JP2011185662A - Electronic equipment, battery pack, equipment system, and method and program of controlling battery pack cooling section - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic equipment, a battery pack, an equipment system, and a method and a program of controlling a battery pack cooling section capable of accurately computing an available time of a battery pack when cooling a battery cell. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic equipment includes an information reception section 211 which receives a power consumption value of a cooling section of a battery pack 1 having a battery cell 2 and a cooling section 14 for cooling the battery cell from the battery pack and a compute section 213 which computes the available time of the battery pack based on the power consumption value of the cooling section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device, a battery pack, a device system, a method for controlling a battery pack cooling unit, and a program.

  Conventionally, battery packs such as lithium ion batteries have a problem of temperature rise due to charging and discharging. In order to prevent the battery temperature from rising and the battery output, charging / discharging efficiency or battery life from decreasing, a cooling fan is used to cool the battery by blowing cooling air using a cooling fan as described in Patent Document 1 below. A cooling mechanism has been proposed.

JP 2003-142166 A

  In recent battery pack safety standards (Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law, UL2054, etc.), restrictions on temperature rise have become very strict. In some standards, the usable current value is limited by the temperature rise of discharge and charge in the battery single test.

  Battery-powered devices such as electronic devices such as portable imaging devices connected to batteries and charging systems are restricted to use within the limits of battery pack safety standards. If it exceeds, it can not be used. Depending on conditions, the function is limited or the function is stopped. In other words, it cannot be used despite the remaining battery level.

  In order to comply with the specifications of the safety standard and supply a sufficient current on the side of the device used, it is necessary to provide a cooling unit with a single battery and suppress an increase in temperature.

  However, in order to use a battery equipped with a cooling unit, it is necessary to deal with the equipment in use, but it is very difficult as a product lineup to make all devices and batteries compatible with the cooling unit. It is necessary to construct a system. When the cooling unit is activated, power consumed by the cooling unit is generated. Therefore, the conventional battery remaining amount calculation cannot be realized, so a new calculation method must be proposed.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a novel device capable of reliably calculating the usable time of the battery pack when the battery cell is cooled. Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved electronic device, battery pack, device system, battery pack cooling unit control method, and program.

  In order to solve the above problem, according to an aspect of the present invention, an information receiving unit that receives a power consumption value of a battery pack and a cooling unit of the battery pack having a cooling unit that cools the battery cell from the battery pack, and cooling An electronic device is provided that includes a calculation unit that calculates the usable time of the battery pack based on the power consumption value of the unit.

The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates an available time of the battery cell using Equation 1 below.
Battery cell usable time = (Bnow / Bmax) × (Mw / (Wset + Wbattcool))
(Formula 1)
Here, Bmax: battery cell full-charge state current integrated value, Bnow: current current integrated value of battery cell, Mw: operation possible time with reference power of device body, Wset: power value of use mode of device body, Wbattcool : Power consumption of the cooling unit

  You may further provide the display part which displays the usable time of the calculated battery cell.

  The information receiving unit may receive the power consumption value of the cooling unit having a value of 0 from the battery pack when the driving of the cooling unit is OFF.

  The information receiving unit may receive information indicating that the driving of the cooling unit is OFF from the battery pack.

  In order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, a battery cell, a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the battery cell, a cooling unit that cools the battery cell, and power from the battery cell. A battery pack is provided that includes an information transmission unit that transmits a power consumption value of a cooling unit to the electronic device in order for the electronic device to be supplied to calculate the usable time of the battery cell.

  The information transmission unit may transmit the power consumption value of the cooling unit as 0 to the electronic device when the driving of the cooling unit is OFF.

  The information transmission unit may transmit information indicating that the driving of the cooling unit is OFF to the electronic device.

  An information receiving unit that receives the power consumption value of the cooling unit of the battery pack having the battery cell and the cooling unit that cools the battery cell from the battery pack, and calculates the usable time of the battery pack based on the power consumption value of the cooling unit An electronic device having a calculation unit; a battery cell; a temperature detection unit that detects a temperature of the battery cell; a cooling unit; and an electronic device to which power is supplied from the battery cell to calculate a usable time of the battery cell And a battery pack having an information transmission unit that transmits the power consumption value of the cooling unit to the electronic device.

  In order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, the step of receiving the power consumption value of the battery pack and the cooling unit of the battery pack having the cooling unit for cooling the battery cell from the battery pack; A battery pack usable time calculating method comprising: calculating a battery pack usable time based on a power consumption value of a cooling unit.

