Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BATTERY PACK
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This is a divisional of Canadian patent
application 2,432,476 filed on June 16, 2003.
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery pack
and more particularly to the battery pack that can be
suitably used for a portable terminal device such as a
portable cellular phone being carried by a user who is on
the road over an extended period of time.
Whose dedicated secondary battery has been already
discharged and nevertheless is difficult to be charged, for
example, for the portable cellular phone carried by a user
who is on the road over an extended period of time.
Description of the Related Art
Generally, a portable terminal device such as a
portable cellular phone 1 is so configured as to operate
using its dedicated secondary battery 20. For example, as
shown in Figs. 18A and 18B, the portable cellular phone 1 is
made up of a main body of portable cellular phone 10 and the
dedicated secondary battery 20. As shown in Figs. 18A
and 18B, the main body of portable cellular phone 10 has a
battery mounting section 11, a multifunctional connector
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12, terminals 13a and 13b, and an antenna 14. The dedicated
secondary battery 20 is mounted in the battery mounting section
11. To the multifunctional connector 12 are connected a charging
adapter used to charge the dedicated secondary battery 20, a
personal computer, or a like. The terminals 13a and 13b are coupled
to terminals 21a and 21b (not shown) of the dedicated secondary
battery 20 used to take in electromotive force of the dedicated
secondary battery 20. The antenna 14 is adapted to transmit and
receive radio waves to and from a radio base station (not shown) .
When the dedicated secondary battery 20 is discharged, if
a user stays indoors and commercial power supply is available,
the charging adapter is connected to the multifunctional
connector 12 to charge the dedicated secondary battery 20.
Moreover, when commercial power supply is not available in such
a case where a user stays outdoors, conventionally, as shown in
Fig. 19A, a battery pack 30 is connected to the multifunctional
connector 12 to charge the dedicated secondary battery 20. The
battery pack 30 serves as a simple charger or an emergency power
source. The main body of portable cellular phone 10, as shown in
Fig. 19B, includes a charge controlling circuit 40 and the
internal circuit 50. The charge controlling circuit 40 feeds
electromotive force of the battery pack 30 through terminals 13a
and 13b and terminals 21a and 21b to the dedicated secondary
battery 20 at a constant current and at a constant voltage for
charging. Power of the dedicated secondary battery 20 is fed to
an internal circuit 50 to perform main operations of a TDMA (Time
Division Multiple Access)-type portable cellular phone.
Figures 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D are circuit diagrams showing
electrical configurations of the battery pack 30 in Figs. 19A and
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19B. Each symbol of batteries shown in Figs. 20A, 20B, 20C, and
20D represents a cell unit of a battery and one cell has
electromotive force of 1. 5V.
The battery pack 30 shown in Fig. 20A is made up of three
serially connected battery cells each having a voltage of 1.5 V
(for example, three pieces of alkaline accumulators) 31, 32, and
33. The battery pack 30 shown in Fig. 20B is made up of four battery
cells 31, 32, 33, and 34 (for example, four pieces of alkaline
accumulators, two pieces of serially-connected manganese dioxide
lithium batteries each having a voltage of 3. 0 V, or a like) each
having a voltage of 1.5 V, a diode 35 for preventing backflow of
a current, and a resistor 36 for limiting currents, being
connected in series. The battery pack 30 shown in Fig. 20C is made
up of six serially-connected battery cells 31, 32, 33, 34, 37,
and 38 (for example, six pieces of alkaline accumulators, three
manganese dioxide lithium batteries each having a voltage of 3V,
one square-shaped stacked alkaline accumulator having a voltage
of 9V, or a like) each having a voltage of 1. 5 V, and a voltage
dropping circuit 39 adapted to drop a voltage of the battery cells
from 9V to 5V, all of which are connected in series. The battery
pack 30 shown in Fig. 20D is made up of three battery cells each
having a voltage that has come nearer to a final level and a voltage
boosting circuit 3A adapted to boost the voltage of the battery
cell up to a level of 5V, both being connected in series.
Figure 21 is a circuit diagram showing electrical
configurations of a charge controlling circuit 40 shown in Figs.
19A and 19B. The charge controlling circuit 40 includes a current
limiting circuit 41, a voltage limiting circuit 42, a
limiting-type selecting switch 43, and a voltage detector 44. The
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current limiting circuit 41 limits a current flow of power to be
fed from an AC adapter (adapter for charging) 60 adapted to convert
a voltage (AC100V) of commercial power supply to DC 6V or from
the battery pack 30 to a level that can be suitably used for
charging the dedicated secondary battery 20 and outputs it. The
voltage limiting circuit 42 limits a voltage of power to be fed
from the AC adapter 60 or from the battery pack 30 to a level (for
example, 4.5V) that can be suitably used for charging the
dedicated secondary battery 20 and outputs it.
The limiting-type selecting switch 43 is used to select,
based on a selecting signal SL output from the voltage detector
44, a power M of the current limiting circuit 41 and a power N
of the voltage limiting circuit 42 and outputs the selected power.
The voltage limiting circuit 42 outputs a voltage of a power Q
output from the limiting-type selecting switch 43 and detects it
and, based on a result from the selection, outputs the selecting
signal SL. In this case, if a voltage of the power Q is higher
than that being suitably used for charging the dedicated secondary
battery 20, the power N of the voltage limiting circuit 42 is
selected by the selecting signal SL, and if the voltage of the
power Q is lower than that being suitably used for charging the
dedicated secondary battery 20, the power M of the current
limiting circuit 41 is selected by the selecting signal SL.
In the conventional portable cellular phone 1, when the
battery pack 30 is connected to the multifunctional connector 12,
the dedicated secondary battery 20 is charged at a constant
current and at a constant voltage fed from the battery pack 30
through the charge controlling circuit 40, terminals 13a and 13b,
and terminals 21a and 21b, and an electromotive force of the
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dedicated secondary battery 20 is supplied to the internal circuit
50. Operations of the TDMA-type portable cellular phone 1 are
performed in the internal circuit 50. Moreover, when the AC
adapter 60, instead of the battery cell 30, is connected to the
5 multifunctional connector 12, the dedicated secondary battery 20
is charged at a constant current and at a constant voltage fed
from the AC adapter 60 through the charge controlling circuit 40,
terminals 13a and 13b, and terminals 21a and 21b.
However, the above conventional battery pack 30 has
following problems to be solved. That is, when a user goes the
outdoors carrying the portable cellular phone 1 and the dedicated
secondary battery 20 is already discharged and when commercial
power is not available because the user is outdoors, the user has
to perform charging the portable cellular phone 1 by using the
battery pack 30, however, in this case, it will be time before
a voltage of the portable cellular phone 1 reaches a specified
level according to a state of the dedicated secondary battery 20
and therefore the portable cellular phone 1 does not operate
immediately even after the connection of the battery pack 30.
Another problem is that, since the dedicated secondary battery
20 makes up part of components of a power source section of the
portable cellular phone 1, if a failure occurs in the dedicated
secondary battery 20, the portable cellular phone 1 cannot be
operated even by the connection of the battery pack 30.
Moreover, there is still another problem that, since the
charge controlling circuit 40 is configured assuming that the
dedicated secondary battery 20 is charged, if the dedicated
secondary battery 20 is lost, the charge controlling circuit 40
does not operate normally in some cases and, as a result, a voltage
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required to normally operate the portable cellular phone 1 cannot
be obtained even by the connection of the battery pack 30. Also,
still another problem is that, since a voltage required for
operating the charge controlling circuit 40 is 4V, it is necessary
for the battery pack 30 to have at least three battery cells (each
having a voltage of 1. 5V) being connected in series, which thus
causes a user to feel that the portable cellular phone 1 is heavy
to carry. Furthermore, the conventional portable cellular phone
presents another problem in that, when the battery pack 30 is
connected to its multifunctional connector 12, other devices such
as personal computers or a like cannot be connected to the
multifunctional connector 12.
