JP2009224236A - Electronic device and battery pack - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic device in which an optimal non-contacted charging can be done to a secondary battery to be charged which is housed in a battery pack. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic device houses a battery pack 26 having a rechargeable battery 40 in a case, and receives a power supply from the rechargeable battery incorporated in the battery pack. The device includes a power receiving coil 48 composing a power receiving portion which conducts a non-conducting charging to the rechargeable battery housed in the battery pack, and the power receiving coil is connected with a charging control portion 44 composing the power receiving portion provided in the battery pack. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device that is supplied with electric power from a battery pack and a battery pack that can perform non-contact charging on the battery.

  Lithium batteries are small and can store large amounts of power, and are often used in small electronic devices. Lithium batteries are difficult to handle and are particularly susceptible to deformation and performance degradation during charging. There are also examples of accidents such as fever and rupture. In order to use without deterioration, it is necessary to charge the battery with an optimal method. However, the optimal condition differs depending on the battery manufacturer, and depending on the case, it may be different for each battery. The battery can be optimally charged by an individual charging method designated by the battery manufacturer, but in that case, it is necessary to set the charging method individually in the charger manufactured by the battery manufacturer, which is not practical. In general, the battery is charged by a charger other than that manufactured by the battery manufacturer, so that the battery cannot be optimally charged, and accidents such as battery deformation are likely to occur. Yes. On the other hand, there is a method described in Patent Document 1 as a method of incorporating all of the charging mechanism in the same pack as the battery.

In this conventional technology, a power receiving coil is housed in a battery pack, and a power receiving device is configured by the battery pack alone. It is configured to perform non-contact charging. If this is the case, each battery has its own battery charger, so optimal charging is possible.
JP-A-8-18636

  However, in the above-described charging device, since it is necessary to provide a power receiving coil for each battery pack, the cost of the battery pack increases, and particularly when a spare battery pack for replacement is owned, the cost burden is large. Become. Moreover, although further downsizing of the battery pack is desired due to downsizing of electronic devices, it hinders downsizing of the battery pack.

  Furthermore, there are many examples of using metals such as iron for the purpose of heat dissipation and mechanical strength enhancement as battery boxes for electronic devices. Modern electronic devices are required to have a high-class feeling. In order to cope with this, metal members such as aluminum and stainless steel are used for the appearance of the device. Thus, since the battery pack periphery is covered with metal, magnetic coupling with the outside becomes difficult, and non-contact charging cannot be performed. Therefore, in order to perform non-contact charging, the structure must be changed so that the periphery of the battery pack is not covered with metal, and it is difficult to design and the battery pack cannot be placed at an optimal position for downsizing the device. There is a problem of preventing the battery device from being downsized.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that can perform optimum non-contact charging without increasing the size of a rechargeable battery built in a battery pack to be loaded, and a built-in rechargeable battery. It is another object of the present invention to provide a battery pack that can perform optimal non-contact charging and can be reduced in size and cost.

  The electronic device of the present invention can be loaded in a case with a rechargeable battery and a battery pack that is electrically connected to the rechargeable battery and includes a charge control unit that controls a charging operation to the rechargeable battery. An electronic device that is supplied with electric power from the rechargeable battery of the battery pack loaded in a housing, and the charging is performed via the charge control unit in a state where the battery pack is loaded in the housing. And a contact member for electrically connecting the power receiving member to the rechargeable battery via the charge control unit in a state where the battery pack is loaded in the housing. It is characterized by providing.

  The battery pack of the present invention is a battery pack that can be loaded into a casing of an electronic device, and in a state of being loaded in the casing, the battery pack is not connected via a power receiving member provided in the electronic device. A rechargeable battery that can be contact-charged, a charge control unit that controls a charging operation to the rechargeable battery, and the rechargeable battery via the charge control unit in a state of being loaded in the housing, And a battery pack side contact electrically connected to the charging member.

  According to the electronic device of the present invention, optimal non-contact charging can be performed on a rechargeable battery built in a battery pack to be loaded without increasing the size of the device.

  Further, according to the battery pack of the present invention, the battery pack can be optimally contactlessly charged with respect to the rechargeable battery built in the battery pack, and the power receiving member is held on the electronic device side. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the battery pack. In addition, a charge controller that controls charging can be provided for each battery, charging can be performed under the optimal charging conditions for each battery, the risk of accidents can be eliminated, and miniaturization can be hindered. The battery can be charged soon.

  A camera according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the back surface of the camera according to the embodiment. The camera 2 includes a front cover 4 and a back cover 6 made of metal such as an aluminum sheet metal, and an upper surface portion 8, a side surface portion 10 and a bottom surface portion 12 sandwiched between the front cover 4 and the rear cover 6 (see FIG. 2). Is formed of a resin or the like which is a non-metallic material. Note that the front cover 4 and the back cover 6 may be made of a metal member plated with a resin member. Here, a power switch 14 and a shutter button 16 are provided on the upper surface portion 8 of the camera 2, and an LCD display portion 18 and an operation portion 20 are provided on the rear cover 6.

  FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the camera 2. A battery cover 22 is provided on the bottom surface 12 of the camera 2, and a battery pack 26 (see FIG. 4) is placed in a battery box 24 (see FIG. 4) formed inside the housing of the camera 2 with the battery cover 22 open. 6). FIG. 3 shows the position of the battery box 24 formed in the camera 2. In addition, a tripod hole 28 for attaching the camera 2 to a tripod is formed in the bottom surface portion 12 of the camera 2, and a power receiving coil 30 to be described later is disposed in an external member of the bottom surface portion 12 around the tripod hole 28. Has been.

  4 is a perspective view of the battery box 24 formed inside the camera 2, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the battery box 24. The battery box 24 is formed of a metal material to improve strength and heat dissipation effect, and is fixed to the inner wall surface of the front cover 4. The battery box 24 has an accommodating portion 24a for accommodating the battery pack 26 therein. Here, the battery pack 26 is loaded in the housing portion 24 a of the battery box 24 by opening the battery cover 22 of the bottom surface portion 12 of the camera 2.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a camera side + terminal 46a for receiving power supply from the battery pack 26 to the camera 2 is provided at a position facing the tip of the battery pack 26 loaded in the battery box 24. A terminal (contact) substrate 46 provided with a side T terminal 46b and a camera side terminal 26c is disposed. The substrate 46 is provided with two camera side coil terminals 46 d and 46 e that are electrically connected to the power receiving coil 30.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the battery pack 26. The battery pack 26 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a + terminal 26a, a T terminal (terminal for detecting the temperature of the battery) 26b, − on one surface serving as an insertion end when the battery pack 26 is loaded into the camera 2. A terminal 26c and two coil terminals 26d and 26e are provided. In the battery pack 26, as shown in FIG. 7, a lithium battery 40 that is a rechargeable battery, a battery controller 42 that functions as a safety circuit when the lithium battery 40 is charged, and a lithium battery 40. A charge controller 44 for charging is incorporated. The charge controller 44 performs charge control for optimally charging the lithium battery 40 built in the battery pack 26. A positive terminal 26a, a T terminal 26b, and a negative terminal 26c are connected to the battery controller 42, respectively. The charge controller 44 is connected to two coil terminals 26d and 26e.

  When the battery pack 26 is loaded in the battery box 24, the + terminal 26a, T terminal 26b, and-terminal 26c of the battery pack 26 are connected to the camera side + terminal 46a, the camera side T terminal 46b, and the camera substantially simultaneously with the loading. Each is connected to the side-terminal 26c. At the same time, the two coil terminals 26d and 26e of the battery pack 26 are connected to the two camera-side coil terminals 46d and 46e, respectively. Thereby, the power receiving coil 30 and the charge controller 44 are connected. The charge controller 44 of the battery pack 26 and the power receiving coil 30 provided in the camera 2 constitute a power receiving unit for performing non-contact charging on the lithium battery 40.

  When non-contact charging is performed on the lithium battery 40 built in the battery pack 26, the battery pack 26 is loaded in the battery box 24 inside the camera 2 and the camera 2 in which the power receiving coil 30 is disposed. The power transmission coil 50 of the charging device 52 constituting the power transmission unit is brought into contact with the bottom surface part 12, and non-contact charging is performed by exchanging electromagnetic energy between the power reception coil 30 and the power transmission coil 50.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which contactless charging is performed on the lithium battery 40 of the battery pack 26 loaded in the battery box 24 inside the camera 2. A protrusion 52a is formed on the upper surface of the charging device 52, and the power transmission coil 50 is built around the protrusion 52a. As shown in FIG. 9, the protrusion 52 a of the charging device 52 is inserted into the tripod hole 28 provided in the bottom surface portion 12 of the camera 2, and positioning with respect to the power receiving coil 30 is performed. As a result, the power receiving coil 30 and the power transmitting coil 50 are arranged to face each other, and non-contact charging to the lithium battery 40 is performed.

  According to the present embodiment, since the battery pack is provided with a charge controller that is a charge control unit other than the power receiving coil for non-contact charging, an optimal charging method for the rechargeable battery built in the battery pack Can be charged. In addition, since the power receiving coil for non-contact charging is provided in the camera, the power receiving coil can be installed at an optimum position, and efficient power transfer is possible. Furthermore, a receiving coil of any size can be installed according to the shape of the camera, and it is possible to prevent the area of the receiving coil from being insufficient. Moreover, since the coil can be installed avoiding the portion using metal, downsizing of the device is not hindered. Furthermore, since the power receiving coil is provided on the camera side, the power receiving coil is not required in the battery pack, the cost increase of the battery pack can be suppressed, and it is advantageous in terms of cost when a replacement battery is required. Furthermore, the battery pack can be reduced in size.

  In addition, since the power supply terminal and the coil terminal of the battery pack are arranged on the same surface, when the battery is loaded into the camera, the coil connection is performed at the same time as the power connection, and a troublesome operation at the time of loading becomes unnecessary.

