WO2016121461A1

WO2016121461A1 - Cell pack and electric tool

Info

Publication number: WO2016121461A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/050501
Authority: WO
Inventors: 翔太菅野
Original assignee: 日立工機株式会社
Priority date: 2015-01-30
Filing date: 2016-01-08
Publication date: 2016-08-04
Also published as: JPWO2016121461A1; JP6388142B2

Abstract

In order to provide a cell pack able to accommodate larger substrate size, while minimizing increase in overall size, an upper case 4 of a cell pack is provided with a latch member 20 for latching the cell pack to a destination device on which the cell pack is to be mounted. The latch member 20 includes a claw part 21 that engages a latch-receiving part of the mounting destination device, an operating part 22 for pushing the latch member 20 towards the inside of the upper case 4, and a linking part 23 linking the claw part 21 and the operating part 22. The linking part 23 is provided with a first recessed part 23a. When the latch member 20 is pushed towards the inside of the upper case 4, a substrate 7 and the first recessed part 23a of the linking part 23 overlap one another, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the substrate 7.

Description

Battery pack and power tool

The present invention relates to a battery pack and a power tool that are detachably attached to, for example, a cordless power tool.

The cordless electric tool is detachably mounted with a battery pack for supplying electric power to a motor as a driving source. The battery pack includes a secondary battery cell such as a rechargeable lithium battery. For example, the battery pack is attached to the lower end portion (battery attachment portion) of the handle portion of the tool body by sliding in the lateral direction along the rail portion, and the attachment state is maintained by the latch mechanism. Specifically, the claw portion of the latch member provided in the battery pack engages with the latch recess provided in the tool main body so that the battery pack does not come off from the tool main body.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-260619

In recent years, the capacity of battery packs has been increasing, and the number of battery packs incorporating ICs such as microcomputers has increased. Along with this, it is necessary to enlarge the substrate provided in the battery pack, but there is almost no extra space in the battery pack. On the other hand, it is not desirable to increase the size of the battery pack in order to enlarge the substrate.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack that can cope with an increase in the size of a substrate while suppressing an increase in the overall size.

One embodiment of the present invention is a battery pack. The battery pack includes a battery case, battery cells and substrates housed in the battery case, a latch member provided in the battery case, and an urging force for urging the latch member outward from the battery case. Means for pushing the latch member toward the inside of the battery case against the urging force by the urging means. And a connecting part that connects the claw part and the operating part through the battery case, wherein the connecting part is provided with a first recess, and the latch member is located inside the battery case. When pushed in, the substrate and the first recess of the connecting portion overlap each other when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the substrate.

An element may be mounted or a pattern may be formed on a portion of the substrate that overlaps the first concave portion of the connecting portion.

The latch portion includes a guide portion that extends into the battery case from the operation portion on a side opposite to the connection portion, the second recess is provided in the guide portion, and the latch member faces the inside of the battery case. When pushed in, the substrate and the second recess of the guide portion may overlap each other when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the substrate.

The latch member and the substrate may not contact each other.

The latch member may be in contact with the battery case on both sides of the urging unit, thereby restricting a rotation range viewed from a direction perpendicular to the substrate.

