Charging device

Abstract

To provide a charging device that can reduce the time and effort required to connect a charging cable when charging.SOLUTION: The charging device 1 is used for charging a battery of a mobile terminal 10 with a charging terminal 30 on the back. The charging device 1 includes a holding unit 38, which holds the mobile terminal 10, and a wall unit 36, to which the holding unit 38 is attached. The holding unit 38 has a power supply terminal 62, which is provided to connect to the charging terminal 30 of the mobile terminal 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging device. [Background technology]

[0002] Mobile information devices such as smartphones and tablet devices require charging of their internal batteries. Conventional mobile information devices are charged by being placed on a table while connected to a charging cable or by being placed on a charging stand placed on a table.

[0003] In contrast to the conventional charging methods described above, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wall-mounted portable information terminal holder. This portable information terminal holder has a support that supports a portable information terminal stored along a wall surface in an inclined state, and charging of the portable information terminal supported by the support begins when a charging cable is inserted into the connector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3191679 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The portable information terminal holder described in Patent Document 1 allows the portable information terminal to be charged while housed against a wall, eliminating the need for a tabletop placement space as in the past. However, this requires the user to connect a charging cable every time the portable information terminal is housed in the holder, which is a hassle.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a charging device that can reduce the effort required to connect a charging cable when charging. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a charging device for charging the battery of a mobile terminal having a charging terminal on its back, comprising a holding unit for holding the mobile terminal and a wall portion to which the holding unit is attached, the holding unit having a power supply terminal arranged to connect to the charging terminal of the mobile terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the effort required to connect a charging cable when charging. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] (a) is a front view of a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention; (b) is a plan view of a holding unit included in the charging device; (c) is an AA cross-sectional view; [Figure 2] (a) is a front view of a mobile terminal, (b) is a rear view of the mobile terminal, (c) is a cross-sectional view of the mobile terminal, and (d) is a diagram showing a connection state between the mobile terminal and a reading unit. [Figure 3] A block diagram of a reading unit included in the mobile terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a wiring configuration of a power supply unit included in a charging device; [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a charging device according to a first modified example. [Figure 6] (a) is a front view of a holding unit according to a fourth modification; (b) is a side view of the holding unit; [Figure 7] (a) A front view of a holding unit according to Modification 5, (b) A side view of the holding unit, (c) A rear view of a mobile terminal according to Modification 5, and (d) A side view of the mobile terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, the charging device 1 of this embodiment is a stationary device that charges a mobile terminal 10 (Fig. 2). As shown in Fig. 2, the mobile terminal 10 is a portable terminal that can be operated by a user with one hand, has a rectangular plate-like outer shape, and has a charging terminal 30 exposed on its back. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 10 (reading device) is made up of a mobile information terminal 14, such as a well-known smartphone, a reading unit 16 that reads information from an information medium such as an RF tag T (Fig. 3), and a protective case 18 that covers the mobile information terminal 14 and the reading unit 16 arranged on the back of the mobile information terminal 14.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 3 , the reading unit 16 of the mobile terminal 10 includes an antenna 20, an RFID module 22 connected to the antenna 20, and an MCU 24 communicatively connected to the RFID module 22, all housed within a plate-shaped housing roughly the same size as the rear surface of the mobile information terminal 14. The antenna 20 transmits and receives communication radio waves to and from the RFID module 22. The RFID module 22 includes a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit connected to the antenna 20, a modulating circuit connected to the transmitting circuit, a demodulating circuit connected to the receiving circuit, a D / A conversion circuit connected to the modulating circuit, and an A / D conversion circuit connected to the demodulating circuit. When writing information to the RF tag T, a signal output from the MCU 24 is D / A converted and the modulated signal is output from the antenna 20 via the transmitting circuit. When reading information from the RF tag T, the signal received by the antenna 20 is demodulated via the receiving circuit, A / D converted, and input to the MCU 24.

