This application is a U.S. National Stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of an International Application number PCT/KR2018/002447, filed on Feb. 28, 2018, which is based on and claimed priority of a Korean patent application No. 10-2017-0027378, filed on Mar. 2, 2017, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus for preventing over-discharge of a battery and an electronic device including the apparatus.
An electronic device such as a portable terminal, etc., refers to a device that provides an electronic note function such as schedule management, etc., an entertainment function for enjoying multimedia such as music or moving images or a game, and a communication function such as Internet connection, voice communication, etc., and may be used while being carried by a user. Such portable terminals include a built-in or removable battery, thus being provided with power such that the user may use the terminal while carrying the terminal. To make the electronic device elegant in terms of design while improving a waterproof/dustproof effect of the electronic device, an exterior of the electronic device may be formed as one piece and a built-in battery may be used.
When an electronic device including a built-in battery is left for a long time in a power-off state, the built-in battery may be over-discharged. When the built-in battery is over-discharged, swelling of the battery occurs, degrading performance of the built-in battery.
An electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure prevents over-discharge of the battery through blocking an electrical connection between a built-in battery and a circuit board provided with power from the battery, when the battery is not used for a long time.
An electronic device including an over-discharge preventing apparatus according to various embodiments of the present disclosure includes a housing including a first opening, a first electronic component arranged inside the housing, a second electronic component electrically connected with the first electronic component, and a switch configured to electrically connect the first electronic component with the second electronic component or block an electrical connection between the first electronic component and the second electronic component, by an external force exerted by a pin inserted through the first opening.
An electronic device including an over-discharge preventing apparatus according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a housing including a first face facing a first direction and a second face facing a second direction that is opposite the first direction, the housing further including a first opening formed between the first face and the second face, a battery arranged inside the housing, a circuit board configured to receive power from the battery, and a switch electrically connecting the battery with the circuit board or blocking an electrical connection between the battery and the circuit board, by the external force exerted by the pin inserted through the first opening.
A method for using an electronic device including an over-discharge preventing apparatus according to various embodiments of the present disclosure includes an operation of inserting a pin into a first opening formed in a housing of the electronic device, an operation in which a movable member of a switch arranged between a battery and a circuit board received with power from the battery receives an external force of the pin, an operation in which the movable member is movement-limited by a locking portion, an operation in which the movable member releases a contact between the first terminal and the second terminal, and an operation of blocking an electrical connection between the battery and the circuit board as the contact between the first terminal and the second terminal is released.
An electronic device that prevents over-discharge of a battery according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may selectively block or make an electrical connection between the battery and a circuit board as a switch is pressed by insertion of a pin through a first opening formed in a housing.
The electronic device that prevents over-discharge of the battery according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may improve the waterproof/dustproof effect of the electronic device because of no need for a separate hole by using the first opening formed in the housing.
Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments and terms used therein are not intended to limit the present disclosure to particular embodiments, and it should be construed as including various modifications, equivalents, and/or alternatives according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. With regard to the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present disclosure, an expression such as “A or B,” “at least one of A or/and B,” or “one or more of A or B” may include all possible combinations of together listed items. Expressions such as “first,” “second,” “primarily,” or “secondary,” used herein may represent various elements regardless of order and/or importance and do not limit corresponding elements. When it is described that an element (such as a first element) is “operatively or communicatively coupled with/to” or “connected” to another element (such as a second element), the element can be directly connected to the other element or can be connected to the other element through another element (e.g., a third element).
In an embodiment, an expression “configured to (or set)” used in the present disclosure may be replaced with, for example, “suitable for,” “having the capacity to,” “adapted to,” “made to,” “capable of,” or “designed to” according to a situation. Alternatively, in some situation, an expression “apparatus configured to” may mean that the apparatus “can” operate together with another apparatus or component. For example, a phrase “a processor configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C” may be a dedicated processor (e.g., an embedded processor) for performing a corresponding operation or a generic-purpose processor (such as a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor) that can perform a corresponding operation by executing at least one software program stored at a memory device.
An electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of, for example, a smartphone, a tablet personal computer (PC), a mobile phone, a video phone, an electronic-book (e-book) reader, a desktop PC, a laptop PC, a netbook computer, a workstation, a server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), an MP3 player, mobile medical equipment, a camera, or a wearable device. Examples of the wearable device may include at least one of an accessory type (e.g., a watch, a ring, a bracelet, an anklet, a necklace, glasses, contact lenses, head-mounted device (HMD), etc.), a fabric or cloth-integrated type (e.g., electronic clothing, etc.), a body-attached type (e.g., a skin pad, a tattoo, etc.), a body implantable circuit, or the like. In some embodiments, the electronic device may include, for example, at least one of a television (TV), a digital video disk (DVD) player, audio equipment, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, an oven, a microwave oven, a laundry machine, an air cleaner, a set-top box, a home automation control panel, a security control panel, a media box (e.g., Samsung HomeSync™, Apple TV™, or Google TV™), a game console (e.g., Xbox™ or PlayStation™), an electronic dictionary, an electronic key, a camcorder, or an electronic frame.
In other embodiments, the electronic device may include at least one of various medical equipment (e.g., various portable medical measurement devices (a blood glucose meter, a heart rate measuring device, a blood pressure measuring device, a body temperature measuring device, etc.), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), an imaging device, or an ultrasonic device), a navigation system, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), an event data recorder (EDR), a flight data recorder (FDR), a vehicle infotainment device, electronic equipment for ships (e.g., a navigation system and gyro compass for ships), avionics, a security device, a vehicle head unit, an industrial or home robot, an automatic teller's machine (ATM), a point of sales (POS), or an Internet of things device (e.g., electric bulbs, various sensors, electricity or gas meters, sprinkler devices, fire alarm devices, thermostats, streetlights, toasters, exercise machines, hot-water tanks, heaters, boilers, and so forth). According to some embodiments, the electronic device may include a part of a furniture, building/structure or a part of a vehicle, an electronic board, an electronic signature receiving device, a projector, and various measuring instruments (e.g., a water, electricity, gas, electric wave measuring device, etc.). According to various embodiments, the electronic device may be flexible or may be a combination of two or more of the above-described various devices. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device is not limited to the above-described devices. In an embodiment, the term “user” used in various embodiments of the present disclosure may refer to a person who uses the electronic device or a device using the electronic device (e.g., an artificial intelligence electronic device).
Referring to
The memory 130 may include a volatile or nonvolatile memory. The memory 130 may store, for example, instructions or data associated with at least one other elements of the electronic device 11. According to an embodiment, the memory 130 may store software or a program 140. The program 140 may include at least one of, for example, a kernel 141, middleware 143, an application programming interface (API) 145, or an application program (or “application”) 147, and the like. At least some of the kernel 141, the middleware 143, and the API 145 may be referred to as an operating system (OS). The kernel 141 may control or manage, for example, system resources (e.g., the bus 110, the processor 120, the memory 130, etc.) used to execute operations or functions implemented in other programs (e.g., the middleware 143, the API 145, or the application program 147). The kernel 141 provides an interface through which the middleware 143, the API 145, or the application program 147 accesses separate components of the electronic device 11 to control or manage the system resources.
The middleware 143 may work as an intermediary for allowing, for example, the API 145 or the application program 147 to exchange data in communication with the kernel 141. In addition, the middleware 143 may process one or more task requests received from the application program 147 based on priorities. For example, the middleware 143 may give a priority for using a system resource (e.g., the bus 110, the processor 120, the memory 130, etc.) of the electronic device 11 to at least one of the application programs 147, and may process the one or more task requests. The API 145 is an interface used for the application 147 to control a function provided by the kernel 141 or the middleware 143, and may include, for example, at least one interface or function (e.g., an instruction) for file control, window control, image processing or character control. The I/O interface 150 may deliver, for example, an instruction or data input from a user or another external device to other component(s) of the electronic device 11, or output an instruction or data received from other component(s) of the electronic device 11 to a user or another external device.
