JP2006345670A - Charger - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the exchange work of a charging terminal, and to inexpensively construct a constitution for the work. <P>SOLUTION: The detachable charging terminal 8 composed of a coil spring member comprises a first contact terminal part 8a, a second contact terminal part 8b, and a winding part 8c between the terminals. The detachable charging terminal 8 is detachably accommodated in a terminal commodation part 17 arranged at a body case 6, and held by a lid member 18. At this time, the first contact terminal part 8a elastically contacts with a fixed charging terminal 15 of a sub-board 19, and the second contact terminal part 8b is protruded forward from a slit 18a, and brought into a state that it can contact with a receiving terminal. The detachable charging terminal 8 can easily be drawn out and exchanged in a state that the lid member 18 is removed. A control device counts the number of times of charging, and notifies that the exchange time of the detachable charging terminal 8 has come when the number of the counts reaches the prescribed number of counts (ten thousand times). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention includes a mounting recess in which a portable terminal having a built-in battery is detachably mounted in a main body case, and supplies charging power to a power receiving terminal of the portable terminal in the mounted state. The present invention relates to a charger that performs charging.

  A portable terminal having a built-in battery (secondary battery), for example, a handy type bar code reader (bar code handy terminal), is used by being charged by a charger that also serves as a stand to be placed when not in use. Generally, this type of charger is configured to include a mounting recess in which a bar code reader is detachably mounted on a main body case, and is positioned on an inner wall portion of the mounting recess. And a charging terminal for supplying charging power in contact with the power receiving terminal of the barcode reader.

  By the way, in order to obtain a stable electrical contact state, the charging terminal of this type of charger is subjected to, for example, gold plating on the surface, but is repeatedly used (placement and removal of the barcode reader). As a result, wear progresses and gold plating is removed, leading to contact failure. Therefore, it is desirable to replace the charging terminal at an appropriate time before the contact failure occurs.

  However, in the conventional charger, the charging terminal is fixedly attached to the board on which the internal charging circuit is mounted by soldering or the like, and the main body case is disassembled for removing the charging terminal. The structure had to be done. For this reason, the replacement operation of the charging terminal is quite troublesome, and the user cannot easily remove and replace the charging terminal, and a dedicated service person periodically replaces the charging terminal. There has been a problem that maintenance is expensive.

On the other hand, for example, in a charger for charging a battery pack for a video camera, a terminal unit including a charging terminal is attached to the charger main body so as to be replaceable, and a plurality of types of terminal units are provided. It is considered to share a charger for different types of battery packs (for example, the position of a power receiving terminal) by preparing and selectively attaching them (see, for example, Patent Document 1). With the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the charging terminal is deteriorated, the terminal unit may be replaced with a new one, so that the user can replace the charging terminal relatively easily.
JP 7-335268 A

  However, in the structure of Patent Document 1 described above, the terminal unit is a connector for electrical connection with the charger body, and the charging terminal electrically connected thereto is integrated with an insulator (case). If the entire terminal unit is replaced with a new one when the charging terminal deteriorates, not only the charging terminal that needs to be replaced but also other parts are replaced together. As a result, there is a problem in that cost is wasted.

  In the conventional charger, since it is difficult for the user to know the degree of deterioration of the charging terminal and the replacement timing of the charging terminal could not be determined, the charging terminal eventually became defective after the contact failure occurred. There was a lot to replace.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a charger that can easily replace a charging terminal and that can be inexpensively configured. A secondary object of the present invention is to provide a charger that allows the user to easily know the replacement time associated with the deterioration of the charging terminal.

  In order to achieve the above object, a charger according to claim 1 of the present invention is housed and held in a fixed charging terminal which is fixedly provided in a main body case and supplies charging power, and a terminal accommodating portion provided in the main body case. In this state, the first contact terminal portion that elastically contacts the fixed charging terminal and the second contact terminal that can elastically contact the power receiving terminal of the mobile terminal and transmit the charging power to the power receiving terminal. A detachable charging terminal having a contact terminal portion, and a detachable charging terminal that is detachably attached to the terminal housing portion of the main body case. The main body case holds the detachable charging terminal in the terminal housing portion while being attached to the main body case. And a terminal holding member that makes it possible to remove the detachable charging terminal from the terminal accommodating portion in a state of being detached from the terminal.

  In this configuration, the detachable charging terminal is housed and held in the terminal housing portion with the terminal holding member attached to the terminal housing portion of the main body case. In this state, the first contact terminal portion of the detachable charge terminal elastically contacts the fixed charge terminal, and the second contact terminal portion elastically contacts the power receiving terminal of the portable terminal, thereby charging power. Can be transmitted to the power receiving terminal. On the other hand, when the terminal holding member is removed from the main body case, the detachable charging terminal can be removed from the terminal accommodating portion.

  Here, the second contact terminal portion of the detachable charging terminal may be deteriorated due to wear with the power receiving terminal due to repeated use (placement and removal of the portable terminal). By removing the terminal holding member from the main body case, the user can easily remove and replace the removable charging terminal from the terminal accommodating portion. Then, by attaching the terminal holding member to the main body case, the detachable charging terminal is held again and can be used as a charger. Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the charging terminal can be easily replaced, and only the detachable charging terminal needs to be replaced, so that the cost can be reduced.

  At this time, the detachable charging terminal is configured by providing a widened portion wider than the second contact terminal portion between the first contact terminal portion and the second contact terminal portion, and the terminal The holding member can be configured to hold the detachable charging terminal in the terminal accommodating portion by locking the widened portion (invention of claim 2). Thereby, the terminal holding member can hold the detachable charging terminal by locking the widened portion of the detachable charging terminal, and the configuration of the terminal holding member and the detachable charging terminal can be simply completed.

