JP2000021379A - Battery housing mechanism and portable electronic device having this mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery housing mechanism capable of not only uniforming an apparatus weight balance but also reducing size, thickness and weight by using a thin battery, and a portable electronic device having this mechanism. SOLUTION: In this mechanism, a flat case body 2 housing a substrate 1 mounted with an electronic part is divided into two pieces of a case 3 and a cover 4. Inside the case 3 and the cover 4, a thin battery 5 formed into a substantially same shape as them in a plane view is housed parallelly to the case 3 and the cover 4. In this way, not only an apparatus weight balance is uniformed but also size, thickness and weight can be reduced by using the thin battery.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery storage mechanism and a portable electronic device having the mechanism, and is particularly suitable for an electronic device powered by a battery such as a headphone stereo.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in an electronic device powered by a battery such as a portable headphone stereo, a flat secondary battery called a dry battery or a so-called gum battery is provided in a battery case built in the device or in a device. It is often stored in an external battery case. In the case of such a battery, a long column type battery has a positive electrode and a negative electrode at both ends, and a battery case made of a highly conductive material is formed in the battery case to make contact with these electrodes. Terminals are provided. FIG. 9 shows an example in which a battery case is built in a device. In FIG. 9, a flat battery 44 is opened by opening a lid 43 in a battery case 42 built in a device body 41 such as a portable headphone stereo. In the direction of the arrow. However, both dry batteries and flat secondary batteries are relatively heavy, and because the equipment is portable, the carrying direction changes or receives an external impact, and the battery contact terminals The load of such a battery varies greatly. For this reason, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 10, for example, a battery contact terminal 53 having a tongue piece 52 provided with an R-bend 51 is formed on a leaf spring made of a conductive elastic material. The battery case 54
For example, it is attached to the inside 55 of the battery contact surface on the negative electrode side, and the negative electrode 57 of the battery 56 is pressed against the battery contact portion 58 of the tongue piece 52. Conventionally, the battery contact terminal 53 is provided with an appropriate elastic force in this manner so that the battery contact terminal 53 is always in contact with the battery 56 with an appropriate load.
6 was held so as not to protrude from the battery case 54 due to vibration.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional portable headphone stereo, since a relatively heavy dry battery or a flat secondary battery is used, the weight balance of the whole device is poor, and the device has a poor weight balance. The imbalance in weight when carrying was unavoidable. In addition, it is necessary to provide a battery case with battery contact terminals to hold these long-battery-shaped batteries inside the equipment body, etc., which is a major constraint on miniaturizing, thinning, and lightening the entire equipment. Had become. However, since the device is portable, uniformity of weight balance is required when the device is carried, and the battery case cannot be made large because the size of the entire device needs to be reduced. Furthermore, the size of the entire device cannot be smaller than the size and thickness of the battery itself, so there is a limit in device design. On the other hand, in recent years, a film-type secondary battery having an extremely thin thickness of about 1 to 2 mm has been developed as a power source that replaces a conventional dry battery or a flat-type secondary battery. It is conceivable that, beyond the limitations on the device design in the above-mentioned conventional technology, not only the weight balance of the device is made uniform, but also the size, thickness and weight are reduced. The present invention relates to: In order to solve such problems in the conventional technology, the use of a thin battery allows not only a uniform weight balance of the device but also a smaller, thinner and lighter battery housing. A first object is to provide a mechanism, and a second object is to provide a portable electronic device having the mechanism.