  In order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, means for receiving from a battery pack a power consumption value of a battery pack having a battery cell and a cooling unit for cooling the battery cell, cooling There is provided a program for causing a computer to function as means for calculating the usable time of the battery pack based on the power consumption value of the unit.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when the battery cell is cooled, the usable time of the battery pack can be reliably calculated.

1 is a block diagram showing a device system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the apparatus system which concerns on the same embodiment. 3 is a block diagram showing a microcomputer 4 of the battery pack 1 according to the same embodiment. FIG. It is a block diagram showing microcomputer 21 of video camera 20 concerning the embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the apparatus system which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the apparatus system which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the apparatus system which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the charging system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the charging system which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the charging system which concerns on the same embodiment. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the temperature of battery pack 1 and time.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

The description will be made in the following order.
1. First embodiment (equipment system)
2. Second embodiment (charging system)
3. Effects of the embodiment of the present invention

<1. First Embodiment>
A device system including the battery pack 1 and the video camera 20 connected to the battery pack 1 will be described. In the device system of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, when the battery pack 1 including the cooling unit 14 and a device such as a video camera 20 are connected, as shown in FIG. In some cases, the battery pack 1 without the cooling unit 14 and a device such as the video camera 20 are connected. The video camera 20 may have a function corresponding to the cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1 or may not correspond to the cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1. Hereinafter, the battery pack 1 including the cooling unit 14 is also referred to as “cooling unit 14 [present]”, and the battery pack 1 without the cooling unit 14 is also referred to as “cooling unit 14 [none]”. The video camera 20 having a function corresponding to the cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1 is also referred to as “corresponding to the battery cooling unit 14 [OK]”, and the video camera 20 not corresponding to the cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1 is “ It is also referred to as “response [no] of battery cooling unit 14”.

  The battery pack 1 including the cooling unit 14 according to the present embodiment includes an air cooling type cooling mechanism 9 using, for example, an air pump or a fan. Accordingly, the battery pack 1 alone can be cooled, and the battery pack 1 can be prevented from becoming hot.

  Since the cooling unit 14 consumes power, when the battery pack 1 is discharged (when a device such as the connected video camera 20 is used), only when the battery pack 1 reaches a temperature near the upper limit at which it cannot be used. Set to work.

  The information [Yes] / [No] for the battery cooling unit 14 on the device side such as the video camera 20 and the [Yes] / [No] information on the cooling unit 14 on the battery pack 1 side are shared by communication. Equipment system that can be used in combination. For example, when the use device side is [No] for the battery cooling unit 14, the battery cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1 is set to [OFF fixed] so that the cooling unit 14 is not operated even at a high temperature.

  In addition, the battery remaining amount calculation according to the present embodiment is a calculation formula including the power consumption of the cooling unit 14, so that the battery remaining amount can be accurately calculated even during the cooling operation.

[Battery pack 1]
First, the configuration of the battery pack 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a device system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a block diagram showing a battery pack 1 and a video camera 20.

  The battery pack 1 includes one or more battery cells 2, a charge control FET 5 mounted on the control board 3, a discharge control FET 6, a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer) 4, a current detection resistor 7, A temperature detection unit 10 and the like are provided. Further, the battery pack 1 is provided with a cooling mechanism driving unit 8 that controls the cooling mechanism 9 by disposing an air-cooling cooling mechanism 9 such as an air pump or a fan near the cell 2. The cooling mechanism drive unit 8 and the cooling mechanism 9 are collectively referred to as a cooling unit 14.

The microcomputer 4 of the battery pack 1 includes a driver, an A / D converter, a nonvolatile memory (hereinafter referred to as a memory), a communication interface, a CPU, and the like. The microcomputer 4 is connected to the positive cell terminal and detects the output voltage of the battery cell 2. The microcomputer 4 is connected with the current detection resistor 7 interposed therebetween, and measures the current value due to the potential difference. Furthermore, the microcomputer 4 detects the temperature in the battery pack 1 by being connected to a temperature detection unit 10 such as a thermistor. Information of all the CPUs including the accumulated calculation result in the current value is held in the memory.

  The microcomputer 4 includes an upper limit regulation temperature value, a cooling start temperature value, a cooling stop temperature value, a cooling stop current value, [Yes] / [No] information of the cooling unit 14, a power consumption value of the cooling unit 14, and a full charge capacity. Fixed information such as a value and a setting value of each protection device is stored in advance. Further, the microcomputer 4 generates information such as an output voltage value, an input / output current value, a current integrated value, charge / discharge cycle information, a temperature value in the battery pack 1 and the like, which are fluctuation values.

