Battery-Less Keyboard Charging for Dual-Port Tablet Terminals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tablet computers with keyboards face challenges due to the inclusion of a battery in the keyboard, which increases costs, volume, and weight, affecting portability and requiring high-cost, large-volume solutions for stylus charging.
Innovation Solution
A terminal device comprising a tablet with a battery and a battery-less keyboard, where power is selectively supplied through a 3-pin connection based on the charging power of each port, allowing the keyboard to charge the tablet or stylus via a wired connection, and the tablet to supply power to the keyboard when disconnected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a battery is equipped in the keyboard to enable charging functionality, then the keyboard can charge the tablet and stylus, but the keyboard volume and weight increase, affecting portability
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is extracted from the keyboard and relocated to the tablet. The keyboard no longer contains its own battery, instead relying on the tablet's battery to provide power through the connection interface. This extraction eliminates the weight and volume burden on the keyboard while preserving charging functionality through the tablet's power source.
Solution Approach 2:
The tablet's battery serves multiple functions: it powers the tablet itself and simultaneously serves as the power source for the keyboard and stylus through the connection interface. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate batteries in the keyboard and stylus, reducing overall system weight while maintaining charging capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a battery is equipped in the keyboard to enable charging functionality, then the keyboard can charge the tablet and stylus, but the keyboard volume increases, affecting portability
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is extracted from the keyboard and relocated to the tablet. The keyboard no longer contains its own battery, instead relying on the tablet's battery to provide power through the connection interface. This extraction eliminates the volume burden on the keyboard while preserving charging functionality through the tablet's power source.
Solution Approach 2:
The tablet's battery serves multiple functions: it powers the tablet itself and simultaneously serves as the power source for the keyboard and stylus through the connection interface. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate batteries in the keyboard and stylus, reducing overall system volume while maintaining charging capabilities.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the keyboard uses its own battery for charging, then charging can be performed independently, but costs and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The battery component is extracted from the keyboard and consolidated into the tablet. This reduces the total number of batteries required in the system, lowering material costs, assembly complexity, and manufacturing expenses while maintaining the ability to charge both keyboard and stylus through the tablet's power source.
Solution Approach 2:
The tablet's battery and power management system serve multiple devices simultaneously. By designing the tablet's power system to support external devices through the connection interface, the system achieves independent charging capability without requiring separate batteries in the keyboard and stylus, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and complexity.
4Volume of moving object
If the keyboard is made thinner by removing the battery, then portability is improved, but the keyboard cannot independently charge devices
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is extracted from the keyboard and relocated to the tablet. The keyboard achieves reduced volume and improved portability while the tablet's power system provides charging capability to the keyboard and stylus through the connection interface, maintaining adaptability without the battery in the keyboard.
Solution Approach 2:
The tablet acts as an intermediary power source between the external power supply and the keyboard/stylus. The connection interface serves as the mediator through which power is transmitted from the tablet's battery to the keyboard and stylus, enabling charging functionality without requiring a battery in the keyboard itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A terminal device includes: a tablet and a keyboard. The tablet includes: a first controller, a first charging port, and a battery. The keyboard includes: a second controller and a second charging port; and the keyboard includes no battery. The first controller communicates with the second controller through data lines in 3pin. When the first charging port is connected to a first external power supply, and the second charging port is connected to a second external power supply, when a charging power of the first charging port is greater than a charging power of the second charging port, the first charging port is selected to charge the tablet and power is supplied to the keyboard through a power line in the 3pin; otherwise, the second charging port is selected to supply power to the keyboard and the tablet is charged through a power line in the 3pin.