Portable power supply

Abstract

To provide a portable power supply device which can tightly hold a secondary battery by inexpensive housing structure.SOLUTION: A portable power supply device (92) comprises: a secondary battery (81); and a housing (1) that is constituted by comprising a box-shaped lower housing (1C) which stores and supports the secondary battery (81), and of which the top face is opened, and a lid housing (1A) arranged to cover an upper part of the lower housing (1C), that comprises handle parts (11) at opposite edges of an upper edge, and that can be carried by hand. The handle part (11) comprises a metal base (71) as a core material, and the lid housing (1A), the lower housing (1C), and the base (71) of the handle part (11) are sandwiched by screwing of a male screw bolt (51) and a female screw bolt (61) inserted in a vertical direction into the housing (1).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a portable power supply device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a portable power supply device (hereinafter referred to as a portable power supply device) including a front panel and a rear panel that face each other in parallel, a middle chassis that connects them at the central portion, and a pair of side covers that are divided into left and right, and forming a box-shaped housing by assembling the front panel, the rear panel, and the pair of side covers so as to sandwich the middle chassis. The front panel, the rear panel, and the pair of side covers are formed of resin. The portable power supply device described in Patent Document 1 has a handle formed by combining a pair of side covers from the left and right at the upper part of the housing. [[ID=1S]]

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes a method of manufacturing a housing by a composite molding in which an adhesive is applied on a metal plate, and after the adhesive is dried, resin is injected onto the adhesive layer in order to obtain a housing with high strength in an electronic device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The portable power supply device described in Patent Document 1 uses a commercial power supply. In recent years, portable power supply devices equipped with secondary batteries having a large battery capacity have been produced. The secondary battery has become larger and heavier as the battery capacity increases.

[0006] When a secondary battery is mounted in the conventional housing structure described in Patent Document 1, the housing also needs to be made stronger as the size and mass of the secondary battery increases. This is because, in conventional housing structures, repeated handling by gripping the top handle could lead to distortion of the housing due to the resin's aging and deterioration of the resin, as the pair of side covers are separated and positioned on the left and right sides. This could result in the housing becoming unable to securely hold the secondary battery. Therefore, while the technology described in Patent Document 2 may be considered to maintain the housing's high strength, there are concerns that it would involve many manufacturing steps and increase costs.

[0007] Therefore, the problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a portable power supply device that can securely hold a secondary battery in an inexpensive housing configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration 1). 1) Rechargeable batteries and, The housing comprises a box-shaped lower housing that houses and supports the secondary battery and has an open top, and a lid housing positioned to cover the upper part of the lower housing, and has handles on opposite edges of the upper edge so that it can be carried by hand, Equipped with, The aforementioned handle portion has a metal base as its core material. The lid housing, the lower housing, and the base of the handle are held together by the screwing of male and female threaded bolts inserted vertically into the housing, forming a portable power supply device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, the effect of being able to firmly support a secondary battery with an inexpensive housing configuration can be obtained. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1A]FIG. 1A is a first perspective view of a power supply device 91, which is a portable power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from obliquely above to the right. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B is a second perspective view of the power supply device 91 viewed from obliquely below to the right. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of the power supply device 91. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a first assembly view of the power supply device 91 viewed from obliquely above to the right. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a second assembly view of the power supply device 91 viewed from obliquely below to the right. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A is a plan view showing the base 71 of the handle unit 7. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a side view of a part of the base 71 taken as a cross section. [Figure 4C] FIG. 4C is a plan view of the handle unit 7. [Figure 4D] FIG. 4D is a side view including a cross section at the S4D - S4D position in FIG. 4C. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view at the S5A - S5A position in FIG. 2. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view at the S5B - S5B position in FIG. 2.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] A portable power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described by the power supply device 91 of the embodiment. First, the external appearance of the power supply device 91 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2. FIG. 1A is a first perspective view of a power supply device 91, which is a portable power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from obliquely above to the right. FIG. 1B is a second perspective view of the power supply device 91 viewed from obliquely below to the right. FIG. 2 is a top view of the power supply device 91. For the sake of convenience of explanation, the directions of front, back, left, right, up, and down shall be the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1A.

