ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND BATTERY INFORMATION PROVIDING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20160274637A1
• Filed: 03/16/2016
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KANG, Tae-Jin
• Granted Patent: US 10,521,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/325 by lamps or LED's
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An electronic apparatus for providing battery information is provided. The electronic apparatus includes at least one battery, a processor supplied with power from the at least one battery that is configured to operate using the power and to control the electronic apparatus, a battery voltage determination unit connected to the at least one battery in parallel with the processor, and supplied with power directly from the at least one battery, the battery voltage determination configured to operate with the power, and to output a control signal when a voltage of the at least one battery satisfies a designated condition, and a battery information output unit configured to output battery information according to the control signal the is output by the battery voltage determination unit. Also, other embodiments may be implemented.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

at least one battery;

a processor supplied with power from the at least one battery that is configured to;

operate using the power, and

control the electronic apparatus;

a battery voltage determination unit connected to the at least one battery in parallel with the processor, and supplied with power directly from the at least one battery, the battery voltage determination unit configured to;

operate with the power, and

output a control signal when a voltage of the at least one battery satisfies a designated condition; and

a battery information output unit configured to output battery information according to the control signal that is output by the battery voltage determination unit.

2. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a battery determination control unit connected to the at least one battery in parallel with the processor, and supplied with power directly from the at least one battery, the battery determination control unit configured to:

operate with the power, and

output a control signal for driving the battery voltage determination unit according to input of a preset signal.

3. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the battery determination control unit is configured to:

receive a signal according to an input of at least one key provided outside the electronic apparatus, and

output a control signal.

4. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the key provided outside the electronic apparatus comprises a power key configured to turn on power of the electronic apparatus.

5. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the battery determination control unit comprises at least one switching element configured to be switched to an on state according to the input of the preset signal.

6. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the battery determination control unit is configured to:

receive, as an input, a signal received from a communication processor in a state where an application processor of the electronic apparatus is in a sleep mode, and

output a control signal.

7. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery voltage determination unit comprises at least one switching element configured to be switched to an on state when the at least one battery satisfies a preset voltage condition.

8. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the preset voltage condition corresponds to a condition in which the at least one battery has a voltage level lower than or equal to a preset voltage level.

9. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery voltage determination unit comprises multiple switching elements that are connected in parallel to the at least one battery, and at least one of the multiple switching elements is configured to be switched to an on state, according to multiple voltage conditions.

10. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery information output unit comprises at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), a touch screen, a speaker, and a vibration element.

11. A method for providing battery information in an electronic apparatus, the method comprising:

determining whether an input of a preset key is performed, in a state where at least one battery is mounted on the electronic apparatus;

determining whether a voltage of the at least one battery satisfies a designated condition, by a battery voltage determination unit connected to the at least one battery in parallel with a processor, supplied with power directly from the at least one battery, and operates using the power, when the input of the preset key is performed; and

outputting state information of the at least one battery when the voltage of the at least one battery satisfies the designated condition.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the preset key comprises a power key that turns on power of the electronic apparatus.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the determining of whether the input of the preset key is performed is performed in a power-off state of the electronic apparatus.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the determining of whether the input of the preset key is performed is performed in a state where an application processor of the electronic apparatus is in a sleep mode.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, comprising:

receiving a booting request signal and booting the electronic apparatus, by the processor of the electronic apparatus; and

performing a control operation for disconnecting a voltage determination circuit connected to the at least one battery, which is mounted on the electronic apparatus, in parallel with the processor when the booting of the electronic apparatus is completed.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the outputting of the state information of the at least one battery is performed in a warm booting state of the electronic apparatus.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the outputting of the state information of the at least one battery comprises outputting the state information of the at least one battery by at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), a touch screen, a speaker, and a vibration element.

18. A method for providing battery information in an electronic apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a booting request signal and booting the electronic apparatus, by an application processor of the electronic apparatus;

switching the application processor to a sleep mode when the electronic apparatus satisfies a preset sleep mode switching condition;

determining whether a signal is received from a communication processor, in a state of the sleep mode;

determining whether a voltage of at least one battery satisfies a designated condition, by a battery voltage determination unit connected to the at least one battery in parallel with the processor, supplied with power directly from the at least one battery, and operates using the power, when the signal is received from the communication processor; and

outputting state information of the at least one battery when the voltage of the at least one battery satisfies the designated condition.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the outputting of the state information of the at least one battery is performed in a warm booting state of the electronic apparatus.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the outputting of the state information of the at least one battery comprises outputting the state information of the at least one battery by at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), a touch screen, a speaker, and a vibration element.