System for controlling apparatus driven by battery

• US 8,645,721 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Kuniaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Elamin, M
• Application Number:
  US13/051,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713320-324, 713/330, 713/340
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/24 Resetting means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/305 in the event of power-supply fluctuations
• 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: H02J 9/002 in which a reserve is maintained in an energy source by disconnecting non-critical loads, e.g. maintaining a reserve of charge in a vehicle battery for starting an engine
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system for controlling an apparatus driven by a battery, the system operating by the battery, includes a computer to control the apparatus, a control signal circuit to send a signal from the computer to the apparatus so as to control the apparatus, and a nonvolatile memory circuit to store an operating state of the computer. The operating state includes a first operating state and a second operating state, the computer sets the apparatus to a low load state in accordance with the operating state and controls the apparatus when the computer is reset for shutdown due to a decrease of the residual quantity of the battery and is restarted for power-on.

Claims

1. A system for controlling an apparatus driven by a battery, the system operating by the battery, comprising:

a computer to control the apparatus;

a control signal circuit to send a signal from the computer to the apparatus so as to control the apparatus; and

a nonvolatile memory circuit to store an operating state of the computer, the operating state including a first operating state and a second operating state,

wherein the computer sets the apparatus to a low load state in accordance with the operating state and controls the apparatus when the computer is reset for shutdown due to a decrease of the residual quantity of the battery and is restarted for power-on.

2. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the computer reads the operating state from the nonvolatile memory circuit,

wherein the computer sends the signal to the apparatus so as to set the apparatus to the low load state when the operating state is the first state, and

wherein the computer rewrites the operating state to the first state, sends the signal to the apparatus so as to initialize the apparatus, and rewrites the operating state to the second state when the operating state is not the first state.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the reset is caused while the apparatus is operating in a normal operation mode after initialization or is caused before the operating state is rewritten to the second state after being rewritten to the first state.

4. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the apparatus includes a normal operation mode and a low power operation mode, the power consumption of the low power operation mode being lower than that of the normal operation mode, and

wherein the apparatus is set to the low power operation mode as the low load state.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computer is connected to the battery via a regulator, the reset is performed by a reset circuit which outputs a reset signal to the computer when the output voltage of the power regulator becomes lower than a predetermined value.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein, in the low power operation mode, the output voltage of the regulator dose not become lower than the threshold voltage of the reset circuit even if the voltage of the battery dropped due to the power consumption of the apparatus.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computer receives the control command of the apparatus and controls the apparatus in accordance with the control command.

8. A system for controlling a plurality of apparatuses driven by a battery, the system operating by the battery, comprising:

a computer to control the plurality of apparatuses;

a control signal circuit to send a signal from the computer to the plurality of apparatuses so as to control the plurality of apparatuses; and

a nonvolatile memory circuit to store an operating state of the computer, the operating state including a first operating state and a second operating state,

wherein the computer sets at least one of the apparatuses to a low load state in accordance with the operating state and controls at least one of the apparatuses when the computer is reset for shutdown by a decrease of the residual quantity of the battery and is restarted for power-on.

9. The system according to claim 8,

wherein the computer reads the operating state from the nonvolatile memory circuit,

wherein the computer sends the signal to the apparatuses so as to set the apparatuses to the low load state, selects at least one of the apparatuses which are not set to the low load state in accordance with both the priority of the respective apparatuses and the residual quantity of the battery, and sends the signal to the selected apparatuses so as to initialize the selected apparatuses when the operational state is the first state, and

wherein the computer rewrites the operational state to the first state, sends the signal to the apparatuses so as to initialize the apparatuses, and rewrites the operating state from the first state to the second state when the operational state is not the first state.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the reset is caused while the apparatus are operating in a normal operation mode after initialization, or is caused before the operating state is rewritten to the second state after being rewritten to the first state.

11. The system according to claim 8,

wherein the apparatus include a normal operation mode and a low power operation mode, the power consumption of the low power operation mode being lower than that of the normal operation mode,

wherein the apparatus are not driven or are set to the low power operation mode as the low load state.

12. The system according to claim 9,

wherein the computer selects at least one of the apparatus which are not set to the low load state in accordance with the priority of the respective apparatuses,

wherein the selection is performed within a range that an estimated power consumption is lower than the residual quantity of the battery, the estimated power consumption being a sum of first and second power consumptions, and

wherein the first power consumption is the power consumption in the low load state of the apparatuses that are set to the low load state, the second power consumption is the power consumption of the apparatuses that are not set to the low load state.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein a look-up table that shows the priority of the respective apparatuses and the power consumption of the respective apparatuses is stored in the nonvolatile memory circuit.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the computer is connected to the battery via a regulator, the reset is performed by a reset circuit which outputs a reset signal to the computer when the output voltage of the power regulator becomes lower than a predetermined value.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein, in the low power operation mode, the output voltage of the regulator dose not become lower than the threshold voltage of the reset circuit even if the voltage of the battery dropped due to the power consumption of the apparatuses.

16. The system according to claim 8, wherein the computer receives the control command of the apparatuses and controls the apparatuses in accordance with the control command.

17. The system according to claim 8, wherein an information device is included among the apparatuses, the computer receives an information from the information device and sends the information outside.