System for centrally monitoring state information of batteries

• US 6,768,287 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2002
• Issued: 07/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Oosaki, Yoshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward H.
• Application Number:
  US10/265,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20030169019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 320/116, 320/128, 320/132, 320/149, 324/426, 324/427, 324/430, 324/433
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]

Abstract

A battery monitoring and control unit 52 monitors a battery 51 mounted in each of a plurality of terminals installed in a retail store. Total operating time during which the terminal has been operated by the battery, number of recharges that have been performed on the battery, or actual operating time during which the terminal has been operated on a single charge of the battery after completion of charging, is monitored. End-of-life time is predicted according to the state of consumption of the battery. Battery state information including the end-of-life time is transmitted at periodic intervals to a server 4 and transferred to a host 11. Based on the received end-of-life time, the host indicates on a store-by-store basis any terminal that is to be subjected to battery maintenance scheduled next time.

Claims

1. A battery monitoring system comprising:

monitoring means for gathering battery state information concerning a plurality of batteries respectively mounted in a plurality of electronic apparatuses;

controlling means for predicting when each of the batteries approaches an end of battery life, based on the battery state information, and for producing end time information concerning each battery for which the approaching end of battery life has been predicted; and

output means for outputting the end time information produced by the controlling means.

2. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery state information for a specific one of the batteries comprises total operating time during which a corresponding one of the electronic apparatuses has been operated by the specific battery mounted therein.

3. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the total operating time is obtained by detecting a power off state of the corresponding electronic apparatus and by sequentially adding up the operating time during which the corresponding electronic apparatus has been operated by the specific battery.

4. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery state information for a specific one of the batteries comprises the number of recharges that have been performed on the specific battery mounted in a corresponding one of the electronic apparatuses.

5. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 4, further comprising charge monitoring means for counting the number of recharges and for monitors charging of the specific battery.

6. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery state information for a specific one of the batteries comprises an actual operating time during which a corresponding one of the electronic apparatuses has been operated by the specific battery on a single charge after completion of charging.

7. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the actual operating time is obtained by measuring the time elapsed from the completion of charging until a battery output voltage being monitored by the battery monitoring means drops to a predetermined voltage.

8. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when a battery output voltage included in the battery state information for a specific one of the batteries has dropped to a level at which the specific battery needs recharging, the output means outputs a low battery warning for the specific battery.

9. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controlling means predicts, for a specific one of the batteries, when the specific battery approaches the end of battery life by comparing the battery state information with a preset threshold value.

10. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controlling means, when predicting the approaching end of battery life of the specific battery, refers to a consumption level index that has been set according to conditions of use of the specific battery.

11. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein for a specific one of the batteries, the controlling means acquires the battery state information including an error event associated with the specific battery mounted in a corresponding one of the electronic apparatuses and the number of occurrences thereof, and predicts the of battery life of the specific battery, based on the battery state information.

12. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, for a specific one of the batteries, when an approaching end of battery life of the specific battery is predicted, the output means outputs a replacement and maintenance request for the specific battery.

13. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic apparatuses are information terminals, and the output means transmits the battery state information and the end time information, including the end-of-life time, at periodic intervals to a server connected to the information terminals.

14. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the server selects, based on the transmitted end time information, any information terminal that is to receive battery maintenance during a next scheduled maintenance.

15. The battery monitoring system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the server is provided in a retail store and manages a plurality of the information terminals, and wherein

the server transfers the battery state information and the end time information to a host connected to the server, and

the host selects, for each of the stores, any information terminal that is to receive battery maintenance during the next scheduled maintenance.

16. A method of monitoring batteries, comprising:

gathering battery state information concerning a plurality of batteries respectively mounted in plurality of electronic apparatuses;

predicting when each of the batteries approaches an end of battery life, based on the battery state information, and producing end time information concerning each battery for which the approaching end of battery life has been predicted; and

outputting the end time information.

17. A battery monitoring system, comprising:

a monitoring unit gathering battery state information concerning a plurality of batteries respectively mounted in a plurality of electronic apparatuses;

a controlling unit predicting when each of the batteries approaches an end of battery life, based on the battery state information, and producing end time information concerning each battery for which the approaching end of battery life has been predicted; and

an output unit outputting the end time information.