Battery fixing structure

Abstract

To provide a battery fixing structure that does not require any fixing members when fixing a battery in a housing.SOLUTION: An electronic device includes a housing for the electronic device, electronic components inside the housing, a battery 11 connected to a lead wire 15, and a battery storage portion 13. The battery storage portion 13 includes a notch (insertion portion) into which the lead wire 15 is inserted. The lead wire 15 inserted into the insertion portion is sandwiched between the battery 11 and a vertical wall surface 26 extending in the up-down direction of the battery storage portion 13, and the battery 11 is urged toward another vertical wall surface 29 opposite the vertical wall surface 26, thereby being fixed in the battery storage portion 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery fixing structure for fixing a battery within a housing of an electronic device. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of an electronic device that houses a battery inside its housing is described in Patent Document 1. The electronic device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured so that it can house multiple batteries of different shapes and an AC adapter in place of a battery inside its housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5061561 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a battery is housed in the housing of an electronic device, some kind of fixing structure or fixing member is required to fix the battery to the housing. Therefore, there is a demand for a battery fixing structure that can fix the battery in the housing without increasing the number of parts. An object of the present invention is to provide a battery fixing structure that does not require any fixing members when fixing a battery in a housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve this object, the battery fixing structure of the present invention comprises a housing for an electronic device, an electronic component provided inside the housing, a battery connected to a lead wire that supplies power to the electronic component, and a battery storage section provided inside the housing and consisting of a recess that opens upward and is large enough to store the battery, wherein the battery storage section has an insertion section into which the lead wire is inserted, and the lead wire inserted into the insertion section is sandwiched between the battery and a vertical wall surface extending in the vertical direction of the battery storage section, thereby urging the battery toward another vertical wall surface opposite the vertical wall surface and fixing the battery within the battery storage section.

[0006] In the battery fixing structure of the present invention, the other vertical wall surface of the battery storage section may be formed to face the back surface of the battery, the insertion section may be formed on both sides of the battery storage section, and the lead wire may be inserted between the front surface of the battery and the front wall of the battery storage section to urge the battery toward the other vertical wall surface.

[0007] In the battery fixing structure of the present invention, the insertion portion may be configured by a notch formed on one side and the other side of the front wall of the battery housing portion.

[0008] In the battery fixing structure of the present invention, the bottom of the battery storage section on which the battery is placed may be formed by a plurality of ribs made of plates extending in the vertical direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a battery fixing structure that does not require any fixing members when fixing the battery inside the housing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a part of an electronic device that employs a battery fixing structure according to the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the battery storage box and the battery according to the first embodiment, as viewed obliquely from above. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the battery storage box and the battery as seen from diagonally below. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective cross-sectional view showing a battery housing box with a part cut away. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective cross-sectional view showing a battery housing box with a part cut away. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view showing the main part of the battery housing box. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the battery storage box and the battery as viewed from the side. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the battery storage box and the battery as seen from above. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the lead wire. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a battery storage box and a battery according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a front view of the battery storage box and the lower part of the battery according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective cross-sectional view of a battery storage box and a battery according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, one embodiment of a battery fixing structure according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The electronic device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is intended to be attached to a wall 2 extending in the vertical direction, and is configured as a housing 5 consisting of a box-shaped case body 3 attached to the wall 2 and a cover 4 that closes the opening of the case body 3. In the following, directions are indicated in the direction as seen when facing the electronic device 1. That is, the upper side of FIG. 1 is the upper side of the electronic device 1, the upper right side of FIG. 1 is the right side of the electronic device 1, and the lower left side of FIG. 1 is the left side of the electronic device 1. Furthermore, the lower right side of FIG. 1 is the front side of the electronic device 1, and the upper left side of FIG. 1 is the rear side of the electronic device 1.

