Additional battery box and uninterruptible power supply equipped with same

Abstract

To provide an additional battery box in which an arrangement space for a power source cable can be reduced.SOLUTION: An additional battery box 30 of an uninterruptible power source device includes a rear surface plate 33, and a connector 36 which is provided on the rear surface plate and to which a power source cable is connected. The rear surface plate has a recess 33e that is recessed inward from the outside. The connector is disposed on an inclined portion 33b forming the recess. The power source cable connected to the connector extends obliquely downward so that a projection amount of the power cable, in the horizontal direction (X direction), from the rear surface of the additional battery box can be suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an expansion battery box and an uninterruptible power supply including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an expansion battery box that can be used for multiple uninterruptible power supplies with different capacities. The expansion battery box has a switching unit that connects the batteries in the expansion battery box in series in accordance with the number of batteries built into the uninterruptible power supply (see Patent Document 1, Figures 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2007-215267 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The rear side of the additional battery box of the uninterruptible power supply is connected to the uninterruptible power supply by a power cable. There was room for improvement regarding the placement of the power cable on the back side of the additional battery box.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention provides an additional battery box for an uninterruptible power supply, which can reduce the space required for arranging a power cable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An expansion battery box for an uninterruptible power supply according to one aspect of the present invention includes: A back panel and a connector provided on the rear panel to which a power cable is connected; The rear plate has a recess recessed from the outside to the inside, and the connector is disposed on an inclined portion that forms the recess. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the above aspect, the amount of protrusion of the power cable can be suppressed, and the substantial installation space for the additional battery box can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view showing an uninterruptible power supply equipped with an additional battery box. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing an uninterruptible power supply equipped with an additional battery box. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the additional battery box. [Figure 4] 13 is a diagram showing the state in which the front panel of the expansion battery box is removed. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a side view of the additional battery box. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a wiring diagram inside the additional battery box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an expansion battery box for an uninterruptible power supply has a back panel that extends perpendicularly to the installation surface and has a connector for connecting a power cable disposed on the back panel. As a result of the inventors' investigations, it was found that there was room for improvement in terms of reducing the substantial installation space for the expansion battery box.

[0010] The expansion battery box for an uninterruptible power supply devised by the inventors comprises a back plate and a connector provided on the back plate to which a power cable is connected, the back plate having a recess that is recessed from the outside to the inside, and the connector is positioned on the inclined portion that forms the recess.

[0011] With the above configuration, the amount of protrusion of the power cable can be suppressed, and the actual installation space for the additional battery box can be reduced.

[0012] The rear plate may have a circuit board holding portion, and in a cross-sectional view of the rear plate, the circuit board holding portion and the inclined portion may form an obtuse angle on an inner surface of the rear plate.

[0013] The circuit board holding portion and the inclined portion form an obtuse angle on the inner surface of the rear plate, so that a reflex angle greater than 180° and less than 270° can be formed on the outer surface of the rear plate. With the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the amount of protrusion of the power cable while maintaining the ease of attachment and detachment of the power cable. If a right angle or an acute angle is formed on the inner surface of the rear panel by the circuit board holding portion and the inclined portion, the ease of attaching and detaching the power cable will be reduced.

[0014] The expansion battery box may further include a circuit board, and the inclined portion may intersect with an imaginary extension line of the circuit board held by the circuit board holding portion.

[0015] With the above-described configuration, the circuit board can be accommodated in the circuit board holding portion that protrudes outward beyond the location where the recess is provided, thereby expanding the space for accommodating the battery and wiring within the additional battery box.

[0016] The expansion battery box may further include a first plate and a second plate connected to one end and the other end of the rear plate, respectively, and arranged parallel to each other, and each of the first plate and the second plate may have a notch formed therein that fits the shape of the recess.

[0017] With the above configuration, the first plate and the second plate do not protrude from the rear plate, so that the power cable can be easily attached and detached.

