Battery charging apparatus including notification control unit

• US 7,741,812 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2006
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Ukon, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMADAN, RAMY O
• Application Number:
  US11/275,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20060164043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/132, 320/134, 320/157, 320/161, 320/162, 320/DIG.12, 320/DIG.13
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3647 for determining the ability of a battery to perform a critical function, e.g. cranking
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]

Abstract

An electronic apparatus including: a battery; a notification unit; a storage unit that stores a reference charging time and a reference battery voltage which are values according to charging characteristics of the battery and are used as determination reference values to determine whether or not the battery is normally charged; a charged state determination unit that determines whether or not the charging voltage is applied to the battery; a voltage detection unit that detects a voltage of the battery; and a notification control unit that controls the notification unit to make a notification indicating an abnormal state, when the voltage of the battery detected by the voltage detection unit does not reach the reference battery voltage, even though a condition where the charged state determination unit determines that the charging voltage is applied to the battery continues for the reference charging time.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a battery being chargeable by applying a charging voltage;

a notification unit that notifies information;

a storage unit that stores a battery voltage determination threshold value used to determine a remaining charge of the battery;

a voltage detection unit that detects a voltage of the battery;

a detected voltage write unit that, when a predetermined voltage is applied, stores the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit as the battery voltage determination threshold value;

a controller that measures a length of time which the battery has not been charged by executing a timer interrupt process;

a notification control unit that determines the remaining charge of battery based on the voltage of the battery detected by the voltage detection unit, the battery voltage determination threshold value stored in the storage unit, and a charging time required to maximize the charge of the battery, and controls the notification unit to make a notification indicating the remaining charge of the battery,

wherein the charging time required to maximize the charge of the battery is calculated using the voltage of the battery detected by the voltage detection unit and the length of time over which the battery has not been charged,

wherein the charging time required to maximize the charge of the battery is further calculated by adding a discharge time calculated based on the length of time over which the battery has not been charged, to a time corresponding to the voltage of the battery detected by the voltage detection unit when the electronic apparatus is turned on, and

wherein the charging time required to maximize the charge of the battery is periodically adjusted based on the voltage of the battery detected by the voltage detection unit.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification control unit calculates a plurality of determination reference values based on the battery voltage determination threshold value stored in the storage unit and determines the remaining charge of the battery in a plurality of stages.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charging time required to maximize the amount of the battery is calculated by adding a discharge time, calculated based on the length of time over which the battery has not been charged and a state of the electronic apparatus, to a time corresponding to the voltage of the battery detected by the voltage detection unit.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic apparatus is a telephone apparatus.