Holding device

Abstract

The holding device (20) is provided with a frame body (22), and the frame body (22) is provided with a holding part (24) for holding the article (10) in a pluggable manner. The inside of the frame body is provided with a retaining frame (40, 42) for positioning and fixing the retaining part in a detachable manner. A housing section (92) that constitutes a housing space for housing an article is provided so as to be preassembled to the holding section before the holding section is held by the holding frame.

Description

This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with the application number 202080082385.4. The international application number of the original application is PCT / JP2020 / 044142, the priority date is November 29, 2019, the application date for entering China is May 26, 2022, and the invention name of the original application is "Holding Device". Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a holding device having a holding portion for holding an article in a pluggable manner. Background Art

[0002] In most power devices, power is supplied from a battery detachably mounted on the power device. As is well known, the discharge capacity of a battery decreases as power is supplied, so it needs to be charged. For example, charging is performed by a holding device described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 6286084.

[0003] The frame body constituting the holding device has a main body and a plurality of door members. Among them, the main body is formed with a plurality of inner chambers; the door members are rotatably provided on the front surface of the main body. A battery holder is provided on the back surface (the surface facing the inner chamber) of each door member. After the door member is set to the open state and the battery is held in an inclined posture by the battery holder, the door member is rotated to the closed state. With this rotation, the battery holder and the battery move into the inner chamber, and the battery becomes a substantially upright standing posture.

[0004] After that, the device-side connector provided on the battery holder is engaged with the battery-side connector provided at the bottom of the battery. That is, the two connectors are electrically connected. After that, power is supplied to the battery-side connector via the device-side connector, thereby charging the battery. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The holding device described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 6286084 is structured to charge the battery in all the inner chambers. On the other hand, it is required that the holding device can easily install a display device for showing the charging state of each battery, an operation panel for operating the holding device, a monitoring camera, etc. according to the specifications or the user's selection.

[0006] The main object of the present invention is to provide a holding device that can easily install devices according to specifications or user desires.

[0007] According to one technical solution of the present invention, there is provided a holding device having a frame body, the frame body having a holding portion for holding an article in a pluggable manner, and the holding device is characterized in that It has a holding skeleton, which is arranged inside the housing and fixes the holding part in a detachable manner. The accommodating part that forms an accommodating space for accommodating the article is arranged so that it can be pre-assembled to the holding part before the holding part is fixed to the holding skeleton.

[0008] According to the present invention, the accommodating part is configured as a component that is detachably fixed to the holding skeleton, rather than being placed in the housing. That is, the accommodating part as the held part is separately provided from the housing. Therefore, it is easy to change the accommodating part to another held part (such as a component), and thus, the holding device can be assembled into a structure corresponding to the specifications and the user's wishes. Therefore, it can cope with the diversification of specifications and requirements.

[0009] In addition, even when assembling holding devices with different structures, only the held part needs to be changed, and there is no need to particularly change the housing. That is, even when the held part is changed in order to configure the holding device into different specifications, the same housing can be used. In other words, the housing can be made universal. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the holding device can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 It is a schematic exploded perspective view of a holding device (battery exchanger) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 It is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the battery exchanger. Figure 3 It is a schematic perspective view of a monocoque frame as a holding skeleton arranged inside the housing. Figure 4 It is a schematic perspective view of a slot component (accommodating part) held inside the housing and used for accommodating a mobile battery. Figure 5 It is a simplified cross-sectional view of a part of the housing. Figure 6 It is a main part perspective view showing a guide rail provided on the holding skeleton. Figure 7 It shows starting from Figure 4 a schematic perspective view of the state where a mobile battery as an article is inserted into the slot component. Figure 8 It is a schematic front view of the case where the slot component is connected to the monocoque frame. Figure 9 It is adopted Figure 8 a schematic side cross-sectional view of the battery exchanger with the structure of. Figure 10 It is starting from Figure 1Schematic front view of a battery switch configured by a change. Figure 11 It is a battery switch configured by further changing the electrical equipment mounted from Figure 1 and Figure 10 Schematic front view of a battery switch. Figure 12 It is a schematic perspective view showing a state where a wire is wound around a convex portion provided on a slot component. Figure 13 It is Figure 12 Schematic side sectional view of the slot component along the depth direction of the housing. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

[0011] Next, preferred embodiments will be listed and the holding device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the present embodiment, a battery switch is illustrated as the holding device, and the battery switch holds Figure 4 the mobile battery 10 shown and charges the mobile battery 10. In addition, the term "pre-assemblable" means that it can be installed on a component before each component is fixed to a unitary frame 40 (unitary housing 42) within the housing 22.

[0012] First, the mobile battery 10 will be schematically described with reference to Figure 4 In this case, the mobile battery 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a battery-side connector 12 including a female terminal as a first terminal is provided on its bottom. In addition, a rod-shaped handle 14 is provided on the upper part, and the handle 14 has a substantially I-shaped configuration when viewed from above.

