Electronic apparatus that determines a characteristic of a battery

• US 20050057220A1
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Ota, Yusuke, Miwa, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,417,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/116
• CPC Class Codes: N/A

Abstract

An electronic apparatus which detects when a battery having a different characteristic is mixed in a plurality of batteries accommodated therein. An average voltage V1 per battery of plural batteries connected in series and an average voltage V2 per battery at a connecting point halfway of those connected batteries are detected. A difference in voltage |V1−V2| between the average voltage V1 and average voltage V2 is compared with a tolerable voltage difference ΔV. If it is determined that a battery having a different characteristic is mixed, the operation of the apparatus is interrupted and an alarm is displayed or the supply of power is shut down.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus which is supplied with electric power from a plurality of batteries connected in series, comprising:

detecting means for detecting a first voltage of a sum of the plurality of batteries connected in series and a second voltage of batteries connected in series at any connecting point between the plurality of batteries; and

determining means for determining a battery characteristic based on the first voltage and the second voltage.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

average voltage acquiring means for acquiring a first average voltage per each of the plurality of batteries from the first voltage detected by the detecting means and a second average voltage per each of the plurality of batteries from the second voltage detected by the detecting means; and

comparing means for comparing the first average voltage with the second average voltage, wherein the determining means determines the battery characteristic based on a comparison result by the comparing means.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determining means determines the battery characteristic when a current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determining means determines the battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determining means comprises:

first determining means for determining a first battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small; and

second determining means for determining a second battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determining means comprises:

first determining means for determining whether primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small; and

second determining means for determining whether a plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when the first determining means determines that the primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the second determining means determines that the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries, the supply of power from the plurality of batteries is shut down.

8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a display, wherein when the first determining means determines that the primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the second determining means determines that the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries, an alarm is provided on the display.

9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a display, wherein when the first determining means determines that the primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the second determining means determines that the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries, an alarm is provided on the display.

10. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining means determines the battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small.

11. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining means determines the battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

12. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining means comprises a first determining means for determining a first battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small and a second determining means for determining a second battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

13. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining means comprises:

a first determining means for determining whether primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small; and

a second determining means for determining whether a plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

14. The electronic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein when the first determining means determines that the primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the second determining means determines that the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries, the supply of power from the plurality of batteries is shut down.

15. The electronic apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a display, wherein when the first determining means determines that the primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the second determining means determines that the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries, an alarm is provided on the display.

16. The electronic apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a display, wherein when the first determining means determines that the primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the second determining means determines that the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries, an alarm is provided on the display.

17. An electronic apparatus which is supplied with electric power from a plurality of batteries connected in series and driven, comprising:

a voltage detecting circuit that detects a first voltage of a sum of the plurality of batteries connected in series and a second voltage of batteries connected in series at any connecting point between the plurality of batteries; and

a controller that determines a battery characteristic based on the first voltage and the second voltage.

18. The electronic apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

an average voltage acquiring circuit that acquires a first average voltage per each of the plurality of batteries from the first voltage detected by the voltage detecting circuit and a second average voltage per each of the plurality of batteries from the second voltage detected by the voltage detecting circuit;

a voltage comparing circuit that compares the first average voltage with the second average voltage; and

a controller that determines the battery characteristic based on a comparison result by the voltage comparing circuit.

19. The electronic apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the controller determines the battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small.

20. The electronic apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the controller determines the battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

21. The electronic apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the controller determines a first battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small and further determines a second battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

22. The electronic apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the controller determines whether primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small and further determines whether a plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

23. The electronic apparatus according to claim 22, wherein when the controller determines that the primary batteries and the secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries, the supply of power from the plurality of batteries is shut down.

24. The electronic apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a display, wherein when the controller determines that the primary batteries and the secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries, an alarm is provided on the display.

25. The electronic apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising a display, wherein when the controller determines that the primary batteries and the secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries, an alarm is provided on the display.

26. The electronic apparatus according to claim 17, the controller determines the battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small.

27. The electronic apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the controller determines the battery characteristic of the plurality of batteries when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

28. The electronic apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the controller determines a first battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small and further determines a second battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

29. The electronic apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the controller determines whether primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small and further determines whether a plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

30. The electronic apparatus according to claim 29, wherein when the controller determines that the primary batteries and the secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries, the supply of power from the plurality of batteries is shut down.

31. The electronic apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising a display, wherein when the controller determines that the primary batteries and the secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries, an alarm is provided on the display.

32. The electronic apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising a display, wherein when the controller determines that the primary batteries and the secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries, an alarm is provided on the display.

33. A method for controlling an electronic apparatus which is supplied with electric power from a plurality of batteries connected in series, comprising:

detecting a first voltage of a sum of the plurality of batteries connected in series; and

detecting a second voltage of a plurality of batteries connected in series at any connecting point between the plurality of batteries; and

determining a battery characteristic based on the first voltage and the second voltage.

34. The method for controlling an electronic apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising determining the battery characteristic when a current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small.

35. The method for controlling an electronic apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising determining the battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

36. The method for controlling an electronic apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising:

determining a first battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small; and

determining a second battery characteristic when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

37. The method for controlling an electronic apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising:

determining whether primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is small; and

determining whether a plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries when the current load applied to the plurality of batteries is large.

38. The method for controlling an electronic apparatus according to claim 37, further comprising terminating the supply of power from the plurality of batteries when it is determined that the primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or a plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries.

39. The method for controlling an electronic apparatus according to claim 38, further comprising providing an alarm on a display when it is determined that the primary batteries and the secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries.

40. The method for controlling electronic apparatus according to claim 37, further comprising providing an alarm on a display when it is determined that the primary batteries and secondary batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries or the plurality of types of batteries are mixed in the plurality of batteries.