Wireless device and battery holder

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a wireless device and a battery holder that can easily hold either a large-capacity battery pack or a small-capacity battery pack.SOLUTION: The present disclosure includes a radio circuit portion and a case main body having a substantially rectangular battery housing portion, the battery housing portion houses a battery pack in which a plurality of cylindrical batteries are bundled, and the case main body includes claw members capable of holding cylindrical body portions of the batteries on a short side and a long side of the battery housing portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless device and a battery holder. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless automatic meter reading system for gas meters. The wireless automatic meter reading system uses wireless devices such as a master unit, slave unit, and repeater to wirelessly communicate the meter readings from the gas meter with a central server of a utility company. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-63859 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a wireless device and battery holder that can easily hold either large or small capacity battery packs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure comprises a case body having a wireless circuit section and a roughly rectangular battery storage section, the battery storage section stores a battery pack bundling multiple cylindrical batteries, and the case body has claw members on the short and long sides of the battery storage section that can hold the cylindrical body of the battery.

[0006] The present disclosure includes a battery storage section having a substantially rectangular shape, which stores a battery pack bundling multiple cylindrical batteries, and which includes claw members on the short and long sides of the battery storage section that can hold the cylindrical body portions of the batteries. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the battery storage section can easily hold either large or small capacity battery packs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a wireless device according to an embodiment of the present invention at the time of shipment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] III-III cross section of Figure 1 [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a wireless device according to an embodiment of the present invention when connected to a battery; [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a wireless device according to an embodiment of the present invention when a battery is connected, with a small-capacity battery pack housed in the battery housing; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a small-capacity battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] Cross section of Figure 5 taken along the line VII-VII [Figure 8] 1A, 1B, and 1C are views showing the battery holder of the present embodiment, in which (A) is a front view, (B) is a left side view, and (C) is a right side view. [Figure 9] Also top view [Figure 10] Bottom view DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time the inventors arrived at the idea of ​​the present disclosure, wireless devices such as master units, slave units, and repeaters in wireless automatic meter reading systems for gas meters included a case body, and a battery pack serving as a power source was housed in a battery housing of the case body. In recent years, the amount of communication traffic in such wireless devices has increased, leading to a trend toward larger battery pack capacities and larger battery housings. In wireless automatic meter reading systems for gas meters, battery pack replacement is not required under normal use. However, the inventors discovered a problem in that if a battery pack needs to be replaced due to an increase in communication traffic or the like, placing a smaller-capacity battery pack in a larger battery housing would cause the battery pack to become unstable within the battery housing and prevent the battery pack from being stably held. The subject matter of the present disclosure was conceived to solve this problem. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a wireless device and a battery holder that can easily hold either a large-capacity or a small-capacity battery pack in a battery storage section.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, in some cases, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters or redundant explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0011] [1. Configuration] [1-1. Wireless device configuration] FIG. 1 shows a state of a wireless device 1 at the time of shipment. The wireless device 1 is used as a master unit, slave unit, repeater, etc. in a wireless automatic meter reading system for gas meters. The wireless device 1 includes a case body 3, which includes a wireless circuit unit 11 and a battery storage unit 13 having a substantially rectangular shape. At the time of shipment, the radio circuit section 11 and the battery storage section 13 are covered by a case lid (not shown). A first battery pack (battery pack) 15 serving as a power source is stored in the battery storage section 13. The battery storage section 13 is a battery holder.

[0012] 2, the first battery pack 15 is formed by stacking four identical cylindrical batteries 15A in two upper and lower rows with their central axes X aligned, for a total of eight batteries 15A, and bundling them with a film 15B. The first battery pack 15 is a battery pack with a large number of batteries 15A and a large capacity. 1, the first battery pack 15 is housed in the battery housing section 13 with the central axis X of the battery 15A aligned with the short side direction of the battery housing section 13. The first battery pack 15 includes a lead wire 17 for supplying power to the outside.

