Battery Chargers

Abstract

A battery charger according to one embodiment of the present invention is a battery charger including a charging space in which an inserted battery is charged and a support space that supports the inserted battery, and includes a placement portion on which a battery inserted into the charging space is placed, and a guide portion that guides the position of the battery placed on the placement portion, wherein the guide portion is positioned protruding from the support space into the charging space and is movable from the charging space toward the support space by an external force.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0187699 dated December 24, 2021, and all contents disclosed in the documents of that Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery charger, and more particularly to a battery charger capable of charging batteries of various sizes. [Background technology]

[0003] In modern society, as the use of portable devices such as mobile phones, laptops, video cameras, and digital cameras has become commonplace, technological development in the field of such mobile devices has become active. In addition, rechargeable secondary batteries are a measure to solve air pollution caused by existing gasoline-powered vehicles that use fossil fuels, and are used as power sources for electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (P-HEVs), etc., so there is an increasing need for the development of secondary batteries.

[0004] Meanwhile, the need for secondary batteries for medium to large devices such as automobiles is increasing, but the long charging time of large capacity batteries is an obstacle to their widespread use. As a result, the market is showing increasing interest in the Battery Swapping System (BSS), a method in which users do not charge the battery themselves but visit a charging station to replace a pre-charged battery.

[0005] In order to provide a fully charged battery upon user request, such a battery exchange system pre-charges discharged batteries using a number of battery chargers. However, since only one size battery can be charged in the charging slot of a typical battery charger, in order to meet the demand for batteries of various sizes, a number of slots of different sizes must be provided in the battery charger, which increases the overall size of the battery charger. In addition, when user demands vary according to size, the usage amount between each slot differs, which makes it difficult to maximize efficiency.

[0006] Therefore, in order for a battery exchange system to take root, it is necessary to first develop a battery charger that can charge batteries of different sizes. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a battery charger capable of charging batteries of different sizes.

[0008] However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above problems, and can be variously expanded within the scope of the technical ideas included in the present invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A battery charger according to one embodiment of the present invention is a battery charger including a charging space in which an inserted battery is charged and a support space that supports the inserted battery, and includes a placement portion on which a battery inserted into the charging space is placed, and a guide portion that guides the position of the battery placed on the placement portion, wherein the guide portion is positioned protruding from the support space into the charging space and is movable from the charging space toward the support space by an external force.

[0010] The guide portion may be located on a periphery of a cross section of the battery charger.

[0011] The inserted battery may be positioned in a biased state so as to contact one apex of a cross section of the battery charger, and the guide portion may be positioned away from the one apex.

[0012] The guide portion includes a guide pin and an elastic body connected to the guide pin, the guide pin is positioned protruding from the support space into the charging space, and when an external force is applied to the guide pin, the guide pin moves toward the support space, and when the external force on the guide pin is removed, the guide pin can move from the support space toward the charging space due to the restoring force of the elastic body.

[0013] The guide pin is inserted into the mounting portion.

[0014] The guide portion includes a first guide wall and a second guide wall positioned adjacent to each other, the first guide wall and the second guide wall positioned protruding from the support space into the charging space, and when an external force is applied to at least one of the first guide wall and the second guide wall, the external force can move at least one of the first guide wall and the second guide wall toward the support space.

[0015] The first guide wall or the second guide wall may have an L-shaped structure.

[0016] The first guide wall and the second guide wall each include a wall portion and an upper engaging portion and a lower engaging portion extending in opposite directions from both ends of the wall portion perpendicular to one side of the wall portion, and the first guide wall can be positioned inside the second guide wall.

[0017] The wall is parallel to a side of the battery charger.

[0018] The wall includes two sides, each of which is parallel to two adjacent sides of the battery charger.

[0019] The upper stop portion of the first guide wall and the upper stop portion of the second guide wall may be positioned side by side.

[0020] The upper locking portion of the first guide wall and the lower locking portion of the second guide wall are positioned to correspond to each other, and when the first guide wall moves toward the support space, the upper locking portion of the first guide wall and the lower locking portion of the second guide wall can come into contact with each other.

