Pulsewidth modulated visual indicator for battery status
First Claim
1. A battery status indication circuit, comprising:
- an indicator having an inactive state and an active state; and
an indicator modulation circuit adapted to receive a charge level signal indicating a charge level of a battery and transmit, in response thereto, a pulsewidth modulated indicator signal to said indicator, a duty cycle of said indicator signal being a function of said charge level, said indicator thereby toggling, at a frequency determined by said duty cycle, between said inactive and active states to provide an indication of said charge level; and
,a storage circuit, coupled to said indicator modulation circuit, for storing a plurality of values relating to said duty cycle, said indicator modulation circuit retrieving selected ones of said values to generate said indicator signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery status indication circuit and a method of indicating battery status. The battery status indication circuit comprises: (1) an indicator having an inactive state and an active state and (2) an indicator modulation circuit adapted to receive a charge level signal indicating a charge level of a battery and transmit, in response thereto, a pulsewidth modulated indicator signal to the indicator, a duty cycle of the indicator signal being a function of the charge level, the indicator thereby toggling between the inactive and active states to provide an indication of the charge level. A single indicator having only two states can therefore be employed to indicate multiple grades of battery charge level.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A battery status indication circuit, comprising:
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an indicator having an inactive state and an active state; and an indicator modulation circuit adapted to receive a charge level signal indicating a charge level of a battery and transmit, in response thereto, a pulsewidth modulated indicator signal to said indicator, a duty cycle of said indicator signal being a function of said charge level, said indicator thereby toggling, at a frequency determined by said duty cycle, between said inactive and active states to provide an indication of said charge level; and
,a storage circuit, coupled to said indicator modulation circuit, for storing a plurality of values relating to said duty cycle, said indicator modulation circuit retrieving selected ones of said values to generate said indicator signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A battery status indication circuit, comprising:
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an indicator having an inactive state and an active state; and an indicator modulation circuit adapted to receive a charge level signal indicating a charge level of a battery and transmit, in response thereto, a pulsewidth modulated indicator signal to said indicator, a duty cycle of said indicator signal being a function of said charge level, said indicator thereby toggling, at a frequency determined by said duty cycle, between said inactive and active states to provide an indication of said charge level, the indicator modulation circuit including a counter circuit adapted to measure a period of time and thereby determine said duty cycle.
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10. A method of indicating battery status, comprising the steps of:
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receiving a charge level signal indicating a charge level of a battery into an indicator modulation circuit; transmitting, in response to said receiving, a pulsewidth modulated indicator signal to an indicator having an inactive state and an active state, a duty cycle of said indicator signal being a function of said charge level, said indicator thereby toggling, at a frequency determined by said duty cycle, between said inactive and active states to provide an indication of said charge level; and
,storing a plurality of values relating to said duty cycle, said indicator modulation circuit retrieving selected ones of said values to generate said indicator signal. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of indicating battery status, comprising the steps of:
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receiving a charge level signal indicating a charge level of a battery into an indicator modulation circuit; transmitting, in response to said receiving, a pulsewidth modulated indicator signal to an indicator having an inactive state and an active state, a duty cycle of said indicator signal being a function of said charge level, said indicator thereby toggling, at a frequency determined by said duty cycle, between said inactive and active states to provide an indication of said charge level; and
,measuring a period of time with a counter circuit in said indicator modulation circuit, said counter circuit thereby determining said duty cycle.
