Powering electronic devices

Abstract

An assembly 18 includes a portable electronic device and a case with a swappable battery. Battery swapping mechanism 42 has a dock that is arranged to receive the device 18 along a vertical docking path and to hold the device during a swapping operation. At least one pair of receptacles 58 are aligned either side of the docking path. One of the pair of receptacles can hold a charged battery 16 that is to be inserted into a through-passage (28, figure 1) of the case and the other can hold a depleted battery that has been removed from that passage (28). The charged battery is pushed into the passage by a drive tab 64, and the charged battery pushed the depleted battery from the passage into the other receptacle 58.

Description

This invention relates to powering mobile devices, especially handheld portable electronic devices such as mobile phones. The invention relates particularly to keeping an electronic device charged and available for use while remaining fully portable, without requiring the device to remain connected to a charger during a lengthy charging period. Mobile phones will be used in this specification to exemplify electronic devices. However, the invention is not limited to mobile phones and can be used with other electronic devices such as tablets, laptop computers, music players, walkie talkies, point-of-sale systems, vacuums, pagers, or logistical devices. Mobile phones have become an essential of modern life and so demand readily-available and efficient charging solutions. Whilst battery life has improved in recent years, high usage can deplete the battery of a mobile phone well within a day. Also, a battery can run out of charge at unpredictable and inconvenient times. Mobile phone users therefore require frequent and ongoing access to chargers and to power sources for such chargers. However, chargers or power sources may not be available to a user where and when needed, especially when the user is away from home or work or is travelling. Even if a charger connected to a power source is available, the charger may not be of the correct type. For example, an available charger may have a connector that is not appropriate for the type of phone to be charged. Even where a user has access to a charger and a power source, another challenge is the need for the phone to remain connected to the charger throughout a lengthy charging period. This wastes time, may restrict the user’s freedom of movement and can risk the phone being stolen if it is left unattended in a public place while charging. Portable chargers and charging cases with onboard power supplies are known for prolonging the battery life of a mobile phone. However, portable chargers and charging cases themselves need to be charged eventually and so merely defer rather than address the various challenges of charging. Some of the challenges of charging can be addressed by replacing a depleted battery with a freshly charged battery. For example, it is known to power portable equipment such as handheld drills using readily detachable and swappable batteries. Swapping a battery in this way requires some dexterity of the user but can be done much more quickly than waiting for a depleted battery to be recharged. However, swappable batteries are little better than portable chargers because they require a user to carry an additional battery and to remember to keep that battery charged. Also, if equipment is designed for easy access to a battery, this increases the risk of the battery becoming detached inadvertently, compromises resistance to the ingress of moisture and dirt, and reduces design freedom. In this respect, it is notable that modern mobile phone designs do not generally allow users to replace an internal battery, instead concealing the battery within a sealed housing that should only be opened by authorised service personnel. Indeed, a user-replaceable battery would be incompatible with a protective case as it would require the phone to be removed from the case each time the battery is to be swapped. Another challenge is that battery charging systems often charge batteries to their maximum capacity, which can lead to reduced battery lifespan and potential safety risks. This is a particular problem in lithium polymer (UPo) batteries commonly used in mobile phones but can also arise in other battery types. Overcharging or maintaining a battery at 100% charge can degrade the health of the battery over time, leading to reduced capacity and increased risk of failure. As a battery can typically undergo up to 400 to 500 charge cycles before its capacity decreases markedly, it is preferable to charge the electronic device in partial cycles such as from 20% to 80%. This will cause less degradation to a battery than a full charge cycle of 0% to 100%, therefore increasing the number of charge cycles the battery can sustain without suffering such a marked decrease in its capacity. The invention addresses the challenges of swapping batteries to keep a mobile phone or other electronic device charged and available for immediate portable use. Against this background, the invention resides in a battery swapping mechanism for replacing a power source of an electronic device. The mechanism comprises a dock arranged to receive the device along a docking path and to hold the device during a swapping operation and at least one pair of receptacles in mutual alignment and in mutual opposition about the docking path, each receptacle being capable of holding a charged battery that is to be inserted into the device along a battery insertion axis or a depleted battery that has been removed from the device. Conveniently, the mechanism may comprise at least two pairs of the receptacles supported by a carriage that is movable to bring each pair selectively into alignment with the battery insertion axis. The mechanism may further comprise battery drive members that are in mutual opposition about the docking path and that are movable selectively toward and away from the docking path in directions parallel to the battery insertion axis. The battery drive members, may, for example, be movable through respective ones of the receptacles. A selected one of the battery drive members may be operable in response to engagement of the device with the dock. Elegantly, the battery drive members may be arranged to insert a charged battery into the device to an extent sufficient for the charged battery to protrude from an opposite side of the device. Each receptacle may be elongate in a direction parallel to the battery insertion axis. Each receptacle may be open at an inward end adjacent to the dock. Each receptacle may be open at an outward end remote from the dock. Each battery drive member may be movable through the outward end of a respective one of the receptacles to bear against a charged battery held in that receptacle. Conveniently, the mechanism may further comprise charging contacts associated with each receptacle and co-operable with a battery held in that receptacle. The mechanism may also comprise individual charging circuits associated with the respective receptacles. In another embodiment, the dock may be arranged to hold the device stationary during the swapping operation. The dock may comprise a movable platen and a locking system that is arranged to act on the device, the locking system being operable to hold the device in response to movement of the platen by the device. Advantageously, the locking system may be arranged to release the device upon completion of the swapping operation. The platen may be biased toward the docking path. The dock may comprise a battery release pin that is arranged