[0012] The case body 3 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape with a bottom that opens in a direction away from the wall 2, and is fixed to the wall 2 with a plurality of fixing screws (not shown). The cover 4 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape with a bottom that opens toward the case body 3, and is attached to the case body 3 in an openable, closable, and detachable manner. Inside the housing 5, there are provided a board 7 on which circuit components 6 are mounted, a battery storage box 8, etc. In this embodiment, the circuit components 6 and the board 7 correspond to the "electronic components" of the present invention.

[0013] The battery storage box 8 cooperates with the circuit board 7 and a battery 11 (see Figure 1), which will be described later, to form the battery fixing structure 12 referred to in the present invention. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the battery storage box 8 has a battery storage section 13 consisting of a recess that opens upward, and is fixed to the case body 3 with a plurality of fixing screws 14 (see Figure 1). The battery storage section 13 opens upward and is large enough to accommodate the battery 11. The battery 11 is stored in the battery storage section 13.

[0014] The battery 11 is used to supply power to the circuit board 7 and is formed in a generally rectangular column shape as shown in Figures 2 and 3. In this embodiment, a recess 16 is formed at the bottom end of the left side portion 11a of the battery 11 to allow the lead wire 15 to extend out. The recess 16 is formed so that the width of the bottom end 11b of the battery 11 in the left-right direction is narrower than that of the top end 11c of the battery 11. As shown in Figure 3, the lead wire 15 extends downward from the top surface 16a of the recess 16, i.e., the bottom surface 11d of the top portion 11c of the battery 11, which protrudes to the left of the bottom end 11b of the battery 11. The position where the lead wire 15 extends out from the top surface 16a of the recess 16 is the center in the front-to-rear direction.

[0015] 4 and 5, the battery storage section 13 is formed in a shape that can store the above-mentioned lower end 11b of the battery 11. More specifically, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the battery storage section 13 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from above and is surrounded by a bottom wall 17 that extends horizontally at the bottom of the battery storage section 13, a left wall 18 that is connected to the left end of the bottom wall 17 and extends in the vertical direction, a right wall 19 that is connected to the right end of the bottom wall 17 and extends in the vertical direction, a front wall 20 that is connected to the front end of the bottom wall 17 and extends in the vertical direction, and a rear wall 21 that is connected to the rear end of the bottom wall 17 and extends in the vertical direction.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 5, the bottom wall 17 has a stepped cross section and includes a plurality of plate-like ribs 22, 23 extending in the up-down and front-rear directions. The steps constituting the bottom wall 17 are formed so that their height gradually decreases from the rear side to the front side. That is, the bottom wall 17 is formed by a rear portion 17a that is the highest, a front portion 17b that is the lowest, and a central portion 17c located between the rear portion 17a and the front portion 17b. As shown in Fig. 7, the bottom wall 17 is inclined so that the central portion in the front-rear direction is the lowest.

[0017] A plurality of ribs 22 are erected on the rear portion 17a of the bottom wall 17, and a plurality of ribs 23 are erected on the front portion 17b. The plurality of ribs 22 and the plurality of ribs 23 are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction while extending in the front-rear direction. The upper ends of these ribs 22, 23 are formed to be positioned at the same height. The battery 11 is placed on these ribs 22, 23. In other words, the bottom of the battery storage section 13 on which the battery 11 is placed is formed by the plurality of ribs 22, 23.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4 , first and second notches 24, 25 are formed in the front portions of the left and right walls 18, 19 of the battery compartment 13. These first and second notches 24, 25 correspond to the "insertion portions" of the present invention and are formed to extend downward a predetermined distance from the upper ends of the left and right walls 18, 19. The opening width of the first and second notches 24, 25 is wide enough to allow the lead wire 15 to be inserted therethrough. As shown in FIG. 5 , the first and second notches 24, 25 are formed to connect to a vertical wall surface 26 extending in the up-down direction, which is the rear surface of the front wall 20. Although the second notch 25 is not shown in FIG. 5 , the second notch 25 has the same configuration as the first notch 24. That is, the inner surfaces 24a of the front sides of the first and second notches 24, 25 and the vertical wall surface 26 are formed on the same plane.

