FR2671665A1 - BATTERY PACKAGE WITH SOLID STATE GUIDANCE TRACKS. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery case and, more specifically, a battery case base (300) which is integrally provided with a sliding groove mechanism (507) for mounting a battery on portable electronic equipment. The battery is retained by limited stroke guide rails (307-312) which are formed within the sliding grooves (507) along each opposite edge of the mating surface (302) of the base. housing. Notches (313 to 316) are arranged between neighboring guide rails. They make it possible to manufacture the guide rails with limited stroke using a one-shot injection molding process, with direct rectilinear ejection, and to easily attach the battery to the electronic equipment. This process makes it possible to adjust all the crucial dimensions of connection with the electronic equipment by the fact that the crucial elements are all on the base of the housing. These crucial dimensions are therefore independent of the operation of fixing a cover to the base of the housing.

Description

The present invention relates generally to a

  housing assembly, or case, battery and, more particularly

  lier, a battery box base, integrally provided with a sliding groove mechanism, limited stroke, which

  has a notch disposed between neighboring guide rails.

  Miniaturized electronic equipment is often

  portable type and therefore need a power source

  portable electric power, for example a On battery

  moderately attach a power supply battery to the box

  tier of miniaturized electronic equipment and perform a con-

  electrical tact by means of a conventional connector To facilitate battery change, mechanisms have been designed allowing the user to easily disconnect the battery

  exhausted and replace it with a newly charged battery

  It has proven desirable to securely attach the bat-

  removable to miniature electronic equipment by means of a mechanism having a locking element and sliding grooves However, as the equipment becomes smaller and smaller, it becomes more and more difficult to adjust the dimensions of the elements individuals who are associated in a way

  crucial to the connection between the battery and the electrical equipment

  These crucial connecting elements include the grooves of

  sliding, locking element and battery contacts

  terie. Typically, battery cases are assemblies having a case base and a case cover which are

  joined together to enclose the electro-

  chemicals contained inside the assembly The structural elements of the sliding grooves are often made, to constitute the battery housing assembly, in the form of a combination of elements belonging to the base of the housing and to the cover of the housing The existence of variations in the mounting operation aiming to fix the base on the cover often leads to variations in the dimensions of the sliding grooves The existence of variations in the dimensions of the sliding grooves brings about the positions of the element lock and contacts

  battery located on the battery case to vary from

  port to the sliding elements As a result, the battery cannot be installed or it cannot function

  correctly when mounted on electronic equipment.

  It would therefore be advantageous to manufacture all of the crucial connecting elements as part of the base, so that

  can adjust their mutual dimensions.

  The difficulty of manufacturing all of the crucial connecting elements in the base of the battery box has led to the creation of guide rails for the sliding grooves. The sliding groove usually has three internal surfaces which are shaped like a "U" The guide rails are generally elongated protrusions which are arranged at intervals on one of the two lateral surfaces parallel to the inside of the groove The lower surface of the groove is usually perpendicular to the two lateral surfaces The rails guides are parallel to the bottom surface When using conventional molding methods, the base is molded

  of the battery box by forming on it the element of ver-

  rusting and the receptacles of the battery contacts so as to allow an ejection by direct rectilinear traction out of the molding cavity However, the guide rails arranged in the sliding grooves are placed perpendicular to the

  direction of ejection from the mold cavity.

  An approach which has already been envisaged consists of molding with insertion. With this method, we start by molding the side of the sliding groove comprising the guide rail separately, then inserting it into a second mold which forms the two remaining sides. of the sliding groove and the base of the complete molded battery case The problem with this approach is that it takes both work and time to

  perform this molding operation in two stages.

  Another approach that has already been considered is inter-

  come co-molding With this process, we mold separately, during

  of a first cycle, the side of the sliding groove which comprises

  carries the guide rails We remove part of the mold, which we

  replaced by a second part with the specific features

  aunts of the sliding groove and the base of the complete battery case A second molding cycle is carried out to produce the complete base of the battery case The problem which

  is related to this approach is that there is no self-

  co-molding mat which is available for molding the first part of the part in a straight pull direction and

  the second part in a direction of traction perpendicular to

  laire à la première Develop a special process for co-

  molding for battery case base would be expensive.

