not shown) along the extending direction (Y direction), that is, any end face is formed by the groove 13. It has a configuration that is cut out.

  The shape of the battery pack 1, the shape of the groove 13, and the like appropriately change depending on the specifications of the electric device including the battery pack 1. In addition, the said groove part 13 is utilized for the insertion guide at the time of inserting the battery pack 1 mainly with respect to an electric equipment from the one end surface 12 side. In addition, since the columns in which the unit cells are connected in series are arranged in parallel as described above, a gap is generated between the columns. That is, since the outer surface of the unit cell has a curvature, when these are arranged in parallel, a space (dead space) that does not contribute to the battery performance is generated. However, if the groove 13 is provided, such a dead space can be eliminated.

In addition, an external connection terminal 11 for the electric device is provided at a corner portion formed by the one end surface 12 and the side wall, and the battery pack 1 and the electric device are electrically connected by the external connection terminal 11.
(1-2) Terminal cover 2
As shown in FIG. 1A, the terminal cover 2 includes an external connection terminal 11 and is arranged so as to cover the one end face 12 side of the battery pack 1, and is made of a resin material such as vinyl chloride resin. The terminal cover 2 includes a main surface portion 22a covering the one surface 12, a side peripheral surface portion 22b covering a part of the side wall of the battery pack, and a connection extending from the end of the side peripheral surface portion 22b along the surface direction. Member 24.

The main surface portion 22 a has substantially the same shape as the end surface of the battery pack 1.
The side peripheral surface portion 22b is configured to rise in a substantially vertical direction (in the Y direction) with respect to the main surface portion 22a, and extends along the side wall of the battery pack 1 when the terminal cover 2 is disposed on the battery pack 1. Is formed.
Also in the terminal cover 2 formed by the main surface portion 22a and the side peripheral surface portion 22b, the groove portion 23 (hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the groove portion of the terminal cover 2 is referred to as “cover groove portion” and the groove portion of the battery pack 1 is referred to as “battery groove portion”. .), And the cover groove 23 covers the battery groove 13. The cover groove portion 23 is formed by a cover main surface 23a and a cover side surface 23b rising in a substantially vertical direction (Z direction) with respect to the cover main surface 23a.

The shape of the terminal cover 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1B and 1C showing the virtual cross sections F1 and F2, respectively.
In the virtual cross section F1, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the side peripheral surface portion 22b has the upper portion 22b1 and the lower portion 22b2 in the Z direction having thicknesses D1 and D2, respectively, which are equivalent in size. The thickness of the main surface portion 22a is D3, which is substantially equal to or slightly larger than D1 and D2. The end portion on the one end face 12 side of the battery pack 1 enters the space S surrounded by these, and the end face 12 is covered with the terminal cover 2.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1C, the virtual cross section F2 has a side peripheral surface portion 22b2 having a thickness D20 on the lower side in the Z direction and a thickness D10 cover side surface 23b on the upper side. D20 is substantially the same size as D1 and D2, and D10 is larger than these. Further, as shown in the figure, the connecting member 24 extends in the Y direction continuously from the cover side surface 23b. The terminal cover 2 is fitted to the battery pack 1 by the member 24. The configuration of the connecting member 24 will be described below with reference to FIG. 2, and the fitting state will be described later with reference to FIG.
2. Terminal cover connecting member 24
FIG. 2 is a main part perspective view showing a state in which the terminal cover 2 is connected to the battery pack 1 using the connection member 24. The connecting member 24 includes a pair of extending portions 24d extending from the end portion 22c of the side peripheral surface portion 22b, and a protruding portion 24c protruding in the direction intersecting with the extending direction at the extending tip end portion of the extending portion 24d. The rib 24b bridges the pair of extending portions 24d, and a release button (hereinafter simply referred to as “button”) 24a disposed on the rib.

  The extending portion 24 d extends along the surface direction of the side surface 23 b of the cover groove portion 23 and faces the side surface 13 b of the battery groove portion 13. When the terminal cover 2 is fitted to the battery pack 1, the extension portion 24d is moved so as to slide on the side surface 23b, and the fitting is performed. The length L21 in the extending direction is substantially the same as the length L22 of the side peripheral surface portion 22b, but the length of the extending portion 24d may be longer or shorter without being particularly limited to this relationship. Absent.