to enter the device as the dock receives the device. The battery release pin may extend along the docking path. In an embodiment, the mechanism may be in combination with an electronic device. The electronic device may further comprise a case and a swappable battery engaged with the case. The inventive concept also embraces a corresponding method of swapping a charged battery for a depleted battery of an electronic device. That method comprises holding mutually-opposed ends of a battery passageway of the device on a battery insertion axis in alignment with a pair of receptacles that are in mutual alignment and in mutual opposition about the passageway, advancing the charged battery along the battery insertion axis into the passageway from one of the receptacles of the pair and moving the depleted battery from the passageway into the other receptacle of the pair. The depleted battery may be moved by advancing the charged battery along the passageway when in pushing contact with the depleted battery. For example, the charged battery may be advanced to an extent sufficient to protrude from an opposite end of the passageway. The charged battery may be withdrawn back into the passageway after expelling the depleted battery from the passageway. The charged battery may be withdrawn into the passageway by the action of a battery locking arrangement that locks the charged battery in the passageway. The method may comprise selecting among available charged batteries held in two or more pairs of receptacles and moving the pair of receptacles containing the selected charged battery into alignment with the battery insertion axis. The selected charged battery may be selected by comparing charge levels of the available charged batteries. The method may also comprise unlocking a depleted battery for movement from the passageway in response to aligning the passageway with the battery insertion axis. The inventive concept extends to a case for an electronic device. The case comprises a compartment to receive a device, a connection for conveying power from the case to a device disposed in the compartment, a through-passage extending along a battery insertion axis through the case between mutually-opposed end openings for receiving a charged battery into the passage and for removing a depleted battery from the passage and a connection for the case to receive power from a battery disposed in the through-passage. The through-passage may extend between mutually-opposed side edges of the case. Advantageously, the case may further comprise a battery locking arrangement for locking a battery in the through-passage. The battery locking arrangement may comprise a locking element having lock formations that are co-operable with complementary formations of a battery, the locking element being movable relative to the case in directions transverse to the battery insertion axis between an unlocked position in which the lock formations are disengaged from the battery and a locked position in which the lock formations are engaged with the battery. Conveniently, the case may further comprise an aperture for receiving an unlocking element to move the locking element from the locked position to the unlocked position. The locking element is biased into the locked position. The case may be in combination with a battery having formations that are complementary to the lock formations of the locking element. The case may be arranged such that the lock formations of the locking element have a cam action on the formations of the battery to align side edges of the battery with side edges of the case when the locking element is in the locked position. In summary, the invention provides a battery swapping mechanism for an electronic device that has a case including a swappable battery. The mechanism has a dock that is arranged to receive the device along a docking path and to hold the device during a swapping operation. At least one pair of receptacles are in mutual alignment and in mutual opposition about the docking path. Each of the receptacles can hold either a charged battery that is to be inserted into a through-passage of the case along a battery insertion axis or a depleted battery that has been removed from that passage. Advancing the charged battery into the passage from one of the receptacles of the pair moves the depleted battery from the passage into the other receptacle of the pair. The invention also provides a method of swapping batteries, a case that is adapted for swapping batteries, and a battery that is adapted for use with that case. In order that the invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a phone assembly of the invention, the assembly comprising a conventional mobile phone, a case of the invention and a swappable battery of the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the phone assembly of Figure 1, when assembled; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the phone assembly of Figures 1 and 2 entering a battery-swapping docking station of the invention; Figure 4 corresponds to Figure 1 but shows the phone assembly inserted into the docking station; Figure 5 is a front view of a battery swapping mechanism within the docking station when engaging the phone assembly; Figure 6 is a top plan view of the battery swapping mechanism shown in Figure 5; Figures 7 to 9 are perspective views of the battery swapping mechanism with some structural components removed; Figure 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a detail of the battery swapping mechanism; Figures 11a and 11b are perspective views showing the battery swapping mechanism swapping a charged battery into a case of the phone assembly while swapping out a depleted battery; Figure 12 is a perspective view of a battery of the invention; Figure 13 is a perspective view of the battery of Figure 12 in conjunction with a locking element that interacts with the battery; Figure 14 is a perspective view of a case of the invention configured to incorporate the locking element of Figure 13; Figures 15a and 15b are perspective views showing the case interacting with a pin to move the locking element into an unlocked position; Figures 16a and 16b are enlarged perspective views showing the case interacting with a platen that surrounds the pin; Figures 17a and 17b are elevation views showing the pin moving the locking element to unlock and release a depleted battery from the case; Figures 18a and 18b are elevation views showing the locking element aligning a charged battery with the case; Figure 19 is a circuit diagram of electronics in the case of the phone assembly; Figure 20 is a system diagram of a docking unit of the invention; Figure 21 is a system diagram of a charging system integrated within the case of the phone assembly; Figure 22 is a system diagram of a battery authentication system; Figure 23 is a flowchart illustrating an authentication process; and Figure 24 is a flowchart illustrating an operative method of the invention. Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2, these drawings show a conventional mobile phone 10 in conjunction with a charging case 12 of the invention, which in turn is arranged to be used in conjunction with a docking station 14 of the invention to be described with reference to Figures 3 onwards. The charging case 12 is arranged to accommodate a swappable battery 16 of the invention. For brevity, the following description will refer to the phone 10, case 12 and battery 16 that are shown separately in Figure 1 as a phone assembly 18 of the invention when they are assembled together, for example as shown in Figure 2. For clarity, a charged battery will be given the reference 16C and a depleted battery will be given the reference 16D in the following description where appropriate. However, it should be noted that references in this description to a depleted battery 16D do not require that battery 16D to be fully or even mainly depleted of charge. A depleted battery 16D is simply a battery 16 that a user wishes to swap out of a phone assembly 18. Similarly, references to a charged battery 16C do not require that battery 16C to be fully charged. A charged battery 16C is a battery 16 that has been selected to swap in to a phone assembly 18, irrespective of its level of charge. Indeed, as noted below, it may be advantageous to limit the charge level of a battery 16 to between 20% and 80% of its full capacity. The case 12 follows the general outline of the phone 10 and therefore is generally rectangular, with two long side edges 20 and shorter top and bottom edges 22 that are all disposed between opposed front and rear faces 24 to define a generally cuboidal volume. The front face 24 of the case 12 is recessed to define a front compartment 26 that receives and engages the phone 10 in a complementary snap-fit arrangement. The front compartment 26 is therefore tailored to a specific model of phone 10 of particular dimensions. However, the exterior of the case 12 can be of standard dimensions. Thus, a range of cases 12 can be created to fit a range of different phones 10 but each case 12 of the range may be, outwardly, dimensionally identical apart from in the shape and size of its front compartment 26. When a phone 10 is engaged within the front compartment 26, the case 12 is then connected to the phone 10 through mutually-aligned internal contacts in the case 12 and external ports or contacts of the phone 10, most commonly disposed on a bottom edge of the phone 10. When connected, those contacts can convey electrical power from the case 12 to an internal battery of the phone 10. To provide power to the phone 10, the case 12 supports the battery 16 that is removable from and re-attachable to the case 12. More specifically, the battery 16 can be inserted into or removed from a socket or passageway extending into the case 12. When inserted into the passageway, mutually aligned contacts of the battery 16 and the case 12 connect the battery 16 electrically to the internal battery of the phone 10 via the internal contacts in the case 12. The passageway is exemplified here by a through-slot 28 that extends across the full width of the case 12, opening at its opposite ends to the respective side edges 20 of the case 12. Thus, the slot 28 extends in a direction of insertion, or along an insertion axis 30, that is substantially parallel to the top and bottom edges 22 of the case 12. In this example, the slot 28 has a generally rectangular shape in cross-section, that rectangular cross-section being elongate in a direction that is substantially parallel to the front and rear faces of the case 12. The slot 28 is offset longitudinally toward the bottom edge 22 of the case 12, leaving space for an optional aperture or window (not shown) near the top edge 22 of the case 12 to accommodate camera lenses of the phone 10. The battery 16 complements the shape of the slot 28 in cross-section on a plane orthogonal to the insertion axis 30. However, the cross-sectional dimensions of the battery 16 are slightly smaller than the corresponding dimensions of the slot 28 to ensure a close sliding fit within the slot 28. As the slot 28 is generally rectangular in this example, the battery 16 is also substantially rectangular in cross-section. More generally, the cross-sections of the slot 28 and of the battery 16 remain generally constant along their length extending through the slot 28 along the insertion axis 30. Thus, the battery 16 has top and bottom edges 32 and front and rear faces 34 that all lie substantially parallel to the insertion axis 30. However, as will be explained below with reference to Figures 13 to 21, the front and / or rear faces 34 of the battery 16 may have locking formations that complement locking features in the case 12 around the slot 28. The battery 16 also has side edges 36 that are parallel to each other and orthogonal to its top and bottom edges 32 and front and rear faces 34. The length of the battery 16 between its side edges 36 parallel to the insertion axis 30 is substantially the same as the length of the slot 28. Advantageously, therefore, when the battery 16 is fully inserted into the slot 28, the side edges 36 of the battery 16 are exposed and lie substantially flush with the side edges 20 of the case 12 around the slot 28. This ensures that an assembly 18 of the phone 10, case 12 and battery 16 is elegant in appearance, comfortable to hold and unlikely to snag when placed in a pocket or a bag. Moving on now to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, a docking station 14 of the invention can be used in domestic or commercial applications such as homes, offices, bars or airports. The docking station 14 may be free-standing or mounted on a wall, a counter or other supporting structure. The docking station 14 comprises a battery swapping mechanism concealed within an outer housing 38. The swapping mechanism is aligned with, and communicates with, an elongate opening 40 that penetrates a substantially horizontal top wall of the housing 38. The opening 40 is slightly larger than the top plan outline, or end silhouette, of the phone assembly 18 also shown in Figure 2. This ensures that the elongate phone assembly 18 is a close sliding fit in the opening 40 when the assembly 18 is inserted into the opening 40 in a swapping operation, to enter the swapping mechanism in a substantially vertical direction. When swapping a depleted battery 16D for a charged battery 16C, a user holds the phone assembly 18 in an upright orientation with the long sides of the case 12 substantially vertical as shown in Figure 3. The user then pushes the assembly 18 down to insert a lower portion of the assembly 18, including the battery 16, into and through the opening 40 and into the housing 38 along a substantially vertical axis as shown in Figure 4. As will be explained, the insertion movement of pushing the lower portion of the phone assembly 18 fully into the housing 38 through the opening 40 causes the swapping mechanism to interact with the phone assembly 18. That interaction separates a depleted battery 16D from the case 12 and engages a charged battery 16C with the case 12 before the resulting phone assembly 18 is withdrawn from the housing 38. As Figure 4 shows, a protruding upper portion of the phone assembly 18 remains outside the housing 38 throughout a battery swapping operation. A user can thereby pull the assembly 18 upwardly out of the housing 38, complete with the charged battery 16C engaged with the case 12. Noting that the entire battery swapping operation could be completed very quickly, for example in less than a second, the upper portion can conveniently remain in the user’s grasp if the user wishes to withdraw the phone assembly 18 immediately from the housing 38. However, the user can instead release the upper portion before withdrawal to leave the phone assembly 18 engaged with the docking station 14 if desired. This allows the docking station 14 to be used as a convenient storage point for the phone assembly 18 to be withdrawn later, for example if left overnight at home. The housing 38 also contains and conceals a controller and an optional power source. The controller controls operation of the docking station 14 and provides information to a user via an external user interface of the docking station 14, for example status information