JP2002110256A - Portable equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem in a conventional portable equipment, that it is difficult to handle a battery as a power source. SOLUTION: This portable equipment comprises a thermoelectric element 31 to be heated by the combustion of a fuel taken out of a fuel tank in a combustor 32. Electromotive force generated by the thermoelectric element 31 is taken out by a power drawing part 64. Thus, the frequent exchange of the battery and charging operation from an AC power source are eliminated, resulting in the lighter portable equipment.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a portable information terminal, a portable telephone, a portable computer, a portable calculator, a portable radio, a portable radio, a portable television, a portable navigation, and a portable recording. The present invention relates to portable devices such as playback devices and portable game machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, portable devices mainly use a primary battery or a secondary battery as a power source. In addition, as typified by a portable telephone, the secondary battery used at this time is designed in a dedicated form specialized in the shape of the housing of the device in design.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Conventional portable devices are:
A secondary battery in a special form specialized for the shape of the housing of the device is used. For this reason, it is necessary to carry a spare battery in case the battery runs out.
At this time, a secondary battery having a special shape is more difficult to obtain than a general primary battery (such as a dry battery). Carrying a spare secondary battery may impair the original convenience of the portable device. Also, used batteries cannot be disposed of in the same manner as general waste, because there is a possibility that mercury, zinc, manganese or the like may pollute the environment.

That is, the conventional portable device has a problem that it is difficult to handle a battery as a power supply.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a thermoelectric element which is heated by the heat generated by a combustor for burning fuel taken out of a fuel tank, and an electromotive force generated by the thermoelectric element is taken out by a power takeout unit. This eliminates the need for frequent battery replacement and charging work from an AC power supply, and is a lightweight portable device.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 is provided with a thermoelectric element which is heated by the heat generated by a combustor for burning fuel taken out of a fuel tank, and an electromotive force generated by the thermoelectric element is used as a power take-out unit. To take out by
It eliminates the need for frequent battery replacement and charging work from an AC power supply, and is a lightweight portable device.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the combustor performs the catalytic combustion of the fuel gas by the combustion catalyst, so that the combustion heat can be obtained in a low temperature range by flameless combustion, thereby ensuring safety. And portable devices.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the thermoelectric element comprises:
By providing a heat exchange part on the heat radiation side that comes into contact with the outside air outside the housing, the cooling efficiency of the heat radiation side of the thermoelectric element is improved, a larger power generation electromotive force is obtained, and as a portable device with stable operation I have.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the heat exchange section is connected to a separately provided heat radiating section, so that the cooling efficiency on the heat radiating side of the thermoelectric element is improved, and a larger power generation electromotive force can be obtained. Therefore, the portable device has stable operation.

The invention described in claim 5 has an auxiliary power supply for backing up the electromotive force of the thermoelectric element when the electromotive force is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. Even in the case of a stop, power can be supplied for a certain period of time, so that damage due to this can be minimized.

According to the invention described in claim 6, the rechargeable battery is detachably provided so that the portable device can be continuously charged when not in use, and is convenient even if the size and weight of the portable device increase. Can be used without loss of performance.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, when the portable device is integrated with the housing case, charging is started at the same time as the portable device is housed without connection work, and the portable device is taken out of the housing case when used. At the same time, charging can be automatically stopped, making the device easy to use.

[0013]

(Embodiment 1) An embodiment of a portable device according to the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, the portable device is a portable telephone. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of the portable telephone of this embodiment. The portable telephone 11 includes a display unit 13, an operation unit 14, and a speaker 15 on a surface of a housing 12.
It has a basic configuration necessary for a telephone call, such as a microphone 16, a communication antenna 17, and the like. A control circuit 18 and a power generation unit 21 necessary for communication, power control, and combustion control are provided inside the housing 12.
Etc.

The power generation unit 21 generates power using liquefied petroleum gas supplied from a fuel tank 23 provided inside the housing 12 via an electromagnetic valve 24. The power generated here is: It is supplied to the control circuit 18 described above. The surplus power is stored in an auxiliary power supply 22 including a secondary battery and a capacitor.