  Specifically, the detachable charging terminal can be constituted by a torsion coil spring member having a helically wound portion as the widened portion by bending the metal wire (invention of claim 3). Alternatively, the detachable charging terminal can be constituted by a leaf spring member obtained by punching a metal plate and bending the metal plate (invention of claim 4). According to these, using the spring force of the detachable charging terminal itself, it is possible to elastically contact the first contact terminal portion and the second contact terminal portion with the fixed charge terminal and the power receiving terminal, respectively. The detachable charging terminal can be made inexpensively with a simpler configuration.

  More specifically, the terminal housing portion is formed of a housing recess formed in a concave shape from the inner wall surface of the mounting recess of the main body case and the fixed charging terminal is disposed at the bottom thereof, and the terminal holding member is housed in the housing. It is configured as a plate-like lid member that detachably closes the opening of the recess, and the removable charging terminal is held such that its widened portion cannot be pulled out on the back side of the lid member, and the first contact terminal portion is While contacting a fixed charging terminal, it can comprise so that said 2nd contact terminal part may be projectedly arrange | positioned in the said mounting recessed part through the clearance gap formed in this cover member (Invention of Claim 5). ). According to this, while being able to complete the structure of a terminal accommodating part and a terminal holding member, the replacement | exchange operation | work of a detachable charging terminal by a user also becomes easy.

  Alternatively, the terminal accommodating portion is formed of a fitting recess that is further recessed from the inner wall surface of the mounting recess of the main body case and the fixed charging terminal is disposed at the bottom thereof, and the terminal holding member is placed in the fitting recess. It is configured as a box-like terminal case that is detachably fitted, and the detachable charging terminal is detachably accommodated in the terminal case and widened by fitting the terminal case into the fitting recess. The first contact terminal portion is in contact with the fixed charging terminal through a first gap formed on the rear surface of the terminal case, and the second contact terminal portion is held in the terminal case so as not to be pulled out. The contact terminal portion can be configured to project into the placement recess through the second gap portion formed on the front surface of the terminal case (invention of claim 6). According to this, the configuration of the terminal accommodating portion and the terminal holding member can be easily completed, and it is only necessary to replace the detachable charging terminal with the terminal case removed, so that the user can replace the detachable charging terminal. It becomes even easier.

  Further, at this time, if the terminal case is constituted by two divided cases configured to be coupled and separable, and the detachable charging terminal is accommodated and taken out in the separated state (claim 7). Invention), the removable charging terminal can be exchanged with the terminal case separated. Alternatively, if the terminal case is configured by providing an opening for inserting and removing the removable charging terminal on at least one side surface (invention of claim 8), the user can more easily replace the removable charging terminal through the opening. Can be done.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charger for supplying charging power in contact with a power receiving terminal of a portable terminal, a cylindrical metal holder having an open end, and a protruding and protruding direction in the holder. And a detachable charging terminal including a contact terminal portion movably accommodated in the body and a spring for biasing the contact terminal portion to protrude from the tip opening of the holder. The holder is characterized in that it is held so that it can be inserted and removed through a hole formed in the main body case.

  According to the above configuration, the detachable charging terminal can be easily attached to and detached from the main body case by inserting and extracting from the hole of the main body case, and the user can easily replace it. Since only the detachable charging terminal can be exchanged, the cost can be reduced.

  In the above-described charger according to the present invention, the placement detection means for detecting that the portable terminal is placed in the placement recess, and the placement of the portable terminal based on the detection of the placement detection means. A placement number counting means for counting the number of placements and a notifying means for notifying that when the count number of the placement number counting means reaches a predetermined number can be provided (invention of claim 10). According to this, it is possible to detect the number of times of placement with respect to the placement concave portion of the portable terminal, and hence the number of times of contact (sliding contact) of the detachable charging terminal with respect to the power receiving terminal, by the placement detection means and the placement count counting means. In this case, since the degree of deterioration of the detachable charging terminal is substantially proportional to the number of times of contact (sliding contact) with the power receiving terminal, the user can determine that the detachable charging terminal has been replaced by the notification means by appropriately setting the predetermined number of times. Can be notified.

  At this time, as the notification means, a function of notifying the mobile terminal or an external host device that the count has reached a predetermined number may be provided (invention of claim 11). According to this, even in the portable terminal or the external host device, it is possible to notify the user of the replacement time, and it is possible to reliably notify the user.

  Further, the above-described placement detection means can be configured to include an optical sensor (invention of claim 12). Thereby, it can be reliably detected by the optical sensor that the portable terminal is placed in the placement recess.

  Alternatively, if the mobile terminal is always charged in a state where the portable terminal is placed in the placement recess, the number of times of charging is considered to be substantially equal to the number of placements. May be configured to count the number of placements by counting the number of times of charging performed on the portable terminal (invention of claim 13). According to this, since it is not necessary to directly detect that the portable terminal is placed in the placement recess, a configuration such as a sensor for that purpose is unnecessary.

  More specifically, it can be configured such that the number of times of charging is counted based on the detection of the current detection circuit (the invention of claim 14), thereby simplifying the configuration.

  Furthermore, setting means for allowing the user to freely set the predetermined number of times may be provided (invention of claim 15). As a result, the user can set a predetermined number of times according to the actual usage situation (usage environment, usage frequency, etc.), and can notify a more appropriate replacement time according to the actual situation.

Hereinafter, several embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(1) First Embodiment First, a first embodiment of the present invention (corresponding to claims 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 13, and 14) will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 schematically shows the appearance of a barcode reader (barcode handy terminal) 1 as a portable terminal and a charger 2 according to the present embodiment for charging the same.

  Although not shown in detail, the barcode reader 1 is in the shape of a vertically long thin rectangular box, and a barcode or two-dimensional code is placed in a plastic case 3 that can be operated (held) by the user. And a known reading mechanism for optically reading and a control device (not shown) that is configured mainly by a microcomputer and performs overall control, decoding processing, and the like, and serves as a power source The secondary battery 4 (refer FIG. 3) which consists of a lithium ion battery as an internal battery is provided. A pair of left and right power receiving terminals 5 for charging the secondary battery 4 is provided in the lower part on the back side of the case 3.