as to the charge level of batteries 16 held within the docking station 14 and confirmation that the docking station 14 has sufficient electrical power. In this respect, the docking station 14 can be supplied with mains AC power, in which case the internal power source of the docking station 14 may comprise a transformer, or a transformer may be situated outside the docking station 14 to supply lower-voltage DC power to the docking station 14. The internal power source may also comprise electrical power storage, such as an internal battery, so that the docking station 14 can recharge one or more batteries 16 even if the docking station 14 is disconnected temporarily from an external power supply. Moving on now to Figures 5 to 11b, these drawings show the battery swapping mechanism 42 that is concealed within the outer housing 38 of the docking station 14 shown in Figures 3 and 4. In summary, after being inserted into the docking station 14 through the opening, the phone assembly 18 is captured mechanically and held stationary by the mechanism 42. The mechanism 42 then automatically removes a depleted battery 16D from the case 12 and replaces it with a charged battery 16C. The phone assembly 18 is then released to allow it to be withdrawn from the docking station 14 back through the opening. The battery swapping mechanism 42 comprises a frame 44 that is fixed relative to the outer housing 38 of the docking station 14. The frame 44 supports a dock 46 at which a phone assembly 18 can be captured and held for battery swapping. The dock 46 is disposed in fixed relation to the opening 40 in the housing 38, at the end of a docking path that extends inwardly through the opening 40. Pairs of rollers 48 in mutual opposition across the docking path guide the phone assembly 18 and bring the bottom portion of the case 12 into engagement with the dock 46 as the phone assembly 18 is pushed inwardly through the opening 40. The pair of rollers can accommodate various device sizes. The frame 44 of the battery swapping mechanism 42 also supports a carriage 50 that is movable relative to the frame 44 in opposed indexing directions transverse to the docking path. More specifically, those indexing directions are substantially orthogonal to the front and rear faces 24 of the case 12 of the phone assembly 18, hence also orthogonal to the insertion axis 30 of the slot 28 extending through the case 12. In this example, indexed movement of the carriage 50 relative to the frame 44 is driven by a rack and pinion mechanism 52. The carriage 50 is supported for sliding movement along shafts 54 that are fixed relative to the frame 44 and that are parallel to each other and to the indexing directions. The position of the carriage 50 relative to the frame 44 may conveniently be determined and controlled by a photo interrupter light sensor that employs datum slits in the structure of the frame 44 and / or the carriage 50. The carriage 50 supports battery cassettes 56, one each side of the dock 46 opposed to respective side edges 20 of the case 12 of the phone assembly 18. Thus, the dock 46 fixed relative to the housing 38 is disposed between the cassettes 56 that are movable relative to the housing 38 with the carriage 50, and therefore also movable relative to the dock 46. Each battery cassette 56 comprises an array of battery receptacles 58. Each receptacle 58 has a respective individual charge circuit and battery status monitor that can connect to a battery 16 in the receptacle 58. For this purpose, sets of sliding contacts for engaging charging contacts of batteries disposed in the receptacles 58 can be positioned conveniently on contact supports 60 that bridge across each array as shown in Figure 8. Each receptacle 58 of each cassette 56 is paired with a receptacle 58 of the other cassette 56, the receptacles 58 of the pair being opposed to each other in co-planar alignment across the dock 46. Each receptacle 58 can accommodate a charged battery 16C that is ready to be swapped into a phone assembly 18 or a depleted battery 16D that has been swapped out of a phone assembly 18 and that is to be charged in the docking station 14. Each receptacle 58 can receive a battery 16 as a sliding fit between parallel guide walls that partition each receptacle 58 from its neighbours in the array. Each receptacle 58 has an open inner end through which a charged battery 16C can exit the receptacle 58 while entering the slot 28 of the phone assembly 18 or a depleted battery 16D can enter the receptacle 58 while exiting the slot 28 of the phone assembly 18. For this purpose, the movement of the carriage 50 relative to the frame 44 and the housing 38 is indexed to bring a selected pair of receptacles 58 of the cassettes 56 into alignment with the slot 28 of a phone assembly 18 that is held stationary in the dock 46. The cassettes 56 may, for example, be moved to align the most charged available battery 16 with the slot 28. Initially, a receptacle 58 of a battery cassette 56 aligned with one end of the slot 28 holds a charged battery 16C that is ready to be inserted into that end of the slot 28. Conversely, the opposed paired receptacle 58 of the other battery cassette 56, aligned with the other end of the slot 28, is empty to receive a depleted battery 16D that will be expelled from that other end of the slot 28. Once expelled from the slot 28 and into the previously empty receptacle 58, a depleted battery 16D connects with charging contacts of the associated cassette 56 to begin charging. The frame 44 of the battery swapping mechanism 42 also supports a battery drive system 62 to drive these battery 16 insertion and expulsion actions. The battery drive system 62 is arranged to drive movement of a charged battery 16C from a receptacle 58 into the slot 28 of a phone assembly 18. The battery drive system 62 is also arranged to drive movement of a depleted battery 16D out of the slot 28 and into the opposed paired receptacle 58. Elegantly, movement of the charged battery 16C into the slot 28 is employed to drive movement of the depleted battery 16D out of the slot 28, with the charged battery 16C bearing against the depleted battery 16D during that movement. The battery drive system 62 comprises a pair of drive members in the form of drive tabs 64 that are positioned outboard of the battery cassettes 56 until being moved, selectively, in an inward direction toward the dock 46. The drive tabs 64 are movable in a common plane that also contains the slot 28 of a phone assembly 18 held in the dock 46. Each drive tab 64 is movable individually to enter a receptacle 58 that is aligned with the slot 28 and to push a charged battery 16C held in that receptacle 58 into the slot 28. Reference is made to Figures 11a and 11b in this respect, in which the charged battery 16C is shown without the surrounding cassette 56 and receptacle 58 for clarity. Once the charged battery 16C has been pushed fully out of the receptacle 58, the drive tab 64 retracts outboard of the cassette 56 to allow the carriage 50 supporting the cassettes 56 to move to another indexed position relative to the dock 46. Whilst the drive tabs 64 are movable toward and away from each other, the plane in which they move remains in fixed relation to the frame 44 and therefore in relation to the dock 46 and the housing 38. Each drive tab 64 comprises an internally-threaded base that slides along a steeply-threaded high-helix or high-lead lead screw 66 turned by a motor 68 via a drive belt 70. Each lead screw 66 rotates about its longitudinal axis to drive rapid lateral movement of the associated drive tab 64 relative to the dock 46 but is otherwise held in fixed relation to the