Charging device

Abstract

To provide a technique for draining liquid on a mounting face on which a charging target is mounted.SOLUTION: A charger comprises a housing including a mounting face on which a charging target is mounted. The mounting face inclines along a first direction. A flow channel face extending in a second direction crossing the first direction is formed at an end part on a lower side in the first direction of the mounting face. The flow channel face inclines along the second direction. A drain port communicating with an outside of the housing is formed at an end part on a lower side in the second direction of the flow channel face.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a charging device for charging an object to be charged. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a grader device capable of charging a PDA terminal. A placement section for placing the PDA terminal is formed on the upper surface of the grader device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-4261 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, liquid (such as a drink) may adhere to the grader device. If liquid accumulates on the placement section, problems such as the PDA terminal placed on the placement section becoming wet may occur.

[0005] This specification provides a technique for draining liquid on a placement surface on which an object to be charged is placed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The charging device disclosed in this specification includes a housing including a mounting surface on which an object to be charged is placed. The mounting surface is inclined along a first direction, and a flow path surface extending along a second direction intersecting with the first direction is formed at a lower end of the mounting surface in the first direction, the flow path surface is inclined along the second direction, and a drainage port communicating with the outside of the housing is formed at a lower end of the flow path surface in the second direction.

[0007] With this configuration, the liquid on the mounting surface flows from the lower end of the mounting surface in the first direction to the lower end of the flow path surface in the second direction, and finally flows out of the housing through the drain hole. As a result, the liquid on the mounting surface on which the charging target is placed can be drained.

[0008] The first direction may be a front-to-rear direction of the housing, the second direction may be a left-to-right direction of the housing, and the drain outlet may be formed in a side surface of the housing in the left-to-right direction.

[0009] In general, the front surface of the housing is conspicuous. For example, if a drain outlet is formed on the front surface, liquid flowing out from the drain outlet is conspicuous. According to the above configuration, the drain outlet is formed on the left and right side surfaces instead of the front surface, so that the liquid flowing out from the drain outlet can be prevented from being conspicuous. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 shows a perspective view of a charging device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] A cross-sectional view taken along line II-II is shown. [Diagram 3] An enlarged view of region III is shown. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a charging device of a comparative example. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a charging device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] (First Example) (Configuration of charging device 10: Figs. 1 to 3) A charging device 10 of a first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. The charging device 10 is a device for charging batteries 100, 200 (see Fig. 2) of a mobile terminal (not shown). The mobile terminal is a device for reading data recorded in an information code (e.g., a barcode) and data stored in an electronic tag (e.g., an RFID). In a modified example, the mobile terminal may be a smartphone, a tablet PC, a notebook PC, or the like.

[0012] In each figure, an XYZ coordinate system is defined. The X, Y, and Z directions respectively indicate the left-right, front-rear, and height directions of the charging device 10. The charging device 10 is placed on a predetermined stand (e.g., a desk) with the bottom surface 10a facing downward.

[0013] The charging device 10 includes a housing 12, and the housing 12 is provided with four mounting sections 14. In Fig. 1, one of the four mounting sections 14 is indicated by a reference numeral, and the reference numerals of the remaining mounting sections are omitted. In a modified example, the number of mounting sections 14 is not limited to four, and may be, for example, one, five, etc.

[0014] The placement portion 14 includes a first placement portion 16 and a second placement portion 18. The first placement portion 16 is a portion on which the first battery 100 is placed (see FIG. 2). The first placement portion 16 includes a front placement surface 16a and a rear placement surface 16d. A terminal 16b to be connected to a terminal (not shown) of the first battery 100 is exposed on the front placement surface 16a.

[0015] The first battery 100 is placed on the placement section 16 so as to straddle both the front placement surface 16a and the rear placement surface 16d. At this time, the terminal of the first battery 100 is connected to the terminal 16b. This causes the first battery 100 to be charged.