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19. A battery status indication circuit, comprising:
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a visual indicator having an inactive state and an active state; a battery charge level detection circuit adapted to sense a charge level of a battery coupled thereto and transmit a charge level signal indicating a value that is a function of said charge level; a battery drain detection circuit, coupled to said battery, adapted to sense a drain rate of said battery and transmit a drain rate signal indicating a value that is a function of said drain rate; and an indicator modulation circuit adapted to receive said charge level signal and said drain rate signal from said battery charge level detection circuit and said battery drain detection circuit, respectively, said indicator modulation circuit transmitting, in response thereto, a pulsewidth modulated indicator signal to said visual indicator, a duty cycle of said indicator signal being a function of said charge level and said drain rate, said indicator thereby toggling, at a frequency determined by said duty cycle, between said inactive and active states to provide an indication of remaining battery life; and
,a storage circuit, coupled to said indicator modulation circuit, for storing a plurality of values relating to said duty cycle, said indicator modulation circuit retrieving selected ones of said values to generate said indicator signal. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A battery status indication circuit, comprising:
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a visual indicator having an inactive state and an active state; a battery charge level detection circuit adapted to sense a charge level of a battery coupled thereto and transmit a charge level signal indicating a value that is a function of said charge level; a battery drain detection circuit, coupled to said battery, adapted to sense a drain rate of said battery and transmit a drain rate signal indicating a value that is a function of said drain rate; and an indicator modulation circuit adapted to receive said charge level signal and said drain rate signal from said battery charge level detection circuit and said battery drain detection circuit, respectively, said indicator modulation circuit transmitting, in response thereto, a pulsewidth modulated indicator signal to said visual indicator, a duty cycle of said indicator signal being a function of said charge level and said drain rate, said indicator thereby toggling, at a frequency determined by said duty cycle, between said inactive and active states to provide an indication of remaining battery life, the indicator modulation circuit including a counter circuit adapted to measure a period of time and thereby determine said duty cycle.
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24. A method of indicating battery status, comprising the steps of:
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sensing a charge level of a battery coupled to a battery charge level detection circuit, said battery charge level detection circuit transmitting a charge level signal indicating a value that is a function of said charge level; sensing a drain rate of said battery with a battery drain detection circuit coupled to said battery, said battery drain detection circuit transmitting a drain rate signal indicating a value that is a function of said drain rate; and receiving said charge level signal and said drain rate signal from said battery charge level detection circuit and said battery drain detection circuit, respectively, into an indicator modulation circuit, said indicator modulation circuit transmitting, in response thereto, a pulsewidth modulated indicator signal to a visual indicator having an inactive state and an active state, a duty cycle of said indicator signal being a function of said charge level and said drain rate, said indicator thereby toggling, at a frequency determined by said duty cycle, between said inactive and active states to provide an indication of remaining battery life; and storing a plurality of values relating to said duty cycle, said indicator modulation circuit retrieving selected ones of said values to generate said indicator signal. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of indicating battery status, comprising the steps of:
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sensing a charge level of a battery coupled to a battery charge level detection circuit, said battery charge level detection circuit transmitting a charge level signal indicating a value that is a function of said charge level; sensing a drain rate of said battery with a battery drain detection circuit coupled to said battery, said battery drain detection circuit transmitting a drain rate signal indicating a value that is a function of said drain rate; and receiving said charge level signal and said drain rate signal from said battery charge level detection circuit and said battery drain detection circuit, respectively, into an indicator modulation circuit, said indicator modulation circuit transmitting, in response thereto, a pulsewidth modulated indicator signal to a visual indicator having an inactive state and an active state, a duty cycle of said indicator signal being a function of said charge level and said drain rate, said indicator thereby toggling, at a frequency determined by said duty cycle, between said inactive and active states to provide an indication of remaining battery life; and measuring a period of time with a counter circuit in said indicator modulation circuit, said counter circuit thereby determining said duty cycle.
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29. A computer system comprising:
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a processor; a cache memory coupled to the processor; a battery coupled to the cache memory, the battery providing power to the cache memory; a battery status indication circuit, the battery status indication circuit including an indicator having an inactive state and an active state; and an indicator modulation circuit adapted to receive a charge level signal indicating a charge level of the battery and transmit, in response thereto, a pulsewidth modulated indicator signal to said indicator, a duty cycle of said indicator signal being a function of said charge level, said indicator thereby toggling, at a frequency determined by said duty cycle, between said inactive and active states to provide an indication of said charge level, and a storage circuit, coupled to said indicator modulation circuit, for storing a plurality of values relating to said duty cycle, said indicator modulation circuit retrieving selected ones of said values to generate said indicator signal. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification