Electronic apparatus with remaining battery power indicating function

• US 20040005497A1
• Filed: 05/14/2003
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ebato, Satoshi, Nunomaki, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,508,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/92
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/634 Warning indications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 Control of camera operation in relation to power supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An electronic apparatus has a multiplicity of display units including an electronic viewfinder and a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel. The apparatus has various display modes. The remaining battery power, i.e., estimated amounts of remaining battery times relative to a current remaining battery capacity, are calculated for the respective display modes. The calculated remaining battery power is collectively displayed as the remaining battery power information on the respective display units. The remaining battery power can be obtained for all the display modes even when the battery is being charged, so that a user can always grasp the remaining battery power of any of the display modes.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus having a remaining-battery-power-indicating function, said apparatus comprising:

main body having a multiplicity of display units; and

battery assembly for supplying power to said main body, said battery assembly including a battery cell and control means for allowing generating information on a discharge current from the battery cell and transmitting to said main body the information thus generated,

wherein said main body further includes remaining-battery-power-information-generating means for generating remaining battery power information by calculating estimated amounts of remaining battery times of said battery assembly relative to a current remaining battery capacity according to display modes of the display units; and

wherein the display units display the estimated amounts of remaining battery times thus calculated thereon as the remaining battery power information.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electronic apparatus is a portable video camera.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said display units include at least an electronic viewfinder and a display panel for displaying an image of subject.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display modes include at least a first display mode using an electronic viewfinder, a second display mode using a display panel, and a third display mode using both the electronic viewfinder and the display panel.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display modes further include a fourth display mode using a display panel for communicating information via a communications line.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the estimated amounts of remaining battery times calculated according to the respective display modes of the display units are displayed in any one of simultaneous and selective manners.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display units display the estimated amounts of remaining battery times during charging the battery cell.