[0016] The second mounting portion 18 is a portion on which the second battery 200, which is smaller than the first battery 100, is mounted (see FIG. 2). The second mounting portion 18 includes a mounting surface 18a, which is the bottom surface of the recess. A terminal 18b, which is connected to a terminal (not shown) of the second battery 200, is exposed on the mounting surface 18a.

[0017] The second battery 200 is placed on the mounting portion 18 so as to be accommodated in the recess of the second mounting portion 18. At this time, the terminal of the second battery 200 is connected to the terminal 18b. As a result, the second battery 200 is charged.

[0018] 2, the front placement surface 16a of the first placement portion 16 is inclined along the y-axis direction. Specifically, the end of the front placement surface 16a in the negative direction of the y-axis (i.e., the front side) is lower than the end of the placement surface 16a in the positive direction of the y-axis (i.e., the rear side). The rear placement surface 16d is also inclined along the y-axis direction, similar to the front placement surface 16a.

[0019] A flow groove 16e is formed at the lower end of the front mounting surface 16a. The flow groove 16e is inclined along the x-axis direction. For example, in the front left mounting portion 14 (i.e., the mounting portion 14 with reference numeral 14) among the four mounting portions 14 in FIG. 1, the end of the flow groove 16e in the negative direction of the x-axis is lower than the end of the flow groove 16e in the positive direction of the x-axis. Also, for example, in the front right mounting portion 14 among the four mounting portions 14 in FIG. 1, the end of the flow groove 16e in the positive direction of the x-axis is lower than the end of the flow groove 16e in the negative direction of the x-axis. That is, the flow groove 16e is inclined so as to become lower toward the outside of the housing 12.

[0020] A drainage hole 16c is formed at the lower end of the flow channel 16e in the x-axis direction. The drainage hole 16c is a notch (in other words, a slit) formed in the side surface of the housing 12 in the x-axis direction. The drainage hole 16c communicates between the flow channel 16e and the space outside the housing 12.

[0021] 2, the mounting surface 18a of the second mounting portion 18 is also inclined along the y-axis direction, similar to the front mounting surface 16a of the first mounting portion 16. A flow channel 18e is also formed at the lower end of the mounting surface 18a, similar to the front mounting surface 16a. For example, in the front left mounting portion 14 (i.e., the mounting portion 14 with reference numeral 14) among the four mounting portions 14 in FIG. 1, the end of the flow channel 18e in the negative direction of the x-axis is lower than the end of the flow channel 18e in the positive direction of the x-axis. That is, similar to the flow channel 16e of the first mounting portion 16, the flow channel 18e is also inclined so as to become lower toward the outside of the housing 12. Similarly to the flow channel 16e, a drain port 18c is also formed at the lower end of the flow channel 18e in the x-axis direction.

[0022] For example, liquid (e.g., a drink) may be spilled on the mounting surface 16a on the front side of the first mounting portion 16. The arrows in Fig. 3 indicate the flow of the liquid spilled on the mounting surface 16a. As shown in Fig. 3, the liquid spilled on the mounting surface 16a flows in the order of the lower end of the mounting surface 16a in the y-axis direction, the lower end of the flow channel 16e in the x-axis direction, and finally flows out of the housing 12 from the drain port 16c. In this way, the liquid on the mounting surface 16a on which the first battery 100 is placed can be drained.

[0023] Also, although not shown in the figure, in the second mounting portion 18, similarly to the first mounting portion 16, liquid that splashes on the mounting surface 18a flows in the order of the mounting surface 18a and the flow path groove 18e, and then flows out to the outside of the housing 12 through the drainage outlet 18c.

[0024] Furthermore, in general, the front surface of the housing 12 is conspicuous. For example, if a drain outlet is formed on the front surface, the liquid flowing out from the drain outlet is conspicuous. According to the configuration of this embodiment, the drain outlets 16c, 18c are formed on the left and right side surfaces (i.e., both sides in the x-axis direction) rather than on the front surface (i.e., the front surface in the negative y-axis direction), so that the liquid flowing out from the drain outlets 16c, 18c can be prevented from being conspicuous.

