JP2015162297A - Charger - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve such a problem that of a charger for charging the battery pack of a rechargeable electric tool that a charger with an external power supply function is not provided conventionally, and to enhance the convenience of a charger furthermore by providing a power supply connector for connecting an external apparatus and supplying power.SOLUTION: A USB connector is provided, as a power supply connector 20 for external power supply, in front of the body housing 2. Since a user is located on the front side of the body housing 2, the power supply connector 20 is arranged at an easy-to-operate and easy-to-view part for the user. Consequently, usability of a charger 1 can be enhanced furthermore.

Description

  The present invention relates to a charger for charging a battery pack (secondary battery) used as a power source for an electric tool such as a rechargeable screw tightener.

  This type of battery pack can be used repeatedly by removing it from the electric tool and charging it with a separately prepared charger. About this charger, in order to improve the function or to improve the usability, various ideas have been made conventionally. For example, Patent Document 1 below describes a charger having a function of charging a mobile phone in addition to a battery pack. Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a side wall of a charger is provided with an outlet for outputting a commercial AC 100V power source.

JP 2011-97508 A

  However, in the conventional charger, there is a point to be improved with respect to the position of the DC power supply output connector. This type of charger has a battery mounting portion for mounting the battery pack on the upper surface of the main body housing, and the battery mounting portion slides the battery pack along the upper surface of the main body housing for mounting and removing. What is provided with the attachment structure of this is provided. In a battery charger having such a slide-mounting type battery mounting portion, the usability of the battery charger can be further improved by devising the position of the power connector for external power output. An object of this invention is to improve the usability (handleability) of a charger more.

Said subject is solved by each following invention.
A first invention is a charger for charging a battery pack, and includes a battery mounting portion for mounting the battery pack on the upper surface of the main body housing, and the mounting direction of the battery pack with respect to the battery mounting portion and the direction of removing the battery pack Is a charger provided with a power connector for DC power output on the side of the main body housing on the battery mounting side or the side of the battery removing side. According to the first invention, the normal user is located on the side of the battery housing on the battery mounting side or the side of the battery removing side of the main body housing in the battery pack mounting / removing direction. For this reason, the power connector can be easily connected and disconnected from the power connector by arranging the power connector on the side of the battery housing on the battery mounting side or the side of the battery removing side in the battery pack mounting / removing direction. In this respect, the usability (handleability) of the charger can be improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the battery mounting portion includes a mounting structure for mounting and removing the battery pack by moving the battery pack along the upper surface of the main body housing, and charging with the moving direction set to the front-rear direction of the main body housing. It is a vessel. According to the second aspect of the invention, the user can attach and remove the battery pack by moving it in the front-rear direction with respect to the battery attachment portion. ) Can be increased.

  A third invention is the charger according to the second invention, wherein the battery pack mounting direction with respect to the battery mounting portion is set in a direction toward the front side of the main body housing. According to the third aspect, the user can attach the battery pack to the battery attachment portion by sliding the battery pack toward the front side. In addition, the power connector is located on the front surface that is closest to the user and easy to see, so that external devices can be easily connected to and disconnected from the power connector. In this respect, the charger is easy to use (handleability) Can be increased.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the position of the power connector in the left-right direction on the front surface of the main body housing is aligned with the power cord for supplying AC power drawn from the main body housing. It is a charger. According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the power cord is connected to a commercial AC 100V power outlet and power is supplied to the charger. By aligning the power connector for external power output on the front of the main unit housing to a location closer to this power cord, the power connector can be connected to the power circuit to which the power cord is connected, in the shortest distance. In this respect, the wiring of the power connector can be simplified. For example, when the power cord is pulled into the right side of the main body housing, the power connector can be arranged near the right end of the front surface of the main body housing to shorten the wiring as much as possible and simplify the handling. it can.

  According to a fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, the main body housing has a halved structure that is divided into an upper housing on the upper side and a lower housing on the lower side, and the power connector is connected to the power connector. It is the charger arrange | positioned at the half-split part of an upper housing and the said lower housing. According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to simplify the work of assembling the power connector to the main body housing.

1 is an overall perspective view of a charger according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a two-port charger is illustrated. It is a perspective view of the charger of the state which removed the upper housing. It is a top view of the charger of the state which removed the upper housing. It is a perspective view of a power connector and its periphery. In this figure, the state which removed the upper housing is shown. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line (V)-(V) in FIG. 1 and is a vertical cross-sectional view of the charger. It is a perspective view of a power connector and its periphery. This figure shows a state in which a waterproof cap is attached. It is a perspective view of a power connector and its periphery. In this figure, the state which removed the main-body part of the waterproof cap from the power connector is shown. It is a perspective view of a waterproof cap simple substance. This figure has shown the state seen from the front side. It is a perspective view of a waterproof cap simple substance. This figure has shown the state seen from the rear surface side.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the charger 1 exemplified in the present embodiment is a two-port type charger that can charge two battery packs B and B simultaneously. In FIG. 1, the user is located on the front side of the charger 1. Hereinafter, the front / rear, left / right, and upper / lower directions are used based on the user. Further, the front side as viewed from the user is also referred to as a front side (front side), and the opposite side is also referred to as a back side (rear side).