[0021] A battery charger according to another embodiment of the present invention is a battery charger for charging a first battery or a second battery of different sizes, and includes a mounting portion on which the first battery or the second battery inserted into a charging space is mounted, and a guide portion for preventing the first battery or the second battery mounted on the mounting portion from moving, the guide portion including a plurality of guide pins, and when the first battery is positioned on the mounting portion, the guide pins are positioned to protrude into the charging space, and when the second battery is positioned on the mounting portion, at least one of the guide pins moves to the outside of the charging space.

[0022] A battery charger according to yet another embodiment of the present invention is a battery charger for charging a first battery or a second battery of different sizes, and includes a mounting portion on which the first battery or the second battery inserted into a charging space is mounted, and a guide portion for preventing the first battery or the second battery mounted on the mounting portion from moving, the guide portion including a plurality of guide walls, and when the first battery is positioned in the mounting portion, the guide walls are positioned to protrude into the charging space, and when the second battery is positioned in the mounting portion, at least one of the guide walls moves to the outside of the charging space. Effect of the Invention

[0023] According to the embodiment, the battery charger of the present invention can charge batteries of all different sizes, thereby reducing the size of the battery charger and providing users with fully charged batteries of various sizes, thereby maximizing space efficiency and user convenience.

[0024] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a battery charger according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of the battery charger of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the battery charger of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating compatibility of a battery charger according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is another diagram illustrating compatibility of a battery charger according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a battery charger according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 illustrates the battery charger of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a top view of the battery charger of FIG. 6. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating compatibility of a battery charger according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the embodiments of the present invention. The present invention can be realized in various different forms other than those described below, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0027] In order to clearly explain the present invention, parts that are not necessary for the explanation will be omitted, and the same reference numerals will be used throughout the specification to refer to the same or similar components.

[0028] In addition, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily enlarged or reduced for convenience of explanation, and it is obvious that the contents of the present invention are not limited to those shown in the drawings. In the following drawings, the thickness of each layer is enlarged to clearly show various layers and regions. In the following drawings, the thickness of some layers and regions is exaggerated for convenience of explanation.

[0029] In addition, when a layer, film, region, plate, or other part is described as being "on" another part, this should be interpreted as including not only the case where the layer, film, region, plate, or other part is "directly on" the other part, but also the case where there is another part between them. Conversely, when a layer, film, region, plate, or other part is described as being "directly on" the other part, it can mean that there is no other part between them. Note that being "on" a reference part means being located above or below the reference part, and does not necessarily mean being located "on" in the opposite direction of gravity. Meanwhile, just as being "on" another part, being "under" another part can also be understood by referring to the above content.

[0030] In addition, throughout the specification, when a part "comprises" a certain element, this means that it can further include other elements, but not excluding other elements, unless otherwise specified to the contrary.

[0031] Furthermore, throughout the specification, a reference to "in a plane" means that the part is viewed from above, and a reference to "in cross section" means that the part is viewed from the side, cut vertically.

[0032] A battery charger according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0033] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a battery charger according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of the battery charger of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the battery charger of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining compatibility of a battery charger according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is another diagram for explaining compatibility of a battery charger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] 1 to 3, a battery charger 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a charging space 102 and a supporting space 104. The charging space 102 is a space into which the battery 10 is inserted and charged. The supporting space 104 is a space that supports the battery 10 housed in the charging space 102. The supporting space 104 may be located on one side of the charging space 102, and may be located in the direction of gravity of the charging space 102 when the battery 10 is inserted in the direction of gravity. In addition, a member located in the supporting space 104 may support one side of the battery 10, and may support a lower side of the battery 10 when the battery 10 is inserted in the direction of gravity.

[0035] The battery charger 100 of this embodiment may include a frame 110 that forms the outer shape of the battery charger 100, a mounting portion 120 on which the battery 10 inserted into the charging space 102 is mounted, and a guide portion 130 that guides the position of the battery 10 mounted on the mounting portion 120. The battery charger 100 may also include a lower plate 140 that forms a lower surface of the battery charger 100. In this specification, the lower plate 140 is described as being separate from the frame 110, but the lower plate 140 may be provided as being included in the frame 110.

[0036] The mounting part 120 may be positioned in the support space 104. The mounting part 120 may support one side of the battery 10 positioned in the charging space 102. When the battery 10 is inserted in the direction of gravity, the mounting part 120 may support the battery 10 positioned in the charging space 102 in the direction opposite to gravity. The mounting part 120 may support a lower side of the battery 10. The mounting part 120 may be in contact with the lower side of the battery 10.