To solve these problems, a method is thought to be available
in which another dedicated secondary battery having a same
function as that of the dedicated secondary battery 20 and being
in a fully-charged state is carried as a backup cell. However,
this method has a problem in that that not only carrying the
dedicated secondary battery is attended with risk of occurrence
of a short but also buying such the backup dedicated secondary
battery is costly. Moreover, in this case, a user has to carry
an AC adapter required to charge such the dedicated backup
secondary battery. Also, since the portable cellular phone 1 is
operated according to the TDMA communication method, a judgement
as to whether a voltage of the dedicated secondary battery 20 has
reached its final voltage is made based on a voltage value that
has dropped when power consumption increases or decreases in a
burst manner. Asa result, in some cases, a message that the voltage
has reached its final level even in a state where a discharging
depth of the dedicated secondary battery 20 is shallow (that is,
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battery capacity is still residual somewhat) appears on a displaying section
of the
portable cellular phone 1, which presents another problem that battery
capacity
cannot be used to the fullest.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a battery pack which is capable of operating a portable cellular phone
immediately even when a dedicated secondary battery is discharged.
According to a broad aspect, there is provided a primary battery
pack for use as an alternative power source of a portable cellular phone
comprising an internal circuit, and a battery mounting section for mounting a
dedicated secondary battery therein, wherein said dedicated secondary battery
is
configured to be charged in a charging mode and to feed power to said internal
circuit in an operating mode through a pair of common terminals provided in
said
battery mounting section, said primary battery pack configured to be mounted
in
said battery mounting section in such a manner so as to be spatially
replaceable
with said dedicated secondary battery, the primary battery pack comprising: a
pair
of connection terminals for connection with said pair of said common
terminals; a
power storing unit and a primary battery which are electrically connected
between
said pair of said connection terminals in such a manner that said power
storing
unit and said primary battery are electrically connected with each other in
parallel;
a current interrupting unit to interrupt, when a current output from said
battery
pack exceeds a predetermined value, the current output from said battery pack;
and a diode to prevent backflow of a current to said primary battery, wherein
said
power storing unit and said primary battery are so configured to feed power in
the
operating mode to said internal circuit of the portable cellular phone through
said
pair of said common terminals.
According to another broad aspect, there is provided a primary
battery pack for use as an alternative power source of a portable cellular
phone
comprising an internal circuit, and a battery mounting section for mounting a
dedicated secondary battery therein, wherein said dedicated secondary battery
is
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configured to be charged in a charging mode and to feed power to said internal
circuit in an operating mode through a pair of common terminals provided in
said
battery mounting section, said primary battery pack configured to be mounted
in
said battery mounting section in such a manner so as to be spatially
replaceable
with said dedicated secondary battery, the primary battery pack comprising: a
pair
of connection terminals for connection with said pair of said common
terminals; a
power storing unit and a primary battery which are electrically connected
between
said pair of said connection terminals in such a manner that said power
storing
unit and said primary battery are electrically connected with each other in
parallel;
a current interrupting unit to interrupt, when a current output from said
battery
pack exceeds a predetermined value, the current output from said battery pack;
and a diode to prevent backflow of a current to said primary battery; and a
package for housing said primary battery, said power storing unit, said
current
interrupting unit, and said diode; and wherein said power storing unit and
said
primary battery are so configured to feed power in the operating mode to said
internal circuit of the portable cellular phone through said pair of said
common
terminals.
According to another broad aspect, there is provided a primary
battery pack for use as an alternative power source of a portable cellular
phone
comprising an internal circuit, and a battery mounting section for mounting a
dedicated secondary battery therein, wherein said dedicated secondary battery
is
configured to be charged in a charging mode and to feed power to said internal
circuit in an operating mode through a pair of common terminals provided in
said
battery mounting section, said primary battery pack configured to be mounted
in
said battery mounting section in such a manner so as to be spatially
replaceable
with said dedicated secondary battery, the primary battery pack comprising: a
pair
of connection terminals for connection with said pair of said common
terminals; a
current interrupting unit to interrupt, when a current output from said
battery pack
exceeds a predetermined value, the current output from said battery pack; and
a
diode to prevent backflow of a current to said primary battery, wherein said
power
storing unit and said primary battery are so configured to feed power in the
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operating mode to said internal circuit of the portable cellular phone through
said
pair of said common terminals.
According to another broad aspect, there is provided a primary
battery pack for use as an alternative power source of a portable cellular
phone
comprising an internal circuit, and a battery mounting section for mounting a
dedicated secondary battery therein, wherein said dedicated secondary battery
is
configured to be charged in a charging mode and to feed power to said internal
circuit in an operating mode through a pair of common terminals provided in
said
battery mounting section, said primary battery pack configured to be mounted
in
said battery mounting section in such a manner so as to be spatially
replaceable
with said dedicated secondary battery, the primary battery pack comprising: a
pair
of connection terminals for connection with said pair of said common
terminals; a
current interrupting unit to interrupt, when a current output from said
battery pack
exceeds a predetermined value, the current output from said battery pack; a
diode
to prevent backflow of a current to said primary battery; a package for
housing
said primary battery, said current interrupting unit, and said diode; and
wherein
said power storing unit and said primary battery are so configured to feed
power in
the operating mode to said internal circuit of the portable cellular phone
through
said pair of said common terminals.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a battery pack being placed in a portable terminal device in a manner so as to
be
replaceable with a dedicated secondary battery for being used as a power
source
of the portable terminal device including:
a primary battery to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being lower than that of the dedicated secondary battery;
a current limiting circuit to limit a current of input electromotive force
of the primary battery to a level being a predetermined value or less;
a voltage boosting unit to boost a voltage of the electromotive force
of the primary battery fed from the current limiting circuit to a voltage
level of the
dedicated secondary battery; and
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a power storing unit to be charged by application of a voltage output
from the voltage boosting unit, hereby storing fed power, and to feed stored
power
to the portable terminal device.
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According to a second aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable terminal
device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a primary battery to generate electromotive force having
a voltage being lower than that of the dedicated secondary
battery;
a current limiting circuit to limit a current of input
electromotive force of the primary battery to a level being a
predetermined value or less;
a Direct Current / Direct Current (DC/DC) converter to boost
the voltage of the electromotive force of the primary battery fed
from the current limiting circuit to a voltage level of the
dedicated secondary battery;
a power storing unit to be charged by application of a
voltage output from the DC/DC converter and to store fed power
and to feed the stored power to the portable terminal device;
a package to house the primary battery, the current limiting
circuit, the DC/DC converter, and the power storing unit; and
wherein the package, instead of the dedicated secondary
battery, is configured to be placed in the portable terminal
device and is provided with terminals to feed the power being
accumulated in the power storing unit to the portable terminal
device.