  There is therefore a real need for a housing base.

  battery integrally fitted with a sliding groove mechanism

  ment, of limited stroke, having guide rails, which

  can easily manufacture, whose raw connection dimensions

  cials are adjusted, these crucial connection dimensions being independent of a battery box cover to be fixed to the base. A battery housing assembly, or casing, for portable electronic equipment has first and second paired housing parts which enclose electrochemical cells therebetween. The first housing part has a fixing surface through which the battery housing assembly is bound

  removably to portable electronic equipment A reason

  nure is arranged in the fixing surface of the first part

  housing An elongated protrusion on a surface

  face of the groove extends along the surface parallel to the

  mounting surface A notch, at least as long as the

  elongated protruding tie, is arranged in part of the surface

  and is adjacent to one end of the elongated projection.

  The following description, intended as an illustration of

  the invention aims to give a better understanding of its characteristics and advantages; it is based on the appended drawings, among which: FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a portable radiotelephone, of the type which can be held in the hand, which can employ the invention;

  Figures 2 A and 2 B are views of a battery box

  terie (Figure 2 A) and a portable radiotelephone (Figure 2 B), where the battery has been removed from the portable radiotelephone; Figure 3 is a view of the associated surface of the base of the battery case of Figure 2A, showing the locking element, the electrical contacts and the guide rails Rs with reduced travel, integrally forming a single piece;

  Figure 4 is a cross-sectional and perspective view

  tive of a part of the battery case base shown in Figure 3; and FIG. 5 is a view in cross section of the base and of the cover of the battery case of FIG. 2 A, before their assembly. A portable radiotelephone intended for use in a

  Cellular radiotelephone system is shown in Figure 1.

  The invention can be used in a similar portable radiotelephone as well as in other miniature electronic equipment. The portable unit shown consists of two external parts, a part 102 forming a body and a part 104 forming a shutter element, in addition of a removable battery 105 The view in FIG. 1 shows the shutter element 104 in an "open" position, where the user of the portable unit can listen via an earpiece horn 106 and can speak in a

  microphone 107 A dial, or keyboard, telephone 110 is constituted

  killed by several buttons, which are numbered from 1 to 0, or bear indications such as "#" and "", as is generally the case on telephone sets The keyboard 110 has in

  in addition to additional function buttons, for example "issued-

  sion "," end "," on / off ", as well as other buttons associated with

the call-back operation.

  Since the portable radiotelephone of FIG. 1A is actually portable, a source of electrical energy is necessary to supply the electrical functions of this radiotelephone. The source of this electrical energy is a battery 105, which can typically be used under the shape of one or more rechargeable electrochemical batteries We imagine that the user will be able to either recharge the battery while it is mounted

  on the radiotelephone, or remove the battery from the radiotelephone

phone and charge it separately.

  We now refer to FIG. 2A, where we can see the configuration of the removable battery 105 in the case o

  this was removed from the portable radiotelephone in Figure 1.

  In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the battery case consists of two halves, namely a base 300, as shown in FIG. 3, and a cover 202, as can be seen in FIG. 2A, which are permanently fixed together A group of electrochemical cells (not shown)

  can be sandwiched and held between the two parts of the box

  plastic layer, which can be fixed together

  so as to form a one-piece battery case.

