Battery check system for use in cameras

• US 6,351,611 B1
• Filed: 04/05/2000
• Issued: 02/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Nonaka, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): PERKEY, WILLIAM B
• Application Number:
  US09/543,721
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 396/277, 396/279, 396/203, 396/205, 396/206, 340/636
• US Class Current: 396/203
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/26 Power supplies; Circuitry or arrangement to switch on the power source; Circuitry to check the power source voltage

Abstract

A battery check system for use in a camera has a monitor circuit and a control circuit. The monitor circuit detects the condition of a battery used in the camera. The control circuit controls the operation of the monitor circuit and controls the operation of the camera according to the output of the monitor circuit. The control circuit causes the monitor circuit to detect the changed condition of the battery and determines a detection timing of the voltage of the battery according to the detected condition of the battery.

Claims

1. A battery check system for use in a camera comprising:

a monitor circuit for detecting a condition of a battery used in the camera; and

a control circuit for controlling the operation of the monitor circuit and controlling the operation of the camera according to an output from the monitor circuit,

wherein the control circuit causes the monitor circuit to detect changed conditions of the battery and determines a detection timing of the voltage of the battery based on a detection result of the monitor circuit.

2. The battery check system according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit causes the monitor circuit to detect the voltage of the battery according to a determined detection timing after determining the detection timing.

3. The-battery check system according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit drains a dummy load current from the battery according to a determined detection timing.

4. The battery check system according to claim 1, wherein the detection timing includes a delay time from a required time that the voltage of the battery is recovered to a detection time that the voltage of the battery is detected.

5. The battery check system according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit drains a dummy load current from the battery and causes the monitor circuit to detect the recovered state of the battery after the dummy load current was drained as a changed condition of the battery.

6. The battery check system according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting the internal temperature of the camera, and wherein the control circuit determines the times of detecting the voltage of the battery taking into considerations the output of the temperature sensor.

7. The battery check system according to claim 1, further comprising a display section for displaying the residual energy of the battery, and the operation of the camera includes a control operation on the display section.

8. The battery check system according to claim 7, wherein the control circuit causes the display section to blink while the monitor circuit is detecting the voltage of the battery.

9. The battery check system according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit causes the monitor circuit to detect the voltage of the battery according to a determined detection timing in a repetitive manner.

10. The battery check system according to claim 1, wherein the detection timing includes a detection interval of the voltage of the battery by the monitor circuit.

11. The battery check system according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit causes the battery to pass a current through an electrical load and causes the monitor circuit to detect a difference between voltages of the battery before and after passing the current through the electrical load as a changed condition of the battery.

12. The battery check system according to claim 11, wherein the electrical load includes a light source used to automatically bring the camera into focus.

13. The battery check system according to claim 1, further comprising a charging circuit for charging an electronic flash unit.

14. The battery check system according to claim 13, wherein the monitor circuit has a first timer for counting a time interval from when the charging circuit starts charging until the charged voltage reaches a predetermined value and detects the condition of the battery on the basis of the output of the first timer.

15. The battery check system according to claim 13, wherein the monitor circuit has a second timer for counting a time that elapses from when the charging circuit terminates charging and detects the condition of the battery on the basis of the output of the second timer.

16. The battery check system according to claim 13, wherein the monitor circuit has a first timer for counting a time interval from when the charging circuit starts charging until the charged voltage reaches a predetermined value and a second timer for counting a time that elapses from when the charging circuit terminates charging and detects the condition of the battery on the basis of the outputs of the first and second timers.

17. The battery check system according to claim 13, wherein the monitor circuit detects changes in voltage while the charging circuit is charging the flash unit and detects the condition of the battery on the result of the detection of the changes in voltage.

18. A battery check method for detecting the voltage of a battery aboard equipment comprising the steps of:

detecting a changed condition of the battery; and

determining a detection timing of the voltage of the battery based on a detection result of the changed condition of the battery.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of detecting the voltage of the battery according to the determined detection timing.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of draining a dummy load current from the battery according to a determined detection timing.

21. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of draining a dummy load current from the battery, the changed condition of the battery being the recovered state of the battery after the dummy load current was drained.

22. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of passing a current from the battery to an electrical load, the changed condition of the battery being a difference between voltages of the battery before and after passing the current through the electrical load.

23. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of passing a current from the battery to an electrical load, the changed condition of the battery being the recovered state of the battery after the current was passed through the electrical load.

24. A battery check system for use in a camera comprising:

monitor means for detecting a condition of a battery used in the camera; and

control means for controlling the operation of the monitor means and controlling the operation of the camera according to an output from the monitor means,

wherein the control means causes the monitor means to detect changed conditions of the battery and determines a detection timing of the voltage of the battery based on a detection result of the monitor means.

25. The battery check system according to claim 24, wherein the control means drains a dummy load current from the battery and causes the monitor means to detect the recovered state of the battery after the dummy load current was drained as a changed condition of the battery.

26. The battery check system according to claim 24, further comprising a temperature sensor means for detecting the internal temperature of the camera, and wherein the control means determines the times of detecting the voltage of the battery taking into considerations the output of the temperature sensor means.

27. The battery check system according to claim 24, wherein the control means causes the monitor means to detect the voltage of the battery according to a determined detection timing after determining the detection timing.

28. The battery check system according to claim 24, further comprising display means for displaying the residual energy of the battery, and wherein the operation of the camera includes a control operation on the display means.

29. The battery check system according to claim 24, wherein the operation of the camera is a control operation of enabling the camera to take a shot.

30. The battery check system according to claim 24, wherein the control means drains a dummy load current from the battery and causes the monitor means to detect the recovered state of the battery after the dummy load current was drained as a changed condition of the battery.

31. The battery check system according to claim 24, wherein the control means causes the monitor means to detect the voltage of the battery according to a determined detection timing in a repetitive manner.

32. The battery check system according to claim 24, wherein the control means drains a dummy load current from the battery according to a determined detection timing in a repetitive manner.

33. A battery check system for use in a camera comprising:

monitor means for detecting a condition of a battery used in the camera; and

control means for switching the monitor means between a first mode in which a changed condition of the battery is detected and a second mode in which at least one of an operation of detecting and displaying the voltage of the battery at a predetermined time and an operation of enabling the camera to take a shot is performed, and

wherein the control means switches the time at which the voltage of the battery is detected in the second mode according to the result of detection of the condition of the battery in the first mode.

34. The battery check system according to claim 33, further comprising load control means for draining a current from the battery, the load control means doubling as a charging circuit for a flash unit for use with the camera.

35. The battery check system according to claim 33, further comprising temperature sensor means for detecting the temperature of an environment in which the camera is used, and wherein the control means switches between the operation of displaying the voltage of the battery and the operation of enabling the camera to take a shot according to the temperature of the environment detected by the temperature sensor means.

36. A battery check system for use in a camera comprising:

monitor means for detecting a condition of a battery used in the camera;

charging means for charging an electronic flash unit for emitting an electronic flash of light;

first detecting means for detecting at least one of a time after the termination of charging the electronic flash unit and a charging time;

second detecting means for detecting the voltage of the battery and switching the operation of the camera based on a detected battery voltage; and

control means for switching the time at which the battery voltage is detected by the second detecting means according to a detection result detected by the first detecting means.

37. A camera having a plurality of modes for determining a condition of a battery for operating the camera comprising:

mode switching means for switching the modes; and

control means responsive to the mode switching means for switching forms of display visible to users.

38. The camera according to claim 37, wherein, when a mode that takes long to determine is selected, the corresponding display is blinked.