[0013] A circuit board 21 is arranged in the wireless circuit unit 11. In a wireless automatic meter reading system for gas meters, the basic circuit board 21 is shared by the slave unit, repeater unit, and master unit, and the circuit board 21 is configured by selecting functions depending on the settings, or by adding components, etc. The circuit board 21 may be a dedicated board for the slave unit, repeater unit, and master unit. A terminal block 22 is mounted on the circuit board 21. Meters, level gauges, alarms, switching valves, etc. are connected to the terminal block 22. A battery connector 23 and a maintenance connector 24 are mounted on the circuit board 21. Reference numeral 25 denotes a switch.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1 and 3, the battery housing section 13 includes a first short-side wall section 35 and a second short-side wall section 36 facing the first short-side wall section 35. The first short-side wall section 35 and the second short-side wall section 36 each extend in the short-side direction of the battery housing section 13. In other words, the first short-side wall section 35 and the second short-side wall section 36 are each on the short side of the battery housing section 13.

[0015] The first short-side wall portion 35 includes a first claw member (claw member) 37 that holds the first battery pack 15. The first claw member 37 is formed on the upper surface of the first short-side wall portion 35 and holds the body portion 15C of the upper battery 15A of the first battery pack 15. When the first battery pack 15 is stored, the first claw member 37 is pushed by the first battery pack 15 and bends outward, and after the first battery pack 15 is stored, it springs back to hold the body portion 15C of the upper battery 15A of the first battery pack 15. A lower support portion 39 is formed on the lower part of the first short wall portion 35. The lower support portion 39 is located below the body portion 15C of the upper battery 15A of the first battery pack 15, and prevents the first battery pack 15 from rattling up and down during shipment.

[0016] The second short wall portion 36 abuts against the body portion 15D of the lower battery 15A of the first battery pack 15, preventing lateral rattle of the first battery pack 15. Retaining claws 38 are formed on the upper portion of the second short wall portion 36. The retaining claws 38 are located above the body portion 15D of the lower battery 15A, preventing vertical rattle of the first battery pack 15 during shipment.

[0017] According to this embodiment, the first claw member 37 holds the body portion 15C of the upper battery 15A, the second short wall portion 36 abuts the body portion 15D of the lower battery 15A, and the holding claw 38 prevents the body portion 15D of the lower battery 15A from floating up, thereby reducing rattling of the first battery pack 15 in the vertical and horizontal directions during shipping and transportation.

[0018] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the state when a battery is connected to wireless device 1. Note that wireless circuit section 11 and battery storage section 13 in Fig. 4 have the same configuration as in Fig. 1, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless device 1 is shipped with the lead wires 17 of the first battery pack 15 held by the clamping portion 28. When installing, the lead wire 17 is removed from the clip portion 28 and connected to the battery connector 23 as shown in FIG. The case body 3 has an upper mounting part 41 at the top and a lower mounting part 43 at the bottom, and when installed, the case body 3 is attached to a fixed part such as a gas pipe by the upper mounting part 41 and the lower mounting part 43 in an upright position.

[0019] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which second battery pack (battery pack) 115 is stored in battery storage section 13. Note that the configurations of wireless circuit section 11 and battery storage section 13 in Fig. 5 are the same as those in Fig. 1, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. As shown in Fig. 6, the second battery pack 115 is formed by bundling five (plural) identical cylindrical batteries 15A, three on top and two on the bottom, with a film 15B. Compared to the first battery pack 15 (see Fig. 2), the second battery pack 115 has fewer batteries 15A and a smaller capacity. As shown in Fig. 5, the second battery pack 115 is housed in the battery housing section 13 with the central axis Y of the batteries 15A aligned with the longitudinal direction of the battery housing section 13.