[0018] The expansion battery box may further include a first battery and a second battery housed in the expansion battery box. The rear plate may have a bottom portion that forms the recess together with the inclined portion. The circuit board may face the first battery with a horizontal gap therebetween, and an inner surface of the bottom portion may support the second battery in the horizontal direction.

[0019] With the above configuration, the bottom of the back panel also serves to position the second battery, making it possible to reduce the number of parts in the expansion battery box.

[0020] The first battery and the second battery may be connected in parallel on the circuit board.

[0021] With the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the number of wires extending from the circuit board to the connector, thereby making it possible to miniaturize the connector.

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an expansion battery box and an uninterruptible power supply including the expansion battery box will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] In this specification, "vertical placement" refers to a position of the expansion battery box in which the height from the installation surface to the top end is greater than when the expansion battery box is "horizontally placed". "Horizontal placement" refers to a position of the expansion battery box in which the height from the installation surface to the top end is less than when the expansion battery box is "vertically placed". The "vertical direction" means a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the installation surface. In other words, the "vertical direction" may be a direction that is perpendicular to the installation surface of the expansion battery box, or a direction that deviates slightly from the vertical direction but is close to the vertical direction. The "horizontal direction" means a direction that is approximately parallel to the installation surface. In other words, the "horizontal direction" may be a direction that is parallel to the installation surface of the expansion battery box, or a direction that deviates slightly from the parallel direction but is close to the parallel direction.

[0024] An uninterruptible power supply 10 (hereinafter referred to as "UPS") shown in Fig. 1 has three additional battery boxes 30 stacked horizontally. An assembled battery (not shown) is housed inside the UPS 10, and in the event of a commercial power outage, the assembled battery discharges and supplies power to a load for a predetermined period of time (e.g., about 10 minutes). The UPS 10 may not have a built-in assembled battery, but may have an external assembled battery. Each of the additional battery boxes 30 has a built-in assembled battery (battery) that supplies power to the UPS 10, and in the event of a power outage, it makes it possible to supply power to a load via the UPS 10 for a longer period of time than when the UPS 10 is alone.

[0025] The number of expansion battery boxes 30 connected to the UPS 10 is not limited to three, but may be one or two, or may be four or more (for example, up to six).

[0026] An operation display unit 14 including operation buttons and indicators is provided on a front panel 12 of the UPS 10. No such operation display unit is provided on a front panel 32 of the expansion battery box 30.

[0027] 1 shows the UPS 10 and the expansion battery box 30 in a vertically placed state. In this state, the height of the UPS 10 and the height of the expansion battery box 30 are the same. It is preferable that the UPS 10 and the expansion battery box 30, and adjacent expansion battery boxes 30, are physically fixed together using connecting fittings or the like. This makes it possible to prevent the UPS 10 and the expansion battery box 30 from tipping over.

[0028] Although not shown, in the case of horizontal placement, the leftmost expansion battery box 30 shown in FIG. 1 is placed on the lower side (in contact with the installation surface), and the UPS 10 is placed on the uppermost side.

[0029] Fig. 2 is a rear view of UPS 10 integrally equipped with an additional battery box 30. Four sockets (outlets) 16 for connecting loads are provided on rear plate 13 of UPS 10. The number of sockets 16 is not limited to four. In addition, rear plate 13 is provided with fan exhaust port 15 provided adjacent to the inner surface of rear plate 13, and a UPS connector 17 (covered with a lid in Fig. 2).

[0030] Each expansion battery box 30 has a pair of connectors 36 on its back panel 33. Focusing on the expansion battery box 30 adjacent to the UPS 10, one connector 36 is connected to the UPS connector 17 and is used to supply power to the UPS 10 and receive power from the UPS 10, and the other connector 36 is used to supply power to and receive power from the expansion battery box 30 located on the opposite side to the UPS 10.