[0012] The power supply device 91 is a portable power supply device that uses a secondary battery such as lithium as a power source and can be carried by hand. As shown in FIG. 1A, the power supply device 91 has a box shape formed by the housing 1 in terms of appearance. The housing 1 is configured such that the lid housing 1A, the upper housing 1B, and the lower housing 1C are combined to form a box shape. The housing 1 has the lower side as the lower housing 1C and the upper side as the upper housing 1B with the boundary at approximately half of the total height, and the lid housing 1A is assembled to close the upper part of the upper housing 1B. The lid housing 1A is attached with a top plate 2 having a pair of cut portions 2a and having a substantially H shape.

[0013] An operation unit 12 is provided on the front surface portion 1Ba of the upper housing 1B. The operation unit 12 is provided with a display unit 121, a first power output unit 122, and a second power output unit 123. The display unit 121 displays the operating state of the power supply device 91 and the like. The first power output unit 122 and the second power output unit 123 each have, for example, a plurality of USB terminals and a two-pole socket. Although a two-pole socket is illustrated in the figure, the shape and the number of poles of the socket are not limited.

[0014] Handle portions 11 are provided at the opposing edge portions of the upper edge portion of the housing 1, respectively. The handle portion 11 has an upper opening portion 112 that is long in the front-rear direction formed on the upper surface, and side opening portions 113 that are long in the front-rear direction formed on the upper part of the left surface portion 1Bb and the upper part of the side surface of the right surface portion 1Bc. The upper opening portion 112 and the side opening portions 113 are connected internally, and the power supply device 91 can be lifted by inserting fingers FG except the thumb from the side opening portions 113.

[0015] A pair of feet 3 extending in the left-right direction are attached to the bottom surface portion 1Ce of the lower housing 1C at intervals in the front-rear direction.

[0016] The lid housing 1A, the upper housing 1B, and the lower housing 1C are formed of resin. An example of the resin is a polymer alloy of polycarbonate resin and ABS resin. The top plate 2 and the feet 3 are formed of rubber or elastomer resin.

[0017] Next, the structure of the power supply unit 91 will be described with reference to Figures 3A to 5B. Figure 3A is a first assembly drawing of the power supply unit 91 viewed from the upper right. Figure 3B is a second assembly drawing of the power supply unit 91 viewed from the lower right. Figure 4A is a plan view showing the base 71 which is the core material of the handle unit 7. Figure 4B is a side view showing a cross-section of a part of the base 71. Figure 4C is a plan view of the handle unit 7. Figure 4D is a side view including the cross-section at position S4D-S4D in Figure 4C. Figure 5A is a cross-sectional view at position S5A-S5A in Figure 2. Figure 5B is a cross-sectional view at position S5B-S5B in Figure 2.

[0018] As shown in Figure 3A, the lower housing 1C is formed in a box shape with an open top, having a rectangular bottom portion 1Ce when viewed from above, and a front portion 1Ca, a left portion 1Cb, a right portion 1Cc, and a rear portion 1Cd that are erected upward from each of the four edges of the bottom portion 1Ce. Near the four corners of the bottom surface 1Ce, bosses 1C1 to 1C4, each having a through-hole that penetrates vertically, are formed symmetrically in the front, back, left, and right directions.

[0019] The axes CL1 to CL4 extending above and below bosses 1C1 to 1C4 are located at the vertices of a rectangle when viewed from above, and the secondary battery 81 is fixed within the area inside this rectangle. The secondary battery 81 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is fixed to the bottom surface 1Ce by a fixing device (not shown). In this example, the corners of the secondary battery 81, when viewed from above, are located immediately adjacent to the bosses 1C1 to 1C4. The height of the top surface of the secondary battery 81 is shown as being above the upper edge of the lower housing 1C, but it may also be positioned below the upper edge. Thus, the secondary battery 81 is partially or entirely housed in the box-shaped lower housing 1C and fixed to the bottom surface 1Ce.