[0004]

In order to achieve the first object, according to the present invention, a flat housing in which a substrate on which electronic components are mounted is embedded is divided into two parts in the thickness direction. A thin battery formed in the two divided housings and having the same shape as these housings in a plan view is housed in parallel with the housings. in this case,
The thin battery, which has the same shape as the housing in plan view, is stored in parallel with the housing, so that an even weight balance mechanism is obtained, especially when the equipment is carried, resulting in uneven weight. Can be avoided. Further, the replacement of the battery is easy, and at the same time, it is possible to secure as much power supply capacity as possible and to ensure the reliability of the contact. Further, since the battery has substantially the same shape as the housing and is flat, the battery does not move inside the housing and does not rattle. This stabilizes the battery storage position and allows it to function as a power source for portable electronic equipment without a mechanism such as a battery case for holding the battery inside the equipment. Weight and weight can be reduced. Also, there is no need for a complicated mechanism such as a battery case, so that the manufacturing cost of the device can be reduced. In order to achieve the second object, the present invention is configured as a portable electronic device having the battery storage mechanism. In this case, if a thin battery such as a lithium polymer secondary battery or the like, which is extremely thin with a thickness of about 1 to 2 mm, is used, a conventional dry battery or a flat secondary battery is used. It is possible to realize a thin portable electronic device that could not be realized, for example, a portable headphone stereo.

[0005]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to provide an understanding of the present invention.
It should be noted that the following embodiments are examples embodying the present invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. Here, FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of a portable headphone stereo having a battery storage mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic shape of a thin battery usable in the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan view and a side sectional view showing a single structure of a case of a portable headphone stereo according to an embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an embodiment (embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view and a side sectional view showing a single structure of a cover of the portable headphone stereo according to Embodiment 1), and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the fitting of the cover and the case of the portable headphone stereo according to the embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a plan view and a side sectional view showing a single structure of a case of a portable headphone stereo according to another embodiment (Embodiment 2) of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a plan view and a side sectional view showing a single structure of a cover of a portable headphone stereo according to another embodiment (Embodiment 2). FIG. 8 shows another embodiment (Embodiment 2) of the present invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the fitting state of the case and cover of a portable headphone stereo.

(Embodiment 1) A battery storage mechanism (hereinafter, referred to as a "first mechanism") according to Embodiment 1 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a flat casing 2 in which a substrate 1 on which electronic components are mounted is embedded is divided into two parts in the thickness direction. ,
The first mechanism is a mechanism for storing a thin battery 5 formed substantially in the same shape as the case 3 and the cover 4 in a plan view in parallel with the case 3 and the cover 4.
Particularly, it is suitable for an electronic device such as a portable headphone stereo. Specifically, the thin battery 5 used in the first mechanism is, for example, a lithium polymer secondary battery having a rectangular shape in plan view as shown in FIG. And the like. This thin battery 5
Comprises a cell 6 forming a battery body and a battery fixing frame 7 surrounding the cell, and a positive electrode 8 and a negative electrode 9 are arranged along one end of one surface of the battery fixing frame 7.

Hereinafter, the detailed structure of the first mechanism will be described. FIG. 3 shows a single unit structure of the case 3. In the figure, the thin battery 5 has a battery fixing frame 7 at the other end where the electrodes 8 and 9 are not arranged, symmetrically on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the case 3. The claw-like projections (corresponding to the locking portions) 10 are provided in the engagement state by being inserted into the respective concave portions thereof, and are housed on the bottom surface of the case 3. At this time, the accommodated thin battery 5 is positioned in the longitudinal direction of the case 3 by the pair of protrusions 11 provided on the bottom surface of the case 3. Here, when a film-type battery such as a lithium polymer secondary battery is used as the thin battery 5, the thin battery can be easily stored in the case 3 due to the flexibility of the battery itself. However, in this case, if the engagement state between the battery fixing frame 7 and the claw-shaped projections 10 at the other end of the thin battery 5 is loose, one end of the thin battery 5 is not restrained at all and is in a free state. Therefore, when the case 3 is tilted or the like, the thin battery 5 may fall out of the case 3 by itself. Therefore, the thin battery 5 of the case 3
It is desirable to form a shallow groove or the like into which the battery fixing frame 7 at one end of the thin battery 5 enters, at a portion where the battery fixing frame 7 at one end of the thin battery 5 abuts (see a partially enlarged view in FIG. 3). reference). However, in this portion, it is necessary to provide an appropriate brush or the like so that the user can easily remove the thin battery 5 from the case 3 when the thin battery 5 is replaced.