[0013] The MCU 24 analyzes the information of the RF tag T based on the input signal and transmits the information of the RF tag T to the mobile information terminal 14. Here, by connecting the MCU 24 of this embodiment to the mobile information terminal 14 via a connector, it is possible to communicate with the mobile information terminal 14 and to supply power to the mobile information terminal 14. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the reading unit 16 has a male connector 26 on the front side of the housing, and the communication terminal, power supply, and ground of the MCU 24 are connected to the terminals of the male connector 26. When the male connector 26 is connected to the female connector 28 of the mobile information terminal 14, the respective terminals of the male connector 26 are connected to the communication terminal, power supply, and ground provided in the female connector 28 of the mobile information terminal 14.

[0014] The reading unit 16 has a concentric electrode 30 (charging terminal 30) on its back surface. The concentric electrode 30 is exposed through a round hole 32 opened in the protective case 18 and is connected to the power supply and ground of the reading unit 16. A magnet is provided inside the concentric electrode 30, and the mobile terminal 10 is set in the charging device 1 when the magnet is attracted to a magnet in the power supply unit 34 described below.

[0015] The mobile terminal 10 configured as described above is charged by a charging device 1. As shown in FIG.

[0016] The wall 36 of the charging device 1 includes a pair of support posts 42 and multiple horizontal plates 44 that extend upward from a base 40. The pair of support posts 42 are, for example, rectangular metal rods that extend from the base 40 to a height of approximately 1.5 m and are provided at a predetermined distance from each other. Note that the base 40 is not an essential component, and the pair of support posts 42 may be fixed to the wall of a room in which the charging device 1 is installed, for example.

[0017] A plurality of horizontal plates 44 are arranged in parallel on the pair of support posts 42. Each of the horizontal plates 44 is arranged horizontally with its plate surface facing forward and backward, at equal intervals in the vertical direction (the direction in which the support posts 42 extend), and both ends of each plate are fixed to the support posts 42 by screws or the like. Each of the horizontal plates 44 has a plurality of through holes 46 that penetrate the plate surface from front to back, bored at equal intervals in the horizontal direction.

[0018] A plurality of holding units 38 are detachably and slidably installed on the wall 36. Each holding unit 38 is a unit that holds a mobile terminal 10 with a touch panel display 48 (display unit) (FIG. 2) facing upward and supplies power for charging the mobile terminal 10, and has a base 50 arranged along the wall 36 and a pedestal 52 on which the mobile terminal 10 is placed.

[0019] The base 50 is composed of a plate-shaped portion 54 and a hook-shaped portion 56. The plate-shaped portion 54 is formed in a rectangular plate shape with a length approximately equal to the short dimension of the horizontal plate 44 and a width approximately equal to the width dimension of the mobile terminal 10, and is arranged so as to contact the horizontal plate 44 that constitutes the wall portion 36. The hook-shaped portion 56 is formed at the upper end of the plate-shaped portion 54. The hook-shaped portion 56 is composed of a horizontal portion 58 that extends perpendicular to the plate-shaped portion 54 and a vertical portion 60 that extends perpendicular to the horizontal portion 58. When the hook-shaped portion 56 is inserted into the gap between the horizontal plates 44a, 44b, the hook-shaped portion 56 is engaged with the upper horizontal plate 44a, and the plate-shaped portion 54 is attached in contact with the lower horizontal plate 44b.

[0020] Base 52 is oriented with the placing surface on which mobile terminal 10 is placed facing upward, and is formed in the shape of a plate that extends horizontally from the center of base 50 and extends to about the same extent as the back surface of mobile terminal 10. Base 52 is provided with a power supply unit 34 that supplies power to mobile terminal 10. Power supply unit 34 includes a magnet provided within a disk-shaped housing, a power supply terminal 62 that is exposed on the surface of the housing and supplies power to mobile terminal 10, a flexible substrate 64 (power supply cable) that is connected to power supply terminal 62 and extends through base 52 and base 50, through through-hole 46 in wall 36, and to the back side of wall 36, and a power plug 66 ( FIG. 4 ) provided at the tip of flexible substrate 64.