In the foregoing, a preferable mode is one wherein the power
storing unit is made up of an electrical double layer capacitor.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable terminal
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device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a primary battery to generate electromotive force having
a voltage being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary
battery; and
a power storing unit to be charged by application of a
voltage output from the primary battery and to store fed power
and to feed the stored power to the portable terminal device.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable terminal
device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a primary battery to generate electromotive force having
a voltage being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary
battery; and
a power storing unit to be charged by application of a
voltage output from the primary battery and to store fed power
and to feed the stored power to the portable terminal device;
a package to house the primary battery and the power storing
unit; and
wherein the package, instead of the dedicated secondary
battery, is configured to be placed in the portable terminal
device and is provided with terminals to feed power being
accumulated in the power storing unit to the portable terminal
device.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable terminal
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device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
cellular device including:
a primary battery to generate electromotive force having
5 a voltage being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary
battery;
a power storing unit to be charged by application of a
voltage output from the primary battery and to store fed power
and to feed the stored power to the portable terminal device;
10 a current interrupting unit to interrupt, when a current
output from the battery pack exceeds a predetermined value, the
output; and
a diode to prevent backflow of a current to the primary
battery.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable terminal
device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
cellular device including:
a primary battery to generate electromotive force having
a voltage being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary
battery;
a power storing unit to be charged by application of a
voltage output from the primary battery and to store fed power
and to feed the stored power to the portable terminal device;
a current interrupting unit to interrupt, when a current
output from the battery pack exceeds a predetermined value, the
output;
a diode to prevent backflow of a current to the primary
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battery;
a package to house the primary battery, the power storing
unit, the current interrupting unit, and the diode; and
wherein the package, instead of the dedicated secondary
battery, is configured to be placed in the portable terminal
device and is provided with terminals to feed power being
accumulated in the power storing unit to the portable terminal
device.
In the foregoing, a preferable mode is one wherein the power
storing unit is made up of an electrical double layer capacitor
having an equivalent serial resistance being lower than that of
the fuel cell.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a fuel cell to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being lower than that of the dedicated secondary battery;
a current limiting circuit to limit a current of input
electromotive force of the fuel cell to a level being a
predetermined value or less;
a voltage boosting unit to boost the voltage of the
electromotive force of the fuel cell fed from the current limiting
circuit to a voltage level of the dedicated secondary battery;
and
a power storing unit to be charged by application of a
voltage output from the voltage boosting unit and to store fed
power and to feed the stored power to the portable terminal device.
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According to an eighth aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a fuel cell to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being lower than that of the dedicated secondary battery;
a current limiting circuit to limit a current of input
electromotive force of the fuel cell to a level being a
predetermined value or less;
a Direct Current/Direct Current(DC/DC) converter to boost
the voltage of the electromotive force of the fuel cell fed from
the current limiting circuit to a voltage level of the dedicated
secondary battery;
a power storing unit to be charged by application of a
voltage output from the DC/DC converter and to store fed power
and to feed the stored power to the portable terminal device;
a package to house the fuel cell, the current limiting
circuit, the DC/DC converter and, the power storing unit; and
wherein the package, instead of the dedicated secondary
battery, is configured to be placed in the portable terminal
device and is provided with terminals to feed power being
accumulated in the power storing unit to the portable terminal
device.
In the foregoing, a preferable mode is one that the power
storing unit is made up of an electrical double layer capacitor.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable terminal
device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
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secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a fuel cell to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary battery; and
a power storing unit to be charged by application of a
voltage output from the fuel cell and to store fed power and to
feed stored power to the portable terminal device;
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable terminal
device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a fuel cell to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary battery;
a power storing unit to be charged by application of a
voltage output from the fuel cell and to store fed power and to
feed the stored power to the portable terminal device;
a package to house the fuel cell, and the power storing unit;
and
wherein the package, instead of the dedicated secondary
battery, is configured to be placed in the portable terminal
device and is provided with terminals to feed the power being
accumulated in the power storing unit to the portable terminal
device.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
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a fuel cell to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary battery;
a power storing unit to be charged by application of a
voltage output from the fuel cell and to store fed power and to
feed the stored power to the portable terminal device;
a current interrupting unit to interrupt, when a current
output from the battery pack exceeds a predetermined value, the
output; and
a diode to prevent backflow of a current to the fuel cell.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a fuel cell to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary battery;
a power storing unit to be charged by application of a
voltage output from the fuel cell and to store fed power and to
feed the stored power to the portable terminal device;
a current interrupting unit to interrupt, when a current
output from the battery pack exceeds a predetermined value, the
output; and
a diode to prevent backflow of a current to the fuel cell;
a package to house the fuel cell, the power storing unit,
current interrupting unit, and the diode; and
wherein the package, instead of the dedicated secondary
battery, is configured to be placed in the portable terminal
device and is provided with terminals to feed power being
accumulated in the power storing unit to the portable terminal
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device.
In the foregoing, a preferable mode is one wherein the fuel
cell is made up of an electrical double layer capacitor having
an equivalent serial resistance being lower than that of the
5 primary battery.
Also, a preferable mode is one wherein the portable terminal
device has a function of a Time Division Multiple Access
(TDMA) -type portable cellular phone and wherein the electrical
double layer capacitor has a capacity being able to feed stable
10 power to the portable terminal device in which power consumption
increases or decreases in a burst manner.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
15 secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a primary battery to generate electromotive force having
a voltage being lower than that of the dedicated secondary
battery;
a current limiting circuit to limit a current of input
electromotive force of the primary battery to a level being a
predetermined value or less; and
a voltage boosting unit to boost a voltage of electromotive
force of the primary battery fed from the current limiting circuit
to a voltage level of the dedicated secondary battery and to
boosted voltage to the portable terminal device.
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
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secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a primary battery to generate electromotive force having
a voltage being lower than that of the dedicated secondary
battery;
a current limiting circuit to limit a current of input
electromotive force of the primary battery to a level being a
predetermined value or less;
a Direct Current/Direct Current (DC/DC) converter to boost
a voltage of the electromotive force of the primary battery fed
from the current limiting circuit to a voltage level of the
dedicated secondary battery and to feed boosted voltage to the
portable terminal device;
a package to house the primary battery, the current limiting
unit, and the DC/DC converter; and
wherein the package, instead of the dedicated secondary
battery, is configured to be placed in the portable terminal
device and is provided with terminals to feed power output from
the DC/DC converter to the portable terminal device.
According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a primary battery to generate electromotive force having
a voltage being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary
battery and to feed the generated electromotive force to the
portable terminal device.
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention,
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there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a primary battery to generate electromotive force having
a voltage being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary
battery;
a package to house the primary battery; and
wherein the package, instead of the dedicated secondary
battery, is configured to be placed in the portable terminal
device and is provided with terminals to feed the electromotive
force of the primary battery to the portable terminal device.
According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a primary battery to generate electromotive force having
a voltage being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary
battery and to feed the generated electromotive force to the
portable terminal device;
a current interrupting unit to interrupt, when a current
output from the battery pack exceeds a predetermined value, the
output; and
a diode to prevent backflow of a current to the primary
battery;
According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
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secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a primary battery to generate electromotive force having
a voltage being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary
battery and to feed generated electromotive force to the portable
terminal device;
a current interrupting unit to interrupt, when a current
output from the battery pack exceeds a predetermined value, the
output;
a diode to prevent backflow of a current to the primary
battery;
a package to house the primary battery, the current
interrupting unit, and the diode; and
wherein the package, instead of the dedicated secondary
battery, is configured to be placed in the portable terminal
device and is provided with terminals to feed the electromotive
force of the primary battery to the portable terminal device.
According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a fuel cell to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being lower than that of the dedicated secondary battery;
a current limiting circuit to limit a current of input the
electromotive force of the fuel cell to a level being a
predetermined value or less; and
a voltage boosting unit to boost a voltage of the
electromotive force of the fuel cell fed from the current limiting
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
19
circuit to a voltage level of the dedicated secondary battery and
to feed the boosted voltage to the portable terminal device.
According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
a fuel cell to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being lower than a voltage of the dedicated secondary battery;
and
a current limiting circuit to limit a current of input the
electromotive force of the fuel cell to a level being a
predetermined value or less;
a Direct Current/Direct Current (DC/DC) converter to boost
a voltage of the electromotive force of the fuel cell fed from
the current limiting circuit to a voltage level of the dedicated
secondary battery and to feed the boosted voltage to the portable
terminal device;
a package to house the fuel cell, the current limiting unit,
and the DC/DC converter; and
wherein the package, instead of the dedicated secondary
battery, is configured to be placed in the portable terminal
device and is provided with terminals to feed the electromotive
force of the DC/DC converter to the portable terminal device.