FIG. 4 shows a single structure of the cover 4, in which the substrate 1 is fixed to the cover 4 by screws (not shown) or the like. In order to press the battery fixing frame 7 at one end of the thin battery 5 accommodated therein with an appropriate compressive force and to obtain good electrical contact between the substrate 1 and the electrodes 8 and 9 of the thin battery 5 In addition, metallic coil springs (corresponding to terminals) 12,1
2 are provided on the substrate 1 at positions facing the electrodes 8 and 9 of the thin battery 5 respectively. Here, the coil spring 12,
The reason why the coil springs 12 are used is that the coil springs 12 and 12 have strength enough to withstand the impact and repetitive load peculiar to the portable device, and when the coil springs 12 and 12 are deformed by such impact and repetitive load. This is because stable electrical contact can always be ensured. Here, the coil spring 1
2 and 12 have not only the function of pressing the battery fixing frame 7 at one end of the thin battery 5 but also the electrodes 8 and 9 of the substrate 1 and the thin battery 5.
It also has the function of obtaining electrical contact with the device. Appropriate concave and convex portions are provided around both the case 3 and the cover 4 so that the case 3 and the cover 4 can be fitted to and removed from each other. However, it goes without saying that the case 3 and the cover 4 may be freely opened and closed by a hinge. FIG. 5 shows a fitting state of the case 3 and the cover 4.
In the figure, a thin battery 5 is provided with claw-shaped projections formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the case 3 by fitting a case 3 for accommodating the thin battery 5 on the bottom surface with a cover 4 to which the substrate 1 is attached. Both the objects 10 and 10 and the coil springs 12 and 12 attached to the substrate 1 firmly fix the case 3 to the bottom surface of the case 3.

As described above, in the first mechanism, the thin battery 5 having substantially the same shape as the case 3 and the cover 4 in a plan view is accommodated in parallel with the case 3 and the cover 4, so that the weight balance is particularly high. Provides an equivalent mechanism,
As a result, it is possible to prevent the weight from being uneven when the device is carried. Further, the replacement of the battery is easy, and at the same time, it is possible to secure as much power supply capacity as possible and to ensure the reliability of the contact. Further, since the battery has substantially the same shape as the housing and is flat, the battery does not move inside the housing and does not rattle. This stabilizes the battery storage position and allows it to function as a power source for portable electronic equipment without a mechanism such as a battery case for holding the battery inside the equipment. Weight and weight can be reduced. In addition, since a complicated mechanism such as a battery case is not required, the manufacturing cost of the device can be reduced. When a portable electronic device having the first mechanism, for example, a portable headphone stereo is constructed, the thickness of the thin battery 5 is 1 to 2 mm.
If a film-type battery such as a lithium polymer secondary battery, which is extremely thin, is used, a portable headphone stereo having a thickness that cannot be realized by using a conventional dry battery or a flat secondary battery can be obtained. realizable.

(Embodiment 2) A battery storage mechanism (hereinafter, referred to as "second mechanism") according to Embodiment 2 is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, a flat casing 2 'in which a substrate 1 on which electronic components are mounted is embedded is divided into two in the thickness direction.
Inside the case 3 ′ and the cover 4 ′, which are the divided housings, a thin battery 5 formed substantially in the same shape as the case 3 ′ and the cover 4 ′ in plan view is placed on the case 3 ′ and the cover. The second mechanism is particularly suitable for an electronic device such as a portable headphone stereo. Thin battery 5 used in the second mechanism
Is the same as that used in the mechanism of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, and the description thereof is omitted. Less than,
The detailed structure of the second mechanism will be described. Figure 6 shows case 3 '
The thin battery 5 is housed in the bottom of the case 3 '. At this time, the thin battery 5 housed in the case 3 'is fixed by the pair of projections 11 provided on the bottom surface of the case 3' to the battery fixing frame 7 on the other end where the electrodes 8 and 9 are not arranged. In the longitudinal direction. Here, when a film-type battery such as a lithium polymer secondary battery is used as the thin battery 5, the thin battery can be easily formed into the case 3 by the flexibility of the battery itself.
Can be stored. However, in this case, since the thin battery 5 is not restrained at all and is in a free state, the thin battery 5 may fall off the case 3 'by itself when the case 3' is tilted. Therefore, it is desirable to form a shallow groove or the like around the case 3 'where the battery fixing frame 7 of the thin battery 5 comes into contact with the battery fixing frame 7 of the thin battery 5 (FIG. 6). ). However, the user can easily attach the thin battery 5 to the case 3 ′ when the thin battery 5 is replaced.
It is necessary to provide an appropriate brush or the like so that it can be taken out of the container.

