Electronic apparatus, battery management system, and battery management method

• US 5,654,623 A
• Filed: 04/10/1996
• Issued: 08/05/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahira, Yoshiaki, Shiga, Masaaki, Kumagai, Masahiko, Kikuchi, Kiyoaki, Suzuki, Hiroshige
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Law, Patrick B.
• Application Number:
  US08/630,275
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 320/5, 320/6, 320/15, 320/43, 320/48
• US Class Current: 320/106
• 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: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5044 Cells or batteries structurally combined with cell condition indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00038 using passive battery identification means, e.g. resistors or capacitors identification by mechanical connections H02J7/0045
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/21 State of charge of battery

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to enable electronic apparatuses to display the remaining power of exchangeable batteries at any given time. A battery pack having a battery and an ID generator is attached to an electronic apparatus. The accumulated consumption hours of the battery is stored in a battery information memory for each battery ID. A remaining power detector determines the remaining battery power on the basis of the accumulated consumption hours and displays it on a display unit. Because the remaining battery power is determined based on the consumption hours of a battery, the running hours of a battery can be displayed at any given time.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus which receives power from an interchangeable battery which has an identification characteristic, comprising:

a battery management system including;

a charger including charge means for charging the battery when the battery is attached to the charger, and including charge information memory means for storing charge information corresponding to the identification characteristic of the battery;

transfer means for transferring the charge information stored in the charge information memory means;

power consumption means for consuming power of the battery when the battery is detached from the charger and attached to the power consumption means, and for generating consumption information of the attached battery;

battery information memory means for receiving the charge information transferred by the transfer means and storing the consumption information and the charge information corresponding to the identification characteristic of the battery, said battery information memory means including a table which stores said battery identification and battery information for the battery, the battery information including said consumption information and said charge information;

identification characteristic reading means for reading the identification characteristic from the battery; and

management means for calculating the power of the battery based on the consumption information and the charge information corresponding to the identification characteristic read from the attached battery.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

update means for updating the battery information in the table according to said consumption information and said charge information;

wherein said management means calculates a level of the power of the battery based on the battery information updated by the update means; and

output means for indicating the level of the power observed by the management means.

3. The battery management system of claim 2, wherein the battery information memory means includes register means for registering new battery information according to the identification characteristic in case the identification characteristic reading means reads a new identification characteristic which is not held in the table.

4. The battery management system of claim 2, wherein the consumption information includes power consumption time and an accumulated consumption time, and wherein the update means calculates the accumulated consumption time and updates the battery information, and wherein the management means observes the power of the battery based on the accumulated consumption time.

5. The battery management system of claim 2, wherein the battery information memory means holds battery information including a power-on time and a power-off time and wherein the update means stores the power-on time when the power is turned on, stores the power-off time when the power is turned off, subtracts the power-on time from the power-off time to calculate the consumption time and adds the consumption time to the accumulated consumption time.

6. A battery management system, comprising:

(a) a plurality of electronic apparatuses, each electronic apparatus including an interchangeable battery having an ID characteristic, power consumption means for consuming power of the battery, memory means for storing battery information of the battery, the battery information including the ID characteristic and power consumption information of the battery, update means for updating the battery information stored by the memory means and management means for calculating power of the battery based on the battery information stored in each memory means wherein each of the electronic apparatuses is independently operable from the other electronic apparatuses; and

(b) communication means for communicating and exchanging said battery information stored in the memory means of each of said plurality of electronic apparatuses among the plurality of electronic apparatuses.

7. The battery management system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of electronic apparatuses are connected with a network and said communication means exchanges the battery information through the network.

8. The battery management system of claim 6, wherein the communication means exchanges the battery information at power on time and power off time of each electronic apparatus.

9. The battery management system of claim 6, wherein the communication means exchanges the battery information at predetermined specified periods.

10. The battery management system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of electronic apparatuses includes a master electronic apparatus which has memory means for all the electronic apparatus therein, and slave electronic apparatuses, and wherein the communication means communicates the battery information between the master electronic apparatus and the slave electronic apparatuses.

11. A method for managing a system, the system comprising an electronic apparatus which consumes power from an interchangeable battery having a quantity of power and having an identification characteristic, the method comprising the steps of:

reading said identification characteristic when said battery is attached to the electronic apparatus;

determining the quantity of power of said battery;

storing said quantity of power in a first table with the identification characteristic in the electronic apparatus;

charging said battery using a charger which is separate from the electronic apparatus;

storing charge information of said battery in a second table with said identification characteristic corresponding to said battery in the charger;

transferring said charge information in the second table from the charger to said electronic apparatus;

updating the quantity of power of said battery in said first table to reflect power consumption by the electronic apparatus when the battery is detached from the charger and attached to the electronic apparatus; and

monitoring the power of said battery based on said updated quantity of power.

12. The method of claim 11, said battery information including a power-on time and a power-off time and wherein said updating step comprises recording the power-on time when power is turned on, recording the power-off time when power is turned off, subtracting the power-on time from the power-off time to calculate a current power consumption time and incrementing an accumulated power consumption time by said current power consumption time.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of exchanging said battery information between said system and a plurality of similar systems having corresponding battery information.

14. A system for managing batteries, each battery being identified by a unique identification characteristic and interchangeable with other batteries managed by the system, the system comprising:

an electronic apparatus;

a charger for charging said batteries, said charger including an identification characteristic reader for reading said unique identification characteristic from each of said batteries and a charge information memory for storing charge information corresponding to the identification characteristic of each of said batteries;

a communication link for transferring said charge information stored in said charge information memory to the electronic apparatus;

wherein said electronic apparatus comprises;

an identification characteristic reader for reading said unique identification characteristic from each of said batteries when each of the batteries is detached from the charger and attached to the electronic apparatus;

a detector which detects power consumption of each of said batteries attached to said electronic apparatus and generates power consumption information corresponding to each of said batteries;

a battery information memory for receiving said charge information transferred by said communication link and storing said power consumption information and said charge information with the identification characteristic corresponding to each of said batteries; and

a monitor for determining the power of each of said batteries based on said power consumption information and charge information.

15. The battery management system of claim 14, wherein said battery information memory generates and stores a table which holds said unique identification characteristic of each battery and said battery information for each battery, the battery information including said power consumption information and charge information;

an updating device for updating the power consumption information of each battery in the table according to the power consumption of each battery and said charge information associated with each battery;

wherein said remaining power of each battery is determined based on the power consumption information as it is updated by said updating device; and

a display for outputting said determined remaining power.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the battery information memory includes a register for registering new battery information according to the identification characteristic if the identification characteristic reader reads a new identification characteristic which is not held in the table.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the power consumption information includes current power consumption time and an accumulated power consumption time, and wherein the updating device calculates the accumulated consumption time and updates the battery information, and wherein the monitor determines the power of the battery based on the accumulated consumption time.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the battery information memory holds battery information including a power-on time and a power-off time and wherein the updating device stores the power-on time when power is turned on, stores the power-off time when power is turned off, subtracts the power-on time from the power-off time to calculate the current power consumption time and increments the accumulated power consumption time by the current power consumption time.

19. The battery management system of claim 15, further comprising a power supply, a switch for selecting one of the battery and the power supply to supply power as a power source to the electronic apparatus, a power source recognizing device for recognizing whether the power source selected by the switch is the battery or the power supply, wherein the updating device updates the battery information when the power source recognizing device recognizes that the power source is the battery.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the battery information memory stores battery information including a total power consumption time of the battery, and wherein the updating device updates the total power consumption time according to the current and accumulated power consumption time of the battery, and wherein the monitor determines a lift time of the battery based on the total power consumption time.