  Further, since the power receiving coil is arranged around the camera tripod hole, the camera tripod hole can be used for positioning the charging device during non-contact charging. Moreover, since the receiving coil formed in a circle is installed around the tripod hole, there is a large degree of freedom in the installation angle of the camera during charging. Accordingly, the charging device can be easily positioned.

  In addition, recent electronic devices are required to have a high-class feeling, and even if a metal member such as aluminum or stainless steel is used for the appearance member of the device or a plastic is used for the appearance member, the surface has a high-class feeling. Although metal plating is applied, in the camera according to the above-described embodiment, the power receiving coil can be disposed avoiding the metal portion, and non-contact charging can be easily performed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the power receiving coil is arranged in a circle around the tripod hole 28. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the coil formed in an oval shape around the tripod hole 28 is provided. 60 may be arranged. In this case, a larger receiving coil area can be ensured.

  In this embodiment, an example in which a metal part or metal plating is used for the appearance is given. However, even in a device that does not use metal for the appearance, since the degree of freedom of the installation position of the receiving coil is high, the battery can be freely arranged. In addition, since the degree of freedom of the coupling method with a charger that performs non-contact charging is increased, the device can be downsized.

  In the above-described embodiment, a camera is described as an example of an electronic device. However, the present invention is not limited to the camera, and the present invention is applied to an electronic device such as a mobile phone, a PDA (personal digital assistants), and a portable audio player. can do.

  In the above-described embodiment, contactless charging is performed with the battery pack loaded in the camera. However, using a power receiving unit including a power receiving coil and a coil terminal, the coil terminal of the battery pack and the power receiving unit You may make it perform non-contact charge using the charging device of the above-mentioned embodiment in the state which connected the coil terminal.

It is a perspective view which shows the back surface of the camera which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a bottom view of the camera which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the position of the battery box inside the camera which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the battery box which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which loaded the battery pack in the battery box which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the battery pack which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the battery pack, receiving coil, power transmission coil, etc. which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the camera and charging device which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the positioning method of the charging device with respect to the camera which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the modification of the receiving coil which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Camera, 4 ... Front cover, 6 ... Back cover, 8 ... Top part, 10 ... Side part, 12 ... Bottom part, 14 ... Power switch, 16 ... Shutter button, 18 ... LCD display part, 20 ... Operation part, 22 ... Battery lid, 24 ... Battery box, 26 ... Battery pack, 26d, 26e ... Coil terminal, 28 ... Tripod hole, 30 ... Power receiving coil, 40 ... Lithium, 42 ... Battery controller, 44 ... Charge controller, 50 ... Power transmission coil 52 ... Charging device

Claims (11)

A rechargeable battery and a battery pack that is electrically connected to the rechargeable battery and includes a charge control unit that controls a charging operation to the rechargeable battery can be loaded in the housing, and the battery pack loaded in the housing An electronic device that is supplied with power from the rechargeable battery of the battery pack,
In a state where the battery pack is loaded in the housing, a power receiving member that performs non-contact charging with respect to the rechargeable battery via the charge control unit;
A contact member that electrically connects the power receiving member to the rechargeable battery via the charge control unit in a state where the battery pack is loaded in the housing;
An electronic device comprising:   The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the contact member electrically connects the power receiving member and the rechargeable battery substantially simultaneously with the battery pack being loaded in the housing. From the battery pack loaded in the housing, having a power contact for receiving power supply via the battery pack side power contact,
The said contact member electrically connects the said power receiving member and the said rechargeable battery substantially simultaneously with the said power supply contact being connected to the said battery pack side power supply contact. Electronics.   4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the power contact and the contact member are disposed on the same contact board.   5. A positioning member for positioning with respect to a power transmission member constituting a power transmission unit that performs non-contact charging with respect to the rechargeable battery is provided in the vicinity of the power receiving member. The electronic device as described in any one of. With a tripod hole for attaching a tripod,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the power receiving member is disposed in a peripheral portion of the tripod hole.   7. The electron according to claim 1, wherein the power receiving member is disposed so as to face a portion formed by a non-metallic member of the casing in the casing. machine. A battery pack that can be loaded into a housing of an electronic device,
In a state of being loaded in the housing, a rechargeable battery that can be contactlessly charged via a power receiving member provided in the electronic device,
A charge control unit for controlling a charging operation to the rechargeable battery;
A battery pack comprising a battery pack-side contact for electrically connecting the rechargeable battery to the charging member via the charge control unit in a state of being loaded in the housing.   The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the battery pack side contact electrically connects the power receiving member and the rechargeable battery substantially simultaneously with the battery pack being loaded in the housing. In a state of being loaded in the housing, the battery pack side power contact for supplying power to the electronic device via the electronic device side power contact,
The battery pack side contact member electrically connects the power receiving member and the rechargeable battery substantially simultaneously with the battery pack side power contact being connected to the electronic device side power contact. The electronic device according to claim 9.   The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein the battery pack side power contact and the battery pack side contact member are disposed on the same surface of the battery pack.

Images