[0037] The mounting portion 120 is preferably designed to be fixed within the support space 104 in order to stably support the battery 10. However, as will be described later with reference to Figures 7 and 9, it is also possible that the mounting portion 120 is located above the charging space 102 before the battery 10 is inserted, and when the battery 10 is inserted, the mounting portion 120 moves downward due to the weight of the battery 10, and then is located below the charging space 102 or in the support space 104 after the battery 10 is inserted.

[0038] Here, the upper side and the lower side are based on the insertion direction from charging space 102 toward supporting space 104, and more specifically, the direction toward supporting space 104 is the lower side, and the direction toward charging space 102 is the upper side. Alternatively, the upper side and the lower side may be based on the height direction of charging space 102, or the direction in which the height increases may be the upper side, and the direction in which the height decreases may be the lower side.

[0039] The mounting portion 120 may be located within the frame 110. However, as shown in FIG 1, it is also possible that the frame 110 is provided to cover only the charging space 102, and the mounting portion 120 is provided including the frame to define the overall outline of the support space 104.

[0040] Meanwhile, although not specifically shown, a charging terminal is formed on the mounting part 120. The charging terminal of the mounting part 120 can come into contact with a contact terminal of the battery 10, thereby allowing the battery 10 to be charged. Alternatively, a substantial charging terminal may be formed on the lower plate 140, and the mounting part 120 may be formed with a contact terminal connected to the charging terminal located on the lower plate 140, and the contact terminal of the mounting part 120 may be designed to come into contact with the contact terminal of the battery 10.

[0041] The guide unit 130 is for limiting the storage space S within the charging space 102. Referring to FIG. 2, the volume of the charging space 102 is provided to be larger than the volume of the battery 10, and the storage space S in which the battery 10 is located is smaller than the charging space 102. In this embodiment, the charging space 102 is formed to be slightly larger in order to store both the relatively large battery 10 and the relatively small battery 10. However, when the charging space 102 is formed to be large, when a relatively small battery 10 is inserted into the charging space 102, the gap between the frame 110 and the battery 10 is large, and the battery 10 is likely to come out of its fixed position, and thus contact between the terminals is not formed and charging is not smooth. However, the battery charger 100 of this embodiment allows the battery 10 to be positioned in its fixed position even when a relatively small battery 10 is inserted into the charging space 102 via the guide unit 130.

[0042] The guide unit 130 is for guiding the position of the battery 10. The guide unit 130 may be located at a portion on the cross section of the battery charger 100 or the charging space 102. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the guide unit 130 may be located on the outer periphery of the cross section of the battery charger 100. The guide unit 130 may be located away from a vertex P1 on the cross section of the battery charger 100. The guide unit 130 may be located close to two corners away from a vertex P1 on the cross section of the battery charger 100. This is because the battery 10 is located in a biased state so as to contact a vertex P1 of the cross section of the battery charger 100 or two corners that abut at the vertex P1. In this way, the guide unit 130 can guide the position of the battery 10 so that the battery 10 can be located in a biased state on the side where the vertex P1 of the cross section of the battery charger 100 is located.

[0043] The guide portion 130 is for preventing the battery 10 housed in the charging space 102 from moving. The guide portion 130 may be positioned to protrude from the support space 104 into the charging space 102. After the battery 10 is inserted into the charging space 102, the guide portion 130 protrudes from a portion of the cross section of the charging space 102 where the battery 10 is not located, thereby preventing the battery 10 from moving or slipping from its initial position. In this manner, the guide portion 130 may function as a guard or fence and may support the side surface of the battery 10, thereby allowing the battery 10 to be positioned in a fixed position.

[0044] The guide unit 130 is for changing the storage space S according to the size of the battery 10 stored in the charging space 102. For this purpose, the guide unit 130 is designed to be movable between the charging space 102 and the support space 104. The guide unit 130 is designed to be movable vertically or up and down.

