KR101396757B1 - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

When the universal battery 33 is used, the battery changeover switch 20 having the remote controller is connected to the terminal a and the terminal b by the slider switch 20a and the terminal d and the terminal e Are connected. The terminal d and the terminal e are connected to the microcomputer 30 so that power can be supplied from the universal battery 33. [ At this time, since the terminal a and the terminal b are connected, the solar cell 12 is not connected to the microcomputer 30, and the terminal f is not connected, and the lithium primary battery 32 Is not connected to the microcomputer 30. [ As a result, the solar cell 12 and the lithium primary battery 32 are completely disconnected from the microcomputer 30.

Description

Remote controller {REMOTE CONTROLLER}

The present invention relates to a wireless remote controller for operating an electronic device.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a remote controller of a wireless system has been widely used for operating an electronic device.

It has been proposed to use a lithium primary battery capable of taking a relatively large current capacity, rather than a general-purpose battery such as an alkali-manganese battery, as a method for extending the effective period of use in a battery used in such a remote controller have. In addition, there is proposed a technique in which a solar panel (solar cell) is mounted to convert solar energy into electrical energy to assist power.

In the case where a battery which is difficult to replace such as a lithium primary battery is mounted, a technique for replacing a general-purpose battery such as an alkaline-manganese battery with a lithium ion secondary battery in order to suppress the serviceability and the lowering of the user's convenience has been disclosed For example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology for enabling a battery to be used in an emergency by mounting an alkaline primary battery in an exclusive sock under an environment in which a rechargeable secondary battery is mounted and power is supplied but charging is difficult . In addition, a diode is provided for the alkaline primary battery to prevent the reverse flow of current from the secondary battery.

In Patent Document 2, when the secondary battery which is charged by the solar battery is used as the main driving power source and the secondary battery which is the main driving power causes the exhaustion of the battery, the detachable external battery is mounted and used as the auxiliary driving source A technique related to an electronic device is disclosed.

In recent years, there has been a demand for a product with high serviceability, which is equipped with a function of extending the effective use period of the battery used in the remote controller, in accordance with the heightened environmental consciousness.

Patent Document 1 has a function that does not depend on the environment in which the rechargeable secondary battery is mounted and makes it possible to mount the alkaline primary battery in an environment where charging can not be performed. However, there are limitations on the number of times the secondary battery is charged, and when the limit of the number of times of charging is reached, the secondary battery needs to be replaced. Further, in the backflow prevention method using a diode, there is no diode that does not leak at all, so if it is used in that state for a long time, there is a possibility that the allowable amount of the charging current may be exceeded.

In Patent Document 2, when the secondary battery to be charged by the solar battery is overdischarged and the battery is completely consumed, the external battery is loaded, and the external battery is connected to the circuit by using the switch, Since the secondary battery which is charged with the solar battery as the main driving power source is used, there is necessarily an over discharge of the secondary battery when the power generation amount in the solar battery is not sufficiently obtained, that is, the so-called full consumption of the battery, It is thought that the situation becomes unusable. In this case, an external battery can be used as an emergency, but an external battery must be connected frequently.

Further, in a case where the frequency of use of electronic equipment is high, in an indoor condition in which a sufficient amount of power generation using solar cells can not be obtained, it is also assumed that the amount of power generated by the solar cell is always insufficient. In this case, The universal battery is repeatedly used in the life of the battery. In this way, inconvenience is caused to the user and it is not preferable to the environment at the same time. Also, since the guarantee of the memory effect and the number of times of charging and discharging is relatively short, the use of the secondary battery and the use frequency of the external battery are promoted.

Further, in Patent Document 2, it is not necessary to install the external battery for a relatively long time when the frequency of use of the electronic device is small and the amount of generated power of the solar cell is sufficient, but the frequency of using the changeover switch may be reduced. In this case, although it depends on the use environment of the electronic device, for example, in a region where there is a lot of moisture, particularly in a region where salinity is large, such as a coastal region, rust is easily generated. There is a possibility that electronic devices can not be used due to contact failure due to the generation of rust.

Japanese Patent No. 3642769 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-325840

As described above, in the battery used in the remote controller, a method of incorporating a lithium primary battery capable of taking a relatively large current capacity, rather than a general-purpose battery such as an alkaline-manganese battery, have. However, in the case of incorporating a lithium primary battery, it is difficult to replace the lithium primary battery as described above, so that it is necessary to prolong the effective use period, and a universal battery for suppressing a decrease in user convenience can be used There was a problem that the apparatus needed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote controller equipped with an alternative use mechanism of a general-purpose battery while prolonging an effective use period of the built-in primary battery .