[0020] The upper housing 1B is formed by connecting the front section 1Ba, left side section 1Bb, rear section 1Bd, and right side section 1Bc, creating a rectangular frame-like body with a shape corresponding to the upper end of the lower housing 1C. Near the four corners of the upper housing 1B, bosses 1B1 to 1B4 are arranged, each having through holes with axes CL1 to CL4 as its axis. These bosses 1B1 to 1B4 are connected to two adjacent parts of the front section 1Ba, left section 1Bb, rear section 1Bd, and right section 1Bc, respectively, by connecting ribs 1B1a to 1B4a that extend in the vertical direction.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3B, the bottom surface 1Ce of the lower housing 1C has a recess 1Ce1 formed by carving out a portion corresponding to the foot 3. The depth of the recess 1Ce1 is approximately half the thickness of the foot 3. The foot 3, attached to the recess 1Ce1, protrudes downward from the bottom surface 1Ce.

[0022] Inside the upper housing 1B, a circuit unit 82 is located. The circuit unit 82 is supported by the upper housing 1B by a support member (not shown). The circuit unit 82 controls the operation of supplying power stored in the secondary battery 81 to external devices connected to the first power output unit 122 and the second power output unit 123, and the operation of charging the secondary battery 81 with an external power source.

[0023] As shown in Figures 2 and 3A, the lid housing 1A is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape with a top surface portion 1A1 and edges of the top surface portion 1A1, namely a front edge portion 1Aa, a left edge portion 1Ab, a right edge portion 1Ac, and a rear edge portion 1Ad. The lid housing 1A is a lid member that engages with the upper end of the upper housing 1B to close the upper opening. The top surface 1A1 has an H-shaped recess 1A2 that is upright in the left-right direction. The pair of openings 1A3 described above are formed in the H-shaped recessed portion of the recess 1A2.

[0024] Near the four corners of the lid housing 1A, stepped portions 1A4 are formed, each having a through-hole 1A4a (see Figure 5B) with axes CL1 to CL4 as its axes. As shown in Figure 2, the distance L14, which is the front-to-back distance between axes CL1 and CL4, and the distance L23, which is the front-to-back distance between axes CL2 and CL3, are the same. As shown in Figure 3A, a handle unit 7 is positioned between a pair of stepped portions 1A4 on the left edge of the lid housing 1A and bosses 1B1 and 1B4 of the upper housing 1B, and between a pair of stepped portions 1A4 on the right edge and bosses 1B2 and 1B3.

[0025] As shown in Figures 4C and 4D, the handle unit 7 is formed by integrating the base portion 71 and the gripping portion 72. As shown in Figure 4A, the base portion 71 is rectangular prism-shaped, with shaft insertion portions 711 formed near both ends. The base portion 71 is formed by die-casting or machining of metal. The shaft insertion portion 711 has circularly recessed seat portions 71a and 71c on each of the pair of opposing surfaces of the base portion 71, and a through hole 71b with an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the seat portions 71a and 71c at the bottom between them. The distance L7, which is the distance between the axes of the pair of shaft insertion portions 711, is the same as the distances L14 and L23 described above as shown in Figure 2.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4D, the gripping portion 72 has an upper surface 72a in a side view that is parallel to one surface of the base portion 71 (the upper surface in Figure 4D). Furthermore, it has a side surface 72b perpendicular to the upper surface 72a, a lower surface 72c that is connected to the lower end of the side surface 72b with a radius and extends parallel to the upper surface 72a and curves upward in an arc shape, and an L-shaped stepped portion 72d at the connection point between the lower surface 72c and the upper surface 72a. The base portion 71 is made of metal, and the gripping portion 72 is made of elastomer.