  An integral locking mechanism 201 is molded integrally on the base of the battery case The locking mechanism is molded in the lower half of the plastic casing To separate the battery 105 from the portable radiotelephone 102, the locking mechanism 201 is pushed to the level of the part visible in FIG. 2 A so as to cause a torsion bar (not shown in this figure) to rotate and to cause a notch (not shown) to come out of a recess 212 formed in the portable radiotelephone 102 (The portable radio 102 is shown in Figure 2B, in a rear elevation view, where the battery has been removed) This action releases the battery from its

  locking position and allows the bat casing to be removed

  rie 105 of portable radio 102 The associated surface of portable radio 102 has a hollow, or notched slot, 212 which is so formed and positioned that it retains the part

  notch of the locking mechanism 201 when the battery box

  rie 105 is in its fully assembled position The battery box is thus locked in position Guide rails

  213 to 218 protrude from a surface of the radio housing 102

  portable phone and are arranged next to guide rails

  analogs provided on the battery box 105 The guide rails

  dage of the battery box 105 are retained below the guide rails 213 to 218 of the box 102 of the portable radiotelephone

  when the battery case 105 is in its operating position

  tional (and locking) Naturally, the optimal position is that for which the electrical contacts 225 touch

  associated contacts 325 (not shown) of the battery box 105.

  Side slots 233 and 235, appearing in Figure 2A on either side of the battery housing assembly, are placed in positions such that the battery alone or the battery and the portable radio can slide into a common battery charging unit and be oriented from

  correct with respect to the battery charging contacts 239

  terie. The surface 302 of the base 300 of the battery case which

  is paired with the portable radio in Figure 2 B is shown

  felt in the elevation view of the associated surface of FIG. 3 The base of the housing 300 generally comprises the mechanism

  locking 210, sliding grooves 507, receivers

  tackles 325 for battery contacts and notches 313 to 316 Le

  locking mechanism 201 can be seen in more detail-

  lée in Figure 3, and we can understand how the notch 301

  turns on torsion bar 303 when the pushing part is pressed

  tone 305 to remove the battery Pressing this button in a direction that is outside the plane of the page in Figure 3 (and in a notched area 227 of the housing 102 of the portable radio) causes the torsion bar 303 to rotate and to place the notch 301 in the plane of the page in FIG. 3 This movement releases the notch 301 out of the slot 212 (as shown in FIG. 2B), so as to unlock the battery case and allow the the user to slide the battery along the guide rails 307 to 312 The shortened guide rails 307 to 312 which are arranged on the parallel surfaces of the grooves lying one opposite the other, the intervals existing between them allow the battery case to be securely attached to the housing 102 of the portable radio over the entire length of the battery case 105 while leaving a short length to

  the travel path of the battery case allowing the release

  management of the battery box and its removal from the portable radio 102 When the guide rails 307 to 312 are completely disengaged from the portable radio case, the

  electric contacts 325 of the battery are then separated from the

  electric tacts 225 present on the radiotelephone box

  portable and acting as inputs As soon as the guide rails

  dage 307 to 312 have moved beyond the guide rails in

  manhole 213 to 218 belonging to box 102 of the portable radiotelephone

  you can lift the battery 105 and free it from the radio

portable telephone 102.

  In the preferred embodiment, the guide rails 307 to 312 are rounded in shape (as can best be seen on

  Figure 4), but in other embodiments they may

  may have other shapes while performing exactly the same function The guide rails 307 to 312 must be elongated and parallel to the fixing surface 302 of the battery case 300 and their paired surfaces must be in the same plane as the paired surfaces guide rails 213 to 218 located opposite

  on the housing 102 of the portable radiotelephone.

  A feature of the preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a notch formed in the interval

  separating two neighboring guide rails The base of the bat-

  terie has four similar notches 313 to 316 In the preferred embodiment, the notches each form a step

  slightly dug in the three surfaces of the sliding groove

  sement 507 The notches are not simply limited to a hollow step; they can be a hollowed slope or have any shape which is lower than the plane on which the projecting parts are arranged The notches play a double role Their first goal is to allow the manufacture of guide rails 307

  to 312 integrally at the base 300 of the housing The manufacturing process

  cation uses a one-shot injection molding process

  single stroke, with direct rectilinear ejection This pro-

  The manufacturing process is inexpensive and has a faster molding cycle. An advantage which results from the fact that the guide rails 307 to 312 are molded in the form of a part of the base 300 of the battery box is that L ' you can adjust the crucial link dimensions between the base 300 of the battery box and the portable radio 102 IT is important that the dimensions

  relative between the guide lines 307 to 312, the element of ver-

  Roui L Lage 201 and Receptacles 325 of the Battery contacts are adjusted so that The battery can be properly fixed

  on the housing 102 of the portable radiotelephone and operate it

  Another advantage resulting from the fact that all the crucial dimensions are adjusted to the base 300

  of the battery box is that mounting the cover 202 of the box

  tier de batterie does not act on these crucial dimensions.

