Battery residual amount display circuit

• US 5,876,870 A
• Filed: 12/09/1997
• Issued: 03/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kawabata, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Skapars, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US08/987,825
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 429/90, 429/91, 429/92, 340/636, 340/635, 324/435, 324/433
• US Class Current: 429/91
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

At step S21, a residual amount judging section of abattery residual amount display circuit measures a battery voltage. If a mode transition is detected at step S22, the process returns to step S21 without executing the subsequent steps. If it is judged at step S23 that the operation mode is a reception-waiting mode, the process goes to step S24, where the battery amount judging section judges a battery residual amount by comparing the detected battery voltage with threshold values. If the operation mode is judged to be a transmission mode, the battery residual amount judging section determines a voltage drop during a transmission at step S25, and converts the voltage drop into a battery voltage of a reception waiting mode at step S26 by subtracting the voltage drop from a batter voltage obtained in a reception waiting mode immediately before the mode transition. At step S27, the battery residual amount judging section determines a battery residual amount by comparing the converted battery voltage with the threshold values.

Claims

1. A battery residual amount display circuit which is incorporated in an apparatus having a plurality of operation modes and equipped with a battery as a power supply and which displays a residual amount of the battery, which comprises:

voltage detecting means for detecting an output voltage of said battery;

mode detecting means for detecting an operation mode of said apparatus;

battery residual amount judging means for executing judgment of said residual amount by comparing said output voltage with predetermined threshold values when said mode detecting means detects a particular mode which is one of said plurality of operation modes, and for judging said residual amount by determining a voltage drop based on said output voltages, converting said voltage drop into a equivalent output voltage corresponding to said particular mode, and comparing said equivalent output voltage with said predetermined threshold values when said mode detecting means detects a mode other than said particular mode; and

display means for displaying said judgment result of the battery residual amount judging means.

2. The battery residual amount display circuit according to claim 1, wherein said voltage detecting means detects said output voltages at a predetermined cycle, and wherein said battery residual amount judging means determines an average of said output voltages that are detected by said voltage detecting means in a predetermined period, and judges said residual amount by comparing said average with said predetermined threshold values when said mode detecting means detects said particular mode which is one of said plurality of operation modes, and judges said residual amount by determining said voltage drop based on said averages, converting said voltage drop into said equivalent output voltage corresponding to said particular mode, and comparing said equivalent output voltage with said threshold values when said mode detecting means detects a mode other than said particular mode.

3. The battery residual amount display circuit according to claim 2, when said mode detecting means detects amode transition during said predetermined period, said battery residual amount judging means stops an operation of determining said average and restarts determining said average of said output voltages that are detected by said voltage detecting means in another predetermined period.

4. The battery residual amount display circuit according to claim 1, wherein said particular mode is a reception waiting mode.

5. The battery residual amount display circuit according to claim 2, wherein said particular mode is a reception waiting mode.

6. The battery residual amount display circuit according to claim 3, wherein said particular mode is a reception waiting mode.

7. The battery residual amount display circuit according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is a radio apparatus.

8. The battery residual amount display circuit according to claim 2, wherein said apparatus is a radio apparatus.

9. The battery residual amount display circuit according to claim 3, wherein said apparatus is a radio apparatus.