Charging device providing a stable display of the residual charge in a battery

• US 5,717,312 A
• Filed: 06/21/1996
• Issued: 02/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniden Corporation (Cornwall Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: Uniden Corporation (Cornwall Capital Management LP)
• Inventors: Maeda, Teruhiko, Zuo, Hong
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US08/668,154
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 320/5, 320/9, 320/21, 320/29, 320/30, 320/39, 320/40, 320/43, 320/44, 320/48, 324/427, 324/433, 340/636, 429/90
• US Class Current: 320/162
• 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: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/21 State of charge of battery

Abstract

A control section periodically measures a battery voltage with the battery voltage measuring section when the portable electronic apparatus is used in a normal operation mode, updating a measurement value stored in the storage section only when a measurement value at a current point of time is smaller than a previous measurement value stored in the storage section, and periodically measures a battery voltage with the battery voltage measuring section during charging, updating a measurement value stored in the storing section only when a measurement value at the current point of time is larger than a previous measurement value stored in the storage section, and displaying a residual charge in the battery according to the updated measurement value in the storage section.

Claims

1. A charging device for charging a battery in a battery-supplied portable electronic apparatus and displaying a residual charge in said battery comprising:

a battery voltage measuring section for measuring a voltage of said battery;

a storage section for storing a measurement value obtained by said battery voltage measuring section; and

a control section for periodically measuring a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section when the portable electronic apparatus is used in a normal operation mode, updating a measurement value stored in said storage section only when a measurement value at a current point of time is smaller than a pervious measurement value stored in said storage section and displaying a residual charge in said battery according to said measurement value updated in the storage section, allowing measurement during intermittent battery charge receiving or intermittent battery charge burst transmissions, when a consumed charge is sufficiently large such that the battery voltage changes substantially with time.

2. A charging device according to claim 1 comprising a charging control section for controlling supply of charging voltage to said battery, wherein said control section measures a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section and makes determination as to whether the battery has been fully charged or not to detect a state where a charging voltage is not required to be supplied from said charging control section.

3. A charging device for charging a battery in a battery-supplied portable electronic apparatus and displaying a residual charge in said battery comprising:

a battery voltage measuring section for measuring a voltage said battery;

a storage section for storing a measurement value obtained by said battery voltage measuring section; and

a control section for periodically measuring a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section when the portable electronic apparatus is used in a normal operation mode, updating a measurement value stored in said storage section only when a measurement value at a current point of time is smaller than a previous measurement value stored in said storage section and displaying a residual charge in said battery according to said measurement value updated in the storage section;

wherein information indicating that a battery was removed and again set therein is stored in said storage section after said battery was once removed and again set therein, and said control section measures a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section, updates a measurement value stored in said storage section, and displays a residual charge in said battery according to said updated measurement value in the storage section, or determines a rank according to said updated measurement value in the storage section and identifies/displays a residual charge in said battery according to said rank, immediately after power is turned ON or after supply of a charging voltage to said battery is stopped in a case the information indicating that a battery was once removed and then set again is stored in said storage section, in a case where a measurement value stored in said storage section is not more than a prespecified value, or in a case where a rank decided according to a measurement value stored in said storage section is not more than a prespecified rank.

4. A charging device for charging a battery in a battery-supplied portable electronic apparatus and displaying a residual charge in said battery comprising:

a battery voltage measuring section for measuring a voltage in said battery;

a storage section for storing therein a measurement value obtained by said battery voltage measuring section; and

a control section for periodically measuring a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section during charging, updating a measurement value stored in said storage section only when a measurement value at a current point of time is larger than a previous measurement value stored in said storage section, and displaying a residual charge in said battery according to said updated measurement value in the storage section.

5. A charging device according to claim 4 comprising a charging control section for controlling supply of charging voltage to said battery;

wherein said control section measures a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section and makes determination as to whether the battery has been fully charged or not to detect a state where a charging voltage is not required to be supplied from said charging control section.