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a remote controller having a lithium primary battery and a solar battery for use with the lithium primary battery, the remote controller comprising: insertion means for inserting the universal battery into the remote controller; A battery switching means for switching the lithium primary battery and the solar battery to the general purpose battery; and when the battery switching means switches the lithium primary battery and the solar battery to the universal battery, And disconnecting the battery and the solar cell from each other.

Further, the present invention provides a remote controller having a primary battery and a solar battery for use with the primary battery, the remote controller comprising: display means for displaying the operation contents of the remote controller; And control means for executing control for shifting to the standby mode when used and for stopping the display of the display means when shifting to the standby mode.

The present invention also provides a remote controller having a built-in primary battery and a solar battery for use with the primary battery, wherein the remote controller includes insertion means for inserting the universal battery into the remote controller, The third power supply circuit to which the universal battery inserted into the inserting means is connected is disconnected when the first power supply circuit connected to the primary battery and the second power supply circuit connected to the solar battery are disconnected .

According to the present invention, inserting means for inserting a general-purpose battery is provided instead of a built-in primary battery, which is difficult to replace, so that it is possible to prevent the battery from becoming inoperable due to the complete consumption of the battery, thereby improving serviceability.

In addition, by stopping the display of the display means in the standby mode, it is possible to reduce the load current of the built-in primary battery, thereby prolonging the effective use period of the primary battery.

Further, when switching from the primary cell and the solar cell to the general-purpose battery, the connection between the primary cell and the solar cell is cut off, thereby preventing the charging current to the general-purpose battery.

Industrial Applicability The present invention can provide a remote controller having an alternative use mechanism for a general-purpose battery while prolonging an effective use period of the built-in primary battery.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of an air conditioner controlled by a remote controller according to the embodiment.
2 is a front view showing the appearance of the remote controller.
3 is a rear view showing the appearance of the remote controller.
4 is a side view showing the appearance of the remote controller.
5 is a side sectional view of the remote controller.
6 is a view showing the battery socket of the remote controller.
7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a transmitting / receiving unit of a remote controller.
8 is a circuit diagram showing a control configuration of the remote controller.
Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the circuit configuration of the battery changeover switch and its periphery.
Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the circuit configuration of the battery changeover switch and its surroundings.
11 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration as a comparative example.

Hereinafter, a remote controller according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of an air conditioner controlled by a remote controller according to the present embodiment. The air conditioner (1) is constituted by connecting an indoor unit (2) and an outdoor unit (3) via a connection pipe (4) to air condition the room. 1, an indoor transceiver 7 for receiving an infrared operation signal from a separate remote controller 5 is provided at a lower right end portion of the upper right portion of the indoor unit 2 shown in Fig. That is, the remote controller 5 can operate the air conditioner 1 through the indoor transceiver 7 provided in the indoor unit 2. [

<Explanation of remote controller>

Next, the overall configuration of the remote controller 5 according to the present embodiment will be described using FIG. 2 to FIG. Fig. 2 is a front view showing the appearance of the remote controller 5. Fig. 3 is a rear view showing the appearance of the remote controller 5. Fig. Fig. 4 is a side view showing the appearance of the remote controller 5. Fig. 5 is a side sectional view of the remote controller 5. Fig. 6 is a view showing the battery socket of the remote controller 5. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a transmitting / receiving unit of the remote controller 5. As shown in Fig.

2, the remote controller 5 includes an operation button 10 for making an operation instruction, a liquid crystal display screen (LCD module) 11 for displaying operation contents, a solar cell [ Panel 12), and a remote controller transceiver 13 covered with a light-receiving cover 13a for bidirectionally communicating with the indoor transceiver 7.

As shown in Fig. 3, a battery socket cover 14 is provided on the back surface of the remote controller 5. As shown in Fig.

As shown in Fig. 4, the remote controller 5 has a finger holding portion 34 at a substantially central portion of its back surface.

As shown in Fig. 5, the remote controller 5 incorporates a lithium primary battery 32, which is a battery which is difficult to replace. The remote controller 5 is provided with a battery socket 15 for inserting a general-purpose battery and an attention tag 35 inside the cover 15 covered by the battery socket cover 14.

6 shows a state in which the battery socket cover 14 (see Fig. 3) is removed. Battery connection terminals 16, 17, 18, 19 are provided in the battery socket 15 , So that the user can easily replace the battery. A general-purpose battery, for example, an alkaline-manganese dry cell, is inserted into the battery socket 15 so as to be supplied as a power source for the remote controller 5. [ The general-purpose battery is generally commercially available, for example, at a convenience store such as a three-cell battery or a four-cell battery.

