CN103036305A - Battery device for uninterrupted power supply and electronic device with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provide a battery solution for electronic devices that addresses one or more of the above-mentioned deficiencies. More specifically, there is provided a battery device capable of continuously supplying power to an electronic device even when a rechargeable battery in the electronic device is removed. A battery device according to various embodiments herein may have a main battery and a sub battery, each of which can independently supply power to an electronic device so that the electronic device can perform normal operations. When the secondary battery is removed from the electronic device, the main battery remains in the electronic device and supplies power to the electronic device, so that the electronic device can continue to operate normally without interruption, thereby avoiding power cuts and Restart the electronic device. When the secondary battery is connected to the electronic device, the secondary battery can charge the main battery while supplying power to the electronic device.

Description

Battery device for uninterruptible power supply and electronic device with such battery device

technical field

The present invention generally relates to battery solutions for electronic devices, particularly portable electronic devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a battery device capable of continuously supplying power to electronic devices. The invention also relates to an electronic device comprising such a battery device.

Background technique

Rechargeable batteries are widely used to provide power to electronic devices, especially portable electronic devices. FIG. 1 shows such a conventional rechargeable battery 20', which is generally configured to fit into a battery compartment of an electronic device. The battery 20' has an electrical contact point 22' for electrical connection with an electrical interface on the electronic device, so that the battery 20' can provide power to the electronic device. The battery 20' may also have other structures (such as a battery lock and/or a battery compartment door) for keeping the battery 20' in place in the battery compartment of the electronic device when the battery 20' is inserted into the compartment. Location.

Since the capacity of the rechargeable battery is limited, the rechargeable battery needs to be charged regularly in order to continuously supply power to the electronic device. There are generally two methods for charging a rechargeable battery, one of which is to leave the battery in the electronic device and connect the electronic device to a battery charger to charge the battery in the electronic device. Since the electronic device is physically connected to the battery charger and is electrically connected to the battery charger, when the battery is charged by this charging method, the electronic device is then used in the normal manner during the charging of the battery is inconvenient or restricted.

An alternative method of charging a rechargeable battery is to remove the battery from the electronic device and charge it independently outside the battery compartment of the electronic device. Typically, a backup battery may be used in an electronic device to allow the electronic device to continue to operate while the primary battery is charging. Such a battery replacement operation may result in interruption of power supply to the electronic device. For example, when the primary battery is removed from the electronic device, the power supply to the electronic device will be stopped, and then the electronic device will be shut down or shut down by, for example, an internal protection circuit. As a result of this battery replacement, the operations performed by the electronic device are terminated.

Interruption of power supply during battery replacement prevents normal use of the electronic device, eg interruption or termination of communication, conversation and/or data transfer. For example, this structure of applications and settings may be lost when the rechargeable battery is removed from the electronic device during use of one or more applications. After restoring power to the electronic device, when the electronic device is turned back on, the user must reset these settings and re-run the application to obtain the same result.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments described herein provide a battery solution for an electronic device that addresses one or more of the deficiencies described above. More specifically, there is provided a battery device capable of continuously supplying power to an electronic device even when a rechargeable battery in the electronic device is removed. A battery device according to various embodiments herein includes a main battery (host battery) and a secondary battery (main battery), each of which is operable to independently supply power to an electronic device so that the electronic device can implement its normal operation. When the secondary battery is removed from the electronic device, the main battery remains in the electronic device and is capable of supplying power to the electronic device such that the electronic device continues to operate in its normal manner without interruption, Thereby, the power is turned off and the restart operation of the electronic device is avoided. When the sub-battery is connected to the electronic device, the sub-battery can charge the main battery while supplying power to the electronic device.

The main battery and the sub battery of the battery device can be assembled into one unit and detachably installed in the electronic device to supply power thereto. In this case, the battery device can be used with conventional electronic devices instead of conventional batteries configured for such conventional electronic devices. Alternatively, the main battery of the battery device may be manufactured in the electronic device, and the sub-battery may be detachably connected to the electronic device.

Embodiments described herein also provide an electronic device including the above battery device. The main battery of the battery device may be manufactured in the electronic device as an integral part, while the secondary battery is detachably connected to the electronic device. For example, the secondary battery can be detachably placed in the battery compartment of the electronic device to provide power for the electronic device to perform normal operations.

