Charger, electronic instrument, and charging system

• US 7,917,086 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2008
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group), Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group), Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Katsuya, Yamazaki, Manabu, Kato, Hiroshi, Kondo, Yoichiro, Suzuki, Kuniharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Phu; Sanh D
• Application Number:
  US12/071,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20080200219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/127.1, 455/572, 455/573, 320/108
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers

Abstract

A charger and an electronic instrument include a planar air-core coil, a magnetic sheet disposed on a side of the planar air-core coil that is opposite to a transmission side, and a housing disposed at a position that faces the transmission side of the planar air-core coil. The housing includes a positioning protrusion that is formed on an inner surface of the housing and positions the planar air-core coil, and a positioning protrusion or a positioning depression formed by an outer surface.

Claims

1. A charger that charges an electronic instrument, the charger comprising:

a planar air-core coil that has an air-core section;

a magnetic sheet disposed on a side of the planar air-core coil, the side being opposite to a transmission side of the planer air-core coil; and

a housing that is disposed at a position that faces the transmission side of the planar air-core coil,

the housing including;

a coil positioning protrusion that is formed on an inner surface of the housing and positions the planar air-core coil; and

a positioning section that positions the electronic instrument.

2. The charger as defined in claim 1,

the coil positioning protrusion being inserted into the air-core section of the planar air-core coil to position the planar air-core coil.

3. The charger as defined in claim 1,

the coil positioning protrusion positioning a periphery of the planar air-core coil.

4. The charger as defined in claim 1,

the positioning section protruding outward from an outer surface of the housing at a position that corresponds to a center position of the air-core section of the planar air-core coil.

5. The charger as defined in claim 4,

the positioning section having one or more protruding sections inside the air-core section of the planar air-core coil.

6. The charger as defined in claim 1,

the positioning section being a depression that guides the electronic instrument.

7. The charger as defined in claim 6,

the depression having guiding surfaces, a distance between the guiding surfaces decreasing toward a bottom of the depression.

8. The charger as defined in claim 1, further including:

a thermistor that is disposed in the air-core section.

9. The charger as defined in claim 1, further including:

a thermistor that is disposed on a surface of the positioning section.

10. The charger as defined in claim 8,

the thermistor and a circuit being connected through two parallel connection lines that are provided in parallel to a diametrical direction of the coil.

18. A charging system comprising:

the charger as defined in claim 1; and

an electronic instrument that is charged using a charger, the electronic instrument comprising;

a planar air-core coil that has an air-core section;

a magnetic sheet disposed on a side of the planar air-core coil, the side being opposite to a transmission side of the planer air-core coil; and

a housing that is disposed at a position that faces the transmission side of the planar air-core coil,

the housing including;

a coil positioning protrusion that is formed on an inner surface of the housing and positions the planar air-core coil; and

a positioning target section, the electronic instrument being positioned on the charger using the positioning target section,

the electronic instrument and the charger being positioned by fitting the positioning section of the charger to engage the positioning target section of the electronic instrument.

19. The charging system as defined in claim 18,

the magnetic sheet of the electronic instrument having a size equal to or larger than an external shape of the planar air-core coil of the charger.

11. An electronic instrument that is charged using a charger, the electronic instrument comprising:

a planar air-core coil that has an air-core section;

a magnetic sheet disposed on a side of the planar air-core coil, the side being opposite to a transmission side of the planer air-core coil; and

a housing that is disposed at a position that faces the transmission side of the planar air-core coil,

the housing including;

a coil positioning protrusion that is formed on an inner surface of the housing and positions the planar air-core coil; and

a positioning target section, the electronic instrument being positioned on the charger using the positioning target section.

12. The electronic instrument as defined in claim 11,

the coil positioning protrusion being inserted into the air-core section of the planar air-core coil to position the planar air-core coil.

13. The electronic instrument as defined in claim 11,

the coil positioning protrusion positioning a periphery of the planar air-core coil.

14. The electronic instrument as defined in claim 11,

the positioning target section being a positioning depression that is formed in a placement side of the housing that is placed on the charger, and the electronic instrument being positioned with respect to the charger using the positioning depression.

15. The electronic instrument as defined in claim 14,

the positioning depression being disposed at a position that corresponds to a center position of the air-core section of the planar air-core coil.

16. The electronic instrument as defined in claim 11,

the positioning target section being formed by a shape of part of the housing that is placed on the charger, and the part of the housing being positioned with respect to the charger.

17. The electronic instrument as defined in claim 11, further including:

a magnetic shielding sheet, the magnetic shielding sheet being provided on a side of the magnetic sheet that is opposite to that is positioned on the planar air-core coil.