Abstract:
A concave portion serving as an erroneous insertion prevention groove is provided on a bottom of a battery pack along a battery pack attachment direction and an engagement concave portion engaged with an engagement member is provided in an battery-mounting equipment, whereby the detachment of the battery from the battery-mounting equipment can be prevented.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to an improved battery pack and an improved battery-using equipment that includes a battery compartment having an engagement portion engaged with a concave portion of the battery pack.  
           [0003]    2. Related Background Art  
           [0004]    The structure of a currently, commercially available secondary battery-using equipment for fixing a secondary battery pack to a battery compartment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along line  1 B- 1 B shown in FIG. 1A.  
           [0005]    In FIGS. 1A and 1B, reference numeral  10  denotes a battery pack,  11  denotes a case of the battery pack  10 ,  12  denotes a secondary battery,  13  denotes a control substrate,  14  denotes a protection apparatus,  15 A denotes a battery positive (+) contact,  15 B denotes a battery T contact,  15 C denotes a battery negative (−) contact, and  16  denotes a concave portion that acts, together with an engagement portion  25  to be described later, as an insertion error prevention function.  
           [0006]    Further, reference numeral  20  denotes a battery compartment,  21  denotes an outer wall of the battery compartment  20 ,  23 A denotes a positive (+) connection terminal,  23 B denotes a T connection terminal,  23 C denotes a (−) connection terminal,  24  denotes an ejection spring,  25  denotes an engagement portion that is engaged with the concave portion  16  to thereby prevent the battery pack  10  from being erroneously inserted into the battery compartment  20 ,  27  denotes a lock lever, and  28  denotes a lock spring.  
           [0007]    [0007]FIG. 4 illustrates the internal circuit configuration of the battery pack  10 . In FIG. 4, reference numeral  12 A denotes a positive (+) electrode of the secondary battery  12 ,  12 B denotes a negative (−) electrode of the secondary battery  12 , and  18  denotes a thermistor mounted on the control substrate  13 .  
           [0008]    The battery pack.  10  is constituted as follows. The control substrate  13  and the protection apparatus  14  are arranged in the battery pack  10 , i.e., around the secondary battery  12  so as to avoid an increase in a volume of the battery pack  10  as much as possible. The concave portion  16  is arranged in an outer portion of the battery pack  10  on which the control substrate  13  and the protection apparatus  14  are not arranged, so as to have a predetermined length in a direction from an insertion end toward an insertion direction. The battery pack  10  is packed with the case  11  that holds the battery positive (+) contact  15 A, th battery T contact  15 B, and the battery negative (−) contact  15 C. The battery pack  10  thus constituted will be referred to as “secondary battery packs” (battery pack) according to the present invention.  
           [0009]    In FIG. 4, the positive (+) electrode  12 A of the secondary battery  12  is electrically connected to the control substrate  13  whereas the negative (−) electrode  12 B thereof is electrically connected to the control substrate  13  through the protection apparatus  14 . The battery positive (+) contact  15 A, the battery T contact  15 B, and the battery negative (−) contact  15 C are electrically connected to the control substrate  13 .  
           [0010]    The secondary battery  12  is protected by the protection apparatus  14  so that it electrically shuts off the secondary battery  12  from an excessive current when the excessive current flows. The circuit blocks off the control substrate  13  when an excessive charge voltage is impressed and a battery voltage of the secondary battery  12  declines exceedingly, and thereby protects the secondary battery  12 . By allowing the thermistor  18  on the control substrate  13  to output an internal temperature of the battery pack  10  as a resistance, a state of the secondary battery  12  can be determined.  
