Portable information recording/reproduction device

• US 20080065913A1
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakai, Sumio, Watanuki, Masanori, Kazuta, Satoshi, Matsubayashi, Toshiaki, Morohoshi, Toshihiro
• Application Number:
  US11/898,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065913A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode

Abstract

According to one embodiment, in order to manage the remaining capacity of a secondary battery of an information recording/reproduction device, the remaining capacity of the secondary battery which supplies electric power to the whole device including a storage medium is monitored in accordance with current supply capacity and in accordance with voltage supply capacity. The remaining capacity is displayed on a display in accordance with the current supply capacity. The whole device is stopped when one of the current supply capacity and the voltage is below a system stop level indicating the electric power required on the startup of the storage medium.

Claims

1. A portable information recording/reproduction device comprising:

a storage medium operated by predetermined electric power;

a secondary battery which supplies electric power to the whole device including the storage medium;

a display which indicates information held in the storage medium and the remaining capacity of the secondary battery;

a reproducer which reproduces the information held in the storage medium as music or sound;

a first monitor which monitors the current supply capacity of the secondary battery;

a second monitor which monitors the voltage supply capacity of the secondary battery; and

a controller which stops the operation of the whole device including the storage medium on the basis of the monitoring results by the first and second monitors.

2. The portable information recording/reproduction device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller displays the monitoring result of the first monitor on the display.

3. The portable information recording/reproduction device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller displays the stopping of the device on the display and stops the whole device including the storage medium with predetermined timing when at least one of the monitoring results by the first monitor and the second monitor is below a predetermined level.

4. A portable information recording/reproduction device comprising:

a storage medium which requires predetermined electric power involving a voltage drop on startup;

a secondary battery which supplies electric power to the whole device including the storage medium;

a display which indicates information held in the storage medium;

a reproducer which reproduces the information held in the storage medium as music or sound;

a first monitor which monitors the current supply capacity of the secondary battery;

a second monitor which monitors the voltage supply capacity of the secondary battery; and

a controller which stops the operation of the whole device including the storage medium with predetermined timing on the basis of the monitoring results by the first and second monitors while predicting the timing of the next start of the storage medium.

5. The portable information recording/reproduction device according to claim 4, wherein

the controller displays the monitoring result of the first monitor on the display.

6. The portable information recording/reproduction device according to claim 4, wherein

the controller displays the stopping of the device on the display and stops the whole device including the storage medium with predetermined timing when at least one of the monitoring results by the first monitor and the second monitor is below a predetermined level.

7. A method of managing the remaining capacity of a secondary battery of a portable information recording/reproduction device, the method comprising:

monitoring the remaining capacity of the secondary battery which supplies electric power to the whole device including a storage medium in accordance with current supply ability;

monitoring the remaining capacity of the secondary battery which supplies electric power to the whole device including the storage medium in accordance with voltage supply ability;

displaying the remaining capacity on a display on the basis of the current supply ability; and

stopping the whole device when one of the current supply ability and the voltage supply ability is below a system stop voltage indicating electric power required on the startup of the storage medium.