HK1118385B - A battery device - Google Patents

Description

Battery device

The invention is a divisional application of a battery device and an electronic device, which is named as Chinese invention patent application No. 200480005355.4.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a battery device and an electronic apparatus operable by the battery device.

Background

As a battery device mountable on an electronic apparatus, there is provided a battery device which is equipped with a case having a predetermined width, thickness and length, a battery unit accommodated in the case, and a battery-side terminal provided at a surface of the case and electrically connected to the battery unit, and which is inserted into a battery accommodation chamber of the electronic apparatus in a length direction so that the battery-side terminal is brought into connection with an accommodation-chamber-side terminal of the battery accommodation chamber (see, for example, japanese patent No. 2508447).

However, in the above battery device and electronic apparatus, if a battery device having a smaller overall size than the shape of the battery housing chamber is inserted into the battery housing chamber, the battery device is weak in the battery housing chamber and cannot be used properly. That is, there is a disadvantage in that a plurality of types of battery devices having different profile sizes (i.e., different capacities) cannot be selectively used.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a battery device and an electronic apparatus in which a plurality of types of battery devices having different capacities can be used and which are advantageous in improving convenience of use.

To achieve the above advantages, the present invention provides a battery device including: a housing having a width, a thickness, and a length; a battery unit accommodated inside the case; a battery-side terminal provided at the case surface and electrically connected to the battery unit; forming a plurality of convex pieces protruding outward in a width direction at a bottom surface; guide grooves are arranged on both sides in the width direction; wherein the housing includes a body portion and a bottom portion, a width of a bottom surface of the battery device being less than a width of the body portion; the body portion facing the bottom portion in a plane extending entirely in the length direction and approximately parallel to the bottom surface; the guide groove is formed by the projecting piece, the flat surface, and a side surface of the bottom portion, the side surface being located on each of both sides in the width direction.

A battery device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: the battery pack includes a case having a predetermined width, thickness and length, a battery unit provided in the case, and a battery-side terminal provided at a surface of the case and electrically connected to the battery unit. The battery device is inserted into a battery receiving chamber of an electronic apparatus in the longitudinal direction so that the battery-side terminal is connected to a receiving-chamber-side terminal of the battery receiving chamber. At portions on both sides of the case in the width direction, guide grooves are formed which extend in the length direction and engage with protruding portions provided at the battery housing chamber so as to arrange the position of the case inside the battery housing chamber in the thickness direction.

An electronic apparatus of the present invention is an electronic apparatus having a battery housing chamber in which a battery device is housed. The aforementioned battery device includes: the battery pack includes a case having a predetermined width, thickness and length, a battery unit provided in the case, and a battery-side terminal provided at a surface of the case and electrically connected to the battery unit. The battery receiving chamber has a width corresponding to the width of the case, a height corresponding to the thickness of the case, a depth corresponding to the length of the case, and a receiving chamber-side terminal connected to the battery-side terminal in a state where the battery device is inserted by keeping the longitudinal direction parallel to the depth direction. Guide grooves extending in the longitudinal direction are provided at portions on both sides in the width direction of the case of the battery device. A protruding portion that engages with the guide groove and that arranges a position in the thickness direction of the housing in the battery housing chamber in the height direction is provided at the battery housing chamber.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view as seen from the bottom of a battery device in an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a battery device of an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the battery device 100.

Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the battery device 100.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of an important part of fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a logo 1036 and its surrounding portions.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the battery housing chamber 20 of the case.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the battery housing chamber 20 of the case.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a discrimination circuit of the convex portion 1018.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 200 to which the battery device 100 is externally connected;

fig. 11 is an enlarged view of a battery mounting portion of the image forming apparatus 200.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 200 having the battery device 100 mounted thereon.

Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the lock mechanism.

Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the mounting of the battery device 100 on the battery mounting portion.

Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the battery device 100 is mounted on the battery mounting portion.

Detailed Description

The advantage that a plurality of types of battery devices different in capacity can be used is achieved by providing the guide groove at the battery device and the protruding portion at the battery housing chamber of the electronic apparatus.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described next with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the battery device of the present invention is mounted so as to be used on an imaging device serving as an electronic apparatus.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view as seen from the bottom of the battery device of the first preferred embodiment. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the battery device of the first preferred embodiment.

First, a description will be given of the battery device.

As shown in fig. 1, the battery device 100 has a case 10, a rechargeable battery portion 12 (see fig. 2) provided at the inside of the case 10, a control circuit board 16 provided at the inside of the case 10, and a battery-side terminal 14 provided at the case 10.

The housing 10 has a main body portion 1002 and a bottom portion 1004, the main body portion 1002 being uniform in size in the width direction W and extending in the length direction L, the bottom portion 1004 being provided on one side in the thickness direction H at a midpoint in the width direction W of the main body portion 1002 and extending in the length direction L in a uniform width whose size is smaller than the width of the main body portion 1002.

