Portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries
A portable power source apparatus has a closing surface ( 21 ) facing an open end of a main case ( 10 ) and an exposed surface ( 22 ) externally exposed at an opposite end of a cap section ( 20 ) from the closing surface; a planar circuit board ( 38 ) housed in the cap section with voltage conversion circuitry for converting the voltage of the circular cylindrical batteries CB contained in the main case; and a power supply terminal ( 50 ) disposed in the exposed surface of the cap section and capable of outputting power from the circular cylindrical batteries CB contained in the main case. The circuit board is disposed diametrically across a circular cross-section of the cap section, and a pair of ribs ( 42 ) is provided approximately perpendicular to the circuit board.
1. A portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries comprising:
a main case with a circular cylindrical shape open at one end and having a bottom, the main case being made with an outside diameter only slightly larger than a circular cylindrical battery, and capable of holding a plurality of circular cylindrical batteries that extend lengthwise, are stacked in the lengthwise direction, and are connected in series;
a cap section with an approximately circular cylindrical shape that closes-off the open end of the main case in a detachable manner, the cap section being provided with a closing surface facing the open end of the main case and an exposed surface externally exposed at an end of the cap section that is opposite from the closing surface;
a circuit board with a flat-board-shape housed in the cap section with voltage conversion circuitry for converting the voltage of the circular cylindrical batteries contained in the main case;
a power supply terminal disposed in the exposed surface of the cap section and capable of outputting power from the circular cylindrical batteries contained in the main case; and
a conducting lead-plate configured to contact the circular cylindrical battery electrode that is furthest away from the cap section to electrically connect the electrode to the circuit board,
wherein the main case includes:
an inner case having an upper case and a lower case which are each formed from insulating material; and
an outer case covering an outside of the inner case, the outer case being made of metal, and
wherein the lead-plate is retained at a junction of the upper case and the lower case in an orientation perpendicular to an interface plane of the junction, and the lead plate is inserted within a thickness of the inner case between an inner surface and an outer surface of the inner case in a non-contact manner with respect to curved surfaces of the circular cylindrical batteries and the outer case.
2. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 wherein the circuit board is disposed diametrically across a circular cross-section of the cap section, and a pair of ribs is provided in an orientation approximately perpendicular to the circuit board.
3. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 2 wherein a circuit board holder is provided inside the cap section to retain the circuit board in a set disposition, the circuit board holder has a box-shape that extends in a direction approximately perpendicular to the plane of the circuit board, and the circuit board holder is provided with said pair of ribs.
4. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 wherein the power supply terminal is a standardized power supply connector.
5. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 wherein the power supply terminal is a USB terminal.
6. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 wherein the power supply terminal is a rectangular opening aligned along a diameter of the exposed surface.
7. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 wherein the power supply terminal is a power supply connector extended from the exposed surface via a cable.
8. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 wherein a power switch is provided on the lateral surface of the circular cylindrical cap section; and the power switch operates to begin supplying power from the power supply terminal at a voltage converted from voltage of the circular cylindrical batteries by the voltage conversion circuitry.
9. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 wherein the voltage conversion circuitry mounted on the circuit board is a DC/DC converter that stabilizes and outputs voltage from the circular cylindrical batteries.
10. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 provided with circular cylindrical batteries that can be charged.
11. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 wherein the circular cylindrical batteries are AA batteries.
12. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 wherein the cap section has a circular cylindrical shape with essentially the same diameter as the main case.
13. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 3 wherein the circuit board holder is disposed inside the cap section in a manner extending in an upright direction.
14. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 wherein the ends of the ribs have a stepped profile and the power supply terminal is supported in the stepped-down region.
15. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 wherein the space formed between the pair of ribs is used to dispose electronic components.
16. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 15 wherein the space formed between the pair of ribs is used to dispose coil elements that are electronic components.
17. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 wherein the ribs are separated from a surface of the circuit board.
18. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 ,
wherein a connecting surface slit is formed on an outside of the inner case in connecting surfaces of the upper case and the lower case, and the lead-plate is exposed through the connecting surface slit, the connecting surface slit being sealed by the outer case.
19. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 18 , further comprising an insulating sheet disposed between the connecting surface slit and the outer case, so that the lead plate is non-conducting with the outer case through the connecting surface slit.
20. The portable power source apparatus capable of holding circular cylindrical batteries as cited in claim 1 ,
wherein the inner case includes grooves that are respectively recessed inward from connecting surfaces of the upper case and the lower case within the thickness of the inner case, the grooves forming a space, and the lead-plate is inserted in the space within the thickness of the inner case.