Battery voltage alarm apparatus

• US 5,304,986 A
• Filed: 07/28/1992
• Issued: 04/19/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1991
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Motegi, Takamasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Application Number:
  US07/920,907
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 340/636, 320/48, 324/435
• US Class Current: 340/636.15
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3646 for indicating electrical conditions or variables, e.g. visual or audible indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/185 Electrical failure alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1066 with other provisions not elsewhere provided for, e.g. turn-off protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/21 State of charge of battery

Abstract

There is provided a battery voltage alarm apparatus which announces the necessity of battery exchange when battery voltage falls below a predetermined level. The battery voltage alarm apparatus has a battery voltage detector, and a plurality of steps of detection levels for raising battery low voltage alarm are set and alarm sounds generated at individual levels are made to be different from each other. An alarm raised at a higher level is made to be an intermittent singing or a low-volume singing in order to reduce power consumption.

Claims

1. A battery voltage alarm apparatus comprising:

means for determining when a battery voltage is below a predetermined voltage level and for generating a first control signal anytime that said battery voltage is below said predetermined voltage level and a second control signal only when the battery voltage remains below said predetermined voltage level for a predetermined period of time;

first alarm generation means, to be driven by the first control signal, for generating a first alarm; and

second alarm generation means, to be driven by the second control signal, for generating a second alarm.

2. A battery voltage alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first alarm is an intermittent sound.

3. A battery voltage alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first alarm is a low-volume sound.

4. A battery voltage alarm apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

switch means for temporarily stopping said first and second alarm generation means; and

means, associated with said switch means, for counting a second interval of time upon activation of said switch means and for re-starting said first and second alarm generation means after completion of said second interval of time.

5. A battery voltage alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for generating the first and second control signals includes timer means for timing said predetermined period of time, and said timer means is reset when said battery voltage is above said predetermined level.

6. A battery voltage alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second alarm consumes a different amount of power than said first alarm.

7. A battery voltage alarm apparatus comprising:

means for detecting battery voltage and for generating a first control signal when said battery voltage is below a predetermined level;

means for measuring an interval of time during which the battery voltage detected by said means for detecting remains below said predetermined level and for generating a second control signal only when said battery voltage remains below said predetermined level for a predetermined period of time; and

means for generating a first alarm in response to said first control signal and generating a second alarm in response to said second control signal.

8. A battery voltage alarm apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said first alarm is an intermittent sound and said second alarm is a continuous sound.

9. A battery voltage alarm apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

means for selectively stopping at least one of said first and second alarms; and

means for counting a second interval of time upon activation of said means for selectively stopping at least one of said first and second alarms and for raising said at least one of said first and second alarms again at the termination of said second interval of time.

10. A battery voltage alarm apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said means for measuring an interval of time during which the battery voltage remains below said predetermined level includes timer means for timing said predetermined period of time, and said timer means is reset when said battery voltage is above said predetermined level.

11. A battery voltage alarm apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said second alarm consumes a different amount of power than said first alarm.

12. A battery voltage alarm apparatus comprising:

means for detecting a first level of battery voltage;

means for detecting a second level of battery voltage;

means for generating a first alarm when said first level is detected;

means for generating a second alarm when said second level is detected;

means for selectively stopping at least one of said first and second alarms; and

means for counting an interval of time upon activation of said means for selectively stopping at least one of said first and second alarms and for restarting said first and second alarms after completion of said interval of time.

13. A battery voltage alarm apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said first and second alarms are of different alarm sounds.

14. A battery voltage alarm apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said first alarm is an intermittent sound and said second alarm is a continuous sound.

15. A battery voltage alarm apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said second alarm consumes a different amount of power than said first alarm.