WO2008007965A1

WO2008007965A1 - Battery recharging and supporting device

Info

Publication number: WO2008007965A1
Application number: PCT/NO2006/000281
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ng Hoi
Original assignee: Jumpit Manufacturing As
Priority date: 2006-07-13
Filing date: 2006-07-18
Publication date: 2008-01-17

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery recharging and supporting device for charging the batteries of an electronic device (A) and for supporting the electronic device (A) in a substantially upright position, comprising: a housing (10) having a substantially planar base surface (14);a connector device (12) for connection to the electronic device; where the housing (10) accommodates a battery (16) and a control circuit (18; 18') connected between said battery (16; 16') and said connector device (12) for controlling the voltage and/or current supplied to the electronic device (A), and where the connector device (12) is pivotal between a first stopping means (34) and a second stopping means (36) about a pivot axis (I-I) parallel to the planar base surface (12).

Description

BATTERY RECHARGING AND SUPPORTING DEVICE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a battery recharging and supporting device. More specifically, the invention relates to a battery recharging and supporting device for electronic devices such as portable multimedia devices, cellular phones, handheld PDAs₅ GPS devices etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is an indisputable fact that even though electronic devices are presently supplied with relatively good rechargeable batteries with a long usage time and a long operative waiting time (so-called stand-by time), it is still a common experience to run out of battery capacity. In this case the solution is either to carry a spare battery or to find a suitable place to charge the battery, which in turn depends on having a battery charger available and being in the vicinity of an electric contact point with suitable voltage, etc. In many situations it is impractical to carry a spare battery or charger, in addition to which in many situations it will be necessary to e.g. reestablish the connection via cellular telephone immediately, for example in emergency situations or during important conversations, which are interrupted on account of deficient battery capacity.

A back-up battery device suitable for recharging the batteries of electronic devices are disclosed in US 6,709,784, which hereby is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Amongst previously known solutions, mention may be made of various generally known solutions, which "ration" a part of the battery capacity for an emergency situation. However, this does not cover the need for a general increase in battery capacity when the situation has reached the stage when the user has a depleted battery and still needs an operative electronic device. It is also known to connect an external battery (spare battery) to a suitable device with an electronic circuit, which spare battery gives the electronic device additional operative time through increased battery capacity. The solution is illustrated, amongst other places, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,977,747. The solution will be expensive, involving a connection point and an electronic circuit, which in addition will always have to be available. In the solution in the present invention, the object is to avoid this by providing a universal solution, which employs the electronic device's own control, thus avoiding the need for any extra equipment apart from only the back-up battery, which can then be purchased anywhere and employed immediately. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,106, moreover, a solution is disclosed where different electrical devices such as a torch or the like can be connected to a cellular telephone battery through suitable connection points. In this case it will also be possible to connect the cellular telephone battery to an additional battery in parallel connection. The disadvantage, of course, is that the connected battery has to be specially adapted to the cellular telephone's battery with regard to voltage level, etc., which in turn makes the solution inflexible. Moreover, an electronic control circuit for the connection is preferable. Another type of battery use system for portable electric equipment comprising a switch control circuit is shown in EP 0 657 982. It shall be noted that most cellular phones and other electronic devices comprises an inboard control circuit between the charger contact and the inboard rechargeable battery. The inboard control circuit controls the voltage level and/or current level to protect the battery from damaging overvoltages or other voltage/current levels that may deteriorate its operating life. In Wireless Week, the December 2000 issue, it was described an instant power charger for a cell phone which can be recharged by means of a battery charger. No back-up battery is mentioned or shown and no control circuit is described. The same product is mentioned in article by Yardena Arar in PC World, dated November 15. 2000. The article describes a battery which draws oxygen from the atmosphere to generate electrical power. The battery is available for mobile phones and can be recharged by means of a recharging kit.

In US 5,200,688 it is shown a vehicular battery operated charger for charging an electronic device such as a radio. The charger and its control circuit are rather complex and consequently costly. Further, the charger is directly connected to the rechargeable radio battery for charging.

In US 5,568,038 it is shown a battery use system for a battery-driven portable electronic device comprising a first chargeable battery and a second battery connected in parallel to the first battery through a switch. The switch is closed to charge the first battery by the second battery when the output voltage from the first battery becomes smaller than a predetermined value, i.e. a voltage drop occurs.