  On the other hand, the charger 2 according to the present embodiment has a mounting recess 7 on the upper surface side of the plastic main body case 6. The mounting recess 7 has a rectangular shape that is slightly horizontally long when viewed from above, and is formed in a bottomed hole shape that is slightly inclined and recessed, and the bottom of the case 3 of the barcode reader 1 is different from the bottom of the case 3. By being inserted, it is detachably mounted (set).

  A pair of left and right charging terminals (a detachable charging terminal 8 to be described later) is provided on the lower part of the back side (the right side wall surface in the figure) of the inner wall of the mounting recess 7 described above. The detachable charging terminal 8 is made of, for example, a spring-like wire whose front end is bent in a “<” shape, and its front end portion (portion bent in a mountain shape) protrudes inside the mounting recess 7. Yes. In a state where the barcode reader 1 is placed in the placement recess 7, each detachable charging terminal 8 is elastically brought into contact with the power receiving terminal 5 to supply charging power. Details of the detachable charging terminal 8 portion will be described later. A lamp 9 made of, for example, an LED or the like that is lit during charging of the barcode reader 1 is provided on the front side of the main body case 6.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows the electrical configuration of the charger 2. Here, an AC adapter 10 connected to a commercial power source (not shown) is connected to the charger 2, and together with this, a board 11 (see FIG. 1) provided in the main body case 6 of the charger 2 is charged. A control unit 12, a charging current detection circuit 13, a control device 14, and the like are provided. Thus, the charging power (DC of a predetermined voltage) supplied from the AC adapter 10 is supplied to the charging terminal (fixed charging terminal 15 to be described later) and the secondary battery 4 of the barcode reader 1 via the charging control unit 12. It has come to be given. At that time, a charging current is detected by the charging current detection circuit 13, and the detection signal is input to the control device 14.

  The control device 14 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, a storage device, and the like, and outputs a control signal to the charge control unit 12 based on a detection signal from the charging current detection circuit 13 to control charging. It is like that. The control device 14 controls the lighting of the lamp 9 and an operation signal for the reset switch 16 is input. Further, as will be described later, the control device 14 realizes functions such as placement detection means, placement frequency counting means, and notification means.

  Now, the structure of the detachable charging terminal 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the charger 2 of the present embodiment, a charging terminal for contacting the power receiving terminal 5 of the bar code reader 1 to supply charging power is constituted by a fixed charging terminal 15 and a detachable charging terminal 8. It has become. Among them, the fixed charging terminal 15 is fixedly provided in the main body case 6, and the removable charging terminal 8 is detachably accommodated in a terminal accommodating portion 17 provided in the main body case 6, and serves as a terminal holding member. It is adapted to be held by a plastic lid member 18. At this time, a pair of left and right detachable charging terminals 8 are provided for one terminal accommodating portion 17 and lid member 18.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the detachable charging terminal 8 is composed of a coil spring member formed by bending one metal wire (spring wire). Specifically, the base end side (the right side in FIG. 1) of the detachable charging terminal 8 is a first contact terminal portion 8 a that is bent in a reverse letter shape and elastically contacts the fixed charging terminal 15. The front end side (left side in FIG. 1) is bent into a square shape to form a second contact terminal portion 8b that elastically contacts the power receiving terminal 5, and the intermediate portion thereof has the same diameter at the top. A spiral winding portion 8c that generates elastic force that elastically contacts the first contact terminal portion 8a and the second contact terminal portion 8b on the other side is formed. ing. In this case, the helically wound portion 8c is a widened portion that is wider than other portions. Note that at least the second contact terminal portion 8b of the detachable charging terminal 8 is plated with gold.

  On the other hand, the terminal accommodating portion 17 is configured such that the wall portion constituting the back side (right wall surface in the drawing) of the mounting recess 7 in the main body case 6 is recessed in the back (right side in FIG. 1). It is comprised from the accommodation recessed part comprised by the rectangular hole shape (rectangular box shape which the front surface opened) like the hollow in the rectangle. A partition wall portion 17a that extends forward from the bottom portion and divides the inside up and down is provided in the terminal accommodating portion 17, and the detachable charging terminal 8 is provided on the upper side partitioned by the partition wall portion 17a. The helical winding portion 8c is accommodated so that it cannot be pulled out. In addition, a convex portion 17b is integrally provided at the bottom of the terminal accommodating portion 17 to prevent the helical winding portion 8c from shifting in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in the figure).

  In the bottom wall portion (right wall portion in FIG. 1) of the terminal accommodating portion 17, the left and right sides where the distal end portions (portions of the squares) of the first contact terminal portions 8 a of the respective detachable charging terminals 8 are inserted. Two vertically long slits (not shown) are formed. A sub-board 19 is provided on the outer surface side of the bottom wall of the terminal accommodating portion 17, and the fixed charging terminal 15 is provided on the front surface of the sub-board 19 corresponding to each slit, for example, by a printing pattern. Yes. Of course, the fixed charging terminal 15 is supplied with charging power from the charging control unit 12 (substrate 11).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the lid member 18 is configured in a rectangular plate shape that closes the front opening of the terminal accommodating portion 17, and the second contact terminal of each removable charging terminal 8. It has two vertically long slits 18a as gap portions for projecting the tip end portion of the portion 8b (portion of the square shape) into the mounting recess 7 (forward). Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of guide protrusions 18 b that regulate the lateral displacement of the tip 8 d of the detachable charging terminal 8 are integrally provided on the back surface side of the lid member 18. A convex portion 18c is provided integrally with the convex portion 17b to prevent the helical winding portion 8c from moving in the front-rear direction.