The battery-side terminals 14 are provided at one end in the longitudinal direction L of the bottom portion 1004.

In this embodiment, the housing 10 includes a first segment other than the portion of the bottom portion 1004 facing the body portion 1002 and the bottom portion 1004, and a second segment including the portion of the bottom portion 1004 facing the body portion 1002 and the bottom portion 1004. These segments cooperate with mating surface 1005 to form housing 10. The rechargeable battery portion 12 and the control circuit board 16 are housed inside these segments.

As shown in fig. 2, the rechargeable battery portion 12 has four cylindrical battery cells 1202, a plurality of wiring members 1204 for connecting the electrodes of these respective battery cells 1202, and holding members 1206 interposed between the side surfaces of the respective battery cells 1202.

The control circuit board 16 is connected to the electrodes of the respective battery cells 1202 through wiring members 1204 so as to be connected to the rechargeable battery portions 12. The control circuit board 16 has a microcomputer including a CPU, RAM and ROM, an interface, and the like, and is configured to perform data communication with an external electronic device through the battery-side terminal 14. The data communication includes an output operation of identification data indicating the capacity and characteristics of the battery device 100. Examples of the identification data are data indicating whether rapid charging is possible when mounted on a battery charger, and data indicating an appropriate charging current value or an upper limit value of the charging current.

The battery-side terminals 14 are connected to the control circuit board 16 at the inner side of the case 10 so as to become conductive to the electrodes of the battery cells 1202 through the respective wiring elements 1204, and thus supply of operating current from the respective battery cells 1202 to external electronic devices, or supply of charging current from the battery charger to the respective battery cells 1202, can be performed through the battery-side terminals 14.

Of course, the number and shape of the battery cells 1202 constituting the rechargeable battery portion 12 vary depending on the capacity and characteristics of the battery device 100.

The structure of the housing 10 will be described in detail below.

Fig. 3A is a plan view of the battery device 100, fig. 3B is a view taken in the direction of arrow B of fig. 3A, fig. 3C is a view taken in the direction of arrow C of fig. 3A, fig. 3D is a view taken in the direction of arrow D of fig. 3A, and fig. 3E is a sectional view taken along line E-E of fig. 3B. Fig. 4A is a bottom view of the battery device 100, fig. 4B is a view taken in the direction of arrow B of fig. 4A, and fig. 4C is a sectional view taken along line C-C of fig. 4B. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion denoted by F in fig. 3C. Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a logo 1036 and its surrounding portions.

As shown in fig. 2, 3, and 4A to 4B, portions on both sides in the width direction W of the housing 10 are formed as flat side surfaces 1006 that are parallel to each other and extend in the length direction L. One plane in the thickness direction H of the housing 10 is formed as a flat bottom surface 1008. In this embodiment, the side surfaces on both sides in the width direction W of the main body portion 1002 constitute side surfaces 1006, and the bottom surface of the bottom portion 1004 constitutes a bottom surface 1008.

At portions of the case 10 on both sides in the width direction W, guide grooves 1010 are formed, the guide grooves 1010 extending in the length direction L and engaging with protruding portions provided at a battery housing chamber of the electronic apparatus so as to arrange the position of the case 10 in the battery housing chamber in the thickness direction H.

In this embodiment, the guide groove 1010 is provided at a portion toward the bottom surface 1008. More specifically, a plurality of projecting pieces 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C) are formed at the bottom surface 1008 on both sides in the width direction W such that they project outward in the width direction W from portions spaced apart in the length direction L. The portion of the projecting piece 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C) at the end on one side in the thickness direction H is formed as a bottom surface arranged flush with the bottom surface 1008.

The guide groove 1010 is formed to extend in the length direction of the housing 10 and in its open state on the outer side in the width direction, using a plurality of projecting pieces 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C), a plane 1014 of the body portion 1002 facing the bottom portion 1004 thereon, and side surfaces 1016 of the bottom portion 1004 on both sides in the width direction W. In this embodiment, the channel 1010 opens toward the bottom surface 1008 at a portion between the tabs 1012A, 1012B, and 1012C.

In this embodiment, at portions of the side surfaces 1016 of the bottom portion 1004 spaced in the length direction L, there are provided convex portions 1018 projecting outward in the width direction W from the side surfaces 1016. The convex portion 1018 is formed in a smaller protrusion size than the convex piece 1012.

Further, in this embodiment, the convex portion 1018 is provided at portions corresponding to the convex pieces 1012A and 1012B, respectively, so that the convex pieces 1012A and 1012B, the plane 1014, and the side surface 1016 are connected to each other.