  The second role played by Les notches 313 to 316 pre-

  sents on the base 300 of the battery box is to allow easy assembly of the battery box 105 on the box 102 of the portable radiotelephone The presence of the notches 313 to 316

  increases the width of the sliding groove as regards

  identifies the Interva L Le existing between the guide rails which are formed on the base 300 of the battery box. This increased width makes it possible to insert into the Interva L Le, with less limitations,

  The guide lines 307 to 312 formed on the housing 102 of the radio

  portable telephone The guide lines 307 to 312 present on the housing 102 of the portable radiotelephone have a rounded shape at the

  level of their anterior ends to allow lifting

  by sliding out of the hollowed out steps which are present in the grooves of the battery case Thus, the user of a

  Portable radio can easily fix the battery.

  Reference is now made to FIG. 4, which is a cross-section and perspective view of a part of the base 300 of the battery box. This part shows in more detail a notch 314 which is arranged in the sliding groove. between two guide lines 308 and 309 As can be seen in FIG. 4, the notch is hollowed out along the three sides of the sliding groove The length of the notch 314 is at least as great as this L Le du rai L of guide 309 The depth of the step dug on the three sides of the groove is typically 0.07 mm The p Late end of rai L of guide 308 is adjacent to the notch 314 As previously mentioned, the notch 314 allows to mold the guide rails 307 to 312 integrally with the base 300 of the battery box In general, the notches clear the separation gap between the guide rails, which allows the part of the mold creating the guide rails to gli sser in the meantime The sliding direction is from the guide rail 308 to the guide rail 309 Due to the direction of the sliding, the guide rail 308 must be adjacent to the notch 314 for the sliding mold can be released from the guide rail 308 As soon as the mold is released from the guide rails, the base of the battery box is ejected from the

  mold cavity The sliding and ejecting operation performed

  killed in the molding process is identical to the operation in which the battery case 105 separates from the case 102 of the

portable radiotelephone.

  The integral guide rails are molded by means of a

  four-step process as soon as the molding material has been injected

  mold and the mold has been cooled In the mode of

  preferred embodiment, the housing parts are molded of poly-

  carbonate or similar material The first operation con-

  consists in removing the part of the mold which creates the notch. The second operation consists in sliding the part of the mold creating the guide rails over approximately 22 mm. This sliding movement positions the part of the mold which creates the rails in the meantime.

  guide 308 and 309 The notch 314 ensures that the sliding

  the mold will not get stuck on part of the base 300 of the

  housing creating the sliding groove in the meantime.

  Typically, the sliding mold can get stuck when removing the plastic before the mold has slipped in the meantime.Moreover, the sliding mold can hang on a burr, which was created by a mold adjacent to the mold. sliding,

  when the mold slides The notch eliminates these two problems.

  Once the mold that creates the guide rails has slid into the gap, the third operation is to open the mold, and the fourth operation is to eject the base 300

  of the battery box out of the mold cavity.

  Reference is now made to FIG. 5, which represents a cross-section view of the base 300 of the battery box and of the cover 202 of the battery box before they are fixed to each other in the mode. preferred embodiment of the invention, the base 300 is fixed to the cover 202 by an ultrasonic welding process. When this method is used, a protruding part is inserted into a recess 503 formed in the cover 202 of the battery box. pointed 501 which is formed on the base 300 of the battery case After insertion, an ultrasonic transmitter applies energy to the base 300, which causes the protruding part 501 to merge into the hollow 503 This operation

  provides a secure and permanent connection between the base 300 and the cou-

  vercle 202 A feature of the preferred embodiment of the invention is that the method of fixing the base 300 and the cover 202 does not act on the shape, the respective dimensions or the function of the guide rails 309 inside. of the sliding groove 507 for the user of the portable radiotelephone,

  this feature is reflected in the fact that it has a bat-

  terie which will always have the desired shape, a good adjustment of

  respective dimensions and proper functioning of the guide rails

  dage inside the sliding groove, the locking mechanism and the contacts of the battery with the housing 102 of the

portable radiotelephone.