Description of drawings

The following description is given with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are not drawn to scale, the purpose of which is to illustrate the principles of the invention. In the attached picture:

Figure 1 shows a conventional battery used in an electronic device;

FIG. 2A shows an electronic device including the battery device of the first embodiment;

Figure 2B is a side view of the electronic device in Figure 2A;

FIG. 3A shows a battery device used in the electronic device in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3B shows a battery housing including a main battery of the battery device of FIG. 3A;

Figure 3C shows a secondary battery of the battery device shown in Figure 3A;

Figure 3D shows the secondary battery installed into the battery case;

4 is a block diagram of an electronic device including a battery device formed according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A shows an electronic device including the battery device of the second embodiment;

Fig. 5B shows the sub-battery installed in the battery device shown in Fig. 5A;

6 is a block diagram including an electronic device formed according to a second embodiment;

7A is a side view of an electronic device with a modification of the battery device shown in FIG. 5A;

Figure 7B is a side view of a modification of the secondary battery shown in Figure 7A;

8A is a block diagram of a modification of a secondary battery in a battery device; and

Fig. 8B is a block diagram of another modification of the sub-battery in the battery device.

Detailed ways

Various embodiments of a battery device and an electronic device having such a battery device are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following descriptions of different embodiments, the same components are denoted by the same numerals, and repeated descriptions will be omitted.

Figures 2A and 2B show an electronic device 1, such as a portable electronic device, having a main body 10 in the form of a mobile phone. Although the electronic device 1 is shown in the form of a mobile phone, the various embodiments described herein are not limited to use with such a mobile phone, but are applicable to other electronic devices including, but not limited to, with or Cell phones without an operating system, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptops, tablets, notebooks, notebooks, unified communications equipment, video conferencing equipment, wireless data transceivers, portable video game consoles, MP3 players, Digital cameras, video cameras, tape recorders, global positioning systems (GPS), scanners, or other portable electronic devices or electronic devices that use rechargeable batteries.

The electronic device 1 also has a battery device 20 for supplying power to the electronic device 1 so that the electronic device can implement its normal operations, including executing various application programs on the electronic device 1 or transmitting voice and data via the Internet. The battery device 20 is configured to be detachably connected to the main body 10 of the electronic device 1 . In one example, the battery device 20 can be at least partially accommodated and retained within the battery compartment 12 of the electronic device 1 . If desired, a battery cover may be used to cover and/or retain the battery device 20 within the battery compartment 12 of the device 1 . The battery device 20 may be connected to the electronic device 1 in various other methods described below.

The battery device 20 according to various embodiments herein may include a main battery 30 and a sub battery 40 . The main battery 30 and the sub battery 40 of the battery device 20 are configured to be detachable from each other and connectable to the main body 10 of the electronic device 1 . Each of the main battery 30 and the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 is used to independently provide power to the electronic device 1 for the electronic device to perform its normal operation. For example, the main battery 30 and the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 are each independently electrically connected to the electrical contact point 22 on the battery device 20 . When the battery device 20 is connected to the electronic device 1, the battery contact point 22 is electrically connected to a device contact point (not shown) on the electronic device 1, so that one of the main battery 30 and the secondary battery 40 can charge the electronic device 1. Power is provided to enable the electronic device to perform its normal operations.

According to an aspect of various embodiments herein, in the absence of the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 , the main battery 30 of the battery device 20 can provide power to the electronic device 1 to fully perform its normal operation. In one example, during the normal operation of the battery device 20, when the sub-battery 40 can be detached and separated from the electronic device 1, the main battery 30 remains in the electronic device 1 and is used to provide power to the electronic device 1 for this purpose. The electronic device continues its normal operation. For example, the main battery 30 can hold the results of all applications running on the electronic device 1 . In one example, the main battery 30 does not output power to the electronic device 1 until the secondary battery 40 is removed from the electronic device 1 . In this way, when the secondary battery 40 is separated from the electronic device 1 and removed, the battery device 20 described herein allows the electronic device 1 to continue its normal operation.

In one example, after the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 is removed from the electronic device 1 , a backup battery similar to the secondary battery 40 can be used to provide power to the electronic device 1 . In this case, when there is no secondary battery 40, the main battery 30 of the battery device 20 can be used to maintain the normal operation of the electronic device 1 for a sufficient period until a backup battery is loaded into the electronic device 1 to replace it. Provide power. The main battery 30 formed in this way can provide uninterrupted power to the electronic device 1 at least during the replacement of the backup battery 40 , avoiding the interruption of the normal operation of the electronic device 1 . In other words, the battery solution provided provides continuous, uninterrupted power to the electronic device 1 during the battery replacement process in which the secondary battery 40 is removed from the electronic device 1 and a suitable spare rechargeable battery is installed. In this way, “hot swapping” of batteries becomes possible during normal operation of various electronic devices 1 .

In another example, a charging operation may be performed on a separate sub-battery 40 . For example, the separate sub-battery 40 may be used with a charging device to recharge the separate sub-battery 40 . Once the charging operation is completed, the recharged secondary battery 40 can be reused to the electronic device 1 to continuously power it. For example, the backup battery can be removed from the electronic device 1 so that the secondary battery 40 can be reconnected to the electronic device 1 to power it. During this battery replacement process, the main battery 30 of the battery device 20 is used to maintain the normal operation of the electronic device 1 and avoid interruption of the operation of the electronic device caused by the battery replacement operation. The exchange between the secondary battery 40 and the backup battery together with the external battery charging operation enables an extended continuous power supply to the electronic device 1 .

