Patent Publication Number: US-8525358-B2

Title: Power module and electronic device using the same

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to power modules and electronic devices and, more particularly, to an electronic device having a power module that can be manually operated to charge the device. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Electronic devices, such as mobile phones, are powered by a battery. The battery needs to be charged periodically. However, when a charger or converter is not at hand, it is impossible to charge the battery, which is inconvenient. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclose. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an electronic device having a manually operated power module in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the electronic device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a driving member of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is similar to  FIG. 3 , but viewed from another viewpoint. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of the electronic device of  FIG. 1 , with a battery thereof being charged. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , an electronic device  1  includes a main body  10  and a power module  20 . The main body  10  accommodates electronic components (not shown) of the electronic device  1 . The power module  20  is electrically connected to the main body  10  to provide power to the main body  10  and can be manually operated to produce electricity for charging a rechargeable battery  203  rather than relying on an external power source. In the embodiment, the main body  10  includes a second cover  101  and a first cover  102  that are connected together to form a closed space to receive the power module  20 . The device  1  may be a mobile phone, a media player, a camera, or the like. 
     The power module  20  includes a driving member  201 , an electrical generator  202 , and a rechargeable battery  203 . The rechargeable battery  203  is electrically connected to the electrical generator  202  and the main body  10 , to store electricity generated by the generator  202  and provide power to the body  10 . 
     The electrical generator  202  includes a rotor  2021 . In the embodiment, the electrical generator  202  includes a number of copper coils (not shown) connected to the rotor  2021  and arranged in a magnetic field (not shown), a rectifier (not shown), and a charging management chip (not shown). When the rotor  2021  rotates, the copper coils are rotated in the magnetic field to generate electricity. The rectifier converts the generated electricity to direct current, and the charging management chip controls and uses the converted direct current to charge the battery  30 . 
     The driving member  201  is connected to the rotor  2021  of the electrical generator  202  to drive the rotor  2021  to rotate. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3-4 , the driving member  201  includes a mainspring  301 , a receiver  302 , and a shaft  303 . The mainspring  301  includes an outside end  3011  and an inside end  3012 . The receiver  302  defines a first chamber  3021  to receive the mainspring  301  and a through hole  3023  in the bottom of the chamber  3021 . The receiver  302  further includes at least one protrusion  3022  with a through hole  3024  set around the external lateral surface of the chamber  302 . The at least one protrusion  3022  is configured to fix the mainspring  301  on the second cover  101  using at least one screw  3025 . In the embodiment, the through hole  3023  is arranged at the center of the chamber  3021 . The receiver  302  includes three protrusions  3022  symmetrically set around the external lateral surface the chamber  3021 . 
     When the mainspring  301  is received in the receiver  302 , the outside end  3011  of the mainspring  301  is attached to an internal lateral surface of the chamber  302 , and the inside end  3012  and the through hole  3023  are substantially coaxial. 
     The shaft  303  is connected to the inside end  3012  of the mainspring  301  and the rotor  2021  of the electrical generator  202 . The shaft  302  includes a shaft body  3031  and a head  3032  connected to one end of the shaft body  3031 . The free end of the shaft body  3031  passes through the through hole  3023  and is connected to the inside end  3012  of the mainspring  301 . The head  3032  defines a second chamber  3034  configured to receive the rotor  2021 . When a force acts on the shaft  303  to rotate it, it causes the rotor  2021  to rotate and the mainspring  301  is compressed. When the force is removed, the mainspring  301  rebounds and causes a reverse rotation of the shaft  303 . 
     In the embodiment, the rotor  2021  has a substantially triangular cross section, and the second chamber  3034  is correspondingly shaped to receive the rotor  2021 . The shaft body  3031  and the head  3032  are substantially cylindrical, and the through hole  3023  is substantially round. In order to make the shaft  303  rotate smoothly, the diameter of the shaft body  3031  is substantially the same as that of the through hole  3023 , and the diameter of the head  3032  is slightly greater than that of the through hole  3023 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the driving member  201  further includes a cable  304 . One end of the cable  304  is attached to the shaft  303  with a portion of the cable  304  wound around the shaft  303  at an initial state. When an opposite end of the cable  304  is pulled, the shaft  303  rotates in a first direction, compressing the mainspring  301 . When the cable  304  is released, the compressed mainspring  301  rebounds, the shaft  303  rotates backward in a second direction and the unwound part of the cable  304  is wound back onto the shaft  303 . Repeating the pulling of the cable  304  will cause the rotator  2021  to keep rotating, and electricity is generated. 
     In order to ensure the pulling process is smooth, a groove  3033  is formed between the shaft body  3031  and the head  3033  to receive the wound part of the cable  304 . A handle  305  is connected to another end of the cable  304 . 
     Although the present disclosure has been specifically described on the basis of the exemplary embodiment thereof, the disclosure is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Various changes or modifications may be made to the embodiment without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure.