Electrical connectors – Energy cell substitution device including plural contacts or...
Patent
1998-04-13
2000-04-04
Abrams, Neil
Electrical connectors
Energy cell substitution device including plural contacts or...
429 96, H01M 210
Patent
active
060453982
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery accepting unit for a battery operated electric/electronic apparatus, such as a portable computer, and to a battery pack; and in particular to a battery accepting unit which can exchangably install a battery pack, and a battery pack. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a battery accepting unit that permits the exchange of a battery pack without halting the power supply to an electric/electronic apparatus, and to a battery pack.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a consequence of recent technical developments, for which portability and outdoor use were important considerations, compact and light electric/electronic apparatuses have become popular. So-called "notebook computers" are good examples.
In FIG. 20 is shown the outline of a notebook computer (hereinafter referred to simply as a "PC" or a "system") 100. This structure is substantially the same as a computer disclosed in Japanese Design Application No. Hei 06-30003 (Our docket No.: JA9-94-621), which was assigned to the present applicant. The PC 100 has a so-called "structure with a lid" constituted by a thin main body 110 and a lid 120 which is pivotaly hinged on the main body 110.
The lid 120 has a shallow upper case 121. A pair of cylindrical protrusions 122 are integrally formed at the lower edge of the upper case 121, and are rotatively supported by the main body 110, so as to hinge the lid 120 with the main body 110. A liquid crystal display (LCD) 123, the display means for the PC 100, is provided substantially in the center of the opened face of the upper case 121 (i.e., the reverse side of the lid 120). The lid 120 can be opened and closed relative to the main body 110 by sliding forward and backward operating portions 124 that are formed at the front on either side of the upper case 121.
The main body 110 has a shallow lower case 111. A support board 112 having a predetermined size is provided on the lower case 111 to cover the rear portion of an upper opening in the case 111. A keyboard/TrackPoint 113 ("TrackPoint" is a trademark of IBM Corp.) is provided substantially in the center of the upper opening to serve as an coordinate pointing means for the PC 100. A pair of loudspeakers 114 for audio output are provided at the right and left corners at the front of the keyboard 113. A pair of cylindrical tongue pieces 115 that are integrally formed at the rear edge of the keyboard 113 pivot at the front edge of the support board 112, hinging the keyboard 113 with the support board 112 and permitting it to be opened and closed. An indicator 117 is provided on the hinged portion at the rear end of the lower case 111. The indicator indicates the remaining capacities of a battery, the state of a PC card, the state of a floppy disk drive (FDD) and of a hard disk drive (HDD), and the status of the system 100 when the power is on.
In FIG. 21 is shown the internal structure of the main body 110 when the lid 120 and the keyboard 113 of the PC 100 are opened. A partition wall 116, which defines a front chamber and a rear chamber, is provided in the lower case 111. The partition wall 116 is formed by bending a thin metal plate into a predetermined shape. In the rear chamber, which is hidden by the support board 112 and the partition wall 116, are stored a system board (not shown), on the surface of which are mounted essential electric components, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a system memory, a memory controller, a ROM, a video controller and an audio controller. This rear chamber is relatively narrow and the installation density for the electric components mounted in this chamber is very high. Into the front chamber, forward of the partition wall 116, input/output devices, such as an HDD pack 117 and a CD-ROM drive 118, and a battery pack 119 as a main power source, are detachably accommodated. Several connectors (not shown) are provided on the front side of the partition wall 116 for mechanically and electrically coupling the ter
REFERENCES:
patent: 4731306 (1988-03-01), Dumbser
patent: 5369802 (1994-11-01), Murray
patent: 5863218 (1999-01-01), Quat
Horiuchi Mitsuo
Narita Izuru
Ogawa Mitsuru
Suzuki Hidefumi
Abrams Neil
Dillon Andrew J.
Harris A. Mitchell
International Business Machines - Corporation
Magistrale Anthony N.
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