Electronic apparatus, input apparatus for display apparatus, and method of detecting remaining utility of battery of the same

• US 9,841,462 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2014
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sang-jin, Keum, Kun-ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robbins, Jerry D
• Application Number:
  US14/333,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20150115971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: 324435
• 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: G01R 31/3647 for determining the ability of a battery to perform a critical function, e.g. cranking
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/305 in the event of power-supply fluctuations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An electronic apparatus, an input apparatus and a method of determining a remaining utility of a battery of the same, the electronic apparatus including: a battery configured to supply power to the electronic apparatus; a first detector configured to receive a voltage value of the battery, to convert the voltage value into a signal, and to output the signal; a second detector configured to detect a decrease in the voltage value of the battery to a reference voltage or lower and to output a detection result; and a controller configured to receive the output values of the first and second detectors, to determine a remaining utility of the battery based on the output values of the first and second detectors, and to determine an abnormal state of the battery based on the output values of the first and second detectors.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a battery configured to supply power to the electronic apparatus;

a first detector configured to receive a voltage value of the battery, to convert the voltage value into a signal, and to output the signal;

a second detector configured to detect whether a voltage value of the battery drops under a predetermined first value; and

a controller configured;

to calculate an average voltage from the battery over a predetermined time;

to determine that the battery is in an abnormal state if the average voltage is smaller than a predetermined second value, the second value being larger than the first value;

to determine that the battery is in a normal state if the average voltage is not smaller than the second value and the second detector detects that the voltage value does not drop under the first value in the predetermined time; and

to determine that the battery is in the abnormal state if the average voltage is not smaller than the second value and the second detector detects that the voltage value drops under the first value in the predetermined time.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to display a user interface (UI) representing a determined remaining utility of the battery.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to display a UI representing a battery warning in response to the battery being determined to be in an abnormal state.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the remaining utility of the battery as one of a plurality of levels divided according to preset voltage values.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the remaining utility of the battery as a lower level than a level corresponding to a signal output by the first detector.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a communicator configured to transmit information on the remaining utility of the battery to an external device.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first detector comprises an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter configured to convert the voltage value of the battery into a digital value.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to measure the voltage of the battery in a low driving electric current of the electronic apparatus, to control the A/D converter to convert the voltage value into a digital value and to output the digital value, and to calculate an average of output values of the A/D converter, and to determine the remaining utility of the battery based on the average of the output values.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second detector comprises a plurality of voltage detection blocks having different reference voltages.

10. A method of determining a remaining utility of a battery of an electronic device, the battery being configured to supply power to the electronic device, the method comprising:

converting a voltage value of the battery into a signal with a first detector;

detecting whether a voltage value of the battery drops under a predetermined first value with a second detector;

calculating an average voltage of the battery over a predetermined time;

determining that the battery is in an abnormal state if the average voltage is smaller than a predetermined second value, the second value being larger than the first value;

determining that the battery is in a normal state if the average voltage is not smaller than the second value and the detecting indicates that the voltage value does not drop under the first value in the predetermined time;

determining that the battery is in an abnormal state if the average voltage is not smaller than the second value and the detecting indicates that the voltage value drops under the first value in the predetermine time.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying a user interface (UI) representing the determined remaining utility of the battery.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying a UI representing a battery warning in response to the battery being determined to be in an abnormal state.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining of the remaining utility of the battery comprises determining the remaining utility of the battery to be one of a plurality of levels divided according to preset voltage values.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining of the remaining utility of the battery comprises determining the remaining utility of the battery as a lower level than a level corresponding to the signal based on the detecting.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting information on the remaining utility of the battery to an external device.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the converting comprises converting the voltage value of the battery into a digital value and outputting the digital value.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the converting further comprises outputting a plurality of digital values, and the method further comprises:

calculating an average of the plurality of the digital values.

18. An input apparatus of a display apparatus, the input apparatus comprising:

a communicator configured to communicate with the display apparatus;

a battery configured to supply power to the input apparatus;

a first detector configured to receive a voltage value of the battery, to convert the voltage value into a signal, and to output the signal;

a second detector configured to detect whether a voltage value of the battery drops under a predetermined first value; and

a controller configured;

to calculate an average voltage from the battery over a predetermined time;

to determine that the battery is in an abnormal state if the average voltage is smaller than a predetermined second value, the second value being larger than the first value;

to determine that the battery is in a normal state if the average voltage is not smaller than the second value and the second detector detects that the voltage value does not drop under the first value in the predetermined time; and

to determine that the battery is in the abnormal state if the average voltage is not smaller than the second value and the second detector detects that the voltage value drops under the first value in the predetermined time.

19. The input apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to control the communicator to transmit information on the remaining utility of the battery to the display apparatus, and

wherein the display apparatus is configured to display the remaining utility of the battery based on the transmitted information as one of a plurality of levels divided according to preset voltage values and to display a user interface (UI) representing a battery warning in response to the battery being in an abnormal state.