6. A charging device for charging a battery in a battery-supplied portable electronic apparatus and displaying a residual charge in said battery comprising:

a battery voltage measuring section for measuring a voltage of said battery;

a storage section for storing therein a measurement value obtained by said battery voltage measuring section; and

a control section for periodically measuring a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section during charging, updating a measurement value stored in said storage section only when a measurement value at a current point of time is larger than a previous measurement value stored in said storage section, and displaying a residual charge in said battery according to said updated measurement value in the storage section;

wherein information indicating that a battery was removed and again set therein is stored in said storage section after said battery was once removed and again set therein, and said control section measures a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section, updates a measurement value stored in said storage section, and displays a residual charge in said battery according to said updated measurement value in the storage section, or decides a rank according to said updated measurement value in the storage section and identifies/displays a residual charge in said battery according to said rank, immediately after power is turned ON or after supply of a charging voltage to said battery is stopped in a case the information indicating that a battery was once removed and then set again is stored in said storage section, in a case where a measurement value stored in said storage section is not more than a prespecified value, or in a case where a rank decided according to a measurement value stored in said storage section is not more than a prespecified rank.

7. A charging device for charging a battery in a battery-supplied portable electronic apparatus and identifying/displaying a residual charge in said battery with a specified rank comprising:

a battery voltage measuring section for measuring a voltage in said battery;

a storage section for storing therein a measurement value obtained by said battery voltage measuring section; and

a control section for periodically measuring a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section when the portable electronic apparatus is used in a normal operation mode, updating a measurement value in said storage section only when a measurement value at a current point of time is smaller than a previous measurement value stored in said storage section, and also for periodically measuring a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section, updating a measurement value in said storage section only when a measurement value at the current point of time is larger than a previous measurement value stored in said storage section, deciding a rank according to said updated measurement value in the storage section, and identifying/displaying a residual charge in said battery according to said rank;

wherein a threshold value for defining a rank in the normal operation mode is different from that during charging.

8. A charging device according to claim 7 comprising a charging control section for controlling supply of charging voltage to said battery, wherein said control section measures a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section and makes determination as to whether the battery has fully been charged or not to detect a state where a charging voltage is not required to be supplied from said charging control section.

9. A charging device according to claim 7;

wherein information indicating that a battery was removed and again set therein is stored in said storage section after said battery was once removed and again set therein, and said control section measures a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section, updates a measurement value stored in said storage section, and displays a residual charge in said battery according to said updated measurement value in the storage section, or decides a rank according to said updated measurement value in the storage section and identifies/displays a residual charge in said battery according to said rank, immediately after power is turned ON or after supply of a charging voltage to said battery is stopped in a case the information indicating that a battery was once removed and then set again is stored in said storage section, in a case where a measurement value stored in said storage section is not more than a prespecified value, or in a case where a rank decided according to a measurement value stored in said storage section is not more than a prespecified rank.

10. A system for charging a battery comprising:

a charging circuit connectable to the battery for supplying power for charging the battery;

a measuring circuit responsive to the battery for measuring voltage on said battery;

a display unit responsive to said measuring circuit for displaying a value of a residual charge in said battery; and

a processing unit responsive to said measuring circuit for periodically updating the value displayed by said display unit when intermittent battery charge receiving or intermittent battery charge burst transmission occurs and a consumed charge of the battery is sufficiently large such that the battery voltage changes substantially with time.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said processing unit controls a switch for connecting said charging circuit to said battery.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said processing unit compares a current measurement result with a stored measurement result corresponding to the displayed value to update the displayed value only if the current measurement result indicates that a residual charge in the battery is reduced.

13. A charging device for charging a battery in a battery-supplied portable electronic apparatus and displaying a residual charge in said battery comprising:

a battery voltage measuring section for measuring a voltage of said battery;

a storage section for storing a measurement value obtained by said battery voltage measuring section; and

a control section for periodically measuring a battery voltage with said battery voltage measuring section when the portable electronic apparatus is used in a normal operation mode, wherein a measurement value stored in said storage section remains the same when a value at a current point of time is larger than a previous measurement value stored in said storage section and displaying a residual charge in said battery according to said measurement value that remains the same in the storage section.