In GB 2 249 677 it is shown a battery charger for a mobile apparatus comprising a battery charged from a vehicle battery. A timer is supplied by the voltage of the outside battery via a diode and sets a charging time. In order to prevent the battery from being overcharged, for example because the timer is reset when the starter motor reduces the voltage of the electrical system temporally, the timer is arranged to be powered from the battery via a transistor during such temporal voltage reductions. In US 5,396,162 it is shown a portable battery charger for rechargeable battery powered appliances comprising a housing, batteries that is inserted into the housing, connection means for connecting the poles of the batteries to the poles of the direct current power system of the battery powered appliance. There is no circuitry to control or adjust the output voltage to the battery powered appliance.

In EP 0 907 234 A2 it is shown a battery charging system where a charging battery comprising a number of n+m cells is charging a working battery comprising a number of n cells. It shall be noted that the charging battery is directly connected to the working battery. In WO 00/69013 it is shown a rechargeable battery pack suitable for cellular phones or other electronic devices, comprising at least one rechargeable cell, at least one primary cell (typical a conventional battery of size AAA) and a rechargeable cell recharger including a voltage converter. The voltage converter receives an output voltage from the primary cell and converts it to a second voltage suitable for recharging the rechargeable cell. A disadvantage here is that the voltage converter is rather complex and expensive. Further, the primary cell must be replaced when emptied, which may cause unnecessary consumption of such batteries. Of course there exist rechargeable batteries of conventional sizes, but then yet another recharger is needed. Many electronic devices also comprise a display, for example a LCD screen, which displays useful information during use and also during "standby". The display can show information about songs (i.e. song name, artist name, remaining time of song etc) on MP 3 -players, information about incoming calls (i.e. telephone number, person name etc) on cellular phones, geographical information (i.e. maps and traveling information etc) on GPS devices etc.

Consequently, there is a need for a supporting device that can support the electronic device in an upright position, so that the display of the device can be easily seen by the user.

Other types of docks are known for showing the display of an electronic device to the user. This especially relates to docks for MP3 players or cellular phones in cars, where the driver should not use his hands to hold and operate the electronic device while driving. One such dock is the iPod Vent Mount (http://www.theistore.com/ventmount.html).

Mypower (www.theistore.com/mvpower.html) is a rechargeable battery and dock for an iPod MP3 player. The dock comprises a rechargeable battery and a dock for providing synchronization with a computer via Firewire or USB. The dock comprises a belt clip. A disadvantage here is that the dock is rather large, caused by the need for protecting the electronic device when carried in a belt. The object of the present invention is to provide a device being able to combine the advantages of a supporting device which provides that the display of the electronic device can easily be seen by a user, and at the same time provide a spare battery capacity. Moreover, it is an object that the battery recharging and supporting device according to the present invention is small, so it can be put in a pocket or carried in other practical ways. It is also an object that the electronic device can be connected to the battery recharging and supporting device while it is carried in the user's hand. During such transport, it is important that the battery recharging and supporting device does obstruct the use or is felt cumbersome in any way.

Of course, the battery recharging and supporting device should give output voltage/current values adapted to the threshold values of the inboard control device of the electronic device during recharging. The battery recharging and supporting device can be provided with a disposable battery, but in preferred embodiments it is desirable to provide the invention with a rechargeable battery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a battery recharging and supporting device for charging the batteries of an electronic device and for supporting the electronic device in a substantially upright position, comprising: - a housing having a substantially planar base surface; a connector device for connection to the electronic device; where the housing accommodates a battery and a control circuit connected between said battery and said connector device for controlling the voltage and/or current supplied to the electronic device, and where the connector device is pivotal between a first stopping means and a second stopping means about a pivot axis (I-I) parallel to the planar base surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the connector device is pivotal in an angle α between 0° and 135°, more preferably between 0° and 110° between the first and second stopping means. In another preferred embodiment, the connector device comprises two fastening elements, each protruding in respective direction of the pivot axis, where the fastening elements are pivotally fastened in fastening openings of the housing.

In another preferred embodiment, the fastening elements and fastening openings comprise a through hole for electrical wires from the housing to the connector device. In another preferred embodiment, the control circuit comprises a boost device which increases the output voltage and/or current value to a level above the lower threshold value of an inboard control circuit of the electronic device.

