JP7620508B2 - Battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing that can be attached to and detached from clothing with air conditioning devices.

As shown in Patent Document 1, air-conditioned clothing is known that is worn by workers when working in high-temperature environments, and has an attached fan that draws outside air into the clothing. This air-conditioned clothing may also be worn in explosive atmospheres where there is vapor of flammable substances made of flammable gases and liquids, such as in oil refineries, petrochemical plants, and chemical synthesis plants.

In a typical air-conditioned garment such as that shown in Patent Document 1, a battery for driving the fan and a control circuit for controlling the operation of the fan are built into the battery storage case, and the output of the battery is connected to the fan via the control circuit and a cable. This battery storage case is attached to the air-conditioned garment by placing it in a pocket or the like of the garment.

JP 2019-65861 A

In particular, if a lithium-ion battery is used as the battery inside the battery storage case, a malfunction of the lithium-ion battery may cause the electrolyte to leak.

If this leakage occurs, the electrolyte will seep into the printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) of the control circuit section located near the battery, causing the circuit elements to go out of control or short-circuit the circuit. If the battery is used in an explosive atmosphere where vapors of the above-mentioned flammable substances are present, there is a risk of sparks being generated that ignite the flammable substances.

In addition, when electrolyte is immersed in a printed circuit board assembly, it may cause abnormal heating in certain areas, even if flammable materials do not ignite, and the wearer may be burned.

The object of the present invention is to provide a battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing that solves the above-mentioned problems and prevents liquid from leaking into the control circuit section of the printed circuit board assembly, etc., even if a malfunction of the battery built into the battery storage case causes leakage or the like.

In order to achieve the above object, the battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing according to the present invention is a battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing, which divides the inside of a housing part consisting of a box-shaped base part with an open top and a top cover part that covers the base from above and seals it, into a first space that stores a battery part and a second space that stores a control circuit part that is connected to the battery part via a power line, and the base part has a first partition wall that divides the first and second spaces, and the top cover part has a leading edge that is flush with the first partition wall of the base. The power line is connected to the power line by a second partition wall that divides the first and second spaces, and a recess is provided in at least one of the first and second partition walls, into which a cylindrical, elastic seal member can be fitted. The seal member has a through hole in the approximate center through which the power line passes and a groove that is recessed so as to surround the through hole. The partition wall around the recess is pressed into the groove of the seal member to seal and separate the first and second spaces.

The battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing according to the present invention can separate the internal space of the housing into a space for storing the battery section and a space for storing the control circuit section made of a printed circuit board assembly, so that even if the battery leaks, the liquid from the leak will not flood the control circuit section. Therefore, even if the battery is used in an explosive atmosphere where vapors of flammable materials are present, an output caused by an abnormality in the control circuit section will not generate sparks that could ignite the flammable material.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the air-conditioning garment from the back. FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram of the clothing air conditioning device. 1 is an oblique view of a battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing; 2 is an exploded oblique view of a battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing. FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the current limiting portion.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments.
1 is an explanatory diagram seen from the back of an air-conditioned garment W. The air-conditioned garment W has a garment air conditioning unit M attached to a jacket W2 having a zipper W1 for opening and closing on the front.

The clothing air conditioning device M is composed of a number of fan units F (for example, two) fixed to mounting holes (not shown) on the back of the jacket W2, an air-conditioned clothing battery storage case 1 stored in an inner pocket or the like of the jacket W2, and a number of connection cables C connecting each fan unit F and the air-conditioned clothing battery storage case 1.

The disk-shaped fan unit F is positioned symmetrically with respect to the jacket W2, and the blade unit F1 is stored within the housing. Power is supplied to the motor that rotates the blade unit F1 via a connection cable C, and the blade unit F1 is rotated at high speed to draw outside air into the jacket W2. When the zipper W1 is closed, airflow K is generated inside the jacket W2 in the direction of the arrow, and the air inside the jacket W2 is exhausted to the outside through the gaps at the neck and wrists.