[0020] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the battery storage section 13 includes a first longitudinal wall section 31 and a second longitudinal wall section 32 facing the first longitudinal wall section 31. The first longitudinal wall portion 31 and the second longitudinal wall portion 32 each extend in the longitudinal direction of the battery housing portion 13. That is, the first longitudinal wall portion 31 and the second longitudinal wall portion 32 each constitute the longitudinal sides of the battery housing portion 13. The inside dimension W of the first longitudinal wall portion 31 and the second longitudinal wall portion 32 is formed to be approximately equal to the length L of the batteries 15A of the first battery pack 15 and the second battery pack 115 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0021] The first longitudinal wall portion (partition portion) 31 has a through groove 46 through which the lead wire 17 of the second battery pack 115 passes. After passing through the through groove 46, the lead wire 17 of the second battery pack 115 is connected to the connector 23 of the circuit board 21 on the wireless circuit unit 11 side.

[0022] 7, the second longitudinal wall portion 32 is provided with second claw members (claw members) 45 that hold the first battery pack 15. The second claw members 45 are formed on the upper surface of the second longitudinal wall portion 32 and hold the body portion 15C of the upper battery 15A of the second battery pack 115. When the second battery pack 115 is stored, the second claw member 45 is pushed by the second battery pack 115 and bends outward, and after the second battery pack 115 is stored, it springs back to hold the body portion 15C of the upper battery 15A of the second battery pack 115.

[0023] The second hook member 45 functions as a support part that supports the second battery pack 115 from below when the wireless device 1 is placed upright on a fixing part.

[0024] [1-2. Battery Compartment Configuration] FIG. 8 shows the battery holder in solid lines. (A) is a front view, (B) is a left side view, and (C) is a right side view. FIG. 9 is a top view of the same, and FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the same. The battery holder includes a battery storage section 13. The battery storage section 13 includes a first short wall section 35, a second short wall section 36, a first long wall section 31, and a second long wall section 32.

[0025] The interior dimensions of the first short-side wall portion 35 and the second short-side wall portion 36, i.e., the longitudinal dimension of the battery housing portion 13, are formed so that the first battery pack 15 can be stored in the battery housing portion 13 with the central axis X of the battery 15A aligned with the transverse direction of the battery housing portion 13. The interior dimensions of the first long-side wall portion 31 and the second long-side wall portion 32, i.e., the transverse dimension of the battery housing portion 13, are formed so that the second battery pack 115 can be stored in the battery housing portion 13 with the central axis Y of the battery 15A aligned with the longitudinal direction of the battery housing portion 13.

[0026] The first short wall portion 35 includes a first claw member 37 . The first short wall portion 35 has a lower support portion 39. The second short wall portion 36 has an upper portion on which a holding claw 38 is formed. The first longitudinal wall portion 31 includes a clamping portion 28 for the lead wire 17 and a through groove 46. The second longitudinal wall portion 32 includes a two-claw member 45.

[0027] [2. Effects, etc.] Incidentally, in recent years, the wireless device 1 has tended to have an increased communication volume, a larger capacity for the first battery pack 15, and an increased size for the battery compartment 13. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the battery storage section 13 initially stores the first battery pack 15 with the maximum capacity, which stores eight batteries 15A. Under normal use conditions, there is no need to replace the first battery pack 15. However, if the first battery pack 15 becomes worn out and needs to be replaced, in this embodiment, the set of eight first battery packs 15 is removed and a second battery pack 115 with a smaller capacity that can pack five batteries 15A is stored in the battery storage section 13, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0028] [3. Effects, etc.] In FIG. 1, the first battery pack 15 with the maximum capacity is housed in the battery housing section 13 with the central axis X of the battery 15A aligned with the widthwise direction of the battery housing section 13. In this case, the first battery pack 15 is held by the first claw member 37 and the lower support portion 39 on the side of the first short wall portion 35, and the retaining claw 38 on the side of the second short wall portion 36, thereby suppressing rattling in the vertical and horizontal directions. In Figure 5, the first battery pack 15 with the maximum capacity is replaced with a second battery pack 115 with a smaller capacity, and in this case, the orientation of the second battery pack 115 is changed so that the central axis Y of the battery 15A is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the battery storage section 13. At this time, the second battery pack 115 is held by the second claw members 45 on the second longitudinal wall portion 32 side, preventing the second battery pack 115 from falling.