According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the portable
terminal device including:
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
a fuel cell to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary battery and
to feed the generated electromotive force to the portable terminal
device.
5 According to a twenty-second aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a battery pack being placed in a
portable terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with
a dedicated secondary battery for being used as a power source
of the portable terminal device including:
10 a fuel cell to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary battery and
to feed the generated electromotive force to the portable terminal
device;
a package to house the fuel cell, and
15 wherein the package, instead of the dedicated secondary
battery, is configured to be placed in the portable terminal
device and is provided with terminals to feed the electromotive
force of the fuel cell to the portable terminal device.
According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention,
20 there is provided a battery pack being placed in a portable
terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with a dedicated
secondary battery for being used as a power source of the terminal
device including:
a fuel cell to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary battery and
to feed the generated electromotive force to the portable terminal
device;
a current interrupting unit to interrupt, when a current
output from the battery pack exceeds a predetermined value, the
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
21
output; and
a diode to prevent backflow of a current to the fuel cell.
According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a battery pack being placed in a,
portable terminal device in a manner so as to be replaceable with
a dedicated secondary battery for being used as a power source
of the portable terminal device including:
a fuel cell to generate electromotive force having a voltage
being almost same as that of the dedicated secondary battery and
to feed the generated electromotive force to the portable terminal
device;
a current interrupting unit to interrupt, when a current
output from the battery pack exceeds a predetermined value, the
output;
a diode to prevent backflow of a current to the fuel cell;
and
a package to house the fuel cell, the current interrupting
unit, and the diode; and
wherein the package, instead of the dedicated secondary
battery, is configured to be placed in the portable terminal
device and is provided with terminals to feed the electromotive
force of the fuel cell to the portable terminal device.
With the above configurations, since a battery pack is
placed in a portable terminal device instead of a dedicated
secondary battery, power being stored in an electrical double
layer capacitor (power storing section) is supplied, immediately
after the battery pack is placed, to the portable terminal device,
thus enabling the portable terminal device to be immediately
operated. Moreover, even when the dedicated secondary battery
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
22
gets out of order or is lost, since the dedicated secondary battery
is not contained in a power source section and the battery pack
is configured to be placed in the portable terminal device, the
portable cellular phone can be immediately operated. Since the
battery pack is provided with a voltage boosting unit (DC/DC
converter), the portable terminal device can be operated by using
a primary battery having a voltage being lower than that of the
dedicated secondary battery. Also, since the battery pack is not
connected to a multifunctional connector, other devices such as
a personal computer or a like can be connected to the
multifunctional connector. Furthermore, since almost no drop
occurs in a voltage of the electrical double layer capacitor
(power storing section) even while power consumption increases
or decreases in a burst manner, capacity of the primary battery
can be utilized to the fullest.
Moreover, since the primary battery produces electromotive
force having a voltage being same as that of the dedicated
secondary battery and the power storing section is made up of the
electrical double layer capacitor having an equivalent serial
resistance being lower than that of the primary battery, a current
limiting circuit and DC/DC converter are not required, which can
simplify its configurations. Also, since the battery pack is
provided with a fuel cell, when fuel runs out, by supplementing
the fuel, operations of the battery pack can be immediately
restored to its normal state. Since the fuel cell generates
electromotive force having a same voltage as that of the dedicated
secondary battery and since the power storing section has an
equivalent serial resistance being lower than the fuel cell, the
current limiting circuit and DC/DC converters are not required,
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
23
which can simplify its configurations. Since almost no drop occurs
in a voltage of the electrical double layer capacitor (power
storing section) even while power consumption increases or
decreases in a burst manner, capacity of the fuel cell can be
utilized to the fullest. Moreover, since the battery pack is
provided with a current interrupting section and a diode, even
when terminals being placed in a package are erroneously shorted
or even when the battery pack for charging or an AC adapter is
erroneously connected to the multifunctional connector, safety
can be ensured. When the battery pack of the present invention
is placed to the portable terminal device in which power
consumption does not increase or decrease in a burst manner, even
if the power storing section (electrical double layer capacitor)
is removed, almost same effects as described above are achieved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects, advantages, and features of
= the present invention will be more apparent from the following
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
in which:
Figs. 1A and 1B are perspective views showing a battery pack
and a battery mounting section of a portable cellular phone
according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 2A, 2B, and 2C are diagrams illustrating the portable
cellular phone with its battery pack shown in Fig. 1A being placed
in a portable cellular phone proper according to the first
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing electrical
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
24
configurations of a charge controlling circuit and a power source
circuit according to the first embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing electrical
configurations of an internal circuit shown in Fig. 2C;
Figs. 5A and 5B are perspective views showing a battery pack
and a battery mounting section of a portable cellular phone
according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 6A, 6B and 6C are diagrams illustrating the portable
cellular phone with its battery pack shown in Fig. 5A placed in
a portable cellular phone proper according to the second
embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 7A and 7B are perspective views showing a battery pack
and a battery mounting section of a portable cellular phone
according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 8A, 8B, and 8C are diagrams illustrating the portable
cellular phone in which its battery pack shown in Fig. 7A is placed
in a portable cellular phone proper according to the third
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 9 is a configuration diagram showing one example of
a fuel cell in Fig. 8C;
Figs. 10A and 10B are perspective views showing a battery
pack and a battery mounting section of a portable cellular phone
according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 11A, 11B, and 11C are diagrams illustrating the
portable cellular phone in which its battery pack shown in Fig.
10A is placed in a portable cellular phone proper according to
the fourth embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 12A and 12B are perspective views showing a battery
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
pack and a battery mounting section of a portable cellular phone
according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 13A, 13B, and 13C are diagrams illustrating the
portable cellular phone in which its battery pack shown in Fig.
5 12A is placed in a portable cellular phone proper according to
the fifth embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 14A and 14B are perspective views showing a battery
pack and a battery mounting section of a portable cellular phone
according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;
10 Figs. 15A, 15B, and 15C are diagrams illustrating the
portable cellular phone in which its battery pack shown in Fig.
14A is placed in a portable cellular phone proper according to
the sixth embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 16A and 16B are perspective views showing a battery
15 pack and a battery mounting section of a portable cellular phone
according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 17A, 17B, and 17C are diagrams illustrating the
portable cellular phone in which its battery pack shown in Fig.
16A is placed in a portable cellular phone proper of the seventh
20 embodiment;
Figs. 18A and 18B are perspective views showing a dedicated
secondary battery and a battery mounting section of a conventional
portable cellular phone;
Figs. 19A and 19B are diagrams showing the conventional
25 portable cellular phone in which a conventional battery pack is
connected to a multifunctional connector;
Figs. 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D are circuit diagrams showing
electrical configurations of the conventional battery pack in
Figs. 19A and 19B; and
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
26
Fig. 21 is a circuit diagram showing conventional
electrical configurations of a charge controlling circuit 40
shown in Figs. 19A and 19B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Best modes of carrying out the present invention will be
described in further detail using various embodiments with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
First Embodiment
Figure 1A is a perspective view showing a battery pack 70
and Fig. 1B is a perspective view showing a battery mounting
section 11 of a portable cellular phone proper 10 according to
a first embodiment of the present invention. A battery pack 70
of the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1A is made up of alkaline
accumulators 71 and 72, a power source circuit 73, an electrical
double layer capacitor 74, and a package 75 to house them, and
is placed in a portable cellular phone proper 10 instead of
conventional detachable dedicated secondary battery 20 as shown
in Fig. 18A. Figures 2A, 2B, and 2C are diagrams illustrating the
portable cellular phone with the battery pack 70 shown in Fig.