  On the upper surface of the charger 1, two sets of battery mounting portions 10, 10 are arranged in parallel on the left and right. The left and right battery mounting portions 10, 10 have the same configuration. The left and right battery mounting portions 10 and 10 can each be mounted with a battery pack B of a slide mounting type. Each battery mounting portion 10 includes a pair of left and right rails 11 and 11. The battery pack B can be attached to the battery mounting portion 10 by sliding the battery pack forward along the left and right rails 11, 11 as indicated by white arrows in FIG. 1.

  A terminal cover 12 is provided between the rails 11 and 11 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The terminal cover 12 is spring-biased in a backward sliding direction (closing direction). When the terminal cover 12 is opened against this spring biasing force, a terminal (not shown) for the battery pack B is exposed. When the battery pack B is slid forward along the rails 11 and 11, the terminal cover 12 is pushed by the battery pack B and opened forward. When the battery pack B is slid in the battery mounting direction (front) indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 1 while the terminal cover 12 is opened forward, the exposed terminals are electrically connected to the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the battery pack B. Connected.

  The charger 1 has a main body housing 2 having a generally flat box shape. The main body housing 2 has a half structure in which the upper housing 3 on the upper side and the lower housing 4 on the lower side are coupled. In the drawing, a symbol J is attached to the coupling portion (half-divided coupling portion) between the upper housing 3 and the lower housing 4. The upper housing 3 is provided with the battery mounting portions 10, 10. Installation legs 4 a to 4 a are provided at the four corners of the lower surface of the lower housing 4. A power connector 20 is provided near the front right end of the main body housing 2. For example, a power cord of an external device (not shown) such as a portable music player or a mobile phone can be connected to the power connector 20 so that the external device can be used and charged. The charger 1 according to the present embodiment has a function of supplying a DC power source (for example, DC 5V) to an external device. In this embodiment, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) A female terminal is provided as the power connector 20. The present embodiment is characterized by the waterproof structure of the power connector 20. Details of the waterproof structure will be described later.

  2 and 3 show a state where the upper housing 3 is removed and the entire interior can be seen. In the lower housing 4, charging control units 13 and 13 for the battery mounting units 10 and 10 are accommodated. The charge control units 13 and 13 each include a control board 13a on which various devices are mounted. A power cord 6 is drawn from the right side of the lower housing 4. Commercial 100 V power is supplied to the charger 1 through the power cord 6. In the present embodiment, the charging control unit 13 is not particularly required to be changed, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the power connector 20 includes a connector main body 21 and a power circuit board 22 for external power output. In the present embodiment, the connector main body 21 and the power circuit board 22 are disposed separately. The connector main body 21 and the power circuit board 22 are electrically connected by wiring not shown. The connector main body 21 is mounted in a connector area 5 </ b> A having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view defined by the waterproof wall 5 and the side wall of the lower housing 4. The connector body 21 is fixed on the connector substrate 7. The connector board 7 is fixed in the connector area 5A. The insertion port of the connector main body 21 is fitted and fixed to a rectangular opening 2 a provided across the upper and lower sides of the coupling portion J near the front right end of the main body housing 2.

  The waterproof wall 5 is formed integrally with the lower housing 4. The waterproof wall 5 is provided so as to protrude upward from the bottom surface of the lower housing 4. As shown in the drawing, the waterproof wall portion 5 is formed in an L shape in the right front corner portion of the lower housing 4 from the right side portion to the front surface portion. The waterproof wall 5 is formed with a height extending upward from the joint J. By the waterproof wall 5, the connector area 5A and the circuit board area 5B are partitioned from each other in a watertight manner. A concave portion 5a for inserting a wiring is provided in the upper left portion of the waterproof wall portion 5. Further, in the connector area 5A, a drain hole 5b is provided at the bottom of the lower housing 4. Water that has entered the connector area 5A from the outside through the connector body 21 or the opening 2a is drained to the outside through the drain hole 5b.