carriage 50. The base of each drive tab 64 is supported for sliding movement along fixed shafts 72 that are parallel to each other and to the directions of movement of the drive tabs 64. In this example, each battery cassette 56 has four receptacles 58 and so is capable of holding four batteries 16, one in each receptacle 58. Whilst there are eight receptacles 58 in total between the two cassettes 56, the docking station 14 contains no more than four batteries 16 because each occupied receptacle 58 of one cassette 56 is opposed to an empty paired receptacle 58 of the other cassette 56. However, more or fewer receptacles 58 holding more or fewer batteries 16 would be possible in the battery cassettes 56 of a larger or smaller docking station 14. It is desirable that a battery 16 can slide into and out of the slot 28 in a case 12 easily when driven intentionally by the battery drive system 62 but clearly undesirable that a battery 16 could, as easily, slide out of the slot 28 unintentionally when a user carries the phone assembly 18. For this reason, the case 12 and the battery 16 of the phone assembly 18 preferably have the aforementioned locking features and locking formations as now illustrated in Figures 12 to 18b. Referring to Figure 12, the front face 34 of the battery 16 is crossed by grooves 74 that are parallel to each other and to the top and bottom edges 32 of the battery 16, hence extending parallel to the insertion axis 30 when the battery 16 is inserted into the slot 28. The grooves 74 extend across the battery 16 fully from one side edge 36 to the other and are therefore open-ended. Each groove 74 is defined between opposed shoulders 76 that are inset into the front face 34 of the battery 16. One of those shoulders 76, closer to the top edge 32 of the battery 16, is substantially straight. The other of those shoulders 76, further from the top edge 32 of the battery 16, includes a central V-shaped notch 78 that tapers toward the bottom edge 32 of the battery 16. Figure 13 shows a locking element 80 that is supported by and movable relative to the case 12 to cooperate with the grooves 74 and the notches 78 of the battery 16. For clarity, the locking element 80 is shown here rotated by 90° about its longitudinal axis from its orientation in use. The locking element 80 is disposed mid-way along the slot 28 and can be moved transversely relative to the insertion axis 30 between an unlocked position in which the battery 16 is free to slide along the slot 28 and a locked position in which the battery 16 is held fully in the slot 28 with its side edges 36 flush with the side edges 20 of the case 12. For this purpose, the locking element 80 can move between those positions along an elongate recess 82 in the back of the compartment 26 of the case 12, which also extends transversely relative to the insertion axis 30 as shown in Figure 14. The locking element 80 is biased into the locked position relative to the case 12. The locking element 80 comprises an elongate generally flat bar 84 that extends transversely with respect to the insertion axis 30, between and beyond the top and bottom edges 32 of the battery 16. Between its top and bottom ends, on its side facing toward the battery 16, the bar 84 of the locking element 80 has protrusions 86 that are spaced apart along the bar 84 to match the spacing between the grooves 74 of the battery 16. The protrusions 86 have a V-shaped downward taper that complements the taper of the notches 78 in the battery 16. This enables the protrusions 86 to engage in the notches 78 when the locking element 80 is in its default locked position. Conversely, when the locking element 80 is in the unlocked position, the protrusions 86 are disengaged from the notches 78 and lifted against the straight shoulders 76 of the grooves 74. This allows relative sliding movement between the protrusions 86 and the grooves 74 along the insertion axis 30 as the battery 16 slides into or out of the slot 28 past the locking element 80. At its top end, the bar 84 is bent and bifurcated into a fork-like locating formation 88 that slidably engages the case 12 within a correspondingly enlarged end of the recess 82. At its bottom end, the bar 84 comprises a tab 90 that is bent orthogonally out of the plane of the bar 84. The tab 90 is aligned with and opposed to an inner opening of a bore 92 in the case 12 that also has an outer opening in the bottom edge of the case 12. The bore 92 can receive a pin 94 that is aligned with the bore 92 as shown in Figure 15a when the phone assembly 18 is pushed down into the dock 46 as shown in Figure 15b. Figures 16a and 16b show that the pin 94 protrudes through a spring-loaded platen 96 at the base of the dock 46. When the phone assembly 18 is pressed fully inwardly onto the platen 96 to receive the pin 94 in the bore of the case 12, the resulting distal movement of the platen 96 of, say, 5mm triggers a microswitch. At the same time, a pawl driven by a solenoid can engage an external slot in the case 12 to hold the phone assembly 18 against the platen 96 with the pin 94 fully inserted into the bore 92. Firmware controlling the swapping mechanism 42 can introduce a brief debounce delay of a few milliseconds after activation of the microswitch to allow the pawl to lock to the case 12 before the firmware commands battery swapping actions to commence. After entering the bore 92 as shown in Figure 17a, the pin 94 bears against the tab 90 of the bar 84 to push the locking element 80 into the unlocked position against its bias. Thus, the action of pushing the phone assembly 18 into the dock 46 against the platen 96 automatically unlocks a depleted battery 16D for lateral sliding movement out of the slot 28 in the case 12 as shown in Figure 17b. Once the debounce delay has ended, a command is sent to all charge circuit channels of the docking station 14 to shut off. At the same time, a command is sent to the battery drive system 62 to advance the drive tab 64 that is aligned with a selected charged battery 16C held in one of the receptacles 58 of a cassette 56. The firmware may include an acceleration ramp-up provision to ensure smooth motion of the drive tab 64, which may for example be driven by a pulse width modulated signal. The drive tab 64 moves inwardly toward the phone assembly 18 in the dock 46 from its outboard home position as described above, hence pushing the charged battery 16C into the slot 28 and the depleted battery 16D out of the slot 28. When the depleted battery 16D has been pushed clear of the case 12 to the desired extent, the base of the drive tab 64 contacts an inner travel limit microswitch 98. The microswitch 98 signals the firmware to reverse movement of the drive tab 64 back to its outboard home position, in which the cassette 56 is disposed between the drive tab 64 and the dock 46. When back at the home position, the drive tab 64 contacts an outer travel limit microswitch 100. Once triggered, this microswitch 100 signals the firmware to deactivate the motor 68 acting on the drive tab 64 and the solenoid acting on the pawl to release the phone assembly 18. The phone assembly 18 springs back up under the bias of the spring-loaded platen 96. This movement disengages the pin 94 from the bore 92 of the case 12, causing the locking element 80 within the case 12 to lock the charged battery 16C in full alignment with the slot 28. This movement also alerts a user that the phone assembly 18 is ready to be withdrawn from the docking station 14 with the depleted battery 16D swapped out for the charged battery 16C. The various charging circuits of the docking station 14 are then reactivated. The firmware controlling the docking