Electronic device, battery pack, and electronic device system

• US 7,786,703 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakao, Kunihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMADAN, RAMY O
• Application Number:
  US12/163,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20090009176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 320/149, 320/126
• US Class Current: 320/149
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An electronic device which is capable of performing high-accuracy remaining battery capacity management. The electronic device has a plurality of battery pack compartments assigned specific addresses, respectively. A remaining capacity-detecting unit detects the remaining battery capacity of a battery pack mounted in a battery pack compartment. A control microcomputer receives information indicative of a remaining battery capacity sent from a battery pack accommodated in one of the battery pack compartments and address information on the battery pack compartment, and sends correction information concerning the remaining battery capacity to the battery pack.

Claims

1. An electronic device communicable with a battery pack accommodated therein, the battery pack including a remaining capacity-detecting unit that detects a remaining battery capacity of the battery pack, comprising:

a plurality of battery pack compartments, an electric resistance from one of the battery pack compartments to a power supply line of the electronic device being different from electric resistances from the other battery pack compartments to the power supply line; and

a control unit configured to receive information indicative of a remaining battery capacity sent from the battery pack accommodated in one of the battery pack compartments,

wherein the control unit transmits correction information corresponding to the battery pack accommodated in one of the battery pack compartments, the correction information being used for correcting the remaining battery capacity of the accommodated battery pack, the correction information being based on the electric resistance from the one of the battery pack compartments to the power supply line, the correction information corresponding to the battery pack accommodated in the one of the battery pack compartments being different from the correction information corresponding to the battery packs accommodated in the other battery pack compartments.

2. An electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the correction information concerning the remaining battery capacity of the battery pack sent to the remaining capacity-detecting unit includes capacity offset information associated with the one of the battery pack compartments accommodating the battery pack.

3. An electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the correction information concerning the remaining battery capacity of the battery pack sent to the remaining capacity-detecting unit includes undetectable electric current correction information associated with the one of the battery pack compartments accommodating the battery pack.

4. A battery pack that can be accommodated in an electronic device including a plurality of battery pack compartments and a control unit that communicates with a battery pack accommodated in each of the battery pack compartments, each of the battery pack compartments having address information thereof, an electric resistance from one of the battery pack compartments to a power supply line of the electronic device being different from electric resistances from the other battery pack compartments to the power supply line, the battery pack comprising:

an accommodating position-detecting unit configured to detect the address information of each battery pack compartment in which the battery pack is accommodated;

a remaining capacity-detecting unit configured to detect a remaining battery capacity; and

a communication unit configured to transmit information of the remaining battery capacity detected by the remaining capacity-detecting unit, and the address information of the battery pack compartment detected by the accommodating position-detecting unit, to the control unit,

wherein the communication unit is configured to receive correction information from the control unit, the correction information being used for correcting the remaining battery capacity of the battery pack, the correction information being based on the electric resistance from one of the battery pack compartments to the power supply line, the correction information corresponding to one of the address information being different from the correction information corresponding to the other address information.

5. An electronic device system comprising an electronic device, and a battery pack that can be accommodated in the electronic device,

wherein the electronic device comprises a plurality of battery pack compartments and a control unit, an electric resistance from one of the battery pack compartments to a power supply line of the electronic device being different from electric resistances from the other battery pack compartments to the power supply line, each of the plurality of battery pack compartments having address information thereof,

wherein the battery pack comprises an accommodating position- detecting unit configured to detect the address information of each battery pack compartment, a remaining capacity-detecting unit configured to detect a remaining battery capacity, and a communication unit configured to transmit information of the remaining battery capacity detected by the remaining capacity-detecting unit, and the address information of the battery pack compartment detected by the accommodating position-detecting unit, to the control unit, and

wherein the control unit is configured to receive the information of the remaining battery capacity and the address information from the battery pack, and send correction information used for correcting the remaining battery capacity of the battery pack, the correction information being based on the electric resistance from one of the battery pack compartments to the power supply line, the correction information corresponding to one of the address information being different from the correction information corresponding to the other address information.