Abstract:
The battery holding method and structure enable contact points between a battery and terminals to be maintained invariant in location by improving a performance in holding the battery, and accordingly a stable contact resistance can be obtained. A battery holder forms a battery chamber, and the battery chamber makes a space for housing a battery inserted along a lengthwise direction thereof. The battery holder is equipped, on a side surface thereof, with a nail for pressing the battery in touch with the side surface of the battery. When the battery is inserted into the battery chamber, the nail is deformed elastically, and the resulting restoring force thereof fixes the battery in a definite arrangement in the battery chamber with a slight and eccentric displacement. Possible modes include a mode in which a link lever is used for pressing the side surface of the battery in conjunction with the battery insertion operation, and a mode in which is used a mechanism wherein a pressing member is made to take a releasing position or a locking position in conjunction with opening and closing operations of a battery chamber cap.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a battery holding method and structure, and particularly to a battery holding method and structure applied to such appliances as cameras or the like.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    In these years, downsizing of digital cameras has been promoted, and accordingly the battery downsizing and reduction in required number of batteries become critical factors for commercialization. On the other hand, there exists strong market demand for longer service life of batteries, and hence the power saving performance and the reduced contact resistance are now essential challenge in developing commercial products. In relation to the battery holding method and structure, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-28523 and Japanese Patent Application Publication 1-260756 disclose battery holding devices which fix the batteries without play.  
           [0005]    However, the structures proposed in the above publications cannot be applied to a battery housing unit having a bottomed tubular battery chamber into which the battery is dropped along the lengthwise direction of the chamber. In a type of battery holder in which the battery is inserted along the lengthwise direction of the holder, conventionally only the forces exerted by the energized terminal clamps abutting to the top and bottom ends of the battery hold the battery. The tolerance for the battery outer diameter is large (for example, 14±0.5 mm in diameter for the size AA battery according to Japanese Industrial Standards), and hence a clearance is usually provided to such a battery chamber (a battery case). Accordingly, when the conventional method is applied in which only the end terminal clamps hold the battery, there occurs a problem that the battery moves within an extent of clearance between the battery and the inner wall of the battery chamber, rotates on the lengthwise axis thereof, or the like, and hence the contact points between the battery and the terminals are varied to make the relevant contact resistance unstable.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention has been achieved in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention resides in the provision of battery holding method and structure which make it possible to stabilize the contact resistance between the battery and the terminals by improving the battery holding performance in such a way that the contact points between the battery and the terminals are made steady in location.  
           [0007]    To attain the above-described object, the present invention is directed to a battery holding method, wherein a battery is inserted along a lengthwise direction of the battery into a battery housing chamber, and the battery is held in a definite arrangement in the battery housing chamber by applying a force to the inserted battery along a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the battery.  
           [0008]    According to the present invention, in the battery housing unit in which the battery is inserted into the battery housing chamber along the lengthwise direction thereof, the battery is fixed in arrangement by applying a force to the battery along the transverse direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction (the insertion direction), and hence the contact points between the battery and the terminals can be steady in location and consequently the relevant contact resistance can be stabilized. In this manner, it is possible to improve the fluctuating battery life due to the individual differences in appliances themselves and those in batteries.  
           [0009]    To attain the above-described object, the present invention is also directed to a battery holding structure, comprising: a battery holder which has a battery housing chamber which permits insertion and removal of a battery along a lengthwise direction thereof; and a battery fixing device which restrains the battery in a definite arrangement in the battery housing chamber by applying a force to the battery inserted into the battery housing chamber along a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction.  
           [0010]    Preferably, the battery fixing device includes a battery pressing member which exerts a force to a side surface of the battery in the battery housing chamber along the direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction so as to press and fix the battery to an inner wall of the battery housing chamber.  
           [0011]    Preferably, the battery pressing member is formed on a side surface portion of the battery holder made of resin as a resin spring integrated with the battery holder; and the pressing member undergoes elastic deformation caused by a battery insertion into the battery housing chamber, and a restoring force of the pressing member presses the side surface of the battery.  