           [0011]    Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, if the battery pack  10  is normally inserted into the battery compartment  20 , the engagement portion  25  enters the concave portion  16 . During this insertion, a tapered portion  27   a  of the lock lever  27  is pressed against the insertion end of the battery pack  10 . Due to this, the lock lever  27  is slid downward in FIGS. 1A and 1B against an urging force of the lock spring  28 . If the battery pack  10  is completely inserted into the battery compartment  20 , the lock lever  27  is moved by a spring force of the lock spring  28  to press a rear end face of the battery pack  10  (slid upward in FIGS. 1A and 1B), thereby preventing the battery pack  10  from being ejected from the compartment  20 . In this state, the battery positive (+) contact  15 A is electrically connected to the positive (+) connection terminal  23 A, the battery T contact  15 B is electrically connected to the T connection terminal  23 B, and the battery negative (−) contact  15 C is electrically connected to the negative (−) connection terminal  23 C, whereby the battery pack  10  is electrically connected to the battery compartment  20 .  
           [0012]    When the battery pack  10  is to be detached from the battery compartment  20 , the lock lever  27  is moved to be away from the rear end face of the battery pack  10  (slid downward in FIGS. 1A and 1B) to thereby eject the battery pack  10  from the battery compartment  20  by a spring force of the ejection spring  24 . In case that the battery pack  10  is inserted into the battery compartment  20  in a direction different from th predetermined insertion direction, the case  11  of the battery pack  10  abuts against the engagement portion  25 . As a result, the battery pack  10  cannot be inserted further, thereby making it possible to prevent the erroneous insertion of the battery pack  10 . The same configuration is disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-287225.  
           [0013]    With the configuration of the conventional battery pack  10  described above, when the battery pack  10  is completely inserted into the battery compartment  20 , the lock lever  27  is moved by the force of the lock spring  28  to press the rear end face of the battery pack  10 , thereby preventing the ejection of the battery pack  10 . That is, since the engagement of the battery pack  10  is made rearward in the insertion direction of the battery pack  10 , it is disadvantageously required to enlarge the battery chamber  20  by as much as a thickness of the lock lever  27  in the insertion direction.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a secondary battery-using equipment an overall size of which equipment can be made small.  
           [0015]    In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a battery pack of the present invention, that contains a battery therein, comprises a connection terminal for connecting the battery to a battery-using equipment, a concave portion arranged in an outer portion of the battery pack in a direction from an insertion end toward an insertion direction, a connection terminal arranged in the concave portion, and an engagement concave portion, provided adjacently to the concave portion, for being engaged with an engagement member provided in the battery-using equipment.  
           [0016]    According to the present invention thus constituted, when the battery pack is completely inserted, the engagement member is engaged with the engagement concave portion to thereby fix the battery pack to the battery compartment and prevent the detachment of the battery pack. Further, a size of the battery compartment can be made small in a direction in which the battery is inserted.  
           [0017]    Other objects and advantages besides those discussed above shall be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which follows. In the description, reference is made to accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which illustrate an example of the invention. Such example, however, is not exhaustive of the various embodiments of the invention, and therefore reference is made to the claims which follow the description for determining the scope of the invention.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    [0018]FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams which illustrate important parts of a conventional secondary battery-using equipment;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIGS. 2A and 2B are block diagrams which illustrate important parts of a secondary battery-using equipment in the first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIGS. 3A and 3B are block diagrams which illustrate a state in which a battery pack is attached to a battery compartment and a state in which the battery pack is detached from the battery compartment in the first embodiment, respectively;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram which illustrates a wiring state in the battery pack shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B,  2 A,  2 B,  5 A,  5 B,  6 A and  6 B;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIGS. 5A and 5B are block diagrams which illustrate important parts of a secondary battery-using equipment in the second embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIGS. 6A and 6B are block diagrams which illustrate a state in which the battery pack is attached to the battery compartment and a state in which the battery pack is detached from the battery compartment in the second embodiment, respectively. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]    The embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings. First embodiment  
         [0025]    [0025]FIGS. 2A, 2B,  3 A, and  3 B are block diagrams which illustrate important parts of a secondary battery-using equipment in the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 2A and 2B to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the same constituent elements as those in FIGS. 1A and 1B are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1A and 1B and will not be described herein. FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along a line  2 B- 2 B shown in FIG. 2A.  
