Abstract:
A wireless terminal reliably supplies battery power to a wireless terminal body, and reduces the number of fabrication processes and fabrication cost. The battery contact system of the wireless terminal includes a body having a printed circuit board, a battery compartment, a battery detachably accommodated in the battery compartment, and at least one connection unit for transmitting battery power the body. The connection unit is an insulated elastic body protruding from the battery compartment and encompassing flexible conductors within the insulated elastic body.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of the Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0079645, filed on Oct. 6, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a wireless terminal, and more particularly, to a battery contact system for a wireless terminal capable of supplying battery power to the terminal body, capable of simplifying the fabrication processes, and capable of reducing the fabrication cost. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Generally, a wireless terminal is a communication device for transmitting and receiving calls to and from another party anywhere as a user conveniently carries it. Previously, the wireless terminal has been used for voice communications only, but recently the wireless terminal is useful for transmitting and receiving multimedia information. 
     The wireless terminal is portable because the terminal has a battery for supplying power. In order to connect the battery and the terminal body to each other, the body and the battery are equipped with contacts. However, in case of an impact to the wireless terminal, the battery and terminal contacts may be disconnected thereby interrupting power to the wireless terminal. 
       FIG. 1  is a disassembled perspective view showing a battery of a wireless terminal in accordance with the conventional art, and  FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 1 . 
     As shown, the conventional wireless terminal includes: a body  10 ; a battery  20  detachably mounted at the body and supplying power to the body; and a contact portion  30  for electrically connecting the body  10  and the battery  20  to each other. 
     The body  10  includes: a printed circuit board (PCB)  14  (shown on  FIG. 2 ) mounted therein and having circuit components; a battery compartment  11  for mounting the battery  20 ; a folder  12  rotatably coupled to the outside of the body  10  and having a display (not shown); and an antenna  13  provided at one side thereof. 
     The PCB  14  receives an electric power from the battery  20  through the contact portions  30 . The contact portions will be explained in greater detail below. 
     The battery compartment  11  is provided with a contact terminal  31  for contacting a corresponding flat metal terminal  36  on the battery  20  thereby transmitting power. 
     The battery compartment  11  is provided with an outer peripheral wall  45  protruding to a certain height along the circumference of the battery  20  in order to firmly fix the battery  20  to the body  10 . 
     A coupling protrusion  41  partially inserted into a coupling groove  42  formed on the battery  20  is provided at the center of one side of the outer peripheral wall  45 . Also, on the opposite side of the outer peripheral wall  45 , a fixing groove  44  is provided for inserting a fixing protrusion  43  of the battery  20  thereby fixing a lower end of the battery  20 . 
     The coupling protrusion  41  is mounted to the body  10  by a spring (not shown) so as to be easily inserted into the coupling groove  42  when attaching the battery  20  to/from the body  10 . The coupling protrusion  41  is integrally formed with a coupling member  40 . 
     The battery  20  is provided with flat metal terminals  36  on one side surface of the battery  20  for contacting the battery compartment  11 . Also, the coupling groove  42  having a certain depth for inserting the coupling protrusion  41  formed at the body  10  is formed at the center of one edge of the battery  20  so as to couple the battery  20  to the body  10 . Also, the fixing protrusion  43  protruded with a certain height to be inserted into the fixing groove  44  formed at the body  10 , for fixing a lower end of the battery  20  to the body  10  is provided at both sides of a lower end of the battery  20 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the contact portion  30  includes: a contact terminal  31  inserted into a contact accommodating hole  32  penetrating a case of the body  10  where the battery compartment  11  is formed; a retainer  37  circumferentially protruding at one end of the contact accommodating hole  32  preventing the contact terminal  31  from being detached from the contact accommodating hole  32 ; and an elastic spring  33  connected to one end of the contact terminal  31  for supporting the contact terminal  31 . 
     A circumferential stopping protrusion  34  is formed for contacting the retainer  37  at one side of the contact terminal  31 . 
     A lower end of the elastic spring  33  is fixed to the PCB  14  by a soldering portion  35 , and the soldering portion  35  is connected to a PCB contact portion  15  of the PCB  14 . The contact terminal  31 , the elastic spring  33 , the soldering portion  35  and the PCB contact portion  15  are formed of conductive material to be used for supplying power of the battery  20 . 
