Method for displaying information concerning power consumption and electronic device

• US 6,714,016 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Maruichi, Tomoyuki, Odaohhara, Shigefumi, Nakamura, Tetsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Deb, Anjan K.
• Application Number:
  US09/788,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20030205995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 324/103.R, 324/427, 324/435, 324/134, 324/142, 324/765, 713/340, 713/300, 702/60, 702/62, 702/63, 702/64, 320/149, 320/116, 320/128
• US Class Current: 324/427
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]

Abstract

An intelligent battery pack in an electronic device such as a PC, sends such information as a voltage, a current, etc. related to power consumption to a controller via a line when the PC is driven by a battery. When the AC adapter is supplying electrical power to the device, the power source is changed to the battery pack once only during the measuring time so as to display data using both measuring and communicating functions of the battery pack. Consequently, no special electric power detector is provided in the power supply system of the AC adapter.

Claims

1. A method for collecting and displaying information concerning power consumption of a battery pack, enabled for producing information of its condition, that is connected to an electronic device, said electronic device having a display and being powered by an AC adapter or said battery pack, said method enabling the sending of information concerning power consumption during intervals when AC adapter power is being supplied, said method comprising the steps of:

intermittently stopping supply of electrical power by said AC adapter for a predetermined time, when said AC adapter is supplying electrical power to said electronic device, so as to temporarily force supply of said electric power to said electronic device to be from said battery pack;

obtaining information concerning a power consumption value from said battery pack during said interval; and

,

displaying said information concerning the power consumption value on said display, whereby battery information is collected and displayed that is not influenced by electrical power from said AC adapter.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of:

processing said information concerning the power consumption value obtained from said battery pack prior to displaying said information on said display and where the interval between stopping the supply of AC Adapter power is 10 seconds or more and the duration of stopping is two seconds or less.

3. An electronic device driven by an AC adapter or a battery pack enabled for the sending of information concerning battery power consumption, comprising:

a signal controllable switch connected between said AC adapter and said electronic device for shutting off electric power supplied from said AC adapter in response to a control signal and selecting power supply from said battery pack;

a micro-controller for outputting a control signal intermittently to said switch for a predetermined time interval so as to shut off said AC adapter electric power to said electronic device, and for receiving information concerning a power consumption value from said battery pack and outputting said information concerning power consumption; and

a display for displaying information concerning the power consumption value output from said micro-controller, whereby information concerning the battery pack is obtained without the influence of the AC adapter.

4. An electronic device comprising:

a battery pack enabled to communicate information concerning battery power consumption;

a power supply having an AC adapter and said battery pack;

a line coupled to said electronic device for supplying electric power to said electronic device from said battery pack which supplies electric power when the AC power is lost;

a controllable switch for shutting off electric power supplied from the AC adapter, in response to a control signal, and, thereby, selecting power from said battery pack;

a controller, coupled to said battery pack and said controllable switch, which intermittently applies a control signal to said switch for a predetermined time interval so as to shut off the power from the AC adapter to said electronic device and, during said time interval receives power consumption information from said battery pack, and outputs said information concerning power consumption if said line is used to supply electric power; and

a display, coupled to said communication controller, which displays power consumption information output from said controller in one of the formats selected from the group consisting of a line graph, a bar graph and value information whereby inormation of battery condition is displayed which is not influenced by the AC adapter.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein said controller reduces the frequency of collection of power consumption information when said electronic device is powered by said battery pack whereby unnecessary battery performance degradation is avoided gololy due to the collection and display of power consumption data and wherein the electronic device has power saving that is normally active when the battery pack is powering said electronic device, which is signalled to be inactive during said interval.