         [0026]    In FIGS. 2A and 2B, reference numeral  17  denotes a protrusion provided in part of a concave portion  16  of the battery pack  10 . Reference numeral  22  denotes an engagement lever movable forward and backward relative to the battery compartment  20 , and  26  denotes an engagement spring. The engagement lever  22  and the engagement spring  26  constitute an engagement member that is engaged with the protrusion  17 , i.e., that fixes the battery pack  10  inserted into the battery compartment  20  to a fixed position and prevents the detachment of the battery pack  10  from the compartment  20 . Reference numeral  29  is an unlock button which is formed integrally with the engagement lever  22 .  
         [0027]    Th internal circuit configuration of the battery pack  10  shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is the same as that shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0028]    The battery pack  10  is constituted as follows. The control substrate  13  and the protection apparatus  14  are arranged in the battery pack  10 , i.e., around the secondary battery  12  so as to prevent an increase in a volume of the battery pack  10  as much as possible. The concave portion  16  is provided in an outer portion in which the control substrate  13  and the protection apparatus  14  are not arranged, so as to have a predetermined length in a direction from an insertion end toward an insertion direction. The battery pack  10  is packed with the case  11  that holds the battery positive (+) contact  15 A, the battery T contact  15 B, and the battery negative (−) contact  15 C.  
         [0029]    As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the positive (+) electrode  12 A of the secondary battery  12  is electrically connected to the control substrate  13  whereas the negative (−) electrode  12 B thereof is electrically connected to the control substrate  13  through the protection apparatus  14 . The battery positive (+) contact  15 A, the battery T contact  15 B, and the battery negative (−) contact  15 C are electrically connected to the control substrate  13 .  
         [0030]    The secondary battery  12  is protected by the protection apparatus  14  so that it electrically shuts off the secondary battery  12  from an excessive current when the excessive current flows. The circuit blocks off the control substrate  13  when an excessive charge voltage is impressed and a battery voltage of the secondary battery  12  declines exceedingly, and thereby protects the secondary battery  12 . By allowing the thermistor  18  on the control substrate  13  to output an internal temperature of the battery pack  10  as a resistance, a state of the secondary battery  12  can be determined.  
         [0031]    With the configuration stated above, if the battery pack  10  is normally inserted into the battery compartment  20 , the concave portion  16  of the battery pack  10  is engaged with an engagement portion  25  of the battery compartment  20 . While the battery pack  10  is being inserted, one end side of the protrusion  17  provided in part of the concave portion  16  (a left side in FIGS. 2A and 2B) abuts against the engagement lever  22  that is a constituent element of the engagement member. The engagement lever  22  is tapered on a right side as shown in FIG. 2A and 2B and constituted to be movable forward and backward relative to the battery compartment  20  by the engagement spring  26 . Therefore, the battery pack  10  can overpass the tapered portion of the engagement lever  22  and thereby can be smoothly moved in the insertion direction while the engagement lever  22  is retreated downward of the battery compartment  20 . After the battery pack  10  is completely inserted into the battery compartment  20 , the protrusion  17  is away from a position at which the protrusion faces the engagement lever  22  and the pressing of the engagement lever  22  by the protrusion  17  is released. As a result, the engagement lever  22  returns to an original state in which the engagement spring  26  urges the engagement lever  22  to enter the battery compartment  20 . FIGS. 2A, 2B, and  3 A illustrate this state. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and  3 A, the engagement lever  22  is engaged with the other end side of the protrusion  17 . The battery pack  10  is fixed to the battery compartment  20 , accordingly. In other words, it is possible to prevent the battery pack  10  from being inadvertently detached from the battery compartment  20  of the secondary battery-using equipment.  
         [0032]    In this state, the battery positive (+) contact  15 A is electrically connected to the positive. (+) contact terminal  23 A, the battery T contact  15 B is electrically connected to the T contact terminal  23 B, and the battery negative (−) contact  15 C is electrically connected to the negative (−) contact terminal  23 C, whereby the battery pack  10  is electrically connected to the battery compartment  20 .  