According to another aspect of various embodiments herein, when the sub-battery 40 is used together with the main battery 30 , the sub-battery 40 of the battery device 20 can be used to provide power to the electronic device 1 . In one embodiment, the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 is the main power source of the electronic device 1 . The sub-battery 40 may be configured in various forms to facilitate simple and easy connection and removal with the electronic device 1 .

When used to supply power to the electronic device 1 , the secondary battery 40 can disconnect the main battery 30 from the power supply circuit, so that the main battery 30 stops supplying power to the electronic device 1 . For example, the battery switch 29 may be electrically connected to the main battery 30 and may be used to turn on/off the main battery 30 . The battery switch 29 can be manually operated by the user or triggered by the auxiliary battery 40 . In one example, the battery switch 29 may be a mechanically operated switch which may be turned on when the sub-battery 40 is put in or removed from the electronic device 1 . When the sub-battery 40 is connected to the electronic device 1 to supply power thereto, the sub-battery 40 can cut and disconnect the main battery 30 from the power supply circuit. In one example, disconnection of the main battery 30 can be delayed to ensure that the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 is properly installed in and powers the electronic device 1 .

Additionally or alternatively, when the sub-battery 40 is connected to the electronic device 1 and supplies power thereto, the battery device 20 is configured such that the sub-battery 40 can charge the main battery 30 . As will be described in further detail below, the secondary battery 40 is capable of charging the main battery after each use, so that the main battery 30 can independently power the electronic device 1 during the next battery replacement operation. In this way, both the main battery 30 and the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 can be charged to provide continuous and uninterrupted power to the electronic device 1 for normal operation of the electronic device.

The battery device 20 and its various components will be described in further detail below according to various embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3A to 3D show a first embodiment of the battery device 20, in which, as shown in FIG. 3A, a main battery 30 and a sub battery 40 form a battery pack. The battery device 20 has battery contacts 22 electrically connected to device contacts on the main body 10 of the electronic device 1 . In the example shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D , the battery device 20 may include a battery case 21 configured to connect the main battery 30 and the sub battery 40 to the main body 10 of the electronic device 1 . When the battery device 20 is connected to the electronic device 1 , battery contacts 22 may be formed on the battery case 21 to facilitate electrical connection of the device contacts on the main body 10 of the electronic device 1 . The battery contacts 22 can selectively connect the main battery 30 and the secondary battery 40 with the electronic device 1 to provide power to the electronic device.

The battery case 21 may be formed in various ways to mount the main battery 30 and the sub battery 40 to the main body 10 of the electronic device 1 . In one example, the battery case 21 can be formed to enclose the main battery 30 therein. Such a battery case 21 can be formed as an extension of the main battery 30 . In an alternative example, main battery 30 is removable and/or detachable from battery housing 21 . The main battery 30 installed in the battery case 21 is electrically connected with the battery contact point 22 on the battery case 21, so that the main battery 30 can be electrically connected with the device contact point on the electronic device 1 to provide power to the electronic device, so that the electronic The device 1 is able to carry out its normal operation.

In one example, best shown in FIG. 3B , the battery housing 21 has a battery cavity 23 within which a secondary battery 40 may be received and retained. Generally, the battery cavity 23 can be formed to have substantially the same shape and size as the sub-battery 40 so that the sub-battery 40 can be properly retained within the battery cavity 23 during normal operation of the electronic device 1 . Various retention structures 25 may be provided within the battery cavity 23 and/or on the battery housing to assist in holding the secondary battery 40 in place during normal use of the battery device 20 . In one example, the retaining structure 25 is located on the sidewall of the battery cavity 23 for engaging with a complementary retaining structure on the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 .

The battery housing 21 is provided with internal electrical contacts 27 which are electrically connected to the battery contacts 22 on the battery housing 21 . The internal electrical contacts 27 can also be electrically connected to the battery contacts on the secondary battery 40, so that the secondary battery 40 can be electrically connected to the electronic device 1 for powering it. More specifically, the internal electrical contacts 27 are located on the battery casing 21 such that they can be electrically connected to the battery contacts on the secondary battery 40 after the secondary battery 40 is installed in the battery casing 21 . In the example shown in FIG. 3B , the internal electrical contacts 27 are formed on the side walls of the battery cavity 23 . When the secondary battery 40 is placed in the battery cavity 23, the battery contact point on the secondary battery 40 can be electrically connected with the inner contact point 27 on the side wall of the battery cavity 23, so that the secondary battery 40 can supply power to the electronic device 1 for the electronic device to function properly.

