Battery pack and lighting device

Abstract

A battery pack is provided that can easily arrange and electrically connect a dummy load to a lighting device and can suppress the influence of heat generation from the dummy load. The battery pack (14) includes a battery (31), a plurality of dummy loads (32), and a battery case (30) in which the battery (31) is disposed and the plurality of dummy loads (32) are dispersed.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present invention relate to a battery pack and a lighting device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, lighting devices for disaster prevention, such as emergency lights and guide lights, are equipped with batteries to turn on the light source in the event of a power outage, and battery inspections are carried out to check for battery deterioration, abnormalities, etc. In battery inspections, the light source is turned on using battery power for a specified inspection period, the battery voltage is checked, and the battery deterioration or abnormality is determined.

[0003] Since the light source is turned on during the battery inspection operation, if the inspection is performed in a situation where there are people around the lighting device, there is a risk that the emergency light source being lit will cause discomfort to those around.

[0004] Therefore, one method is to use a dummy load such as a resistor and supply battery power to the dummy load, allowing inspections to be performed without turning on the light source. However, it is desirable that the dummy load be easily placed and electrically connected to the lighting device, and it is also necessary to consider the heat generated by the dummy load when power is supplied. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-27706 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a battery pack and a lighting device that can easily arrange and electrically connect a dummy load to a lighting device and can suppress the influence of heat generation from the dummy load. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The battery pack of the embodiment includes a battery, a plurality of dummy loads, and a battery case in which the battery is disposed and the plurality of dummy loads are disposed in a dispersed manner. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the battery pack of the embodiment, it is expected that the arrangement and electrical connection of the dummy load to the lighting device will be easy, and the influence of heat generation from the dummy load will be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an illumination device showing an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lighting device in an exploded state. [Figure 3] 3 is a bottom view showing the internal structure of the battery pack of the lighting device. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the lighting device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] 1 and 2 show perspective views of a lighting device 10. The lighting device 10 is an example of an emergency light that is normally turned off when external power such as commercial AC power is supplied from the outside, and is turned on when the external power fails. The lighting device 10 is a recessed fixture type that is recessed into a recessed hole in the ceiling surface, which is the installation surface.

[0012] The lighting device 10 comprises a housing 11, a light source 12 arranged on the underside of the housing 11, a power supply unit 13 and a battery pack 14 arranged within the housing 11, and a terminal block 15 arranged on the upper side of the housing 11.

[0013] The housing 11 includes a cylindrical main body 17 that is open on the bottom side, and a decorative frame 18 that is detachably attached to the bottom side of the main body 17. The main body 17 and the decorative frame 18 are made of metal. A plurality of mounting springs 19 are attached to the side of the main body 17 for installation on a ceiling.

[0014] The decorative frame 18 is detachably attached to the underside of the main body 17. A light source window 20 in which the light source 12 is disposed is provided in the center of the decorative frame 18, and an inspection window 21 and a communication window 22 are provided around the periphery of the decorative frame 18.

[0015] The light source 12 has a light emitting element such as an LED, and is opposed to a lens 23 that controls light distribution. The light source 12 is attached to the underside of the power supply unit 13 and is arranged in the center of the underside of the main body 17, and is arranged in a light source window hole 20 of a decorative frame 18 that is attached to the underside of the main body 17.

[0016] The power supply unit 13 has a power supply case 25 and a power supply circuit (power supply circuit board) housed within the power supply case 25. The power supply unit 13 is attached by being inserted into the main body 17 from the bottom opening. The power supply unit 13 has a connector receptacle to which the battery pack 14, which is inserted into the main body 17, is detachably connected, and is electrically connected to the battery pack 14. The bottom of the power supply unit 13 is equipped with the light source 12, as well as an inspection switch 26 that is manually operated to issue an inspection command, a monitor lamp 27 that displays the status of the lighting device 10 and the inspection results, and a transceiver 28 that communicates by transmitting and receiving optical signals using infrared light to and from a remote control operated by an operator, etc. The inspection switch 26 and monitor lamp 27 face the inspection window 21 in the decorative frame 18, and the transceiver 28 faces the communication window 22 in the decorative frame 18.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the battery pack 14 includes a battery case 30, and a plurality of batteries 31 and a dummy load 32 (shown in FIG. 4) housed in the battery case 30.

