Battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing

Abstract

To provide a battery storage case for an air-conditioned garment that prevents a liquid from entering a control circuit part even if the liquid, such as an electrolytic solution, is leaked from a battery part.SOLUTION: By sealing a base part 2 by an upper lid part 3, a cubic sealing member 7 with high sealing property is fitted inside a rectangular hole formed by a recessed part 2c of a first partition wall 2a and a recessed part of a second partition wall. The sealing member 7 has in its approximate center an insertion hole 7a into which a power line 5a or a power line 5b is inserted, and a groove part 7b recessed on a lateral face of the cubic member so as to surround the periphery of the insertion hole 7a. By fitting the sealing member 7 in the first and second partition walls 2a and 3a, an interior space of a housing part 4 can be sealed and separated into a first space in which a battery part 5 is stored, and a second space in which a control circuit 6 is stored. Even if the liquid, such as the electrolytic solution, is leaked from the battery part 5, the electrolytic solution etc. does not enter the second space from the first space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing that can be attached to or detached from air-conditioned clothing or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] As shown in Patent Document 1, there is known an air-conditioned garment that is worn by a worker when working in a high-temperature environment and that draws outside air into the garment using an attached fan. This air-conditioned garment may also be worn in explosive atmospheres in which there is vapor of flammable substances made of flammable gases or liquids, such as in oil refining, petrochemical, and chemical synthesis plants.

[0003] In a typical air-conditioned garment as shown in Patent Document 1, a battery for driving a fan and a control circuit for controlling the operation of the fan are built into the battery storage case, and the output of the battery is connected to the fan via the control circuit and a cable. This battery storage case is attached to the air-conditioned garment by being placed in a pocket or the like of the garment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-65861 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In particular, when a lithium ion battery is used as the battery inside the battery storage case, a malfunction of the lithium ion battery may cause leakage of electrolyte.

[0006] If this leakage occurs, the electrolyte will penetrate into the printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) of the control circuit section located near the battery, causing the circuit elements to go out of control or short-circuit the circuit. If the battery is used in an explosive atmosphere where vapors of the above-mentioned flammable substances are present, there is a risk of sparks being generated that can ignite the flammable substances.

[0007] Furthermore, when the electrolyte is immersed in a printed circuit board assembly, even if no flammable material ignites, it may cause abnormal heating in certain areas, resulting in burns to the wearer.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing that prevents liquid from leaking into a control circuit section such as a printed circuit board assembly even if a malfunction of the battery built into the battery storage case causes a leak or the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing, the battery storage case having a housing made up of a box-shaped base with an open top and a top cover that covers the base from above and seals it, the inside of the housing being divided into a first space for storing a battery unit and a second space for storing a control circuit unit connected to the battery unit via a power line, the base having a first partition wall that divides the first and second spaces, the top cover having a leading edge flush with the first partition wall of the base. and a second partition wall adjacent to the first partition wall and dividing the first and second spaces, a recess is provided in at least one of the first partition wall and the second partition wall, and a cylindrical elastic sealing member can be fitted into the recess, the sealing member has a through hole at approximately the center through which the power line is inserted and a groove portion recessed so as to surround the periphery of the through hole, and the first and second spaces are sealed and separated by pushing the partition wall around the recess into the groove portion of the sealing member. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing of the present invention, the internal space of the housing can be sealed and separated into a space for housing the battery unit and a space for housing the control circuit unit made of a printed circuit board assembly, so that even if leakage from the battery occurs, the liquid from the leakage will not flood the control circuit unit. Therefore, even if the battery is used in an explosive atmosphere where vapors of flammable materials are present, sparks that could ignite the flammable materials will not be generated by output due to an abnormality in the control circuit unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the air-conditioning garment from the back. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram of the clothing air conditioning device. [Diagram 3] 1 is an oblique view of a battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing; [Figure 4] 2 is an exploded oblique view of a battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the current limiting unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments. 1 is an explanatory diagram seen from the back of an air-conditioning garment W. The air-conditioning garment W has a clothing air conditioning device M attached to a jacket W2 equipped with a zipper W1 for opening and closing on the front.