[0031] Fig. 3 shows the internal structure of one expansion battery box 30. In Fig. 3, the battery pack is not shown. The expansion battery box 30 has a first plate 41 that extends vertically when the expansion battery box is placed vertically, and a second plate 42. In this embodiment, a plate 43 and a plate 44 that extend horizontally are integrally formed with the second plate 42. The first plate 41, the second plate 42, the plate 43, and the plate 44 are metal plates.

[0032] A metal partition plate 45 is fixed by a fastener approximately in the center in the vertical direction between the first plate 41 and the second plate 42. The partition plate 45 forms two storage spaces inside the expansion battery box 30. One assembled battery is accommodated in the upper storage space in Fig. 3, and the other assembled battery is accommodated in the lower storage space. The upper storage space is partitioned by a part (upper part) of the first plate 41, the upper part of the second plate 42, the plate 43, and the partition plate 45. The lower storage space is defined by the lower part of the first plate 41, the lower part of the second plate 42, the partition plate 45, and the plate 44.

[0033] A first support member 51 for supporting two battery packs is provided so as to protrude from the inner surface of the first plate 41. In this embodiment, the first support member 51 has four metal rails 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d.

[0034] A second support member 52 for supporting the two battery packs is provided so as to protrude from the inner surface of the second plate 42. In this embodiment, the second support member 52 has two metal rails 52a, 52b.

[0035] In this embodiment, the metal rails 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d, and the metal rails 52a and 52b each have a U-shaped cross section.

[0036] When the expansion battery box 30 is placed horizontally, the first plate 41 extends in a direction parallel to the installation surface to become the bottom wall, and the first support member 51 supports the battery pack from below. The metal rails 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d have sufficient rigidity to withstand the weight of the battery pack and are highly durable. In addition, the metal rails 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d have low surface friction resistance, allowing the battery pack to be smoothly guided. This makes it easy to remove and insert the battery pack.

[0037] When the expansion battery box 30 is placed horizontally, the second plate 42 does not serve as a bottom wall. Because it is not anticipated that the second support member 52 will need to support the battery pack from below, it does not need to be as rigid as the first support member 51. Therefore, the second support member 52 is composed of only two metal rails 52a, 52b, thereby reducing the weight of the expansion battery box 30.

[0038] The front plate 32 is removably attached to one ends of the first plate 41, the second plate 42, the plate 43, and the plate 44, and the rear plate 33 is attached to the other ends. In this embodiment, the rear plate 33 is a metal plate having a substantially uniform thickness. The rear plate 33 is formed by bending (pressing) a metal plate.

[0039] The rear panel 33 has a circuit board holding portion 33a extending in the vertical direction, and a circuit board 35 is held there (on the inner surface) in a position extending in the vertical direction. The circuit board 35 may be screwed to a boss fixed to the inner surface of the circuit board holding portion 33a. The back plate 33 has an inclined portion (connector holding portion) 33b with an opening formed therein, which holds a connector 36. The connector 36 is electrically connected to a circuit board 35. Since the hole shape of the connector 36 provided in the inclined portion 33b is difficult to see from the outside of the back plate 33, a presenting portion 34 such as a sticker that presents the hole shape of the connector 36 is provided on the outer surface of the circuit board holding portion 33a (see FIG. 2). The circuit board 35 is held at a position adjacent to the circuit board holding portion 33a extending in the vertical direction. The inclined portion 33b intersects with an imaginary extension line of the circuit board 35 held by the circuit board holding portion 33a. Rear panel 33 further has bottom portion 33c and another inclined portion 33d. Inclined portion 33b, bottom portion 33c, and inclined portion 33d form recess 33e that is recessed from the outside to the inside of rear panel 33. Since upper inclined portion 33b and lower inclined portion 33d are inclined in opposite directions, recess 33e has a larger opening area toward the outside. The first plate 41 and the second plate 42 have cutouts 41a, 42a formed on their sides connected to the rear plate 33, the cutouts 41a, 42a fitting the shape of the recess 33e of the rear plate 33.