  Further, the upper side portion of the lid member 18 is convex upward, and two left and right tongue pieces inserted from below into the insertion concave portion 17 c provided in the upper side portion of the opening of the terminal accommodating portion 17. 18d is provided integrally. The main body case 6 includes a slide lock member 20 that is positioned below the central portion of the lower side of the opening of the terminal accommodating portion 17 and that locks the lower side portion of the lid member 18 to be closed. It is provided to be operable in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the lid member 18 is attached to the main body case 6 by inserting the tongue piece 18d into the insertion recess 17c and operating the slide lock member 20 upward, so that the opening of the terminal accommodating portion (accommodating recess) 17 is provided. Is designed to be detachable.

  In the attached state of the lid member 18, the helically wound portion 8 c of each of the detachable charging terminals 8 accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 17 is displaced in the front-rear direction on the upper side of the partition wall portion 17 a in the terminal accommodating portion 17. It is accommodated in a state and held so as not to be extracted. At this time, the first contact terminal portion 8a of each detachable charging terminal 8 is in elastic contact with the fixed charging terminal 15, and the second contact terminal portion 8b is forward of the slit 18a (in the mounting recess 7). Thus, the power receiving terminal 5 can be brought into contact with the power receiving terminal 5, and charging power can be supplied by the removable charging terminal 8. When the user operates the slide lock member 20 downward, the lid member 18 can be unlocked and easily removed. In the detached state, the front surface of the terminal accommodating portion 17 is opened, and the detachable charging terminal 8 is removed. It can be easily taken out.

  In this embodiment, as will be described in the following description of the operation, the control device 14 has the barcode reader 1 mounted on the mounting recess 7 by the software configuration (execution of the control program). Is detected, and the number of times of mounting is counted and stored in a non-volatile memory, and when the count reaches a predetermined number (for example, 10,000 times), the fact is notified. . The predetermined number of times means that the mounting and removal of the barcode reader 1 are repeated, and the wear of the detachable charging terminal 8 (second contact terminal portion 8b) progresses so that the gold plating is removed. This is a guideline for determining the time when deterioration proceeds (appropriate replacement time before contact failure occurs), and is determined experimentally and empirically, for example, and is set in advance.

  At this time, in the present embodiment, it is not directly detected that the barcode reader 1 is placed on the placement recess 7 but by counting the number of times of charging performed on the barcode reader 1. , And the count of the number of placements. The number of times of charging can be counted based on detection by the charging current detection circuit 13. In this embodiment, the notification that the count has reached a predetermined number (for example, 10,000 times) is performed by blinking the lamp 9. Accordingly, the control device 14 and the charging current detection circuit 13 constitute a placement detection means and a placement count counting means, and the control device 14 and the lamp 9 constitute a notification means. In addition, when the reset switch 16 is operated, the count of the number of times of charging (the number of times of mounting) is cleared.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.
The charger 2 having the above-described configuration is used as a stand that is placed when the barcode reader 1 is not used. At this time, the barcode reader 1 is placed (set) so that the lower portion of the case 3 is inserted into the placement recess 7 of the charger 2, and in the placed state, the barcode reader 1 is connected to the power receiving terminal 5 of the barcode reader 1. On the other hand, the detachable charging terminal 8 (second contact terminal portion 8b) is elastically contacted by its own spring force, and charging power is supplied. In this case, charging is always performed except when the secondary battery 4 of the barcode reader 1 is fully charged.

  Here, as described above, with repeated use (placement and removal of the barcode reader 1), wear of the detachable charging terminal 8 may progress, leading to contact failure. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control device 14 counts the number of times the barcode reader 1 is placed on the placement recess 7 (here, the number of times of charging), and the count number is a predetermined number (for example, 10,000 times). When it is reached, the user is notified that it is time to replace the detachable charging terminal 8 with a new one. The flowchart of FIG. 5 shows a processing procedure for notification of the replacement time of the detachable charging terminal 8 executed by the control device 14.

  First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the reset switch 16 is turned on. The reset switch 16 is turned on by the user after the replacement work of the detachable charging terminal 8 described later is performed. When the reset switch 16 is turned on (Yes in step S1), In step S2, the value of the counter n stored in the non-volatile eyes is cleared to zero. If the reset switch 16 is not operated (No in step S1), the process proceeds directly to step S3.

  In step S3, it is determined whether the barcode reader 1 has been charged (started). This determination can be made based on the detection of the charging current detection circuit 13. When charging is detected (Yes in step S3), the value of the counter n is incremented by 1 in step S4. In the next step S5, it is determined whether the value of the counter n has reached a predetermined number of times (for example, 10,000 times) or more.

  When the value of counter n (the number of times of charging) is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times (Yes in step S5), a notification that it is time to replace the detachable charging terminal 8 is issued in step S6. This notification is performed by blinking the lamp 9 as described above. The user can know that it is time to replace the detachable charging terminal 8 with a new one by observing the blinking of the lamp 9, and the replacement operation can be performed promptly to generate a contact failure. Problems can be prevented in advance. Further, the user turns on the reset switch 16 after the replacement work, so that the value of the counter n is cleared to zero.

  Now, the replacement work of the detachable charging terminal 8 by the user is performed as follows. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the user first removes the lid member 18 from the main body case 6 (the terminal accommodating portion 17 portion). For this removal, the slide lock member 20 is operated downward to unlock the lower side portion of the lid member 18, and then the lid member 18 is slid downward to insert the tongue piece 18d into the insertion recess 17c. The lid member 18 can be removed forward while the second contact terminal portion 8b of the detachable charging terminal 8 is withdrawn relatively from the slit 18a of the lid member 18.

  In the detached state of the lid member 18, the front surface of the terminal accommodating portion 17 is opened, and the locking (holding) of the detachable charging terminal 8 is released, so that the detachable charging terminal 8 can be easily taken out by pulling it forward. it can. Then, after taking out the old detachable charging terminal 8, the user accommodates the new detachable charging terminal 8 in the terminal accommodating portion 17. The operation of accommodating the detachable charging terminal 8 in the terminal accommodating portion 17 is performed by aligning the leading end portion of the first contact terminal portion 8a with the slit at the bottom of the terminal accommodating portion 17 while positioning the partition wall portion 17a. This is done by accommodating the helically wound portion 8c on the upper side of the.

