JP2005228667A - Battery pack for portable electronic apparatus, and portable electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To replace and extend a battery pack without cutting off a power supply of a portable electronic apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: This battery pack 2 has a rechargeable battery; a first engagement means detachably engaged with a portable telephone body 1; a second engagement means detachably engaged with the other battery pack; a first terminal electrically connected to the portable telephone body 1 when it is mounted to the portable telephone body 1; a second terminal electrically connected to the other battery pack when the other battery pack is mounted; and a control part to connect the other battery to the first terminal, when the other battery pack is connected to the second terminal, and the power of the battery pack is not less than a fixed value, and to connect the battery of this own battery pack to the first terminal, when the other battery pack is not connected to the second terminal, or the power of the other battery pack is not more than the fixed value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a rechargeable battery pack and a portable electronic device that are attached to a portable electronic device such as a cellular phone.

FIG. 15 is an external view of a conventional mobile phone, FIG. 15 (a) is an external view on the front side, and FIG. 15 (b) is an external view on the back side. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the mobile phone shown in FIG.
In a conventional mobile phone, a replaceable battery pack 102 is fitted to the mobile phone main body 101 as shown in FIG. 15 during normal use, and the cross section thereof is a fitting rail of the mobile phone main body 101 as shown in FIG. 111 is fitted with a rail 121 of the battery pack 102. When the power of the battery pack 102 is cut off, the battery pack 102 is removed as shown in FIG. 17 and replaced with a charged spare battery pack 102 to enable intermittent but long-time use. As another method for enabling the mobile phone to be used for a long time, the power supply time is extended by attaching a large-capacity battery pack 103 to the mobile phone main body 101 as shown in FIG.

  However, in a conventional mobile phone, only one battery pack can be connected. Therefore, when replacing the battery pack due to a decrease in the remaining battery level, the use of the mobile phone is stopped and the battery pack cannot be replaced unless the power is turned off. There's a problem. In addition, if power is supplied from the AC adapter to the mobile phone body, long-time continuous calls can be made. However, the range of action is limited by the cable length of the AC adapter, and the range of action that is an advantage of the mobile phone is much better. There is a problem of sacrificing breadth and behavior.

  Therefore, a method of incorporating a spare battery into the mobile phone body (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) and a method of supplying power to the mobile phone body while charging the spare battery with the main battery (for example, Patent Document 3) has been proposed. In addition, a method has been proposed in which a plurality of battery packs are stacked and attached to the mobile phone body (see, for example, Patent Document 4 and Patent Document 5).

The applicant has not yet found prior art documents related to the present invention by the time of filing other than the prior art documents specified by the prior art document information described in this specification.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-149184 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-107027 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-009002 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-065776 Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2002-501657

  However, the method of incorporating the spare battery into the mobile phone main body has a problem that the mobile phone main body becomes large. In the method of supplying power to the mobile phone main body while charging the spare battery with the main battery, There was a problem that the battery was consumed quickly. In addition, in the method of stacking a plurality of battery packs and attaching them to the mobile phone body, since a plurality of battery packs are connected in parallel, when the power of one battery pack decreases, the power of other battery packs also decreases. However, there was a possibility that the battery pack could not be replaced unless the mobile phone was turned off. Note that the above problems are not limited to mobile phones, and occur in other portable electronic devices as well.

  The object of the present invention is to enable replacement or expansion of a battery pack without turning off the power of the portable electronic device, thereby allowing the portable electronic device to be used for a longer time without limiting the range of action. It is another object of the present invention to provide a battery pack for a portable electronic device and a portable electronic device that can quickly replace a worn battery pack.

The present invention relates to a battery pack for a portable electronic device that supplies power to the portable electronic device, and includes a rechargeable battery, a first fitting means that is detachably fitted to the portable electronic device, and the like. A second fitting means that is detachably fitted to the battery pack, a first terminal that is electrically connected to the portable electronic device when attached to the portable electronic device, and the other When the battery pack is mounted, the second terminal electrically connected to the battery pack, the other battery pack is connected to the second terminal, and the power of the battery pack is a constant value. In the above case, the other battery pack is connected to the first terminal, and the other battery pack is not connected to the second terminal, or the power of the other battery pack is constant. If the value is less than the value, the battery of the battery pack and the first battery pack In which a control unit for connecting the child.
The portable electronic device according to the present invention includes a third fitting means that is detachably fitted to the first fitting means of the battery pack for the portable electronic device, and the battery pack for the portable electronic device. A third terminal that is electrically connected to the first terminal when mounted.

