JP2009224202A - Secondary battery pack and its state display method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a secondary battery pack capable of easily recognizing a state of the secondary battery pack by a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: A thermo-reversible recording sheet material applied to a concealing label 3 serving as the outer package of a secondary battery pack is discolored during charging by a charger 2 and change its display by developing the color during the use of a digital camera 5. That is, in the charger 2, an "×" display 4 displayed on the thermo-reversible recording sheet material is erased in fully-charged time. Meanwhile, in the digital camera 5, the "×" display 4 is displayed on the thermo-reversible recording sheet material during detecting running out of battery power. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a secondary battery pack having rechargeable battery cells and a state display method thereof.

  Conventionally, it is difficult to determine whether a secondary battery pack has been charged or after use, especially when there are multiple secondary battery packs, it is easy to easily distinguish them individually It wasn't.

  In order to make this determination, conventionally, a secondary battery pack is added with a display function such as a circuit or an LED to perform detailed expression.

  Also, as a method that does not depend on the circuit, etc., a method is proposed that indicates whether the battery is charged or used by an identification marker that is provided on the bottom of the battery and that is displayed by engaging and engaging the charger engagement element. (See Patent Document 1).

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a conventional secondary battery pack. A knob 72 for displaying the state of charge is attached to the bottom of the secondary battery pack 71 in a slidable state. By sliding the knob 72, it is indicated that the battery is fully charged or used.
Japanese Patent No. 3416962

  However, the conventional secondary battery pack has the following problems. When a display function such as a circuit or LED is added to the secondary battery pack, the number of circuits is increased and complicated.

  Further, when the identification marker is provided on the battery bottom surface, the structure of the secondary battery pack becomes complicated, the manufacturing process increases, the cost increases, and the burden on the user increases. Similarly, in the case of display using a knob, the structure of the secondary battery pack becomes complicated and a mechanism space is required.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a secondary battery pack and a state display method thereof that can easily recognize the state of the secondary battery pack with a simple structure.

  In order to achieve the above object, the secondary battery pack of the present invention is a secondary battery pack having rechargeable battery cells, and a thermoreversible recording member is provided on the exterior or part of the secondary battery pack. It is provided, and the state of the secondary battery pack is displayed by changing color when the thermoreversible recording member is heated.

  The charger according to the present invention is a charger for charging a secondary battery pack provided with a thermoreversible recording member on an exterior or a part thereof, a charging means for charging the secondary battery pack, and the thermoreversible A heating unit that heats the recording member, and a control unit that controls the heating unit and heats the thermoreversible recording member to change color when the secondary battery pack is in a specific state. It is characterized by.

  The electronic device of the present invention is an electronic device that operates using a secondary battery pack provided with a thermoreversible recording member on the exterior or a part thereof as a power source, and heating means for heating the thermoreversible recording member; And a control unit that controls the heating unit and heats the thermoreversible recording member to change color when the secondary battery pack is in a specific state.

  The secondary battery pack status display system of the present invention is a secondary battery pack status display system that displays the status of a secondary battery pack that is used as a power source of an electronic device and is charged by a charger. A thermoreversible recording member is provided on the exterior or part of the secondary battery pack, and the charger includes a charging unit that charges the secondary battery pack, and a first heating unit that heats the thermoreversible recording member. And the first control means for controlling the first heating means and heating the thermoreversible recording member to change the color when the secondary battery pack is in a specific state, and the electronic device Controls the second heating means for heating the thermoreversible recording member, and controls the second heating means to heat the thermoreversible recording member when the secondary battery pack is in a specific state. And a second control means for changing the color And said that there were pictures.

  The secondary battery pack status display method of the present invention is a secondary battery pack status display method having rechargeable battery cells, and is a thermoreversible provided on the exterior of the secondary battery pack or a part thereof. A color developing step for displaying the state of the secondary battery pack by coloring when the recording member is heated under the first condition, and decoloring when the thermoreversible recording member is heated under the second condition And a decoloring step for displaying the state of the secondary battery pack.

  The secondary battery pack according to the present invention has a simple structure and can easily recognize the state of the secondary battery pack. In addition, attachment to a charger or electronic device can be easily performed with an operation that is not different from the conventional one. Furthermore, it can be made highly functional as compared with the conventional secondary battery pack.