Reference numeral 25 denotes an injection section for injecting fuel into the fuel tank 23 from outside. The power generation unit 21 and the auxiliary power supply 22
The fuel tank 23 functions as a power supply device.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the power generation unit 21. As shown in FIG. The power generation unit 21 includes a thermoelectric element 31, a combustor 32 that heats a heat absorbing surface 31 a of the thermoelectric element 31, and a heat exchange unit 33 that cools a heat radiation surface 31 b of the thermoelectric element 31.
The thermoelectric element 31 uses a Peltier element utilizing the Seebeck effect that a potential difference is generated between a high temperature part and a low temperature part when a temperature difference is provided between both ends of a metal or a semiconductor. The configuration shown in FIG.
That is, an n-type semiconductor 45 and a p-type semiconductor 46 are sandwiched between a heat-absorbing substrate 43 made of an insulating plate provided with a connection electrode 41 or an output electrode 42 and a heat-radiating substrate 44, and these are electrically connected in series. Connected. In the present embodiment, the high temperature part is a heat absorbing surface 31a, and the low temperature part is a heat radiation surface 31b.

The semiconductor used here is Bi-Te
System, Pb-Te system, Si-Ge system, Fe-Si system, Co
-Sb-based material doped with a small amount of impurities
And p-type. For example, in the case of a Bi-Te-based semiconductor, a maximum of about 200 μV / K of thermoelectromotive force can be obtained per semiconductor. Therefore, 300 semiconductors are connected in series to form a thermoelectric element, and the temperature of the heat absorbing surface is set to 100 degrees.
When the temperature of the heat radiation surface is set to 50 ° C., a maximum voltage of 3 V is generated on the output line 64 connected to the output electrode. The output line 64 functions as a portion for extracting the electromotive force generated by the thermoelectric element 31.

The combustor 32 shown in FIG. 2 is made of a metal such as aluminum die-cast, and the outer surface is closely attached to the heat absorbing surface 31a of the thermoelectric element 31 so as to be thermally connected. . A fuel supply pipe 53 connected to the fuel tank 23 and the solenoid valve 24 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to a nozzle 52 constituting the combustor 32. Therefore,
The liquefied petroleum gas stored in the fuel tank 23 is ejected from the nozzle 52. Air is sucked from outside air through the intake passage 54 by an ejector effect due to the ejection of the liquefied petroleum gas. The air and the liquefied petroleum gas as fuel are mixed in the mixing chamber 55 to become a combustible mixed gas.
This mixed gas enters a combustion chamber 57 containing a catalyst 56. The starter 59 generates a spark in the combustion chamber 57 by generating a high voltage to ignite the mixed gas. The control circuit 18 shown in FIG.
When the supply of gas to the combustor 32 is started, the starter 59 is operated to ignite the mixed gas. The power required to generate this high voltage uses the auxiliary power supply 22 shown in FIG. 1, and the voltage supplied from the auxiliary power supply 22 is supplied to the starter 59 via the supply line 60.

When a part of the mixed gas is ignited, the heat energy is transmitted to the catalyst 56, and the catalyst 56 is heated,
The temperature of the catalyst 56 rises and reaches the catalyst combustible temperature. When the temperature of the catalyst 56 reaches the catalyst combustible temperature, the entire combustion chamber 57 undergoes catalytic combustion to generate combustion heat.
The catalyst 56 uses a carrier that is formed by processing a heat-resistant material such as a metal or a ceramic into a honeycomb shape, a net shape, a fiber shape, or the like, and through which gas can pass. On the surface of this carrier, a metal catalyst made of Pt, Pd, Rh or the like is carried. At a temperature of about 200 ° C. to about 300 ° C. or more, these metal catalysts continuously cause an oxidation reaction when the mixed gas comes into contact with air. That is, 2
A temperature of about 00 ° C. to 300 ° C. or more is the catalyst combustible temperature. In this catalytic combustion, no flame is generated because the temperature is low. Usually, a catalyst temperature of 500
If the temperature is raised to about 600C to about 600C, the supplied fuel gas can be burned almost 100% catalytically. The heat energy generated by the catalytic combustion is supplied to the heat absorbing surface 31a of the thermoelectric element 31, as described above.

The exhaust gas generated by the catalytic combustion is discharged to the outside through an exhaust passage 58.