The sub-battery 40 of the battery device 20 may be formed to be detachably connected to the battery case 21 . In the example shown in FIG. 3C , the sub-battery 40 is shaped and sized to fit properly within the battery cavity 23 of the battery case 21 . Additional retaining structures may also be provided on the secondary battery 40 to cooperate with complementary retaining structures 25 on the battery housing 21 to assist in retaining the secondary battery 40 within the battery cavity 23 of the battery housing 21 . The sub-battery 40 of the battery device 20 has battery contact points 42 for electrical connection with the internal contact points 27 on the battery housing 21 .

As shown in FIGS. 3B and 3D , the battery case 21 has a battery switch 29 which can be operated by inserting a sub battery 40 as shown in FIG. 3D . In one example, as shown in FIG. 4 , the battery switch 29 can form an electrical connection with the main battery 30 and the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 and switch between them. The battery switch 29 can be manually operated by the user, or can be triggered by the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 .

In one example, the battery switch 29 may be a mechanically operated switch that can be turned on or off when the sub-battery 40 is placed in or removed from the electronic device 1 . In the example shown in FIG. 3D , before the secondary battery 40 is inserted into the battery cavity 23 of the battery case 21 , the battery switch 29 is in the "OFF" position. When the battery switch 29 is in this "OFF" position, the power supply circuit including the secondary battery 40 is cut off, and the power supply circuit including the main battery 30 is turned on. In other words, when the battery switch 29 is in the “OFF” position, the main battery 30 of the battery device 20 supplies power to the electronic device 1 .

As shown in FIG. 3A, when the secondary battery 40 is properly placed in the battery housing 21 and used with the main battery 30, the secondary battery 40 actuates the battery switch 29 to the "on" position. As shown in FIG. 4 , when the battery switch 29 is in the “on” position, the battery switch 29 can connect the power supply circuit of the auxiliary battery 40 and disconnect the power supply circuit of the main battery 30 . At this time, the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 supplies power to the electronic device 1 , while the main battery 30 is cut off and stops supplying power to the electronic device 1 .

In one embodiment, a time delay device is provided to delay disconnection of the main battery 30, so that the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 can be properly loaded into the electronic device before the main battery 30 stops supplying power to the electronic device 1. 1 to power it. In the example shown in FIG. 3B , the battery switch 29 is located away from the inner contact 27 . For example, the inner contacts 27 and the battery switch 29 are respectively located on opposite side walls of the battery housing 21 . When the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 is installed, the battery contacts 42 of the secondary battery 40 can make contact with the inner contacts 27 before the battery switch 29 is placed in the "on" position to disconnect the main battery 30 of the battery device 20 . In this way, after the secondary battery 40 starts to supply power to the electronic device 1 , the main battery 30 can be disconnected to ensure continuous and uninterrupted power supply to the electronic device 1 . As described in the examples below, other types of time delay devices can also be used to achieve the same purpose.

Additionally or alternatively, when the secondary battery 40 is properly housed in the battery housing 21 , the power supply circuit of the battery device 20 is configured so that the secondary battery 40 can be used to charge the main battery 30 . In one example, the main battery 30 and the secondary battery 40 can be electrically connected to each other to form a charging control circuit. When the secondary battery 40 is inserted into the battery device 20 and connected to the charging control circuit, the secondary battery 40 can charge the main battery 30 while charging the electronic device 1 .

The battery device 20 can be connected to the main body 10 of the electronic device 1 in various ways. In one example, the battery housing 21 can be configured to have a shape and size suitable for the battery compartment 12 of the electronic device 1 . For example, the battery housing 21 can have the same size and shape as a conventional battery used to power the electronic device 1 . The battery device 20 thus formed may have an appearance similar to that of a conventional battery pack, and may be connected to the main body 10 of the electronic device 1 in a manner similar to how a conventional battery is connected to the electronic device 1 . As such, the battery device 20 can be used in place of a conventional device battery and can be used with the electronic device 1 without requiring changes to the electronic device 1 .

Various locking mechanisms may be employed to lock the battery housing 21 and/or lock the battery device 20 within the battery compartment 12 within the main body 10 of the electronic device 1 . In one example, the locking mechanism may be formed similar to the mechanism used to secure a conventional battery within the battery compartment 12 of the electronic device 1 . In another example, the battery housing 21 can be formed to be fixed to the housing of the electronic device 1, or as part of the housing. In the above two examples, the main battery 30 and/or the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 can be configured to be detachably connected to the battery case 21 .

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the electronic device 1 including the battery device 20 formed according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the electronic device 1 includes a CPU device 50 , a power supply control circuit 51 , a power supply charging control circuit 53 and a battery pack circuit 55 . The power supply control circuit 51 is electrically connected to the CPU device 50 so as to control the power supply operation to the CPU device 50 . The power charging control circuit 53 is electrically connected to the main battery 30 , the sub battery 40 and the power supply control circuit 51 to control the battery charging operation from the external power source 59 to the main battery 30 , the sub battery 40 and/or the CPU device 50 . In one example, an A/C adapter may be used to make the electrical connection between the external power source 59 and the power charging control circuit 53 .