  As shown in FIG. 5, corresponding to the waterproof wall portion 5 of the lower housing 4, the upper housing 3 is also integrally formed with a waterproof wall portion 9. The waterproof wall portion 9 on the upper housing 3 side is provided so as to protrude downward from the top plate portion of the upper housing 3. Although not shown in the drawing, the waterproof wall portion 9 is formed in an L shape in the right front corner portion of the upper housing 3 from the right side portion to the front surface portion. Similarly, the waterproof wall portion 5 on the lower housing 4 side also forms a connector area 5 </ b> A having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view at the right front corner portion of the upper housing 3.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the waterproof wall 9 on the upper housing 3 side overlaps the waterproof wall 5 on the lower housing 4 side in the height direction. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower part of the waterproof wall part 9 by the side of the upper housing 3 protrudes to the front side (connector main body 21 side) with respect to the upper part of the waterproof wall part 5 by the side of the lower housing 4. That is, from the front side, the connector main body 21, the waterproof wall 9 on the upper housing 3 side, and the waterproof wall 5 on the lower housing 4 side are arranged in this order. The upper part of the waterproof wall 5 on the lower housing 4 side and the lower part of the waterproof wall 9 on the upper housing 3 side overlap in the height direction, so that a connector area 5A formed at the right front corner of the main body housing 2 And high watertightness (waterproofness) between the circuit board area 5 </ b> B and the surrounding area are ensured.

  The power circuit board 22 is disposed in the circuit board area 5B on the outer rear side of the connector area 5A. A plurality of partition wall portions 8 to 8 are also provided on the rear and left sides of the connector area 5A partitioned by the waterproof wall portion 5 and the waterproof wall portion 9. Each partition wall 8 is also provided so as to protrude upward from the bottom of the lower housing 4. The circuit board area 5 </ b> B is provided adjacent to the rear of the connector area 5 </ b> A by the partition wall 8 provided behind the waterproof wall 5. The power supply circuit board 22 is arranged in an upright state in which the surface direction is aligned upward in the circuit board area 5B.

  According to the charger 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the USB connection type power connector 20 is provided on the right side of the front surface of the main body housing 2. By connecting a power cord of an external device (not shown) such as a portable music player to the power connector 20, DC power is supplied from the charger 1 to the external device. By providing the charger 1 mainly for charging the battery of the electric tool with a DC power output function that is not conventionally provided, the usability of the charger 1 can be further enhanced. In addition, since the power connector 20 is disposed on the front surface of the main body housing 2 that is closest to the user and easily visible, the user can easily connect and disconnect the power cord of the external device to the power connector 20. In this respect, the usability of the charger 1 can be further enhanced.

  Further, a power cord 6 for supplying commercial AC 100V power is drawn into the right side of the main body housing 2. As described above, since the power connector 20 is disposed at a position on the right side of the front surface of the main body housing 2, the power connector 20 can be connected to the power circuit in the shortest distance. In this case, the wiring can be simplified.

  Further, the connector main body 21 of the power connector 20 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the upper housing 3 and the lower housing 4 at the half-joint joint J of the main body housing 2. For this reason, the trouble of assembling the charger 1 can be simplified. Moreover, the metal mold | die for shape | molding the main body housing 2 can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost of the said charger 1 can be aimed at at this point.

  Various modifications can be made to the embodiment described above. 6 and 7 show a configuration in which a waterproof cap 30 is additionally provided in the opening 2a to which the connector main body 21 is attached. The waterproof cap 30 is integrally formed from rubber having moderate elasticity, and includes a main body 31 and a support 32 each having a rectangular flat plate shape as shown in FIGS. The support portion 32 is provided in a state of projecting in an L shape along one long side (lower end edge) of the main body portion 31. A knob portion 31 a is provided on the upper portion of the main body portion 31 so that the user can pick it up with a fingertip. On the rear surface of the main body portion 31, a seal portion 31b for being fitted into the insertion port of the connector main body 21 is integrally provided. The seal portion 31b is elastically fitted into the insertion port of the connector main body 21, thereby preventing water from entering the connector area 5A through the insertion port of the connector main body 21. Further, when the seal portion 31b is fitted into the insertion port of the connector main body 21, the periphery (the rear surface of the main body portion 31) is elastically pressed against the opening 2a of the main body housing 2, and the opening 2a is watertight. Blocked.

  A slit-shaped support hole 2c is formed below the opening 2a. The support portion 32 of the waterproof cap 30 is inserted into the support hole 2c. A support portion 32 is inserted into the support hole 2 c of the main body housing 2, and the main body portion 31 is supported to be openable and closable with respect to the insertion opening of the connector main body 21. The support portion 32 is integrally provided with two seal portions 32a and 32b each having a bar shape. The front seal portion 32 a is provided so as to rise upward along the vicinity of the coupling portion with the main body portion 31. The rear seal portion 32b is provided in parallel to the front seal portion 32a at a predetermined interval. The rear seal portion 32b is provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the support portion 32 so as to rise in a semicircular cross section. The distance between the front seal portion 32a and the rear seal portion 32b is set to be slightly smaller than the depth of the support hole 2c (the thickness of the lower housing 4).

