Battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9350000-B2
Application number	US-201414459457-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2014
Priority date	Nov 4, 2010
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

A battery pack may include a drainage device provided at a bottom portion of the housing case. The drainage device may include a drain hole communicating between the inside and the outside of the housing case, so that water introduced into the housing case is discharged to the outside of the housing case. The drainage device may be disposed between two of the terminal members that are connected to electrodes of the battery cells.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery pack configured to be mounted on a tool body of an electric tool as a power source of the electric tool, the battery pack comprising:
a housing case configured as an outer cover, the housing case including:
a side wall portion having an upper end and a lower end,
a bottom wall portion having an outer circumferential edge, and
a joint portion connecting the lower end of the side wall portion and the outer circumferential edge of the bottom wall portion;

a plurality of battery cells disposed in the housing case, and
a water drain hole provided to the housing case, the water drain hole having an inner end edge and an outer end edge, the inner end edge communicating with an internal space defined in the housing case, and the outer end edge being opened to an outside of the housing case;
wherein the outer end edge is located at the joint portion, and at least a part of the outer end edge is opened to the outside in a horizontal direction parallel to an extending direction of the bottom wall portion.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein:
the outer end edge of the water drain hole includes a first part and a second part respectively positioned on an inner side and an outer side with respect to the horizontal direction; and
the second part is opened to the outside in the horizontal direction.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2 , wherein:
the bottom wall portion includes an outer side surface extending in the extending direction; and
the second part of the outer edge of the water discharge hole is higher than the first part with respect to a vertical level with reference to the outer side surface.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3 , wherein the first part is positioned within a substantially same plane as the outer side surface.

5. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the at least a part of the outer end edge of the water drain hole is opened to the outside in the horizontal direction at the joint portion.

6. The battery pack according to claim 5 , wherein:
the joint portion includes an inclined wall portion extending obliquely upward from a side of the bottom wall portion toward a side of the side wall portion; and
the at least a part of the outer end edge of the water drain hole is opened to the outside in the horizontal direction at the inclined wall portion.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1 ,
wherein the bottom wall portion has a substantially rectangular shape; and
wherein the housing case comprises a plurality of water drain holes arranged symmetrically with respect to a central point of the substantially rectangular shape.

8. A battery pack configured to be mounted on a tool body of an electric tool as a power source of the electric tool, the battery pack comprising:
a housing case configured as an outer cover, the housing case including;
a side wall portion having an upper end and a lower end,
a bottom wall portion having an outer circumferential edge, and
a joint portion connecting the lower end of the side wall portion and the outer circumferential edge of the bottom wall portion,

a plurality of battery cells disposed in the housing case, and
a water drain hole provided to the housing case, the water drain hole having an inner end edge and an outer end edge, the inner end edge communicating with an internal space defined in the housing case, and the outer end edge being opened to an outside of the housing case;
wherein the outer end edge rises by a predetermined distance toward the inside the housing such that the outer end edge is opened at an outer surface of the housing case in both a downward direction and a horizontal direction parallel to an extending direction of the bottom wall portion.

9. The battery pack according to claim 8 , wherein:
the joint portion includes an inclined wall portion extending obliquely upward from a side of the bottom wall portion toward a side of the side wall portion; and
the outer end edge of the water drain hole is opened in the horizontal direction at an outer surface of the inclined wall portion.

10. A battery pack configured to be mounted on a tool body of an electric tool as a power source of the electric tool, the battery pack comprising:
a housing case configured as an outer cover, the housing case including;
a side wall portion having an upper end and a lower end,
a bottom wall portion having an outer circumferential edge, and
a joint portion connecting the lower end of the side wall portion and the outer circumferential edge of the bottom wall portion,

a plurality of battery cells disposed in the housing case, and
a water drain hole provided to the housing case, the water drain hole having an inner end edge and an outer end edge, the inner end edge communicating with an internal space defined in the housing case, and the outer end edge being opened to an outside of the housing case;
wherein the outer end edge is opened to the outside in a horizontal direction parallel to an extending direction of the bottom wall portion at the joint portion.

11. The battery pack according to claim 10 , wherein:
the outer end edge of the water drain hole includes an upper end portion and a lower end portion defining an open area opened in the horizontal direction;
the upper end portion of the outer end edge is positioned at a higher level than a plane within which an outer side surface extends in the extending direction; and
the lower end portion of the outer end edge is positioned at a lower level than the upper end portion.

12. The battery pack according to claim 11 , the open area includes an area part positioned at a lower level than the plurality of battery cells disposed within the housing case.

13. The battery pack according to claim 10 , wherein:
the joint portion includes an inclined wall portion extending obliquely upward from a side of the bottom wall portion toward a side of the side wall portion; and
the outer end edge of the water drain hole is opened to the outside in the horizontal direction at an outer surface of the inclined wall portion.

14. A battery pack configured to be mounted on a tool body of an electric tool as a power source of the electric tool, the battery pack comprising:
a housing case configured as an outer cover, the housing case including:
a side wall portion having an upper end and a lower end,
a bottom wall portion having an outer circumferential edge, and
a joint portion connecting the lower end of the side wall portion and the outer circumferential edge of the bottom wall portion;

a plurality of battery cells disposed in the housing case, and
a water drain hole provided to the housing case, the water drain hole having an inner end edge and an outer end edge, the inner end edge communicating with an internal space defined in the housing case, and the outer end edge being opened to an outside of the housing case;
wherein the outer end edge is located at the joint portion or proximal to the joint portion, and the outer end edge rises by a predetermined distance toward the inside the housing such that at least a part of the outer end edge is opened to the outside in a horizontal direction parallel to an extending direction of the bottom wall portion.

15. A battery pack configured to be mounted on a tool body of an electric tool as a power source of the electric tool, the battery pack comprising:
a housing case configured as an outer cover, the housing case including:
a side wall portion having an upper end and a lower end,
a bottom wall portion having an outer circumferential edge, and
a joint portion c

Assignees

• Makita Corp

Inventors

• Hayashi Hidekazu
• Kondo Eiji
• Ogura Hironori
• Taga Hideyuki
• Ogino Kazutoshi

Classifications

• H01M50/60 Primary

  Arrangements or processes for filling or topping-up with liquids; Arrangements or processes for draining liquids from casings · CPC title

• H01M50/296

  characterised by terminals of battery packs (terminals of batteries H01M50/543) · CPC title

• H01M50/244

  Secondary casings; Racks; Suspension devices; Carrying devices; Holders characterised by their mounting method · CPC title

• H01M50/213 Primary

  adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic (H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2/1055

  Electricity · mapped topic