In addition, a stopper wall 1020 for filling the guide groove 1010 is provided at a portion of the bottom surface 1008, which is located on the opposite side of the portion where the battery-side terminal 14 is provided.

In addition, a stopper wall 1020 is provided at a portion corresponding to the projection piece 1012C so that the projection piece 1012C, the plane 1014, and the side surface 1016 are connected to each other.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, the end surfaces of the main body portion 1002 and the bottom portion 1004 of the side portion provided with the battery side terminal 14 as one end surface on both ends in the length direction L of the case 10 are formed as flat end surfaces 1022 perpendicular to the bottom surface 1008. The convex portion 1024, the size of which is uniform in the thickness direction H and which linearly extends in the width direction W, is formed to swell at a portion separated from the battery-side terminal 14 of the end surface 1022 in the thickness direction H. The convex portion 1024 is formed at a portion corresponding to the battery-side terminal 14, and is formed into a length X2, the length X2 having a size larger than the length X1 of the portion where at least the electrode of the battery-side terminal 14 is provided.

Further, as shown in fig. 1, a groove portion 1028 is formed at the bottom surface 1008, and a machine indicator 1026 is fixed to the groove portion 1028. The surface of the machine label 1026 is flush with the bottom surface 1008, or the surface of the machine label 1026 is arranged from the bottom surface 1008 toward the inside of the housing 10. The positioning boss portion 1030 disposed flush with the bottom surface 1008 is formed in the length direction L from portions disposed on opposite sides of the battery-side terminal 14 in the length direction L of the groove portion 1028. The boss 1030 is inserted into a positioning slot 1027 of the machine sign 1026.

As shown in fig. 4A and 4B, as one end surface on both ends in the longitudinal direction L of the case 10, the end surface of the main body portion 1002 on the opposite side of the battery side terminal 14 is formed as a flat end surface 1032 perpendicular to the bottom surface 1008, and at a portion displaced from the end surface 1032 toward the inside of the case 10, the end surface of the bottom portion 1004 on the opposite side of the battery side terminal 14 is formed as a flat end surface 1034 parallel to the end surface 1032. Thus, the end surfaces 1032 and 1034 constitute cut-away portions 1035 at boundary portions between the body portion 1002 and the bottom portion 1004 at end portions arranged on opposite sides of the battery-side terminal 14 in the length direction L of the case 10.

As shown in fig. 1, 5, and 6, two identification portions 1036 are formed at portions on both sides of the bottom surface 1008 of the bottom portion 1004 sandwiching the battery-side terminals 14 therebetween in the width direction W. These identification portions 1036 are formed as groove portions 1038 that are open in the thickness direction H and the length direction L, or as groove portions 1040 that are open in the thickness direction H and are blocked in the length direction L. The identification portion 1036 is identified by identification means provided on the side portion of the electronic apparatus, and the identification is based on the shapes of the recessed portions 1038 and 1040, and the size of the recessed portion 1038 in the length direction L.

A planar portion in the vicinity of the groove portion 1010 constituting the plane of the groove portion 1038 is formed in the inclined surface 1042 so as to secure a wall thickness dimension between the guide groove 1010 and the groove portion 1038, thereby securing mechanical strength of the projecting piece 1012A.

The electronic apparatus will be described next.

In this embodiment, the electronic apparatus is the imaging device 200. The imaging apparatus 200 includes a housing, an optical system included in a front portion of the housing, an imaging part for imaging a target image captured by the optical system, a liquid crystal display part for displaying an image taken by the imaging part, a recording/reproducing part for recording and/or reproducing the image taken by the imaging part in a recording medium, and a battery device for supplying electric power to the imaging part, the liquid crystal display part, and the recording/reproducing part.

The housing has a battery receiving chamber on which the battery device 100 is removably mounted. The battery housing chamber is provided to be openable in the rear surface of the case, and the opening is closed by a cover plate (not shown).

Fig. 7 and 8 are sectional views of the battery receiving chamber 20 of the case. The battery receiving chamber 20 has a width corresponding to the width W of the case 10 of the battery device 100, a height corresponding to the thickness of the case 10, and a depth corresponding to the length of the case 10.

At the rear in the depth direction of the battery housing chamber 20, a housing chamber-side terminal (not shown) is provided which forms a connection with the battery-side terminal 14 in a state where the battery device 100 is inserted by keeping the length direction L parallel to the depth direction.

In addition, the battery housing chamber 20 is equipped with a protruding portion 2002, the protruding portion 2002 being engaged with the guide groove 1010 and positioning a position in the thickness direction H of the case 10 in the battery housing chamber 20 in the height direction.

