JPH11224653A - Waterproof battery pack - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waterproof battery pack that has high reliability and allows its large-volume production to be realized. SOLUTION: This waterproof battery pack is provided with: a battery pack body 1 having a battery 2, a wiring circuit 3 to connect the battery 2 electrically, and a plate-like external connection terminal part 4; a pair of outer case pieces to contain the battery pack body 1 by composing a container 5 by joining and integrating their sealed surfaces; a terminal leading part placed at the sealed part of the case pieces corresponding to the periphery of a led region 4c so as to lead the tip of the external connection terminal part 4 nippingly; and a shield ring 6 that is attached to the led region 4c of the terminal leading part and holds the led region 4c, which is led to the container, of the external connection terminal part 4 liquid-tightly; and the shield ring 6 is formed into a long circular shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the led region 4c of the external connection terminal part 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof battery pack which can be used even in a high humidity environment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A power supply component formed (formed) of a battery (unit cell) is called a battery pack, and is widely and practically used as a power source for, for example, a portable telephone. Here, a battery pack generally includes a plurality of unit cells, a wiring circuit for electrically connecting these unit cells, a safety element, a contact terminal, and the like in an outer container (outer case) having electrical insulation properties. (Internal). That is, a battery or the like (battery pack main body) is incorporated in an exterior case that is divided into a plurality of parts and can be combined and integrated with each other by means such as fitting the surfaces to be sealed (regions) to each other. Made up of

Conventionally, such power supply components have been mainly composed of primary batteries, but recently, the position has shifted to rechargeable and rechargeable batteries, and their use has been expanding year by year, and demand has been increasing. ing. The power supply component (battery power supply) indispensable for the cordless device is not only integrated with the device main body, but also in a form of a battery pack in which the power supply component is made independent and an external connection terminal is fitted to the device main body.

[0004] With the expansion of applications, use conditions are becoming stricter. For example, use in high humidity and rainy weather is increasing, and it is safe to lead out and seal external connection terminals. Liquid tightness is required in terms of performance and reliability.

[0005]

In response to such a trend, the facing sealing portions of the outer case pieces are joined and integrated with each other by ultrasonic waves or an adhesive. In (2), since the lead-out portion is formed and arranged adjacent to a wiring circuit portion including a circuit element such as a safety element, it cannot be simply bonded and sealed by ultrasonic bonding or an adhesive. In other words, considering the compactness of the battery pack or the simplification of the configuration,
A structure of a wiring board in which a wiring circuit section is integrated is being adopted, and terminals of an external connection terminal section are arranged on the wiring board.

Therefore, the lead-out area of the external connection terminal portion is inserted between the opposing sealing surfaces of the outer case pieces with the wiring board having the lead-out area formed therebetween. Are bonded and integrated. However, when performing the above ultrasonic bonding or bonding and sealing with an adhesive, the effects of heat and curing shrinkage of the adhesive are inevitably caused, and the performance of the wiring circuit may be impaired. Is concerned.

In order to seal the lead-out region of the external connection terminal portion in a liquid-tight manner, generally, it is conceivable to insert and dispose a commercially available rubber band (annular) shield ring. That is, the present inventors fit and arrange a rubber-ring-shaped shield ring in a region to be led out of the external connection terminal portion, and fill and seal between the opposing sealing surfaces of the outer case piece in a liquid-tight manner. Tried that.

However, when the rubber-ring-shaped shield ring is fitted and arranged, unevenness occurs in the shield ring, and a gap is formed on the surface of the external connection terminal portion and the sealing surface of the outer case piece. And it was difficult to achieve the required liquid tightness. Based on such circumstances, as a result of further study, while the material of the shield ring is made of an elastic material, the cross-sectional shape of the derived region of the external connection terminal portion, that is, an elliptical shape corresponding to the plate shape (sheath-shaped cross-section) Etc.), it has been found that sufficient liquid-tight sealing is easily achieved.

The present invention has been made based on the above findings, and has as its object to provide a waterproof battery pack which is highly reliable and can be easily realized in mass production.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery pack body having a battery, a wiring circuit for electrically connecting the battery, and a plate-like external connection terminal portion, and an integrated connection of a surface to be sealed. A pair of outer case pieces that house the battery pack main body and a pair of outer case pieces corresponding to the outer periphery of the derived area in order to lead out the tip of the external connection terminal portion in a sandwiched manner. A terminal lead-out portion provided in the portion to be sealed, and a shield ring mounted in the lead-out region of the terminal lead-out portion and liquid-tightly holding the lead-out region of the external connection terminal portion led out to the outer container. Wherein the shield ring has an oval shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of a region to which the external connection terminal portion is to be led out.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the waterproof type battery according to the first aspect, the shield ring is made of an elastic material having a rubber hardness of 30 to 70.

A third aspect of the present invention is the waterproof type battery pack according to the first or second aspect, wherein the shield ring is made of silicone rubber.

In the above invention, the configuration of the battery pack main body, the material, shape and dimensions of the outer case piece, and the configuration of the lead-out area of the external connection terminal are not particularly limited. Also,
Examples of the material of the shield ring include silicone rubber, polybutadiene rubber, butyl rubber, styrene / butadiene rubber, nitroacryl / butadiene rubber,
Elastic bodies such as chloroprene rubber and neoprene rubber are exemplified. These elastic bodies preferably have a rubber hardness of about 30 to 70, and silicone rubber is particularly preferable because of its good heat and water resistance.