The display 160 may include, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) display, or an electronic paper display. The display 160 may, for example, display various contents (e.g., a text, an image, a video, an icon, a symbol, etc.) to users. The display 160 may include a touchscreen and receive a touch, a gesture, proximity, or a hovering input, for example, by using an electronic pen or a part of a body of a user. The communication interface 170 establishes communication between the electronic device 11 and an external device (e.g., the vehicle device 12, the electronic device 14, or the server 16). For example, the communication interface 170 may be connected to a network 162 through a wireless communication or wired communication to communicate with an external device (e.g., the second external electronic device 14 or the server 16).
The wireless communication may include cellular communication using at least one of Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Broadband (WiBro), or Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication may include at least one of Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Light Fidelity (LiFi), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, near field communication (NFC), magnetic secure transmission (MST), radio frequency (RF), and a body area network (BAN), as illustrated as an element 164 in
Each of the first external electronic device 12 and the second external electronic device 14 may be a device of the same type as or a different type than the electronic device 11. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, some or all of operations performed by the electronic device 11 may be performed in another electronic device or a plurality of electronic devices (e.g., the electronic device 12, 14 or the server 16). According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the electronic device 11 has to perform a function or a service automatically or at a request, the electronic device 11 may request another device (e.g., the electronic devices 12 or 14 or the server 16) to perform at least some functions associated with the function or the service instead of or in addition to executing the function or the service. The another electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 12 or 14 or the server 16) may execute the requested function or additional function and deliver the execution result to the electronic device 11. The electronic device 11 may then process or further process the received result to provide the requested function or service. To that end, a cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing technology may be used, for example.
In
As illustrated in
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a keypad including mechanically operating buttons or touch keys 11a, 11b, are 11c may be provided on one side region of a front face (e.g., the first face 101a) of the housing 101. The touch key may generate an input signal by a user's body contact. According to various embodiments, the keypad may be implemented with only mechanical buttons or with only touch keys. Various types of circuit devices, such as the processor 120, the memory 130, the input/output (I/O) interface 150, and the communication interface 170 described above may be accommodated in the housing 101, and a battery 15 may be accommodated in the housing 101 to secure a power source.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first camera 12a, an illumination sensor 12b, or a proximity sensor 12c may be arranged on an upper region of the front face of the electronic device 11. In another example, a second camera 13a, a flash, or a speaker 13c may be arranged on the rear face of the electronic device 11.
Referring to
In an upper face of the housing 301 may be formed a second opening 315 through which the tray 304 is inserted or drawn. In the upper face of the housing 301 may be formed a first opening 305 that is arranged adjacent to the second opening 315 and is smaller in size than the second opening 315. The first opening 305 may be a hole manipulated to draw the tray 304 through the second opening 315.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first electronic component may include the battery (15 of
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the socket 306 may be connected with the circuit board 317. The tray 304 may be inserted into the socket 306 such that the socket 306 may be coupled with the tray 304 in an attachable/detachable manner. For example, the tray 304 may be inserted into or drawn out of the socket 306.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the tray 304 may be inserted into the socket 306 and locked, while receiving storage media S1 and S2 therein. The storage media S1 and S2 may include a subscriber identification module (SIM) card or a memory card. The memory card may include a secure-digital (SD) card or a micro SD card.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the push bar 308 may be arranged inside the socket 306 along a longitudinal direction of the socket 306. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the push bar 308 may be arranged outside the socket 306.
The push bar 308 may include a push bar head 383 and a push bar body 381. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the push bar head 383 may have a bent form. The push bar head 383 may include a first push bar hole 384 connected with a first opening 305 formed in the housing 301. The push bar body 381 may extend from the push bar head 383 to have a longitudinal direction. The push bar body 381 may include a second push bar hole 385 connected with the first push bar hole 384.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the lever 365 may be coupled with the push bar 308 and may rotate with movement of the push bar 308. The lever 365 may include a first lever 365a, a rotation shaft 365b, and a second lever 365c. The first lever 365a may be coupled with the push bar 308. The second lever 365c may be connected with the first lever 365a. The first lever 365a and the second lever 365c may rotate with respect to the rotation shaft 365b. Along with rotation of the lever 365, an end of the tray 304 mounted in the socket 306 is pushed, such that the tray 304 may be ejected to outside the housing 301. The lever 365 may include a lever hole 365d connected with the second push bar hole 385.