[0040] One end of a power cable 55 arranged along the partition plate 45 is connected to a terminal of the battery pack located near the front plate 32 , and the other end is connected to the circuit board 35 . Power cable 55 is arranged around the periphery of the upper accommodation space so as not to interfere with metal rails 51a, 51b, metal rail 52a, and the battery pack in the upper accommodation space.

[0041] A guide plate 54 and a pressing metal fitting 37 are provided between the metal rails 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d and the front plate 32, and between the metal rails 52a, 52b and the front plate 32.

[0042] Fig. 4 shows a state in which the front panels have been removed from two adjacent expansion battery boxes 30. The expansion battery box 30 on the left side in Fig. 4 does not show a battery pack.

[0043] As shown in the expansion battery box 30 on the left, guide plates 54 located on the left and right guide the insertion of the battery packs 20a, 20b until the battery packs 20a, 20b reach the metal rails 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d located at the rear side in the insertion direction of the battery packs 20a, 20b, as well as the metal rails 52a, 52b (not shown). The guide plate 54 also functions as a bracket for attaching the pressing fittings 37 for pressing the battery pack from the front and the connecting fittings 25 for fixing adjacent expansion battery boxes 30 to each other.

[0044] As described above, the power cable 55 is pulled out forward along the partition plate 45 and connected to the connector 21 of the cable extending from the terminal of the battery pack 20a housed in the upper housing space. Here, in the upper storage space, power cable 55 is arranged in a corner formed by the upper surface of partition plate 45 and the inner surface of first plate 41 (between metal rail 51b and partition plate 45). In the lower storage space, power cable 55 is arranged in a corner formed by the lower surface of partition plate 45 and the inner surface of first plate 41 (between metal rail 51c and partition plate 45).

[0045] As shown in the expansion battery box 30 on the right, one battery pack (first battery) 20a is accommodated in the upper accommodation space, and another battery pack (second battery) 20b is accommodated in the lower accommodation space. The vertical movement of the battery packs 20a, 20b in the accommodation space is restricted by a plate 43, a partition plate 45, and a plate 44. The distance between the lower surface of the plate 43 and the upper surface of the partition plate 45, and the distance between the lower surface of the partition plate 45 and the upper surface of the plate 44 are each approximately equal to the vertical dimension of the battery packs 20a, 20b. Therefore, there is no space above or below the battery packs 20a, 20b for arranging components.

[0046] The distance between the inner surface of the first plate 41 and the inner surface of the second plate 42 is greater than the horizontal dimension of the battery packs 20a, 20b. The horizontal movement of the battery packs 20a, 20b in the accommodation space is restricted by metal rails 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d and metal rails 52a, 52b (not shown). The metal rails 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d and metal rails 52a, 52b ensure an appropriate space for arranging components such as the power cable 55 and the guide plate 54 between the inner surfaces of the first plate 41 and the second plate 42 and the battery packs 20a, 20b.

[0047] Each of the assembled batteries 20a, 20b may be formed by, for example, arranging four valve-regulated lead-acid batteries in a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 4 and connecting them in series.

[0048] The expansion battery box 30 includes a first plate 41 and a second plate 42 arranged in parallel, a third plate 43 (45) and a fourth plate 45 (44) arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the first plate 41 and the second plate 42, the assembled batteries 20a and 20b accommodated in an accommodation space partitioned by the first plate 41, the second plate 42, the third plate 43 (45) and the fourth plate 45 (44), a front plate 32 and a rear plate 33. A first support member 51 (metal rails 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d) for supporting the assembled batteries 20a and 20b is provided on the inner surface of the first plate 41 so as to protrude from the inner surface. A power cable 55 is connected at one end to a terminal of the assembled battery 20a located near the front plate 32 and at the other end to a circuit board 35 located near the rear plate 33, and is arranged around the accommodation space so as not to interfere with the first support member 51 and the assembled battery 20a.