[0013] The mobile battery 10 having such a shape is detachably mounted on various power devices and functions as a power supply for supplying power to the power devices. The power devices are energized by the power supplied from the mobile battery 10 and perform a prescribed operation. As a representative example of such a power device, a vehicle that travels using electricity such as an electric vehicle can be cited. In addition, the vehicle includes straddle-type vehicles such as motorcycles.

[0014] Next, the battery switch 20 (holding device) that holds the mobile battery 10 in a pluggable manner will be described.

[0015] Figures 1 to 4They are respectively a schematic three-dimensional exploded view of the battery switch 20, a schematic side sectional view, a schematic three-dimensional view of the unitary frame 40 as a holding framework disposed within the housing 22 that constitutes the battery switch 20, and a schematic three-dimensional view of the slot assembly 24 as a holding portion (or housing portion) fixed to the unitary frame 40. Further, in each figure, in order to facilitate understanding of the directions, the width direction, depth direction, and height direction of the battery switch 20 (or the housing 22) are shown. Hereinafter, in the depth direction, the side where the user performs the insertion and removal operation of the mobile battery 10, in other words, the plugging and unplugging operation, is referred to as the front, and the back side thereof is referred to as the rear. As can be understood therefrom, the depth direction is also the plugging and unplugging direction of the mobile battery 10.

[0016] The battery switch 20 is constituted by holding a plurality (nine in the present embodiment) of slot assemblies 24 within the housing 22. As will be described later, the battery switch 20 functions as a charging device for charging the mobile battery 10 housed in the slot assembly 24.

[0017] As Figure 1 shown, the housing 22 has a front panel member 26 and a main body portion 28 as sub-components and a main component, respectively, wherein the front panel member 26 has a curved plate shape. A plurality (nine in the present embodiment, the same number as the number of slot assemblies 24) of openings 30 are formed in the front panel member 26. Each opening 30 has a quadrilateral shape with rounded corners and penetrates the front panel member 26 along the depth direction.

[0018] On the inner wall forming the opening 30, a grommet 32 as a clamping member is provided so as to surround the inner wall. That is, the grommet 32 has a substantially quadrilateral ring shape, and as shown in Figure 5 which is a simplified sectional view, an insertion groove 34 is formed so as to surround its outer wall. A portion of the front panel member 26 near the opening 30 is inserted into the insertion groove 34, whereby the grommet 32 is attached to the front panel member 26. Further, an adhesive may be applied to the inner wall of the opening 30 or the insertion groove 34, and the grommet 32 may be joined to the front panel member 26 by the adhesive. In any case, the portion of the grommet 32 that is more forward than the insertion groove 34 is exposed to the front surface of the front panel member 26, and the portion of the grommet 32 that is more rearward than the insertion groove 34 is blocked by the rear surface of the front panel member 26.

[0019] As will be described later, the slot assembly 24 is inserted into the main body portion 28 through the opening 30 and a through hole 36 formed in the main body portion 28. Therefore, the grommet 32 is interposed between the front panel member 26 and the slot assembly 24 housed in the main body portion 28 within a range from slightly in front of the opening 30 to slightly behind it.

[0020] As Figure 2As shown, a unitary frame 40 serving as a holding skeleton is housed inside the main body portion 28. As Figure 3 shown, the unitary frame 40 is constituted by supporting nine unitary housings 42 with a plurality of support columns 44, a front beam 46, side beams 48, and an upper beam 50, and becomes the basic skeleton of the main body portion 28. The upper portions of the support columns 44 other than the rearmost one are inclined as the frame body 22 is inclined (particularly refer to Figure 2 ). In addition, the front beam 46 extends in the width direction so as to span between the support columns 44 located at the foremost position. On the other hand, the side beams 48 and the upper beam 50 extend in the depth direction so as to span from the support column 44 located at the foremost position to the support column 44 located at the rearmost position.

[0021] The unitary housing 42 is a hollow body with an open end on the front surface side. The rear surface side of the unitary housing 42 may be a closed end or an open end.

[0022] In addition, the unitary housing 42 is preferably made of a punched mesh material. The reason is that in this case, the unitary frame 40 is lightweight, which helps to lighten the weight of the battery switch 20. In addition, the mobile battery 10 generates heat during charging, but when the unitary housing 42 is made of a punched mesh material, it is easy to dissipate the heated air inside the unitary housing 42 to the outside of the unitary housing 42, and it is easy for the cold air outside the unitary housing 42 to enter the unitary housing 42. That is, heat is not likely to stay inside the unitary housing 42. Therefore, the mobile battery 10 can be effectively cooled.

[0023] As Figure 6 shown, a set of guide rails 54 extending in the depth direction (front-rear direction / insertion-extraction direction) are laid on the inner surface of the bottom of the unitary housing 42. On the outer side of the rear end of the guide rail 54 as an abutting member, a restricting wall portion 56 is provided so as to protrude outward in the width direction. The height of the restricting wall portion 56 is set to be greater than the height of the guide rail 54.