[0021] A plurality of holding units 38 configured as described above are attached to the wall portion 36, and as shown in Fig. 4, the power plug 66 of each holding unit 38 is connected to a power tap 68 provided on the back side of the wall portion. The power tap 68 functions as a power supply unit that supplies power to the plurality of power supply units 34, and is connected to an AC power source.

[0022] When the mobile terminal 10 is placed on the holding unit 38 of the charging device 1, the concentric electrodes 30 of the mobile terminal 10 come into contact with the power supply terminal 62 of the holding unit 38, thereby supplying power to the reading unit 16 of the mobile terminal 10. The power supplied to the reading unit 16 is then supplied to the mobile information terminal 14 via the male connector 26, and the internal battery of the mobile information terminal 14 is charged.

[0023] According to the charging device 1 of this embodiment, the holding unit 38 that holds the mobile terminal 10 is provided with a power supply terminal 62, and power for power supply can be supplied to the mobile terminal 10 via the power supply terminal 62. Therefore, the mobile terminal 10 can be charged simply by placing it on the holding unit 38, which reduces the hassle of connecting a charging cable as in the past.

[0024] Furthermore, the flexible substrate 64 of the power supply unit 34 of the holding unit 38 is connected to the power tap 68 on the back side of the wall 36 via the through-hole 46 in the wall 36, so the wiring does not hang down on the front side of the wall 36 and does not get in the way. Furthermore, the appearance of the charging device 1 is not marred.

[0025] Furthermore, since the mobile terminal 10 is held by the holding unit 38 with the touch panel display 48 facing upward and visible, the user can operate the mobile terminal 10 while charging.

[0026] Furthermore, the charging device 1 of this embodiment has multiple holding units 38, and can simultaneously charge multiple mobile terminals 10. Therefore, for example, it can be suitably used to charge business-use mobile terminals 10 used by multiple staff members.

[0027] Furthermore, in the past, when placing multiple mobile terminals 10 on a table to charge, it was necessary to secure a large space to place the mobile terminals 10. However, in the charging device 1 of this embodiment, multiple holding units 38 are arranged vertically on the wall portion 36, so that the large space required in the past is not required, and space can be saved by making use of the available space.

[0028] The holding units 38 are detachable from the wall portions 36. That is, the holding units 38 are attached by inserting the hook portions 56 into the gaps between the horizontal plates 44, and are detached by pulling the hook portions 56 out of the gaps. Therefore, the number of holding units 38 in use can be increased or decreased as needed.

[0029] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the following modifications may be made.

[0030] <Variation 1> In the above embodiment, multiple holding units 38 are attached to one wall 36, but multiple walls may be provided, and a holding unit 38 may be attached to each of the walls. For example, the charging device 1a shown in FIG. 5 has four vertical walls 36a to 36d extending upward from a base 40a, and the four vertical walls 36a to 36d are arranged in an enclosure. A plurality of outlets 70 are formed at predetermined intervals in each of the vertical walls 36a to 36d. The outlets 70 are portions into which the bases 50 (hook-shaped portions) of the holding units 38 are inserted, and are formed elongated in the width direction of the vertical walls 36a to 36d. In the charging device 1a, a power strip 68 is stored inside the enclosure.

[0031] <Variation 2> In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, casters may be provided on the underside of the bases 40, 40a, which makes it easier to move the charging devices 1, 1a when they are placed on the floor.

[0032] <Variation 3> The holding unit 38 is not limited to being detachable from the wall portion 36, but may be fixedly attached to the wall portion 36.