[0029] 4. Other Embodiments In the above embodiment, the first battery pack 15 has a maximum battery capacity of eight batteries 15A, and the replacement battery pack is the second battery pack 115 that includes five batteries 15A. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the first battery pack 15 may have a large capacity and include eight or more batteries 15A, and the replacement battery pack may be the second battery pack 115 that has a small capacity and includes one to four batteries 15A.

[0030] (Addendum) The above description of the embodiments discloses the following techniques.

[0031] (Technology 1) A wireless device comprising a wireless circuit section and a case body having a substantially rectangular battery storage section, the battery storage section storing a battery pack bundling multiple cylindrical batteries, and the case body having claw members on the short and long sides of the battery storage section that can hold the cylindrical body of the battery. With this configuration, by enlarging the battery storage compartment horizontally, the capacity of the stored battery pack can be maximized. In this case, the stored battery pack is held by the claw members on the short sides, which reduces rattling. When storing a battery pack with a smaller capacity during battery replacement, the stored battery pack is held by the claw members on the long sides, which reduces rattling of the battery pack.

[0032] (Technology 2) The wireless device described in Technology 1 includes a first claw member arranged on the short side and holding the battery body portion of the first battery pack having the larger number of batteries, and a second claw member arranged on the long side and holding the battery body portion of the second battery pack having the smaller number of batteries. With this configuration, the first battery pack with a larger capacity is held by the first claw member on the shorter side, and the second battery pack with a smaller capacity is held by the second claw member on the longer side, thereby reducing rattling of the battery packs.

[0033] (Technology 3) The wireless device described in Technology 1 or 2, wherein the battery storage section has a longitudinal dimension formed so that the first battery pack can be stored with the central axis of the battery aligned with the short side of the battery storage section, and a transverse dimension formed so that the second battery pack can be stored with the central axis of the battery aligned with the long side of the battery storage section. According to this configuration, the first battery pack or the second battery pack can be efficiently housed in the battery housing section.

[0034] (Technical 4) The wireless device according to Technical 1 or 2, wherein the second claw member has a function of supporting the second battery pack from below. According to this configuration, the second battery pack is supported from below when connecting to a power source, which makes the power source connection process easier.

[0035] (Technology 5) The wireless device according to any one of technologies 1 to 4, wherein the case body has a groove in the partition between the wireless circuit section and the battery storage section for passing the lead wires of the battery pack. According to this configuration, the lead wires extending from the battery pack can be passed through the through grooves in the partition and led out to the wireless circuit unit side, so that the lead wires can be easily connected to the wireless circuit unit.

[0036] (Technology 6) The wireless device according to any one of Technologies 1 to 5, wherein the lead wire is connected to the substrate of the wireless circuit unit by a connector. According to this configuration, the lead wires that are led out to the radio circuit unit side through the through grooves can be easily connected to the radio circuit unit via a connector.

[0037] (Technology 7) A battery holder having a roughly rectangular battery storage section that stores a battery pack bundling multiple cylindrical batteries, and having claw members on the short and long sides of the battery storage section that can hold the cylindrical body portions of the batteries. With this configuration, by enlarging the battery storage compartment horizontally, the capacity of the stored battery pack can be maximized. In this case, the stored battery pack is held by the claw members on the short sides, which reduces rattling. When storing a battery pack with a smaller capacity during battery replacement, the stored battery pack is held by the claw members on the long sides, which reduces rattling of the battery pack.

