Battery capacity display device and camera

• US 20050013604A1
• Filed: 07/15/2004
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Ogawa, Hidehiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,040,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/279
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3646 for indicating electrical conditions or variables, e.g. visual or audible indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC

Abstract

A battery capacity display device for an electronic apparatus, includes: a nonvolatile storage unit that stores information related to a remaining capacity in a rechargeable battery output from a battery module having the rechargeable battery and an arithmetic operation unit that calculates the information related to the remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery based upon a value of an electrical current flowing to the rechargeable battery; a display unit that displays the remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery based upon the information related to the remaining capacity; and a display control unit that controls the display unit so as to display the remaining capacity based upon the information related to the remaining capacity stored at the storage unit at least until the information related to the remaining capacity is output from the battery module following a startup of the electronic apparatus.

Claims

1. A battery capacity display device for an electronic apparatus, comprising:

a nonvolatile storage unit that stores information related to a remaining capacity in a rechargeable battery output from a battery module having the rechargeable battery and an arithmetic operation unit that calculates the information related to the remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery based upon a value of an electrical current flowing to the rechargeable battery;

a display unit that displays the remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery based upon the information related to the remaining capacity; and

a display control unit that controls the display unit so as to display the remaining capacity based upon the information related to the remaining capacity stored at the storage unit at least until the information related to the remaining capacity is output from the battery module following a startup of the electronic apparatus.

2. A battery capacity display device for an electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the information related to the remaining capacity includes the remaining capacity itself or a discharged capacity in the rechargeable battery

3. A battery capacity display device for an electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the battery module outputs the latest information related to the remaining capacity over a predetermined time interval; and

the display unit displays the remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery based upon the latest information related to the remaining capacity.

4. A battery capacity display device for an electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the startup includes a startup effected in an operation OFF state and a startup effected in a power saving operation state.

5. A battery capacity display device for an electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the display control unit controls the display unit so as to display the remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery based upon the information related to the remaining capacity stored at the storage unit before entering a state prior to the startup of the electronic apparatus.

6. A battery capacity display device for an electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the display control unit controls the display unit so as to perform a display different from a display of the remaining capacity when the battery module becomes newly loaded into the electronic apparatus, at least until the information related to the remaining capacity is output from the battery module following the startup of the electronic apparatus.

7. A battery capacity display device for an electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the display control unit controls the display unit to perform a display different from a display of the remaining capacity when the electronic apparatus having been operating on a current supplied from an external source is switched to operate on a current supplied from the battery module, a least until the information related to the remaining capacity is output from the battery module following the switch-over.

8. A camera comprising:

a battery capacity display device for an electronic apparatus according to claim 1;

and

a photographing unit that allows a new photographing operation at least until the information related to the remaining capacity is output from the battery module following the startup.

9. A camera comprising:

a battery capacity display device for an electronic apparatus according to claim 1;

and

a photographing unit that disallows a new photographing operation at least until the information related to the remaining capacity is output from the battery module following the startup.

10. An electronic camera comprising:

a remaining capacity obtaining unit that obtains information related to a remaining capacity in a battery that drives the electronic camera;

a storage unit that stores photographed image data;

a transfer/recording unit that transfers and records the image data stored in the storage unit into a recording medium;

a power information calculation unit that calculates a power required while the transfer/recording unit is engaged in transfer and recording processing; and

a control unit that allows a start of another photographing operation if the remaining capacity in the battery based upon the obtained information related to the remaining capacity in the battery is equal to or greater than a value of the power calculated by the power information calculation unit and disallows the start of another photographing operation if the remaining capacity in the battery is smaller than a value of the calculated power.

11. An electronic camera according to claim 10, further comprising:

a connection unit that connects a battery module having a rechargeable battery and an arithmetic operation unit that calculates information related to a remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery based upon a value indicating a current flowing to the rechargeable battery, wherein;

the remaining capacity obtaining unit obtains the information related to the remaining capacity in the battery from the battery module connected to the connection unit.

12. An electronic camera according to claim 11, wherein:

the battery module further includes a temperature detection unit that detects a temperature of the rechargeable battery; and

the arithmetic operation unit corrects the information related to the remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery calculated thereby in correspondence to the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit.

13. An electronic camera according to claim 10, further comprising:

a data size setting unit that sets at least either a data size of image data to be recorded into the recording medium or whether or not compression processing is to be executed in response to a setting operation, wherein;

the power information calculation unit calculates the required power based upon the image data size or whether or not the compression processing is to be executed set by the data size setting unit and a storage capacity of the storage unit.

14. An electronic camera comprising:

a remaining capacity obtaining unit that obtains information related to a remaining capacity in a battery that drives the electronic camera;

a storage unit that stores photographed image data;

a transfer/recording unit that transfers and records the image data stored in the storage unit into a recording medium; and

a control unit that allows a start of another photographing operation if the remaining capacity in the battery based upon the obtained information related to the remaining capacity in the battery is equal to or greater than a value of a power required while image data corresponding to a single frame are transferred and recorded by the transfer/recording unit and disallows the start of another photographing operation if the remaining capacity in the battery is smaller than the value of the required power.

15. An electronic camera according to claim 14, further comprising:

a connection unit that connects a battery module having a rechargeable battery and an arithmetic operation unit that calculates information related to a remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery based upon a value indicating a current flowing to the rechargeable battery, wherein;

the remaining capacity obtaining unit obtains the information related to the remaining capacity in the battery from the battery module connected to the connection unit.