1A being placed in the portable cellular phone proper 10 of the
first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2A is a front
view of the portable cellular phone proper 10 of Fig. 1A. Figure
2B is a side view of the portable cellular phone proper 10 and
the battery pack 70 of Figs. 1A and 1B. Figure 2C is a circuit
diagram showing electrical configurations of the portable
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
27
cellular phone of Figs. lA and 1B. In Figs. 2A to 2C, same reference
numbers are assigned to components having same functions as those
in Fig. 19. In the portable cellular phone of the embodiment, as
shown in Fig. 2A, since the conventional battery pack 30 is not
connected to a multifunctional connector 12, and other devices
such as a personal computer or a like can be connected to the
multifunctional connector 12. As shown in Fig. 2B, the battery
pack 70 is mounted in the battery mounting section 11.
As shown in Fig. 2C, in the battery pack 70, the alkaline
accumulators 71 and 72 are connected in series. The alkaline
accumulators 71 and 72 being serially connected generate
electromotive force having a voltage (3V) being lower than that
of the conventional dedicated secondary battery 20. To a plus (+)
side terminal of the alkaline accumulator 71 is connected an input
terminal of the power source circuit 73. An electrical double
layer capacitor 74 is connected between an output terminal of the
power source circuit 73 and a minus (-) side terminal of the
alkaline accumulator 72. The power source circuit 73 has a
boosting-type DC/DC (Direct Current/Direct Current) converter
which boosts a voltage of the alkaline accumulators 71 and 72 being
connected in series, which is as high as that of the conventional
dedicated secondary battery 20 (for example, 4.5 V) and then
outputs the boosted voltage. The electrical double layer
capacitor 74 is formed to be thin and planar so that it is housed
in the package 75, having a capacity (for example, 10 mF or more)
to feed stable power to an internal circuit 50 in a portable
cellular phone in which power consumption increases or decreases
in a burst manner and is charged by application of a voltage output
from the power source circuit 73 and charged power is stored.
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
28
Moreover, terminals 76a and 76b adapted to feed power accumulated
in the electrical double layer capacitor 74 to the portable
cellular phone proper 10 are connected to the electrical double
layer capacitor 74.
Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing electrical
configurations of a charge controlling circuit 40 and the power
source circuit 73 in Fig. 2C according to the first embodiment
of the present invention. In Fig. 3, same reference numbers are
assigned to components having same functions as those shown in
Fig. 21. The power source circuit 73, as shown in Fig. 3, includes
a current limiting circuit 73a, a boosting-type DC/DC converter
73b and a voltage detector 73c. The current limiting circuit 73a
limits a current flow of input electromotive force of the alkaline
accumulators 71 and 72 to a level being a predetermined value or
less and outputs the limited current. The above limited current
value is so set that a life of the alkaline accumulators 71 and
72 is lengthened as much as possible by discharging the electrical
double layer capacitor 74 preferentially rather than the alkaline
accumulators 71 and 72 while power consumption increases or
decreases in a burst manner. The boosting-type DC/DC converter
73b boosts a voltage of electromotive force of the alkaline
accumulators 71 and 72 fed from the current limiting circuit 73a
to an output voltage being equal to that of the conventional
dedicated secondary battery 20. The voltage detector 73c detects
a voltage U output from the boosting-type DC/DC converter 73b and
feeds the detected voltage to the electrical double layer
capacitor 74, produces a negative feedback signal F, and transmits
the produced negative feedback signal F used to exert
negative-feedback controlling on the output voltage U to the
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
29
boosting-type DC/DC converter 73b.
Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram showing electrical
configurations of the internal circuit 50 shown in Fig. 2C. The
internal circuit 50, as shown in Fig. 4, includes a power amplifier
51, a sending and receiving section 52, a control section 53, a
driver 54, a display 55, a microphone - speaker section 56, and
a regulator 57. The power amplifier 51 receives a voltage output
from the battery pack 70 and transmits a sending signal output
from the sending and receiving section 52 through an antenna 14
as a transmitting radio wave to be handled according to a TDMA
(Time Division Multiple Access) communication method. To perform
the TDMA communication method, specifications called a PDC
(Personal Digital Cellular) system are employed in Japan and
specifications called a GSM (Global System for Mobile
Communication) system are employed in Europe. The sending and
receiving section 52 transmits and receives a radio signal through
the antenna 14.
The control section 53 is made up of a CPU (Central
Processing Unit) or a like (not shown) and controls entire
operations of the internal circuit 50 based on a control program.
The driver 54 converts a voice signal fed from the microphone -
speaker section 56 into a digital signal, converts a digital
signal fed from the sending and receiving section 52 into a voice
signal, and sends out the converted signal to the microphone -
speaker section 56. Moreover, the driver 54 sends out a signal
for displaying to the display 55. The display 55 displays
information such as various messages to a user. The regulator 57
receives a voltage output from the battery pack 70, produces a
constant voltage having a predetermined value and feeds the
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
produced voltage to the sending and receiving section 52, control
section 53, driver 54, and microphone - speaker section 56.
Next, operations of the battery pack 70 of the first
embodiment are described. As shown in Figs. 18A and 18B, a portable
5 cellular phone 1 operates using the dedicated secondary battery
20 as a power source and, if the dedicated secondary battery 20
is discharged, instead of the dedicated secondary battery 20, the
battery pack 70 is used to supply power according to the present
invention. That is, in the battery pack 70, electromotive force
10 having a voltage of 3V is generated by alkaline accumulators 71
and 72 being connected in series. In the battery pack 70, a current
flow of the electromotive force produced by the alkaline
accumulators 71 and 72 is limited by the current limiting circuit
73a to a level being not more than a predetermined value and is
15 sent out to the boosting-type DC/DC converter 73b where a voltage
of the electromotive force is boosted to the output voltage U being
equal to such the voltage employed in the conventional dedicated
secondary battery 20. The output voltage U is detected by the
voltage detector 73c and is negative-feedback controlled so as
20 to be a predetermined value by transmission of the negative
feedback signal F from the voltage detector 73c to the
boosting-type DC/DC converter 73b. Moreover, the output voltage
U of the boosting-type DC/DC converter 73b is applied to the
electrical double layer capacitor 74. Then, power is stored in
25 the electrical double layer capacitor 74. The power is fed through
terminals 76a and 76b (Fig.3) from terminals 13a and 13b (Fig.3)
to the portable cellular phone proper 10. In the portable cellular
phone proper 10, a transmitting radio wave is transmitted
according to the TDMA communication method and, at this point,
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
31
a pulse-like load current having a frequency determined according
to the TDMA communication method is taken out from the battery
pack 70. Since the electrical double layer capacitor 74 has
capacitance enough to feed stable power to the internal circuit
50 in which power consumption increases or decreases in a burst
manner, almost no drop in a voltage of the electrical double layer
capacitor 74 occurs even while power consumption of the power
amplifier 51 increases or decreases in a burst manner. Therefore,
since a message that a voltage of the battery pack 70 has reached
a final voltage even in a state in which a discharging depth of
the alkaline accumulators 71 and 72 is shallow does not appear
on the display 55 of the portable cellular phone proper 10,
capacity of the alkaline accumulators 71 and 72 can be utilized
to the fullest.