  Thereafter, the replacement work is completed by attaching the lid member 18. The lid member 18 is attached to the tongue piece portion 18d while the second contact terminal portion 8b of the detachable charging terminal 8 is relatively inserted into the slit 18a of the lid member 18 contrary to the above-described removal. Is inserted into the insertion recess 17c, and the slide lock member 20 is operated upward. As a result, the new detachable charging terminal 8 is held (locked) in the accommodated state in the terminal accommodating portion 17, and the barcode reader 1 can be charged.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the charging terminal includes the fixed charging terminal 15 and the detachable charging terminal 8, and the detachable charging terminal 8 can be attached to and detached from the terminal accommodating portion 17 provided in the main body case 6. The user can easily remove the detachable charging terminal 8 from the terminal accommodating portion 17 and replace it. Accordingly, it is possible to easily replace the detachable charging terminal 8 by opening and closing the lid member 18, and it is only necessary to replace only the detachable charging terminal 8, so that an excellent effect that the cost can be reduced can be obtained. Can do.

  In particular, in this embodiment, since the removable charging terminal 8 is held by the lid member 18, the configuration as the terminal holding member can be easily completed, and the removable charging terminal 8 is connected to the first and second contacts. Since the torsion coil spring member having the helically wound portion 8c as the widened portion is provided between the terminal portions 8a and 8b, the fixed charging terminal 15 and the power receiving terminal 5 are brought into elastic contact with each other by using their own spring force. Therefore, the structure of the detachable charging terminal 8 can be easily completed, and can be relatively inexpensive.

  In this embodiment, the control device 14 notifies that the number of placements has reached a predetermined number based on the detection of placement of the barcode reader 1 on the placement recess 7 and the count of the number of placements. Since the configuration is adopted, the user can easily know that it is time to replace the detachable charging terminal 8 due to deterioration, and as a result, the occurrence of contact failure can be prevented. In addition, since the configuration is such that the number of times of charging is counted as the number of times of mounting, there is also an advantage that the configuration for detecting the mounting of the barcode reader 1 with respect to the mounting recess 7 can be easily completed. it can.

(2) Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention (corresponding to claims 2, 4 and 5) will be described with reference to FIGS. In each embodiment described below, the configuration of the barcode reader 1 as a portable terminal and the basic configuration of the charger 2 (configuration other than the charging terminal portion) are the same as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, portions common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, new illustrations and detailed descriptions are omitted, and only different points will be described below.

  In the second embodiment, the configuration of the detachable charging terminal 21 is different from that of the detachable charging terminal 8 of the first embodiment. The detachable charging terminal 21 is constituted by a plate spring member formed by punching a single metal plate made of a plate spring material into a thin strip shape and bending it. At this time, the base end side of the detachable charging terminal 21 is bent into an inverted letter shape to be a first contact terminal portion 21a that elastically contacts the fixed charging terminal 15, and the distal end side is bent into a letter shape. The second contact terminal portion 21b that elastically contacts the power receiving terminal 5 and the intermediate portion that connects the first contact terminal portion 21a and the second contact terminal portion 21b is the first contact terminal portion 21b. A leaf spring that generates an elastic force that elastically contacts the contact terminal portion 21a and the second contact terminal portion 21b is formed.

  And the wide part by which the intermediate part which connects these 1st, 2nd contact terminal parts 21a and 21b in the shape of a curve in the upper part was constituted a little wider than these 1st and 2nd contact terminal parts 21a and 21b 21c. Further, the tip 21d of the detachable charging terminal 21 (further tip side of the second contact terminal portion 21b) is bent downward from the second contact terminal portion 21b, and this tip portion 21d is also connected to the widened portion 21c. Similarly, it is slightly wider. At least the surface of the second contact terminal portion 21b of the detachable charging terminal 21 is gold-plated.

  The detachable charging terminal 21 is detachably accommodated in a terminal accommodating portion 17 provided in the main body case 6 and is held by a plastic lid member 22 as a terminal holding member. At this time, although not shown in the figure, a vertically long slit through which the front end portion (the peak portion of the square shape) of the first contact terminal portion 21a of the detachable charging terminal 21 is inserted in the bottom wall portion of the terminal accommodating portion 17. Is formed in accordance with the width of the first contact terminal portion 21a. On the outer surface side of the bottom wall of the terminal accommodating portion 17, a sub-board 19 having a fixed charging terminal 15 with which the first contact terminal portion 21 a elastically contacts is provided.

  The lid member 22 is also configured in a rectangular plate shape so as to close the front opening of the terminal accommodating portion 17, and the distal end portion of the second contact terminal portion 21 b of the detachable charging terminal 21. It has two vertically long slits 22a as gaps for projecting the (mountain portion) into the mounting recess 7 (front). The slit 22a is formed with a width wider than the second contact terminal portion 21b and narrower than the width of the widened portion 21c and the tip 21d.

  In addition, a plurality of guide protrusions 22b for restricting the lateral displacement of the tip 21d of the detachable charging terminal 21 are integrally provided on the back surface side of the lid member 22, and the upper side portion of the lid member 22 is also provided. The left and right tongue piece portions 22c are integrally provided. Similarly to the above, the lid member 22 is attached to the main body case 6 by inserting the tongue piece 22c into the insertion recess 17c and operating the slide lock member 20 upward, so that the terminal accommodating portion (accommodating recess) 17 is provided. The opening is removably closed.

  In the attached state of the lid member 22, the widened portion 22c of the detachable charging terminal 22 accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 17 is accommodated in the displacement restricting state in the front-rear direction on the upper side of the partition wall portion 17a and cannot be removed. At this time, the second contact terminal portion 21b protrudes forward (inside the mounting recess 7) from the slit 22a so as to be in contact with the power receiving terminal 5 and supplies charging power. It becomes possible. When the user operates the slide lock member 20 downward, the lid member 22 can be unlocked and easily removed. In the detached state, the front surface of the terminal accommodating portion 17 is opened, and the detachable charging terminal 21 is removed. It can be easily taken out.

  Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the attaching / detaching charging terminal 21 can be easily exchanged by opening / closing the lid member 22, and only the attaching / detaching charging terminal 21 needs to be exchanged. It is possible to obtain an excellent effect of being able to. In addition, the configuration of the lid member 22 as the terminal holding member can be easily completed, and the configuration of the detachable charging terminal 21 can be easily completed, so that it can be made relatively inexpensively.

(3) Third and Fourth Embodiments FIGS. 8 to 10 show a third embodiment of the present invention (corresponding to claims 3, 6 and 7). In the third embodiment, the terminal housing portion provided in the main body case 6 for housing the detachable charging terminal 8 (torsion coil spring member) is constituted by the fitting recess 31 and holds the detachable charging terminal 8. The member is configured as a terminal case 32 made of plastic. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the fitting recess 31 is formed by forming a square hole in the main body case 6 and disposing the sub-board 19 having the fixed charging terminal 15 at the back thereof. The fixed charging terminal 15 is arranged at the bottom of the fitting recess 31 formed in a concave shape.

  As shown in FIG. 10 as a whole, the terminal case 32 is formed in a rectangular box shape that is detachably fitted into the fitting recess 31, and the inside of the terminal case 32 is the same as that of the first embodiment. The charging terminal 8 is accommodated and held. The terminal case 32 is configured by a front divided case 33 and a rear divided case 34 which are divided into two parts in the front and rear (left and right in FIG. 10) so as to be coupled and separable.

  In the rear wall portion (the right wall portion in FIG. 10) of the rear divided case 34, the distal end portion of the first contact terminal portion 8 a of each detachable charging terminal 8 is inserted and brought into elastic contact with the fixed charging terminal 15. Left and right vertical slits 34a are formed. In the rear divided case 34, a partition wall part 34b extending forward from the rear wall part and partitioning the inside up and down is provided, and a detachable charging terminal is provided on the upper side partitioned by the partition wall part 34b. Eight helical winding portions 8c are accommodated. Further, on the upper side of the partition wall part 34b, a convex part 34c is integrally provided to prevent the helical winding part 8c from shifting in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in the figure).

  On the other hand, the front split case 33 is located on the front wall portion, and the tip end portion (portion of the square shape) of the second contact terminal portion 8b of each detachable charging terminal 8 protrudes forward. Two vertically long slits 33a are formed as gaps for this purpose. Further, on the back surface side of the front wall portion, a plurality of guide projections 33b for restricting the lateral displacement of the tip 8d of the detachable charging terminal 8 and the spiral winding portion 8c between the convex portion 34c are provided. A convex portion 33c is provided integrally to prevent forward and backward displacement. Note that the front divided case 33 and the rear divided case 34 are joined by engagement between a claw and a recess formed in the abutting portion.

  Thus, with respect to the rear divided case 34 separated from the front divided case 33, the helical portion 8c of the detachable charging terminal 8 is accommodated in the upper space of the partition wall 34b, and in this state, the rear divided case By connecting the front divided case 33 to 34, the coiled portion 8 c of the detachable charging terminal 8 is held on the terminal case 32 so as not to be pulled out. At this time, the first contact terminal portion 8a of the detachable charging terminal 8 protrudes rearward from the slit 34a, and the second contact terminal portion 8b protrudes forward from the slit 33a.

  Then, the terminal case 32 holding the detachable charging terminal 8 in this manner is detachably fitted into the fitting recess 31 as shown in FIG. At this time, the left and right two tongue pieces 33d formed integrally with the front division case 33 are inserted from below into the insertion recess 31a provided in the upper side portion of the opening of the fitting recess 31, and The terminal case 32 is attached to the main body case 6 by operating the slide lock member 20 upward.

  In this attached state, the first contact terminal portion 8a of each detachable charging terminal 8 is in elastic contact with the fixed charging terminal 15 and the second contact terminal portion 8b is forward (inside the mounting recess 7). It protrudes and can be brought into contact with the power receiving terminal 5, and charging power can be supplied from the detachable charging terminal 8. Then, when the user operates the slide lock member 20 downward, the terminal case 32 can be easily detached from the fitting recess 31, and in the detached state, the split cases 33 and 34 are separated, so that the detachable charging is performed. The terminal 8 can be easily exchanged.

  According to this, the configuration of the fitting recess 31 as the terminal accommodating portion and the terminal case 32 as the terminal holding member can be completed relatively easily, and the terminal case 32 is detached from the body case 6 once. Since the charging terminal 8 may be replaced, the workability of the user's replacement work of the detachable charging terminal 8 is improved.

  11 and 12 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention (corresponding to claim 8). The fourth embodiment is different from the third embodiment in that the fitting recess 41 as a terminal accommodating portion and the plastic as a terminal holding member for holding the detachable charging terminal 8 made of a torsion coil spring member are used. The terminal case 42 is configured as described above. The fitting recess 41 is formed by forming a vertically long (narrow) square hole in the main body case 6 and disposing a sub-board 19 having a fixed charging terminal 15 in the back thereof.

  On the other hand, the terminal case 42 has a rectangular box shape with a width corresponding to the fitting recess 41, and in this case, the left and right side portions are open. And the partition wall part 42a which extends in the vertical direction and divides the inside into right and left is provided in the intermediate part in the left and right direction in the terminal case 42, and the shaft part that protrudes in the left and right direction on the upper part of the partition wall part 42a 42b is integrally formed. The shaft portion 42b corresponds to the inner diameter of the helically wound portion 8c of the detachable charging terminal 8, and the helically wound portion 8c is fitted therein.