  Then, the microcomputer 4 performs information communication with the video camera 20 which is a battery using device from the control terminal (C) 13 through the communication interface, and transmits necessary information. When the battery-operated device is in operation, the microcomputer 4 periodically transmits the latest information at intervals of 1 second, for example. In the present embodiment, the video camera 20 is described as an example of a device used, but the device used may be an electronic device such as a portable imaging device, a charging system, or the like.

  Since the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 corresponds to the difference in the power consumption value depending on the cooling method and capacity, a fixed power value corresponding to each is written in the memory of the battery pack 1. During the period when the cooling unit 14 is not operating, 0 mW is transmitted as a fixed value at the time of OFF, and when the cooling unit 14 is operating, a fixed power value is transmitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the microcomputer 4 includes a video camera necessary information transmission unit 41, a battery necessary information transmission unit 42, a cooling function correspondence determination unit 43, a cooling function control unit 44, and the like. The video camera necessary information transmission unit 41 is an example of an information transmission unit. In order to calculate the usable time of the battery pack 1 by the video camera 20, the video camera 20 sends the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 to the video camera 20 Send necessary information. The battery necessary information receiving unit 42 is an example of an information receiving unit, and information (first information) necessary for the battery pack 1 such as whether or not the video camera 20 is compatible with the cooling unit 14 from the video camera 20. Receive. The cooling function correspondence determination unit 43 determines whether the video camera 20 is compatible with the cooling unit 14 based on the battery necessary information. When the video camera 20 is compatible with the cooling unit 14, the cooling function control unit 44 switches the cooling unit 14 on or off according to the detected temperature. In addition, when the video camera 20 does not support the cooling unit 14, the cooling function control unit 44 keeps driving of the cooling unit 14 off.

  The battery pack 1 has a plus terminal 11 and a minus terminal 12 as power input / output terminals.

[Video camera 20]
An example of the configuration of a camera-integrated video recorder 20 (hereinafter referred to as a video camera 20) is shown as an example of an electronic apparatus typified by a portable imaging device loaded with a battery pack 1.

  The video camera 20 includes a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer) 21, a display device (hereinafter referred to as an LCD display unit) 22, and a power supply block (hereinafter referred to as REG) 23.

  The microcomputer 21 includes at least a non-volatile memory (hereinafter referred to as a memory) that stores settings and data, a communication interface, a CPU that calculates a remaining amount from each information, and a display control circuit that generates a display signal. Prepare.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the microcomputer 21 includes a video camera necessary information receiving unit 211, a battery necessary information transmitting unit 212, a remaining amount calculating unit 213, and the like. The video camera necessary information receiving unit 211 is an example of an information receiving unit, and receives information necessary for the video camera 20 such as a power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 from the battery pack 1. The battery necessary information transmission unit 212 transmits information (first information) necessary for the battery pack 1 such as whether or not the video camera 20 main body is compatible with the cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1. The remaining amount calculation unit is an example of a calculation unit, and calculates the usable time of the battery pack 1 based on the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14.

  The LCD display unit 22 is supplied with a display signal corresponding to the calculation result of the microcomputer 21, and displays the battery remaining amount and the like from this display signal. The REG 23 outputs a voltage necessary for the electric power supplied from the battery pack 1 to each block. Note that the video camera 20 has a configuration for shooting and various configurations for recording / reproducing the shot video signal, which are omitted in the description of FIG.

  The positive terminal 11 of the battery pack 1 is connected to the positive terminal 24 of the video camera 20, and the negative terminal 12 of the battery pack 1 is connected to the negative terminal 25 of the video camera 20. Then, power is supplied from the battery pack 1 to the video camera 20 via the plus terminal 24 and the minus terminal 25 of the video camera 20. Information communication between the microcomputer 4 of the battery pack 1 and the microcomputer 21 of the video camera 20 is performed via the control terminal (C) 13 of the battery pack 1 and the control terminal (C) 26 of the video camera 20. .

  In addition to the fixed power value and each set value information for each use mode, the microcomputer 21 has a safe discharge upper limit regulation temperature (operation stop) of the battery, a recoverable temperature at the time of operation stop, a cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1 [nothing ] Is also stored in advance. In addition to the set end voltage value, the set power value, and the like from the control terminal (C) 26 through the communication interface to the battery pack 1, the microcomputer 21 provides information on [Yes] / [No] for the battery cooling unit 14 of the video camera 20. Send.