In another preferred embodiment, the battery is a rechargeable battery and where the device further comprises a power input connector connected to the rechargeable battery via the control circuit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings, where:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment, where the connector device is in a first position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment, where the connector device is in a second position; Fig. 3 shows different components of the inside of the first embodiment, where some parts are removed for clarity;

Fig. 4 - 6 show a front view, a side view and a rear view respectively, of the first embodiment of the invention connected to a cellular phone;

Fig. 7a shows the electronic circuits of the first embodiment schematically; Fig. 7a shows the electronic circuits of a second embodiment schematically, where the battery is a rechargeable battery; and

Fig. 8 shows the second embodiment of the invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first preferred embodiment of the battery recharging and supporting device 1 according to the invention will now be described in details with reference to the drawings. The embodiment is adapted for use with a electronic device of type cellular phone A.

First, some details regarding the electronic device A should be mentioned. The electronic device A comprises a contact (not shown) for connecting to a battery charger. An inboard control circuit (not shown) is connected between the contact and the inboard rechargeable battery (not shown) of the electronic device A. The main purpose of the inboard control circuit of the electronic device is to protect the rechargeable battery and to provide a desired voltage and/or current to the rechargeable battery. Therefore, the inboard control circuit controls whether the voltage and/or current supplied by the charger is within certain acceptable boundaries. Here, the inbound control circuit defines a lower threshold value and an upper threshold value for the input voltage of the contact. If the output voltage of the charger is below the lower threshold value or above the upper threshold value, no charging of the battery will occur.

The battery recharging and supporting device 1 comprises a housing 10 and a connector device 12. The housing 10 has a substantially planar base surface 14, providing support for the device 1 towards a foundation (for example a table, a desk etc) it is placed on.

Inside the housing 10, there is provided a battery 16 connected to a control circuit 18 (shown in fig. 7a). The control circuit 18 is again connected to connector rods 20 of the connector device 12. It should be noted that the connector device 12 and especially the rods 20 will be adapted to the specific type of electronic device A that the device 1 is made for. This also relates to the control circuit. In the first embodiment, the electronic device A is a Sony Ericsson (reg. trademark) cellular phone. In fig. 3, it can be seen that the battery 16 comprises five cylindrical batteries. Here, the batteries are connected in parallel. The number of batteries and how they are interconnected is not the main concern here - the most important issue is that the output voltage and/or output current from the device 1 are adapted to the thresholds of the inbound control circuit of the electronic device A. The control circuit performs the following operations:

- When a fully charged battery recharging and holding device 1 becomes connected to the electronic device A having an empty or almost empty battery, the device 1 will instantly start charging the empty battery provided that the output voltage between the connector rods 20 is within the boundaries of the inbound control device of the electronic device A.

- When the battery voltage of the electronic device A is approximately equal to the output voltage of the device 1, the battery of the electronic device A is fully recharged.

The control circuit 18 preferably comprises a voltage booster or DC-DC converter, which increases/decreases the output voltage level of the battery recharging and holding device 1 when the output voltage level is lower/higher than the lower threshold voltage of the inboard control circuit of the cellular phone. The connector device 12 is pivotally fastened to the housing 10, as will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 3. The connector device 12 preferably comprises a first circular, protruding fastening element 30 on a first side, and a corresponding second circular, protruding fastening element 32 on the second side opposite of the first side. The fastening elements 30, 32 are aligned along an axis I-I parallel to the planar base surface 14. Please note that only half of the fastening element 30, 32 is shown in fig. 3.

The housing 10 preferably comprises two opposite circular fastening means (not shown), which in this embodiment are fastening openings adapted to receive respective fastening element 30, 32 of the connector device 12. Consequently, the connector device 12 can pivot relative to the housing 10 about the axis I-I.

It should be noted that the fastening elements 30, 32 have a central opening wherein the electrical wires (not shown) from the control circuit to the connector rods 20 of the connector device 12 are located. The housing is further comprising a first stopping surface 34 and a second stopping surface 36, which restricts the rotation of the connector device 12 when the connector device 12 abuts on one of the stopping surfaces. The first stopping surface 34 is preferably parallel to the planar base surface 14, while the second stopping surface 36 preferably has an angle α of 90° - 135°, most preferably about 110° relative to the first stopping surface 34.