Thus, according to configurations of the first embodiment,
since the battery pack 70 is placed in the portable cellular phone
proper 10 instead of the dedicated secondary battery 20, power
being accumulated in the electrical double layer capacitor 74 is
fed to the portable cellular phone immediately after the battery
pack 70 is installed, thereby enabling the portable cellular phone
to be operated immediately. Moreover, even when the dedicated
secondary battery 20 is out of running order or is lost, the
portable cellular phone can be operated immediately, since the
dedicated secondary battery 20 is not mounted in the portable
cellular phone proper 10 and the battery pack 70 is mounted in
the battery mounting section 11 instead. Also, the battery pack
70, since it is provided with the boosting-type DC/DC converter
73b, can operate the portable cellular phone by serially-
connected and light-weight two pieces of alkaline accumulators
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
32
71 and 72 or one piece of alkaline accumulator. Furthermore, since
the battery pack 70 is connected to terminals 13a and 13b and is
not connected to the multifunctional connector 12, the
multifunctional connector 12 can be connected to other devices
such as a personal computer or a like. Also, since a voltage of
the electrical double layer capacitor 74 does not drop even when
the power consumption increases or decreases in a burst manner,
capacity of the alkaline accumulators 71 and 72 can be utilized
to the fullest. Also, since the user of the portable cellular phone
can easily obtain such alkaline accumulators regardless of where
or when the user lives or stays, when the alkaline accumulators
71 and 72 are discharged, the user can replace the discharged
alkaline accumulators 71 and 72 with new ones.
Second Embodiment
Figures 5A and 5B are perspective views showing a battery
pack 70A and a battery mounting section 11 of a portable cellular
phone proper 10 according to. a second embodiment of the present
invention. In Figs. 5A and 5B, same reference numbers are assigned
to components having same functions as those in Figs. 1A and 1B.
In the battery pack 70A of the second embodiment, as shown in Fig.
5A, a power source circuit 73 is removed from the battery pack
70A and an alkaline accumulator 77 is additionally provided. Other
components are same as those in Figs. 1A and 1B and their
description is omitted for brevity.
Figures 6A, 6B and 6C are diagrams illustrating a portable
cellular phone in which its battery pack 70A shown in Fig. 5A is
placed in a portable cellular phone proper 10 (Fig. 5) of the second
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
33
embodiment of the present invention. In Figs. 6A, 6B, and 6C, same
reference numbers are assigned to components having same
functions as those in Figs. 2A, 2B, and 2C. As shown in Fig. 6C,
in the battery pack 70A, alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and 77 are
connected in series. The serially connected alkaline accumulators
71, 72, and 77 generate electromotive force having a voltage of
4. 5 V, which is same as that generated by a dedicated secondary
battery 20 provided in the conventional example. To the serially
connected alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and 77 is connected an
electrical double layer capacitor 74 in parallel. In the second
embodiment, the electrical double layer capacitor 74 whose
equivalent serial resistance is lower than that of the serially
connected alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and 77 is used. The
equivalent serial resistance is so set that a life of each of the
alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and 77 is lengthened as much as
possible by discharging the electrical double layer capacitor 74
preferentially rather than each of the alkaline accumulators 71,
72, and 77 while power consumption increases or decreases in a
burst manner.
Next, operations of the battery pack 70A of the second
embodiment are described. The conventional portable cellular
phone 1 operates using the dedicated secondary battery 20 shown
in Fig. 18A as a power source. However, in the embodiment, at this
point, if the dedicated secondary battery 20 of the portable
cellular phone 1 is discharged, the battery pack 70A instead of
the dedicated secondary battery 20 is used to supply power. That
is,-in the battery pack 70A, electromotive force of 4. 5V is
generated by the serially connected alkaline accumulators 71 and
72. A voltage produced by the alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
34
77 is applied to an electrical double layer capacitor 74. Then,
the produced power is stored in the electrical double layer
capacitor 74. The produced power is supplied through terminals
76a and 76b from terminals 13a and 13b to the portable cellular
phone proper 10. In the portable cellular phone proper 10, same
operations as in the first embodiment are performed. In this case,
since the equivalent serial resistance of the electrical double
layer capacitor 74 is lower than that of the serially connected
alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and 77, the electrical double layer
capacitor 74 is preferentially discharged while power consumption
increases or decreases in a burst manner. Since almost no drop
in a voltage of the electrical double layer capacitor 74 occurs
even while power consumption increases or decreases in a burst
manner, a message that a voltage of the battery pack 70A has reached
a final voltage even in a state in which a discharging depth of
the alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and 77 is shallow does not appear
on a display section of the portable cellular phone proper 10,
capacity of the alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and 77 can be
utilized to the fullest.
Thus, according to configurations of the second embodiment,
since the battery pack 70A is placed in the portable cellular phone
proper 10 instead of the dedicated secondary battery 20, power
being accumulated in the electrical double layer capacitor 74 is
fed to the portable cellular phone proper immediately after the
battery pack 70A is installed, thereby enabling the portable
cellular phone to be operated immediately. Since the battery pack
70A is mounted in the portable cellular phone proper 10 and since
the dedicated secondary battery 20 is not mounted in a power source
section, the portable cellular phone can be operated immediately
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
even if the dedicated secondary battery 20 gets out of order or
is lost. Moreover, in the battery pack 70A, since the alkaline
accumulators 71, 72, and 77 produce electromotive force having
same voltage (for example, 4. 5V) as that of the dedicated
5 secondary battery 20 and since the equivalent serial resistance
of the electrical double layer capacitor 74 is lower than that
of the alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and 77, mounting of a power
source circuit 73 (as in the first embodiment) is not required
and its configurations can be more simplified. Moreover, since
10 the battery pack 70A is connected to terminals 13a and 13b and
is not connected to a multifunctional connector 12, the
multifunctional connector 12 can be connected to other devices
such as a personal computer or a like. Also, since a voltage of
the electrical double layer capacitor 74 does not drop even when
15 the power consumption increases or decreases in a burst manner,
capacity of the alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and 77 can be
utilized to the fullest.
Third Embodiment
Figures 7A and 7B are perspective views showing a battery
pack 70B and a battery mounting section 11 of a portable cellular
phone proper 10 according to a third embodiment of the present
invention. In Figs. 7A and 7B, same reference numbers are assigned
to components having same functions as those in Figs. 1A and 1B
and description of some parts have been omitted. In the battery
pack 70B of the third embodiment, as shown in Figs. 7A and 7B,
instead of alkaline accumulators 71 and 72 shown in Figs. lA and
1B, a fuel cell 78 is provided. Other configurations are same as
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
36
those in Figs. 1A and 1B.
Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C are diagrams illustrating a portable
cellular phone in which its battery pack 70B shown in Fig. 7A is
placed in the portable cellular phone proper 10 of the first
embodiment of the present invention. In Figs. 8A, 8B, and 8C, same
reference numbers are assigned to components having same
functions as those in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 8C, in the battery
pack 70B, the fuel cell 78 is provided instead of the serially
connected alkaline accumulators 71 and 72. The fuel cell 78
produces electromotive force having a voltage (for example, 3V)
being lower than that of the dedicated secondary battery 20
(conventional art). Other configurations are same as those in Fig.
2.
Figure 9 is a configuration diagram showing one example of
the fuel cell 78 in Fig. 8C. The fuel cell 78, as shown in Fig.
9, includes a positive polarity side gas chamber 79, a positive
polarity 7A, a negative polarity side gas chamber 7B, a negative
polarity 7C, an electrolyte layer 7D placed between the positive
polarity 7A and the negative polarity 7C. In the fuel cell 78,
a positive polarity active material (oxidizing agent) is taken
in the positive polarity side gas chamber 79 and a given negative
active material (fuel made of hydrogen, methanol, or a like) is
taken in the negative polarity side gas chamber 7B and a reaction
product is output from the positive polarity active material 79,
the negative polarity side gas chamber 7B, and the electrolyte
layer 7D and, at a same time, electromotive force "e" is produced
between the positive polarity 7A and the negative polarity 7C.