[0019] The width of the battery storage compartment 13 in the front-to-rear direction is a predetermined dimension greater than the thickness of the battery 11 in the front-to-rear direction. This predetermined dimension is a dimension that allows the lead wire 15 to be inserted while being compressed. As shown in Figure 2, the battery storage box 8 according to this embodiment has a box-shaped portion 27 into which the upper portion 11c of the battery 11 is inserted. The box-shaped portion 27 is formed in a shape that opens forward, and surrounds the upper portion 11c of the battery 11 from the left, right, above, and rear. The height (length in the front-to-rear direction) of the box-shaped portion 27 is shorter than the length of the battery storage section 13 in the front-to-rear direction. The box-shaped portion 27 according to this embodiment has a bottom plate 28 (see Figure 3) that covers from below the rear of the recessed portion 16 of the battery 11 stored in the battery storage section 13.

[0020] In the battery fixing structure 12 configured in this manner, the lead wire 15 is used to fix the battery 11 to the battery storage box 8. To fix the battery 11 to the battery storage box 8, first, the lower end portion 11b of the battery 11 is inserted from above into the battery storage section 13. When the lower end portion 11b of the battery 11 is inserted into the battery storage section 13 in this manner, the lead wire 15 extends downward outside (on the left side of) the left wall 18 and in front of the bottom plate 28 of the box-shaped section 27.

[0021] Next, the lead wire 15 is positioned so that it extends from the first notch 24 on the left side to the second notch 25 on the right side, and is then pushed into the gap between the front wall 20 and the front (front) surface of the battery 11, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. In other words, the lead wire 15 is sandwiched between the battery 11 and the vertical wall surface 26, which is the rear surface of the front wall 20. As a result, the battery 11 is urged toward the other vertical wall surface 29 (the front surface of the rear wall 21, which faces the rear surface of the battery 11) that faces the vertical wall surface 26 of the battery housing section 13, and is fixed in the battery housing section 13.

[0022] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, two identical lead wires 15 are arranged vertically and inserted between the battery 11 and the vertical wall surface 26 in an elastically deformed and compressed state. As shown in Fig. 9, the lead wires 15 are formed by covering the periphery of the conductor 15a with a covering material 15b. The covering material 15b is made of an elastic insulator. After the lead wire 15 is pushed between the battery 11 and the front wall 20, the connector 30 (see Figure 2) provided at the tip of the lead wire 15 is connected to a lead wire connection part (not shown) of the board 7, thereby completing the work of fixing the battery 11.

[0023] According to the battery fixing structure 12 of this embodiment, the lead wire 15 extending from the battery 11 essentially functions as a battery fixing member, so there is no need for a member used solely for fixing the battery 11. Therefore, it is possible to provide a battery fixing structure that does not require a fixing member when fixing the battery 11 inside the casing 5.

[0024] In this embodiment, the other vertical wall surface 29 opposite the vertical wall surface 26 that comes into contact with the lead wire 15 is the surface that faces the back of the battery 11. The lead wire 15 in this embodiment is inserted between the front of the battery 11 and the front wall 20 of the battery compartment 13, and urges the battery 11 toward the other vertical wall surface 29. This allows the battery 11, which is elongated in the left-right direction, to be pressed from front to back over a wide range in the left-right direction to secure it, resulting in a stable secured state of the battery 11.

[0025] (Second embodiment) The insertion portion of the battery storage portion can be formed on the front wall as shown in Figures 10 and 11. In Figures 10 and 11, members that are the same as or equivalent to those described with reference to Figures 1 to 9 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate. 10 and 11, third and fourth notches 31, 32, which serve as insertion portions according to the present invention, are formed on both left and right sides of the upper end of the front wall 20. These third and fourth notches 31, 32 extend downward from the upper end of the front wall 20 by a predetermined length.