FIG. 7 shows a single-piece structure of the cover 4 '. In the drawing, the substrate 1 is screwed to the cover 4', and when the cover 4 'is fitted to the case 3', the case 3 is closed. 'The battery fixing frame 7 at one end of the thin battery 5 housed inside
Are pressed by a suitable compressive force, and metallic coil springs (corresponding to terminals) 12, 12 are provided in order to obtain good electrical contact between the substrate 1 and the electrodes 8, 9 of the thin battery 5. It is provided on the substrate 1 at a position facing the electrodes 8 and 9 of the thin battery 5 respectively. Here, the reason why the coil springs 12 and 12 are used is that the coil springs 12 and 12 have strength enough to withstand the impact and repetitive load peculiar to the portable device, and furthermore, the coil spring 12 and 12 are subjected to such impact and repetitive load. Spring 12,1
This is because a stable electrical contact can always be ensured even in the case of deformation 2. In addition, the coil springs 12 and 12 have not only a function of pressing the battery fixing frame 7 at one end of the thin battery 5 but also a function of obtaining electrical contact between the substrate 1 and the electrodes 8 and 9 of the thin battery 5. Although these functions are provided together, these functions may be provided separately. The second mechanism pays attention to such a point. That is, in the second mechanism, after the coil springs 12 and 12 are provided as described above, the projections 13 and
, 13 are formed, and when the cover 4 ′ and the case 3 ′ are fitted together, the projections 13,..., 13 press the battery fixing frame 7 of the thin battery 5 against the bottom side of the case 3 ′. It has become.

Here, the projections 13,..., 13 are made of an elastic material such as synthetic rubber, for example.
When the battery fixing frame 7 of the thin battery 5 is pressed against the bottom side of the case 3 'by the use of the coil springs 12, 1
The length of the projections 13,..., 13 is slightly smaller than the length of the coil springs 12, 12 when the coil springs 12, 12 are relaxed, so as not to hinder the electrical contact between the substrate 1 and the electrodes 8, 9 of the thin battery 5 due to Designed short. Appropriate uneven portions are provided around both the case 3 'and the cover 4', so that the case 3 'and the cover 4' can be fitted to and removed from each other. However, it goes without saying that the case 3 ′ and the cover 4 ′ may be freely opened and closed by a hinge. Figure 8 shows case 3 '
FIG. 4 shows a fitting state of the battery 4 and the cover 4 ′.
Is a case 3 ′ that houses the thin battery 5 on the bottom
By fitting with the cover 3 'with
Projections 1 formed on both longitudinal sides of case 3 '
, 13 and the coil springs 12, 12 attached to the substrate 1 are firmly fixed to the bottom surface of the case 3 '. According to such a configuration, the first embodiment
The same operation and effect as described above can be obtained.