[0024] In addition, at the rear end face of the guide rail 54, a leaf spring portion 58 is provided as an elastic portion, which protrudes upward in the height direction and is bent forward. The restricting wall portion 56 is integrally connected to the leaf spring portion 58. On the portion of the leaf spring portion 58 extending forward, an engaging convex portion 60 (engaging portion) protruding toward the guide rail 54 is formed midway in its extension.

[0025] The hollow interior of the unitary housing 42 is a holding space for accommodating most of the slot assembly 24. Of course, the holding space is connected to the opening 30 formed in the front panel member 26 through the through hole 36 formed in the main body portion 28.

[0026] In the main body portion 28, an application space 62a is formed below the unitary frame 40. In the application space 62a, a cooling device 63 for cooling the interior of the battery switch 20 and a control device (not shown) for controlling the charging of the mobile battery 10 and the like are disposed.

[0027] On the other hand, in the space 62b above the unitary frame 40, an inverter 64 as a power control device is disposed. The number of inverters 64 is the same as the number of slot components 24 and is set to nine. Each inverter 64 is electrically connected to each mobile battery 10 via an electric wire 66. That is, in the slot component 24, the electric wire 66 is provided in a pre-assembled manner. In addition, the inverter 64 and the electric wire 66 are connected via a coupler (not shown) on the front surface of the inverter 64.

[0028] Next, the slot component 24 will be described. The slot component 24 has a box body 70, a front forehead body 72 (insertion portion), a battery holder 74, a battery tray 76, a connector unit 78, a tray holding mechanism 80, a tray locking mechanism 82, and a battery locking mechanism 84.

[0029] The box body 70 has two lower long side frame members 88 and two upper long side frame members 90 that extend along the depth direction of the frame body 22. Therefore, when visually confirming the slot component 24 from the insertion and extraction direction, the slot component 24 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. The two lower long side frame members 88 and the two upper long side frame members 90 are located at the four side portions of the rectangle. As will be described later, the lower long side frame member 88 abuts against the guide rail 54 and slides.

[0030] In addition, within the range from the lower long side frame member 88 to the upper long side frame member 90, two short side frame members 91 that extend along the height direction of the frame body 22 are provided on each side, for a total of four. By installing the lower long side frame member 88, the upper long side frame member 90, and the short side frame member 91 at positions separated by a predetermined distance from each other, a slot 92 serving as a storage space for housing the mobile battery 10 can be provided in the box body 70 in a pre-assembled manner. In addition, the lower long side frame member 88 has a substantially L-shaped configuration, and engagement holes 94 (engaged portions) are formed near the respective rear ends. In addition, a stop bracket 95 is provided between the two rear short side frame members 91.

[0031] The front forehead body 72 is mounted in a manner surrounding the front ends of the lower long-side frame member 88 and the upper long-side frame member 90. The front forehead body 72 is made of resin and forms a substantially quadrilateral ring shape, and is formed with a through hole 96 extending in the depth direction. The lower part of the front forehead body 72 protrudes forward more than the upper part. Therefore, when the user lifts the mobile battery 10 and houses it in the slot 92, the protruding lower part can support the rear end of the mobile battery 10. Thus, since the weight of the mobile battery 10 is borne by the slot assembly 24, the operation of inserting the mobile battery 10 into the slot 92 is facilitated.

[0032] An indicator 100 as an informing portion is provided on the front surface of the front forehead body 72. For example, when the mobile battery 10 inserted into the slot assembly 24 is being charged, the indicator 100 lights up in red, and when the charging is completed, the lighting color changes to green. The user can determine whether the mobile battery 10 in the slot assembly 24 is being charged or has been charged based on the lighting color of the indicator 100.

[0033] At the rear end of the front forehead body 72, a relatively thin-walled flange portion 102 protrudes in an outwardly expanding manner. When the slot assembly 24 is housed in the holding space of the unitary housing 42, the flange portion 102 is blocked by the main body portion 28, and as Figure 5 shown, the grommet 32 provided on the inner wall of the opening 30 is located in front of the flange portion 102. In addition, by the grommet 32 abutting against the front forehead body 72 and being flattened, sealing between the inner wall of the opening 30 and the slot assembly 24 is achieved.

[0034] The battery holder 74 is adjacent to the rear of the front forehead body 72 and is provided in a manner fixed to the lower long-side frame member 88 and the upper long-side frame member 90. Both the front end and the rear end of the battery holder 74 are open ends, and the internal space of the battery holder 74 communicates with the through hole 96 of the front forehead body 72. The shape of the inner wall surface of the internal space of the battery holder 74 is formed to be substantially the same as the shape of the inner wall surface of the through hole 96 of the front forehead body 72.

[0035] The battery tray 76 is provided behind the battery holder 74. The battery tray 76 can move in the depth direction with the assistance of the X-link 104 of the tray holding mechanism 80. That is, as the insertion amount of the mobile battery 10 inserted into the slot 92 increases, the battery tray 76 located at the forward end is displaced toward the rear side. At this time, the first link member 106 and the second link member 108 that constitute the X-link 104 and whose centers are connected to each other rotate in such a manner that the lower ends of both approach each other and the upper ends approach each other (refer to Figure 7 ).