In fig. 5 the device 1 is connected to the cellular phone A. The device 1 performs recharging and at the same time, the device is supporting the cellular phone A in an upright position. The angle α is illustrated here, and it can be seen that the display of the cellular phone A is easily observable for a user. When the user wants to use the cellular phone (i.e. hold it in his/her hand, or to keep it in a pocket or similar), while at the same time retain the connection to the device 1 for recharging the inbound battery of the cellular phone, the user turns the housing 10 to the first position where the first supporting surface 34 abuts on the connector device 12. Consequently, it is more convenient to carry the cellular phone A and device 1 in the users hand or pocket.

In the second preferred embodiment shown in fig. 8 and 7b, the battery is a rechargeable battery 16'. It should be noted that elements that are similar to the first embodiment have the same reference numbers for clarity, and these same or equivalent elements will not be described in detail. Moreover, the second embodiment of the invention is adapted for connection to a Nokia (reg. trademark) cellular phone. The second embodiment further comprises a power input connector 22' for connection to a charging device, preferably the cell phone charging device. The power input connector 22 is connected to the rechargeable battery 16' via the control circuit 18'. Here, the device 1 also comprises a LED-indicator 19' (LED - Light Emitting Diode). Preferably, the device 1 also comprises a transparent, removable cover 23' for protecting the connection device 12' when not in use.

The control circuit 18' performs the following operations:

- When a fully charged battery recharging and supporting device 1 becomes connected to the electronic device A having an empty or almost empty inbound battery, the rechargeable battery 16' will start charging the empty inbound battery provided that the output voltage of the connector device 12 is within the boundaries of the inbound control device of the electronic device A. Consequently, a current sensing element of the control circuit 18' is sensing a current, which indicates a charging operation. Preferably, the LED-indicator 19' is switched ON to indicate the charging operation.

- When the battery voltage of the electronic device A is approximately equal : to the voltage of the rechargeable battery 16', the battery of the electronic device A is fully recharged. The current sensing element will sense a reduction of the current and the LED-indicator 19' is switched OFF to indicate a non-charging operation.

- When the battery recharging and holding device 1 is connected to a charger via the power input connector 22', a current sensing element senses a current and the LED indicator is switched ON again. In the same way, when the voltage of the rechargeable battery 16' is approximately equal to the charger voltage, the rechargeable battery 16' is fully recharged. The current sensing element will sense a reduction or drop of the current and the LED indicator is switched OFF to indicate a non-charging operation.

- When the device 1 is connected both to the electronic device A and to the charger, both batteries will be charged.

The abovementioned detailed description is especially provided to illustrate and to describe preferred embodiments of the invention. However, the description is by no means limiting the invention to the specific embodiments.

It should be noted that the fastening elements 30, 32 of the connector device 12 and corresponding fastening means of the housing 12 can be designed in many ways but still provide the same function. For example, protruding fastening elements can be located on the housing 10, while the fastening openings can be located on the connector device 12. It is also possible to integrate the rotating restrictions (i.e. the stopping surfaces 34, 36) as a part of the fastening elements 30, 32.

Claims

1. A battery recharging and supporting device for charging the batteries of an electronic device (A) and for supporting the electronic device (A) in a substantially upright position, comprising: - a housing (10) having a substantially planar base surface (14); a connector device (12) for connection to the electronic device; where the housing (10 ) accommodates a battery (16) and a control circuit (18; 18') connected between said battery (16; 16') and said connector device (12) for controlling the voltage and/or current supplied to the electronic device (A), and where the connector device (12) is pivotal between a first stopping means (34) and a second stopping means (36) about a pivot axis (I-I) parallel to the planar base surface (12).

2. Device according to claim 1, where the connector device (12) is pivotal in an angle α between 0° and 135°, more preferably between 0° and 110° between the first and second stopping means.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, where the connector device comprises two fastening elements (30, 32), each protruding in respective direction of the pivot axis, where the fastening elements (30, 32) are pivotally fastened in fastening openings of the housing (10).

4. Device according to claim 3, where the fastening elements and fastening openings comprise a through hole for electrical wires from the housing (10) to the connector device (12).

5. Device according to claim 1, where the control circuit comprises a boost device which increases the output voltage and/or current value to a level above the lower threshold value of an inboard control circuit of the electronic device.

6. Device according to claim 1, where the battery is a rechargeable battery (16') and where the device (1) further comprises a power input connector (22') connected to the rechargeable battery (16') via the control circuit (18').