     The conventional battery contact system of a wireless terminal will be explained as follows. When the battery  20  is coupled to the body  10 , the fixing protrusion  43  formed on one surface of the battery  20  are inserted into the fixing groove  44  of the body  10  thereby fixing a lower end of the battery  20  to the body  10 . Then, a rear surface of the battery  20  is attached to the body  10  thereby to insert the coupling protrusion  41  of the coupling member  40  to the coupling groove  42  formed on one surface of the battery  20 . 
     As the battery  20  is coupled to the body  10 , the metal terminal  36  of the battery  20  presses the contact terminal  31  into the body  10 . As the result, the contact terminal  31  is inserted into the body  10  by the elastic spring  33  and is in point-contact with the metal terminal  36 . As the contact terminal  31  and the metal terminal  36  are in contact with each other, battery power is supplied to the body  10 . In the conventional battery contact system of a wireless terminal, the contact terminal  31  mounted at the body  10  is biased by the spring to be in point-contact with the metal terminal  36  mounted at the battery  20  thereby supplying power to the body  10 . 
     However, when an impact is applied to the wireless terminal, the contact terminal  31  mounted at the body  10  may become detached from the metal terminal  36  by overcoming the bias of spring  33  thereby to interrupting power to the body  10 . 
     Also, since the soldering portion  35  is used to connect the contact terminal  31  to the PCB contact portion  15 , and the elastic spring  33  is biased to support the contact terminal  31 , fabrication processes are complicated and the fabrication cost is increased. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery contact system of a wireless terminal capable of reliably supplying battery power to a wireless terminal, simplifying the fabrication process, and reducing fabrication cost. 
     To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a battery contact system of a wireless terminal comprising: a body having a printed circuit board therein and having a battery compartment at one surface thereof; a battery detachably accommodated in the battery compartment; and a connection unit for transmitting battery power to the body, wherein the connection unit comprises an insulated elastic body protruding from the battery compartment and a flexible conductor provided in the insulated elastic body and having one end exposed to outside of the insulated elastic body. 
     The insulated elastic body is inserted into a contact accommodation hole penetrating a body case where the battery compartment is formed. 
     The contact accommodation hole is provided with a retention groove for preventing the insulated elastic body from being detached from the contact accommodation hole at one end thereof. The insulated elastic body has a retention ledge formed on one end for mating with the contact accommodation hole retention groove. 
     One end of the flexible conductor is exposed on an upper outside of the insulated elastic body for contacting with battery a terminal, and another end of the flexible conductor is in contact with the printed circuit board. 
     The insulated elastic body is formed of silicon or rubber and may be constructed as a solid having flat upper and lower surfaces. The flat lower surface contacts the PCB, and the flat upper surface in contacts the battery terminal. The solid may be a cylinder, a prism, a regular truncated pyramid, a frustum, or a hemisphere. 
     The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a disassembled perspective view showing a battery of a wireless terminal in accordance with the conventional art, 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 3  is a disassembled perspective view of a battery of a wireless terminal according to the present invention, 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view taken along line B-B in  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 5  is a view showing a state prior to coupling a battery to the body, and 
         FIG. 6  is a view showing a state after coupling the battery to the body. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims. 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. A wireless terminal according to the present invention will be explained in greater detail. 
       FIG. 3  is a disassembled perspective view of a battery of a wireless terminal according to the present invention, and  FIG. 4  is a sectional view taken along line B-B in  FIG. 3 . 
     As shown, a battery contact system of a wireless terminal according to the present invention comprises: a body  100  having a printed circuit board  140  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) therein and having a battery compartment  110  at one surface thereof; and a battery  200  detachably mounted in the battery compartment  110 , wherein a connection unit  300  includes an insulated elastic body  310  protruding from the battery compartment  110  and a flexible conductor  330  within the insulated elastic body  310  having one end exposed to the exterior of the insulated elastic body  310 . 
     The body  100  includes: a printed circuit board PCB  140  mounted therein and having components necessary for a communication; a battery compartment  110  having a space for accommodating the battery  200 ; a folder  120  rotatably coupled to outside of the body  100  and having a display (not shown); and an antenna  130  provided at one side thereof. 
     The PCB  140  is connected to the battery  200  through at least two connection units  300  to receive power. 
     The insulated elastic bodies  310  protrude from the battery compartment  110  at positions corresponding to the metal terminals  360  formed on the battery  200 , and transmit power to the body  100  by contact with the metal terminal  360 . The insulated elastic body  310  is preferably formed in the same number as that of the metal terminals  360 . 