The switch 307 may be arranged adjacent to a lower portion of the socket 306. The switch 307 will be described in detail later.
The electronic device 300 according to one of various embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a pin 309. The pin 309 may be inserted into the inside of the housing 301 through the first opening 305. The pin 309 may include a pin body 391 and a grip 393. The pin body 391 may have a length longer than that of the push bar 308. The grip 393 may extend from the pin body 391 and may be gripped by a user. The pin 309 may be inserted into the first push bar hole 384 and the second push bar hole 385 through the first opening 305. The pin 309 may press the switch 307 by passing through the second push bar hole 309.
Referring to
The case 371 may be arranged inside a housing (301 of
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first pad 373 may be arranged on a face of the case 371. The first pad 373 may be electrically connected with the battery 15 through a first conducting wire 15a.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first terminal 373a may be connected with the first pad 373, while being included inside the case 371. The first terminal 373a may be electrically connected with the battery 15 through the first conducting wire 15a and the first pad 373.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second pad 374 may be arranged on a second face of the case 371. The second pad 374 may be electrically connected with a circuit board 117 through a second conducting wire 117a.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second terminal 374a may be connected with the second pad 374, while being included inside the case 371. The second terminal 374a may be electrically connected with the circuit board 117 through the second conducting wire 117a and the second pad 374. When a contact of the first terminal 373a with the second terminal 374a is released, an electrical connection between the battery 15 and the circuit board 117 may be blocked.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the movable member 377 may reciprocate inside the case 371. A portion 377e of the movable member 377 may be exposed to outside through the case hole. The portion 377e of the movable member 377 may contact the pin (309 of
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the elastic member 378 may be arranged to face a face of the movable member 377. The elastic member 378 may have a spring form. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the elastic member 378 is not limited to the spring form and may have various structures having an elastic force.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locking portion may include first locking portions 375 and 376 and second locking portions 377c and 377d. The first locking portions 375 and 376 may be formed along the case hole. A cross section of the first locking portions 375 and 376 may have a round form. The second locking portions 377c and 377d may be formed to protrude along an outer circumferential surface of the body 377a of the movable member 377.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the lever 365 may rotate along a turning radius R. The switch 307 may be arranged in a position that does not overlap the turning radius of the lever 365.
Referring to
Referring to
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in an upper face of the housing 101 may be formed a second opening 115 through which the tray 104 is inserted or drawn. In the upper face of the housing 101 may be formed a first opening 105 that is arranged adjacent to the second opening 115 and is smaller in size than the second opening 115. The first opening 105 may be a hole manipulated to draw the tray 104 out through the second opening 115.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the circuit board 117 may be mounted on an inner side of the housing 101.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the socket 106 may be connected with the circuit board 117. The tray 104 may be inserted into the socket 106 such that the socket 306 may be coupled with the tray 104 in an attachable/detachable manner. For example, the tray 104 may be inserted into or drawn out of the socket 106.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the tray 104 may be inserted into the socket 106 and locked, while receiving storage media S1 and S2 therein. The storage media S1 and S2 may include a SIM card or a memory card. The memory card may include an SD card or a micro SD card.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the push bar 108 may be arranged inside the socket 106 along a longitudinal direction of the socket 106. The push bar 108 may include an extending portion 185 extending along a longitudinal direction of the push bar 108. A face of the extending portion 185 may press the switch 107 in contact with the switch 107. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the push bar 108 may be arranged outside the socket 106.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the lever 165 may be coupled with the push bar 108. For example, the lever 165 may be coupled with an outer face of the push bar 108 by using an adhesive. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the lever 165 may be coupled with the push bar 108 in various ways such as bolt-coupling, as well as the adhesive. The lever 165 may rotate together with movement of the push bar 108. Along with rotation of the lever 165, an end of the tray 104 mounted in the socket 106 is pushed, such that the tray 104 may be ejected to outside the housing 101.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the switch 107 may be arranged adjacent to a lower portion of the socket 106. The switch 107 may be pressed by an end of the push bar 108. The switch 107 will be described in detail later.
