Battery supplying apparatus for camera

• US 5,006,881 A
• Filed: 10/11/1989
• Issued: 04/09/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kodama, Yasumasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Hix, L. T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOH, JAE
• Application Number:
  US07/419,751
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 354/484, 354/418, 358/909
• US Class Current: 396/176
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/26 Power supplies; Circuitry or arrangement to switch on the power source; Circuitry to check the power source voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An electric power supply system for a camera that includes a camera body containing a charging circuit for a stroboscope and a signal processor, and at least a primary battery type of power supply package accommodating a primary battery electrically connected by terminals disposed on the package and terminals disposed on the camera body. The terminals of the package include a first positive terminal connected through a voltage stabilizer to the positive electrode of the primary battery, a second positive terminal connected to the positive electrode of the primary battery, and a minus terminal connected to the negative electrode of the primary battery. The terminals of the camera body include a first input terminal for the signal processor connected through the first positive terminal via the voltage stabilizer to the positive electrode of the primary battery, a second input terminal for the charging circuit connected through the second positive terminal to the positive electrode of the primary battery, and a minus terminal for the signal processor and the charging circuit connected through the minus terminal of the package to the negative electrode of the primary battery.

Claims

1. In an electric power supply system for a camera including a camera body employing a large load circuit with a flash lamp and a signal processor, and at least a removable, primary power supply package accommodating a primary battery serving as an electric power supply for said camera, the improvement comprising:

first terminal means disposed on said power supply package for connecting said primary battery to said large load circuit and to said signal processor;

voltage stabilizer means disposed on said power supply package to compensate for voltage fluctuations caused by said flash lamp;

said first terminal means including a first positive terminal connected through said voltage stabilizer means to a positive electrode of said primary battery, a second positive terminal connected to said positive electrode of said primary battery, and a minus terminal connected to a negative electrode of said primary battery; and

second terminal means disposed on said camera body for connecting said primary battery to said large load circuit and to said signal processor;

said second terminal means including a first input terminal for said signal processor connected through said first positive terminal via said voltage stabilizer means to said positive electrode of said primary battery, a second input terminal for said large load circuit connected through said second positive terminal to said positive electrode of said primary battery, and a minus terminal for said large load circuit and said signal processor connected through said minus terminal of said package to said negative electrode of said primary battery.

2. The electric power supply as set forth in claim 1, wherein said voltage stabilizer means comprises a DC-DC converter.

3. The electric power supply as set forth in claim 1, wherein said power supply package is of a rectangular solid shape and said first positive terminal, said second positive terminal, and said minus terminal are arranged on the same side of the rectangular solid shape.

4. The electric power supply as set forth in claim 1, wherein said camera further includes a detector for distinguishing the presence in the camera of the primary power supply package from a same shaped secondary power supply package and said minus terminal of said first terminal means is of a size for detection by said detector.

5. An electric power supply system for a camera comprising:

image pick-up means for generating a signal representing an image in a field of view of the camera;

a signal processor for processing the signal from said image pick-up means into a recordable signal;

recording means for recording the recordable signal from said signal processor onto a recording medium;

strobe means for emitting stroboscopic light, said strobe means including a charging circuit being capable of supplying a large current for exciting a lamp to generate the stroboscopic light;

means for selectively holding a first battery package having a battery with known internal resistance or holding a second battery package having a battery with an internal resistance smaller than said known internal resistance where said first battery package and said second battery package have substantially identical dimensions;

discriminating means for determining whether said first battery package or said second battery package is held by said means for holding; and

voltage stabilizer means for stabilizing a voltage output from said first battery package and producing a substantially constant output voltage, wherein said signal processor receives the constant voltage from said voltage stabilizer when said discriminating means determines that said means for holding holds said first battery package.

6. The electric power supply system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said first battery package includes a plurality of batteries interconnected to form the primary battery, and said second battery package includes a single battery to form said secondary battery.

7. The electric power supply system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said first battery package includes a voltage stabilizer.

8. The electric power supply system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said voltage stabilizer comprises a DC-DC converter.

9. The electric power supply system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said means for holding includes a first positive voltage terminal for said signal processor, a second positive voltage terminal for said strobe means, and a negative voltage terminal for both said signal processor and said strobe means, and said first battery package includes a first positive voltage terminal connected through said voltage stabilizer to a positive electrode of said first battery package, and a negative voltage terminal connected to a negative electrode of said first battery package, so that when said means for holding holds said first battery package said first input terminal is connected through said first positive voltage terminal of said first battery package via said voltage stabilizer to the positive electrode, said second input terminal is connected through said second positive terminal of said first battery package to the positive voltage electrode, and said negative voltage terminal of said means for holding is connected through said negative voltage terminal of said first battery package to the negative electrode of said first battery package.

10. The electric power supply system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said second battery package includes a positive voltage terminal connected to a positive electrode of said second battery package and a negative voltage terminal connected to a negative electrode of said second battery package, so that when said holding means holds said second battery package said first and second input terminals are connected through said positive voltage terminal of said second battery package to the positive electrode of said second battery package, and said negative voltage terminal of said holding means is connected through said negative voltage terminal of said second battery package to the negative electrode of said second battery package.

11. The electric power supply system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said discriminating means includes a discriminating terminal disposed in said means for holding, said second battery package includes a terminal which is associated with said discriminating terminal and is connected to either electrode of said second battery package, said discriminating means determines that said means for holding holds said second battery package when said discriminating terminal contacts an associated terminal of said second battery package.

12. The electric power supply system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said first battery package and said second battery package are each formed in a rectangular solid shape of substantially identical dimensions.