         [0033]    In case that the battery pack  10  is to be detached from the battery compartment  20 , the unlock button  29  integral with the engagement lever  22  is depressed to thereby retreat the engagement lever  22  from the battery compartment  20 . As shown in FIG. 3B, the engagement lever  22  is disengaged from the protrusion  17 , whereby the battery pack  10  is ejected from the battery compartment  20  by a spring force of the ejection spring  24 .  
         [0034]    If the battery pack  10  is inserted into the battery compartment  20  in a direction different from the predetermined insertion direction, the case  11  of the battery pack  10  abuts on the engagement portion  25  that functions, together with the concave portion  16 , to prevent the erroneous insertion of the battery pack  10 . As a result, the battery pack  10  cannot be inserted into the battery compartment  20  further,. thereby making it possible to ensure preventing the erroneous insertion of the battery pack  10 . Second embodiment  
         [0035]    [0035]FIGS. 5A, 5B,  6 A, and  6 B are block diagrams which illustrate important sections of a secondary battery-using equipment in the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 5A and 5B to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the same constituent elements as those in FIGS. 2A and 2B,  3 A and  3 B, and  1 A and  1 B are denoted by the same reference numerals will not be described herein. FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along a line  5 B- 5 B shown in FIG. 5A.  
         [0036]    In FIGS. 5A and 5B to FIGS. 6A and 6B, reference numeral  18  is a reinforcement portion that reinforces the protrusion  17  and that is provided on each side of the protrusion  17  in order to surround. To be specific, the insertion portion  18  is provided to reinforce the protrusion  17  to prevent the protrusion  17  from being deformed and damaged when a load or an excessive load is exerted on the protrusion  17  in the insertion direction or the like.  
         [0037]    The internal circuit configuration of the battery pack  10  shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B is the same as that shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0038]    The battery pack  10  is constituted as follows. The control substrate  13  and the protection apparatus  14  are arranged on the battery pack  10 , i.e., around the secondary battery  12  so as to prevent an increase in a volume of the battery pack  10  as much as possible. The concave portion  16  is provided so as to have a predetermined length in a direction from an insertion end toward an insertion direction in an outer portion in which the control substrate  13  and the protection apparatus  14  are not arranged. The battery pack  10  is packed with a case  11  that holds the battery positive (+) contact  15 A, the battery T contact  15 B, and the battery negative (−) contact  15 C.  
         [0039]    As shown in FIG. 4, the positive (+) electrode  12 A of the secondary battery  12  is electrically connected to the control substrate  13  whereas the negative (−) electrode  12 B thereof is electrically connected to the control substrate  13  through the protection apparatus  14 . The battery positive (+) contact  15 A, the battery T contact  15 B, and the battery negative (−) contact  15 C are electrically connected to the control substrate  13 .  
         [0040]    The secondary battery  12  is protected by the protection apparatus  14  so that it electrically shuts off the secondary battery  12  from an excessive current when the excessive current flows. The circuit blocks off the control substrate  13  when an excessive charge voltage is impressed and a battery voltage of the secondary battery  12  declines exceedingly, and thereby protects the secondary battery  12 . By allowing the thermistor  18  on the control substrate  13  to output an internal temperature of the battery pack  10  as a resistance, a state of the secondary battery  12  can be determined.  
