Patent Publication Number: US-2005123825-A1

Title: Battery enclosure and remote control transmitter using the same

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
      The present invention chiefly relates to a battery enclosure for use in mobile electronic equipment such as a remote control transmitter and a digital camera.  
     BACKGROUND ART  
      Recently, in mobile electronic equipment units such as remote control transmitters and digital cameras, there have been increasing in number such units as having a plurality of batteries contained in a battery enclosure within the equipment unit and having the unit electrically and mechanically driven by the batteries as the power source. Since the electronic equipment itself, in the case of the remote control transmitter in particular, is multi functional, there are provided a large number of buttons on the remote control transmitter. Since user operates the remote control transmitter with holding it in hand, those types formed in an elongated shape to allow such a large number of buttons to be disposed thereon are increasing in number.  
      Such a conventional battery enclosure is described below taking, as an example, a remote control transmitter incorporating the battery enclosure therein with reference to a sectional view of  FIG. 3 . Recessed on case  1  formed of an insulating resin into a box shape, there is provided containing section  2  in a cylindrical shape. There are contained batteries  3 A,  3 B arranged in a serial array within containing section  2 , while an opening at the top of containing section  2  is covered with lid  4 , and, thereby, battery enclosure  5  is configured.  
      On the left-hand end of containing section  2 , there is mounted coil electrode  6  in a conical spiral shape. Battery  3 A is urged by coil electrode  6  in its somewhat compressed state so as to be pressed against battery  3 B, whereas battery  3 B has its right-hand end placed in elastic contact with plane electrode  7  in a planar spiral shape.  
      There are provided a plurality of wiring patterns (not shown) on both sides of wiring board  8 . On one side of wiring board  8 , there are disposed fixed contacts (not shown) and there are also mounted electronic components such as light emitting diode  9 A and microcomputer  9 B and, thereby, controller  9  for emitting a remote control signal is configured. Batteries  3 A,  3 B supply controller  9  with electric power through coil electrode  6  and plane electrode  7 .  
      Movable contact assembly  10  is made of rubber and has dome-shaped control buttons  10 A. On the top face of each control button  10 A, there is provided a movable contact (not shown) disposed opposite to a fixed contact on wiring board  8  with a predetermined distance therebetween. A switch contact is formed of the fixed contact and the movable contact. While resin-made cover  11  covers the bottom face of case  1 , control buttons  1 OA project from the bottom face of cover  11  movably up and down, thereby, a remote control transmitter is configured.  
      The remote control transmitter is pointed at an electric equipment unit and predetermined control buttons  10 A for power supply and volume control, for example, are pressed down and released so that switch contacts are made and broken. Then, remote control signals of infrared rays corresponding to the operations are transmitted from controller  9  to the electronic equipment unit, thereby, remote control of turning ON/OFF and volume controlling of the electronic equipment unit is performed. A remote control transmitter of the described type is disclosed for example in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2003-288870.  
      In such a conventional battery enclosure and a remote control transmitter using the same, one coil electrode  6  at the left-hand end of containing section  2  gives a press on battery  3 A, which in turn gives a press on battery  3 B, whereby battery  3 B is resiliently pressed against plane electrode  7 . Therefore, it is required that coil electrode  6  has a somewhat strong spring load. Because of this, however, it becomes difficult to stably hold the batteries and the batteries tend to jump out when they are exchanged. Also, when the remote control transmitter is dropped by accident, lid  4  comes off and the batteries are easily thrown out.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      A battery enclosure of the present invention has an intermediate electrode fixed to the case thereof and arranged in contact with a plurality of batteries contained therein in a linear array. Since the batteries are individually held by the intermediate electrode, the batteries are securely held in place and hardly jump out when exchanged. Although an elongated lid is used for covering the serially arrayed batteries, it hardly occurs that the lid comes off and the batteries are thrown out when the battery enclosure is dropped. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a sectional view of a remote control transmitter according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view in perspective of the remote control transmitter shown in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view of a conventional remote control transmitter. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       FIG. 1  is a sectional view of a remote control transmitter according to an embodiment of the present invention and  FIG. 2  is an exploded view in perspective of the transmitter. Case  21  is made of such an insulating resin as polystyrene or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene formed into a box shape. Recessed on case  21 , there is provided containing section  22  on one side thereof in a cylindrical shape. In the middle of containing section  22 , there is provided projection  22 A fixed to case  21 . On projection  22 A, there is mounted intermediate electrode  23  formed of coil portion (fourth electrode)  23 A in a conical spiral shape and plane portion (third electrode)  23 B in a planar spiral shape.  