  If the cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1 is air-cooled cooling, for example, when the battery pack 1 is installed inside the video camera 20, the video camera 20 has a ventilation path for cooling and exhausting the battery pack 1 on the exterior. It may be necessary. Therefore, in the video camera 20, when the ventilation path is not provided and the video camera 20 is not compatible with the cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1, the video camera 20 transmits information on the correspondence [No] of the cooling unit 14. .

  Next, information held by the battery pack 1 and the video camera 20 will be described. FIG. 11 shows a temperature image of the battery pack 1. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the temperature of the battery pack 1 and time.

[Battery side information]
Hereinafter, information held by the battery pack 1 will be described.
Safety regulation upper limit temperature value: When the unit discharge is in particular, the RTI temperature (80 ° C) of the cabinet in the UL2054 application is a bottleneck Cooling start temperature value: Start cooling with a margin to the regulation upper limit regulation temperature value Temperature (eg 75 ° C)
Cooling stop temperature value: temperature at which cooling is stopped when cooling starts and the temperature drops (for example, 70 ° C.)
Cooling stop current value: If the current is sufficiently low after the start of cooling, the temperature is not increased and cooling is stopped (for example, 100 mA)
Power consumption value of the cooling unit 14: The power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 is stored as a fixed value (B). When the cooling unit 14 is in the OFF state, 0 mW is set as the fixed value (A). By transmitting (B) as the cooling unit 14 [ON] and (A) as the cooling unit 14 [OFF], it also serves as the meaning of the operation state flag. Full charge capacity value: capacity when fully charged (integrated value) , [Yes] / [No] information of the cooling unit 14 used for calculating the remaining amount: Identification information for the presence of those without the cooling unit 14 in the lineup

[Video camera side information]
Next, information held by the video camera 20 will be described.
Battery pack 1 safe discharge upper limit regulation temperature (operation stop): On the device (video camera 20) side, the regulation of the electric safety law becomes a bottleneck, and the operation stop is required depending on the surface temperature of the cell 2 (80 ° C). Recoverable temperature: Temperature that is set so that the operation can be recovered after the operation is stopped (for example, 70 ° C.)
High temperature warning temperature at the time of the cooling unit 14 [no] of the battery pack 1 etc .: Since there is no cooling, an alarm is given to the user before the operation is stopped (for example, 73 ° C.)
Correspondence [OK] / [NO] information of the battery cooling unit 14: When the battery pack 1 is externally attached and does not need to correspond to the device (video camera 20) side, or when the battery pack 1 is installed inside and supplies / exhausts If there is a ventilation path, send a response [Yes]. If there is a problem with the cooling operation, or if the cooling operation has no effect, a response [No] is transmitted.

[Operation of device system]
Next, the operation of the device system including the video camera 20 and the battery pack 1 will be described.

  First, when the battery pack 1 is inserted into the video camera 20, it is confirmed whether or not the video camera 20 can communicate with the battery pack 1 (step S110). This embodiment cannot be applied when the video camera 20 and the battery pack 1 cannot communicate with each other. On the other hand, when the video camera 20 can communicate with the battery pack 1, when the battery pack 1 is attached to the video camera 20, the necessary information for the video camera is transmitted from the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 to the video camera 20 microcomputer 21 (step S010). ). Necessary information of the video camera includes a set end voltage value, a cell voltage value, a discharge current value, a temperature value in the battery pack 1, a full charge capacity value, a current integrated value, [Yes] / [No] information of the cooling unit 14, fixed This is information necessary for the video camera 20 such as the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 as a value.

  During the period when the cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1 is [OFF], the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 is set to 0 mW and transmitted to the video camera 20, so that the determination information that the cooling unit 14 is [OFF] is also obtained. I also serve. These are performed when the battery pack 1 is mounted even if the power of the video camera 20 is not turned on.

  The video camera 20 transmits the battery pack necessary information from the video camera 20 microcomputer 21 to the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 (step S112). The information necessary for the battery pack includes a set end voltage value, a set power value, correspondence [appropriate] / [no], etc. of the battery cooling unit 14. These are performed when the battery pack 1 is mounted even if the power of the video camera 20 is not turned on.

  When the cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1 is [Yes] (step S012), but the video camera 20 is [No] corresponding to the cooling unit 14 (step S014), the battery pack 1 turns off the cooling unit 14 [OFF]. The setting is switched to “fixed” (step S040). Thereby, the cooling part 14 of the battery pack 1 is not used. The setting of [OFF fixed] of the cooling unit 14 is canceled when the battery pack 1 is removed from the video camera 20 or information communication is interrupted.