In this embodiment, the battery housing chamber 20 has a main body portion 22 and a bottom portion 24, the main body portion 22 being uniform in size in the width direction and extending in the depth direction, the bottom portion 24 being provided on one side in the height direction at a midpoint in the width direction W of the main body portion 22 and extending in the depth direction in a uniform width whose size is smaller than the width of the main body portion 22.

The plane of the bottom portion 24 forms a plane in the height direction of the battery receiving chamber 20 as a flat bottom surface 2004.

At portions of the boundary between the main body portion 22 and the bottom portion 24 on both sides in the width direction, an intermediate mounting surface 2006 is provided, the intermediate mounting surface 2006 being parallel to the bottom surface 2004 and extending in the depth direction.

The protruding portions 2002 protrude from portions on both sides, where the intermediate mounting surfaces 2006 face each other, in a direction in which they approach each other. In other words, the protruding portions 2002 are provided at portions toward the bottom surface 2004 on the side surfaces 2001 on both ends in the width direction of the battery housing chamber 20.

One plane in the height direction of the protruding portion 2002 is parallel to the bottom surface 2004, and the other plane in the height direction is arranged flush with the intermediate mounting surface 2006.

The height of the battery receiving chamber 20 is sized to receive a plurality of types of battery devices 100 that differ in the thickness of the case 10, as shown in fig. 7 and 8.

Next, operational effects of this embodiment will be described.

When the battery pack 100 is housed and fixed in the battery housing chamber 200, the battery pack 100 is inserted into the battery housing chamber 20 by causing the battery-side terminals 14 of the battery pack 100 to face the opening of the battery housing chamber 20 and causing the bottom surface 1008 of the battery pack 10 to face the bottom surface 2004 of the battery housing chamber 20.

By this insertion, the protruding portion 2002 of the battery housing chamber 20 is engaged with the guide groove 1010 of the battery device 100, and thus the battery device 100 is arranged in the battery housing chamber 20 in the thickness direction H of the case 10 in the height direction.

In this embodiment, the bottom surface 1008 of the housing 10 is mounted on the bottom surface 2004 of the battery receiving chamber 20 with the protruding portion 2002 engaged with the guide groove 1010. The mounting of the bottom surface 1008 of the housing 10 on the bottom surface 2004 of the battery receiving chamber 20 limits the movement of the battery receiving chamber 20 toward the bottom surface 2004. The engagement between guide channel 1010 and protruding portion 2002 of battery receiving cavity 20 limits movement of battery device 100 in a direction away from bottom surface 2004 of battery receiving cavity 20. Alternatively, the engagement between the protrusion 2002 and the guide slot 1010 may limit movement of the battery device 100 toward the bottom surface 2004 of the battery receiving compartment 20 and movement of the battery device 100 in a direction away from the bottom surface 2004 of the battery receiving compartment 20.

In addition, by the engagement between the protruding portion 2002 and the guide groove 1010, the tip of the convex portion 1008 is connected with the tip of the protruding portion 2004, thereby restricting the movement of the battery device 100 in the width direction W. Alternatively, in the case where the connection between the tip of the convex portion 1018 and the tip of the protruding portion 2004 is not provided, the movement of the battery pack 100 in the width direction W may be restricted by providing the connection between the other portion of the battery pack 100 and the portion of the battery housing chamber 20 (such as between the side surface 1006 of the case 10 of the battery pack 100 and the side surface 2002 of the battery housing chamber 20).

After that, the battery device 100 is inserted into the rear of the battery receiving chamber 20 to provide connection between the battery-side terminals 14 of the battery device 100 and the receiving chamber-side terminals of the battery receiving chamber 20.

In the case where the battery device 100 is inserted into the rear portion of the battery housing chamber 20, the opening is closed with a cover plate (not shown), thereby ending the loading of the battery device 100 into the battery housing chamber 20.

The movement of the battery device 100 in the length direction L is restricted by a known restricting method, such as in such a manner that one end surface 1022 of the housing 10 abuts on a wall surface of the rear portion of the battery housing chamber 20 and the other end surface 1032 of the housing 10 abuts on an inner surface of the cover plate.

Therefore, according to the battery device 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to house a plurality of types of battery devices 100 that differ in the thickness of the case 10 in the battery housing chamber 20, because at portions of the case 10 on both sides of the battery device 100 in the width direction, guide grooves 1010 are formed, which guide grooves 1010 extend in the length direction L and engage with the protruding portions 2002 provided at the battery housing chamber 200, thereby arranging the position of the case 10 in the thickness direction H in the battery housing chamber 20.

According to the image forming apparatus 200 of the present embodiment, it is possible to accommodate a plurality of types of battery devices 100 different in thickness of the casing 10 in the battery accommodation chamber 20 because the battery accommodation chamber 20 has the protruding portion 2002, and the protruding portion 2002 is engaged with the guide groove 1010 of the battery device 100, thereby arranging the position of the casing 10 in the battery accommodation chamber 20 in the thickness direction H.