station 14 references individual charge status channels for each loaded receptacle 58 and selects the most charged battery position, noting which receptacle 58 of which cassette 56 contains the most charged battery 16C. That information is stored for reference the next time a user inserts a phone assembly 18 into the docking station 14 and the cycle of operations starts again. The firmware activates the rack and pinion mechanism 52 to move the carriage 50 carrying the cassettes 56 to a home position limit switch. This obtains a home datum against which the photo interrupter encoder can count light pulses to determine a baseline position, allowing an accurate position check in case 12 the docking station 14 is ever shaken or bumped so that a selected battery 16 is always aligned accurately with the dock 46 and with the drive tabs 64 of the battery drive system 62. The firmware then moves the carriage 50 away from the home position switch to bring the receptacle 58 containing the most charged battery 16C into alignment with the dock 46 and the drive tabs 64. The photo interrupter encoder counts light pulses to confirm that the carriage 50 is in the correct position. The motor drivers and all circuitry other than the charging circuits and the microswitch of the platen 96 then go to sleep. Should many users swap in all available charged batteries 16 so that the docking station 14 contains only depleted batteries 16 that are not yet ready for reuse, then a hold will be placed on operation of the docking station 14. In particular, the locking pawl will not lock, the drive tabs 64 will not move and a warning such as a red LED may be displayed to a potential user on the housing 38. As noted above, a depleted battery 16D is pushed out of the slot 28 by a charged battery 16C as the battery drive system 62 pushes a charged battery 16C into the slot 28. To ensure that the depleted battery 16D is expelled fully from the slot 28, it is advantageous for the charged battery 16C to be inserted temporarily to an advanced extent in which its leading side edge 32 protrudes slightly, for example by 1mm, beyond the downstream end of the slot 28. This is shown in Figure 18a, where the downstream end of the slot 28 is defined by the corresponding side edge 20 of the case 12. It will be noted from Figure 18a that the V-shaped protrusions 86 on the bar 84 of the locking element 80 are disengaged from the notches 78 of the battery 16 at this stage. Conversely, Figure 18b shows that when the battery drive system 62 releases the incoming charged battery 16C, the locking element 80 returns into the locked position under its bias. As the locking element 80 is moved under that bias, the cam action of the tapered protrusions 86 opposed to the ramp-like side edges of the notches 78 draws the charged battery 16C back into the slot 28. The leading side edge 32 of the charged battery 16C is now flush with the corresponding side edge 20 of the case 12 at the downstream end of the slot 28. Next, Figure 19 shows a circuit diagram of electronics in the case 12 of the phone assembly 18. The case 12 has multiple integrated circuits, each serving a specific function. A charge load switch, or current monitor, monitors the real-time current consumption of the phone 10 or other electronic device in the case 12 by combining data received from the internal battery management system of the phone 10, for example through a Bluetooth integrated circuit in the case 12, with the current consumption data measured by the integrated circuits within the case 12. Real-time data can then be acquired on the status of the phone battery and the charging parameters are adjusted accordingly to minimize the depth of discharge (DoD) to between 20-80%. The DoD determines the cycle count of the battery and so, the smaller the discharge (low DoD), the more prolonged the battery life. The case 12 also incorporates charging circuitry, allowing the phone 10 to be charged directly from a wall outlet or other power source. This prioritises charging the internal battery of the phone 10 to approximately 80% before charging the swappable battery 16 of the case 12. In addition, the case 12 includes an audio passthrough circuit to facilitate passthrough of audio and media, ensuring uninterrupted access to multimedia functionality while the device is encased. This passthrough feature allows audio signals to pass through a device without any modification, allowing the audio to go from one device to another without any changes being made to the signal. An authentication coprocessor provides secure storage for cryptographic keys and performs cryptographic operations when authenticating the battery 16 as will be explained. The coprocessor offloads cryptographic operations from the main processor, which can improve performance and reduce power consumption. The case 12 is designed to support wireless charging from Qi-compatible devices. Wireless charging coils are installed into the case 12 to receive a wireless signal that is used to charge and power another device such as a phone 10. As is well known, wireless charging coils use electromagnetic principles to transfer energy between devices. Current flowing through a sending coil generates a magnetic field that induces an electric current in a receiving coil. That current is used to charge a battery that stores the energy electrochemically. The Qi charge controller monitors the current, voltage, battery temperature and charge level to ensure safe and efficient charging, helping to prolong the life of a battery. Qi charging offers several advantages. It is easy to use, requires no cables, and reduces wear and tear on charging ports. It is also safer than wired charging, as risks such as short circuits and cable damage are minimised. Figure 20 is a system diagram of the docking station 14. As described above, the docking station 14 is designed to hold and charge multiple LiPo batteries 16 and to replace a depleted battery 16D with a charged battery 16C when a phone assembly 18 of the invention is inserted. The docking station 14 includes LiPo charging slots corresponding to the receptacles 58 of the cassettes 56, a charging circuit module, a battery protection module, a user notification module and a microcontroller to manage the charging process. A switch-mode power supply module supplies electrical power to the charge circuit. As the switch-mode power supply continually switches between low-dissipation, full-on and full-off states, the supply spends very little time in the high dissipation transitions, which minimizes wasted energy. In turn, power is provided by the charging circuit, to charge the batteries 16 in the charging slots up to 80% of their maximum capacity. Limiting the charge prevents the potential risks associated with overcharging and extends the lifespan of a battery 16 through DoD monitoring. If a battery 16 ever reaches a 100% charge level, an over-charge protection component of the charge circuit will allow the battery 16 to discharge naturally to a safer level before resuming the charging process. The microcontroller continuously monitors the health and charge level of each battery 16. The health of a battery 16 is determined through a function of charge current, charge time and cell temperature. If the health of the battery 16 degrades below a certain threshold, the controller can notify the user or a supervisor via Bluetooth or an LED indicator and recommend replacing the battery 16. In addition, a temperature sensor in the charge circuit module monitors the temperature of each battery 16 during the charging process. If the temperature of the battery 16 exceeds a safe range, the controller