[0013]

In the second embodiment, the projections 13,..., 13 formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the case 3 'are provided. At least on the other end side of the thin battery 5 where the electrodes 8 and 9 are not arranged. Even in this case, as in the first embodiment, one end of the thin battery 5 where the electrodes 8 and 9 are disposed is pressed by the coil springs 12 and 12, so that the thin battery 5 is securely placed on the bottom surface of the case 3 '. Can be fixed.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, a thin battery having substantially the same shape as the housing in a plan view is accommodated in parallel with the housing, so that a uniform mechanism can be obtained particularly with respect to weight balance. As a result, it is possible to prevent the weight from being uneven when the device is carried. Further, the replacement of the battery is easy, and at the same time, it is possible to secure as much power supply capacity as possible and to ensure the reliability of the contact. Further, since the battery has substantially the same shape as the housing and is flat, the battery does not move inside the housing and does not rattle. This stabilizes the battery storage position and allows it to function as a power source for portable electronic equipment without a mechanism such as a battery case for holding the battery inside the equipment. Weight and weight can be reduced. Also, there is no need for a complicated mechanism such as a battery case, so that the manufacturing cost of the device can be reduced. When a portable electronic device having this mechanism, for example, a portable headphone stereo is constructed, the thickness of the battery is reduced to 1 as a thin battery.
If a film type battery such as a lithium polymer secondary battery, which is extremely thin, for example, about 2 mm, is used, a portable headphone having a thickness that cannot be realized by using a conventional dry battery or a flat type secondary battery. Stereo can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a housing structure having a battery storage mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view and a side view showing a schematic shape of a thin battery that can be used in the present invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are a plan view and a cross-sectional side view showing a single structure of a case of the portable headphone stereo according to the embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the present invention. FIGS.

FIG. 4 is a plan view and a side sectional view showing a single structure of a cover of the portable headphone stereo according to the embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a fitted state of a cover and a case of the portable headphone stereo according to the embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view and a side sectional view showing a single structure of a case of a portable headphone stereo according to another embodiment (Embodiment 2) of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view and a side sectional view showing a single structure of a cover of a portable headphone stereo according to another embodiment (Embodiment 2) of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a fitting state of a cover and a case of a portable headphone stereo according to another embodiment (Embodiment 2) of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a case where a battery case according to the related art is built in a device.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a battery case in the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Substrate 2, 2 '... Case 3, 3' ... Case 4, 4 '... Cover 5 ... Thin battery 8, 9 ... Electrode 10 ... Projection (corresponding to a locking part) 12 ... Coil spring (corresponding to a terminal) 13) Projection (corresponding to projection)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toshiaki Shimoda 1-5-5 Takatsukadai, Nishi-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture Inside Kobe Research Institute, Kobe Steel Ltd. (72) Inventor Tetsuya Takahashi Takatsuka, Nishi-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture Kobe Steel Co., Ltd. Kobe Institute of Technology, Kobe Steel Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshiro Nishimoto 1-5-5 Takatsukadai, Nishi-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture Kobe Steel Co., Ltd. Kobe Research Institute F-term ( 4E360 AB14 AB22 AB42 BA08 BB17 BB22 BC07 CA08 EC12 ED03 FA12 GA04 GA07 GA08 GA46 GA52 GA53 5H020 AA06 AS13 CC01 CC12 CC15 DD02 5K023 AA07 BB03 LL04 NN07 RR09 5K067 AA42 EE02 KK05 KK17

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A flat housing in which a board on which an electronic component is mounted is embedded is divided into two in the thickness direction, and the two divided housings are substantially the same as these housings in plan view. A battery storage mechanism that stores thin batteries formed in a shape parallel to these housings. 2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is fixed to one of the two divided housings, and the battery is stored in the other.
The battery storage mechanism described in the above. 3. The battery storage mechanism according to claim 2, wherein a terminal for pressing one end of the battery is provided on the substrate. 4. The battery storage mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the terminal also serves as a connection terminal for an electrode formed at one end of the battery. 5. The battery storage mechanism according to claim 3, wherein a locking portion for locking the other end of the battery to the other housing is provided in the other housing. 6. The battery accommodating mechanism according to claim 3, wherein a protrusion for pressing at least the other end of the battery against the other housing is provided on the one housing. 7. A flat housing in which a substrate on which electronic components are mounted is embedded, divided into two in the thickness direction, and the two divided housings are substantially identical to these housings in plan view. A portable electronic device having a battery storage mechanism for storing a thin battery formed in a shape in parallel with these housings.