[0027] As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the upper bolt 61 is inserted from above through the through hole 1A4a in the stepped portion 1A4 of the lid housing 1A, the through hole 71b in the shaft insertion portion 711 of the handle unit 7, and the through hole in the boss 1B1, on the axis CL1 of the upper housing 1B. The upper bolt 61 is a metal hexagon socket internal thread bolt having a head 61a and a body 61b, with a female thread portion 611 formed as an internal thread at the tip of the body 61b, with the thread running along a common axis with the body 61b. The tip of the body 61b is located near the boundary between the upper housing 1B and the lower housing 1C.

[0028] On the other hand, a stepped portion 1C5, which is a circular recess centered on the axis CL1, is formed in the recess 1Ce1 of the lower housing 1C, and a through hole for the boss 1C1 is opened therein. A lower bolt 51 is inserted upward from below into the through-hole of the boss 1C1 of the stepped portion 1C5 of the lower housing 1C. The lower bolt 51 is a metal hexagon socket stepped bolt having a head 51a and a body 51b, with a male threaded portion 511 protruding from the tip of the body 61b with a smaller outer diameter than the body 61b. This male threaded portion 511 is screwed into the female threaded portion 611 of the upper bolt 61.

[0029] As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the upper bolts 61-64 and the lower bolts 51-54 are tightened on the same axis CL1-CL4 by screwing the male threaded portion 511 into the female threaded portion 611 and ensuring that the stepped portions of each bolt are in close contact. In this state, the upper surface of the head 61a of the upper bolts 61-64 and the recess 1A2 of the lid housing 1A are on the same plane, and the lower surface of the head 51a of the lower bolts 51-54 and the recess 1Ce1 of the lower housing 1C are on the same plane. This allows the top plate 2 to be attached tightly to the recess 1A2 of the lid housing 1A, and the foot 3 to be attached tightly to the recess 1Ce1 of the lower housing 1C. The top plate 2 and foot 3 conceal the upper bolt 61 and lower bolt 51, thus improving the appearance of the power supply unit 91.

[0030] As described above, the upper bolts 61-64 and lower bolts 51-54 are tightened on the axes CL1-CL4 at the four corners of the housing 1. As a result, the lid housing 1A, upper housing 1B, lower housing 1C, and handle unit 7 are firmly integrated by being sandwiched between the heads 61a of the metal upper bolts 61-64 and the heads 51a of the metal lower bolts 51-54. Therefore, the power supply unit 91 can be easily transported by inserting the fingers FG of the left and right arms (excluding the thumbs) into the left and right side openings 113 of the handle portion 11 of the power supply unit 91 and lifting it.

[0031] When the power supply unit 91 is lifted and separated from the mounting surface (floor, etc.), the gravitational force acting on the secondary battery 81 is applied to the bottom surface 1Ce of the lower housing 1C. Since the lower housing 1C is integrally formed in a box shape, it can be made to have relatively high rigidity, and even if the secondary battery has a large capacity and mass, the deformation of the lower housing 1C can be suppressed to a negligible degree.

[0032] The gravitational force Wc acting on the entire lower housing 1C that houses and supports the secondary battery 81 is applied downward on the heads 51a of the four lower bolts 51. Since the lower bolts 51-54 are screwed together with the upper bolts 61-64 and are essentially made up of a single piece of metal, the gravitational force Wc acting on the entire lower housing 1C including the secondary battery 81 becomes a downward force applied to the stepped portion 1A4 of the lid housing 1A by the heads 61a of the upper bolts 61-64. This force is transmitted to the metal base 71 of the handle unit 7 via the stepped portion 1A4 of the lid housing 1A. In other words, when the handle unit 7 of the power supply unit 91 is lifted by a finger FG as shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the entire mass, including the large mass of the secondary battery 81, is supported by substantially metal components.