It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements, and those obtained by converting the expression of the present invention between methods and systems are also effective as aspects of the present invention.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the battery pack which can respond to the enlargement of a board | substrate can be provided, suppressing the enlargement of the whole size.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a battery pack 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The lower perspective view of the upper case 4 of the battery pack 1 with the latch member 20 attached. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part AA in FIG. FIG. 3 is a first perspective view of a latch member 20 of the battery pack 1. The 2nd perspective view. The 3rd perspective view. The 4th perspective view. The bottom view of the state where the latch member 20 of the upper case 4 is not pushed. The bottom view of the state where the latch member 20 of the upper case 4 was pushed in. BB sectional drawing of FIG. Explanatory drawing of the cut surface in sectional drawing shown in FIG.12 and FIG.13. FIG. 12 is an essential part cross-sectional view of the upper case 4 taken along the line CC in FIG. 11 in a state where the latch member 20 is rotated clockwise. FIG. 12 is an essential part cross-sectional view of the upper case 4 cut along line DD in FIG. 11 in a state where the latch member 20 is rotated counterclockwise. Sectional drawing of the principal part of the upper case 804 in the state which the latch member 820 rotated clockwise in the battery pack which concerns on a comparative example. Sectional drawing of the principal part of the upper case 804 in the state which the latch member 820 rotated counterclockwise in the battery pack which concerns on a comparative example. The attachment explanatory view of battery pack 1 to an electric tool. The enlarged view of the battery attachment part 10b of the electric tool shown in FIG. The exploded perspective view of the battery pack 2 which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. The bottom view of the state which attached the latch member 20 of the upper case 4 of the battery pack 2. FIG. The lower perspective view of the upper case 4. FIG. FIG. 3 is a first perspective view of a latch member 20 of the battery pack 2. The 2nd perspective view. The perspective view of the plate 9 of the battery pack 2. FIG. EE sectional drawing of FIG. The bottom sectional view of the upper case 4 in a state where the latch member 20 is not pushed. The bottom sectional view of the upper case 4 in a state where the latch member 20 is pushed. FF sectional drawing of FIG. The bottom view of the upper case 4 in the state which the latch member 20 rotated clockwise. The bottom view of the upper case 4 of the battery pack which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same or equivalent component, member, etc. which are shown by each drawing, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted suitably. In addition, the embodiments do not limit the invention but are exemplifications, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a battery pack 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In this figure, the vertical direction is defined. FIG. 2 is a lower perspective view of the upper case 4 of the battery pack 1 with the latch member 20 attached. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 4 is a first perspective view of the latch member 20, FIG. 5 is a second perspective view, FIG. 6 is a third perspective view, and FIG. 7 is a fourth perspective view.

The battery pack 1 is detachably attached to, for example, a cordless electric tool, and supplies power to a motor that is a drive source. The battery pack 1 includes a battery case 3, battery cells 6, a substrate 7, a spring 8 as an urging means, a plate (spring guide member) 9, and a latch member 20. The battery case 3 is a combination of the upper case 4 and the lower case 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper case 4 has a battery side rail portion 4a and a battery side engaging groove portion 4b on the left and right sides, respectively. The battery side rail part 4a and the battery side engaging groove part 4b serve as a guide when the battery pack 1 is slid and attached to the device.

The battery cell 6 and the substrate 7 are accommodated in the battery case 3. The battery cell 6 is a secondary battery cell such as a rechargeable lithium battery. An IC such as a microcomputer and a protection circuit and various elements (electronic parts) are mounted on the substrate 7 and a conductive pattern is formed. The spring 8 biases the latch member 20 outward from the upper case 4. The plate 9 is fixed to the upper case 4 by screws or the like, and supports (guides) the spring 8 together with the upper case 4. The latch members 20 are provided on both side surfaces of the upper case 4, respectively, and lock the battery pack 1 to a device to which the battery pack 1 is attached (for example, an electric tool). The two latch members 20 are symmetrical with respect to each other, and FIGS. 4 to 7 show one of the latch members 20 (appearing on the left side of FIG. 1).

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the latch member 20 includes a claw portion 21, an operation portion 22, a connecting portion (arm portion) 23, and a guide portion (guide rib) 24. The claw portion 21 protrudes outward from the battery side engaging groove portion 4b of the upper case 4 and is hooked (engaged) with a latch receiving portion (latch recess) of the attachment destination device, whereby the battery pack 1 is attached to the attachment destination device. Lock to. The operation unit 22 projects outward from the upper case 4. When the user presses the operating portion 22, the latch member 20 is pushed (slidably moved) inside the upper case 4 against the bias of the spring 8, and the claw portion 21 of the latch member 20 and the mounting destination device The engagement with the latch receiving portion is released, and the battery pack 1 can be removed from the device to which the battery pack 1 is attached.

The connecting portion 23 is, for example, substantially L-shaped when viewed in the vertical direction, and connects the claw portion 21 and the operation portion 22 through the upper case 4. The connecting portion 23 is provided with a first recess (step portion) 23a and a rotation-preventing rib 23b. As will be described later, the first recess 23a prevents the latch member 20 and the substrate 7 from interfering with each other when the latch member 20 is pushed toward the inside of the upper case 4. The anti-rotation rib 23b engages with the anti-rotation rib (guide rib) 4c of the upper case 4 when the latch member 20 rotates, as described later, and restricts the rotation of the latch member 20.

