Battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device

• US 7,683,572 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Toya, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad; Patrick J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Muralidar; Richard V
• Application Number:
  US11/979,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20080111518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108, 320/107, 320/112, 320/113
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device include a battery charging cradle incorporating a primary coil which induces an AC magnetic flux to a specific portion of a planar, top plate of the cradle, and a rechargeable battery incorporated inside a bottom plate and charged by electric power which is induced to a secondary coil being electromagnetically coupled to the primary coil. The battery charging cradle has a positioning portion, so that the mobile electronic device is placed in a predetermined position by means of the positioning portion, the primary coil is electromagnetically coupled to the secondary coil, and thus the rechargeable battery incorporated in the mobile electronic device is charged.

Claims

1. A battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device, wherein

the battery charging cradle incorporates a primary coil which is connectable to an AC power source, and

the mobile electronic device includes a secondary coil which is operable to be electromagnetically coupled to the primary coil of the battery charging cradle, and further includes a rechargeable battery which is rechargeable by electric power which is induced to the secondary coil;

wherein the rechargeable battery has a first flat surface and a second flat surface facing the first flat surface, each of the first flat surface and the second flat surface being rectangular;

wherein the battery charging cradle has a planar top plate on an upper side thereof, the mobile electronic device being detachably mountable on the planar top plate;

wherein the primary coil is incorporated in the battery charging cradle such that an AC magnetic flux is induced to a specific portion of the top plate;

wherein the mobile electronic device has a planar bottom plate to be placed on the top plate of the battery charging cradle, the secondary coil of the mobile electronic device being disposed inside the bottom plate;

wherein the secondary coil is a coreless planar coil formed with a wire material spirally wound in a planar manner, the coreless planar coil being provided on the first flat surface of the rechargeable battery so as to be parallel to the first flat surface of the rechargeable battery;

wherein a width of the secondary coil is larger than a thickness of the secondary coil, the width extending in a direction parallel to the first flat surface of the rechargeable battery and the thickness being orthogonal to the first flat surface of the rechargeable battery;

wherein the battery charging cradle has a positioning portion for arranging the mobile electronic device in a predetermined position, the predetermined position being such that the primary coil is electromagnetically coupled to the secondary coil, and AC power is supplied from the primary coil to the secondary coil, and thus the rechargeable battery incorporated in the mobile electronic device is charged.

2. The battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1,

wherein the positioning portion is a positioning protrusion provided to the top plate of the battery charging cradle, and the bottom plate of the mobile electronic device includes a positioning recess for fitting onto the positioning protrusion;

wherein the secondary coil is arranged such that its central coiling diameter is larger than an inner diameter of the positioning recess and such that a hollow portion is provided in the center of the planar coil, the positioning recess being provided in the hollow portion; and

wherein the positioning protrusion of the battery charging cradle is operable to be guided into the positioning recess of the mobile electronic such that the primary coil is electromagnetically coupled to the secondary coil and AC power is supplied from the primary coil to the secondary coil to charge the rechargeable battery incorporated in the mobile electronic device.

3. The battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the entire top plate of the battery charging cradle is planar.

4. The battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1,

wherein the positioning portion is provided on the top plate of the battery charging cradle;

wherein a geometric figure is provided on the top plate to indicate a position for placement of the mobile electronic device; and

wherein the mobile electronic device is carried on the top plate in alignment with the position for placement such that the primary coil is electromagnetically coupled to the secondary coil to supply the AC power from the primary coil to the secondary coil, and thus the rechargeable battery incorporated in the mobile electronic device is charged.

5. The battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the positioning portion of the battery charging cradle is a position sensor, and the position sensor detects and indicates a position for placement of the mobile electronic device.

6. The battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device as recited in claim 5, wherein the position sensor detects the position for placement of the mobile electronic device, and when the position for placement of the mobile electronic device is appropriate, a normality indication is given by the position sensor.

7. The battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device as recited in claim 5, wherein the position sensor detects at least one of an electric current flowing through the primary coil, power consumption in the primary coil, a resonance frequency in the primary coil, and an impedance in the primary coil, so that the position of the mobile electronic device is detected by the position sensor.

8. The battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the positioning portion of the battery charging cradle is a position sensor, the position sensor detecting a position for placement of the mobile electronic device, and when the position for placement of the mobile electronic device is out of alignment with a proper position for placement, an alarm is delivered by the position sensor to notify of a misalignment.

9. The battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1,

wherein the mobile electronic device further comprises a spacer which is layered on the first flat surface of the rechargeable battery, the spacer being provided with a fitting-in hole for fitting the secondary coil;

and

wherein the thickness of the spacer is substantially equal to the thickness of the secondary coil such that an exterior face of the secondary coil is flush or coplanar with a surface of the spacer when the secondary coil is placed in the fitting-in hole.

