Electronic apparatus and display method of remaining battery level

• US 8,441,232 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hayasaki, Hiromi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOATENG, ALEXIS ASIEDUA
• Application Number:
  US11/853,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20080067979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,072 Days
• Field of Search: 320/134, 320/136, 320/106, 320/135, 320/137, 320/132, 320/DIG.18, 320/DIG.19, 320/DIG.21, 320/148, 320/149, 320/150, 320/160, 320/161
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3646 for indicating electrical conditions or variables, e.g. visual or audible indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/26 Power supplies; Circuitry or arrangement to switch on the power source; Circuitry to check the power source voltage
• 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 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/202 Casings or frames around the primary casing of a single cell or a single battery
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/247 specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The electronic apparatus allows a user to arbitrarily set a display of a remaining battery level. The apparatus includes a detector which detects a remaining battery level of a battery, and a threshold-value-setting part which is operated by a user to set a threshold value for performing a display relating to the remaining battery level. The apparatus further includes a controller which displays in a display device an image representing the remaining battery level in accordance with the result of a comparison between the remaining battery level detected by the detector and the threshold value set with the threshold-value-setting part.

Claims

1. An electronic which is supplied an electric power from a battery, comprising:

a detector which detects a remaining battery level of the battery;

a display device which displays a battery icon representing the remaining battery level;

a controller which controls the display device so that the battery icon changes a first state into a second state when the remaining battery level detected by the detector is lower than a threshold value; and

a changing unit which changes the threshold value in accordance with a change instruction of a user;

wherein the controller controls the display device so that a character of the threshold value and a discharge characteristic graph of the battery are displayed together on the display device when the changing unit accepts the change instruction of the user to change the threshold value.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the character of the threshold value is located on the discharge characteristic graph, and

wherein the character of the threshold value moves along the discharge characteristic graph in accordance with the change instruction of the user.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determining unit which determines type of the battery; and

a memory which stores a plurality of discharge characteristic graphs associated with types of batteries,

wherein the controller selects a discharge characteristic graph associated with the determined type of the battery from a plurality of discharge characteristic graphs, and wherein the controller controls the display device so as to display the discharge characteristic graph associated with the determined type of the battery.

4. A method of displaying a remaining battery level in an electronic apparatus which is supplied an electric power from a battery, the method comprising:

detecting a remaining battery level of the battery;

displaying on a display device a battery icon representing the remaining battery level;

changing the battery icon in a first state into a second state when the detected remaining battery level is lower than a threshold value; and

changing the threshold value in accordance with a change instruction of a user, wherein a character of the threshold value which is set and a discharge characteristic graph of the battery are displayed together on the display device when the changing unit can accept the change instruction of the user to change the threshold value.

5. The method according to claim 4,

wherein the character of the threshold value is located on the discharge characteristic graph, and

wherein the character of the threshold value moves along the discharge characteristic graph in accordance with the change instruction of the user.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

determining type of the battery; and

selecting a discharge characteristic graph associated with the determined type of the battery from a plurality of discharge characteristic graphs,

wherein the discharge characteristic graph associated with the determined type of the battery is displayed on the display device.