  According to the present invention, by providing the first fitting means and the second fitting means in the battery pack for the portable electronic device, a plurality of battery packs can be stacked and attached to the mobile phone body. Further, by providing the control unit in the battery pack for the portable electronic device, it is possible to selectively supply power sequentially from the battery pack that is far from the portable electronic device. Thus, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to turn off the power of the portable electronic device when replacing the battery pack. In particular, when the portable electronic device is a mobile phone, the battery pack can be replaced without interrupting the call, so that the advantages of the mobile phone can be maximized. In the conventional method of stacking a plurality of battery packs and attaching them to the main body of the mobile phone, the power supply from the plurality of battery packs to the main body is not controlled, so the power of the battery pack closest to the main body of the mobile phone is consumed. There was a possibility. When the power of the battery pack closest to the mobile phone body is reduced, it is necessary to turn off the power of the mobile phone and replace the battery pack. On the other hand, in the present invention, since power is selectively supplied in order from a battery pack that is far from the portable electronic device, the power of the battery pack closest to the portable electronic device remains. The worn battery pack can be replaced without turning off the power of the portable electronic device, and continuous power supply to the portable electronic device can be performed. Further, according to the present invention, the power supply time can be selected depending on the number of battery packs to be connected according to the usage frequency of the user. Users who use less time and use less frequently can use the battery pack with a weight reduction and design-oriented use.

The present invention provides a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone that can be connected so that a plurality of battery packs can be stacked, and can selectively supply power in order from a battery pack that is far from the electronic device body. By doing so, it is possible to supply power continuously to the electronic device main body.
[First Embodiment]
1A and 1B are external views of a mobile phone according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is an external view on the front side, and FIG. 1B is an external view on the back side. The mobile phone of the present embodiment includes a first battery pack 2 that fits and is electrically connected to the mobile phone body 1, and a second battery that fits and is electrically connected to the first battery pack 2. The battery pack 3 can be attached. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the mobile phone shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, description of members and circuits other than rails and terminals described later is omitted.

3 is an external view of the back side of the mobile phone body 1 with the first battery pack 2 and the second battery pack 3 removed, FIG. 4 is an external view of the first battery pack 2, and FIG. 5 is a second battery. 3 is an external view of a pack 3. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a battery fitting rail (third fitting means) 11 that is fitted to the battery pack when the battery pack is attached is attached to the back surface of the mobile phone body 1. A battery connection terminal 12 that is electrically connected to the battery pack is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the first battery pack 2 is fitted to the rail 11 of the mobile phone body 1 on the first surface facing the mobile phone body 1 when the mobile phone body 1 is mounted. A rail (first fitting means) 21 and a terminal 23 electrically connected to the terminal 12 of the mobile phone body 1 are provided. The first battery pack 2 has a rail (second fitting means) 22 that fits with the battery pack when another battery pack is mounted on the second surface opposite to the first surface. And a terminal 24 that is electrically connected to the other mounted battery pack. The rail 22 has a structure equivalent to the battery fitting rail 11 provided in the mobile phone body 1, and the terminal 24 has a structure equivalent to the battery connection terminal 12 provided in the mobile phone body 1. It is what has. Therefore, the first battery pack 2 can be fitted to each other between the battery packs 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the second battery pack 3 has a rail 22 of the battery pack 2 on a first surface facing the first battery pack 2 when the battery pack 2 is attached to the first battery pack 2. A rail 31 to be fitted and a terminal 32 electrically connected to the terminal 24 of the battery pack 2 are provided. The rail 31 has a structure equivalent to that of the rail 21 provided in the first battery pack 2, and the terminal 32 has a structure equivalent to that of the terminal 23 provided in the battery pack 2. The second battery pack 3 has no rails or terminals on the second surface opposite to the first surface, so that no more battery packs can be connected.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the mobile phone body 1 can be fitted with one first battery pack 2, and the first battery pack 2 has one second battery. The pack 3 can be mounted. Further, since the first battery packs 2 can be fitted to each other as described above, the first battery pack 2 is attached to the mobile phone body 1 as shown in FIG. A plurality of first battery packs 2 can be stacked and mounted, such as mounting another first battery pack 2 on one battery pack 2, one on the first battery pack 2 on the top layer. It is possible to mount the second battery pack 3. FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a mobile phone when a plurality of first battery packs 2 are stacked and mounted.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing electrical connection between the mobile phone body 1, the first battery pack 2, and the second battery pack 3. FIG. 8 shows a case where a plurality of first battery packs 2 are stacked and mounted.
A telephone circuit 13 mounted on the mobile phone body 1 is connected to two terminals 12 on the positive electrode side and the negative electrode side, and receives power supply from the battery packs 2 and 3 through the terminal 12.

