IMAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CALCULATING USABLE TIME OF IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20120155849A1
• Filed: 11/02/2011
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: NAKASHIMA, Ryoichi, Tsuboi, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,577,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/301
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3646 for indicating electrical conditions or variables, e.g. visual or audible indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/26 Power supplies; Circuitry or arrangement to switch on the power source; Circuitry to check the power source voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes a usable time calculation unit which calculates a usable time of a battery device having a secondary battery, wherein the usable time calculation unit measures an average power level while a component is performed at a predetermined operation mode, wherein the power consumption of the component is unknown in advance before the component is initially connected, and when power is supplied for the second and subsequent times while the component is continuously connected, the usable time calculation unit calculates the usable time of the battery device using the average power level and a current integration value which is an integration value of current flowing during charging and discharging of the battery device.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a usable time calculation unit which calculates a usable time of a battery device having a secondary battery,

wherein the usable time calculation unit measures an average power level while a component is performed at a predetermined operation mode, wherein the power consumption of the component is unknown in advance before power is supplied after the component is initially connected, and

when power is supplied for the second and subsequent times while the component is continuously connected, the usable time calculation unit calculates the usable time of the battery device using the average power level and a current integration value which is an integration value of current flowing during charging and discharging of the battery device.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the component is an interchangeable lens.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit which displays information,

wherein the display unit displays the usable time of the battery device.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the usable time calculation unit receives the current integration value from the battery device.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the usable time calculation unit receives information of a current value of the current flowing during charging and discharging of the battery device from the battery device and calculates the current integration value.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the component is performed at other operation mode which is one of a plurality of operation modes and different from the predetermined operation mode, the usable time calculation unit calculates the average power level at the other operation mode using the average power level obtained at the predetermined operation mode.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the component is performed at a plurality of operation modes, the usable time calculation unit calculates the average power level using an average power level obtained at each of the operation modes and an operation time ratio of each of the operation modes.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the usable time calculation unit stores the measured average power level and when a difference between an average power level obtained by measurement thereafter and the stored average power level is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the usable time calculation unit determines that the component is exchanged with other component.

9. A method of calculating usable time of an imaging apparatus comprising:

calculating a usable time of a battery device having a secondary battery,

wherein, an average power level is measured while a component is performed at a predetermined operation mode, wherein the power consumption of the component is unknown in advance before power is supplied after the component is initially connected, and

when power is supplied for the second and subsequent times while the component is continuously connected, the usable time of the battery device is calculated using the average power level and a current integration value which is an integration value of current flowing during charging and discharging of the battery device.