JP7123778B2 - battery pack charger - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a charger for battery packs used in electrical equipment such as power tools.

Patent Document 1 discloses a battery pack charger. This charger includes a housing having a cord outlet and a power cord extending from the cord outlet to the outside of the housing. The housing has a lower portion and an upper portion and defines a cord outlet between the lower portion and the upper portion.

JP 2015-162926 A

When manufacturing the charger described above, first the circuit board and power cord are accommodated in the lower portion of the housing. The lower portion of the housing is then assembled with the upper portion of the housing. When assembling the upper portion to the lower portion of the housing, the power cord extending out from the lower portion of the housing must be maintained in the position of the cord outlet. In this regard, the lower portion of the housing is provided with a cord retainer adjacent to the cord outlet for retaining a portion of the power cord. As a result, when the upper portion is assembled to the lower portion of the housing, the power cord is tentatively positioned with respect to the cord outlet. However, since the cord retainer detachably retains the power cord until the upper portion is assembled to the lower portion of the housing, the power cord may become detached from the cord retainer. Therefore, when assembling the upper part to the lower part of the housing, it is necessary to pay attention to the position of the power cord, which is a factor in lowering work efficiency. This specification provides techniques that can at least partially solve such problems.

The present technology provides a charger for charging a battery pack. The charger includes a housing in which a battery pack is detachably attached, at least one battery connection terminal electrically connected to the battery pack attached to the housing, and at least one battery located inside the housing. A terminal base carrying connection terminals and a power cord extending inside and outside the housing for connecting the charger to an external power source. The housing has a first portion and a second portion assembled to the first portion and defines between the first and second portions a cord outlet through which the power cord passes. A cord holding portion is provided on the inner surface of the first portion to hold a portion of the power cord along a predetermined path. The terminal base is assembled to the first portion of the housing and has a first cord retainer that abuts against the first position of the power cord held by the cord holder. Although not particularly limited, the first portion may be one of the lower portion and the upper portion of the housing, and the second portion may be the other of the lower portion and the upper portion of the housing.

In the charger described above, the terminal base is provided with the first cord holding portion. The first cord restraining portion abuts on the power cord held by the cord holding portion to inhibit or restrain the power cord from coming off the cord holding portion. Here, the terminal base is a member positioned inside the housing, and is already attached to the first portion (eg, the lower portion) of the housing at the stage of assembly of the second portion (eg, the upper portion) to the first portion. It is Therefore, when the second portion is attached to the first portion of the housing, the power cord is prohibited or suppressed from coming off the cord holding portion. Thereby, the battery charger can be manufactured efficiently.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a charger 10 of an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the appearance of the charger 10; 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of housing 12 of charger 10. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the inside of housing 12 of charger 10. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of charger 10. FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the cord holding portion 32 of the lower portion 30 of the housing 12; 4 is an enlarged view of a first cord holding portion 20a of the terminal base 20; FIG. The figure which shows the terminal base 20 alone. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the positional relationship of a first cord restraining portion 20a and a second cord restraining portion 40a with respect to a cord holding portion 32; FIG. 4 shows a second cord holding portion 40a of the upper portion 40 of the housing 12; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first substrate holding portion 20b and a second substrate holding portion 20c of the terminal base 20;

In an embodiment of the present technology, the first cord retainer may further abut a second position of the power cord retained by the cord retainer. That is, the first cord holding portion may abut on the power cord held by the cord holding portion at a plurality of positions. According to such a configuration, the first cord restraining portion can effectively prohibit or restrain the power cord from coming off the cord holding portion.

In the embodiment described above, the longitudinal direction of the power cord at the first position and the longitudinal direction of the power cord at the second position may be different from each other. According to such a configuration, the first cord restraining portion can more effectively prohibit or restrain the power cord from coming off the cord holding portion.

In one embodiment of the present technology, the power cord may have at least one bend in the cord retainer. In other words, the predetermined path along which the cord holder holds the power cord may have at least one bend. With such a configuration, the power cord is strongly held by the cord holding portion, making it more difficult for the power cord to come off from the cord holding portion.

In the above-described embodiment, the first position of the power cord with which the first cord retainer abuts may be located at the bent portion of the power cord. According to such a configuration, the first cord restraining portion can effectively prohibit or restrain the power cord from coming off the cord holding portion.

In an embodiment of the present technology, the second portion of the housing may have a second cord retainer that abuts a third position of the power cord retained by the cord retainer. According to such a configuration, after the second portion is attached to the first portion of the housing, both the first cord restraining portion and the second cord restraining portion prevent the power cord from coming off the cord holding portion. can do. Therefore, the structure of the first cord holding portion can be made relatively simple.