           [0012]    Preferably, the battery holder is provided with a battery chamber cap to open and close an insertion opening of the battery housing chamber; the battery chamber cap has a structure in which the battery chamber cap is adapted to be locked and released by sliding the battery chamber cap along a definite direction; the battery chamber cap has, on an interior surface thereof as the fixing device, a holding member for pressing an edge of the battery; and the sliding movement of the battery chamber cap permits for the battery chamber cap to take a locking position in which the holding member holds the battery, and a releasing position in which the holding member releases the battery.  
           [0013]    Preferably, a link lever is provided as a fixing device which presses a side surface of the battery in conjunction with the battery insertion operation.  
           [0014]    Preferably, the pressing member constituting the fixing device is arranged in a freely rotatable manner on the side surface portion of the battery holder; and the fixing device has a mechanism which displaces the pressing member to the releasing position and the locking position in conjunction with opening and closing operations of a battery chamber cap which is provided to open and close an insertion opening of the battery housing chamber. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    The nature of this invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will be explained in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures and wherein:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a battery holding structure related to the first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a sectional view along a line  2 - 2  in FIG. 1;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is a sectional view along a line  3 - 3  in FIG. 1;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a relevant portion of a battery holding structure related to the second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5( a ) is a plan view illustrating a released state of a battery, and FIG. 5( b ) is a plan view illustrating a locked state of the battery;  
         [0021]    FIGS.  6 ( a ) and  6 ( b ) are sectional views of a relevant portion of the battery holding structure related to the third embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a relevant portion of the battery holding structure related to the fourth embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0023]    FIGS.  8 ( a ) and  8 ( b ) are sectional views along a line  8 - 8  in FIG. 7;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a relevant portion of the battery holding structure related to the fifth embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0025]    FIGS.  10 ( a ) and  10 ( b ) are sectional views along a line  10 - 10  in FIG. 9. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0026]    Preferred embodiments of a battery holding method related to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.  
       First Embodiment  
       [0027]    [0027]FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a battery holding structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a battery holder  11  is provided with a battery chamber  14 , which can house two size AA batteries  12  side by side, and nails  16  for pressing side surfaces of the batteries  12  are arranged on a side portion of the holder  11 . The nails  16  and the battery holder  11  are made of resin in an integrated form, and the nails  16  function as resin springs capable of swinging with root end portions  17  as supporting points. A lengthwise direction of the nails  16  is parallel to an insertion direction for the batteries  12 , and the root end portions  17  are arranged on positions upstream of the insertion direction for the batteries  12  (the positions nearer to an insertion opening  14 A of the battery chamber  14  rather than the bottom of the battery chamber  14 ). The head portions of the nails  16  are provided with pads  18  abutting to the side surface of the batteries  12 . In the present invention, the shape and number of the batteries  12  are not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 2 is a sectional view along a line  2 - 2  in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view along a line  3 - 3  in FIG. 1. As shown in these drawings, an inner diameter of each tubular portion of the battery chamber  14  is slightly larger than an outer diameter of the battery  12  in consideration of the tolerance for the outer diameter of the battery  12 . When there is no battery inserted, the pad  18  slightly protrudes to an interior space of the battery chamber  14  (see the left-hand half of FIG. 2), while when the battery  12  is inserted into the battery chamber  14  (see the right-hand half of FIG. 2), the side surface of the battery  12  comes into contact with the pad  18 , and the nail  16  is pressed upward in FIG. 2. The thus elastically deformed nail  16  presses the battery  12  along the radial direction of the battery  12  (in the downward direction in FIG. 2) through the restoring force thereof. The battery  12  is held by the point of the pad  18  abutting to the battery  12  and by the portion of the inner wall of the battery chamber  14  which portion opposes to that point, as illustrated with arrows in FIG. 2.  
         [0029]    According to the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS.  1  to  3 , the insertion operation of the battery  12  elastically deforms the nail  16 , and the force exerted by the nail  16  holds the battery  12  in the interior of the battery chamber  14  in a state of being pressed to one side of the chamber (the under side in either of FIGS. 2 and 3). Consequently, the battery  12  is fixed in a definite arrangement in the battery chamber  14 , and hence the contact points between the battery connection terminals (not shown) and the battery  12  can be maintained invariant in location and thereby the contact resistance can be stabilized.  