The heat exchanging section 33 is attached in close contact with the heat radiation surface 31b of the thermoelectric element 31. That is, the heat exchange section 33 is thermally connected to the heat radiation surface 31b of the thermoelectric element 31. The heat exchanging part 33 is composed of a heat conducting plate 61 thermally connected to the heat radiating surface 31 b of the thermoelectric element 31 and a heat radiating part 63. The heat radiating section 63 is provided on a lowering hand (strap) provided outside the housing 12. That is, the heat radiating surface 31 b of the thermoelectric element 31 is thermally connected to the heat radiating portion 63 provided on the lowering hand 62,
The heat is exchanged with the outside air through the air.

Hereinafter, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
When the user presses a start switch provided on the operation unit 14, the control circuit 18 starts operating. That is, first, the electromagnetic valve 24 is opened, and liquefied petroleum gas as fuel is supplied from the fuel tank 23 to the nozzle 52. Then starter 5
A voltage is supplied from the auxiliary power supply 22 to the starter 9, and the starter 59 is operated to generate a spark in the combustion chamber 57. Thus, the combustion chamber 57 starts catalytic combustion. When the catalytic combustion is started, the flame generated in the combustion chamber 57 is extinguished, and the flameless combustion is performed. The heat generated by this catalytic combustion is
The heat is supplied to the heat absorbing surface 31a on the high temperature side of the thermoelectric element 31, and the temperature of the heat absorbing surface 31a rises. On the other hand, the thermoelectric element 31
The heat-dissipating surface 31b, which is on the low temperature side, maintains the outside air temperature because the heat exchanging unit 33 attached to the heat-dissipating surface 31b contacts the outside air to radiate heat. Therefore, a temperature difference occurs between the heat absorbing surface 31a and the heat radiating surface 31b of the thermoelectric element 31. Due to the Seebeck effect due to this temperature difference,
The thermoelectric element 31 generates an electromotive force. The voltage generated by the electromotive force is supplied to the control circuit 18 and the auxiliary power supply 22 through an output line 64 serving as a power extraction unit. At this time,
The combustor 32 continues to generate heat while gas is being supplied from the fuel tank 23, but reaches a saturation temperature after a certain time due to a heat balance with heat radiation from the heat exchange unit 33. Therefore, the heat absorbing surface 31 of the thermoelectric element 31
The temperature of “a” and the temperature of the heat radiation surface 31b are constant, and the temperature difference between them is stable at a constant value. Therefore, the electromotive force generated in the thermoelectric element 31 is also substantially constant, and a predetermined generated power is always obtained. In addition, since the steady power consumption is smaller than the generated power, the surplus power can be used for storing power in the auxiliary power supply 22.

As described above, the power generation section 21 supplies power to the control circuit 18 and the auxiliary power supply 22 assuming that it has a sufficient power supply. Thus, for example, when a user makes a call or receives an incoming call,
The power consumed by the speaker 15 or the microphone 16 or the power consumed by the control circuit 18 can be supplied by the power generation unit 21.

When the electromotive force of the thermoelectric element 31 falls below a predetermined value or the power consumption of the circuit temporarily increases for some reason, the power stored in the auxiliary power supply 22 can be used. It is.

In particular, when the auxiliary power supply 22 is constituted by a secondary battery, a small-sized and large-capacity power storage can be performed, so that stable power supply can be performed for a long time. Further, if the auxiliary power supply 22 is constituted by a capacitor, the storage amount is small, but the durability against frequent charging and discharging is excellent. Therefore, the portable device 11 is suitable for a case where the type of the portable device 11 is a configuration using a drive circuit having a large fluctuation in power consumption.

At this time, according to this embodiment, the fuel tank 2
When the gas of No. 3 has been used up, the liquefied petroleum gas of the fuel can be supplied from the injection part 25 using a lightweight small high-pressure fuel cylinder (not shown) carried separately.

Further, according to the present embodiment, by carrying the fuel cylinder, the continuous use time of the portable device 11 as a telephone can be extended. That is, continuous use time can be extended without frequent battery replacement or charging work from an AC power supply.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the combustor 32 obtains combustion heat by catalytic combustion using the catalyst 56. Therefore, combustion heat can be obtained in a low temperature range without using a flame. Therefore,
Safety can be easily ensured and downsizing can be achieved. Further, since catalytic combustion is used, stable combustion can be performed even in the case of minute combustion, so that a small-sized combustor 32 suitable for required electric power can be realized.

