JP5427937B2 - High-performance cigarette lighter adapter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a high-performance cigarette writer adapter (CLA) in which an electronic device is provided and power is supplied from a vehicle having a cigarette writer. That is, the present invention relates to a high-capacity CLA that includes an electronic device and can communicate with an in-vehicle device by wireless or wired connection.

  It is known to use CLA to supply power to many types of devices. Typically, such a CLA comprises a body part and a cylindrical part provided with an electrical connection. When the CLA is inserted into the in-vehicle cigarette writer, no matter what electronic equipment is provided inside the CLA, the electronic circuit containing it is completed and power is supplied from the in-vehicle battery. A contact pin projects from the end of the cylindrical portion, and one or more second contact pins are provided around the cylindrical shape of the cylindrical portion. In-vehicle batteries typically provide a 12V DC power source, but the majority of electrical devices used in vehicles require slightly but slightly different voltages. The present invention relates to an apparatus including, for example, a laptop computer, an in-vehicle DVD player, a mobile phone, an in-vehicle or a portable navigation device. Power is provided to the device via a cable, which is electrically connected to the electronics inside the CLA, emerges from the back or side of the CLA body and is finally terminated to an appropriate connector.

  Personal navigation devices or PNDs are widely adopted around the world by drivers and vehicle owners. The navigation assistance provided by such a device is realized by an on-board processor that accurately determines the position of the PND on the ground surface (within approximately 10 meters), and that position is accessed by the PND. Associate with digitized map data provided in possible memory. The memory is usually provided as a small memory card or on-board RAM or ROM. As is well known, the PND can accept user input for a desired destination in various ways, and the PND calculates the best route according to various algorithms and user requirements and follows the route to be navigated. To display the relevant part of the map. Typically, a PND will include an internal battery, but most PNDs include a display screen for real-time display of map data as the vehicle moves. They are devices that require relatively high power and can only be used on short trips with battery power alone.

  CLA adapters are known that supply power for PND and for recharging the battery inside the PND. Currently, CLA is an aftermarket accessory and has limited market value because it supplies power only to the PND. This is particularly noticeable when CLA competes with home chargers and other charging devices. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for CLA that is more cost effective, functional, and appeals to consumers.

  Patent document 1 discloses CLA which is the conventional form which has a cylindrical part and a main body which have a contact. The main body further includes a first circuit for power management, adjustment, and power distribution to the first output, and one or more power supplied from the contact and capable of communicating via a wireless LAN (WLAN) Further circuitry is further provided. An antenna is further provided on the body, and the signal from the antenna is transmitted to the WLAN electronics, which also provides a separate output for the antenna. Both outputs are in the form of two or more cables extending from the back of the CLA body to provide separate power for recharging and communication data derived from signals received by antennas in the device. Have.

US Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0054400

  According to the present invention, a CLA including a main body and a cylindrical portion extending from the main body is provided. The cylindrical portion includes a first contact that forms a pin protruding from one end portion, and one or more second contacts provided elsewhere in the cylindrical portion. The CLA includes at least one electronic circuit inside the main body, and the at least one electronic circuit is directly or indirectly connected to the contact and an output capable of transmitting a power signal. The CLA includes an antenna component that is electrically connected to the electronic circuit, the electronic circuit including an antenna signal, an electrically processed version of the antenna signal, and data obtained from the electrically processed antenna signal. At least one of them is transmitted to the output together with the power signal, and the power source is derived from the contact or an alternative power source provided inside the CLA main body when provided inside the in-vehicle cigarette writer, Is characterized in that it operates by supplying power to the electronic circuit. In an alternative aspect, the present invention provides a CLA comprising a body and a cylindrical portion extending from the body. The cylindrical portion includes first and second contacts, and each of the first and second contacts can be connected to the inside of the in-vehicle cigarette writer to receive power, and from the in-vehicle cigarette writer Power is supplied. The CLA further includes at least one primary electronic circuit in the main body, and the at least one primary electronic circuit is directly or indirectly connected to the contact. The CLA includes an antenna component, and the antenna component is electrically connected to the primary electronic circuit that primarily obtains power from the contact. The CLA further includes a subscriber identity module (SIM) that is capable of accepting a SIM card and is electrically connected to the primary electronic circuit, and a secondary wireless transceiver that is electrically connected to the primary electronic circuit. The secondary wireless transceiver is characterized in that it can wirelessly communicate antenna signals, electrically processed versions of antenna signals, and data obtained from the electrically processed antenna signals to a remote device. Desirably, the alternative power source is in the form of a (desirably) rechargeable battery, such as a lithium ion battery, a nickel metal halide battery, or the like.