[0036] The tray holding mechanism 80 has two stoppers 109 spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval. The battery tray 76 moving rearward abuts against the stopper 109. A stepped portion is formed on the lower surface of the rear end of the stopper 109, and the stopper 109 is positioned and fixed to the upper surface of the stopper bracket 95 through this stepped portion, and the stopper 109 is supported by the stopper bracket 95.

[0037] The connector unit 78 has a device-side connector 110, and the device-side connector 110 includes a male terminal as the second terminal. That is, the device-side connector 110 is provided in the slot assembly 24 in a pre-assemblable manner.

[0038] Each device-side connector 110 is electrically connected to each inverter 64 provided in the space 62b above the main body portion 28 via the wire 66 (see Figure 2 ). More specifically, the device-side connector 110 has a front surface side end facing the slot 92 and a rear surface side end that is the back surface thereof and faces the frame 22. On the front surface side end, a male terminal is provided so as to extend forward. On the other hand, a wire 66 is connected to the rear surface side end via a coupler (not shown). In other words, the wire 66 extends from the rear surface side end of the device-side connector 110.

[0039] The male terminal constituting the device-side connector 110 engages with the female terminal of the battery-side connector 12 (see Figure 3 ) provided at the bottom of the mobile battery 10. Thus, the inverter 64 and the mobile battery 10 are electrically connected via the wire 66, the device-side connector 110, and the battery-side connector 12, and a state in which power can be supplied from the inverter 64 to the mobile battery 10 is achieved.

[0040] In a state where the mobile battery 10 is inserted into the slot assembly 24, the tray locking mechanism 82 allows the battery tray 76 to move rearward. On the other hand, in a state where the mobile battery 10 is not inserted into the slot assembly 24, the tray locking mechanism 82 restricts the battery tray 76 from moving rearward.

[0041] In addition, the tray locking mechanism 82 has a function of preventing the reverse insertion of the mobile battery 10. The user needs to insert the mobile battery 10 into the slot assembly 24 with a predetermined side of the mobile battery 10 facing upward. The reason is that the position of the device-side connector 110 of the slot assembly 24 is made to coincide with the position of the battery-side connector 12 of the mobile battery 10.

[0042] That is, assuming that the slot component 24 does not have the tray locking mechanism 82, when the user inserts the mobile battery 10 into the slot component 24 in a state opposite to the up-and-down direction of the mobile battery 10 and then pushes the mobile battery 10, it is possible that not only the battery-side connector 12 of the mobile battery 10 cannot be connected to the device-side connector 110 of the slot component 24, but also a relatively large force will act on the device-side connector 110. To avoid this situation, when the mobile battery 10 is inserted into the slot component 24 in a state opposite to the up-and-down direction, the tray locking mechanism 82 maintains the locked state, thereby restricting the movement of the battery tray 76 in the depth direction.

[0043] The battery locking mechanism 84 restricts the forward movement of the mobile battery 10 in a state where the mobile battery 10 is housed in the slot component 24.

[0044] The battery exchanger 20 is constituted by detachably positioning and fixing the slot component 24, which is configured as described above, to the monolithic frame 40. Moreover, by adopting this structure, it is easy to change the slot component 24 to other electrical equipment. Hereinafter, this will be described.

[0045] When assembling the battery exchanger 20, the front panel member 26 is removed from the main body portion 28, and the slot components 24 are respectively inserted into the nine holding spaces of the monolithic housing 42. At this time, as Figure 6 shown, it is only necessary to slide the lower long-side frame member 88 of the box body 70 constituting the slot component 24 along the upper surface of the guide rail 54 laid on the monolithic housing 42. Thereby, it is easy to insert the slot component 24 into the holding space.

[0046] During the sliding, the engaging convex portion 60 of the leaf spring portion 58 rides on the upper surface of the lower long-side frame member 88. Then, when the position of the engaging convex portion 60 corresponds to the position of the engaging hole 94 formed in the lower long-side frame member 88, the engaging convex portion 60 engages with the engaging hole 94 by the elastic action of the leaf spring portion 58. With this engagement, the slot component 24 is positioned and fixed. In addition, in this engaged state, the outer side surface of the rear end of the lower long-side frame member 88 abuts against the restricting wall portion 56. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the slot component 24 from being displaced in the width direction. Then, the electric wire 66 from the inverter 64 is electrically connected to the device-side connector 110.

[0047] In addition, instead of the engagement between the engaging convex portion 60 and the engaging hole 94, the slot component 24 can be positioned and fixed by tightening bolts.

[0048] In addition, as Figure 8 and Figure 9As shown, a flange portion 112 as an extension portion extending outward from the outer edge of the flange portion 102 constituting the slot component 24 may also be provided, and the flange portion 112 is connected to the front beam 46 by bolts 114 or the like. Thus, the slot component 24 is more firmly positioned and fixed. In addition, two flange portions 112 are provided in the illustrated example, but the number is not particularly limited thereto.

