Battery Pack Asymmetric Recess Mounting Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a battery pack system that can reliably distinguish and prevent the mounting of non-compatible battery packs on electronic devices, ensuring that only compatible battery packs with varying capacities are used, particularly in devices like camcorders where power consumption is high.
Innovation Solution
The battery pack system incorporates a circuit board with terminal portions and a unique recess and protrusion mechanism on the mount surface, which engages with corresponding features on the battery mounting portion to prevent mis-mounting and allows detection of the battery type, ensuring only compatible packs are used.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a battery pack with higher capacity is used to extend usage time, then the duration of action is improved, but the risk of mis-mounting non-compatible battery packs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by providing different recess configurations on the battery pack housing depending on the battery type. Type 1 battery packs have recesses on both side surfaces, while type 2 battery packs have recesses on only one side surface. This asymmetric design ensures that each battery pack type can only be mounted in the correct orientation and prevents mis-mounting of incompatible battery packs, thereby maintaining reliability while allowing extended usage time through higher capacity battery selection.
2Reliability
If mechanical protrusion and recess engagement is added to prevent mis-mounting, then compatibility assurance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by designing the mounting mechanism to automatically prevent mis-mounting through the recess-protrusion engagement. The system does not require external control systems, sensors, or complex verification mechanisms. Instead, the mechanical design itself provides the compatibility assurance through passive geometric constraints, keeping the device complexity low while ensuring reliable operation.
3Ease of operation
If recesses are formed on both side surfaces of the battery pack, then ease of operation is improved by providing mounting flexibility, but the difficulty of detecting battery type increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inversion by making the presence or absence of recesses on the side surfaces the distinguishing feature for battery type detection, rather than using additional active sensors or identification systems. By inverting the approach and using passive geometric features (recesses) as the identification mechanism, the system simultaneously provides mounting flexibility for compatible packs while enabling simple battery type detection through the mounting interface itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack includes a circuit board disposed on the inner side of a mount surface to be mounted to a battery mounting portion, and a terminal portion at one surface adjacent to the mount surface. The battery pack is mounted into the battery mounting portion by sliding the mount surface on the battery mounting portion. A recess is formed at one or each of a pair of edge portions which are formed between the mount surface and both side surfaces adjacent to the mount surface through a pair of side edges parallel to the direction of sliding of the mount surface in the battery mounting portion, according to the kind of the battery pack.