  When the cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1 is [Yes] (step S012) and the video camera 20 is [Yes] corresponding to the cooling unit 14 (step S014), the cooling unit 14 can be operated, and the battery pack 1 The microcomputer 4 [ON] [OFF] the cooling unit 14 according to the set temperature (step S016).

  After the power of the video camera 20 is turned on (step S114), information on the fluctuation value is periodically transmitted from the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 (step S018).

  The video camera 20 microcomputer 21 calculates the remaining time (hereinafter referred to as the battery remaining amount) that can be used in the current use mode of the video camera 20 (step S116). In addition to charge / discharge cycle information, a set end voltage value, a temperature value in the battery pack 1, a full charge capacity value, an integrated current value, etc., the remaining battery level is calculated in a power value (fixed) of the current operation mode of the video camera 20. Value).

  In this embodiment, the total power value is calculated by adding the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 as information from the battery pack 1 to the power value (fixed value) of the current operation mode of the video camera 20 according to the conventional calculation formula. Make an expression. As a result, it is possible to calculate a more accurate remaining battery level including power consumption when the battery pack 1 becomes hot and the cooling unit 14 is operated. In the case where the cooling unit 14 is not operating or in the cooling unit 14 [none], the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 is 0 mW, so that the calculation formula can be used in common (step S116).

  When the battery remaining amount information obtained by the calculation circuit can be displayed on the LCD display unit 22 of the video camera 20 (step S118), it is displayed on the LCD display unit 22 (step S120).

  When the cooling unit 14 of the battery pack 1 is “Yes” and the corresponding cooling unit 14 of the video camera 20 is “enabled” (steps S012 and S014), the battery pack 1 has the temperature of the battery pack 1 temperature detection unit 10. Is less than or equal to the cooling start temperature stored in the microcomputer 4 (step S020). The battery pack 1 operates the cooling unit 14 when the temperature of the battery pack 1 temperature detection unit 10 exceeds the cooling start temperature (step S022).

  When the battery cooling unit 14 is in an operating state, the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 changes the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 from 0 mW to the video camera 20 microcomputer 21, which is a fixed value stored in the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4. It changes into the power consumption value of the part 14, and transmits (step S024). The power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 that is a fixed value sent to the video camera 20 is also used as information that cooling has started, and the video camera 20 detects the cooling of the battery pack 1 by receiving the fixed value. To do. The information that the cooling has started may be a flag separately from the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 that is a fixed value.

  When the information about the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 is input, the video camera 20 microcomputer 21 calculates the remaining battery level including the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 (step S122). When the calculated battery remaining amount value and a warning display indicating that the cooling unit 14 is in operation can be displayed on the LCD display unit 22 of the video camera 20 (step S124), the display is displayed on the video camera 20 LCD display unit 22. (Step S126). Thus, the user can be given the option of whether to continue using the video camera 20 even if extra power is consumed or to stop using the video camera 20 and lower the temperature of the battery pack 1. it can.

  While the cooling unit 14 is in operation, the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 is set to a sufficiently low value that does not affect the temperature rise or the cooling stop temperature value that is set with the hysteresis stored in the microcomputer 4 or lower. It is determined whether the current value is equal to or less than the current cooling stop current value (step S026). When it becomes below the cooling stop temperature value and below the cooling stop current value, the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 stops the cooling unit 14 (step S028). At that time, the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 is changed to 0 mW and transmitted from the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 to the video camera 20 microcomputer 21 (step S030).

  The video camera 20 microcomputer 21 calculates the remaining battery level by setting the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 to 0 mW when the information of the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 is input (step S116). Then, the cooling unit 14 deletes the warning display of the operating state, and displays the calculated battery remaining amount value on the video camera 20 LCD display unit 22 (step S120).

  If the temperature further rises even during operation of the cooling unit 14 due to an abnormal factor or the like and reaches the safe discharge upper limit temperature limit (step S128), the video camera 20 forcibly stops the operation of the video camera 20 (Step S130). Whether to stop the operation of the video camera 20 is based on information periodically transmitted from the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4, whether or not the operation is higher than the battery safe discharge upper limit temperature operation stored in the video camera 20 microcomputer 21. to decide.