  Thus, it was presented and described a base of housing

  battery with an integral mechanism with sliding grooves

  Limited stroke which is provided with guide rails in order to allow a short movement between the engaged position and the disengaging position of the battery box on the portable radiotelephone The base of the box is easily manufactured by means of a molding process by single stroke injection, with single pull ejection The crucial connection dimensions of the elements

  of the base of the housing are adjusted and are independent of the operation

  fixing ration to the cover of the battery box.

  It Of course, the skilled person will be able to imagine,

  from the device whose description has just been given to

  title merely illustrative and non-limiting Lémentatif, various

  variants and modifications not departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (8)

REVENDI CATIONS   1 Battery box for electronic equipment   tative, which has at least first and second paired housing parts (300, 202) enclosing between them electrochemical cells, the first housing part (300) having at least   minus a fixing surface (302) through which the bat box   terie is releasably linked to portable electronic equipment, the battery box being characterized by: at least one groove (507) disposed in the surface of   fixing (302) of the first housing part (300), said spoke   nure (507) further comprising: (a) at least one first surface; (b) at least one elongated projection (308) disposed   on said first surface and extending along said first   first surface parallel to the fixing surface (302); and (c) at least one notch (314), which is at least as long as said elongated protrusion (308), is disposed in at least part of said first surface and is adjacent to at least one end of said protrusion a Long (308).   2 battery case according to claim 1, charac-   terized in that the first housing part (300) comprises   in addition to a locking mechanism (210).   3 battery box according to claim 1, charac-   characterized in that the first housing part (300) further comprises at least one receptacle (325) arranged in accordance with the or the battery contacts.   4 battery case according to claim 1, charac-   terized in that the notch or notches (314) are in the form of step dug.   Battery case according to claim 1, further characterized by a second groove, substantially parallel to the first groove (507), which is disposed in the surface of   fixing (302) of the first housing part (300).   6 battery box according to claim 5, charac-   terized in that said second groove further comprises: (a) at least one first surface; (b) at least one elongated projection (308) disposed   on said first surface and extending along said first   first surface parallel to the fixing surface (302); and (c) at least one notch (314), which is at least as long as said elongated protrusion (308), is disposed in at least a portion of said first surface of said second groove and is adjacent to at least one end of   said elongated protrusion (308).   7 Radio telecommunications device, characterized by:   a body part (102) having a matching surface   is lying; and a battery case having at least first and second associated case parts which enclose electrochemical cells therebetween, the first part of the case (300) having at least one fixing surface (302) by which the   battery box can be removably connected to the sur-   matching face of the body part (102), the bat box   rie comprising: at least one groove (507) disposed in the surface of   fixing (302) of the first housing part (300), said spoke   nure (507) further comprising: (a) at least one first surface; (b) at least one elongated projection (308) disposed   on said first surface and extending along said first   first surface parallel to the fixing surface (302); and (c) at least one notch (314), which is at least as long as said elongated protrusion (308), is disposed in at least part of said first surface and is adjacent to at least one end of said protrusion elongated (308).   8 Device according to claim 7, characterized in that   that the notch or notches (314) are in the form of a hollowed step.   9 Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the battery case further comprises a second groove, which is substantially parallel to said first groove (507), and   is arranged in the fixing surface (302) of the first part case tie (300).   Device according to claim 9, characterized in that said second groove further comprises: (a) at least one first surface; (b) at least one elongated projection (308) disposed   on said first surface and extending along said first   first surface parallel to the fixing surface (302); and (c) at least one notch (314), which is at least as long as said elongated protrusion (308), is disposed in at least a portion of said first surface of said second groove and is adjacent to at least one end of   said elongated protrusion (308).