Portable device, battery pack, display controlling method, and display controlling program

• US 9,031,801 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2009
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd. (MinebeaMitsumi Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd. (MinebeaMitsumi Inc.)
• Inventors: Sugaya, Takayuki, Asai, Takanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu, Sujoy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Paul D
• Application Number:
  US13/120,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20110178746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,133 Days
• Field of Search: 702/63
• US Class Current: 702/63
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3646 for indicating electrical conditions or variables, e.g. visual or audible indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• 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 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A portable device driven by a secondary battery which is chargeable and dischargeable, the portable device including a full charge detecting unit configured to detect full charge of the secondary battery in receipt of a report of the full charge and acquires capacity data indicative of a capacity of the secondary battery, a memory controlling unit configured to store the capacity data acquired by the full charge detecting unit in a memory unit, and a display control unit configured to cause a display unit of the portable device to display the capacity data stored by the memory controlling unit in chronological order.

Claims

1. A portable device driven by a secondary battery which is chargeable and dischargeable, the portable device comprising:

a full charge detecting unit that is connected with the secondary battery including a monitoring IC for detecting full charged states of the secondary battery, a plurality of capacity data indicative of capacities of the secondary battery in the full charged states, and time points when the full charged states are detected so as to acquire the plurality of capacity data indicative of the capacities of the secondary battery in the full charged states and the time points in the full charged states in association with the plurality of capacity data from the monitoring IC of the secondary battery;

a memory controlling unit that stores the plurality of capacity data and the corresponding time points acquired by the full charge detecting unit in a memory unit; and

a display control unit that causes a display unit of the portable device to display the plurality of capacity data stored by the memory controlling unit in chronological order, which is along the time points corresponding to the plurality of capacity data.

2. The portable device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a setting unit configured to set a timing for acquiring each of the capacity data,

wherein the full charge detecting unit acquires each of the capacity data at a timing set by the setting unit.

3. The portable device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a ratio calculating unit configured to calculate a ratio between an initial value of the capacity of the secondary battery and each of the capacity data,

wherein the display control unit displays each of the capacity data along with the ratio.

4. The portable device according to claim 3,

wherein the display control unit causes the display unit of the portable device to display each of the capacity data and the corresponding initial value of the capacity so as to compare each of the capacity data with the corresponding initial value of the capacity, and causes the display unit of the portable device to display a ratio between finally detected capacity data among the capacity data and the initial value independently from the display of each of the capacity data.

5. The portable device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a residual quantity data acquiring unit configured to acquire residual quantity data indicative of a residual quantity of the secondary battery,

wherein the display control unit causes the display unit of the portable device to display the residual quantity data and the plurality of capacity data while associating the residual quantity data with the plurality of capacity data.

6. The portable device according to claim 5,

wherein the display control unit causes the display unit of the portable device to display the residual quantity data and finally detected capacity data of the plurality of capacity data while associating the residual quantity data with the finally acquired capacity data.

7. A battery pack which is chargeable and dischargeable and drives a portable device including

a full charge detecting unit that is connected with a secondary battery, and acquires full charged states of the secondary battery, a plurality of capacity data indicative of capacities of the secondary battery in the full charged states, and time points when the full charged states are detected,

a memory controlling unit that stores the plurality of capacity data and the corresponding time points acquired by the full charge detecting unit in a memory unit,

a display control unit that causes a display unit of the portable device to display the plurality of capacity data stored by the memory controlling unit in chronological order, which is along the time points corresponding to the plurality of capacity data, the battery pack comprises:

the secondary battery

that includes a monitoring IC acquiring the full charged states of the secondary battery, the plurality of capacity data indicative of the capacities of the secondary battery in the full charged states, and the time points when the full charged states are detected,

and providing the full charged states of the secondary battery, the plurality of capacity data indicative of the capacities of the secondary battery in the full charged states, and the time points when the full charged states are detected to the full charge detecting unit of the portable device.

8. The battery pack according to claim 7, further comprising:

a setting unit configured to set a timing of acquiring each of the capacity data,

wherein the monitoring IC provides each of the capacity data to the portable device at a timing set by the setting unit.

9. A display controlling method using a portable device driven by a secondary battery which is chargeable and dischargeable, the display controlling method comprising:

detecting, by the secondary battery, full charged states of the secondary battery, a plurality of capacity data indicative of capacities of the secondary battery in the full charged states, and time points when the full charged states are detected;

storing, by the portable device, the plurality of capacity data and the corresponding time points detected by the detecting in a memory unit; and

displaying, by a display unit included in the portable device, the plurality of capacity data stored by the storing the capacity data in chronological order, which is along the plurality of time points corresponding to the plurality of capacity data.

10. The display controlling method according to claim 9, further comprising:

setting a timing for acquiring each of the capacity data,

wherein the detecting full charge of the secondary battery acquires each of the capacity data at a timing set by the setting.

11. The display controlling method according to claim 9, further comprising:

calculating a ratio between an initial value of the capacity of the secondary battery and each of the capacity data,

wherein the displaying the capacity data displays each of the capacity data along with the ratio.

12. The display controlling method according to claim 11,

wherein the displaying displays each of the capacity data and the corresponding initial value of the capacity so as to compare each of the capacity data with the corresponding initial value of the capacity, and displays a ratio between finally detected capacity data among the capacity data and the initial value independently from the display of each of the capacity data.

13. The display controlling method according to claim 9, further comprising:

acquiring residual quantity data indicative of a residual quantity of the secondary battery,

wherein the displaying displays the residual quantity data and the capacity data while associating the residual quantity data with the plurality of capacity data.

14. The display controlling method according to claim 13,

wherein the displaying displays the residual quantity data and finally detected capacity data of the plurality of capacity data while associating the residual quantity data with the finally acquired capacity data.

15. A non-transitory recording medium saving a display controlling program representing a sequence of instructions, the display controlling program which when executed by a computer included in a portable device driven by a chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery, the instructions cause the portable device or the chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery to function as:

detecting, by the chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery, full charged states of the secondary battery, a plurality of capacity data indicative of capacities of the secondary battery in the full charged states, and time points when the full charged states are detected;

storing, by the portable device, the plurality of capacity data and the corresponding time points detected by the detecting in a memory unit; and

displaying, by a display unit included in the portable device, the plurality of capacity data stored by the storing the capacity data in chronological order, which is along the plurality of time points corresponding to the plurality of capacity data.

16. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 15,

the instructions cause the portable device to further function as:

setting a timing for acquiring each of the capacity data,

wherein the detecting acquires each of the capacity data at a timing set by the setting.

17. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 15,

the instructions cause the portable device to further function as:

calculating a ratio between an initial value of the capacity of the secondary battery and each of the capacity data,

wherein the displaying the capacity data displays each of the capacity data along with the ratio.

18. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 17,

wherein the displaying displays each of the capacity data and the corresponding initial value of the capacity so as to compare each of the capacity data with the corresponding initial value of the capacity, and displays a ratio between finally detected capacity data among the capacity data and the initial value independently from the display of each of the capacity data.

19. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 15,

the instructions cause the portable device to further function as:

acquiring residual quantity data indicative of a residual quantity of the secondary battery,

wherein the displaying displays the residual quantity data and the capacity data while associating the residual quantity data with the plurality of capacity data.

20. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 19,

wherein the displaying displays the residual quantity data and finally detected capacity data of the plurality of capacity data while associating the residual quantity data with the finally acquired capacity data.