       Second Embodiment  
       [0030]    [0030]FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a relevant portion of a battery holding structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in FIG. 4, a holding member  22  for fixing the batteries  12  is arranged on an interior surface of a battery chamber cap  20 . The battery chamber cap  20  is arranged in the body or the battery holder of an electric appliance (not shown) in a freely rotatable and free in sliding displacement manner. When the battery chamber cap  20  is opened or closed by sliding, a latch mechanism (not shown) of the battery chamber cap  20  can lock or release the battery chamber cap  20 . The sliding movement of the battery chamber cap  20  makes the holding member  22  press the edges of the batteries  12 , in touch with the side surfaces of the batteries  12 , along the radial direction of the batteries  12  (along the sliding direction indicated with an arrow A in FIG. 4), to fix the batteries  12  with a slight eccentric displacement.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 5( a ) is a plan view illustrating a released state of the batteries  12 , and FIG. 5( b ) is a plan view illustrating a locked state of the batteries  12 . As is shown in FIG. 5( a ), in the released state, the holding member  22  is not in contact with the batteries  12 , so that the batteries  12  are freely movable in the battery chamber  24 . When the battery chamber cap  20  is slid to the left-hand side in FIG. 5( a ), as shown in FIG. 5( b ), the holding member  22  abuts to the edges of the batteries  12 , and the batteries  12  are fixed in a state of being pressed to one side (the left-hand side in FIG. 5( b )) in the battery chamber  24 . The arrows in FIG. 5( b ) indicate the holding points of the batteries  12 .  
       Third Embodiment  
       [0032]    FIGS.  6 ( a ) and  6 ( b ) are sectional views of a relevant portion of a battery holding structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6( a ) shows a released state, and FIG. 6( b ) a locked state. In the example shown in FIG. 6, a battery holder  31  is provided with a link lever  32  on the side surface thereof. The link lever  32  has a nearly L-shaped form, and its apex portion is supported with a shaft. When the battery  12  is inserted to a battery chamber  34 , a top end face of the battery  12  presses the shorter component  32 A of the link lever  32  to turn the link lever  32  clockwise in FIG. 6( a ) and consequently the longer component  32 B presses the battery  12  in touch with the side surface of the battery as shown in FIG. 6( b ). In this manner, the battery  12  is pressed upward in FIG. 6( b ), and is fixed in the battery chamber  34  in a state of being slightly and eccentrically displaced upward. When the battery  12  is removed from the battery chamber  34 , the link lever  32  is turned counterclockwise in FIG. 6( b ) to lift the locked state. A combination of the above described second and third embodiments is also a possible embodiment.  
       Fourth Embodiment  
       [0033]    [0033]FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a relevant portion of a battery holding structure according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The example shown in FIG. 7 has a structure in which a battery holder  41  is provided with a nearly U-shaped presser lever  42  on the side surface of the battery holder  41 , and the presser lever  42  takes the releasing position and the locking position respectively in conjunction with the opening and closing of a battery chamber cap  44 . Openings  46  are formed on the side surface of the battery holder  41 , and the top portions of the presser lever  42  can abut to the side surfaces of the batteries  12  through the openings  46 . A rotary shaft  47  of the presser lever  42  is borne by the side surface of the battery holder  41  in a rotatable manner, and a tongue portion  42 A is formed to work as a power point at another end of the presser lever  42  (the bottom end in FIG. 7).  
         [0034]    In a rear end portion of the battery chamber cap  44 , there is formed a protrusive portion  48  which can exert a force to the tongue portion  42 A of the presser lever  42 . A shaft  50  in the battery chamber cap  44  is inserted with play into a slot  52  in the bottom portion of the battery holder  41 , so that the battery chamber cap  44  can be turned about the shaft  50  and in addition can be slid along the lengthwise direction of the slot  52 . A metal plate of battery connection terminals  54  is mounted on the interior surface of the battery chamber cap  44 .  