In the above-described embodiment, the third position of the power cord with which the second cord retainer abuts is the first position of the power cord with which the first cord retainer abuts in the longitudinal direction of the power cord, and the cord outlet of the housing. may be located between However, as another embodiment, the first position of the power cord with which the first cord retainer abuts is the third position of the power cord with which the second cord retainer abuts in the longitudinal direction of the power cord, and the cord of the housing. It may be positioned between the ejection port.

In the above-described embodiment, the second cord retainer may further abut against the fourth position of the power cord held by the cord holding portion. That is, the second cord holding portion may abut on the power cord held by the cord holding portion at a plurality of positions. According to such a configuration, the second cord restraining portion can effectively prohibit or restrain the power cord from coming off the cord holding portion.

In the above-described embodiment, the first position of the power cord with which the first cord retainer abuts is between the third position and the fourth position of the power cord with which the second cord retainer abuts in the longitudinal direction of the power cord. may be located in The second portion of the housing is typically larger than the terminal base. Therefore, it is easy to design the second cord restraining portion of the second portion of the housing to be larger in size than the first cord restraining portion of the terminal base so as to satisfy such a positional relationship.

In one embodiment of the present technology, the charger may further comprise a circuit board located inside the housing and connected to the power cord. In this case, the terminal base may further have a board holding portion that contacts the circuit board assembled to the first portion of the housing. With such a configuration, the position of the circuit board is stabilized inside the housing.

In an embodiment of the present technology, the cord retainer may have a plurality of projections projecting from the inner surface of the first portion of the housing and hold the power cord between the plurality of projections. In this case, the shape of each protrusion is not particularly limited, and may be pin-shaped, wall-shaped, or block-shaped, for example.

In one embodiment of the present technology, at least a portion of the cord retainer may be located between the inner surface of the first portion of the housing and the terminal base. In this case, the first cord retainer may protrude from the terminal base toward the inner surface of the first portion of the housing. However, as another embodiment, the first cord holding portion may be designed in various shapes according to the positional relationship between the terminal base and the cord holding portion.

In one embodiment of the present technology, the at least one battery connection terminal may include a power connection terminal for outputting charging power to the battery pack. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one battery connection terminal may include a signal connection terminal for transmitting signals to or receiving signals from the battery pack.

In one embodiment of the present technology, the battery pack may be detachable from the electrical device and attached to the housing of the charger while detached from the electrical device. That is, the charger may be configured to charge a battery pack that has been removed from the electrical device. However, as another embodiment, the charger may be configured to charge the battery pack attached to the electrical device.

A charger 10 of an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The charger 10 of this embodiment is a device for charging a battery pack 100 (see FIG. 5). The battery pack 100 is a rechargeable power storage device, and is used as a power source for electric devices (not shown) such as electric tools and electric working machines. The battery pack 100 contains a plurality of secondary battery cells (not shown), such as lithium-ion cells.

As shown in FIGS. 1-5, charger 10 includes housing 12 . The housing 12 is provided with two battery interfaces 14 . Each battery interface 14 removably receives a battery pack 100 . The charger 10 starts charging the battery pack 100 when the battery pack 100 is attached to the battery interface 14 . Note that the number of battery interfaces 14 is not limited to two. Charger 10 may include a single, or more than two battery interfaces 14 .

The battery pack 100 is attachable to and detachable from the electrical equipment, and is attached to the housing 12 (that is, the battery interface 14) of the charger 10 while being detached from the electrical equipment. That is, the charger 10 charges the battery pack 100 that has been removed from the electrical equipment. However, as another embodiment, the charger 10 may be configured to charge the battery pack 100 attached to the electrical equipment. In this case, the battery interface 14 may be configured such that the electrical equipment to which the battery pack 100 is attached is removable.

The battery interface 14 is provided with a plurality of battery connection terminals 16 and a terminal cover 18 covering the battery connection terminals 16 . The terminal cover 18 is movable between a closed position covering the battery connection terminals 16 and an open position exposing the battery connection terminals 16 . In this regard, FIG. 2 shows the terminal cover 18 in the closed position on the left battery interface 14 and the terminal cover 18 in the open position on the right battery interface 14 . In practice, the terminal cover 18 is biased to the closed position and only when the battery pack 100 is attached to the battery interface 14 does the terminal cover 18 move to the open position.