  When the operation of the video camera 20 is stopped, when display is possible on the LCD display unit 22 of the video camera 20 (step S124), only the video camera 20 microcomputer 21 and the LCD display unit 22 are in an operating state, and the operation is performed at a high battery temperature. Stop state warning display is performed (step S134).

  Next, it is determined from information periodically transmitted from the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 whether or not the temperature in the battery pack 1 has reached a temperature value at which operation can be restored (step S136). The operation-recoverable temperature value is a value set with hysteresis stored in the video camera 20 microcomputer 21.

  When the temperature in the battery pack 1 reaches the operation return possible temperature value or less, the video camera operation is restored (step S138).

  When the battery cooling unit 14 is [None] or when the battery cooling unit 14 of the video camera 20 is compatible [No], the video camera necessary information is periodically transmitted from the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 to the video camera 20 microcomputer 21. Is transmitted (step S042). At this time, the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 is transmitted as 0 mW from the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 to the video camera 20 microcomputer 21.

  When the temperature of the battery pack 1 rises during the operation of the video camera 20 (during shooting, playback, etc.), the video camera 20 determines that the battery high temperature is higher than the battery high temperature warning temperature value. A reminder is displayed (step S152). The battery high temperature warning temperature value is a value stored in the microcomputer 21 of the video camera 20 for calling attention when the cooling unit 14 is “none”. Whether the video camera 20 is equal to or higher than the battery high temperature warning temperature value is determined based on information periodically transmitted from the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4.

  When the video camera 20 is below the safe discharge upper limit temperature value and can be displayed on the LCD display unit 22 of the video camera 20 (step S150), the LCD display unit 22 performs a high temperature warning display and a remaining amount display (step S150). S152).

  Further, the video camera 20 determines whether or not the battery safe discharge upper limit temperature control operation stored in the video camera 20 microcomputer 21 is equal to or higher than the information periodically transmitted from the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 (step S148). ). When the battery high temperature warning temperature value is exceeded and the battery is continuously used and reaches the safe discharge upper limit temperature value, the operation of the video camera 20 is stopped (step S154).

  When the operation of the video camera 20 is stopped, when display is possible on the LCD display unit 22 of the video camera 20 (step S156), only the video camera 20 microcomputer 21 and the LCD display unit 22 are in an operating state, and the operation is stopped at a high battery temperature. A state warning is displayed (step S158).

  And when the temperature in the battery pack 1 reaches below the temperature value that can be restored with the hysteresis stored in the video camera 20 microcomputer 21 from the information periodically transmitted from the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4, The video camera operation is restored (step S162).

Below, an example of the battery remaining amount calculation formula of the video camera 20 will be described. The battery remaining amount calculation of this embodiment includes the power consumption value (fixed value or 0 mW) of the battery cooling unit 14.

Battery remaining time = (Bnow / Bmax) × (Mw / (Wset + Wbattcool))

Bmax: Battery full-charge current integrated value Bnow: Current battery current integrated value Mw: Video camera reference power consumption Wset: Video camera use mode power value Wbattcool: Battery cooling unit 14 power consumption value

  In addition, in FIG. 1 and the above-mentioned description, the case of air cooling type cooling by an air pump or a fan is described as an example, but a cooling mechanism of water cooling type cooling that circulates a liquid or electronic cooling type by a Peltier element is used. The cooling mechanism 9 can also be handled by the proposed system control.

<2. Second Embodiment>
A charging system including the battery pack 1 and a charger 30 connected to the battery pack 1 will be described. The configuration of the battery pack 1 is the same as that of the battery pack 1 described in the first embodiment.

  Next, the configuration of the charger 30 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the battery pack 1 and the charger 30.

  The charger 30 includes a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer) 31, a display device (hereinafter referred to as an LCD display unit) 32, and a power supply block (hereinafter referred to as REG) 33. The charge control circuit 34 is related to the power supply circuit for charging, which is the main function.

  The microcomputer 31 includes a non-volatile memory (hereinafter referred to as a memory) that stores each setting and data, a communication interface, a CPU that calculates a charging time and a remaining amount from each information, and a display control circuit that generates a display signal. And at least.

  The LCD display unit 32 is supplied with a display signal corresponding to the calculation result of the microcomputer 31, and displays the charging time and the like from this display signal. The REG 33 outputs a voltage necessary for each block.

  The positive terminal 11 of the battery pack 1 is connected to the positive terminal 35 of the charger 30, and the negative terminal 12 of the battery pack 1 is connected to the negative terminal 36 of the charger 30. A charging current is supplied from the charger 30 to the battery pack 1 via the positive terminal 35 and the negative terminal 36 of the charger 30. Information communication between the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 and the charger 30 microcomputer 31 is performed via the control terminal (C) 13 of the battery pack 1 and the control terminal (C) 37 of the charger 30.

