Semiconductor device

• US 8,044,800 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Osada, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang; Son M
• Application Number:
  US11/976,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20080111702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/636.1, 340/636.2, 340/825.36, 340/10.1, 340/10.3
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/50 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance, e.g. for maintaining operating temperature 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

A semiconductor device with a built-in battery whose residual amount of the electrical energy can be detected accurately. The semiconductor device has a battery, a demodulation circuit, a control circuit which generates a signal having information about the residual amount of the electrical energy stored in the battery, and a transmission medium which displays the residual amount of the electrical energy in accordance with the signal. The demodulation circuit demodulates a signal input from an antenna which requests display of the residual amount of the electrical energy. Based on the demodulated signal, the control circuit starts to generate a signal having information about the residual amount of the electrical energy in the battery.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

an antenna configured to receive a radio wave;

a battery;

a control circuit configured to detect a voltage output from the battery in accordance with a first signal generated by the antenna, and generate a second signal having information about a residual amount of electrical energy in the battery; and

a transmission medium configured to emit the second signal as one of an elastic wave whose frequency is outside of an audible frequency range, an ultraviolet light and an infrared light,

wherein the detection of the voltage output from the battery and the generation of the second signal can be performed by using power of the first signal.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the battery is one of a primary battery and a secondary battery.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises an oscillator circuit configured to control a frequency of the second signal.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is a coiled antenna or a dipole antenna.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second signal is configured to be received by a device for displaying the information about the residual amount of electrical energy in the battery.

6. A semiconductor device comprising:

an antenna configured to receive a radio wave;

a control circuit configured to generate, in accordance with a first signal generated by the antenna, a second signal having communication distance information of the semiconductor device; and

a transmission medium configured to emit the second signal as one of an elastic wave whose frequency is outside of an audible frequency range, an ultraviolet light and an infrared light, and

wherein the generation of the second signal can be performed using power of the first signal.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the control circuit comprises an oscillator circuit configured to control a frequency of the second signal.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the antenna is a coiled antenna or a dipole antenna.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the second signal is configured to be received by a device for displaying the communication distance information of the semiconductor device.