[0038] (Technology 8) A battery holder as described in Technology 7, wherein the claw members are arranged on the short side and include a first claw member that holds the battery body portion of the battery pack having a large number of batteries, and a second claw member that is arranged on the long side and holds the battery body portion of the battery pack having a small number of batteries. With this configuration, a battery pack with a large capacity is held by the first claw member on the shorter side, and a battery pack with a small capacity is held by the second claw member on the longer side, thereby reducing rattling of the battery packs.

[0039] (Technology 9) A battery holder as described in Technology 8, wherein the battery storage section has longitudinal dimensions formed so that the first battery pack can be stored with the central axis of the battery aligned with the short side of the battery storage section, and the battery storage section has transverse dimensions formed so that the second battery pack can be stored with the central axis of the battery aligned with the long side of the battery storage section. According to this configuration, the first battery pack or the second battery pack can be efficiently housed in the battery housing section. [Industrial Applicability]

[0040] As described above, the present disclosure can be suitably used in wireless devices that accommodate a battery pack with a larger capacity and a larger battery storage section. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 Radio equipment 3 Case body 11 Radio circuit section 13 Battery compartment 15 First battery pack (battery pack) 115 Second Battery Pack (Battery Pack) 15A battery 15C Torso 17 Lead wire 21 Circuit Board 22 Terminal block 23 Connector 28 Clamping part 31 First longitudinal wall (partition, longitudinal side of battery storage section) 32 Second longitudinal wall portion (longitudinal side of battery storage portion) 35 First short wall (short side of battery compartment) 36 Second short wall (short side of battery compartment) 37 First claw member (claw member) 38 Holding claw 39 Lower support 45 Second claw member (claw member) 46 Through groove X, Y center axis

Claims

1. The device comprises a case body having a wireless circuit section and a substantially rectangular battery storage section, the battery storage section stores a battery pack that bundles together a plurality of cylindrical batteries; The case body is a wireless device having claw members on the short and long sides of the battery storage section, each of which is capable of holding a cylindrical body portion of the battery.

2. The claw member is a first claw member disposed on the short side and configured to hold the battery body portions of the first battery pack having the greater number of batteries; a second claw member disposed on the longer side and configured to hold the battery body portions of the second battery pack having the fewer number of batteries; 10. The wireless device of claim 1.

3. The battery storage section is the battery housing portion has a longitudinal dimension that allows the first battery pack to be housed in a state in which a central axis of the battery is aligned with a lateral direction of the battery housing portion; the battery housing portion has a widthwise dimension that allows the second battery pack to be housed in the battery housing portion with the central axis of the battery aligned with the lengthwise direction of the battery housing portion; 3. The wireless device of claim 2.

4. the second claw member has a function of supporting the second battery pack from below; 4. The wireless device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. the case body has a groove in a partition between the wireless circuit section and the battery storage section through which a lead wire of the battery pack passes; 10. The wireless device of claim 1.

6. The lead wire is connected to the substrate of the radio circuit unit by a connector.

6. The wireless device of claim 5.

7. A battery storage section having a substantially rectangular shape is provided, the battery storage section stores a battery pack that bundles together a plurality of cylindrical batteries; The battery holder has claw members on both the short and long sides of the battery storage section, each of which is capable of holding the cylindrical body of the battery.

8. The claw member is a first claw member disposed on the short side and configured to hold the battery body portions of the first battery pack having the greater number of batteries; a second claw member disposed on the longer side and configured to hold the battery body portions of the second battery pack having the fewer number of batteries; 8. The battery holder according to claim 7.

9. The battery storage section is the battery housing portion has a longitudinal dimension that allows the first battery pack to be housed in a state in which a central axis of the battery is aligned with a lateral direction of the battery housing portion; the battery housing portion has a widthwise dimension that allows the second battery pack to be housed in the battery housing portion with the central axis of the battery aligned with the lengthwise direction of the battery housing portion; 9. The battery holder of claim 8.

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