A plurality of battery connection terminals 16 are electrically connected to the battery pack 100 attached to the battery interface 14 . Although not particularly limited, the plurality of battery connection terminals 16 include a pair of power connection terminals 16a and a plurality of signal connection terminals 16b. A pair of power connection terminals 16 a outputs charging power to the battery pack 100 . The plurality of signal connection terminals 16 b transmit or receive signals with the battery pack 100 . In this embodiment, a contact type terminal is adopted as the battery connection terminal 16 . However, some or all of the plurality of battery connection terminals 16 may be wireless connection terminals (or wireless connection ports) wirelessly connected to the battery pack 100 . Moreover, the charger 10 only needs to have at least one battery connection terminal 16, and the number of the battery connection terminals 16 is not particularly limited.

Charger 10 includes terminal base 20 . A terminal base 20 is located inside the housing 12 and supports a plurality of battery connection terminals 16 . That is, the plurality of battery connection terminals 16 are not directly fixed to the housing 12 but are supported by the terminal base 20 positioned inside the housing 12 . The terminal base 20 supports the plurality of battery connection terminals 16 in a slightly swingable manner. Thereby, when the battery pack 100 is attached to the housing 12, the positions of the plurality of battery connection terminals 16 with respect to the battery pack 100 are passively adjusted. The terminal base 20 is made of a resin material and has insulating properties. The material forming the terminal base 20 is not limited to the resin material, and may be another insulating material.

The charger 10 includes a power cord 22, a filter board 26, a first charging board 28a, and a second charging board 28b. A power cord 22 extends inside and outside the housing 12 to connect the charger 10 to an external power source (eg, an electrical outlet). Filter board 26 , first charging board 28 a and second charging board 28 b are located inside housing 12 . The tip of the power cord 22 is positioned outside the housing 12 and has a plug 24 . A proximal end of the power cord 22 is connected to a filter substrate 26 inside the housing 12 . Filter board 26 has a filter circuit that suppresses electromagnetic noise from being output from charger 10 through power cord 22 .

The filter board 26 is connected to each of the first charging board 28a and the second charging board 28b, and distributes the power supplied from the power cord 22 to the first charging board 28a and the second charging board 28b. . The first charging board 28 a is connected to a plurality of battery connection terminals 16 located on one battery interface 14 . The first charging board 28 a has a charging control circuit and controls charging of the battery pack 100 attached to one battery interface 14 . Similarly, the second charging board 28b is connected to a plurality of battery connection terminals 16 located on the other battery interface 14. As shown in FIG. The second charging board 28 b also has a charging control circuit with the same configuration, and controls charging of the battery pack 100 attached to the other battery interface 14 .

Housing 12 has a lower portion 30 and an upper portion 40 . Each of the lower portion 30 and the upper portion 40 is made of a resin material, although not particularly limited. The lower portion 30 and the upper portion 40 are assembled together to define a space therebetween for accommodating the aforementioned components of the charger 10 (eg, the terminal base 20, the circuit boards 26, 28a, 28b, etc.). there is The upper portion 40 of the housing 12 is provided with the aforementioned battery interface 14 . Housing 12 defines a cord outlet 42 between lower portion 30 and upper portion 40 through which power cord 22 passes.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lower portion 30 of housing 12 has a cord retainer 32 . The cord holding portion 32 is provided on the inner bottom surface of the lower portion 30 and holds a portion of the power cord 22 along the inner bottom surface. Although not particularly limited, the cord holding portion 32 in this embodiment has a plurality of protruding portions 32a, and holds a portion of the power cord 22 along a predetermined path having a plurality of bends. It is configured. Therefore, the power cord 22 has a plurality of bent portions 22a at the cord holding portion 32. As shown in FIG. Each protrusion 32a has a wall shape. However, some or all of the plurality of projecting portions 32a may have other shapes such as a pin shape or a block shape. The cord holding portion 32 is open at the top and configured to receive the power cord 22 from its lateral direction. Here, the horizontal direction of the power cord 22 means a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the power cord 22 .

As shown in FIGS. 7-9, the terminal base 20 has a first cord holding portion 20a. The first cord holding portion 20 a contacts the power cord 22 held by the cord holding portion 32 to prevent the power cord 22 from coming off the cord holding portion 32 . A portion of the cord holding portion 32 is positioned between the inner bottom surface of the lower portion 30 of the housing 12 and the terminal base 20 . Accordingly, the first cord holding portion 20a protrudes from the terminal base 20 toward the inner bottom surface of the lower portion 30 of the housing 12. As shown in FIG. However, as another embodiment, the first cord holding portion 20 a may be designed in various shapes according to the positional relationship between the terminal base 20 and the cord holding portion 32 . Further, the first cord restraining portion 20a does not always have to be in contact with the power cord 22 held by the cord holding portion 32. As shown in FIG. It is sufficient that the first cord restraining portion 20 a comes into contact with the power cord 22 when the power cord 22 is about to come off the cord holding portion 32 .