[0049] Next, the front panel member 26 is attached to the main body portion 28. At this time, the forehead body 72 passes through the opening 30 formed in the front panel member 26. Therefore, a grommet 32 provided on the inner wall surrounding the opening 30 is interposed between the forehead body 72 and the inner wall of the opening 30.

[0050] Here, the sizes of the plurality of slot components 24 are different from each other within the tolerance range. That is, for example, there are slot components 24 in which the outer diameter dimension of the forehead body 72 is larger than the average value, and slot components 24 in which the outer diameter dimension of the forehead body 72 is smaller than the average value are mixed. The thickness of the grommet 32 is set to a size that is sufficiently flattened by the reaction force from the forehead body 72 when the forehead body 72 having the smallest outer diameter dimension within the tolerance passes through the opening 30. Since the grommet 32 is elastic, it is flattened more when the forehead body 72 having the largest outer diameter dimension within the tolerance passes through the opening 30. Therefore, regardless of the size of the outer diameter dimension of the forehead body 72 passing through the opening 30 in the height direction, width direction, and depth direction, the grommet 32 seals the gap between the inner wall of the opening 30 and the forehead body 72 of the slot component 24. That is, sealing is achieved.

[0051] In the case where a general sealing member having a quadrilateral ring shape and a thin wall is adhered to the front surface side of the opening 30, the entire sealing member is exposed. Therefore, the sealing member is likely to deteriorate. In addition, when the lower part of the sealing member cannot support the weight of the slot component 24 and bends, a sealing failure may occur due to a gap being generated between the upper part of the sealing member and the forehead body 72. Thus, when the reaction force from the forehead body 72 is large or uneven, the sealing member may not be able to seal sufficiently.

[0052] In contrast, according to the present embodiment using the grommet 32, as described above, even when there are deviations in the outer diameter dimensions of the respective slot components 24, the deviations can be absorbed, and the gap between the inner wall of the opening 30 and the forehead body 72 of the slot component 24 can be sealed. Therefore, it is not necessary to strictly set the distance between the inner wall of the opening 30 and the forehead body 72. Correspondingly, the manufacturing cost of the front panel member 26 can be reduced.

[0053] In addition, when the sealing member is brought into contact with the flange portion 102 to achieve sealing, the outer edge surface of the front forehead body 72 is exposed. In this case, dust and the like are likely to accumulate on the outer edge surface. In contrast, when the grommet 32 is used, since the front and rear portions of the grommet 32 bulge forward and backward of the opening 30, respectively, the range where the grommet 32 contacts the outer edge surface of the front forehead body 72 is large. That is, the outer edge surface is less exposed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of dust and the like on the front forehead body 72.

[0054] In addition, since the front forehead body 72 is supported by the grommet 32, the slot component 24 in the holding space is held in a state inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Therefore, it is not particularly necessary to position and fix the slot component 24 to the frame body 22 with screws or the like. Therefore, the assembly operation of the slot component 24 with respect to the frame body 22 can be simplified.

[0055] The battery switch 20 assembled as described above is a so-called indoor specification and is preferably applicable to cases where there are a specific small number of users. That is, when the user sets the battery switch 20 indoors and needs to charge the mobile battery 10, the mobile battery 10 is inserted into the slot component 24 in the state where the indicator 100 is turned off. Alternatively, after taking out the charged mobile battery 10 from the slot component 24 where the indicator 100 is green, the mobile battery 10 that needs to be charged can be inserted into the same slot component 24.

[0056] In addition, for other mobile batteries 10 that have been charged in advance by other users and are not fully charged, the indicator 100 lights up red. In this way, the user can easily determine whether the mobile battery 10 is inserted and whether the mobile battery 10 in the slot 92 is fully charged by visually confirming that the indicator 100 is turned off, the indicator 100 lights up green or red.

[0057] Next, the mobile battery 10 that needs to be charged is inserted into the slot 92 (inside the battery holder 74) through the opening 30 of the front panel member 26 and the through hole 96 of the front forehead body 72. At this time, as long as the mobile battery 10 is supported by the slightly protruding lower portion of the front forehead body 72 and the slot component 24 or the unitary housing 42 bears the weight of the mobile battery 10, the insertion operation of inserting the mobile battery 10 into the slot 92 can be easily performed.

[0058] As Figure 7As shown, the mobile battery 10 is inserted into the slot 92. When it is further pushed backward, the tray locking mechanism 82 is unlocked, and the battery tray 76 is displaced rearward. In addition, the male terminal of the device-side connector 110 is engaged with the female terminal of the battery-side connector 12. As a result, the power supply unit is electrically connected to the mobile battery 10. Then, after the control device recognizes that the male terminal of the device-side connector 110 is engaged with the female terminal of the battery-side connector 12, power supply to the mobile battery 10 starts from the power supply unit. That is, charging of the mobile battery 10 is achieved. In addition, the control device lights up the indicator 100 in red.

[0059] On the other hand, when the user inserts the mobile battery 10 into the empty slot 92, the charged mobile battery 10 is taken out from the slot assembly 24 where the indicator 100 lights up green. As long as the user carries the charged mobile battery 10 and installs it in a battery-using device, i.e., a power device, represented by a vehicle such as an electric two-wheeler.