[0013] The clothing air conditioning device M is composed of a number of fan units F, for example two fan units F, which are fixed to mounting holes (not shown) provided on the back of the jacket W2, an air-conditioned clothing battery storage case 1 which is stored in an inner pocket or the like of the jacket W2, and a number of connection cables C which connect each fan unit F and the air-conditioned clothing battery storage case 1.

[0014] The disk-shaped fan unit F is disposed symmetrically with respect to the jacket W2, and the blade unit F1 is housed within the housing. Power is supplied to the motor that rotates the blade unit F1 via a connection cable C, and the blade unit F1 is rotated at high speed to draw in outside air into the jacket W2. When the zipper W1 is closed, airflow K is generated within the jacket W2 in the direction of the arrow, and the air within the jacket W2 is exhausted to the outside through the gaps around the neck and wrists.

[0015] In this way, the inside of the jacket W2 is kept cool by driving the motor of the fan section F. Note that the fan section F can be an axial fan that operates on direct current, or it can be a centrifugal fan or other suitable fan.

[0016] The housing of the fan unit F consists of a main body and a fixed frame, which are fixed by clamping the mounting holes in the jacket W2. In the event of a malfunction of the fan unit F, the fixed frame can be separated from the main body, making it easy to remove the fan unit F from the jacket W2.

[0017] A connection terminal C1 is provided at one end of the connection cable C that is wired independently for each fan unit F. The other end of the connection cable C is illustrated as being connected to the fan unit F, but a connection terminal similar to the connection terminal C1 may be provided, and the fan unit F may be provided with a terminal connector into which this connection terminal is inserted, making it removable.

[0018] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a battery storage case 1 for air-conditioned clothing, and Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the storage case 1. The storage case 1 is housed in a housing 4 consisting of a box-shaped base 2 with an open top and a top cover 3 that covers and seals the base 2 from above, with a battery section 5 consisting of a battery such as a lithium-ion battery, and a control circuit section 6 connected to the battery section 5 via power lines 5a and 5b. The base 2 and top cover 3 are made of a material such as a heat-resistant synthetic resin.

[0019] The housing section 4 is divided into a first space in which the battery section 5 is housed and a second space in which the control circuit section 6 is housed, and the base section 2 is provided with a first partition wall 2a that divides the space into the first space and the second space, and a positioning section 2b that positions the upper cover section 3.

[0020] 4, the positioning portions 2b are desirably formed as a pair of generally conical shapes protruding upward from the left and right side surfaces of the base portion 2. A pair of recesses 2c for wiring the positive and negative power lines 5a, 5b of the battery portion 5 to the control circuit portion 6 are provided on both ends of the first partition wall 2a.

[0021] On the outer surface of the base 2, there are provided a power switch operation section 2d for turning on and off the power supply to the fan section F, a remaining charge display section 2e for displaying the remaining charge of the battery section 5, a terminal insertion section 2f for inserting the connection terminal section C1 of the connection cable C, and a charging insertion section 2g which can charge the battery section 5 via a charging cable from a commercial power source or the like.

[0022] The top cover 3 has a second partition wall 3a whose leading edges contact the first partition wall 2a of the base 2 and divide the first and second spaces, and a terminal insertion portion 3b into which a connection terminal portion C1 of a connection cable C is inserted. At least one of the leading edge 2h of the first partition wall 2a of the base 2 and the leading edge of the second partition wall 3a of the top cover 3 (not shown) is provided with a sealing film made of rubber or the like to improve waterproofing between the leading edges of the partition walls 2a, 3a.

[0023] Similarly to the recess 2c of the first partition wall 2a of the base 2, the second partition wall 3a of the top cover 3 is provided with a recess 3c at a position facing the recess 2c, and a pair of positioning portions (not shown) into which the tips of the pair of positioning portions 2b of the base 2 are inserted are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the top cover 3. When the positive and negative poles of the battery unit 5 are both provided on one side surface and the power lines 5a and 5b are drawn out from the side surface, the recesses 2c and 3c may be provided together in one location, or the recesses 2c and 3c may be provided at a plurality of appropriate locations according to the positions of the electrodes of the battery unit 5. The recesses 2c and 3c may be provided on only one of the first and second partition walls 2a and 3a, and in this case, the size of the recess on only one side surface is the same as the size of the rectangular hole described above.

