Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Ev Energy Co., Ltd.

Kyozo Terao

Shoichi Toya

Yasunari Mizoguchi

Eiji Satsuma

Toshiki Nakasho

In a battery charger cradle, a battery incorporated in a battery built-in device is charged by electric power induced to an induction coil. The cradle includes a primary coil for inducing electromotive force to the induction coil, a casing having a top plate atop of which the battery built-in device is placed, a movement mechanism for moving the primary coil along an inner surface of the top plate, and a position detection controller for detecting a position of the battery built-in device placed on the top plate and controlling the movement mechanism to bring the primary coil closer to the induction coil in the battery built-in device. When the battery built-in device is placed on the top plate, the position detection controller detects the position of the battery built-in device, and the movement mechanism moves the primary coil closer to the induction coil in the battery built-in device.

Battery charger cradle

A charging pad is provided with a power supply coil, and a device housing a battery containing an induction coil. The device housing a battery is provided with a rectifying circuit that rectifies AC power induced in the induction coil, a charging circuit that charges the internal battery with output from the rectifying circuit, a shorting circuit that short circuits the terminals of the induction coil, and a control circuit that controls the shorting circuit ON when a charging abnormality is detected. If the control circuit detects a charging abnormality during power transmission from the charging pad power supply coil to the device housing a battery induction coil, it controls the shorting circuit ON to cut-off the supply of power from the induction coil to the rectifying circuit.

Charging system including a device housing a battery and charging pad

There is provided a circuit with control function including a circuit to be controlled so as to be operated only if a predetermined environment meets a specific condition and being arranged to detect, in any predetermined environment, whether or not the circuit with control function is normally operated, and a test method thereof. The circuit with control function includes a controller (microcomputer) for operating the circuit to be controlled (a heater) only if a predetermined environment (ambient temperature) detected by a sensor (a first temperature sensor) meets a specific condition (0&#xb0; or below). The controller includes a self-diagnosis device for diagnosing whether or not the circuit with control function is normally operated (step S) and an interruption detecting device (steps Sto S) for detecting whether or not energization from a commercial power supply is intermittently interrupted in a predetermined pattern and activating the self-diagnosis device when the interruption of the predetermined pattern is detected.

Circuit with control function and test method thereof

A device housing a battery () includes a receiving coil (), and a charging pad () includes a transmitting coil () that magnetically couples with, and supplies charging power to the receiving coil. The device further includes a modulator circuit () that changes the impedance of the receiving coil according to internal battery data. The charging pad further includes a detection circuit () that detects receiving coil impedance changes to detect the battery data. The modulator circuit has a load circuit () connected in parallel with the receiving coil and has a series-connected switching device () and impedance modulating capacitor (), and a control circuit () that switches the load circuit switching device ON and OFF according to the battery data. The modulator circuit switches the switching deviceON and OFF to transmit battery data to the charging pad.

Device housing a battery and charging pad

A battery charging pad includes a moving mechanism that moves the transmitting coil, and a position detection controller that detects the position of a device housing a battery and controls the moving mechanism to move the transmitting coil in close proximity to a receiving coil. Pulse signals are supplied to a plurality of position detection coils from a pulse generator, and the echo signals are a result of coil excitation by the pulse signals. The battery charging pad position detection controller detects the position of the receiving coil and moves the transmitting coil in close proximity to the receiving coil, and the position detection controller detects the position of the transmitting coil and moves the transmitting coil to the reference position, or it moves the transmitting coil in close proximity to the receiving coil.

Battery charging pad employing magnetic induction

The charging padis provided with a position detection controllerthat supplies position detection signals to position detection coils, and detects induction coilposition from echo signals output from the induction coil. The device housing a batteryis provided with a series capacitorconnected in series with the induction coil, a parallel capacitorconnected in parallel with the induction coil, and a switching circuit. When the position detection controlleris issuing position detection signals, the parallel capacitoris connected to the induction coil. When power is transmitted from the power supply coilto the induction coil, the parallel capacitoris not connected to the induction coiland induction coilAC is output to a rectifying circuitthrough the series capacitor

Mobile electronic equipment incorporating an induction coil and a battery; and a battery charger cradle for recharging the battery in the mobile electronic equipment. Regarding the charger cradle, a bottom surface of a mounting portion is curved in a U-grooved shape, and a primary coil is incorporated inside the U-grooved bottom surface, with the primary coil being connected to a power source. Regarding the mobile equipment, its rear surface placed on the mounting portion of the charger cradle is curved to match with the U-grooved bottom surface, and the induction coil is incorporated inside the curved rear surface. When the mobile equipment is placed on the mounting portion of the charger cradle, the electric power is carried from the primary coil to the induction coil which are electromagnetically coupled with each other, and the battery in the mobile equipment is recharged by the electric power induced to the induction coil.

Growing community of inventors

Sumoto, Japan

Kyozo Terao