         [0035]    Now, description is made on an operation of the battery holding structure shown in FIG. 7. FIGS.  8 ( a ) and  8 ( b ) are sectional views along a line  8 - 8  in FIG. 7. As FIG. 8( a ) shows, in an opened state of the battery chamber cap  44 , the presser lever  42  takes an escape position (releasing position) where the presser lever  42  does not abut to the battery  12 . When the battery chamber cap  44  is slid to the left-hand side in FIG. 8( a ) to close the battery chamber cap  44 , as is shown in FIG. 8( b ), the protrusive portion  48  of the battery chamber cap  44  presses the tongue portion  42 A of the presser lever  42 . Consequently, the presser lever  42  is turned clockwise about the rotary shaft  47  in FIG. 8( a ), and presses the battery  12  along the radial direction of the battery  12  (to the right-hand direction in FIG. 8( b )). The battery  12  is pressed to a wall  57  (the inner wall of the battery holder  41 ) of a battery chamber  56  by the operation of the presser lever  42 , and fixed with a slight and eccentric displacement.  
         [0036]    The presser lever  42  is energized toward the escape position by an energizing device (not shown) such as a spring or the like, so that when in the locked state shown in FIG. 8( b ) the battery chamber cap  44  is opened, the presser lever  42  is restored to the escape state shown in FIG. 8( a ) by the force exerted by the energizing device.  
         [0037]    Although the sliding direction of the battery chamber cap  44  and the battery  12  pressing direction of the presser lever  42  are parallel to each other in the structure described with reference to FIGS.  7 ,  8 ( a ) and  8 ( b ), the exploitation of the present invention is not limited to the structure of the present example.  
       Fifth Embodiment  
       [0038]    [0038]FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a relevant portion of a battery holding structure according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 shows an example of a type in which a sliding direction of a battery chamber cap and a battery pressing direction of a presser lever are perpendicular to each other. To be more specific, a battery holder  61  is provided with a rotary shaft  63  of a presser lever  62  on the side surface thereof, and the presser lever  62  can be turned on the side surface of the battery holder  61 . On the other hand, a battery chamber cap  64  can be freely slid along directions of an arrow B in FIG. 9, and can be turned counterclockwise in FIG. 9 about a shaft  65  in the opened state. On the interior surface of the battery chamber cap  64 , a protrusive portion  68  is formed which exerts a force to a tongue portion  62 A of the presser lever  62 . When the battery chamber cap  64  is slid to a closing direction, the protrusive portion  68  presses the tongue portion  62 A of the presser lever  62  along the same direction. By this movement, the presser lever  62  is turned clockwise in FIG. 9, and presses the side surfaces of the batteries  12  through an opening  66 .  
         [0039]    The presser lever  62  is energized by a coil spring  70  toward the escape position (the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 9), so that when the battery chamber cap  64  is slid to the opening direction, the presser lever  62  is restored to the previous escape state owing to the force exerted by the coil spring  70 .  
         [0040]    FIGS.  10 ( a ) and  10 ( b ) are sectional views along a line  10 - 10  in FIG. 9. As FIG. 10( a ) shows, in the opened state of the battery chamber cap  64 , the presser lever  62  takes the escape position (releasing position), where the batteries  12  can move freely in a battery chamber  72 . When the battery chamber cap  64  is closed, as FIG. 10( b ) shows, the presser lever  62  is turned to press the batteries  12  along the radial direction thereof (the upward direction in FIG. 10). In this manner, the batteries  12  are pressed to the inner wall of the battery chamber  72 , and held with a slight and eccentric displacement.  
         [0041]    According to the above described first to fifth embodiments, for the purpose of battery holding there is adopted a structure in which the battery is held with several holding points (for example, 2 to 3 points), and hence there is eliminated the displacement and rotation of the battery in the battery chamber, and it becomes possible to make the contact points with the terminals invariant, which prevents the contact resistance from fluctuating.  
         [0042]    As described above, according to the present invention, in the battery housing unit in which the battery is inserted into the battery housing chamber along the lengthwise direction thereof, the battery is fixed in arrangement by applying a force to the battery along the transverse direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction (the insertion direction), and hence the contact points between the battery and the terminals can be made invariant in location and consequently the relevant contact resistance can be stabilized. In this manner, it is possible to improve the fluctuating battery life due to the individual differences in appliances themselves and those in batteries.  
         [0043]    It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternate constructions and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.