[0024] The upper edges of the partition walls 2a, 3a between the base 2 and the upper cover 3 are sealed via a sealing membrane, and a highly elastic, cylindrical, for example, square cylindrical seal member 7 made of silicone resin material is fitted into a rectangular hole formed by the recess 2c of the first partition wall 2a and the recess 3c of the second partition wall 3a. When a cylindrical seal member 7 is used, the recesses 2c, 3c may be semicircular.

[0025] The seal member 7 has a through hole 7a in the center through which the power line 5a or 5b passes, and a groove 7b is provided around the periphery of the through hole 7a.

[0026] Furthermore, the diameter of the circular through hole 7a is slightly smaller than the diameter of the power line to be inserted, and the groove width of the groove 7b is slightly smaller than the wall thickness of the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a. By doing so, when the power line is inserted into the through hole 7a of the seal member 7 and the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a around the recesses 2c, 3c are pressed into the groove 7b of the seal member 7, the through hole 7a and the groove 7b expand in a deformed state, improving the sealing performance.

[0027] When the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a around the recesses 2c, 3c are pressed into the grooves 7b of the sealing member 7 and the base 2 is closed with the top cover 3, the sides of the sealing member 7 are completely surrounded by the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a pressed into the grooves 7b, and the elasticity of the sealing member 7 ensures complete adhesion between the grooves 7b and the recesses 2c, 3c, so that the sealing member 7 will not come off even if an impact is applied to the housing 4.

[0028] By fitting the seal member 7 into the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a, the internal space of the housing 4 can be sealed and separated into a first space in which the battery 5 is housed and a second space in which the control circuit 6 is housed. In this way, even if electrolyte or the like leaks from the battery 5, which is made up of a battery such as a lithium ion battery, the electrolyte will not leak from the first space on the battery 5 side into the second space on the control circuit 6 side.

[0029] Although the recesses 2c, 3c, the seal member 7, and the power lines 5a, 5b are arranged in pairs on the left and right sides as shown in the drawing, it is also possible to arrange one each of the recesses 2c, 3c and the seal member 7, and to provide a through hole 7a through which the power lines 5a, 5b can be inserted in the seal member 7. Furthermore, it is also possible to provide a plurality of through holes 7a in the seal member 7 so that the through hole 7a does not short-circuit the power lines 5a, 5b.

[0030] For example, a lithium ion battery with a nominal voltage of 3.7V and a rated capacity of 1.88Ah is used as the battery unit 5, and a plurality of batteries are connected in series. Instead of a rechargeable battery that can be charged via the charging insertion portion 2g, a disposable dry cell can also be used as the battery unit 5. When a dry cell is used, it is not necessary to provide the charging insertion portion 2g.

[0031] Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the control circuit unit 6, and Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the current limiting unit 9. The control circuit unit 6 uses a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) made up of a control board unit 8 in which a first board 8a and a second board 8b, each having two ICs or other components mounted thereon, are arranged in an L shape, and a plurality of current limiting units 9 connected to the control board unit 8. The number of the plurality of current limiting units 9 is the same as the number of the fans F attached to the jacket W2.

[0032] In the control board 8, a first board 8a and a second board 8b are connected via a connecting terminal 8c. The first board 8a is provided with an insertion hole 8d for inserting each terminal 9b of a current limiting element 9a of the current limiting unit 9, and the second board 8b is provided with a switch terminal 8e that operates in response to an on / off operation of the power switch operation unit 2d, an output terminal 8f that connects to the terminal insertion parts 2f, 3b of the housing 4, and a connection hole 8g that connects a terminal part of an LED element (not shown) arranged on the back side of the remaining charge display unit 2e of the base 2. In addition, the remaining charge display unit 2e is configured to light up multiple LED elements according to the remaining charge of the battery unit 5.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, in the current limiting units 9 arranged in parallel to correspond to each fan unit F, two current limiting elements 9a are arranged in series to control the output current so as not to cause an overcurrent.

[0034] These current limiting elements 9a are semiconductor switching elements such as field effect transistors (FET elements) that control the current between the source and drain by the gate voltage applied to the gate, and the output current is limited so as not to exceed the limited current value by setting an appropriate gate voltage. The gate, source, and drain terminals 9b of the current limiting elements 9a are inserted into insertion holes 8d in the first substrate 8a.