In this embodiment, a heat radiating section 63 connected to a lowering hand 62 is used for the heat exchanging section 33. For this reason,
Since the position of the lowering hand 62 itself is not fixed, when the portable device 11 is used as a telephone, the radiator 63 is used when the portable device 11 is used.
However, the entire heat radiating portion 63 can come into contact with the outside air without being covered with the user's hand or face. That is, it is possible to easily keep the temperature of the heat radiation surface 31b on the low temperature side of the thermoelectric element 31 low. For this reason, the cooling efficiency is improved, the temperature difference between the heat absorbing surface 31a and the heat radiating surface 31b of the thermoelectric element 31 can be increased, and a larger power generation electromotive force can be obtained.

In this embodiment, the power generation unit 21 and the auxiliary power supply 22 are built in the portable device 11, but they may be provided on the outer surface of the portable device 11 as separate power units, for example.

In the present embodiment, a semiconductor material is used for the thermoelectric element 31, but a metal material such as Inconel-Constantan may be used.

In this embodiment, the combustion in the combustor 32 is automatically performed by the control circuit 18.
There is no problem even if it is performed manually.

(Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of this embodiment. In the present embodiment, the secondary battery 71
And a power receiving electromagnetic coil 7 for charging the secondary battery 71
2 are provided. The power receiving electromagnetic coil 72 can charge the secondary battery 72 from outside without contact.

In this embodiment, the portable telephone 11 is
It is stored in the storage case 73. This storage case 73
The housing 74 has an injection section 25 on the surface for injecting fuel into the fuel tank 23. Also, inside the housing 74,
A power generation unit 21, an auxiliary power supply 22, a fuel tank 23, and an inverter 30 for converting the power of the power generation unit 21 to a high frequency;
A power transmission electromagnetic coil 75 connected to the inverter 30 is provided. The power transmitting electromagnetic coil 75 is provided at a position facing the power receiving electromagnetic coil 72. The power receiving electromagnetic coil 72 and the power transmitting electromagnetic coil 75 function as a power extracting unit that extracts power of the power generating unit 21 having the thermoelectric element 31.

In this embodiment, the heat radiating surface 31b of the heat exchange section 33 is thermally connected to the housing 74, and exchanges heat with the outside air via the housing 74.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below.
In the present embodiment, the power generation unit 21 is provided inside the housing 74. Therefore, when the portable telephone 11 is housed in the housing case 73, the secondary battery 71 receives the power generated by the power generation unit 21 via the power receiving electromagnetic coil 72 and the power transmitting electromagnetic coil 75, which are power extraction units. Is charged.

That is, the electromotive force generated by the power generation unit 21 is converted into a high frequency of about 20 kHz by the inverter 30 and supplied to the power transmission electromagnetic coil 75. The power transmission electromagnetic coil 75 generates a high-frequency magnetic field corresponding to the high-frequency power. This high-frequency magnetic field links with the power receiving electromagnetic coil 72 provided opposite to the power transmitting electromagnetic coil 75. Therefore, the power receiving electromagnetic coil 72 generates a voltage corresponding to the electromotive force generated by the power generation unit 21. This electromotive force is supplied to the secondary battery 71, and the secondary battery 71 is charged by this electromotive force. When the charged amount of the secondary battery 71 reaches the limit, the control circuit 18 closes the electromagnetic valve 24 and stops the supply of the liquefied petroleum gas from the fuel tank 23.
That is, the power storage of the secondary battery 71 ends.

In this state, when the user takes out the portable telephone 11 from the housing case 73 in order to use the portable telephone 11, at this time, the secondary battery 71 has stored sufficient power. It is easy to make a call or answer an incoming call.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the portable telephone 11 is not used, the housing 7 of the housing case 73 is not used.
4, the secondary battery 71 can be charged. For this reason, the portable telephone 11
Can be used without increasing the size and weight of the device and without impairing the convenience.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the portable telephone 11
Is integrated with the storage case 73, charging is started at the same time as the portable telephone 11 is stored without any connection work, and the charging is automatically stopped at the time of use and can be easily taken out. It is possible to perform operations that are highly convenient.

Further, according to this embodiment, the housing 74 itself is used as a heat exchange means. For this reason, the housing 74 having a large surface area can be used as heat exchange means, good heat radiation characteristics can be obtained, and a large electromotive force can be obtained.

In this embodiment, the housing 74 is a special case that is slightly larger than the portable telephone 11. However, bags such as handbags, shoulder bags, backpacks, bags, clothing such as jackets, etc. By integrating with belts, it is also possible to use a larger surface area as a heat radiating means.