The projecting portion 24c is provided on the extending tip portion (Y direction positive direction side) of the extending portion 24d, and each of the extending portions 24d faces the side surface 13b in the battery groove portion 13, that is, a pair of extending portions is provided. It has a shape that protrudes to the non-opposing side. The protrusion 24 c has a size and a shape that match the recess 14 provided on the side surface 13 b of the battery groove 13.
The ribs 24b are provided so as to bridge a pair of extending portions 24d extending in the Y direction in a substantially vertical direction (X direction). The rib 24b provided in this way is a member that suppresses elastic deformation of the extending portion 24d that swings away from the extending direction (Y direction) of the extending portion 24d, and the battery pack 1 of the protruding portion 24c. It functions as a member that biases the fitting to the recess 14 (see FIG. 1). The rib 24b is in an arch shape that is located in the space of the battery groove 13 when the terminal cover 2 is disposed on the battery pack 1 and swells in the direction in which the battery pack 1 is submerged. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the rib 24b is not in contact with the main surface 13a of the battery groove 13, and has a separation distance H between the outer peripheral surface and the main surface 13a. Since the rib 24d has a structure that bridges the extending portions 24d as shown in the figure, the extending portion 24d intersects the extending direction with the extending direction as an axis, compared to the case where the rib 24b is not formed. Swinging in the direction is suppressed. Further, the rib 24d is not merely a linear cross-linked structure, but is also arch-shaped as shown in the drawing and has elasticity because it is formed from a resin material. Further, as shown in the drawing, the rib 24c is formed when the terminal cover 2 is placed (fitted) to the battery pack 1 because it has an arch shape that swells in the direction in which the groove 13 of the battery pack 1 sinks. Does not protrude from the outer surface of the battery pack 1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from hooking his / her finger on the rib 24c or other unexpected force on the rib 24c.

The button 24d is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the rib 24d, and is a thick portion where the inner peripheral surface side of the rib 24d protrudes at a position that is a substantially central portion between the pair of extending portions 24d.
When the terminal cover 2 is arranged as shown in FIG. 2 by the connecting member 24 having the above-described configuration, the protrusion 24c and the recessed portion 14 of the battery pack 1 are fitted, so that the terminal cover 2 is It is fitted to the battery pack 1. The state at this time will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a principal perspective view showing a state in which the connection member 24 is connected to the battery pack 1. By fitting the protrusion 24 c into the recess 14 of the battery pack 1, the protrusion 24 c is firmly fixed in the extending direction (Y direction) of the extending portion. Therefore, the terminal cover 2 does not swing in the direction of the arrow A1 with respect to the battery pack 1. In particular, the distance between the pair of extending portions 24d (the length in the X direction) is set to be slightly smaller in the fitted state as shown in the figure than in the state before the terminal cover 2 is placed on the battery pack 1. Has been. Thereby, the fitting force of the projecting portion 24c with respect to the recessed portion 14 of the battery pack 1 is increased so that the pair of extending portions 24d increase each distance. And since the rib 24b is provided between the extension parts 24d, since the fitting force increases further, it is preferable.

Further, while the battery pack 1 is being carried, the extension 24d and the protrusion 24c receive an external force, and a finger, a nib, etc. are caught on the extension 24d and the protrusion 24c, so that the protrusion 24c Even when receiving a force that causes the battery pack 1 to detach from the recessed portion 14 (when receiving the force indicated by the arrow A2), the extending portion 24c projects by the urging force from the rib 24b (the force indicated by the arrow A3). The portion 24c will not come off. If the rib 24c is not provided, the user may unexpectedly extend while carrying even in the structure in which the protrusion 24c is fitted in the recess 14 to prevent the terminal cover 2 from being removed from the battery pack 1. The fitting may be released by receiving an external force on the portion 24d and the protruding portion 24c, and the terminal cover 2 may fall off (detach) from the battery pack 1. However, if the terminal cover 2 provided with the ribs 24c according to the present embodiment is arranged in the battery pack 1, even if the external force is received as described above, the ribs 24b oppose the force by which the protrusions 24c are released from the recesses 14. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the fitting force between the protrusion 24c and the recess 14 and to prevent the terminal cover 2 from coming off.
3. Removal of Terminal Cover Next, a process of removing the terminal cover 2 that can maintain the connection state as described above from the battery pack 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part showing a process of removing the connecting member 24.