[0035] The limiting current value of the current limiting element 9a is set to be equal to or slightly higher than the rated current value Ia when the blade portion F1 is stably rotating. By connecting two current limiting elements 9a in series to form a redundant system for safety, even if one current limiting element 9a fails and is no longer able to limit the output current, the other unfailed current limiting element 9a can maintain the limiting current value so as not to be exceeded.

[0036] The multiple current limiting elements 9a wired in series are attached side by side to the planar main surface 9d of one heat sink material 9c made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, via respective heat transfer plates 9e. Both sides of the heat transfer plate 9e made of an insulating material with good thermal conductivity may be provided with an adhesive layer such as a highly conductive paste-like silicon material, or the above-mentioned paste-like silicon material may be disposed between the main surface 9d of the heat sink material 9c and the current limiting elements 9a without providing the heat transfer plate 9e.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 6, the current limiting element 9a is attached so that the flat surface 9h of the current limiting element 9a is placed on the main surface 9d of the heat sink material 9c via the heat transfer plate 9e by inserting the screw 9f into the screw holes 9g of the current limiting element 9a, the heat transfer plate 9e, and the heat sink material 9c, as shown in Fig. 6. By attaching the current limiting element 9a in this manner, when the current limiting element 9a generates heat, the heat is efficiently transferred to the heat sink material 9c.

[0038] On the rear surface of the main surface 9d of the heat sink material 9c, a plurality of heat sink plates 9i are arranged in parallel, perpendicular to the main surface 9d. By arranging a large number of heat sink plates 9i in this manner, the surface area is increased, and the heat dissipation efficiency can be improved.

[0039] Furthermore, when each terminal 9b of the current limiting element 9a is inserted into and fixed in the insertion hole 8d of the first substrate 8a, a gap is generated between the side surface 9j of the heat sink material 9c facing the first substrate 8a and the first substrate 8a, causing them to be separated from each other.

[0040] In this way, by providing a gap between the side 9j of the heat sink material 9c and the first substrate 8a, the placement of mounted components such as ICs can be efficiently placed on the top and bottom surfaces of the first substrate 8a without being restricted by the heat sink material 9c, whereas the placement of mounted components such as ICs is normally restricted by the heat sink material installed on the substrate.

[0041] Also, a part of the side surface 9j of the heat sink material 9c on the first substrate 8a side may be in contact with the first substrate 8a as long as it does not restrict the arrangement of mounted components such as ICs. In this case, the heat of the heat sink material 9c is transferred to the first substrate 8a by contacting the first substrate 8a with the heat sink material 9c, and the heat dissipation can be improved. Also, by contacting the tip of the heat sink plate 9i of the heat sink material 9c with the inner surface of the housing part 4, the heat dissipation can be further improved.

[0042] In this embodiment, two current limiting elements 9a are provided, however, to further enhance safety, three or more current limiting elements 9a of the current limiting unit 9 may be provided in series. As long as the output current can be limited so as not to exceed the limited current value, the number of current limiting elements 9a can be determined appropriately.

[0043] In the state shown in Fig. 3, pressing the power switch operation section 2d turns on the power, and an appropriate amount of air is generated from the blade section F1 by the rotation of the motor based on the rated current value Ia of the fan section F and the rated voltage, which is the voltage applied to drive the fan section F. The rotation of the blade section F1, which produces this appropriate amount of air, is achieved by appropriately controlling the power supplied from the battery section 5 by the control circuit section 6 and transmitting it to the fan section F. As a result, the outside atmosphere is drawn into the air-conditioned garment W from the fan section F, and the warm air inside the air-conditioned garment is expelled, allowing the wearer to feel a moderate coolness.

[0044] In order to continuously obtain the cooling sensation, the battery unit 5 continuously supplies power and the control circuit unit 6 continuously limits the current so that the fan unit F constantly draws in an appropriate amount of air while the device is being worn, which increases the operating time and repeats the operation under harsh environments. As a result, the battery unit 5 and the control circuit unit 6 gradually deteriorate in function and may cause malfunctions. In particular, when the battery unit 5 deteriorates in function due to continuous use, leakage of electrolyte or the like occurs according to the type of battery unit 5, such as electrolyte leakage in the case of a lithium ion battery.

[0045] The battery storage case 1 for air-conditioned clothing, which houses the battery section 5 and the control circuit section 6, preferably employs a fixed fit structure so that the top cover section 3 cannot be removed from the base section 2 once assembled, in order to ensure the airtightness of the first space in which the battery section 5 is stored.