Therefore, for example, after the image forming apparatus 200 is operated for a long period of time, the battery apparatus 100 having a large power capacity, that is, the battery apparatus 100 whose housing 10 has a large size in the thickness direction H can be accommodated and fixed at the battery accommodating chamber 20. On the other hand, when the image forming apparatus 200 operates for a short period of time, the battery apparatus 100 having a small power capacity, that is, the battery apparatus 100 whose housing 10 has a small size in the thickness direction H can be accommodated and fixed at the battery accommodating chamber 20. Therefore, the battery device 100 can be selectively used appropriately depending on its application, and thus has an advantage in improving convenience of use.

Further, in this embodiment, the guide groove 1010 is provided at a portion of the battery device 100 facing the bottom surface 1008, and the protruding portion 2002 is provided at a portion of the battery housing chamber 20 facing the bottom surface 2004. This is advantageous in reliably performing the arrangement thereof in the battery housing chamber 20 in the height direction along the thickness direction H of the case 10 even if the thickness of the battery device 100 is extremely small.

In this embodiment, the stopper wall 1020 serves to prevent erroneous insertion. Specifically, if the battery device 100 is inserted into the battery housing chamber 20 in the wrong insertion direction (that is, if it is inserted into the battery housing chamber 20 with the opposite side of the battery-side terminals 14 of the case 100 set to the forward direction), the user can immediately recognize that the battery device 100 is misdirected because the stopper wall 1020 abuts on the protruding portion 2002.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the convex portions 1018 are provided at portions corresponding to the projecting pieces 1012A and 1012B, respectively, so that the projecting pieces 1012A and 1012B and the flat surface 1014 are connected with the side surface 1016, and therefore it is advantageous in improving the mechanical strength of the projecting pieces 1012A and 1012B by two convex portions 1018.

Further, the stopper wall 1020 is provided at a portion corresponding to the projecting piece 1012C so that the projecting piece 1012C and the flat surface 1014 are connected with the side surface 1016, and thus it is advantageous in improving the mechanical strength of the projecting piece 1012C by the stopper wall 1020.

In another alternative embodiment, with the position of the end surface 1022 of the housing 10 as a reference, it is possible to determine whether the battery device 100 is a normal product based on the positions of the respective convex portions 1018 provided along the length direction L (or based on the presence or absence of the respective convex portions 1018 or the number of the convex portions 1018).

For example, as shown in fig. 9, sensors 302 and 304 are provided at the battery housing chamber 20, each including a micro switch for sensing the position of the respective convex portion 1018 in the length direction L with reference to the end surface 1022 of the housing 10. An authentication circuit 306 for authenticating whether or not each of the convex portions 1018 is correctly arranged based on the detection signals from the respective sensors 302 and 304 is also provided.

With this configuration, according to the authentication result of the authentication circuit 306, the supply of electric power from the battery device 100 is permitted only when the battery device 100 is confirmed as a normal product, and otherwise, the supply of electric power from the battery device 100 is prohibited. This may prevent the battery device 100, which is an abnormal product, from being used in advance.

In addition, the above-described identification data of the battery device 100 may be represented by the position of each of the convex portions 1018 provided in the length direction L or the presence or absence of each of the convex portions 1018 or the number of the convex portions 1018.

For example, according to the configuration shown in fig. 9, four types of discrimination data can be represented by the combination of ON and OFF of the two sensors 302 and 304. Needless to say, eight types of identification information can also be obtained by providing four sensors to detect the positions of a total of four convex portions 1018 provided on both sides in the width direction of the case 10 of the battery device 100.

In addition, if a sensor that can measure the position of each of the convex portions 1018 in the length direction L with reference to the end surface 1022 is used, it is of course possible to further increase the type of identification data that can be detected by the sensor.

In the case where the electronic device on which the battery device 100 is mounted is a battery charger for performing charging to the battery device 100, one or more sensors similar to the sensors 302 and 304 described above may be provided at the battery charger so that they sense the presence or absence of the mounting of the battery device 100, and start the charging operation of the battery device 100 in response to the sensing operation. In this structure, the sensor is provided at a portion corresponding to the convex portion 1018, that is, the sensor is provided in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the battery device 100. Therefore, compared with the case where the sensor is disposed facing the insertion direction of the battery device 100 at the rear of the battery housing chamber 20, there is an advantage in that the sensor is less likely to malfunction due to the rod-like foreign matter entering through the opening of the battery housing chamber 20.

Also, by sensing the position of the convex portion 1018 with the above-described sensor, the characteristics of the battery device 100 (such as an appropriate charging current value, or whether or not quick charging is possible) can be determined on the battery charger side.