In this way, the inside of the jacket W2 is kept cool by driving the motor of the fan section F. Note that the fan section F can be an axial fan that operates on direct current, or it can be a centrifugal fan or other suitable fan.

The housing of the fan unit F consists of a main body and a fixed frame, which are fixed by clamping the mounting holes in the outerwear W2. In the event of a malfunction of the fan unit F, the fixed frame can be separated from the main body, making it easy to remove the fan unit F from the outerwear W2.

A connection terminal C1 is provided at one end of the connection cable C, which is wired independently for each fan section F. The other end of the connection cable C is illustrated as being connected to the fan section F, but it may be provided with a connection terminal similar to the connection terminal C1, and a terminal connection section into which this connection terminal is inserted may be provided on the fan section F to make it removable.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the battery storage case 1 for air-conditioned clothing, and Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the storage case 1. The storage case 1 is made up of a box-shaped base 2 with an open top and a top cover 3 that fits over the base 2 from above to seal it. Inside the housing 4, the battery section 5, which is made up of a battery such as a lithium-ion battery, and a control circuit section 6 that is connected to the battery section 5 via power lines 5a and 5b are housed. The base 2 and top cover 3 are made of a material such as a heat-resistant synthetic resin.

The housing 4 is divided into a first space in which the battery 5 is housed and a second space in which the control circuit 6 is housed, and the base 2 is provided with a first partition wall 2a that divides the first space from the second space and a positioning portion 2b that positions the top cover 3.

The positioning portion 2b is desirably formed as a pair of generally conical shapes protruding upward from the left and right side portions of the base portion 2 as shown in FIG. 4. A pair of recesses 2c are provided at both ends of the first partition wall 2a for wiring the positive and negative power lines 5a, 5b of the battery portion 5 to the control circuit portion 6.

On the outer surface of the base 2, there are provided a power switch operation section 2d for turning on and off the power supply to the fan section F, a remaining charge display section 2e for displaying the remaining charge of the battery section 5, a terminal insertion section 2f for inserting the connection terminal section C1 of the connection cable C, and a charging insertion section 2g for charging the battery section 5 via a charging cable from a commercial power source or the like.

The top cover 3 has a second partition wall 3a, the leading edges of which contact the first partition wall 2a of the base 2 and divide the first and second spaces, and a terminal insertion section 3b into which the connection terminal C1 of the connection cable C is inserted. At least one of the leading edge 2h of the first partition wall 2a of the base 2 and the leading edge of the second partition wall 3a of the top cover 3 (not shown) is provided with a sealing film made of rubber or the like to improve the waterproofing between the leading edges of the partition walls 2a and 3a.

In addition, the second partition wall 3a of the top cover 3 is provided with a recess 3c at a position opposite the recess 2c, similar to the recess 2c of the first partition wall 2a of the base 2, and a pair of positioning portions (not shown) into which the tips of the pair of positioning portions 2b of the base 2 are inserted are provided on the left and right side portions of the top cover 3. In addition, when the positive and negative poles of the battery unit 5 are both provided on one side and the power lines 5a and 5b are drawn from there, the recesses 2c and 3c may be provided together in one place, or the recesses 2c and 3c may be provided in multiple positions depending on the position of the electrodes of the battery unit 5. In addition, the recesses 2c and 3c may be provided only on either the first or second partition wall 2a or 3a, and in this case, the size of the recess on only one side will be the same as the size of the rectangular hole described above.

The upper edges of the partition walls 2a, 3a between the base 2 and the top cover 3 are sealed via a sealing membrane, and a highly elastic, cylindrical, e.g., square, sealing member 7 made of silicone resin material is fitted into the rectangular hole formed by the recess 2c of the first partition wall 2a and the recess 3c of the second partition wall 3a. If a cylindrical sealing member 7 is used, the recesses 2c, 3c may be semicircular.

The sealing member 7 has a through hole 7a in the center through which the power line 5a or 5b passes, and a groove 7b is provided around the periphery of the through hole 7a.