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the lead-out area of the external connection terminal portion of the battery pack main body which is internally (built-in) in the outer container has a liquid-tightly sealed / leaded-out configuration. The effects of water and moisture on all components including the unit cells and the wiring board that constitute the pack body are completely avoided, and the electrical reliability of the battery pack is maintained.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a waterproof battery pack, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an essential configuration of the waterproof battery pack, and FIG. 3 is a plate-like external connection in the waterproof battery pack. It is an expansion perspective view which expands and shows the sealing structure of a terminal part. 1, 2 and 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a battery pack main body, which includes a battery 2, a wiring circuit 3 for electrically connecting the battery 2, and a plate-shaped external connection terminal 4.

Here, the battery 2 has a configuration in which, for example, a plurality of square nickel-metal hydride secondary batteries or square lithium-ion secondary batteries are packaged in a plate-like square shape. Has a configuration in which a printed wiring board incorporating a circuit element such as a safety element is mounted on an insulating holding frame and molded and sealed with resin. Note that 3a,
3b is a lead piece for connecting the battery 2 side terminal and the wiring circuit 3. Further, the plate-shaped external connection terminal portion 4 has a structure in which an insulating holding frame forming a part of the wiring circuit 3 is extended, and the charging terminal 4a is adjacent to the charging terminal 4a. 4b is provided.

Reference numeral 5 denotes an outer container for a battery pack in which the battery pack main body 1 is housed (built in), and the opposing sealed surfaces of a pair of insulating outer case pieces 5a and 5b are joined and integrated. It is comprised by making into. here,
The insulative outer case pieces 5a and 5b are made of, for example, polycarbonate resin by molding, and have window holes 5a 'and 5b' for exposing the charging terminal 4a and the discharging terminal 4b, respectively. The battery pack main body 1 is housed in the insulative outer case piece 5a, and the open end face of the other insulative outer case piece 5b is engaged (fitted) with and integrated with the open end face to make it liquid-tight. Made up of The outer case piece
In the engagement and integration of the opening end surfaces of the opening ends 5b and 5a, portions other than the lead-out region of the plate-shaped external connection terminal portion 4 described later may be made liquid-tight by, for example, ultrasonic welding or using an adhesive together. .

It is to be noted that the leading end of the external connection terminal portion 4, that is, the charging terminal 4a portion is led out of the outer container 5 (exposure).
Corresponds to the terminal lead-out portion of the opposing sealed portion of the outer case pieces 5a and 5b which have been processed in advance so as to correspond to the cross-sectional outer shape (outer periphery) of the lead-out region 4c in the plate-like external connection terminal portion 4. It is configured to be derived in a steady manner. In addition, an elliptical shield ring 6 for keeping the lead-out region 4c of the external connection terminal portion 4 to be led out liquid-tight with respect to the outer container 5 is inserted and attached to the terminal lead-out portion.

Here, the shield ring 6 is made of, for example, silicone rubber having a rubber hardness of about 40, and has an oblong shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the lead-out region 4c of the external connection terminal portion 4. Both ends are semicircular). More specifically, when the cross-sectional shape of the derived region 4c of the external connection terminal portion 4 is 18 × 0.9 mm, the outer diameter
8.6mm, inside diameter about 17mm, short outside diameter 2.5mm, inside diameter 0.88mm
About 0.8mm in width.

In the waterproof type battery pack having the above-described structure, the lead-out area 4c of the external connection terminal portion 4 is securely sealed in a liquid-tight manner, and highly reliable waterproofing is easily secured. Therefore, even in a high-humidity atmosphere, moisture intrusion from the lead-out region 4c of the external connection terminal portion 4, which is of most concern, is prevented, so that performance degradation due to invading moisture is prevented. Become.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. In other words, if the battery pack has a configuration in which the external connection terminal portion has a plate shape and is configured to be liquid-tightly sealed and led out from the outer container, the shape and dimensions of the main body portion, the material of the outer container, the standard and type of the battery, and the Regardless of the type or the like, any case can be applied.

[0023]

According to the present invention, the elliptical shield ring fitted and attached to the lead-out area of the external connection terminal portion of the battery pack compresses and substantially uniformly extends along the outer peripheral surface of the lead-out area. In addition to the close contact, on the other hand, it uniformly adheres to the opposing surface of the outer case piece that integrally forms the outer container, and easily becomes liquid-tight. In addition, the battery pack assembling operation or assembling process is simple, the yield is high, and a waterproof battery pack can be formed. In other words, since the mass productivity is good, it has become possible to provide a more effective battery pack as a portable battery power supply in combination with the higher reliability associated with the implementation of the advanced waterproof structure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a developed perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a waterproof battery pack according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main configuration of a waterproof battery pack according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing, in an enlarged and expanded manner, a main part configuration of a lead-out region of an external connection terminal portion in the waterproof battery pack according to one embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Battery pack body 2 Battery 3 Wiring circuit 3a, 3b Lead 4 External connection terminal 4a Charge terminal 4b Discharge terminal 4c … Derived area of external connection terminal 5 …… Outer container (outer case) 5a, 5b… Outer case pieces 5a ′, 5b ′… Window holes for exposing terminals of the outer case

Claims (3)

[Claims] A battery pack body having a battery, a wiring circuit for electrically connecting the batteries, and a plate-shaped external connection terminal; A pair of exterior cases that house the main body, and a terminal lead-out portion provided on the sealed portion of the exterior case corresponding to the outer periphery of the lead-out region in order to pinch out the tip of the external connection terminal portion. A waterproof type battery pack comprising: a shield ring that is attached to the lead-out area of the terminal lead-out part and that holds the lead-out area of the external connection terminal part led out to the outer container in a liquid-tight manner. A waterproof battery pack, wherein the shield ring has an oval shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of a region from which the external connection terminal portion is led out. 2. The waterproof battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the shield ring is made of an elastic material having a rubber hardness of 30 to 70. 3. The waterproof battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the shield ring is made of silicone rubber.