  In a preferred form, the electronic circuit includes a rechargeable electronic device capable of charging the battery when power is supplied from an in-vehicle cigarette writer via the contact.

  In an alternative form, the CLA also includes secondary electronic circuitry that is connected directly or indirectly to the contact, as well as to the battery. The secondary electronic circuit is used, for example, to recharge the function on the battery when a power source is obtained from the contact.

  In the most preferred form, the CLA further includes a voltage switching regulator, which may be included in the secondary electronic circuit or provided separately from the secondary electronic circuit.

  In the most preferred form, the electronic circuit can perform processing using at least one of the following communication standards or protocols: GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, CDMA, WCDMA, WiFi, WiMax, Bluetooth, for example. A certain wireless communication processing circuit. Most preferably, the electronic circuit is a wireless modem.

  Preferably, the CLA output is a cable electrically connected to the electronic circuit.

  Most preferably, the CLA comprises one or more LEDs, the one or more LEDs being charged by a battery, presence of power to supply CLA from an in-vehicle cigarette writer, and received by the antenna One of the signal processing is shown.

  Preferably, the CLA comprises at least two LEDs, the at least two LEDs providing a first LED that provides an indication of the presence of power to supply the CLA and an indication of the signal processing received by the antenna And a second LED that provides, preferably these are different colors.

  In a preferred form, the electronic circuit can merge the antenna signal, an electrically processed version of the antenna signal, or a data signal derived from the electrically processed antenna signal with the power signal, both Can be connected to the output for transmission.

  In a most preferred form, the electronic circuit is a GPRS modem of 3 or 4 frequency bands capable of extracting traffic jam information from a signal received by the antenna, and the output is a USB socket or cable, or a UART. A socket or cable, a serial output that can transmit both power and data to a portable navigation device.

  By providing the CLA with electronics that perform the antenna and associated processing, the GPRS modem and associated configuration may be removed from the PND. As a result, it provides industrial designers with some parts that regulate in PND, thus opening up PND to other designs and saving engineering and manufacturing costs.

  In a further preferred form, the SIM card connector further comprises a subscriber identification module (SIM) card connector electrically connected to the primary electronic circuit, and the SIM card connector is present in the SIM card connector. In this case, the CLA can be automatically subscribed to a specific mobile communication service provider to process a radio signal received from the specific mobile communication service provider.

  In a preferred form, the modem can establish a wireless connection using at least one of a subscriber identifier (IMSI), a modem identifier (IMEI), and an identified PND (PND UID).

  In a further preferred form, the CLA further includes power control electronics.

  Most preferably, the antenna is a substantially flat component attached to the inner surface of a portion of the CLA body.

  In a particularly preferred form, the CLA includes a vent hole provided in the main body, and the hot air generated as a result of coming into contact with the electronic circuit operating while emitting heat and the other electronic circuit can be released through the vent hole. it can.

  Most preferably, the CLA includes a primary electronic circuit that receives a signal from the antenna, and one or more secondary electronic circuits that include at least one of power management, regulation, switching, and recharging functions; At least one of the secondary electronic circuits is provided separately from the primary electronic circuit, while being electrically connected to the primary electronic circuit, and the one or more secondary electronic circuits are provided in a main body of the CLA. Provided adjacent to the vent hole.