[0045] 4, the guide unit 130 can be moved from the charging space 102 to the support space 104 by an external force. The first and second batteries shown in FIG. 4 are batteries of different sizes, and FIG. 4(a) is a diagram showing the first battery having a relatively small size being inserted into the charging space 102, and FIG. 4(b) is a diagram showing the second battery having a relatively large size being inserted into the charging space 102. The guide unit 130 is present in a part of the cross section of the battery charger 100, so that when a small battery (first battery) is inserted into the charging space 102, the guide unit 130 can be positioned in a protruding state. However, when a relatively large battery (second battery) is inserted into the charging space 102, the battery 10 can be positioned in the area where the guide unit 130 is present, and at least one of the guide units 130 moves to the outside of the charging space 102, i.e., to the support space 104, due to the weight of the battery 10, so that the storage space S in which the battery 10 is stored is provided larger.

[0046] The guide part 130 may include an elastic body, and the elastic body may be compressed due to the movement of the guide part 130. When the external force applied to the guide part 130 is removed, the guide part 130 may move again from the support space 104 to the charging space 102 due to the restoring force of the elastic body, and the guide part 130 may be positioned protruding into the charging space 102.

[0047] More specifically, the guide unit 130 may include a guide pin 132 protruding into the charging space 102, and an elastic body 134 connected to the guide pin 132. The guide unit 130 includes at least one guide pin 132, and the guide pin 132 is provided in a rod shape.

[0048] 3, the guide unit 130 is provided in a form inserted into the mounting unit 120, and the guide pins 132 and the elastic bodies 134 are inserted into holes provided in the mounting unit 120. The elastic bodies 134 are provided in the shape of a spring. The elastic bodies 134 are individually provided for each guide pin 132. As described above, the guide unit 130 can guide the position of the battery 10 through the guide pins 132 and the elastic bodies 134 and prevent the accommodated battery 10 from moving.

[0049] The guide pins 132 can change the storage space S according to the size of the stored battery 10. The guide pins 132 are movable between the charging space 102 and the supporting space 104. The guide pins 132 can move individually due to an external force. If an external force acts on at least one of the guide pins 132 due to the insertion of the battery 10, the elastic body 134 connected to the guide pin 132 is compressed, so that the guide pin 132 can move in the direction in which the external force acts. In this way, at least one of the guide pins 132 moves to the outside of the charging space 102 along the storage direction of the battery 10, moves to the supporting space 104, and is positioned there, so that the storage space S can be changed.

[0050] 5, the change in the storage space S according to the size of the battery 10 can be explained. A portion of the cross section of the battery charger 100 where the guide unit 130 is not formed may be referred to as a preset storage space S0, and the guide unit 130 may be located outside the preset storage space S0. Here, the size of the preset storage space S0 may be preset to correspond to a battery with a high usage amount or the size of the largest battery. When the battery 10 is inserted into the charging space 102, a part of the guide unit 130 moves according to the size of the battery 10, so that the battery 10 can be located in the first storage space S1 or the second storage space S2, which is a space larger than the preset storage space S0. At this time, the guide unit 130 located outside the first storage space S1 or the second storage space S2 is located in a protruding state into the charging space 102, thereby preventing the battery 10 from moving or being spaced apart. In this manner, the battery charger 100 of this embodiment is capable of charging batteries 10 of various sizes as long as the size of the charging space 102 allows, and the contact terminals of the battery 10 can be positioned at fixed positions within the charging space 102 where the charging terminals or contact terminals are formed.

[0051] A battery charger according to another embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0052] The battery charger 100 described below may include all the contents of the battery charger 100 of the above-mentioned embodiment except for the contents mentioned below. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used for the components substantially the same as those of the above-mentioned embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0053] Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a battery charger according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the battery charger of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a top view of the battery charger of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining compatibility of a battery charger according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] 6 to 9, a battery charger 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention may include a frame 110 that forms the outer shape of the battery charger 100, a mounting portion 120 on which the battery 10 inserted into the charging space 102 is mounted, and a guide portion 1305 that guides the position of the battery mounted on the mounting portion 120.

[0055] The mounting unit 120 of this embodiment is provided in a form including a support plate 122 and a support stand 124, unlike the mounting unit 120 of Fig. 1 described above. The battery 10 is placed on the support plate 122 of the mounting unit 120, and the support stand 124 can support the support plate 122 so that the support plate 122 is positioned at a predetermined distance from the lower surface or bottom plate (omitted in Fig. 6) of the battery charger 100. The support plate 122 is plate-shaped, and the support stand 124 is provided as a column having a polygonal cross section such as a cylinder or a rectangular column.