In addition, a battery changeover switch 20 is provided in the vicinity of the battery socket 15.

Further, the caution sign 35 shown in Fig. 5 is disposed in the battery socket 15 so as to be read by the user when the battery case cover 14 is opened. The sticker 35 of this state is used for inserting the universal battery in spite of the use of the battery changeover switch 20 when the universal battery is inserted into the battery socket 15 and the use of the lithium primary battery 32 (A means for promoting use of the universal battery and a method of promoting attention).

7 is a diagram showing a configuration of the remote controller transmitting / receiving unit 13 of the remote controller 5. As shown in Fig. Fig. 7 is a diagram of the remote controller 5 shown in Fig. 2 viewed from the arrow A direction. The remote controller transmitting and receiving section 13 includes an infrared ray receiving element 21 and an infrared ray emitting diode 22. [ A room temperature thermistor 23 for detecting a room temperature is mounted in the vicinity of the remote controller transmitting and receiving section 13 so that the room temperature around the remote controller 5 can be detected from time to time.

Fig. 8 is a circuit diagram showing a control configuration of the remote controller 5. As shown in Fig. The remote controller 5 is provided with a microcomputer 30 for controlling the entire system. To the microcomputer 30, an operation button 10, a liquid crystal display screen (LCD module) 11, and a transmission circuit 31 are connected.

Power is supplied from the lithium primary battery 32 and the solar cell 12 to the microcomputer 30. The lithium primary battery 32 is connected to the microcomputer 32 via a diode 44 and a diode 43 connected in parallel with the battery changeover switch 20, the diode 41, the boosting circuit 42, (30), and supplies power to the microcomputer (30) (first power supply circuit).

The transmission circuit 31 is supplied with power directly from the lithium primary battery 32 because a large current of about 500 mA flows. The boost circuit 42 is used in the first power supply circuit connected to the microcomputer 30 so as not to be affected by the voltage drop of the lithium primary battery 32 by the transmission circuit 31. [

The solar cell 12 is connected to the microcomputer 30 through a charging capacitor 51, a regulator 52, a battery changeover switch 20 and a diode 53 to supply power to the microcomputer 30 (Second power supply circuit). The diode OR circuit 50 is constituted by the diode 44 and the diode 53 and power is supplied to the microcomputer 30 from the side of the lithium primary battery 32 or the solar cell 12 having the high DC voltage .

The battery changeover switch 20 has six terminals a, b, c, d, e, and f. The battery switch 20 has a gold contact point between the terminals and the slider switch 20a contacting each terminal, (Two circuits and two contacts) capable of switching at the same time.

Quot; normal time &quot; The battery switch 20 is connected to the terminal b and the terminal c by the slider switch 20a and the terminal e and the terminal f are connected to each other have. That is, since the terminal b and the terminal c are connected to each other, the microcomputer 30 can supply electric power from the solar cell 12 and the terminal e and the terminal f are connected to each other The power supply from the lithium primary battery 32 is enabled.

As shown in Fig. 8, the power for operating the remote controller 5 is supplied by using the lithium primary battery 32 as the main power source and the solar battery 12 in combination. In addition, at the time of normal operation, the battery socket 15 is empty as shown in Fig.

Such a configuration is advantageous in that when the indoor lighting using the remote controller 5 is high and the power generation amount of the solar cell 12 can be sufficiently secured, a part of the load current, for example, The load current of the solar cell 12 is burdened by the load current of the lithium primary battery 32 and the battery life of the lithium primary battery 32 is extended without supplying power from the lithium primary battery 32. [

In order to extend the battery life of the lithium primary battery 32, the microcomputer 30 stops displaying the liquid crystal display screen 11 when the remote controller 5 is not used, i.e., in the standby mode, Is controlled.

Here, the setting to shift to the standby mode is shifted to the standby mode by detecting the unused state, for example, when the operation button 10 is not input for three hours. The setting for shifting to the standby mode is not limited to three hours, but may be set in units of one day, two days, three days, or in units of hours or minutes. , It is only necessary to be able to shift to the energy saving mode.

It is also possible to allow the remote controller 5 to detect a change in capacitance, that is, to detect whether or not a human hand has touched the remote controller 5, May be set. Further, a lid may be provided on the remote controller 5, and the transition of the standby mode may be set by opening and closing the lid.