The battery pack circuit 55 is electrically connected to the power supply control circuit 51 to supply power to the CPU device 50 . In one example, the battery pack circuit 55 is electrically connected to the power supply control circuit 51 through the battery switch 29 so that one of the main battery 30 and the secondary battery 40 can supply power to the CPU device 50 . When the secondary battery 40 is located in the battery device 20, the battery switch 29 can disconnect the main battery 30 from the battery charging control circuit 57 and connect the battery charging control circuit to the secondary battery 40, as shown in FIG. 4 . The battery switch 29 can disconnect the sub-battery 40 from the battery charging circuit 57 and connect it to the main battery 30 of the battery device 20 when the sub-battery 40 is not in the electronic device 1 .

The battery pack circuit 55 can be configured to include a charging control circuit 57 for controlling the recharging operation of the main battery 30 by the sub battery 40 . In one example, the charging control circuit 57 can be configured to electrically connect the main battery 30 with the secondary battery 40 after the secondary battery 40 is used in the battery device 20 . When the sub-battery 40 of the battery device 20 is built into the electronic device 1 , the sub-battery 40 is electrically connected to the charging control circuit 57 so that the main battery 30 can be recharged by the operation of the charging control circuit 57 . For example, in order to charge the main battery 30 , the charge control circuit 57 can increase the output voltage of the sub battery 40 . The charging control circuit 57 can also monitor the temperature of the main circuit 30 during the charging of the main battery 30 .

The use and operation of this battery unit 20 will be described below.

First, the battery device 20 can be connected to the main body 10 of the electronic device 1 in various ways. For example, the battery case 21 can be loaded into the battery compartment 12 of the electronic device 1 . The auxiliary battery 40 of the battery device 20 can be inserted into the battery cavity 23 in the battery case 21 to provide power to the electronic device 1 . In addition, the battery device 20 can be electrically connected with the electronic device 1 to provide power for it, so that the electronic device 1 can perform its normal operation. For example, the battery device 20 may have battery contacts 22 for electrical connection with device contacts on the electronic device 1 . In the example shown in FIG. 3B , the battery contacts 22 are formed on the sides of the battery case 21 .

During normal operation of the battery device 20 , the secondary battery 40 is used together with the main battery 30 . For example, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B , the sub-battery 40 can be inserted into the battery cavity 23 of the battery case 21 which is then inserted into the battery chamber 12 inside the main body 10 of the electronic device 1 . After the battery device 20 (including the secondary battery 40 ) is properly installed, the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 can supply power to the electronic device 1 to allow the electronic device 1 to operate normally.

In one embodiment, the secondary battery 40 of the battery unit 20 can be used to cut off the charging circuit of the main battery 30 . In other words, the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 20 can directly supply power to the electronic device 1 during the normal power supply operation of the battery device 20 . In another embodiment, the auxiliary battery 40 of the battery device 20 can cut off the power supply circuit of the main battery 30 so that the main battery 30 stops supplying power to the electronic device 1 . In a further embodiment, when the secondary battery 40 is charging the electronic device 1 , the secondary battery 40 can charge the main battery 30 .

When the secondary battery 40 is removed from the electronic device 1, the main battery 30 is switched on and used to supply power to the electronic device 1, so that the electronic device 1 can continue its normal operation without experiencing power interruption. During operation of the main battery 30, a backup battery similar to the secondary battery 40 can be used in the electronic device 1 to power it. The removed secondary battery 40 can be aligned with an external battery charging device for battery charging operation. After the secondary battery 40 is recharged, the secondary battery 40 can be used again in the electronic device 1 to charge the electronic device. If necessary, the backup battery can be removed from the electronic device 1 and the backup battery can be charged. During this battery replacement operation, the main battery 30 of the battery unit 20 is switched on and charges the electronic device 1 so that the electronic device 1 can continue its normal operation without power interruption.

5A and 5B show an electronic device 100 including a battery device 120 formed according to the second embodiment. The battery device 120 includes a main battery 130 which is fabricated within the body 10 of the electronic device 100 . In one example, the main battery 130 of the battery device 120 can be configured to be detachably connected to the main body 10 of the electronic device 100 . In this embodiment, the main battery 130 is configured to directly supply power to the electronic device 100 for normal operation of the electronic device. In the example shown in FIG. 7 , the main battery 130 of the battery device 120 can be electrically connected to and provide power to the CPU of the electronic device 100 . There is no need to use a separate battery case such as the battery case 21 described in the first embodiment above to connect the main battery 130 to the main body 10 of the electronic device 100 .