Alternatively, a locking mechanism for engaging and removing part or all of the convex portion 1018 may be provided at the battery housing chamber 20. The engagement between the locking mechanism and part or all of the convex portion 1018 is advantageous in reliably preventing the battery device 100 from falling out of the battery housing chamber 20.

In addition, as shown in fig. 1, the arrangement is made such that the surface of the machine label 1026 is flush with the bottom surface 1008, or the surface of the machine label 1026 is arranged inside the housing 10 from the bottom surface 1008, and the positioning boss portion 1030 arranged flush with the bottom surface 1008 is inserted into the positioning groove 1027 of the machine label 1026. Therefore, even if the bottom surface 1008 of the battery pack 100 and the bottom surface 2004 of the battery housing chamber 20 wear due to the loading and unloading of the battery pack 100 with respect to the battery housing chamber 20, the surface of the machine label 1026 is less likely to be damaged and stained, and therefore, is advantageous in protecting the surface of the machine label 1026.

In another alternative embodiment, the battery device 100 described above may be used as: a so-called built-in type battery device in which the battery device 100 is accommodated in the battery accommodation chamber 20 as described in the foregoing preferred embodiment; and a so-called battery device in which the battery device 100 is connected to the outside of the image forming apparatus 200 as described below.

The case where the battery device 100 is used as an external use type will be described below.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 200 to which the battery device 100 is externally connected. Fig. 11 is an enlarged view of a battery mounting portion of the image forming apparatus 200. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 200 having the battery device 100 mounted thereon. Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the mounting of the battery device 100 and the battery mounting portion. Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the lock mechanism. Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the battery device 100 is mounted on the battery mounting portion.

As shown in fig. 10, the imaging apparatus 200 includes a housing 24, an optical system 26 included in a front portion of the housing 24, an imaging part (not shown) for imaging a target image captured by the optical system 26, a liquid crystal display portion 28 for displaying an image taken by the imaging part, a recording/reproducing portion (not shown) for recording and/or reproducing the image taken by the imaging part in a recording medium, and a battery apparatus 100 for supplying electric power to the imaging part, the liquid crystal display portion 28, and the recording/reproducing portion.

A battery mounting portion 30 on which the battery device 100 is removably mounted is provided at the rear of the case 24.

As shown in fig. 11, the battery mounting portion 30 has a groove portion 3002 in which the battery device 100 is accommodated, a plurality of engaging projection pieces 3004(3004A, 3004B, and 3004C) provided at the groove portion 3002, an apparatus side terminal 32 provided at the groove portion 3002, and an engaging projection portion 34 provided at a portion of the groove portion 3002 which is an opposite side of the apparatus side terminal 32.

The groove portion 3002 has a mounting surface 3006, and a side surface 3008 circumferentially upstanding from the mounting surface 3006.

The mounting surface 3006 is formed at a width corresponding to the width of the bottom surface 1008 of the battery device 100 and a length dimension greater than the length of the bottom surface 1008.

As shown in fig. 11 and 13, engaging projection pieces 3004(3004A, 3004B, and 3004C) engageable with the guide grooves 1010 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the mounting surface 3006 at portions spaced in the length direction.

The engaging convex portion 34 is arranged to be protrudable and contractible relative to the mounting surface 3006 and normally biased in the protruding direction thereof so as to be engageable with the cut-away portion 1035 of the battery device 100.

The battery device 100 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 30 in the following manner.

The battery-side terminals 14 of the battery device 100 face the apparatus-side terminals 32 of the battery mounting portion 30, and the bottom surface 1008 of the battery device 100 faces the mounting surface 3006 of the battery mounting portion 30, so that the respective projecting tabs 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C) of the battery device 100 are arranged spaced apart in the length direction L with respect to the engaging projecting tabs 3004(3004A, 3004B, and 3004C), respectively.

In this state, the bottom surface 1008 of the battery pack 100 is connected with the mounting surface 3006 of the battery mounting portion 30, and the battery pack 100 is caused to slide in the direction in which the battery-side terminals 14 approach the apparatus-side terminals 32.

Thus, the respective tabs 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C) of the battery device 100 are inserted between the engaging tabs 3004(3004A, 3004B, and 3004C) and the mounting surface 3006, and an arrangement is performed in which they are arranged on the battery mounting portion 30 in the thickness direction H of the battery device 100 in the height direction so as to provide connection between the battery-side terminals 14 of the battery device 100 and the apparatus-side terminals 32 of the battery mounting portion 30.

With this structure, in the present embodiment, with each of the projecting pieces 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C) engaged with its corresponding engaging projecting piece 3004(3004A, 3004B, and 3004C), the bottom surface 1008 of the case 10 abuts on the mounting surface 3006 of the battery mounting portion 30.

