APPARATUS USING BATTERY AND METHOD OF DETECTING TIME FOR CHANGE/RECHARGE OF BATTERY THEREOF

• US 20080018306A1
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATLab, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ATLab, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Bang-Won, Shin, Young-Ho
• Granted Patent: US 7,884,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/149
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/04 Voltage dividers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus using a battery and a method of detecting a time to change/recharge the battery in the apparatus. The apparatus includes: a battery for applying a battery voltage; a function unit for receiving the battery voltage to perform an intrinsic operation and cutting off the battery voltage; a voltage divider for dividing the battery voltage to generate a divided voltage; an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for receiving the battery voltage to convert the divided voltage into a digital voltage signal in response to a measurement control signal before and after a low-power mode is finished; and a controller for receiving the battery voltage to generate a low-power signal for entering the low-power mode, enabling the measurement control signal in response to the low-power signal before and after the low-power mode is finished, and informing a user of a time to change/recharge the battery by detecting the remaining power of the battery using the digital voltage signals generated before and after the low-power mode is finished.

Claims

1. An apparatus using a battery comprising:

a battery for applying a battery voltage;

a function unit for receiving the battery voltage to perform an intrinsic operation;

a voltage divider for dividing the battery voltage to generate a divided voltage;

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for receiving the battery voltage to convert the divided voltage into a digital voltage signal; and

a controller for receiving the battery voltage to inform a user of information on the remaining power of the battery using digital voltage signals generated in at least two different points of time.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the two different points of time is before the operation of the function unit, and the other of the two different points of time is during the operation of the function unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller calculates a difference between the digital voltage signals generated in the two different points of time, compares the difference or a value obtained using the difference with a set value, and informs the user of a time to change/recharge the battery.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voltage divider includes two resistors that are connected in series between the battery voltage and a ground voltage.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the set value is a digital voltage signal corresponding to a difference between a first reference battery voltage measured before the operation of the function unit and a second reference battery voltage measured after the operation of the function unit,

the first reference battery voltage is obtained by subtracting a product of an internal resistance of the battery and a current consumed in the apparatus during the operation of the function unit from electromotive force (EMF) of the battery, and

the second reference battery voltage is obtained by subtracting a product of the internal resistance of the battery and a current consumed in the apparatus during stoppage of the function unit from the EMF of the battery.

6. An apparatus using a battery comprising:

a battery for applying a battery voltage;

a function unit for receiving the battery voltage to perform an intrinsic operation and cutting off the battery voltage in response to a low-power mode signal;

a voltage divider for dividing the battery voltage to generate a divided voltage;

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for receiving the battery voltage to convert the divided voltage into a digital voltage signal in response to a measurement control signal before and after a low-power mode is finished; and

a controller for receiving the battery voltage to generate a low-power signal for entering the low-power mode, enabling the measurement control signal in response to the low-power signal before and after the low-power mode is finished, and informing a user of a time to change/recharge the battery using the digital voltage signals generated before and after the low-power mode is finished.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller detects stoppage of the apparatus to generate the low-power signal or generates the low-power signal periodically or non-periodically during an operation of the apparatus.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller calculates a difference between the digital voltage signals generated in two different points of time, compares the difference or a value obtained using the difference with a set value, and informs the user of the time to change/recharge the battery.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the voltage divider comprises two resistors and a switch that are connected in series between the battery voltage and a ground voltage, and the switch is enabled in response to the measurement control signal.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the ADC converts the divided voltage into a digital signal to generate the digital voltage signal in response to the measurement control signal and an enable pulse signal before the low-power mode is finished, and converts the divided voltage into a digital signal to generate the digital voltage signal in response to the measurement control signal and the enable pulse signal after the low-power mode is finished,

and the controller generates the measurement control signal, which is enabled before the low-power mode is finished and disabled after the low-power mode is finished, enables the enable pulse signal during an enabling period of the measurement control signal before the low-power mode is finished, and enables the enable pulse signal after the low-power mode is finished.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the set value is a digital voltage signal corresponding to a difference between a first reference battery voltage measured before the low-power mode is finished and a second reference battery voltage measured after the low-power mode is finished,

the first reference battery voltage is obtained by subtracting a product of an internal resistance of the battery and a current consumed in the apparatus during an operation of the apparatus from EMF of the battery, and

the second reference battery voltage is obtained by subtracting a product of the internal resistance of the battery and a current consumed in the apparatus during stoppage of the apparatus from the EMF of the battery.

12. An apparatus using a battery comprising:

a battery for applying a battery voltage;

a function unit for receiving the battery voltage to perform an intrinsic operation and cutting off the battery voltage in response to a low-power signal;

a voltage divider for dividing the battery voltage to generated a divided voltage;

a charge accumulation and switching unit for accumulating charges corresponding to the divided voltage before a low-power mode is finished, generating a voltage corresponding to the accumulated charges as a sensing voltage after the low-power mode is finished, and generating the divided voltage as the sensing voltage;

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for receiving the battery voltage to convert the sensing voltage into a digital voltage signal in response to a measurement control signal after the low-power mode is finished; and

a controller for receiving the battery voltage to generate the low-power signal for entering the low-power mode, enabling the measurement control signal in response to the low-power signal after the low-power mode is finished, and informing a user of a time to change/recharge the battery using a difference between the digital voltage signals generated after the low-power mode is finished.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the controller detects stoppage of the apparatus to generate the low-power signal or generates the low-power signal periodically or non-periodically during an operation of the apparatus.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the controller calculates a difference between the digital voltage signals generated in two different points of time, compares the difference or a value obtained using the difference with a set value, and informs the user of the time to change/recharge the battery.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the voltage divider comprises two resistors and a first switch that are connected in series between the battery voltage and a ground voltage, the first switch being enabled in response to a first switching control signal, and the controller generates the first switching control signal that is enabled before the low-power mode is finished.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the charge accumulation and switching unit comprises:

a second switch for transmitting the divided voltage to a first node in response to a second switching control signal;

a third switch for transmitting a voltage at an accumulation node to a second node in response to a third switching control signal;

a capacitor connected between the second node and a ground voltage to accumulate charges corresponding to the voltage transmitted to the second node; and

a fourth switch for transmitting a voltage at the first node as a sensing voltage in response to a fourth switching control signal,

the controller generating the second and third switching control signals that are enabled before the low-power mode is finished, generating the third and fourth switching control signals that are enabled during an enabling period of the measurement control signal after the low-power mode is finished, and generating the second and fourth switching control signals that are enabled during an enabling period of the measurement control signal.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the ADC converts two sensing voltages, which are applied in different points of time during an enabling period of the measurement control signal after the low-power mode is finished, into digital signals and generates two digital voltage signals.

18. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the set value is a digital voltage signal corresponding to a difference between a first reference battery voltage measured before the low-power mode is finished and a second reference battery voltage measured after the low-power mode is finished,

the first reference battery voltage is obtained by subtracting a product of an internal resistance of the battery and a current consumed in the apparatus during an operation of the apparatus from electromotive force (EMF) of the battery, and

the second reference battery voltage is obtained by subtracting a product of the internal resistance of the battery and a current consumed in the apparatus during stoppage of the apparatus from the EMF of the battery.

19. A method of detecting a time to change/recharge a battery of an apparatus using the battery, the method comprising:

setting a low-power mode;

dividing a battery voltage to generate a divided voltage before the low-power mode is finished and converting the divided voltage into a digital signal to generate a first digital voltage signal;

dividing the battery voltage to generate the divided voltage after the low-power mode is finished and converting the divided voltage into a digital signal to generate a second digital voltage signal; and

informing a user of a time to change/recharge the battery using the first and second digital voltage signals.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein in the low-power mode, stoppage of the apparatus is detected to generate a low-power signal or the low-power signal is generated periodically or non-periodically during an operation of the apparatus.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising calculating a difference between digital voltage signals generated in two different points of time, comparing the difference and a value obtained using the difference with a set value, and informing a user of a time to change/recharge the battery based on the comparison result.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the set value is a digital voltage signal corresponding to a difference between a first reference battery voltage measured before the low-power mode is finished and a second reference battery voltage measured after the low-power mode is finished,

the first reference battery voltage is obtained by subtracting a product of an internal resistance of the battery and a current consumed in the apparatus during an operation of the apparatus from EMF of the battery, and

the second reference battery voltage is obtained by subtracting a product of the internal resistance of the battery and a current consumed in the apparatus during stoppage of the apparatus from the EMF of the battery.

23. A wireless optical pointing apparatus comprising:

a battery for applying a battery voltage;

a light source for receiving the battery voltage to generate light;

a battery voltage detector for receiving the battery voltage, detecting the battery voltage in a first power mode in response to a low-power signal to generate a first signal, and detecting the battery voltage in a second power mode to generate a second signal; and

a controller for generating the low-power signal for distinguishing the first power mode from the second power mode, and generating a detection signal for indicating a time to change/recharge the battery using the first and second signals.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the controller generates the low-power signal depending on whether the light source operates or not.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the battery voltage detector comprises:

a voltage divider for dividing the battery voltage to generate a divided voltage in each of the first and second power modes; and

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for converting the divided voltage into a digital signal to generate each of the first and second signals.

26. The apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a wireless transceiver for transceiving data wirelessly,

wherein the detection signal is externally transmitted through the wireless transceiver.

27. The apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a display unit,

wherein information corresponding to the detection signal is displayed on the display unit.

28. A method of detecting a time to change/recharge a battery of a wireless optical pointing apparatus comprising the battery for applying a battery voltage and a light source for receiving the battery voltage to generate light, the method comprising:

detecting the battery voltage to generate a first signal in a first power mode in which the wireless optical pointing apparatus consumes high power;

detecting the battery voltage to generate a second signal in a second power mode in which the wireless optical pointing apparatus consumes low power; and

detecting a time to change/recharge the battery using the first and second signals.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the light source is turned off in the first power mode and turned on in the second power mode.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein the first signal is generated by dividing the battery voltage to generate a divided voltage, and converting the divided voltage into a digital signal.

31. The method according to claim 28, wherein the second signal is generated by dividing the battery voltage to generate a divided voltage, and converting the divided voltage into a digital signal.

32. The method according to claim 28, wherein detecting the time to change/recharge the battery comprises calculating a difference between the first and second signals, and comparing a value obtained using the difference with a set value.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the set value is a digital voltage signal corresponding to a difference between a first reference battery voltage measured after the light source of the optical pointing apparatus is turned on and a second reference battery voltage measured after the light source of the optical pointing apparatus is turned off,

the first reference battery voltage is obtained by subtracting a product of an internal resistance of the battery and a current consumed in the optical pointing apparatus during an operation of the optical pointing apparatus from EMF of the battery, and

the second reference battery voltage is obtained by subtracting a product of the internal resistance of the battery and a current consumed in the optical pointing apparatus during stoppage of the optical pointing apparatus from the EMF of the battery.