[0018] The battery case 30 is made of resin and has a substantially U-shaped horizontal cross section so that it can be placed inside the main body 17 in combination with the power supply unit 13. One end of the battery case 30 is provided with a connector 33 that is detachably connected to a connector receptacle of the power supply unit 13 when the battery case 30 is inserted into or removed from the main body 17. The connector 33 has a first terminal electrically connected to the battery 31 and a second terminal electrically connected to the dummy load 32. By inserting the battery case 30 into the main body 17, the connector 33 connects to the connector receptacle of the power supply unit 13 and is attached to the main body 17 by a detachment spring 34. Note that the horizontal cross section of the battery pack 14 is not limited to a substantially U-shaped shape, and may be, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped, a cube, a cylinder, or other shape depending on the configuration and type of the lighting device 10.

[0019] The battery 31 may be a rechargeable secondary battery such as a nickel-metal hydride battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, or a lithium-ion battery. The battery 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape, with a positive pole on one end and a negative pole on the other end. The multiple batteries 31 are arranged in parallel in a roughly U-shape corresponding to the shape of the batteries housed in the battery case 30, with the positive and negative poles of adjacent batteries facing in opposite directions, and the different polarities of adjacent batteries 31 are connected by an electrode plate 35. The positive and negative poles at both ends of the batteries 31 connected in series as a whole are electrically connected to a first terminal of the connector 33.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, terminal block 15 is connected to a power line laid above the ceiling, and supplies external power supplied through the power line to power supply unit 13 within housing 11.

[0021] Next, a block diagram of the lighting device 10 is shown in FIG.

[0022] The light source 12 and the battery pack 14 are electrically connected to the power supply unit 13. The power supply unit 13 operates on external power when external power is supplied, and operates on power from the battery 31 when the external power fails.

[0023] The battery pack 14 includes a battery 31 and a dummy load 32 for inspection purposes that can discharge the power of the battery 31 inside a battery case 30 .

[0024] The dummy load 32 is, for example, a resistor, and consumes the power by converting the power of the battery 31 supplied through the power supply unit 13 into heat. Note that the dummy load 32 may be a light emitting element such as an LED, similar to the light source 12.

[0025] A plurality of dummy loads 32 are used and connected in series by wiring or the like. The load value obtained by adding up the load values ​​(power consumption) of the dummy loads 32 is configured to be the load value required for inspecting the battery 31. In other words, dummy loads 32 are used whose load value is the load value required for inspecting the battery 31 divided by the number of dummy loads 32. The load value obtained by adding up the plurality of dummy loads 32 may be equal to a load value that consumes the same amount of power as the light source 12, which is the actual load, or may be a load value that consumes more power than the light source 12, which is the actual load, in order to shorten the inspection time. In this embodiment, four dummy loads 32 are used, but any number greater than two may be used.

[0026] The multiple dummy loads 32 are arranged at separate locations within the battery case 30. Each dummy load 32 generates heat when power is supplied, so it is preferable that the positions of the dummy loads 32 are such that the temperature distribution within the battery case 30 due to the heat generated by each dummy load 32 is dispersed.

[0027] It is preferable to efficiently transfer and dissipate heat generated by each dummy load 32 to the metal housing 11 to suppress temperature rise. Therefore, it is preferable to arrange each dummy load 32 on the upper surface of the battery case 30, which faces the upper surface of the main body 17 in close proximity to or in contact with the upper surface of the battery case 30; on the side surface of the battery case 30, which faces the side surface of the main body 17 in close proximity to or in contact with the lower surface of the battery case 30 in close proximity to the decorative frame 18; or on the lower surface of the battery case 30, which faces the decorative frame 18 in close proximity to the upper surface of the battery case 30. Although arranging the dummy loads 32 may increase the size of the battery case 30, the dummy loads 32 may be arranged without increasing the size of the battery case 30 by effectively utilizing the space formed between adjacent batteries 31, as shown in FIG. 3 . In this case, for example, all the dummy loads 32 may be arranged on the upper surface of the battery case 30, or the dummy loads 32 may be distributed among the upper, side, and lower surfaces of the battery case 30.