  With the charger according to the present invention, it is possible to recognize that the secondary battery pack is in a specific state such as being charged during charging. According to the electronic device according to the present invention, it is possible to recognize that the secondary battery pack is in a specific state such as being discharged during the operation of the electronic device. According to the electronic apparatus according to the present invention, various specific states can be recognized.

  Embodiments of a secondary battery pack and a state display method thereof according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The secondary battery pack of this embodiment is applied to a secondary battery (battery) pack that is detachably attached to a digital camera.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the secondary battery pack and the charger in the first embodiment. The charger 2 has a battery chamber 2a in which the secondary battery pack 1 is accommodated, and charges the accommodated secondary battery pack 1. On the front surface 1 a of the secondary battery pack 1, a blind (sealed) label 3 for inspection terminals is attached.

  The blind label 3 is composed of a thermoreversible recording sheet material (thermoreversible recording member) as a thermoreversible recording material. When the thermoreversible recording sheet material is heated to 170 to 180 ° C. or higher and then rapidly cooled (first condition), the thermoreversible recording sheet material is colored (discolored). Further, when heated to a temperature exceeding 130 ° C. and held for several seconds (second condition), the thermoreversible recording sheet material has a characteristic that the color disappears (decoloration). When this color development and color erasing characteristics are compared, a large amount of energy is required for color erasing. Therefore, a charger 2 that can be driven by an AC power source is provided with a color erasing heater. On the other hand, since the color development is completed in several 10 to 200 ms as the time required for high temperature, the color development heater is the DC device side driven by the secondary battery pack 1, which is a digital camera in this embodiment. Provided on the side. The used “x” display 4 (see FIG. 4) is performed at a high temperature (about 180 ° C.) in a short time using the heater on the DC device side.

  Note that the “x” display 4 which is a specific symbol indicating that it has been used is expressed by the shape of the color developing heater provided at the position facing the thermoreversible recording sheet material. That is, as will be described later, other specific symbols may be used depending on the shape of the heater for coloring, for example, “◯” or “□” may be used.

  Further, the characteristics of the material of the thermoreversible recording sheet material are merely examples, and it is needless to say that the characteristics are not limited to the above characteristics. The materials of the thermoreversible recording sheet material are disclosed in JP-A-57-82087, JP-A-5-85046, JP-A-5-309940, JP-A-6-297842, and the like. Therefore, detailed description of these materials is omitted.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of the charger 2. FIG. 4A shows a state where the charger 2 is viewed from above, and FIG. 4B shows a cross section viewed from the direction of the arrow EE in FIG. In the figure, internal circuits and the like are omitted. A decoloring heater 21 for decoloring the blindfold label 3 is provided on the surface of the battery chamber 2a in which the secondary battery pack 1 is accommodated, facing the blindfold label 3 of the secondary battery pack 1. Yes. The heater 21 is driven by a circuit (not shown), is heated at about 160 ° C. for 1 second, and erases the “x” display 4 on the blindfold label 3. This heater position is a position facing the blindfold label 3.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing the front surface 1a of the secondary battery pack 1 in a state in which the blindfold label 3 is removed. The front surface 1a is provided with inspection terminal holes 31 and 32 used for inspecting a finished product. The inspection terminal holes 31 and 32 need to be covered in order to improve the appearance and prevent short circuit. For this correspondence, as shown in FIG. 4, it is common to attach a blindfold label 3. FIG. 4 is a view showing the front surface 1a of the secondary battery pack 1 in a state where the blindfold label 3 is attached. In this embodiment, the blindfold label 3 is made of a thermoreversible recording sheet material, and the charged and used states of the secondary battery pack 1 can be displayed.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the inside of the secondary battery pack 1 and the drive circuit of the charger 2. The drive circuit of the charger 2 includes an AC input 27, a filter circuit 28, a transformer 22, a heater switch 23, the above-described decoloring heater 21, a charge control unit 24, an LED 25, and an output terminal unit 26. Inside the secondary battery pack 1, the blindfold label 3, the protection circuit 17 and the battery cell (battery cell) 18 made of the above-described thermoreversible recording sheet material are provided. As the secondary battery, a lithium ion battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, a nickel cadmium battery, or the like is used for the battery cell 18.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a portion related to power supply monitoring of the digital camera 5 to which the secondary battery pack 1 is attached. The digital camera 5 is provided with a coloring heater 51, a heater switch 52 that drives the heater 51, a power supply unit 53 that monitors the voltage of the secondary battery pack 1, and a control unit 54 that controls each part of the camera body. It has been. The power supply unit 53 is connected to the protection circuit 17 in the secondary battery pack 1 and monitors the voltage of the battery cell 18.

