Battery level indicator for a telephone set

• US 6,405,062 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2000
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Izaki, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US09/667,558
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 455/26.1, 455/67.1, 455/67.7, 455/522, 455/573, 455/574, 343/127, 320/132, 320/134, 320/136, 320/162, 324/433, 324/427, 324/435
• US Class Current: 455/573
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A battery level indicator is provided in a mobile phone, which is equipped with a communication mode and a standby mode where the current drawn from the battery is different, to display the level of the battery that powers the mobile phone. The battery level indicator includes a battery voltage measuring unit, a correction unit, a level determining unit and a liquid crystal display. The battery voltage measuring unit measures the voltage of the battery at regular intervals, such as every 0.5 seconds. The correcting unit corrects voltage measurements obtained during communication mode by adding correction values specified using a correction value table. The level determining unit calculates an average for voltage measurements, which have been corrected as necessary, produced during a preceding period such as fifteen seconds. This average may be calculated every second, for example. The level determining unit compares the average with a level table that associates voltages during standby mode with notification levels and determines the appropriate notification level. The liquid crystal display displays a symbol that represents the determined notification level.

Claims

1. A battery level indicating apparatus for indicating a level of a battery, which powers a telephone having a communication mode and a standby mode, as one of a plurality of notification levels, the battery level indicating apparatus comprising:

threshold information storing means for storing threshold information for specifying a notification level from a voltage of the battery during the standby mode;

measuring means for measuring the voltage of the battery at intervals each equal to a first period to produce voltage measurements;

correcting means for adding a correction value to each voltage measurement produced by the measuring means during the communication mode to convert the voltage measurements to values equivalent to voltage measurements produced during standby mode;

average calculating means for calculating, at intervals each equal to a second period, an average for the voltage of the battery from a predetermined number of most recent voltage measurements produced by the measuring means, wherein voltage measurements produced during the standby mode are used without correction and voltage measurements produced during the communication mode are used having first been corrected by the correcting means;

level determining means for determining, every time the average calculating means calculates the average, a notification level from the average in accordance with the threshold information; and

indicating means for indicating the notification level determined by the level determining means to a user of the telephone.

2. A battery level indicating apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the indicating means displays a symbol showing the notification level determined by the level determining means.

3. A battery level indicating apparatus in accordance with claim 2,

wherein the threshold information specifies a notification level based on a combination of a temperature of the battery and the voltage of the battery;

the battery level indicating apparatus further comprising temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the battery,

wherein the correcting means specifies the correction value for a present voltage measurement according to the present voltage measurement and the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means; and

the level determining means refers to the threshold information and determines the notification level from the average and the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means.

4. A battery level indicating apparatus in accordance with claim 3,

wherein the average calculating means calculates the average at all times except for a predetermined period following a switch by the telephone from communication mode to standby mode.

5. A battery level indicating apparatus in accordance with claim 4,

wherein the indicating means displays a symbol showing the notification level determined by the level determining means only when the determined notification level is equal to or lower than a notification level represented by the symbol that is already being displayed by the indicating means.

6. A battery level indicating apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the average calculating means calculates the average at all times except for a predetermined period following a switch by the telephone from communication mode to standby mode.

7. A battery level indicating apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the indicating means indicates the notification level determined by the level determining means only when the determined notification level is equal to or lower than a notification level that is already being indicated by the indicating means.

8. A battery level indicating apparatus for indicating a level of a battery, which powers a telephone having a first mode and a second mode where different levels of current are drawn from the battery, as one of a plurality of discrete notification levels, the battery level indicating apparatus comprising:

threshold information storing means for storing threshold information which is used for specifying a notification level from a voltage of the battery during the first mode;

measuring means for measuring a voltage of the battery at intervals each equal to a first period to produce a voltage measurement;

correcting means for correcting every voltage measurement produced by the measuring means during the second mode by adding or subtracting a correction value to convert the voltage measurement to a value equivalent to a voltage measurement produced during the first mode;

average calculating means for calculating, at intervals each equal to a second period, an average for the voltage of the battery from a predetermined number of most recent voltage measurements produced by the measuring means, wherein voltage measurements produced during the first mode are used without correction and voltage measurements produced during the second mode are used having first been corrected by the correcting means;

level determining means for determining, every time the average calculating means calculates the average, a notification level from the average in accordance with the threshold information; and

indicating means for indicating the notification level determined by the level determining means to a user of the telephone.

9. A battery level indicating apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein the indicating means displays a symbol showing the notification level determined by the level determining means.

10. A battery level indicating apparatus in accordance with claim 8,

wherein the threshold information specifies a notification level based on a combination of a temperature of the battery and the voltage of the battery;

the battery level indicating apparatus further comprising temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the battery,

wherein the correcting means specifies the correction value to be added to or subtracted from a voltage measurement produced during the second mode according to (1) the present voltage measurement and (2) the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means; and

the level determining means refers to the threshold information and determines the notification level from the average and the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means.

11. A battery level indicating apparatus in accordance with claim 8,

wherein the indicating means displays the notification level determined by the level determining means only when the determined notification level is equal to or lower than a notification level that is already being displayed by the indicating means.

12. A battery level indicating apparatus for indicating a battery level of a battery, which powers a mobile phone having a communication mode and a standby mode, as one of a plurality of notification levels, the battery level indicating apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing

(1) a correction value table associating, for different temperature ranges, voltage values obtained during the communication mode with correction values for converting the voltage values obtained during the communication mode to values equivalent to voltage values obtained during the standby mode, and

(2) a level table for specifying a notification level based on a combination of a temperature of the battery and the voltage of the battery;

a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the battery;

measuring means for measuring the voltage of the battery at intervals each equal to a first period to produce voltage measurements;

correcting means for referring to the correction value table and specifying a correction value for each voltage measurement produced by the measuring means during the communication mode based on the voltage measurement and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, and adding the specified correction value to the voltage measurement;

average calculating means for calculating, at intervals each equal to a second period, an average for the voltage of the battery from a predetermined number of most recent voltage measurements produced by the measuring means, wherein voltage measurements produced during the standby mode are used without correction and voltage measurements produced during the communication mode are used having first been corrected by the correcting means;

level determining means for referring, every time the average calculating means calculates the average, to the level table and determining a notification level using the calculated average and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor; and

a liquid crystal display for displaying a symbol that represents the notification level determined by the level determining means.