The first cord holding portion 20a abuts on the power cord 22 held by the cord holding portion 32 at a plurality of positions A, B, and C (see FIG. 9). Hereinafter, one position A with which the first cord holding portion 20a abuts is referred to as a first position A of the power cord 22, and another position B with which the first cord holding portion 20a abuts is referred to as a first position A of the power cord 22. Called 2-Position B. A first position A of the power cord 22 is located at a bent portion 22 a of the power cord 22 . A second position B of the power cord 22 is located at the straight portion 22 b of the power cord 22 . Another position C where the first cord holding portion 20a abuts is located at the boundary between the bent portion 22a and the straight portion 22b of the power cord 22. As shown in FIG. These configurations prevent the power cord 22 from coming off the cord holding portion 32 . As another embodiment, the first cord holding portion 20a may abut on the power cord 22 held by the cord holding portion 32 at at least one position.

As shown in FIG. 9, the longitudinal direction of the power cord 22 at the first position A and the longitudinal direction of the power cord 22 at the second position B are different from each other. That is, in FIG. 9, the longitudinal direction at the first position A is the vertical direction, and the longitudinal direction at the second position B is the horizontal direction. In this manner, the first cord holding portion 20a abuts on a plurality of positions in which the power cord 22 is different in the longitudinal direction, thereby more effectively inhibiting or suppressing the power cord 22 from coming off the cord holding portion 32. be.

As an example, the first cord holding portion 20 a has a tubular shape extending from the terminal base 20 toward the cord holding portion 32 in part. The cylindrical portion is generally rectangular in cross section and has four flat side walls. One side wall abuts the second position B of the power cord 22 and the other side wall abuts another position C of the power cord 22 . If the first cord restraining portion 20a has a tubular shape, the strength of the first cord restraining portion 20a is increased, and the first cord restraining portion 20a can come into contact with a plurality of positions B and C of the power cord 22. can.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the upper portion 40 of the housing 12 has a second cord retainer 40a. The second cord holding portion 40 a abuts on the power cord 22 held by the cord holding portion 32 to prevent the power cord 22 from coming off the cord holding portion 32 . The second cord holding portion 40 a is provided on the inner upper surface of the upper portion 40 and extends toward the inner bottom surface of the lower portion 30 . However, as another embodiment, the second cord holding portion 40 a may be designed in various shapes according to the positional relationship of the cord holding portion 32 . Further, like the first cord restraining portion 20a, the second cord restraining portion 40a does not always have to be in contact with the power cord 22 held by the cord holding portion 32. As shown in FIG. It is sufficient that the second cord restraining portion 40 a comes into contact with the power cord 22 when the power cord 22 is about to come off the cord holding portion 32 .

The second cord holding portion 40a abuts on the power cord 22 held by the cord holding portion 32 at a plurality of positions D and E (see FIG. 9). Hereinafter, one position D with which the second cord restraining portion 40a abuts is referred to as a third position D of the power cord 22, and another position E with which the second cord restraining portion 40a abuts is referred to as a third position D of the power cord 22. Call it 4-position E. The third position D of the power cord 22 is located between the first position A (or second position B) of the power cord 22 and the cord outlet 42 of the housing 12 in the longitudinal direction of the power cord 22. . Also, the first position A and the second position B of the power cord 22 are located between the third position D and the fourth position E of the power cord 22 in the longitudinal direction of the power cord 22 . That is, the second cord holding portion 40a contacts the power cord 22 held by the cord holding portion 32 on both sides of the first cord holding portion 20a.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the terminal base 20 further has a first substrate holding portion 20b and a second substrate holding portion 20c. The first board restraining portion 20 b abuts on the filter board 26 assembled to the lower portion 30 of the housing 12 . The second board holding portion 20 c abuts on the first charging board 28 a assembled to the lower portion 30 of the housing 12 . According to such a configuration, the positions of the circuit boards such as the filter board 26 and the first charging board 28 a are stabilized inside the housing 12 . The specific structures of the first substrate holding portion 20b and the second substrate holding portion 20c are not particularly limited. The first board holding portion 20b can be appropriately designed according to the positional relationship between the terminal base 20 and the filter board 26. As shown in FIG. Similarly, the second board holding portion 20c can be appropriately designed according to the positional relationship between the terminal base 20 and the first charging board 28a.