In the first battery pack 2, the positive electrode of the rechargeable battery 25 is connected to the positive electrode terminal 23 and the positive electrode terminal 24, and the negative electrode of the battery 25 is connected to the control unit 26. The negative terminal 23 and the negative terminal 24 are individually connected to the control unit 26.
In the second battery pack 3, the positive electrode of the rechargeable battery 33 is connected to the positive electrode terminal 32, and the negative electrode of the battery 33 is connected to the negative electrode terminal 32.

  The telephone circuit 13 of the mobile phone body 1 includes at least one phone circuit body 1 when only one first battery pack 2 is attached to the mobile phone body 1 or when a plurality of first battery packs 2 are attached. It is possible to operate in any case where the first battery pack 2 and one second battery pack 3 are mounted, and selectively power from the battery pack that is far from the mobile phone body 1 in order. The supply is to be received.

  In order to realize such selective power supply, the first battery pack 2 is provided with a control unit 26. The control unit 26 detects, for example, a voltage between the positive terminal 24 and the negative terminal 24 to determine whether another battery pack is connected to the terminal 24 (that is, opposite to the main body 1 side). At the same time, it is determined whether or not the power of the battery pack is equal to or higher than a certain value when another battery pack is connected.

  When another battery pack is connected to the terminal 24 and the power of the battery pack is equal to or higher than a certain value, the control unit 26 connects the negative electrode terminal 24 and the negative electrode terminal 23 simultaneously. By disconnecting the negative electrode of the battery 25 from the negative electrode terminal 23, the power of the other battery pack is transmitted to the mobile phone body 1 side. The control unit 26 connects the negative electrode of the battery 25 and the negative electrode terminal 23 when no other battery pack is connected to the terminal 24 or when the power of the other battery pack is less than a certain value. At the same time, the negative electrode terminal 24 and the negative electrode terminal 23 are disconnected to supply power from the battery 25 of the first battery pack 2 itself to the mobile phone body 1 side.

When a plurality of first battery packs 2 are stacked and mounted, the control unit 26 of each battery pack 2 performs the above-described control. In this way, it is possible to selectively supply power in order from the battery pack far from the mobile phone body 1.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, when one first battery pack 2 and one second battery pack 3 are mounted on the mobile phone body 1, the power of the second battery pack 3 is When the second battery pack 3 is removed as shown in FIG. 9A, the control unit 26 of the first battery pack 2 is connected so as to supply power to the mobile phone body 1 from its own battery 25. Since the switching is performed, it is possible to continuously supply power without turning off the power of the mobile phone body 1 even when only the first battery pack 2 is mounted as shown in FIG. 9B. .

  Further, in the state of FIG. 9B, before the power of the first battery pack 2 is used up, if the charged second battery pack 3 is attached and returned to the state of FIG. Since the control unit 26 of the battery pack 2 switches the connection so that power is supplied from the newly installed second battery pack 3 to the mobile phone body 1, the mobile phone can continue to be used in a state before the battery replacement, The consumption of the first battery pack 2 can be prevented. Further, when there is no spare second battery pack 3 and there is a charged spare first battery pack 2, it is possible to mount the spare first battery pack 2 as shown in FIG. It is.

  Further, in the case where two first battery packs 2 and one second battery pack 3 are mounted on the mobile phone body 1, even if the power of the second battery pack 3 decreases, Electric power can be supplied to the mobile phone body 1 by the first battery pack 2 that is far from the phone body 1. Further, when the power of the first battery pack 2 is also reduced, as shown in FIG. 11, the battery packs 2 and 3 are removed leaving only the first battery pack 2 closest to the mobile phone body 1, Can be exchanged.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when only one first battery pack 2 is attached to the mobile phone body 1, when a plurality of first battery packs 2 are attached, at least In any case where one first battery pack 2 and one second battery pack 3 are mounted, the power of the first battery pack 2 located closer to the mobile phone body 1 is reduced. If it remains, it is possible to replace the first battery pack 2 or the second battery pack 3 located farther from the first battery pack 2 without turning off the power of the mobile phone body 1. it can.