[0049] Therefore, the battery pack 20a can be replaced from the front side of the expansion battery box 30 simply by removing the front panel 32. The power cable 55 extends from the circuit board 35 located near the rear panel 33 to near the front panel 32 and is connected to the terminals of the battery pack 20a, so that removing the front panel 32 allows easy access to the connection point (connector 21) between the power cable 55 and the terminals of the battery pack 20a. The battery pack 20a can be removed from the storage space by disconnecting the power cable 55 from the terminals of the battery pack 20a. The work of inserting a new battery pack 20a into the storage space and connecting the terminals of the battery pack 20a to the power cable 55 can also be easily performed from the front side of the expansion battery box 30.

[0050] As described above, a pair of connectors 36 (see FIG. 2) are provided on the rear panel 33 of the expansion battery box 30. A power cable is connected to the connectors 36. 5, in this embodiment, the connector 36 is provided on the inclined portion 33b of the back panel 33, and therefore the hole (terminal) of the connector 36 is exposed facing outward and diagonally downward. The direction in which the power cable 57 is inserted into and removed from the connector 36 is perpendicular to the inclined portion 33b (diagonal direction in FIG. 5).

[0051] When the power cable 57 is attached to the connector 36, the power cable 57 extends diagonally downward. At least a portion of the power cable 57 or the connector at the end of the power cable 57 is housed in a recess 33e that is recessed from the outside to the inside on the back surface of the additional battery box 30.

[0052] As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 5, when the connector provided on the circuit board 35 is exposed to the outside from the vertically extending circuit board holding portion 33a (or other vertically extending surface), the insertion and removal direction of the power cable 57 is horizontal. When the power cable 57 is attached to such a connector, the amount by which the power cable 57 protrudes in the horizontal direction (X direction) from the back surface of the expansion battery box 30 increases. Because the power cable 57 protrudes significantly from the back surface, the actual installation space for the expansion battery box 30 is large.

[0053] By attaching the power cable 57 to the connector 36 provided on the inclined portion 33b as in this embodiment, the amount by which the power cable 57 protrudes from the rear surface of the additional battery box 30 in the horizontal direction (X direction) can be reduced. For example, the power cable 57 can be directed diagonally downward from the connector 36, curved into a U-shape, and directed diagonally upward to be connected to an adjacent UPS connector 17 or a connector of another additional battery box 30. In this way, the substantial installation space for the expansion battery box 30 can be reduced.

[0054] In this embodiment, an obtuse angle is formed on the inner surface of rear plate 33 by circuit board holding portion 33a and inclined portion 33b, and a reflex angle greater than 180° and less than 270° is formed on the outer surface of rear plate 33. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of protrusion of power cable 57 while maintaining the detachability of power cable 57. If a right angle or acute angle is formed on the inner surface of rear panel 33 by circuit board holding portion 33a and the inclined portion (if an oblique angle of 270° or more is formed on the outer surface of the rear panel), it will be difficult to visually see connector 36 from the outside, and it will be difficult to visually see the process of connecting power cable 57 to connector 36, which will reduce the ease of attachment and detachment of power cable 57.

[0055] In this embodiment, the circuit board 35 is housed in a circuit board holding portion 33a that protrudes outward adjacent (above) the portion where the recess 33e is provided on the back plate 33. This allows the space in the expansion battery box 30 for housing the battery 20a and wiring to be expanded.

[0056] In this embodiment, the circuit board 35 faces the battery pack 20a with a gap therebetween in the horizontal direction. An internal power cable 55 shown in FIG. 4 is routed between the battery pack 20a and the circuit board 35. On the other hand, the inner surface of the bottom 33c forming the recess 33e directly or indirectly abuts against the battery pack 20b to support the battery pack 20b in the horizontal direction. Since the bottom 33c also serves to position the battery pack 20b, the number of parts of the expansion battery box 30 can be reduced. This embodiment has a lower inclined portion 33d extending diagonally downward from the bottom portion 33c, but alternatively, the lower inclined portion 33d may not be provided, and the bottom portion 33c may extend vertically as far as the installation surface, and the inner surface of the bottom portion 33c may support the battery pack 20b.