[0046] If such a structure is adopted, even if a malfunction such as a leak occurs in the battery section 5, the wearer cannot open the top lid 3 of the air-conditioned clothing battery storage case 1 to check the condition of the battery section 5 inside the base 2.

[0047] If a large amount of electrolyte leaks from the lithium-ion battery, the wearer will notice the malfunction because the battery function will be damaged and power will no longer be supplied to the fan section F. However, if only a small amount of electrolyte leaks, the wearer will continue to use the air-conditioned clothing battery storage case 1 without noticing that a malfunction has occurred in the battery section 5.

[0048] In this way, even if a liquid such as electrolyte leaks from the battery section 5, the first space that houses the battery section 5 and the second space that houses the control circuit section 6 are sealed and separated by the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a, so that the electrolyte leaking from the battery section 5 will not flood the control circuit section 6.

[0049] In particular, the seal member 7 is placed in a rectangular hole formed in the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a consisting of the recesses 2c, 3c for inserting the power lines 5a, 5b, and the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a around the recesses 2c, 3c are pressed into the groove portion 7b of the seal member 7 having high elasticity to seal, so that the electrolyte leaking from the battery section 5 does not pass through the recesses 2c, 3c to reach the control circuit section 6. In other words, the control circuit section 6 is not flooded with the electrolyte leaking from the battery section 5, so that the printed circuit board assembly constituting the control circuit section 6 is not short-circuited or damaged.

[0050] Therefore, even if a malfunction such as leakage occurs in the battery section 5, the control circuit section 6 will not be short-circuited or damaged due to the malfunction, and the wearer of the air-conditioned garment W can continue to use the air-conditioned garment battery storage case 1 and the garment air conditioning device M equipped with it in a safe and secure state. Since the control circuit section 6 can be operated without being damaged until the power supply function of the battery section 5 is lost, the service life of the air-conditioned garment battery storage case 1 can be extended, which also leads to cost reduction and resource conservation.

[0051] Furthermore, even if the air-conditioned garment W is worn in an explosive atmosphere in which vapors of flammable substances are present, electrolyte leaking from the battery section 5 will not induce a short circuit or the like in the printed circuit board assembly of the control circuit section 6, and therefore no sparks that could cause ignition of flammable substances will be generated from the control circuit section 6. In other words, the wearer can safely and securely use the air-conditioned garment battery storage case 1 and the clothing air conditioning device M equipped with it, even in an explosive atmosphere, without having to worry about malfunctions such as leakage of battery section 5 or the resulting generation of sparks or ignition. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 Battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing 2 base 2a First Partition Wall 2b Positioning part 2c Recess 3 Top cover 3a Second Partition Wall 3c Recess 4. Housing 5 Battery section 5a, 5b power line 6 Control circuit section 7 Sealing material 7a Through hole 7b Groove C Connection cable F Fan Section

Claims

1. A battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing, comprising a housing having a box-shaped base with an open top and a top cover that covers and seals the base from above, the inside of the housing being divided into a first space for storing a battery unit and a second space for storing a control circuit unit that is connected to the battery unit via a power line, the base portion has a first partition wall that divides the first and second spaces, the upper cover portion has a second partition wall whose leading edge is in contact with the first partition wall of the base portion and divides the first and second spaces, a recess is provided in at least one of the first partition wall and the second partition wall, and a cylindrical elastic seal member can be fitted into the recess; The sealing member has a through hole at approximately the center for inserting the power line, and a groove portion recessed to surround the through hole, and the partition wall around the recess is pushed into the groove portion of the sealing member to seal and separate the first and second spaces.

2. 2. The battery storage case for an air-conditioned clothing according to claim 1, wherein the recess, the seal member and the power line are arranged in a set.

3. 3. The battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing according to claim 1, wherein a sealing membrane is disposed on at least one of the leading edge of the first partition wall and the leading edge of the second partition wall other than the recess.

4. A battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the diameter of the through hole is slightly smaller than the diameter of the power line being inserted, and the groove width of the groove portion is slightly smaller than the wall thickness of the first and second partition walls.

5. 5. The battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit section is a printed circuit board assembly on which an IC component is mounted.

6. 6. The battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is made of silicone resin.

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