  The support part 32 is inserted into the support hole 2c by pushing the back seal part 32b into the support hole 2c while being elastically deformed. The support portion 32 is inserted into the support hole 2 c and the waterproof cap 30 is supported on the right front surface of the main body housing 2. The support portion 32 is inserted with the mouth of the support hole 2c positioned between the front and rear seal portions 32a and 32b. In this inserted state, the front seal portion 32a is pressed against the mouth of the support hole 2c from the outside, and the rear seal portion 32b is pressed against the mouth of the support hole 2c from the inside to seal the support hole 2c. Is made.

  A recess having a semicircular cross section is provided along the mouth of the support hole 2c where the seal portions 32a and 32b are elastically pressed. The seal portions 32a and 32b are elastically pressed into the recesses in a larger area, so that the seal (waterproof and dustproof) between the inside and outside of the support hole 2c is more reliably performed.

  The main body 31 supported via the support 32 is closed as shown in FIG. 6 by rotating upward and elastically fitting the seal 31b into the insertion port of the connector main body 21. As shown in FIG. 6, when the waterproof cap 30 is closed, it is possible to prevent water, dust, or the like from entering the connector area 5A from the outside through the connector body 21 or the opening 2a.

  The main body 31 can be opened as shown in FIG. 7 by picking the knob 31a and rotating the main body 31 downward. As shown in FIG. 7, an external power cord can be connected to the connector main body 21 by opening the main body 31 of the waterproof cap 30, so that power can be supplied from the charger 1 to the external device. Become.

  The embodiment described above can be further modified. Although the configuration in which the power connector 20 is disposed near the front right end of the main body housing 2 is illustrated, the power connector 20 may be disposed at a position near the front left end of the main body housing or at the center in the left-right direction.

  Although the USB connection type connector is exemplified as the power supply connector 20 for supplying external power, the same effects can be obtained by applying the configurations exemplified for various other types of connectors.

  Although the two-port type charger 1 that can charge two battery packs B and B at the same time is illustrated, a single-port type charger or a multi-port type charger that can simultaneously charge three or more battery packs The illustrated power supply connector for DC power supply can be applied.

  The top / bottom open / close waterproof cap 30 that opens and closes by turning the main body 31 up and down is illustrated, but instead of this, a left / right open / close waterproof cap that opens and closes by rotating the main body left and right is attached to the power connector. May be.

  The configuration in which the power supply circuit board 22 of the power supply connector 20 is arranged separately from the charge control unit 13 is illustrated, but the power supply circuit of the power supply connector may be mounted on the charge control unit 13 and the board may be shared.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Charger 2 ... Main body housing, 2a ... Opening part J ... Half joint part 3 ... Upper housing 4 ... Lower housing 4a ... Leg part 5 ... Waterproofing wall part (lower housing side), 5a ... Recessed part, 5b ... Drainage Hole 5A ... Connector area 5B ... Circuit board area 6 ... Power cord 7 ... Connector board 8 ... Partition wall 9 ... Waterproof wall (upper housing side)
B ... Battery pack 10 ... Battery mounting part 11 ... Rail 12 ... Terminal cover 13 ... Charge control part 20 ... Power connector 21 ... Connector main body 22 ... Power supply circuit board 30 ... Waterproof cap 31 ... Main part, 31a ... Knob part, 31b ... Seal part 32 ... support part, 32a ... seal part (front side), 32b ... seal part (rear side)

Claims (5)

A battery charger for charging a battery pack, comprising a battery mounting portion for mounting the battery pack on an upper surface of a main body housing, and the main body housing with respect to a direction in which the battery pack is attached to and detached from the battery mounting portion. Charger provided with a power connector for DC power output on the side of the battery mounting side or the side of the battery removing side. 2. The charger according to claim 1, wherein the battery attachment portion includes an attachment structure for attaching and detaching the battery pack by moving the battery pack along an upper surface of the main body housing, and the moving direction is set to the front and rear of the main body housing. Charger set in direction. 3. The charger according to claim 2, wherein an attachment direction of the battery pack with respect to the battery attachment portion is set to a direction toward a front side of the main body housing. The charger according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a position of the power connector in a left-right direction on the front surface of the main body housing is a power cord for supplying AC power drawn from the main body housing. Aligned charger. 5. The charger according to claim 1, wherein the main body housing includes a half structure divided into an upper housing on an upper side and a lower housing on a lower side. A battery charger disposed at a halved joint between the upper housing and the lower housing.

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