The diameter of the circular through hole 7a is slightly smaller than the diameter of the power line to be inserted, and the groove width of the groove 7b is slightly smaller than the wall thickness of the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a. By doing so, when the power line is inserted into the through hole 7a of the sealing member 7 and the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a around the recesses 2c, 3c are pressed into the groove 7b of the sealing member 7, the through hole 7a and the groove 7b expand in a deformed state, improving the sealing performance.

When the base 2 is closed with the top cover 3 while the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a around the recesses 2c, 3c are pressed into the grooves 7b of the sealing member 7, the sides of the sealing member 7 are completely surrounded by the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a pressed into the grooves 7b, and the elasticity of the sealing member 7 ensures perfect adhesion between the grooves 7b and the recesses 2c, 3c, so that the sealing member 7 will not come off even if an impact is applied to the housing 4.

By fitting the sealing member 7 into the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a, the internal space of the housing 4 can be sealed and separated into a first space in which the battery 5 is housed and a second space in which the control circuit 6 is housed. In this way, even if electrolyte or the like leaks from the battery 5, which is made up of a battery such as a lithium ion battery, the electrolyte will not seep from the first space on the battery 5 side into the second space on the control circuit 6 side.

Note that the recesses 2c, 3c, the seal member 7, and the power lines 5a, 5b are arranged in pairs on the left and right sides as shown in the figure, but it is also possible to arrange one each of the recesses 2c, 3c and the seal member 7, and provide the seal member 7 with a through hole 7a through which the power lines 5a, 5b can be inserted. Furthermore, it is also possible to provide multiple through holes 7a in the seal member 7 so that the through hole 7a does not short-circuit the power lines 5a, 5b.

For example, a lithium ion battery with a nominal voltage of 3.7 V and a rated capacity of 1.88 Ah is used as the battery unit 5, and multiple batteries are connected in series for use. Instead of a rechargeable battery that can be charged via the charging insertion portion 2g, disposable dry batteries can also be used for the battery unit 5. Note that if a dry battery is used, there is no need to provide the charging insertion portion 2g.

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the control circuit section 6, and Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the current limiting section 9. The control circuit section 6 uses a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) consisting of a control board section 8 in which a first board 8a and a second board 8b, each mounting two ICs or other components, are arranged in an L-shape, and multiple current limiting sections 9 connected to the control board section 8. The number of multiple current limiting sections 9 is the same as the number of fan sections F attached to the jacket W2.

The control board 8 is made up of a first board 8a and a second board 8b connected via a connecting terminal 8c. The first board 8a is provided with an insertion hole 8d for inserting the terminals 9b of the current limiting element 9a of the current limiting unit 9, and the second board 8b is provided with a switch terminal 8e that operates in response to the on/off operation of the power switch operation unit 2d, an output terminal 8f that connects to the terminal insertion parts 2f and 3b of the housing 4, and a connection hole 8g that connects the terminal of an LED element (not shown) arranged on the back of the remaining charge display unit 2e of the base 2. In addition, the remaining charge display unit 2e is configured to light up multiple LED elements according to the remaining charge of the battery unit 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the current limiting units 9 arranged in parallel to correspond to each fan unit F each have two current limiting elements 9a arranged in series to control the output current so that an overcurrent does not occur.

These current limiting elements 9a are semiconductor switching elements such as field effect transistors (FET elements) that control the current between the source and drain by the gate voltage applied to the gate, and by setting an appropriate gate voltage, the output current is limited so as not to exceed the limit current value. The gate, source, and drain terminals 9b of the current limiting elements 9a are inserted into the insertion holes 8d of the first substrate 8a.

The limiting current value of the current limiting element 9a is set to the same value as the rated current value Ia when the blade portion F1 is rotating stably, or slightly higher than the rated current value Ia. By connecting two current limiting elements 9a in series to create a dual system for safety, even if one current limiting element 9a fails and is no longer able to limit the output current, the other unfailed current limiting element 9a can keep the limiting current from being exceeded.

