ELECTRONIC SYSTEM

• US 20100231431A1
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Umeda, Toshiyuki, Ogura, Koji, SAKAMOTO, Takafumi, Mukai, Manabu, Kogawa, Tsuyoshi, Otaka, Shoji
• Granted Patent: US 8,339,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/176
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link

Abstract

An electronic system includes: an AC-DC converter to convert an AC voltage into a DC voltage and to supply the DC voltage to a secondary battery; a first detector to detect a remaining amount of the secondary battery; a transmitter to transmit a signal corresponding to the remaining amount of the secondary battery; a receiver to receive the signal transmitted by the transmitter; and a controller to control the AC-DC converter using the signal received by the receiver.

Claims

1. An electronic system, comprising:

an AC-DC converter to convert an AC voltage into a DC voltage and to supply the DC voltage to a secondary battery;

a first detector to detect a remaining amount of the secondary battery;

a transmitter to transmit a signal corresponding to the remaining amount of the secondary battery;

a receiver to receive the signal transmitted by the transmitter; and

a controller to control the AC-DC converter using the signal received by the receiver.

2. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the transmitter transmits a first signal when the remaining amount is larger than a first predetermined amount, and

the controller instructs the AC-DC converter to stop AC-DC conversion upon receiving the first signal.

3. The system according to claim 2, further comprising

a second detector to detect presence/absence of supply of the DC voltage to the secondary battery,

wherein the transmitter transmits the first signals continually when the remaining amount is larger than the first predetermined amount, and

the transmitter stops transmission of the first signal when the second detector detects that supply of the DC voltage is absent.

4. The system according to claim 2,

wherein the transmitter transmits a second signal different from the first signal when the remaining amount is smaller than a second predetermined amount which is smaller than the first predetermined amount, and

the controller starts AC-DC conversion by the AC-DC converter when the receiver receives the second signal.

5. The system according to claim 4, further comprising,

a second detector to detect presence/absence of supply of the DC voltage to the secondary battery,

wherein the transmitter transmits the second signals continually when the remaining amount is smaller than the second predetermined amount, and

the transmitter stops transmission of the second signal when the second detector detects that the supply of the DC voltage is present.

6. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission of a predetermined signal from the transmitter is continued or stopped in correspondence with whether or not the remaining amount is larger than a predetermined amount, and

the AC-DC conversion by the AC-DC converter is stopped or continued in correspondence with whether or not transmission of the predetermined signal from the transmitter is continued.

7. The system according to claim 6,

wherein the transmission of a predetermined signal from the transmitter is continued when the remaining amount is larger than a predetermined amount, and

the AC-DC conversion by the AC-DC converter is stopped when transmission of the predetermined signal from the transmitter is continued.

8. The system according to claim 6,

wherein the transmission of a predetermined signal from the transmitter is continued when the remaining amount is smaller than a predetermined amount, and

the AC-DC conversion by the AC-DC converter is continued when transmission of the predetermined signal from the transmitter is continued.

9. The system according to claim 6,

wherein the transmitter transmits the predetermined signals at a first interval when transmission of the predetermined signal from the transmitter is continued, and

the AC-DC conversion by the AC-DC converter is stopped or continued in correspondence with whether or not the predetermined signals are received at a second interval which is larger than the first interval.

10. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver to receive the signal transmitted by the transmitter;

a rectifier to rectify the signal received by the receiver; and

an identifier to identify the rectified signal,

wherein the controller controls AC-DC conversion by the AC-DC converter based on an identification result in the identifier.