In the present embodiment, only the housing 74 is used as the heat exchange means. However, a device in which accessories having high thermal conductivity are attached to the housing 74 can be used as the heat exchange means. That is, the accessory part moves at random with the movement of the user, so that better heat radiation characteristics can be obtained.

[0044]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuel tank for storing fuel, a combustor for burning fuel taken out of the fuel tank, a thermoelectric element heated by heat generated by the combustor, As a configuration having a power extraction unit for extracting an electromotive force generated by a thermoelectric element, frequent battery replacement and charging work from an AC power supply are not required, and a lightweight portable device is realized.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the combustor has a configuration in which fuel gas is catalytically combusted by a combustion catalyst, so that combustion heat can be obtained in a low temperature range by flameless combustion, thereby ensuring safety. A portable device is realized.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the thermoelectric element,
A configuration that has a heat exchange section on the heat radiation side that comes into contact with the outside air outside the housing improves the cooling efficiency of the thermoelectric element on the heat radiation side, provides greater power generation and electromotive force, and achieves stable operation of portable equipment. Is what you do.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the heat exchange section comprises
As a configuration connected to a separately provided heat radiating portion, the cooling efficiency on the heat radiating side of the thermoelectric element is improved, a larger power generation electromotive force is obtained, and a portable device with stable operation is realized.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when the electromotive force of the thermoelectric element is equal to or less than a predetermined value, an auxiliary power supply is provided to back up the thermoelectric element. A portable device capable of supplying power for a certain period of time even when the device stops.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the portable device has a detachable structure, it can be continuously charged when the portable device is not in use, and is convenient even if the size and weight of the portable device increase. It is intended to realize a portable device that can be used without impairing the device.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the portable device is integrated with the housing case so that charging is started at the same time as the portable device is housed without connection work, and the housing case is removed from the housing case during use. Charging can be automatically stopped at the same time as the product is taken out, realizing a portable device that is easy to use.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a portable device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of the power generation unit.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of the thermoelectric element.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of a portable device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Portable telephone 12 Case 13 Display part 14 Operation part 15 Speaker 16 Microphone 17 Communication antenna 18 Control circuit 21 Power generation part 22 Auxiliary power supply 23 Fuel tank 24 Solenoid valve 25 Injection part 30 Inverter 31 Thermoelectric element 31a Heat absorption surface 31b Heat radiation Surface 32 Combustor 33 Heat exchange unit 41 Connecting electrode 42 Output electrode 43 Heat absorbing substrate 44 Heat dissipating substrate 45 n-type semiconductor 46 p-type semiconductor 52 nozzle 53 fuel supply pipe 54 intake passage 55 mixing chamber 56 catalyst 57 combustion chamber 58 exhaust passage 59 Starter 60 Supply line 61 Heat conductive plate 62 Lowering hand 63 Heat radiating part 64 Output line 71 Secondary battery 72 Power receiving electromagnetic coil 73 Housing case 74 Housing 75 Electromagnetic coil for power transmission

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 35/16 H01L 35/16 35/28 35/28 Z 35/32 35/32 A H01M 10/46 H01M 10/46 H02N 11/00 H02N 11/00 A F term (reference) 3K017 BA07 BB07 BC03 BC09 BC10 BD00 3K065 TB13 TC10 TD05 TK02 TK06 TM05 TP09 TP10 5H030 AA03 AA04 AA06 AS11 AS14 BB12 BB21 DD20

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A fuel tank for storing fuel, a combustor for burning fuel taken out of the fuel tank, a thermoelectric element heated by heat generated by the combustor, and an electromotive force generated by the thermoelectric element. A portable device having a power extraction unit. 2. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the combustor catalytically combusts the fuel gas with a combustion catalyst. 3. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric element has a heat exchanging section on the heat radiation side, which is in contact with outside air outside the housing. 4. The portable device according to claim 3, wherein the heat exchange unit is connected to a separately provided heat radiation unit. 5. The portable device according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary power supply for backing up the electromotive force of the thermoelectric element when the electromotive force is equal to or less than a predetermined value. 6. The portable device according to claim 1, further comprising a detachable secondary battery. 7. The portable device according to claim 6, wherein the portable device is integrated with the housing case.