[0060] In addition, when the users are an unspecified large number and the battery exchanger needs to be installed outdoors, in order to avoid as much as possible the intrusion of sand, rain, etc. into the slot 92, it is desirable to have a cover member for opening or closing the opening 30 of the front panel member 26. In this case, in order to prevent the mobile battery 10 from being stolen, it is preferable to pre-assembly a cover locking mechanism (constraint portion) for locking the cover member (covering portion) in the closed state and an operation panel for unlocking the cover member by inputting an ID or the like.

[0061] In the case of meeting such requirements, as Figure 10 shown, the assembly operator only needs to assemble the battery exchanger 124 that is supported by the single-piece frame 40 with 8 covered components 120 and 1 operation panel 122 instead of 9 slot assemblies 24. That is, the box body 70 of the covered component 120, the substrate housing portion and the wiring connection portion of the operation panel 122, etc. are respectively housed in the holding space of the single-piece housing 42. In this case, an opaque cover member 126 and a cover locking mechanism 128 for locking the cover member 126 in the closed state are provided on the covered component 120. In order to unlock the cover locking mechanism 128 and open the cover member 126, the user inputs the pre-assigned ID to the operation panel 122.

[0062] In addition, it is possible to determine which mobile battery 10 is being charged or has been charged based on the lighting color of the display lamp 129 provided on the operation panel 122. That is, the operation panel 122 is a providing electrical device for providing information to the users of the battery exchanger 124. In this way, in the battery exchanger 124, one of the providing electrical devices is fixed in the holding space of the single-piece housing 42 instead of the covered component 120 for holding the mobile battery 10.

[0063] As other examples of the information-providing electrical device for providing information, a display that displays an instruction input by a user as an image, a speaker that repeats an instruction input by a user as sound, etc. can be cited. In addition, the information-providing electrical device can also be used to provide convenience to the user. As such an information-providing electrical device, a USB port unit provided with a USB port can be exemplified.

[0064] Instead of the lid assembly 120 (or the slot assembly 24), one of the receiving electrical devices can be fixed in the holding space of the monolithic housing 42. Here, the receiving electrical device refers to an electrical device for receiving information from the user or information around the battery exchanger 124. As a representative example of the receiving electrical device that exhibits such a function, a microphone as a radio device, a camera as a photographing device, etc. can be cited.

[0065] In Figure 11 FIG. shows a battery exchanger 130 in response to a request such as a situation where the number of users is further increased, or a situation where it is desired to easily recognize that the mobile battery 10 is fully charged even at night. The battery exchanger 130 has two interconnected frames 22a and 22b. In the frame 22a, eight lighting assemblies 132 and one touch panel 134 (display unit) are supported by a monolithic frame 40. On the other hand, in the frame 22b, nine lighting assemblies 132 are supported by another monolithic frame 40.

[0066] In the battery exchanger 130, a transparent cover member 136, a cover locking mechanism 138 that locks the cover member 136 in a closed state, and lighting such as a blue LED are provided on the lighting assembly 132. In addition, the touch panel 134 can operate the lighting assemblies 132 of both the frame 22a and the frame 22b. Moreover, it is possible to display on the touch panel 134 which mobile battery 10 is being charged or has been fully charged.

[0067] The touch panel 134 has a display main body portion 140 for displaying prescribed information and a main body portion support portion 142 that is inserted and fixed in the holding space of the monolithic housing 42. The shape of the display main body portion 140 is larger than the holding space of the monolithic housing 42 that constitutes the monolithic frame 40, and thus, it cannot be accommodated in the holding space. On the other hand, the main body portion support portion 142 can be accommodated in the holding space.

[0068] In this case, the assembly operator houses and fixes the main body support portion 142 of the touch panel 134 in one of the nine holding spaces of the unitary frame 40 that forms the frame body 22a. That is, the main body support portion 142 of the touch panel 134 is fixedly disposed in the holding space of the unitary housing 42 in place of the lighting unit 132. On the other hand, the display main body portion 140 protrudes from the frame body 22a. The assembly operator also houses the housing 70 of the lighting unit 132 in each of the remaining eight holding spaces of the unitary housing 42 and the nine unitary housings 42 of the unitary frame 40 that forms the frame body 22b.

[0069] In the lighting unit 132 with the mobile battery 10 fully charged in the slot 92, the blue LED lights up. Since the cover member 136 is transparent, even at night or the like, the user can easily determine the position of the mobile battery 10 with the charging completed just by visually confirming the frame bodies 22a and 22b. In this way, the blue LED of the lighting unit 132 is a notification unit that is pre-assembled in the lighting unit 132 and notifies the user of the presence or absence of the mobile battery 10 with the charging completed and its position by lighting up or turning off.