If the end surfaces 1022 on the battery-side terminal 14 sides of both end surfaces in the lengthwise direction L of the battery device 100 abut on the side surfaces 3008 of the battery mounting portion 30, the engaging convex portions 34 engage with the cut-away portions 1035 of the battery device 100, thereby locking the state where the battery device 100 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 30, thereby ending the mounting of the battery device 100 on the battery mounting portion 30.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 14, in the case where the battery device 100 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 30, a gap may be left between the end surface 1022 on the battery-side terminal 14 side of the battery device 100 and the portion of the housing 24 of the image forming device 200 (the side surface 3008 of the groove portion 3006) opposite to the end surface 1022.

In this case, the gap may be filled with the convex portion 1024 by forming the concave groove 3010 in the side surface 3008 of the groove portion 3006, so that the convex portion 1024 of the battery device 100 is inserted into the concave groove 3010. This has an advantage of reliably preventing foreign matter, for example, having conductivity, from entering through the above-described gap portion and connecting with the connecting portion between the battery-side terminal 14 and the device-side terminal 32.

When the battery device 100 is mounted on the battery mounting portion, if the direction in the lengthwise direction of the battery device 100 is not the normal direction, the stopper wall 1020 abuts on the engagement projection piece 3004A of the battery mounting portion 30, thereby playing a role of avoiding mounting the battery device 100 in the wrong direction.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 15, the housing 24 may be equipped with a locking pawl 2008 that slides in a direction of being attached to and detached from the cut-out portion 1035 of the battery device 100 mounted on the battery mounting portion 30, and is normally biased by a biasing member (such as a spring) in a direction in which it approaches the cut-out portion 1035. Therefore, it may be arranged such that the engagement between the lock pawls 2008 and the cutout portions 1035 prevents the battery device 100 from falling out of the battery mounting portion 30, and the battery device 100 can be removed from the battery mounting portion 30 by releasing the engagement between the cutout portions 1035 of the battery device 100 and the lock pawls 2008.

In this case, the cutout portion 1035 of the battery device 100 is made to move from the end surface 1032 toward the inside of the battery device 100, and therefore the locking pawls 2008 may be provided at portions that move from the outside of the housing 24 toward the inside of the housing 24, allowing the locking pawls 2008 to be constituted without being made to protrude outward from the outside of the housing 24 of the image forming device 200. Therefore, it is advantageous in achieving miniaturization of the imaging apparatus 200 and improving design features.

Here, the portion of the locking pawl 2008 engaged with the cut-out portion 1035 is normally biased in a direction in which it approaches the bottom surface 1008 of the battery device 100. Therefore, when the battery device 100 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 30, or when the battery device 100 is removed from the battery mounting portion 30, in a case where the bottom surface 1008 of the battery device 100 slides along the mounting surface 3006, by the above-described biasing, the tip of the locking pawl 2008 protruding to the bottom surface 1008 abuts against the surface of a label (such as the machine label 1026 attached to the bottom surface 1008), and the printed portion of the surface of the machine label 1026 or the like may be worn and disappear by friction.

In this case, the locking pawl 2008 may be arranged to abut on the positioning boss portion 1030 at its tip. Thus, the tip of the locking pawl 2008 abuts against the positioning boss portion 1030, but not against the surface of the machine label 1026. Therefore, the surface of the machine label 1026 is less likely to be damaged and stained, and therefore, it is advantageous in protecting the printed portion of the surface of the machine label 1026. In this structure, the positioning projecting portion 1030 may be disposed flush with the surface of the machine sign 1026, or may be provided so as to be disposed at the outer side of the housing 10 from the surface of the machine sign 1026.

Alternatively, the battery device 100 of the present embodiment may be configured as follows.

Specifically, the battery device 100 has a case 10. The housing 10 has two end surfaces 1022 and 1032 arranged at both ends in the length direction L of the housing 10, and a side surface 1006 for connecting the two end surfaces 1022 and 1032. The battery side terminal 1014 is disposed so as to face at least one selected from an end surface 1022 of the two end surfaces 1022 and 1032 and a side surface 1006 connected to the end surface 1022. An erroneous insertion prevention groove (guide groove 1010) extending in the length direction L is formed in the side surface 1006. With the battery side terminal 1014 side being the front in the length direction L and the opposite direction being the rear, the erroneous-insertion prevention groove is opened at the battery side terminal 1014 portion (front end portion) on both sides toward the length direction L and is closed at the opposite side portion (rear end portion). Also, a convex portion 1018 expanded outward from the housing 10 is formed at the erroneous insertion preventing groove, or two or more convex portions 1018 are formed at intervals in the length direction L.

