Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-06
2003-02-18
Trost, William (Department: 2683)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C455S127500, C455S343200, C320S117000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06522902
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable electronic device and a battery pack, and in particular, to a portable electronic device and a battery pack by which power consumption of cells used therein can be reduced.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Various kinds of portable electronic devices such as portable telephones, portable televisions, portable personal computers, etc. are put on the market. Such portable electronic devices are powered by internal batteries or battery packs which include batteries. In the following, a case of a conventional portable telephone will be described as an example of a portable electronic device, referring to FIG.
1
.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the conventional portable telephone
1
is powered by a battery pack
2
which includes rechargeable battery cells
2
a
and
2
b
, and the battery pack
2
is connected to the portable telephone
1
via feeding terminals
3
and
4
.
The portable telephone
1
comprises a radio section
5
, an audio processing section
6
, a control section
7
, a microphone
8
, a speaker
9
, and an antenna
10
.
Circuit blocks such as the radio section
5
, the audio processing section
6
and the control section
7
are connected to the feeding terminal
3
, and each of them is grounded though unshown, that is, each such circuit block is powered by the battery pack
2
. The radio section
5
includes a transmitter section
5
a
provided with an output amplification circuit, and a receiver section
5
b
for receiving radio signals from radio base stations. The transmitter section
5
a
generates a transmitter signal to be transmitted to the radio. base stations, which is a signal with a higher power compared to other signals inside the portable telephone
1
. Therefore, the transmitter section
5
a
needs supply of more power and higher voltage than those needed by other circuit blocks such as the receiver section
5
b
, the control section
7
, etc. In this sense, the transmitter section
5
a
is a voltage type circuit. Meanwhile, the other circuit blocks such as the receiver section
5
b
, the control section
7
, etc. do not need such high voltages as needed by the transmitter section
5
a
, since their output signal levels are not large and lower voltage levels for supplying currents of predetermined levels are only necessary. In this sense, the circuit blocks such as the receiver section
5
b
, the control section
7
, etc. are current type circuits.
The battery pack
2
is composed of a plurality of rechargeable battery cells connected in series between the positive pole feeding terminal
3
and the negative pole feeding terminal
4
. In the conventional example of
FIG. 1
, two rechargeable battery cells
2
a
and
2
b
are connected in series, and the rechargeable battery cells
2
a
and
2
b
supply voltages which are necessary for operations of the circuit blocks in the portable telephone
1
such as the radio section
5
, the audio processing section
6
, the control section
7
, etc.
In such conventional portable telephones as shown above, the output voltage level of the battery pack
2
(i.e. the number of the rechargeable battery cells which are connected in series) is decided according to a voltage level which is necessary for the operation of the portable telephone
1
, especially according to a voltage level which is needed by a circuit block which needs the highest voltage. As mentioned above, the transmitter section
5
a
in the radio section
5
needs the largest power and the highest voltage in the portable telephone
1
, for generating the transmitter signal for being transmitted to the radio base stations. Therefore, in the design of the conventional portable telephones, the output voltage level of the battery pack
2
is decided according to the voltage level which is needed by the transmitter section
5
a.
While a telephone call is in progress (i.e. during the talk time), the portable telephone
1
executes transmitting and receiving at the same time. Therefore, the voltage level which is needed by the transmitter section
5
a
has to be supplied during the talk time. Meanwhile, when the portable telephone
1
is waiting for reception of calling (i.e. during the standby time), the portable telephone
1
executes only receiving, that is, only the receiver section
5
b
works while the transmitter section
5
a
is in a state of not working or working at intervals. In such a state where the transmitter section
5
a
is not working, supply of a lower voltage level which is needed by the other circuit blocks than the transmitter section
5
a
(such as the receiver section
5
b
, the control section
7
, etc.) is enough for the operation of the portable telephone
1
.
However, in conventional portable electronic devices, it is impossible to change or switch the output voltage level of the battery pack according to the operating status of the portable electronic device. In the case of the conventional portable telephone for example, a high voltage which is needed only during the talk time is constantly supplied to each circuit block in the portable telephone
1
even during the standby time, causing power consumption due to the difference between the voltage needed during the talk time and the voltage needed during the standby time.
Generally, the length of the standby time is much longer than the length of the talk time. Therefore, the length of the continuous use time of the portable telephone (i.e. the time between charges of the battery pack) is largely dependent on the power consumption during the standby time, and thus reducing the power consumption during the standby time is greatly effective for extension of the continuous use time length.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a portable electronic device by which power consumption is reduced and the continuous use time length of the portable electronic device can be extended.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack by which power consumption is reduced and the continuous use time length of portable electronic devices in which the battery pack is installed can be extended.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery pack for containing a plurality of cells which comprises a plurality of switches for switching connection status of the cells between parallel connection and series connection.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the battery pack contains a first cell and a second cell, and the battery pack comprises a first wire for connecting the positive pole of the first cell and the positive pole of the second cell, a second wire for connecting the negative pole of the first cell and the negative pole of the second cell, a third wire for connecting the negative pole of the first cell and the positive pole of the second cell, a first switch for connecting/disconnecting the first wire, a second switch for connecting/disconnecting the second wire, and a third switch for connecting/disconnecting the third wire.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the battery pack further comprises a fourth wire for connecting the negative pole of the second cell and a negative pole feeding terminal of the battery pack, and a fourth switch for connecting/disconnecting the fourth wire.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the battery pack further comprises a fifth wire for connecting the negative pole of the first cell and the negative pole feeding terminal of the battery pack, and a fifth switch for connecting/disconnecting the fifth wire, in which both of the fourth switch and the fifth switch are closed when the first cell and the second cell are connected in parallel.
In accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the first switch and the second switch are switched from open states to close states after the third switch is switched from
Fujii Masahiro
Nishihara Toshiyuki
Uriya Susumu
NEC Corporation
Sobutka Philip J.
Trost William
Whitham Curtis & Christofferson, P.C.
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