[0070] In addition, in order to unlock the cover locking mechanism 138 of the lighting unit 132 with the blue LED lit to open the cover member 136, the user only needs to input the pre-assigned ID to the display main body portion 140 of the touch panel 134. Then, the user pulls out the mobile battery 10 with the charging completed from the slot 92 and inserts the mobile battery 10 that needs to be charged into the same slot 92. When the cover member 136 is closed, the cover member 136 is locked by the cover locking mechanism 138, and charging of the mobile battery 10 inserted into the slot 92 is started.

[0071] As described above, in the present embodiment, the slot 92 for housing the mobile battery 10 and charging it is provided in the modular slot assembly 24 different from the frame bodies 22, 22a, and 22b, and the slot assembly 24 is supported by the unitary frame 40 housed in the frame bodies 22, 22a, and 22b (inserted into the holding space of the unitary housing 42). In other words, the slot assembly 24 is not disposed in the frame bodies 22, 22a, and 22b. Therefore, the held member supported by the unitary frame 40 is not limited to the slot assembly 24. That is, as Figure 10 and Figure 11 shown, other electrical devices such as the cover assembly 120, the lighting unit 132, the operation panel 122, and the touch panel 134 can be used as the held member.

[0072] That is, in the present embodiment, by making the housing 22 universal and changing the held member, it is possible to change the specifications or to form a structure corresponding to the user's wishes. Since the housing 22 can be made universal, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the battery exchangers 20, 124, 130, etc. In addition, for example, even when it is required to provide electrical devices other than the above, such as a USB port unit and a monitoring camera, it is possible to respond by changing the held member of the unitary frame 40 to these electrical devices. That is, it is possible to respond to diversification of specifications and requirements.

[0073] In addition, although the inserted mobile battery 10 combined with the slot assembly 24, the lid assembly 120, the lighting assembly 132, etc. becomes a heavy weight, since the unitary frame 40 has sufficient rigidity, it is possible to avoid deformation or a decrease in the joint strength of the joint portion between the unitary housing 42 and the support column 44, or the joint portion between the support column 44 and the front beam 46, the side beam 48, or the upper beam 50. That is, the unitary frame 40 exhibits sufficient durability.

[0074] In addition, in the case where the electric wire 66 has a surplus portion, for example, as Figure 12 and Figure 13 shown, the surplus portion of the electric wire 66 can be routed from the first convex portion 170 to the second convex portion 172 or from the second convex portion 172 to the first convex portion 170 (that is, in the depth direction of the slot assembly 24). Further, the end of the routed electric wire 66 is further wound forward of the first convex portion 170. That is, the electric wire 66 is arranged so as to extend beyond the front surface side end portion of the device-side connector 110 and reach the front of the slot assembly 24 or the slot 92.

[0075] Here, the first convex portion 170 is provided in front of the upper surface of the slot assembly 24, while the second convex portion 172 is provided on the upper surface of the stopper bracket 95, and the stopper bracket 95 is located behind the upper surface of the slot assembly 24. In this case, since the first convex portion 170 and the second convex portion 172 are sufficiently separated, the number of winding times of the electric wire 66 (the number of reciprocations between the first convex portion 170 and the second convex portion 172) is reduced. Therefore, it is easy to wind the electric wire 66. Moreover, since the number of reciprocations is small, it is possible to avoid winding the electric wire 66 excessively. Correspondingly, it is possible to suppress an increase in the winding thickness of the electric wire 66.

[0076] Thus, by winding the remaining wire 66 around the first convex portion 170 and the second convex portion 172, the length of the wire 66 between the inverter 64 and the device-side connector 110 can be appropriately adjusted. In other words, in this case, the extraction length of the wire 66 can be appropriately changed according to the arrangement position (accommodation position) of the slot component 24 relative to the housing 22. Therefore, a plurality of slot components 24 can be manufactured with the same straight-line length specification for the wire 66.

[0077] That is, in this case, there is no need to separately set the straight-line length of the wire 66. As a result, the design and manufacture of the slot component 24 can be prevented from being complicated. Moreover, since the straight-line lengths of the wires 66 of all the slot components 24 are the same, it is possible to effectively prevent misinstallation such as arranging the slot component 24 with a short wire 66 in the bottom row, or conversely, arranging the slot component 24 with a long wire 66 in the top row.

[0078] The present invention is not particularly limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0079] For example, the holding device is not particularly limited to a charging device that mainly constitutes a component for charging the mobile battery 10 as a main held member, and may also be a power supply device that constitutes held members such as a power supply component using the mobile battery 10 as a power source, a USB port unit, and a general power supply (AC socket) unit.

[0080] In addition, the device-side connector 110 including the second terminal can be provided inside the housings 22, 22a, and 22b.