[0025] Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a charging device 900 of a comparative example is assumed to include a recess 910 as a placement portion for placing a battery. In this comparative example, the bottom surface of the recess 910 is formed in a funnel shape, and a drainage outlet 910c is formed at the center of the bottom surface of the funnel shape. In this comparative example, the liquid flowing out from the drainage outlet 910c flows out from the bottom of the charging device 900 to the outside of the charging device 900. However, in this comparative example, the place where the liquid flows out is not controlled, and for example, the liquid may flow out from the entire periphery of the bottom of the charging device 900. In contrast, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the place where the liquid flows out can be controlled to the place where the drainage outlets 16c and 18c are formed, that is, the periphery of the side surface in the x-axis direction.

[0026] In this embodiment, the first battery 100 is placed on an inclined placement surface 16a. The charging device 10 of this embodiment can reduce the size of the charging device 10 in the y-axis direction compared to a comparative example in which the placement surface of the first battery 100 is horizontal. Furthermore, the placement surface 16a, which is inclined for the purpose of reducing the size, can also be used as a flow path for draining liquid.

[0027] (Correspondence) The first battery 100 and the second battery 200 are examples of an "object to be charged". The charging device 10 and the housing 12 are examples of a "charging device" and a "housing", respectively. The front mounting surface 16a of the first mounting portion 16 and the mounting surface 18a of the second mounting portion 18 are examples of a "mounting surface". The bottom surface of the flow groove 16e of the first mounting portion 16 and the bottom surface of the flow groove 18e of the second mounting portion 18 are examples of a "flow surface". The drainage port 16c of the first mounting portion 16 and the drainage port 18c of the second mounting portion 18 are examples of a "drainage port". The y-axis direction and the x-axis direction are examples of a "first direction" and a "second direction", respectively.

[0028] (Second Example) (Configuration of charging device 300: FIG. 5) The housing 312 of the charging device 300 of the second embodiment is provided with two mounting portions 314 on the left side and two mounting portions 14 on the right side. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In Fig. 5, the reference numeral is given to the front mounting portion 314 of the two mounting portions 314 on the left side, and the reference numerals of the remaining mounting portions are omitted.

[0029] The left mounting portion 314 includes a first mounting portion 316 on which the first battery 100 is mounted, and a second mounting portion 318 on which the second battery 200 is mounted. The first mounting portion 316 is similar to the first mounting portion 16 of the first embodiment, except that the drainage port 16c is not formed, and the inclination direction of the flow channel 316e is opposite. The end of the flow channel 316e in the positive direction of the x-axis is lower than the end of the flow channel 316e in the negative direction of the x-axis.

[0030] A communication groove 322 that communicates the mounting portion 316 and the mounting portion 16 is formed in a wall 320 between the left first mounting portion 316 and the right first mounting portion 16. As a result, liquid that has splashed on the first mounting portion 316 flows from the flow path groove 316e of the first mounting portion 316 through the communication groove 322 to the flow path groove 16e of the first mounting portion 16, and then flows out of the housing 312 from the drainage port 16c of the first mounting portion 16.

[0031] The second mounting portion 318 is similar to the second mounting portion 18 of the first embodiment, except that the drainage port 18c is not formed and the inclination direction of the flow channel 318e is opposite. Furthermore, a communication channel 324 that communicates the mounting portion 318 and the mounting portion 18 is formed in the wall 321 between the left second mounting portion 318 and the right second mounting portion 18. In the second mounting portion 318, as in the first mounting portion 316, the liquid that has been splashed on the second mounting portion 318 flows from the flow channel 318e of the second mounting portion 318 through the communication channel 324 to the flow channel 18e of the second mounting portion 18, and flows out from the drainage port 18c of the second mounting portion 18 to the outside of the housing 312.

