Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Cell or battery charger structure – Charger inductively coupled to cell or battery
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-16
2004-10-26
Vu, Bao Q. (Department: 2838)
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Cell or battery charger structure
Charger inductively coupled to cell or battery
C320S114000, C320S137000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06809498
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply apparatus for electronic equipment, and more specifically relates to a power supply apparatus that is useful for supplying electric power to a portable electronic equipment, such as a wrist watch or a mobile telephone, and to electronic equipment that uses the power supply apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a battery is provided in portable electronic equipment, such as a wrist watch or a mobile telephone, to supply electric power thereto. For instance, a button-type (coin-type) battery is used for a wrist watch and a rechargeable battery that is charged using a transmitted AC power supply is used for a mobile telephone.
However, in the case where there is used a non-rechargeable battery such as a button-type battery or a dry battery, a supply voltage is gradually reduced due to a usage thereof or a secular variation, which leads to a problem that it is required to frequently perform battery exchanging.
On the other hand, in the case of a rechargeable battery, it is necessary to remove the battery from the casing of a portable electronic equipment and set the battery in a battery charger. Also, in the case where battery charging is performed by setting the battery in the charger without removing the battery from the casing, it takes around several to 10 hours to perform the battery charging. As a result, there occurs a problem that the charging operation is burdensome.
Incidently, the number of portable communication terminals has been rapidly increased in recent years, with the result that radio waves (electric fields, magnetic fields) are surely increased in urban spaces. In addition, the usable frequencies are shifted to high frequencies, which results in a situation where spatial electric fields have become higher than ever. In more detail, new usable frequencies are shifted to a GHz band or higher, which leads to a situation where the electric fields exceed 100 dB&mgr;V/m in general. It is believed that this trend will be continuously accelerated at a considerable momentum for the moment by the introduction of the WCDMA system into the mobil telephone field and the widespread use of cordless telephones based on the PHS system at homes in the future.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Consequently, in view of the problems and the situation of spatial electric fields described above, the object of the present invention is to provide a power supply apparatus that replaces a dry battery by detecting/rectifying electric field energy in a free space, extracting the energy as electric power, and accumulating the electric power. In particular, the object of the present invention is to provide a power supply apparatus that is useful for a portable electronic equipment.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a power supply apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: an electromagnetic energy conversion unit for collecting electromagnetic energy of a radio wave, which propagates in the air, and converting the electromagnetic energy into electric power; a rectifier unit for rectifying the electric power having an AC waveform inputted from the electromagnetic energy conversion unit and outputting electric power having a DC waveform; a storage battery that is charged with the rectified electric power having the DC waveform and discharges the charged electric power; and a control unit for controlling the charging and discharging of the storage battery.
Therefore, it is possible to collect a radio wave propagating in the air, convert collected electromagnetic energy into electric power, generate electric power having a DC waveform by rectifying electric power having an AC waveform, charge the rectified electric power having the DC waveform into a storage battery, and supply an electric load with the rectified electric power having the DC waveform or with electric power having a DC waveform discharged from the storage battery.
In this case, it is possible to employ a structure such that a power supply apparatus comprises: a first input terminal that contacts a human body and inputs the electromagnetic energy of the radio wave propagating in the air via the human body; and a second input terminal that connects a ground of an electronic circuit within the apparatus to the human body, wherein the rectifier unit rectifies the electric power having the AC waveform inputted from the electromagnetic energy conversion unit and the input terminal, and outputs the electric power having the DC waveform.
Also, a power supply apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: an electromagnetic energy conversion unit for collecting electromagnetic energy of a radio wave, which propagates in the air, and converting the electromagnetic energy into electric power; an input terminal that contacts a human body and inputs electromagnetic energy of a radio wave propagating in the air via the human body; a rectifier unit for rectifying the electric power having an AC waveform inputted from the electromagnetic energy conversion unit or the input terminal and outputting electric power having a DC waveform; a storage battery that is charged with the rectified electric power having the DC waveform and discharges the charged electric power; and a control unit for controlling the charging and discharging of the storage battery.
Also, a power supply apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: an input terminal that contacts a human body and inputs electromagnetic energy of a radio wave propagating in the air via the human body; a rectifier unit for rectifying electric power having an AC waveform inputted from the input terminal and outputting electric power having a DC waveform; a storage battery that is charged with the rectified electric power having the DC waveform and discharges the charged electric power; and a control unit for controlling the charging and discharging of the storage battery.
In this case, a structure may be adopted such that the input terminal includes a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal that contact the human body, and the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are formed so that one of the terminals has a circular shape, whose center is the other of the terminals, or both of the terminals have a dotted shape.
Also, a structure may be adopted such that a power supply apparatus further comprises a matching unit that establishes impedance matching between a rectifier unit side and one of the electromagnetic energy conversion unit and the input terminal.
Also, a structure may be adopted such that the matching unit is constructed from a resistance.
Also, a structure may be adopted such that the matching unit is a serial resonance circuit constructed from a capacitor and an inductor.
Also, a structure may be adopted such that the matching unit is a parallel resonance circuit constructed from a capacitor and an inductor.
Also, a structure may be adopted such that the control unit includes: two backflow prevention rectifier elements that perform rectification toward the storage battery at a subsequent stage; and a voltage step-up circuit that steps up, to a predetermined value, a voltage of the electric power having the DC waveform connected to an input terminal side of one of the backflow prevention rectifier elements.
Also, a structure may be adopted such that the control unit includes: an input voltage monitoring means for monitoring an input voltage of the electric power having the DC waveform inputted from the rectifier unit; and a monitoring means for, if the input voltage is higher than the predetermined value, terminating an operation of the voltage step-up circuit so that the inputted electric power having the DC waveform is directly supplied to the storage battery and, if the input voltage is lower than the predetermined value, controlling an operation of the voltage step-up circuit so that the input voltage is stepped up by the
Kato Kazuo
Matsubara Kazuo
Nakamura Chiaki
Saitoh Yutaka
Tanaka Tsutomu
Adams & Wilks
Seiko Instruments Inc.
Vu Bao Q.
LandOfFree
Power supply apparatus and electronic equipment does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Power supply apparatus and electronic equipment, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Power supply apparatus and electronic equipment will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3281159