[0028] Considering the influence of heat generated by the dummy load 32 on the resin battery case 30 and the battery 31, it is preferable to cover the dummy load 32 with a protective member 36 such as a silicone tube and place it inside the battery case 30. The protective member 36 may be provided individually to cover each of the dispersed dummy loads 32, or one protective member 36 may cover all of the dummy loads 32.

[0029] A partition wall for thermally insulating the battery 31 and the dummy load 32 may be provided inside the battery case 30. The partition wall may be formed integrally with or separately from the battery case 30 using the same material as the battery case 30, or may be formed from a different material that has a higher heat-shielding and heat-insulating effect than the material of the battery case 30 in order to enhance the thermal insulating effect. The partition wall may simply be interposed in the opposing area between the battery 31 and the dummy load 32, or a room for accommodating the dummy load 32 may be partitioned inside the battery case 30 to thermally isolate the battery 31 and the dummy load 32 spatially as well.

[0030] The connector 33 of the battery pack 14 is provided with a first terminal 31a to which the battery 31 is electrically connected by wiring or the like, and a second terminal 32a to which the dummy load 32 is electrically connected by wiring or the like.

[0031] The power supply unit 13 has a light source connection portion 39 to which the light source 12 is electrically connected, and a connector receiving portion 40 to which the connector 33 of the battery pack 14 is detachably connected, and further has a power supply portion 41, a load switching portion 42, and a control portion 43.

[0032] The power supply unit 41 has a charging circuit that charges the battery 31 using external power, and a lighting circuit that converts the power of the battery 31 into lighting power and outputs it to the light source 12 or dummy load 32, which is switched by the load switching unit 42.

[0033] The load switching unit 42 switches between an actual load circuit that supplies the lighting power output from the power supply unit 41 to the light source 12 and a dummy load circuit that supplies the lighting power output from the power supply unit 41 to the dummy load 32. The load switching unit 42 switches to the actual load circuit except when inspecting the battery 31, and switches to the dummy load circuit only when inspecting the battery 31. Note that, by a predetermined operation of the remote control or inspection switch 26, it may be possible to select that when inspecting the battery 31, the load switching unit 42 does not switch to the dummy load circuit but remains in the actual load circuit, allowing the light source 12 to be turned on and inspection to be performed.

[0034] The control unit 43 has a function as an inspection unit that inspects the battery 31 by supplying power from the battery 31 to the dummy load 32 via the power supply unit 13. The inspection unit function performs an inspection operation of the battery 31 based on a set inspection schedule or a manual inspection instruction from the remote control or inspection switch 26. The inspection operation supplies power from the battery 31 to the dummy load 32 for a predetermined inspection time to discharge the power, detects the voltage of the battery 31, and monitors whether it falls below a predetermined voltage threshold within the predetermined inspection time to determine whether the battery 31 is normal or has any abnormalities due to deterioration or the like.

[0035] Next, the operation of the lighting device 10 will be described.

[0036] When external power is supplied, the power supply unit 13 operates using the external power, and the battery 31 is charged by the charging circuit of the power supply section 41. In addition, the light source 12 is kept in an off state.

[0037] During a power outage of the external power, the power supply unit 13 operates using the power of the battery 31, and the lighting circuit of the power supply unit 41 converts the power of the battery 31 into lighting power and supplies it to the light source 12, thereby lighting the light source 12. At this time, the load switching unit 42 is switched to the actual load circuit, and the lighting circuit of the power supply unit 41 supplies the lighting power converted from the power of the battery 31 to the light source 12.

[0038] Furthermore, the control unit 43 performs an inspection operation for the battery 31 based on a set inspection schedule or a manual inspection instruction issued by a remote control or the inspection switch 26 .