The multiple current limiting elements 9a wired in series are attached side-by-side to the planar main surface 9d of a single heat sink material 9c made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, via respective heat transfer plates 9e. Both sides of the heat transfer plate 9e made of an insulating material with good thermal conductivity may be provided with an adhesive layer such as a highly conductive paste-like silicon material, or even without providing the heat transfer plate 9e, the above-mentioned paste-like silicon material may be placed between the main surface 9d of the heat sink material 9c and the current limiting elements 9a.

As shown in FIG. 6, the screws 9f are inserted into the screw holes 9g of the current limiting element 9a, the heat transfer plate 9e, and the heat sink material 9c, and the flat surface 9h of the current limiting element 9a is mounted on the main surface 9d of the heat sink material 9c via the heat transfer plate 9e. By mounting in this manner, when the current limiting element 9a generates heat, the heat is efficiently transferred to the heat sink material 9c.

On the back surface of the main surface 9d of the heat sink material 9c, multiple heat sink plates 9i are arranged in parallel, perpendicular to the main surface 9d. By arranging a large number of heat sink plates 9i in this way, the surface area is increased, and the heat dissipation efficiency can be improved.

In addition, when each terminal 9b of the current limiting element 9a is inserted into and fixed in the insertion hole 8d of the first substrate 8a, a gap is generated between the side surface 9j of the heat sink material 9c facing the first substrate 8a and the first substrate 8a, causing a gap between them.

In this way, by providing a gap between the side surface 9j of the heat sink material 9c and the first substrate 8a, the placement of mounted components such as ICs can be efficiently placed on the top and bottom surfaces of the first substrate 8a without being restricted by the heat sink material 9c, whereas the placement of mounted components such as ICs is normally restricted by the heat sink material installed on the substrate.

In addition, a portion of the side surface 9j of the heat sink material 9c facing the first substrate 8a may be in contact with the first substrate 8a, as long as it does not restrict the placement of mounted components such as ICs. In this case, the contact between the first substrate 8a and the heat sink material 9c allows the heat of the heat sink material 9c to be transferred to the first substrate 8a, improving heat dissipation. In addition, by bringing the tip of the heat sink plate 9i of the heat sink material 9c into contact with the inner surface of the housing 4, it is possible to further improve heat dissipation.

In this embodiment, two current limiting elements 9a are provided, but to further enhance safety, three or more current limiting elements 9a of the current limiting unit 9 may be provided in series. As long as the output current can be limited so as not to exceed the limit current value, the number of current limiting elements 9a can be determined appropriately.

In the state shown in FIG. 3, pressing the power switch operation unit 2d turns on the power, and an appropriate amount of air is generated from the blade unit F1 by the rotation of the motor based on the rated current value Ia of the fan unit F and the rated voltage, which is the voltage applied to drive the fan unit F. The rotation of the blade unit F1, which produces this appropriate amount of air, is achieved by appropriately controlling the power supplied from the battery unit 5 by the control circuit unit 6 and transmitting it to the fan unit F. As a result, the outside atmosphere is drawn into the air-conditioned garment W from the fan unit F, and the warm air inside the air-conditioned garment is expelled, allowing the wearer to feel a moderate coolness.

To maintain a constant cooling sensation, the fan unit F is constantly drawing in an appropriate amount of air while the device is being worn, and power is continuously supplied from the battery unit 5 and the control circuit unit 6 is continuously limiting the current, which increases the operating time and causes repeated operation in harsh environments. As a result, the battery unit 5 and control circuit unit 6 gradually lose function, which can cause malfunctions. In particular, if the battery unit 5 loses function due to continued use, leakage of electrolyte or other problems may occur depending on the type of battery unit 5, such as electrolyte leakage in the case of a lithium-ion battery.

The battery storage case 1 for air-conditioned clothing, which houses the battery unit 5 and the control circuit unit 6, preferably employs a fixed fit structure so that the top cover 3 cannot be removed from the base 2 once assembled, in order to ensure the sealing of the first space in which the battery unit 5 is stored.

If this type of structure is adopted, even if a malfunction such as a leak occurs in the battery section 5, the wearer cannot open the top lid 3 of the air-conditioned clothing battery storage case 1 to check the condition of the battery section 5 inside the base 2.