  The microcomputer 31 stores in advance information such as a safe charge upper limit temperature value of the battery. The microcomputer 31 transmits necessary battery information, such as information on whether the battery cooling unit 14 of the charger 30 is compatible [Yes] / [No] to the battery pack 1.

[Operation of charging system]
Next, the operation of the charging system including the charger 30 and the battery pack 1 will be described. In the charging system, unlike the device system of the first embodiment, since there is no power consumption (discharge) due to the use of the device, cooling starts when charging starts.

  First, when the battery pack 1 is inserted into the charger 30, it is confirmed whether or not the charger 30 can communicate with the battery pack 1 (step S210). This embodiment cannot be applied when the charger 30 and the battery pack 1 cannot communicate with each other. On the other hand, when the charger 30 can communicate with the battery pack 1, when the battery pack 1 is attached to the charger 30, the battery charger 1 information is transmitted from the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 to the charger 30 microcomputer 31 (step S050). ). Charger necessary information includes charging / discharging cycle information, cell voltage value, charging current value, temperature information in the battery pack 1, full charge capacity value, current integrated value, power value of immediately used equipment such as the video camera 20, and further cooling This is information necessary for the charger 30 such as [Yes] / [No] information of the unit 14 and power consumption value information of the cooling unit 14.

  In addition, during the period when the cooling unit 14 is not operating, the power consumption value of the cooling unit 14 is output as 0 mW, which is used as the operating state determination information of the cooling unit 14 (step S050).

  The charger 30 transmits necessary battery information such as correspondence [OK] / [NO] of the battery cooling unit 14 (step S212).

  If the battery pack 1 is [Yes] of the cooling unit 14 (step S052) and the battery cooling unit 14 of the charger 30 is [enabled] (step S054), the battery pack 1 is charged after the power is turned on and charging is started. A command for the battery cooling section 14 [fixed to ON] is sent from the microcomputer 31 (step S056). As a result, the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 switches the cooling unit 14 to the [ON fixed] setting (step S058). As a result, the cooling unit 14 operates from the start of charging, and suppresses the temperature rise of the battery pack 1.

  The fixed setting of the cooling unit 14 is released when the charger 30 is removed or the information communication is interrupted. Further, at a low temperature when the charging current must be reduced, the battery cooling unit 14 [ON fixed] command is not sent so that the cooling is not executed.

  In addition, the charger 30 can switch the quick charge mode in which charging is performed with a higher current than usual to shorten the charging time (step S218).

  From the information periodically transmitted from the battery pack 1 microcomputer 4 to the charger 30 microcomputer 31, a calculation for obtaining the remaining battery time when used in the immediately used device is performed. Further, the charge completion time is calculated from the full charge capacity, the current integrated value, and the charge current value. Note that the charging current value of the battery information does not include the consumption of the cooling unit 14. Therefore, the calculation formula is common regardless of the cooling unit 14 [ON] / [OFF] (steps S220 and S234).

  When displayable on the LCD display unit 22 of the video camera 20 (steps S222 and 236), the charging time and the remaining time are displayed on the LCD display unit 32 (steps S224 and S238).

  Regardless of whether the battery cooling unit 14 is [Yes] / [No] and the corresponding [Yes] / [No] of the battery cooling unit 14 of the charger 30, the temperature in the battery pack 1 is stored in the charger 30 microcomputer 31. It is determined whether or not the battery safe charging upper limit temperature limit is not reached (steps S226 and S240).

  When the temperature in the battery pack 1 rises and reaches the battery safe charging upper limit regulation temperature, the charging shifts to a pause state (steps S228 and S242).

  Charging is resumed when the temperature in the battery pack 1 becomes equal to or lower than the charging suspension release temperature with hysteresis stored in the microcomputer 30 or after a fixed suspension time has elapsed. (Steps S232, S246).

<3. Effect of Embodiment of the Present Invention>
In the device system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since the cooling unit 14 operates at high temperatures even with the battery pack 1 alone, it is possible to greatly increase the allowable discharge and charge allowable current values due to temperature rise in the safety test. It becomes possible, and the electronic device used is not restricted by the current of safety.