will halt the charging process and notify the user or supervisor. The docking station 14 also includes a battery protection module to prevent short circuits that could otherwise lead to battery damage or fires. An optimum charge controller of the battery protection module limits the rate at which electric current is added to or drawn from the batteries to protect against electrical overload, overcharging, and protect against overvoltage. Referring now to Figure 21, this diagram shows a charging system integrated within the case 12. The case 12 comprises a microcontroller, a charge controller, a charge circuit, a current sensor and an external power source, and can hold a swappable battery 16. The case 12 can transfer electrical power from the battery 16 of the case 12 to the internal battery 16 of the phone 10. The case 12 senses the current drawn by the phone 10 during charging and stops charging when the internal battery of the phone 10 is estimated to be at approximately 80%, thereby to prolong the lifespan of that battery. The current sensor continuously monitors the current being drawn by the phone 10 during the charging process, ensuring that any anomalies found in current drawn will halt the charging process. The microcontroller processes the current data from the current sensor by comparing the data to a predefined dataset in a look-up table. The look-up table stores charge curve data of the device in an array format, and the current value can be looked up in the table to a corresponding battery percentage. As such, the microcontroller controls the charging circuit based on the estimated battery percentage derived from the look-up table. If the estimated battery percentage is below 80%, the charging process continues. Once the estimated battery percentage reaches approximately 80%, the microcontroller deactivates the charging circuit, stopping the charging process. By preventing the phone 10 from charging beyond 80% and keeping the depth of charge between 20% to 80%, the controller can reduce stress on, and enhance the lifespan of, the internal battery of the phone 10. Figure 22 shows a battery authentication system of the docking station 14. The system uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to authenticate batteries and to prevent unauthorised third-party batteries from being charged in the docking station 14. An authentication system ensures that only genuine batteries, which meet the manufacturer's standards, can be charged in the docking station 14. Upon inserting the phone assembly 18 into the docking station 14, an RFID reader scans a chip embedded in the depleted battery 16D to retrieve authentication data. The microcontroller processes the data from the RFID reader by comparing the data against a web-based database or decryption algorithm to check authenticity. If the depleted battery 16D is authenticated successfully after being expelled from the case 12, the appropriate charging circuit of the docking station 14 is activated to supply electrical power to the battery pack and the battery 16 begins charging. Conversely, if the depleted battery 16D is not authenticated, the charging circuit remains inactive and the receptacle 58 of the unauthenticated battery 16 is made unavailable to ensure that the depleted battery 16D cannot go back into circulation. The authentication process is shown in Figure 23, exemplified here by a flowchart. The phone assembly 18 is inserted into the docking station 14. Once inserted, an RFID chip in the depleted battery 16D of the assembly 18 is scanned and the chip transmits a unique hashed or encrypted key that can be verified over a network. To verify the key, the key is compared to a database or decryption algorithm. If the depleted battery 16D is not verified and subsequently is identified as a third-party product, the charging circuit remains inactive and the occupied receptacle 58 is made unavailable, in effect locking the unverified depleted battery 16D within the docking station 14 to remove it from circulation. However, if the depleted battery 16D is identified as authentic, the charging circuit is activated and the depleted battery 16D is made available, once charged, to be swapped into another phone assembly 18. In another approach, the case 12 can read the serialisation chip of a battery 16 when the battery 16 is inserted into the case 12. The case 12 then communicates with the serialisation chip and transmits the data to an app, for example via Bluetooth, to verify the unique identifier of the battery 16. A database within the app sends a confirmation or denial signal to the app, which is communicated to the case 12. The app notifies the user of the battery authentication status via a notification to tell the user that any unauthenticated batteries will not be operational. Many other variations are possible within the inventive concept. For example, when attached to the case, the battery can be charged via the case. For this purpose, the case has a wired or wireless power input. The internal battery of the phone can also be charged via the case in this way. Also, the battery swapping docking station could charge depleted batteries by hard wire or wirelessly. The battery swapping docking station could have a drive mechanism that acts on the battery to drive movement of the battery along the battery path. For example, driven rollers, bands or belts could be placed along the battery path to engage and drive movement of the battery. As the battery swapping docking station need not rely upon gravity to move the battery along the battery path, the docking station can be used in any orientation. References in the foregoing description to positional or directional terms such as vertical, horizontal, upward and downward should therefore be interpreted as examples of orientation and direction that could change if the battery swapping docking station is oriented differently. Optionally, data can also be conveyed from or to the phone via the mutually-aligned contacts of the case and the phone or via a wireless data coupling between the case and the phone or between the battery swapping docking station and the phone. For example, the case may have an onboard memory for holding data received from or to be transferred to the phone. The onboard memory of the case could therefore serve as additional data storage capacity to supplement the internal memory of the phone. Data may also be transferred via the case, either from the phone to an external recipient or to the phone from an external source. The battery swapping docking station could also act as a data relay and / or as a data store for conveying or storing data received from the phone or to be transferred to the phone, either via the case or directly. For that purpose, the controller of the docking station could comprise or be connected to a memory device within the docking station. Instead of contacts, it would be possible to have a wireless power and / or data coupling between the case and the phone, between the battery and the case, between the battery swapping docking station and the battery, the case or the phone and / or between the case and a power source external to the case. The battery swapping docking station may contain a sanitising system that acts on the case and / or on the battery or batteries, when they are within the housing of the docking station. The sanitising system may, for example, comprise ultra-violet lamps that illuminate the interior of the housing when the case is present within the housing. The sanitising system may, for example, be activated when the case enters the insertion path or the case path or encounters the reassembly mechanism.