If a large amount of electrolyte leaks from the lithium ion battery, the wearer will notice the malfunction because the battery function will be damaged and power will no longer be supplied to the fan section F. However, if only a small amount of electrolyte leaks, the wearer will continue to use the air-conditioned clothing battery storage case 1 without noticing that a malfunction has occurred in the battery section 5.

In this way, even if a liquid such as electrolyte leaks from the battery section 5, the first space housing the battery section 5 and the second space housing the control circuit section 6 are sealed and separated by the first and second partition walls 2a and 3a, so that electrolyte leaking from the battery section 5 will not flood the control circuit section 6.

In particular, the sealing member 7 is placed in the rectangular holes formed in the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a, which are made up of the recesses 2c, 3c, to allow the power lines 5a, 5b to pass through, and the first and second partition walls 2a, 3a around the recesses 2c, 3c are pressed into the grooves 7b of the highly elastic sealing member 7 to seal the holes, so that electrolyte leaking from the battery section 5 does not pass through the recesses 2c, 3c to reach the control circuit section 6. In other words, the control circuit section 6 is not flooded with electrolyte leaking from the battery section 5, so there is no risk of short circuiting or damage to the printed circuit board assembly that constitutes the control circuit section 6.

Therefore, even if a malfunction such as leakage occurs in the battery section 5, the wearer of the air-conditioned garment W can continue to use the air-conditioned garment battery storage case 1 and the garment air conditioning device M equipped with it in a safe and secure state, since the control circuit section 6 will not be short-circuited or damaged by the malfunction such as leakage. Since the control circuit section 6 can be operated without being damaged until the power supply function of the battery section 5 is lost, the service life of the air-conditioned garment battery storage case 1 can be extended, leading to cost reduction and resource conservation.

In addition, even if the air-conditioned garment W is worn in an explosive atmosphere where vapors of flammable substances are present, electrolyte leaking from the battery section 5 will not induce a short circuit or the like in the printed circuit board assembly of the control circuit section 6, and therefore no sparks that could cause flammable substances to ignite will be generated from the control circuit section 6. In other words, the wearer can safely and securely use the air-conditioned garment battery storage case 1 and the clothing air conditioning device M equipped with it, even in an explosive atmosphere, without having to worry about malfunctions such as leakage from the battery section 5 and the resulting sparks or ignition.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Air-conditioned clothing battery storage case 2 Base 2a First partition wall 2b Positioning portion 2c Recess 3 Top cover 3a Second partition wall 3c Recess 4 Housing 5 Battery portion 5a, 5b Power line 6 Control circuit portion 7 Sealing member 7a Through hole 7b Groove portion C Connection cable F Fan portion

Claims (6)

A battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing, comprising a housing having a box-shaped base with an open top and a top cover that covers and seals the base from above, the inside of the housing being divided into a first space for storing a battery unit and a second space for storing a control circuit unit that is connected to the battery unit via a power line,
the base portion has a first partition wall that divides the first and second spaces,
the upper cover portion has a second partition wall whose tip edges are in contact with the first partition wall of the base portion and which divides the first and second spaces,
a recess is provided in at least one of the first partition wall and the second partition wall, and a cylindrical elastic seal member can be fitted into the recess;
The sealing member has a through hole at approximately the center through which the power line is inserted, and a groove portion recessed so as to surround the periphery of the through hole, and the partition wall around the recess is pushed into the groove portion of the sealing member to seal and separate the first and second spaces. The battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that the recess, the sealing member, and the power line are arranged in a set. The battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a sealing membrane is disposed on at least one of the leading edge of the first partition wall and the leading edge of the second partition wall other than the recess. The battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the diameter of the through hole is slightly smaller than the diameter of the power line that is inserted, and the groove width of the groove portion is slightly smaller than the wall thickness of the first and second partition walls. The battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the control circuit section is a printed circuit board assembly on which IC components are mounted. The battery storage case for air-conditioned clothing according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the sealing member is made of silicone resin.

Images