  In addition, information on [Yes] / [No] of the battery cooling unit 14 on the side of the device used (video camera 20) and [Yes] / [No] of the cooling unit 14 on the battery pack 1 side is shared by communication, and cooling is performed. By performing the fixed setting of the unit 14, etc., the system can be used in any combination. As a result, a broad lineup of equipment and battery packs is possible. For example, in the case of a low-cost battery pack in the lineup, or a battery pack that has a small capacity and has sufficient temperature even when discharged to the end of the battery, the system can be supported even if the cooling unit 14 is not provided. .

  Further, by including the power consumption of the cooling unit 14 in the battery remaining amount calculation formula, the battery cooling unit 14 can respond [Yes] / [No], and the cooling unit 14 has [Yes] / [No]. In, accurate calculation of the remaining battery capacity can be performed.

  Furthermore, the operation of the cooling unit 14 at the time of discharging due to the use of equipment is limited only to the case where the temperature rises to near the upper limit temperature, so that unnecessary power consumption of the battery can be suppressed.

  In addition, while the cooling unit 14 is in operation, a warning display indicating that the battery cooling unit 14 is in operation is displayed on the display unit of the device (video camera 20), so that the device can be continuously connected even if excess power is consumed. The user can be given the option of using or suspending the use of the device and lowering the temperature of the battery pack 1.

  In the charging system according to the second embodiment, based on the [presence] information of the cooling unit 14 from the battery pack 1 side, the cooling unit 14 is operated from the start, and a transition is made to a quick charging mode with a larger current than normal charging. By doing so, the charging time can be shortened.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

1 Battery pack 2 cells 4, 21, 31 Microcomputer 5 Charge control FET
6 Discharge control FET
7 Current detection resistor 8 Cooling mechanism drive unit 9 Cooling mechanism 10 Temperature detection unit 11, 24, 35 Positive terminal 12, 25, 36 Negative terminal 13, 26, 37 Control terminal (C)
14 Cooling unit 22, 32 LCD display unit 23, 33 REG
30 charger 34 charge control circuit

Claims (11)

An information receiving unit for receiving from the battery pack a power consumption value of the cooling unit of the battery pack having a battery cell and a cooling unit for cooling the battery cell;
An electronic device comprising: a calculation unit that calculates a usable time of the battery pack based on a power consumption value of the cooling unit. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates an available time of the battery cell using the following formula 1.
Battery cell usable time = (Bnow / Bmax) × (Mw / (Wset + Wbattcool))
(Formula 1)
Here, Bmax: full charge state current integrated value of the battery cell, Bnow: current current integrated value of the battery cell, Mw: operation possible time with reference power of the device main body, Wset: power value of use mode of the device main body , Wbattcool: Power consumption value of the cooling unit   The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays the calculated usable time of the battery cell.   The said information receiving part receives the power consumption value of the said cooling part whose value is 0 from the said battery pack, when the drive of the said cooling part is OFF, The any one of Claims 1-3 Electronics.   The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the information receiving unit receives information indicating that the driving of the cooling unit is OFF from the battery pack. A battery cell;
A temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the battery cell;
A cooling unit for cooling the battery cell;
A battery pack, comprising: an information transmission unit that transmits an electric power consumption value of the cooling unit to the electronic device so that an electronic device to which power is supplied from the battery cell calculates a usable time of the battery cell.   The battery pack according to claim 6, wherein when the driving of the cooling unit is OFF, the information transmission unit transmits the power consumption value of the cooling unit as 0 to the electronic device.   The battery pack according to claim 6, wherein the information transmission unit transmits information indicating that the driving of the cooling unit is OFF to the electronic device. An information receiving unit for receiving a power consumption value of the cooling unit of the battery pack having a battery cell and a cooling unit for cooling the battery cell from the battery pack, and use of the battery pack based on the power consumption value of the cooling unit An electronic device having a calculation unit for calculating possible time;
Since the electronic device to which power is supplied from the battery cell, the temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the battery cell, the cooling unit, and the battery cell calculates the usable time of the battery cell, the electronic device A battery pack having an information transmission unit for transmitting a power consumption value of the cooling unit to
An equipment system comprising: Receiving a power consumption value of the cooling unit of the battery pack having a battery cell and a cooling unit for cooling the battery cell from the battery pack;
Calculating the usable time of the battery pack based on the power consumption value of the cooling unit. Means for receiving from the battery pack a power consumption value of the cooling part of the battery pack having a battery cell and a cooling part for cooling the battery cell;
A program for causing a computer to function as means for calculating a usable time of the battery pack based on a power consumption value of the cooling unit.

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