The electronic device 100 according to one of various embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a pin 109. The pin 109 may be inserted into the inside of the housing 101 through the first opening 105. The pin 109 may cause the push bar 108 to move along the longitudinal direction by pressing the push bar 108.
Referring to
Referring to
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the push bar 208 may include push bar holes (not illustrated). The push bar holes (not illustrated) may be connected with the first opening (e.g., the first opening 105 of
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the pin 209 may have a length longer than that of the push bar 208. The pin 209 may be inserted into the first opening (e.g., the first opening 105 of
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The operation in which the movable member (e.g., the movable member 377a of
Referring to
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the case 171 may be arranged inside a housing (e.g., the housing 101 of
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first terminal 172 may be included inside the case 171, and may be electrically connected with the battery 15. The second terminal 173 may be provided inside the case 171, and may be electrically connected with the circuit board 117. The first terminal 172 and the second terminal 173 may include a conductive material having elasticity. For example, the first terminal 172 and the second terminal 173 may include a metal material such as copper, etc. The first terminal 172 may be arranged on the second terminal 173. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the first terminal 172 is not limited to being arranged on the second terminal 173 but may be disposed under the second terminal 173.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the movable member 175 may reciprocate inside the case 171. A portion of the movable member 175 may be exposed to the outside through the case hole 107a. The portion of the movable member 175 may contact the extending portion 185 of the push bar.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the elastic member 176 may be arranged between the first terminal 172 and the movable member 175. The elastic member 176 may press the first terminal 172 as the movable member 175 moves along the first direction {circle around (1)}. The elastic member 176 may have a spring form. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the elastic member 176 is not limited to the spring form and may have various structures having an elastic force.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locking portions 174, 174a, 174b, 174c, and 174d may include a first locking groove 174d, a second locking groove 174c, the rod 174, the first roller 174b, and the second roller 174a.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locking groove 174d may be formed in the movable member 175. As shown in
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in
Referring to
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the elastic member 108 may further press the elastic member 176 while moving along the first direction {circle around (1)}. The elastic force of the elastic member 176 may further increase by pressurization made by the movable member 108. As the elastic member 176 exerts an elastic force along the second direction {circle around (2)}, the movable member 108 may receive a force for being moved along the second direction {circle around (2)}. By the force through which the movable member 108 is moved along the second direction {circle around (2)} locking of the second roller 174a is released from the second locking groove 174c such that the second roller 174a may be moved along a third direction {circle around (3)}. As the second roller 174a is moved from the second locking groove 174c along the third direction {circle around (3)}, the rod 174 may be parallel to the second direction {circle around (2)} by means of the elastic force of the elastic member 176. As the rod 174 becomes parallel to the second direction {circle around (2)}, the movable member 108 may be moved by the elastic force of the elastic member 176 along the second direction {circle around (2)}. As the movable member 108 is moved along the second direction {circle around (2)}, pressurization of the elastic member 176 with respect to the first terminal 172 is released, such that the contact of the first terminal 172 with the second terminal 173 may be released. When a contact of the first terminal 172 with the second terminal 173 is released, an electrical connection between the battery 15 and the circuit board 117 may be blocked.
Referring to
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the movable member 175 may press the elastic member 176 while moving along the first direction {circle around (1)}. As the elastic member 176 presses the first terminal 172, the first terminal 172 may contact the second terminal 173. As the movable member 175 is moved, the rod 174 may be moved from the second locking groove 174c along a fourth direction {circle around (4)} that is opposite the third direction. The second roller 174a may be moved along the fourth direction {circle around (4)} via the second protruding portions 174c1 and 174c2 of
Referring to
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation in which the movable member (e.g., the movable member 175 of
While embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, various changes may be made without departing the scope of the present disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2017-0027378 | Mar 2017 | KR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/KR2018/002447 | 2/28/2018 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2018/159994 | 9/7/2018 | WO | A |
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Entry |
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Korean Office Action dated Oct. 19, 2020, issued in the Korean Application of 10-2017-0027378. |
Decision on Grant dated Oct. 28, 2021, issued in Korean Application No. 10-2017-0027378. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20210136942 A1 | May 2021 | US |