The battery device 120 according to the second embodiment also has a sub-battery 40 formed to be detachably connected to the main body 10 of the electronic device 100 to supply power to the electronic device. For example, the secondary battery 40 can be directly inserted into and held in the battery compartment 12 of the main body 10 of the electronic device 100 . In this case, there is no need for a battery case to connect the sub-battery 40 to the main body 10 of the electronic device 100 . The secondary battery 40 has battery contact points 42 for electrically connecting with device contact points on the main body 10 of the electronic device 100 so that the secondary battery 40 can provide power to the electronic device 100 . In one example, the sub-battery 40 of the battery device 120 can be shaped and sized similar to a conventional battery.

In addition, the electronic device 100 in the second embodiment has a battery switch 29 . In one example, the battery switch 29 is located on the side wall of the battery compartment 12 of the main body 10 of the electronic device 100 . In one embodiment, the battery switch 29 may be formed as part of the device contacts to electrically connect with the battery contacts 42 on the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 120 . When the secondary battery 40 is placed in the battery chamber 12 of the electronic device 100 , the secondary battery 40 can activate the battery switch 29 to cut off the power supply circuit of the main battery 130 and connect the power supply circuit of the secondary battery 40 . In this way, the secondary battery 40 can replace the main battery 130 to supply power to the electronic device 100 so that the electronic device operates normally.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an electronic device 100 including the battery device 120 of the second embodiment, in which the main battery 130 is fabricated into the electronic device 100 . In one example, the charging control circuit 57 can be fabricated in the electronic device 100 together with the main battery 130 of the battery device 120 . In another example, the charging control circuit 57 can be included in the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 120 . In the example shown in FIG. 5, a switch control circuit 29' (instead of the battery switch 29 discussed in the first embodiment) is provided to select one of the primary and secondary batteries 130, 40 to power the electronics. The device 1 provides power to enable the electronic device to function normally. In a further embodiment, the switch control circuit 29' can be fabricated in the electronic device 100.

In one example, when the secondary battery 40 (see FIGS. 5A and 5B ) of the battery device 120 is installed into the electronic device 1 to charge the electronic device, the switch control circuit 29' can work and delay the main battery 130 from the power supply circuit. disconnect. As shown in FIG. 6 , the switch control circuit 29' can selectively electrically connect the main battery 130 and the secondary battery 40 to the CUP device 50 through the power supply control circuit 51. In one example, even after the secondary battery 40 activates the switch control circuit 29' to cut off the main battery 30, the switch control circuit 29' can delay disconnection of the main battery 130 so that the main battery 130 can continue to provide power to the electronic device 1. In another example, before the main battery 130 is disconnected from the power supply circuit, both the main battery 130 and the secondary battery 40 can simultaneously supply power to the electronic device 1 . Similarly, after the secondary battery 40 starts to supply power to the electronic device 1, the switch control circuit 29' cuts off the main battery 130 of the battery device 120, so that when the secondary battery 40 of the battery device 120 is loaded into the electronic device 1 and supplies power to it , to ensure continuous and uninterrupted power supply to the electronic device 1 .

Figures 7A and 7B show a modification 120' of the battery device 120 of the second embodiment shown in Figures 5A and 5B. In this modification, the sub-battery 60 of the battery device 120' is directly inserted into the battery compartment 12 in the main body 10 of the electronic device 100'. In this case, a battery housing is not required. In one example, the battery contact point 62 of the secondary battery 60 is electrically connected to the device contact point of the electronic relay 100', so that the secondary battery 60 supplies power to the electronic device 100'.

As best shown in Figure 7A, the secondary battery 60 of the battery device 120' is arranged to extend beyond the battery compartment 12 of the electronic device 100'. For example, the sub-battery 60 has an extension portion 66 that extends out of the battery chamber 12 and is in contact with the main body 10 portion of the electronic device 100'. Such a sub-battery 60 can have an increased capacity compared to the sub-battery 40 described above in the first embodiment. In one example, the secondary battery 60 can be formed as an extended battery of the electronic device 100'.

8A and 8B are block diagrams of a modification 40' of the secondary battery 40 described in the above embodiments. In this modification, the sub-battery 40' may include a plurality of battery sections 40s arranged in parallel. A battery housing may be provided and configured to support the battery portion 40s. In one example, the plurality of battery sections 40s are identical so as to be interchangeable with each other and/or with other similarly formed spare battery sections. Each of the battery parts 40s can be selectively electrically connected to an output terminal of the sub battery 40'. The output of the secondary battery 40' may then be electrically connected to the battery contact 42 (see Figure 3C) of the secondary battery 40', thereby electrically connecting the selected battery portion 40s to the battery contact 42 of the secondary battery 40'. In one example, each of the plurality of battery sections 40s is selectively electrically connectable with a connection switch 48 .