  In the rear wall portion of the terminal case 42, the front end portion of the first contact terminal portion 8a of each detachable charging terminal 8 is inserted, and two vertically long slits 42c for elastically contacting the fixed charging terminal 15 are provided. Is formed. In the left and right edges of the front wall portion of the terminal case 42, a vertically long (narrow width) notch is formed in the middle portion, and the notch and the opening of the fitting recess 41 are formed. A gap 43 is formed between the left and right inner edges to project the tip of the second contact terminal 8b of each removable charging terminal 8 forward. In the terminal case 42, a plurality of guide protrusions 42d for restricting the lateral displacement of the tip 8d of the detachable charging terminal 8 are provided.

  In this configuration, with the terminal case 42 removed from the fitting recess 41, the first contact terminal portion 8a of the detachable charging terminal 8 is passed through the slit 42c from the left and right side opening portions, and the hang is performed. The detachable charging terminal 8 can be accommodated and held in the terminal case 42 by fitting the winding portion 8c into the shaft portion 42b. The terminal case 42 inserts the left and right tongue pieces 42e from below into the insertion recess 41a provided at the upper side of the opening of the fitting recess 41, and operates the slide lock member 20 upward. By doing so, it attaches to the fitting recessed part 41 of the main body case 6 so that attachment or detachment is possible.

  In this attached state, the first contact terminal portion 8 a of each detachable charging terminal 8 is in elastic contact with the fixed charging terminal 15, and the second contact terminal portion 8 b is forward (mounting recess) through the gap 43. 7) and protrudes into contact with the power receiving terminal 5. Then, when the user operates the slide lock member 20 downward, the terminal case 42 can be easily removed from the fitting recess 41, and the detachable charging terminal 8 held by the terminal case 42 in the detached state is It can be easily taken out from the side opening.

  Therefore, according to the fourth embodiment, the configuration of the fitting recess 41 as the terminal accommodating portion and the terminal case 42 as the terminal holding member can be made relatively simple, and the terminal case 42 is temporarily attached to the body case 6. The detachable charging terminal 8 can be exchanged in a state where it is removed from the battery, and the exchange work can be further facilitated.

(4) Fifth Embodiment and Other Embodiments FIGS. 13 and 14 show a fifth embodiment (corresponding to claim 9) of the present invention. In the fifth embodiment, a detachable charging terminal 51 having the following configuration is adopted as a charging terminal that contacts the power receiving terminal 5 of the barcode reader 1 and supplies charging power. That is, the detachable charging terminal 51 includes a metal holder 52 having a thin cylindrical shape with an opening at the front end (left end in FIG. 13), and a contact accommodated on the front end side of the holder 52 so as to be movable in the protruding and retracting direction. It comprises a so-called spring built-in terminal configured to include a terminal portion 53 and a coil spring 54 that is accommodated in the holder 52 and urges the contact terminal portion 53 to protrude from the tip opening of the holder 52. A constricted portion 52 a having a slightly smaller diameter is formed on the proximal end side portion of the holder 52. In addition, this kind of spring built-in terminal is used for a contact terminal (probe terminal) for an IC card, for example.

  The detachable charging terminal 51 is held so as to be inserted and extracted through a circular hole 55 formed in the main body case 6. At this time, a sub-board 19 having a fixed charging terminal 15 is disposed on the inner surface (rear surface) side of the main body case 6, and the sub-board 19 is made of a metal for holding the detachable charging terminal 51. A fixing spring 56 made of a leaf spring is provided. The fixing spring 56 is electrically connected to the fixed charging terminal 15, and its distal end is pressed so as to be sandwiched from above and below the constricted portion 52 a of the holder 52 so that the removable charging terminal 51 can be inserted and removed. At the same time, it is electrically connected to supply charging power.

  According to the fifth embodiment, the detachable charging terminal 51 can be easily attached to and detached from the main body case 6 by inserting and removing it from the hole 55 of the main body case 6, and the user can replace it. Since only the detachable charging terminal 51 can be exchanged easily, the cost can be reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be expanded and changed as follows. That is, in the above embodiment, the detection that the barcode reader 1 is placed in the placement recess 7 is performed based on the detection of the charging current detection circuit 13. For example, a reflection-type optical sensor may be provided at six portions (for example, a portion slightly above the charging terminal 8), and the placement of the barcode reader 1 may be directly detected. As a result, it is possible to reliably detect that the mobile terminal is placed in the placement recess 7. In this case, other sensors (switches) such as a micro switch and a reed switch can be employed as the placement detection means.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although notification which urges | exchanges the attachment / detachment charge terminal 8 was performed by blinking of the lamp | ramp 9, as notification means, methods, such as alerting | reporting by sound, such as a buzzer, or displaying a character on a display, are performed. Can also be adopted. Then, instead of (or in addition to) such notification in the charger itself, as a notification means, a function of notifying the mobile terminal or an external host device that the count has reached a predetermined number by communication May be provided. According to this, even in a portable terminal or an external host device, it is possible to notify the user of the replacement time, and it is possible to perform notification more reliably.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the predetermined number of times for performing the notification (determining the replacement time) is fixed in advance to, for example, 10,000 times, but setting means for the user to set the predetermined number of times is provided. It may be configured so that a predetermined number of times can be freely set by a user's key operation. Thereby, the user can set a predetermined number of times according to the actual use situation (use environment, use frequency, etc.), and can notify a more appropriate replacement time according to the actual situation.

  In the above embodiment, the user turns on the reset switch 16 after replacing the detachable charging terminal to clear the count, but for example, a switch for detecting attachment / detachment (opening / closing) of the lid member or terminal case to the main body case And the count number can be reset based on the detection of the switch. The structure for detachably attaching the lid member and the terminal case to the main body case is not limited to the one provided with the slide lock member, and various modifications are possible.