The configuration in which the lithium primary battery 32 is used as the main power supply and the solar battery 12 is used in combination is that even when the illumination intensity of the room is low and the power generation amount of the solar battery 12 is insufficient, Is not rendered unusable so as not to limit the use of the air conditioner 1, thereby achieving the user's convenience as much as possible.

In general, a small amount of charge current is recognized for a lithium primary battery, but there is a limit, so it is necessary to reduce the charge current as much as possible. 8 of the present embodiment is characterized in that when the lithium primary battery 32 and the solar battery 12 are used together, the charging current flows from the solar battery 12 to the lithium primary battery 32 .

&Lt; Explanation when using a universal battery >

As described above, the battery life of the remote controller 5 that supplies power from the lithium primary battery 32 and the solar battery 12 always exists even when the lithium primary battery 32 having a large current capacity is used . It is assumed that the lithium primary battery 32 is overdischarged within the life time of the air conditioner 1 when the frequency of use is much higher than expected.

However, in general, replacing the battery of the lithium primary battery 32 incorporated in the remote controller 5 requires a relatively specialized technique, so it is necessary to avoid the battery replacement by a general user.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a general-purpose battery such as an alkaline-manganese battery can be mounted. That is, as shown in Fig. 6, a general-purpose battery such as an alkaline-manganese battery can be inserted into the battery socket 15. Fig. When the universal battery is inserted, the switch of the battery change-over switch 20 is switched to switch the power supply from the lithium primary battery 32 and the solar battery 12 to the power supply from the universal battery do.

Figs. 9 and 10 are diagrams showing a circuit configuration when the universal battery 33 is inserted into the battery socket 15. Fig.

9 shows the state of the battery changeover switch 20 in which the lithium primary battery 32 and the solar cell 12 are connected to the microcomputer 30. Fig.

10 shows the state of the battery changeover switch 20 in which the general-purpose battery 33 is connected to the microcomputer 30. As shown in Fig.

9, the battery changeover switch 20 is configured such that the terminal b and the terminal c are connected by the slider switch 20a and the terminal e and the terminal c are connected by the slider switch 20a, (f) are connected. That is, since the terminal b and the terminal c are connected to each other, the microcomputer 30 can supply electric power from the solar cell 12 and the terminal e and the terminal f are connected to each other The power supply from the lithium primary battery 32 is enabled.

10, the battery changeover switch 20 is configured such that the terminal a and the terminal b are connected by the switched slider switch 20a and the terminal d and the terminal b are connected to each other, Terminal e is connected. That is, the terminal d and the terminal e are connected to the microcomputer 30 so that only the power supply from the general-purpose battery 33 is enabled (the third power supply circuit). That is, in this case, since the terminals a and b are connected, the solar cell 12 is not connected to the microcomputer 30, and the terminal f is not connected So that the lithium primary battery 32 is also not connected to the microcomputer 30.

As a result, the connection of the solar cell 12 and the lithium primary battery 32 to the microcomputer 30 is completely separated.

When the universal battery 33 is inserted into the battery socket 15, the battery changeover switch 20 is automatically switched to the universal battery 33 inserted from the solar battery 12 and the lithium primary battery 32, . In this case, the convenience of the user can be further improved.

Further, the general-purpose battery 33 such as an alkaline-manganese battery does not allow charging current at all, unlike the lithium primary battery 32. Therefore, leakage current can not be completely prevented even if current leakage is prevented in a diode or the like. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the general-purpose battery 33 is used, the circuits of the lithium primary battery 32 and the solar cell 12 are completely cut off by using the battery change-over switch 20, It is possible to prevent the charging current from flowing in the secondary battery.

The battery change-over switch 20 is configured to switch two circuits at the same time, whereby the battery changeover switch 20 is configured to simultaneously switch between a circuit connected to the lithium primary battery 32 and a circuit connected to the solar cell 12 Thus, erroneous operation can be prevented.

The lithium primary battery 32 built in the remote controller 5 in a normal state with the remaining amount of the lithium primary battery 32 is partially burdened by the solar battery 12, The display of the liquid crystal display screen 11 is stopped and the consumption current is suppressed to a low level, so that the usable state can be maintained for a very long time without overdischarging. Therefore, the chance of inserting and using the general-purpose battery 33 is very long after a long time passes.