[0033] <Variation 4> The holding unit 38 includes a mounting portion 52 that holds the touch panel display 48 of the mobile terminal 10 facing upward (horizontally) so that the touch panel display 48 is visible, but is not limited to this embodiment, and the touch panel display 48 may be held vertically so that the display is visible. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the holding unit 38b may include a plate-shaped base 50b arranged along the wall 36, a power supply unit 34b embedded in the base 50b so that the power supply terminal 62b is exposed, and a holding structure 72 that holds the mobile terminal 10 relative to the base 50b. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the holding structure 72 includes a receiving portion 74 that is provided below the base 50b and supports the bottom end of the mobile terminal 10, and a pair of support portions 76 that protrude from the sides of the base 50b and support the sides of the mobile terminal 10.

[0034] <Variation 5> The holding unit and the mobile terminal may have a locking structure that locks them together. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the locking structure is composed of a fitting portion 78 provided in a convex shape on the base portion 50c of the holding unit 38c and a fitted portion 80 provided in a concave shape on the back surface of the mobile terminal 10c.

[0035] The fitting portion 78 extends from the base portion 50c and includes an annular protrusion 82 disposed so that the power supply terminal 62c is exposed at its center, and claws 84 formed on all four sides of the protrusion 82. The fitting receiving portion 80 is formed on the back surface of the reading unit 16 and includes an annular recess 86 disposed so that the concentric electrodes 30c are exposed at its center, and a locking portion 88 formed on the inner periphery of the annular recess 86 and into which the claws 84 are inserted. The protrusion 82 of the fitting portion 78 is sized to fit into the recess 86 of the fitting receiving portion 80. By rotating the mobile terminal 10c with the fitting portion 78 fitted into the fitting receiving portion 80, the claws 84 slide into and are inserted into the locking portion 88. This locks the mobile terminal 10c to the holding unit 38c. In this manner, power is supplied to the mobile terminal 10c while it is locked to the holding unit 38c.

[0036] <Variation 6> In the above embodiment, an aspect in which the internal battery of the portable information terminal 14 is charged is described, but the reading unit 16 may also have an internal battery, and the internal batteries of the portable information terminal 14 and the reading unit 16 may be charged.

[0037] <Variation 7> In the above embodiment, the reading unit 16 is not limited to one that reads information from an RF tag, but may be one that reads one-dimensional or two-dimensional symbols displayed on the surface of an article. Furthermore, the reading unit 16 may be replaced by a connector unit that does not have the antenna 20 or RFID module 22. The connector unit has a concentric charging terminal 30 and a male connector 26 shown in Figures 2 and 3, and supplies charging power obtained from the charging terminal 30 to the mobile information terminal 14 via the male connector 26.

[0038] <Variation 8> In the above-described embodiment, the mobile terminal is not limited to a portable terminal that can be operated with one hand, but may be, for example, a portable terminal that uses a tablet terminal as a personal digital assistant.

[0039] <Variation 9> In the above embodiment, the power supply unit 34 may be connected to a USB hub that functions as a power supply. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Charging device 10. Mobile devices 30 Charging terminal 34 Power Supply Unit 36 Wall 38 Holding Unit 46 through holes 62 Power supply terminal 64 Flexible PCB

Claims

1. A charging device that charges the batteries of multiple mobile terminals with charging terminals on the backside, a plurality of holding units each having a magnet that is attracted to a magnet provided on the mobile terminal, and holding the plurality of mobile terminals by magnetic force between the magnets; The plurality of holding units are arranged lengthwise and widthwise on the same plane, and a wall portion extends vertically; Equipped with A charging device, characterized in that each of the holding units has a power supply terminal provided to be connected to a charging terminal of the mobile terminal.

2. 2. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein an electric wire connected to the power supply terminal passes through the wall portion and is routed to a rear side of the wall portion.

3. 3. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein each of the holding units holds a display unit of the mobile terminal so as to be visible.

4. 4. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein each of the holding units is provided horizontally and includes a mounting surface on which the power supply terminal is arranged.

5. The charging device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the holding units is detachable from the wall portion and slidable left and right.

6. 6. The charging device according to claim 1, further comprising a power supply unit arranged on a rear side of the wall portion and supplying power to the power supply terminal.

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