When manufacturing the charger 10 of this embodiment, first, the circuit boards 26 , 28 a, 28 b, power cord 22 and terminal base 20 are assembled to the lower portion 30 of the housing 12 . Upper portion 40 of housing 12 is then assembled to lower portion 30 of housing 12 . When assembling the upper portion 40 to the lower portion 30 of the housing 12 , the power cord 22 extending outward from the lower portion 30 of the housing 12 must be maintained at the cord outlet 42 . In this regard, the lower portion 30 of the housing 12 is provided with a cord retainer 32 adjacent to the cord outlet 42 for retaining a portion of the power cord 22 . In addition, the terminal base 20 is provided with a first cord holding portion 20a that contacts the power cord 22 held by the cord holding portion 32. As shown in FIG. As a result, when the upper portion 40 is assembled to the lower portion 30 of the housing 12 , the power cord 22 is maintained at the cord outlet 42 without being detached from the cord holding portion 32 . Therefore, the battery charger 10 can be manufactured efficiently.

Although several specific examples have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations.

10: Charger 12: Housing 14: Battery Interface 16: Battery Connection Terminal 18: Terminal Cover 20: Terminal Base 22: Power Cord 22a: Bending Portion 24: Plug 26: Filter Board 28a: First Charging Board 28b: Second Charging Substrate 30: Lower portion of housing 32: Cord holding portion 32a: Protruding portion of cord holding portion 40: Upper portion of housing 42: Cord outlet

Claims (16)

A charger for charging a battery pack,
a housing to which the battery pack is detachably attached;
at least one battery connection terminal electrically connected to a battery pack attached to the housing;
a terminal base positioned within the housing and supporting the at least one battery connection terminal;
a power cord extending inside and outside the housing and connecting the charger to an external power source;
The housing has a first portion and a second portion assembled to the first portion and defines a cord outlet between the first portion and the second portion through which the power cord passes. and
A cord holding portion for holding a portion of the power cord along a predetermined path is provided on the inner surface of the first portion,
The terminal base is assembled to the first portion of the housing and has a first cord restraining portion that contacts a first position of the power cord held by the cord holding portion,
charger. the first portion being one of a lower portion and an upper portion of the housing;
2. The charger of claim 1, wherein said second portion is the other of a lower portion and an upper portion of said housing. 3. The charger according to claim 1, wherein said first cord holding portion further abuts on a second position of said power cord held by said cord holding portion. 4. The charger according to claim 3, wherein the longitudinal direction of said power cord at said first position and the longitudinal direction of said power cord at said second position are different from each other. The charger according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said power cord has at least one bent portion in said cord holding portion. 6. The charger of claim 5, wherein said first position of said power cord is located at a bend in said power cord. 7. The charger according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said upper portion of said housing has a second cord hold-down portion that abuts against a third position of said power cord held by said cord holding portion. 8. The charger of claim 7, wherein the third position of the power cord is located between the first position of the power cord and the cord outlet of the housing in the longitudinal direction of the power cord. The charger according to claim 7 or 8, wherein said second cord retainer further contacts a fourth position of said power cord held by said cord holding portion. 10. The charger of claim 9, wherein the first position of the power cord is located between the third position and the fourth position of the power cord in the longitudinal direction of the power cord. further comprising a circuit board located inside the housing and connected to the power cord;
11. The charger according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said terminal base further has a board restraining portion that abuts against a circuit board assembled to said first portion of said housing. 11. The cord retainer according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said cord retainer has a plurality of protrusions protruding from said inner surface of said first portion of said housing, and retains said power cord between said plurality of protrusions. 1. Charger according to item 1. at least part of the cord holding portion is positioned between the inner surface of the first portion of the housing and the terminal base;
The charger according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein said first cord retainer protrudes from said terminal base toward the inner surface of said housing. 14. The charger of any one of claims 1-13, wherein the at least one battery connection terminal comprises a pair of power connection terminals for outputting charging power to the battery pack. 15. The charger of any one of claims 1-14, wherein the at least one battery connection terminal comprises a signal connection terminal for transmitting signals to or receiving signals from the battery pack. The charger according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the battery pack is attachable to and detachable from an electrical device, and attached to the housing in a state of being detached from the electrical device.

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