The guide portion 24 extends from the operation portion 22 into the upper case 4 on the side opposite to the connecting portion 23 and, as will be described later, when the latch member 20 is rotated, a rotation-preventing rib (guide rib) 4d of the upper case 4. And the rotation of the latch member 20 is restricted. The guide portion 24 is provided with a second concave portion (step portion) 24a and a locking convex portion 24b. As will be described later, the second recess 24a prevents the latch member 20 and the substrate 7 from interfering with each other when the latch member 20 is pushed toward the inside of the upper case 4. The locking projection 24 b engages with the inner wall of the upper case 4 and locks the latch member 20 together with the connecting portion 23 to the upper case 4.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the upper case 4 in a state where the latch member 20 is not pushed. FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the upper case 4 in a state where the latch member 20 is pushed. 8 and 9, the latch member 20 is highlighted by hatching. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, when the latch member 20 is pushed toward the inside of the upper case 4, the first portion of the connecting portion 23 between the substrate 7 and the latch member 20 is viewed from the direction perpendicular to the substrate 7. The recesses 23a overlap each other. Similarly, the substrate 7 and the second recess 24a of the guide portion 24 of the latch member 20 also overlap each other. The latch member 20 and the substrate 7 are preferably not in contact with each other. The element 7a is preferably mounted on the portion of the substrate 7 that overlaps the first recess 23a of the connecting portion 23, and a conductive pattern (not shown) is formed as necessary. An element (not shown) may be mounted or a conductive pattern (not shown) may be formed on a portion of the substrate 7 that overlaps the second recess 24 a of the guide part 24.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram in the cross-sectional views shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part of the upper case 4 taken along the line CC in FIG. 11 in a state where the latch member 20 is rotated clockwise. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the upper case 4 cut along the line DD in FIG. 11 in a state where the latch member 20 is rotated counterclockwise. In FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the latch member 20 is highlighted by hatching. As shown in FIG. 12, when the latch member 20 is rotated clockwise as viewed from below, the anti-rotation rib 23b of the connecting portion 23 of the latch member 20 comes into contact with the anti-rotation rib 4c of the upper case 4, and The leading end corner of the guide portion 24 of the latch member 20 comes into contact with the rotation-preventing rib 4d of the upper case 4, and further clockwise rotation is restricted. As shown in FIG. 13, when the latch member 20 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from below, the connecting portion 23 of the latch member 20 comes into contact with the rotation prevention rib (guide rib) 4 e of the upper case 4 and the latch member. The intermediate corner portion (convex portion) of the 20 guide portions 24 comes into contact with the rotation-preventing rib 4d of the upper case 4, and further counterclockwise rotation is restricted. In this way, the latch member 20 contacts the rotation-preventing ribs of the upper case 4 on both sides of the operation portion 22 (spring 8), so that the rotation range viewed from the direction perpendicular to the substrate 7 (vertical direction). Is regulated.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the upper case 804 in a state where the latch member 820 is rotated clockwise in the battery pack according to the comparative example. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the upper case 804 in a state where the latch member 820 is rotated counterclockwise in the battery pack according to the comparative example. As shown in these figures, in the comparative example, the contact point between the upper case 804 and the latch member 820 is close to one side, and the distance between the two contact portions is short. When the latch member 820 is operated in a state where the dust of the material enters the contact portion, there is a problem that the contact portion is damaged and the operability is deteriorated. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the contact point between the upper case 4 and the latch member 20 is divided on both sides with respect to the operation part 22, and the distance between the two contact parts is long. It is suppressed.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory view of mounting of the battery pack 1 on the electric tool. FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of the battery mounting portion 10b of the electric tool shown in FIG. The housing 10 of the electric tool has a cylindrical portion 10e containing a motor or the like, and a handle portion 10a extends downward from an intermediate portion of the cylindrical portion 10e. A battery mounting portion 10b is provided at the lower end of the handle portion 10a. A tool side rail portion 10c and a tool side engagement groove portion 10f are provided on both inner side surfaces of the battery mounting portion 10b. The tool side rail portion 10 c is provided with a latch recess (latch receiving portion) 10 d that engages with the claw portion 21 of the latch member 20 of the battery pack 1. When the battery pack 1 is attached to the battery attachment portion 10b, the battery pack 1 is placed laterally with respect to the housing 10 so that the tool side rail portion 10c of the battery attachment portion 10b enters the battery side engagement groove portion 4b of the battery pack 1. It slides in a direction (a direction substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction), that is, along the longitudinal direction of the battery-side rail portion 4a, and engages the claw portion 21 of the latch member 20 with the latch recess 10d of the electric tool.