The multiple connection switches 48 can be configured such that each of these connection switches 48 can be electrically connected to a corresponding battery section 40s or an adjacent connection switch 48 . As shown in FIG. 8A, one of the multi-connection switches 48 (that is, the multi-connection switch 48 located on the right side of the figure) connects the corresponding battery section 40s to the output terminal of the sub-battery 40'. When the secondary battery 40' is used in the electronic device 1, 100, 100' described in the above embodiment, the battery part 40s can supply power to the electronic device 1, 100, 100'.

In addition, each of the multiple connection switches 48 can be selectively connected to a different battery section 40s. For example, the connection switch 48 located on the right side of FIG. 8A can change the second battery part 40s on the right side of FIG. 8A to be connected to the output terminal of the secondary battery 40'. Similarly, other battery parts 40s can also be selectively connected to the output terminal of the secondary battery 40' to supply power to the electronic device 1, 100, 100'.

The multiple connection switch 48 may be a relay-type device. In one example, each of the multiple connection switches 48 can be electrically connected to a corresponding battery section 40s or an adjacent connection switch 48 . The operation of the multiple connection switch 48 is performed based on the battery capacity output by the corresponding battery section 40s or the battery capacity detected by the battery capacity detector and power switch circuit 49 . For example, if the battery capacity detector and power switch circuit 49 has detected a battery portion 40s with a higher capacity, the test circuit 49 can generate a turn-on signal to operate the corresponding connection switch 48 to turn to and connect with the battery portion 40s of this high capacity. electrical contact. Also, as shown in FIG. 8A , the high-capacity battery section 40s is turned on to supply power to the electronic device 1 .

If the battery capacity detector and power switch circuit 49 detects a lower capacity battery section 40s, the test circuit 49 can generate an open signal to cause the corresponding connection switch 48 to toggle and make contact with the adjacent battery section 40s. If the adjacent battery section 40 s has a high capacity and is electrically connected to the corresponding connection switch 48 , then the adjacent battery section 40 s is switched on and can supply power to the electronic device 1 . If the adjacent battery section 40s has a lower capacity, the corresponding connection switch 48 is switched to make contact with the next adjacent battery section 40s.

The above process is repeated on each of the multiple connection switches 48, so that the battery sections 40s can be sequentially selected to power the electronic device 1 until all the battery sections 40s are used. At this time, the main battery 30 of the battery device 20 can be activated to provide energy for the electronic device 1 . At the same time, one or more battery sections 40s can be removed from the battery unit 40' and recharged. Once the removed battery sections 40s are properly charged, they can be placed back into the electronic device 1 to power the electronic device.

Additionally or alternatively, at least one of said multiple battery parts 40s may be removed from the electronic device 1, 100, 100' for recharging operations thereof. In the example shown in Fig. 8A, a supply circuit 49 is provided for detecting the battery capacity and switching the battery part 40s to continuously supply power to the electronic device 1, 100, 100'. Circuitry 49 may be used to detect the battery capacity of battery sections 40s and determine those battery sections with lower capacities. The circuit 49 can also switch to the battery part 40s with sufficient capacity for continuous power supply of the electronic device 1, 100, 100'. Then, the battery part 40 with a lower capacity can be removed from the electronic device 1, 100, 100' and recharged. Other charged battery parts can be used to replace the battery part 40s removed from the electronic device 1, 100, 100'.

According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 8A, one or more battery parts 40s of the secondary battery 40' can be used to power the electronic device 1. If the low-capacity battery part 40s can be replaced by a charged battery part in time, the secondary battery 40' can continuously and uninterruptedly provide energy to the electronic device 1, 100, 100'. In this case, the main battery 30 of the battery unit 40 is rarely used for the intended purpose, thus becoming redundant.

FIG. 8A also shows that each of the battery sections 40s can be electrically connected to a charging control circuit section 53s. The charging control circuit section 53s can be used to control the charging operation from the external power source 59 to the respective battery section 40s. In the example shown in FIG. 8A, there are provided a plurality of charging control circuit sections 53s capable of controlling the charging operation from the external power source 59 to the respective battery sections 40s.

Fig. 8B is a block diagram of another modification 140' of the sub-battery 40 described in the above embodiments. In the example shown in FIG. 8B, each battery section 40s is connected to a separate battery capacity detection circuit 49s for detecting the battery capacity of the corresponding battery section 40s. A multi-contact switch 48 is provided to selectively electrically connect one of the battery parts 40s to an output terminal of the sub-battery 140' to be electrically connected to the electronic device 1 for powering the electronic device. For example, the multi-contact switch 48 can be switched to be electrically connected to the battery portion 40s having sufficient battery capacity to supply power to the CPU device 50 (see FIGS. 7A and 7B ). In addition, a single charging control circuit section may be provided and electrically connected to a plurality of battery sections 40s to control the battery charging operation of the battery section.