[0056] Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, the guide unit 130 is provided to include a plurality of guide pins 132, but in this embodiment, the guide unit 130 is provided to include a plurality of guide walls 136, 138. The guide unit 130 may include guide walls 136, 138 protruding from the support space 104 into the charging space 102, and through the guide walls 136, 138, the guide unit 130 may guide the position of the battery 10, prevent the accommodated battery 10 from moving, and change the size of the accommodation space S.

[0057] There may be at least two guide walls 136, 138. The guide walls 136, 138 may include a first guide wall 136 and a second guide wall 138 adjacent thereto. The second guide wall 138 may be located outside the first guide wall 136. The second guide wall 138 may be located so as to entirely cover the outer surface of the first guide wall 136. The inner surface of the second guide wall 138 may correspond to the outer surface of the first guide wall 136. Hereinafter, the shapes of the guide walls 136, 138 will be described with a focus on the first guide wall 136. However, since the first guide wall 136 and the second guide wall 138 have similar shapes, it will be made clear in advance that the description of the first guide wall 136 can also be applied to the second guide wall 138.

[0058] 7, the first guide wall 136 may include a wall portion 136A, an upper locking portion 136B extending from one end of the wall portion 136A in a direction perpendicular to one surface of the wall portion 136A, and a lower locking portion 136C extending from the other end of the wall portion 136A in a direction perpendicular to one surface of the wall portion 136A and in a direction opposite to the upper locking portion 136B. Although not specifically shown, the second guide wall 138 may also include a wall portion, an upper locking portion, and a lower locking portion.

[0059] 8, the guide unit 130 of this embodiment may be located outside the mounting unit 120. Based on a cross section of the battery charger 100, the mounting unit 120 may be located in a preset storage space S0, and the guide walls 136, 138 may be located outside the preset storage space S0. The guide walls 136, 138 may be located on the outer periphery based on the cross section of the battery charger 100. On the cross section of the battery charger 100, the cross sections of the guide walls 136, 138 may correspond to one vertex P1 and two corners spaced apart from each other.

[0060] 6, if the lower engaging portions of the guide walls 136, 138 are formed somewhat larger, it would be more accurate to say that the upper engaging portions or the walls of the guide walls 136, 138 can be positioned outside the preset storage space S0 in the above description. However, since the overall shape of the guide walls 136, 138 is determined by the walls, the shapes of the guide walls 136, 138 can be interpreted as being explained by the shapes of the walls.

[0061] The guide walls 136, 138 may have an L-shaped structure. Here, the L-shaped structure refers to a structure whose cross section has an L shape with one apex and two adjacent corners. The apex of the first guide wall 136 may be positioned to contact the apex of the second guide wall 138. The wall portion 136A may have an L-shaped structure, and the cross section of the wall portion 136A may have an L shape. The upper locking portion 136B and the lower locking portion 136C may have an L shape.

[0062] The wall 136A is parallel to a side surface of the battery charger 100 or the frame 110. The wall 136A is parallel to a side surface of the battery 10 housed in the charging space 102. One surface of the wall 136A is parallel to the insertion direction of the battery 10. Here, the insertion direction may be a direction from the charging space 102 toward the support space 104.

[0063] The wall 136A may include two side surfaces. The two side surfaces of the wall 136A are integrally formed so as to share a corner with each other. The two side surfaces of the wall 136A are perpendicular to each other. Each of the two side surfaces of the wall 136A is parallel to two adjacent side surfaces of the battery charger 100 or the frame 110. Each of the two side surfaces of the wall 136A is parallel to two adjacent side surfaces of the battery 10. The two side surfaces of the wall 136A can cover two adjacent side surfaces of the battery 10, respectively. In this manner, the guide walls 136 and 138 are provided as an L-shaped structure having two adjacent sides, so that the guide walls 136 and 138 can cover a wide area of ​​the battery 10, thereby making it easier to guide the position of the battery 10. In addition, the guide walls 136 and 138 can more stably support the side surfaces of the battery 10, thereby making it possible to more effectively prevent the battery 10 from moving.