According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

(1) The connecting portion 23 of the hook latch member 20 has a first recess 23a, and when the latch member 20 is pushed inward of the upper case 4, the substrate 7 and the first portion are viewed from the direction perpendicular to the substrate 7. Since the recesses 23a overlap each other and the mutual interference between the substrate 7 and the connecting part 23 is prevented, unlike the conventional latch member that does not have the first recess 23a, the increase in the overall size of the battery pack 1 is suppressed. It becomes possible to cope with an increase in the size of the substrate 7. The same effect can be obtained when the guide portion 24 of the latch member 20 has the second recess 24a.

(2) Since the first concave portion 23a is provided in the connecting portion 23 of the hook latch member 20 to cope with an increase in the size of the substrate 7, the latch member 20 is different from the case where the thickness of the connecting portion is entirely reduced. The mechanical strength of can be increased. That is, when the thickness of the connecting portion is reduced overall, the connecting portion may be damaged due to a large bending stress applied to the connecting portion when an impact is applied due to dropping of the battery pack 1 or the like. In the present embodiment, since the connecting portion 23 is a compact portion above the first recess 23a, damage to the connecting portion 23 due to impact can be suppressed.

(3) Since the latch member 20 and the substrate 7 do not come into contact with each other even when the latch member 20 is pushed in, no force is applied to the substrate 7 by the operation of the latch member 20, and damage to the substrate 7 due to the operation of the latch member 20 can be suppressed.

(4) The saddle substrate 7 has the element 7a mounted on the portion of the connecting portion 23 that overlaps the first recess 23a, and the portion that can be widened by the first recess 23a is effectively used to make it multifunctional. High functionality can be achieved.

(5) Since the hook latch member 20 comes into contact with the upper case 4 on both sides of the operation portion 22 and the distance between the two contact portions can be secured long, deterioration in operability due to dust intrusion can be suppressed.

Second Embodiment FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of a battery pack 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 19 is a bottom view of the upper case 4 of the battery pack 2 with the latch member 20 attached. FIG. 20 is a lower perspective view of the upper case 4. FIG. 21 is a first perspective view of the latch member 20 of the battery pack 2. FIG. 22 is a second perspective view of the same. FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the plate 9 of the battery pack 2. 24 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. FIG. 25 is a bottom cross-sectional view of the upper case 4 in a state where the latch member 20 is not pushed. FIG. 26 is a bottom sectional view of the upper case 4 in a state where the latch member 20 is pushed. 27 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF in FIG. FIG. 28 is a bottom view of the upper case 4 in a state where the latch member 20 is rotated clockwise.

In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the latch member 20 has a shaft portion 22a. The shaft portion 22 a extends from the operation portion 22 toward the inside of the upper case 4. The periphery of the shaft portion 22a of the operation portion 22 is a spring seat surface 22b. The upper case 4 has a latch bearing surface 4 f that receives the shaft portion 22 a of the latch member 20. The plate 9 has a latch bearing surface 9 b that receives the shaft portion 22 a of the latch member 20 together with the latch bearing surface 4 f of the upper case 4. The plate mating surface 4g of the upper case 4 and the upper case mating surface 9a of the plate 9 are in contact with each other. The latch opening 4 h of the upper case 4 appearing in FIG. 20 extends the operation part 22 of the latch member 20 to the outside of the upper case 4.

As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the latch member 20 has the shaft portion 22a guided by the upper case 4 and the plate 9, and slides along the length direction of the shaft portion 22a. As shown in FIG. 28, when the latch member 20 rotates, both sides of the shaft portion 22a come into contact with the upper case 4, and further rotation is restricted. 28 shows a case where the latch member 20 is rotated clockwise as viewed from below, but both sides of the shaft portion 22a are in contact with the upper case 4 in the same manner when the latch member 20 is rotated counterclockwise.