Although the switch is usually mechanically and electrically refreshed by opening and closing the contact, in this embodiment, the lifetime of the lithium primary battery 32 is increased as described above, and the frequency of using the battery changeover switch 20 And the timing to be used is extremely long after the elapse of a long time. The contact refreshing by the opening and closing of the contact can not be expected, and there is a fear of the contact failure due to the rusting of the contact. The occurrence of rust of this contact point is more serious in a coastal district where there is much salt floating in the air. In this embodiment, a rust-free gold contact is used for the battery changeover switch 20 to prevent rust.

In addition, using the lithium primary battery 32 in the primary battery built in the remote controller 5 can reduce the economical burden on the user because the capacity can be relatively reduced. The same effect can be obtained by using a primary battery other than lithium in an appropriate selection of the built-in primary battery.

When the universal battery 33 is used, the attention tag 35 describing the use method of the battery changeover switch 20 for switching the power supply circuit is stored in the battery socket 15, And prevents insertion of the universal battery by mistake even though the lithium primary battery 32 is in a usable state. In addition, when the general-purpose battery is used after overdischarging of the lithium primary battery 32, a description is given of how to use the battery change-over switch 20 for switching the battery to the warning stick 35. Thus, Can be urged.

11 shows a configuration in which the power switch 20 and the battery socket 15 for inserting the general-purpose battery 33 are not provided as a comparative example.

According to the present embodiment, even when a primary battery which is difficult to replace is incorporated, a configuration in which a user can simply replace the battery (universal battery) is added, thereby improving serviceability and enabling continuous use of the remote controller As a result, the effective use period of the air conditioner can be prolonged.

Further, the effective life period of the primary battery built in the remote controller can be prolonged, battery replacement can be performed, serviceability can be improved, and a remote controller in consideration of the global environment can be constructed.

1: Air conditioner
2: indoor unit
3: outdoor unit
4: Connection piping
5: Remote controller
7: indoor transmission /
10: Operation button
11: liquid crystal display screen (LCD module: display means)
12: Solar Cell (Solar Panel)
13: remote controller transmitting / receiving unit
15: Battery socket (insertion means)
16, 17, 18, 19: Battery connection terminal
20: Battery changeover switch (switching means)
21: Infrared ray receiving element
22: Infrared light emitting diode
23: Room temperature thermistor
30: Microcomputer (control means)
31: Transmission circuit
32: Lithium primary battery
33: Universal Battery
35: Attention tag
41, 43, 44, 53: diodes
42: Booster circuit
50: Diode OR circuit
51: Condenser
52: Regulator

Claims (12)

1. A remote controller having a lithium primary battery and a solar battery which is used in combination with the lithium primary battery,
Insertion means for inserting the universal battery into the remote controller,
And battery switching means for switching the lithium primary battery and the solar battery to the universal battery,
Wherein said battery switching means blocks connection between said lithium primary battery and said solar cell when said lithium primary battery and said solar battery are switched to said general-purpose battery. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the inserting means is a battery socket capable of inserting the universal battery. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the battery switching means is a switch for switching the lithium primary battery and the solar battery to the universal battery. The solar battery module according to claim 1, wherein said battery switching means comprises a first power supply circuit to which said lithium primary battery is connected and a second power supply circuit to which a solar battery is connected to a third power supply circuit Wherein the switch is a switch for switching between the first mode and the second mode. The solar battery module according to claim 1, wherein the battery switching means is a two-circuit two-contact switch for simultaneously disconnecting a first power supply circuit to which the lithium primary battery is connected and a second power supply circuit to which the solar cell is connected Features a remote controller. The remote controller according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the switch is provided in the vicinity of the battery socket. 6. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the battery switching means switches the lithium primary battery and the solar battery to the universal battery when the universal battery is inserted into the inserting means Features a remote controller. The remote controller as claimed in claim 7, wherein the battery switching means forcibly switches the lithium primary battery and the solar battery to the universal battery when the universal battery is inserted into the inserting means . The remote controller according to claim 1, further comprising means for urging the user to use the universal battery when the universal battery is inserted into the inserting means. 1. A remote controller having a built-in primary battery and a solar battery for use with the primary battery,
Display means for displaying the operation contents of the remote controller;
And control means for performing control to shift to the standby mode when the remote controller is not used for a predetermined period of time and to stop the display of the display means when the standby mode is shifted to the standby mode. The remote controller according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the switch uses a gold contact for the contact. 1. A remote controller having a built-in primary battery and a solar battery for use with the primary battery,
And insertion means for inserting the universal battery into the remote controller,
Wherein when the primary battery is overdischarged, the first power supply circuit to which the primary battery is connected and the second power supply circuit to which the solar battery is connected are cut off, and the third power supply circuit to which the universal battery And the power supply circuit is connected to the power supply circuit.

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