[0064] 7 and 9, the guide walls 136 and 138 are movable between the charging space 102 and the support space 104. When a relatively large battery is inserted into the charging space 102, at least one of the guide walls 136 and 138 may move to the outside of the charging space 102, i.e., into the support space 104, due to the weight of the battery 10, and may be positioned therein. In this manner, the movement of the guide walls 136 and 138 provides a larger storage space S for storing the battery 10. To this end, the guide unit 130 may include an elastic body connected to the guide walls 136 and 138. When an external force is applied to the guide walls 136 and 138, such as by inserting the battery 10, the elastic body is compressed and moves in the direction in which the external force acts, and when the external force is removed, the elastic body may return to its original position due to the restoring force of the elastic body.

[0065] When a second battery larger than the predetermined storage space S0 is inserted into the charging space 102, the second battery can press the upper locking portion 136B of the first guide wall 136, and the first guide wall 136 can move into the support space 104 by the second battery. In this manner, the upper locking portions 136B, 138B of the guide walls 136, 138 may be portions that receive an external force by contacting the battery 10 when the large-sized battery 10 is inserted. For this reason, one surface of the upper locking portions 136B, 138B is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the battery 10. In addition, the upper locking portions 136B, 138B preferably have a relatively large area so as to easily come into contact with the battery 10, and as shown in FIG. 8, the upper locking portions 136B, 138B are preferably positioned side by side. However, when the upper engagement portions 136B, 138B abut against each other, the mutual contact may hinder the movement of the guide walls 136, 138, so it is preferable that they are slightly spaced apart so as not to come into contact with each other.

[0066] The first guide wall 136 and the second guide wall 138 are disposed such that the upper locking portion 136B of the first guide wall 136 corresponds to the lower locking portion of the second guide wall 138. With reference to the insertion direction of the battery 10, the lower locking portion of the second guide wall 138 may be located below the upper locking portion 136B of the first guide wall 136. As a result, when the first guide wall 136 is moved by an external force during insertion of the battery 10, the upper locking portion 136B may come into contact with the lower locking portion of the second guide wall 138. As the first guide wall 136 moves, an engagement is formed between the upper locking portion 136B of the first guide wall 136 and the lower locking portion of the second guide wall 138, thereby restricting further movement of the first guide wall 136 and preventing the first guide wall 136 and the second guide wall 138 from being separated from each other.

[0067] In this manner, the lower locking portions of the guide walls 136 and 138 may be portions for forming a locking connection with the upper locking portions 136B and 138B. The lower locking portions may support the upper locking portions 136B and 138B, which move in the insertion direction of the battery 10, in a direction opposite to the insertion direction of the battery 10. For this purpose, one surface of the lower locking portion is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the battery 10 and parallel to one surface of the upper locking portions 136B and 138B. Here, the upper locking portion 136B of the first guide wall 136 must correspond to the lower locking portion of the second guide wall 138, and for this purpose, the upper locking portion 136B and the lower locking portion 136C may have shapes extending in opposite directions from the wall portion 136A of the first guide wall 136. In addition, it is preferable that the lower locking portion has a somewhat wide area so that it can easily come into contact with the upper locking portions 136B and 138B.

[0068] Meanwhile, the support plate 122 of the placement part 120 may be positioned to correspond to the lower locking part 136C of the first guide wall 136. The support plate 122 may be designed to be located at the upper side of the charging space 102 before the battery 10 is inserted and to move downward as the battery 10 is inserted. The support plate 122 and the lower locking part 136C of the first guide wall 136 come into contact with each other, thereby restricting the movement of the support plate 122 and preventing the guide part 130 and the placement part 120 from being separated from each other. Meanwhile, when the size of the lower locking part 136C is formed small, the lower locking part 136C and the periphery of the support plate 122 can correspond to each other, but the lower locking part 136C may be formed large so that the lower locking part 136C and the support plate 122 correspond to each other entirely, as shown in FIG. 6. In this case, the lower locking portion 136C is provided with a plurality of holes into which the support 124 can be inserted, which additionally prevents the guide portion 130 and the placement portion 120 from being separated in the horizontal direction.