[0081] Moreover, an indicator 100 can be provided on the lighting component 132. Similarly to the above, it is possible to determine whether charging is in progress or the battery is fully charged based on the lighting color of the indicator 100, and to turn on the blue LED when the lid member 136 is in the open state. [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0082] 10: Mobile battery (article / electric energy storage device); 12: Battery-side connector (first terminal); 20, 124, 130: Battery switch (holding device); 22, 22a, 22b: Housing; 24: Slot component (holding part); 26: Front panel component (sub-component); 28: Main body part (main component); 30: Opening; 32: Cable loop (clamping component); 34: Insertion slot; 36: Through hole; 40: Monolithic frame (holding skeleton); 42: Monolithic housing (holding skeleton); 54: Guide rail (abutting part); 56: Restricting wall part; 58: Leaf spring part (elastic part); 60: Engaging convex part (engaging part); 64: Inverter; 66: Electric wire; 70: Box body; 72: Front forehead body (through-inserting part); 88: Lower long-side skeleton component (skeleton component); 90: Upper long-side skeleton component (skeleton component); 92: Slot (accommodating part); 94: Engaging hole (engaged part); 100: Indicator (notification part); 102: Flange part; 110: Device-side connector (second terminal); 112: Flange part (extension part); 120: Covered component (holding part); 122: Operation panel; 126, 136: Cover component (covering part); 128, 138: Cover locking mechanism (restraining part); 132: Illuminated component (holding part); 134: Touch panel (display part); 140: Display main body part; 142: Main body part support part; 170: First convex part; 172: Second convex part.

Claims

1. A holding device (20) having a housing (22), the housing having a holding portion (24) for holding an article (10) in a pluggable and removable manner, characterized in that, it has a holding frame (40, 42), the holding frame being disposed inside the housing and fixing the holding portion in a detachable manner, a receiving portion (92) constituting a receiving space for receiving the article is provided so as to be pre-assembled to the holding portion before the holding portion is fixed to the holding frame.

2. The holding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the article is an electrical device having a first terminal (12), the holding portion is also provided with a second terminal (110) in a pre-assemblable manner, and the second terminal is electrically connected to the first terminal of the electrical device received in the receiving portion.

3. The holding device according to claim 2, characterized in that, the holding portion is also provided with a wire (66) electrically connected to the second terminal in a pre-assemblable manner.

4. The holding device according to claim 3, characterized in that, the wire is disposed so as to extend beyond the end portion of the second terminal facing the holding portion and reach the holding portion.

5. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, the holding portion is also provided with a covering portion (126, 136) in a pre-assemblable manner, and the covering portion can cover at least a part of the article.

6. The holding device according to claim 5, characterized in that, the covering portion is disposed so as to be movable relative to the holding portion, the holding portion is also provided with a restraining portion (128, 138) in a pre-assemblable manner, and the restraining portion can restrain the covering portion in a state of covering at least a part of the article.

7. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, the holding portion is also provided with an informing portion (132) in a pre-assemblable manner, and the informing portion informs information about the article received in the receiving portion.

8. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, when viewed from the plugging and unplugging direction of the article, the holding portion is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, the holding device has a frame member (88, 90), and the frame member is disposed at four side portions of the rectangle and extends along the plugging and unplugging direction.

9. The holding device according to claim 8, characterized in that, the holding frame has an abutting portion (54), and the abutting portion extends along the plugging and unplugging direction so as to be able to abut against the frame member, a engaging portion (60) is provided on either the frame member or the abutting portion, and a engaged portion (94) engaged with the engaging portion is provided on the remaining one.

10. The holding device according to claim 9, characterized in that, the engaging portion is a convex portion, and the engaged portion is an engaging hole, and the engaging portion is provided on an elastic portion.

11. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, When viewed from the insertion / removal direction of the article, the holding portion is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. When viewed from the insertion / removal direction, the holding frame is arranged so as to surround the holding portion.

12. The holding device according to claim 11, wherein: The holding portion has an extension portion (112) that extends outward from the outer edge of the holding portion when viewed from the insertion / removal direction. The holding portion is fixed to the holding frame by the extension portion.

13. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: The housing has a main member (28) and a sub-member (26), wherein the main member covers the holding frame; the sub-member is detachably provided on the surface of the main member facing the insertion / removal direction of the article. The sub-member has an opening (30), and the holding portion fixed to the holding frame can be inserted through the opening.

14. The holding device according to claim 13, wherein: A clamping member (32) is clamped between the inner peripheral end of the opening and the outer peripheral end of the insertion portion (72) that inserts through the opening of the holding portion.

15. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein: Instead of the holding portion, an information-providing or convenience-providing electrical device (132) that provides information to the user of the holding device can be fixedly provided in the holding space of the holding frame for fixing the holding portion.

16. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein: Instead of the holding portion, a receiving electrical device that receives information from the user of the holding device or information around the holding device can be fixedly provided in the holding space of the holding frame for fixing the holding portion.

17. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein: It has a display portion (134) that is provided separately from the housing and has an outer shape larger than the outer shape of the accommodating portion when viewed from the insertion / removal direction. The display portion has a display main body portion (140) and a main body portion support portion (142) integrally formed with the display main body portion. Instead of the holding portion, the main body portion support portion can be fixedly provided in the holding space of the holding frame for fixing the holding portion.

18. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein: A power storage device as the article is held, and the power storage device is detachably mounted on an electric power device that uses electricity.

19. The holding device according to claim 18, wherein: The power device is a vehicle that travels using electricity.

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