  Most preferably, the vent is provided towards the front of the body of the CLA comprising the battery, primary electronic circuit, and optional SIM connector. The arbitrary SIM connector is provided away from the cylindrical portion and toward the rear of the main body. This configuration is advantageous in the following points. That is, the functions of power management, regulation, switching, and recharging that CLA may have are achieved by vented electronic circuits, and such functions (and electronic circuits) typically process the antenna signals. It is a point that generates much larger heat than the primary electronic circuit to be performed. Therefore, such a separate arrangement is an effective and safe arrangement of the CLA internal configuration.

  In the most preferred form, another secondary electronic circuit is provided in a set of PCBs provided adjacent to each other inside the front portion of the body of the CLA, and each said PCB is vented outside the CLA. Provided adjacent to the hole.

  The clear description of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the following figures.

1 shows an exploded perspective view of a preferred form of CLA of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a different perspective view of the CLA of FIG. 1 with added configuration. FIG. 2 shows a different perspective view of the CLA of FIG. 1 with added configuration. The circuit diagram of CLA of the 1st side of the present invention is shown. The circuit diagram of CLA of the 1st side of the present invention is shown. The perspective view of CLA which has an antenna inside is shown. FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the CLA of FIG. 4 in a partially assembled state. 6 shows the CLA of FIGS. 4 and 5 in an assembled state. Fig. 5 shows the CLA in a completed state with LEDs visible in the back.

    First, referring to FIG. 1, a CLA generally indicated by 2 is shown. CLA is comprised from each of the upper half casing half member 4 and the lower half casing half member 6, and each has a main body 4A, 6A and cylindrical parts 4B, 6B. When these casing halves are assembled and joined, the body having a cavity in which CLA electronics are provided, and the first contact 8 and the second contact 10 inside are usually elastic. A cylindrical portion that is mounted and connected to the device electronics via a fuse 12 (shown in FIG. 2B).

  The assembly of the CLA consists of various parts inserted into one or both of the casing halves, electrically connected, and the casing halves fitted together with clasps as shown by arrows 11A, and finally In addition, in order to accommodate most of the CLA body within it, it is completed when the cover 14 is slid axially on the assembled casing as shown at 11B. As shown in the drawing, each casing half member is provided with vent hole forming portions 4C, 6C. The vent hole forming portions 4C, 6C cooperate or cooperate with each other when the casing half members are joined to define the vent hole, and are generated inside the CLA during operation through the vent hole. You can escape the hot air. It is noteworthy and advantageous that the vent holes are provided opposite one another so that air flows most directly through the device.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the rechargeable battery 16 includes a corresponding connector 18. The connector 18 performs electrical transmission to the one or more secondary electronic circuits 20 and 22, and in the present embodiment, is provided separately, but on the relatively close printed circuit boards (PCBs) 24 and 26. Installed. Such secondary electronics provide functions such as power management, control, switching, regulation, and recharging. In addition, the battery 16 and corresponding connector are mounted on a suitable PCB 28. A substantially planar antenna 30 is mounted below the PCB 28 as shown in FIGS. 2B and 4.

  The schematic block diagram shown to FIG. 3A has shown the structure provided inside CLA2 of this invention. The on-board battery 16 is shown, the contacts are shown schematically at 40, and the power obtained from the contacts 40 is shown at 42 and supplied to the switching regulator 44. The switching regulator 44 reduces the in-vehicle battery voltage of the conventional DC power supply so that it can operate from 12V of the DC power supply to 5V of the DC power supply. Four frequency band GPRS modems or other wireless communication processing devices are shown at 46, and both regulator 44 and modem 46 are connected to LEDs 48, 50, respectively. The LEDs 48, 50 are ideally different colors, while clearly indicating that the battery 16 is being charged and / or power is being supplied through the contacts 42 and the modem 46 is processing. The voltage regulator makes electrical connection to both the modem 46 and the battery 16 by 52 and 54, respectively, and can supply power to both. Further, the output of regulator 44 is directly coupled at 56 to both USB cable output 58 and optionally a conventional UART (universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter) cable output 60 in this embodiment.