[0039] In the inspection operation of the battery 31, the load switching unit 42 switches to a pseudo load circuit, and the lighting circuit of the power supply unit 41 converts the power of the battery 31 into lighting power and supplies it to the pseudo load 32 arranged in the battery pack 14. The power of the battery 31 is discharged by the pseudo load 32, and the inspection of the battery 31 is performed with the light source 12 turned off.

[0040] The control unit 43 then detects the voltage of the battery 31 and monitors whether it falls below a predetermined voltage threshold within a predetermined inspection time, and determines whether the battery 31 is normal or has any abnormalities due to deterioration, etc. The inspection results are displayed on the monitor lamp 27, and the inspection information is also sent to a remote control or the like so that it can be checked there as well.

[0041] Furthermore, the dummy load 32 to which power is supplied during inspection generates heat and its temperature rises.

[0042] Multiple dummy loads 32 are used, and the load value of each dummy load 32 can be a small load value obtained by dividing the load value required to inspect the battery 31 by the number of dummy loads 32 (for example, four).This reduces the amount of heat generated by each dummy load 32, and suppresses the thermal impact from the dummy load 32 on the battery 31.Furthermore, since multiple dummy loads 32 are distributed within the battery case 30, the heat from the dummy loads 32 is not concentrated and transferred to one of the multiple batteries 31.Therefore, the impact on performance, lifespan, etc. due to temperature rise of the battery 31 can be suppressed.

[0043] Since the dummy load 32 is covered with the protective member 36 and disposed inside the battery case 30, even if the dummy load 32 generates heat, the effects of thermal deformation of the resin battery case 30 can be reduced.

[0044] When the dummy load 32 is disposed on the upper surface of the battery case 30 that faces the upper surface of the main body 17 in proximity to or in contact with it, on a side surface of the battery case 30 that faces the side surface of the main body 17 in proximity to or in contact with it, or on the lower surface of the battery case 30 that faces the decorative frame 18 in proximity to it, heat generated by the dummy load 32 is efficiently transferred to and dissipated by the metal housing 11, thereby suppressing a temperature rise in the dummy load 32. Furthermore, by disposing the dummy load 32 on the upper surface of the battery case 30 that faces the upper surface of the main body 17 in proximity to or in contact with it, the dummy load 32 can be separated from the light source 12, thereby suppressing the thermal effect on the light source 12.

[0045] If a partition wall for thermally insulating the battery 31 from the dummy load 32 is provided inside the battery case 30 in which the dummy load 32 is placed, the heat generated by the dummy load 32 is prevented from being transferred to the battery 31, thereby preventing the battery 31 from rising in temperature and affecting its performance, lifespan, etc.

[0046] In this way, according to the lighting device 10, the battery pack 14 is provided with a dummy load 32, which makes it easy to arrange and electrically connect the dummy load 32 to the lighting device 10. Moreover, by dividing the dummy load 32 into multiple parts and distributing them within the battery case 30, the amount of heat generated by each dummy load 32 is reduced, which suppresses the thermal impact from the dummy load 32 to the battery 31. In addition, the heat from the dummy load 32 is not concentrated and transferred to one of the multiple batteries 31, thereby suppressing the impact of heat generated by the dummy load 32.

[0047] The lighting device is not limited to a recessed type emergency light, but may be an emergency light structure combined with a ceiling-mounted fixture or a general lighting fixture such as a base light. Also, the lighting device is not limited to an emergency light, but can be applied to other disaster prevention lighting devices such as emergency lights that are equipped with batteries for use in the event of a power outage and require battery inspection.

[0048] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 10. Lighting equipment 13 Power supply unit 14 Battery pack 30 Battery case 31 Battery 32 Pseudo load 36 Protective materials 43 Control Unit

Claims

1. a battery; a plurality of dummy loads; a battery case in which the battery is disposed and a plurality of the dummy loads are disposed in a distributed manner; A battery pack comprising:

2. A protective member is provided to cover the dummy load.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1.

3. The battery pack according to claim 1 or 2, a power supply unit to which the battery pack is electrically connected; a control unit that can inspect the battery by supplying power from the battery to the dummy load using the power supply unit; A lighting device comprising:

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