  In addition, the shape of the charger may also be of a type in which the portable terminal is placed horizontally in a mounting recess formed horizontally on the upper surface, and is described in the second embodiment. The detachable charging terminal made of the leaf spring member may be applied to the terminal case as in the third and fourth embodiments. Further, the present invention is not limited to the barcode reader, and is not limited to a bar code reader. The present invention can be applied to all portable terminals used for charging, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications within a range not departing from the gist.

1 shows the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a longitudinal side view of a charging terminal portion. Front view of charging terminal Block diagram schematically showing the electrical configuration of the charger Longitudinal side view showing charger and barcode reader The flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the alerting | reporting time of a detachable charging terminal FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. 2 equivalent diagram FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a third embodiment of the present invention. 2 equivalent diagram Vertical side view of the split case in the combined (a) and separated (b) state FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 2 equivalent diagram FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention. 2 equivalent diagram

Explanation of symbols

In the drawings, 1 is a barcode reader (portable terminal), 2 is a charger, 4 is a secondary battery (built-in battery), 5 is a power receiving terminal, 6 is a body case, 7 is a mounting recess, and 8 and 21 are detachable. Charging terminals, 8a and 21a are first contact terminal portions, 8b and 21b are second contact terminal portions, 8c is a helical winding portion (widened portion), 9 is a lamp, 13 is a charging current detection circuit, and 14 is a control device. , 15 is a fixed charging terminal, 17 is a terminal accommodating portion, 18 and 22 are lid members (terminal holding members), 18a, 22a and 33a are slits (gap portions), 21 is a detachable charging terminal, 21c is a widened portion, 31, 41 is a fitting recess, 32 and 42 are terminal cases, 33 and 34 are divided cases, 43 is a gap, 51 is a detachable charging terminal, 52 is a holder, 53 is a contact terminal, 54 is a spring, and 55 is a hole. Show.

Claims (15)

The main body case is provided with a mounting recess in which a portable terminal having a built-in battery is detachably mounted, and charging is performed by supplying charging power to the power receiving terminal of the portable terminal in the mounted state. A vessel,
A fixed charging terminal fixedly provided in the main body case and supplying charging power;
In a state of being housed and held in the terminal housing portion provided in the main body case, the first contact terminal portion elastically contacting the fixed charging terminal and the power receiving terminal are elastically contacted to receive the charging power. A detachable charging terminal having a second contact terminal portion capable of being transmitted to the terminal;
Removably attached to the terminal housing portion of the main body case, the removable charging terminal is held in the terminal housing portion in a state of being attached to the main body case, and is attached and detached in a state of being detached from the main body case. A battery charger comprising: a terminal holding member that enables the charging terminal to be removed from the terminal housing portion.   The detachable charging terminal has a widened portion wider than the second contact terminal portion between the first contact terminal portion and the second contact terminal portion, and the terminal holding member The charger according to claim 1, wherein the detachable charging terminal is held in the terminal accommodating portion by locking the widened portion.   3. The charger according to claim 2, wherein the detachable charging terminal is constituted by a torsion coil spring member having a metal wire material bent and having a helical winding portion as the widened portion.   3. The charger according to claim 2, wherein the detachable charging terminal is constituted by a leaf spring member obtained by punching a metal plate and bending the metal plate. The terminal housing portion is formed of a housing recess formed further in a concave shape from the inner wall surface of the mounting recess of the main body case, and the fixed charging terminal is disposed at the bottom thereof, and the terminal holding member is an opening of the housing recess. Is configured as a plate-like lid member that detachably closes the part,
The detachable charging terminal has its widened portion held on the back side of the lid member so that it cannot be pulled out, the first contact terminal portion contacts the fixed charging terminal, and the second contact terminal portion The battery charger according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the battery charger is configured to project into the mounting recess through a gap formed in the lid member. The terminal accommodating portion is formed of a recessed portion that is further recessed from the inner wall surface of the mounting recess of the main body case, and the fixed charging terminal is disposed on the bottom thereof. It is configured as a box-shaped terminal case that is detachably fitted inside,
The detachable charging terminal is detachably accommodated in the terminal case, and the widened portion is held in the terminal case so as not to be pulled out by fitting the terminal case into the fitting recess. The first contact terminal portion is in contact with the fixed charging terminal through a first gap portion formed on the rear surface of the terminal case, and the second contact terminal portion is formed on the front surface of the terminal case. The charger according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the charger is configured so as to protrude into the placement recess through the second gap portion.   The terminal case includes two divided cases configured to be coupled and separable, and is configured to accommodate and take out the detachable charging terminal in the separated state. Item 6. The charger according to item 6.   The charger according to claim 6, wherein the terminal case has an opening for taking in and out the detachable charging terminal on at least one side surface. The main body case is provided with a mounting recess in which a portable terminal having a built-in battery is detachably mounted, and in the mounted state, charging for supplying charging power by contacting the power receiving terminal of the portable terminal A charger comprising a terminal,
The charging terminal includes a cylindrical metal holder having an open end, a contact terminal portion accommodated in the holder so as to be movable in the protruding and retracting direction, and the contact terminal portion protruding from the tip opening portion of the holder. It is composed of a detachable charging terminal provided with a spring that biases the state,
A battery charger, wherein the holder is configured to be held so as to be inserted into and withdrawn from a hole formed in the main body case. A placement detection means for detecting that the mobile terminal is placed in the placement recess;
A placement number counting means for counting the number of placements of the mobile terminal based on the detection of the placement detection means;
The charger according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising an informing unit for informing when the count number of the mounting number counting unit reaches a predetermined number.   11. The charging according to claim 10, wherein the notification means includes a function of notifying the mobile terminal or an external host device that the count has reached a predetermined number by communication. vessel.   The charger according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the position detection means includes an optical sensor.   The charging according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the placement detection means and the placement count counting means count the number of times of charging performed on the mobile terminal, thereby obtaining the placement count. vessel.   The charger according to claim 13, wherein the charge count is configured to be performed based on detection by a current detection circuit. 15. The charger according to claim 10, further comprising setting means for allowing the user to freely set the predetermined number of times.

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