In the present embodiment, the distance between the two contact portions when the latch member 20 is rotated is shorter than that in the first embodiment, but the shaft portion 22a serving as the contact portion is a portion where dust does not easily enter. Therefore, operability deterioration due to dust intrusion hardly occurs. Other points of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same effects can be achieved.

The present invention has been described above by taking the embodiment as an example. However, it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to each component and each processing process of the embodiment within the scope of the claims. By the way. Hereinafter, modifications will be described.

The first concave portion 23a of the connecting portion 23 of the latch member 20 and the second concave portion 24a of the guide portion 24 are not limited to the stepped shape (L-shaped cross section) as shown in the embodiment, for example, a groove shape ( It may be a U-shaped cross section). From the viewpoint of dealing with the increase in the size of the substrate 7, the two contact portions when the latch member 20 rotates may be the same as in the comparative example shown in FIGS.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the latch member 20 is configured to move in parallel with the upper case 4. However, as shown in FIG. Good. FIG. 29 is a bottom view of the upper case 4 and shows a state in which the latch member 30 is pushed inside the upper case 4. When the latch member 30 pushes the operation portion 31 toward the upper case 4, the claw portion 33 rotates around the rotation shaft 32 toward the upper case 4. The latch member 30 includes a shaft portion 34 supported by the rotation shaft 32, a connecting portion 35 that connects the shaft portion 34 and the claw portion 33, and a spring 37 that biases the latch member 30 to the outside of the upper case 4. Have. By providing the connecting portion 35 with the concave portion 36 similarly to the concave portion (stepped portion) 23a of the above-described embodiment, the same effect as the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,2 ... Battery pack, 3 ... Battery case, 4 ... Upper case, 4a ... Battery side rail part, 4b ... Battery side engaging groove part, 4c, 4d, 4e ... Anti-rotation rib (guide rib), 4f ... Latch Bearing surface, 4g ... plate mating surface, 4h ... latch opening, 5 ... lower case, 6 ... battery cell, 7 ... substrate, 7a ... element, 8 ... spring (biasing means), 9 ... plate (spring guide member) ), 9a ... Upper case mating surface, 9b ... Latch bearing surface, 10 ... Housing, 10a ... Handle portion, 10b ... Battery mounting portion, 10c ... Tool side rail portion, 10d ... Latch recess (latch receiving portion), 10e ... Tube Shape part, 10f ... tool side engaging groove part, 20 ... latch member, 21 ... claw part, 22 ... operating part, 22a ... shaft part, 22b ... spring seat surface, 23 ... connecting part (arm part), 23a ... first Recess (stepped portion), 23b ... times Stop rib 24... Guide part (guide rib) 24 a. Second recess (step part) 24 b. Locking protrusion 30. Latch member 31. Operation part 32. 34, shaft portion, 35, coupling portion, 36, recess, 804, upper case, 820, latch member

Claims

A battery case,
Battery cells and substrates housed in the battery case;
A latch member provided in the battery case;
Urging means for urging the latch member outward from the battery case; and
The latch member has a claw projecting outward from the battery case;
An operation portion for pushing the latch member toward the inside of the battery case against the biasing by the biasing means;
A connection part for connecting the claw part and the operation part through the battery case;
When the connection portion is provided with a first recess, and the latch member is pushed inward of the battery case, the first recess of the substrate and the connection portion is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the substrate. Battery packs that overlap each other.
The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein an element is mounted or a pattern is formed on a portion of the substrate that overlaps the first recess of the connecting portion.
The latch portion includes a guide portion that extends from the operation portion into the battery case on the opposite side of the connection portion,
When the second concave portion is provided in the guide portion and the latch member is pushed toward the inside of the battery case, the second concave portion of the substrate and the guide portion is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the substrate. The battery pack according to claim 1 or 2, wherein are overlapped with each other.
The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the latch member and the substrate do not contact each other.
5. The rotation range of the latch member as defined in claim 1, wherein the latch member is in contact with the battery case on both sides of the biasing unit, thereby restricting a rotation range viewed from a direction perpendicular to the substrate. The battery pack described.