The battery solutions described herein allow the electronic device (e.g., mobile device) to continue to operate and/or communicate over a network while the secondary battery 40, 60, 40', 140 is removed and/or replaced. Accordingly, the embodiments described herein enable hot-swap of batteries and provide continuous, uninterrupted power to the electronic device 1, 100, 100', thereby enabling the user to continuously The electronic device 1, 100, 100' is operated to perform various operations without any power interruption.

Thus, while the essential novel features of the present invention have been shown, described and pointed out herein according to the preferred embodiments described above, it should be understood that those skilled in the art can make further references to them without departing from the spirit of the invention. Various omissions and substitutions and changes have been made in the form and details of the devices shown and their operation. For example, it is obvious that those elements and/or method steps which achieve substantially the same effect by substantially the same means and have substantially the same function are within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that structures and/or elements and/or method steps described and/or shown in accordance with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated into any other disclosed form as a general matter of design choice. in the form or examples described or implied. Accordingly, the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (20)

1. A battery device for powering an electronic device, the battery device comprising: main battery; secondary battery; and a battery switch, the battery switch can be switched between the main battery and the auxiliary battery, and is electrically connected to a selected one of the main battery and the auxiliary battery, so as to supply power to the electronic device; Wherein the main battery and the secondary battery can independently supply power to the electronic device, so that the electronic device can operate normally; When the secondary battery supplies power to the electronic device, the battery switch turns off the main battery. 2. The battery device according to claim 1, further comprising a battery case configured to connect a main battery and a secondary battery to the electronic device, Wherein, the battery casing includes a first electrical contact point for connecting to an electrical contact point on an electronic device, and a second electrical contact point for connecting with the secondary battery the power-on contacts are connected; and Wherein, the first and second electrical contact points on the battery casing are electrically connected to each other. 3. The battery device according to claim 2, wherein the main battery is housed in at least a part of the battery case and is inseparable from the battery case. 4. The battery device of claim 2, wherein the battery housing is formed with a battery cavity for receiving and holding the secondary battery in place during normal operation of the electronic device. 5. The battery device according to claim 4, wherein the battery switch is formed in the battery cavity and is operable through the sub-battery. 6. The battery device according to claim 1, further comprising a charging control circuit electrically connected between the main battery and the secondary battery, wherein the secondary battery is operable to charge the main battery and At the same time, the secondary battery supplies power to the electronic device. 7. The battery device according to claim 1, further comprising a switch control circuit selectively electrically connected to the main battery and the sub-battery, when the sub-battery of the battery device is incorporated into the electronic device After the electronic device is powered, the switch control circuit can cause the main battery to delay stopping the power supply to the electronic device. 8. The battery device according to claim 1, wherein the capacity of the main battery is less than about 10% of the capacity of the sub battery. 9. The battery device according to claim 8, wherein the main battery has a capacity of about 3%-5% of the capacity of the sub battery. 10. A battery device for powering an electronic device, the battery device comprising: main battery; secondary battery; and a battery switch, which can be switched between the main battery and the secondary battery, and is electrically connected to a selected one of the main battery and the secondary battery to supply power to the electronic device; wherein each of the main battery and the secondary battery can independently supply power to the electronic device, so that the electronic device can perform its normal operation; and Wherein the secondary battery can charge the main battery, and while charging the main battery, the secondary battery supplies power to the electronic device. 11. The battery device according to claim 10, wherein the sub-battery includes a plurality of battery parts, at least one of the plurality of battery parts when the sub-battery is incorporated into the battery device can be selected for powering the electronic device. 12. The battery device according to claim 10, further comprising a circuit for detecting battery capacity and switching battery sections, wherein the detection/switching circuit is electrically connected to the plurality of battery sections to detect the battery capacity of each of the battery sections; and The detection/switching circuit can switch to a different battery part of the secondary battery when it detects that the capacity of one of the battery parts is low. 13. An electronic device comprising: device body; a main battery configured to be connected to the device body and capable of powering the electronic device; a secondary battery capable of powering said electronic device; and battery switch; wherein the secondary battery is configured to operate the battery switch to switch between the main battery and the secondary battery, and to electrically connect a selected one of the main battery and the secondary battery to the electronic device to Power is supplied to the electronic device. 14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the device body has a battery compartment, and wherein the main battery is fabricated within the device body and located outside the battery compartment. 15. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the sub-battery is directly placed and retained in the battery compartment. 16. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the battery switch is formed in the battery chamber and is operable by the sub battery. 17. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the secondary battery can charge the main battery while supplying power to the electronic device. 18. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the main battery and the sub battery have different battery capacities. 19. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the main battery has a capacity less than about 10% of the capacity of the sub battery. 20. The electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the capacity of the main battery is about 3%-5% of the capacity of the secondary battery.

Images