     An outer peripheral wall  450  having a shape corresponding to the battery  200  protrudes from the battery compartment  110  at a certain height along the circumference of the battery compartment  110  for mounting the battery  200  to the body  100 . A coupling protrusion  410  is partially inserted into the coupling groove  420  formed at the battery  200 . Also, fixing grooves  440  are located at both sides the outer peripheral wall  450  for inserting a fixing protrusion  430  of the battery  200  thereby fixing a lower end of the battery  200 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the insulated elastic body  310  of the connection unit  300  is inserted into a contact accommodation hole  320  penetrating a case of the body  100  where the battery compartment  110  is formed. The flexible conductor  330  is provided in the insulated elastic body  310 , and is mounted so that one end is exposed to outside of the insulated elastic body  310 . 
     The contact accommodation hole  320  is provided with a retention groove  101  for preventing the insulated elastic body  310  from being detached from the contact accommodation hole  320 . The insulated elastic body  310  has a retention ledge  340  formed on one end for mating with the contact accommodation hole retention ledge  340 . The shape of the contact retention hole  320  and the shape of the insulated elastic body  310  may cooperate to retain the insulated elastic body  310  in the contact retention hole  320  when the body  100 , the PCB  140  and the insulated elastic body  310  are assembled. 
     The connection unit  300  may be a component the body  100  as shown in one embodiment, but alternatively may be a component of the battery  200 . Also, the connection unit  300  may be a component of each the body  100  and the battery  200 . 
     Preferably the insulated elastic body  310  is formed as a regular truncated pyramid having a rectangular base. The insulated elastic body  310  may have other shapes such as a cylinder, a prism, a frustum (a truncated cone), or a portion of a sphere. The insulated elastic body  310  is preferably formed of silicon or rubber having an elastic characteristic and capable of absorbing impact by itself. The truncated portion of the pyramid, or the top of the pyramid, securely contacts the metal terminal of the battery  360  when the insulated elastic body  310  is deformed by securely mounting the battery  200  in the battery compartment  110 . 
     One end of the flexible conductor  330  is exposed on an upper outside of the insulated elastic body  310  for contacting with a battery terminal  360 , and the other end of the flexible conductor  330  is in contact with a contact portion  150  of the PCB  140 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  are sectional views showing the battery contact system of a wireless terminal according to the present invention, in which  FIG. 5  is a view showing a state prior to coupling a battery to a body, and  FIG. 6  is a view showing a state after coupling the battery to the body. 
     As shown, before the insulated elastic body  310  is in contact with the metal terminal  360  of the battery  200 , the insulated elastic body  310  has a lateral section of a trapezoid shape and has the flexible conductor  330  therein, the flexible conductor of which lower end is in contact with the PCB contact portion  150  and upper end is exposed to exterior of the insulated elastic body  310 . 
     When the battery  200  is mounted to the body  100 , the fixing protrusion  430  formed at a lower end of the battery  200  is inserted into the fixing groove  440  formed at one side of the outer peripheral wall  450  of the body  100  thereby to fix the lower end of the battery  200 , and then the battery  200  is inclined towards the rear surface of the body  100  to be gradually contact the body  100 . Accordingly, the insulated elastic body  310  protruded at one side of the battery compartment  110  is in contact with the metal terminal  360  and gradually compresses the insulated elastic body  310 . 
     A shown in  FIG. 6 , the top surface of the insulated elastic body  310 , being pressed by the metal terminal  360 , expands to be in contact with the inner wall of the contact accommodation hole  320 . Accordingly, the insulated elastic body  310  height decreases, and the upper end of the flexible conductor  330  contacts the metal terminal  360  of the battery  200 , and the lower end is in contacts the PCB contact portion  150 . 
     When the battery  200  is detached from the body  100 , the metal terminal  360  of the battery  200  is separated from the insulated elastic body  310 . At the same time, the insulated elastic body  310  is restored to the original shape because the insulated elastic body  310  has an elastic characteristic. 
     According to the present invention, the insulated elastic body  310  can reliably maintain contact with the battery metal terminal  360  and the PCB  340  since the insulated elastic body is in compression. Accordingly, an impact to the terminal body will not cause a separation of the electrical contacts, and a subsequent power interruption is prevented. Also, whereas the conventional connection is soldered to the PCB, the insulated elastic body  310  of the present invention is only inserted into the contact accommodation hole  320  formed on the body  100  thereby simplifying the fabrication process and reducing fabrication costs. 
     As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.