With this structure, as described with reference to fig. 9, the identification data of the battery device 100 can be represented by the position of the convex portion 1018 in the length direction L, the presence or absence of the convex portion 1018, or the number of the convex portions 1018. In this case, since the convex portions 1018 are expanded outward from the housing 10, they do not occupy the space in the housing 10. This is advantageous in terms of securing a space for accommodating parts in the interior of the case 10 and achieving miniaturization of the case 10, and in terms of improving the degree of freedom in design of the battery device 100.

Alternatively, in the battery device 100 of the present embodiment, the above-described erroneous-insertion prevention grooves are provided respectively at portions on both side surfaces 1006 that sandwich the case 10 therebetween in the width direction W and face each other. In this case, by engaging the two erroneous insertion prevention grooves with their respective protruding portions, the position of the housing 10 in the thickness direction H can be arranged to allow the erroneous insertion prevention grooves to function as positioning grooves.

With this structure, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, by providing the respective projecting portions 2002 at the battery housing chamber 20 and engaging the two erroneous-insertion preventing grooves with their respective projecting portions 2002, it is possible to arrange battery devices having different sizes in the thickness direction H in the battery housing chamber 20.

Alternatively, in the battery device 100 of the present embodiment, a plurality of groove portions are formed by a plurality of projecting pieces 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C), portions facing the side surfaces 1016 of the projecting pieces 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C), respectively, and portions facing the flat surfaces 1014 of the projecting pieces 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C), respectively. These groove portions may constitute the above-described erroneous insertion prevention groove.

Alternatively, in the battery device 100 of the present embodiment, the convex portions 1018 respectively connected to the plurality of convex pieces 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C) are provided. The portions of the respective convex portions 1018 to which the plurality of convex pieces 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C) are respectively connected are portions that face in the direction in which the battery pack 100 is moved (slid) in the longitudinal direction L (i.e., portions that face the battery-side terminals) when the battery pack 100 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 30.

With this structure, when the respective projecting piece 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C) is engaged with and disengaged from the engaging projecting piece 3004(3004A, 3004B, and 3004C), respective distances in the length direction L are respectively ensured between the projecting piece 1012A and the engaging projecting piece 3004A, between the projecting piece 1012B and the engaging projecting piece 3004B, and between the projecting piece 1012C and the engaging projecting piece 3004C. Therefore, when the respective projecting tabs 1012(1012A, 1012B, and 1012C) are engaged with and disengaged from the engaging projecting tabs 3004(3004A, 3004B, and 3004C), interference between the respective engaging projecting tabs 3004 and the respective projecting portions 1018 is not easily caused, and therefore, it is advantageous in performing smooth mounting and removal of the battery device 100.

Although the image forming apparatus is shown as an electronic device in this embodiment, the present invention is of course applicable to a battery charger to charge a battery device, and a plurality of electronic devices that can be handled by the battery device.

Industrial applicability

According to the battery device of the present invention, a plurality of types of battery devices that differ in the thickness of the case (i.e., differ in capacity) can be accommodated in the battery accommodation chamber because the guide grooves are formed at portions of the case on both sides in the width direction of the battery device, and therefore extend in the length direction and engage with the protruding portions provided at the battery accommodation chamber, thereby arranging the position of the case inside the battery accommodation chamber in the thickness direction.

According to the electronic apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of types of battery devices that differ in thickness of the case (i.e., differ in capacity) can be accommodated in the battery accommodation chamber because there is a protruding portion at the battery accommodation chamber that engages with the guide groove of the battery device and the position of the case in the thickness direction is arranged inside the battery accommodation chamber in the height direction.

Claims (5)

1. A battery device, comprising:

a housing having a width, a thickness, and a length;

a battery unit accommodated inside the case;

a battery-side terminal provided at the case surface and electrically connected to the battery unit;

forming a plurality of convex pieces (1012) protruding outward in a width direction at a bottom surface;

guide grooves (1010) are arranged on both sides in the width direction;

wherein the housing includes a main portion and a bottom portion, a width of a bottom surface (1008) of the battery device being less than a width of the main portion;

the body portion facing the bottom portion in a plane extending entirely in the length direction and approximately parallel to the bottom surface;

the guide groove (1010) is formed by the projecting piece (1012), the flat surface (1014), and a side surface (1016) of the bottom portion, the side surface being located on each of both sides in the width direction.

2. The battery device according to claim 1, wherein: wherein the width of the protruding piece (1012) in the width direction is narrower than the width of the plane (1014).

3. The battery device according to claim 1, wherein: the guide groove is provided at a position almost the same as that of the battery-side terminal in the thickness direction.

4. The battery device according to claim 1, wherein: a plurality of convex pieces are formed on each of the two sides on the bottom surface and extend a distance in the width direction.

5. The battery device according to claim 1, wherein: the channel (1010) opens toward the bottom surface (1008) at a portion between the plurality of tabs.