[0057] 6 is a schematic diagram of the wiring of the expansion battery box 30. Parallel connection lines (patterns) 58a, 58b are provided on the circuit board 35. The parallel connection line 58a connects the positive line of the first battery 20a in parallel with the positive line of the second battery 20b and the positive line from the adjacent battery box. The parallel connection line 58b connects the negative line of the first battery 20a in parallel with the negative line of the second battery 20b and the negative line from the adjacent battery box. The positive wire of the first battery 20a and the positive wire of the second battery 20b may be provided with a fuse 59. Alternatively, the fuse 59 may be provided in the negative wire, or the fuse 59 may be provided in both the positive wire and the negative wire.

[0058] With the above-described configuration, the number of wires extending from the circuit board 35 to the connector 36 can be reduced, making it possible to make the connector 36 smaller.

[0059] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The connector 36 may be provided on the lower inclined portion 33d instead of the upper inclined portion 33b forming the recess 33e. In this case, however, the wiring extending from the circuit board 35 to the connector 36 becomes longer.

[0060] The assembled batteries 20a, 20b may be configured by arranging a plurality of lead-acid batteries in a single row, or may be configured by arranging a plurality of lead-acid batteries in a plurality of rows. The assembled batteries 20a and 20b are not limited to a battery having a plurality of lead-acid batteries connected in series and / or parallel, but may be a battery having a plurality of lithium-ion batteries or other storage elements connected in series and / or parallel. Instead of the assembled batteries 20a and 20b, a single power storage element may be used as the battery. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10 Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) 30 Additional battery box 33 Back plate 33b Slope 33e Recess 36 Connectors 41 1st board 42 2nd board 43(45) 3rd board 45(44) 4th board 51 first support member (metal rails 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d) 52 Second support member (metal rails 52a, 52b) 55, 57 Power cable

Claims

1. An additional battery box for an uninterruptible power supply, A back panel and a connector provided on the rear panel to which a power cable is connected; The rear plate has a recess recessed from the outside to the inside, and the connector is disposed on an inclined portion forming the recess, The expansion battery box has a rear plate having a circuit board holding portion, and in a cross-sectional view of the rear plate, the circuit board holding portion and the inclined portion form an obtuse angle on the inner surface of the rear plate.

2. Further comprising a circuit board; The expansion battery box according to claim 1 , wherein the inclined portion intersects with an imaginary extension line of the circuit board held by the circuit board holding portion.

3. The back panel further includes a first plate and a second plate connected to one end and the other end of the back panel, respectively, and arranged parallel to each other, 3. The expansion battery box according to claim 1, wherein each of the first plate and the second plate is formed with a notch that fits a shape of the recess.

4. The battery pack further includes a first battery and a second battery housed in the additional battery box, the rear plate has a bottom portion that forms the recess together with the inclined portion, the circuit board faces the first battery across a horizontal gap; The expansion battery box according to claim 2 , wherein an inner surface of the bottom portion supports the second battery in a horizontal direction.

5. The expansion battery box according to claim 4 , wherein the first battery and the second battery are connected in parallel on the circuit board.

6. An additional battery box for an uninterruptible power supply, A back panel and a connector provided on the rear panel to which a power cable is connected; The rear plate has a recess recessed from the outside to the inside, and the connector is disposed on an inclined portion forming the recess, The back panel further includes a first plate and a second plate connected to one end and the other end of the back panel, respectively, and arranged parallel to each other, an expansion battery box, wherein each of the first plate and the second plate has a notch formed therein that fits the shape of the recess.

7. An uninterruptible power supply in which the expansion battery boxes according to any one of claims 1 to 6 are stacked.

Images