Next, operations of the battery cell of the third embodiment
are described. A portable cellular phone 1 shown in Figs. 18A and
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
37
18B is operated using a dedicated secondary battery 20 as a power
source in the conventional art. However, in the embodiment, if
the dedicated secondary battery 20 in the portable cellular phone
1 is discharged, instead of the dedicated secondary battery 20,
the battery pack 70B is used to supply power. That is, in the
battery pack 70B of the embodiment, electromotive force having
a voltage of 3V is generated by the fuel cell 78. A current flow
of the electromotive force is limited by a current limiting
circuit 73a to a level being not more than a predetermined value
and is sent out to a boosting-type DC/DC converter 73b and then
is boosted by the boosting-type DC/DC converter 73b to an output
voltage "U" (Fig.3) being same as that of the dedicated secondary
battery 20. The output voltage U is detected by a voltage detector
73c and is negative-feedback controlled so as to be a
predetermined value by transmission of a negative feedback signal
F from the voltage detector 73c to the boosting-type DC/DC
converter 73b. The output voltage U from the boosting-type DC/DC
converter 73b is applied to a electrical double layer capacitor
74 (Fig. 7A) . The applied power is stored in the electrical double
layer capacitor 74. The power is fed through terminals 76a and
76b from terminals 13a and 13b to the portable cellular phone
proper 10. In the portable cellular phone proper 10, same
operations as those in the first embodiment are performed are
performed. In this case, since the electrical double layer
capacitor 74 has a capacitor to feed stable power to an internal
circuit 50 in which power consumption increases or decreases in
a burst manner, almost no drop in a voltage of the electrical double
layer capacitor 74 occurs even while power consumption of a power
amplifier 51 increases or decreases in a burst manner. Therefore,
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
38
since a message that a voltage of the battery pack 70B has reached
a final level even in a state in which a discharging depth of the
fuel cell 78 is shallow does not appear on a display section of
the portable cellular phone proper 10, capacity of the fuel cell
78 can be utilized to the fullest.
Thus, in the third embodiment, almost same advantages as
obtained in the first embodiment can be also achieved.
Additionally, since the battery pack 70B is provided with the fuel
cell 78 instead of the alkaline accumulators 71 and 72 shown in
Figs. 1A and 1B, when fuel runs out, by supplementing the fuel,
operations of the battery pack 70B are immediately restored to
its normal state. Moreover, since no drop in voltage of the
electrical double layer capacitor 74 occurs even while power
consumption increases or decreases in a burst manner, capacity
of the fuel cell 78 can be utilized to the fullest.
Fourth Embodiment
Figures 10A and 10B are perspective views showing a battery
pack 70C and a battery mounting section 11 of a portable cellular
phone proper 10 according to a fourth embodiment of the present
invention. In Figs. 10A and 10B, same reference numbers are
assigned to components having same functions as those in Figs.
7A and 7B. In the battery pack 70C, as shown in Fig. 10A, a power
source circuit 73 provided in a battery pack 70B shown in Fig.
7A is removed and, instead of a fuel cell 78, a fuel cell 78C is
provided. Other configurations are same as those in Figs. 7A and
7B and description has been omitted.
Figures 11A, 11B, and 11C are diagrams illustrating a
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
39
portable cellular phone in which the battery pack 70C shown in
Fig. 10A is placed in a portable cellular phone proper 10 of the
fourth embodiment. In Fig. 11A, 11B, and 11C, same reference
numbers are assigned to components having same functions as those
in Figs. 8A, 8B, and 8C. As shown in Fig. 11C, in the battery pack
70C, instead of the fuel cell 78 shown in Figs. BC, a fuel cell
78C that can produce electromotive force being different from that
in the fuel cell 78 is provided. The fuel cell 78C produces
electromotive force having a voltage (for example, 4. 5V) being
same as that of a dedicated secondary battery 20 employed in the
conventional case. To the fuel cell 78C is connected an electrical
double layer capacitor 74 in parallel. In the embodiment, the
electrical double layer capacitor 74 whose equivalent serial
resistance is lower than that of the fuel cell 78C is used. The
equivalent serial resistance is so set that use time of the fuel
cell 78C is lengthened as much as possible by discharging the
electrical double layer capacitor 74 preferentially rather than
the fuel cell 78C while power consumption increases or decreases
in a burst manner.
Next, operations of the battery pack 70C of the embodiment
are described. A portable cellular phone 1 shown in Figs. 18A and
18B is operated using the dedicated secondary battery 20 as a power
source. However, in the fourth embodiment, if the dedicated
secondary battery 20 of the portable cellular phone 1 is
discharged, the battery pack 70C instead of the dedicated
secondary battery 20 is used to supply power. That is, in the
battery pack 70C, electromotive force having a voltage of 4. 5V
is produced by the fuel cell 78C. A voltage of the fuel cell 78C
is applied to the electric double layer capacitor 74. Then, power
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
is accumulated in the electrical double layer capacitor 74. The
power is fed through terminals 76a and 76b from terminals 13a and
13b to the portable cellular phone proper 10. In the portable
cellular phone proper 10, same operations as those in the first
5 embodiment are performed. In this case, since an equivalent serial
resistance of the electrical double layer capacitor 74 is lower
than that of the fuel cell 78C, while power consumption increases
or decreases in a burst manner, the electrical double layer
capacitor 74 is preferentially discharged. Moreover, since almost
10 no drop in a voltage of the electrical double layer capacitor 74
occurs even while power consumption increases or decreases in a
burst manner, a message that a voltage of the fuel cell 78C has
reached a final voltage even in a state in which a discharging
depth of the fuel cell 78C is shallow does not appear on a display
15 section of the portable cellular phone proper 10, capacity of the
fuel cell 78C can be utilized to the fullest.
Thus, in the fourth embodiment, almost the same advantages
as obtained in the second embodiment can be achieved. Additionally,
since the battery pack 70C is provided with the fuel cell 78C,
20 instead of alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and 77 employed in the
conventional case shown in Fig. 6C, even when the fuel runs out,
by supplementing the fuel, operations of the portable cellular
phone can be immediately restored to its normal state. Moreover,
since almost no drop in a voltage of the electrical double layer
25 capacitor 74 occurs even while power consumption increases or
decreases in a burst manner, capacity of the fuel cell 78 can be
utilized to the fullest.
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
41
Fifth Embodiment
Figures 12A and 12B are perspective views showing a battery
pack 70D and a battery mounting section 11 of a portable cellular
phone proper 10 according to a fifth embodiment of the present
invention. In Figs. 12A and 12B, same reference numbers are
assigned to components having same functions as those in Figs.
5A and 5B. As shown in Figs. 12A and 12B, the battery pack 70D
of the fifth embodiment is made up of a battery pack obtained by
adding a fuse 7E, a diode 7F, and an oscillation preventing
condenser 7G to components in a battery pack 70A shown in Figs.
5A and 5B. Other configurations are same as those in Figs. 5A and
5B and description has been omitted.
Figures 13A, 13B, and 13C are diagrams illustrating a
portable cellular phone in which its battery pack 70D shown in
Fig. 12A is placed in the portable cellular phone proper 10 of
the fifth embodiment. In Fig. 13A, 13B, and 13B, same reference
numbers are assigned to components having same functions as those
in Figs. 6A, 6B, and 6C. As shown in Fig. 13C, in the battery pack
70D, the fuse 7E is connected between a plus (+) side of an alkaline
accumulator 71 and a plus (+) side of an electrical double layer
condenser 74. The fuse 7E, when a current output from the battery
pack 70D exceeds a predetermined value (for example, terminals
76a and 76b are erroneously shorted), interrupts the output
current. Moreover, an anode of the diode 7F is connected to a plus
(+) side terminal of the electrical double layer capacitor 74 and
a cathode of the diode 7F is connected to a terminal of the terminal
76a. The diode 7F serves to prevent backflow of a current to a
primary battery and, for example, when such a battery pack 30 or
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
42
an AC adapter as shown in Fig. 21 is erroneously connected to a
multifunctional connector 12, a charging current to be fed to the
alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and 77 is interrupted. Moreover,
an initial voltage of alkaline accumulators 71, 72, and 77, while
they are serially connected, exceeds 5V or more and therefore an
allowable voltage (for example, 5V) to the portable cellular phone
proper 10, in some cases. In this case, the diode 7F serves to
cause a voltage to drop (by about 0. 6V at an ordinary temperature)
in a forward direction, thereby letting a voltage of the alkaline
accumulators 71, 72, and 77 drop to within a range of an allowable
voltage to the portable cellular phone proper 10. The oscillation
preventing condenser 7G is placed between terminals 76a and 76b.