  Although the figure shows the possibility of connection, since usually only one of them is often required, it is unlikely that both USB cable output and UART cable output will actually be mounted. Let me mention. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it should be mentioned that the power signal is supplied directly to both from the regulator 44. In an alternative form, the modem 46 further includes a transmission function such that the basic power management and / or direct connection 56 does not require a power signal to be transmitted to the outputs 58, 60 along with data signals according to a particular communication standard. obtain. In that case, such a signal is provided by modem 46 at 62 or 64. And if a USB cable output is provided, a further USB controller 66 can be provided to guarantee USB signals that comply with the USB communication standard.

  The SIM module 68 can accept a conventional SIM card and communicates with a modem 46 to enable subscription to a specific wireless communication network provided by a service provider that issues the SIM card. Of course, the antenna 30 provides a means for collecting radio signals transmitted over space. The antenna 30 also communicates with the modem 46 again to pass a useful signal to the modem 46. In addition, a reset function in the form of a switch 68 may be provided that results in a soft and / or hard reset of the modem 46. Such functionality can also be extended to regulator 44 if desired.

  According to FIG. 3B, an alternative aspect of the present invention is schematically illustrated, wherein reference numerals are used in the same way as in FIG. 3A to identify the configuration. An important feature in this aspect of the invention is that the battery 16 is optional and the SIM module 68 is for the modem 46 to allow it to receive signals from surrounding mobile communication services and modem outputs. Provide authentication means. The modem output signal, whether it is a basic antenna signal, an electrically processed version of the basic antenna signal, or data extracted from the electrically processed basic antenna signal, is provided to the wireless transceiver device 61A. . The wireless transceiver device 61A may ideally be a Bluetooth (registered trademark) transceiver for wireless communication with the remote device 61B. In the most preferred form, both modem 46 and transceiver 61A are powered from contacts 40, or from any battery 16 if provided.

  The block diagram shows the configuration provided within the CLA 2 of the present invention. An on-board battery 16 is shown, a contact is shown schematically at 40, a power source obtained from the contact 40 is shown at 42, and is supplied to the switching regulator 44. The switching regulator 44 operates to reduce the conventional automotive DC battery voltage from 12 VDC to 5 VDC. Four frequency band GPRS modems or other wireless communication processing devices are shown at 46, and both regulator 44 and modem 46 are connected to LEDs 48, 50, respectively. The LEDs 48, 50 are ideally different colors, while indicating that the battery 16 is being charged and / or power is being supplied via the contact 42 and the modem 46 is processing. The voltage regulator makes electrical connection to both the modem 46 and the battery 16 by 52 and 54, respectively, and can supply power to both. Further, the output of regulator 44 is directly coupled at 56 to both USB cable output 58 and optionally a conventional UART (universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter) cable output 60 in this embodiment.

  Although the figure shows the possibility of connection, since usually only one of them is often required, it is unlikely that both USB cable output and UART cable output will actually be mounted. Let me mention. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it should be mentioned that the power signal is supplied directly to both from the regulator 44. In an alternative form, the modem 46 further includes a transmission function such that the basic power management and / or direct connection 56 does not require a power signal to be transmitted to the outputs 58, 60 along with data signals according to a particular communication standard. obtain. In that case, such a signal is provided by modem 46 at 62 or 64. And if a USB cable output is provided, a further USB controller 66 can be provided to guarantee USB signals according to the USB communication standard.

  The SIM module 68 can accept a conventional SIM card and communicates with the modem 46 to enable subscription to a specific wireless communication network provided by the service provider that issues the SIM card. Of course, the antenna 30 provides a means for collecting radio signals transmitted over space. The antenna 30 also communicates with the modem 46 again to pass useful signals to the modem 46. In addition, a reset function in the form of a switch 68 that provides a soft and / or hard reset of the modem 46 may be provided. Such functionality can also be extended to regulator 44 if desired.