In order to charge the first battery pack 2, a charger may be connected to the terminal 23 side. As described above, the control unit 26 of the first battery pack 2 connects the negative electrode 23 of the battery 25 and the negative electrode terminal 23 when no other battery pack is connected to the terminal 24, so the terminal 23 is charged. If a battery is connected and nothing is connected to the terminal 24, the battery 25 can be charged.
In the present embodiment, the second battery pack is mounted on the first battery pack 2, but only the second battery pack 3 is mounted on the mobile phone body 1 as in the case of the conventional mobile phone. Needless to say, it may be attached.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the second battery pack 3 serves as a battery cover. However, a dedicated battery cover 4 as shown in FIG. 12 is prepared, and this battery cover 4 is shown in FIG. In this manner, the first battery pack 2 may be mounted. The battery cover 4 is provided with a rail 41 that fits with the rail 22 of the first battery pack 2 on the surface facing the first battery pack 2 when the battery cover 4 is attached to the first battery pack 2. The rail 41 has a structure equivalent to that of the rail 21 provided in the first battery pack 2. FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional view of the mobile phone when the battery cover 4 is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the first battery pack 2 is attached to the mobile phone body 1, and the battery cover 4 is attached to the first battery pack 2. When the first battery pack 2 is exhausted, the battery cover 4 is removed, and the charged spare first battery pack 2 is mounted on the currently used first battery pack 2. The battery cover 4 can be attached to the newly attached first battery pack 2.

In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, a mobile phone has been described as an example of the portable electronic device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other portable electronic devices may be used. You may apply. As another portable electronic device, for example, a PHS or a video camera can be considered.
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the rail is used for fitting the mobile phone body and the battery pack, fitting the battery packs, or fitting the battery pack and the battery cover. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and fitting with a hook, fitting with another locking mechanism, and the like are also conceivable.

  The present invention can be applied to portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, PHS, and video cameras.

1 is an external view of a mobile phone that is a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the mobile telephone of FIG. It is an external view of the back side of the mobile phone body with the first battery pack and the second battery pack removed. It is an external view of a 1st battery pack. It is an external view of a 2nd battery pack. It is an external view of the back side of a mobile phone when a plurality of first battery packs are stacked and mounted. It is sectional drawing of a mobile telephone at the time of mounting | stacking and mounting several 1st battery packs. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical connection of a mobile telephone main body, a 1st battery pack, and a 2nd battery pack. It is an external view of the mobile telephone which shows the state which removed the 2nd battery pack. It is an external view which shows a mode that a backup 1st battery pack is mounted | worn. It is an external view which shows a mode that a 1st battery pack and a 2nd battery pack are removed. It is an external view of the battery cover in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is an external view which shows a mode that a battery cover is mounted | worn. It is sectional drawing of a mobile telephone at the time of mounting | wearing with a battery cover. It is an external view of the conventional mobile phone. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the mobile phone of FIG. 15. It is an external view which shows a mode that a battery pack is removed. It is an external view of the back side of a mobile phone when a large capacity battery pack is mounted.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Mobile phone main body, 2 ... 1st battery pack, 3 ... 2nd battery pack, 4 ... Battery cover, 11, 21, 22, 31, 41 ... Rail, 12, 23, 24 ... Terminal, 13 ... Telephone Circuit, 25, 33 ... battery, 26 ... control unit.

Claims (2)

A battery pack for a portable electronic device that supplies power to the portable electronic device,
Rechargeable battery,
First fitting means for detachably fitting with the portable electronic device;
Second fitting means for detachably fitting with another battery pack;
A first terminal electrically connected to the portable electronic device when attached to the portable electronic device;
A second terminal electrically connected to the battery pack when the other battery pack is mounted;
When the other battery pack is connected to the second terminal and the power of the battery pack is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the other battery pack and the first terminal are connected, and the first terminal is connected to the second terminal. When the other battery pack is not connected to the terminal 2 or when the power of the other battery pack is less than a certain value, the battery of the battery pack of itself is connected to the first terminal. And a battery pack for a portable electronic device. A third fitting means that is detachably fitted to the first fitting means of the battery pack for a portable electronic device according to claim 1;
A portable electronic device comprising: a third terminal that is electrically connected to the first terminal when the portable electronic device battery pack is mounted.

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