      At the left-hand end of containing section  22 , there is mounted coil electrode (first electrode)  16  made of a metallic wire in a conical spiral shape in its somewhat compressed state. Coil electrode  16  applies an urging force to the negative terminal of battery  13 A so that the positive terminal of battery  13 A is brought into elastic contact with planar portion  23 B of intermediate electrode  23 . Namely, planar portion  23 B is adapted to make contact with the positive terminal of battery  13 A. Coil portion  23 A in its somewhat compressed state applies an urging force to the negative terminal of battery  13 B so that the positive terminal of battery  13 B is brought into elastic contact with plane electrode (second electrode)  17  in a planar spiral shape fixed to case  21  at the right-hand end of containing section  22 . Namely, plane electrode  17  is adapted to make contact with the positive terminal of battery  13 B. In this way, batteries  13 A,  13 B contained in containing section  22  in a serial array do not press each other directly. That is, coil electrode  16  and coil portion  23 A individually apply their respective urging forces to batteries  13 A,  13 B, so that the batteries are brought into elastic contact with planar portion  23 B and plane electrode  17 , respectively. Intermediate electrode  23  is disposed between batteries  13 A and  13 B as described above.  
      At both sides of the substantially halfway portion of lid  24 , which is made of an insulating resin into a flat shape, there are provided retaining claws (retaining portion)  24 A projecting downward. Retaining claws  24 A are adapted to be engaged with engagement portions  21 A on case  21  so that lid  24  covers opening  30  provided at the top of containing section  22  and, thereby, battery enclosure  25  is configured. Opening  30  is provided along the total length of battery  13 A and battery  13 B. Battery  13 A and battery  13 B are arranged in a linear array corresponding to the elongated shape of the remote control transmitter. Lid  24  covering opening  30  has engagement portions  31 A and  31 B provided at both ends thereof near coil electrode  16  and plane electrode  17  and is adapted to open and close in its longitudinal direction.  
      Wiring board  26  made of paper-impregnated phenolic resin, glass-impregnated epoxy, or the like has wiring patterns (not shown) formed of copper on both sides thereof. On one side of wiring board  26 , there are formed fixed contacts (not shown) and there are also mounted electronic components such as light emitting diode  27  and microcomputer  27 B and, thereby, controller  27  for transmitting a remote control signal is configured. Batteries  13 A,  13 B connected by intermediate electrode  23  supply controller  27  with power through coil electrode  16  and plane electrode  17 .  
      Movable contact assembly  28  made of silicone rubber, elastomer, or the like has dome-shaped control buttons  28 A. On the top plane of the control button  28 A, there is provided a movable contact (not shown) arranged to oppose a fixed contact on wiring substrate  26  with a predetermined distance therebetween. The fixed contact and movable contact constitute switch contact  32 . Switch contacts  32  are connected to controller  27 .  
      Cover  29  made of an insulating resin is fixedly attached to case  21  with screws or the like. While cover  29  covers the underside of case  21 , control buttons  28 A of movable contact assembly  28  project from the bottom face of cover  29  movably up and down, thereby, a remote control transmitter is configured.  
      The remote control transmitter is pointed at an electric equipment unit and predetermined control buttons  28 A for power supply and volume control, for example, are pressed down and released so that switch contacts  32  are made and broken. Then, remote control signals of infrared rays corresponding to the operations are transmitted from controller  27  to the electronic equipment unit, thereby, turning power ON/OFF and adjusting the volume level of the electronic equipment unit are performed by remote controlling.  
      In battery enclosure  25  according to the present embodiment as described above, there is mounted intermediate electrode  23 , in contact with battery  13 A and battery  13 B, at projection  22 A in the middle of containing section  22  within case  21 . By virtue of this configuration, battery  13 A is urged by coil electrode  16  and battery  13 B is urged by coil portion  23 A and, therefore, it is not necessary that the spring loads of coil electrode  16  and coil portion  23 A are extremely large. Further, since battery  13 A and battery  13 B are held individually, jumping out of the batteries or the like hardly occurs. Thus, a battery enclosure capable of securely holding batteries and a remote control transmitter using the same can be obtained. In this case, even if elongated lid  24  is used to cover batteries contained in a linear array, it hardly occurs that lid  24  comes off and the batteries are thrown out when battery enclosure  25  is dropped.  
      Further, retaining claws  24 A provided around the center of lid  24  are engaged with engagement portions  21 A provided on case  21 . By virtue of this structure, lid  24  can be securely engaged with case  21  even when a certain degree of warp or deflection is produced in lid  24 .  
      The present embodiment has been described above with a case where two batteries are housed in battery enclosure  25  taken as an example. Other than that, like advantage can be obtained even if three or more batteries are housed in the battery enclosure and projection  22 A and intermediate electrode  23  are provided at, at least, one of the inter-battery spaces. It is desirable that the same arrangement be made at all of the inter-battery spaces. In that case, however, containing section  22  becomes longer according as the number of intermediate electrodes  23  is increased. Therefore, the number of intermediate electrodes  23  is required to be decided depending on the design of the remote control transmitter. Further, the number of set of retaining portion  24 A and engagement portion  21 A may be increased to two or more. In that case, it is preferred that the sets be equally spaced along the length of lid  24 .  
      As described above, the battery enclosure and the remote control transmitter using the same according to the present invention are capable of securely holding batteries and useful when applied in particular to mobile electronic equipment.