Battery voltage discriminator circuit
First Claim
1. In a battery voltage discriminator circuit for an apparatus having battery means, a plurality of loads which are selectively driven by said battery means, and signal means for generating a signal indicative of the battery means voltage dropping below a reference voltage, said circuit further comprising:
- reference voltage setting means for setting said reference voltage to one of plural predetermined values, said plural predetermined values each respectively corresponding to a different one of said loads, said one value corresponding to the load then being driven by said battery means; and
reference voltage change means for activating said reference voltage setting means for a period of time in response to a change in the load being driven by said battery means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery voltage discriminator circuit for an apparatus having a battery and a plurality of loads which are driven by the battery and operate under various kinds of load conditions is disclosed. When the output voltage of said battery means drops under a predetermined reference voltage, the circuit generates a signal indicative of the voltage drop. The circuit has a reference voltage setting circuit for setting the reference voltage to one of predetermined values, which corresponds to the kind of the current load condition, and a reference voltage change circuit for activating the reference voltage setting circuit for a period of time in response to the change in the kind of current load condition.
22 Citations
10 Claims
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1. In a battery voltage discriminator circuit for an apparatus having battery means, a plurality of loads which are selectively driven by said battery means, and signal means for generating a signal indicative of the battery means voltage dropping below a reference voltage, said circuit further comprising:
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reference voltage setting means for setting said reference voltage to one of plural predetermined values, said plural predetermined values each respectively corresponding to a different one of said loads, said one value corresponding to the load then being driven by said battery means; and reference voltage change means for activating said reference voltage setting means for a period of time in response to a change in the load being driven by said battery means. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A battery voltage discriminator circuit for continuously testing and indicating the condition of a battery used to selectively drive a plurality of electrical loads which, when initially connected thereto, cause predictable temporary reductions in battery voltage even when the battery condition remains serviceable for further use, said circuit comprising:
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a voltage comparator connected to compare a first input representative of battery voltage with a second input reference voltage representing the minimum acceptable battery voltage for a battery having remaining service capacity and to generate a low battery signal if the first input drops below said reference voltage; and a plurality of switches connected and activated selectively in synchronism with the selective driving of said plurality of electrical loads to cause respectively corresponding predictable temporary reductions in said reference voltage thereby preventing premature generation of a low battery signal. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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7. A battery voltage discriminator method for continuously testing and indicating the condition of a battery used to selectively drive a plurality of electrical loads which, when initially connected thereto, cause predictable temporary reductions in battery voltage even when the battery condition remains serviceable for further use, said method comprising:
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comparing a first input representative of battery voltage with a second input reference voltage representing the minimum acceptable battery voltage for a battery having remaining service capacity and generating a low battery signal if the first input drops below said reference voltage; and selectively causing respectively corresponding predictable temporary reductions in said reference voltage in synchronism with the selective driving of said plurality of electrical loads thereby preventing premature generation of a low battery signal. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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Specification