  The charging operation of the secondary battery pack 1 by the charger 2 having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a charging operation procedure by the charger 2. This processing program is stored in a ROM (not shown) in the charging control unit 24, and is executed at predetermined intervals by a CPU (not shown) in the charging control unit 24. The charging control unit 24 corresponds to the first control means described in the claims.

  The charge control unit 24 first determines whether or not the secondary battery pack 1 is mounted via the output terminal unit 26 (step S1). When the secondary battery pack 1 is not attached, the charging control unit 24 ends this processing as it is.

  On the other hand, when the secondary battery pack 1 is mounted, the charging control unit 24 supplies a charging current to the secondary battery pack 1 via the output terminal unit 26 and starts charging (step S2). When charging is started, the charging control unit 24 lights the LED 25 in orange (step S3).

  The charging control unit 24 monitors the charging voltage of the battery cell 18 in the secondary battery pack 1 via the output terminal unit 26, and determines whether or not the battery cell 18 is fully charged (step S4). If the battery is not fully charged, the charging control unit 24 returns to the process of step S2. On the other hand, when the battery is fully charged, the charge control unit 24 turns on the LED 25 in green (step S5).

  Then, the charging control unit 24 turns on the heater switch 23 to drive a circuit (not shown), and heats the decoloring heater 21 at about 160 ° C. for 1 second so as to satisfy the second condition (step S6). The “x” display 4 of the blindfold label 3 is erased by the heat of the heated heater 21. Thereafter, the charging control unit 24 ends this process. The heater 21 corresponds to the first heating means described in the claims.

  Thus, the charger 2 is simply configured by adding a heater 21, a heater switch 23, and the like to a general charger. As described above, when the charging operation of the secondary battery pack 1 is started, the charger 2 performs orange display on the LED 25 during charging. When the charging reaches a predetermined amount, the charging control unit 24 changes the display of the LED 25 to green display, turns on the heater switch 23, and sets the blind cover label 3 of the secondary battery pack 1 for a predetermined time. The heater 21 is driven to reach a temperature. When the blind label 3 is heated by the heater 21 at about 160 ° C. for 1 second, the “x” display 4 is decolored.

  Next, the remaining battery level detection operation of the secondary battery pack 1 by the digital camera 5 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the remaining battery level detection operation procedure of the secondary battery pack 1 by the control unit 54. This processing program is stored in a ROM (not shown) in the control unit 54, and is executed at predetermined intervals by a CPU (not shown) in the control unit 54. The control unit 54 corresponds to the second control means described in the claims.

  First, the control unit 54 determines whether or not the remaining battery level of the secondary battery pack 1 is below a threshold value and is small via the power supply unit 53 (step S11). The processing in step S11 corresponds to a state determination step described in the claims. If the remaining battery level is not small, the control unit 54 ends this process. On the other hand, when the remaining battery level is very small, the controller 54 turns on the heater for color development 52 and heats the heater 51 at about 180 ° C. for 20 ms so as to satisfy the first condition (step S12). The heater 51 corresponds to the second heating means described in the claims.

  As described above, when the secondary battery pack 1 is mounted on the digital camera 5, the “x” display 4 is colored on the secondary battery pack 1 by heating at about 180 ° C. for 20 ms. Then, the control part 54 complete | finishes this process.