         [0041]    With the configuration stated above, when the battery pack  10  is normally inserted into the battery compartment  20 , the concave portion  16  of the battery pack  10  is engaged with an engagement portion  25  of the battery compartment  20 . While the battery pack  10  is being inserted, one end side of the protrusion  17  which is provided in part of the concave portion  16  and each side of which is reinforced by the reinforcement portion  18  (a left side in FIGS. 5A and 5B) abuts against the engagement lever  22  that is a constituent element of the engagement member. The engagement lever  22  is tapered on a right side as shown in FIG. 5A and constituted to be movable forward and backward relative to the battery compartment  20  by the engagement spring  26 . Therefore, the battery pack  10  can overpass the tapered portion of the engagement lever  22  and thereby can be smoothly moved in the insertion direction while the engagement lever  22  is retreated downward of the battery compartment  20 . After the battery pack  10  is completely inserted into the battery compartment  20 , the protrusion  17  is away from a position at which the protrusion faces the engagement lever  22  and the pressing of the engagement lever  22  by the protrusion  17  is released. As a result, the engagement lever  22  returns to an original state in which the engagement spring  26  urges the engagement lever  22  to enter the battery compartment  20 . FIGS. 5A, 5B and  6 A illustrate this state. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B and  6 A, the engagement lever  22  is engaged with the other end side of the protrusion  17 . The battery pack  10  is fixed to the battery compartment  20 , accordingly. In other words, it is possible to prevent the battery pack  10  from being inadvertently detached from the battery compartment  20  of the secondary battery-using equipment.  
         [0042]    In this state, the battery positive (+) contact  15 A is electrically connected to the positive (+) contact terminal  23 A, the battery T contact  15 B is electrically connected to the T contact terminal  23 B, and the battery negative (−) contact  15 C is electrically connected to the negative (−) contact terminal  23 C, whereby the battery pack  10  is electrically connected to the battery compartment  20 .  
         [0043]    When the battery pack  10  is to be detached from the battery compartment  20 , the unlock button  29  integrated with the engagement lever  22  is depressed to thereby retreat the engagement lever  22  from the battery compartment  20 . As shown in FIG. 6B, the engagement lever  22  is disengaged from the protrusion  17 , whereby the battery pack  10  is ejected from the battery compartment  20  by a spring force of the ejection spring  24 .  
         [0044]    If the battery pack  10  is inserted into the battery compartment  20  in a direction different from the predetermined insertion direction, the case  11  of the battery pack  10  abuts on the engagement portion  25  that functions, together with the concave portion  16 , to prevent the erroneous insertion of the battery pack  10 . As a result, the battery pack  10  cannot be inserted into the battery compartment  20  further, thereby making it possible to ensure preventing the erroneous insertion of the battery pack  10 .  
         [0045]    According to the embodiments of the present invention described so far, the protrusion  17  is provided in part of the concave portion  16  provided in the battery pack  10 . The engagement member (that consists of the engagement lever  22  and the engagement spring  26 ) movable forward and backward relative to the battery compartment  20  is provided at a position, at which the engagement member faces the concave portion  16  when the battery pack  10  is inserted, in the battery compartment  20 . When the battery pack  10  is completely inserted into the battery compartment  20 , the engagement member is engaged with the protrusion  17  to thereby fix the battery pack  10  to the battery compartment  20 . Therefore, as compared with the conventional battery pack engaged rearward in the insertion direction, the size of the battery compartment  20  in the direction in which the battery pack  10  is inserted can be made small, the size of the overall equipment can be made small, and it is possible to ensure preventing the detachment of the battery pack  10  from the secondary battery-using equipment without enlarging the battery pack  10 .  
         [0046]    Moreover, since the reinforcement portion  18  is provided by surrounding to prevent the protrusion  17  from being deformed and damaged by an external force, it is possible to protect the protrusion  17  of the battery pack  10  from an external, abnormal load.  
         [0047]    The battery pack according to the present invention is constituted to include a battery cell having such a secondary battery as a rechargeable Ni-Cd or lithium ion battery. However, the battery is not limited to the secondary battery and the battery pack may be constituted so as to contain, for example, a primary dry battery in an exchangeable manner. Further, the battery pack of the present invention can be applied to a configuration in which electronic equipment such as a digital camera, a video camera, or a charging device that charges the battery pack is provided as the battery-using equipment.  
         [0048]    The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various changes and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, to apprise the public of the scope of the present invention the following claims are made.