  According to FIG. 6, it can be seen that the GPRS modem 46 that can be used as an “off-the-shelf” type component is mounted adjacent to the battery 16 on an alternative side of the PCB 28 on which the battery is optionally mounted.

  The assembled CLA is shown in FIG. 7, and the LEDs 48, 50 may have the cover 14 having a translucent or non-opaque member in a position adjacent to the LED position, or an appropriate gap in that position. It has become visible by having.

  Therefore, in summary, a cigarette lighter adapter (CLA) includes a main body and a cylindrical portion extending from the main body. The cylindrical portion includes first and second contacts, and each of the first and second contacts can be connected to the inside of the vehicle-mounted cigarette writer for receiving power supply. The CLA further comprises at least one primary electronic circuit within the body, the at least one primary electronic circuit being connected directly or indirectly to a contact and an output capable of transmitting a power signal. The CLA further includes an antenna component that is electrically connected to the primary electronic circuit. The primary electronic circuit transmits at least one of the antenna signal, the version of the antenna signal that has been electrically processed necessary, or the data obtained from the electrically processed antenna signal to the output along with the power signal. The power source is derived from an alternative power source such as a contact or a rechargeable on-board battery provided within the body of the CLA. The power supply also enables the primary electronic circuit to operate. As a further feature, one or more secondary electronic circuits are provided within the CLA, the one or more secondary electronic circuits being capable of power management, regulation, control, switching, and / or battery recharging. I will provide a. Further, by separating the primary electronic circuit and the secondary electronic circuit, effective heat release can be reliably performed. Most preferably, the CLA is provided with a vent, and at least one of the secondary electronic circuits is provided adjacent to the vent.

Claims (10)

A cigarette lighter adapter (CLA) comprising a main body and a cylindrical portion extending from the main body,
The cylindrical portion includes first and second contacts, each of the first and second contacts being connectable to an interior of an in-vehicle cigarette writer for receiving power, and the CLA is further at least one A primary electronic circuit is provided in the main body, and the at least one primary electronic circuit is directly or indirectly connected to the contact, the CLA includes an antenna component, and the antenna component extracts power from the contact. Electrically connected to the primary electronic circuit,
The CLA further includes a subscriber identity module (SIM) that is capable of accepting a SIM card and electrically connected to the primary electronic circuit, and a secondary wireless transceiver circuit electrically connected to the primary electronic circuit. ,
The secondary wireless transceiver circuit is capable of wirelessly communicating an antenna signal, an electrically processed version of the antenna signal, and data obtained from the electrically processed antenna signal to a remote device. CLA. The CLA according to claim 1 , further comprising an on-board power supply as an alternative to a power supply obtained through the contact. One or more tertiary electronic circuits that provide at least one of power management, control, regulation, switching and recharging functions;
The at least one of the tertiary electronic circuits is provided separately from the primary and secondary electronic circuits, and is electrically connected to at least one of the primary and secondary electronic circuits. Item 3. The CLA according to item 1 or 2 . At least one tertiary electronic circuit is provided to perform the recharging function;
The at least one tertiary electronic circuit is electrically connected to both the contact and the on-board power supply, and recharges the on-board power supply when power is supplied through the contact. The CLA according to claim 3 , dependent on claim 2 . The CLA according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the primary electronic circuit is a wireless communication protocol processing circuit. 6. The CLA according to claim 5 , wherein the primary electronic circuit is a wireless modem. It said output of the CLA, CLA according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said a primary electronic circuit and directly or indirectly the cable for electrically connecting. Further comprising one or more LEDs;
The one or more LEDs are charged on-board power, presence of power supplied to the CLA from an in-vehicle cigarette writer in operation, and processing of signals received by the antenna inside the primary electronic circuit, The CLA according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein at least one of the above is exhibited. The antenna, according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the a part of the substantially planar components attached to the inner surface of the body of the CLA CLA. The primary electronic circuit can establish wireless communication using at least one of a subscriber identifier (IMSI), a modem identifier (IMEI), and an identified PND (PND UID). 10. The CLA according to any one of 9 above.

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