  In the secondary battery pack of the first embodiment, the thermoreversible recording sheet material applied to the exterior blindfold label 3 which is a constituent member of the secondary battery pack is erased when charged by the charger 2, and the digital camera When 5 is used, the color is changed to change the display. Thereby, the state of the secondary battery pack 1 can be determined. That is, the charger 2 erases the “x” display 4 displayed on the thermoreversible recording sheet material when fully charged. On the other hand, the digital camera 5 colors the “x” display 4 on the thermoreversible recording sheet material when battery exhaustion is detected.

  Thus, the state of the secondary battery pack can be easily recognized with a simple structure. In addition, it can be easily attached to a charger or a digital camera with the same operation as before. Furthermore, it can be made highly functional as compared with the conventional secondary battery pack. Moreover, the charged state and the used state can be recognized. Further, the state of the secondary battery pack can be easily understood by a specific symbol such as “x”. Further, by forming the blindfold label (sealing label) with a thermoreversible recording sheet material, it is not necessary to add an extra member to the secondary battery pack. Further, it is possible to recognize that the secondary battery pack is in a charged state during charging, and it is possible to recognize that the secondary battery pack is in a discharged state during operation of the digital camera.

  As described above, the state display system of the secondary battery pack makes the best use of the configuration of the conventional secondary battery pack, and when the state is determined by applying the display element to the secondary battery pack, at least two or more states are provided. Is displayed. As a result, it is possible to improve the usability with higher functionality than in the past.

  In the present embodiment, the determination of whether the battery has been charged or used has been shown. However, the display shape such as “x” display is arbitrary. For example, the display is not limited to the “x” mark, but may be a small “o” mark that has a simpler shape. Also, various specific states can be displayed by changing the shape and number of heaters, the display timing thereof, and the like. Moreover, various specific states can be displayed by changing the heated portion of the thermoreversible recording sheet material.

  Thus, not only the information on whether or not the battery has been charged but also other information can be obtained. For example, a plurality of small heaters are provided to change the timing of coloring and erasing. Thereby, it is possible to display a display in the middle of the secondary battery pack not being sufficiently discharged, for example, a state where there is about half capacity (remaining amount). Such a specific state can be arbitrarily set.

[Second Embodiment]
Although the case where the thermoreversible recording sheet material is applied to the blindfold label 3 is shown in the first embodiment, the case where the thermoreversible recording sheet material is applied to a rating display label is shown in the second embodiment.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the secondary battery pack according to the second embodiment. A rating display label 62 is affixed to the upper surface of the secondary battery pack 61. The rating display label 62 is colored with an “x” display 63.

  Although the charger is not particularly illustrated, its circuit configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a decoloring heater, a heater switch, and the like are added to the basic charging circuit. Further, the decoloring heater is provided at a position facing the “×” display 63 of the rating display label 62.

  Also, although not particularly shown for the digital camera, the circuit configuration of the part relating to the power supply monitoring is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a coloring heater and heater switch are added to the basic circuit. . The heater for coloring is provided at a position facing the “x” display 63 of the rating display label 62.

  As described above, also in the second embodiment, at least two or more states are displayed when determining the state by applying the display element to the secondary battery pack while maximizing the configuration of the conventional secondary battery pack. By doing so, it is possible to improve the usability and usability with higher functionality than in the past. Further, by forming the rating label with a thermoreversible recording sheet material, it is not necessary to add an extra member to the secondary battery pack. Further, as in the first embodiment, a small “◯” mark having a simpler shape may be used, and the same effect can be obtained in display of various states.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and any configuration can be used as long as the functions shown in the claims or the functions of the configuration of the present embodiment can be achieved. Is also applicable.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the thermoreversible recording member is colored on the electronic device (digital camera) side and decolored on the charger side. Conversely, the decoloration is performed on the electronic device side, and the charger Coloring may be performed on the side.

  In the above embodiment, the determination of the charged state and the used state has been described. However, as described above, the display shape has a degree of freedom. For example, by changing the shape and number of the heaters provided at the position facing the thermoreversible recording sheet material, and also the timing thereof, the heated part of the thermoreversible recording sheet material is changed, and other specified It is also possible to display the state. Moreover, the same effect can be obtained in various states of display by changing the display at other timings such as the remaining amount of 1/2 or 1/4, not limited to being charged and used.

  In addition, the electronic device to which the secondary battery pack is attached and to which power is supplied is not limited to a digital camera, and includes various devices such as a mobile phone and a notebook PC.

