Device for displaying remaining electric energy of battery

• US 5,424,722 A
• Filed: 12/06/1993
• Issued: 06/13/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Inada, Mitsuharu, Ohga, Norio, Tomida, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Application Number:
  US08/161,457
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 340/636, 324/426, 324/427, 324/432, 324/433, 320/48
• 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: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/21 State of charge of battery

Abstract

A display device has a time-constant circuit and a switching element such as a transistor for supplying the voltage of a battery to the time-constant circuit when a battery check key is pressed. A microcomputer measures a time interval from a time when the voltage of the battery starts being supplied to the time-constant circuit to a time when a voltage of the time-constant circuit reaches a predetermined value, and determines the remaining electric energy of the battery from the measured time interval. The microcomputer supplies data to a display unit which then displays a progressively variable display mark combination representative of the determined remaining electric energy of the battery.

Claims

1. A display device for displaying the remaining electric energy of a battery in an electronic device having a memory for storing predetermined data, said display device comprising:

a time-constant circuit including a resistor and a capacitor, said time-constant circuit providing an output voltage from a juncture of said resistor and said capacitor;

switching means for supplying a voltage of the battery to said time-constant circuit in response to a key stroke;

voltage comparison means for comparing said output voltage of said time-constant circuit with a reference voltage;

control means for measuring a time interval from a time when the voltage of the battery starts being supplied to said time-constant circuit to a time when said output voltage of said time-constant circuit reaches a predetermined value, and for determining the remaining electric energy of the battery from the measured time interval; and

display means having a common display area for selectively displaying information corresponding to the predetermined data and both in response to said key stroke, a progressively variable display mark combination representative of the determined remaining electric energy of the battery.

2. A display device according to claim 1, wherein said display means comprises common display elements for selectively displaying the data stored in the memory and for selectively displaying the progressively variable display mark combination representative of the determined remaining electric energy of the battery.

3. A display device according to claim 1, wherein said progressively variable display mark combination comprises a plurality of display marks selectively energizable depending on the remaining electric energy of the battery which is determined by said control means.

4. A display device according to claim 2, wherein said common display elements comprise LCDs.

5. A display device according to claim 3, wherein said display marks comprise LCDs.

11. A display device according to claim 2, wherein said common display elements switch from displaying the data stored in memory to displaying the progressively variable display mark combination representative of the determined remaining electric energy of the battery in response to the key stroke of a battery check button.

12. A display device according to claim 2, wherein,

each of said common display elements is configured in a figure 8 pattern having an upper portion and a lower portion, each portion forming a substantially square configuration, and

the display means selectively displays the memory data in both the upper and lower portions of the display elements and selectively displays the progressively variable display mark combination in the lower portion of the display elements.

13. The display device according to claim 12, wherein the displayed memory data comprises time or radio frequency information.

6. A display device for displaying remaining electric energy of a battery in an electronic device having a member for storing predetermined data, said display device comprising:

a battery;

a time-constant circuit means, having at least a resistor and a capacitor selectively connected to said battery, for providing an output voltage representative of a voltage on said battery when subjected to said time-constant circuit, a rate of change of output voltage from said time-constant circuit being related to remaining electric energy of said battery;

switching means for selectively supplying said voltage on said battery to said time-constant circuit in response to a key stroke;

a reference voltage source;

means for comparing the output voltage from said time-constant circuit with said reference voltage;

control means for measuring a time interval from a time when the voltage of the battery is supplied to said time-constant circuit to a time when the output voltage of said time-constant circuit is greater than said reference voltage, for determining the remaining electric energy of the battery from the measured time interval; and

display means having a common display area, for selectively displaying both information corresponding to the predetermined data and in response to said key stroke, a progressively variables display mark combination representative of the determined remaining electric energy of the battery.

7. A display device according to claim 6, wherein said output voltage from said time-constant circuit is taken from a juncture between resistor and said capacitor.

8. A display device according to claim 6, wherein said switching means is a transistor having its base connected to receive a control signal from the microcomputer in said control means in response to a detected voltage output from said battery.

9. A display device according to claim 8, wherein said microcomputer disables said transistor when said detected voltage output from said battery drops below a predetermined level.

10. A display device according to claim 9 wherein an output from said voltage comparison means is provided to said microcomputer.

14. A display device according to claim 6, wherein said display means comprises common display elements for selectively displaying the data stored in the memory and for selectively displaying the progressively variable display mark combination representative of the determined remaining electric energy of the battery.

15. A display device according to claim 14, wherein said common display elements switch from displaying the data stored in memory to displaying the progressively variable display mark combination representative of the determined remaining electric energy of the battery in response to the key stroke of a battery check button.

16. A display device according to claim 14, wherein,

each common display element is configured in a figure 8 pattern having an upper portion and a lower portion, each portion forming a substantially square configuration, and

the display means selectively displays the memory data in both the upper and lower portions of the display elements and selectively displays the progressively variable display mark combination in the lower portion of the display elements.

17. The display device according to claim 16, wherein the displayed memory data comprises time or radio frequency information.

18. A display device for displaying the remaining electric energy of a battery in an electronic device and for displaying information stored in a memory of the electronic device, which comprises:

a display means having a common display area comprised of common display elements for selectively displaying the remaining electric energy of a battery and for selectively displaying the information stored in the memory, wherein,

the display means selectively displays the memory information in each common display element and selectively displays in response to a key stroke of a battery check button, the remaining electric energy as a progressively variable display mark combination in some of the common display elements.

19. A display device according to claim 18, wherein,

each common display element is configured in a figure 8 pattern having an upper and a lower portion, each portion forming a substantially square configuration, and

the display means selectively displays the memory information in both the upper and lower portions of the display elements and selectively displays the remaining electric energy as a progressively variable display mark combination in the lower portion of the display elements.

20. The display device according to claim 19, wherein, said common display elements comprise LCDs and switch from displaying the information stored in memory to displaying the progressively variable display mark combination representative of the determined remaining electric energy of the battery in response to the key stroke of a battery check button.

21. A display device for displaying the remaining electric energy of a battery in an electronic device and for displaying information stored in a memory of the electronic device, which comprises:

a display means having a common display area comprised of common display elements for selectively displaying the remaining electric energy of a battery and for selectively displaying the information stored in the memory;

each common display element is configured in a figure 8 pattern having an upper portion and a lower portion, each forming a substantially square configuration; and

the display means selectively displays the memory information in both the upper and lower portions of the display elements and selectively displays in response to a key stroke of a battery check button, the remaining electric energy as a progressively variable display mark combination in the upper portion or in the lower portion of the display elements.

22. The display device according to claim 21, wherein, said common display elements comprise LCDs and switch from displaying the information stored in memory to displaying the progressively variable display mark combination representative of the determined remaining electric energy of the battery in response to the key stroke of said battery check button.