[0032] In this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, liquid on the mounting surface (for example, the mounting surface of the first mounting portion 316) on which the battery (for example, 100) is mounted can be drained. In addition, since the drainage ports 16c, 18c are concentrated on the right side surface of the housing 312, it is possible to prevent the liquid flowing out from the drainage ports 16c, 18c from being noticeable.

[0033] (Correspondence) The charging device 300 and the housing 312 are examples of a "charging device" and a "housing", respectively. The mounting surface of the first mounting portion 316 is an example of a "mounting surface". The bottom surface of the flow path groove 316e of the first mounting portion 316 is an example of a "flow path surface". The drain outlet 16c of the first mounting portion 16 in FIG. 5 is an example of a "drain outlet". The y-axis direction and the x-axis direction are examples of a "first direction" and a "second direction", respectively.

[0034] Although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. For example, the following modifications may be adopted.

[0035] (Variation 1) The direction in which the flow channel 16e extends is not limited to the x-axis direction (i.e., the left-right direction), and may be, for example, a straight line inclined at a predetermined angle from the x-axis direction. Generally speaking, the "second direction" does not have to be perpendicular to the "first direction" as long as it intersects with it.

[0036] (Modification 2) The "chargeable object" is not limited to the battery 100, and may be, for example, the mobile terminal itself.

[0037] (Variation 3) The first mounting portion 16 may not be formed with the flow channel 16e, and instead, the lower end of the mounting surface 16a may be an inclined surface inclined in the x-axis direction. The inclined surface may be seamlessly connected to a surface of the mounting surface 16a other than the inclined surface. In this variation, the inclined surface is an example of a "flow channel surface."

[0038] (Variation 4) The "drain outlet" is not limited to drain outlet 16c which is a cutout in the side surface, but may be a tunnel that connects the bottom surface of flow channel 16e to the outside of housing 12.

[0039] (Modification 5) The location where the "drain hole" is formed is not limited to the side surface in the left and right direction of the housing 12, but may be, for example, the side surface in the up and down direction of the housing 12.

[0040] The technical elements described in this specification or drawings have technical utility either alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of these objectives is itself technically useful. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10: Charging device 10a: Bottom 12: Housing 14: Placement section 16: First placement section 16a: Placement surface 16b: Terminal 16c: Drain port 16d: Placement surface 16e: Flow channel 18: Second placement section 18a: Placement surface 18b: Terminal 18c: Drain port 18e: Flow channel 100: 1st battery 200: Second battery 300: Charging device 312: Housing 314: Placement section 316: First placement section 316e: Flow channel 318: Second placement section 318e: Flow channel 320: Wall 321: Wall 322:Communication groove 324: Connecting ditch

Claims

1. a housing including a first placement section having a first placement surface on which an object to be charged is placed, and a second placement section having a second placement surface on which the object to be charged is placed; a first terminal is exposed on the first mounting surface; a second terminal is exposed on the second mounting surface; the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface are inclined along a first direction, a first flow path surface is formed at a lower end of the first mounting surface in the first direction, the first flow path surface extending along a second direction intersecting the first direction, the second mounting portion is connected to an end portion of the first mounting surface on a higher side in the first direction, a lower end of the second mounting surface in the first direction is located at a position lower than a higher end of the first mounting surface in the first direction, a second flow path surface extending along the second direction is formed at an end portion on the lower side in the first direction of the second mounting surface, The second terminal does not protrude from the first mounting surface, the first flow path surface and the second flow path surface are inclined along the second direction, a first drain port communicating with an outside of the housing is formed at an end portion on a lower side in the second direction of the first flow path surface, A charging device, wherein a second drain outlet communicating with an outside of the housing is formed at a lower end of the second flow path surface in the second direction.

2. the first direction is a front-rear direction of the housing, the second direction is a left-right direction of the housing, The charging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first drain outlet and the second drain outlet are formed on side surfaces of the housing in the left-right direction.

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