10. The battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1,

wherein the mobile electronic device further comprises a spacer which is layered on the first flat surface of the rechargeable battery, the spacer being provided with a fitting-in hole for fitting the secondary coil;

and

wherein the secondary coil is disposed in the fitting-in hole and the thickness of the spacer is substantially equal to the thickness of the secondary coil such that an exterior face of the secondary coil is flush with a surface of the spacer.

11. The battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1,

wherein the mobile electronic device further comprises an electromagnetic shield coating that is capable of magnetically shielding a magnetic flux line received from the primary coil;

and

wherein the secondary coil is disposed on the rechargeable battery via the electromagnetic shield coating.

12. The battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1,

wherein the mobile electronic device further comprises an electromagnetic shield coating that is capable of magnetically shielding a magnetic flux line received from the primary coil;

and

wherein electromagnetic shield coating is disposed between the secondary coil and the rechargeable battery so as to shield the rechargeable battery from the primary coil.

13. A battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device, wherein

the battery charging cradle incorporates a primary coil which is connectable to an AC power source, and

the mobile electronic device includes a secondary coil which is operable to be electromagnetically coupled to the primary coil of the battery charging cradle, and further includes a rechargeable battery which is rechargeable by electric power which is induced to the secondary coil;

wherein the battery charging cradle has a planar top plate on an upper side thereof, the mobile electronic device being detachably mountable on the planar top plate;

wherein the primary coil is incorporated in the battery charging cradle such that an AC magnetic flux is induced to a specific portion of the top plate;

wherein the mobile electronic device has a planar bottom plate to be placed on the top plate of the battery charging cradle, the secondary coil of the mobile electronic device being disposed inside the bottom plate;

wherein the secondary coil is a coreless planar coil formed with a wire material spirally wound in a planar manner;

wherein the battery charging cradle has a positioning portion for arranging the mobile electronic device in a predetermined position, the predetermined position being such that the primary coil is electromagnetically coupled to the secondary coil, and AC power is supplied from the primary coil to the secondary coil, and thus the rechargeable battery incorporated in the mobile electronic device is charged;

wherein the positioning portion of the battery charging cradle is a position sensor, and the position sensor detects and indicates a position for placement of the mobile electronic device on the battery charging cradle; and

wherein the position sensor detects at least one of an electric current flowing through the primary coil, power consumption in the primary coil, a resonance frequency in the primary coil, and an impedance in the primary coil, so that the position of the mobile electronic device is detected by the position sensor.

14. A battery charging cradle and mobile electronic device, wherein

the battery charging cradle incorporates a primary coil which is connectable to an AC power source, and

the mobile electronic device includes a secondary coil which is operable to be electromagnetically coupled to the primary coil of the battery charging cradle, and further includes a rechargeable battery which is rechargeable by electric power which is induced to the secondary coil;

wherein the rechargeable battery has a first flat surface and a second flat surface facing the first flat surface, each of the first flat surface and the second flat surface being rectangular;

wherein the battery charging cradle has a planar top plate on an upper side thereof, the mobile electronic device being detachably mountable on the planar top plate;

wherein the primary coil is incorporated in the battery charging cradle such that an AC magnetic flux is induced to a specific portion of the top plate;

wherein the mobile electronic device has a planar bottom plate to be placed on the top plate of the battery charging cradle, the secondary coil of the mobile electronic device being disposed inside the bottom plate;

wherein the secondary coil is a coreless planar coil formed with a wire material spirally wound in a planar manner, the coreless planar coil being provided on the first flat surface of the rechargeable battery so as to be parallel to the first flat surface of the rechargeable battery;

wherein a width of the secondary coil is larger than a thickness of the secondary coil, the width extending in a direction parallel to the first flat surface of the rechargeable battery and the thickness being orthogonal to the first flat surface of the rechargeable battery;

wherein the battery charging cradle has a positioning portion for arranging the mobile electronic device in a predetermined position, the predetermined position being such that the primary coil is electromagnetically coupled to the secondary coil, and AC power is supplied from the primary coil to the secondary coil so as to charge the rechargeable battery incorporated in the mobile electronic device;

wherein the positioning portion of the battery charging cradle is a position sensor, the position sensor detecting a position for placement of the mobile electronic device, and when the position for placement of the mobile electronic device is out of alignment with a proper position for placement, an alarm is delivered by the position sensor to notify of a misalignment; and

wherein the position sensor detects at least one of an electric current flowing through the primary coil, power consumption in the primary coil, a resonance frequency in the primary coil, and an impedance in the primary coil, so that the position of the mobile electronic device is detected by the position sensor.