[0033] As described above, the components involved in supporting the power supply unit 91 are essentially bolts and rod-shaped metal members that can be obtained easily and relatively inexpensively, and these have sufficient strength and rigidity to support the mass of the secondary battery. In addition, although some stepped portions 1A4 of the lid housing 1A are interposed, the force applied to the resin of the interposed portion is a compressive force, so a reasonable strength can be obtained. Furthermore, the lower housing 1C, which houses and directly supports the secondary battery 81, is made of resin but is formed in a box shape, thus possessing high rigidity. Thus, the power supply unit 91, which is a portable power supply, can securely support the secondary battery 81 with an inexpensive housing configuration.

[0034] The embodiments described in detail above are not limited to their configurations, and modified versions are also possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0035] Although the lower bolts 51-54 and upper bolts 61-64 were described as internally threaded metal bolts, the material is not limited to metal as long as it has sufficient strength to support the mass of the secondary battery. For example, it may be made of resin or ceramic. In the example described, the lower bolts 51-54 are stepped bolts (for example, first bolts) having a male thread 511 section, and the upper bolts 61-64 are internally threaded bolts (second bolts) having a female thread 611. However, the reverse is also possible, where the lower bolts 51-54 of the first bolt are internally threaded bolts and the upper bolts 61-64 of the second bolt are stepped bolts. An example has been described in which the stepped portion 1A4 of the lid housing 1A is interposed between the base portion 71 of the handle unit 7 and the head portion 61a of the upper bolt 61, but the base portion 71 and the head portion 61a may also be configured to be in direct contact with each other. A metal flat washer and a spring washer may be interposed between the head 51a of the lower bolt 51 and the lower housing 1C. The housing 1 may also be configured such that there is no upper housing 1B, and the lid housing 1A covers the top of the lower housing 1C, and the lid housing 1A and the lower housing 1C are clamped together by the screwing of a first bolt and a second bolt. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1 cabinet 1A Lid housing 1Aa Front edge 1Ab left edge 1Ac Right edge 1Ad trailing edge 1A1 Top section 1A2 Recess 1A3 opening 1A4 Stepped section 1A4a through hole 1B Upper cabinet 1Ba front part 1Bb left side 1Bc Right side 1Bd rear section 1B1~1B4 Bosses 1B1a~1B4a Connecting Ribs 1C Lower cabinet 1Ca front part 1Cb left side 1Cc Right side 1Cd Rear section 1Ce Bottom part 1Ce1 recess 1C1~1C4 Boss 1C5 Stepped section 11 Handle section 112 Upper opening 113 Side opening 12 Control section 121 Display section 122 First Power Output Section 123 Second Power Output Section 2 Top Plate 2a Cut section 3 feet 51-54 Lower bolt 51a Head 51b Torso 511 Male threaded section 61-64 Upper bolt 61a head 61b Torso 611 Female thread section 7 Handle Unit 71 Base 71a,71c Seat part 71b Through hole 711 Shaft insertion section 72 Gripping part 72a Top side 72b side 72c bottom surface 72d Stepped section 81 Secondary battery 82 Circuit section 91 Power supply (portable power supply) CL1~CL4 axis line FG finger L7,L14,L23 distance Wc (force due to gravity of the entire lower enclosure 1C)

Claims

1. Rechargeable batteries and The housing comprises a box-shaped lower housing that houses and supports the secondary battery and has an open top, and a lid housing positioned to cover the upper part of the lower housing, and has handles on opposite edges of the upper edge so that it can be carried by hand, Equipped with, The aforementioned handle portion has a metal base as its core material. A portable power supply device in which the lid housing, the lower housing, and the base of the handle portion are held together by the screwing of a male threaded bolt and a female threaded bolt inserted vertically into the housing.

2. When one of the male threaded bolt and the female threaded bolt is designated as the first bolt and the other as the second bolt, the first bolt is inserted into the lower housing from below and the second bolt is inserted into the lid housing from above and screwed into the first bolt. The portable power supply device according to claim 1, wherein, when the handle portion is grasped and lifted, the force due to gravity of the secondary battery is transmitted to the base portion of the handle portion via the first bolt and the second bolt.

3. The portable power supply device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the housing has a frame-shaped upper housing between the lower housing and the lid housing.

Images