[0026] In this embodiment, the lead wire 15 is inserted into the battery compartment 13 through the third notch 31 and led out of the battery compartment 13 through the fourth notch 32. By passing the lead wire 15 through in this way, the lead wire 15 is bent inside the battery compartment 13, and compared to the first embodiment, where the lead wire 15 is compressed in its natural, straight state, the resilience generated at the bent portion can also be used to push the battery 11 backward, thereby securing the battery 11 even more firmly. Even when this embodiment is adopted, it is possible to provide a battery fixing structure that does not require any fixing members when fixing the battery 11 inside the housing 5.

[0027] (Third embodiment) The battery storage section can be configured as shown in Figure 12. In Figure 12, members that are the same as or equivalent to those described with reference to Figures 1 to 9 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted where appropriate. 12 has fifth and sixth notches 33, 34 as insertion portions on only one side in the left-right direction. More specifically, the fifth and sixth notches 33, 34 are formed in the front and rear of the left side wall 18 of the battery storage portion 13. The fifth and sixth notches 33, 34 extend downward a predetermined distance from the upper end of the left side wall 18.

[0028] The lead wire 15 shown in Figure 12 is pushed between the left side wall 18 and the battery 11, between the fifth and sixth cutouts 33, 34. In other words, the lead wire 15 is pushed between a vertical wall surface 35 made up of the inner surface of the left side wall 18 and the left side surface of the battery 11, and presses the battery 11 against another vertical wall surface 36 made up of the inner surface of the right side wall 19. By wiring the lead wires 15 in this manner, the battery 11 is pressed against the right side wall 19 by the lead wires 15 and fixed in place. Even when this embodiment is adopted, it is possible to provide a battery fixing structure that does not require any fixing members when fixing the battery 11 inside the housing 5.

[0029] In each of the above-described embodiments, the bottom of the battery storage compartment 13 on which the battery 11 is placed is formed by a plurality of ribs 22, 23 made of plates extending in the vertical direction. Therefore, if a battery 11 leaks, the leaked liquid can be stored in the space between the ribs 22, 23. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1...electronic device, 5...housing, 7...circuit board (electronic component), 8...battery storage box, 11...battery, 13...battery storage section, 15...lead wire, 20...front wall, 22, 23...ribs, 24...first notch (insertion section), 25...second notch (insertion section), 26, 35...vertical wall surface, 29, 36...other vertical wall surface, 31...third notch (insertion section), 32...fourth notch (insertion section), 33...fifth notch (insertion section), 34...sixth notch (insertion section).

Claims

1. A housing for an electronic device; an electronic component provided inside the housing; a battery connected to a lead wire for supplying power to the electronic component; a battery storage section provided inside the housing, the battery storage section being a recessed section that is large enough to store the battery and that opens upward; the battery storage section has an insertion section into which the lead wire is inserted, A battery fixing structure characterized in that the lead wire inserted into the insertion portion is sandwiched between the battery and a vertical wall surface extending in the vertical direction of the battery storage portion, thereby urging the battery toward another vertical wall surface opposite the vertical wall surface and fixing the battery in the battery storage portion.

2. The battery fixing structure according to claim 1, the other vertical wall surface of the battery storage section is formed to face a rear surface of the battery, The insertion portion is formed on both sides of the battery storage portion, A battery fixing structure characterized in that the lead wire is inserted between the front surface of the battery and the front wall of the battery storage section to urge the battery toward the other vertical wall surface.

3. The battery fixing structure according to claim 2, A battery fixing structure, wherein the insertion portion is configured by a notch formed on one side and the other side of the front wall of the battery storage portion.

4. In the battery fixing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A battery fixing structure, characterized in that the bottom of the battery storage section on which the battery is placed is formed by a plurality of ribs made of plates extending in the vertical direction.

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