The oscillation preventing condenser 7G, when the battery pack
70D is mounted in the battery pack 70D, prevents oscillation
occurring due to mismatch in the power source impedance.
Next, operations of the battery pack 70D of the fifth
embodiment are described. A conventional portable cellular phone
1 is operated using a dedicated secondary battery 20 shown in Figs.
18A and 18B as a power source. However, in the fifth embodiment,
if the dedicated secondary battery 20 is discharged, the battery
pack 70D instead of the dedicated secondary battery 20 is used
to supply power. Thereafter, same operations as those of a battery
pack 70A shown in Figs. 5A and 5B are performed. Moreover, when
terminals 76a and 76b are erroneously shorted before the battery
pack 70D is connected to the portable cellular phone proper 10,
a current output from the battery pack 70D is interrupted by the
fuse 7E. Moreover, when a battery pack 30 or an AC adapter 60 is
erroneously connected to the multifunctional connector 12, a
charge current to the alkaline accumulators 71, 72 and 77 is
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
43
interrupted by the diode 7F. A voltage of the alkaline
accumulators 71, 72, and 77 is dropped by the diode 7F and is fed
to the portable cellular phone proper 10. An impedance in a
high-frequency area between terminals 76a and 76b is dropped by
the oscillation preventing condenser 7G, thereby preventing
oscillation.
Thus, in the fifth embodiment, since the battery pack 70D
is provided with the fuse 7E, the diode 7F, and the oscillation
preventing condenser 7G, advantages, in addition to those
obtained in the second embodiment, that safety is ensured and
oscillation is prevented even if the terminals 76a and 76b are
erroneously shorted or even if the battery pack 30 or the AC adapter
60 is erroneously connected to the multifunctional connector 12,
can be achieved.
Sixth Embodiment
Figures 14A and 14B are perspective views showing a battery
pack 70E and a battery mounting section 11 of a portable cellular
phone proper 10 according to a sixth embodiment of the present
invention. In Figs. 14A and 14B, same reference numbers are
assigned to components having same functions as those in the fifth
embodiment shown in Figs. 12A and 12B. As shown in Fig. 14A, the
battery pack 70E of the sixth embodiment, like in the case of a
battery pack 70D shown in Figs. 12A and 12B, is made up of a battery
pack obtained by adding a fuse 7E, a diode 7F, and an oscillation
preventing condenser 7G to a battery pack 70A shown in Figs. 5A
and 5B, although its internal connecting state is different.
Figures 15A, 15B, and 15C are diagrams illustrating a
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
44
portable cellular phone in which the battery pack 70E shown in
Fig. 14A is placed in a portable cellular phone proper 10 of the
sixth embodiment. In Fig. 15A, 15B, and 15B, same reference
numbers are assigned to components having same functions as those
in the fifth embodiment shown in Figs. 13A, 13B, and 13C. As shown
in Fig. 15C, in the battery pack 70E, the fuse 7E is connected
between a plus (+) side terminal of an electrical double capacitor
74 and an anode of the diode 7F and a cathode of the diode 7F is
connected to a terminal 76a. Other configurations are same as
those shown in Fig. 13C.
In the battery pack 70E of the sixth embodiment, same
operations as in the fifth embodiment are performed and therefore
same advantages can be achieved.
Seventh Embodiment
Figures 16A and 16B are perspective views showing a battery
pack 70E and a battery mounting section 11 of a portable cellular
phone proper 10 according to a seventh embodiment of the present
invention. In Figs. 16A and 16B, same reference numbers are
assigned to components having same functions as those in the fifth
embodiment shown in Figs. 12A and 12B. As shown in Fig. 16A, the
battery pack 70F of the seventh embodiment, like in the case of
a battery pack 70D shown in Fig. 12A, is made up of a battery pack
obtained by adding a fuse 7E, a diode 7F, and an oscillation
preventing condenser 7G to a battery pack 70A shown in Figs. 5A
and 5B, although its internal connecting state is different.
Figures 17A, 17B, and 17C are diagrams illustrating a
portable cellular phone in which its battery pack 70F shown in
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
Figs. 16A and 14B is placed in the portable cellular phone proper
10 of the seventh embodiment. In Fig. 17A, 17B, and 17C, same
reference numbers are assigned to components having same
functions as those in the fifth embodiment shown in Figs. 13A,
5 13B, and 13C. As shown in Fig. 17C, in the battery pack 70F, an
anode of the diode 7F is connected to a plus (+) side terminal
of an alkaline accumulator 71 and its cathode is connected to a
plus (+) side terminal of an electrical double layer capacitor
74. Moreover, the fuse 7E is placed between a plus (+) side terminal
10 of the electrical double layer capacitor 74 and a terminal 76a.
Other configurations are same as those shown in Fig. 13C.
In the battery pack 70F of the seventh embodiment, same
operations as in the fifth embodiment are performed and therefore
same advantages can be achieved.
15 It is apparent that the present invention is not limited
to the above embodiments but may be changed and modified without
departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example,
in each of the above embodiments, when a dedicated secondary
battery 20 is discharged, battery packs 70, 70A, 70B, 70C, 70D,
20 70E, and 70F are placed instead of the dedicated secondary battery
20, however, the battery packs 70, 70A, 70B, 70C, 70D, 70E, and
70F may be mounted without using the dedicated secondary battery
20 from a first stage. Moreover, the two pieces of alkaline
accumulators 71 and 72 may be one accumulator. However, in this
25 case, a boosting-type DC/DC converter 73b must be so configured
that a voltage of electromotive force of one alkaline accumulator
is boosted to an output voltage U being same as a voltage of the
dedicated secondary battery 20. Moreover, each of the alkaline
accumulators may be, for example, manganese dioxide lithium cell,
CA 02596286 2007-08-20
46
nickel hydrogen cell, or a like. Also, the electrical double layer
capacitor 74 may be, for example, an aluminum electrolytic
capacitor or a like. Also, in each of the above embodiments,
battery cells 70, 70A, 70B, 70C, 70D, 70E, and 70F are placed in
the portable cellular phone proper 10, however, may be placed not
only in the portable cellular phone but also in a PDA (Personal
Digital Assistance) containing functions of a portable cellular
phone.
The fuse 7E shown in Figs. 12A and 12B, Figs. 14A and 14B,
and Figs. 16A and 16B may be a PTC (Positive Temperature
Coefficient) thermistor. Resistance of the PTC thermistor is
increased by an excess current and/or overheat to limit power of
a circuit. Positions of the fuse 7E and the diode 7F shown in Fig.
15C may be reverse to each other. Instead of alkaline accumulators
71, 72, and 77 shown in Figs. 13C, 15C, and 17C, a fuel cell 78C
employed in the fourth embodiment shown in Fig. 11C may be used.
Moreover, in each of the above embodiments, the present invention
is explained using a TDMA-type portable cellular phone in which
power consumption increases or decreases in a burst manner.
However, when the battery cell of each of the embodiments is
configured to be placed in the portable terminal device in which
power consumption neither increases nor decreases in a burst
manner, even if the electrical double layer capacitor (power
storing section) 74 is removed, almost the actions and effects
of the embodiment can be obtained as achieved in the above
embodiments.