Claims

1. A battery swapping mechanism for replacing a power source of an electronic device, the mechanism comprising:a dock arranged to receive the device along a docking path and to hold the device during a swapping operation; andat least one pair of receptacles in mutual alignment and in mutual opposition about the docking path, each receptacle being capable of holding a charged battery that is to be inserted into the device along a battery insertion axis or a depleted battery that has been removed from the device.

2. The mechanism of Claim 1, comprising at least two pairs of the receptacles supported by a carriage that is movable to bring each pair selectively into alignment with the battery insertion axis.

3. The mechanism of Claim 1 or Claim 2, further comprising battery drive members that are in mutual opposition about the docking path and that are movable selectively toward and away from the docking path in directions parallel to the battery insertion axis.

4. The mechanism of Claim 3, wherein the battery drive members are movable through respective ones of the receptacles.

5. The mechanism of Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein a selected one of the battery drive members is operable in response to engagement of the device with the dock.

6. The mechanism of any of Claims 3 to 5, wherein the battery drive members are arranged to insert a charged battery into the device to an extent sufficient for the charged battery to protrude from an opposite side of the device.

7. The mechanism of any preceding claim, wherein each receptacle is elongate in a direction parallel to the battery insertion axis.

8. The mechanism of Claim 7, wherein each receptacle is open at an inward end adjacent to the dock.

9. The mechanism of Claim 7 or Claim 8, wherein each receptacle is open at an outward end remote from the dock.

10. The mechanism of Claim 9 when dependent on Claim 3, wherein each battery drive member is movable through the outward end of a respective one of the receptacles to bear against a charged battery held in that receptacle.

11. The mechanism of any preceding claim, further comprising charging contacts associated with each receptacle and co-operable with a battery held in that receptacle.

12. The mechanism of Claim 11, further comprising individual charging circuits associated with the respective receptacles.

13. The mechanism of any preceding claim, wherein the dock is arranged to hold the device stationary during the swapping operation.

14. The mechanism of any preceding claim, wherein the dock comprises a movable platen and a locking system that is arranged to act on the device, the locking system being operable to hold the device in response to movement of the platen by the device.

15. The mechanism of Claim 14, wherein the locking system is arranged to release the device upon completion of the swapping operation.

16. The mechanism of Claim 14 or Claim 15, wherein the platen is biased toward the docking path.

17. The mechanism of any preceding claim, wherein the dock comprises a battery release pin that is arranged to enter the device as the dock receives the device.

18. The mechanism of Claim 17, wherein the battery release pin extends along the docking path.

19. The mechanism of any of Claims 1 to 18, in combination with an electronic device that further comprises a case and a swappable battery engaged with the case.

20. A method of swapping a charged battery for a depleted battery of an electronic device, the method comprising:holding mutually-opposed ends of a battery passageway of the device on a battery insertion axis in alignment with a pair of receptacles that are in mutual alignment and in mutual opposition about the passageway;advancing the charged battery along the battery insertion axis into the passageway from one of the receptacles of the pair; andmoving the depleted battery from the passageway into the other receptacle of the pair.

21. The method of Claim 20, comprising moving the depleted battery by advancing the charged battery along the passageway when in pushing contact with the depleted battery.

22. The method of Claim 21, comprising advancing the charged battery to an extent sufficient to protrude from an opposite end of the passageway.

23. The method of Claim 22, comprising withdrawing the charged battery back into the passageway after expelling the depleted battery from the passageway.

24. The method of Claim 23, comprising withdrawing the charged battery into the passageway by the action of a battery locking arrangement that locks the charged battery in the passageway.

25. The method of any of Claims 20 to 24, comprising selecting among available charged batteries held in two or more pairs of receptacles, and moving the pair of receptacles containing the selected charged battery into alignment with the battery insertion axis.

26. The method of Claim 25, comprising selecting the selected charged battery by comparing charge levels of the available charged batteries.

27. The method of any of Claims 20 to 26, comprising unlocking a depleted battery for movement from the passageway in response to aligning the passageway with the battery insertion axis.

28. A case for an electronic device, the case comprising:a compartment to receive a device;a connection for conveying power from the case to a device disposed in the compartment;a through-passage extending along a battery insertion axis through the case between mutually-opposed end openings for receiving a charged battery into the passage and for removing a depleted battery from the passage; anda connection for the case to receive power from a battery disposed in the through-passage.

29. The case of Claim 28, wherein the through-passage extends between mutually-opposed side edges of the case.

30. The case of Claim 28 or Claim 29, further comprising a battery locking arrangement for locking a battery in the through-passage.

31. The case of Claim 30, wherein the battery locking arrangement comprises a locking element having lock formations that are co-operable with complementary formations of a battery, the locking element being movable relative to the case in directions transverse to the battery insertion axis between an unlocked position in which the lock formations are disengaged from the battery and a locked position in which the lock formations are engaged with the battery.

32. The case of Claim 31, further comprising an aperture for receiving an unlocking element to move the locking element from the locked position to the unlocked position.

33. The case of Claim 32, wherein the locking element is biased into the locked position.

34. The case of any of Claims 31 to 33, in combination with a battery having formations that are complementary to the lock formations of the locking element.

35. The case of Claim 34, arranged such that the lock formations of the locking element have a cam action on the formations of the battery to align side edges of the battery with side edges of the case when the locking element is in the locked position.

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