[0069] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims also fall within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 10: Battery 100: Battery charger 102:Charging space 104: Support space S: Storage space 110: Frame 120: Placement section 130: Guide section 140: Lower plate

Claims

1. A battery charger including a charging space in which an inserted battery is charged, and a support space for supporting the inserted battery, The battery charger a placement portion on which the battery inserted into the charging space is placed; A guide portion that guides the position of the battery placed on the placement portion; Including, the guide portion is positioned to protrude from the support space into the charging space and is movable from the charging space toward the support space by an external force; The guide portion is located on a periphery of a cross section of the battery charger.

2. A battery charger including a charging space in which an inserted battery is charged, and a support space for supporting the inserted battery, The battery charger a placement portion on which the battery inserted into the charging space is placed; A guide portion that guides the position of the battery placed on the placement portion; Including, the guide portion is positioned to protrude from the support space into the charging space and is movable from the charging space toward the support space by an external force; The inserted battery is positioned in a biased state so as to contact one apex of a cross section of the battery charger, and the guide portion is positioned away from the one apex.

3. A battery charger including a charging space in which an inserted battery is charged, and a support space for supporting the inserted battery, The battery charger a placement portion on which the battery inserted into the charging space is placed; A guide portion that guides the position of the battery placed on the placement portion; Including, the guide portion is positioned to protrude from the support space into the charging space and is movable from the charging space toward the support space by an external force; The guide portion includes a guide pin and an elastic body connected to the guide pin, The guide pin is positioned to protrude from the support space into the charging space, When an external force is applied to the guide pin, the guide pin moves toward the support space, When the external force on the guide pin is removed, the guide pin moves from the support space toward the charging space due to the restoring force of the elastic body.

4. The battery charger according to claim 3 , wherein the guide pin is inserted into the mounting portion.

5. A battery charger including a charging space in which an inserted battery is charged, and a support space for supporting the inserted battery, The battery charger a placement portion on which the battery inserted into the charging space is placed; A guide portion that guides the position of the battery placed on the placement portion; Including, the guide portion is positioned to protrude from the support space into the charging space and is movable from the charging space toward the support space by an external force; The guide portion includes a first guide wall and a second guide wall positioned adjacent to each other, the first guide wall and the second guide wall are positioned to protrude from the support space into the charging space, When an external force is applied to at least one of the first guide wall and the second guide wall, the external force causes at least one of the first guide wall and the second guide wall to move toward the support space.

6. The battery charger of claim 5 , wherein the first guide wall or the second guide wall has an L-shaped structure.

7. Each of the first guide wall and the second guide wall includes a wall portion, and an upper engaging portion and a lower engaging portion extending in opposite directions from both ends of the wall portion perpendicular to one surface of the wall portion, The battery charger of claim 5 , wherein the first guide wall is located inside the second guide wall.

8. 8. The battery charger of claim 7, wherein the wall is parallel to a side of the battery charger.

9. 8. The battery charger of claim 7, wherein the wall includes two sides, each of the two sides being parallel to two adjacent sides of the battery charger.

10. 8. The battery charger according to claim 7, wherein the upper stop portion of the first guide wall and the upper stop portion of the second guide wall are positioned side by side.

11. The upper engaging portion of the first guide wall and the lower engaging portion of the second guide wall are positioned to correspond to each other, 8. The battery charger according to claim 7, wherein an upper stop portion of the first guide wall and a lower stop portion of the second guide wall come into contact with each other when the first guide wall moves toward the support space.

12. A battery charger for charging a first battery or a second battery having a different size, comprising: The battery charger a placement portion on which the first battery or the second battery inserted into the charging space is placed; a guide portion that prevents the first battery or the second battery placed on the placement portion from moving; Including, The guide portion includes a plurality of guide pins, When the first battery is located in the placement portion, the guide pin is located protruding into the charging space, A battery charger in which, when the second battery is located in the placement portion, at least one of the guide pins moves to the outside of the charging space.

13. A battery charger for charging a first battery or a second battery having a different size, comprising: The battery charger a placement portion on which the first battery or the second battery inserted into the charging space is placed; a guide portion that prevents the first battery or the second battery placed on the placement portion from moving; Including, The guide portion includes a plurality of guide walls, When the first battery is located in the placement portion, the guide wall is located protruding into the charging space, A battery charger in which, when the second battery is located in the placement portion, at least one of the guide walls moves to the outside of the charging space.

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