First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the button 24a of the connecting member 24 in the connected state is pushed from above (in the direction of arrow B1).
In response to the pressing force, the button 24a moves in the direction in which the battery groove 13 sinks (the negative direction side in the Z direction). At that time, the extending portion 24d and the protruding portion 24c are arranged in the battery groove portion 13, and the position of the battery groove portion 13 in the direction in which the battery groove portion 13 (Z direction) is fixed. Therefore, the ribs 24b are bent, and each extending portion 24 is deformed as shown in FIG. 4B so as to reduce the distance W between the extending portions. Along with this, the projecting portion 24c also moves in the direction in which the distance W between the extending portions becomes smaller (the direction of the arrow B2) and is separated from the groove portion 14 of the battery pack 1, and the projecting portion 24c and the recessed portion 14 are fitted. The state is released.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, the button 24a is pressed to slide the terminal cover 2 (in the direction of the arrow B3) while keeping the protruding portion 24c in the separated state.
In addition to providing the arch-shaped rib 24b between the pair of extending portions 24d, the above steps provide the button 24a, so that even if the distance between the extending portions is very small, the user can It becomes the structure which is easy to press, and it becomes easy to utilize the elasticity of the rib 24b. Thereby, the terminal cover 2 having a strong fitting force in the connected state can be removed from the battery pack 1 by a simple method. Although the method for fitting the terminal cover 2 to the battery pack 1 has been described above, the extended portion 24d may be bent by pressing the button 24a in the same manner as the removing step.
4). Other Matters In the present embodiment, since the battery pack 1 is provided with the recess 14, when the battery pack 1 is inserted into an electrical device, the battery pack 1 and the electrical device are connected using the recess 14. It can also be engaged.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the hollow part 14 provided in the side surface 13b which concerns on the groove part 13 of the battery pack 1, and the projection part 24c provided in the pair of extension part 24d which concerns on the connection member 24 of the terminal cover 2; However, a configuration in which a protrusion is provided on the side surface 13b and a recess is provided in the extension 24d, or a configuration in which both have a protrusion and engage with each other may be employed. Absent. Further, not only the above-described fitting, but also an engagement configuration in which claw portions are provided on both the side surface 13b and the extension portion 24d and the both engage with each other may be employed.

  In addition, the rib 24c is not limited to a resin material, and other materials can be used as long as they have elasticity in the above configuration. Further, the connecting member 24 may be integrally formed with the same material as other portions such as the main surface portion 22a of the terminal cover 2, or only a different material, for example, the rib 24c may be formed of a metal material. Absent. Further, each part constituting the connection member 24 may be formed of a different material.

Further, the external connection terminal 11 is not limited to the one provided on one end surface portion of the battery pack 1 as illustrated, and may be formed on a side surface portion or the like. In this case, it is necessary to change the shape of the terminal cover 2 as appropriate in accordance with the arrangement position of the external connection terminals.
Regarding the unit cell stored in the pack battery, not only a lithium ion battery but also a secondary battery such as a nickel cadmium battery or a nickel hydrogen battery may be used. Further, not only such a secondary battery but also a primary battery may be used. The shape of the unit cell may be not only a cylindrical shape but also a square shape or a flat shape.

  The present invention is useful for many types of battery packs because the battery pack being carried can be safely and easily protected.

(A) is an expansion | deployment perspective view of the battery pack with a terminal cover which concerns on embodiment, (b) is a schematic cross section of a terminal cover. It is a principal part perspective view of the state by which the terminal cover was distribute | arranged to the battery pack which concerns on embodiment. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the fitting part of a battery pack and a terminal cover. It is a schematic process diagram which shows removal of the terminal cover from a battery pack.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pack battery 2 Terminal cover 11 External connection terminal 12 End surface 14 of a pack battery 14 Indentation part 24 Fitting member 24a Release button 24b Rib 24c Protrusion part 24d Extension part 100 Pack battery with terminal cover

Claims (2)

A battery pack in which an external connection terminal is provided in a part of a storage body for storing a unit cell; and a terminal cover that is detachably fitted to the battery pack while covering the part,
A concave groove is formed on the outer surface of the storage body, and the terminal cover has a pair of extending pieces that extend to face both side walls of the concave groove when the terminal cover is fitted to a battery pack. The engaging portion is formed in the opposite part of the both side wall surfaces of the concave groove, the engaged portion engaging with the engaging portion is formed in the pair of extending pieces, and the battery pack And a battery pack with a terminal cover having a structure for ensuring that the terminal cover is prevented from coming off by elastically engaging the engaging portion with the engaged portion in a fitted state between the terminal cover and the terminal cover,
The battery pack with a terminal cover, wherein the pair of extending pieces is bridged by an arch-shaped biasing member that can be elastically deformed. The urging member has an arch shape having an outer peripheral side in a direction in which the concave groove sinks, and a thick wall in which an arch-shaped inner peripheral surface protrudes to an inner peripheral side at a substantially central portion between the extending portions. The battery pack with a terminal cover according to claim 1, wherein the battery pack has a portion.

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