  In the above embodiment, one sheet material is used as the thermoreversible recording member. However, a plurality of sheet materials may be used. Further, the thermoreversible recording member may be provided as a member that is a part of the exterior and also serves as another application, or may be provided as a simple member in the exterior.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the heater was used as a heating means, the kind of heater is not specifically limited. For example, heating wire heaters such as iron chrome and nickel chrome, ceramic heaters, and the like can be given. Further, a laser light source can be used instead of the heater.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the secondary battery pack and charger in 1st Embodiment. 2 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a charger 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the front surface 1a of the secondary battery pack 1 in the state which removed the blindfold label 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows the front surface 1a of the secondary battery pack 1 in the state which affixed the blindfold label 3. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the inside of the secondary battery pack 1 and the drive circuit of the charger 2. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the part in connection with the power supply monitoring of the digital camera 5 with which the secondary battery pack 1 is mounted | worn. 5 is a flowchart showing a charging operation procedure by the charger 2; 5 is a flowchart showing a remaining battery level detection operation procedure of the secondary battery pack 1 by a control unit 54. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the secondary battery pack in 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the conventional secondary battery pack.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,61 Secondary battery pack 2 Charger 3 Blindfold label 4, 63 "x" display 18 Battery cell 21 Heater 24 Charge control part 62 Rating display label

Claims (12)

A secondary battery pack having rechargeable battery cells,
A thermoreversible recording member is provided on the exterior or part of the secondary battery pack,
The secondary battery pack displays the state of the secondary battery pack by changing color when the thermoreversible recording member is heated.   The thermoreversible recording member is colored when heated under a first condition to display the state of the secondary battery pack, and is decolored when heated under a second condition to cause the secondary battery. The secondary battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the state of the pack is displayed.   When the secondary battery pack is attached to an electronic device and heated by the electronic device when it is in a discharged state, it is attached to a charger and when the secondary battery pack is in a charged state, the charger The secondary battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the secondary battery pack is heated by heating.   4. The secondary battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the thermoreversible recording member changes color so as to represent a specific symbol by heating. 5.   5. The secondary battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the thermoreversible recording member is a sealing label for an inspection terminal of the secondary battery pack. 6.   The secondary battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the thermoreversible recording member is a rating display label of the secondary battery pack.   4. The secondary battery according to claim 3, wherein the thermoreversible recording member displays a specific state in addition to the discharged state and the charged state by changing a heated portion. pack. A charger for charging a secondary battery pack provided with a thermoreversible recording member on the exterior or part thereof,
Charging means for charging the secondary battery pack;
Heating means for heating the thermoreversible recording member;
A charger comprising: control means for controlling the heating means and heating the thermoreversible recording member to change color when the secondary battery pack is in a specific state. An electronic device that operates with a secondary battery pack provided with a thermoreversible recording member on the exterior or part thereof as a power source,
Heating means for heating the thermoreversible recording member;
An electronic apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the heating unit and heats the thermoreversible recording member to change color when the secondary battery pack is in a specific state.   The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the specific state is arbitrarily set. A secondary battery pack status display system that displays the status of a secondary battery pack that is used as a power source for an electronic device and is charged by a charger,
A thermoreversible recording member is provided on the exterior or part of the secondary battery pack,
The charger includes a charging unit that charges the secondary battery pack, a first heating unit that heats the thermoreversible recording member, and the first battery unit when the secondary battery pack is in a specific state. And a first control means for controlling the heating means to change the color by heating the thermoreversible recording member,
The electronic apparatus controls the thermoreversible recording by controlling the second heating unit that heats the thermoreversible recording member and the second heating unit when the secondary battery pack is in a specific state. A secondary battery pack status display system, comprising: a second control unit that heats and changes the color of the member. A method for displaying a state of a secondary battery pack having rechargeable battery cells,
A coloring step of displaying the state of the secondary battery pack by coloring the thermoreversible recording member provided on the exterior or part of the secondary battery pack by heating under a first condition;
And a decoloring step of displaying the state of the secondary battery pack by decoloring the thermoreversible recording member when heated under a second condition. .

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